1916 James Lovelock wins the day

Th magical wonder of Tuesday was a BBCi Player programme about James Lovelock, the man who invented a device to detect and measure CFC’s and with his family then undertook measurements when there was haze blocking the view he had as a child and this led to making a trip top the Antarctic to discover the extent of CFC’s in the world. His work led to others understanding the impact on the Ozone layer in the earth’s atmosphere and the international understanding that they had to eliminate CFC’s if humans are to be able to continue to live on this planet.

An invitation to assist US Space Exploration Scientists led him to develop his Gaia theory about the way living organisms have helped to protect the earth from the increasing heat of sun. The Space agency assembled the best minds to try and work out how to evaluate if there was life on Mars. James independently worked how to make the evaluation without going to Mars and his idea established that there was no life now. It was the study of the Martian atmosphere which led to develop his theory that through the process of natural selection living organism were creating and changing the atmosphere around the earth planet which sustained and developed human life. His ideas were immediately appreciated by some Christian leaders and New Age believers but met with considerable hostility on the part of the scientific establishment until he was able to demonstrate with the Daisy experiment that an organism can respond and adjust to the environment and in turn affect and which together with other examples substantially changed the view among scientists and others that one needs to looks at the planet as whole to full understand the interconnectivity and how revolutionary imbalances can cause irreversible changes such as the melting of the polar ice caps

In the first of three programmes about individualist creative scientists who have made profound discoveries James, who is ninety years of age explained how he became interested in sciences, discovered original scientific books in the basement of Balham public Library and decided to work on his own rather than within the institutions and laboratories of the scientific establishment. He remains one of the remarkable human beings of the generation before mine. His life and work confirmed our understanding that overall Creatives contribute more to society than those who follow conventional ways. However one as to be aware and take account of the potential downside.

The weather this weekend was most foul. Cold and wet but I did undertake work on the garage area under cover. Having repaired and sealed the brickwork above the garage door I completed the painting, pastel pink the brickwork, brilliant white the woodwork and pastel blue the door. I also commenced work on the side of the house which was further progressed on Monday, first cleaning off any fungus, then treating the areas with preventative and repairing and sealing, with the conditions unpleasant to work despite being undercover. Tuesday was also cold but brighter although rain during the day delayed work on the lower day room window. I was nearly able to complete the original task. What remains will take one half day session. In addition I propose to decorate the remaining area of garage floor with coloured side bands, more coloured gravel with a query on the remaining floor area. I will also do some work on the external toilet as well as on the bathroom which is in fact my next priority.

Having spent time on careful preparations and then on obtaining a good finish, at close inspection, as well as from a distance, I would rather leave and return than rush and regret.

I have photographs of working outside my former home three stories high, using a hired mobile scaffolding platform and then using my own self assembly unit which I purchased mail order and which had to tied to the property for safety reasons. I don’t like heights, avoiding standing at the edge of cliffs and building and getting up and working and then down again was one oft he achievements of my life as well as walking climbing a mountain in Scotland but which did involve some hands and knees sections. Nowadays getting up six and nine step ladders is something of an ordeal and requires care and I will be relieved when this part is over.

I had planed to spend the from Wednesday to Sunday at the cricket with the first 40 over game on Sunday, and as last week I will attend the opening day of game against Somerset, although going early to ensure a seat behind glass, unless it is raining hard and the start of play will be delayed. Durham must win the next game not to find themselves at the relegation end of the table with Yorkshire now some 40 ahead after two magnificent wins. Rain and bad light helped Durham to achieve a draw on Sunday when for most of the third day and morning of the fourth defeat seemed likely. My hope is the Will Smith does not go to pieces following the poor decision to field and his second innings duck. I was a little concerned about his admission that last year he had lacked the mental strength to undertake the captaincy and build long innings.

I enjoyed some TV football watching and listening over the last three days. The best game was Wigan at Arsenal where the away team scored three goals in ten minutes at the end of the game to win and the three points has secured their position in the Premiership while Arsenal’s feint hope of the Premier title vanished. Sunderland had a comfortable win against Burnley taking them to 13th and keeping Burnley the next favourite team to be relegated with Portsmouth already down, and Hull, who escaped last year, more likely than West Ham, who suffered defeat on Monday against Liverpool. Sunderland are at Hull on Saturday There are now only two teams with a chance of the fourth Champions League place next season, Spurs are in the driving seat and Man City. Spurs has bounced back after the brilliant Portsmouth win against them in the FA Cup semi final, while Man City lost against Manchester United at home by a last second goal, and which left United just one point behind Chelsea. Newcastle had a workmanlike win at Plymouth in a match shown on Sky and became the Champions with matches to spare. The trophy will be presented at their home tie with Roy Keane’s Ipswich on Saturday and when a will give them 101 points.

The most enjoyable occasion was the China Grand Prix which was won in an eventful rain affected run by Jenson Button, with Lewis Hamilton second. The outcome is that Jensen now heads the driver’s championship as Malaren the Constructors. The next should be in Spain with question marks over the problem of cancel flights, but with Madrid airport now clear the teams should be there by now en route to the Cataluña track.

I missed the start of Dr Who which has become a programme just for young people again with a peculiar performance as Churchill in wartime paving the way for the return of brightly coloured Daleks. I will peak in again if I have nothing else to do but it is no longer planned viewing. In contrast the second in the latest Foyle’s War series was exceptional if not sad with the subject of racism of the worst kind on the part of USAF military station in Britain which included corruption by a sergeant and murder by a major. Sam has settled herself in as the cook, housekeeper and bottle washing at the Hastings small hotel for the young man owner she met in London and who was shot by the assassin used on the attempt to kill Foyle and her. Staying at the hotel are three residents, the singe mother thrown out by her family because her child is from a relationship with a black serviceman who is also a jazz musician and who wants to her to marry and live with him in Harlem where he expects to be playing at the Cotton Club. She, is threatened by the sergeant who then helps to frame her fiancée for her murder, committed by the Major after she yielded to his advances to support their application to marry and for a visa, and she overheard his involvement in the planned robbery of the wages delivery. The complication in working out who had dun it was the former boyfriend of the girl, a professional boxer with promise who had become a conscience objector and face local prejudice as well as disappointment when the girl refused to place the child for adoption and marry him. In a touching finale he agreed to look after the baby girl until her father gained his discharge and could return for her. The second complication with the man and the young woman also staying at the hotel, who turned out to be a couple and behind the robbery of local business men they believed had profited from the war. The young man had lost an arm and experienced much horror in North Africa and he had been blackmailed into carryout the payroll robbery. There were several moving moments and the who murdered the girl remained a mystery until it was revealed. The only weak link was the willingness of the girl to yield to the pressure of Major.

On Tuesday night I decided to take a peek at Oceans 12 the middle of three capers with, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Daemon, Catherine Zeta Jones and Julia Roberts. This follows in a long line of sophisticated heist films where the criminals use technology and technique rob banks and the ultra rich and have a significantly higher quality of life that the international police. The films are gloss, absurd, immoral and fun if you have nothing better to do and nothing more engaging is available, but one should not spend additional money to see such nonsense at the cinema theatre.

I enjoyed my food which was makeshift given the decision not to attend he cricket. I overeat of course and have not weighed myself for a couple of weeks knowing what I will find. There was some fish, chicken wings one day and chicken breast wrapped in bacon on another plus curry, with bananas or rice pudding. I did not fancy the available strawberries. The grapes are thick skinned, small and not sweet and melons I like twice the price I usually pay.

My belief that the Liberal Democrats will sustain their recent surge in the polls and extend further it is going well. As predicted the agents for the Labour and Tories plus the media have turned on Mr Clegg and his party to find a weakness which will turn away the floating voter to them. Most of what they are doing is counterproductive and will be evident to the voters who watch the broadcasts. The more they attack the more the public will turn on them.

The BBC are holding debates between the front bench Ministers and Shadow Ministers of the Government and two major opposition parties. David Clark did well on Foreign Affairs but former Tory leader William Hague’s deputy did badly with the Lib Dems effectively answering everything. Similarly the Home Secretary and the Mr Huhne squeezed the Tories into third on Home Affairs. Labour sensing it might need the Lib Dems to continue in Government appears to make overtures to work together to keep the Tories, at a distance, while understandably the Tories are emphasising that a Lib Dem vote could keep Mr Brown in power, as a means to keep some of their traditional voters from switching. Mr Clegg sensing he is on a band wagon is stressing a plague on both your houses and so far, despite the efforts of the parties and the media, the public keep listening and supporting. I expect to se another surge of up to five points after the debate on Thursday, making him the poll leader and then further surge after the surge up to polling day. He could become the first Liberal Prime Minister for 100 years.

1911 Foyle's War and the Odessa scandal. Dr Who, Harry Potter and weekend sport

My recent dreams appear to underline failure in completing missions, usually into or out of places or not remembering where I have been or where I am going. I hope this a fear and not a forecast.

Sunday was a stop and go day with more stop than go. I stayed up until after 2.30 finishing writing and an unsettled night led to a late start in the morning, bleary eyed.

I played a few rounds of Luxor Majong after failing to break the 50 win barrier at level three chess, having achieved my highest score to date of more than and having achieved 16.5 million points, it is my preferred game with seeking to break 17million. I then watched the second episode of the new series of Dr Who, belatedly did good work in the garage area outside but over a short period and then enjoyed a quick lunch of sausages and mash around 2.30 pm another short burst of research and writing, later undone and substantially rewritten, and then a little painting of areas where I not repaired or used a small tube of sealant to gauge how much I would need for a good job on the surround to the garage roof where leaks were causing the main problems my work was intending to remedy.

I watched most of the second F A CUP semi Final between Spurs and Tottenham, having also watched a large chunk of the first semi final between Chelsea and the Villa yesterday after watching the Grand National and listening to Sunderland’s and Newcastle’s games on two radio’s simultaneously.

This evening I enjoyed a medium size piece of steak (£2.71) with vegetables, some grapes and hot cross buns and coffee. Yesterday evening I made a four small egg Spanish style omelette with pieces of olives, prawns and salami and having finished off various salad items with a peppered mackerel earlier, with a banana, grapes which were not sweet and a couple of the hot cross buns. Later I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

There were two highlights on Sunday, a programme on the life of one of the great female jazz singers and piano players of all time Nina Simone and the first in the new series of Foyle’s War which dealt with one of the most horrendous aspects of the second World War when the allies agreed to repatriating any Russians within their territories who had fought with Germany against Russia. This was part of the Russian policy of returning to their direct control anyone who had fled their country or from captured territories who were known anti communists or negative about Stalin’s regime.

In this first episode of the seventh series of full length feature films with Michael Kitchen as Foyle, Honeysuckle Weeks as Samantha Stewart and Anthony Howell and DS Milner, the focus was the spread of the news among Russian POW’s in the UK that those who had been repatriated from their work camps in Yorkshire, taking home with them clothing and scarce food rations from kindly Yorkshire people, were machine gunned to death immediately upon arrival at the Port of Odessa

In the programme Foyle finds out that Churchill had agreed the exchange at Yalta for a stated 20000 British POW’s held in Eastern Germany and occupied territories, liberated by the Russians, and that the members of the administration knew what had happened, after being called in by his World War 1 commanding officer who now worked in the War Office, and asked to try and find an escaped Russian POW known to be in his area. Foyle undertook the mission after being persuaded to stay on as the police detective chief after the war ended until a replacement could be found.

My only source of background information to-date Wikipedia, refers to the book published by County Tolstoy in 1977 which claimed that the number of Russians returned without choice was in excess of 5 million although the allies refused to return millions from the Soviet occupied countries, notably Poland, who had fled when the Soviets arrived. Tolstoy is reported to have put the figure at substantially less but still in the millions. An estimated one million of those returned, according to the Soviet source, were executed or sent to labour camps for 25 years. About a third received shorter sentences or were exiled. A percentage were conscripted and sent to areas other than their homes and those allowed back were treated as inferior citizens.

In the film Samantha has gained a job with a local art painter who has taken a shine to a young Russian POW still only 17 years who has become a live in handyman. He proposes to make the young man his adopted son and heir after his biological son decides to stand as a Labour Member of Parliament. Sam then finds her employer shot to death a day after the son learns of his father’s intentions to change the Will. DI Milner, now in charge of his own service at Brighton suspects the young Russian who has taken flight and believed to be heading for London and the home of a White Russian known to help fellow citizens. Foyle calls at the house of the Artman without knowing any of this, including the involvement of Milner and the presence of Sam although the three had only recently attended the Christening of Milner’s child. They are both shocked at the way Milner reacts to their involvement, wanting to solve his first murder mystery on his own, but appearing to discount the five years of their previous association.

Foyle was on the trail of finding the escaped Russian POW, for his former Commanding officer after learning that another had committed suicide by throwing himself off a viaduct rather than return to Russia and that the two had been friendly with the Young Russian at the Artman‘s House and was likely to have turned to him for help. In this he is correct as the man on the run had persuaded his friend to steal housekeeping money in order to make his way to London to reach the home of an émigré leader. From what Sam says and what he had learned so far Foyle, who does not yet know about what happened at Odessa, does not believe the young Russian killed his employer and is therefore at odds with his former Sergeant.

There is another possible suspect-the brother of the head of a local military unit assigned to take into custody the young Russian. The brother has just been demobbed and calls at the home of the artist where six years before he had been promised that his job would be waiting for him on return. He is very angry when told there is now no job, and even angrier when he finds out why.

Foyle goes to London, taking Sam with him who is at a loose end having lost her job with the death of her employer, and he decides to stay on even when told that the missing POW has been captured and is on his way to Russia.

He visits his former commanding officer where he is given this information and no background and takes up the offer of staying at the club of his former military leader and invited to have dinner there later. They served at Passchendale in the war where again millions of men on both sides perished under the orders of the High command. This governed he subsequent life of both in contrasting ways.

Sam stays at the hotel where the escaped POW is known to have been captured after being placed their by the Émigré leader. The Émigré leader denies any knowledge of either Russian but his assistant appears to express concern when he learns that the man has been recaptured and is on his way back to Russia. Foyle keeps watch on the house and sees the leader talking to an individual who he later spots following him as he makes his way from the club to see Sam at her Hotel, the following morning. They are then pursued by this armed man who unintentionally shoots someone else at the hotel and Foyle and Sam go on the run and are saved by the assistant to the émigré leader who shoots the would be assassin. He says that has just found out that his boss had started to work for the Communists. Foyle demands the resignation of former commanding officer for having used the assassin in the attempt to kill him and Sam, to stop them revealing about the Odessa cover up. He also requires the freeing of the young POW back to Hastings as the price for keeping quiet about what has happened for the time being. It is then revealed that the artman was accidentally killed by the brother of the returning British serviceman when trying to take the young Russian into custody although we had suspected something of the nature arising from a scene in which the War Office chief explodes at what had happened at the artman house and earlier. A civil servant reminds that he was against calling in Foyle because of his known rebellious and singled minded nature.

As with the over 20 previous films during the seven years of the series it has an authenticity about wartime England that I can remember, the feel and the look of the time, and the acting is always of a high stand with credible storylines. It is also a salutary reminder of what Prime Ministers, including those in democratic countries with freedom of the press and allegedly open governments feel required to do in specific circumstances.

Credibility cannot be used to describe the storylines of Dr Who which had began my Sunday.

Having woken late and bleary eyed as mentioned, wanting to continue with writing of Babylon 5 and to work on the garage area but also wanting to catch up on television from yesterday and watch more today and I also procrastinated and played Luxor Majong, I delayed breakfast deciding on toast and then on Monday if the weather was fine walking to the local to try their bacon roll and coffee down from £1.50 at the hostelry visited last year before the Azda move to £1.19. Either before or after I would then cross the road for a haircut. In fact after setting up the i player on the lap top watch on the large screen Telly I enjoyed the first of the bacon steaks in one roll, the size of which is the equivalent of four slices!

Setting up the i player takes time and caused me to laugh at myself. When preparing to work on the outside of the house, I had moved the larger of the two folding chairs I take to the cricket in their carry bags or have used for picnics by the car, or attending concerts in the park or sea front, I had also used the smaller one at the Whitely Bay Jazz Festival last year. For a couple of minutes I could not remembered what had happened to the smaller chair, even considering that it had been stolen during a period when the garage door had been opened. I then remembered that I had been using the chair to set up the computer when attached tot eh large screen telly. I had then found the carry bag, a couple of days later, by accident, although I had kept half an eye on the look out. You daft man, I said, well words to the same effect.

The second episode of the 11 Doctor Who, The Beast Below has a scary start for young people. A Manhattan skyline passes by with each tower block named after the counties of England. It is a floating England in space. In a school room the class appears to be conducted by a motionless enamel head in a fairground type game booth. Pupils are being congratulated for their performances but the last child is given a zero and the head in the booth changes its face to show an angry expression. The boy goes to a lift and the girl says he must walk to London rather than take the lift because of the chastisement. He tries to take the lift but is prevented by a hooded man, resembling a figure of death, the boy enters the adjacent lift and the head in the lift changes from benign to hostile and floor of the lift opens and the boy falls into the fiery furnace which appears below. I imagine the kind of nightmare this will create for some children.

I believe it was at this point the introductory credits roll with Amy Pond at the open door of the Tardis in space because of an air bubble created by the Dr. They are to visit the travelling space country and the Doctor explains the rules about not being able to affect the normal life of where they visit. They see a girl crying quietly and the Doctor amends the governing orders with the exception of children crying.

They discover that in the reign of the 10th Queen Elizabeth, played by Sophie Okonedo, the earth planet reached the end of habitable life and all the countries built space craft to go in search of planets which could sustain the people. England left it late and discovered a huge space travelling creature, a whale which they capture and use as a platform for their space craft!

She believes she has reigned for ten years but the doctor suggests she is now 300 years old to indicate the time they have travelled by slowly down the metabolism. It emerges she as with everyone else has to make a choice every five years between continuing the journey to find somewhere else to rebuild the nation or end the search with the complete self destruction of the community. At one point Amy is rendered unconscious and assessed by those who runs the Ark and has age of 1306. The two end up through waste disposal onto the giant mouth of the whale and get themselves out by making the creature sick. Given the choice of accepting the system or registering a protest, Amy presses the Forget button and the doctor expresses concern that she has been participating without making prior reference to him. He has encountered someone with a mind of her own and proposes to send her home. This upsets Amy who come on the journey despite being set to marry the man of her choice that very day. Worse is to follow when Amy creates a situation where the Doctor is faced with the choice of killing the last of the great space Whales or losing the population of the England before they can find a new home.

I was reminded that in Babylon 5, a million years after the death of Sheridan the entire population of Earth left to other planets because the sun had become too hot to live on earth. This was also the subject of one of the early black and white space films, the planet of the apes and such like. The Doctor decides to brain destroy the Whale so he will not feel the pain his experiencing from the burden of the task to which he has been imprisoned. It is at this point that Amy takes responsibility and presses the Abdication button which frees the Whale from direct control. She has two links for the decision. She notices that membrane from the whale which have become exposed act kindly towards children as does another last of his race, the Doctor, who cannot bare to see children cry. She gambles the pressing of the button, a system created by the Queen and her government within the Ark will not have the effect everyone has assumed. She is right and the Ark continues as before but at greater speed and the Doctor has been saved from having to make the creature brain dead

He recognises that Amy is a good ally and agrees after a hug, that is more than brotherly and sisterly, that she can continue in their exploration. He receives a telephone call which amazes Amy until the Doctor reminds that the Tardis is after all a police Telephone box! The call is from Winston Churchill as wartime Prime Minister. We are shown a clip in which he introduces the Doctor to his new secret weapons. It is a Darlek. Woo err. I thought we had seen the last of them, whatever next, the Cybermen?

Then there was the repeat showing of showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which I had on but paid only fleeting attention after the opening and I broadly remembered the story. It is time to confess that while I am full of admiration for the creator of Harry Potter who has become the wealthiest writer of all time and can understand the appeal of the books and the reinforcing films for ten to sixteen year olds in spirit, I have found individual films overlong, repetitive, and so complex that my mind wonders. I have not read any of the books which could be the difference and most readers view the films to see the re-enactment of their imagination.

The concept of humans from childhood having special powers which enables them to live in a different dimensions from the rest of us appeals and follows not just series such as Babylon 5, the 4400, Star Trek, the Men in Black and the X Men but the pre Christian belief in intervening Gods and post Christian stories of Angels, Devils, Witches and Wizards of varying degrees of goodness or harm. An inevitable aspect of the science fiction, pre and post Christian concepts is however benign the special powers there are always those who will misuse and has history has shown that almost all those with power become corrupted by their position which they then seek to maintain by fair means and then foul. The one good moment in the Order of the Phoenix is when Harry becomes uncertain of the extent to which the dark one is having an increasing influence on his thoughts and behaviour. The best moment in the film for me is when the Professor explains that we are all made up of good and bad feelings, motives and actions in terms of their intentions and outcomes and this understanding this and taking charge of ourselves is the key to having a life which we can look back on with satisfaction and facing death without a fear or a sense of being disappointed and unfulfilled, irrespective of its length and circumstances.

As with the Boat race between Oxford and Cambridge the Grand National was one of the great sporting events of my childhood and one where most people have a bet or enter a sweepstake. The nature of the race with some 30 large jumps, there used to be more, and a mixed field of professional jockeys with some amateurs has great appeal especially as it lasts like the boat race some 20 mins and involves two circuits of the track with famous jumps such as Beaches Brook, the Canal Turn and the Chair where horses and riders have sometimes found themselves in great peril. Usually the bookies clean up because almost all the entrants have a chance of winning or gaining a place with the bookmakers paying out on the first four finishers. This time a co favourite won with the other also gaining a place and the bookmakers are reported to have lost all the gains they made last year and more. There was an element of romance with the result because a previously calm and stone faced Tony McCoy champion jockey with 3000 winners over his twenty year career won at his 15th attempt, with the trainer the famous former rider Jonjo O’Neill, who also had won everything but never the Grand National. His horse is called Don’t Push it. My choice on the day, although I did not bet, was Black Apalachi which came second at a modest 14.1 with State of play 16,1 and the co favourite Big Fella Thanks fourth. Only ten other horses finished with the rest of the field falling or pulled up at 1,2,4,5,8,14(2).15,19(3), 20(3), 21 22(2) 23 24 26 27 28 29(3)th fences, that is 25 horses, including a horse named after Freddie Flintoff which he owns or is a part owner who pulled up at the 21st .

Sunderland have only won once away from home and usually lose which they did on Saturday although their present accumulation of points indicates they will not be involved in the relegations nightmare of the last few games. Newcastle continue to go from strength to strength with a win a home against struggling Blackpool and are now six point clear of second place West Brom with a game in hand. I was delighted that Portsmouth already relegated having lost 10 point after going into administration beat Spurs to reach the final of the FA Cup. They were lucky as Spurs has a good goal disallowed. The Villa who played well were not so lucky against Chelsea as they should have had a penalty missed by the referee before Chelsea score their first goal. I missed the US Masters where a Brit as doing well.

1905 Preparing for a quiet weekend

Thursday April 1st 2010 became an excellent day for me in all respects. It commenced with disappointed over the continuing cold weather, and speculation on the outcome of returning accurate readings of gas and electricity to British Gas. Had I overdone use of gas?

Last year at this time, after a cold snap about the third of the length of the present one, I was asked to increase the monthly standing orders by about 45% although I estimated that with a good Spring and Summer I would be in credit because of the amount that had then been requested. As soon as my calculation became evident I switched from what had been Northern Electricity, becoming N Power, to British Gas and guessed what the new separate monthly contributions should be. I had been with both companies from arriving in the North East, and took advantage of the dual fuel discount offered by Northern electricity when the switching around first commenced. I was irritated when I could not automatically stay with them when moving here because another company had provided the property and it took six months to arrange the transfer with questions still about the cost and manner of the transition.

When the dreaded envelopes arrived this lunchtime I only opened them after returning from a visit into town and was then pleasantly surprised by the information. The quantity of gas used had been exceptional but because of the accumulated credit over the first two quarters this account was only £135 in debit which should have been made up over the next three months until the cold returned. The electricity, where the use has been more even throughout the year, remained over £100 in credit, £110 in fact and which means that overall the deficit was reduced to £20, in what has become the coldest prolonged winter in my memory, with only that of 1947 likely to prove to have been longer. The sigh of relief at my situation could be heard all around the town
I had gone into town to spend money which I speculated I might need if the cold weather continued. The visit got off to an excellent start as passing a pub in Market Square I discovered that traditional jazz was being played every Thursday afternoons from 1.45 and the group were still playing on my way at back to the car around 3.30. The placed looked packed with people mainly of my generation. I will have to reconnoitre next week about what kind of food is available, and then try and time my arrival to ensure a seat in a good location. I suspect this has been a regular event and hopefully it will continue.

I parked the car at Asda as I had on Tuesday, at the far end of the under cover area so it was only a short walk to cross the main road to enter the Square. The inner and outer parks were unusually full for a Thursday afternoon and it not been for the holiday weekend and the traffic on the way had been heavy. It was also very busy inside but management had ensured that all but on of the twenty one checkouts were staffed with the consequence that some checkouts had no customers and the majority only one customer waiting in line. I bought a couple of whole chickens for the first time in several weeks Having been away on the Sunday, enjoyed chicken breasts and gammon roast on return and having lamb cutlets before departure. The main treat in addition to six hot cross buns was my favourite box of representative choc bars from Mars, with Mars Bounty, Snickers, Malteesers and such like. They were supposed to be spread over the weekend but at the present rate of consumption they will not last two days. It will all my determination to keep them now until Easter Sunday, the traditional day for eating chocolate made eggs. The bill came to £21.21 and as the assistant suggested these numbers were included in the lottery on Friday without success.

I was in Sunderland on Wednesday visiting the restaurant at Wilkinson’s’ and afterwards took the opportunity to stock up with albums for the project and then followed this with a visit to the store in South Shields on Friday. I now have a stock of about thirty, three sets of albums in black, red and blue. I also needed more glitter to create the artman cards but could not find any at the Sunderland store. I was not let down in Shields and so far have created about sixty cards, using the first twenty earlier in the week to complete sets in hand waiting to be photographed. Of the forty created on Thursday, thirty have dried out and are ready for immediate use. About a dozen are required to complete sets ready for registration or just photographing. I have just completed the 100 set target for March. The ambition is to complete the 10000 set by New Year 2011. This means about 150 sets a month during the rest of the year, unlikely given the to cricket at home and away, together with other trips away during the year. However apart from the current photography project and completing work started and left during the past five years, the intention is to tackle some of the boxes of papers where the work involves limited creativity and mainly requires processing, although the commentaries take time. I recent came across about 100 letters from Members of Parliament, including front bench spokesmen on child care and social work matters going back to the late 1960’s when the involvement concerned the 1969 Children and Young Person’s Act and through a friendly Member a drinks reception was arranged to celebrate the passage of the act at which government and opposition Ministers and leading campaigners attended. The other subject which proved more significant was the campaign to prevent the ad hoc development of social service departments under the control of Medical Officers of Health. I had a leadership role at first self appointed and then through my position in the Association of Child Care officers which enabled the government, acting on their advice, to bring in legislation which applied to all local authorities in England and Wales and where only two Medical officers made the transfer to the new service, In Liverpool and here is South Shields. I defeated the sitting Doctor in charge at the selection panel held in South Shields although my appointment was more to do with mid Tyne Councillors fed up with the pact between the South Shields Councillors of all political parties to vote in their officers into the senior positions.

I also visited the computer store for another set of ink cartridges given the amount of printing work over the past week and which led to meeting the 100 sets for the month, minimum target this year with 1500 the overall target.

It also did not take long on Thursday for morning for Durham to take the remaining MCC wickets to win the game by over 300 runs. The event has been all-round success despite the lack of Middle East interest in terms of attending the event live. It might have been a different situation had leading players been involved and proved better test for the Durham side of what the coming season is likely to involve with. However from the Durham perspective it could not have been better. A great new season warm up while other colleagues have faced the cold and wet at home. The result will have sent a good message to the other first division teams. I was pleased for Coetzer who staked a claim for the opening spot by a match total of over 225 runs and who with Di Venuto can be expected to lead the early best average lists and start a race to be first player ever to complete 1000 runs before the end of April. Harmison bowled well and young spinner Borthwick made his claim on appearance when the conditions are right with 8 wickets in the match at roughly yen runs apiece which is a spectacular start. I was delighted for bowler Thorp which his first class batting average start of over 75 and for three good wickets in the first innings.

The highs and lows of sporting endeavour was the subject of a biographical film of the life of Scottish amateur cyclist Graeme Obree who achieved, lost and then regained the world one hour distance record from a standing start using a bicycle he designed and made up from parts which included bearings from his domestic washing machine. The film included Billy Boyd from Lord of the Rings as the family’s best friend and Shakespearean Actor Brian Cox as a Catholic priest The cycle is now in the national Scottish museum. The actor playing Obree studied him closely prior tot he making the film to Establish the same speech patterns and mannerisms and the cycling performed some of the racing in the film. He achieved the success some will say because of rather than despite being clinical depressed and with two publicised suicide attempts during this part of his life. He also became the world 4000m pursuit champion in 1995 1995. The extraordinary aspect of the first successful hour record is that his first attempt failed and he reattempted the task within twenty four hours having booked official timekeepers for the period. The international cyclist organisation banned the bicycle and his unique riding style in 1955 effectively ending his successful career.

He attempted to become a professional cyclist with a Tour de France company but was sacked when failing to turn up on time and give an explanation in advance of the problems he was encountering. He has struggled with his bi polar condition and with his cycling since but remains married with two children and his success has been recognised with Scotland, through his autobiography, The Flying Scotsman published in 2003 and the film issued in 2006. I hope the rest of his life goes well.

I have planned a quiet Easter time with much TV watching as well as bringing my work up to-date and getting April off to a good start. It is going to be a challenge