Olympic Torch Relay

Originally I had promised that I would go to see the Olympic Torch Relay on Saturday with my neighbour when we heard it was passing through at the weekend, but when I heard it was going to be here at 0730 in the morning was less enthralled. There is only one 730 in my Saturdays and that wasn't it. But all was not lost as we live on the borders of two Boroughs and the Torch relay would be back to the west of us on Monday morning. Today! I don't know if it was the fact I had slept enough over the weekend or the warm night that had me awaken so early. I think it's more likely that I was excited about the torch this time and this time I had to be up early for work anyway. Looking up the route on Sunday evening it seemed it would literally run right past the end of our street. So maybe it was the excitement that had me awake at 5:00AM. I wasn't going to miss it this time. Quite amazingly, Dusan was actually on a day shift today and had to be up early for work but I am never sure if he really means it when he says wake him in time. But I think it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and he got up an hour after me and in time to make it down to street before the relay arrived. It was 07:20 as we finally made our way hurriedly down to the intersection rushing slightly so as to not miss a thing. You couldn't have asked for a more perfect morning. The Sky was Blue without a single cloud in the sky, the sun was shining down and although the hour was early it was already hot in the sunshine. Immediately you noticed a heavy police presence in readiness to close the roads and ensure noone was in the way of the runners and eager local residents already stood lining the streets either side of the road. It reminded me the atmosphere awaiting for the Disney Parade to begin. A mixture of excitement and anticipation. Five Police Moterbikes pulled up into the intersection signalling that they were about to close the roads and in the distance you could hear music gradually increasing in volume, even thought it was only 0730AM. Three floats preceded the relay and we all happily snapped photographs and cheered as they passed enjoying the carnival atmosphere. Then the roads were cleared once more and then standing in the middle of the road, holding an un-light torch was Doreen Lawrence, the mother of poor murdered Stephen Lawrence so many years ago and has fought tirelessly to ensure justice for her son. Realising it was Mrs Lawrence running made it even more special, as she would carry the torch past her sons memorial which is just up the road. Seeing her standing there just covered me in Goosebumps as the press surrounded her for a quick interview. The whole meaning of what the Olympics represents, people from all around the world united by the things we have in common. Sport. I had a real "World Peace" moment and you could tell that while it was a fun atmosphere there were quite a lot of other emotions flying through the air and while you wanted to cheer and woop and laugh a small part made you want to melt and cry. A few moments latter you could see the Relay runner coming towards us and then he and Mrs Lawrence light traded the flame and the entire street cheered in unison. What an amazing feeling of being united with our neighbours as a nation and as each day passes I feel more and more excited about the Games. With the perfect weather instore for the best part of the week you can't help but feel the excitement will rise steadily until Friday when it all starts and we all cheer as a nation to welcome the entire world to our wonderful city! For once I started the week on a Monday morning on an absolute high and not sure anything could ever feel like that for a 7:30 Monday morning again! Have a happy healthy games,wherever your watching them!

London Olympics 2012 Countdown

With just 17 days to go until the Opening ceremony the venues are finished, the bunting is up, the cities beautification programme has been completed and the officials say "We are ready" for the influx of people and to the let the games begin. The one thing that clearly seemed lacking was the excitemnt of the people that actually live in London. I can remember when in 2005 the announcement was made as to who would host the 2012 games and momentarily I was filled with an incredible excitement. That boost was soon shattered by the terrible events that occurred in London on July 7th. Then there was the Olympic Logo for this years games which was truly dreadful. The madness that they will have "Olympic Officials Only" lanes on the already packed London roads network and the anticipation of in excess of 1 Million extra visitors expected during the 6 week period. For most Londoners it will their daily commute that becomes the biggest bind, when an already overcrowded network has to find a way to squeeze in all those extra visitors. Will it work? Time will tell. Meanwhile the whole ticket ballot process was actually quite complicated and you literally had to bid for tickets you would like. Millions applied and got nothing while others applied and got several sets. So aside from the initial rush of joy at winning the games for London, like many, I lost my interest when we failed to get any tickets. Suddenly 2 months ago they decide that there are thousands of tickets still available and that people that had applied unsuccessfully previously would be given priority. You could bid for just one event in this round. I set an Outlook reminder for 15 minutes before the set sale time and urgently raced through the screens trying to see if I could get anything. Perhaps Mens Volleyball could be nice? One of the bigger venues maybe? The website was slow but enabled you to proceed to the screens you needed in readiness to hit that all important "Buy" button at the given time. Then, like any booking system, I displayed the "Please wait" display, expecting any second a time out or website crash. I actually had to wait 17 minutes in total, all the time a countdown timer saying "you will be served in 17 minutes".... 16, 15...14...13......4...3....2...1. When the screen finally flickered and said showed me my confirmation that I was now the proud owner of Mens Diving Semi Finals I couldn't quite believe it. We were going to the games after all and not just going but we had tickets to see our first choice event! Suddenly I was excited again! Yesterday I came home and had a recorded delivery package at Concierge. The Tickets had arrived and came with a Travelcard for Zones 1 to 9 on the day of the event. The excitement was back and with now only a few weeks to go guess the only thing we have to endure now is the overcrowded trains, buses and tubes and for now I am a very happy man and looking forward to watching the Diving in the Olympic Park. Hmmmm men in Trunks!

Boris Island Vs High Speed 2 (HS2)

Is it just me that thinks it’s complete madness that the Government would be willing to spend some £32 Billion on building a high speed rail link from London to Birmingham and eventually, many years later, on to further North in Scotland when for not much money more they could build the 4 runway super Airport that London so desperately needs in the Thames Estuary. Firstly, the UK as a whole needs a new hub airport where you can provide links between long haul and short haul flights and to open up additional routes to most importantly the emerging markets and the BRIC countries. China is opening dozens of new airports with potential new routes and here we are piddling away with our countries main hub airport running at 99.8% capacity! What’s that all about? As the United States prepare to celebrate their countries independence today I start to think no wonder the founding fathers finally flipped their lids and threw all of the tea into the Boston Harbour and started the process that led to the good old US of A being an independent country. It so often feels like elections pass every 4 to 5 years and no matter who wins we are stuck with the same old, stuck in the mud attitude of those days of the Boston Tea Party, where they can’t organise a simple drink up in a brewery. One party authorises a new Runway, another gets in and cancels it! Meanwhile, months, years, decades pass and the country that was pioneer in building great railways is being left behind in the airport stakes! Berlin’s new International Airport is scheduled to open in 2013 adding an additional 27 million passengers per year and we are still stuck with an airport built on the wrong side of London, where noone wants any expansion and yet they all want to fly from there when they need it and yet the same issue at Gatwick and Stansted. (I have yet to see how on earth they can claim that London Southend is anywhere near London!). Typical NIMBYs, wanting them built but not in their back yard. Let’s just suppose that HS2 gets the green light and is built. I can already get to Birmingham in a fast 90 minutes. The fares are reasonable enough and buy in advance and you can often get a first class for less than an economy seat on the day. But HS2! Well for the benefit of knocking a few minutes off your journey tim you will be forced to pay a premium. I imagine, if historical pricing is anything to go by it will be significantly more expensive and what new nett money will it bring our country? None! Where as an airport to new countries, new cities will potentially bring more business, more tourists and increase GDP! Surely the airport will bring Billions more in revenue for our country as a whole and therefore reduce the deficit further. I can appreciate that nobody wants a runway at the end of their garden but at the same time, I, like millions of other Londoners are woken every morning at 530AM by 747s circling endlessly around London waiting for a landing slot. All of which could be solved if we simply built Boris Island. Of course, its never as simple as just what to build and where. We have all the politics of loosing voters in areas not happy about the new runway or new airport. High Speed links are essential to improving any economy but I can not see the domestic need of a high speed link to an area under 90 minutes away presently. Furthermore, would I pay a premium to use it? I don’t believe so. Currently they are constructing London’s Cross Rail project, a High Speed link that will go from Heathrow to Canary Wharf and beyond into Essex. But unlike other projects in the past, the new line will not be part of the London Underground Network. You will not be allowed to use it as part of your annual travel card but at a premium. Now I ask you, if you have to get to LHR for your holiday and your flight leaves at say 10PM. Do you pay £20 each to go one way on Cross Rail or rather let it take slightly longer and go for free on your Oyster? If the recession has taught us all one thing, it’s the knack of being thrift and saving money wherever you can. Much like I can’t see people paying a huge premium to use crossrail, I can’t see them paying to use HS2 and we could end up with another white elephant like the Millenium Dome on our hands. But the circumstances are different when it comes to airports. We all live for our annual summer holiday. They have become part of a national obsession. For businesses needing to travel to sign contracts, they need to fly there to do the deal and it’s these essential international links that we need more than anything Of course you already know how I feel about the lack of airport growth, it’s just a shame we can’t have some people in power that do something about it instead of these ConDems who can’t do anything for fear of tipping the apple cart!

POSH - The Play

Emily & I continued our celebration of the fact that we were entering into our 40th year on the planet with our 6th month in a row of doing something together, fabulous and in each others company and thankfully this time Dusan was able to join us. Emily had to work late so Dusan and I started the evening off at Pizza Express... I know! Calorific right? But yummy all the same and despite the fact we were eating on Saint Martins Lane in the heart of London's theater district the service was fast, friendly and efficient and we were able to get two courses and be out in under 50 minutes, leaving just time to wander 100 yards down the street to the Duke of York Theatre. Emily had arranged to meet us outside and so I just had time to collect the tickets from the box office before our arranged meet time. The trouble with buying tickets online is you never really know where you will be sat so we were pleasantly surprised when despite being in the Upper Terrace we had the Front Row, so our view was fabulous. Of course the downside is that there is less leg room than a Ryanair jet seat in the back row. Seriously, you would have thought that they could have an overhang and somewhere to put your feet! Still, we had a great view and that's what counts. We sat just before the lights went down, the curtain went up and the scene was set. A private members clubs somewhere in London. I won't tell you the story and spoil the plot but the synopsis is 10 public school boys and members of the Riot Club, a prestigious private members club of Students of the filthy rich variety. The main tale is set around a dining table in a gastro pub and looks at the life of public school boys. The surprising element was when they sprung into song three time acapella style. It was nice to see a Theater so full on a Wednesday night as hardly as seat was empty, and who says that live theatre costs the earth. For the three of us it was under £50! Quite marvellous and a hoot to boot! I say, what what!

Royal Jubilee Weekend

If there is one thing that the British do well its all the Pomp and Ceremony that come with over a thousand years of experience. So when they announced over a year ago that we would be given an extra days holiday for the Jubilee, you immediately knew that it would be something special. Its not every day that we celebrate a Monarch being on the thrown for 60 years. Infact, its only the second time in our nations history that it's ever happened. Queen Victoria being the last. I dare to ask all of the Republicans out there did you not feel a little bit proud on the Jubilee weekend to be British? As the weeks and days counted down the bunting around the city increased and Regent Street, the Royal Street of Shops in the heart of the shopping district, displayed Union Jack Flags across the entire street. There were talks of Street Parties and we all had the Boat Pagent to look forward to. What to do? Where to go? It was one of those moments that you felt would be like when people used to ask, where were you when you heard JFK was shot, or that Princess Diana had died. The day of the Pagent I went to Alex's and Mikeys and watched it on TV in good company..(Thank you guys). Their flat is on Shad Thames and had a small view of Thames. It was a nice way to watch the floatilla, although I had originally wanted to go to the Thames and watch it in the flesh. Sadly the weather was against us and it poured down most of the day, so a nice cosy flat was a far better choice. Come the Monday, I stayed in and watched the Jubilee Concert live on BBC1. What a gig. I so wish I had applied for tickets in the free Ballot. Shirley Bassey, Robbie Williams, Tom Jones, Grace Jones, Kylie, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John were among the headliners but most of all, Her Majesty was there and seemingly enjoying it, despite her husband, Prince Philip, being ill in hospital. (You can't help but think that being stuck out on a wet barge 3 hours did him any good!). It was a fabulous weekend and I just want to take a moment to thank Her Majesty for her loyalty to the role, for being endlessly correct and proper in her mannerisms and always and ever a role model we can all look up to. Thank you Ma'am. Happy Jubilee.

Blood Brothers

It's not only the Queen who get's to celebrate this year as both my dear friend Emily and I approach a landmark age, we decided that we would celebrate like never before and from January 2012 have vowed to do something, no matter how small, together to celebrate the beginning of our "coughs and splutters" year! So we have thus far had dinner at La Caprice, been to 3 concerts and seen two West End Shows. So considering we only promised one event per month, we are one ahead at present! How will we top Steps and Ghost the Musical? I'm sure we will find a way. It was during an outing to see the London Gay Men's Chorus performance at Saint Giles in the Field, and as we were passing the theater on Charring Cross Road, I mentioned, I had never seen Blood Brothers and didn't Emily say that it was one of her faveourite musicals? That was all it took and the next week, thanks to Lastminute.com we had booked it for a late May. My friend Katrina joined me while Emily's friend Bridgette joined her and after a light meal and a quick drink in a local pub we made our way to the theatre. What a pity, the Upper Circle was closed, as was the Royal Circle, meaning we had been upgraded to the 6th row of the Stalls (Lucky Bitches)! We were dead centre and had a perfect view of the stage and cast, taking our seats moments before the lights went down. Not knowing the story or music I was pleasantly surprised at a fun musical score that you found yourself strangely singing along to and characters that you couldn't help feel an affection towards. I was warned that the second act could be somewhat tear worthy and was, as such, loaded with some Kleenex just in-case. While I may have spotted a few tears in the audience, it was actually a joyful evening and spent in the best of company. 5 Months down on our celebrations Emily, only 19 months more to go! It's almost like an advent Calendar!

The Tower of London

Its the time of year when I usually meet up with my dear friend John and go on a tour of somewhere historical or different, somewhere around the country. Our previous trips have included Buckingham Palace, The Secret Nuclear Bunker, Victoria & Albert Museum, Kensignton Palace and Bletchley House where they cracked the Enigma Code. When John came for dinner a month back we listed a few places I would like to see and one of these was the Tower of London. Tickets were bought for today and as always on these dates, I meet John at an agreed place and time, where he will be waiting (His always punctual) and I will be treated to a personal historic tour of the venue with him as my own personal tour guide. Over the years his interest of history has left him with a wealth of knowledge and me the lucky benefactor of that knowledge on the many private tours his given me over the years. We met at Tower Hill and as always started outside with some local history about the surrounding buildings then made our way down to the Tower's Moat and learned about how it was once filled with both Thames water and Tower Sewage...eww. The Menagerie was next. The thought that they had wild Tigers, Bears and all sorts of exotic animals roaming at the Palace, many of them for visitors to see, seems strange to say the least. Did you know that eventually the order was given to close the Menagerie and many of the animals moved to London Zoo which opened to the public in 1847! Once inside we heard the history of the White Tower, The Bloody Tower, Traitors Gate and the like. It was such an early start that many of the queues had yet to form and so before lunch we made our way to the Crown Jewels and I was amazed at John's knowledge of not only which piece was which but the history therein within each piece and how in the days of old we used to rent the gems for certain crowns. It's so amazing standing at the side of a great building that dates back to the Times of King Henry VIII and construction commenced in 1066. We saw the Ravens and the Beefeaters and went inside Saint John's Chappell which you can only do if you are on one of the Beefeaters tours (Gather around when they are nearing the chappel and go on in for the history of the Chappel. Learning of the Towers many prisoners including of course, Elizabeth I. Hearing of the Torture that once took place and the Princes in the Tower. Were the Twins murdered? I didn't know beforehand that the Tower was also used to store the Governments Gun Powder stock, something that seems preposterous considering it was also the home to the Crown Jewels, but then they didn't have Health & Safety and Due Diligence back then. We wrapped up the afternoon with a lovely spot of lunch and looking forward to my next installment with John which should be Windsor Castle! Keep posted for pictures, I will upload them as soon as I find the cord between the Cannon Camera and Laptop!

Dinner @ Simplicity

It has been since our Easter Break in Gran Canaria since we last had a meal as the four of us, our dear friends Mark and Richard (AKA The Leather Queens) and Dusan I. So we arranged to meet this evening locally for a nice meal and catch up together. We went to a small, local, independent restaurant in Rotherhithe called Simplicity. I met Richard and Mark at theirs and then we met Dusan at the restaurant. You wouldn't think it was much to look at from the outside, but the inside was small and cosy enough and Dusan had already ordered water when we arrived. They offer two choices of menu. The Fix Prix and the Al a Carte. I opted for the Pate to start which was one of the nicest Pates I have tasted in a long while, followed by a Chicken Breast stuffed with Bubble and Squeak and wrapped in bacon with Rosti Potatoes and Vegetables. I guess the proof is in the taste, it was delicious and best of all, we were able to spend a lovely evening catching up with Mark & Richard and spend some quality time together. Amazing how I have parked my own car there a dozen times when visiting the Mayflower and never even seen simplicity before. Yummy.

GCSE's (General Collapse in Secondary Education)

I had always thought that with the introduction of the new Academy's replacing many of the old Comprehensives, that things would be on the up in schools and it might finally be the turn around that education in this country needed. We have all read the stories about how they are making qualifications easier and how more kids than ever are leaving school with 5 plus GCSE and how the number of A*'s has increased year on year. But if this is true, why is that employees find it so difficult to find a young British person with excellent English, Maths, Communication and Interpersonal Skills? But of course all of this is hear-say and I should not believe all that is printed in papers such as the Daily Mail (Not that I read it you understand, but occasionally it is good to know thy enemy and read what they are saying about my own community. But the truth came when two friends of mine at work did a day's volunteering at the work sponsored Academy, not too far from the office. After a short meeting the week before, they arrived and were assigned some tasks to do with the children and were informed that under no circumstances, no matter what, can you say anything what so ever, that may potentially "Disrespect" the children. If they are unruly and playing up, you can not tell them to be quiet or shut up, no no, you have to put your hand in the air and count down from five to 1. Respect? What about the respect of the teacher or the teaching assistance. This particular class they were assisting with was being run my a substitute teacher who when the break started dissapeared and failed to return, leaving my two friends alone with the class. Have things not over stepped the mark? Don't disrespect the children? So they can run havoc? Maybe that's why they all get good grades but can't read or write? I can remember my own days at school, when GCSEs were first launched. Teachers were on Strike through much of my education, refusing to mark our homework and do any extra curricular activity. We always used to joke that GCSEs stood for General Collapse in Secondary Education, but far from get better over the years, it seems it got worse. All employees are encouraged to do two volunteering days every year and they have a dedicated web page for all the opportunities you can sign up to. With an extra day still to use in the next couple of months, I was browsing keenly trying to find an opportunity to do my bit for the community, but sadly the stories of the Academy have put me off ever wanting to ever go there. I have this fear it will resemble more like Saint Trinian's than the disciplined place I was educated. Was my own education any good? Not really. The classrooms were over crowded, the teachers didn't care and they were struggling to understand the new curriculum that GCSEs introduced. History, far from learning about interesting things such as the Monarchy, The 1st and 2nd World War and the Battle of Hastings we had to learn about the farming revolution and the Population boom of the 18th Century. I don't have fond memories of those days, but thankfully I came out being able to string a sentence together, being able to understand mathematics and with good communication and interpersonal skills. As for holding my hand up and counting from 5 to 1? We would have been told to shut up or get the cane and it didn't do us any harm did it?

Will Greece leave the Eurozone?

As we enter the second week after the Greek elections and still with no party being able to form a coalition and make a majority, what happens next? If the existing party numbers are unable to find any polarity and join a coalition, do they get forced back to the polls and have an election over? The results are nothing new or shocking. The people of Europe seem to have voted with their feet against the ongoing cuts and austerity measures. Here in the UK we had similar results with Labour winning hundreds of seats from the Tories and LibDems. They did say that whoever won power this term, would be disliked for their actions, but the change in spending habits was inevitable. Back to Greece, they no longer seem to be talking about "if" Greece will leave the Euro but rather "when" they will leave it. The problem seems to be, there is no pre set way or any historical record of anyone ever having done it. In fact the only thing in the existing treaties is an option for countries to leave the Union. How can Greece ever pay back its enormous debts when it can not de-value its currency as it no longer has a central bank and has to rely on ECB to regulate its interest rates. How much would a new Greek Drachma be worth? What would adopting a new old currency mean for Greek people? An immediate devaluation of their currency would lead to astronomical inflation in the short term, but would this be worse than the enforced austerity measures that Angela Merckle and the other European Power Houses are demanding? To think that, not so long ago, when Gordon Brown snatched power at Number 10 (Remember we didn't get to vote on it, Tony left, he took over), he signed over more powers to Europe and there was talk that with the devalued pound not far off par with the Euro, that he was trying to get us aligned so we too would join the Euro. Well thank heavens that never happened. Sure it would be nice to know exactly how much currency is worth wherever you go in the Eurozone but without our own central bank we would have been up the creek without a paddle. If Greece does find a way to exit the Euro, would they be the only one? Would perhaps Portugal or Spain be hot on their heals? I guess time will tell. Meanwhile I am keeping a keen eye on the GBP/EUR exchange rate. Its been rising steadily recently based around the turmoil in the Eurozone. Watch this space!

North Carolina

Austerity vs Growth

It seems as both the UK and six other European Nations all took to the polls in the last week that the voters are voting with their feet and much like Labour won hundreds of seats here in the local elections. Greece & French voters have voted against their current leaders and for parties that are anti-austerity. What does this mean to the rest of us? With unemployment in the UK higher than it's been at any time in decades is austerity really working? With over 1 Million youth unemployed and they say that the cuts have only just begun, are we really ready for a period of even more doom and gloom? Perhaps the Olympic/Jubilee lift will give us all a positive boost? What of Greece who took the bailout and now wants to turn its back on the terms its was given? And Monsier Hollande, the new French President (Lets hope someone called France doesn't become PM of the Netherlands else it would get confusing) says they wan't to turn their back on austerity too. Is growth actually the way? Has the increase of VAT up to 20% boosted my spending? Has the increase in my electricity and fuel bills helped anything at all? Has any bill not gone up? Am I spending like I used to? Perhaps at the Supermarket I still do, after all, one has to eat. But as for new clothes, I buy them when I need to. New electronics, on hold. DIY projects in peace meal and when we do purchase, we turn to the internet to see where we can get the best prices. In fact, possibly the only area that we have increased our spending since the recession began is perhaps on our holiday budget. The need to escape the grey and misery the greatest need of all. Perhaps Greece will exit the Euro and devalue it's currency which on the holiday front would be good for us. Cheaper holidays in Greece. But it won't help the fact that we feel like a stagnant pond with the life being slowly drained from it as the pond weed slowly suffocates it and all life within starts to go into hibernation through lack of air. Surely the economy is much is like that? We need confidence and spending power to boost the economy, but with ever the threat that your job will go and that the cost of everything is going up, no-wonder we are choosing to hold on to our money and spend it wisely. I do have to wonder though, if France and Greece choose to try and go for Growth and it fails, what happens then? With bigger debts and higher liabilities where will they turn if it doesn't pan out?

LGMC 21st Anniversary Concert

As fans of the LGMC for almost ten years now, when Emily and I saw advertised the 21st Anniversary show we made a pledge that we would go to all of their concerts in this year. We went along with our dear friends The Leather Queens and arranged to meet up at the Royal Festival Hall at 1830 so we could have a pre show drink together. The Royal Festival Hall was originally built in the 1950's in Post War London to replace the buildings that we were lost to bombing. At just 2900 seats it seems impossible that in 1960 it was the host venue for the European Song Contest, when these days the competition is so vast they have to build bespoke venues to fit the capacity guests and performers. The hall itself has been completed refurbished and yet managed to retain a 1950s feel and yet was a stunning venue, particulary fabulous for a concert as you have unblocked views. Our seats were in the forward stalls and we sat down to enjoy the show. I don't think I have ever seen so many of the LGMC perform in a single show and to top that they had added guest performers. The show was, as always, a combination of classic and modern songs and I particularly loved the Madonna vs. Lady Gaga remix. Fabulous. They have recently started to do an Outreach program with various schools in the London area helping run workshops and providing the children with skills in confidence, singing and performing. Including non Main Stream schools and they all joined up on the stage to sing a segment of numbers with the boys. There was a deaf school also singing and signing to the numbers and one particular boy caught our eye as he was so happily singing to his hearts content he forgot to sign with his group. Of course it didn't matter, it just made your heart feel warm seeing them all belting out the numbers together and loving every minute. How many 8 year old's can say they have performed at Royal Festival Hall in front of nearly 3000 people? It was not the only touching moment of the show. The second half they were joined the Southbank's own choir, an all female ensemble and it was nice to hear the harmonies of both male and female voices for a change. The show lasted nearly three hours and was enjoyed by all four of us and well done to the LGMC on 21 Fabulous years and long may the good work and good cheer you bring continue to be enjoyed all around the globe.

Mayoral Electoral Race

With just under 24 hours to go until the polls open on the Mayoral electoral race one can't help but think, where is the choice this year? Its the same three for the major parties as it was at the last Mayoral poll, Boris, Ken or Brian. In-fact, hasn't Ken stood every year since the Government created the new London Mayor? Of course there are other candidates representing the smaller parties such as UKIP, The Greens and the like but in reality the only ones with a standing chance are the main parties. Read the manifesto for the Greens Jenny Jones, who insists she will be Mayor. Maybe pigs will yet learn to fly. No matter, however, whatever your political convictions or who out of the candidates you think will do the best job or rather would do perhaps do the least worse, what is important is that you express your political opinion in one way or another. Use your democratic right and make that vote. Don't waste it. Don't sit back and think they are all the same or you really don't care. Its important to have your vote and your say and make your vote count. People have fought in many a war to ensure that we keep our freedoms and democracy to ensure that we remain a free country and that means you can have your say, make a difference and have your vote heard. It only takes a few seconds so I encourage you all, if you have a vote, use your vote. Don't waste it. Time will tell us who will win!

Harry Potter World - Studio Tour

For both Alex & Mickey’s main Christmas gift we bought them tickets to go with Dusa and I to the newest attraction in town, the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden. Best of all I managed to buy the tickets the day I first saw it advertised, probably as far back as October 2011 and the attraction didn’t open until April, which meant that we had tickets in the opening few weeks. Initially we arranged to meet at Kings Cross, so we could enjoy a lunch together (Especially as it was the day after the Steps concert), so we met at Benito’s Hat in the newly opened section of Kings Cross Station. Wow, what a transformation. So we all had a nice Mexican lunch and had our picture taken next to Platform 9 & ¾. Now despite having checked the website in advance for travel directions, I could have sworn it said that the trains left from Kings Cross. It must have been subliminal and my thinking that it would actually be platform 9 & ¾. But I was mistaken and we had to take a short journey to Euston, before getting the Train to Watford Junction where it said you could collect a coach to the Studios.

We found the bus stop by the simple fact it was the only one with a huge line and were informed we had just missed a coach filled to capacity. We didn’t however have to wait too long before we spotted a bright purple livery Harry Potter Themed Double Decker heading up the road. Within 15 minutes we were pulling into the Studio Car Park. The Studios themselves, having been home to the most successful movie franchise ever have now sadly closed to the movie making business and this has therefore enabled them to use several of the soundstages to house the new Harry Potter Tour. We entered the large Lobby which had enormous pictures from all of the movies around the top and you could hear the magical music from the movie being played over the loud speakers. We collected our Audio Tour sets from the booth. Expecting something like a Walkman we were quite impressed at being given an iTouch each with Malfoy providing the narration and the guide itself interactive. For each section you could click on a button on the screen to view further pictures or alternatively video clips. We stood in line to enter the tour for a few moments and were then lead through into a small holding room for what they would call at Disney the Pre Show and a movie was played about how the phenomenon of Harry Potter took off and how it very quickly was written into a screen play and the movies were being filmed, long before the final book had been penned. Moving on from the Pre Show, there was an Cinema where we were asked to take our seats and were shown an introduction movie by hosted by Harry, Ron & Hermione. Then totally unexpected the screen lifted to reveal a giant set of Golden Coloured doors.

The guide was hyping us up asking “Are you ready for the excitement to begin?” Then the doors, which must have been at least 13 feet tall opened revealing the Great Hall of Hogwarts on the other side. We were all asked to rise to our feet and the tour began. There we were standing inside the Great Hall. Two of the House Tables had been removed to ensure there was enough space for us all to enter while two tables remained. Down each side Gargoyles, each different hung and beneath them were suspended a giant iron bowl which flickered with actual flames.

Behind each of the tables were costumes of various characters and at the far end the Top Table where there were life size characters of all of the teachers, again dressed in actual costumes.

We were given some information about the great hall and informed that the tour itself was being housed in two of the Sound Stages that were used in the movie, the two that they had saved were Sound Stages J & K in honour of the author.

From the Great Hall we continued the tour at own pace. Where we were able to see props and memorabilia from all eight of the movies and sets both large and small. From the Griffindoor Boys Dormitory to Dumbledoors Office, the home of the Weasleys and Hagrids Hut, The Ministry of Magic. We got to see Harry’s old home, 4 Privet Drive, stepped on to the 3 story Knight Bus and then walked past Gringotts and all the way up Diagonally stopping naturally to take pictures of Olivanders Wand shop and Weasleys Gags and Wheezes.

Mid-way through the tour there were refreshment stands and we were able to each enjoy a glass of Butter Beer and the tour ended with possibly the most magical part of all, a chance to see the actual model of Hogwarts where all of the outdoor action shots were taken before the introduction to CIG in the final 8th movie. For the second time in the tour we all found our body tingling with tiny goosebumps. Seeing it all again made me remember all the fond memories of that first time I picked up my first copy of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and the memories of reading each and every book. The mania involved of going to the store at Midnight and standing in line with hundreds of other people to get your hands on the copy on the day of release and the wonder of seeing it all come to life on the screen. What a wonderful day out celebrating wonderful stories.

STEPS LIVE

To think that my Facebook Profile said for years "Bring Back Steps", it was at the time just a dream that they would come back but on 19th April 2012, that dream became a reality. I arrived at the 02 at Five PM and met Patsie for a fabulous catch up. We dined in Armadillio and sat down to enjoy Nachos, Cocktails, Starters, Cocktails, Burnt Ends, Cocktails.... How do they manage to serve up the food so quick in these places? We hadn't been inside more than 40 minutes and yet we had a full meal! We made our way across to the Union Bar and it was there that Scott and Jazz found us and then Mikey and Emily. As we browsed our Facebook profiles you could tell that the 02 was uber Gay that night! We made our way to our seats......okay so they were in the Gods and people with Virtigo need not apply, but the great thing about the 02 is you can see the Stage wherever you are. Once they came on stage it was like old times... the hits just knocked out and it even included a solo section. Claire Rocked! We were on our feet from beginning to end and I had forgotten how much of a workout a dance routine can be.... 5678, 1 for Sorrow, 2 for love.... I was so excited it reminded me of seeing them at G-A-Y and I thought it almost compulsory to take my shirt off. We danced we sang we cheered, it was one of the bests concerts I have ever been too. And who would have thought that we would get to see them again? Who's next? ABBA?

Easter Break Villas Blancas

One of the best things about working in Finance is the fact you are forced to take a full ten days block leave every year off. And what better way to spend it than with friends in Gran Canaria. We had our bags packed and met up with Mark & Richard at New Cross Gate Station for the short journey to London Gatwick Airport.

There were no queues at the airport, it was just drop off the cases and go straight through to the first class lounge. Well thanks to Priority Pass the four of us made our way to the VIP Lounge where we could relax and enjoy the facilities away from the hassle and bushel of the regular terminal building. A Bloody Mary poured and the wifi connected. This is the life. The lounge was heaving to be honest, I have never seen a busier VIP lounge. Why do they allow in Children? Isn't that what we paid to escape? But relax Neil, its fine. And we soon learn that if you unscrew the caps from the easy-pour you can get much more booze in your glass! So we settled down and relaxed in the lounge pre flight. Bliss.

Air Europa had us settled down in Madrid in just over two hours. Rain was pouring down the windows of the terminal building but as they say "The Rain in Spain stays mainly on the plane", now we had to change terminals. Okay, so you can fly direct, but the flight times are awful especially on the home bound, and considering it was Easter we got a bargain. So are we flying to Gran Canaria or walking. Seriously, it feels like we have walked miles to get to Terminal Two. Finally, there's the gate! Hmmm Subway. I'm starving. So I make my way over to the Subway Concession. Okay, what shall I have. There's no Chicken Teriyaki here. 6 inch or 12? hmmm. Are they starting to board? They cant? Surely? I mean, its not time is it? This is n't like a Subway at home at all. The queue isn't even moving and there are what? 15 people in front of me? They are definitely shuffling forward towards the gate. What kind of Bread do they have here? Okay, this queue is definitely not moving fast. Hmmm I give up, I return my water to the refrigerator and rejoin Dusan, Richard and Mark at the gate. I'll buy a Sandwhich on-board.
Sorry sir, can you come back please... there is a problem with your seat. The lady quickly calls back Mark and then as she cans each of our boarding passes crosses out the issued seat number and writes on mine 4C. Ooh an upgrade! The four of us, upgraded at the gate. Richard, you've done us proud. As we walk down the gangway and are greated "Welcome Aboard" ah to the Left please. Yes, as Alex always says Never Turn Right on an airplane. Wow this is a big Jet an Airbus 330. We are seen to our seats and the stewardess takes our coats and hangs them up for us! Would we care for a glass of Orange Juice or Water before take off? How big is this seat? I stretch out my legs and for the life of me can not even touch the seat in front of me! Wow. We have a lovely flat screen TV in front of us and the four of us can not believe our luck. Why us? Dressed in jeans? But who cares? Here we are in First Class! Marvelous.
The flight took off and that's really when the fun begins. First I had a lovely Jack Daniels and Diet Coke and what's this button do? Wow, no really this bed does go flat! Brrrrrrrrr I press all of the different settings just to get a feel of what its like? If only we were flying further than the Canaries. What's that smell? Is something burning? Don't be silly. That's our dinner. Out comes the service and were fed a lovely three course meal and did I mention the flat bed?

We had private transfers booked and so once we collected our cases our driver was waiting and the car whisked us away to Villas Blancas. Our home for the next ten days. Our Villa was devine. We had been given a 3 bedroom one in Villas Blancas II, Marvelous. Set around the quieter of the two pools it had everything we needed. A nice kitchen, Television, Dining Table. A table on the Terrace and a Breakfast Bar.

All of us wanted to ensure it was a proper rest and the trouble with Gran Canaria can be that you come back more tired than you leave, especially as many of the bars and venues don't really open till around midnight so our first night we decided to have some food and stay home.

We never made it to the beach! The first day was somewhat overcast, so Richard, Dusan and I took a long walk down to the Faro Lighthouse and a look along the promenade and the newer area of Maspalomas. Thankfully the weather improved and we all managed to work on our tans. We alternated our nights out dining in restaurants and taking turns of cooking at the villa and you know you feel at home when your so happy in the resort that your not worried about leaving the complex. With its Two Pools and a fabulous Jacuzzi it was just heaven. On the Friday evening Villas Blancas hosts an event, so we joined them for a lovely Barbecue. Which is more of a social gathering than anything else. For your 16 Euros we received 3 glasses of Cava each and a sumptuous meal. Very nice.

Thankfully the weather picked up and we soon had our base tans developed. Bliss. We alternated nights out with nights in and before we knew it our time was up. Another fabulous holiday was over. Thanks to the boys for a fabulous time and now time to hit the gym and work off some of those cocktails!

Its all about 3D

I have always been a TV buff. I think my father is even more so, so was quite interested when I heard my friend Jay talking so much about his 3D TV a few weeks ago at a dinner party held at Alex's.

This interest soon lead into an invitation over to theirs to see it in action. So we sat down and watched one of my favorite Disney movies of all time, The Lion King.

Now if the opening sequence isn't enough to make your heart jump, watch it in 3D and it's something else again. I'm totally knocked over by it and thinking that our 3D ready TV is not ready enough. We need to get the glasses and the strip to bring it to life. Might even pop to John Lewis this week.

After a lovely night at the boys, Saturday was a lazy day before I had to head to the West End and meet Emily for a night with the London Gay Mens Chorus Ensemble, a side group of the main Chorus, who were performing at Saint Giles in the Field Church, in central London. Wow, what an amazing venue. With plaques on the wall dating over 250 years you know its somewhere special and then the voices of our special boys made it somewhat more special.

Had a lovely evening and and was still home in bed by 11:00, just in time considering the change of clocks and hello British Summer Time! Maybe that's why I can't sleep? Who knows?

Help Yourself Service Buffet

Have your ever noticed how the rules of engagement change suddenly if you ever find yourself at a Help Yourself Service Buffet (HYSB)? Our accommodation arrangements included half board and while we have never yet once made it to breakfast, we have been able to dine handsomely every evening.

Now when you arrive at the HYSB you should initially do a tour of offering to see what exactly tickles your fancy, but somehow we forget this every evening and initially arrive at the sumptuous Salad Bar. They don´t offer side plates so it´s main size servings only and while I only ever intend to have a small plate one marvels at how it differs each night. Parma Harm, Smoked Salmon, Chef´s Salad, Russian Salad, Salad with a name you have never heard of and all of it piled on to our plates. Of course, we are waistline conscious so actually didn´t have anything much of any sin, though look at some of the others in the restaurant and you would have thought they had not eaten in a month. I seriously saw one older gentleman with a 9" Plate stacked over 2" tall with salad!

Once we had our starter it was to the main food line. They literally offer everything. Soup, Pasta, Chips, Pizza and chicken are available every day then they differentiate it by adding some new dishes. I thought that Tunny Fish might be a Tuna Steak but it was some kind of curried fish (vile), but we have had fresh fish every day and while normally one protein would be ample, as its a HYSB, you feel that as its on offer you should at least try it. Some mixed Vegetables, Roast Beef, Sea Bream, Some fish you never heard of, a pork dish that looked like all bones and no pork.

Then of course there is the dessert line, Ice Creams and pastries available for those with an appetite.

I despise at the fact that some think they don´t have to join the queue, probably the same ones that break hotel rules and reserve sun loungers. Its forbidden people!

I can´t complain we have eaten like kings and tried to be healthy along the way, which is a good thing.

And to think David and co would have thought this post was about a different subject matter entirely!

Much love,
Neil xxx

Maspalomas Carnival 2012

Well there is one thing I can say for certain, they certainly know how to throw a Carnival Parade and I am sure that my narrative will do it little justice compared to being their in person as you need to add that Wow factor.

We initially made our way to the Carnival route at 1700 as it was due to start then, but as the sun started to fall around 1815 and the evening breeze set in and yet a single float was set to arrive, we decided to bail, grab some food and an extra layer of clothing, then come back.

Arriving at 1930 there were large crowds heading back down Ave de Tijuana towards the bigger restort hotels and Dusan was sure we had missed it. But as I had read earlier online that the 6 KM route takes some 8 hours to pass fully, knew we would catch up with it.

The route makes its way from the Kazbar shopping complex, via the Yumbo and on to Maspalomas. We joined it adacent to the Yumbo Centre on Avenue de Tijuana. Spotting our first float light up like fairy lights on a christmas tree, long after we heard the first whistle, cheer or beating drum.

The floats were one thing, bringing music and an atmosphere to the swelling crowd and you can easily believe that every Mother, Son, Father, Granmother and daughter from the whole island had come out to party.

Some were dressed as Superheros, I lost count of the number of Superman, Spider Man, Banana Man, Mr Incredible we saw during the parade and in the crowd. There were witches and goblins, angels and devils, fairies (of the mystical kind), Snow White, Cinderella, drag queens attractive, awful looking drag queens. Straight guys dressed in drag. There were Princess, Princesses, Queens and slaves, Roman Guards complete with Chariot alongside leather guys dressed in chaps and a collective of Cabin Crew looking hostesses all in drag.

As much as our eyes were draw to the parade, we were looking around and taking in the carnival spirit all around. Indeed carnival should be described as a party and not a parade. There were carts up and down the route selling everything from Candy floss to Giant sugar Dummies.

We stood in the middle of the road on the raised middle section for over 3 hours as float after float followed by litterally thousands of party goers manovered its way slowly down the street.

Making our way over to the Yumbo centre for a break and drink you could be forgiven for thinking it were a superhero convention as litterally everyone was dressed in costume, except for us. Next year we will join a float and really be a part of carnival. If I could only describe it with one word it would "Amazing" and what lucky bitches we have been for being here. It was certainly on par with Rio. Happy Carnival one and all.

Holidays are coming

It seemed like the countdown to my next holiday would take foreer, infact I would say my body was demanding a break at least six weeks before the day finally came around. The final weeks felt like I was like an airplane that was litterally running on vapour.

Arrived at LGW and checked in before escaping to the Oasis of the First Class lounge. Seriously, I don´t think I could take a flight these days if I didn´t have access to the lounge. The free food and drink aside its tranquil and provides that little bit of Je ne cest pas!

The flight was fairly full and it was soon apparent the 12 Russians sat in front of us were drinking their Duty Free Vodka, quite liberally. But then they got rude and offensive and when one grabbed a crew member, the Purser was asking us all if we could provide witness statements. I almost expected Sky Marshalls to board at the airport and arrest the lot of them.

Thankfully we only waited a few minutes for our cases and the private transfer was awaiting our arrival. Usually we get a Mercedes or likewise Sedan but this time our carriage was a private 9 seater luxury Mini Van. It felt like had arrived to do a gig more than a Private transfer. The private transfer is worth every penny as within 20 minutes we were at our hotel and not having had to wait for 48 others and not stopping at every resort between the airport and Playas del Ingles.

It was surprisingly cool last night, a mere 14 degrees on arrival but that was more than compensated for by being 25 today. I rose and sat by the pool for a few hours while Dusan enjoyed a lie in and then the two of us made our way down to the Dunes and managed another three hours of relaxing on the beach in the gorgeous March sunshine.

Carnival is tomorrow and Saturday so should be exciting with the Parade and of course the bars packed full of tanned totty. I so love it here, could easily stay. Happy Carnival! Now where did I put that after sun :-)

Ghost the Musical

For my birthday treat, Emily decided to take to see Ghost the Musical. We met at Balans at 615, just in time to grab a bite to eat. Our server Tomas was delish, so we started with the Pinot Noir and greek sharer plate. Yummy. Tomas bought our drinks and we sat and talked and caught up on Australia. Australia! Wow. Emily went to Australia. One day....Anyway, we ordered our apetitzers and caught up with old times.

With the clock a ticking, we had to head west to the theatre and oh my gosh, lucky bitches, we were upgraded to the Royal Circle. Thats the trick in the west end, buy the cheapest seat, on an off night and you know you'll get an upgrade :-)

We took to our seats, Row E, Royal Circle. Oh my god, my stomach, it can't be kicking off now, can it? it is? Pray, Pray it goes away. Brrrrrrppppp clearly, my stomach was not keeping up with me. Now there is a moment in your life, do you, fake it? Pretend nothings wrong? Grimace, head up, and carry on!. Oh my god, I really need to go to the bathroom. Paar paar paar Boom. The musical was starting and here I was with the jitters. What to do? My bag, reach for the bag, there is some Imodium in the bag. Shoot, Phew, thank goodness.

Gurgle Gurlge Gurle....

OMG... what do I do?

deep breaths......breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out. Shit.... Emily, sorry. I have a funny tummy, I have to go.


Running up the stairs, the Usher tells me I can leave but will not be allowed to readmit till a suitable time.... screw that, I gotta go!


Why does the door to a theatre have to Bang? You would think they would put silencers on them woulnt you?

Its amazing how much you can see standing at the back of the auditorium!

I did of course get back to my seat and my darling Emily. I didn't miss the show but boy did I feel locked out for a moment or two.

And times, go by, so slowly and time can do so much,are you still mine? I need your love, I neeed your love, God speed your love to me!The


It was frigging amazing. I loved the musical score and the way they hung on to the orgininal storyline and the special effects amazing, well, what else can I say but thank you , Emily. It was amazeballs....don't belive me? Go see it yourself!

Madame JoJo's

This iconic venue is one I have often heard about and never been, so it was nice when Steph said they would be going there for Alex's Birthday.

Walking up to the door is a bit like entering the Forbidden Forest, you want to go in there, but do you dare? It's located in the heat of Soho in the former Red Light District and years gone by would definitively been the vice quarter.

I asked Steph to go ahead as she had booked the table and we were greeted, stamped our hands and our Stepford Wive's drag queen swished and swayed down the stairs to escort us in. She had this mesmerizing part about her, like when the Girls School visit in Harry Potter and their swish can almost entrance you. She (I wish I remembered her name, but for now lets call her Miss Teek!) So Misteek lead us down the stairs, swishing all the way. The Cloakroom is here, the bathrooms there, if you so need them and your table is here. Er Hello Ladies, Miss Teek said, but you appear to be sitting in my guests table. "We were just sitting here till it was needed", the lady pleaded. Miss Teek replied "well that moment is now, up up, chop chop, she said!

We sat down, about 30 Feet from the stage. Some tables scattered around us, more down the steps towards the stage. Again, think Moulin Rouge / Fat Sam's grand slam. A tealight candled burned on every table and the stage sparkled with its curtain of lights in the background. It was like stepping back in time to a Cabaret bar, but without all of the smoke.

The Compere came on, just after 8;00 and I am sure this one was actually a woman. A Burlesque version of Liza Minnelli, with an opening number and interaction with the Audience. The second act, was definitely a man, who had been fitted with a boob job and had an amazing voice. The entertainment was a mixture of Caberet, Burlesque, and titillation, but all in good taste.

The second half of the show really had the crowd going with classics that you just had to sing along to. Holding out for a Hero, Bohemian Rhapsody. There was Belly Dancing, Magicians and all the things you would expect of the underworld.

All in all it was fabulous, the finale had us all singing along and it was then time to sadly leave Fab night though! xxx

Birthday Lunch Birthday Dinner

When my cousin Denham invited me to lunch to celebrate his Birthday I already had plans from early evening, but always a nice opportunity to see my cousins. Its nice to see them all on what I consider my turf instead of it always being back at the family home.

So Saturday early afternoon I met cousins Samantha & Denham at Victoria Station at the Weatherspoons, and had a quick drink outside on the open terrace overlooking the platforms. We then jumped on the tube one stop to Sloane Square for our lunch at the Big Easy diner. I had looked up the directions before I left and it was quite a trek down the kings road so we jumped a cab and arrived at 230 as planned.

Denham had a couple of work friends meeting us there and so we all started off with a drink in the bar. Phew, it was hot. Thankfully our table was downstairs where it was air-conditioned. We were taken to our table and shortly after Nicola & Lydsey arrived. Funny how we have talked about meeting up for so long and not got around to doing it, so here we were, in Chelsea celebrating Denham's birthday. Always good to see them all and catch up and hopefully we will do it again soon.

Denham, Samantha and Nicola went off to watch the Rugby at a local bar, while Lynsey and I had plans so headed back to the West End. I nipped into the Gym for a quick Steam and Shower and freshen up before heading on to Balans for Dinner to celebrate Alex's 18th. There were 9 of us in the party and so we wined and dined and then had to be at Madame Jo Jo's for the main event. I was a Madame JoJo's virgin!

As we went into Madame JoJo's a fabulously dressed drag queen took us to our table and I immediately wished I had dragged up for the night. Well if you can't do it at JoJos where can you? As we walked down the stairs it was like walking into a cross between Fat Sams Grand Slam and the Moulin Rouge. Little Tables, with red candles burning brightly, tiered away from the stage to the Bar.

The Show was definitely entertaining and a good time was had by all. The others all went on to an after party somewhere but by then I was burned and ready for home. One Day, Two Birthday, Two celebrtaions and a lot of fun. Can't complain!



We had a fab night of caberet and good company

Flashback from a song

It still amazes me how a single song can bring back so many memories about a time you had forgotten not that long ago. Tonight I was walking down the highstreet, from my train, homeward bound, when Thriller started on my Ipod. I found it near impossible not to tilt my head, Zombie style as the beats continued and then I was thinking of my first ever concert. Michael Jackson, Wembley Stadium 1984.

Fond memories of the first time you see a Mega Celebrity, let alone, aged Eleven head off to an 80,000 seater stadium to see the King of Pop. An experience I will never forget. Of course I repeated this with several MJ and Madonna concerts (lucky bitches) in the coming years and those memories of the Bad Tour, the Blond Ambition Tour, all come flooding back every time I return to Wembley, the most recent times being both for Take That’s the Circus & Patience Tours. Who would have thought that Take That would return and be just as big, the second time around.

This had always left me somewhat agonised at the loss of my other favourite group, Steps. It somehow felt tragic that they split when they did and how I missed their cheesy style and their poptastic tunes. So you can imagine my elation when I heard the news they were reforming and tour dates were announced. So excited for the new tour which we managed to get tickets for (lucky bitches), and even more keen that Madonna will be back in the UK in the summer as part of the Olympic Seasons Concert programme.

La Isla Bonita reminds me of being in Miami, much like George Michaels ‘Careless Whisper’, reminds me of taking off in a 747 (from the days when you could listen to a walkman during take off). Anything by the Carpenters reminds me of road trips my family would take as would Rock & Roll.

Songs such as “Hands Up” and “Superman” remind me of Christmas at my Aunt & Uncles and the slightest hint of a bell ring and I am thinking of Coca Cola and the Holidays are coming advert. (Adverts could turn into a whole new genre of their own). Bugsy Malone soundtrack reminds me of being in the scouts and Yogi Bear of Juco Camp. They keep us sane and happy. S club Seven remind me of Cindy and Simon and Kylie, Rue Paul, Gail Tuesday, Bucks Fizz, Brotherhood of Man, Katrina and the Waves and the Weather Girls all of nights at G-A-Y and Sandstorm and Circles in the sand of Heaven.

They are all different songs, all with different meaning and different associations and yet they are all one thing to me. A trigger song. So my question to you is, what’s your trigger song and why?

Finnish Meaty Balls

It feels like I have been meaning to go to Brighton and visit Kaarina for ages. It must have been a year since the last trip, so while Dusan was away this weekend I made the trip down to Brighton Saturday afternoon.

Kaarina has often cooked me the traditional Finnish dish of Meatballs in the past and they knock spots off the shop bought kind, so she had promised that if I come back and stay the night she would teach me how to make them.

I took the train down early afternoon and arrived just after 4PM moments after the heavens opened and the temperature seemed to have dropped about 6 degrees between leaving London and arriving in Brighton. I queued patiently for a Taxi with the queues building and didn't mind at all when an eccentric older lady, (Think Betty White crossed with Hilda Ogden) asked if anyone wasn't in a hurry and would they mind if she jumped the line as she was late for a funeral. For anyone that wears that colour lipstick at that age, how could you resist?

The taxi pulled up to Kaarina's new flat and I spotted both Lisa and Kaarina through the shutters, both waving and eagerly opening the door and greeting me with loving open arms. Kaarina has this wonderful warmth and spirit and you can't help but wanting to spend time with her and funny to think that I met Kaarina almost the same time I met Dusan.

The last time I visited we went to Browns for dinner but this time we would stay in and cook Meatballs, so Lisa and I headed out to buy groceries and then popped into a local pub in Kemp Town for a couple of drinks and a catch up. Kemptown is like stepping back in time to an old town in anywhere England. Local shops galore, an Antique Shop, Green Grocer, Butcher, Coffee shops, Deli's and not one chain store in sight. They say the High Street is Dead. Perhaps this is the future. We are, after all, fed up with the same stores in every town across the land.

The local Pub could have easily have been the Students Bar in Harry Potter, had they had such a thing. Books and Memorabilia dawned every wall and the ceiling and a locals dog sat patiently sniffing at our food bags. The dog reminded me of Sprocket from Fraggle Rock with his scruffy fur and un hostile mannerism.

Back at the flat we made the meatballs and sat down to a lovely candlelit dinner for three catching up and enjoying Finnish Music. (So how we came to sing French Songs I will never know).

We all retired to the sofa for chats and to watch a DVD and I was the last to think that someone of her age would want to sit up so late but it was a late night for us all before we finally retired.

The phone woke me in the morning and Kaarina answered it the second time they called, waking me fully and the two of us sat on the sofa sharing memories, stories and singing along to Abba songs and Television Commercials.

It was fabulous to catch up with them both and I finally boared my taxi to the station 24 hours after I arrived, having laughed non stop and spent a truly wonderful time with two very dear friends and to top it all I can now make Finnish Meaty Balls! Yum Yum!

Deep Freeze & Snow

Just when we were beginning to think that we had escaped with a nice mild winter, especially when you consider that it hit a high of 16 degrees on Christmas day, suddenly a Siberian cold front hit last weekend and with it bought the first snow fall of the year.

I was home last Saturday night when the first of the snow started to fall at around 8PM. I stood at the window for a while, watching the flurries fall as I caught sight of them in the ray of light from the street lighting. Somehow there is something hypnotic and mesmerizing about snow fall, that keeps drawing you to it. I couldn't sit in my seat for long without twitching at the window once more, watching it fall and as the landscaped changed from a darkish green to a glistening bed of white. The minute that it started to settle I felt that excitement like you feel as child when you wake to the first fall of snow of the year. As the night went on the snow fell further and by the time I retired, subject to constant checking on the emerging landscape I started to wonder about the folk of Pompei. The flat was creeking, probably from the drop in temperature, but did start to wonder what it was like for the Pompei residents as the Pumice fell and their buildings started to give way.

It was the perfect snow fall, waking in the morning to find a nice blanket of about 4" but unlike previous years where it caused carnage and difficulties it fell on a Saturday night and was actually thawing by morning.

Meanwhile as the snow left us last weekend, the weather has been dropping and my much needed extra time at the gym was lessened by the cold on Monday.

Still at least its nearly Mid February and the spring will soon be on the way. Hard to believe when the nighttime low yesterday was minus 6! Wrap up warm my friends!

Biggest UK Oil Refinery goes into administration!

I have often said that this country could not organise a drink up in a Brewery and today proved that when we hear on the news that the Coryton Oil Refinery in Essex, a plant that creates around 10% of the UK's fuel and processing 220,000 barrels of crude oil, per day, could go into liquidation.

Rumours are that they supply London with about 20% of it’s oil needs but faces the chance of closure now with 1000 job loses and threatening to cause the price of oil to raise through the roof, all at time when Oil prices are beating all time records.

What on earth went wrong with a company providing that much fuel? Potentially their financers froze their credit facility, but the fact that a company of such size and such importance turnover could potentially fold, proves the extent and how living on the edge the entire economy has become!

Now our own Governments are urging people not to “Panic Buy” petrol and assure us that there is plenty to go around! I am just glad I do not have a car anymore. For you hear a plea like that and suddenly I feel like a 4 year old whose own mother is telling me “Don’t touch that”. The second she turns her back you know you are going to touch it! Likewise, the great British Public will dash out this evening or first thing tomorrow to fill their tanks.

All this comes on the same day as the news informs us our Government’s borrowing up to today peaked at an all time high of over 1 Trillion GBP. I believe by my calculations that 1,000,000,000,000! Heck of a lot of money

Maybe I somewhat contributed to the refinery’s bankruptcy, after all, I sold my car!

We also, last week, heard that the Government has approved a high speed rail link between Birmingham and London, despite there is already a regular speed line going there, meanwhile our cities airports are chocking in congestion. Heathrow is apparently running at 99.8% capacity and yet the new runway at Heathrow was blocked. Which all the powers that be are ageing that this single decision is holding back UK PLC! We need to growth and income that tourism brings and other countries have seen the irony of ever increasing Air Tax. The Netherlands for example scrapped it entirely knowing it helped bring more tourists to their homelands. Meanwhile we seem to sit here and fester while desperately needing growth.

As we approach the next Mayoral elections in this great city it seems that current Mayor, Boris Johnson is trailing former Mayor, Ken Livingston, has lost 8 points in the poles and Ken is possibly going to win all because of his pledge to lower Tube and Bus fares, something Boris has increased year on year .

Things will get better, I am sure of that, but it does feel that no one can win right now. For a company supplying 10 % of the whole countries oil can fold, so can anyone. So in the interim, I guess I will pay off bills, build my savings and be grateful for the blessings we do receive. ’

Baby Boom or Bust!

They say that between the years of 1946 & and 1964 some 17,000,000 (17 Million) babies were born in the UK in a period that is often known as the Baby Boom. Now that will surely mean that those born in 1946 have just about reached retirement age and as such over the coming 10 to 15 years will not all of these 17 Million adults be entering into retirement just as the coughers of the Treasury are at record lows and deficits are at record highs. These retiring adults will then i) no longer be contributing in Income Tax and National Insurance and ii) at just the same time as they will start to require State Pension and enter in to a period when they most need use of the National Health Service and iii) all of this at a time when life expectancy has exceeded all former estimates.

Meanwhile these Baby Boomers hold 80% of the UK’s Wealth and are in the highest brackets of purchases of luxury products such as high end cars, holidays and non essential purchases.

Now imagine if the final Baby Boomers were to reach retirement tomorrow. Unemployment is at a 17 year high and therefore Income Tax receipts are at an extreme low at the same time as higher numbers of people need state help in the aid of Unemployment Benefit. The youth of today are continuing to struggle to even get on the employment ladder as with so many out of work, most opportunities are going to older people with more experience. Now if things do not change, we speed forward 10 – 15 years, what will happen to those young people without any experience?

Society has changed so much. I wonder what percentage of the Baby Boomers actually went to University? Or what the average age of leaving school was? Compared with today when 80%+ of school leavers expect to go to University.

If 80% of the UKs Wealth was held by those Baby Boomers who did not go to University and we have all these University leavers unable to find any jobs, doesn’t it tell you something about how education is not preparing the young to be ready to find jobs when they are older. My parents often hark back to their days at school and the 11+ and was it really that bad if you failed the 11+ to not go to Grammar School but rather a school that would concentrate it’s efforts on giving you a trade or useful tools that can be used for those that are less academic and better suited to careers in Trades. Even when I was educated it felt at least that University was the reserve of those that had aspirations to be Lawyers, Doctors or Dentists.

So what happens if, as the Baby Boomers with their 80% of the UK’s Wealth hit retirement decide that they have had enough of the UK and decide to spend their final years somewhere nicer in the sunshine and emigrate. Much like there have been Brain Drains in the past there would be an immense cash drain on the UK’s economy. VAT receipts would drop rapidly, what would happen to the struggling stores on the High Street then?

Meanwhile they do say that there is, once more, another Baby Boom occurring right now which could, potentially, be the solution as there will be more tax revenues coming back in. At least in an ideal situation. Of course it seems there are not enough spaces in Schools or Prisons as it is today, let alone if we have yet another Baby Boom but it would seem that this has to be our string of hope. I do have to wonder though, where will everyone fit and what will another boom do to house prices that are already unaffordable? Is this, yet another, time bomb ticking?

Matthew's 40th Birthday Party

It is so very difficult for me to start a proper detox during the month of January as I have so many friends with birthdays during the Month.

Saturday night was Matthew's 40th Birthday Party. I have to confess, when I first read the Invitation via Facebook I omitted to check the venue and it was a good job I did as it wasn't at their beautiful flat at all but rather at the Private Room on the top floor of the Edge in Soho.

Alex was texting me during the afternoon, asking what time I would be arriving and I had the usual drama of deciding what to wear out in Soho on a Saturday night? Usually I would nip into the gay village post work and just be dressed in my suit but Saturday nights are different.

I arrived at around 2030 just as things were starting to get busy. Lee greeted us at the door of the room and soon ran into Alex & Mikey and Jay & Tony. Matthew came over to say hello and was looking really well and dare I say didn't look 40 years old. I wonder if I will get away with saying that come my 40th? Unlikely!

Gradually more and more faces from the past arrived. How many years has it been since Joel's leaving party in the same room when he moved to Hong Kong? That was the last time I had been this room at the Edge. Looking around more and more people were arriving some I had known since my early days in London, some more recently from Lee & Matthews other parties and some that you have shared some of the happiest and also sadest days of our lives with. Looking at everyone it was almost as though Matthew's party was a bit like a school reunion. We all look almost the same, perhaps a little older, wiser and for some a little grayer, wiser and also larger.

It was great to see everyone again and catch up with some dear friends after a long period of absence. That's one of the down sides of living in such a large and busy cosmopolitan city. You rarely run into people across the city on a regular basis due to its sheer size. It's only really at these sort of event's that you get to see everyone again. Of course Lee is rather an expert at organizing parties and events and will forever be known in my eyes as host of the most exclusive chill out's in the whole of London. He also organised the Gay Alton Towers Trip back around 10 years ago when we first met. Hopefully we will all see each other again soon but until then, thanks to Matthew & Lee for a lovely evening once more and hopefully see you all again soon. Until then, wishing Matthew a very happy 40th and many happy returns!

Gran Canaria dreaming

This week my good friend (Hairy David) is over in Gran Canaria and invited me, but thanks to way too many projects at the moment couldn't manage a week off in January. It has caused me to be thinking and dreaming about Gran Canaria non-stop this week.

Yesterday I found myself editing a document and drifted off in to a day dream of living over there in the sunshine. David texted to say it was 27 degrees yesterday which is about perfect. The blue skies, lack of rain (15 days on average every year) and the beautiful sandy beaches, not to mention all those beautiful Palm Trees (Maspolomas = Many Palms).

I often sit there and think, would I not be happier working part time in a restaurant there and enjoying all that nature has to give (that golden sunshine year round), instead of wrapping myself up daily in a scarf, hat and thermals and fighting my way through the wind and rain.

Of course many do make a try of it and some stay and others come back and give up. It is a small island after all. But when I consider, what do I do in London and what do I enjoy doing? I think Gran Canaria has almost everything except the culture side covered. That said, how often do I go out on a culture trip? As Ab Fab once said "A bit of Culture Incha Doncha". I actually think the ideal would be to move there and come home to visit friends and family, 4 times per year, instead of being here and visiting there all the time.

For now, it is but a pipe dream, but you never know, my Euro Millions numbers could come up and then a whole new life in the sunshine could be ours, but until then, best get me suit and thermals back on.

In-case your wondering, do I have funny names for all my friends? Hairy David, BA Dave, Leather Queens, Chops, well not them all, just some of them. The thing is the names stick and everyone else uses them. Fanny's real name is Angela, but even my own mother will say she saw Fanny at Sainsbury's.... and I will leave you to see the pun in that.