1870 One life through places visited

I make limited use of Facebook and only recently noticed on the main page of a friend a small application in which participants can indicate every place they have visited, intended to visit or would like to visit and this provided me with the opportunity commence to list those within the UK and then in Europe which I have visited. As I reflected it occurred that this was one way to review a long life. Other ways are books, films, music, sports, paid occupational work, relationships, in their chronology, in their order of importance and in their interaction with each other and with external events.

For this first effort I have used memory and maps without reference to records. The structure and content will be changed and amended as the records are reviewed The present approach is to begin with places of residence, including those for Education and work and cover South London, Surrey, West London and Middlesex, Inner London, Bedfordshire, Glasgow and Central Scotland, Oxfordshire, Birmingham, Manchester and Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire West Riding and Cheshire including that which is now Merseyside and then Tyne and Wearside, Northumberland and Durham.

Then there are those places which I visited on residential holidays commencing with those in childhood which included the South Coast of West and East Sussex, Kent, the Isle of Wight. Devon and then in adulthood returning to Devon, and to Cornwall, central Scotland and then the Lochs and the Highland as well as the Border Country and to South Wales.

There were also overnight visits or of a few days, as self contained holidays, for sporting events, when in Transit or as part of courses or work assignments with four weeks at Henley in Oxfordshire and two weeks in Cambridge City as major examples and which widened the to other areas of the UK, including Cumbria, North and East Yorkshire, Lancashire, Suffolk and Nottinghamshire, Greater London, the Midlands and the home counties, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, Shropshire, Leicestershire.

There are places visited to watch sports, mainly football and cricket with some involving a short stay while others a day trip. There are job interviews and short courses and family visits.

I begin the more detailed tour with homes and the surrounding areas. My Permanent childhood home was Wallington (1), then in the County of Surrey, later incorporated into Greater London to form the London Borough of Sutton. Following my birth the first home was in Croydon (2), the adjacent borough and for close on one year I was evacuated with the aunties to Catterick Army camp in North Yorkshire(3), where another aunt was in officer quarters some distance away from the then camp and surrounded by cornfields. Before reaching adulthood we moved two other addresses in Wallington and for a matter of only a few days I was placed in what would have been called a family group home, also in Wallington. During the wartime there were few other journeys that I remember although while the pebble beaches at Brighton (4) were still mined, with barbed wire and anti tank defences I did make my first visit to the seaside.

During the rest of the 1940’s my horizons widened a little further. There were shopping and entertainment visits to Croydon and Sutton (5) by the trolley bus, mainly cinema at weekends, also to Purley (6) as we went to the cinema in Wallington on Monday and Thursday evenings for several years. There was also at least one visit to the musical hall in Croydon and to see opera with Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci remembered. There were shopping trips to Tooting (7) Market via Mitcham (8) and to Soho (9) in London for Spanish produce.

On Sunday after mass there were walks before lunch in all directions which included the Waddon side of Croydon airport, to Beddington (10) and Carshalton(11) to the parks, to Purley to look at the large house and where I subsequently went to school and the adjacent Woodmansterne (12) and Banstead (13) where there were small holdings and another park. One a year there was a bus ride Cheam to the Bluebell woods

There were also three memorable short trips during the early part of my childhood, the longest to Portsmouth (14) Naval base to see a first cousin whose father had become a citizen of the United States, a visit to an aunt who was at a Sanatorium near Haselmere in Surrey because of tuberculosis and thirdly, a visit to the home of a first cousin who lived on a farm on the surrey Sussex border (15). However my most memorable and important event was to attend a football match at Highbury (16) between Arsenal and Blackpool at which Stanley Mathews played, followed by fish and chips at the Leicester Square (17) Lyons Corner House and then a Film at the Odeon Cinema. Remembered also were my visits over two terms if not three once a week to St Helier Hospital (18) to correct flay feet.

I cannot remember in which order there were annual holidays to the seaside and day trips to other south coast resorts. Family holidays were to Bembridge (19) and Sandown (20) on the Isle of Wight; To Ifracombe (21) in North Devon and Paignton (22) in South Devon and to Bognor Regis (23) and to Bexhill (24) on the South Coast are remembered. There was also at least one day trip to Littlehampton (25) and I have a query about Hastings but which I did visit later (26). As an adolescent I spent a week with relatives at Folkestone Kent (27) where vests continued for decades and along with Dover (28) for ferry trips to the Continent. My relatives had also lived at Aldershot army base which I visited (29)

There were also family trips to Box Hill (30) in Surrey, Windsor Castle (31) in Berkshire, Hampton Court (32) and Tunbridge Wells (33) and shopping trips to Kingston on Thames, (34) Dorking (35) and Guildford (36) because of buses from Wallington/Sutton. There was also a family trip to Leicester (37) which turned out to be a nightmare.

In the my second year at the John Fisher School in Purley, where occasional visits were also made to one of the two cinemas in the town I was given a bicycle and during the holiday I commenced to cycle around the area with the most memorable event going to the Derby on Epsom Downs (38) later visits to the town (39). During my last year at school, first year at work

On leaving school at the age of sixteen I went to work in central London for two years, then in Croydon and back to central London at Berkeley Square, (40) in the City close to Whitechapel (41), in Kings Cross (42) and in Soho. I joined a cycling club so that on Sundays there were trips remembered round or across London Couldson (43) and Caterham, (44) Godstone (45) out to East Grinstead (46) Chertsey (47) on the way to Windsor, Maidenhead (47) and Marlow, (48) Redhill (49) for Earlswood, (50) West Wickham (51) and Farnborough (52) visited air show once, for Green Street Green (53) . For the greater part of those four years the journey was between Wallington and (54) Victoria, the Thames Embankment via Pimlico (55) to Vauxhall and Kennington, Soho for Cy Laurie through to 100 Oxford Street (56), Kensington Royal Albert Hall (57) and Chelsea (58), Bishopsgate (59), through to Whitechapel encompassing the old Smithsfield Market and Petticoat Lane (60), around around the Circle underground Line, Kings Cross for Houseman’s (61) and Islington (62) decades later for Family Records centre.

Then with Civil disobedience and direction there visit visits to Southend (63) leading to Brixton (64), Isle of Sheppey (65), and Staffordshire Drake Hall (66) and Stafford (67), Northamptonshire (68) and Bedford (69), Liverpool (69), Warrington (70) later appointed SS D0 Manchester (71) Huddersfield (73) Leeds (74) Doncaster 75) , York(76) Hull (77) and Cottingham (78) on two matches across from Coast to Coast , and central London to St Albans (79) and Luton (80), then to Glasgow (81) and Edinburgh (82) in Scotland, Dunoon (83) and Kilcreggan,(84) Port Glasgow,(85) Greenock (86) and Gourock, (87) Helensburgh, (88) Paisley (89) and Clydebank (90) and Dumbarton (91). There was my first visit to Wales and a stay at Merthyr Tydfil. (92)

It was then to Oxford, Old Headington Village (93) and City (94) College and Woodstock (95) and on to Birmingham city (96), Manchester City (97) and Salford (98), Norwich (99) and around Norfolk by bus making by way to Kings Lynn,(100) Sheringham (101) and Cromer, (102) Great Yarmouth (103) and Lowestoft (104), Diss (104), Wyndonham (105) and Attleborough (105) and all the little places in between over three months in the summer of 1963.

The back to Oxford, Summertown(106) and Headington (107), Eynsham (108) and Minister Lovell (108), Witney,(109) Carterton (110) and Brize Norton (111) and Burford (112) and Standlake,(113) Stanton Harcourt, (114) (118) with visits to Manchester, Nottingham (119 and Wakefield, (120) Staffordshire County Hospital (121) and Shrewsbury (122)

The next move was Teddington (123) in the London Borough of Richmond (theatre and restaurants) (124) working for the London borough of Ealing (125) with my area first covering West Indian land Acton (126) and central Ealing including Greenford (127) with strong Irish and Polish communities and visits all of the greater city area where residential homes and parents, learning to love Richmond and Kingston on Thames (128) , Bushey Park(129) and Richmond Park (130),, Hampton Court (131) and the River Thames boat) trips (132). It was from Teddington that holidays were taken to Devon and Brixham (133), close to Paignton and Torquay (134) , Dartmoor(135) and Dartmouth (136) . I then discovered and fell in love with Cornwall staying first at a quaint dishing village of Mousehole (137) on the opposite edge of the Lands End (138) Peninsular to St Ives )139) and Hayle (139) with its vast stretch of sand dunes and beach which was the stay on the second visit. As had always been my want a day or two on such trips just involves driving everywhere to see everything and get the feel of a country or an area, taking the opportunity to go on any local little railway steam train, or river such Helston and its river (140) on to the nearest towns such as Newquay (141) and Falmouth (142)

Then to Wakefield and Lofthouse (143), discovering Leeds, Barnsley (144), Rotherham (145)and Doncaster and the M1 and A 1 road back to the capital.

Then to Chester (146) and Bromborough (147) in the Wirral where there was opportunity to explore North Wales, with Wrexham (148), Connahs Quay (148) , Holywell (149), Prestatyn,(150) Rhyl (151) and Colwyn Bay,(152) Llandudno(153) , Bangor (154) and the Menai Bridge(155) and across Anglesey(156) to Holyhead, (157) down to Porthmadog (158) and Pwltheli, (159) Ruthin,( 160) Mold (161) and Denbigh (162) , Llangollen. (163) and Snowdonia (164) The Wirral peninsular is distinctive with Neston (165) and Heswell,(166) Hoylake, (177) Birkenhead, (178) Wallasey (179) and New Brighton, (180) ferry cross the Mersey (181) , Bebington (182) and Ellesmere Port (183). Although headquarters based at Chester my responsibilities covered the 15 area field work teams which included those covering Wirral at Hoylake and Ellesmere Port, Winsford (184), Crewe(185) and Nantwich (186), Knutsford,(187) Wilmslow (188) and Hazel Grove,(189) Altringham (190) and Hyde(191) and Northwich,(192) Congleton(193) and Runcorn (194), taking into what was to become part of Greater Manchester and Merseyside Metropolitan areas. At a time of fundamental and comprehensive reorganisation of the personal social services and local government there was not too much free time to explore but there were some weekend trips into Lancashire and Southport Sands (195). There was also a trip back to Devon and Brixham.

And then to, Jarrow (196), Seaburn(197) Sunderland,(198) South Shields (199) and South Tyneside including Hebburn (200), Cleaden Village (201), East (202) and West Bolden (203), Bolden Colliery (204) and Whitburn village (205).

This proved the base for exploring most of Scotland, Northumberland Durham, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, East, West and South Yorkshire most parts of Greater London, South Wales, the Midlands and the East Coast down to the Humber and the Wash

It is possible to make a day’s trip to the Lake District and into Scotland but he roads are such that a overnight visit is more desirable. I did spend a week with a friend and her parents from CND days and Oxford University overlooking Ullswater (206) near Keswick (207), but it was not until moving to the North East that I made regular visits at least once a year. The best route was to go from Newcastle Gateshead to Hexham(208) and then take the road of the hills to Alston (209) and Penrith(210) and from there to Ullswater and to Keswick and Derwentwater (211) where there is a parkland and overlooking one end of the lake and popular walk from the town. where there is still a little theatre which I first visited in 1963. A faster route is to continue on the main road to Carlisle where I have spend a mini break, and then take the M6 down to Penrith. It was on the Carlisle break (212)that I took a good look at the Northern Lake of Bassenthwaite (213).
It is also possible to take a less popular route on the AIM to Durham City (214) , that magical city to which I shall return and then travel through mid Durham to Crook (215), St John‘s Chapel, (216) Stanhope (217), and Weatherhead (218) to Alston. These are all long days and Durham dales and moor lands making an interesting day on their own with one round trip going a little further south to Spennymoor(219) and Bishops Auckland (220) where I once had tea with the Bishop of Durham and then to Middleton in Teesdale, (221) Appleby in Westmoreland (222) then to Penrith and back via Alston.

I have stayed at a Travel Lodge at Penrith over a weekend which also provided an opportunity to explore the Northern Lakeland. I can remember there stays close to Lake Windermere (223). One was an overnight stay in Windermere town (224) , which may have extended to two night booked on the spur of the moment by calling in at the Tourist office. There was a weeks stay where the end of the garden was in sight of the Lake I think on the outskirts of Bowness (225) but it may have been the larger town which reminds of the need to go through the UK holiday information scrapbooks. The third occasion was to a Hotel on the banks of the Lake (226). These visits did provide the opportunity to go on a explore to the western lakes of Wast Water (227), Buttermere (228) and Loweswater(229) and to tour the towns of Cockermouth (230) and Whitehaven (231), down to Barrow in Furness(232) to Grange over Sands. (233) Amble side (234) a favourite town at the other end of Windermere. Conniston Water (235) Ravens glass (236) Scarsdale (237) are other places visited.

Less travelling is involved in exploring the glorious countryside and ancient town of Northumberland where the largest human man made lake in Europe surrounded by the great northern forest is within a 90 mins drive and where I have stayed on at least two occasions at a Lodge lakeside. I feel deprived without at least one visit a year to Kielder(238) and the Cheviots There is a private toll road used to be 50p which goes through Forest and Farmland over the hills for a dozen miles to Otterburn (239). I will return to Kielder and Falstone (240) another time and Bellingham (241) where I have stayed.

From here rather than from Wearside a trip can be organised to Bamburgh (242) with its headland Castle, once home for the Duke of Northumberland, a boat trip to the Farne Islands (243) Bird Sanctuary or the low tide road crossing to Holy Island (244). The Duchess of Northumberland has created a wonderful series of gardens including water gardens and fountains in the grounds of Alnwick Castle (245) to one side of the ancient market town. Amble(246) is another coastal town. There are beaches where you may see another human being on a hot summers day and similarly there are countryside spots to yourself as well as the forest of Wark.(247) having come from Corbridge (248), and a detour to Consett the former steel works town where the great north walk was undertaken one year (249)

The Northumberland towns of Morpeth (250) , Bedlington, (251) Washington (253)and Blyth (254) are all stepped in the history of coal mining and the great footballers and cricketers which emerged in the latter half of the 20th century, the Charlton, Jackie Milburn, Alan Shearer and the Harmison brothers. Newcastle (255) has also become one of the famous cities of the world for its nightlife but the former seaside town of Whitely Bay (256) now serves only for day trips and the teenage clubbers and bar lovers. The famous Spanish City amusement centre is closed. I can see Tynemouth Castle(257) and former Priory from the headland outside my home and in summer I cross over by the ferry to North Shields (258) and a special bus to the street music festival where on one stage there are traditional jazz and swing bands performing for two days as part of the Whitely Bay Jazz festival where 20 bands perform from midnight to midnight for three day with an entrance charge of under £100. There is also Belsay (259), Cragside (260) Wallington Hall (261), Hadrian’s Wall forts (262)

The coast from South Shields to Sunderland comprises seven miles of rocky headlands and coves which can be walked but that from Sunderland via Ryhope, (263) Seaham(264) to Hartlepool( 265) is only of interest to locals but Stockton (266) and coastal city Middlesbrough (267) are all recovering from the closure of shipbuilding, coal mining and steel making throughout the North East but worth visiting.

I have and seasons tickets at Roker Park (268) and the Stadium of Light(269) Sunderland AFC and at St James Park(270), Newcastle for all but three of the past thirty five years and visit Carlisle (271), Middlesbrough and Hartlepool to also watch football. My summer home from home is at Chester le Street (272) riverside on the banks of the Wear where Durham County Cricket Club have won the county championship for two years in succession. For the first four years I enjoyed visits to club grounds used by the county at Durham University (273), Hartlepool, Darlington (274) , Stockton and wind swept Gateshead Fell, (275) and where Gateshead also is the location of the largest indoor shopping complex in western Europe, the Metro Centre (276), also the home of the International Athletics stadium (277) and the Sage Concert Halls (288)

My cricket experience commenced in 1948 at the Kennington Oval (289) in London, nearest railway station Balham, to watch the last innings of Sir Donald Bradman in a Test Match. I continued visit during my boyhood especially during the four years when I worked in central London and the continued went living elsewhere usually to one day of a Test Match while visiting my family relatives who continued to live in Wallington. I also had one visit to a test match at Lord and then since the Durham years commenced in the early 1990’s, I would arrange to visit the family whenever Durham played at Lords (290) or the Oval. I was also able to visit Durham at Canterbury (291) with its Cathedral and Maidstone, (292) usually taking family to visit their eldest sister at Folkestone, also so to watch Durham play against Sussex at Hove (293) or Horsham (294). Last year I stayed a week in Brighton and Worthing )295) for the cricket at Hove. It has usually been possible to visit Yorkshire at Headingly (296) Leeds without an overnight stop but I have also done this over recent years and also visited when they played Harrogate (297) which is also on conference attending list. Harrogate and Rippon (298) have also been alternative routes to the AIM going south with Wetherby (299) also a stop for a meal, places for a meal when the journey was being broken up overnight along the way. I also had overnight visits to watch Durham at the Hampshire Ground (300), Lancashire Old Trafford (301) staying on M62, Warwickshire M63 at Birmingham where I also spent a year at the university which is close to the ground and last year to Worcestershire (302) at the county town, staying South Birmingham (303) and to Nottinghamshire (304) staying on the M1 as part of a longer visit to the area. There has been one coach trip there and back to Leicestershire ay Grace Road (305).

Day trip starting in the early morn and returning in the early hours have been more common and covered a substantial number of the clubs playing in the various football Leagues with my boyhood club Crystal Palace (306) and the mentioned visit to Arsenal. I have been to most London area clubs, Mill wall (307) at the old ground and also Charlton at the Valley (308)., Queens Park Rangers (309) and Brentford(310), and to Fulham(311) as well as the other the other two glamour Clubs of Tottenham Hotspur ( 312) and Chelsea.( 313) I got a Cup Final Ticket because of an association of with Wimbledon (314) AFC to win the cup from Liverpool. I have been to Wimbledon fortnight (315) and to the town for the theatre and the cinema.

When in the North west I went to Liverpool but it was from the North East I have been to Everton (316) and Wrexham (317), Preston, (318) Manchester United (319) and Manchester City (320) Blackburn (317) and Bradford,(318) Wigan (319), Leeds (320) , Sheffield United(321) and Sheffield City (322), Barnsley,(323) Hull (324) and Grimsby (325) then to the Midland clubs of Birmingham (326) and Aston Villa,(327) West Bromwich Albion(328) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (329), Coventry(330) and Derby (331), Leicester(332) and Nottingham, Forest(333) and City,(334) Shewsbury(335), Oxford(336( when I was student, Cardiff (334) the Club and Cardiff the International stadium(336), Swansea (337), Ipswich(338) and Norwich (339), Watford(340) and Luton (341) and Brighton (342). I have been to Rock Concerts at St James, Roker Park and Sheffield United and Torvill and Dean at Nottingham (343) and Wembley (344). I have been to three Cup Finals at Wembley as well as Live Aid and the Rolling Stones, Athletics at Gateshead, White City(345) and Crystal Palace(346) which was also the venue for a rock concert.

The Conference, short training, speaking , special work and interview venues have included, Blackpool 1n (347), Lancaster University 1n,(348) Newcastle 1n (349) from Cheshire, Hull also from Cheshire(350) 1n York 3n (351) Liverpool 3m (353) Manchester 4n (354) Nottingham University, 4 visits (355) including two of a week each, two of 3 to 4 nights Manchester University (356) two of 3 or 4 nights, Cambridge University two weeks (357) , Oxford one Conference 4 nights (358) and two other visits one of three nights, one of a week. Harrogate 3 nights (359) Keithley one week (360), Bradford In (361) and Liverpool 3 n (362), Leeds 1-2n(363) Oldham 4nts (364), Preston 3 (365) and 1n Chester City (366) In Wakefield 1n (367). Cardiff 1 n (368). Coventry 4 n (369). Ealing 1n (370). Ipswich one week (371), Marlow 4 n (372), Bletchley 3n (373) Richmond 1 week (374) , Lewes 3 n (375). Bournmouth 3 n (376) Brighton 3 n (377), Glasgow 4 (378) Henley on Thames one month (379), Greenwich two months (380) and London one month and 6 x 3 (381), Sutton 4 times 1 week (392) Central London Committee meetings included Association of Child Care Officers Local Authority National Children’s Bureau Drugs Forum Officers and Members Meetings, Home Office Sub Committee and Charity Committee all concerned with Drug Use prevention and HIV and AIDS all involved over night visits to London but some the red eye train with breakfast and evening return with dinner 100 plus occasions (382) involving either stays at Wallington where accommodation and food was not claimed or hotels ( 383)

The proximity to Scotland led to one holiday Tour of three weeks, three stays of two weeks and eight stays of one weeks as well as four stays of less than a week. Places stayed or visited or where stayed included Dunoon 1 week (384), Oban 3 days (385), Lochgoilhead, one week (386) near Dumfries 1 week (387), Tay Valley twice (388) (389), one week and two weeks Pitlochry one week (390), near Dollar 3 days (391), near Loch Earnhead one week (392, Loch Lomond 2 visits one week and 4n (393), Isle of Skye 2n (394), Loch Rannoch one week, (395) Loch Lochy 2 visits of one week (396) and Aviemore 3n (397). Among places visited rather than travelled through include Ullapool (398), Inverness(399), Loch Ness(400), Loch Katrine(401), Portree 0402), Mallaig(403), Stirling(404), Edinburgh(405), Gretna Green (406), Braemar(407), Aberfeldy(408), Killin(409) and Kemore(410), Loch Tummel(411), Glenn Lyon(413) Ben Nevis visited (414) and Ben Lawers climbed (415), Glen More Forest Park(416), Dunked (417) , Cairngorms by cable car twice (418). Loch Lynnhe(418) and Loch Eil(419), Perth (420), Comrie (421) Loch Earn,(422) Callander,(423) Inverarray, (424) Fort William (425), Fort Augustus(426) Berwick (427), Jedburgh(428), Coldstream,(429) Rothesey (430), Mull of Kintyre (431), Campbeltown (432), Crianlarich(433), Glenn Eagles(434) , Crief (435), Kyle of Lochalsh (436). Places visited on the way or separately additions including Northumberland Brampton (437) Halt whistle (438) Burdon Mill (439), Hayden Bridge ( 438) Ardrossan (439) and Troon(440) Galashiels (441). Kelso (442) Coldstream (443) Wooler (444) Belford (445) Chilling ham (446) Netherton Park (447) Loch Long (448) Ardentinny (449) Strone Point Youth Hostel 4nights. (450) Balloch (451) Lake of Menteth (452) Grange mouth (453) Bridge of Allan (453) Loch Leven (454) Loch Awe (455) Tarbet (456) Loch Venacher (457) Tobermory (458) Loch Sunnart (459) Isle of Mull (460) and Iona Community (461)

Other places in County Durham include Sedgefield (462) Whicham (463), Blanchland (464) Bowes (465) Hamsterly Forest (466) Willingham (467), Lanchester (468) Houghton Le Spring (469) Washington (470) Billingham (471) Peterle2 (472) Lumley Park Hotel 1n (473) Hetton le Hole (474) Beanish Museum (475). Barnard Castle (476) and Dipton( Stanley) (477) Newton Aytcliffe (478)

The North Yorkshire Moors are within a days travel and feature the villages made famous in series Heartbeat Goatland (479) and Grosmont (480) and which are also stop on the North Yorks steam railway. Which I have travelled. I have enjoyed visits to the small Robin Hood’s Bay, (481) to the fishing port of Whitby (482) and the great Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough (483), including for a conference and short holiday. I have visited Redcar (484) and Saltburn (485) now Teeside/North Yorks. The Infamous Sutton bank (486) Pickering (487). Further south in Yorkshire there is Knaresborough (488), Pately Bridge (489) Grassington (490), Masham (491) Harewood House (492) Ilkley Moor (494) Haworth (Bronte Couny), stayed 3nights in area (495) Woolley Edge is a motorway stop for food usually lunch or sea but have stayed 1night, Driffield (496) Bridlington (497) and Hornsea pottery on the coast visit (498).

I have stayed in Beverley (499) at New Year over Christmas and a New Year using the best hotel in the town (twice) and Pub Inn once as well as the close by at South Cave Travel Lodge twice (500) and even closer Innkeepers Lodge twice (501) and the Humber Bridge Premier Lodge twice possibly three times (502). I have also stayed at Lodge on the outskirts of Hull (503) The Ferrybridge Motorway Service area is a frequent stop when travelling on the A1 route I have made one night stops here several times (504) I have stayed at a travel Lodge Wakefield a couple of times (505) Denby Dale (506) and Penistone (507) are places visited and not previously mentioned. When stopping overnight in south Yorkshire going South I have visited the Cineworld in Middleborough twice (508) in addition to making other visits from home and back for films not shown at Bolden and have also visited he Cineworld Sheffield twice en route. I have forgotten to mention Scotch Corner the major service area north for southerners going to Scotland and a good place for a cuppa, petrol and the toilet. I may have stayed here at the Travel Lodge. (509)

My only recollection of Derbyshire the county other than its football tam is a night spent in a bus shelter just after Christmas at Matlock en route to Liverpool. It is only over the past three years that my interest in Nottinghamshire as a county has developed with two stays of a week for the cricket at the Forest service area and another planned for this year (510) I have had several stays at Mansfield Travel Lodge of two to three nights (515) I would have stayed at South well (516) with its wondrous Minster if the accommodation was cheaper. Separately from my interest in Nottinghamshire I have made several one night stops at Travel Lodges along the AI with Blyth (517 being one destination stopping three or times to date. There is Morrison’s at Retford (518) where good breakfast can be obtained as well as stocking up of emergency rations and petrol. The South Muskham Travel Lodge (519( is on the going south side and I have learnt how to get to this from Newark (520) which is always worth a visit, and other parts of Notts with several visits over the past decade. In the past I have also stopped at Grantham Travel Lodge (521) on both side of the motorway depending on direction of travel. Although there is a cross over and recently I stayed at Donning ton (522) just off the M1 having used the service area from time to time. I have been to Melton Mowbray of the pie fame or its sausages or both (523)

I have been to Silverstone (524) for the Grand Prix racing, once when living in Oxford and once with an overnight stop before and after at Teddington, a service stop used several times en route to Wallington. While at Oxford I did visit Bourne on the Water, (525) Evesham (526) and Broadway (527) Cotswolds Country. This reminds of two visits to Stratford on Avon (528). It also reminds that I did stay one night at a Travel Lodge (529) near Burford in a torrential storm on the way to collect my car from repairers at Kidlington. It also reminds that I have stayed at a lodge in the Nottingham area on a visit south some time ago.(530) I have been to Warwick and its castle (531) I have also stopped at the Stevenage Travel Lodge visiting he Cineworld cinema (532) In addition to coach stops at Milton Keynes (533) I have visited the town once as well as getting lost trying to get round traffic jam on the M1. I have been to a conference at Hertford staying three nights (534). I looked around the bookshops at Hay on Wyre (535). There are places in Greater London not previously mentioned which have significance including Hampstead (536) and Stratford (537) Bexleyheath (538) and Balham (539) Also Hounslow ( 540)

Turning to the wider South East I have not mentioned Hythe (541) in Kent or Shoreham (542) by Sea in Sussex or my recent stay in a travel Lodge near Littlehampton (543), or a little village near Andover (544) I have visited Epping Forest (545)

I am nearly done. I have never a great looker around country houses and old furniture and the finery. Most dwelling appeared to me uncomfortable to live in and a misspending of resources which could have better directed. However for a few years I was a member of English Heritage and used my visit to London with stop overs to may the maximum use of membership so to be added are Lindisfarne Priory(546) Warkworth Castle and Hermitage, (547) Brinkburn Priory (548) Belsay Hall and Gardens (549), Tynemouth Prior and Castle (550), Prudhoe Priory (551), Finchale (552) Barnard Castle (553) St Bedes World at Jarrow, St Paul’s Monastery, (554) Finchale Priory (555) Barnard Castle (556) Fountains Abbey (557) Mount Grace Priory (558) Rievaulx Abbey, (559) Kirkham Priory (560) Richmond Castle (561) Bolsover Castle (562) Whitby Abbey (563) Scarborough Castle (564) Eltham Palace (565) Kenwood previously (566) Battle Abbey and Battlefield (567).

Last additions to this edition Clapham (568) Wandsworth (569) and in Wales Caldy Island (570) Pontypridd (571) Laugharne (572)and Solva (573) Dylan Thomas Country

1869 The former Prime Minister at Iraq Inquiry

I went to prison in 1960 to express my opposition to the possession and potential use of weapons of mass destruction, refusing to agree not to continue undertaking non violent civil disobedience for a period of two years. I was able to leave prison at any time if I agreed to the undertaking. While supporting non violent civil disobedience and other action to indicate a personal position, encouraging others to do likewise in the hope of changing the position of the UK government and governments in general. Even before before going into further and higher education and training, I accepted the that the role of any government was to protect its people from violence and crimes from within the state as well as from without. It could be argued that this is only legitimate role for a government and that all its others are options which in a democracy should depend on the will of the people.

This was one major reason why I supported the decision of the USA and UK governments to invade Iraq in 2003 to remove weapons of mass destruction from the control of its leaders who had used chemical and biological weapons against their own countrymen and in the war against Iran and where an estimated I million are thought to have prematurely died because of the power and political ambitions of the controlling family. When no such weapons were found in a situation where it appeared the majority opinion in the UK was against our involvement it was evident that there would be political repercussions for the Prime Minister in particular and Labour administration in general, particularly because of his style of political leadership and management, from having been in power for six years, having won a second term with a large majority, and successfully managing the economy appearing to have brought to an end the years of boom and bust.

Seven years later all the emotions and beliefs about the intervention and its aftermath are being revisited through the Chilcot Inquiry.

Until the appearance of Tony Blair before the Iraq Inquiry on Friday January 29th 2010 I was impressed with the inquiry panel which appeared to me to be asking all the right questions raised by critics as well as treating witnesses with respect and showing a good understanding of their different roles.

However yesterday the panel failed to show appropriate respect to a former Prime Minister, and one who history may well come to regard as a major figure in British political history. The panel appears to me to have become biased and prejudiced and pandering to the media who motives appear to be Party political with a General Election looming.

Whereas all previous witnesses were given some opportunity to put into context their positions Mr Blair was rudely interrupted whenever he made the attempt to explain his approach in context, although the chairman did intervene at one point.

I hope the Inquiry will give Mr Blair the opportunity to supplement his evidence with additional information if he wishes. I believe the context in terms of the role taken by the UK in the intervention other situations prior to Iraq is highly relevant as well as 2010 question if the action had not been taken. The panel member who commented that an alternative to the Blair 2010 proposition was that the former leadership could still be contained not only demonstrated his bias but detachment form the reality of what that would have meant for the people of Iraq, for the stability in the middle east in general.

I make these comments having been a member of an important child care inquiry in 1980 conducted originally on an adversarial legal basis with 50 legal officers, from QC’s to solicitor's clerks, attending on the first day but which was quickly switched to a hybrid where the panel conducted the inquiry on an inquisitorial basis but legal representatives were also able to question and introduce the evidence of their clients. The two forms of Inquiry are different and the panel appear to have forgotten they are undertaking the latter and not the former

I appreciate the Iraq inquiry has given witnesses the opportunity to submit detailed memoranda and documentation in advance of their appearance

As someone who became one of the longest serving Directors of Social Services in the UK 1974-1992 and experienced different forms of political and management styles to government I also detect that the panel appear through their questioning to have become prejudiced against the leadership style of the former Prime Minister in favour of the traditional civil service and local government style of formal committees and sub committee, agendas and papers, and minute circulation. My experience was that this produced a stable but ineffective system in terms of bringing about change and getting things done as intended.

In fact for the first years in my local authority there was such an obsession with the formality and decision taking process that I had to point out that no one was bothering to find out if what had been agreed was being implemented or if the action taken was effective and meeting the intentions of the decision takers. I also became skilled in ensuring that the minutes of meetings reflected my interpretation of decisions rather than that of the minute takers.

The other lesson which I quickly learnt was that if I was to be held personally accountable for everything which happened in an organisation with 1000s of employees and ten of millions annual expenditure of public money, then it was wise to personally take all the key decisions, having listened to the often conflicting advice and information and then to check that the decision was implanted in the way I had made clear. Records and paper were only a means for defending and verification but never for getting things done. However it important to also remember who Guards the Guardians?

I also accept that many people will have been angered by what Mr Blair had to say, especially those whose opposition to British participation in the war remains ideological or emotional, or both. Most serious political analysts and commentators will not have been surprised by his general approach and individual responses. As has been observed by some he appeared nervous and anxious when he commenced but quickly relaxed and settled into restating what he has said to Parliament and other inquiries. What was new and what impressed me most was his argument about what would have happened had the USA and the UK not intervened when they did. This is based on the finding of those who investigated why the regime had in fact pretended they continued to possess weapons of mass destruction when they had they not. This was only to gain international acceptability and an ending of sanctions but there was the proven intention to regain biological and chemical as well as developing nuclear power for military purposes and the missiles to deliver them. The former Prime Minister made the point that given the subsequent rise in the price of oil from 10 to 100 dollars a barrel he would also have had the financial means to develop the weaponry on a substantial scale. The threat would have become even greater. There was comment from the inquiry that equally the possibility was that he would have been contained as before the intervention. This was an aside to which I would have challenged are you saying it would therefore had been alright for him to oppress his people, torturing killing opponents depriving children and babies of medication and adequate health care, excluding 80% of the population from any involvement in government or government positions on racial grounds.

The charges against Blair is that he made a commitment to the President of the United States to support getting rid of the Iraq leadership and then found the means to do so, that there was an agreement to go to war at a secret meeting at which he and President spoke together without officials, that the dossier on weapons of mass destruction presented to Parliament in order to persuade the Commons to vote in favour of action was doctored for political reasons and pressure was successfully exerted on the Attorney General, the chief Legal adviser, to declare that that intervention was legal in terms of International Law.

There was also criticism levelled that the military had been given insufficient time to prepare for combat and were ill equipped under resourced. The USA and Britain also inadequately prepared for the aftermath and miscalculated the consequences in terms of the intervention of Iran and Terrorist groups based in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa. The criticism is that the world has become a more dangerous places as a direct consequence of the intervention and that the people in Iraq are worse of rather than better and therefore by implication that the 200 or so British service men and women who died and all those who were substantially injured did so in vain.

There was a clear denial of the charges that he was determined to intervene in major way alongside the USA regardless of the existence of EMD, in order to change the regime, that he had ensured that the worst case scenario was presented to Parliament in order to obtain Parliamentary approval or on pressurising the Attorney General. He then made the point that he had made judgements and taken decisions within a context of his general approach and strategy. He accepted there were differences and strong differences about the judgements and the decisions but the charges about conspiracies and fixing outcomes were false. However I accept their is fine line between what all governments do to get results in a democracy and doing so outside the rules applicable at the time. The attorney general covered himself by saying that although a legal case could be made for the action in terms of International Law he could not say what the outcome would be if his view was put to the test in an international court. The emphasis was also on that whatever pressure had been exerted on the Attorney General to come off the fence any decision was always his own and therefore its responsibility.

There most successful aspect of the evidence was for me the explanation that that in order to achieve the desired outcome of the UN resolutions of which the last one at the time was the strongest to date of several, that regime change was the solution which would work. The objective was not regime but the means for achieving the objective. I thought Mr Blair could have been made this point better.

He also reacted strongly to the suggestion that the forces had been given insufficient time to prepare and were under equipped and resourced. He had told the Military of that they encountered problems because of red tape they should come directly to him and they had not done so. There was an admission that he had been economical with the truth in response to a Parliamentary question about the preparedness of the military for a combat intervention. At the time there had been no decision to intervene but acting on the advice of the military there has been some preparations necessary. He had subsequently agreed to making the position public acting on the advice of the Foreign Secretary.

He was also willing to admit that everyone had got wrong what would happen if you immediately removed the civil service, police and military structures, failing to have understood the extent to which power and decision taking had been held by a few and fear and corruption had permeated through every aspect of civil and social life. The other aspect was the failure to plan for the way Iran then intervened in an attempt to make the new regime fail. It had been assumed that they would appreciate the removal of the ruling family which had led to war and the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides. I would have pursued this aspect further because it beggars belief that those employed to make risk and worst scenario assessments did not anticipate that while Iran would be overjoyed at the demise of the controlling family and the removal of nuclear capability, biological and chemical weaponry they would be equally opposed to the development of democracy in Iraq, of a potentially secular state. Of the presence of foreign troops and administrators on their doorstep and power being given to Muslims unsympathetic to their brand of the religion, I accepted what Mr Blain said about successfully managing the humanitarian consequences, but I have some sympathy for the panel who stated rather than posed the question that the preparations for the aftermath had been cavalier. The root problem was in fact the failure to immediately establish order and security.

I woke up this morning to find over six inches of snow. I had not checked the weather forecast so I do not know if it was predicted but with the temperatures still at freezing the omens are not good.

1868 The personal significance of Up in the Air. The Iraq War

While the horror of Haiti continues the quantity of TV images decreases although there are amazing rescues after two weeks, a large section of the capital’s population is moved to forty organised encampments and food and water are distributed for those who have their work, are too shocked and distressed to return to some semblance of normal life, cannot afford the escalating prices, or need the aid because there is no other food available. Medical assistance has also greatly improved with concentrated effort, not just to patch up and remove pain but to also save limbs and provide other operations which will enable individuals to look after themselves and their families more effectively in the future. The task of rebuilding the economy, of demolition and reconstruction, especially of family homes and schools is at least being planned alongside he work of identifying and burying the bodies and caring and protecting the children who appear to be without families. This is an important focus given the immediate wish for families across the world to foster and adopt and the risks of child exploitation given the darker side of humanity.

Wednesday was given over to the appearance of Lord Goldsmith, the former Attorney General at the time of the Iraq War, before the Chilcot Inquiry. The questioning was excellent and comprehensive covering all the areas of concerns, interest and relevance and he being one of the outstanding lawyers and advocates of his generation was well briefed and prepared. He also came over as a thoughtful individual unlikely to be persuaded against his better judgement. and her also convinced of the unusual ability to separate his legal judgements from his personal beliefs and inclinations. I say this having had great experience of lawyers over during lifetime.

In 1960 I saw how the full force of government directed law could turned on peaceful demonstrators and then as a child care officer was appointed to attend Juvenile, Family, County and some criminal Courts between 1963 and 1968 in a County and a London Borough. In 1980 at the invitation of a local authority, acting on the advice of the Health Ministry, I participated in a panel of Inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of a child in the community at which some fifty legal officers, QC’s barristers, solicitors and their clerks attended the opening and closing session to represent the authorities and agencies and the individual workers, while neighbours who complained and foster parents who had warned were unrepresented.
In one memorable instance a barrister argued and explained the importance of legislation designed to prevent children from entering or remaining in care as a justification for the actions of professionals in the case and when I challenged this, as a non lawyer, asking if the barrister was really say that this duty was equal to or overrode the duty to protect children in the community or when in care, it was admitted that this was a proposition, i.e. a try on.

As a senior and then chief officer working for a number of local authorities I had twenty years experience of working closely with lawyers, with some having considerable power, officially because of their role, such as in Cheshire, in the corporate management system when in their capacity as Assistant Chief executives they effectively controlled everything that was written and presented to the politicians. In other situation the power came from personality and connections. Then between 1992 and 2003 I had the experience when I found myself in the firing line or working on behalf of others and was appointed one of the leading law firms in the world, and an international human rights barrister to provide legal opinion, on a pro bono basis. These combined experiences has led to the view that most lawyers find it difficult to separate their personal beliefs, likes and prejudices from how they work, including looking to their own positions and advancement.

Lord Goldsmith could have earned vast sums of money while remaining in private practice before choosing to accept his position in the Labour administration. It is understandable that all those who opposed the war in Iraq want the inquiry to declare that British involvement was illegal, and as part of this for the inquiry to show that, The Prime Minister personally, and the Cabinet collectively, did not exert pressure for what they wanted to do to be declared legal and constitutional according to international law.

Lord Goldsmith explained at length and in detail, that there is a difference between something being lawful according the best interpretation of the rules and something being the right thing to do at the time or with the benefit of hindsight. His main contention was to go to the wording of the United Nations and which to my satisfaction he demonstrated that had the UN wanted to ensure that military action could not be taken with their approval without a further resolution then it should have said so, rather than using words which indicated their should be further consideration, which there was, although not a second resolution which would have meant the countries involved with the Security Council committing themselves to active participation. This was why France in particular was unwilling to agree to the second resolution but where representatives said in public and the first resolution provide countries with the legal means for action individual countries to intervene if they so wished. Accepting this position and that there were those who strongly disagreed and had argued accordingly at the time as well as subsequently. Lord Goldsmith faced the second major issue: why he then changed his position after several months of saying that the argument on both sides were finely balanced, and was it correct that he had been pressurised into doing so. He explained that he had been pressed to give a definitive opinion by the civil and in particular the Military who wanted to ensure that the position of the generals and the individual soldiers was covered in International law given the opposition and attempts to use the law to prevent involvement by other interests at the time. He denied categorically that pressure had been exerted by the Prime Minister directly or indirectly but said he had been influenced by what the British Ambassador to the UN had said to him on his visit there as well as by representatives of the US government. In an exchange about an earlier situation he conceded that when he had offered advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet he had felt it was unwelcome.

This brings me to the golden rule from my personal experience. If you are a politician or a senior officer in government, either national or local, you do not seek advice on the legality of what you want to do unless you are confident what the response will be. This does not mean you do not follow the advice if it is offered unless you can persuade a modified or different opinion to be given. Such are the unwritten rules of this particular reality. Tomorrow the former Prime Minister will be in the hot seat. I expect him to come out with all cylinders firing.

From the very serious to the ridiculous having tuned back in to Big brother Celebrity House as it reaches its final stages with last night two evictions, with a surprise, resulting in Davina entering the house as a surprise replacement albeit for an hour. Much of the programme appears contrived, and orchestrated

I have been working hard on the project during the past three days as well as tackling some basic house keeping projects. I need to get back to complete at least 100 new sets of work and more so if I am to gain ground lost over the past two years. One problem is although I have lot of records in a form which enables easy conversion into sets, the material is of interest which means I then devote hours time to reading and reflecting on issues, in this instance between seven and twenty years ago, and where some like press cuttings can be become part of the public work while most should or has to remain confidential within the lifetimes of those directly involved and in some aspects longer. It remains frustrating where one has information which might help relieve genuine injustice, but could also create injustice if communicated except in highly controlled circumstances. The process is therefore challenging and at times stressful for me so a few hours at time is all that I can cope with.

I enjoyed a bacon roll in mid morning and then a cottage pie before going out for some shopping and mid afternoon cup of tea at Asda Bolden before going to see George Clooney in Up in the Air. I arrived in good time hence the cup of tea and then discovered that the start time as ten minutes later than advertised. I do not buy snacks at the cinema on principle but because of the extra time checked what was now on offer and as horrified to discover that something like a large sausage toll and fizzy drink will cost £6.20 and a standard size popcorn box with two drinks is £8.45 with another £1 if you want to go large. A circular carton of the standard Pringles crisps was £2.90, with the supermarket price £1. Three scoops of ice cream cost £4.60 and 100 grams of sweets £1.18.

The film is excellent. George Clooney plays the star employee of a company which specialises in personally advising employees of companies why they are going “to be let go”, before handing them their severance package and requesting they clear their desks and hand over their keys. He spends almost every day catching an internal flight to a USA airport, undertaking the task, staying in a hotel before moving onto the next airport and assignment. He has reduced the amount of time he spends in travelling by perfecting getting through security and becoming a favoured traveller with the same airline, car rental firm and hotel chains. His ambition is to become 7th person to travel 10 million miles with the airline which gets him a unique travel status and perks. He had also perfected the way he breaks the news and tries to help the individual cope and see a positive side to what is happening to them although he also understands it is likely to be the worse day in their lives. He is also a star turn on the motivation lecture circuit asking those attending to imagine putting all their physical possessions into a backpack and then imagining its weight which they carry on their backs until they die, similarly the impact of friends, relations and close family. The message of all this is to divest yourself as much as possible if you want to make a success of your chosen work or interest.

This of course is a bastard philosophy perpetrated by the immoral and unscrupulous capitalists, the speculative traders and bankers and such like, akin to the Hitler’s and Stalin’s of the earth world, Christian fanatics in the past, Muslim fanatics to day, that it is legitimate to kill and ruin millions, for personal profit or for some belief or objective. The idea of minimalism is that you act in the present, then move on, never looking back, divesting yourself of photos and all other reminders of past experience to enable you concentrate on the future. My philosophy is to argue the opposite. What you do and who you do it with lives with you and then, and indeed lives within others and universe for eternity. While continual dwelling on past experience is an inhibitor upon engaging in new experience, it is undesirable and counter productive to try and deny the existence of one’s past experience although for some people, confronting the past is not of helpful and can be self destructive. This is an important point in relation to the film.

The film character practices what he preaches. He has a small apartment with no personal possessions, where he spend as little time a possible and has limited contact with his married sister and a younger sister who is about to be married. He has become used to having one night casual encounters with those who share in his lifestyle, that is until he meets one woman who appears to be as well travelled, and as fun loving and casual about relationships as he is. They have such a good time that they immediately try and find out when it might be possible for them to have a night together during their ceaseless travelling schedules.

Then two events occur which threaten to bring his lifestyle to a shattering halt. All the employees of the firm are brought back to HQ at the same time where the Chief Executive Officer announces that following the recruitment of a new trainee he has decided to implement a cost saving idea of undertaking the severance interview via a web can internet link thus reducing gravel and accommodation cost by 85%. The film does not disclose the back story of such an enterprise where senior executives of the firm will meet with the owners to negotiate the particular contract and obtains details for the particular severance package for the material to be printed together with any relocation information provided. Obviously by doing this aspect by teleconferencing it would be the logical step in further reducing costs.

This development not only threatens his way of life but undermines the ability to respond to each individual in as humane a way as practical. He demonstrates to the creator of the idea the limitations of her proposal with the consequence that he is forced to take her on the road with him to demonstrate the reality. She quickly discovers her limitations and he discovers her motivation. She was an exceptional business major who could have had the pick of offers made to her. However she chose the job because it appeared the best opportunity in the city where her fiancée lived and obviously the stay home idea was a high priority to her ambition to become a wife with a settled home and children. This falls apart when the boyfriend cannot cope with her constant absence and to cheer her up and to educate her on the realities of relationships and life in general they crash a corporate shindig together with the same casual relationship mentioned earlier. The relationship with this woman develops to the extent that he invites her to the family wedding where the groom gets cold feet and he is given the task of persuading the young man to change his mind. The wedding takes places and they have such a great weekend that he begins to change his philosophy and finds he can no longer go through with a seminar on his philosophy, walking out and taking the plane to ask the woman to settle down with him, now that the firm has decided to go ahead with the telelink approach.

To his shock he finds she is married with a family and the casual relationships and weekend break away was nothing more than escapism. To make matters worse he is awarded the 10th million traveller card on his way home and this only swerves to underline the falsity of his way of life until then and the enormity of the rejection.

However it is not all bad news for him because someone the young trainee interviewed has committed suicide and she resigns, paving the way for the telelink idea should be postponed so his way of life is restored although his feelings and understanding about the way of life has significantly and irrevocably changed. . He uses a million of his accumulated air miles to buy two round the world tickets for his younger sister and her husband and he gives the former trainee a reference which makes sure she is able to get her first choice occupational preference. It is sad ending for someone who does not set out to do harm and indeed in the postscript which many will consider odd, as several of those who he delivered the sack notice, admit they survived because they realised what was important to them was their loving and supportive relationships Chilcot Inquiry

It is obviously not as simple as that. I had reconstructed my personality and beingness through my work and therefore the loss of the work, prematurely, affected my being greatly, however although if took several years I eventually was able to realise myself more fully in a very different way.

1867 Portillo's third journey. the 39 Steps and NCIS

The third series of Michael Portillo Train Travels commences at Swindon and continued through Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Yesterday in describing the second journey to Scotland I mentioned the 39 Steps in relation to the Firth of Forth Railway bridge and this afternoon as I commenced to write, first checking TV programmes for the day, I found that the 1959 Kenneth Moore version was commencing at the that very moment. I had time to check the post during the first advert break and eureka I was notified that my lawyers had been successful and obtained reimbursement of the insurance policy excess thus protecting my no claims bonus and premiums for the renewal later in the year. It was a great relief as the issue was not clear cut owing to my inability to be precise about what happened. This is a cause for celebration.

I have visited Swindon during visits to Calne in search of family heritage, staying at Travel Lodges on the M4 and going into the outskirts of the town to the Cineworld Cinema, the supermarket and for a couple of meals. Family ancestors did work for the railway after it was established in Swindon and also in Wales. The Railway that created work and provided accommodation for large numbers of families has significantly contracted but I believe that railway carriages continue to be constructed in the town.

I have not visited Bath the great Georgian town and where despite the medicinal qualities of the hot spa baths being disproved they have reopened to great success providing warm bathing throughout the year and with panoramic views over the city. It is now on my list for things to do before I die, combined with a visit to the cricket ground at Bristol.

I have stayed at Bristol, yes it was for a conference, at an excellent small hotel at a time when the town was in the process of reinventing itself. Bristol became a major port to the USA and Australia and Brunel’s Trains from Paddington going to the dockside. His SS Great Britain is now on show there. The steam powered ship was originally designed as a luxury first and second class vessel to the USA with only 240 passengers but did not pay was therefore adapted, trebling the number to Australia where use was also made of wind power from the six masts. After completing and publishing research on the history of my maternal family which lived in Calne since the 15th century I was contacted by descendents of a distant first cousin whose family went to Australia on the first voyage of the SS Great Britain.

I also have travelled from Oxford to Bristol on the same line when as a Child Care officer I had to collect two teenage runaways who had absconded from a remand home and had got as far as Cornwall before being apprehended by the police. The journey back proved to me the most challenging albeit entertaining of my professional social work experience as they regaled passengers with the intimate details of their recent experiences. Fortunately I was accompanied by a mature female companion who was of assistance when they attempted to run off again with two squadies on the train.

The second stretch of this journey is between Yatton and Weston Super Mare. I had no knowledge of Yatton before the programme. The area is famed for the growing of strawberries.

I first visited the South West in my Childhood when the family came to Ifracombe in North Devon and we had a coach trip to Cheddar Gorge which Michael visits, and where we explored the great cave. I have seen large and better lit caves in Gibraltar and France since but in the late 1940‘s and 1950‘s I found the cave and the gorge amazing. Cheddar is more well known for its cheese and what I did not know is that authentic Cheddar is matured in one of the caves.

I have not been to Weston Super Mare and after watching the programme I am not inclined to plan to do so.

Michael commenced his next stretch at Torquay. I had a family holiday at Paignton in my childhood which is the next resort with sands whereas Torquay is more of a fashionable harbour although in fact as Portillo records 20000 people passed through the railway station on one day in its heyday as a resort rivalling the South of France. The climate is milder than elsewhere and is in a sheltered position on the West Coast with Palm Trees and Mediterranean flowers but the temperatures are not significantly different and in fact only a few degrees above the average elsewhere. Decades later I was to holiday at Brixham Harbour and to return to Torquay and Paignton. During of these holidays I travelled on the steam railway to Dartmouth which Michael undertook during this episode. The river Dart is beautiful and the train journey is one of the most picturesque in the UK. Dartmouth is also where ten British Naval College for officers is located. It is also where the TV series the Onedin Line was filmed, plus Falmouth and Exeter.

Michael continued to Totness a town which is trying to become carbon neutral and an example environmentally, introducing rickshaw taxi’s, encouraging the use of local produce and a currency for exchange in the locality. I have no recollection of visiting the town.

I cannot remember where it was in Devon that my car broke down on the way to a family holiday at Mousehole, Cornwall, pronounced Mousal, I think. The gearbox went and I was to get to the car park where amazingly there was a coach going to Penzance and a taxi ride from our destination. I was able to contact the AA and left the keys so that the car could be collected and taken to a garage. I then travelled back by train to collect the car when the work was completed.

I was also unfamiliar with the third segment from Bugle to Megavissey. Bugle is a station in mid Cornwall from where. Close to St Austell, Michael visited the largest open Clay mine still in operation and using the latest equipment it produces an enormous output compared with that when the manufacture of China was in its heyday. The reason for the increase has been the use of clay to produce white paper and in other processes.

Michael the visited the Lost gardens of Heligan close to Megavissey and created by the Tremayne family in the 18th family, then fell into disuse and restored in the 1990’s about which there were several TV shows. The gardens have a collection of ancient large rhododendrons and camellias, lakes various flower gardens and sub tropical tree ferns attracting several hundred thousand visitors a year. The final subject was the fishing for pilchards which became and essential fish food during the Second World War. As a consequence the fish became unpopular and have been rebranded as sardines and which have become just as popular.

The last segment commences at the sand dunes of Perran and a lost church. I have stayed at Hayle close to St Ives where the holiday homes are among the dunes on stilts, similar to a place in the South of France. The first holiday had been a Mousehole on the south facing coast, an attractive fishing village of colourful cottages. I still remember a glorious meal at a French restaurant at St Ives with its Artists colony and where I acquired one of the famous oblong vases from the Troika pottery shop. I was attracted to most of the items on display but funds were limited otherwise I would have started a collection which would have been worth thousands to day as reselling prices have risen following the closure of the pottery. During the holiday visits were made to Newquay where I believe on a rain swept summer’s day the film Mary Poppins was seen and to Falmouth with its harbour as well as Land’s End, and the open air Minack Theatre on a rocky headland which has been performing plays throughout the summer for 75 years

In the programme Michael visited the last remaining tin mine which because of changes in production requirements is anticipating a demand for increased production because of the change in tin content for solder and other uses. His final visit on this journey was to the beautiful Helford river where oyster farming has been developing again since the last outbreak of disease decimated those farmed around the UK. In the programme the owner of a farm argued that most of the concern about eating oysters’ is unjustified. The best way to eat them is raw and alive from the opened half shell with lemon juice or perhaps chopped shallots, mixed peppercorn and white wine. They can also be smoked, baked, stewed, fried, boiled, roasted or pickled according to taste, but they must also have been alive at the time of preparation. There is health value but as an aphrodisiac questionable.

I have written about the 1939 Hitchcock film, the 39 Steps with Robert Donat, the 1979 production with Robert Powell and the latest version in 2008. Less familiar to me was the 1959 version with pipe smoking Kenneth Moore who first encounters the doomed spy catcher in a London Park. The film includes the scene where he escapes from the police on the Firth of Forth Railway Bridge. He gets a lift from Sid James as a lorry driver who has done his time and recognises Hannay, putting him in the caring hands of Brenda De Banzie who looked after him in every sense as he looked after her with husband’s permission when he too needed to lie low from the coppers. In this instance because of the time factor Hannay disguises himself among a cycling group to get past the police check point.

I was delighted that this film includes the Falls of Dochart at the western end of Loch Tay near Killin with Kenmore village at the other end, and which is over looked by Ben Lawers, a 4000 ft mountain which I have climbed. I have spent two summer holidays in accommodation along the Tay valley first in an isolated hillside cottage and then in a second cottage on the same estate. It was only during the second trip that the purchase of a local Sunday revealed why the cottages had become holiday lets. This involved a crime of passion during the second world war involving both dwellings, a revelation I withheld from everyone else until the end of the holiday.

In the film the political gathering is replaced by a residential school for girls, but all the other features remain true to the original John Buchan novel.

I have also been following N.C.I.S given the haphazard way the episodes are being shown. The Naval intelligence and Investigation homeland unit reached an interesting phase with confirmation that the father of the director was still alive after she had buried him over a decade beforehand. The man who killed her father, an international arms dealer who she has attempted to find ever since also reappears as the father of Tony’s new girlfriend who works at a local hospital. This has been a deep undercover operation but where the father arrives to take him and his daughter for breakfast and announces that he knows who the young man really is. Tony then appears to have been blown up in his car which only later they learn was being driven by the father’s assistant. This was not in fact an attempt to kill Tony but the daughter. The splendid Abbie works out that the bomb is the same as those used to murder arms dealers around the world. Someone is getting rid of their competitors. The father appears to have escaped but is seen floating in the river with a bullet in his head. The daughter is so shocked to learn the truth about Tony that he breaks off the relationship. Understanding what has happened her father arranges for her to go into hiding before his assassination takes places. Tony realises that he had fallen in love although it is evident that ‘Davied’ who resisted all his earlier advances has fallen for him since their near death experience together.

The former Attorney General gives evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry on Wednesday and the former Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday. The following week it is the turn of Clare Short.

1866 Brave New World of Shanghai and Portillo's Journeys

Michael Portillo and Piers Morgan are two very different media personalities. I like Michael who impresses with what he says and retains vulnerability and the sadness of regret at what might have been. Piers Morgan has never been my cup of tea but some of his recent travel programmes have been enlightening. On Saturday night I watched half a dozen episodes of Michael’s programmes in which he followed the advice of Bradshaw’s Victorian railway travel guide, following four routes of interest, staying at the hotels or Inns mentioned and making brief visits to places of interest along the way, although never being too far away from his love of railways, trains and steam engines in particular. His regards his finest political contribution persuading Margaret Thatcher to save the Settle to Carlisle railway line. That is sad, for a politician.

According to Wikipedia Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo (born 26 May 1953) is a British journalist, broadcaster and former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister. Portillo who was first elected to the House of Commons in a by-election in 1984; a strong admirer of Margaret Thatcher and a Eurosceptic, Portillo served as a junior minister under both Thatcher and John Major, before entering the cabinet in 1992. Seen as a likely challenger to Major during the 1995 Conservative leadership election, Portillo ultimately stayed loyal. As Defence Secretary, Portillo pressed for a purist Thatcherite course of "clear blue water" separating the policies of the Conservatives from Labour.

Portillo unexpectedly lost his Enfield Southgate seat at the 1997 General Election; political commentators widely believe that he would have been elected Conservative leader had he retained it. Subsequent to the loss, Portillo embarked on both a broader career in the media, and a revision of his previous beliefs, arguing for a more socially liberal and tolerant Conservative Party. Returning to the Commons in a 1999 by-election, Portillo rejoined the front bench as Shadow Chancellor, however his relationship with Conservative Leader William Hague was strained. Standing for the leadership of the party in 2001, Portillo came a narrow third place behind Iain Duncan Smith and Kenneth Clarke. Disaffected with politics, Portillo retired from the Commons at the 2005 general election, since which he has pursued his media interests, presenting a wide range of television and radio programmes.”

That is the semi official presentation of someone who nearly became leader of the Conservative Party and British Prime Minister and therefore a figured standing out in British history. I can only speculate why someone who became the golden boy of the right wing of Conservative Party along with John Redwood decided to give up professional politics at the comparatively young age of his late 40’s.

I believe his surname may only have influenced some voters against him, including some members of the traditional little England Conservative Party. Michael’s father came to the UK as a Spanish Republican refugee. He married into a middle class Scottish family which from one of the programmes appears to have had as much influence if not more influence on his outlook than his Spanish background which he was only able to fully discover first hand after the death of General Franco and the establishment of democracy.

What appears to have damaged him within the Conservative Party was the intervention of Norman Tebbit at the time of the 2001 leadership election when following disclosure of his bi sexual background, Lord Tebbit accused him of not being as frank as he could have been. A factor may have been that Michael had moved away from several of his former right wing positions into the centre, paving the way for David Cameron, to follow the approach of Tony Blair and concentrate on the middle ground even if this resulted in alienating some of the traditional core vote within the Party. In the event it was his decision to leave Westminster, which he announced in 2003, my traumatic year of all traumatic years, turning down the offer of a Ministerial post in the Michael Howard Shadow Cabinet. Maybe he foresaw the Conservatives would not win the next General Elections and he has expressed doubts about the ability of the Party to win an overall majority at the next although this was prior to the backlash over Iraq and Members Expenses Scandal and the near collapse of capitalism, together with other government failures which changed the political climate. I usually find myself in agreement with the assessment he makes with Diane Abbot on the Thursday night political review held when Parliament is Sitting. His popularity and public recognition has changed for the better since he commenced a series of TV programmes which he fronts with old fashioned gentlemanly charm and unaffected curiosity.

I am unable to immediately follow the four train journey’s in their original curiosity because not all are available on the BBC iplayer. It is also note worthy that of the three series presently available there is only one journey among my top four. This is the Settle to Carlisle line over the Ribblehead viaduct. Those not included in his travels are the journey from Fort William to Mallaig for the Island of Sky Ferry, the journey from Fort William to Glasgow across the Rannoch Moor, both in Scotland and the Little railway from Ffestiniog to Porthmadog in South Wales.

Since the Settle to Carlisle line was reprieved it has gone from strength to strength with three quarters of a million passengers a year from the 300000 originally required and with a constant movement of goods trains 24 hours a day. It has brought new life to the many small communities along route associated with the isolated stations. There are a number of charter steam trains which operate along the line in summer and where bookings are essential and the full list of steam train trips in the British Isle is available online. Trains on the Settle Carlisle route pass over 21 viaducts with the most beautiful that at Ribblehead 440 yards long 104 ft high and 24 arches. That at Smardale is 131 ft high but is half the length.

I have had the good fortune to admire a steam train passing overhead having stopped the car on the way between Durham and the Lakes just in time. This prompted me to find out the when and wherefore of a future steam train journey which involved driving to Settle to catch a train which came from Leeds, and returning by the standard and less expensive two coach train.

His travels on this route had commenced at Preston which I did visit by train although I cannot remember the route, but may have a note somewhere and I stayed overnight prior to being interviewed for the post of Director of Social Services, Lancashire. The post went to former colleague at Cheshire County Council who had become a Director in the Manchester conurbation. Michael then visited Blackpool where I have also stayed overnight in a hotel, having been invited to speak at a meeting on mental at a Labour Party annual conference and where I then shared a platform with Dr David Owen, then Foreign Secretary, but also a former Minister of Health, the then present Minister of Health David Ennals, whose brother was Secretary of Ruskin College, and the great Barbara Castle, who demonstrated just how to address a Labour Party audience. I had prepared the right speech for the wrong occasion.

The next section was Windermere to Kendall and covered some of my favourite areas in the Lake District, I have stayed a week in a cottage close to Lake Windermere as well as doing a spontaneous over night bed and breakfast stop and a weekend stay at a Hotel a little away along the lakeside outside the town. I have not travelled on the particular line but have driven to Haverthwaite where there is a one station stop to Lakeside at Windermere. An extension of this line in the opposite direction is presently proposed.

Windermere, the town, is a little way away from the Lake on a hill and has a population of 7500 with Bowness being the lakeside community of close to 4000 with its own town centre and impossible to park so a walk down hill is advisable, with the walk back after a day out something of a challenge. Both towns owe their existence to the railway and tourism, with an estimated 10 million visitors to the Lake a year which means it is swamped with cars and boats of all kinds moored at every possible area. However the road on the west bank is minor and there has been no development which makes a good car ride but without places to stop except at approved sites. The best way to see the lake is by a steamer trip from Bowness. The lake is 18 km 11 miles in length and up to 1.5 km or a mile wide. There are islands including the famous location for Swallows and Amazons. Although the week’s stay was at Easter, there was snow!

Michael also took a trip to Grasmere where Wordsworth and is sister are buried. I have visited Dove Cottage, their former home in which he wrote Daffodils and many of his famous poems -I wondered lonely as a cloud; Imitations Immortality; Ode to Duty and My Heart Leaps up.

In the programme Portillo also paid a visit to Kendal and asked after a Kendall Mint Cake which he alleges he did not know is not a traditional form of cake and but a slab of mint sweet covered in chocolate. Pull the other one. Kendall is a market town on the way to the Southern Lakeland via County Durham. It is possible to visit the lakes this way in a day but the journey is slow and tiring.

Michael then took the Journey from Carlisle through to Glasgow via Gretna Green. I have stayed a long weekend at a Hotel in Carlisle with an indoor Swimming pool.. Carlisle is a days trip from Newcastle with a good road passing close to the Northumberland town of Hexham as well as a train service. It is possible to visit the Northern lakes via this route although the more direct way is over the mountainous hills to Alston, Penrith and Keswick. More on this another day.

Carlisle was a rugged stone built community on the Borders between England and Scotland or Scotland England depending on viewpoint, and until the 20th century a lawless place full of feuding bandit families who gave their allegiance as did Carlisle to which ever army occupied the town.

Michael visited Gretna Green, a curious border town which has became world wide famous because it was possible for English young men and women to marry when sixteen of years of age without parental permission and where the service was performed at the village Blacksmiths. All that couples had to do was to comply with the residency qualification of three weeks which meant the growth of low cost bed and breakfast accommodation, caravans and camping sites. There is also the remains of the biggest ammunitions manufacturing site in the UK where during World War I up to 30000 women were employed. I have stopped for a meal or break at Gretna Green several times on the way to Scottish sea and land lochs holidays on average one every other year for two decades from the mid 1970’s.

Michael mentions Lockerbie where a full aeroplane was blown out of the Sky and also a railway accident involving three colliding trains during World War 1 which also killed several hundred people. By a quirk of fate I had nearly become the Director of Social Work Services for the governing local authority having been invited to apply by the Department of Health when it was discovered that the successful applicant for the post did not posses an appropriate professional qualification. I have been on holiday in the area for a week, where it also snowed and the car had difficult getting in and out of the site of Lodges.

Michael then continued by train to Glasgow, a city where I lived for a month in 1961 and have stayed a few days at a conference since, as well as passing through or around on the way to other parts of Scotland for holidays. Glasgow until recent times was a grim City with much poverty at its centre and on outlying estates. The best description of what it was like in the Gorbals is in the novel No Mean City. Since becoming the city of European Culture there has been considerable expenditure on making the city a place to visit rather than pass through with 4 million visitors a year.

I have made the journey between Glasgow and Edinburgh by train but more often by the motorway link and always crossed the Firth of Forth by car. I have visited Edinburgh, the start of his next stretch, several times but again mostly passing through on the way to holidays in central and east Scotland. The Railway Bridge is iconic and featured in the film the 39 Steps. I have three memorable visits to Edinburgh, with two in I961, when I first went over by car to address the Scottish CND Committee about the forthcoming Direct Action/Committee 100 demonstration at Holy Loch when I had been temporarily employed as a field organiser, and then made the trip by car with a cheque to pay the fines for Pat Arrowsmith and the other marchers who had walked down Princess Street against the instructions of the police, only to find these had been paid by the Scottish Miner‘s Union and the group were being entertained in the boardroom at the union HQ in Fife by the Moffat Brothers where they were all made Honorary Members of the Union. The third occasion was to sit a few rows behind the Queen at the Commonwealth games. Subjects for further comment at another time. Michael continued to Kirkcaldy, the home of his maternal grandparents.

I have missed the first two episodes of his earlier journey from Liverpool to Hull and onto Scarborough on the North Yorkshire Coast.

I commenced with the third stretch from Todmorden in Lancashire a town which I do not know, although I have travelled from Leeds to Liverpool by train when on my way to a training conference for the National Lotteries Charities Board and my car broke down just outside Leeds station. I also travelled from Newcastle to Liverpool for a visit of the Local Authority Forum on Drug Misuse and I believe this was the occasion that I stayed at the Railway Hotel, Michael loves Railway Hotels with the one at Hull having its entry directly from the old main concourse. On his third stage travel Michael went on to Skipton where I spent a week nearby during a Drug Advisory Service visit to the area, going into this quiet West Yorkshire market town surrounded by glorious countryside for meals in the evening.

During this trip Michael took to the skies in a railway helicopter which examines the track, monitoring points and other potential hazard and where he showed the section of railway from Redcar to Whitby which follows a precarious route at the top of tall cliffs. This is now only used a fright line. I have travelled to Whitby by train as well as by car. The train used to be taken from Seaburn Station via Sunderland and onward to Middlesbrough to meet another train which originates in Newcastle via Darlington. The route from there passes through the picturesque Esk Valley arriving at Whitby 90 mins later. One can arrive by lunchtime on the cheap day returns but with trains back limited it is best to stay on until seven otherwise in term time the earlier train at 4 is filled by school children who are put on the train by teachers but are then left free to create mayhem until collected by parents and local transport services from the many stations along the route. It is also possible to continue to Scarborough by a separate service.

On his trip Michael made a stop at Bolton Abbey which I have visited by car. The Picturesque ruins of the former Abbey are located on the banks of the River Wharfe in the grounds of an estate of the Duke of Devonshire and now owned by the Chatsworth settlement Trustees. He ended this stretch at York one of the great cities of the UK, much visited, especially by travellers from the United States. I have frequently visited York since moving to the North East, at least once a year although recently it has been passed through on the way to London by coach. The city became important as a Roman settlement and at one time briefly controlled the Roman Empire. The brilliance of Roman building is shown in the straightness of the city walls. The continuation of the walls and narrow winding streets, the Shambles does mean horrendous bottlenecks all the time and even travelling around the outskirts to Beverley and Hull can be a pain adding half an or more to the journey. Therefore the mainline train journey from Newcastle is preferable, especially on a cheap day return. The city is fames for its glorious Minster as well as the Shambles and its range of restaurants. The centre is also prone to flooding! However the city is also a Mecca for those who love trains with the National Railway Museum. I have stayed at the Railway Hotel here, also at a conference, also at the Midland Manchester for the same reason.

Michael then travelled the penultimate leg of this journey visiting the seaside town and former fishing town of Bridlington which I have only visited once on a day trip. It has a large and wide Sandy beach and one of the best looking station forecourts in the UK. He then continued to Hull which I have visited by train from Newcastle in the early 1970’s, from Beverley, from Leeds and York and from London as well as several visits by car. The city has changed beyond recognition, especially after the creation of M 62 motorway from Liverpool via Manchester, the development of higher education with two universities, and radical changes to the docks which have been modernised into a developing container port. The Fishing industry collapsed all along the Yorkshire coast after the cod wars although is being revised as Red Mullet and Bass and other fish migrate further north from the warmer Mediterranean waters.

The final stretch is from Filey to Scarborough. I do not think I have been to Filey made known for the Butlin’s Holiday camp and nearby Flamborough Head which has several hundred thousands birds nesting throughout the season.

I have stayed a few days holiday at Scarborough as well as for a conference and several long day trips. I missed one opportunity to attend the annual Cricket festival at which Yorkshire has played Durham some years and I once turned down an invitation to be short listed as the Chief Executive. Scarborough became as fashionable as Torquay, the Riviera of the North vis-à-vis that of the south west. Scarborough is very hilly and the use of a cable lift is merited to get from the sea front up to the town centre. I had planned to stay at the Grand Hotel which has 365 rooms all different, 12 floors and four corners, but so far have not made it. I once attended an evening variety show and then travelled over the moors home arriving in the early hours. I also got up at dawn and travelled back to the office after an overnight stay in one of the most invigorating car journeys of my life. The sun shone and it was glorious.
with the intimate details of their exploits.

As I said Piers Morgan has seemed to me too clever and brash by more than a half. He has a wannabe high life style, something which appears to come more naturally to Michael Portillo. His full name is Piers Stefan O’Meara (Pughe-Morgan).

He was born in 1965 the youngest of four children to the artist Gabrielle O’Meara whose husband Vincent died when Piers was only one year of age. His mother subsequently married Glynne Pughe-Morgan. Piers started in journalism in South London but his style attracted interest from Fleet Street and was recruited to the Sun newspaper group and became the youngest Editor of the scandal Sunday, the News of the World at the age of 28, the youngest appointed editor for several decades. He then became the editor of the Daily Mirror.

All appeared to be going to well until he became involved in an Insider share dealing scandal from which he was cleared but two financial journalists on the paper were sacked. As the circulation of all the major popular dailies fell he became the subject of an elaborate hoax in which photographs appeared to show British Army soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners leading to his being sacked. He then became involved in several newspaper publishing ventures including a weekly newspaper for children.

It was only in 2006 that Piers re-established himself as a major media figure when joining the American show America’s Got Talent said to have been chosen by Simon Cowell to replace himself when he launched he British version. In 2008 Piers joined the Britain’s Got Talent team. Last year he commenced three programmes on the world’s high maintenance high lifers visiting Dubai, Monte Carlo and Hollywood and this year has seen him in Las Vegas, Marbella and Shanghai.
It is the programme on Shanghai which has interested me most as it brought me up to date with what has become the greatest and most powerful city conurbation in the world and the shop window for the capitalist dictatorship of the People’s Republic of China Empire. It will hold a business and commercial international exhibition this year which will outclass the holding of the Olympic games. The city is said to be the home of over ten thousand multi millionaires, many of them female as interviewed by Piers Morgan in the programme. The city has a skyline to rival New York and Dubai including the tallest hotel. Because the country is a one party dictatorship there are no problems about planning permissions, or moving populations to make way for developments or to create new cities and towns. The city state has a population approaching 20 million and is richer than the UK economy and has been growing exponentially in contrast to the UK decline. It is the busiest cargo port in the world, compare that to the disappearance of London as a port and the contrasts become even more evident.

I am enjoying the Portillo journey’s full of nostalgia for me and representing the attempt by communities to overcome the loss of an empire and the consequential trading power, control of the high seas and financial capital. I do not enjoy the Piers Morgan programmes although they are an accurate picture of our Brave New Commercial and Cultural World. I fear what I see, not for me, but for the future of the United Kingdom and its people.

1865 Fantasy Life: Avatar and Babylon 5

Friday January 22nd 2010 became supreme fantasy day with a visit to see Avator and the lines drawn in Babylon 5. I was well prepared for the film and managed to get to the first showing of the day at 12.40 Cineworld Bolden where my seat voucher was accepted plus £1.80 for the 3D and 80p for the special glasses which one can keep. On my first visit to contemporary 3D after decades passing since the use of hand held cardboard with a red and green lenses I had paid the additional fees at the Dome Odeon in London and the glasses had to be handed back. There was also a significant improvement in the process as the screen size did not altar and the depth of viewing and the proximity to projectiles was significantly better. I was therefore greatly impressed with the 3D process.

The film was also publicised as the new benchmark for creating lifelike colourful and movement animation. The film lives up to expectation and is worth the ticket money for the combined experience. But what of Avatar as a film? Lasting two and half hour you are projected into a different world, actually onto a different planet and a conventional story of anti US militarism, colonialism and international corporation capitalism versus environmentalism and nature. Only the bankers were absent although greedy shareholders were not.

The concept was brilliant. A government supported with the latest weaponry mining corporation was moving over a planet stealing essential minerals by force of arms and exterminating the natives if they proved unwilling to get out of the way, but like the USA did to native Americans, the Brits to Africa and Asia, Australians to the aborigines, the Spanish to middle and Latin America, the Romans to Europe and the Middle East, China is doing now. The Russians and Germans were more ideological wanting totalitarian domination as well as economic wealth, as were the Catholics and the Muslims. And as with all conquering and exploiting races you begin with offering colourful beads and education. The brilliant part was create a creature with the same physical characteristics as the natives, a blue skinned lithe humanoid with a mane and tail and of great agility in terms of climbing and crossing the narrowest of pathways suspended at fantastical heights, but controlled by a human being who experienced everything that happened while encased in a communications pod within the breathable confines of the space station. The atmosphere on the planet is such that without breathing apparatus you not survive within a few minutes.

Sigourney Weaver is the Chief Scientist heading the contact project who before the film story commences had failed in an attempt to persuade the people to cooperate with the exploitation and semi destruction of their planet by through her own Avatar making contact and living with one of the tribes and learning each other’s languages. The tribes are primitive in wearing the briefest of clothing for functional purposes and film audiences, and use bows and arrow for hunting and protection from hostile creatures with whom they share the planet. However they are sophisticated in their understanding of nature and its interconnectivity. They have a unique ability to bond with creatures, such as a form of horses and a prehistoric type of bird. They are also able to connect with each other and their ancestors through a special kind of tree and they have respect for all life so that when they kill a creature for food or in self defence they and give thanks and mourn the passing. I was reminded by the work of James Burke and his book Connections.

The enterprise is run by a weak chief executive which is unlikely, and the worst kind of redneck general which is again unlikely, and the weaponry which includes large robotic vehicles for individuals and the helicopters and gun craft are all heavy metalled and cumbersome which is again unlikely. The story line is laboured and predictable and the script is basic. Some of the action sequences were self indulgent attempts to show what the latest film technological advances can do.

Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington, is a loyal American serviceman who has lost the use of his legs in a campaign and comes out to the planet to replace his twin brother who had been trained to use the Avatar already in preparation. He has no difficulty in accepting the request to keep the General constantly updated with intelligence about the tribe to which he becomes attached and he also quickly gains the confidence of the science director. His first trip into the new world nearly ends quickly in disaster but he is rescued by the daughter of the head of the tribe after he appears to have a special connection with the environment and about which she is anxious to report to her parents. Her brother and the man she is expected to mate are hostile to the new arrival especially when the mother who is a kind of spiritual mentor assigns her daughter to educate the Jake Avator in their ways. He provides the kind of entree which the science director and the military have been seeking and both give him considerable leeway during a three month period to persuade the tribe to move to a different area as the corporation wants to mine the minerals which happen to be located under their homeland a giant tree within which they live. In order not to be under the daily control of the military and the corporation executives Sigourney moves the control centre for herself and Jake onto one of the floating mountains which is another of cinematic tricks in the film. Understandably working on daily basis in such proximity with the daughter of the tribal leader they become attracted and as is often the position of those who work undercover with a group or cult for any length of time the begins to identify with their comrades vales and objectives rather than retaining those of their employers or their own culture.

The situation comes to a head when the corporation starts to move onto the tribes immediate homeland without notice when their plea to be allowed to persuade the tribe to move is agreed but quickly fails, the General moves in to destroy the tree and then when the tribe supported by others resists, the General gets permission to bomb them and their home land especially the sacred tree of their ancestors. There is then a dramatic encounter between the highly organised and equipped military forces and the guerrilla forces led by the Avator who has admitted his original purpose and been ostracised until he manages to bond and harness the greatest bird in the sky as a symbol that he has the will and the ability to help them combat the corporation. There is then a battle of skill and wits in which the tribe are supported by creatures previously their enemies. When Sigourney is fatally wounded there is an attempt to transfer her psyche into the Avatar to make it an independent functioning member of the society but she is too weak although her being is incorporated into the tree. After they have successfully beaten the earth force in battle and driven back to their dying planet Jake successfully transmute from his disabled body in a fully functioning member of the tribe as the consort of the leader’s daughter.

The film has been long in the making with an initial script outline in 1994 and planning for production in 1999 but held back when the Director James Cameron of Titanic realised the technology was not yet available to realise the project as conceived, The film having reputedly cost half a billion dollars to produce and already raised a one billion presently running second to his previous epic Titanic. Two sequels are already planned with the usual spin offs of books, toys, including computer games DVD’s special Director’s editions and so on. Others will also seek ways to use the new technology and Sky has announced it is bringing 3D to TV.

Babylon 5 reached the point in the whole series when the two demarcations lines are drawn: Dust to Dust. Exogenesis, Message from Earth, Point of No Return, and Severed Dreams are episodes 6 to 10 of the third season. Dust to dust is a divertissement with a purpose. The Dust in question is similar to manufactured Promicin of the 4400, in this instance to create telepathic powers. The head Psi Corps investigator comes to Babylon aware that a large quantity of the drug is being traded and requires the help of the Commander. Sheridan who agrees but enlists the help of Minbari telepaths to bloc the agent‘s use of his power during the investigation. What is not discovered is that the shipment has been ordered by G’Kar and he uses a sample on Londo to establish his role in the recent war. He also has a revelation about the future following the intervention of Ambassador Kosh. Finding about Londo’s role leads him to physically assault the Narn Ambassador which leads to his confinement for two months. With the help of Security Chief Garibaldi Psi Corps are able to stop the transaction and recover the Dust and where outside the main action the audience learns Psi Corp had developed as part of its bid to gain power within the Earth Alliance. This is not the first time that audience is provided with information which the Babylon management team is yet to learn.

A second divertissement is Exogenesis in which the main story concerns an ancient civilization of beings, the Vindrizi whose primary functions is become personal recordings of all the information that has gone before. Their physical form is small so they inhabit willing hosts to travel the universe and on Babylon have offered a future to members of the underclass, and as in the 4400 not everyone is a suitable host.

In order to assess the suitability of someone appointed to the senior command, Ivanova, invites him to her quarters for a get to know you session suitability to become a member of the Conspiracy of Light. He is unsure of the nature of the invitation and brings some flowers which he pretends he found. Ivanova decides that he should not be invited into the Conspiracy and that the flowers were bought by Marcus who has been trying to date her.

In Messages from Earth, Marcus who has become the senior Ranger brings a member for the former Interplanetary Expeditions to explain that when working on Mars a space craft was uncovered which was of a construction that had not been seen before. From her description it is evident this was a Shadows Craft and that a few days later another arrived and both ships disappeared. She and the tam were ordered by Earth to keep what happened secret and since then the other members of the team has met their deaths and she was under constant threat. Now another vessel has been uncovered and earth force plans for a human to merge into the craft and then use it. Sheridan takes the Whitestar, the Minbari donated craft, to try and prevent Earth from making use of the Shadow Craft. Unfortunately they arrived just as the Earth pilot attempts to gain control but he is has not been adequately prepared and loses control of the craft which becomes unstable but still ale to destroy the base where it was located and to pursue the Whitestar. It is only a clever manoeuvre which prevents their destruction and which causes the destruction of the Shadow enemy. However before they can escape they encounter an earth ship which orders them to surrender and they have to make another speculative manoeuvre to get back to the Space Station. The episode includes a scene which marks growing intimacy in the relationship between Delenn and Sheridan. He speak of his childhood and as a young man studying who found rain on the roof as a way of getting to sleep when he was tense and before one important examination his father had got a hose to create the effect of rain on the roof.

Back on the space station the Nightwatch are being prepared for developments ahead and members asked to report anything suspicious about anyone whatever their position on the station. The absence of Sheridan from the station for several days is noted.

In Point of No Return the Earth Government announces a state of emergency and that Nightwatch is to take control of the security on Babylon 5 and that only vetted members of Nightwatch can become Members, thus posing a challenge for Garibaldi and some of the others although the majority sign on despite Garibaldi’s pleas and he is deposed and his deputy placed in charge. When Sheridan is ordered to comply, his superior puts it in terms which enables the Commander to work out that as the Order came via the political office, it was unconstitutional and with the help of G’Kar and his Narns they capture the Nightwatch Security, disarm and hold them in custody, knowing that they only have a matter of days before those on Earth regularise the position and give Sheridan a legitimate order and raise further issues about his loyalty to the new order.

General Hague announces his opposition and has commenced a counter coup with some support of other Earth space ships. The Senators barricade themselves after being abolished calling in the population to act as a human shield As a second story London who is tormented by his dreams has invited a wife of the former head of the Centauri on a visit to the station and she immediately wants to know his real purpose. He admit that he wants her to use her special powers to foresee his future. She agrees to do this at the end of the visit. She pleases Londo by saying that she does foresee him becoming the head of state, but she then shocks him and his former assistant Vir, even more so, by adding that he too will also become head of state with one following the other after the first has died. Prior to this Vir had returned to Babylon 5 on a visit from his special posting to Minbari. He is seeking Londo’s advice on his factually accurate report on the cultural and educations standards of the Minbari. The moral of the people and there general state. London wants Vir to fundamentally change the report because it is not what the new leadership would want to hear. After the news of Vir’s future he becomes suspicious and hostile towards his former assistant and friend. Vir is bemused by the prediction that he will become the Emperor

In the last episode of the week, there is open revolt against the new Earth Dictatorship among the colonial outposts and by General Hague and a small contingent of space fighting craft. After a battle between the forces, the General’s ship comes to Babylon for repairs, announcing that the General has died in the battle. The Earth Force has began to bomb Mars who are refusing to accept the orders of the new regime.

Coinciding with the developing crisis Delenn is informed that the Shadows are on the move and enlisting support from non aligned races and returns to the Minbar to speak to the ruling Grey Council of which she was a member for over a decade. They refuse to give her a hearing so she insists. Meanwhile Earth has sent a force to apprehend the General’s ship and take command of the Space Station. Sheridan debates what to do and consults his father back on Earth who tells him to follow his conscience and while not starting any conflict to make sure he is the one to finish. The station with the help of the General’s ship and its defence force repels the attack, but just when they breathe a sigh of relief, a further Earth battle group arrives and as Sheridan realises they have failed and will have to surrender, Delenn arrives with four Minbari fighting ships advises the Earth force to withdraw, reminding them that only one Commander managed to defeat a Minbari ship in the war, and that he was Commander Sheridan. They wisely withdraw.
The Commander announces that the station has become Independent of Earth and will allows anyone who wishes to leave to do so, including Nightwatch supporters. The Commander explains why the action ahs been taken and thus the battle lines for the future have been drawn

On earth in the reality of today, the Home Office has announced the second highest rate of alertness, which means a Terrorist attack is likely. The highest level is when an attack is known to be imminent. Fact frequently follows fantasy.