1096 Falklands War to be remembered

For the past three days I have channelled my creative energies into a new project which could impact on my day to day future. Thus I wrote yesterday.

The weather has been appalling and the combination of the cold and wet and focussed activity had led to little exercise and comfort eating. Earlier in the evening I was disciplined and did not buy at the supermarket, an additional supply of peanuts, giant size bags for under £1, or cheesy what's its. I did have my glass of red wine, a Chilean wine Les Haminos, which is a coincidence because a Chilean friend was also moaning about the weather on IM last night as we both dreamed of the warm sun on our flesh.

A more recent friend held a contemporary art performance and exhibition in the evening air of a London Square which sounded great fun, involving art on a pillow case and a pillow fight. Locally was the first of free summer concert at the Amphitheatre on the sea front with bands Chris Dilford and Jen Stevens and the Hiccups, but I was not up for them, sorry guys, although as I learnt from last year there is a the covered walkway, a strange sea front development comprising a long wall of glass overlooking the beach with open side to the amphitheatre and, a small water feature and a popular café used by bikers at weekends on the other It is possible to walk on the roof with an attractive over view in all directions. In bad weather both artists and public can huddle under the walkway. Hopefully the weather will be better on Saturday Shake Ya Tailfeathers and Barnstormer although I will be home to watch The British Ambassadors dinner do in Paris and Dr Who.

I had two large rolls with a potato based soup, the rolls going cheaply in packs of four for 18 pence on a brief supermarket trip for some colourful peppers which I eat raw in salads, and some indigestion tables and man size tissues. I can now smell the Italian herb mixture on a baking trout although the there is a hallway and a day room in between here and the kitchen. I think this will not suffice so I do a couple of small packets of frozen fresh veg in the microwave. I have been good and used one packet of corn, peas and runner beans. I have been goodish with one egg for breakfast, a prawn salad with a pear for lunch and three unbuttered Scottish pancakes for tea doused with lemon. The test will be later after some grapes and a banana, around 1 am. Will I be able to resist another roll with cheese or salami or a Philadelphia dip?

I was tempted to take up the invitation to the Trent Polytechnic 2007 fine art degree course show, involving another friend although the appeal was also the live art performance related to Lonely Heart adds. If only the event had been on another weekend.

There has been important local sports news for the day with the sale of shares by the Chairman of Newcastle football club for an estimated sum over £35 million following £55 million for the Hall family holding. The price is reported to have been 101 pence. Four years ago I held 10000 shares acquired when they were very low about £3000 in total so would have made a gain of 300% had they been kept, alas such is life. However the more immediate news was the signing of a 20 goal a season striker from neighbouring Borough, a man in the mould of Alan Shearer and would make the ideal partner for Michael Owen if he stays. Joey Barton is still to sign on and Big Sam who I admired where he played for Sunderland is trying to bringing one of his full backs from Bolton. I am weakening and could find myself with two season tickets and a live match at least once a week for nine months. The decision will be taken over the next week.

The trout and mini vegetable were excellent. I saw some freshish bream at Morrison's earlier in the week and after my treat at the Sunderland Marriott last week, I will try some next week instead of the trout. Despite a decade and half of buying my food I still amaze at the variation in costings. I had my bi weekly whole chicken for £2.50 this weekend and managed a roast dinner on Sunday and two eat till full hotpots subsequently, and with a portion put into the bin, with regret, because I hate wasting food when others are going without. Each main course on three days cost less than the £1.54 paid for a starter of olives, feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes, consumed in one session because it was so delicious. The advert on TV is about a small filled baguette to your specification for £1.99. A Local Pub passed on the way to visit my mother advertises two steak meals and a bottle of wine for £9.99. The main dishes of the meals eaten out last week were around £10-£15.

I have continued to keep one eye on the Big Brother Show where my original assessment of silly young women too full of themselves and requiring high maintenance proved to be wrong. They are far worse. There are exceptions among the house "mates" although mates are also a dubious description of the relationship between the majority. The only male has also proved himself a disappointment succumbing to the need to pair himself off, admittedly with the kind of girl he could take home to mother, but by doing so he has sealed his fate for an early exit and it will be interesting to see how he fares once the males promised for tonight are introduced. However, as George Galloway intimated, one could be gay and the other mature to old leaving the majority to their girlie activities. I was one of many who disliked George Galloway for his links with the former regime in Iraq and his leaving the Labour Party and creating his own faction, that was until his appearance in celebrity Big Brother and his decision to offer and perform as a cat. The man's got bottle and soul and his performances leading the usual inane programme full of sycophants reviewing the day's events revealed a professional competence suggesting a successor to Kilroy-the Silk. The last 24 hours marked a change of gear as one of the silly girls used the N word in an effort to establish street cred with perhaps until then most ugh of the girlies immediately realising what she had done as did the victim but subsequent desperate attempts by both to pass over the incident only made the situation worse. The channel had no option but to evict the young woman, but how it was done only served to emphasise the dodgy programme values with its emphasise that there is no such thing as bad publicity, only no publicity.

It was therefore heartening this morning while dressing to listen to an intelligent, interesting and moving programme about a Falklands 25 year memorial service held in Wales with two frothy other items. One arose because someone had slated those who come to the door in pyjamas or lounge about for the greater part of the day. One former businesswoman at home with a baby admitted how casual and not bovverred she had become. The other trivia was the breaking or damaging of valuable object and one former Olympic gold medallist told the story how it had been damaged by her baby daughter. It was evident that she had then settled to into motherhood and whatever she had done after her period winning medals, putting the trophies away in some draw until a couple of months ago a son had asked about the medals and mother had explained the cause of the damage. The extraordinary normality of this family emerged when the daughter explained she did not remember or know of the event until raised by her brother, and that had not bothered to examine the particular and other medals. These were all people with commendable values about their everyday lives and what a contrast to those of the Big Brother House. I need a siesta watching the Test Match.