At last we got a summer. So we got ourselves a break - Suzie and I went off to Salzburg for an extended weekend. What a fabulous place Salzburg is, so pretty and well looked after. Electric bendy buses. Historic fortress. Locations used in shooting The Sound of Mucis back in 1963/4 for the film's release in 1965, and yes, we did the Sound of Music Tour (Sunday) then hired a car for a day's independent touring dropping into Wolfgang and going up the mountain cog railway (Monday) and a guided tour (Tuesday) to The Eagles Nest which was frequented by Hitler (14 times) when it was The Tearooms up above his retreat in the mountains above Berchtesgaden. We spent hours walking around Salzburg, the old town, parts of the new town, back and forth across the river and along its banks, up the hill to the fortress, back down the funicular, round the monastery where the Von Trapp family hid and which was used in the film. This was a relaxing break that gave us a chance to visit central mainland europe and rest up as we explored - something tells me this won't be our last visit to this region.
Talking of which, earlier in the year we did a fully guided tour of China that was more adventure and less relaxing holiday. As we cruised down the Yangtze River we shared our meals at a table with a Swiss couple, Ers & Beatrice and in conversation I found out that Beatrice had some time back visited and toured the UK, including the Lake District. However she had not tried Kendal mint cake so on our return I sent them over a pack ordered direct from the Kendal Mint Company - so that is now rectified and I have received confirmation that they enjoyed the gift.
Having applied for the Grant of Probate for my late father's estate in March it eventually came through 7 months later, so the last few weeks have required me to start fulfilling the role of Executor, an ongoing task which will take a few weeks to fully sort out and bring to a close.
Work unfortunately conspires to require 8 hours a day of my attention Monday to Friday. When I started 2.5 years ago I was based on The Wyvern, then the office got closed down and I was moved to Glaisdale Drive, Nottingham until that too was closed so now I am based at Mere Way, Ruddington, except I'm not... because I've been seconded to another Department based back on The Wyvern, and will be there through to the end of October. Gives me a chance to ride the Transalp to and from work into the bargain.
Then there is the garden. This has become a major project, more of which will be revealed in a later post. One project which is now complete is the refurbishment of Mark's old bedroom. With him and his girlfriend having now bought their first property in Staines his old bright orange bedroom with dark blue carpet has been transformed into a tranquil haven for Suzie to have as her den and TV room with a sofa bed for use when people come to stay. First couple to try it out will be Mark and Eleanor next weekend - quite fitting.
So those are some of the highlights from my / our world. I will try and blog more often, with what is happening in our world and my views on what is happening out there in the world at large.
Sunday, 29 September 2013
Monday, 26 August 2013
NHS Budget
This isn't my first post on this topic and it is unlikely to be the last. I rarely read any national newspapers but for whatever reason I found myself scanning Saturday's edition of The Sun (OK, I agree, it is not a real newspaper but many think it is) anyway, they were making a 'big deal' over the fact that some wanna be famous tart was slagging off another of the same genre for having a tummy tuck on the NHS that cost £5,000. Pot calling kettle black as she herself had been the recipient of a boob job at a cost of £4,800... yes, you guessed it, on the NHS.
In these stringent times why the hell are taxpayers having to pay the bill for cosmetic surgery for sluts that wanna be famous? If the government is serious about reducing the bill to the taxpayers, well there is a suitable target. If they want cosmetic surgery then make them pay. If they haven't got the cash then there are plenty of loan companies out there, and maybe that could help see some of our banks turn a quick profit.
In these stringent times why the hell are taxpayers having to pay the bill for cosmetic surgery for sluts that wanna be famous? If the government is serious about reducing the bill to the taxpayers, well there is a suitable target. If they want cosmetic surgery then make them pay. If they haven't got the cash then there are plenty of loan companies out there, and maybe that could help see some of our banks turn a quick profit.
Friday, 2 August 2013
Bike magazine - Multistrada v Caponord
Got the magazine at my newsagents this morning simply because I wanted to read the head to head of the Ducati Multistrada Granturisimo and the Aprilia Caponord 1200 with Travel Pack. Great stuff, except on page 50 it states the Coponord’s fuel tank is 4 litres bigger than the Multistrada’s and then on page 57 it states that the Strada has a 20 litre tank and the Capo has 17.5 litres.
And fuel consumption – what is it with those guys? They say that over 110 miles the Caponord used an extra 4 litre of fuel. But what does that equate to? Simple maths means that if the Strada does 40mpg then the Capo is doing just over 30mpg, but they don't share the figures they achieved with us. Otherwise, I just love the way they got two different viewpoints down in print on one test.
Interweb says:
1. the Strada does have 20 litres but the Capo has 24 (and is 4 litres bigger).
2. Roland Brown got nearly 50mpg from the Caponord with Travel Pack when he road tested it (so if Bike's comment and Roland's figures are both true then the Strada was doing 84mpg).
They are promising us a whole new magazine from the next edition. Well I for one am hoping the new mag is more accurate than the ‘old’ outgoing version and gives us the whole story and avoids following the BBC’s attempts to sensationalise everything. As it stands it's just not worthy of a subscription and I will stick to buying the odd one now and then (usually 3 copies a year).
And fuel consumption – what is it with those guys? They say that over 110 miles the Caponord used an extra 4 litre of fuel. But what does that equate to? Simple maths means that if the Strada does 40mpg then the Capo is doing just over 30mpg, but they don't share the figures they achieved with us. Otherwise, I just love the way they got two different viewpoints down in print on one test.
Interweb says:
1. the Strada does have 20 litres but the Capo has 24 (and is 4 litres bigger).
2. Roland Brown got nearly 50mpg from the Caponord with Travel Pack when he road tested it (so if Bike's comment and Roland's figures are both true then the Strada was doing 84mpg).
They are promising us a whole new magazine from the next edition. Well I for one am hoping the new mag is more accurate than the ‘old’ outgoing version and gives us the whole story and avoids following the BBC’s attempts to sensationalise everything. As it stands it's just not worthy of a subscription and I will stick to buying the odd one now and then (usually 3 copies a year).
Honda XL700VA-A Transalp - update 2
I am continuing the process of modifying my Transalp to suit my needs. Not happy with the appearance of the Honda handlebars (which were shedding their paint in some areas) I decided to replace them with Renthal alloy bars. As everything was being stripped off anyway I replaced the heated grips (which were too thin for my liking) with some Roxter heated grips bought off eBay from a trader in Birmingham. While at it I removed the hideous and rather monstrous handguards and replaced those with universal protectors (again from eBay) that mean clipping a branch or wing mirror will no longer result in the brake or clutch levers being interfered with.
So new bars, grips and handguards - simple enough to fit, surely? Well not quite. The throttle tube had been messed about with by a previous owner so out came the Dremel and that was tidied up. Then I found that Honda mould pins that locate into holes on the bars so that the switchgear doesn't move. Again the Dremel sorted that out - removal maintained the integrity of the new bars in a way that drilling holes would not have done. Bar weights were removed from the old bars but would not go into the new ones, but to some extent their necessity were negated by the fitting of the handguards - so for now I'm running without them and it seems OK. Final addition to the bars was a protective case for my mobile phone. It should allow me to use the mobile when I'm riding but as I don't want distracting while riding I just use it as a safe way of recharging. It would be nice to be able to use the mobile's photo/video recording capabilities but I have run out of room on the bars and have no way of mounting it in a suitable position, but I'm not bothered.
Next up was the MRA Vario screen fitted earlier. Still not quite as happy with it as I was with the one on the Deauville, but getting there. It has spacers between the bodywork and the screen held in place by the mounting bolts - 5mm spacers at bottom, 10mm at the top. I've now got both on the top mounting bolts and just a thin plastic washer on the bottom ones. This makes the screen stand up just that little bit more and allows the spoiler to work just that bit better. I'll leave it like that for now but further modification is not out of the question.
The Tutoro (which apparently stands for Top up, Turn on, Ride off) automatic oiler is working well although the supplied oil line clips are having to be supplemented by good old insulation tape to keep the oil line where it needs to be. The little top-up bottle supplied looked really nice but bouncing around in the topbox soon resulted in it leaking as much oil as the system was delivering to the chain, so that went in the bin.
Next up, in no particular order...
* A change of tyres - still useable but the rear is squaring off
* An MoT which is due shortly
* Riding lamps
* A nice loud horn
* Handguards with build/designed in weather protection
So new bars, grips and handguards - simple enough to fit, surely? Well not quite. The throttle tube had been messed about with by a previous owner so out came the Dremel and that was tidied up. Then I found that Honda mould pins that locate into holes on the bars so that the switchgear doesn't move. Again the Dremel sorted that out - removal maintained the integrity of the new bars in a way that drilling holes would not have done. Bar weights were removed from the old bars but would not go into the new ones, but to some extent their necessity were negated by the fitting of the handguards - so for now I'm running without them and it seems OK. Final addition to the bars was a protective case for my mobile phone. It should allow me to use the mobile when I'm riding but as I don't want distracting while riding I just use it as a safe way of recharging. It would be nice to be able to use the mobile's photo/video recording capabilities but I have run out of room on the bars and have no way of mounting it in a suitable position, but I'm not bothered.
Next up was the MRA Vario screen fitted earlier. Still not quite as happy with it as I was with the one on the Deauville, but getting there. It has spacers between the bodywork and the screen held in place by the mounting bolts - 5mm spacers at bottom, 10mm at the top. I've now got both on the top mounting bolts and just a thin plastic washer on the bottom ones. This makes the screen stand up just that little bit more and allows the spoiler to work just that bit better. I'll leave it like that for now but further modification is not out of the question.
The Tutoro (which apparently stands for Top up, Turn on, Ride off) automatic oiler is working well although the supplied oil line clips are having to be supplemented by good old insulation tape to keep the oil line where it needs to be. The little top-up bottle supplied looked really nice but bouncing around in the topbox soon resulted in it leaking as much oil as the system was delivering to the chain, so that went in the bin.
Next up, in no particular order...
* A change of tyres - still useable but the rear is squaring off
* An MoT which is due shortly
* Riding lamps
* A nice loud horn
* Handguards with build/designed in weather protection
Real Justice
Ariel Castro held three female victims hostage for over a decade in his 'House of Horrors' in Cleveland. The case has been to court and sentencing was passed yesterday. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his days in Jail, behind bars PLUS 1000 years.
Now that is one serious sentence. The judge means to make sure that he never sees the outside of a jail again. Which leaves me wondering why don't we have such sentencing powers in the UK? American jails are not nice places to be, but here in the UK they are like 5 star hotels. Castro will find it tough but those convicted recently in the UK for Sexual exploitation of white girls are in for a cushty time of it. Where is British justice?
Now that is one serious sentence. The judge means to make sure that he never sees the outside of a jail again. Which leaves me wondering why don't we have such sentencing powers in the UK? American jails are not nice places to be, but here in the UK they are like 5 star hotels. Castro will find it tough but those convicted recently in the UK for Sexual exploitation of white girls are in for a cushty time of it. Where is British justice?
How attitudes change
Like many people I love to people watch. It is an activity that comes under the heading of 'judge a book by it's cover' as one instantly forms an (uninformed) opinion of those being watched. And I know that others are doing the same to me, which others me not a jot for the simple reason that I just don't care and in the main I keep the world at arms length and value those few people, friends and family, who I know, trust and love.
I grew up in a multicultural family long before anybody coined the word 'multicultural'. As a result I've rarely had an issue working with people who had a different coloured skin to mine, or who had behavioural or physical attributes that differ to my own. But recent events have resulted in me responding in ways that I would not normally. The 1st event was a questionnaire from the office of my MEP, among which was hidden the question 'Do you feel that immigration has been good for the UK' (with sliding scale response). The 2nd was the conviction of a mother and her partner for the starving and beating to death of her 4 year old son. The 3rd event is the conviction and sentencing of a number of men for sexual grooming and exploitation of young girls here in Derby and across the Midlands.
You might ask why these two events caused my change in attitude. Well the answer is simple. The last Census of England & Wales revealed that immigrants now comprise the majority of the population, in other words more than 50% of the 63 million people covered by the census have origins in countries outside the UK which also means that as a born and bred Englishman I am now in the minority in 'my own country'. That has to go a long way to explain quacky laws we now have in place to protect the rights of those people who have adopted the UK as their home and the amount of benefits and support options that are available to those that have never worked, paid income tax or National Insurance contributions. Then bearing all this in mind, the 2nd event (sentencing takes place today) and 3rd events, one has to adjust to the overriding fact that these people, coming to the UK which they believe is road to prosperity, are not even worthy of being called animals, they are lower than that.
So let us think about immigration some more. It can be argued that these people came to the UK and did the jobs that we 'didn't want to do' but did they really? Is it not the case that they took 'our jobs' and just did them on a lower rate of pay, forcing an ever downwards spiral of pay rates for basic jobs, jobs our own less well educated could have done and been happy doing. Now they have 'lock out' in some areas of the job market like taxi driving or train driving on London's underground. When was the last time you saw a white skinned taxi driver in your nearest city (London, Birmingham, Leicester, Derby....)? And those convicted of sexual grooming, trafficking and exploitation of young white girls were all exclusively form ethnic backgrounds. The cleric Abu Qatada has cost the UK taxpayers millions trying to deport him because of the laws brought to the statute books by those with a (at the time) hidden agenda to protect their own from having to leave the UK against their will.
So have we, the UK, benefited from immigration? Maybe, maybe not. It is not clear cut or as simple as my prose appears to make it but one thing is for certain. Good or bad we are stuck with it, the consequences of decisions made over the last 50 years will take another 50 to work their way out. One thing is certain though and that is, when I people watch and I see people from a different ethnicity to mine and I go to 'judge a book by it's cover' the mental picture I will carry won't be the nice rosy and welcoming one that I have carried in the past.
I grew up in a multicultural family long before anybody coined the word 'multicultural'. As a result I've rarely had an issue working with people who had a different coloured skin to mine, or who had behavioural or physical attributes that differ to my own. But recent events have resulted in me responding in ways that I would not normally. The 1st event was a questionnaire from the office of my MEP, among which was hidden the question 'Do you feel that immigration has been good for the UK' (with sliding scale response). The 2nd was the conviction of a mother and her partner for the starving and beating to death of her 4 year old son. The 3rd event is the conviction and sentencing of a number of men for sexual grooming and exploitation of young girls here in Derby and across the Midlands.
You might ask why these two events caused my change in attitude. Well the answer is simple. The last Census of England & Wales revealed that immigrants now comprise the majority of the population, in other words more than 50% of the 63 million people covered by the census have origins in countries outside the UK which also means that as a born and bred Englishman I am now in the minority in 'my own country'. That has to go a long way to explain quacky laws we now have in place to protect the rights of those people who have adopted the UK as their home and the amount of benefits and support options that are available to those that have never worked, paid income tax or National Insurance contributions. Then bearing all this in mind, the 2nd event (sentencing takes place today) and 3rd events, one has to adjust to the overriding fact that these people, coming to the UK which they believe is road to prosperity, are not even worthy of being called animals, they are lower than that.
So let us think about immigration some more. It can be argued that these people came to the UK and did the jobs that we 'didn't want to do' but did they really? Is it not the case that they took 'our jobs' and just did them on a lower rate of pay, forcing an ever downwards spiral of pay rates for basic jobs, jobs our own less well educated could have done and been happy doing. Now they have 'lock out' in some areas of the job market like taxi driving or train driving on London's underground. When was the last time you saw a white skinned taxi driver in your nearest city (London, Birmingham, Leicester, Derby....)? And those convicted of sexual grooming, trafficking and exploitation of young white girls were all exclusively form ethnic backgrounds. The cleric Abu Qatada has cost the UK taxpayers millions trying to deport him because of the laws brought to the statute books by those with a (at the time) hidden agenda to protect their own from having to leave the UK against their will.
So have we, the UK, benefited from immigration? Maybe, maybe not. It is not clear cut or as simple as my prose appears to make it but one thing is for certain. Good or bad we are stuck with it, the consequences of decisions made over the last 50 years will take another 50 to work their way out. One thing is certain though and that is, when I people watch and I see people from a different ethnicity to mine and I go to 'judge a book by it's cover' the mental picture I will carry won't be the nice rosy and welcoming one that I have carried in the past.
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
NHS budget
Last night on BBC news there was a big fuss being made about NHS budgets and hospital performances, with heated discussions from the House of Commons (Westminster). Well I have a few suggestions to knock some cost off the taxpayers' bill:
Have you ever been abroad and needed medical treatment? I have. First question they ask is not "Where does it hurt?" or "What is the problem?". No! The first question is always, "What is your credit card number?" or "What is you Medical Insurance cover?". So why do we let visitors to the UK get away without paying? That's the first change, should save millions.
Next up, "young ladies" from across the Commonwealth coming to the UK to have their "virginity restored" on the NHS. Apparently, according to NHS statistics this has jumped from 300 cases per year in 2010 to 17,500 in 2012 and is expected to rise in 2013. Why? Did they get laid on the NHS? No, of course not! So (again) why are they getting away without paying?
Then there are old people who fall over (shouldn't victimise the elderly as this could apply to anybody really, but... ). For example, father-in-law has the odd tumble, he is 85 years old and resident in a home. Every time it happens the home phones for an ambulance and sends him off to hospital for a check up. There he ends up waiting for 4 hours to have blood tests, then waits another hour or so before being admitted to the Medical Assessment Unit for an overnight stay because he has a heart condition. This is all part of his medical history, so why, when the call is received does the NHS not check his records and dispatch a paramedic and/or doctor. Put an SLA on the service to get to patient within 1 hour and penalties on them if they refer patient to hospital and hey presto.... A better service for the patient. A more efficient service for the NHS. A less costly service for the taxpayers.
On top of that have at least one Walk in Clinic open 24/7 in every town for anybody who has the ability to get there (I suggest they don't do the driving if their ability to do so is impaired) which is staffed by the doctors and paramedics who are also on call for trips and falls (and other similar, non-life threatening health issues). Adequate car parking with £1 per half hour of parking, fully refunded if the stay is more than 3 hours. Cost effective service that's close to self financing.
Hospitals themselves... many need rebuilding or refurbishment. Don't do like Derby has and close the one just off the town centre and build a massive "one stop shop" away on the outskirts of town. If it is close to town centre people can use public transport to get in and out. Ambulance and other mobile services can get to all parts of the city / toewn / area without having to cross from one side of town to the other, keeping costs down. People travelling a greater distance can get in using rail travel (god help them). And do we need massive "one stop shop" hospitals anyway? Form an NHS network with each specialising in certain types of care. It has to make sense!
But hey! Since when have politicians ever made or applied sense to the equation?
Have you ever been abroad and needed medical treatment? I have. First question they ask is not "Where does it hurt?" or "What is the problem?". No! The first question is always, "What is your credit card number?" or "What is you Medical Insurance cover?". So why do we let visitors to the UK get away without paying? That's the first change, should save millions.
Next up, "young ladies" from across the Commonwealth coming to the UK to have their "virginity restored" on the NHS. Apparently, according to NHS statistics this has jumped from 300 cases per year in 2010 to 17,500 in 2012 and is expected to rise in 2013. Why? Did they get laid on the NHS? No, of course not! So (again) why are they getting away without paying?
Then there are old people who fall over (shouldn't victimise the elderly as this could apply to anybody really, but... ). For example, father-in-law has the odd tumble, he is 85 years old and resident in a home. Every time it happens the home phones for an ambulance and sends him off to hospital for a check up. There he ends up waiting for 4 hours to have blood tests, then waits another hour or so before being admitted to the Medical Assessment Unit for an overnight stay because he has a heart condition. This is all part of his medical history, so why, when the call is received does the NHS not check his records and dispatch a paramedic and/or doctor. Put an SLA on the service to get to patient within 1 hour and penalties on them if they refer patient to hospital and hey presto.... A better service for the patient. A more efficient service for the NHS. A less costly service for the taxpayers.
On top of that have at least one Walk in Clinic open 24/7 in every town for anybody who has the ability to get there (I suggest they don't do the driving if their ability to do so is impaired) which is staffed by the doctors and paramedics who are also on call for trips and falls (and other similar, non-life threatening health issues). Adequate car parking with £1 per half hour of parking, fully refunded if the stay is more than 3 hours. Cost effective service that's close to self financing.
Hospitals themselves... many need rebuilding or refurbishment. Don't do like Derby has and close the one just off the town centre and build a massive "one stop shop" away on the outskirts of town. If it is close to town centre people can use public transport to get in and out. Ambulance and other mobile services can get to all parts of the city / toewn / area without having to cross from one side of town to the other, keeping costs down. People travelling a greater distance can get in using rail travel (god help them). And do we need massive "one stop shop" hospitals anyway? Form an NHS network with each specialising in certain types of care. It has to make sense!
But hey! Since when have politicians ever made or applied sense to the equation?
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Le Tour de France
Normally the world's news media would jump on a British success such as Chris Froome's win on the Mont Ventoux, but no, to a man (lead by the French press who don't have a domestic Tour winner in the wings) they are bombarding Froome and the Sky team with doping questions.
OK, I accept that the revelations from the weekend of athletics doping is playing a part in this, but why are we not seeing a proactive WADA intervention taking up the offer made by Sky to make all training data available to the WADA for analysis? If the WADA systems are robust enough then there should be no problem with producing a ruling based on the Sky data. If they don't act doesn't that call into question whether the WADA systems are robust enough and therefore call into question the rulings they have made on the athletes that they have so far identified as 'doping cheats'.
What we have no unfolding before us is the real legacy of the 'Lance Armstrong years'. But cycling has been under so much tighter scrutiny since Armstrong was relieved of his titles. The penalties for the use of chemicals to enhance performance have become so much more fearful and effective.
So I hope that the press/world's media will dump doping into a dead-end siding for now and let us all enjoy the spectacle that is le Tour de France, enhanced as it is with the prospect of a British winner, even though that in itself is not a given seeing as how we have the double ascent of Alpe-d'Huez coming up on Friday. Never done before it will seriously test everyone and the domestics have failed Chris Froome before and if that is repeated then he could be in trouble. Whatever, that day's riding and the result will be a sensation! Miss it if you dare.
OK, I accept that the revelations from the weekend of athletics doping is playing a part in this, but why are we not seeing a proactive WADA intervention taking up the offer made by Sky to make all training data available to the WADA for analysis? If the WADA systems are robust enough then there should be no problem with producing a ruling based on the Sky data. If they don't act doesn't that call into question whether the WADA systems are robust enough and therefore call into question the rulings they have made on the athletes that they have so far identified as 'doping cheats'.
What we have no unfolding before us is the real legacy of the 'Lance Armstrong years'. But cycling has been under so much tighter scrutiny since Armstrong was relieved of his titles. The penalties for the use of chemicals to enhance performance have become so much more fearful and effective.
So I hope that the press/world's media will dump doping into a dead-end siding for now and let us all enjoy the spectacle that is le Tour de France, enhanced as it is with the prospect of a British winner, even though that in itself is not a given seeing as how we have the double ascent of Alpe-d'Huez coming up on Friday. Never done before it will seriously test everyone and the domestics have failed Chris Froome before and if that is repeated then he could be in trouble. Whatever, that day's riding and the result will be a sensation! Miss it if you dare.
Restricted Benefits imposed in UK
Yesterday the big fuss in the news media was all about it being the day when benefit claimants would be restricted to £26,000 p.a.
Why all the fuss? That is £26,000 tax free benefits, or, £500 per week. I have worked for nearly 40 years and that is very close to what I receive as net pay after all deductions have been taken. These are limits on benefits that are in the main being claimed by people who have never worked, the scroungers in our society who have nothing better to do than complain that the state isn't paying them enough to stay at home.
I have been made redundant 4 times and only once did I qualify for any 'benefits' and that was job seekers allowance (JSA) which was/is a farce at roughly £66 p.w. Nobody can live on that! But because my wife had/has a full time job that is all I qualified for. In my view the government (and all those that went before it) have got its priorities wrong. Instead of paying out a pittance to people who have lost their job and are seeking re-employment and paying out big money to those that have never worked, what they should be doing is paying out a realistic amount to those seeking work and a pittance to those that have never held a job down for more than a day or so.
This government should be commended and lauded for starting to get to grips with benefits payouts. Yesterday was a good start but it needs to go much further, like (for example) making payment of any benefits AT ALL dependent upon having been resident in the UK for a minimum of 12 months and having worked, and earned, at a level where National Insurance contributions and minimal/lowest level tax has been paid for a minimum of 6 months. That would stop free-loaders coming into the country and being subsidised by benefit payouts while looking to take jobs that could be done by UK residents, and stop all the school / college / university leavers from drawing benefits until they have held down a job (working while in education would count if it met the earlier suggested criteria).
Why all the fuss? That is £26,000 tax free benefits, or, £500 per week. I have worked for nearly 40 years and that is very close to what I receive as net pay after all deductions have been taken. These are limits on benefits that are in the main being claimed by people who have never worked, the scroungers in our society who have nothing better to do than complain that the state isn't paying them enough to stay at home.
I have been made redundant 4 times and only once did I qualify for any 'benefits' and that was job seekers allowance (JSA) which was/is a farce at roughly £66 p.w. Nobody can live on that! But because my wife had/has a full time job that is all I qualified for. In my view the government (and all those that went before it) have got its priorities wrong. Instead of paying out a pittance to people who have lost their job and are seeking re-employment and paying out big money to those that have never worked, what they should be doing is paying out a realistic amount to those seeking work and a pittance to those that have never held a job down for more than a day or so.
This government should be commended and lauded for starting to get to grips with benefits payouts. Yesterday was a good start but it needs to go much further, like (for example) making payment of any benefits AT ALL dependent upon having been resident in the UK for a minimum of 12 months and having worked, and earned, at a level where National Insurance contributions and minimal/lowest level tax has been paid for a minimum of 6 months. That would stop free-loaders coming into the country and being subsidised by benefit payouts while looking to take jobs that could be done by UK residents, and stop all the school / college / university leavers from drawing benefits until they have held down a job (working while in education would count if it met the earlier suggested criteria).
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
China - more adventure than vacation
To celebrate Suzie turning 50 earlier in the year we decided it was time to fulfill a lifetime ambition and visit China. Two couples we know joined us, Sue & Norman and Carole & Giuseppe, and after much donkey work by Suzie we flew out on May 20th to Beijing, with a full itinerary that saw us using internal flights, a trip on the bullet train and a cruise down the Yangtze river to end up in Shanghai before returning to the UK on 2nd June.
I will post fuller details as I find time and with some of the photos that we took as and when I get time but suffice to say, China is AMAZING and manic in equal measure and our trip was more of an adventure than a relaxing holiday. A once in a lifetime trip, absolutely fabulous!
I will post fuller details as I find time and with some of the photos that we took as and when I get time but suffice to say, China is AMAZING and manic in equal measure and our trip was more of an adventure than a relaxing holiday. A once in a lifetime trip, absolutely fabulous!
Monday, 6 May 2013
Suzie flies
Sunday 5th May 2013 see Suzie and I taking a drive out to Burnaston / Derby airfield. This is not a commercial airport but an old style grass landing strip, with numerous light aircraft tethered on the ground and a few large sheds where restoration and maintenance is carried out. Graham is a work colleague who has a 1/6th share in an old 2 seater light aircraft build somewhere around 1952, making it older than both me and Suzie. I took loads of photos of the planes on the ground, and a couple of Suzie, however, I also shot a couple of brief videos. This was the first time I'd tried doing this with the Panasonic FZ150 we have bought for our trip to China so these are a bit shakey...
Here we have the take-off:
Here we have the take-off:
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Volvo S40 update
Having clocked up 90,000 miles last month it was due a service. All previous servicing had been done by the dealer in Taunton where the car was purchased by the original owner, with stamps in the book to validate but which I also managed to get a computer printout as confirmation from said dealer. Anyway, locally there has been a change and Derby has a new Volvo dealer - which means they also have bugger all experience with servicing these older models so I took it to a young man I know, Jay at CarTec in Draycott, just down the road. After a thorough going over it came back running better than before but with a note that there was an error code stored on the on-board controller indicating an intermittent problem with the coil on #1 cylinder. The following weekend I replaced the coil (costing £32) myself, a 2 minute job.
Now that should be the end of this report, but as always, there's a little sting in tail. Every now and then, noticeable only when in stop / start traffic the revs drop to noting and then come racing back before settling down to the normal idle speed. No idea what is causing that but as it otherwise drives perfectly I see no need to rush into additional expense as I've just fitted a new pair of tyres on the front and we are off on holiday soon leaving the car parked up for two weeks.
The final piece of good news relating to my Volvo motoring is the cost of running it. The 2 tyres were £180 including full 4 wheel alignment check and adjustment, the service was just under £190 including all filters (the cabin filter had obviously never been replaced) plugs and oil change plus the previously mentioned diagnostic plug-in and read. Fuel consumption is running at 30 - 31 mpg overall with 37 mpg on a run but as I am using Annie the Tranny (my motorbike) to commute and run around on the car is getting by on £25 a week fuel - about 1/3rd the level of expenditure I'd become accustomed to with the Passat. Mostly the savings have come from not using my car for work and using hire cars provided through my employer. Washing it last weekend I noticed a ding where somebody has obviously opened their car door onto the side of the Volvo, and some paint missing (about the size of a thumb print) on the rear o/s corner where it would appear somebody has rubbed their bumper across the corner of mine - annoying, but it is a 2005 car with over 90,000 miles on it and it doesn't stand me at a lot of money so why worry?
Now that should be the end of this report, but as always, there's a little sting in tail. Every now and then, noticeable only when in stop / start traffic the revs drop to noting and then come racing back before settling down to the normal idle speed. No idea what is causing that but as it otherwise drives perfectly I see no need to rush into additional expense as I've just fitted a new pair of tyres on the front and we are off on holiday soon leaving the car parked up for two weeks.
The final piece of good news relating to my Volvo motoring is the cost of running it. The 2 tyres were £180 including full 4 wheel alignment check and adjustment, the service was just under £190 including all filters (the cabin filter had obviously never been replaced) plugs and oil change plus the previously mentioned diagnostic plug-in and read. Fuel consumption is running at 30 - 31 mpg overall with 37 mpg on a run but as I am using Annie the Tranny (my motorbike) to commute and run around on the car is getting by on £25 a week fuel - about 1/3rd the level of expenditure I'd become accustomed to with the Passat. Mostly the savings have come from not using my car for work and using hire cars provided through my employer. Washing it last weekend I noticed a ding where somebody has obviously opened their car door onto the side of the Volvo, and some paint missing (about the size of a thumb print) on the rear o/s corner where it would appear somebody has rubbed their bumper across the corner of mine - annoying, but it is a 2005 car with over 90,000 miles on it and it doesn't stand me at a lot of money so why worry?
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