Blog moved

This blog is no longer maintained. It has been moved into the new version of our family blog. Please visit http://wightweirdos.co.uk/ww/category/mutterings/ for the latest mutterings. Thanks for reading.

The Speaker

We have just finished watching The Speaker on the iPlayer.  It has been a really interesting watch (it was originally the rest of the family but I got hooked too) and fascinating watching the different personalities and the changes evident in some of the young people taking part.  Duncan drove me mad at first, one dimensional, all froth and no substance, but his performances mellowed, he took on advice and reflected on his performances.  I’m not convinced his speech in the final was actually the best one, but I think he demonstrated huge potential, coupling raw talent with a willingness to learn and develop.  Compare this with the arrogance and lack of self-reflection some of the speakers demonstrated and you can see why the judges made their decision.  I think Irene actually gave a better speech, it was a real cracker, and she also took on board feedback and really lifted her standard, but I think she has reached her peak performance, whereas I felt Duncan had more to come.  I suspect this is what swayed the judges.

Overall though the capacity of these young people to put themselves through some terrible ordeals of public speaking and keep coming back for more was quite inspiring.  I have certainly picked up some tips myself, but am far from sure I can reach the standard these people have.

The only downer on the whole thing is that the Beeb treated us like idiots at points, continually reminding us of what we had seen and letting us know what was about to happen.  Stop.  Please.  Hearing more of the speeches would have been good, instead of this irrelevant padding.

Worse than locusts....

....is the plague of signs on our esplanades. I think they should all be removed, there are now so many that no-one pays them any attention and they are just a blot on the landscape. If we have to have signs lets have happy friendly ones that welcome people and invite them to have fun, rather than a myriad of metal monsters telling us we can't do anything at all.

Correcting your mistakes

So many times I have problems with companies who compound basic mistakes by completely failing to deal with them. Not so the folks at Outdoor Action. They supplied me with a tent at an excellent price, with no premium for delivery to the Isle of Wight. Good start. Very fast delivery, but unfortunately the additional sun canopy I ordered was supplied in the wrong colour. A simple error, and no-one is immune to them, so I sent a polite email off. Quick response came back with an apology and a choice of two days for the courier to do a straight swap. Courier arrived as arranged with the correct part, leaving me a happy bunny. It's this sort of service that we need more of, well done folks.

No Timewasters Please...

No Timewasters Please. It's been used in classified ads for ages, and I am now seeing it more and more on our local Freecycle list. But what is it really going to achieve? Ah, they don't want people to waste their time, I'll carry on looking for someone who doesn't give a **** how much of their time I waste.

I'm now off to put a sign in my car saying "No car thieves please".

Have I got dissapointments for you

I have just watched what must be the funniest episode of Have I Got News For You. Hosted by Tom Baker, who has clearly completely lost it, most of the show was spent (for me anyway) creasing up at the expressions as Paul Merton, Chris Addison and Ian Hislop tried desperately to figure out a way of tunnelling out to escape the crushing boredom of Vince Cable and the raving lunacy of Tom Baker. Chris Addison tried his best to make a joke out of his disappointment at the reality of meeting Baker, his childhood hero, but I couldn't help but feel it might just be a thin veneer.... Watch it, and see if you feel the same.

Voyage of the purple Kite

In need of some cheering up, so I thought I would further spread my epic (cough) first YouTube video.

More silly stuff to break the day up

For some odd reason I can't quite remember, the national anthem just came up at work, which reminded my of this which, unlike the Gordon Brown song, I found instantly on You Tube. Enjoy.

A little light relief courtesy of Weird Al

In our house we have long been fans of Weird Al's ebay song, but yesterday DW came across a veritable treasure trove of Al's stuff on You Tube. A particular favourite is a classic Star Wars song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-gi4Nt_xxg but there are just too many great songs to list, go watch.

Disenchanted.....

...with being disenchanted.

Life is good. I know I like to have a grumble and moan here, and that's the point of the blog, but really, I'm sick at tired of petty grumbling (he complained). Sometimes living here on the Isle of Wight we forget just how lucky we are to live here, and instead spend our time complaining about the cost of housing being pushed up by holiday home owners, overners (like me (an overner that is)) etc., the high cost of the ferries, the poor standards of the local authority, the lack of facilities at the hospital (like any other population of under 135,000 has there own general with A&E, maternity etc. etc.). I know there are issues with some of these things, but if we *just* complain endlessly, does that really help?

So this post is dedicated to the fantastic beaches, vibrant arts scene, vast array of festivals and activities, laid back attitude, fantastic countryside, friendly people, great restaurants and cafes, hundreds of miles of footpaths and bridleways, brilliant off road cycle tracks and fantastic home education group on the Isle of Wight. As for the stuff that's not so good, lets work to make it better. And lets not just rely on the government (central or local) to do that for us. No use grumbling, do something positive instead.

Please note: normal service of muttering and moaning will be restored shortly.

Offline for 10 days!

Worried about withdrawal symptoms. Anyway, have decided to "blog" on paper (I guess that makes it a journal really...) and type it up when I get home.

Drove across a bit of France, Belgium and the Netherlands today. Their motorways mostly put us to shame with two exceptions, the woefully inadequate signs and the corkscrew junctions followed by 6" long slip roads. Hair raising.

N.B. The dates of these posts will reflect the time of writing rather than posting online!

Tech Support

I provide tech support to various people both formally and informally, so when a friend emailed this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRBIVRwvUeE
I just had to post the link here.

Enjoy!

Do not meddle

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.



Picture courtesy of Anneliese Myers

House prices

A few weeks ago The Times published an article entitled:

Bolt holes at a bargain price

You think you can't buy a second home in Britain for less than £100,000? Think again, says Lucy Denyer

http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/buying_and_selling/article1294147.ece

Hmmm...... I wouldn't mind being able to afford a first home for under £100,000. Unfortunately the Isle of Wight is one of those places they list, and indeed many people find it is a lovely place to own a second home. The trouble is said second home will be occupied for a tiny amount of the year, and the rest of the time lie empty, while many locals can't even get in sight of the property ladder, never mind reaching the first rung. I believe average house prices on the Island are now ten times average wages (I can only find stats for 2004, when it was "only" 7.4).

So if you're thinking of "investing" in a second property, why not think about investing in something else and instead renting your holiday accommodation? Saving resources is a big issue, we try and save water, save energy etc. as we are aware of the finite nature of such things. So can we please start thinking about how we use our limited housing resources?

Obviously I have a vested interest, as I live in a rented house, on a short term lease. But is it really so much to ask when my income is around 30% higher than the average for the area to be able to afford a modest family home without needing to borrow 7 times my income?

So Lucy Denyer, how about promoting shared bolt-holes rather than increasing the over-consumption of our precious housing resource?