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
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
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