Long term readers will know I spent some of my formative years in Indiana, watching far more US television than is now considered healthy. This would explain why when I woke up this morning, I felt a sudden urge to own one of these:
I’m moving on Thursday, from this tiny flat on the edge of a hellmouth to a little terraced house on the other side of Norwich. It would be nice, now I’ll have more space, to have a bit more greenery about my home. And what could be greener than a Chia? Sure, I could get some pot plants, but they lack pizazz. Anyone know where I can find Chia for sale in the UK? Do they even make them any more? Any of the types in the advert would do, except for the tree. Why would you go to the trouble of inventing a growable pet, only to shape it into the form of a plant? Such a Chia rebels against its own nature. Weak sauce, Chia tree, weak sauce….
Well, here I am, slinking in, hoping no-one notices I’ve not posted for over a year. How have things been? Not so great with me, I’m afraid.
Currently coming to terms with my own mortality. Both my parents are suffering from serious conditions, and I worry about them a lot. My own health has taken a serious down turn. The main issues are with my liver pumping out toxins, but as the stone in the gall bladder are soaking up all the ultrasound, there isn’t a lot they can do until thats been dealt with. Lot of pain, feeling wretched, and all that sort of thing.
So, at some unspecified point in the next few months I shall be going into hospital for a gall bladder removal and liver biopsy. With any luck, things will start to look up for me after that.
On the upside, it appears I’m now one of the richest players on BlogShares. Before my absence I had just started buying ideas, and the only ones I could find happened to be Northern Ireland ones. I suspect I’m only going to get richer over the coming months!
Anyhows, with all that said and done, I’m itching to get back to fiddling around with this little blog. We have a national election on May 5th, and I’ll likely have quite a bit to say about it.
Got a reply from Charles Clark, my MP and the Education Minister regarding Cook’s allegations:
Dear Neil Frankham,
Thankyou for your comments. I do not believe that the Government is guilty of misleading the House, but I am nevertheless grateful for your views.
Charles
Short, sweet, and entirely predictable. Of course, he was part of the cabinet meetings that discussed the matter, so he might have valuable insight. Or he might just be covering his back and towing the party line….
Damn’it. I’ve gone and sent a letter to my MP. That’s how jolly annoyed I am.
Dear Sir,
I am resident in Norwich, and have been a Labour voter for as long as I’ve been able to vote. If you have not yet read the allegations, then they are available at the Times website at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-842665,00.html
I view the charges made by Mr Cook with extreme dismay. There are only two satisfactory conclusions.
Either:
a) The charge is true. The Government is guilty of misleading the House, and should duly be charged with Contempt of Parliament. And probably treason too, for that matter.
b) The charge is false. Robin Cook should be charged with Contempt of Parliament, and libel. As indeed, if I understand the law, ought also the Sunday Times.
I will, fairly I think, consider a lack of such charges towards Robin Cook to be an admission of guilt on the part of the Government.
I urge you, sir, to do what is within your power for ensuring the appropriate parliamentary procedures are put into motion. Parliament is being made a mockery of. I am sure you will agree that this cannot continue. Please, do what you can.
I told a bit of a fib about voting for him. As if. I only got tricked into voting Blair in. I didn’t vote to keep the rotter. Two out of the three times I’ve got to vote in a general election, I actually voted for these chaps, the Liberal Democrats. Hmm, I’ll shoot them a letter too. I’m all fired up. Grrrr.
It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood. Norfolk is one of the driest counties in the UK. While that causes our farmers a world of woe, it does make for great weather for the rest of us.
Anyway, sorry for getting a bit morose at the end of the Iraq thing yesterday. Been so long since I thought hard about that experience, that my slightly increased wisdom found a whole lot more to think about than it did at the time.
Today is Tuesday, and that is a good thing. For upon Tuesday, I and my staunch ally, the Mole, travel down to the campus to drink beer, and hang out with people young enough to be our slightly younger siblings. My favourite day of the week. By beer, I mean of course snakebite and black. Half lager, half cider, topped off with blackcurrant cordial. Drink of champions, and me.
