Total white out

Yesterday was a really mild, spring like day, bright sunshine quickly dispelled the heavy frost of Friday night and it looked for all the world as if winter had been banished. During the night I got up to let the cat out, and it was well below freezing, the cars all covered in the usual signs of heavy frost. Then this morning we got up to this...


No snow when we went to bed, but we got up to this….

And this...


Overnight snow as winter returns.

Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, Lion King & X-Factor

Suzie has been getting out and about to see the events she was given tickets to as Christmas presents.

First it was Chitty at the Nottingham Theatre Royal - written up at the time so I'll not say more than it was an experiance Sue & Mark recommend to anybody who likes to be entertained. Tickets are around £35 - expensive but worth it.

Next up, Sue & Carole took a mid-week day trip last week to London to see Lion King at the Adelphi Theatre in Covent Garden. A good day out apart from the freezing cold weather on the day. Lion King was good but surprisingly, not up to the standards set by Chitty.

Then this week Andy drove the two of them down to the NEC Arena to see X-Factor. Not my cup of tea but they enjoyed it. Heavy snow meant delays getting there and the organisers (to their credit) postponed the start of the show by half an hour, so arriving late they only missed the very first number as they took their seats. And they thoroughly enjoyed the show. The trip home was better that the one there as the conditions were much worse in the Birmingham area which meant things improved the further they got from the venue and closer to home.

Winter weather

There's been loads of talk in the media about the return of the winter weather, of the cost of the snow to businesses in lost trading, the poor preparation and response by councils to keeping roads open during the snow falls and the state of the roads with all the pot holes as a result of the snow and ice.

But it's all very quiet on the "global warming" issue.

So why is that? Nothing to do with the public discreditation of the computer models that have been used to predict future weather trends - No! Or the skewing of those already flawed predictions by the media to blow it up into a sensational story - Heavens Forbid! Or, the spin being put on it by politicians in an attempt to draw public attention away from their greedy expenses claims and letting their banking buddies off the hook for the recession they caused - Of Course Not!

But because of all this snow that we have and still are experiencing - insurance companies are forcasting huge increases in premiums to cover all the motoring accidents that have occurred in the snow. Being my usual sceptical self I've been looking at the bigger picture, and what do I find? Motoring accidents are only marginally up for the time of year for the simple reason that the motoring organisations are reporting that people just abandoned their cars and left them at home. Why? Simply beacause anybody who has passed their driving test in the last 20 years hasn't seen conditions like those we have been experiencing and didn't know how to drive in them, and even if they had, the penchance for wide alloy wheels and fat tyres with traction control and ABS meant that the cars were incapable of coping with the conditions even if the driver could.

So why are premiums getting a hike? It's those bankers again! Loans and mortgages are being defaulted on, new mortgages are being taken out in much lower volumes and premiums for insuring those loans have gone up - so many are opting to not take them out. On top of that the insurance companies are having to pay out on the defaulted loans in their portfolio and they have to make up the deficit somewhere. Cue the good old motorist - they can pay for the mistakes of others. After all, they pay more than everyone else for everything else.

Is it Murphy's or Sod's Law?

Timing or what? I start thinking that maybe, just maybe, I need to start looking for a new job and I get a call from an agency (Elan) saying that they have my C.V. and that there's a role at Capital One in Nottingham and would I like to be considered? Well at least Capital One have moved their initial assessments on-line so I don't have to take time off to do them. But, I've been down this route 3 times with them in the past. First time out I failed the tests simply because I'd never done anything like them and didn't know what to expect. Both the other times I blitzed them getting scores well above average for my peer group. So this time? Can't be bothered and have withdrawn my application. I've got to the final 2 twice and then they chose the younger candidate and this time I'm 5 years older. Plus, Capital One are going nowhere in the UK having only recently made loads of folks redundant, and the parent company in the USA isn't faring so good either....

No, I'll stay put at FIS.

And that would have been that, except I got a call from another agency for another BA role - this time at Experian. This was much easier, as straight no thank you. Again I have "been there, done that", the whole nine yards and been rejected. When I turned up for interview I could tell within minutes who was going to be the preferred choice, and that it was their to loose. Like Capital One, Experian have a policy of constant rounds of redundancy each time they assess individuals performance (normally at end of 6 months and then on the anniversay of joining).

So that's 2 bridges burned. I wonder if there will be any more....?

Banking news

Yesterday Halifax Bank of Ireland announced that it is to withdraw from retail banking in the Republic of Ireland due to the economic turn-down affecting their relatively recent foray into the Republic. This will have a serious impact on FIS (where I work) as we handle thier business in cards and loans processing. The team was told in a short private meeting yesterday afternoon and we wait to see how much it will affect revenues and the implication for jobs in the Leicester office where I am based. Will it affect me? Who knows! Better start looking just in case.

First ride-out of the year

Sunday 7th was the first organised ride-out of the year organised through the Deauville Forum. Meet-up was Stratstone Motorcycles in Clay Cross, then a ride along Wooley Edge to Matlock, up past Chatsworth House to Lady Bower Reservoir and then over Snake Pass to lunch at The Cafeteria in Glossop. Return was via Buxton and Ashbourne. Cold, damp and exillerating - a great day's riding.

Theatre

The theatre bug has well and truly bitten. Friday night Suzie takes Mark to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham. They were impressed with the whole production, thoroughly enjoyed the event and came home grinning from ear to ear as they walked in the door. If you can, go see it, highly recommended.

Today (Wednesday 10th) started early with Carole knocking on the door and me running her and Suzie down to Derby City Centre to get a bus/coach to London - they have gone to see Lion King. They should be back here around mid-night.

Friday 5th February - Andy's success

I got an text message from Andy mid-morning to say his results had come up on-line and he has passed the final part and is now a fully qualified BMW Senior Technician. Sweet news and a reward for his dedication.

Thursday 4th February - Mark's success

Yes, his results came through and he is still on-line for a First in Maths. Excellent news and he is both relieved and revitalised and looking forward to his finals. And a break before starting working for a living.

Where did January go to?

Here we are and it's February already. Just where did January go to? The good news is that I've at last managed to use the bike for my daily commute, not many times due to the severe frosts we have been having, but use it I have. And I'm hoping that I'll be out on a ride up through Derbyshire Peak District and the Snake Pass this coming Sunday (7th February). If not then there's the "Ride for Heroes" to Wootton Bassett on March 14th, Mothering Sunday (I've pre-registered just in case it's warm enough to go).

Angie and John finally managed to get up to Derby for their "Christmas" visit. Unfortunately Suzie and I were dining out on the Saturday night, celebrating Dave's birthday (he's a friend of ours). That was the evening of the 23rd. Friday 29th saw me on my work's "official" Christmas night out at Bistro Live in Leicester. Everybody had hyped up the Bistro Live, but, in the end it didn't live up to the hype. Good food but poor service and I'll not be recommending it to anybody.

Sister Christine in America has got a Blackberry (mobile/cell phone) and has found the delights of mobile email, the result being more communications with her and family news. Keep it up sis. She's had her first offspring, Wayne jnr, leave home and move into a place of his own a few miles away - so close I can't help wondering why?

Angie has at last found a job - it's cleaning and split shifts which aren't much fun, but, it pays the bills. John got snowed in for a couple of days but his new home is coming round a treat from the sounds of it. Mark has finished his exams and his next one will be his finals in May / June. Andy has taken his final exam for his BMW Senior Technician ticket and should hear in a few days if he passed. Mum & Dad seem to be going through a good spell after Dad had a very painful ear infection which was cured with anti-biotics. Yes, there are time when they both get tired (especially Mum) but overall, they do seem to be in a good spell.

And our little Charlie is now coming up to six month's old and next week he gets spaded. He's settled in nicely and has a daily routine all his own. He terrorises Jasper, our 10 year old cat, but that'll change once he's had the op.