Mum's 90th birthday was yesterday and a great family birthday
party lunch took place at the Babylon restaurant just off High
Street Kensington.
The celebrations were fun and good times were
had by all - mum,dad, children and grand children and
husbands and wives. The slightly sobering thought afterwards
was to wonder if even assuming I reach the ripe old age of
90 at all, I will still be enjoying life as much then as mother
is now? The answer I think will be 'yes', but if this blog is still
going then, I'll revisit this post and comment accordingly.
The ease of the journey on London Underground from Wimbledon
to South Ken. on a Saturday, again contrasted favourably with the admittedly
brief experience of the Paris Metro on a Saturday in September.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Sunday, October 22, 2006
The Queen
Mrs maytrees and I went to see The Queen yesterday; not the real one
but the film, at the Wimbledon Odeon.
The action commences in the UK in 1997.
The great actress, Helen Mirren stars as the Queen with Michael Sheen
playing as the newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair. I was not expecting
the film to be good, a good press revue may not accurately
mirror the film itself, but "The Queen" was excellent.
The Royal family was at the time, criticised for not being
in tune with their people's "grief" following on from
Princess Diana's death. Despite press headlines of the "aloofness" variety
and mountains of flowers being heaped outside the gates
of Buckingham Palace, its flagpole was bare; not even the Union Jack
at half mast, let alone the Royal Standard. Neither had any 'Royal' made a
statement or public pronouncement of grief.
Tony, the keen new PM knew his people better and set about convincing
the Royals to modernise. The Queen eschewed the modern trend
for wearing one's heart on one's sleeve or for "grieving" for someone
one didn't know and believed the people would come to her point
of view in while.
A quietly dramatic scene took place when HM was stranded alone
when her Land Rover stuck in a river ford at Balmoral.
As she stepped out into the empty countryside,
for a moment she came face to face with a great stag
being hunted by a royal hunting party. The pressures
of office, her private grief and her awareness of the
plight of this magnificent creature, all coalesced into
tears - privately. She later visted the slaughtered
stag in a neighbouring estate - quite a poignant scene.
My own view is that the Queen's attitude at the time
was right and that the people's sentimentality was best not
followed. Leaders often need to guide their people
rather than follow them.
PM Tony, ever conscious of what the media might say, followed
public opinion and by virtue of his high, elected office,
the Queen was right to accept his advice. However
he was I believe wrong to give it.
A film with much to commend it.
but the film, at the Wimbledon Odeon.
The action commences in the UK in 1997.
The great actress, Helen Mirren stars as the Queen with Michael Sheen
playing as the newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair. I was not expecting
the film to be good, a good press revue may not accurately
mirror the film itself, but "The Queen" was excellent.
The Royal family was at the time, criticised for not being
in tune with their people's "grief" following on from
Princess Diana's death. Despite press headlines of the "aloofness" variety
and mountains of flowers being heaped outside the gates
of Buckingham Palace, its flagpole was bare; not even the Union Jack
at half mast, let alone the Royal Standard. Neither had any 'Royal' made a
statement or public pronouncement of grief.
Tony, the keen new PM knew his people better and set about convincing
the Royals to modernise. The Queen eschewed the modern trend
for wearing one's heart on one's sleeve or for "grieving" for someone
one didn't know and believed the people would come to her point
of view in while.
A quietly dramatic scene took place when HM was stranded alone
when her Land Rover stuck in a river ford at Balmoral.
As she stepped out into the empty countryside,
for a moment she came face to face with a great stag
being hunted by a royal hunting party. The pressures
of office, her private grief and her awareness of the
plight of this magnificent creature, all coalesced into
tears - privately. She later visted the slaughtered
stag in a neighbouring estate - quite a poignant scene.
My own view is that the Queen's attitude at the time
was right and that the people's sentimentality was best not
followed. Leaders often need to guide their people
rather than follow them.
PM Tony, ever conscious of what the media might say, followed
public opinion and by virtue of his high, elected office,
the Queen was right to accept his advice. However
he was I believe wrong to give it.
A film with much to commend it.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Mum's Book Signing and Non-Organic Apples
Quite an achievement for anyone to write a book that is actually
published and then passes to booksellers and ordinary book
buyers and readers, who pay real money for your new work.
Even more so when you are like mum, within days of your 90th birthday
and are invited by a large book chain like WH Smiths,
to do a book signing on a busy Saturday morning in the local town centre.
She was given a table with about a hundred copies of her book
sand signed copies for sale to Smith's customers.
Smiths were actually very good
and made no objection to our having a family reunion in their
foyer at the same time, despite the banter and flash photography
affecting the normal good order of their busy branch.
To add to the confusion that morning, adjacent to WH Smith
a busy farmers market was taking place. During a break from
mum's book signing we bought bags of apples from
a farmer who had travelled up from Kent. The apples were not
"organic" but neither had they been transported from the other
side of the world by CO2 spilling jet plane and more to the point,
they were delicious.
published and then passes to booksellers and ordinary book
buyers and readers, who pay real money for your new work.
Even more so when you are like mum, within days of your 90th birthday
and are invited by a large book chain like WH Smiths,
to do a book signing on a busy Saturday morning in the local town centre.
She was given a table with about a hundred copies of her book
sand signed copies for sale to Smith's customers.
Smiths were actually very good
and made no objection to our having a family reunion in their
foyer at the same time, despite the banter and flash photography
affecting the normal good order of their busy branch.
To add to the confusion that morning, adjacent to WH Smith
a busy farmers market was taking place. During a break from
mum's book signing we bought bags of apples from
a farmer who had travelled up from Kent. The apples were not
"organic" but neither had they been transported from the other
side of the world by CO2 spilling jet plane and more to the point,
they were delicious.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Newspaper Wars
The increasing dilemma of which newspaper
to read to and from dayjob by SWTrain these days
has become farcical. the Indy is a great read,
and as the journey is only c.14 minutes there
is just time to read a few business articles going
and other pages on the way home.
The Metro is offered free on the way in but
it sits passively in its sales bins and can
be taken or not. Excursions to the City
add the City AM as a less passive option
as it is handed out occasionally.
Going home is entirely different.
During the evening journey war rages between
the London Lite people and the London Paper folk
as to who can thrust what paper(s) into
your hands first. The precincts of Vauxhall
Bus Tube and SWT Station are full of competing
newspapers and their reps vying for the best pitches
to catch unsuspecting
commuters from, on all angles of the concourse.
Assuming
that the reps get paid to give the papers away,
the newspaper proprietors must be spending
a fortune on wages alone. Advertising in some
of the papers is a bit thin too atm.
Then when you have finally passed the
SWTrain section access gates, the poor old
Evening Standard vendor tries to sell you his
wares for 50p which must be an uphill struggle
for Assoc News as well.
As for their content:
Indy A+
Metro B-
CityAM B
LondonLite C+
The LondonPaper C
Evening Standard B++
The trouble with freebies imho is that
they appear to be aimed at the youth market.
The London Paper's layout is good but its content
is not so good. The London Lite is visa versa.
The real reservation I have however is that the
freebies by their very nature, will cause their readers
to get used to skimming rather than reading in depth.
Fine for short train journeys though.
I hate to think of the impact on global warming and
other green issues, of all these newspaper wars
to read to and from dayjob by SWTrain these days
has become farcical. the Indy is a great read,
and as the journey is only c.14 minutes there
is just time to read a few business articles going
and other pages on the way home.
The Metro is offered free on the way in but
it sits passively in its sales bins and can
be taken or not. Excursions to the City
add the City AM as a less passive option
as it is handed out occasionally.
Going home is entirely different.
During the evening journey war rages between
the London Lite people and the London Paper folk
as to who can thrust what paper(s) into
your hands first. The precincts of Vauxhall
Bus Tube and SWT Station are full of competing
newspapers and their reps vying for the best pitches
to catch unsuspecting
commuters from, on all angles of the concourse.
Assuming
that the reps get paid to give the papers away,
the newspaper proprietors must be spending
a fortune on wages alone. Advertising in some
of the papers is a bit thin too atm.
Then when you have finally passed the
SWTrain section access gates, the poor old
Evening Standard vendor tries to sell you his
wares for 50p which must be an uphill struggle
for Assoc News as well.
As for their content:
Indy A+
Metro B-
CityAM B
LondonLite C+
The LondonPaper C
Evening Standard B++
The trouble with freebies imho is that
they appear to be aimed at the youth market.
The London Paper's layout is good but its content
is not so good. The London Lite is visa versa.
The real reservation I have however is that the
freebies by their very nature, will cause their readers
to get used to skimming rather than reading in depth.
Fine for short train journeys though.
I hate to think of the impact on global warming and
other green issues, of all these newspaper wars
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Oil Lamps and Computers
By the end of week one, the marriage of two long established
law firms with Church origins, Catholic and Methodist, is
proving very successful, people-wise. Computer-wise is currently
another matter. People talk to each other easily and warmly
around the coffee machine. Computers can also
communicate with people, but easily and warmly? Not at present.
Our Catholic and Methodist computers are currently experiencing
the same kind of communication problem as has
beset different Christian religious leaders almost
since the time of Jesus.
In moving old maytrees' legal aids accumulated over the years,
from one floor of our delightful Pimlico stuccoed building to another,
I came across an old paraffin storm lantern. This oil lamp
was a relic of the Ted Heath era of the British political scene
and the "Three Day Work Order" imposed from the end of 1973.
Ted Heath in 1972, defied the coal mining National Union of Miners
by denying them an extra £9 wages on top of their £25 per week. The NUM
members stopped digging coal; electricity supplies from coal generation
began to dwindle and had to be rationed to protect health and safety
over the needs of commerce. Commerce was permitted to use electricity
at the workplace for ony 3 days each week. Oil lamps instead of
electric lights, stairs instead of lifts/elevators
and manual typewriters or pens, quill or otherwise, instead of electric
word processors and dictation machines, were all used to
overcome these restrictions.
An oil lamp, a biro and some carbon paper were sufficient
to maintain my own 5 day week.
The Great British public gave Ted Heath no
support at the next election which served only to postpone
the next stand off with the Trade Unions to Maggie Thatcher's day.
Most UK coal mining jobs in the UK, subsequently ended.
Should history ever repeat itself in the form of another
3 day week, society's virtual
dependency on computers today, would result in far more
havoc and disruption than in 1972/4.
In reflecting on those unlighted times,
I've decided to lighten up this blog's appearance a little,
by turning on the light and losing the black template.
law firms with Church origins, Catholic and Methodist, is
proving very successful, people-wise. Computer-wise is currently
another matter. People talk to each other easily and warmly
around the coffee machine. Computers can also
communicate with people, but easily and warmly? Not at present.
Our Catholic and Methodist computers are currently experiencing
the same kind of communication problem as has
beset different Christian religious leaders almost
since the time of Jesus.
In moving old maytrees' legal aids accumulated over the years,
from one floor of our delightful Pimlico stuccoed building to another,
I came across an old paraffin storm lantern. This oil lamp
was a relic of the Ted Heath era of the British political scene
and the "Three Day Work Order" imposed from the end of 1973.
Ted Heath in 1972, defied the coal mining National Union of Miners
by denying them an extra £9 wages on top of their £25 per week. The NUM
members stopped digging coal; electricity supplies from coal generation
began to dwindle and had to be rationed to protect health and safety
over the needs of commerce. Commerce was permitted to use electricity
at the workplace for ony 3 days each week. Oil lamps instead of
electric lights, stairs instead of lifts/elevators
and manual typewriters or pens, quill or otherwise, instead of electric
word processors and dictation machines, were all used to
overcome these restrictions.
An oil lamp, a biro and some carbon paper were sufficient
to maintain my own 5 day week.
The Great British public gave Ted Heath no
support at the next election which served only to postpone
the next stand off with the Trade Unions to Maggie Thatcher's day.
Most UK coal mining jobs in the UK, subsequently ended.
Should history ever repeat itself in the form of another
3 day week, society's virtual
dependency on computers today, would result in far more
havoc and disruption than in 1972/4.
In reflecting on those unlighted times,
I've decided to lighten up this blog's appearance a little,
by turning on the light and losing the black template.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Law and Human Rights - a new age
The new UK laws outlawing discrimination on the grounds of age
coming into force, this month, present challenges to employers
but especially at a time of increasing human longevity, will
imho, add considerably to the quality of life.
Traditionally however, legal rights are balanced by
counterpart obligations. I recall making this
point in a debate on sharecrazy
about the killings on London's transport system on 7th July:
"...Civil rights. Probably you like me
can recall when air travel was romantic
and security checks were non existent.
Probably too you can recall
when huge controversy was caused by giving
British Policeman guns even for one off cases?
Random mass killings have alas led to such positive
attributes of our Society being diluted. Obviously
such dilutions of Society's and individual's
freedoms cannot be avoided in some cases for the
sake of the common good.
However once gone, such freedoms are difficult to
recover so are best not discarded too quickly.
Thirdly; civil responsibilities...
The convention on Human Rights was a post WW 2
development.
Life has moved on immeasurably since then
and that convention needs reviewing accordingly. My suggestion
is that rather than remove human rights piecemeal
in response to particularly appalling
criminal murder and mayhem, there
be set up, perhaps by the UN
or heaven forbid, the EC, an organisation dedicated
to creating a convention on human responsibilities,
the adherence to which could be factored in when
considering individual's human rights..."
The new age anti-discrimination laws, will undoubtedly be
beneficial for old and young alike but society does need also
to provide a clear yardstick for social responsibilities that
should accompany the raft of rights that are being enacted.
coming into force, this month, present challenges to employers
but especially at a time of increasing human longevity, will
imho, add considerably to the quality of life.
Traditionally however, legal rights are balanced by
counterpart obligations. I recall making this
point in a debate on sharecrazy
about the killings on London's transport system on 7th July:
"...Civil rights. Probably you like me
can recall when air travel was romantic
and security checks were non existent.
Probably too you can recall
when huge controversy was caused by giving
British Policeman guns even for one off cases?
Random mass killings have alas led to such positive
attributes of our Society being diluted. Obviously
such dilutions of Society's and individual's
freedoms cannot be avoided in some cases for the
sake of the common good.
However once gone, such freedoms are difficult to
recover so are best not discarded too quickly.
Thirdly; civil responsibilities...
The convention on Human Rights was a post WW 2
development.
Life has moved on immeasurably since then
and that convention needs reviewing accordingly. My suggestion
is that rather than remove human rights piecemeal
in response to particularly appalling
criminal murder and mayhem, there
be set up, perhaps by the UN
or heaven forbid, the EC, an organisation dedicated
to creating a convention on human responsibilities,
the adherence to which could be factored in when
considering individual's human rights..."
The new age anti-discrimination laws, will undoubtedly be
beneficial for old and young alike but society does need also
to provide a clear yardstick for social responsibilities that
should accompany the raft of rights that are being enacted.
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