As I write this, we're under 2 feet of snow in Hoylake Close. The path and the drive have decided that they will merge with the road, and the backgarden seems to be one level.
I can't remember a time when we had as much snow as this. It started out as quite festive and pretty but by yesterday it was more than a little irritating. The biggest irritant is the people who feel the need to clear their drives by digging out the snow and piling it onto the path on either side of the drive, which means that you have to climb a little mountain every time you cross one of these paths. I've been so tempted to return to the scene of the crime in each case with a snow blower just to negate all their efforts.
It does make me laugh every time we get snow with how much the country shuts down. I've seen buses stuck in snow this week, with the drivers revving their engines trying to get out. If we'd got snow in June, I would have some sympathy and understanding, but we now we have a temperate climate and that we have every chance of getting a decent snowfall every winter (OK, technically it's still autumn, but you know what I mean).
The weather forecast here in East Yorkshire is for sub zero temperatures today followed by more snow tonight and clear but cold over the weekend. We get more of the white stuff on Monday and another clear and cold day on Tuesday. Sounds like a fun few days ahead.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Friday, August 06, 2010
Police, Camera, Action
I watched the end of this programme last night, and caught the piece about poor little Cerys Edwards. Words can't describe the anger I felt / feel towards Antonio Boparan and his parents. Here is a spoilt little rich boy, driving his mummy's Range Rover at over twice the speed limit (71mph+ in a 30mph zone). He overtakes a car on the wrong side of the road and ploughs into an oncoming car which Cerys Edwards was travelling in.
That she is still alive is a testament to her parent's perseverance. That Boparan received a 21 month sentence and was out in 6 is a testament to the stupidity of the judge and the British legal system.
He has taken a life, in all but deed, and should have paid a far more severe price. On top of that, there has been precious little financial support for the Edwards family from this family of multi-millionaires (daddy owns Harry Ramsdens).
Boparan sat on TV an acted contritely for the cameras. Do I believe for a minute that he feels sorry, or that he has learnt from this? Not for a second. Do I believe that when he gets his licence back, he won't speed again. Ha!
Jack Straw increased the maximum sentence to 5 years for people, like Boparan, who cause serious injury when speeding. That isn't enough. They should have their licences revoked, permanently. There should be no second chances here. Cerys Edwards won't get a second chance, and neither will the people killed every year on British roads because of reckless speeding.
Don't even start me on the "I'm a good driver, I've never had a crash" crap. Simple physics says that if you travel faster, you take longer to stop.
What can we do? We can petition our MP, calling for stricter sentences for drivers who cause serious injuries as a result of speeding and we can boycott Harry Ramsden's products.
A tragedy like this happening once is just that, a tragedy. When it happens a second time, it's a crime that we are all complicit in.
That she is still alive is a testament to her parent's perseverance. That Boparan received a 21 month sentence and was out in 6 is a testament to the stupidity of the judge and the British legal system.
He has taken a life, in all but deed, and should have paid a far more severe price. On top of that, there has been precious little financial support for the Edwards family from this family of multi-millionaires (daddy owns Harry Ramsdens).
Boparan sat on TV an acted contritely for the cameras. Do I believe for a minute that he feels sorry, or that he has learnt from this? Not for a second. Do I believe that when he gets his licence back, he won't speed again. Ha!
Jack Straw increased the maximum sentence to 5 years for people, like Boparan, who cause serious injury when speeding. That isn't enough. They should have their licences revoked, permanently. There should be no second chances here. Cerys Edwards won't get a second chance, and neither will the people killed every year on British roads because of reckless speeding.
Don't even start me on the "I'm a good driver, I've never had a crash" crap. Simple physics says that if you travel faster, you take longer to stop.
What can we do? We can petition our MP, calling for stricter sentences for drivers who cause serious injuries as a result of speeding and we can boycott Harry Ramsden's products.
A tragedy like this happening once is just that, a tragedy. When it happens a second time, it's a crime that we are all complicit in.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Peter Rabbit
I've got this song floating around in my head now (should that be rattling around?) Thea has learnt the song "Peter Rabbit has a fly upon his nose" which is sung to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic. In a nutshell it goes:
Peter Rabbit has a fly upon his nose
Peter Rabbit has a fly upon his nose
Peter Rabbit has a fly upon his nose
And he flipped it and he flapped it till the fly flew away.
Floppy ears and curly whiskers
Floppy ears and curly whiskers
Floppy ears and curly whiskers
And he flipped it and he flapped it till the fly flew away.
She runs around the living room singing selected words from the song (e.g "Peter Rabbit...fly....nose."), and I know I'm biased, but it is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.
The song is also terribly addictive which is why it's now stuck in my head.
Thea knows quite a lot of songs now, and sings them with the most infectious smile on her face. Even George has been known to join in, especially with the songs from Handy Manny and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
Altogether now... "Uno, dos, tres......"
Still, I suppose it could be worse. I've woken up the last few mornings with bars from "English Heritage" by George Lloyd stuck in my head. This is the test piece for the North of England Area Finals which the band is competing in in 3 weeks time up in Darlington. We are the current North of England champions, and we'll be doing our damnedest to retain that title. The piece is a classic, but it's still not healthy to have it stuck in your head at 5.40am!
I will admit to listening to Duran Duran on the way home from work last night. Somehow, my MP3 player flipped over onto Rio and I was taken back to 1984 when I was first introduced to Simon Le Bon and the boys by Lynne Rodley. Let's face it, back then, if you were 11, it was either Wham or Duran Duran.
I must be having a little retro spell, because I also retrieved The Hunt for Red October out of the loft last night. I've just finished Patriot Games, and I had started reading Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett, but I've had to find the next Jack Ryan novel as well, so now I have 2 books on the go (3 if you count The Murder of Napoleon).
Anyway, Peter Rabbit still has a fly upon his nose, and the Good Fairy is cross with Little Rabbit Foo-Foo. Oh to be a parent!
Peter Rabbit has a fly upon his nose
Peter Rabbit has a fly upon his nose
Peter Rabbit has a fly upon his nose
And he flipped it and he flapped it till the fly flew away.
Floppy ears and curly whiskers
Floppy ears and curly whiskers
Floppy ears and curly whiskers
And he flipped it and he flapped it till the fly flew away.
She runs around the living room singing selected words from the song (e.g "Peter Rabbit...fly....nose."), and I know I'm biased, but it is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.
The song is also terribly addictive which is why it's now stuck in my head.
Thea knows quite a lot of songs now, and sings them with the most infectious smile on her face. Even George has been known to join in, especially with the songs from Handy Manny and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
Altogether now... "Uno, dos, tres......"
Still, I suppose it could be worse. I've woken up the last few mornings with bars from "English Heritage" by George Lloyd stuck in my head. This is the test piece for the North of England Area Finals which the band is competing in in 3 weeks time up in Darlington. We are the current North of England champions, and we'll be doing our damnedest to retain that title. The piece is a classic, but it's still not healthy to have it stuck in your head at 5.40am!
I will admit to listening to Duran Duran on the way home from work last night. Somehow, my MP3 player flipped over onto Rio and I was taken back to 1984 when I was first introduced to Simon Le Bon and the boys by Lynne Rodley. Let's face it, back then, if you were 11, it was either Wham or Duran Duran.
I must be having a little retro spell, because I also retrieved The Hunt for Red October out of the loft last night. I've just finished Patriot Games, and I had started reading Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett, but I've had to find the next Jack Ryan novel as well, so now I have 2 books on the go (3 if you count The Murder of Napoleon).
Anyway, Peter Rabbit still has a fly upon his nose, and the Good Fairy is cross with Little Rabbit Foo-Foo. Oh to be a parent!