6am. Having risen three times, discontented but familiar waking dreams, I rise sleepily and play games for 35 minutes with continuing a chess winning streak, level two, to 35 games and Keeping my short run of Hearts at 21% , alternative over the week with 20% but not lower, then work on the overnight Blog before concentrating on the in tray and decide to write the day as the hours which is the basic construction of the work which governs my life now.
7am. Continued writing and then stop for coffee and two toasts. I am satisfied with the rewrite.
8am The writing is almost done but I break to put out the wheelie bin and to water those plants under cover and which do not get rain. I consider getting a water barrel for one of the corners nearest the house. That would be an environmentally friendly decision and could add to savings when I arrange the water meter good. As a consequence of watering there is water down one sleeve so I need to change the jackets I tend to wear in house saving shirts for when I go out. It is a damp cold morning which lowers spirits.
9am. I have commenced some work. Last night I had a horrendous time with the printer as four cartridges had to be changed in three separate instances and this led to some not being recognised and other issues which was frustrating and irritating. I complete a Culture 2008 set and upload and print the Blog and decided on another coffee before tackling the communications in tray. The spirit is low and I am already physically tired from being up so early.
10am. Spirits raised by listening to Andrew Marr's Start of the Week on BBC 4because of the contribution of two writers. I miss the first part of the programme where the conversation appears to have been about the long of Iranian middle class culture. I first listen to an English liberal environmentalist who has written a story about an American from Wyoming, born on the freeway, spending his youth with cattle and horses and then goes into oil drilling as his father and grandfather had done only to die with a small reference in the local paper along with three others and leads the author to investigate what happened and his life, and to create what is said to be a powerful work reproducing the speech and thought patterns of the community, a good feat for an English woman
What attracts my attention is the description of once open wild landscape which is now said to take only half a day to cross because the rest has given way to intense drilling for oil and gas such is the U.S response to the real global challenge with is not in fact global warming but the demand for energy. The programme stops at this point to continue the literary discussion. I switch off mentally to consider the irony, the horrendous poetically justice of western capitalism so intent on expanding markets to increase profits and destroy communism that it had created new monster economies which will quickly subordinate those economies which do not have their own energy resources to meet domestic demand.
The second writer, also a musician, comes from India and is attempting to redefine and progress his cultural identity from the post colonial position of the past decades into the new India which is re-establishing its ancient history and making constructive use of the colonial legacy. He conjured what is likely to remain the best concept for many a day The Empire writes back.
On a different note, I receive invitations to order Mediterranean and Asian meals for home delivery about once a week. This time it was from Danaroso in Fredericke Street, over a mile away whereas I have over half a dozen take away and deliverers of meals 100 to 150 yards away. I have to spend over £9 to get free delivery. It is wasteful marketing but suggests desperation through overprovision at a time when everyone is looking at ways to save money. Later going through the box I come across another offer of the delivery of Chinese food, also from Fredericke Street.
11am Progress is slow even with a second cup of coffee. I am reminded of when I worked in an office for most of the day and hated having to tackle the delay my own personal in-tray, although I had full control over the amount of the and nature of its content, as the decision to allocate work, including the incoming communications was mine.
I had quickly learnt that in a situation where politicians expected you to know everything of relevance to their interests there were three methods for ensuring that you were not caught out. The first was to quickly read through the morning papers, the Journal and the Northern Echo and two evening papers, the Newcastle Chronicle and the Shields Gazette. I also had delivered to my home the Sunderland Echo. I could have asked someone else to go through the papers for me, but I knew better than anyone else what issues would be of interest to Councillors and what issues might be raised by colleagues in other departments of the local authority, together to those issues which were of other importance. I had also learnt the value of keeping one eye on the hatches, matches and dispatches.
The second method was to see all the incoming post and copies of all Headquarters' post sent out by management. I had learnt the need to do this from the first head I had worked for although she went further and insisted on receiving copies of the notes required on all phone calls and which because she was away a lot from holding a national position she would work through a pile of 1000 messages at a time. I did not open the post myself and the preliminary allocation was made by administration, and after a couple of years or so it was rare for me to alter the allocations and I tried to avoid doing so as we kept a record of everything received and when and to whom it was allocated. This was important to avoid accusations that communications had been received and then lost but it was more important that I knew what everyone was doing and could reallocated if it became important to do so. The post trolley was then available for the rest of management to see what had come in and where allocated if they wished, and to collect, or have collected their individual in-coming mails. An additional copy of all outgoing mail was collated and then circulated to the senior management in rotation. No one could complain that that they were not kept informed. This was additional to the weekly Monday morning meeting to review the activities of the week ahead or the circulation of the weekly activities sheet in which we all listed our planned engagements. In addition to knowing who would be in the office and who would not, it ensured that we had one appropriate representative at every political and officer meeting when required or when we believe it was in the interests of our service to have representation. It also helped to avoid duplicating representation. The third method was keep a register of all formal complaints received throughout the department. This indicated the brief nature of the complaint, when it was received, who was investigating and responding and when the matter was dealt with. Any anonymous list was circulated to the Committee each month so Councillors could raise an issue if they wished although this rarely happened and most approached the officer dealing with the matter if the complainant raised concerns with individual councillors. I saw all replies where I had not asked to receive the draft and accompanying papers. Most of colleagues around the country did not pay similar attention to detail and some immediately passed on anything directed at them or arranged for their secretary or deputy to do so when they were absent from the department and relied on briefings when they returned to the office, or subordinate colleagues decided they should be briefed. The majority of these individuals failed to survive long although some did by concentrating on being loved, visiting their empire in much the same way royalty visits and responding to the enquiries of Councillors in such manner that they appeared to support everyone and every interest, so that when things went wrong there was always someone else to blame.
However this hands on approach meant that I had an active in tray which I would sort into priorities but then try and work through on a daily basis in so far as information was immediately available and did not have to be obtained from others. I was much happier when I was able to concentrate on one issue at a time rather than juggling through the wide variety of issue covering the interests of residential, day care, domiciliary and fieldwork, policy, finance, personnel and other administration issues and any of the client interests divided broadly between children, the elderly, mental and physical disabilities. It still amazes that I and others managed to overcome the handicap of being trained and working in only one aspect of a service jumping overnight into taking responsibility for one aspect and not another. I still prefer concentrating on one subject rather than going through an in tray which now covers only the range of personal, household, work and personal interest activities.
12 noon. I have sent a text for a new cheque book for the first time. I have sent my subscription and a support donation to the Calne, Wiltshire Heritage centre and advised of the death of my mother whose grandfather left the town in the 1865, three months after the deaths of his father and his mother to join a British Arm regiment the 29th of Foot. I also telephone to enquire why my subscription as a Friend of redeveloped Tyneside Cinema has not arrived. This reminds that yesterday evening there was an excellent programme about Television cities, an edition about Tyneside on TV and film. This included shots from the four Catherine Cookson films with scenes at Marsden Beach, Rocks and Grotto, including of before part of the arched rock became so dangerous that it had to be blown up. There was film and photos of the early days when the Grotto was developed into a living and working structure. There were shots of the Tyne Bridge, the Gateshead Car park and other scenes from Get Carter, including the final beach scene which the local council subsequently made into a naturist beach until local opposition made using the beach impossible. It was also one According to the film footage it was also one of the most inappropriate locations for such a beach in the North East. There was also the history of the two ships converted into a night club, two because the first was taken to Glasgow as an expansion while now 25 years later the lease of the second is not being renewed. I decide on an early lunch with the main course a stir fry using the rest of the shoulder of lamb. I have set aside until later in the month renewal of the House insurances.
1pm. I enjoyed making and eating the stir fry which contained the lamb, an onion and a yellow pepper, the remains of the tout mange and a good portion of the bean sprouts with sufficient left for another fry later in the week, noodles and chilli sauce. I watched Bargain Hunt and the news headlines which gave the impression that the Prime Minister Gordon aims to impose his authority on his Parliamentary colleagues through insisting on the change from detention without charge from 28 to 42 days in restricted circumstances involving reference to Parliament. It will be interesting to see how this works out now that the Members have returned to Westminster after visiting their constituencies.
Yves St Laurent has died at 71, another contemporary reminds me to make the most of the hours. There is a good piece in the Sun on line about the 14 year of winner of Britain's Got Talent where it is revealed that he was advised by Simon to redo the semi final routine after rehearsing new one. This confirms the extent to which the final show was controlled and possibly the outcome. The bank has Text back to confirm that new cheque book will be issued. I am impressed with that. The cost of my text 3p compared to 32p for a postage stamp. Ericksson is sacked by Man City which suggests that Mr Grant of Chelsea may be on his way there in the Merry Go Round, although the subsequent front runner is said to be Mr Hughes of Blackburn. The Sun also has a provocative headline that Kate Moss has lost her panties; that is her half a million a year contract with Agent Provocative underwear to a Brazilian socialite aged 17 years and with a ring through her nose. She has also lost contracts to Burberry and Yves St Laurent, The Sun tells her not to mind the loss of income in excess of 1.5 million a year as she can be expected to get the Coke contract. Ha Ha.
2pm Whereas the news is all about the credit crunch with the Bradford and Bingley showing a loss over the first quarter it shares falls again from 74 to 65 pence having been £4 a year ago, I received yet another invitation for a new special Credit Card. I took a break and did the washing up and then as it looked as if the Spring bulbs had dried out I commenced to cut away the dead growth but found that some water had crept in from table top spillages so the task could not be completed. I will leave sorting out the bulbs into their types later but given the increase in containers I envisage an additional supply in for next season. That is optimism.
3pm I have written before of the importance of having attended a Henley International Senior Management course in the mid 1980's and I continue to receive the annual invitation to Alumni member's annual garden party day which used to take place during Henley regatta week although as boat trips on the river Thames are mentioned this suggests a different time. There is Music on the Lawn, Tombola on the Terrace, a Pimms Bar, Strawberries and Cream, with a BBQ or Fish and Chips available noon until 3 and traditional cream scones tea available. There are the usual activities available of swimming, badminton, tennis, squash, boule and croquet and a number of activities for children including the Smartie Artie Magic and Puppet Show. The serious aspect of the newsletter is that the College has decided to become part of the University of Reading as its Henley Business School although the change will require approval of the Charity Commissioners and the Privy Council. I was also impressed to see that the chairs of the 23 branches of the International Alumni Association also had a meeting at the college, including from Malta. The black Tie annual Alumni Ball is to be held in October with tickets £100 and the evening aiming to raise £25000 for the Scholarship Fund. I was never actively involved in that world but my former involvement has become part of the fog of the past which I am now clearing.
4pm The first In-Tray going though was completed before four so I decided to see what was on TV while I sorted material suitable for set work from, material which was then junked, (the major amount), and from that held in trolley trays for possible future reference and that which still required some action. Yesterday I watched part of the Sign of the Four the Sherlock Holmes mystery and today I was able to see the rest while continuing to work completing some developments sets, start one for Durham Cricket some registration cards for a political record
5pm A cup of tea and slices of smoked salmon with lemon on Hovis bread before going to post the DVD's and the letter to the Calne Heritage centre. It is a fine evening but I had to drag myself up and out and decided against taking the rucksack for a supermarket visit I watch a familiar episode of PD James Inspector Dalglesh. I will go sometime tomorrow for rolls for Wednesday's quarter final at Chester Le Street. I forgot to mention yesterday day that Durham won the four day county game at Sussex in three days after a disastrous when they were 15 runs for wickets in reply to Sussex first Innings of over 200, however there was then a partnership of 200 between Smith and Blenkenstein, each getting a century. A Steve Harmison Hat Trick helped to reduce the Sussex second Innings to 212 which left Durham with just over 100 runs to win which they were able to achieve with difficulty thus bringing their second win of the season and a move to mid table with one or two game sin hand over those above, the position could improve again this weekend.
6 pm A glass of red wine and a small dish of peanuts. Among continuing work activities was the preparation a new composite ream of coloured cards. The standard ream is 250 with five colours but I also have older reams of single colours pastel shades, making a total of seven colours which I interspersed one of each colour to create a master ream of 500 which is used to stick on materials such as tickets, cut outs from used food packaging, notes, cuts out from newspapers which means something in terms of my day or days past. Of course this kind of montage making is old hat in terms of contemporary art, except that what I do represents my past in a considered way as well as my present. The Baltic is hold a SMART Arts course to help people understand what contemporary art is all about.
7pm The World's Got Talent. Piers Morgan has taken over the world as no sooner is his stint on Britain's Got talent finished does the American version appear on our screens this weekend where he is also one of the judges and then tonight he is hosting a collection of clips from the world wide programmes from Russia, Israel, Norway and lots from the USA. Some of the judges comments in the recent series are better understood as it is evident that many of the acts this season have followed on from those in other countries which featured last year. I eat a prepared small pasta dish with broccoli for tea
8 pm Ice cream and some work confidential.
9pm-11pm This is England Channel 4 film was being a shown on a day when yet another teenager is reported to have died in London from multiple stab wounds although in this instance a man twice her age rather than another teenager has been arrested. The death is but one of a succession of young lives brutally ends over the past two years and is symptomatic of a streak in English culture which has been there for generations and which boils over every few years or so and which is beyond sticking plaster political remedies and where punitive and custodial measures only enhance status and reinforce positioning within the under culture.
The film is an accurate portrayal of skin head, racist, football hooligan mentality and culture and contains an outstanding performance from a boy who was fourteen years of age Thomas Turgoose playing a twelve year old whose father was killed in the Falklands War and who is bullied at school. On such a day when he has been in a fight and given corporal punishment at school, he comes across and gang of older youths, including a mixed race lad and someone who is educationally disabled. They adopt the boy into the gang. He is given a skin head hair cut, a check shirt and braces and his mother is persuaded to buy him boots. The gang leader has a regular girl friend as does the mixed race lad and other girls associate themselves with the gang including a girl who appears to be much older than Thomas because of the extreme difference in heights as he is of small build and she is tall. She initiates him into a boy girl relationship and become his official girl friend. She is called Smell for Michelle.
Although the group drink and smoke they are relative harmless and offer Thomas considerable emotional support especially when they find out about the death of his dad. However everything changes when the former leader of the group returns from prison having done the time for a crime committed by the present gang leader and where we subsequently learn he had slept one night with the girl friend when she was only sixteen and drunk.
It is not evident the extent to which Combo (Stephen Graham) was already a violent man holding extreme right wing national front beliefs before going to prison but once out of prison he sets on taking over the gang and Thomas is one of those who join him and is taken to a National Front meeting held at a secret location. In response to the incitement of the meeting the new gang raid a shop run by an Asian. One member defecates on the floor and leaves the owner terrorised and humiliated, and warned they will return whenever they feel like for cigarettes, drink and sweets.
The film climax follows the rejection of Combo by the girl friend of the former gang leader and unfortunately the person he next encounters is the mixed race lad and his girl friend. He is persuaded to leave the girl to go home on her own while he goes for dope for the new group but then all the anger and frustration of the recent rejection, and the earlier rejections of his life comes to the fore and he explodes battering the mixed race lad to death and turns on his other friends including Thomas. This is the turning point for Thomas and the audience is left believing that the relationship with his mother has returned to that before the death of his father and that he is rejecting the extremes of the life recently experienced. However this films deals with reality of their lives and we know he will be very lucky if he is able to break away into a different life, given the neighbourhood where they live and the school he attends. The boy's mother died of cancer during the making of the film and she was only able to see a small portion before her death. The firm maker dedicated the film to her and Thomas received a most promising newcomer award. The film was shot on estates in Nottingham and in Grimsby, the actual home town of Thomas. Because of overt racism, the violence and the language. the film was given an eighteen rating which meant that Thomas and teenagers in general were unable to see the film at public performance. Three Councils, two in London decided to overturn the rating to enable local teenagers to view the film, although how far they would influenced in a positive way is questionable.
11.11.30 pm note making. Half sandwich supper.
11.40pm- 1.30 am Play Hearts then confidential Correspondence and MySpace
7am. Continued writing and then stop for coffee and two toasts. I am satisfied with the rewrite.
8am The writing is almost done but I break to put out the wheelie bin and to water those plants under cover and which do not get rain. I consider getting a water barrel for one of the corners nearest the house. That would be an environmentally friendly decision and could add to savings when I arrange the water meter good. As a consequence of watering there is water down one sleeve so I need to change the jackets I tend to wear in house saving shirts for when I go out. It is a damp cold morning which lowers spirits.
9am. I have commenced some work. Last night I had a horrendous time with the printer as four cartridges had to be changed in three separate instances and this led to some not being recognised and other issues which was frustrating and irritating. I complete a Culture 2008 set and upload and print the Blog and decided on another coffee before tackling the communications in tray. The spirit is low and I am already physically tired from being up so early.
10am. Spirits raised by listening to Andrew Marr's Start of the Week on BBC 4because of the contribution of two writers. I miss the first part of the programme where the conversation appears to have been about the long of Iranian middle class culture. I first listen to an English liberal environmentalist who has written a story about an American from Wyoming, born on the freeway, spending his youth with cattle and horses and then goes into oil drilling as his father and grandfather had done only to die with a small reference in the local paper along with three others and leads the author to investigate what happened and his life, and to create what is said to be a powerful work reproducing the speech and thought patterns of the community, a good feat for an English woman
What attracts my attention is the description of once open wild landscape which is now said to take only half a day to cross because the rest has given way to intense drilling for oil and gas such is the U.S response to the real global challenge with is not in fact global warming but the demand for energy. The programme stops at this point to continue the literary discussion. I switch off mentally to consider the irony, the horrendous poetically justice of western capitalism so intent on expanding markets to increase profits and destroy communism that it had created new monster economies which will quickly subordinate those economies which do not have their own energy resources to meet domestic demand.
The second writer, also a musician, comes from India and is attempting to redefine and progress his cultural identity from the post colonial position of the past decades into the new India which is re-establishing its ancient history and making constructive use of the colonial legacy. He conjured what is likely to remain the best concept for many a day The Empire writes back.
On a different note, I receive invitations to order Mediterranean and Asian meals for home delivery about once a week. This time it was from Danaroso in Fredericke Street, over a mile away whereas I have over half a dozen take away and deliverers of meals 100 to 150 yards away. I have to spend over £9 to get free delivery. It is wasteful marketing but suggests desperation through overprovision at a time when everyone is looking at ways to save money. Later going through the box I come across another offer of the delivery of Chinese food, also from Fredericke Street.
11am Progress is slow even with a second cup of coffee. I am reminded of when I worked in an office for most of the day and hated having to tackle the delay my own personal in-tray, although I had full control over the amount of the and nature of its content, as the decision to allocate work, including the incoming communications was mine.
I had quickly learnt that in a situation where politicians expected you to know everything of relevance to their interests there were three methods for ensuring that you were not caught out. The first was to quickly read through the morning papers, the Journal and the Northern Echo and two evening papers, the Newcastle Chronicle and the Shields Gazette. I also had delivered to my home the Sunderland Echo. I could have asked someone else to go through the papers for me, but I knew better than anyone else what issues would be of interest to Councillors and what issues might be raised by colleagues in other departments of the local authority, together to those issues which were of other importance. I had also learnt the value of keeping one eye on the hatches, matches and dispatches.
The second method was to see all the incoming post and copies of all Headquarters' post sent out by management. I had learnt the need to do this from the first head I had worked for although she went further and insisted on receiving copies of the notes required on all phone calls and which because she was away a lot from holding a national position she would work through a pile of 1000 messages at a time. I did not open the post myself and the preliminary allocation was made by administration, and after a couple of years or so it was rare for me to alter the allocations and I tried to avoid doing so as we kept a record of everything received and when and to whom it was allocated. This was important to avoid accusations that communications had been received and then lost but it was more important that I knew what everyone was doing and could reallocated if it became important to do so. The post trolley was then available for the rest of management to see what had come in and where allocated if they wished, and to collect, or have collected their individual in-coming mails. An additional copy of all outgoing mail was collated and then circulated to the senior management in rotation. No one could complain that that they were not kept informed. This was additional to the weekly Monday morning meeting to review the activities of the week ahead or the circulation of the weekly activities sheet in which we all listed our planned engagements. In addition to knowing who would be in the office and who would not, it ensured that we had one appropriate representative at every political and officer meeting when required or when we believe it was in the interests of our service to have representation. It also helped to avoid duplicating representation. The third method was keep a register of all formal complaints received throughout the department. This indicated the brief nature of the complaint, when it was received, who was investigating and responding and when the matter was dealt with. Any anonymous list was circulated to the Committee each month so Councillors could raise an issue if they wished although this rarely happened and most approached the officer dealing with the matter if the complainant raised concerns with individual councillors. I saw all replies where I had not asked to receive the draft and accompanying papers. Most of colleagues around the country did not pay similar attention to detail and some immediately passed on anything directed at them or arranged for their secretary or deputy to do so when they were absent from the department and relied on briefings when they returned to the office, or subordinate colleagues decided they should be briefed. The majority of these individuals failed to survive long although some did by concentrating on being loved, visiting their empire in much the same way royalty visits and responding to the enquiries of Councillors in such manner that they appeared to support everyone and every interest, so that when things went wrong there was always someone else to blame.
However this hands on approach meant that I had an active in tray which I would sort into priorities but then try and work through on a daily basis in so far as information was immediately available and did not have to be obtained from others. I was much happier when I was able to concentrate on one issue at a time rather than juggling through the wide variety of issue covering the interests of residential, day care, domiciliary and fieldwork, policy, finance, personnel and other administration issues and any of the client interests divided broadly between children, the elderly, mental and physical disabilities. It still amazes that I and others managed to overcome the handicap of being trained and working in only one aspect of a service jumping overnight into taking responsibility for one aspect and not another. I still prefer concentrating on one subject rather than going through an in tray which now covers only the range of personal, household, work and personal interest activities.
12 noon. I have sent a text for a new cheque book for the first time. I have sent my subscription and a support donation to the Calne, Wiltshire Heritage centre and advised of the death of my mother whose grandfather left the town in the 1865, three months after the deaths of his father and his mother to join a British Arm regiment the 29th of Foot. I also telephone to enquire why my subscription as a Friend of redeveloped Tyneside Cinema has not arrived. This reminds that yesterday evening there was an excellent programme about Television cities, an edition about Tyneside on TV and film. This included shots from the four Catherine Cookson films with scenes at Marsden Beach, Rocks and Grotto, including of before part of the arched rock became so dangerous that it had to be blown up. There was film and photos of the early days when the Grotto was developed into a living and working structure. There were shots of the Tyne Bridge, the Gateshead Car park and other scenes from Get Carter, including the final beach scene which the local council subsequently made into a naturist beach until local opposition made using the beach impossible. It was also one According to the film footage it was also one of the most inappropriate locations for such a beach in the North East. There was also the history of the two ships converted into a night club, two because the first was taken to Glasgow as an expansion while now 25 years later the lease of the second is not being renewed. I decide on an early lunch with the main course a stir fry using the rest of the shoulder of lamb. I have set aside until later in the month renewal of the House insurances.
1pm. I enjoyed making and eating the stir fry which contained the lamb, an onion and a yellow pepper, the remains of the tout mange and a good portion of the bean sprouts with sufficient left for another fry later in the week, noodles and chilli sauce. I watched Bargain Hunt and the news headlines which gave the impression that the Prime Minister Gordon aims to impose his authority on his Parliamentary colleagues through insisting on the change from detention without charge from 28 to 42 days in restricted circumstances involving reference to Parliament. It will be interesting to see how this works out now that the Members have returned to Westminster after visiting their constituencies.
Yves St Laurent has died at 71, another contemporary reminds me to make the most of the hours. There is a good piece in the Sun on line about the 14 year of winner of Britain's Got Talent where it is revealed that he was advised by Simon to redo the semi final routine after rehearsing new one. This confirms the extent to which the final show was controlled and possibly the outcome. The bank has Text back to confirm that new cheque book will be issued. I am impressed with that. The cost of my text 3p compared to 32p for a postage stamp. Ericksson is sacked by Man City which suggests that Mr Grant of Chelsea may be on his way there in the Merry Go Round, although the subsequent front runner is said to be Mr Hughes of Blackburn. The Sun also has a provocative headline that Kate Moss has lost her panties; that is her half a million a year contract with Agent Provocative underwear to a Brazilian socialite aged 17 years and with a ring through her nose. She has also lost contracts to Burberry and Yves St Laurent, The Sun tells her not to mind the loss of income in excess of 1.5 million a year as she can be expected to get the Coke contract. Ha Ha.
2pm Whereas the news is all about the credit crunch with the Bradford and Bingley showing a loss over the first quarter it shares falls again from 74 to 65 pence having been £4 a year ago, I received yet another invitation for a new special Credit Card. I took a break and did the washing up and then as it looked as if the Spring bulbs had dried out I commenced to cut away the dead growth but found that some water had crept in from table top spillages so the task could not be completed. I will leave sorting out the bulbs into their types later but given the increase in containers I envisage an additional supply in for next season. That is optimism.
3pm I have written before of the importance of having attended a Henley International Senior Management course in the mid 1980's and I continue to receive the annual invitation to Alumni member's annual garden party day which used to take place during Henley regatta week although as boat trips on the river Thames are mentioned this suggests a different time. There is Music on the Lawn, Tombola on the Terrace, a Pimms Bar, Strawberries and Cream, with a BBQ or Fish and Chips available noon until 3 and traditional cream scones tea available. There are the usual activities available of swimming, badminton, tennis, squash, boule and croquet and a number of activities for children including the Smartie Artie Magic and Puppet Show. The serious aspect of the newsletter is that the College has decided to become part of the University of Reading as its Henley Business School although the change will require approval of the Charity Commissioners and the Privy Council. I was also impressed to see that the chairs of the 23 branches of the International Alumni Association also had a meeting at the college, including from Malta. The black Tie annual Alumni Ball is to be held in October with tickets £100 and the evening aiming to raise £25000 for the Scholarship Fund. I was never actively involved in that world but my former involvement has become part of the fog of the past which I am now clearing.
4pm The first In-Tray going though was completed before four so I decided to see what was on TV while I sorted material suitable for set work from, material which was then junked, (the major amount), and from that held in trolley trays for possible future reference and that which still required some action. Yesterday I watched part of the Sign of the Four the Sherlock Holmes mystery and today I was able to see the rest while continuing to work completing some developments sets, start one for Durham Cricket some registration cards for a political record
5pm A cup of tea and slices of smoked salmon with lemon on Hovis bread before going to post the DVD's and the letter to the Calne Heritage centre. It is a fine evening but I had to drag myself up and out and decided against taking the rucksack for a supermarket visit I watch a familiar episode of PD James Inspector Dalglesh. I will go sometime tomorrow for rolls for Wednesday's quarter final at Chester Le Street. I forgot to mention yesterday day that Durham won the four day county game at Sussex in three days after a disastrous when they were 15 runs for wickets in reply to Sussex first Innings of over 200, however there was then a partnership of 200 between Smith and Blenkenstein, each getting a century. A Steve Harmison Hat Trick helped to reduce the Sussex second Innings to 212 which left Durham with just over 100 runs to win which they were able to achieve with difficulty thus bringing their second win of the season and a move to mid table with one or two game sin hand over those above, the position could improve again this weekend.
6 pm A glass of red wine and a small dish of peanuts. Among continuing work activities was the preparation a new composite ream of coloured cards. The standard ream is 250 with five colours but I also have older reams of single colours pastel shades, making a total of seven colours which I interspersed one of each colour to create a master ream of 500 which is used to stick on materials such as tickets, cut outs from used food packaging, notes, cuts out from newspapers which means something in terms of my day or days past. Of course this kind of montage making is old hat in terms of contemporary art, except that what I do represents my past in a considered way as well as my present. The Baltic is hold a SMART Arts course to help people understand what contemporary art is all about.
7pm The World's Got Talent. Piers Morgan has taken over the world as no sooner is his stint on Britain's Got talent finished does the American version appear on our screens this weekend where he is also one of the judges and then tonight he is hosting a collection of clips from the world wide programmes from Russia, Israel, Norway and lots from the USA. Some of the judges comments in the recent series are better understood as it is evident that many of the acts this season have followed on from those in other countries which featured last year. I eat a prepared small pasta dish with broccoli for tea
8 pm Ice cream and some work confidential.
9pm-11pm This is England Channel 4 film was being a shown on a day when yet another teenager is reported to have died in London from multiple stab wounds although in this instance a man twice her age rather than another teenager has been arrested. The death is but one of a succession of young lives brutally ends over the past two years and is symptomatic of a streak in English culture which has been there for generations and which boils over every few years or so and which is beyond sticking plaster political remedies and where punitive and custodial measures only enhance status and reinforce positioning within the under culture.
The film is an accurate portrayal of skin head, racist, football hooligan mentality and culture and contains an outstanding performance from a boy who was fourteen years of age Thomas Turgoose playing a twelve year old whose father was killed in the Falklands War and who is bullied at school. On such a day when he has been in a fight and given corporal punishment at school, he comes across and gang of older youths, including a mixed race lad and someone who is educationally disabled. They adopt the boy into the gang. He is given a skin head hair cut, a check shirt and braces and his mother is persuaded to buy him boots. The gang leader has a regular girl friend as does the mixed race lad and other girls associate themselves with the gang including a girl who appears to be much older than Thomas because of the extreme difference in heights as he is of small build and she is tall. She initiates him into a boy girl relationship and become his official girl friend. She is called Smell for Michelle.
Although the group drink and smoke they are relative harmless and offer Thomas considerable emotional support especially when they find out about the death of his dad. However everything changes when the former leader of the group returns from prison having done the time for a crime committed by the present gang leader and where we subsequently learn he had slept one night with the girl friend when she was only sixteen and drunk.
It is not evident the extent to which Combo (Stephen Graham) was already a violent man holding extreme right wing national front beliefs before going to prison but once out of prison he sets on taking over the gang and Thomas is one of those who join him and is taken to a National Front meeting held at a secret location. In response to the incitement of the meeting the new gang raid a shop run by an Asian. One member defecates on the floor and leaves the owner terrorised and humiliated, and warned they will return whenever they feel like for cigarettes, drink and sweets.
The film climax follows the rejection of Combo by the girl friend of the former gang leader and unfortunately the person he next encounters is the mixed race lad and his girl friend. He is persuaded to leave the girl to go home on her own while he goes for dope for the new group but then all the anger and frustration of the recent rejection, and the earlier rejections of his life comes to the fore and he explodes battering the mixed race lad to death and turns on his other friends including Thomas. This is the turning point for Thomas and the audience is left believing that the relationship with his mother has returned to that before the death of his father and that he is rejecting the extremes of the life recently experienced. However this films deals with reality of their lives and we know he will be very lucky if he is able to break away into a different life, given the neighbourhood where they live and the school he attends. The boy's mother died of cancer during the making of the film and she was only able to see a small portion before her death. The firm maker dedicated the film to her and Thomas received a most promising newcomer award. The film was shot on estates in Nottingham and in Grimsby, the actual home town of Thomas. Because of overt racism, the violence and the language. the film was given an eighteen rating which meant that Thomas and teenagers in general were unable to see the film at public performance. Three Councils, two in London decided to overturn the rating to enable local teenagers to view the film, although how far they would influenced in a positive way is questionable.
11.11.30 pm note making. Half sandwich supper.
11.40pm- 1.30 am Play Hearts then confidential Correspondence and MySpace
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