Sat-Nav leads to ambulance problem

I notice that I have already penned seven entries relating to problems with drivers and their sat-navs. Well here is another one in my area, this time involving an ambulance. It happened on Christmas Eve, a time when there were huge worries about icy patches on minor roads. A privately run ambulance was taking an elderly couple and family member home to Polperro from Plymouth's Derriford Hospital. It would seem that they had another patient to drop off because they evidently went to Liskeard first. Now I can tell you that there is just one sensible way to get from Liskeard to Polperro after dark (this happened in the evening) and with the possibility of icy stretches. From Liskeard you head west along the Dobwalls Bypass, at the roundabout take the left turn on to the St Austell road and soon you will be arriving at the Taphouses. Here one turns left on to the B3359 which heads south down through Pelynt before terminating at a T junction where one turns right on the A387 Looe to Polperro road, the last named village just being a short distance away. I know it's possible to turn off in Dobwalls itself and take the road on the watershed between the East and West Looe Rivers and on through Duloe but then there is the potentially tricky hill down to Sandplace and one would have to climb up again from Looe on the '387'.

So what did the ambulance driver do? He engaged the sat-nav and disengaged his brain (I'm not sure whether he had the latter though). The sat-nav I suspect would have sent him along the twisty hilly road through St Keyne and on to Duloe. Now we know that the ambulance had its mishap near Sowden's Bridge which is one of the crossing points on the West Looe River. According to the newspaper the vehicle slid backwards down the icy hill before hitting a wall and tree and ending in a ditch. No injuries luckily but damage to the side door meant the passengers were trapped inside. This happened at about 6.30 pm but with lack of signal in the valley it wasn't until 8.16 pm that emergency services located them and over two hours after that before they got stretchered out of the stricken ambulance.

You might gather from what I have written that I have a fair idea of the geography of the area concerned and sat-nav or no sat-nav would realise the best route option in the circumstances. Even if the chump driving the ambulance was less familiar than I with that locality why didn't he have OS Landranger map 201 with him to get a better idea of the options available from Liskeard. The small number of roads that cross the West Looe River are narrow and steep - I happen to know that but the information is readily discernible from the map. It stands to reason that the bottom of the valley would be potentially icy - water gravitates downhill does it not, the narrow lanes deep in the valley would get very little sunlight in them to melt any ice, there would be no incentive for council gritters to go there as it is sparsely populated and, as events proved, there would be little chance of getting a signal if an emergency occurred. A further point: in the admittedly unlikely event of the ambulance meeting a vehicle in the lanes either party backing up in the dark would not have been a nice experience.

Compare this with the alternative route I suggested earlier in the piece. My way would almost certainly have been gritted throughout, it would be relatively level particularly once on the ridge road that heads in the direction of Pelynt, not sure about in Polperro itself but the rest of the route should be in an area where there is a good signal and the road is reasonably wide (by Cornish standards anyway!).

Interestingly someone in my village told me some time ago about another ambulance incident where the driver got it wrong. This person was coming back to Gunnislake from Derriford and this was OK but prior to her part of the journey someone else had to be dropped off in Plymouth, in Stoke if I remember rightly. Stoke is south west of Derriford so the patient was somewhat surprised when the ambulance departed in the direction of Plympton - the opposite direction! Despite his protestations the crew just followed the sat-nav: perhaps they had been given duff information or there was a duplication of street names, I don't know. As far as they were concerned the technology was right and the old chap wrong. Fortunately in the end the gentleman concerned was delivered to his home address. Whether it was the same idiots who caused the mayhem near Sowden's Bridge I don't know.

Even in good weather and broad daylight I wouldn't have thought the expedition through the lanes after Duloe would have been sensible, after dark on last Christmas Eve it was the height of stupidity. Yes sat-navs have their uses but a (so called) professional driver relying 100% on this technology whatever the circumstances should not be on the road. The stupidity shown could have had far more serious consequences.

Temporary respite from the ice

I think it was the weekend prior to Christmas in which I noted that we had a little snow here - 'nuisance snow' if you like - and then there followed almost a week of problems with ice. A block of really cold air had been resisting the ingress of warmer air from the south west and we experienced a number of days during the week of treacherous black ice, far far worse than we would normally get. At various times rain showers would occur with the wetness immediately freezing on contact with the sub-zero road surfaces, a lot of the precipitation occurring during the hours of darkness. The Highways people did a valiant job in salting and gritting the main roads but of course their actions were hampered by the rain washing the salt away at times.

There are many plus points living in this village but it suffers greatly under the rare weather conditions that we have just been enduring. Yes the main A390 road that bisects the village was OK to drive on most of the time but, live off this road as I do, and you are faced with a gradient of about 1 in 6 (uphill in my case) to get out to the main road. Walking up to this main road takes about 5 minutes I guess so no great distance then but when the streets leading off it are iced up it might just as well be on the moon! Things really came to a head on Christmas morning when the roads were undrivable as evidenced by a near neighbour with a modern Land Rover being quite unable to make the ascent. The cold relented a little later in the day and now things are more or less normal but it sounds as if another icy blast will welcome in 2010.

One of our younger residents in the Row did go out and try and scrounge grit where he could prior to the Christmas Day problems and there is plenty of evidence of self help in our area but we definitely need a grit bin very close by for times such as these. I know one or two of the Parish Councillors and will get on to them to chase Highways to make better provision for grit bins. We can't expect every road to be gritted by them but there are plenty of individuals nearby who will do their bit in getting the roads clear.

Political correctness alive and well

How is that most awful of things 'Political Correctness' doing at the moment? I can report that it is alive and well, at least in Sudbury in Suffolk. Not that I would normally run a story so far out of my patch but evidently the local council there have become over zealous regarding 'PC'. The unwitting victim of the latest nonsense is Mr John Sayer, 75 years old, a town councillor and former town mayor who runs charity bingo sessions. It's John's calling at the bingo that has led to him being advised to delete certain phrases that I believe have been used in bingo halls from the year dot. An instance is "two fat ladies - 88". It is understood that this might cause offence if for instance there happened to be a couple of fat ladies sitting together marking off their bingo cards!! Not that there have been any complaints - until now that is. According to Mr Sayer some people taking part aren't happy because the caller has stopped using this 'bingo speak' in the events.

It almost defies belief that anyone using a phrase such as "two fat ladies - 88" should be censured. What on earth is this country coming to?

Fantastic Christmas song from 'Astral Plane'

Yes, I know that I should have made this entry before Christmas Day but I had taken my eye off the ball, not appreciating that Kevin Romang and Silvia Plegniere had produced this marvellous video. If you follow this blog you will know that I've already featured some of the great music that Kevin and Silvia have produced and as this latest offering from them maintains their incredible standard well I couldn't resist adding it to the blog so readers can share it.

Prior to Christmas it will be recalled that there was a mighty tussle to see who could be number one in the Charts for Christmas 2009. I had to go to YouTube to hear what each of the two contenders was about! Big yawn! I hope that, like me, you will find "So Give unto Me" a great antidote to all the puffed up hype in the pop world.

Enjoy!

Train failures in Channel Tunnel

I have to say that I'm glad this weekend to be anywhere other than on a Eurostar passenger train between London and Paris! It must have been hellish to have been a passenger on one of the five trains that broke down in the Channel Tunnel and not a lot better if you were on the 'relief' train that came to an unscheduled stop in Kent. All this mayhem is we are told down to the weather. I don't know about the last mentioned breakdown but it seems as if the reason for the failures in the tunnel were because the trains and their operating systems had become cold out in the open countryside and then after entering the warm and humid atmosphere in the tunnel condensation had occurred on the electronics, enough to cause the breakdowns.

One or two observations here: firstly, although I understand the necessity of incorporating these clever electronics and no doubt 99.99% of the time they are fine, there does seem to be a degree of frailty when exposed to the most extreme weather. This reminds me f those failures on the Virgin trains at Dawlish when high tide and an easterly gale were throwing waves over the sea wall. The poor old electronics got a soaking and gave up on a number of occasions. This was some time ago and I guess these particular problems are resolved. No doubt the Eurostar engineers are 'burning the midnight oil' to find some solutions to their difficulties.

The other thing I want to comment on is the response of the train company at the time of the incidents. Unsurprisingly, following such a horrendous experience, many passengers affected have been quick to condemn the train company over things like lack of food and water while they were holed up in the tunnel. I can understand their reactions but I wonder what sort of provisioning is on the train should this sort of situation ever happen - would it be reasonable to expect these expresses to be prepared for the scenario of breaking down for a prolonged period of time.

I get the feeling that communication was poor or virtually non existent and this is where these companies seem not to get it. I may be maligning 'Brittany Ferries' but when they had a fire on one of their ships part way across the English Channel one of the main complaints from passengers was the lack of communication from the crew. Communication surely is key in these sorts of situations but is often lacking. The ferry incident was some time ago if you are wondering how you missed this story.

For me personally there is no conceivable reason to travel through the Channel Tunnel. Following these recent events I won't be looking to find one!

Snow here today, enough to be a nuisance

Yesterday I was far too smug about the weather, pointing out the lovely sunshine we had enjoyed and comparing this with the snowfalls elsewhere - particularly in the south east. Should have kept quiet because the white stuff has been in evidence here today. Not that it has amounted to much but it is nuisance value one can say making things a little treacherous underfoot. Walked up the hill to the station in the early evening to meet a friend off the train and discovered that it had been bright and sunny in Exeter! It would appear that the showers plaguing my area today were mainly affecting West Devon and East Cornwall. The wind has dropped which is good from the point of view that the snow hasn't drifted; the downside is that today's showers have hung around rather than quickly passing through.

It had been my intention to go to the Wassail at Cotehele this morning but with the bitter cold I have to say that I chickened out. I'm told that there were lots of people there and that they had snow as well. Last year 'The Rubber Band' and friends led the (musical) procession up to the orchard but I can't imagine their instruments being happy about being in the snow so I don't know how they managed today. Wassails traditionally I think take place early in the new year - I suspect that the timing of this one has something to do with the National Trust's commercial considerations. Christmas is an important time for them at Cotehele because the main hall in the house is open so that people can go in and see the magnificent garland of dried flowers that is hung there every year and of course participants in the Wassail just might make some Christmas purchases in the Trust's shop!

I am wondering now if this winter will be like the last one, rather colder than the mild damp ones that have become the norm in recent years. I said in a recent post that I am undecided over the question of man made climate change but if this winter is cold overall and we have another summer lacking in sizzling temperatures then whatever government is in power will have one heck of a job convincing the population that 'global warming' is here. The sceptics will be very much in the ascendant.

No snow here ... and violets in flower

There are times, particularly when it's raining almost incessantly, that I envy those living in the east of this country with their much drier climate. However at the moment it's definitely a case of "west is best" for those needing to get about: whereas the south east is suffering heavy snow there isn't a flake in sight in the Tamar Valley. In fact we have had some brilliant sunshine with crystal clear visibility albeit that it has been bitterly cold.

Yesterday I had a brisk walk a short way down the river. Almost opposite the weir there are some patches of violets - it is a favoured spot and I normally expect to see the odd one in flower before Christmas. In fact two were visible with a bit of searching but a friend had seen them some time previously I was to subsequently learn! A little while ago winter heliotrope in flower was in evidence near the railway station: not a pretty flower in my opinion and an alien swamping any other vegetation in its vicinity but with flowers in generally short supply perhaps I shouldn't begrudge its presence!

Another import and a species much more amenable to me is the mimosa. I have written about these shrubs before and I love their smooth trunks, feathery leaves and bright yellow flowers. One or two hereabouts were totally devastated by last winter's weather. Another one though, in a courtyard in Tavistock was nipped by the frosts at that time but wasn't a total loss fortunately and a few weeks ago appeared to be in good health. I just hope that this cold spell doesn't persist and that once again we see it in flower.

Plymouth selected as World Cup host

It's very rare for me to touch sport on this blog but this is an item I think I should mention. Strangely, like my last story, it involves the year 2018. Should this country get to host the 2018 soccer World Cup then Plymouth Argyle's Home Park will be a venue in the competition! This is a huge accolade for the city and will help put the south west on the sporting map for once. It should be remembered too that Plymouth could be 'up in lights' prior to then if young diver Tom Daley does well at the 2012 Olympics. Although I'm not into sport myself I think it all bodes well for the major city in my two counties in this coming decade, there could be a real buzz about the place.

Death knell sounded for cheques

I see that it's been a week since I last blogged so I have some catching up to do! So I'll get cracking. It's been announced on today's UK news that there is a plan to get rid of cheques by 2018. The 'UK Payments Council', first time I have heard of them, have set a date of 31 October 2018 by which time they aver there should be no need to use cheques. They, quite rightly, point out that use of cheques has been declining for a number of years now and for various reasons I can see the process continuing and possibly accelerating. As an example - more and more purchases are being made 'on line' and usually the transactions will be done using a debit or credit card, partly because you get much quicker gratification in receiving your goods. There are an increasing number of supermarkets and large stores too not accepting cheques and isn't hard to believe that more of them will join in.

In my own case I find that there is a decreasing need to write cheques as modern technology comes into play. Having said that there are certain circumstances where cheques are an ideal method of money transfer and it will be interesting to see what could replace them. I'm particularly thinking of small societies and charitable groups. For instance I'm programme secretary of our local history group: having agreed a fee with a speaker I will inform our treasurer. She gives me a cheque for the amount which I then pass over to the speaker at the end of the meeting. All very practical. What I had forgotten about and should have remembered is that such cheques need countersigning signatures which is the norm for such organisations. This point was raised by a Radio Devon listener and having been a cheque signatory I should have spotted that. It will be very interesting to see how this problem gets dealt with.

There is the matter of many many small businesses (the life blood of this country I say) who find cheques really convenient. Think window cleaner, chimney sweep, piano tuner as examples of tradesmen coming to your door. Should they and their customers be forced to adopt some sort of technology to enact payment? What about the millions of private sales that take place. Surely we can't expect buyers to have to find an ATM and perhaps carry a considerable amount of cash on them with all the risk that that involves.

It might be reasonable for banks to charge their private customers something for a chequebook to reflect the additional cost that cheques create. This reminds me (I'm showing my age here!) of the time when each cheque cost 2 old pence, a book of 30 having a price tag of five shillings in old money. This wasn't a case of "greedy bankers" by the way - I'm pretty sure that all this money went to the government. I can't recall which administration removed this charge, I just remember it happening many moons ago.

This story today has brought to the fore a little bit of history. It seems as if it was some 350 years ago that saw the first cheque in this country and I understand it was for the sum of £400, a sizable amount of money in the mid seventeenth century I would have thought. A bit of trivia I thought you should know!

Random thoughts on climate change

I'm someone who takes a considerable interest in the environment and is concerned about the future of this planet. With the Climate Change Conference now taking place in Copenhagen I think it's time to make a few observations - for what they are worth. But before I start lets get rid of the use of the word "deniers". I don't know how the term came into being in connection with climate change but the most well known use of this word relates to the Holocaust and I think it's pretty disgraceful to use such a word here. For the purpose of this blogpost I shall call those who believe in man-made global warming "believers" and those who take the opposite viewpoint "sceptics". There are of course many people, of which yours truly is one, who have yet to be convinced by the arguments made by other side. Anyway, here are a few thoughts:

• "The science of man-made global warming is settled"

This is absolutely not the case. A number of observations and theories might point in one direction but this is most definitely not proof positive. It might make lots of sense to use the precautionary principle and try to stabilise the amount of man produced carbon dioxide but that is not to say that the science is right.

• The man on the Clapham Omnibus knows the answer - not
  

This might offend you gentle reader and sorry if it does but huge numbers of ordinary people will proffer an opinion on the veracity or otherwise of man-made global warming. Sadly 99.9% really have no valid idea, many of them just go by their own hunches.

• Our viewpoint might be influenced by our lifestyle

For those of us living in the developed world our feelings on the subject might just be influenced by whether or not we have a high consumption, high carbon use lifestyle, or maybe we don't live like that. Human nature being the way it is if one is the sort of person who say makes two or three holiday flights a year, uses appliances unnecessarily, drive a large uneconomic car out of choice and so on then you are perhaps likely to be more sceptical than someone who uses much less carbon. In other words enjoying a particularly comfortable and materialistic lifestyle is something such folk would be loath to give up and therefore their predisposition might well be towards scepticism. Although I personally am not into high consumption I'm not here to condemn those who are nor do I think I merit praise, it's just the way I naturally live combined with the circumstances which have influenced the direction my life has taken.

• "The climate has always changed and what is happening now is no different"
  

Yes, the climate has always fluctuated and so the sceptics will argue that changes occurring right now to the Earth's climate is just a continuation of this process. They will talk about the "Medieval Warm Period", the "Little Ice Age", the Thames freezing over in winter, the Romans growing grapes in England, Vikings settling in Greenland and so on to back up their statement. The "believers" need to accept these happenings which they used to be reluctant to do. However this is the really important thing that hardly anybody bothers to talk about: the reason(s) for the aforementioned climatic variations aren't understood - there are theories naturally but no proof - therefore it follows that any present day climatic change might be a part of this cyclical movement but it might not. What I'm saying is that we can't explain why the climate keeps changing so logic says that what happens now may be part of this regular variation. But equally it may not so of course it is still possible that we have runaway global warming. In a nutshell past unexplained events can't determine what will happen in the near future. I must say it frustrates me that people don't want to see the clear logic that I have just expressed.

These then are just a few points I wanted to throw into the mix. One final observation to make: it has become really noticeable how shrill the two sides have become in trying to push their particular agendas. Rather than the likes of George Monbiot or Piers Corbyn name calling those who disagree with them can we have some reasoned debate - please!

LibDem candidate wastes money on Xmas Card

In my mail today I've just received a Christmas Card from ... Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate Karen Gillard! I'm assuming that all homes in the South East Cornwall Constituency are getting one. I really can't believe that what must be an expensive operation will garner more than a handful of extra votes come the General Election. Certainly in my case Ms Gillard's card will not encourage me to vote for her - if anything it might push me away as it seems to be a waste of paper and a waste of money. Sorry Karen your action is an absolute no-no for me!

Dr Kelly death - experts are found wanting

Following on from my last post I've found this recording of part of the Channel 4 News originally broadcast just under eight months after Dr Kelly's death. In it you can hear some of the concerned medical experts who were unconvinced by Hutton's conclusions but what really gobsmacked me was the opinions expressed by two forensic experts from Sheffield (this bit starts at about 3.55). It will be recalled that three used blister packs of co-proxomal each originally containing 10 tablets had been found at the scene - in Kelly's coat pocket I think I'm right in saying. There was one left. So, quick bit of mental arithmetic here, 30 minus one = 29. Our first forensic expert states that 29 tablets were more than enough to kill Kelly, or you or me come to that. What is this "expert" on for crying out loud. Because 29 tablets are missing from the blisters he is assuming that all 29 were taken by Kelly. The post mortem suggested that there was a non lethal amount inside Dr Kelly, certainly not all 29 of the tablets. If someone had murdered Kelly one can imagine that removing a number of the co-proxomal tablets (and perhaps conveniently leaving one to assist the police!) would have helped to give the illusion that the death was one of suicide.

I don't pretend to be that intelligent but even I can see just how ridiculous is the argument put forward by the two forensic professors. Sure there is a lot more information out there now about the death and I have the benefit of Norman Baker's excellent book and of Rowena Thursby's brilliant blog to help form some sort of judgment about the matter. Having said that these supposedly clever men seem to have added two and two together to make five with the greatest of ease.

Mentioning Norman Baker reminds me of a comment in his book wherein he notes that the Home Office pathologist who went out to Harrowdown Hill didn't take the rectal temperature of the deceased until he had completed the rest of his examination. Apparently this temperature is one of the most important things to ascertain in determining the time of death and should be done as soon as possible to get the most accurate estimate. So why wasn't this done as a priority? Truly the experts seem hopeless.

Dr David Kelly might get a proper inquest

Some really good news to note: six doctors (including trauma surgeon David Halpin who lives in Devon) have launched a legal action to get the inquest into the death of government scientist Dr David Kelly reopened. The inquest had in fact started soon after this tragic death but the due process was hijacked when Lord Hutton was given the responsibility of deciding how Kelly's demise came about. Hutton had no power to subpoena witnesses, didn't take evidence under oath, didn't have a jury to reach a verdict and is not a coroner. Blair's government decided that the procedure used when many deaths occur in an incident such as a bad train accident could be invoked here. That way of doing things is fair enough when you have multiple fatalities and it becomes somewhat pointless to have individual inquests for each person that died and an enquiry determines the root cause of the accident or whatever. The case of David Kelly is so obviously different - I won't mince my words here when I say that the decision to bypass the usual process of holding an inquest is one of the most disgraceful and unacceptable episodes in modern legal history.

I personally am convinced that Kelly was murdered. Now it may be that an inquest jury would not come up with a verdict of "murder by a person or persons unknown". They could well deliver an open verdict, even possibly suicide although I would doubt that if all the medical evidence is properly presented. What is certain is that Hutton didn't prove suicide "beyond reasonable doubt". We need a clear statement from the Tories now about whether they consider the inquest should be reopened. When Norman Baker's excellent book looking into the circumstances surrounding Kelly's death came out it was noticeable how the right wing bloggers ignored it. We must remember that the Tories in parliament were cheerleaders for Blair's participation in the Iraq war.

If you think the death was by Kelly's own hand I suggest that you read Rowena Thursby's blog here or pick up a copy of Mr Baker's book. Assuming that the subject is approached with an open mind I would be amazed if you didn't have any doubts about Hutton's conclusion re suicide.

Government Agencies - and Prize Draws

This week I have renewed my car tax having successfully got the vehicle through its MOT test. Nothing too remarkable about the tax renewal so why comment about it you may well ask. Actually it's the card I had from the DVLA, a day or two before the expiry date, that I want to write about.

Now it's pretty self evident that DVLA are doing everything they can to get those wanting to renew their car tax to go directly to them by using the phone or the internet. The reason quite simply has to be that it is the most cost effective option for them. All well and good in one sense I guess in that it is our money that funds the DVLA and we should be pleased if they can cut costs. But, and it's a very big BUT, the more we go direct to them the less business there is for the Post Office! In my case the village Post Office is not much more than five minutes away, it deserves to be used and the couple who run it are exceptionally likable. As usual then it was the Post Office route I took to make my car legal to drive.

Back to the card I had from the DVLA. This was to inform me that I had an extra five working days to sort the tax; I think that the regulations have been amended to take account of the fact that they just can't get all the tax discs instantly back to their customers at the end of the month! They also drew one's attention again to their free prize draw giving you the chance to win a brand new car! Not a BMW or Jaguar by the way but a more modest model - a SEAT. Evidently the idea is to encourage you to go to their website and, oh while you there, why not renew your tax on line! Having as I said dealt with my tax up the road my curiosity was aroused enough to look at the website and then I saw that the free draw is open to all i.e. no purchase necessary. Thinking about this now I guess that it's a legal requirement that there should be no restriction on participating in the draw. I'm really getting to the point of this post now: is it ethical for the Government to allow one of its agencies to use the carrot of possibly winning a free car to draw people away from using the Post Office in order to to renew their car tax.

I think it is an interesting point to raise and just what a back bench MP should be asking Gordon Brown at PMQs!

Small scale hydroelectic schemes work

As someone who really is concerned about the environment and how we have the ability to mess it up it might seem strange that I am less than convinced that we should have massive wind farms all over the countryside. It's where I part company with 'Friends of the Earth' and other 'green' organisations of similar mind who think that anything to which you can attach a label that says "renewable" has to be supported no matter what. I can't go along with that outlook I'm afraid.

One particular renewable I've been enthusiastic about for a very long time however is that of small scale water power. I'm very pleased that on the BBC news website you can read here and here about how a Welsh hill farmer is utilising the energy of a fast flowing stream on his land to provide power some of which at least can go into the National Grid and give him a useful extra income. The thing is that we have huge numbers of streams and small rivers, not to mention long pipelines of water from reservoirs, all of which have the potential to turn turbines or Archimedes Screws to generate electricity. This is an absolutely classic instance of "small is beautiful" as they say - two massive plusses of these schemes are (1) that the generating equipment is compact and unobtrusive and hence is not blighting the landscape, and (2) by having these small schemes close to the user the huge power losses resulting from electricity being carried over huge distances from the large traditional power stations exist to a far far lesser extent.

OK I'm realistic enough to understand that such sources of power can only supply a little of our needs but the technology is well proved. The water used is only borrowed for goodness sake so, unlike fossil fuels which go on getting depleted, the water will continue to be available. It's not only in the Welsh hills that this potential exists: I understand that there is a river (or maybe more than one) in South Somerset from which numerous waterwheels for mills obtained their power. A number of these are in a scheme whereby the old water wheels have been replaced powerwise by modern turbines. So there is proved potential in the lowlands as well.

In my neck of the woods there is an interesting example of water power usage which dates in fact to before the Second World War. The water is taken from the River Tavy, one of England's fastest flowing rivers. The engineers utilised some existing leats originally used for mining purposes and built a small power station at Mary Tavy just off the western edge of Dartmoor. Later, down in Tavistock, some of the Tavy's water goes into the Tavistock Canal (a feature again resulting from the old mining boom). Terminating high above the old port of Morwellham the water is now diverted down a pipe into another hydro electric plant on the Devon bank of the Tamar.

The middle Tamar Valley was home to many leats in its industrial heyday as was Dartmoor as I hinted at in my last paragraph. Why can't the powers that be see the immense potential inland waterways and pipelines could have in generating electricity. A large part of the answer I'm sure is that each of the small schemes I enthuse about is exactly what I've said - "small". Unlike the wind energy people who no doubt are very powerful lobbyists in the corridors of power there is no one really to bend the ear of a Minister for the little projects which in total could add up to a lot.

Just one other example I'll mention here and that is one of my favourite locations - the twin villages of Lynton and Lynmouth on Devon's north coast. The West Lyn river drops rapidly off Exmoor to join its sister the East Lyn at, unsurprisingly, Lynmouth. In its short course the West Lyn not only powers a hydro electric station but also provides the means by which the steep cliff railway linking the two villages functions.

That's proper green energy for you!

Evelyn Glennie plays 'Maple Leaf Rag'

One of the good things about 'YouTube' is that not only are there many many videos on that website of what happened today, yesterday, last week but there are also plenty of others dating back years, decades even and this is one of the latter category.

I dare say some people will have forgotten about percussionist Evelyn Glennie who, in the UK at least, seems to have dropped below the radar. Here she is playing her xylophone on Japanese TV way back in 1991 according to the info added by whoever put it on YouTube. The tune is 'Maple Leaf Rag' which she plays with great flair - you get the feeling that the support band have a job keeping up with her! Just have to smile at her hair and what she decided to wear for this occasion!

By the way just in case you didn't know or had forgotten: Evelyn Glennie lost her hearing when she was a child. Yes this amazing performer is deaf!!

Flooding in Plymouth but we miss the worst of it

The really pleasant dry weather we enjoyed in September and I think part of October now seems a very distant memory as yet again it is damp and dreary outside. Although there was rain here yesterday evening we escaped relatively unscathed once more because there was quite severe flooding in the south west corner of Devon in particular. The news this morning told us about people having to be rescued from their cars; it seems that the Plymouth / Ivybridge area was taking the brunt of the wet stuff.

Of course it's the poor folk up in Cumbria who have been suffering more than us in the West Country lately. And now I see that the area around Jeddah on Saudi Arabia's west coast is having its worst flooding for years with 100 or more deaths already. Here's the question then: are we and the rest of the World getting more frequent and severe rainfall events? Thanks to the internet and much greater news coverage off the web as well one becomes more aware perhaps of heavier rainfalls. Certainly I keep thinking "it never used to rain like this" but to be honest I don't really know.

A friend nearby is doing the sensible thing this week jetting off to Trinidad for a fortnight - staying with someone she knows I understand. I can well see why anyone with friends or family in warmer sunnier climes will take an opportunity to get away from the perpetual gloom here. The good news from my perspective is that in less than a month we shall have passed the shortest day, always a good psychological moment for me.

Water rates to drop marginally for some

A major story yesterday for we long suffering water users in the south west is the decision by OFWAT, the water regulator, that our water charges should go down by an average of £6 over the next five years. As might be expected 'South West Water' were asking for increases whilst consumer groups were unhappy that the reductions weren't far greater. We of course pay the highest water rates in the country so if anyone was deserving of a drop it was us. This very modest change in what the water company can charge us still leaves those in Cornwall and most of Devon paying far far more than other water consumers.

I have to admit that my home is unmetered at present - my very modest abode has a relatively small charge levied on it but having said that I am a one person household who doesn't use a huge amount of water so maybe the water meter route ought to be investigated.

It's proved to be instructive to look at the OFWAT website to get much more information about the way the charges will change over the next five years and I was shocked by the difference between 'metered' and 'unmetered' charges. Yes I knew that those on a water meter were generally going to be saving useful amounts of money compared to the rest of us. However the figures that proved really telling were the ones showing the unmetered charges going off in to the stratosphere! The table for the 'South West Water' area indicates the average water charge (that's water and sewerage) dropping from £489 to £483, in other words six pounds less than today as per the media headline. It then goes on to itemise the typical metered bill and the typical unmetered bill for the present year and the next five - whatever "typical" might mean in this context. This gets really interesting because whereas the typical metered bill goes up slightly from £401 to £407, the typical unmetered bill starts at a current £723 before racing up to £935!!

I'm too tired right now to investigate further but guess that the increases take into account inflation. It is self evident that those people without a meter are going to carry by far the biggest burden and that the headline story in the papers and on the radio are only telling a fraction of the story. The whole thing is giving me an incentive to look at the water meter alternative, that's for sure.

Beautiful view of a nuthatch

My last post was something of a rant, I've calmed down now and this time have something nice to write about. The back of my cottage directly overlooks a neighbour's garden, the nearest part of which she has planted as an orchard. At the moment the local blackbirds are feasting on the windfalls she has left for them and sometimes tits turn up to poke around in the apple trees for the minute insects they love. There are usually one or two finches that seem to keep the tits company. But what was especially pleasing this week was the sight of a nuthatch joining the menagerie.

I'm just looking at my 'Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds' and under Nuthatch it states: "Flocking. Sometimes accompanies winter foraging parties of tits and goldcrests". H'm, interesting stuff! Although it didn't hang around for long it was within about six feet of the kitchen window so I was very pleased to be able to get such a splendid view. I have to say that I'm no expert ornithologist, I just enjoy seeing them around. Not just birds but all forms of wildlife it has to be said.

I've never felt the urge to drive a hundred miles to see some rare vagrant that has been blown of course so that I can tick it off. Good sightings of relatively common species does me just fine. The view of the nuthatch emphasised just how much chunkier it looked than the tits that were fluttering around nearby. This excellent sighting made my day.

A rubbish idea in Queen's Speech

I had no real interest in watching the Queen's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament; as most commentators are pointing out it is nakedly political and, no doubt, the Tories would similarly play politics if they were in Labour's position and close to a General Election. What particularly made me write the headline above though was the inclusion in the Government's new programme of a 'Fiscal Responsibility Bill'. This would provide amongst other things a "firm and binding statutory basis" for the government's promise to halve the budget deficit within four years. To bind any future government to any budget reduction in a fixed time frame is so obviously ridiculous that I'm almost refraining from commenting on it.

So what happens if a future administration fails to cut by the required 50%? Are legal proceedings taken against the then Chancellor of the Exchequer? In four years time we may have got through 3 Chancellors say, including Mr Darling, so how would blame be apportioned if the target reduction isn't met? In measuring the deficit will inflation be taken into account? And what about all the Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) which I think Gordon Brown tries to keep off the books. A new government might measure the budget deficit using different criteria, who knows.

Reducing the huge budget deficit by at least half in four years can be considered a good statement of intent but how any sort of legislation can be passed regarding that is beyond my comprehension. It annoys me that anyone in power has the idiocy to think this idea is practical or right. They are stupid, stupid, stupid.

Heather Brooke: Reformer of the Year

The think-tank 'Reform' have enabled online voting for anyone interested to decide who should be 'Political Reformer of the Year 2009'. With a landslide the winner was ... Heather Brooke, the lady whose tenacity got the ball rolling over the misuse of public money by many of our MPs. In other words it was her perseverance initially that won the right to get details of MPs expenses out into the public domain.

Well done Heather from me for not giving up when the going got tough. I think I have said before that it is a fascinating fact how even now one determined individual can create such a seismic change in an institution or in the way we live. I dare say most people will remember the revelations in 'The Daily Telegraph' about the way Parliamentarians have milked the system but perhaps not be aware that without Heather's work these matters just wouldn't have come to light. Hence this blogpost to remind folk about what Heather achieved.

Wind Energy distortion

I consider myself to be as passionate about environmental matters as anybody but I am very free thinking about the problems we have here on Mother Earth and won't support a policy just because mainstream opinion considers it be "green". A case in point that I have alluded to in the past concerns wind energy. Conventional thinking seems to be that the more wind farms we have the better in the search for environmentally friendly power generation. I beg to differ.

Last week the early morning 'Farming Today' programme on Radio 4 was concentrating on the vexed question of wind turbines in the countryside, on the Saturday they have a sort of omnibus edition of it pulling together some of the strands in the programmes of the previous five days and I was awake enough on Saturday morning to hear at least some of this. What really fired me up was the interview on it with Chris Tomlinson from the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA). Talk about arrogance! He was questioned by the interviewer, Charlotte Smith, about the fact that wind farms aren't delivering power all the time. He really didn't want to answer this one and she had to press him for a reply. He said something about them working 80 to 85% of the time. He very hurriedly went on to another aspect whereas Charlotte should have gone further and got him to admit that out of the time the mills are turning it is only a part of that time that they are delivering their maximum output. The way he tried to duck the questioning told me all I needed to know.

What really does make me irate is when the wind power proponents talk about a windfarm producing the energy for so many homes. This is so misleading because there are many occasions in the course of a year when it is yielding either no power at all or something below the theoretical maximum. Going back to Mr Tomlinson it wasn't just me who was dismayed by his attitude - there is a message board on the BBC's 'Farming Today' website and there are many listeners on there who have taken issue with his approach. Definitely not good.

Kevin and Silvia with "You Were The One"

On Monday last week I posted a video of Kevin Romang and Silvia Plegniere (Astral Plane) with their interpretation of a Bellamy Brothers classic. At the same time I commented that they have written original compositions and here is an example "You Were The One" which I hope you will enjoy as much as I do. There is a section about half a minute long in the middle of the song when Silvia plays her guitar along with Kevin. This is guitar playing at its exquisite best for me.

I have plenty of videos to go on the blog other than the ones from 'Astral Plane'. But the quality of their music is so outstanding that I just couldn't stop myself from adding this one to highlight their composing as well as their playing!

First Christmas Card arrives

Today saw my first Christmas Card land on the doormat! Not only did it come via Royal Mail it was from Royal Mail! When I first opened it I thought to myself that this was a bit expensive if everyone was going to receive something similar. Reading it properly though I realised it was advising of the extra services they are providing this Christmas and also the last posting days for the different sorts of mail to ensure arrival in time for the day. Interestingly the envelope containing the card had a second class franking mark on the front, I suppose one bit of Royal Mail is paying another bit for the delivery!!

Anyway well done Royal Mail for being innovative with dispensing this important information regarding collections/deliveries over Christmas. I can't remember if they did something similar last year but now I've blogged regarding this card today I've got something to refer back to when my memory fails me in 12 months time!

Edward Woodward dies aged 79

This is not the sort of news item that I would normally add to this blog: actor Edward Woodward has died in hospital in Truro aged 79. I gather that he had been ill for a while. The reason that I have singled out his passing is that he and his second wife actress Michele Dotrice once had a home in this parish, the former Calstock Rectory. Latterly they have lived near Padstow and I think that they really took Cornwall to their hearts although Edward originally hailed from the south east, Croydon I believe.

I never knowingly met Edward or Michelle when they lived nearby but I'm told how ordinary and straightforward they were. Edward Woodward will be remembered for his incredible versatility in a variety of roles both live in the theatre and on screen. Although as I say I didn't know him everything points to him having been a thoroughly decent human being and family man. Now he can rest in peace.

Genuine remorse about North Tawton graffiti

My last entry was all about apologies, now I'm off again about someone saying sorry but in a much more local context. This is all centred on the Parish Church of St Peter in North Tawton. The village between Okehampton and Crediton and in the heart of Devon has its church featured in the 'Jam and Jerusalem' comedy show but it was the all to real graffiti scrawled on its walls and gravestones that has caused me to write this piece.

How the three responsible for this crime (two girls and one boy, all teenagers) were discovered I don't know but they all viewed the prospect of going to court and getting a criminal record. A different outcome though has emerged. The three of them all showed genuine remorse for their actions apparently and spent considerable time removing the offending graffiti. What pleased me even more was the fact that they had to face the church's congregation this morning and apologise for their behaviour as part of their punishment. This it seems has brought closure on this episode for everybody. I guess that they worried and sweated a bit beforehand, all part of the punishment I say.

Many criminal acts of course get committed without any subsequent regret. But in this sort of situation with genuine remorse I think a really good end result has materialised.

Brown to issue Child Migration apology

On 1st April 2007 I blogged a piece about the then proposal that Tony Blair should deliver an apology over the role of this country in the Slave Trade. I criticised the Archbishops of Canterbury and York who wanted the apology to go ahead. My take on it was that the slave trade ended a very long time ago, attitudes in much of society were vastly different at that time and that for Blair to say sorry for something that neither he nor his government had put into place was a total nonsense. I stick with that opinion 100% and see no reason at all to alter it.

The reason I am mentioning this again is that I see that Gordon Brown is set to make an apology, not over any of the mistakes he is responsible for of course. No this bit of news concerns the child migration scheme which over the decades sent thousands of young children from this country to the colonies, principally Australia. Many of them were told, incorrectly, that their parents were dead. Huge numbers were abused. It is now regarded as a truly shameful episode in this country's history and what might seem particularly surprising is that it didn't stop until 1970!

Following the logic of my earlier blogpost I ought to be condemning Brown's intentions I suppose. However the slavery thing was absolutely clear cut but this is a little different. Bear in mind that 40 years ago children were still being packed off to another country - therefore, fairly obviously, there are folk still alive today who were on the receiving end of the policy. I'm still not totally happy with the concept of apologising for something over which you had no say but, having said that, these people should receive some sort of apology and I guess it is down to the Prime Minister to do this. Brown's counterpart in Australia, Kevin Rudd, will be saying sorry to the several thousand still in that country this week.

There is a piece about Australia's child migrants on the BBC website here. You can also read about the 'Child Migrant Trust' by clicking here.

Storm in south west blowing itself out

Having had quite a benevolent autumn in my area things are certainly now going downhill. Some very rough weather taking hold with winds last night forecast on the south coast to be severe gale 9 to violent storm 11, in my book that's very breezy indeed. I don't think the peak winds in the early hours were quite as bad as that and certainly in my valley they weren't that exceptional. But as I have remarked before tucked away here in what is effectively a deep gorge sometimes the severity of the weather isn't apparent. When the wind is due south the wind really whistles through here but I think that it had veered south west when the worst of the gale came and from that direction the hill takes some of the sting out of the wind.

Just after lunch now and the main rain has long gone (but plenty more promised, thank you Met Office!) and the wind has abated. Low lying parts of East Devon have suffered a bit and of course the usual exposed parts of our south coast such as Penzance, Porthleven and Lyme Regis have witnessed spectacular waves. There has been no mention of the railway at Dawlish but as the wind hasn't been from the east perhaps the sea wall there has escaped unscathed.

I have to say one of the real pleasures now for me is not having to do the regular commute. By and large I can choose to be out and about when the weather suits. The local radio late yesterday afternoon was full of the problems of traffic congestion on the approaches to the Tamar Road Bridge. Because of the wind the middle lane over the bridge was closed and lorries, caravans and motor bikes stopped from crossing. Now it's some time since I've used 'The Parkway' (the dual carriageway A38 on the north side of Plymouth) and I can't remember but is there a sign to the east of Manadon Flyover advising traffic to turn up on the Tavistock route to avoid the bridge. Similarly west of Saltash to send the heavy stuff north through Callington. Extending that a bit further are there signs at Bodmin and Exeter to try and syphon lorries on to the A30. Possibly but I don't really know - such signs are needed that's for sure for freak weather conditions etc.

Back to good old 'Radio Devon' for a moment: I thought they included cyclists in the road users stopped from crossing the Tamar Bridge in their report. Perhaps I misheard this, or they may have got it plain wrong but I would be surprised if cyclists had been included. My understanding is that cyclists and pedestrians have the cantilevered lane on the downstream side of the bridge to themselves so that there wouldn't be the worry of cyclists being blown by the wind into the path of motorised traffic. How would cyclists cope though if they were prevented from crossing? Basically two possibilities I think. Firstly phone someone they know on the other side who has a cycle rack on the back of their car and beg them to cross over and pick up bike and cyclist. The other one is to cycle back to the station and get the bike on a stopping train and get home that way. A bit problematic though as the railway company don't allow many bikes on the trains particularly at commuting times.

The other alternative of using the Torpoint Ferry and cycling round to Saltash in dark wet and windy conditions would be too awful to contemplate. I can't in all honesty imagine cyclists being stopped from crossing the Bridge, after all they can always dismount and walk their bikes across. No mention in today's paper of cyclists having been stopped so I'm guessing that I have the story about them wrong.

Gordon Brown, the letter and the phone call

Many blogs have commented on the furore that arose out of the letter of condolence sent by the Prime Minister to bereaved mother Jacqui Janes whose son Jamie lost his life in Afghanistan. So I might as well add my twopenneth ... As I see it nobody has emerged from this mess with their reputation intact. I have found it interesting to read comments on the lines of "I really dislike Brown and his policies but I do sympathise with him in this instance". This indicates to me that some at least can put their usual personal feelings aside and bring the British sense of fairness into play and that's pleasing. I will state in Brown's defence that, given that he is continuing the process started by I think Margaret Thatcher of doing these condolence letters, he is absolutely right in writing rather than typing them. If typed there is no certain sense that they are the words of G Brown, it could be a civil servant in 10 Downing Street doing the necessary with Brown signing it along with the dozens of other letters and memos crossing his desk.

OK so yes Brown is absolutely right to hand write such letters, I'll take my hat off to him for that. The problem for him of course is his restricted vision allied to really poor handwriting and he has let himself down by not having his letter checked by someone before posting and also the fact that he clearly altered a name rather than writing a fresh letter. This episode sums up one of his character flaws: he just seemed to be unaware of how essential it was to get everything right in a communication of this sort. I absolutely hate sending out any letter of mine that is incorrect in terms of spelling or punctuation - I'm not saying that I've never corrected an original letter rather than rewriting it but it would seldom if ever happen and certainly not if it was a missive of real importance.

In Brown's case this letter could easily have been written late at night and when he was really tired and when he was alone with no advisers around him. You would have thought though that with his handicap he would have realised just how important it was to pass a letter such as this to a confidante for checking. Well from now on in perhaps he will! Brown unfortunately is ill suited to this televisual age in which we live. He lacks many of the social skills and niceties someone in his position perhaps should have. An example was the instance when he was seen picking his nose in the Commons and before you could say "Tony Blair" there was a video of it on 'YouTube'. Another time he was meeting some dignitary with one trouser leg inside his sock. He is such a complex character - he really displayed genuine empathy when the Camerons lost their disabled son but on the other hand is well known for his unacceptable levels of bullying, his vicious temper and the fact that he will not answer a straight question. He got caught out didn't he with the recording of the phone call with Mrs Janes, very humbling I thought but goes to show how difficult it is to keep anything private these days.

As for 'The Sun' I'm not going to dignify them with a comment.

Kevin and Silvia in perfect harmony

I have previously added videos to this blog of Silvia Plegniere playing music on her keyboard. Silvia has quite a few videos on YouTube as has English guitarist Kevin Romang. Both of these talented musicians saw each others work on YouTube and evidently thought how good it would be to become a duo. So happily for me 'Astral Plane' was formed. They are great songwriters in their own right but this is an old one and was a hit for The Bellamy Brothers. To me this rendition is perfect - simple, refreshingly direct and with Kevin and Silvia harmonising perfectly. It's the way music should be.

I'll be posting more videos of them in the months to come.

Public Transport getting even better

The rest of my family all live in towns and therefore compared with myself there are more facilities immediately available. I have to say that there are towns not too far from here in which I could be fairly content to live, Tavistock being the classic example. Cities - big, anonymous, noisy; not for me I'm afraid, I'll stick with this village right now. As I drive but don't have an imperative to make many long distance journeys the cost and frequency of public transport never used to be a big deal so far as I was concerned. That's changing now, partly as a result of the free bus service that I enjoy, having ahem passed a certain age. Good news then that local coach company DAC are making their timetable even more convenient when for instance I don't want to use the car for the four mile trip into Tavistock.

The branch railway to Plymouth now has its trains spread more evenly during the day. (I may have blogged that bit of information before) and another plus is that the train windows at last appear to get washed on a regular basis, important on the sort of scenic line we are lucky to have. My own occasional observations suggest that this line is getting ever more use and I think that I'm right in saying that all the branch lines in Devon and Cornwall are seeing greater numbers of passengers. Britain's public transport has been much maligned over the years but it looks as if the various operators are getting their acts together. Incidentally DAC use reasonably short 27 seat buses in the Tamar Valley, longer ones could be a problem around some of the lanes in the area.

I have to thank one Gordon Brown for the bus pass (the man is not all bad!) but it will be interesting to see if a new government in 2010 imposes any restrictions on the use of this popular scheme.

Seem to be fewer fireworks this year

The evening isn't over yet so I mustn't count my chickens but there do seem to be fewer fireworks this year around here. Looking out of the bathroom window the noisiest seem to be coming from the direction of a family who I call "the usual suspects" when it comes to fireworks! Yesterday evening I was in a building whose location and thick walls would have insulated us from any explosions so I don't know what it was like back home in my village. Perhaps the wet weather plus the recession has (literally) put a dampener on proceedings.

Having just typed this the aforementioned noisy near neighbours have just left off a few more rockets. I know this usually happens - they let off a few bangers, all goes quiet for quite a few minutes and you think they have finished and then off they go again!! For the sake of people's pets I just hope that tonight is the end of it until the usual mayhem seeing in the New Year.

Totnes Rotarians video on 'YouTube'

I had a video all lined up to go in this post and then heard about these antics by the Totnes Rotarians. I thought it so amusing that I couldn't resist adding it to the blog. Just in case you didn't get the message the Totnes Rotary Club are having their Annual Conference next February at the 'Langstone Cliff Hotel', Dawlish Warren! Nice free advertising for that establishment. Doesn't that well known tune lend itself to a variation of its original words!

Cameron upsets some Tories

So David Cameron upset a few of his own side yesterday when he made it clear that should he become Prime Minister following the General Election he will NOT hold a referendum regarding the Lisbon Treaty. This all goes back to his piece in 'The Sun' ages ago and his "cast iron" guarantee. There was a link to this on someones blog which I read earlier today and I have to say that to me at least his phrasing is a little ambiguous. This leads to the age old problem that people will make their own construct from the words they read to suit their own agenda.

Realistically I suppose it was never on that one could have a sort of retrospective referendum, for better or worse the deal is done. My thinking is that we have gone more than far enough down the Federal Europe route. After Brown took over from Blair there was an attempt by a Tory backbencher to introduce a Bill whereby any legislation enacted in this country that had its origin in Brussels would have that fact stated in said legislation. Labour had the whips out on that one to make absolutely certain it would not make headway, a disgrace in my honest opinion. Cameron should ensure that such a proposal goes into the Conservative Manifesto.

Property prices on the up - or not

"Property cheer at last" - that was the front page headline in last Saturday's Western Morning News with its report that house prices continue to inch up. But in its piece the WMN records the comments of a few estate agents who were not quite so bullish about the housing market as one might expect: in my opinion they are usually far to eager to talk things up! And the massive problem of affordability for the first time buyer was flagged up being a huge stumbling block in much of this low wage peninsula.

So what will happen with house prices? I hope if nothing else that they are stable now and into the future. It's noticeable that the WMN weekly property supplement is getting a little thicker and that top of the range properties continue to be advertised for quite ludicrous prices. Near me two Cornish cottages are for sale (different vendors and estate agents) at prices that I would describe as "very optimistic" and I shall be interested in seeing how much they eventually sell for. I have to say that with the economy being very fragile and with more unemployment to come I am glad not to be in the property game.

A current news story concerns a family - somewhere in Devon I believe, don't know where - who were facing eviction from their rented property because their landlord had fallen behind on his mortgage payments. What a horrendous situation! But with their plight having been highlighted somebody has come to the rescue and that story seems to have a happy ending.

Griffin and Question Time - the verdict

What are we to make of the appearance of Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, on last night's BBC Question Time? I'll kick off by saying that I got it wrong in my last post about Griffin being isolated at the end of the table - the reality was that he sat next to chairman David Dimbleby with Bonnie Greer the coloured American born playwright and critic on his other side. These two were on Dimbleby's left (or right when viewed from the audience) whilst the representatives from the three main parties formed a triumvirate on his other side.

It became obvious from the start that the format of the programme could be summed up as "Operation Get Griffin" because it was almost entirely devoted to a character assassination of the BNP leader. Now I was quite happy in one sense to see his facade of bogus acceptability torn away but was QT the right forum in which to do this in as much as this appeared to be the sole intention of the other panel members and it has to be said David Dimbleby as well.

Unsurprisingly comment today has been very polarised in response to the programme. On reflection I suppose it was always going to involve strong personality attacks rather than discussion about current policies and events. We should remember that this country has a strong tradition of wishing to see fair play and of supporting the underdog and I think that there are quite a few people who don't support the BNP but who nevertheless have reservations about what turned out to be five against one (this is including Mr Dimbleby) and so maybe a one to one interview to expose what the BNP are standing for should have been the way forward. Jeremy Paxman on 'Newsnight' seems an obvious candidate for this. Griffin on QT was able to get the sympathy vote from some.

Immigration got an airing on the show and this seems to be a subject attracting some normally Labour voters to the BNP. It's a bit like the Tories losing votes to UKIP - these minor parties may never get an MP under the first past the post system but they could do enough damage to the two main parties to cause the latter to lose their seats to the LibDems as an example. Factor in at the next General Election the voter's discontent about the mainstream parties following the expenses scandal and many current MPs standing down and who knows what will happen. Interesting times indeed.

Hain scores own goal against Griffin

Whatever possessed cabinet minister Peter Hain? Is he thick or what? I'm referring of course to his apparently one man intervention to try and stop odious BNP leader Nick Griffin appearing on BBC1's 'Question Time' tonight. The BBC, perfectly correctly in my opinion, have allowed the BNP, a minority party, to have its say on the flagship programme. After all the BNP garnered a considerable number of votes in the European elections earlier this year and now I think have two MEPs, one of which is the said Mr Griffin. I hope that I've got my facts right here but I think that Hain's complaint was that the BNP were breaking the law by prohibiting certain people from joining their party because of their ethnic origin for example. The BNP say they will amend their rules to allow such people to join them.

Now if this is the case it just shows the total idiocy of our laws. I would prefer that if organisations want to preclude people because of the colour of their skin then that is their affair. We know that the BNP are racist thugs but if they allowed coloured people to join (and just how many such people would wish to join them I ask) then they would be gaining some sort of legitimacy in the eyes of the general public perhaps. It is noticeable how they are doing what they can to shed the very nasty image they have had and are targeting disaffected Labour voters particularly in areas of high immigration. The reality of course is that this leopard is certainly not changing its spots! The right questions eg about his denial of the Holocaust could really do him down. Let's hope so.

Hain has been mightily stupid as the one cabinet minister going out on a limb in trying to stop Griffin from appearing on the programme when in fact senior Labour cabinet man Jack Straw has already agreed to be in the line up. All that Hain has achieved is giving Griffin the oxygen of publicity that the latter so clearly craves. Talk about an own goal!

Interesting question for the Beeb now is "where abouts on the platform do they put Griffin?" My guess will be on one end so that only one other person on the panel has to be next to him. One prediction I think I can make is that there will be plenty of people in the blogosphere having a say about the programme, and Griffin in particular, after the event.

Kenji playing hammered dulcimer

First of all apologies for the fact that this YouTube video isn't of the best quality and has some extraneous sound but of course this site is open to all who want to upload onto it and the quality varies enormously. However there are two special reasons for my wanting to share this: firstly Japanese hammered dulcimer player Kenji Komatsuzaki is a huge inspiration to my more modest playing of this instrument - I'm just in awe of his technique and lightness of touch. The other point I want to make is that this a fabulous rendition of a wonderful tune by the blind Irish harper and composer Turlough O'Carolan. Called "Si Bheag Si Mhor" it is said to be about the war between the fairies of the two fairy mounds called Si Bheag and Si Mhor (the little hill and the big hill). The little hill won (allegedly).

Although I'm a great admirer of O'Carolan I have to say I don't think of any sort of battle when listening to this music! To me it is just hauntingly beautiful.

Recorded memories - a unique present to give

The word "Christmas" slipped into my last blog post. Now I've stated before that I'm not big on Christmas: yes great for children and a reason for families to meet up but for me not something to get overexcited about to be honest. "Christmas" inevitably leads on to the little matter of presents and here I'll put my hands up and say that personally I'm not into exchanging presents with adult relatives; if that makes me sound scrooge like then so be it - I'll just have to live with that!

However this is an opportunity to flag up a very very different sort of present to the usual products - it's about the oral recording of people's memories. With today's technology that permits really top class recording in a person's home and our increased desire to connect with our past family history it is unsurprising that recording voices for posterity has become increasingly popular - history groups for instance are getting into this. An example is our own Calstock Parish Archive in which a number of our more senior citizens have willingly allowed themselves to be taped.

This is fine of course for we local historians but there are many people out there who would wish that they had recordings, really high quality recordings, about the richness and variety of their own lives and the changes they have seen that they could hand down to the family. Yes photo albums are great but what if these were complimented by CDs of their voices recalling their memories. Sadly in my case I took insufficient note of what my late mother and father said and recollections have got a bit fuzzy to say the least. But for today's folk help is at hand - well in Devon and Cornwall at least. How? Well let me introduce you to a lady, Lorna Baker, who with husband Ted lives in the Tamar Valley. Lorna has a business 'Real Life Recordings' in which she professionally records peoples life stories. When I say "professionally" I mean it in the truest sense of the word - Lorna has in depth experience of working with the BBC in her earlier life and is the sort of person who doesn't do things in a half hearted way so what you get from her is a 'proper job'. She has a really pleasing website here which includes some audio clips (with the various 'owners' permission obviously) which are indicative of the sort of memories that come out when she talks to people.

Of course recorded memories would make a wonderful present at anytime of the year, not just at Christmas. And unlike the typical consumer product which is likely to wear out, break or otherwise get discarded this is something that will last indefinitely. I'm very happy to endorse high quality products and services on this blog and believe me this is of the best.

All change on the weather front

For the latter part of September and the first half of this month the weather has been very benign in my area, some compensation for the dampness of the past summer, but now it's taken a turn for the worse. Low pressure has taken over from the friendly 'high' and yesterday morning we experienced the first significant amount of rain for several weeks. Added to that the wind is a lot brisker. Having said that there is some blue sky out there as I type with a few fitful glimpses of the sun so it could be very much worse.

Just to illustrate how incredibly variable our weather is it was interesting to hear the reports on Radio Devon this morning from their volunteer weather watchers of the amount of precipitation collected in their rain gauges yesterday. Up in North Devon it was 37 mm I think which equates to about one and a half inches in old money. However in the South Hams an almost negligible 2mm was noted. I would say that here we were between these two extremes.

Just a couple of months now to the shortest day of the year. So it's long dark evenings, Halloween and fireworks to look forward to. Or not. I can't enthuse about any of the aforementioned I'm afraid. Nor the commercial splurge of Christmas. But I have a thousand and one things to be thankful for in my life so I don't dwell on the things that aren't to my taste.

Smeaton's Lighthouse lit by candles again

Our local media have been faithfully reporting the anniversary of the first lighting of Smeaton's Lighthouse on the treacherous Eddystone Reef. To be precise it was 250 years ago from this last Friday that 24 candles were first lit in the lighthouse and on Thursday evening the great and good congregated at the lighthouse on Plymouth Hoe to re-enact the lighting of those candles. I won't repeat here the riveting story of the Eddystone Lights as it has been well recorded in many places. However I will mention the fact, I think well known, that the reason that his tower had to be replaced out there was because the section of rock on which it stood was getting undermined by the waves - there was nothing basically wrong with the design. What we now see on the land is the upper part of the construction on a new base: the bottom of it was just too well attached to the underlying rock as I understand it for the good folk of Plymouth to bring the whole of it back.

Look out to sea now, and providing it's a clear day, the stump is visible alongside today's Douglass Lighthouse. What I've not seen mentioned is the fact that on the old pre-decimal coinage, when the penny was much bigger, the Eddystone Lighthouse featured on it in a small way. If my memory serves me right it was on the 'tails' side of the penny and down at the bottom... Not particularly obvious but still great that it was embossed on it.. It really is an iconic structure and joins Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge linking Devon and Cornwall, and Exeter's fabulous cathedral as the three most magnificent structures in my two counties, in my opinion at least!

Well done to the 'Western Morning News' who have cleverly linked this latest lighting of Smeaton's tower with another "candles" story. This was about the lovely rustic church of Rame on the peninsula of the same name which celebrated it's 750th anniversary with a candlelit service, the only means of lighting in this sweet little building. The whole peninsula is really special and for me Rame Church is one of its jewels. So two buildings in the one WMN story that couldn't be more different from each other. And one final point that the paper didn't mention - Rame is the closest point on the mainland to the Eddystone reef so another connection there.

Empty apology from Jacqui Smith

Reading the Telegraph online I noted that Simon Heffer started his piece with a great turn of phrase: he used the words "When I surveyed the spectacle of Jacqui Smith winning the Nobel Prize for Insincerity on Monday ... " Yes, absolutely right Mr Heffer, it made me cringe that's for sure. She only did the sorry bit because she was told she had to and technically it might have been an apology but it certainly didn't sound heartfelt to me. In the end she owned up to the fact that in one year at least she was spending more nights at the constituency home in Redditch rather than her sister's house in London. She kicked off in her all of 1 minute 59 seconds of apology by saying it was a mistake that she had included the cost of films in with her expenses (this included those porn films that her husband watched it will be recalled) and that she had repaid this sum of money. Oh well done Jacqui, you're a star - not. She of course could easily afford to repay the relatively minor cost of the film hire and no doubt she was hoping that once repaid perhaps people would forget that little mistake. Er, sorry Jacqui but no, people won't forget that one.

A bit late on she went on to point out that she hadn't 'flipped' properties. A totally irrelevant comment to make Ms Smith. Nobody was suggesting you were, your misdemeanour was never about that, unlike some of your colleagues so why mention it. You don't get a gold star for that. And so it went on. She has been found guilty so far as at least part of her expenses claim is concerned, she has had little option but to admit to that yet she has not been required to repay any money. It is an absolute disgrace and I'm looking forward to her getting booted out of Parliament at the next General Election.

Lord Paul to be investigated

In my last blog post I compared two very different men: Lloyd Gardner and Lord Paul of Marylebone. In the case of his Lordship there has been a development concerning his highly questionable expenses claims. He is to be investigated by the House of Lords and, get this, he Lord Paul has asked for the investigation! For a moment I was astonished to hear this but then I could see some twisted logic. Given what I consider to be a flagrant criminal act by Lord Paul I think that it is inevitable that what he did will be investigated - or at least it darn well should be! So perhaps Lord Paul is taking a calculated gamble here: by asking to be investigated he is putting out the message "I'm innocent, I've got nothing to hide" and then he might also think that their Lordships would be the people most likely to give his actions a clean bill of health.

High risk but "desperate times call for desperate measures" I think is the phrase used. Lord Paul is both a personal friend of Gordon Brown and a much needed donor to the Labour Party. If he doesn't get the support he is hoping for from his colleagues then the situation will be very problematical for Brown.

Compare and contrast two very different men

The names Lloyd Gardner and Lord Paul of Marylebone probably don't resonate with many people but here are two individuals displaying the very best and the very worst of human nature. They are both in the news: in the case of Lloyd there is a wonderful example of selfless behaviour whilst the very rich Lord Paul has displayed greed bordering on obscenity.

So what are the two stories about? In the case of Lloyd we have a 22 year old waiter from the Devon town of Ottery St Mary. He was recently awarded £10,000 for his part in securing the conviction of a brutal rapist. This relates to one of the most horrific rape attacks I can recall hearing about in my two counties. It happened in Exeter in July 2006 when a woman was walking home from a nightclub. She was raped, stripped of her clothing and eventually found badly battered with a fractured skull. It is thought that she will never fully recover. Police had some CCTV footage of the area and had a lucky break when Lloyd recognised in the footage two Polish women with whom he had worked. He informed the police and that information was to lead them to Polish national Jakub Tomczak who was arrested, tried, convicted and given two life sentences. As stated above Lloyd received the very usable sum of £10,000.

We have then a young man, hardly rolling in money, and suddenly finding himself £10,000 richer. You would imagine that he would be grateful to keep this money. Nope. Lloyd reckoned that the victim was much more in need of this cash to help rebuild her life and donated it all to her. And remember he could of not told the police about the two women he recognised, a line some others might have taken. Again and again one hears of acts of total selflessness and Lloyd's case is a shining example of just this.

What then of Lord Paul that has so raised my ire. The 'Times Online' has the story today and you can read it here. In a nutshell Lord Paul, a deputy speaker of the House of Lords, personal friend of Gordon and Sarah Brown and generous donor to the Labour Party appears to have been on a good old fiddle with his expenses. The piece talks about questionable expense claims made between 2004 and 2006 when Paul was living in a London apartment block owned by he and his family. But his story to the House of Lords was that his main home at that time was a flat in an Oxfordshire hotel, owned by his own company. This meant, says the article, that he was able to claim more than £20,000 in expenses. Nice money if you can get it. It turns out that the flat has for years been the live-in quarters of the hotel manager. The present manager cannot recall spending a night in the flat or the hotel and her predecessor stated that he had lived in the flat for the whole period that Paul was describing it as his main home and moreover doesn't think that Paul stayed at the hotel during this time either.

I'm not going to repeat the last three paragraphs in the report, it's enough to want to make you throw up. The cheating of the system is just so blatant, even when caught out these men have no shame. I've said enough now, but you couldn't get a better contrast between generosity and greed.

Nobel Peace Prize now in disrepute

I will start off by saying that in principle I am a fan of Barack Obama and that I fervently hope his Presidency will be a force for peace in our troubled world. But like many many other people I was dismayed and shocked to hear that he is the latest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. This is more especially so because of the fact that nominations for this accolade were made as long ago as last February - he was only sworn into office the month before! I mean he could have hardly warmed his chair in the Oval Office by then. I suspect that Obama has high aspirations when it comes to peace but what has he physically achieved in this field? Nothing so far as I can see, and that's no reflection on him. I can't believe that there aren't other worthy contenders for the Prize, people who have been around for a long time, who have doggedly pursued peace in some area of the globe but don't have the very high public profile of Obama.

This business of people getting rewarded like this for something that may have happened in the very short term is something that I feel increasingly annoyed about. I know that it was an entirely different type of award but I ranted before about the England cricket team getting MBEs in 2005 when they beat Australia by the narrowest of margins only for them to be thrashed by the Aussies when they went 'down under'. The whole thing is absolutely ridiculous and absolutely devalues the gaining of an MBE and now it's the same with Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize. What is the matter with the people who decide on who should get what in this awards game?

Zircus Renz played by Silvia Plegniere

Although my intention had been to insert no more than one video a week on this blog and it was only yesterday that the last one was added I just couldn't resist this one. Again it's Silvia Plegniere and her Yamaha Tyros keyboard and the tune is Zircus (or Circus) Renz. Is there a happier tune on the planet than this? Or a better rendition of it? For anyone whose spirits are a bit low then watching and listening to this one can only help I feel.

Normally this is played on the xylophone, I can't begin to understand the technical wizardry that's in the Yamaha but the xylophone sound is the right one to use and Silvia uses it to great effect. Please feel free to comment on this video, and anything else I write or add for that matter.

End of an era as Jo drops off her last pint

One of the most familiar figures in my village is Jo Hall, the lady who delivers the milk. Or at least she did, last week saw her drop off her final bottles because at the age of 71 she has decided to retire! She had been doing her rounds for 55 years so I think she is entitled to call it a day. In fact she is the third generation of her family to supply the good folk of Gunnislake with milk and the hum of her electric float was a very familiar sound around the roads and streets of the village.

Jo is one of those very straightforward people always ready to say hello. I think that she will find it very strange now without her rounds, I believe she always enjoyed it unlike so many of us who can't wait to retire! Enjoy your new found leisure time Jo!

Orange Blossom Special on Keyboard

A week ago I wrote about my desire to regularly add videos of music I like to this blog. Hopefully it will draw attention to music and performers that won't be known to many and that I think deserve a viewing. Last Monday I started of with banjo and hammered dulcimer playing 'Billy in the Lowground'. Now it's the turn of a keyboard player to shine - Silvia Plegniere from Germany is the one who does the business. Silvia started learning the instrument when she was three years old (!) and really knows what she is doing. She has a great voice too and I shall be posting more of her videos later.

Bere Ferrers tragedy remembered

The Bere Peninsula in West Devon lies between the River Tavy and River Tamar and being a long peninsula seems to have that other world feeling where time (almost) stands still. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the sweet little village of Bere Ferrers which is almost at its southern toe, close to but disconnected from, other than by the railway, the hustle and bustle of Plymouth.

It was the aforementioned railway though that was to feature in an appalling tragedy on the 24th September 1917. The story is well documented and rather than me repeat it again I'll give a link in a moment. Don't be put off by the one paragraph style (why do people do that?) because the narrative is comprehensive and there are some good photos to round it off. Anyway the link is here.

Exactly ninety two years on from this freak accident a short ceremony took place at the Bere Ferrers war memorial. This came about as a result of a request from the New Zealand Army Museum (their website is here) because the museum is trying to identify servicemen from their country buried in Devon and Cornwall.

Visit Bere Ferrers today and it is difficult to comprehend such a tragedy occurring. Long gone are the times when express trains would thunder through its station, now it's just the gentle plodding of the diesel units on the branch line between Plymouth and Gunnislake. Bere Ferrers is a proper village community - I can recommend its annual pantomime in its cosy little village hall - but the folk there will never forget that horrific event on the afternoon of 24 September 1917.

Sarah Brown gimmick - once was enough

The 2008 Labour Party Conference saw Sarah Brown do a warm up act prior to her husband coming on stage to deliver his keynote speech. It was a departure from anything seen before and yes she is generally well liked and yes it was something that worked on that occasion. As I understand things she is switched on from a media point of view - unlike Gordon of course. But it is a gimmick that you can't keep repeating and I thought she might be savvy enough not to try it again. However at the conference just finished she did introduce him once more and although I've only seen a bit of her speech it was pretty awful - I don't really want to be reminded about her undying love for Gordon, nor do most of the general public surely. Having said that perhaps most of her listeners actually in the hall do lap it up!

The first time it was fresh and original and she used the opportunity to thank party activists for the way they had responded to her as the Prime Minister's spouse. But it should have been a one-off. Imagine for a moment that Brown wins the General Election next year - she would then be on the treadmill of having to introduce him for every year he is PM because now having done it twice in succession there is no way the process can be stopped. Admittedly this is hypothetical because Labour won't form the next government but it seems now that she was a prop that her husband needed and I don't think it has done him any favours.

Ben Macintyre in The Times - you can read it here - doesn't pull any punches. His rant aligns with my viewpoint that the spouse of the Prime Minister should have a very low profile so far as politics is concerned. Sarah Brown is now getting too involved, I can understand that she might wish to present her husband as a more natural and likable person than he is usually perceived. But this just demonstrated the weakness and flaws in his character to my mind. So in my opinion the 'Sarah Show' was a flop this year. Some tricks you can perform once but not twice. I was certainly amazed that she thought that it was an idea worth repeating.

Statement from 'The Sun' bad news for Brown

Once again we have seen Gordon Brown's fortunes take a turn for the worse. Last week he was doing what he likes best - demonstrating in his own eyes at least that he is a world statesman with his visit to the other side of the pond. Yesterday he delivered a passable speech to the party faithful but today received the bad news from Britain's biggest selling newspaper 'The Sun' that with the election possibly still many months away they have already decided to back Cameron.

Now this was always likely to happen at some stage but it's the timing that is so devastating for Gordon. When he might have thought that the content of his speech would be the subject of the day it is the statement from 'The Sun' that is the lead headline on the BBC at least. Assuming the Conservatives form the next government are we going to once again see that awful headline "It's the Sun wot won it".

One or two comments on that speech: I noticed that Brown's praise for our troops in Afghanistan was a very long way into the speech. It gained a short standing ovation but I get the impression that Brown doesn't really empathise with the troops whereas Cameron last year lauded our men and women out there right at the start of his speech. I imagine it will be the same at the Tory conference next week. Whatever one feels about our presence in Afghanistan surely you shouldn't insert your praise almost as an aside in your speech when our forces are risking their lives in that country. Yes Brown is something of a phony when it comes to our armed services.

As is the way of these things Brown made some new policy announcements or in fact reannouncements in some instances. As an example he stated that ID cards would no longer be compulsory. Good I thought - then I did a reality check, wasn't that decision announced a month or three back? Yes it was! So it's a bit of a nonsense padding out a speech with old news!

By all accounts it's only 'The Daily Mirror' that is doing any vigorous flag waving for Labour this morning. The Party might get a small bounce following a conference that is not quite so dire as many predicted. But any upsurge will be small and temporary and the Tories of course have the advantage of being the last of the main parties to have their annual conference and so can react to what the others have said and done.