1903 Hamlet, MP's Expenses and Sport

I begin with the Opera Hamlet, and then the sporting events of Sunday and other TV viewing, then give an update on the opening of the County Cricket season with Durham playing a relatively unknown MCC side in Abu Dhabi where the use of a pink ball is being tested in this day night match, having also listened to the announcement of how expenses are to be controlled in the next Parliament.

For some reason I assumed that Hamlet is a modern opera similar to work such as Peter Grimes and Salome. It was quickly evident that this was music in the grand opera style and at the interval I learnt that the previous performance in New York had been a century ago. It was not until using the Internet did I discover that the work was created nearly 150 years ago by the French composer Ambroise Thomas, with a libretto by Michel Carre and Jules Barber based on a French adaptation of Shakespeare’s play by Alexandre Dumas.

The Opera is long, three hours, with five acts and one interval of half an hour between acts two and three. My first reaction was of excitement as about 100 chorus lined up as the court of Queen Gertrude of Denmark being crowned again as the new wife of Claudius, the new King following the death of his brother and with Hamlet noticeably absent. The King and Queen leave to prepare for the wedding banquet and Hamlet and Orphelie sings a love duet and then her brother Laerte entrusts the care of his sister to Hamlet while he is away in Norway. They go to the banquet but he declines. His friends Horatio and Marcellus tell soldiers they have seen the ghost of dead King and they look for Hamlet to recount their experience direct.

Hamlet is advised of the appearance of his father on the ramparts who then appears to Hamlet and tells his son he was poisoned by his brother. He seeks vengeance but asks that his widow be spared. Hamlet swears to carry out his father’s wishes.

My initial excitement that this was not a modern opera but one in grand style with the kind of powerful chorus expected from the Met and its full orchestra. However at the opera developed I was reminded of my reaction to Simon Boccanegra which had all the trappings of grand opera including some sumptuous sets but lacked the Wow factor. I have decided that for me there has to be power and moving solos and interactions which engage as in other forms of theatre and in through film. This is a powerful work and the introductions to each act merit at much attention as the singing. For me I have to admit there was something lacking.

The major difference between the Shakespeare play and the Opera is the role allocated to Orphelie. In the second Act she expresses concern at the sudden indifference of Hamlet towards her and his mother presses the young woman be patient and not leave the court. The mother believes she can help although she and her husband subsequently conclude that Hamlet has become disturbed and not himself. Hamlet engages some players to perform a creation of his devising in which the King in murdered by poisoning so the brother can gain the crown. The play has the desired effect with the King angry, especially when Hamlet takes the Crown from him Before the assembled court..

The Third Act commences with Hamlet musing, to be or not to be, and catches the King seeking death from remorse about what he has done, believing he will be condemned to hell. Hamlet is shocked to find that his father’s adviser, who is also Orphelie’s father, was in on the plot and this further affects Hamlet’s attitude towards his betrothed. He tells Orphelie to get herself to the nunnery and accuses his mother of the crime. As she cannot set the ghost she believes her son has become mad and he honouring what his father has said does not attempt to harm her.

The fourth act is devoted to Orphelie’s growing disturbance before she kills herself. In the last act, which commences with the two grave diggers Hamlet is confronted by the brother of Orphelie when unaware she has killed herself. When he realises what has happened he blames the King and the girl’s father rather than himself and kills the King, then dying from his wounds after fighting with Laerte.

Simon Keenlyside is a very intense and introspective actor appropriate for the part but lacks the ability to engage the audience and gain their sympathy for his predicament. He behaves outrageously towards Orphelie only he is responsible for her death and is just as bad a person, as the man who murdered his father. Marlis Petersen who plays Orphelie was only advised she was taking the role, and not as understudy a couple of days before the performance and she continued to complete her then current production until two days before opening, coached about the role at a distance and limited opportunity to get to know the other principles, to rehearse with them and to find her way around the Opera House. She was impressive as is James Morris as Claudius.

I was impressed but did not come away with a memorable experience alongside those of Butterfly, Carmen, Aida, Il Travatore and La Traviata, or the Met Productions of La Boheme and Pagliacci seen and heard on the Met Player. There was a club like atmosphere with the auditorium with people talking to each other. There was a discussion about Cineworld disappointment and the recent commencement of showings from Convent Garden and Glynebourne. I advised about the Odeon development and someone mentioned that the full list of showings for next season ahd been announced with 11 productions and these were mentioned during the interval. The Film Theatre has also confirmed taking a contract. The new season opens with Wagner’s Das Rheingold October 9th and I shall also look forward to Verdi’s Don Carlo in December Il Travatore in April with Delora Zikick a year in April and Wagner’s Die Walkure in May. I have an open mind about Placido Domingo in Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride which I will want to find out more and also Puccini’s La Fancuilla Del West. I must sort out what is happening at Cineworld and Odeon’s over the rest of this year.

Today the chairman and interim chief executive of the new independent unit for the payment of MP salaries and their expenses announced their decisions, laid before Parliament with immediate effect for the new Parliament. The only media criticism appeared to be the decision to allow one connected person, not just relatives, to be employed and paid for from public funds. The approach seemed to be reasonable and the individual and combined other changes likely to discourage some good people from seeking election as well as discouraging those who had previously exploited the system. The big change is that there is no payment of allowances, only payment of expenses following submission of receipts. Everything will then be published on line with immediate effect. The new body will nor authorise new leaving Parliament resettlement grants which will have be sorted along with pay and pensions and for which the new body is responsible for setting. There also remains the issue of a compliance office which at the moment the Commons appears to be against because it would remove the present role of their present committee to a significant extent.

The main sporting event on Saturday and Sunday was the second Formula 1 race in Australia and what I saw it proved a much better race than the first although the main issue was when to pit to change from the practice tyres.

It was the decision of Jenson Button, who had started 4th , to pit when he did, and change to dry weather slick tyres despite the threat of rain which made his car faster than competitors and when Vettel for the second race in succession had to retire from his pole and leading position this let Jenson into the lead which he then did not look likely to lose. His team mate and former World Champion did not do as well and appeared put out by the success of his newly appointed team mate. He had started only in 11th and moved through the field well but when challenging Alonso for fourth he was involved with a collision with Red Bull Mark Webber and finished 6th. He blamed the team tactics. After two races Button is third and Hamilton fourth in the diver’s championship. Their team are now second in the constructors championship with Ferrari already showing the way with their two cars occupying the first two places in the race.

I enjoyed Lark Rise to Candleford more this Sunday than last where Laura had become preoccupied with the competing intentions of her former beau who has returned to the area, and her educated reporter fiancée. This week the future of teh post office was under threat but the community rallied around and the post mistress used her knowledge and connection to thwart the threat.

I have decided that there are three good performers and one outstanding in America has got talent this year, the outstanding is Crystal Bowersox who reminds strongly of Janice Joplin. She is a single mother and has a twin brother via her father who has been seen on camera but not in the audience so there is something of a backstory yet to be disclosed.

The greater part of Monday was spent listening to BBC Radio Wear’s commentary from Abu Dhabi where they were meeting an MCC team in a four day championship style event with teh twist of a afternoon and evening game under floodlights using the new pink ball considered better to see and better wearing that the white. The pitch was described as flat and the heat intense so whoever won the toss would have the chance of batting long and wearing out the fielding team. Durham won this important toss and ended the day 329 for three wickets with the magnificent Di Venuto starting when he left off last season and making 131 before being stumped. Coetzer who knows he will have to fight to keep his place in championship games was cautious but ended the day not out 123. Blenkenstein had looked promising bowled when 41 and Ian Blackwell started well with 13 when the day ended.

There were several ways to tune into commentary via the BBC sports, the ESPN Cricket information site and the Durham Club who also have a live comment chat line in operation for the first time. There were also long and interesting chats during the day with the Chairman of MCC, the Chairman of Durham, Geoff Boycott and Durham bowlers Mathew Claydon and Steve Harmison. It was disclosed that Abe Morkel the South African is to return for the 20 20 and hopefully redeem his first involvement two years ago. New Zealand big hitting batsman is likely to be the second overseas player but this has not been confirmed.

Sunderland, as expected failed miserably at Anfield where they have not scored a goal in the Premiership and usually lose. The result was 3.0 to home side. The gap between Sunderland and the third relegation spot is only 8 points with Hull having a game in hand so two losses and two wins to Hull could see the positions reversed. Newcastle tonight appeared determined to move towards guaranteeing their Premiership status next season before the end of Easter. Notts Forest in third place battle hard but their poor away form continued although they remain in third position. Notts Forest have to win all their remaining six games to finish with 88 points. Two wins from Newcastle’s remaining seven games and Notts Forest cannot catch them. Cardiff would have to win all seven games and Newcastle lose all their to end the season with the same number of points, but given even if this happened Newcastle would have lose their goal difference advantage of 29 to be forced into the playoffs. In fact the next home game on Easter Monday could see Newcastle’s return to the premiership, although if they win away on Saturday and Notts Forest lose, also away, they would become certainties with 86 points achieved and Forest only a possible 85. Monday’s game is also being televised.

1902 Counting the cost and city centre changes

With my new Oyster card to hand I set off for the journey home on Thursday content after an excellent break in which I had visited the outside of my former home at Teddington, noting the plethora of places to eat and drink in the High Street, marvelled at the Atrium to the Bentalls’ shopping Centre at Kingston where on the third day I had enjoyed a meal at a Wetherspoons’ before taking a bus through the villages of Ham and Petersham and a walkabout in Richmond until reaching that most wonderful of English Greens. I had seen the psychological thriller Shutter Island, been a little disappointed with a filmed production of La Boheme from Convent Garden and stood in appreciation at the end of the musical Blood Brothers, some 25 years after its opening performance. There had also been a good day with members of the extended family of my late birth and care mothers.

My mind was still on these experiences when I correctly touched in the Oyster card and went onto the first platform taking the first train which came in for Victoria. It was only once the train powered away non stop to Clapham Junction that I remembered. I was not going to Victoria but to St Pancras International on the cross Thames route to Luton and Bedford. As with the train I had boarded, both originated at Brighton. Woe was me and Woe was me again when at Clapham Junction the train pulled onto a platform where the line going in the opposite direction did not go back to Croydon. I therefore had to place the heavy laptop holding bag over one shoulder and lift the case step by step down the two flights of stairs along the passenger tunnel and then up the two flights of stairs to the platform where fortunately a train going back to Croydon was soon arriving. At Croydon instead of pausing and remembering the platform for Bedford I dragged the case up the long steep slope to the transfer passage between the platforms and down to where I thought the Bedford train departed only to find this was the platform for stopping trains to London Bridge and had to drag the case and bag back up the slope and across and down to where I had just been as the trains departed from Platform 2, something which I have done ever since the new link to St Pancras opened three years ago, possibly five or six times!

The right train arrived less than a minute later so in fact I had probably arrived at the station just in time or just missing the previous St Pancras heading train earlier. I was fully recovered on reaching the first destination and headed for the gents before going to Marks and Spencer’s for a carton of grapes, resisting the other goodies as a penance for my lack of due attention. It was a pleasantly warn sunny day so rather than take the underground route into Kings Cross I crossover the road between the two stations entering towards the end of the long distance platforms hearing an announcement that the non stop train to Cambridge was departing from one off the four platforms at this end of the station where the new roof and other works is now well underway. In the thirty five years that I have been using Kings Cross Station, this was the first time I could remember learning that the train to Cambridge was non stop. Cambridge of Cambridge University was to be a significance later in the journey although at the time I did think of planning a days trip on one visit when staying in central London.

I found a seat and enjoyed the sandwiches and the grapes having arrived at noon. Just before the quarter hour when passengers are usually allowed to rush to get on the train I made my way to the platforms and quickly worked out that there were only two options for my train and correctly positioned myself at the end of the platform where the notice soon went up, all stations to Newcastle. I headed immediately for my assigned compartment, hoping there was an unallocated disability seat. This was one of the older carriages with no such seats but there were a couple of tables foursomes available and I grabbed the second one, taking the forward facing window seat. A young man in his late twenties and thirties took the rear facing aisle and without luggage except for his laptop I accurately assumed he was going only as far Peterborough about 50 minutes down the line as were a number of others entering the compartment and I presumed others along the length of the train. I relaxed and went online, checking the mailbox and then started to write notes on the experiences gained by the visit.

At Peterborough a young woman took a twin seat vacated by other passengers and started to phone her friends and I and the other passengers quickly learnt all about her life at Cambridge that she was good at working during the day, but liked to spend the evenings drinking, eating and watching films, had only recently passed the driving Test and planned to get in some practice before setting off over Easter, collecting friends on the way to a get together either before or after a family trip to Ireland. This was very interesting and an enlightening insight into the life of an undergraduate today, but for close on two hours it became irritating. She departed at Durham when the journey to Newcastle only takes ten minutes of peace and quiet and when I went for my case shortly before arriving in the city I noticed she left what transpired to be a high fashion magazine, under which was the cursed mobile phone. Now I will not write the thoughts which came immediately to mind but I did hand in the phone to the information counter saying that I was confident who the phone belonged and they said they could probably contact via information on the phone. Thus my reluctant good deed for the day before continuing homeward where I found my home cold but otherwise all was well.

It is now time to count the cost of my third trip of the year. My travel to Newcastle on Sunday was via the age permit say 50p and breakfast of a bacon roll, hash browns and coffee £3.60 approx (free muffin and coffee on train). Purchase of Time out London £ 2. 99 Train to Kings Cross £23.60 and to Croydon from St Pancras £4.40. I bought a prawn salad £2.20 for the evening with still water £1 and 4 Croissants 98p at Marks and Spencer’s, a total of £4.18. Internet for day £4 Accommodation for the night £9.50.Total for Day 1 £52.77.

On Monday the bus to Teddington and then to Kingston was free. Lunch of a sandwich, fruit juice and Crisps cost £2.00(Tesco). A discount of 53 pence. The Cinema ticket cost £6.30. I took the train to Wimbledon £3 and the evening meal at the Coal Grill with tip cost £12. La Boheme ticket £12.50 and tram to Croydon £2.Accommodation for night £9.50, Internet £4. Total £51.30

On Tuesday I purchased hot chicken wings for the evening meal with Pain au chocolate £1.59. Shaving form £2.19 and Pontefract cakes 1,09 a total of £7.36 at Waitrose, Accommodation was £9.50 and Internet £4, a total of £20.86.

On Wednesday purchase of an Oyster Card £3 deposit and initial top up of £5, Lunch at the Kings Tun Kingston came to £4.54. Theatre Ticket £17. Double chocolate Ice Cream £ 2.50, Programme £3. (£2.70 was deducted from the Oyster card for the train to Wimbledon from Kingston and £1.20 for the Tram back to Croydon a saving of £1.10 on the previous journey without the card). Chicken Wings for evening 2.49. Prawn sandwich 1.10 and Salmon Sandwich 1.60 Hot Cross Buns £1.25 Crisps 47p and Nestle 51p Kitkat chunky and Snickers Bar 44p (£8.66 from Waitrose), Accommodation £9.50. Diet Pepsi Travel Lodge £1, Internet £4 a total of £58.20

On Thursday £5 added to Oyster Card. Packet of 15 biro pens St Pancras Smiths £2.99 Carton of red grapes £2.29 from M and S. Train fare to Newcastle £15 and coffee on train £1.70 Internet morning £4. £30.98 Total expenditure over five days £214.11 with the £250 budget for mini trips of less than one week.

England had won the second Test in Bangladesh which I had listen to on the internet radio on the Monday and Tuesday mornings over breakfast. I also caught up with Prime Ministers Question Time on Wednesday evening on the BBC I player.

I worked hard on Friday washing clothes with two washes. I had missed the meter reader and over the weekend sent readings for the Gas and Electricity accounts by text return and now fear the worst. The latest Income Tax code for the coming year arrived and this prompted me to consider making an annual budget once more. I paid in full the amount outstanding on the credit card and ordered two cinema seats at the Cineworld with my rewards balance. There are rewards left for 4 more ticket at present.

I kept one eye on a Marilyn Monroe musical film called Let’s Make Love, in which Bill Crosby and Gene Kelly play themselves as tutors to Yves Montand a wealthy man who is confused as an out of work actor seeing a brief part sending up the wealthy millionaire. Frankie Vaughan plays Frankie Vaught a singing and dancing actor in the musical revue featuring Marilyn Munroe. Tony Randall plays Montand’s flunkey and Wilfred Hyde Whyte plays his usual character perfected in My Fair Lady. This is not my kind of music and story is naff and the actors clearly thought the film naff as did he critics.

The holiday spirit continued on Saturday when I left early for Newcastle, taking the Metro as I wanted to see the latest Extension to the Eldon Square Shopping Centre. When built in 1977 Eldon square was the flagship town centre Mall in the UK and with an outside structure which includes Brick and Glass. It occupies most of the city centre to the North of Greys Monument with direct access to the Metro system at this end and to a lower level bus station at its centre This level also provided entry for Goods vehicles with lifts and conveyors direct to the stores. A new bus station was first created close to the shopping centre across from the University buildings and close to the Haymarket Metro station This station has been revamped costing a fortune over the past two years but now looks finished and is smart, bright and the best on the system.

Buses from this part of the bus station go to all parts of Northumberland and North Tyneside as well as the administrative area of Newcastle City. The central underground bus station has been moved to the side with access from Street level as well as from the shopping centre and provide services south of the river to Gateshead and Durham. I am not sure where buses to South Tyneside and Sunderland depart. The new bus station development provides direct access to Boots and John Lewis and Argus has moved here from elsewhere in the centre. On this side of the shopping centre there is an eight story circular car park with direct access to the centre.

The existing shopping centre occupies both sides of the main road now restricted to buses from the Monument towards St James Park, the home of Newcastle United. There is also first floor passage way across the one way main road with St James Park, the University and Playhouse theatre on one side, the shopping centre and the bus and Metro stations on the other. This leads to the separately owned Eldon Square Garden shopping centre with its own separate multi story car park as well as an external park to its rear and where there is a short walk to the Football stadium complex.

My visit was to see the large extension which includes a two story high mall where each of the stores has internal lifts and stairways and a new Debenhams store occupies the far end. It is very impressive and there are plans to upgrade the rest of the centre over the next few years without disrupting ongoing functions. The development makes the shopping centre the largest for any city eclipsing those in Manchester and Birmingham. However it is not as large as the Gateshead centre located on the Banks of the Tyne at the edge of both cities. Nor is Eldon Square and Eldon Garden the only precinct in Newcastle because across the road at the Monument is a separate and small development which includes a food court on the top floor. In between this centre and East side of Eldon Square is the great Fenwicks departmental store. There is also direct access from the Eldon Square to a huge Marks and Spencer’s’ and which in turn has direct access to the bus station. The Debenhams Store and new Mall is also directly opposite the new Cinema, Casino and Restaurant complex across the roadway. There is a fitness and indoor leisure centre including basketball and Tennis as part of the Square complex

A former small in door market area has been closed to make way for developments with key outlets moving to the Grainer market, and there is a large market style restaurant cafe in the far corner here where Argos used to be located. Here are plans for further development with a street only access to a new store.

In between the new Mall block and the road leading to the Monument with the older part of Eldon square to one side is the famous indoor Grainger Market, a huge city centre facility with internal shops rather than stalls including everything from hardware to shoe repairs, from books, records and DVD’s to the traditional greengrocers, fish and meat suppliers. One of the lanes of shops has been roved to make areas of tables and seating for full meals and snacks. It remains one the big indoor city market areas in the UK
To the east of the Square centre is the pedestrianised Northumberland Street where on the eastern side there are large stores such as WH Smiths, Curry’s HMV, British Home Stores and Primark. Further east still there are the central Baths, the City Hall, the Laing Art Gallery, the new City Library and some restaurants. To the north west corner there is China Town and the Journal Tyne Theatre and to west there is the great Newcastle gem, one the greatest architecturally designed Streets in all of the United Kingdom, Grey Street, the work of John Dobson and Richard Grainger and where a short way from the Monument down to the Riverside where there are also streets of restaurants and drinking houses, bars and night clubs, there is the awesome Theatre Royal and much beloved Grainger Arcade which I also visited. There was only time to gaze into the windows of ‘Windows’ which occupies the whole of one side of the arcade with a basement level for rock instruments, amplification and audio equipment, the ground level for other instruments which included a dozen pianos at one end, and a first floor for folk and jazz and any forms of music you can think of. It is one of the few places left keeping a stock as well as supplying sheet music. Just around the corner from the Arcade is the New Tyne film Theatre, my destination for a relayed and rare performance from the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, of Hamlet not produce there for over 100 years and with Simon Keenlyside in the title role. There was time for a coffee and toast. The menu stated one round of toast but I was given two and the refreshment only cost £2.70 which I consider most reasonable as I did the double chocolate ice cream in the interval which required a climb to the third floor bar but it cost only £2 compared with the £2.50 at the Richmond Theatre. I will leave the opera until my account for Sunday, The Australian Grand Prix, Sunderland at Liverpool, catching up with all the last five episodes of Babylon 5 and Lark Rise to Candleford. On Friday I fell asleep after 20 minutes of Lost and dragged myself to bed sleeping fully but waking early and making Saturday along day so it as just was well the Opera started at 5 because the USA had already altered their clocks to summer time. I stayed up late on return, not appreciating the change to summer time until then.

1901 Blood Brothers in Richmond, Lunch in Kingston

After an excellent journey to the capital, an unexpectedly treat of a day on Monday visiting the town where my first purchased home is located, seeing Shutter Island at Kingston and La Boheme at Wimbledon, taking the tram for almost length of its track, a family meal and lots of chat, deciding what to do with my third full day and something which would add to the experience posed a problem. My pre journey intention had been to visit the new Renaissance exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum and /or the Henry Moore retrospective at the Tate but if the weather as good then I fancied a trip to Richmond, taking the bus from Kingston, and passing Ham and Petersham, alighting at the Thames riverside and going on to the Green, one of the most picturesque in all the British Islands, lunching, having a walk around, taking a river bus trip, assuming their continuing operation, perhaps then continuing on the sixty five to Ealing where I had worked between 1967 and 1970, not that I remembered the number of the bus when considering the options.

All this seemed unlikely when I opened the curtains of the room Croydon and looked towards the Nestle building and the main road passed the Fairfield Halls, towards the Local authority buildings where I had worked for the Finance department in late 950’s and noticed the grey skies which looked full of rain. I decided that I would nevertheless take the bus to Kingston and if weather had not improved take the train from there to Waterloo.

I arrived at the bus stop in good time and was able to take a raised seat midway in the bus, able to pay greater attention to the other passengers and the places passed, remembering previous associations. A retired couple behind me provided a running commentary and at the Fairfield Halls reminisced at a past era. Passing between Beddington and Park and Wallington Green and I remembered the where a Liberal parliamentary Candidate lived whose children attended the same school and church and where we had gone Carol singing one Christmas as teenagers. In those days he lost his deposit gaining only a few votes whereas today the Sutton Council has a Liberal Democrat majority and a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament. After Carshalton pond we passed the former music store, now selling clocks where another former pupil lived above with his family.

At the station stop in Kingston I alighted in front of a Wetherspoons pub offering their three sausages and chips with beans for £3.99. This was irresistible. This is a giant of a Wetherspoons with two large seating areas and a horde of young staff who appeared to be enjoying their working day. The meal came surprisingly quickly given the number of people in the pub restaurant and someone came to check that I was satisfied with the food soon after it had been delivered. It was noon and I realised that Prime Minister’s Question Time was showing with sub titles. I was too lazy to move. However on going to the gents before making my way, I noticed that the House remained full and Chancellor of the Exchequer William Darling was on his feet. It was budget day.

After making myself comfortable I found a table close to a screen and watched the rest of his speech. In total he said nothing other than remind of the Government‘s performance and previously stated policies and decisions to do nothing to lessen the impact of the recession, to protect jobs as much a possible and to stimulate the economy in the best possible of ways. He explained the plans to reduce the national deficit with the forecast reduced by some 11 billions from 178 to 167 because improvements in employment, reductions in benefit payments and other measures. The only new announcement was to double the price of a property to a quarter of a million before stamp duty has to be paid and this will be offset by charging an additional 5% on properties worth more than £1 million. The speech will have placed the Conservatives in a difficult situation because their only accurate from of criticism would be to criticise the failure to cut public expenditure and not raising more taxes, both of which would have been electorally disastrous alienating the centre and their own core supporters. They therefore concentrated on criticising the government leadership and its personalities

I then went in search of the bus station and the bus to Richmond having remembered, so I thought, the way through the town centre having passed the bus station earlier. I was wrong and soon found myself close to the Kingston College and a one way system back into the centre of town where in a side street were not one but two 65 buses to Richmond and Ealing parked on their turnaround and with a small queue of people waiting at the bus stop for the first of these buses to recommence their journey. This had been a great stroke of luck because the bus then filled with standing room only accommodation at the next two stops through the town centre

After leaving the town centre where the traffic is always heavy because of the Thames and the one bridge crossing we moved quickly into the pleasant suburbs and then to a stretch of still magical England with the green at Ham surrounded by fine houses and cottages. Ham is across the way from Teddington Lock at the end of the long Teddington High Street which I had walked its length on the Monday.

It is possible to walk the whole stretch of the river thanes on this side of the River to Ham, Petersham and Richmond, whereas mention on the other side private housing and private roads restrict and discourage entry to the river bank. There is a pond to one side of the Common and a short walk on the other side of the road and one is in the vast acres of Richmond Park. Unless one is a good walker then a car is required for Richmond Park where there is an excellent refreshment facility at its centre in the former home of the first Earl Russell, Pembroke Lodge where I took my birth and care mothers and aunt to tea during their last years together having parked at the Richmond Green beforehand. I had also attended a Home Office Children’ s department arranged course at Strawberry Hill on the other side of the Park over three and half square miles and three times the size of New York’s Central Park. The Royal ballet school is within the park as is the Metropolitan police command centre for all the Royal parks.

A little further along this pleasant road of twists and turns is Petersham with its meadow land under Richmond Hill from which here are impressive view across this part of the Thames valley. There is a gatehouse road into the Park. The bus then continue on a road with the river to one side and the lower slopes of Richmond Hill on the other and this where I alighted rather than continue to the town centre. The sun was shining again and it was pleasantly warm. I unbuttoned my coat. I debated continue down a path to the river bank but thought I would do this later and enquire if there was a river bus back to Kingston. I have with the past five years taken the river boat from Hampton Court to Richmond. I was once interviewed for a senior post with the London Borough of Richmond but political background was not suited. I also recalled making a special journey to the Curzon Cinema and Water Lane to see a film about the Spanish Civil War.

Instead of going down to the river I walked up a steep bank into the Richmond Hill road of art galleries, antique shops and restaurants before retracing steps down to one of the two Odeon Cinema across from the Richmond Bridge which goes to Twickenham and Teddington. Someone has written that in 200 years the only things that have changed is the emergence of the International Rugby Union stadium at Twickenham and the constant flying of planes landing or taking off at Heathrow, although there was not much evidence of this on the day. I needed another visit to the loo and headed for John Lewis and had great difficulty in locating the toilets which are unmarked in the far corner of the second floor, obviously aimed at preventing steady stream of visitors like me. I was able to assist two middle aged women who were on a similar search.

Comfortable once more it was time to make for the wonderful Richmond Green and I thought I would look out the mansion which I had noted for sale in Saville’s. Later on line I learned that the asking price is £6.5 million for this four story property with its own pleasant gardens but overlooking the Green and with very spacious drawing rooms, many bedrooms rooms, and a guest flat or one for staff as garden flat, similar in fact to the situation at my former home in Teddington, There is a double garage and off street parking for five vehicles including access to Old Palace Yard. Located within walking of the Riverside and Parkland it is a dream location in a small town full of antique and art shops and good food restaurants. Oh to win the European Lottery for a win of £20million would be needed to look after the extended family, to purchase and adapted property for my project and arrange and endowment to secure its future from the tax man. I entered the Green by the famous Cricketers Pub and it is on this Green that the first Cricket match between Middlesex and Surrey was played in 1730 although here is reference to cricket being played here in 1666. Croydon also played Chertsey in 1736 thus combining links however loose ones which have drawn me to the town. Most of the benches around the Green were occupied but saw one on the far side and making my way I then stopped having noticed a lot of people outside the Richmond Theatre which is one side of an extension to the Green. Wednesday, Matinee time and it was 2.15.
Then the Gods looked down on me, beaming. There was a performance of the Willie Russell masterpiece Blood Brothers, undertaking its 25th anniversary tour. I could have a seat in the second row at the. I was able to sit with vacant seats on either side and a clear view between the pair of seats in front. I was in wonderland. The rest of the large theatre was full. I has a double chocolate ice cream at the Interval.

The Richmond Theatre on Little Green was built in 1899 and is the outstanding example of a Frank Matchem Theatre with a tradition interior of stalls, dress and upper circle full of gilt and plush red fabric. The Theatre has been used many film and TV productions such as Evita, Neverland and Jonathan Creek and remains capable of productions prior to the West end as well as professional Touring companies. It echoes back to the great era of the musical hall and pantomime

Blood Brothers is one of the longest running West end production in musical history with a tragic moving story, great music and a clever concept imaginatively presented. It features a Catholic Merseyside woman with five children whose husband runs off with a younger Marilyn Munroe lookalike, leaving her to fend on the dole, ordering more goods than she can ever afford from the catalogues. She gets a job cleaning for a middle class housewife with no children and finding herself having twins reluctantly agrees to give one of the two to the childless employer. The woman cannot cope with the situation and having agreed that the mother would be able to see her other so grow up through he continuing work, she persuades her husband to agree to their moving away after the two boys become close friend and make themselves into blood brothers.

When the mother and her six children are rehoused to a new estate on the outskirts of Liverpool they two boys, now young men encounter and re-establish their friendship together with a young girl who adores the working class half who is unable to express his affection while the middle class lad also adores the girl but recognises the prior claim of the other as well as the girl’s preference. When the middle class lad goes away to university, the couple are required to get wed and no sooner does the lad settle down living with their mother he is made redundant and then persuaded to participate in an armed robbery by his elder brother. in which someone is shot and the younger man is sent to prison for seven years, destroyed emotionally by the experience he returns to his family dependent on pills. In desperation his wife turns to his still unknown to them twin brother, now a councillor, for help to get a job and their own council home. The working class lad misinterprets the relationships and enter the Council premises with a gun. He is warmed by an armed police response team.

As a prologue we witness this last scene in which the brothers have been killed and we are told it was part of a curse a warning that should the two ever find out their relationship they would die. In order to prevent the middle class son killing the other, their mother reveals the truth and one shoots the other, with the police shooting the remaining twin.

The musical play demonstrates the strength of my dictum that what we do and say remains with us throughout our lives and with those involved. The main message of the play is one of class and when the two lads get into trouble with the police, one is given a final warning and other advice to keep away from the working class district. There are six principles in the cast. The Mother - Mrs Johnston and her twin son Mickey, Mrs Lyon and the other twin son Edward, the girl Linda and the narrator/chorus /conscience/prophet. Among those who have features as Mrs Johnston are Stephanie Lawrence, Clodagh Rogers, Kiki Dee and four of the Nolan Sisters, with Spice girl Mel among the latest. Russell Crow appeared as Mickey in the Australian production. Petula Clark made her Broadway debut in the work with the Cassidy brothers playing the twins. There has been a Japanese production and boot leg productions in many languages as well as official tours around the world.

Adults play the children and then the adolescents with considerable insight and naturalness and it is this aspect which has made the musical an essential introduction to the theatre for many young people, often brought to schools by the groups of actors. On Wednesday there was a party of fifth or sixth formers who enjoyed the show immensely , some moved to tears at the end. especially the girls who reacted to the jokes and aside about adolescent sexual and emotional fumblings of the boys. Despite knowing from the outset what the end will be there was still a strong emotional outburst from the audience followed by prolonged applause and a standing ovation, something which the show has experienced over the past 25 years everywhere everytime.

I made my way, joyously, back by bus to Kingston, then by train to Wimbledon and Tram to Croydon getting in after seven. I made by way from the Theatre and to where I thought there might be a bus stop in the one way system discovering a mini bus station down a side street and where a 65 bus arrived within seconds.

There was just time for the lady waiting on the seat next tome to hand me a tract from the Bible. She must have been clairvoyant for I was having a brief erotic memory Over forty years ago I was without my car and I had taken the 65 at Ealing to Kingston and then got a bus to my home in Teddington. This was in the late 1960‘s when girls were wearing the shortest of skirts for the first time. Unable to get a seat I had to go upstairs and look up had been startled by the rear of an attractive girl who had turned round and look back at me smiling. She went further inside the bus and I took a seat at the front for the different form of view.

I then made a mess of using the Oyster card for the first time. Again I arrived at Kingston station to find a train being announced so I rushed hoping that I had correct used the Oyster Card to gain entry, but I think I had the card in the holder the wrong way round. At Wimbledon I went straight to the Platform for the tram but the card did not register and I was told to seek help. Being rush hour the attendant was very busy but he eventually helped taking the correct amount from the card for the journey from Kingston. However I was not sure the card registered for tram trip. I thought the card had an initial deposit of £3 showing plus the £5, When I checked the following day there was only £1.10 in credit so a great mystery. However it had been another great day.

1900 part three La Boheme at Convent Garden and Metropolitan Opera Houses

The day had commenced in sunshine but was cold and wet when left the cinema about 17.30 and I made the instant decision to see if there was a train to Wimbledon from the nearby station. A sign said platform 3 Wimbledon and Waterloo so I went to the ticket office where two assistants were explaining routes to someone before me. When I heard an announcement that a train was on its way I explained my interest and another window was opened, the ticket issued and the train reached the platform the same time as me, I have no sense of directions at times and was surprised when the train went to Norbiton and back to New Malden before reaching Wimbledon railway station which is close to the separate Underground station.

I have been to the Odeon Cinema before, by car, but I had no recollection of where the cinema is located in terms of the two stations and in fact I went in the opposite direction, After asking directions I passed a fast food restaurant and considered having some food there but thought it was better to reach the cinema first. I went into the small foyer entrance, inserted the credit card and obtained the ticket and then went to the Coal Grill next door and was allocated a seat opposite Morrison’s supermarket above which was the David LLoyd Gym which could be reached from the upper floor of cinema with customers working hard overlooking the small street market and me. I enjoyed a Whitebait starter followed by a quarter of a small chicken, some coleslaw and chips for £7.50 plus a very expensive diet coke.

I arrived in the theatre for the opera with less than 15 minutes to spare and at first it looked as if the audience would be sparse and in fact by the time performance got underway everyone was crowded into the area allocated as premium seats, which was larger than that at the Odeon’s attended in London, Mansfield and Kingston this year. I spent the first half uncomfortable sandwiched between a Canadian who knew of the Met Relay and who had been to the Royal Opera House when it was possible to pay only a few pounds to sit high up in the side seats. During the 20 minute interval I had a walkabout and then sat in a less expensive aisle seat towards the front and had an improved quality of experience. Hopefully there will be not such a crowd for the Met Hamlet relay on Saturday in Newcastle. The cinema also appears not to have adjusted to the opportunity to sell wine, chocolates crisps and nuts and one had to leave the main area of auditorium to go into the entrance concourse for ice creams and the usual cinema fare.

The main disappointment was that it was not a live relay but a film with interval. There was also a delayed start and one person was heard to complain during the interval that she had been told the start was delayed until 7.45 and had missed the greater part of the first act and which includes the well known Your tiny hand is frozen.

The opera is one of the most performed of all but overall is more lighted hearted with comic moments than Puccini’s other great work Madam Butterfly and the other grand works in general. It is the story of a group of four bohemians in Paris in 1870’s- a poet, a painter, a musician and a philosopher. It was the first live relay from the Met in 1977 with Luciano Pavarotti as Rodolfo the poet. In the Covent Garden production the part was played by Teodor Ilincai who just before Christmas 2009 was called upon to take over from the performing tenor at the interval who was overcome with a cold. The Romanian Tenor has a soft and gentle voice, appropriate for a starving poet in a cold Parisian Garrett whereas Pavarotti brings the tingles to the spine but is always the master performer and never a struggling bohemian. There is a similar contrast between the performances of Hibla Gerzmava at the Royal Opera House in 2010 and the already aging Renata Scotto in 1977. Hibla is Russian and her voice has been described as clear and focussed with power and she made an important contribution the production without dominating it so that the lasting impressions were made by Musetta (Inna Dukach) and Gabriele Viviani as Marcello the Painter.

By the time of the 1977 performance the Italian Renata was in her prime and she went on to Direct a number of operas including the Met which had become her established Opera House when she married and settled in the area with her family. She once had the experience of performing with Maria Callas in the audience and a few in the audience calling for Calls while Renata was singing. Intolerable behaviour even for the emotional and expressive Italians. This is difficult to understand for she had one on the finest of voices and was a good match for Pavarotti.

The plot is well known. Two of the bohemians debate whether to burn the current painting or writing for warmth. Their friends arrive celebrating that Schaunard, the musician, has earned money playing for an eccentric Englishman’s dying parrot. After he had played for three days he poisoned the parrot and celebrated with the purchase of fuel, food, wine and cigars.

The owner of the property calls for the rent and tricks him into going away without any money after they feign being shocked by his boasted exploits with a woman. They decide to go out and celebrate the good fortune at restaurant because it is Christmas Eve. Rodolfo stays behind to finish his writing but there is a knock at the door and it is Mimi whose candle has gone out and who has lost the key to her room. They immediately fall in love and both have great solos which at Convent garden attracted some applause but where Pavarotti and Scotto received justified prolonged cheering and applause ovations.

I turn away from writing to watch and listen to Pavarotti noting he difference in that at Wimbledon I did not give myself wholeheartedly to the performance which lacked any moment of being special or unique whereas with Pavarotti and indeed all the other members of the cast I am constantly stopping reading and writing because of the sounds even without watching or paying attention to the subtitles. The singing tells you all.

Later in the afternoon I watched a second Met relay production five years later in which Scotto plays the role Musetta and Rodolfo is played by Joseph Carreras and Mimi by Teresa Stratas who was a co winner of the Met’s auditions programme back in 1959 at the age of 21. Retiring in 1998 after a 36 year career based at the Met she appeared in 385 productions and 41 different roles. The two looked more like young lovers in 1982 and although Canadian born Teresa was 43 but retained slim features and a youthful figure. After retirement she has made only one public appearance, has undertaken voluntary work in Calcutta meeting Mother Teresa and to Rumania to work in an orphanage

The second act takes place within the cafe and features a large street scene with children, soldiers and lots of people thronging about and being entertained by Perpignol, a toy seller. Rodolfo introduces Mimi to his friends who include Colline, the philosopher but the main event is the arrival of
Musetta, presently the mistress of a wealthy but old man. She is the one time lover of Marcello who she does her best to attract his intention but he ignores her. Eventually she sends off the old man on a fool’s errand and decides to go off with Marcello and friends, leaving the old man to pay for both bills. The main interval is usually taken at this point.

It is after the interval that the Puccini’s story takes a twist. The location is outside as an Inn where Marcello is working on a commission accompanied by Musetta. They are happy in their own way but already Musetta is regretting the loss of freedom and hankers for the attentions of new men. To add perspective to the opera, it is dawn with the arrival of street sellers of milk and eggs, street sweepers and others into the town guarded by gate keepers and customs men. It is in the depth of Winter and continues to snow hard. Mimi arrives calling for Marcello as she and Rodolfo have quarrelled and she suspects he has gone to Marcello which is correct, She explains that Rodolfo has become very jealous and saying he wants to end their relationship. Mimi hides rather than leaves when Rodolfo comes out to join Marcello and hears him explain that he is still very much in love with her, but he is aware she is ill and he is so poor he cannot fund the doctors and medicine she requires. Mimi and Rodolfo are reunited and agree to stay together until the Spring which is the other way round from what would have been best for her. Musetta comes out and Marcello quarrels over her flirting behaviour.

There is a substantial jump in time to the fourth act where the bohemians are back together but Rodolfo and Marcello are finding it difficult to work having both parted from their true loves. The two others arrive share a little food but the meal is interrupted by the arrival of Musetta who has found Mimi in the street ill. She has been living with someone able to provide for her but her health has been damaged beyond medical help. She knows she is dying and wants to see Rodolfo before her end, he is delighted to see her as is Marcello, to see Musetta, but no one realises just how ill she is until she dies. There is some fine singing before Rodolfo learns she is dead and has not just fallen asleep. He calls out Mimi as the curtain falls.

I had an excellent and memorable day but the highlights were my visit to my former home in Erdington, to the atrium at the Bentalls’ shopping centre Kingston and the Film Shutter Island. The opera was something of a disappointment reinforced by then hearing the performances of Pavarotti and Scotto, of Stratas and Carreras

It was comparative early after the show but although it was not raining the atmosphere was wet on ground as I made the short way across the main road passed a still open supermarket until 11pm and into the railway station for Tram purchasing the require £2 ticket. I have used this Tram once before after attending a day at Wimbledon Tennis Courts and finding that there was a problem with the train to Sutton. I had then taken the tram to Beddington Lane for the train to Sutton and from there to Wallington. I had not paid attention to the route which continues to Croydon and New Addington. The route is an interesting one in that there are 15 stops, with between one and two minutes in between making the whole journey just over half an hour. The tram passes through Merton to Mitcham Junction and stops at the far end of the Purley Way Shopping centre close to the Ikea Store. There are several stops in Croydon with Reeves Corner where we would get off the 654 trolley bus as a family when I was a child and walk up Church Street, to the Market at Surrey Street and the wonderful Kennard’s departmental store. Reeves remains as a furniture store although the number of buildings has reduced. The tram then goes around the outskirts of the Centrale shopping complex where there is a stop before one by West Croydon Train station close to the bus station and then stops a few yards from the Travel Lodge before turning into George Street and the Tram Interchange outside of East Croydon Station, I was tempted to go over to the new Sainsbury’s Local which stays open until 11pm seven night a week and where the prices are even higher than the Waitrose. I made do with what I had in the room but which I cannot now remember.

On the Tuesday it was family visiting day and an enjoyable Roast beef lunch at £5.20 where it is possible load the plate with as much vegetables as you like. There is also a new development of unlimited diet, ordinary or max Pepsi or lemonade with ice for £2.05. I had three refills and did not need a coffee.

Having had such an excellent day on the Monday I did not anticipate Wednesday would prove an even better one. The original plan had been to visit central London for the Victoria and Albert Museum to view the new permanent exhibition of work from the Renaissance and or the Henry Moore retrospective at the Tate but the idea had developed that if the weather was good to take the bus back to Kingston and from there continue along the other side of the river to Ham, Petersham and Richmond one of the most beautiful areas of London and in the whole of the UK in terms of fine Houses, Greens, parkland and the river Thames.

I also decided to get an Oyster Card. This is the prepayment or pay as you go travel card or pass which covers all forms transport in greater London with extensions to other stations with barrier pass in and out systems. There are some financial advantages using the card against the usual cash price with the minimum single fare on the underground halves from £4 to £2, that on the Tram which can cover the journey from end to end reduced from £2 to £1.20 and with a reduction of about 10% on above ground Train Travel within. The cards can also be used as one day, week, monthly or quarterly Travel cards although there are no discounts a special card is required for the longer travel pass which has to be registered whereas the ordinary Oyster does not have to be registered and therefore can be used by more than one adult. There are 3200 special or other outlets where Oyster cards can be purchased or stopped up and there five special shops throughout central Croydon. It is possible to also purchase or add to registered cards online. Apart from the financial advantages there is the convenience of being able to travel without need to buy individual tickets or day passes. However there are potential problems as I was soon to find if one does not correctly log the pass at the correct in and out facilities at each travel outlet. That was for the day to come.

1900 part two Shutter Island

Over the three full days of my visit to Croydon, the Gods, yours, mine, and everyone else’s, smiled down exceptionally kindly. I also made several good choices and the mistakes were limited. In the first the part of this series nine hundredth piece of writing I reported the decision to go by bus to Teddington, having discovered that the one planned to Sutton continued to Kingston and over the Thames Bridge to Teddington, where I lived for over two years from 1967. After a quick lunch at Tesco’s and a good walkabout along the High Street to towards Teddington Lock and then southwards, I had visited the outside of house, and armed with the information gained from local estate agents calculated that it was worth in the order of £650000 to £750000, given the difference between its neighbours in terms of the additional floor space added to them over the years, the market price of the property next door five years ago and that of other properties in road and immediate area.

I had then taken the bus to Kingston, passing Hampton Wick Station, onto the road leading to Hampton Court and into Kingston to explore the development of the Bentalls’ shopping centre and only then decided to find the nearest cinema and find out if there was a film which I wanted to see at a time which enabled me to get to Wimbledon in time for a hot meal and a relayed performance of La Boheme from Covent Garden. I mention Hampton Wick station and Hampton Court, the place and the Palace because two days later I was to take a bus which passed through Ham, the village with its common, on the way to Petersham and Richmond, also on the Thames, and its Green, Theatre and enormous Parkland.

On the Monday I had then discovered that two or three years ago a new Odeon Multiplex, a Bowling alley and restaurants had been built close to the station and across from the Bentalls’ store and centre. There was a showing of Shutter Island, commencing within three minutes, sufficient time to buy a ticket, tell two assistants of the adventure I was having and once inside the area of theatres take the escalator up instead of down, found myself back to one of the assistants again, had a laugh at myself, took the escalator down and found myself a good seat in the allocated row just as the advertising changed to the trailers of forthcoming films.

It has been my practice to give a detailed account of films as well as my reactions and judgements but for the first time in memory I propose not to reveal ending of this film, only to say at the outset that film concerns illusion, hallucination, belief and reality and could be said to be based on those lines of T S Elliot, I think from one of his plays, possibly the Cocktail Party in which a psychiatrist type figure explains that human beings cannot cope with too much reality.

I am of the opinion that this film is one of the cleverest and technically accurate films about the roles of patient’s and doctors in an asylum for the criminally insane, the USA equivalent of Broadmoor. I will provide clues which are numbered to the outcome of this film.

The Martin Scorsese directed film has some violence and vivid gore and overall is not for the feint hearted or those concerned about their mental health. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as US Marshall Edward (Teddy) Daniel, sent to the institution, which had requested external help following the disappearance of a prisoner Rachel Solando(1) from her locked room in the female section and is not to be found within the prison run facility where the warden and his armed men are responsible for security within and outside the prison which includes a forbidden castle like inner prison for the most violent and disturbed category of insane offenders. We meet Teddy on the ferry boat on his way to the Island located in Boston harbour, and it is only on the ferry that he meets his partner for the investigation, US Marshall Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffulo)(2). Teddy is feeling unwell from the crossing(3). The island is uninhabited apart from the prison complex with an electrified perimeter wall, and inner wall with two sets of prison gates with armed warders before reaching the internal grounds where is located the two contemporary for the period, late 1950’s early 1960’s accommodation/treatment blocks, one for men and one for women, the palatial accommodation for the senior Prison Psychiatrists and other accommodations, and the separate gothic and forbidding fort like structure. They pass a gothic like cemetery on the way from the landing stage and during the whole film which lasts 138 minutes there is no reference to the wardens, medical and nursing staff having families or homes on the island.

The film was shot in a number of locations including Peddock’s island, a recreational facility in Boston Harbour and which does contain a former military Fort with many internal buildings all now in ruins and closed to the public for safety reasons. The Lighthouse which has great significance is in a different location as are the internal facilities and grounds of the institution where existing medical facilities for prisoners held by the state in Federal facilities.

The two Marshals meet hostility and suspicion from the moment of their arrival and are required to hand over their weapons(4) which they point out is contrary to their statutory position, but a condition of their access into the prison complex, and Teddy is refused access to all the personnel files(5) which as a consequence leads him to call off the investigation at an early stage. The medical director, played by the always outstanding Ben Kingsly appears reluctant to discuss the situation with him until they meet for cigars and drinks after dinner and where the Marshals encounter Max Von Sydow, a German Psychiatrist who advises the Medical Director on behalf of the governing Board.

There are several developments before and at the meeting which governs understanding of what happens in the rest of the film. It appears impossible for the missing prisoner to have escaped although one nurse admits he had a toilet break without being replaced(6). This does not explain how the prisoner appears to have managed to have then got through the two gates managed by armed warders at all times. The woman is said to have killed her three children but does not believe she has done this or that she is in prison and still acts and talks as if she is continuing to live in her former community(7).

Teddy is haunted by one memory and on hallucination. The hallucination is the presence of his former wife who we learn was killed in a fire at their home caused by the janitor, called Andrew Laeddis(8) who escaped normal prison because of insanity and who Teddy believes was admitted to the institution but which he could not find any record prior to the visit. This leads his new partner and audience to have the suspicion he has come to seek revenge. However he is also haunted by visual memories of liberating Dachau concentration camp and a child about seven to nine years who he found frozen clutching her mother among the piles of bodies and who now asks why he arrived too late to save her(9). Teddy explains that he and the other soldiers went berserk at one point and lined up the guards before shooting them. He tells his partner he has enough of killing and intends no physical harm to the janitor.

He explains that the reason for seeking the assignment is different, He had encountered a former inmate of the prison medical centre who has escaped but come to attention of the police authorities. He claimed the establishment was using mind changing drugs on behalf of the government to make them into secret assassins, something which incensed Teddy because of his knowledge of what the Nazi’s had been experimenting and then Russians and Koreans(10). The medical director has explained that he is opposed to the traditional way of quietening violent people. Lobotomy surgery which involves cutting into the brain memory, eliminating memories and making the individual docile and zombie like. The other method is to use medication which relies on constant dosages and which has addictive consequences.

I have previously written of my knowledge of psychotropic drug use in the 1960’s as a means of regression therapy by the county psychiatrist for Staffordshire. I cannot remember at what point in the film the use of such drugs is mentioned but the medical director has explained that his approach is to use psychotherapy, role play and presumably regression therapy as an alternative to the lobotomy(11).

Teddy’s plans for abandoning the visit and report the medical director for his non cooperation are thwarted when a storm arrives of hurricane proportions. During the storm there is a loss of power with the consequence that some of the highest category of prisoners escape from the fort during which time the two marshals have changed into nurse uniforms because their suits became wet when they went on an outside investigation taking refuge in a building in the cemetery. They go on an explore of the Fort where Teddy become separated from his new partner and is attacked by an inmate on the loose who he half kills in retaliation (12). He then discovers the man who he claims had revealed to him the ongoing activities at hospital, George Noyce is back in the fort, badly beaten and blaming Teddy for his predicament(13) claiming he will never get out again.

There is the growing feeling created that Teddy is the victim of a plot to silence him from discovering and revealing what is going on at the centre. This is reinforced when first the missing prisoner is said to have been found outside the prison and returned to her cell unable to explain what happened to her. His partner then disappears and when later he encounters the medical staff they challenge that he was ever with a partner(14). Before this he investigates a cave in which he finds someone who says she is the real Rachel Solando, a former Psychiatrist at the establishment who has been committed because she would not go along with mind changing experiments.(15) She warns that they are out to get him.

It is at this point Teddy in effect becomes a fugitive on the island and blows up the car of the Medical Director(16) as a hallucination of his wife urges him to leave the island and not go and investigate the Lighthouse where it is believed dark things are taking place. The concentration camp girl also reappears at this time.(17) He makes his way to the Lighthouse where he disabled a guard and makes his way to the top where he find an office with the Medical Director expecting his arrival. For what happens next and why the film has to be experienced firsthand

1900 part one Teddington and Kingston on Thames

Yesterday was an amazing, and at times, exciting day, although it was the kind of pleasure which is only of interest because of my past times, and which anyone else is unlikely to understand, or appreciate. It provided another opportunity to experience the changing nature of greater London as an international city, to visit the outside of the first house bought for £5000 in 1967 as well as visiting its neighbourhood, and to visit Kingston on Thames once more as well as seeing the film Shutter Island and a filmed performance of La Boheme. The ingredients could not have better chosen to mark the nine hundredth piece of writing in this series.
The day had been planned differently with a leisurely morning, writing and relaxing before a walking explore of Wimbledon, the home of the British lawn tennis Association and Wimbledon, the annual international championships where Britain has not one the men’s single since the 1930’s with Fred Perry. I debated visiting the Museum at the stadium and taking the 90 minute tour, as have not visited the centre since the retractable roof has been fitted to the centre court and the new second major court created. There was a spell when I did remember to apply for tickets in the autumn and then arranged to stay with my birth and care mothers for the allocated day, once getting to a final of youth competition and semi final of doubles on the number one court on the finals Saturday, and another occasion successfully queuing from 6 am and gaining a centre court ticket for a Tim Henman Quarter final encounter which he won in style, sitting a few rows from a side front which had its advantages and drawbacks.
I have also visited Wimbledon in the past for football at Plough Lane, a homely club where tickets were taken out of the safe while you sat down in the office for one to be allocated and you were then invited into the main stand club before and after match for refreshments and to watch the match over on TV screens, even in the days when the club reached the dizzy heights of the old first division and commanded the support of three or four thousand, mainly standing enthusiasts. Because of my occasional visits I had successfully gained a ticket for the Cup Final in which Wimbledon beat Liverpool, almost of the same order of shock result as when Sunderland beat Leeds in 1973. I also visited the town in the past for a show at the Wimbledon Theatre and about three or four years ago for visit to Odeon Cinema. However it is one of those places where I no sense of its geography within the greater London area or have had a good walk about the town centre.
On Sunday night I had gone out after the meal in to check out the stop for the Tram and the ticket. According to the online information the national concessionary bus pass is not valid but a one day bus and travel card is available for £3.90 compared to £2 for a single journey although the cost can be halved with the London Oyster card. On Monday morning as the weather was set fare I decided to travel without my shoulder bag and to make the outward journey to Wimbledon by bus and therefore checked the route and times online, finding that an X 26 bus from East Croydon went to Sutton every half hour where another bus would take me to Wimbledon, a total journey time of about an hour. At East Croydon station I then discovered that the X26 went on to Kingston and Teddington where I had lived for over two years from 1967, buying the first house for £5000, and that the bus then went on to London airport, useful information for the future. The next bus was shown at 11.54 some 20 minutes away but it was only about 5 mins before the bus was due that I noticed the stop sign in addition to showing X26 said it was for West Croydon only and I re checked the three bays going in the opposite direct before I was directed to a stop on the other side of the road close to the remaining theatre. Here there was a good size queue with most having suitcases and travelling bags suggesting they were on their way to the airport. The bus immediately arrived and I waited till everyone else was onboard before fining myself a seat near the front. The route was fast and interesting stopping at Waddon and then going past Beddington Park before stopping at the green at the bottom of Wallington before Carshalton High Street and Sutton Post office, the original destination and where my both and care mothers would then take the bust to Kingston for a look at the shops and a fish and chip lunch, and forty five years ago would take another bus to visit my home at Teddington.
From Sutton the route was different turning eastward at Cheam Village going past what had been an Italian restaurant and was now Thai, visited with members of the Drug Advisory Service team in the mid 1980’s and then continuing to Worcester Park and New Malden and where before reaching Kingston there appeared to have developed an oriental community given the number of Oriental shops in a small high street. The other major development was an area of local authority looking flats to west of Kingston although the development looked well established. There were two stops at Kingston, by the station and then outside of Bentalls just before the Thames Bridge going to Kew Gardens in one direction and then to Teddington, Twickenham and Richmond in the other.
However the bus did not go in the direction of Twickenham which would have taken me past the road where I lived and instead went a few yards towards Kew before taking the road which runs the length of Bushey Park, one of the biggest parklands in London similar to that at Richmond. It reached the Teddington stop at the further end of the High Street, the other side of the railway station. This provided the opportunity to walk the whole length of the High Street to Teddington Lock and The Television studios, looking into the estate agents’ windows at the house prices and noting the number of international restaurants and other eating places that have opened up over the years since my departure.
These are listed in terms of type of food and catering rather than in their street order Chinese- Fresh Fare which offered Fish and Chip takeaway, the China Express and China Garden (3) ; Indian- the Indian Tandori, Bombay Spice, The Bilas Tandori, Teddington Tandori, Indian Takeaway(5): French- Brasserie Garard, Auberge, Le Bon?, Teddington Arms Bistro(4): Italian- Sharbls?, Scarpetta, Girasone, Pizza Express(4); Spanish- Bar Estito(1); Mexican- Mimmo(1); Pub restaurants- The Hogarth, The Coach House? (2)Fast Food- Wimpey (1): Coffee house-Nero, Costa, Mocca cafe, The Coffee Mill, Starbucks (5) Others Sammy’s Bar Restaurant Comedy Club and Blues Band, Vinery posh and expensive, Cafe Red Peppers, Cafe Cafe, M and S cafe 2 others (9) In addition close to Munster Road there is an Indian restaurant bring your own wine, A Thai, a Fish Bar and Le Amardine( French with Patisserie)
I have visited the outside the house in Munster Road, Teddington twice since selling the property two years after purchase for £7500, a financial gain of 50%. The occasion in more recent times was about five years ago, the precise date is available, when the property next door was on sale for £640000 just under 50% of the value of the superior property sold in the Northeast. This reflected the differential between properties in good areas of greater London and Midlands and North although it had been greater, about three times during the 1970’s when my first inquiry was made. The problem five years ago is that the property for sale had created an additional floor in the roof but from the front outside it was not evident if any improvement had been to lower level.
There were about twenty semi detached properties on one side of the road with a sunken garden and each property having three to four bedrooms on the first floor and two large living rooms plus a kitchen breakfast room on the ground floor with doors, including French windows opening out to a wooden veranda which led down to an exceptionally long garden, and which I had divided by vertical trestles into areas for growing vegetables, for shrubs and flowers, and for a grassed safe run around. At the rear ground level there was entry into a large garden room some 400 square feet or more, the whole width of the property which was in need of some substantial improvement and behind this there was another large area used for coal storage with a large entrance coal shoot in the front garden. On my visit five years ago the coal shoot metal cover had been replaced by an enlarged skylight indicating that considerable work had been undertaken to the lower level, perhaps to create a utility room, enlarged lounge, games rooms room and presumably an internal staircase.
The rear room above was used as a lounge with a tiled floor which had the effect of being sprung like a dance floor as was found when a party was held to mark settling into the home. I digress. The possibility is that some of the properties had been developed to create four floors, the garden basement level, the front ground level, the first floor and the roof level.
There was a similar row of houses with long gardens backing onto the properties and during my stay there all the properties were circulated by a property development company enquiring if there was interest in selling part of the gardens, if approval could be given to demolish two or more of the properties to create a ramped new road into the back an create a square of new properties. Clearly there was sufficient resistance or the absence of planning approval as such a development had not taken place. Towards the end of the road nearest the river Thames there had been a development of a terrace of new properties built to four floors about four years ago according to the advertisement and where one on the marked for just under £1.2 million. Properties in the neighbourhood of the parkland were available in the region of eight hundred thousand to a million pounds sterling so with my salary as a senior child care officer and then area children’s officer had been stretched to meet the mortgage payments on the £5000 which the property cost in 1967, there is no way I could have afforded to buy the property today even if the current market valuation was closer to £700000 than a million.
My walking had tired me and I decided on the bus into Kingston from a stop a few yards from the end of the road. The journey is a short one passing the Hampton Wick station which is closer to the Munster Road than Teddington. In Kingston I alighted outside of Bentalls and went in to explore their shopping centre. This large established department store and selling top branded had such an enlightened management and local authority planning permission support that to one side they had demolished the four floor rear of the building and a couple of streets of two storey shops to create one of the most attractive, if not the most attractive shopping centre in the UK. There are approximately 50 stores on either side of the wide central area above which is a vaulted glass roof of immense proportions and beauty with the sides of the vault roof a story in height so the atmosphere in the central area in one of daylight rather than artificial. Within this main course there are two sets of escalators and two lifts in addition to the lifts and stairs within the main store
The main store has also cashed in on the development of eating out with large food court type of eating area with some of the seating overlooking the central courtyard walkways. The choice is Japanese Sushi, American Frankie and Bennie, English Roasts and Fish and Chips, Coffee sandwiches and cakes and a delicatessen type of salad and vegetarian. Elsewhere in the store there is an Italian restaurant and coffee shops. On the top floor on my way to gentleman’s cloak room there is a major area of children’s toys including a large area for Hornby Trains, for Leo, Scaletrix and such like and what horrified me were the prices although delighted at the available choice. A second feature of the development is a third floor covered walkway across the exceptionally busy one way road system to a large four story car park bringing access to the shopping centre.
Even though I had enjoyed my lunch of sandwiches and crisps I was in need of a coffee but also was tempted by more food, but looking at my phone clock I realised that I might be in time for the afternoon performance of one of the films I wished to see if I could remember where the town centre cinema was located. I followed my hunch about the its location and although I was wrong, I discovered the new Odeon multiplex, bowling and restaurant centre built on four levels close to the railway station across from main one way road system. Moreover I was within minutes of the start of the programme for the film Shutter Island. I was able to take a seat as the preliminary advertising commenced. Thus the first part of a memorable day was over. The films proved excellent and important. I was able to travel by train to Wimbledon to collect my ticket for the opera La Boheme in time for a good meal at a grill restaurant next to the cinema. I then returned to Croydon on the tram. This will be part of my next writing 900 part 2.

1899 Neretva and a journey

If there is time for me in the future I will devote a writing to Marshal Tito and the development of Yugoslavia, the former single nation which straddled the Adriatic and where brave adventurers travelled through by train on their way to Greece in the 1950’s and 1960’s before era of cheap air flights and the country itself became a holiday destination in its own right.

For now I want to concentrate on Joseph Tito the guerrilla freedom fighter who during World War 1 had become the youngest Sergeant Major, wounded and decorated and as the head of the communist party led behind the scenes opposition to the Germans, Italians and Hungarians who then invaded in his country in 1939. Part of his role, supported by the British in particular, is covered in the three hour film, The Battle of Neretva made with state sponsorship in the late 1960’s in Serbo-Croatian and English and distributed by American International Pictures. The film was as expensive to make as the Hollywood epic, with a cast of thousands, including 10000 members of the People’s army, and four villages and a fortress constructed and destroyed with hundreds of old soviet tanks made to look like the German Tiger Tanks and also destroyed. It was necessary to destroy the actual bridge over the river which was in fact blown up twice and then repaired but because of the smoke they eventually used a studio created model for the film footage. Imported actors included Yul Brynner, Orson Wells, Carl Jurgans and Anthony Dawson.

It is my understanding that the film accurately describes one of the definitive and course changing events of World War II at a huge cost in life and human suffering. In 1943 the Hitler led Axis set in motion an offensive to destroy Tito because of his support among the people. The plan was to encircle the Partisans with their backs to the River Neretva in Bosnia-Herzegovina having destroyed the bridge to prevent a crossing. The Axis organised six German, three Italian, two Croation and a number of Chetnik and Usasha formations against the partisans in January 1943.

In order to escape the strong armoured and professional German army, Tito needed to cross the river where he knew he could beat the Chetnik forces and escape. To achieve this objective he prepared a major deception first appearing to destroy the bridge suggesting he intended to follow the river northward so the German command hastily reorganised it forces to meet them. Part of his force did go northward to evacuate a hospital which had come under attack, but while this was happening his engineers created a low level crossing from the lowered remains of the bridge sufficient for people on foot to cross but not the artillery. His armed forces then crossed over and defeated the Chetniks and followed by the rest, including the evacuated injured, destroying the crossing before they left.

In 1943 Tito became the effective political as well as military head of the Yugoslav people which continued for some four decades and he was the only European Communist leader to break with Stalin and successfully declare independence and development relations with the rest of Europe, the USA and world in general. The Partisans paid a heavy price at Neretva with eight thousand killed and two thousand captured but the foundation of Tito’s power and influence among the people was laid in their sacrifice, something which the film portrays, emphasising the part which women played in the fighting, and using music and voice to great effect. The heroics were real and of lasting impact until after his death.

Although I knew I had an early start on Sunday in order to make use of the cheapest train ticket of the day, it was 1.30 to 2 am before I retired to bed and sleep having tested and set the alarm for 7am and got as much ready as I could leaving only the packing of clothes and food preparation for the morning. As is usually my experience I awoke within minutes of the alarm going off and had completed by getting up when it did. I was therefore able to check that I had not won any prizes on the two Euro tickets purchased the previous evening and played a level of Luxor Mahjong.

It was when making up my rolls that the first mishap occurred as the previously used small freezer bags had torn and a roll filled with coleslaw and salami fell to the floor, opening up but the coleslaw filled side end the right side up. I put in the case a small container of grapes and another of the chocolates and some crackers. The four rolls, more grapes and two pecan swirls went into the shoulder bag along with notes and papers, the laptop mains lead, headphones, mouse and radio link, and the data transfer memory stick. I hoped to be able to use the lap top on the journey. The only other temporary glitch was that I locked the interconnecting door in the home with the case on the other side.

I was ready to leave just after 8am as planned. I only met one other human, out walking a dog during the downhill walk to the Metro station. The majority of curtains were drawn so I walked slowly not to make too much noise with the wheeling case and taking the back route through lanes and open spaces. There was no train on the platform but as I walked onto the far end of the former railway station, a train came from a siding and as two as myself and another waiting passenger entered it set off. I was lucky but this meant arriving at Newcastle station in with half an hour before the departure. There was time for a bacon roll, hash browns and coffee at the Burger King, when a woman who had bought the Sunday Times discarded the sports section for me to read. I then bought a London Time Out. This is usually a waste of money, because I enjoy reading about the plays and musical and free events but rarely go to any. I then started to cross over the bridge to where the London train usually departs, looked across and realised that it was at the arrival platform and available for boarding and had been there as I went in for my breakfast. I

I ticked myself off for not checking this before anticipating I had missed the opportunity to get a window seat at a table. Fortunately the disabled seat at the end of the appointed carriage was available. This is not ideal as one has to sit at the end and lean forward to make use of the table, but although the train became full as the journey progressed I had both seats to myself throughout. I was a little anxious about taking the seat as the train announcer made it clear, three times before we set off that only those holding correct tickets for the particular train were allowed and anyone else would be required to pay the full fare. He also asked that people took their allocated seats as the train was expected to fill, and should not remove any seat allocation ticket if they were not taken up. Shortly after setting off an attractive and young female attendant went through the compartment with the food and drink trolley. I paid her little attention at the time. I cannot remember how long afterwards I looked up from organising the lap top and going online, disappointed to find that I could not listen to live commentary from the Test match in Bangladesh because it would restrict the bandwidth available for other uses and hand to rely on the changing scorecard with written notes.

I noticed that on the floor between the two compartments was a packet of sandwiches and a chocolate muffin and my first reaction was that someone had dropped them but no one appeared ahead in either direction. A woman across the aisle correctly suggested they had fallen off the trolley. I mentioned this to the ticket checker who tried to take them with him until I suggested I would keep them until the trolley returned. It was only sometime latter that I appreciate that the trolley attendant was very attractive and young and was so impressed with my honesty that she gave me a free cup of coffee and the muffin, over £2 in value. She also gave me a great smile and asked how I was on her further two visits as did the ticket collector.

Having checked that the cross river train was in operation I was concerned that there was no train listed on the notice board for Brighton, and then kicked myself when the assistant drew attention to the one listed for Three Bridges. I had to wait 20 minutes but this meant that I arrived at the Travel Lodge only 15 mins before the earliest check in time and was let into a room, which was the same room occupied less than a month ago. Although I went out to buy in food and then for a post meal walk I decided to relax rather than do something, enjoying the Antiques Road Show and Lark’s Rise to Candleford where Laura was confronted by her first and present loves.

I was tempted by the bottles of wine and other goodies but settled for a prawn salad and water for the meal with croissants for the morning.

The commentaries on the Test Match have been of secondary interest because the announcement from the Test and County Board that they plan to change the format of the county championship. The truth is the championship game could not survive with the revenue from the Test Matches, 20 20 and one day format game finals. However for those of my generation the four day county championship game is the basis of my cricket watching. It is my understanding that the problem is a revolt of some players and counties who find themselves in the second division and unable to compete for the £1 million county prize introduced last year and perhaps resenting that new team Durham and to less extent Sussex have dominated the championship over the past decade and which Durham looking as if they could do so over the next year or so. I have had difficult in finding a written report of the proposed changes but I believe the intention is to create three groups with Durham in the northern one which would continue to involve games with Yorkshire, Lancashire and Nottinghamshire as now, but mean no four day visits to Lords or the Oval which is something I have looked forward to over the years. In the Test Match Bangladesh decided to bat after winning the toss and managed a credible first innings total of 419. England did well taking it slow in the heat and looked this morning as if they could make a total of 500 or so giving potential match winning lead although a draw looked the most the likely outcome. When a tired Bell made his first mistake late in the day and was out for a magnificent 138 it still looked as if Bresnan, not out 74 at the close, and with Swann and Broad to come they could still reach the desired target. However Swann was the victim of a freak run out and Broad was out of salts, the team as 440, for 8 at the close and lead of 50 looked the likely possibility.

1898 More Chocolate in a democracy, sport and a film

As usual preparations for my next trip to London and everyday activities are conflicting although the intention to undertake some more preparation work on the outside wall had to be postponed because of rain. It remains as warm as it has been since last Autumn which augurs well for the trip.

I have completed an eight set volume incorporating my work on chocolate and its production in the UK. This reminded that my writing was incomplete as it did not cover chocolate refinement and specialities or chocolate biscuits. I also failed to mention Thornton the chocolate dedicated shop on most High Streets. Within the past five years I did try out a home delivery company providing a selection of fine chocolates on subscription, but only for a few months as I decided the escalating personal weight had to be tackled. I have enjoyed a small box of Belgian made chocolates two or three occasions since then but no more.

When it comes to biscuits, my favourites are those with a thick slab of chocolate to one side, then the chocolate rich tea rather than the digestive. The Malted Milk from Foxes is another. The Blue Ribbon wafer bar is another favourite along with the smaller varieties, especially the Neapolitan wafer. There is the Cadbury Chocolate Finger. It is some years since I picked up a Penguin. I have no problem devouring into a packet of Jaffa cakes but there are two which similar with Mars’ Celebrations are head and shoulders above the competition. The first is Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer with its five layers of wafer and four of caramel with milk or dark chocolate. The Tea cake of shortbread biscuit with the whipped egg concoction similar to marshmallow covered in milk or dark chocolate is too sweet for my taste although I have consumed my share in the past. The top of my chocolate biscuit pops is the chocolate Florentine made with nuts and candid fruit such as cherries into a caramel disc on a thick chocolate base. I was first introduced to an giant sized version at the Newcastle Playhouse cafe at the annual appearance of the Royal Shakespeare Company and more recently ordered a supply at Christmas from the Lakeland company. They are rich, textured and satisfying.

I also followed up writing about chocolate with one treat, not the Celebrations this time when a £4 carton was available at Azda but their own brand of chocolate assortment with three hazels nuts in chocolate, and soft hazelnut praline, toffee caramel and soft caramel, vanilla fudge and toffee crisp, and solid chocolate circle, the orange and the strawberry cream with a disappointing Nougat double where the nougat was difficult to detect. I have eaten about half before packing for the trip

I also could not resist sorting out the latest batch of leaflets giving information on home deliveries and takeaways. Not that I have ever ordered any as the cost is expensive compared to the supermarket availability of fridge and freezer options, tins and jars. I decided to update the list identifying 58 local offers and one from Newcastle and then put them in a lever arch file in Alphabetical order with one pocket for each item, finding that I had up four copies of a few and two for about a third and that is since the last sort through of the pile within the past year. The offers are mainly for food from the Indian sub continent and for the Pizza, but also includes Chinese and Thai, and Southern Fried Chicken, and with most also providing basic English foods such as fish and chips, omelettes and the American Burger. Here is the list with the numbers indicating the order in which the leaflets first arrived.

02 Abralebbarra, 01 AK’s Tripple Diner, 46 Arman Spice 03 Aloy Aloy, 37 Bombay Tandori, 04 The Beacon, 50 Casablanca Express, 05 China Cook, 40 Chinchilla, 36 Crown of India, 28 Delli, 06 Donatellos, 33 Eastern Eye, 07 Express of India, 08 The Godfather, 09 Herbs n Spice, 58 Home Delivery, 49 Indian Brasserie, 27 Indian Essence, 41 Indigo, 59 Jaiho, 45 Leonardos,10 Log Fire Pizza, 42 Luigi’s 52, Lychee 31, M & M’s, 38 Mama Mia’s, 11 Maneks Caterers, 12 Marine, 47 Marconies Pizza’s, 51 Massala, 54 Master Chef, 13 Mini House, 35 Moonlight Indian, 32 Mush’s, 39 Nazi’s Spice, 14 New Delhi, 34 Number, 15 Orange Grass, 16 Papa John, 17 Pizza Corner, 26 Pizza Porter, 44 Pizzeria Rafael,18 Planet Pizza, 30 Quarry Lane Tandori, 19 Rahamania 28 Red Mezze, 20 Razes Spice, 57 Shah, 55 Shah Jan Spice Kitchen, 56 Southern Fried Chicken, 48 Spice Box, 53 Spice Central, 21 Spice Garden, 22 Sylhet Space, 29 Tandori Eastenders, 23 Taste of India, 24 Tastybites, 43 The Shah Jar Spice Kitchen and 25 Yankees. A

Although the rain stopped once I had sat at the desk and then went to the floor to sort out the work ready to make into sets and then work on the registration of those completed. I have been making better progress this year than the last two, average over 100 new sets a month since the turn of the year but tending too undertake the set making and registration once a week, Today the total was 29 with half involving some confidential work which has occupied my attention over the past week. They are not all ready for photographing as I need to make up artman glitter cards.

I also organised everything for the trip including some shirt ironing. I took the accumulated rubbish for the week to the waste disposal centre yesterday as I am will miss the collection on Monday and the next collection follows the Easter holiday weekend. I need to be up 6.30 to 7.00 to morrow giving myself an hour and a half before setting off. Remember I have not checked the weather conditions in the morning and find that it will be dry, I also have not checked the Metro Train system and again there are no works scheduled on the line to Newcastle Station although the Haymarket station is to be closed all day. At the moment I am confident that I will not forget anything although I will need to buy some shaving cream while away. I will wear the suit now that it has been repaired.

I enjoyed my food today, commencing with a cereal bowl. I visited Lydl on Friday for a further supply before visiting Asda, but forgot to call in at B and Q for the anti fungus wash for the wall and some outdoor plaster, buying a packet which has to be made up rather than the ready made as I discovered I had not secured the lid on the container bought several years ago now and it had turned into solid rock.

I decided to eat traditional food of the Indian sub continent to day, dividing the frozen meal for two package between lunch and evening dinner. First there was Chicken Madras with Palau Rice, although the pieces of chicken were scarce and then a Beef Rogan Josh Bombay Potatoes and Onion Bhajis. For lunch I added some Chinese extras as a starters which I divided into two portions a price reduction from 2.48 to 1.24 and then to 40p which was my bargain of the month for 4 vegetable Spring rolls, 4 Chicken Wantons, for Prawn Toasts and a sweet chill dip. I had used the dip for the first portion but fortunately had some chill sauce in a bottle in the fridge. I also divided a small melon between the two meals and for supper enjoyed a toffee and pecan swirl, I drank a Diet Pepsi at Lunch and a Peroni beer from the bottle this evening.

This afternoon I was so busy that I forgot the Sunday Home game was underway, and missed the two opening goals, switching on as Birmingham scored and appeared the better side for the greater part of the second half until Sunderland made the points safe with a third. Sunderland were said to have dominated the first half but the 3.1 appeared flattering from what I heard happening over the second. Darren Bent scored the first after five minutes and the second on 11 minutes. Manager Bruce was philosophical unable to explain why the team had gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. They are now in 12th place and against my forecast, quickly getting out of trouble being ten points clear of Barnsley and Hull in the relegation zone. A couple more home wins should see them safe.

I half watched the opening half of the Newcastle visit to Bristol City on Sky as they were playing badly and went 2.0 down to an amazing goal from Nicky Maynard which would have the best goal keeper in the world beaten. It was only during the last third of the game that Newcastle changed gear and looked as if they would take all three points when first Gutierez siezed on a poor goal keeper’s throw out and then Andy Carroll, who impresses more with every match I see him play, levelled the game at 2.2. The goal keeper made up for his earlier error with a finger tip over the cross bar after a bullet header looked as if it was going to yield all three points. Newcastle remain two points clear at the top but have a game in hand over West Brom. They remain ten points clear of third and also have a game in hand and 16 points clear of the fourth placed

I also watched part of England in France Rugby Union International with they would win the six nations cup after Scotland beat Ireland in Ireland. This was said to be England’s best performance of the season but they narrowly lost with the main talking point being the quality of the refereeing decisions.

The reason why I missed most of the Rugby second half is that I wanted to watch a Michael Portillo programme about improving democratic involvement in the UK. He commenced with talking to two Mayors both independent characters who took on and won against the local part political establishments. In Hartlepool the successful Mayor had been a fun character who made his name by dressing up as the football team Mascot, a Monkey and promised school children free bananas if he won the election. As soon as he won he started to be serious and since been re-elected twice. Michael was clearly impressed that a random stop in the street revealed that everyone knew who the Mayor was and that said he was doing a good job. It is evident that he has adopted a high visibility constantly on the streets talking to the workforce and the public.

There was a similar positive pubic response in Doncaster, a town renowned for political corruption and incompetence but where the Mayor also illustrated the risks of the public electing an extremist as a reaction to the political party machine as he supports capital punish and a quick exit from Europe. He also cancelled the donation to Gay Pride and the services of a translator for new arrivals unable to speak English. However it was also evident he represented majority opinion in his locality and was popular. In both instances people knew their names. Michael then went of the USA to meet the dreadful police chief running a fascist local prison system. However his democratic argument could not be answered. He has put his policies upfront to the public five times and won each election convincingly. A British police chief drew attention that spending half the time campaigning for office and doing things which made one popular was not necessarily good crime prevention and detection. More encouraging was the village shop which was taken over and run by 30 volunteers and which had become so successful that the team were able to employ a full time Manageress. In Battersea where there are four or five good local primary schools but no secondary schools, the middle class parents have got together and are trying to establish an independent school in a closed hospital building, recognising that the task is an exceptionally difficult one. Tower Hamlets Council set up a meeting at which the public could vote on how £250000 was to be spent on competing initiatives in their area with a number of options for the elderly one example. It will be interesting to see what happens if the first General Election after the expenses scandal. I believe the country needs a strong government ay the present time although a hung Parliament and lost of independents and small parties could help the democratic cause in the long run.

I also half watched the film The Proud and the Damned about a band of Confederate soldiers who had fled to Mexico. I have seen the film previously but a second viewing reminded that there had been some good moments. One local warlord insists they spy on what is happening in the nearest village township they are planning to raid, but they quickly find themselves liking the place and its people. The leader of the band takes up with a gypsy woman whose former man disfigures her for disloyalty and who is then killed by the leader who his himself wounded from a knife attack.

It the agreed that the two will leave while the rest of the gang stay and help defend the village and they do an excellent job destroying the ammunition dump of their attackers. However they then find out that their leader has been captured by the warlord who first contracted them and has been hung to death. They cut him down and bury and then go off to seek revenge by attacking his killer and all but the youngest die.

There is a sub story where the youngest is attracted by a young woman, still attending the convent school and promised to local commander of the village forces. He has considerable sympathy with position the visitors and goes with them to deal with the warlord. He also fails to return thus providing the opportunity for the young man who was knocked out by an older comrade to prevent his death being able to have a relationship with the girl and settle in the village community. This is film which is about the reality of conflict although for once it is the combatants who suffer more than the civilian bystanders.