My Sad Addiction 2

Following my blog the other day on the Chelsea disease we did of course run out 7-0 winners against Stoke which produced my favourite quote of the week from the Stoke manager Tony Pullis "we were lucky to get 0"

Life

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of
intelligent people and affection of children; to learn the
appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of
false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in
others; to leave the world a little bit better, whether by
a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social
condition; to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived. This is to have succeeded”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Sad Addiction

Chelsea football club have been a fixture in my life since I was old enough to understand there was football life beyond watching my cousin Ken kick a ball around a park with other amateurs at the weekend.
There were these God like men in royal blue who achieved feats only dreamt of lower down the ability league.Chelsea were not that successful having only won the 1st Division title in the year I was born 1955 and not much else since. But the team by the time I was old enough to follow them was inhabited by creatures with wonderful names like Ron "Chopper" Harris defender axer of opposing forwards and Captain. Peter Bonnetti "The Cat" a goalkeeper of amazing acrobatic prowess who I emulated diving onto my bed as the floor at home was hard. However one man towered above all the others that was Peter Osgood "Ossie" "The King of Stamford Bridge" (only later in life would I learn that Stamford Bridge was the battle fought by Harold 2 days before the battle of Hastings).I was sad when he died far too early the other year, Gods are mortal after all.
When I was 15 the lads actually won something the FA Cup when this was more important than even most European cups and all the sweeter it was against Leeds who in the 70's were the Man Utd of the day all conquering men in white.

So now as we come to the end of another season and we are expecting that we will once again regain the Premiership title I look back on those days of less money and boyhood heroes with pride and I hope John Terry and his team will be looked down on by Ossie during this run in I expect he would relish having a go himself

Tom

Tom was my father-in-law. On the face of it we should not really get on. He loves rugby, I love football. He loves golf, I don't see the point. He is a Tory slightly to the right of Genghis Khan whereas I am a lefty, pinko socialist.But we did!

Tom had been a navigator on Vulcan's in the RAF, which for those of you too young to remember was Britain's first nuclear deterrent fleet of bombers. Again this should have divided us, after all I had also been a member of CND,However I have the deepest respect for our armed services after all it is the politicians who make the policy it's the service people who are the guys sitting at the end of a mile of tarmac with a bomb so destructive we can hardly comprehend it strapped to their aircraft. Tom did this in the knowledge that if he ever started on the journey to Moscow or Minsk he was not certain of coming back and if he did the airfield would no longer be there nor would his family. I am just so glad I don't have to make that sort of choice I am not that brave, he was.

Tom died this week.

I would like to tell you about an abiding memory I have of him. When Lucy and I were going through the process of splitting up he called me up and invited me out for the day. We were to go on a corporate day with Lexus . So we drove to a country park where we, sometimes inelegantly, attempted to take 4x4's around an off road course. All this time Tom was trying to see if there was any way he or Pam his wife could help us. He showed real kindness and concern that I will always remember. The day ended with us deciding to go to the Nigel Mansell museum which was nearby. Here we marvelled at all things Nigel. The helmet he wore to win the F1 championship, the cups he won as well as his invitation to the Queen Mothers funeral, God it was boring. At the end of the tour we were all herded into a small cinema where we were expected to sit through a film of Nigel's life.

This was the point when before we lost the will to live we formed an escape committee, we could take it no longer.

However we were thwarted by the guards, sorry guides, who had locked the doors so all we could do was to make our way out through the emergency exit but this involved a walk around the theatre and creating shadows on the screen. As we made our run for it we could hear the hissing and tutting of the die hard Nigel fans.

So I would like to bade farewell to Tom. I will miss his directness, his ability to hunt out a bargain (his family know of his love of the yellow sticker) most of all his unfailing kindness when there was a need for it and his wise counsel.

I will miss him.

Reading

http://network.libdems.org.uk/manifesto2010/libdem_manifesto_2010.pdf

Well everyone I have read the three main party manifestos and before checking my self into the clinic I thought I'd share my thoughts. The Tory one is the longest at 131 pages, but what word comes to mind to describe what is inside the nice blue cover, well, waffle mainly. There are some figures but you cannot, without creating your own spreadsheet, see how these go together. I have to say the Labour one is not much better but thankfully shorter. If you want to find one to read try the Lib Dem one. The link is above. At the back it sets out where they would hope to get money in and how money would be spent. Of course one cannot tell if these plans would work (on the basis of most businesses halve the savings double the costs)?

But at least they have had a go at making it understandable. So full marks for that Mr Clegg D- for the rest

Post debate

Well here we are post the leaders debate and really did it do anything to change minds? I think not having read some comments on Twitter where those that support one side or another were not moved so let's hope the floaters found it more interesting. Hard to though with the audience forced to play statues very flat. Under 30's stayed away in droves as well which is not a good sign.

At least there was some light relief with the news that Eddie Izzard has backed the Labour party so that's the marathon running transvestite vote wrapped up then!!!

I'm really not motivated to write more tonight so will leave you with my favourite Cameron poster of the moment.

Crazy Cat

About two years ago I inherited this crazy cat. Not that I knew at the time that she was crazy. I don't go around looking for mad moggies to adopt but Buffy came to live here anyway. She is a big girl (twice the size of my male cat) and not on the face of it friendly.
Buffy however does not seem to acknowledge her bulk or how it might impact on her catty ways. So the first time I saw this rather large feline sitting on the edge of the fish tank (it's a large tank)sipping fish water I knew I had one of those cats that value pleasure over safety. The last one of these I had used to regularly fall out of upstairs windows!So I guess we are going to have to get Buffy swimming lessons or water wings any suggestions gratefully recieved.
Buffy also never used to go outside which sort of was the reason she has always had a litter tray. Not the most pleasant of duties the emptying of the tray (but better that following your dog for miles with a tesco's carrier bag (second thought what happens dog owners when free bags finally disappear?)). She does now make the odd trip through the cat flap which is an exercise in itself. Most animals understand if you push with your head the flap opens. Not our Buffer she prizes it open inwards with a paw then drags herself out, but odd opening method aside, she then always rushes back in to use her tray (yes I know I could wean her off it but life is short guys).
She also sometimes sets up ambushes for Mr Tibbs the male cat and leaps on him from a great height but Tibbs like the smaller of most species always seems to have the last laugh and these eposodes end with a freantic chase up the stairs and Buffy not being seen until next feeding time.

Post Election

So where we be in 4 weeks time and all the name calling and promises set up to be broken have been made? Well I hope people give some consideration to history and what happened the last time the Tory party was in power.
I know memories are short and a lot of voters now never lived through those times and that worries me. Yes there was a lot of opportunity created but also a lot of misery. I was a soft southerner and I remember going to the north for the first time and seeing the heart being ripped out of communities. This was perhaps the birth of Cameron's great ignored. Although as those of us who lived then know Thatcher told us there was no such thing as society, so if you have to save it look to your roots for the cause.
Mr Cameron is going to speak about freeing charities and other social enterprise groups to do what they do best. Of course this is real Victorian values at work because what goes unsaid is how these organisations will be funded. It will not be from government, there is no money left, so these organisations will rely on charity for this funding and it will never be enough.

I work on projects funded by government to train new business people. Small business is incredibly important to our economy and the more that survive the better but I fear funding cuts will leave only those people who can afford to hire me at commercial rates with any chance of getting this service. It's not as if I get rich doing this I earn less than average wage. However what I earn is not relevant I earn what I need and no more so i can enjoy a quality of life and that is my choice. That is the sort of choice I would be happy to see spread about a bit more.

End of election rant back to the doings of my crazy cat soon

Why Italian

Well all the other names were taken and I guessed wanting to be Italian whilst not possessing any of the innate style of an Italian could count as a mid life crisis of sorts. I guess traditionally we are meant to go for Italian sports cars but i thought what the hell lets go for the whole enchilada (damn there is Mexican creeping in now).

Well this is also inspired by my lack of inspiration today to get my work done but I guess the protestant work ethic is kicking in or is it the catholic guilt so this is it for now will update you later on progress towards sharp suits and luscious shoes.....