A fun weekend

If variety is the spice of life, then I think I’ve had my share this weekend just gone! It is rare that I get to do and enjoy so many of the things that I actually like or want to do. This year I am making a conscious effort to get out and about and go places and do things that I’ve long wanted to do or thought I would enjoy.

Saturday started with my OU Tutorial at Kings College, London. I do enjoy these sessions because it is nice to meet the other people on the course and our tutor, Andy, puts across the material in an interesting and engaging manner. This section of the course has been on political theory and ideology, not exactly for me at least, the most riveting of subjects. Dry as dust, would be a more apt description of how I’ve found it. But Saturday’s tutorial was actually quite interesting because instead of talking about abstract theories of social justice and freedom, we were talking about them in context of the everyday. It certainly made things clearer for me anyway.

After the tutorial, I took a rather circuitous route via the tube to Mile End in East London. Why I hear you cry! Because Mile End was the starting point of a walk along the Regents Canal that I’ve been planning to do for a few weeks. It comes from a book borrowed from the library, which I enjoy so much I really don’t want to take it back, which has about twenty different walks around London’s docklands, canals and rivers. I’ve always been interested in canals and not just because some of us are going on a canal holiday in May. My earliest interest in canals was I recall sparked while at school and we had a day trip visiting the lock gates and following the route of the Portsmouth & Arundel Canal. Much of that canal has long since been lost but the most significant reminder of its existence is the cutting between Fratton and Portsmouth & Southsea railway stations, originally part of the canal until the railways took it over. The railways were the death knell for the canals, providing a much quicker and more efficient means of transferring goods around the country and between the ports and the major industrial centres.

Anyhows, back to Mile End and this is where I started my walk along the Regents Canal. The first picture (left) is looking back towards Mile End Lock, in the distance you might just be able to make out the tower of Canary Wharf. The Regents Canal runs from the Limehouse Basin in Docklands to the Paddington Basin, linking up with the Grand Union canal. The Regents Canal was thus a vital link between the docklands and the Grand Union, which meant barges and their loads can easily reach the industrial Midlands. Before the opening of the Grand Union canal navigation was by a rather indirect route to Oxford and thence by the Thames into London.

The second picture (right) is taken from Bonner Bridge and you can see the magnificent Victoria Park on the left. If I read the information board correctly this was the first municipal park in the world. As the tow path was closed along here I had a pleasant diversion through the park and it is easy to forget that this is London, so bucolic is the setting.

In contrast to this rather nice scene, most of the route along the Regents Canal is of an industrial/semi-residential landscape. The third picture (below, centre) is typical of most of the route, although some of the warehouses have now been turned into rather smart apartment and office blocks. One thing, which is particularly interesting about the Regents Canal is that all the lock’s are doubled up so that boats travelling in either direction could use the lock simultaneously. My guide book tells me that the twin locks were abandoned after the Second World War when an unfortunate incident led to the flooding of Kings Cross station.

The final picture along the canal (left) is taken looking at the City Road Basin (to the right), which covers an area of 4 acres and would have been considerably more substantial in the heyday of the canal. A smart office block is also seen on the right. Not far from here the canal comes to an abrupt halt (at least for pedestrians) with the Islington Tunnel. This was where I decided to quit on my trip – I think the journey (including a rather torturous diversion through Dalston to account for another towpath closure) was about 3 ½ miles. It is possible to rejoin the canal at the other end of the half-mile Islington Tunnel, which brings you to Kings Cross and then follow the canal through Regents Park and past the zoo, down to its termination at Little Venice (Brownings Pool) and Paddington Basin. I’ve the short exploration of the latter towards the end of last year.

What was particularly enjoyable about this walk is that it took me through previously unknown parts of London and it reflects a changing and fascinating urban landscape, which it is impossible to appreciate from the road. I hope to do more of the walks in the book over the coming months and certainly complete the other 4 miles of the Regents Canal.

Sunday was another immensely enjoyable day as I took myself off down to Brighton for the Modelword show at the Brighton Centre. It has been many years since I’ve been but as kid my dad would take me every year. It was kind of an early birthday present. Two things really stick in my mind about those days. One was the torturous bus journey of almost three hours from Portsmouth to Brighton (which thanks to Stagecoach it is still possible to endure!) and the other was the model boat display.

Lets be blunt, Modelworld is an event for anoraks and men that are still little boys at heart. Yep, it attracts its fair share of the downright strange and weird but no more so than your average Star Wars convention! Modelworld, as I remember it, was always primarily an exhibition for model railways. That is what I loved as a kid and still love now. I admire these men, for all their eccentricities and knitted jumpers and cardigans because they are so passionate about it. It is with pride that the groups and societies often have the word ‘engineer’ somewhere in their titles because often they will have built from scratch or kits the locomotives and rolling stocks that run. Even the wiring of a large scale layout still leaves me completely baffled! The best layouts are always the ones which reflect, as closely as possible, the practice on the real railway. It isn’t just about trains running around a loop of track, it is about the faultless attention to detail about how trains are run, the landscapes and buildings, the way the complete layout is assembled.

I was pleased to see that the model boats display was in attendance and the star attraction was Titanic. Hopefully from these pics of the model and you can get some idea of the scale of the ship from these I hope. Unfortunately the pool was too small for her to get a good cruise around and Titanic spent most of its 15 minute turn being pushed around by the tugboat. Again, the attention to detail is quite amazing, these are men (invariably it is men) who are deeply passionate and committed to their hobby.

But it wasn’t all model railways and boats, in fact there was rather too little of the former in my opinion. There were lots of sales stands – even saw some Star Wars models for sale – model tanks, some astonishing large scale models of Southern Railway locomotives, various societies and guilds, model hovercraft, a ‘Robot Wars’ style arena and even full scale Daleks in the foyer chasing children!

Sunday finished watching the South Bank Show profile of W H Auden, one of the few – well the only poet if I am honest – whose work I have any time for. I’ve always liked Auden’s ‘Night Mail’ but knew little else of his work or the man himself. Still didn’t feel like I’d learned a lot by the end of this programme other than some tantalising tasters of other Auden poems and a sense that he was a grumpy old man! Alan Bennett described him as a ‘bully,’ ‘a shambles’ and an ‘unlovable man.’ The most powerful praise was from Andrew Motion who as young man described meeting Auden as being like meeting God. One of the more interesting comments was about the relevance of Auden’s work today – his poem 1 September 1939 was apparently used as the mourning song for 9/11. His work was described as being a sound track to the twentieth century and in particular war and tragedy, which I thought was rather depressing.

It is a mystery why this programme was shown in the graveyard slot of 11.10pm on a Sunday night, perhaps that is indicative of ITV’s attitude towards the arts? It is disappointing that in this year, the 100th anniversary of Auden’s birth, that he is being almost completely overlooked. There was some suggestion that this could be due to Auden’s decision to flee to America at the outbreak of the Second World War, something which was deeply contentious at the time and remained so throughout his life. It would be nice to think though that events of 70 years ago could be put behind us and we could celebrate one of the great Britons.

What I am listening to at the moment

For the first time in several months I remembered to tune in to BBC 7 on Wednesday night at 7pm to listen to Round the Horne. I love these shows and although Round the Horne and its predecessor Beyond our Ken were first broadcast back in the 50s and 60s I still find them immensely funny and enjoyable. There has never been better radio comedy in my opinion, or at least I haven't heard it if there has. I like Round the Horne's bizarre cast of characters from Rumbling Syd Rumpo to Julian & Sandy to Charles & Fiona and it doesn't matter how many times I hear the sketches, they're still funny. Personally, I feel it works so well because the humour is so quintessentially English. Its of the saucy postcard variety with much double entendre, slapstick and occasional satire. There is nothing outrageously offensive in the humour and it is so well performed that Round the Horne never fails to impress and leave me laughing like a drain for 30 minutes. Must remember to tune in again next week!

One of the other pleasures I've found recently on the radio is the Moral Maze on BBC Radio 4 - 8pm Wednesdays, although I normally catch the repeat at 10.15pm on Saturdays. The basics of the programme is that Michael Buerk is joined by a panel who cross-examine expert witnesses on a chosen moral issue of the week. The debate is often fascinating and always intelligent. Recent weeks have included debates on gambling and the Catholic Church's stand on gay adoption. Although there is rarely a consensus reached by the end of the programme on the issue being discussed, what I enjoy is the fact that it challenges the witnesses and their arguments in an intelligent and forthright manner and often makes me evaluate and reconsider my own opinions.

Earlier on Saturday nights on BBC Radio 4 at 8pm is the Archive Hour. This is not always a programme I tune in for and I first listened last year with a programme reflecting on the development and history of Milton Keynes. It was a fascinating trawl through the radio archives, with interviews with locals back in 1967 who were both apprehensive and fearful of the coming of the new city. Interestingly, the presenter who made a point of visiting Milton Keynes, found that contemporary residents largely like the place and while much was lost, including many acres of fertile farmland and village life, the overall view was that Milton Keynes had brought many more benefits than disadvantages.

Also on Saturdays between 5-7pm is Classic FM at the Movies, which I seem to most weeks miss or only catch the beginning or end of. This is a great programme for someone like me who loves movie scores because it covers not just recent releases but the classics as well from the golden age of Hollywood. It does tend though to play too much of the popular excerpts from scores when it would be nice to hear the less well known pieces and occasionally to hear a full score.

During the week, depending on what time I get home I either listen to the irreverent Ronnie Barbour on BBC Three Counties Radio or Smooth Classics at Seven on Classic FM. The latter is a perfect soothe to a hard day!

Sunday evenings at 6.30pm on BBC Radio 2 have become one of the highlights of the week for me. Alan Titchmarsh presents Melodies for You, which is basically and excuse for him to play a selection of his favourite music for two hours each week. I really enjoy this show, its perfect for a Sunday evening, sublime and beautiful music interspersed with measured chat.

Aaarghh!

I've had a frustrating day. At work I am getting into the siege mentality and by that I mean that I feel hounded from one quarter or another, with an ever amassing case load on my desk. I swear at points today there was literally a queue of people waiting at my desk, it felt like that anyway. And e-mail is the absolute curse of the modern office in my view. Often abused and over utilised in sending pointless or senseless messages, which occupy too much focus and time when I feel energies could be spent doing something more productive. Why do people feel the need to copy the whole office in on the most inconsequential of messages. Its not like you would 'phone everyone in the office to tell them! Then I wonder, in exasperation that is unfair and unjustified, 'can nobody do anything right?' And I include myself in that. Under pressure I don't do my best. I make silly mistakes, I find myself correcting and becoming annoyed by the stupid things I get wrong. It becomes a self-defeating cycle, piling more pressure to do better when really a break from it all for a few minutes to clear the mind would be a better idea.

Everyone in the office is under pressure at the moment, tempers (although not mine) occasionally fray and people understandably become irritable. Then the management ask if we would like to work weekends as well, as if working five days a week slogging our guts out isn't enough! Noticeably those asking are often the last in and first out the door come the beginning and end of the day.

I have to admit that my recent tardiness is beginning to be noticed. The odd comment here and there. But try as I might, I can't summon any enthusiasm to go into work. I prejudge the day before I get there, I know what it's going to be like. Mostly I am right.

One of the things I hate most is conflict of any sort. I will go to great lengths to avoid saying 'no' which often is a feature of the job I do. It is almost certainly going to lead to an unhappy and maybe aggressive response from the person who is being told 'no.' I worry about some of the cases I have to deal with, fretting over the 'phone call I am going to have to make for maybe hours, even days beforehand and then over-analyse it afterwards to the point that I doubt myself. I've had to say 'no' a couple of times today and in recent days.

What really pissed me off though was a comment from someone patronising me about losing weight and how 'you know its not good for the heart and you can get diabetes.' Well, thank you very much for the newsflash! I knew that already and I don't need supercilious remarks like that to make me feel any worse than I do about it. Its the arrogance of that sort of remark that irritates me. The presumption that I am fat because I want to be and that it is all my own fault. Well, yes, true it is because I have little self-control and yes it is my fault. But, here's another newsflash, it ain't easy losing weight. For me I don't think it is eating that is the problem it is the emotional issues that I need to deal with and the self-pity. It so easy to fall into a self-reinforcing cycle of negativity where I am convinced that I will never loose weight, so why even bother making an effort? I hate being fat. I hate it. I hate myself as much for being so weak as not able to do anything about it.

But that's crap isn't it? I need a slap in the face for that sort of remark. I am just making excuses. I am feeding that negative cycle and I want to stop doing that. I can't do that though unless I address what is really underlying all this and that is something I can't face. Because I don't want to. Because it is easier to deny or avoid dealing with things that are too painful. So the cycle continues.

Aaarghhh! I don't know whether to cry or slam my fists on the table!

Tomorrow is a new day.

Hopefully it will be a better one.

Some of my favourite web sites

Firstly I must give a plug to a new blog from my friend, Derek, Goosey World. Its only just started but I am sure its going to be fun and with Derek's encyclopedic knowledge of films and love of DVD's plenty of obscure factoids and trivia along the way I am sure!

On my recent travels around the Internet I found this rather quirky web site, TV & Radio Bits, which has many intriguing and interesting features on TV and radio. This is a real anoraks site for people like me who should really get out more! It has everything you could want - idents, jingles, histories of obscure radio and TV, programme listings from years gone by etc, etc. It is lovingly put together and with such passion and interest in the history of these obscure and often forgotten bits of the broadcasting world.

Changing track completely another web site that I do check regularly is End of the Line. If you thought the last site was for anoraks, this is for the true anorak in me! The site is basically a database of where every locomotive that has run on British Railways is now. It is regularly updated (usually every day) with the latest movements - what's been scrapped, what's running and where, reallocations and renumberings and the rest. Pretty much everything to send anyone not into railways into a deep coma!

Keeping the transport theme, another of my favourite sites, which I discovered about 18 months ago is Milton Keynes Day Out. This site has given me many ideas for travels from Milton Keynes and is surprisingly comprehensive in its coverage of local bus and train services. Really to its credit is the detail of the information on tickets and how to get the best bargain. Something which this site does that most train operators don't (certainly not in MK anyway) is publicise the PlusBus scheme and the East Midlands Rail Rover. Really it shouldn't be down to a committed enthusiast to provide this sort of information, the local bus and rail companies should be doing this as a matter of course.

Onto my other passion, Star Wars, and here is a link to a fab film on YouTube - Triumph of the Empire. This is a spoof Imperial Information Film, using to marvellous effect, Star Wars Lego and the music of Gustav Holst. Watch it and enjoy!

My love of local radio

A few weeks ago I was mocked for saying that I was a regular listener to my local BBC radio station, Three Counties Radio. True, I am not exactly the average or indeed for the most part the intended audience for BBC Local Radio. Generally speaking the BBC's local broadcasting is aimed at those over 40 and upwards but I've always been a fan. The main reason for that is probably because when growing up every radio in the house was permanently tuned to what was then my local station, BBC Radio Solent. It was a rare occurrence indeed to find my mum or dad listening to anything else although I seem to recall that Radio 2 occasionally broke the monopoly of local broadcasting in the Richards household. Commercial radio was unheard, after the disappearance of Radio Victory in the mid-80s.

One of the main appeal's of BBC Local Radio for me has been the fact that it is a news and information led service with a talk based format. I've always been a news junkie and at school one of my many ambitions for a while, was to be a journalist and radio journalism in particular appealed. I've always liked the immediacy of radio, which to this day still beats TV when a story is breaking. There is no need for pictures or flashy graphics to present a story. It can be told simply and quickly in words, which are often more informative than the repetitive images that tend to be shown on television news. In addition I think the quality of news reporting tends to be better on radio, because rather than relying on pictures to tell the story, the journalist has to convey the sense of what has happened painting pictures with words. That is a skillful job and if done well can be immensely interesting listening.

So back to BBC Local Radio. It's news service for me on a local level is second to none. Not only does each BBC station have the resources of BBC News to provide material - the worlds largest newsgathering organisation - it also has its own reporters and journalists, often based around the its broadcasting patch. Indeed, it is often in moments of crisis that BBC Local Radio comes into its own. I can just about remember some of the coverage on Solent around the time of the Falklands War and then during the first Iraq War, when the station brought a local slant on these stories that were affecting many people living in the area.

The strengths of the BBC are combined with a more local and friendly service that is distinctive as each local station reflects the communities it serves. That is an important distinction and one of the attractions of the BBC Local Radio service to me over Independent Local Radio, which is largely similar (under common ownership) and plays the same music and same programme format wherever it happens to be based.

Its often forgotten that BBC Local Radio is also a leader in broadcasting. For example, Three Counties, became the first radio station in the country to provide a programme specifically for the Romany community and travellers. Indeed the station offers an extensive service for the large Asian and Black communities in this area as well as specialist programmes for the Italian and Irish inhabitants of the patch. These types of services could never be provided by Independent Local Radio and is one of the many strengths of BBC local broadcasting.

So, it is a combination of local news, information, a friendly and approachable style of broadcasting and a broad appeal to the community it serves that are for me the strengths of BBC Local Radio. As an aside, the model of BBC local broadcasting is based on the American model of local radio and was pioneered by the veteran war correspondent, Frank Gillard. And it has to be said that as the BBC's local radio service is celebrating 40 years of broadcasting in 2007, it must be doing something right!

Music

Sometimes I think its true that you can find literally whatever you want to know on the Internet. I've had one of those evenings where I started out with a certain purpose in mind but about 2 hours later ended up wondering what I'd spent all that time doing. And on the way visited some interesting sites and found out some stuff that I didn't know.

I had some specific songs in mind that I wanted to download from iTunes. As I was doing this I decided to search for music by John Miles, an artist who I only know from his 1976 hit Music. I've downloaded a couple of tracks from his debut album, Rebel, including Music, When You Loose Someone So Young and You Have it All. From there I ended up doing a search on Wikipedia and found my way to John Miles' homepage and so now know that he was born in Jarrow, North East England, Rebel was his debut album, he has toured with Tina Turner amongst others and details of albums he has released since. Going off at a tangent I read that part of his track Music was used for a jingles package for Independent Local Radio Station Mercury! Its amazing what you can discover on the Internet! More than likely I will buy Rebel as I like the three tracks that I've downloaded, even though I've only listened to them through properly the once.

Anyhows I burned myself a CD from the tunes I downloaded, selecting mainly stuff from the 1960s, 70s and 80s because to be honest, I am not that impressed with much that has been released since. So, I have tracks from the aforementioned John Miles, Harry Chapin, Bobby Goldsboro, Glen Campbell, Billy Ocean, Sweet Sensation, Elvis Presley, Nina Simone, Leo Sayer and Don McLean. Um, a bit of a mix I guess! They're all artists and particular tracks I've chosen because either they have particular memories or they're just great tunes. Mostly, its music that I remember hearing on the radio as a kid. I know, not the kind of music that most young boys or teenagers would listen to! But then I think music is a personal thing and although it may not appeal to anyone else, it is special to me and that is what is important. I don't want to be one of the crowd and certainly not when it comes to my taste in music!

Tomorrow is a better day

I've not been happy of late. Downright miserable and irritable would perhaps be more accurate to say. I am feeling happier now, the dark mood has lifted quite considerably. One of the reasons I haven't updated this blog is because no one wants to hear a miserable sod going on about his woes. It gets tiresome after a while and problem is when I am in that mood I often say many things that I'll later feel bad about. In the cold light of the morning things always seem more rational and it leaves me often wondering what was all the fuss and heat about.

There is no one thing I can say which has promoted this unhappy state of mood for the last week and a bit. Mainly it has been work. Getting pissed off about my new job, not enjoying it at all because what I have done so far I feel is a waste of my abilities and just doesn't enthuse me with any motivation. In fact I wonder if I didn't turn up one day if anybody would notice my absence. All week, I've been getting to work increasingly late and not one word has been said about it. I am convinced that if I didn't make the effort to engage others in the occasional conversation, mainly to vent my frustration*/unhappiness*/anger* (* delete as appropriate) about work, I'd sit in silence all day.

I know its a bad mind set to be in because negative thoughts and moreover negative talk is self-serving and defeating. It doesn't achieve anything and I don't feel better for having said the things I've said, just more negative and despondent. Not good.

Things are better. Today has been a better day. I feel happier, more in control. I am trying to keep smiling, looking at the positive rather than the negative. Tomorrow is another day. That's what I keep in mind.

If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things

I am sure I have mentioned in this blog before about my adoration for Jon McGregor's stunning debut novel If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things. I mention it again because I see that a new edition of the book has been published this year. I came across it purely by chance, as I was looking for a novel by Tim Lott whose Rumours of a Hurricane is an excellent read particularly as a good deal of it is set in Milton Keynes. In the end I didn't buy either of these books - I opted for Philip Roth's The Human Stain.

Anyhows I am digressing.

So, seeing McGregor's book in an attractive new cover and some additional blurb on the cover from the publishers, I did the one thing which I always hate everyone else doing, I blocked up the aisle, absorbing myself again in McGregor's wonderful prose. Moreover I was engaged by the new introduction that has been written for the book and a section at the back, which poses questions about the novel, the idea being that these can form the basis of a discussion in a reading group. Just reading those few bits brought flooding back all the wonderful things about this book and made me question it again.

I've read If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things twice at least, possibly three times and each time I have come away with something new. I've seen the characters through fresh eyes each time and different parts have caught my attention. What remains true is that I think this is a stunning piece of modern fiction. It is complex in structure, unusual in its style and imaginative. What is so fascinating is the rhythm of the words, not really like conventional prose at all. Reading McGregor's book feels different to a normal novel and better for it.

I also like the way that he elevates the everyday into something magical. The mundane becomes remarkable and the characters although they remain deliberately anonymous have such fascinating and beautifully moving stories. That is what sticks out for me. The fact that even in the street where we live there is so much we don't know, all the drama, the highs and lows of each life. All the remarkable things that ordinary people do each day.

And the book has a quite shattering climax. McGregor deliberately slows the pace as he tells in vivid detail the final tragedy. It changes the perspectives of everything else that happens on that nameless day at the end of summer. Even in the midst of the events that change everything, McGregor observes how life in the anonymous city continues just as normal. While the central characters at the centre of the book are changed forever, the heartbeat of the city doesn't pause.

I'd recommend this book whole heartedly and indeed McGregor's second novel, So Many Ways to Begin, which adopts a similar style. I might even buy If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things again, just so that I can have the new version on my shelf!

Wednesday

I am not particularly happy at the moment. Work is not good since I moved to my new team on Monday. The people I am working with are not as nice, there is an air of tension around the office and everyone is under enormous pressure and stress because of the amount of work they're being expected to do. It is a far from happy environment. I am finding it difficult to fit in, trying to learn the new processes and work while at the same time managing out the case load I brought with me from my previous job. I am getting to a stage where I am feeling unable to cope. I'll probably have to do some extra hours to get myself back on track although I've been so exhausted the last few days that I really haven't felt like doing anything more.

What is not helping is the fact that I seem to be coming down with a cold. Its that odd state I am in at the moment, feeling lethargic, with splitting headache that has been with me most of the day and generally feeling under the weather.

So basically I am feeling a bit sorry for myself. Its times like this when it becomes hard being on my own. I know I could 'phone one of my friends if I wanted to talk but is not the same as having someone with me. Sometimes I need more than words of reassurance down a telephone line.

Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow and its only two more days until the weekend and I have nothing planned, so I can relax and spend some selfish 'me' time doing the things I want.

I remember as a kid whenever I was ill or feeling a bit sorry for myself, like I do now, that my parents would always assure me that I would feel better after a good night's sleep. Mostly they were right too. Often in the morning, things seem clearer and better than they do at night. I am sure it will be the same tomorrow, I'll feel happier and reassured.

Recent films

I've been listening to Alan Titchmarsh on Radio 2 and some wonderful choices of music. I can't think of many things that are more fun than spending two hours every Sunday evening playing a selection of my favourite music. So Mr Titchmarsh, if you ever need a stand in, I am your man!

As a slight compensation I have this blog, which while it may not be regular (which if you visit regularly you will have noticed!) and doesn't last for 2 hours (although it might take me that long to write each post) it is my space. This is my time and my place to share with those of you reading my favourite things or just my observations, inane ramblings or nostalgia...whatever takes the mood at the time.

Over the last week I've seen some cracking films. Starting last Saturday with a trip to Colchester to see Witchfinder at the Headgate Theatre. This film features a good friend of mine, Joe Sales, as John Stearne, assistant to the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins. It is an amateur production but not in anyway in the bad sense of that word. You can read my review on Joe's blog here.

Last Sunday I watched Monster based on the troubled life of Aileen Wuornos, America's first female serial killer. It is a depressing film and one that like The Woodsman, simultaneously produces deep revulsion and feelings of sympathy for its central character. Its a morally complex and ambiguous film although its handicapped by a central lesbian relationship between Wuornos and Selby (played by Christina Ricci) that doesn't work for me. The affair between these two desperate women seems forced and I feel the actors are uncomfortable in their portrayal. It is still a powerful film and there are moments which are both chilling and sickening.

Yesterday I saw Bobby, Emilio Estevez's film on the events leading up to the assassination of Robert Kennedy in June 1968. It is clear that this film has been a labour of love for Estevez. It is beautifully crafted following the intersecting lives of 22 characters at the Ambassador Hotel on the day and night that Kennedy was shot and fatally wounded. It reminded me in its intercutting of characters and its slow build to a powerful, emotional climax of Magnolia, with all its characters, eventually thrust into the centre of the terrible events of 5 June 1968. I cried through the last ten minutes of the film, which is awesome in its power and pathos. No one left the cinema when the credits came up, everyone stayed to watch the first part, with pictures of Kennedy and his family shown alongside the names of the principal cast. This is a film that boldly states its message and while some maybe cynical of its idealism I found it's hopefulness something that inspires.

Moving on

I had bad news yesterday at work. I am being moved from my current team to work in a different area. To say that I am bitterly disappointed is an understatement. I've invested a good deal of time and personal effort into the team I am working with now, building up my skills and knowledge and I feel making a genuine and positive commitment to the job, so to be told that I am being moved out of the team was a complete shock and a personal blow.

Personally it has hit me hard. For the first time in a long while I feel happy where I am working now. I've got to know the people I am working with and enjoy the work. It is the best team I've worked with and I get a buzz from the commitment and dedication shown by everyone and the supportive environment. The work itself is interesting, challenging and additionally has a certain prestige attached to it. Moving onto something else, just when I feel I've got myself settled and comfortable, is the last thing I want. But it isn't my choice and there is nothing I can do or say that is going to change the decision that has been made.

I am trying not to let all the politics of the situation bother me because I know that it will just make me angry and make things more negative than they already are. There is politics involved and there are reasons why this decision has been made, which have nothing to do with me but serve other purposes. I could get angry about the way I was told, which was in a rather flippant and casual way or about the fact that I was only told half the story. The real reasons only became apparent later. Or I could be angry about the fact that other people in my team knew what was happening before I did.

I don't want to go, that's the bottom line. I thought after a night's sleep I would feel differently about it. Sometimes, in the morning things are clearer or seem less important. This doesn't. I feel disappointed and as if I have failed in some way. Although technically the move is side-ways, I can't help feeling it is a demotion.

In a few weeks I am sure all this will be forgotten and I will be settling into the new job. I just don't want to make that step though. I have no choice so I will have to focus on the positive and try and make the best of it. There is the advantage that the change will broaden my experience and give me skills, which will make it easier to look for another job. I guess that is what I need to focus on; the future not the here and now.

Feeling Good

Had a great time on Saturday, albeit a very long day. Started early enough - left home shortly before 7am to get to Reading for 10 and only just made it! Was my OU Tutorial on Saturday and I felt really pleased with myself that I contributed what I thought were fairly intelligent and erudite comments on the American legal system and constitution, which is interesting seeing as the course I am doing is about UK politics! It did have relevance though as it was to do with the comparison between the UK and US political systems, which are about as different as chalk and cheese. Studying one informs the other and vice versa so my comments were with value and importance. Also surprised myself with being able to correctly name every UK Prime Minister since 1945! Although admittedly I struggled with Clement Attlee, which is a shame as his premiership has been overshadowed by history yet it is argued that his tenure at No.10 shaped the UK for the rest of the century. Not just the establishment of the NHS and the modern welfare state but also the nationalisation of utilities and railways and the building of consensual government in the post-war period.

Later in the day it was back to London to meet with friends, which after some mix ups, did do eventually at the British Museum. This is one of those places that just awes me. Everything about the BM is grandiose and triumphant. Much like the feeling I had earlier in the morning arriving at Paddington station. Whenever I head up the stairs/escalators out of the tube station into that magnificent concourse, I swear I get tears in my eyes. It is not just the enormity or grand design of the train shed that takes my breath away, its the atmosphere with fumes and roar of engines that making it feel alive. Anyhows back to the British Museum and I get similar feelings. These impressive buildings speak of greatness and power; a testament to a proud and patriotic nation. At the British Museum we spent time covering the Egyptian and Greek exhibits seeing the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles. It is such an impressive and wonderful collection of treasures, it just has to be seen to be believed.

We left the British Museum and headed back to the West End, stopping off at Forbidden Planet in Shaftesbury Avenue before settling at a pub for a few hours well earned rest and replenishment of the liquid and food kind! Just a wonderful few hours, talking about all sorts, Star Wars mainly, naturally! Sharing good memories and happy times together. Tim has got me hooked on the new Star Wars Miniatures Game, must get my starter set!

Yesterday was a quiet day, catching up on my sleep mainly and working on my current essay, which I've started writing tonight. Last night I decided to chill and watch a film. Choice was It's A Wonderful Life, which I've had at home on rental for a few weeks. It has been a while since I've seen this film and I'd forgotten just how good it is. A lovely, heart-warming story that made me think how important everyday is. I like the fact that George Bailey is taken to see what life would be like if he had never been born as it shows just how much we all influence and impact on each others lives, even in very small ways, which can have profound implications. His realisation that his life is important and that he is in every way the 'richest' person in Bedford Falls is simply wonderful. It brought tears to my eyes.

I picked up some bargain DVD's today at lunchtime - Monster, The Remains of the Day and October Sky and I recorded The Shipping News and Moonlight Mile, which were on TV this weekend, so I've got a fair amount of film watching to do! Plus I got another Nina Simone CD - an absolute snatch at £2.99! A compilation of her work between 1964-1967 it includes Feeling Good, a track that perfectly sums up my outlook just now. Yet again this is a exceptional CD and I really do wonder why Simone is so underrated when it seems to me that she was such a towering talent. From what I've read, difficult and idiosyncratic too but a genius all the same. Okay, she may not have been the most attractive woman, although certainly striking and she may not have had the most accomplished singing voice but she knew how to use it and deliver music that is affecting and powerful. I'll keep buying her music though, I am hooked!

The treadmill of work

The mini-break of Christmas and New Year now seems a distant memory although Christmas was only 3 weeks ago. Work is picking up again, next week promises to be extremely busy. Some days it feels like being a hamster on a wheel, constantly peddling away but getting nowhere very fast and not rewarded for the effort either. Not that I dislike my job. On the contrary I am very much enjoying what I do now. It would just be nice if the culture of the organisation was different. The people I work with are excellent, a really great team. Its just that above them there is no recognition of what we do, of the effort we all put in every day and the results that we deliver for the Company. One of the stock phrases of our team is that we 'add value' to the business, a fact that seems to be sadly missed by everyone beyond our immediate manager.

Reward, is not as the Management seem to believe, just about money. Its about being appreciated and acknowledged. It would be nice if our more senior managers could stop by once in a while and actually show some - any - interest in what we do, what pressures we're facing, what's going well and what isn't. Talk to the staff, engage them in the way the business is run, share in their experience and expertise, motivate and lead through example. Build an office that is where everyone wants to come to work each day and feels that their individual contribution is important and necessary. A place where people feel free to enjoy their work and have realistic goals to work towards. In other words, actually manage instead of firing off e-mails from a distance to tell us how wonderful they think they are along with some patronising management speak about how we are appreciated and valued.

I don't expect things to change. They never do, for the better. I do wonder if this will be the pattern of my working life for the next 30 years? Maybe I should get out now. I've thought about it many times in the past. There is always the danger though that the grass, while it may look greener outside, maybe just as brown and worn as the grass where I am. Or to use another metaphor, jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Maybe I'll stick where I am for now and consider my options.

Looking ahead

This is my 60th post. Seems like a small milestone, a recognition that this blog is now firmly established, even if it isn't that well read. That doesn't particularly matter to me. This blog was always here for selfish reasons - it's about me and it's for me. I do welcome those that do contribute and post and I value their comments on what I've said and posted.

I haven't said a lot recently because there hasn't been much that I've wanted to say. I did consider yesterday reposting an e-mail that I sent to my friends - the Groovy Gang - on Battlestar Galactica. The Groovy Gang? Where did that phrase come from? I believe it was Jamie who first coined it but the where, when and why are forgotten to me. I am sure if he's reading this he'll drop by and let me know. Over time 'The Groovy Gang' has become shorthand for my group of friends - a particular core of individuals who I've known for many years. Of course it equally applies to me and indeed all of 'us' - we are all part of the Groovy Gang. I think it's a great little title, it sounds trendy and fun, a bit like us I suppose, sometimes!

Anyhows, I am digressing. Yes, my e-mail about Battlestar Galactica was a particularly good one I thought. When I get passionate about something I don't let it rest. The words of praise seem to flow easily and thoughtfully. Maybe I should be passionate about more things then? Here's a taste of what I said:

Most of all what impresses me about this new series of Battlestar Galactica is that it dares to take the viewer on a dark journey sometimes. Just when I am settled and content with where the story is going and the fate of the characters, it suddenly takes an unsuspecting turn. It is bold, imaginative and original story-telling that is at the heart of BG and although some people may decry the fact that it's too bleak or gritty, that is for me exactly what makes it so compelling.

Like The West Wing and Six Feet Under, Battlestar Galactica has become a cult programme in my home. I've bought the series for each avidly on DVD and I know the shows intimately, almost too well at times. The reason is they all strike a chord, a connection with me on some emotional, spiritual or intellectual level. They mean something important and I've genuinely watched episodes of each of these shows and reflected on things they said which have related to or informed parts of my own life. That's why I am so passionate about them. The downside is that I probably bore people to death about these things!

Currently I am reading a biography of Richard Nixon. You may remember from a post some months back that I started reading a biography of Nixon before and dismissed it in disgust at its uneven approach to the man. This volume by Richard Reeves, I find much more incisive and evenly balanced. It doesn't shy from exploring the dark side of Nixon but it doesn't paint him either as the caricatured demon that has become so popular, because as I am reading (and personally believe) Nixon was a brilliant man, although deeply and fatally flawed.

At the end of the month I am going to see the play Frost/Nixon, which was something that I didn't get round to doing last year. The play has had good reviews and I am eager to see it before it disappears to Broadway at the beginning of February. The ticket was a bargain - at less than £15 from lastminute.com.

I am also looking forward to the London Symphony Orchestra's 2007/2008 season as the preview e-mail I received yesterday mentions that they will be performing the complete cycle of Mahler symphonies. While I doubt I will either have the time or money to see all of them, I've decided that there are a couple that I definitely don't want to miss. There is also a performance of Britten's opera Billy Budd included in the schedule. I've never been to an opera before but this could be the one to tempt me to give it a try. After all most things are worth doing once, aren't they?

Discoveries

Its the start of a New Year so an opportunity to clear out the accumulated rubbish and unwanted tat that has been amassed over many months and years. When I am in the mood, I love doing this. Having a good rummage through the attic, cupboards and other places of stored and long forgotten memories and treasures. I've found quite a few things, some nice surprises and lots of nostalgia laced memories.

The best finds are the most personal ones naturally. For me this has been uncovering various fanzines that I either subscribed too or contributed to in the heady days of the mid-1990s before the Internet seemed to kill off just about any fanzines that were still going. The most precious ones to me are the Jedi fanzines of the British Star Wars Fan Club. The September 1996 edition includes my first piece of Star Wars storywriting that was published. Called 'The Hidden Jedi' it featured the secret daughter of Obi-wan, Alicia Kenobi - the hidden Jedi - and revisited what was in my mind the scene of Vader/Obi-wan's fateful duel. In my story the action takes place on a planet called Tarisha 5 and on the volcanic mountainside of Mount Tinmar. Of course, Episode III explains the real events of that fateful last duel but this was my personal interpretation of what happened before Lucas filled in the blanks for us. Reading it again now I am struck by some of the imagery I used. A brutal death for Alicia on the summit of the volcano that nearly claimed her father and Vader's remembrances of his wife (who I bizarrely called Claris) being strangled by a dark and malevolent hand. Not so different from the eventual fate that would be suffered by Amidala in Revenge of the Sith.

This issue of Jedi was also the one where Gary Tester took over the reins as Editor. Gary and I became good friends through our interest in Star Wars and worked together for a long time on both the successor to Jedi - a short-lived magazine called Eclipse - and later my own Star Wars fanzines, Tales of the Empire and Dark Jedi. Those were happy days and although we only met a few times, more often when Gary moved to Milton Keynes, I like to think that we were good friends.

I still think about Gary now and wonder what he is doing these days. Last I heard he had moved to America, married and settled down. That seems a long time ago now.

I never forget the people that have come into my life and although I am hopeless at keeping in touch with old friends, whether through wilful neglect or thoughtlessness, they're never forgotten. I always remember the good times with Gary and the fact that singularly of all the people I've known, he was the one person that seemed to be on the same wavelength as me. Its difficult to describe that really but it was like we thought the same way about stuff and viewed life with a similar outlook. I miss that opportunity to share those things now.

Another of my fond discoveries has been my collection of Zoids. Somewhere I have an almost complete set of the Spiderman & Zoids comics, which just to prove all things are inter-related somehow, even featured a Star Wars story for a few issues! Zoids were my passion after Star Wars - around 1985-1987 or thereabouts I guess. That would make me 9-11. After Zoids, came Action Force. I think Zoids though was the last thing that both my brother and I were both into in a big way. After Zoids, our interests diverged, particularly as we got older. Even with the Zoids though I liked the Red Zoids while my brother collected the Blue Zoids. There were some exceptions, like the Trooperzoid, which I thought was one of the better ones, although it was a Blue!

My favourite of the large battery operated Zoids has to be Zoidzilla or as he is called in Japan, Gojoulas, which is the version I have. It is virtually indistinguishable from the original Zoidzilla although some of the colouring is slightly different. The two Zoids that I had most wanted as a kid were probably Redhorn and Krark. Redhorn was the leader of the Red Zoid army and the nemesis of Zoidzilla. Krark was an altogether different creature, a winged pterodactyl type Zoid whose aim was to unite Red and Blue and form a formidable force that would then conquer the galaxy. He was definitely my favourite.

There are probably quite a few more discoveries yet to be made as I haven't as yet finished my sorting out. It'll be fascinating to see what other things remain to be discovered.

Post Christmas blues

I hate this time of year with an unquenchable vehemence. I always have. Its a strange limbo between Christmas and New Year, the old year lingers for too long and the New Year sounds so exciting until it arrives. Ultimately it disappoints. This is a nothing time. Although I am back at work, it doesn't feel like work. There is only a few people in, there is just a feeling of working for the sake of doing so, going through the motions to tidy the last few things up before year's end. Outside it will be busy. I've avoided the shops not wanting to venture into the maelstrom of the sales. I don't understand the frenzy that seems to enter people at this time of year. I really hate the crowds, I despair of the fact that the shops always seem so hot and claustrophobic and I refuse to be drawn into this idea that doing the sales is a must.

New Year always seems to be over-hyped, just another meaningless excuse for people to get drunk, be stupid, to bring out all the worst in their character. Only yesterday on the bus home I listened to a young girl talking loudly to her friend about how she was looking forward to New Year because she could get drunk. What kind of ambition or desire is that? How hollow and empty have we become that drink and the thought of losing all sense and control of ourselves is the only way we can really feel anymore? Is that what it takes to feel anything these days? What self-loathing must embrace the young these days? I've never wanted to be drunk; I've never liked drinking to excess. I don't enjoy losing control.

I am going to friends in Southend this weekend for New Year, which I am sure will lift my spirits. There have been New Years I have spent on my own, when I haven't even bothered to stay up to welcome in the new year. They've been miserable times because the expectation is that we must be happy at this time of year but I don't. I never do. I don't get excited about a change in the date on the calendar. One year is pretty much like the last or the next. Sometimes, I have good years other times, I have bad years. There are ups and downs, occasionally it feels like there is no end to the rain, other times it is happy and joyful. Whatever, it really doesn't matter in the context of whether that happened in 1996 or 2003. What is more important is what I will do tomorrow and the day after that. And the now. This moment, how I live for now. This is what I need to focus on.

So Christmas is here...

It doesn't feel like it, not to me. Its been such a hellish week at work that I just don't feel any goodwill to anybody at the moment. The last two months or so seem to have been relentless. Not just long hours at work but everything else as well. Not that anything particularly bad or serious has happened; just the mounting pressure of the everyday being squeezed out by long hours at the office.

I think its also the weight of expectation that comes with this time of year that is partly responsible. Not that I try to let that affect me or get me down. I like Christmas but not to the extent that I obsess or even get excited about it anymore. For me, its a few days holiday when I can be with my family and enjoy their company with good food, drink and the usual old dross on the TV! Its simple and predictable for the most part and I like that.

I've deliberately avoided the shops for the past week. I take no pleasure in fighting my way through the heaving crowds desperate in their search for that last minute present. And I certainly don't appreciate all the unnecessary pressure that seems each year to become more and more attached with the run up to Christmas. It borders almost on the hysterical this desire to get everything done and finished by Christmas. Why? There will be another 365 days next year so what is the panic? In the job I do people seem to endlessly create artificial deadlines, which appear to serve no purpose other than to put everyone else under pressure to achieve them.

Frankly I am feeling exhausted and jaded by it all. The pleasure has been all but sucked out of it and I am beginning to think I'll be glad when Christmas is over.

The best of everything 2006

As part of my look back on the year gone by I wanted to share 10 of the best moments, events, memories etc of 2006 for me personally. So here goes with my 10 best of everything 2006:

1/. Best Film
Unquestionably Brokeback Mountain. Why? For so many reasons, many of which I have bored people to death with over the last 12 months! Personally, it is a triumph of film-making, a beautifully crafted and told story and a film that tackles some very difficult and challenging issues in a refreshing and open way without being judgemental.

2/. Best Album
Again this is an easy choice. It has to be MeatLoaf's Bat out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose. Just one fab song after another. Okay, so its over the top and sometimes a little camp but you just can't beat these songs for emotional power. This for me was MeatLoaf's most heartfelt album since Welcome to the Neighbourhood. Every song is a favourite and for me at least, an instant MeatLoaf classic.

3/. Best Song
I am indulging myself now! You know its going to be a MeatLoaf song... I was going to say The Future Ain't What it Used to Be (The endless night has got a hold of me, dark days are pulling me forward) or Seize the Night (So open up your arms and then get down on your knees. You're sucking on the darkness and you're ready to seize. Seize the night). But the one that really got me is What About Love, with the fabulous lyric, Once in a lifetime you'll find someone heaven sent for you. For a lifetime you'll feel there's a reason to believe in a love that's meant to be. I hope so.

4/. Best New Discovery
Thanks to Tim for this one and introducing me to Magners cider :-) I have to admit that I had long ago gone off cider finding most of them either too sweet or too dry. Magners though is the perfect balance and a drink that was designed for cool refreshment on a beautiful summer's day. Magic!

5/. Best Cultural Event
It had to be the BBC Proms. The first time I went was this year and I enjoyed two fab concerts. My favourite (and it is a close run thing) was the first on 24 August featuring Samuel Barber's First Essay for Orchestra and Mahler's stunning Fifth Symphony.

6/. Best Week
This is an easy choice, it was the week of 30 April to 6 May. Armed with a Heart of England rail rover I indulged my passion for rails and visiting new places in one. My travels during the week took me all over the Midlands and Central England to places as diverse as Crewe, Lichfield, Birmingham, Gloucester, Worcester, Shrewsbury. Warwick and Royal Leamington Spa. I am convinced that it was the finest week of weather all year and I have the photos to prove it! There was wall to wall sunshine each day and beautiful clear blue skies.

7/. Best Place
I've mentioned it already - Gloucester. Some mildly interesting facts about the place: it has the longest railway platform in Britain and is the most inland port in the UK. Gloucester Docks are a fascinating place to visit and clearly have much promise once all the development of new leisure facilities are finished. The Cathedral is one of the finest I've visited in a long while and the town itself is attractive and steeped in history, which dates back to the Romans.

8/. Best TV
This is a difficult one mainly because there has been so little in the way of 'good' TV this year. One of my highlights has been the second season of Battlestar Galactica, which I am revisiting again on DVD. There have been a couple of one-off programmes which have really impressed such as Stephen Fry's personal and painful exploration of manic depression and a fantastic if often unbearable documentary, Rain in my Heart, about alcoholism and its terrible consequences.

9/. Best Memory
It has to be Tim & Sharon's wedding in October. A wonderful day, a great weekend full of happiness and joy.

10/. Best of all 2006?
I made it to 30! I end the year in a new job and I've achieved and done many other things that I wanted to do during the last twelve months. The one thing that has made 2006 special has been my friends without whom I would not be able to look back on so many of the best and happiest times of the last 12 months.

The Christmas card dilemma

I am sure most people when they write their Christmas cards do so just selecting the cards at random or working methodically through the box. If only I found it so easy. For me, writing Christmas cards has become a major moral dilemma! Often I will agonise over my choice of cards - does it look appropriate? Is the message the right tone? Will it offend the person I am sending it too or give the wrong message?

Aaargh!

I despair of myself sometimes! Then there is the fact that some people at work don't like receiving Christmas cards but it seems unfair to give cards to some people and not others. Then does everyone celebrate Christmas and will they be offended if I give them a card?

Of course the choice of card also brings another whole raft of questions. Some cards are definitely nicer and more expensive than others. If I send a cheaper card to someone who I don't like much or don't know that well, is it rude or just disrespectful?

Finally, there's what to write inside. Do I just go with the person's name and mine and leave the rest to be said by the printed message or do I add my own words? What do I say if I do? As a rule I will never sign a card with 'Love' or any similarly affectionate sign-offs. It just seems so inappropriate for a man to say that in a card yet for a woman the word can be used almost at free will without it ever meaning anything than something genuinely innocent and generous. Why is that? Not that I would want to write 'Love, Mark' in cards to my male friends!

So you can see my dilemma?

Maybe next year I should not bother sending any cards at all and save myself the stress and worry, lol.

Review of 2006 Part 1 - January to March

I started the New Year in Romford, Essex, where I had seen the end of 2005 and welcomed the promise of 2006 with friends. This was the year when I would be 30 and not long into 2006 I was experiencing what in retrospect, was a crisis of sorts. Mainly wondering what had I achieved with my life to date and not really knowing where I was going and seemingly stuck in a rut. January for me is the cruellest month anyway with its short days and long nights, hardly helping to alleviate the general sense of malaise I felt at the beginning of 2006.

The year didn’t start too brightly with an appointment at the hospital on the 3rd for an ECG, which I had put off from October 2005. When I say put off, what I really mean is that I ‘conveniently’ forgot the date of the original appointment and by the time a new one had been arranged, it was January. I am not sure what I was so worried about – the ECG itself is quick and painless although the results did show a slight heart abnormality. Nothing serious although it still worries me from time to time.

The first weekend of 2006 found me in Essex again, this time with friends in Southend. This was just the boost I needed, getting to see my friends and having a laugh.

Normally the start of the year isn’t a great time for films and it’s rare that I get to the cinema, unless it’s to see a pre-Christmas release that I haven’t seen over the Christmas/New Year holiday. However, the film I did see at the end of January had an unexpectedly powerful and long-lasting effect on me. Brokeback Mountain was a film that I’d read very little about, I am not even sure why I went to see it. On the face of it, this is not my sort of film at all! Quite unexpectedly it was a film that connected with me at the time and I was drawn into the characters of Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist and their tortured and ultimately doomed love affair. I think perhaps more than anything I was drawn to the despondency and resignation of Ennis, which at the time so mirrored my own feelings. I empathised with Ennis’ struggle to discover meaning and purpose to his life and moreover his struggle to find himself. I saw Brokeback Mountain at the cinema three times and each time I found something different in the story and each time it felt more raw and powerful. Rarely, if ever before, has a film got me like that.

The end of January saw me off on one my three bargain (and fairly epic) train journeys around the UK. This was courtesy of The Daily Mail, who were running a token-collect promotion, to get cheap tickets with a number of train companies. My first trip took me to Cardiff and my first proper visit to Wales. I can tentatively claim an earlier trip into Wales on a train from Chester to Wolverhampton (in 2004 I think) which briefly crossed the border, stopping at Wrexham General. Cardiff was impressive and I very much liked the city, making visits to Cardiff Castle and the National Museum & Gallery. I was surprised at how compact the city centre was although I didn’t have enough time to explore and do everything I wanted. As a taster of Wales it was very positive and encourages me to go back again and venture a bit further next time. Still MK to Cardiff and back in a day is quite far enough!

February was a busy month for going to the cinema. Not only did I see Brokeback Mountain twice more, I also saw The New World and Munich. The former was very much under-rated and seemed to only be on at the local Cineworld for about a week before it disappeared. I liked its style of broken narrative, long, wistful shots of nature and just moments of breathing in the beauty and wonder of the flora and fauna. James Horner’s score added to the feeling that this was a long dream-sequence, a sort of very pleasant high for a couple of hours! Munich by contrast was a much darker piece and I admit that I found at times, it very difficult to watch. I am particularly squeamish when it comes to violence and the film’s tense direction, added to my unease.

Another of my aforementioned epic day trips took me to Plymouth a couple of days before my birthday. I remember the trip there quite vividly as I was hung over and feeling rather sorry for myself from the night before, when we’d gone to the pub after work, ostensibly to celebrate my 30th. What was only going to be a couple of drinks took me many pints later to closing time! However, a pasty (which was my breakfast) at Paddington did the trick, no doubt soaking up all that excess alcohol and giving me a much needed perk to get through the day!

The train journey to Plymouth is my favourite, especially once into Devon and speeding along the sea wall between Teignmouth and Dawlish before the line turns inland, skirting the edge of Dartmoor, which that morning had a fine dusting of snow. Plymouth itself is one of my favourite cities; it has similarities to my home town of Portsmouth and my current home of Milton Keynes. Like Portsmouth, Plymouth is a naval city and its heritage is steeped in the sea. Surely everyone knows the famous story of Drake finishing a game of bowls on the Hoe as the Spanish Armada approached? Plymouth’s similarity to Milton Keynes can be seen in the design of the city centre, with its wide boulevard’s and regular, angular shaped buildings. The centre of Plymouth (like Portsmouth) was extensively damaged in World War II but unlike Portsmouth, they made a rather better job of the post-war rebuilding work or at least I think so. In consequence, Plymouth is a fine modern city with much to offer, even a day-tripper like me. It is a place that has many happy memories as we had a couple of enjoyable family holidays there when I was still living with my parents. Its one of those places that whenever I visit, I have this feeling of having come ‘home.’

March was a busy month – saw two films at the pictures – Good Night and Good Luck and V for Vendetta. The latter was not a happy day. I met with Joe after work on the Saturday for the trip to Birmingham to see the film at the Electric Cinema, a fine establishment and the oldest cinema in Britain apparently. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling well and as soon as the film finished I made my excuses to Joe and Derek and headed home. I remember that Saturday being a particularly cold one with a chilling wind. Not untypical weather for Birmingham, which always seems to be cold and windy whenever I am there! I spent most of the next day and the following week in bed with about the worst dose of flu I can ever remember.

The weekend before I had been home to Portsmouth and on the Sunday made the journey down to Devon (again!), this time to Honiton for the Exe-Wing Fundraisers Star Wars Day. This was the third (if I recall correctly) one of these events I had attended.

The end of March was time for my third and final journey with a Daily Mail bargain rail ticket, this time to York. I love York, not least because it is home to the National Railway Museum, an irresistible treat for a train buff like me! York, like Plymouth is somewhere I have spent many happy hours and a couple of short breaks and a place that I like to return too at least once every other year. I would go more often but the travelling and cost are normally prohibitive.

So that brings me to the end of my look back at the first three months of 2006…