Bill's restaurant review

It has been a good weekend.  Arsenal won and are top of the league.  And I have spent a great weekend with the family.  Today we went into town to watch Frozen.  Made the kids cry, loads, but they both loved it.  They are asleep now and I hope that they will sleep through the night.  My daughter has had a stomach bug which has caused her pain, my son has had man-flu which has meant that they have been in our room most of the last few nights.  And yesterday it was a trip to London.  We were able to spend time in Borough market and also got to eat in a place called Bill's. 

So, yesterday, as noted, a drive down to London.  We spent time together eating a good meal in a restaurant with good food and great service.  They were great with the kids, and when an understandable mistake had been made, it was corrected quickly.  This is a place my wife had been interested in going to in the past and I think that this is certainly a place that we would go to again.  While my son was not 100%, he enjoyed a walk along the southbank of the Thames, my daughter loving it as well.  They love the market especially when they get to try different things that are on offer, and the people in the market are friendly.  At the end of the meal and the trip, we popped into the Globe Theatre which the children have learned about thanks to Horrible Histories.  While there we got the kids a children book on Shakespeare, which I have to find again as I put it somewhere for safekeeping!  And we got to see my mother quickly.  We did not get to spend much time there as we needed to get back home and my wife is allergic to the cat which my mother has, starts wheezing and the like when in the presence of an otherwise gorgeous cat.

This morning, as noted, we watched Frozen.  I have to say it was a very good film.  I had not had seen any trailers that might have spoiled the film which helped.  I am a bit of a ranter about trailers as I am of the view that they spoil most films.  While parts of it were typical for Disney, not everything was.  I loved the comedy and the characters were memorable. I did not expect that I was going to like it as much as I did.  Later we popped into see some friends and spent a bit more time there than we expected, played a few games of table football and then came back home.  My son has been asking about doing things with me, one being taking an interest in Chess which I am starting to take an interest in again.  So before the kids went to bed, they played a game using my laptop, this making it easy when it comes to acceptable moves and the like.  It was surprisingly painless at times.  While they are making very basic mistakes which is understandable considering that they only have recently learned some of the rules, I was impressed at how quick they have picked up somethings.  But with the lack of knowledge each has, the game ended in a draw, which is a good thing as neither likes to lose.

And of course, speaking of games, I did get to watch parts of the Arsenal game.  Not as much as I would have liked, but it was better than nothing.  I will be looking forwards to watching the highlights during the week which I am recording.  I did expect a draw at best, but coming away from Newcastle with three points was a bonus I was not expecting, and one which puts us top of the table, for now.

I had some tests done at the hospital recently and the doctor phoned today with the results. I said to him, "So, is it good news or bad?" He replied, "Well put it this way, have you ever considered visiting Disneyland?"

This post is on the NHS, put simply, it needs more money.  The Conservatives promised not to cut funding to the NHS.  They seem to have lied about this, in real terms

At present, waits in Accident and Emergency are increasing, and the Government has placed the blame for this at the contract with general practitioners that was introduced by Labour in April 2004.  The argument of Jeremy Hunt is that since GP’s opted out of providing out of hours services, the numbers of patients attending A&E has increased and that the contract is responsible.  I doubt that is true that the contract is the reason for this. 

Lots of people in A&E have pointed out that large numbers of people who attend A&E state that they have not been able to see their GP which is why they present there, despite having a condition that is neither an Accident or an Emergency.  There are a few issues with this being blamed on GP’s.  One is that people attended Accident and Emergency before April 2004 stating that they could not get an appointment to see a GP at their surgery.  I know this is not accurate for a fact as I have worked in A&E and once, when there, a patient who was registered at a surgery with open access in the morning stated that they were not able to get an appointment.  In simple English, open access is where people attend their GP surgery in the morning and are seen, i.e. there are no issues about having to wait to see a GP in that if you need to see one, you take time off in the morning, wait and you will see one, i.e. the patient lied.  The other issue is that since 2004, out of hours care has changed.  Now if someone calls with chest pain, they are now, in many cases, sent an ambulance.  More recently this has also applied to strokes where time is now even more important considering the treatments that are available to reduce the disability caused by them.  These changes, which are medically indicated considering changes in technology and also in the understanding in the way that many medical conditions are now handled are reason that patients who in thepast would not be sent to A&E without an assessment by a doctor are nowbeing sent to the Emergency Department.

I am not saying that there are no patients who have problems making appointments to see a GP but this is not the only reason that there is an issue.

It has been argued that GP's need an increase in funding to help patients, and this is true as funding to general practice has been cut in real terms since 2010.  You can not expect GP surgeries to increase access without increasing funding to provide this.  It would be insane to go back to the 'old system' as thanks to the Quality Outcomes Framework that was put into place in 2004, patients have better care, and the government also has more information on the numbers of people with various conditions, which allows for better planning of the health of the nation.  Obtaining this information costs the NHS money to obtain, but getting this information and treating patients to the targets set saves lives.

What is important to note as well, is that there is an exodus of doctors from the country.  Those who work in A&E are leaving and the same is seen with GP's.  Unless things are made better with the work life balance of doctors, more doctors will leave the NHS which will mean that the NHS will be worse off.  That is not counting the increasing costs of advances in medical technology which in general are over and above the general inflation rate.

As I said, the NHS needs more money.  That is if we really want it to work.

"It's a boy!" I shouted, as I ran from the Thai brothel.

Catarina Migliorini, one of the many reasons why I think that prostitution and other forms of sex work between consenting adults should be legal. By legal, let me say that I also mean regulated. Working in the sex industry, for many, most even is a horrible job, one which rots the soul. In the process of my work, I have encountered sex workers, most of which have had issues with addiction. Some have managed to do quite well, but I have yet to meet one without scars. But the thing I have noted that with many (but not all) of those I have encountered, they have had issues with addiction. Regulate the industry and you can offer those people help. But then I also think that many of the drugs that people use should be made legal, and again regulated.
Some people I have met have admitted to using sex workers, one being a lady my wife and I met when we were on holiday!  Some were people who would be very unlikely to have a meaningful relationship, others were in a relationship but needed for one reason or another to have sex elsewhere.  Just looking at men who use sex workers, there are many reasons for doing so.  Some men are going to find it hard to have sex due to physical disabilities, mental health issues or just due to issues with their personality.  Other men who are in relationships are going to seek sex outside the relationship due to mismatched sex drives, sometimes due to problems with the health of their partner, at times as well due to their partner not being able to meet some sexual need that they have.  Some of the reasons for a person to use a prostitute are going to be more acceptable than others, but this is the oldest profession in the world, and it is so for a reason.
Criminalising this act also makes it easier for people to be exploited.  Far too many people are trapped into remaining in prostitution due to drug addition, but also there are others who have been forced into it and others who are subject to human trafficking.  Through regulation sex workers can be helped to leave the job is they so wish.  Without this, there will be a market, one which will be exploited and people will suffer.  Lots of sex workers face violence at the hands of customers, those they work with, or more often for as well as physical and mental health problems.  In addition to this, it encourages people to travel abroad where there are even less restrictions, more exploitation and more harm to workers and customers.

There are those who have worked as a sex worker as a 'positive' choice and have left that, but too many do not have that choice. In addition, there is a line between a formal exchange of money for sex, and an informal one.  Why ban one and not the other?
What is important to do, if sex working is to be legalised and regulated is to learn from what has happened abroad, to prevent people being forced into the industry, to try to reduce demand, but most of all, to help those who work in it, leave it.

If you're ever disappointed with what you receive this Christmas just remember somewhere, someone is unwrapping a Tottenham shirt.

Well, it has been a good day today.  Needless to say, my daughter woke early.  My son, who was too excited to sleep properly woke up later.  I am not sure if my daughter was speaking loudly when she came into our bed so that he would wake up or not...

Anyway, we did allow them to see if Father Christmas brought them a present, which he did, using the bags he had used last year, as well as bringing a present for the adults in the house.  My son had warned me earlier in the week that I might not get a present as I had been too naughty but he did not seem to mind that I had been given one.  I do tell children that I did not get presents when I was young as I was too naughty, which to be fair, I was.  My brothers can confirm that and have done so on many an occasion!

Since being with my wife, Christmas has been more about giving, but this is even more so now we have the kids.  We made them wait till noon to open the presents, and they were very good to wait so long (something I used to hate when I was a child) and loved what they got.  And now, knackered, they are in bed allowing the two of us time to snuggle on the sofa, watch Alan Carr and type this entry!

It's really nice too see the teams who are struggling in the Premiership do well in the League Cup. West Ham, Sunderland, Man Utd...

The end of the weekend, and for me an okay one but I am still ill!  It has been good being able to spend time with the kids, and my Mum had come up to baby sit which allowed my wife and I to go to a great birthday party at Trotters.  I started to feel unwell on Wednesday and while I was able to still go to work, I have not been on my best form.  Here is hoping I will be well for Christmas.  The carol service of my daughter went well, it was great to see her there and she liked taking part.  It is sweet watching them like this, especially as I know that they will grow and I will enjoy many things in the future, I need to treasure these memories from now.  Right now, we are resting from dropping my mother back in London, the kids watching the Muppets. Tomorrow I am back at work and hopefully feeling better.  Of course, there is a big game for Arsenal tomorrow, the game against Chelski.  I am hoping for an Arsenal win, but considering our record against José Mourinho I suspect a draw would be the best that we can hope for!  And in case you are wondering about the picture, it was of a fan who managed to get Suarez to sign a contract before he actually signed a proper extension later on!   

The Bank of England is to introduce plastic banknotes that can survive a spin in a washing machine by 2016. Surely that will just encourage money laundering ?

We are getting ready to watch the carol service that my daughter will take part in.  Last night, we watched my son in his nativity play.  He got to play Joseph and remembered all his lines, though there seemed to be one moment when he almost did not.  He loved being the centre of attention for the evening (though this was only for a few moments as all the kids in his year had one part or another to play) and coped with the 'pressure' quite well.

Anyway, have to go in a moment.  I hope you like the picture, I saw it when looking at pictures taken in the year on Yahoo! and it reminded me of the pictures that I had wanted to take on a dolphin spotting trip in Bali.  Due to the delay in taking photo's in the day's before digital camera's, we did not realise that I had only taken splashes until we developed the film.  And I had got carried away and had taken loads of shots!

After 16 pints of Coke, 9 bags of Minstrels and 5 large popcorns, The Hobbit was finally over.

Well, I loved the film, thought it was amazing.  And it was worth watching it on a big screen and in 3D.  Just in case you did not know, it had a dragon.  And watching a big dragon in a cinema in 3D is amazing.  As it does not follow the plot of the book exactly, I suspect that my wife will not fully approve when she or if she gets round to watching it.  But I loved it, just in case you missed it the first time!  The down side was that I did not get to watch Strictly Come Dancing, yet.

I have spent the morning with the kids so far, my son who would normally be getting ready to play rugby having a cough that is bad enough that means that he is going to have to miss it.  But he had a early present from Father Christmas which meant that he has a rugby ball that he has been throwing about.  So far, nothing broken, yet.

While they were playing on the laptop I was able to watch the highlights of the Arsenal game that I listened to yesterday.  We did make quite a few mistakes in the game which 5hitty made the most use of and while many papers are saying that this is a sign of how Arsenal can not win the title, they forget that Arsenal were going to be tired considering the lack of time they had to prepare for the game. Arsène Wenger stated that he does not envy the riches that 5hitty have, but considering that they have some of our ex-players it is a bit hard to really to fully trust him on that.  Besides which, in addition to an extra day's rest, they were able to almost play a different team midweek while we could not.  And there were a few close decisions that went against us as well.  So in summary I do not think it was possible to say that City were really playing against an Arsenal team that was playing as well as we can.  Journalists should really be smart enough to be aware of that! 

Mesut Ozil has claimed Arsenal can win the title. That's not as unbelievable as it sounds, the women's team's pretty good.

Well, I knew we were going to lose.  My wife could not work out why, if I knew that, I was swearing lots everytime 5hitty scored.  I have not had a chance to watch the game and will be doing so tonight.  The kids were very kind and tried to feign an interest in the game probably to put me in a better mood.  But my daughter hates football as she considers it to be a boys game and my son loves rugby.  But tonight, I get to watch the Hobbit!  Needless to say, I loved the last film and am looking forwards to watching this one.  My wife did not enjoy it as I did and was annoyed that it did not follow the book, but it had to be different to bring in the money that the Lord of the Rings trilogy brought in. Anyway, I have to go as I am going to be leaving soon.

Robin van Persie, also known as the 'human tampon'. In for one week, out for a month.

Well, a quick post before I go to bed.  At the moment I am dreading what is going to happen tomorrow when Arsenal lose to 5hitty.  I know that the team are pretending to be optimistic, but they only got back from the defeat in Naples on Thursday and have flown to Manchester today to lose the game tomorrow.  So I am hoping that we do not get thrashed too much.  On the bright side, van Persie, a great player, is out injured.  Made me smile, and I know that is the wrong Manchester team, but with the strength that the 5hitty squad have, one injury would not be enough for tomorrow. 
For the last few nights I have had to spend more time with the kids.  My wife has had to go out most nights, which has meant that I have had no excuse but to get home to put the kids to bed.  Last night, we dropped her off in town and while we were doing so, the kids were singing to Roar which they both love.  Memories like that are things I hope never to forget as they sounded so sweet.

My wife said she's leaving me because I can't do anything right when it comes to housework. It took me hours to mop that carpet.

As predicted, we did not win, though I was glad that we did not lose on the weekend.  The odds are that we should not lose tonight against Napoli, but it is hard to be certain as we are playing in Italy.  But it is the game on Saturday that worries me more as the team will not have had that much rest.  I guess I can hope that 5hitty get something wrong again but I doubt that will happen.Anyway, the kids, have had a great time with them. They were very nice and let me watch the football, but I have also had a great time away from the football. Today I had fun doing the school run this morning. I normally like to walk them in, but due to time pressures, we had to drive in. Kids eh! But the walk back was as usual, lovely. It is great that they will run to me and give me hugs, well my daughter will, my son prefers to be cheeky to me. But this time is time that I will pass all too quickly.

How can you tell if someone was a Manchester United fan in the Ferguson era? They've still got the price tag on their Arsenal shirts.

Many would consider that the title (of the post) is a bit rich considering that ManUre beat us when we played them, but this season might go well.  It is too early to say so for certain, and we have thrown away things in the past (the distant past).  But Chelski have dropped points as have 5hitty which means that there is no pressure on us to win tomorrow.  Which means that we will probably lose.  And if we do, that means that we can not afford to drop points when we play the 'top teams' so, we have to win.

Anyway, enough about ranting about football.  Have been to London for a course today.  Am not 100% having a mild form of man flu which meant that I was not able to enjoy the Christmas party as much as I would have liked, it was good, but I needed my rest both due to being a bit man-flu like as well as needing to wake in the morning.  And tomorrow, I get to look forwards to freezing my arse off while watching my son learn skills for rugby.    Saying that, my son had a great time at a birthday party that he went to earlier today at the zoo, so at least one of us managed to make the best of a party.  The kids love the Christmas tree and it is now fully decorated.  Anyway, am knackered, time to go to bed.  Good night all!

The Lexden Crown, Colchester, review

Evening all.  It is one where the country is being battered by rain and wind.

Yesterday we had a relaxing meal at the Lexden Crown.  We have been there before and the kids like it there.  The service was great, but it is hard to judge it properly on this as we had arrived around half past five in the evening and there were few people there, however I have been to places where, when quiet, the staff take things easy.  This was not the case here, the food came quickly and was eaten by all and I liked my meal.  The kids and my wife had fish and chips, hard to get wrong and with everything being eaten what more can be said?

Today, we have spent the evening making the final adjustments to the Christmas tree.  Well that was after drying off.  It was a bit wet at school pick-up and my wife, who had her hair blowdried earlier in the day had her hair curled as the wind kept blowing her hood off and the rain, which had soaked our legs to the skin through our trousers, did its wonders on her hair.  She still looks amazing, but does not look the way she was hoping.  She constantly says that it rains when it is time to collect the kids, and she was certainly right today, the rain starting just before we picked up my son, ending after we picked up my daughter.  Saying that, while wet and windy, I loved the weather.  I know that it is odd, but it is quite nice when it is windy and I do like the rain so long as I am not working.  And today and yesterday, I was not working, officially.  I did go to work to catch up with paper work and attend a meeting, but these things have to be done, but I got to pick up the kids (well yesterday one child as my son had a stye which is now better).

Now to rest, relax and watch the Arsenal highlights from last night.

Welcome to this weeks lottery live from the Etihad where it's a rollover, those lucky numbers, 1,34,41,50,55,90

First of all. Football.  I think Southampton were a bit unlucky.  Yes we could have had more goals. But they could have as well.  Then came the midweek European Cup game where we rode our luck.  But the game of the week was the thrashing of the Scum!  I was hoping for a draw when they played the team (the name of which rhymes with City...) and to be fair, if any team was to get a draw there, then considering their defence, it should have been them.  But two mistakes where punished and other than that they played well for a lot of the game.  The manager blamed the players which was a bit unfair and now his job is under threat.  As I have mentioned at work, if he gets sacked, Ian Holloway is looking for a job!

I am typing this from my sons room.  He has had a nightmare and I am waiting for him to go back to sleep.  He has started to play Rugby on Sunday mornings.  He did not want to go the first time he went, but after watching Ben on Strictly Come Dancing and the reaction his arms got with the women, he changed his mind!  He now wants to play so that he can lift people up like Ben does.

While he has just had a nightmare, November has not been as good as I would have liked and this week, I fell out of love for my job.  I actually would have left if someone had offered me a job outside healthcare!  But Friday was good and I am back in love with a job that involves helping people.  It has been very stressful for my wife as well who has had to deal with me being so down and miserable and I owe her lots for the support and love she has shown me.

Otherwise, the kids are fine.  My son is to be Joseph on one of the days of the school play.  My daughter loves being a Brownie and on Sunday was helping at their stall at the Pre-School bazaar.  Both kids loved that day as we let them spend money and we bumped into someone I used to work with who told the kids loads of things about me.  All lies of course though!

The NHS waiting list is ridiculous. My wife had to wait 9 months before she gave birth.

 
Watching this video, I see no major change to what is to happen with patients out of hours.  From what I can gather, all that is going to happen, on an out of hours basis, is that the out of hours service can access the summary care record.  And although Hunt states that is not happening at the moment, it is!  Out of hours providers can access summary care records.  Not all of them can, but many do so.  What appears to be different is that all GP surgeries will need to provide this information, unless patients have opted out.

The facts are simple
There are not enough GP's
More and more GP's are leaving the country  

So as much as people may moan about how GP's work, loads are leaving and we do not have enough already.  Make GP's work harder and there will be more leaving and fewer doctors will opt to become one.

It would be interesting to see what suggestions people have to solve this!

I looked up the meaning of rubbing salt into the wounds. It said 'Bringing on Nicklas Bendtner when you are losing.'

I am off this week.  And today, I got to help at the school of the kids.  My son had a day learning about toys, the basics of the history and how to make simple ones.  And the great thing was that I was there to help.  My wife and I were parent helpers, which meant that we got to help the year and I have to say, it was great.  Not only that, we did get to bump into our daughter. 

I was amazed at the noise that children could make.  And I have a lot more respect for teachers now.  It can be hard keeping our two in line let alone the way teachers have to keep a whole class in order!  I am sure that some would argue that teachers now have classroom assistants, both LSA's as well as parent helpers, but when I was a child, teachers did not have to do the range of assessments that they have to do now.  And the noise that they can make!

But otherwise, this week so far has been great when it comes to the time that I have been able to spend with them.  I love doing the school run, it is a great experience being with the kids, though I have to say, it is one which makes me quite tired!  How my wife does it is beyond me!

It has made up for my sorrow about the loss on the weekend.  I was sad on Sunday, but the kids made me feel better with hugs.  It may have been better if the team selection had not been affected by sickness and injury, but it was not, and despite injuries, we still have produced results.  This may be our year, of course, it is too early to say this, and normally, when we have done well, we have flagged later in the season. 

Anyway, good night.  Hope you like the jokes and the music video.


I've created a shoe made out of Lego, so when you step on Lego it doesn't hurt.
You just get taller.

As I stood swaying from side to side at the British Airways ticket desk last night, the guy looked at me and said, "Can I help?"

"Yes," I slurred, unzipping my superman costume and pulling my wallet out, "One ticket to Amsterdam please."

"You're unable to fly, sir." he replied, "You're far too drunk."

I said, "I know mate, that's why I'm getting a plane."

Arsenal were 2-1 down with 6 mins to go and they bring on Bendtner. That's like holding your breath whilst having an asthma attack.

Sorry about the lack of posts.  First of all, Arsenal.  So we lost our European Cup game.  I am annoyed that our team did not defend for our last goal.  In summary, all three goals were scored due to mistakes, a shame we made more than Borussia Dortmund. I was hoping for a draw in this game. I was hoping to win against Crystal Palace and expected a loss against Chelski in the League Cup. What I did not expect was a win against Liverpool. Something I am glad happened, but when you are up against what is viewed by some as the best strike force in the league and you have a team that is known for not defending that well, you do not expect to win. But we did and for that I am glad. I guess I should have more faith in the team.  The only thing is that it is November, and we do not do well in November. Back to the family. This week, my wife has survived half term. Last year, she would have been tempted to give the kids away towards the end of the holiday, this time, things were better. On Wednesday, we went to the Museum of London where the kids had a great time and learned things. Today, we have been to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. I liked it, my wife did like it as much. I have to admit, it was not a true classic in the way Shrek is or as enjoyable as Toy Story or Despicable Me, but it made me laugh and was evil enough to appeal to the sick side of me! The kids right now are relaxing after enjoying the street market as well as having an enjoyable meal at the Stockwell Arms and they are also looking forwards to me lighting the fireworks later today. Anyway, as usual, time to go now.

I've heard that Mesut Ozil assisted the nurses during his own delivery.

We won again.  I am not used to this.  Giroud is playing and scoring, Ramsey is just amazing and of course, there is Ozil.  This time last year, we lost to Norwich, not so this time.  Our midfield is amazing, though we miss the width that injuries have cost us.  Do I think that we will win the league this season?  No, but I do think that we have a small chance.

Saw #NHS is trending on Twitter and wanted to tweet about it. But found out there's a 6 hour waiting time.

GP opening hours are in the news again.  The Guardian have published an article stating that GP's are not keen on the idea of opening eight till eight seven days a week.  Strange that.  Well, I live in Colchester and we have access to a surgery that is open from seven in the morning till ten at night seven days a week.

Despite the North Colchester Healthcare Centre covering all of Colchester, even though it has good ratings on the NHS choices website, it does not have that many patients registered there.  One could argue that this is proof, that in Colchester at least, such extended hours are not needed.  With all the pressures being put on GP's in the UK, is it any wonder that more and more are leaving the country?

America was not shut down properly. Would you like to start America in safe mode, with free healthcare & without the guns? (Recommended)

As some of you know I am in favour of the reforms that the right in the USA are trying so hard to prevent from helping America.And as so many people know, the right have several alternative suggestions, none of which have ever been shown to have worked elsewhere. And the reforms Obama wants for America have already been proven to work...

So the Daily Mail, the paper that supported fascism, says that a man who fought against Hitler hated the UK...

Well, the Daily Mail, or as I prefer to call it, the Daily Malicious, has had a go at an immigrant who served in the Royal Navy in the second world war, for what he wrote when he was a teenager, and (shock horror) for having left wing views.  This is a paper which has supported fascism.  A paper which from what I understand has yet to apologise for this view.  An issue which has been raised by many, including those in the Conservative Party.

While there are many issues in the hate ridden article that they published, the facts are simple.  The Mail owned by by Lord Rothmere, who supported Hitler in the 1930's was a supporter of the far right.  Ralph Miliband was against Hitler and fascism and served our nation in the fight against them.  Make of that what you will. 

In 11 years at Everton manager David Moyes failed to get them above Manchester United in the league. This year he has managed it in just 6 games.

An interesting weekend football wise.  Arsenal won.  Again!  We are top of the league!  I doubt it will last long, we have to play some hard teams and of course, there is Southampton who are a team that can be underestimated.  I guess the result of the Scum and Chelski was the best available as well, interesting with the red card being given in that match considering that the player should have been sent off when he got his yelllow!Anyway, my wife, who has been ill recently, is getting better.  I had to do the school run in the afternoon during the week, which while hard for me from a work perspective, was amazing when it comes to being a father.  Moments like that are moments I have to treasure as they do grow up so fast!

Anyway, I hope you like the advert.  Many fell for it and ruined their phones!  I found it amusing. 

Mezut Ozil has announced he joined Arsenal cause he wants to pick up trophies. He's going to be as disappointed as the time I went to a gay club and tried to pick up women.

Well, we did win something last season, the best Premier league photo of last season.  Okay, we did not win it, a photographer called Adrian Dennis did, but the photo featured us and that has to count for something right?

Saying that, at the moment, things are looking good.  We won away to Sunderland thanks to a dodgy referee decision.  Sunderland had scored a goal that should have put them level at 2-2, the referee had already blown for a free kick when he could have played advantage, which could be argued to be one bad decision, but as a goal was scored, which he disallowed, technically it was a goal scoring opportunity and therefore I feel that we should have been down to ten men, which means that Ramsey would probably not have scored his second goal to make things 3-1.  Last season we gained quite a few points thanks to decisions going our way, which makes a change as in previous seasons we actually lose quite a few points due to this.  Instead that well loved right winger was sent off instead!  Our new signing was great and it is nice to be top of the table, be it only for less than twenty four hours.

Red Sky July at Little Rabbit Barn

Last night was a great night, a trip to watch Red Sky July again, and again at Little Rabbit Barn which is a great place to listen to them.  Last year we decided to go back again to listen to other acts, and so far we have not, but both my wife and I intend to go back again if we can. Then the acts before Red Sky July was a girl, her brother helping as well, Rafferty & Logan McKelvey and they were then followed by Jakob Deist.  Jakob Deist was on last night as well as a joung girl called Hannah Kessler.  As before, I loved the night. 

Thanks to my Mum for baby sitting the kids who seem to have adapted well to going back to school.  My daughter is now in the Juniors and is about to experience the loss of her last break soon.  The kids seem to be settling into their new classes and I will get to meet the teachers later this month.  My wife has met at least one before.  Anyway, time to go now...

Stress Free Airport Parking

Stress Free Parking my big fat bottom!  We arrived in Luton and as instructed rang them once we had collected our luggage.  We were warned at that time that there would be a wait, and there was one. The reason for this was traffic, not something that we were told about.  Now, I understand that there will be times that things like this will happen in any job, but considering that they had our mobile telephone numbers, I guess there was always the option of ringing us to warn us about the wait, or sending us a text, or even looking at the arrivals information that is available to send the cars round anyway.

So yes, I am annoyed as despite paying for a service where we do not have to wait too long for our car to arrive we had to wait.  At least it was not raining.  The down side was that I did not get home quickly enough to watch the winning goal in todays game.  No big deal really, but we are all knackered from our journey.  I am almost looking forwards to my return to work on Tuesday to mention this to the manager at work...

After the Champions League draw, Arsenal fans are saying that they're opimistic that their club can emulate what Man Utd and Chelsea did in recent years. Play in the Europa League.

Of course, I am more nervous of the game on Sunday than I am of our poor prospects in the European Cup.  Players apparently want to join the club, but they just seem not to be doing so and the Scum keep on buying.  Unless you count our two free transfers!  Anyway, it is the last day of our holiday, time to pack...

The beach at Alvor (Portimão)

Today we went somewhere different.  To Alvor where there was a different beach to try.  While it was a great place to go, I have to say that I prefer Praia dos Caneiros as the sun loungers that you can hire are closer to the sea and the sand is finer as well as the view in my opinion being more spectaculor.  The beach at Alvor is much larger, and when I say that one beach is better than this, that is not to say that this is not a great place.  There are more places to eat at Alvor, there is more parking, the beach being larger means that there are more places to be when you are there.  And we had a great time here, the kids loved swimming in the sea and making loads of things on the beach with the buckets and spades that we brought from the UK.  Afterwards a quick trip to Carvoeiro for lunch and to pay our toll charge for using the motorway.

While I type this, the kids are sleeping, having had a busy few days.  One thing that we felt we had to do to make the most of the day was to arrive at the beaches early to to get parking, more of an issue yesterday compared to today though and this has had to mean that while the kids have had late nights, they have continued to rise early in the morning.  So, while typing, I am also reading about the Arsenal draw for the European Cup as it looks that Arsenal are in the group of doom.  Saying that, when our backs have been up against the wall, we have managed to get some great results, but time will tell if our squad will be enough for this season or not.

Praia dos Caneiros

Today was a trip to the beach finally, and to a beach that we have been to before.  When we were there before, we had explored the rock pools.  My son got cold feet, not literally, which was a shame as he did not get to see as many of the creatures that are there which my daughter did instead.  So far he has told my mother that I told him to leave, but my daughter remembers that he got scared.  It was great looking at the different animals that we found and later we are going to look up more of them on-line.  They are knackered at present and I have got them watching a DVD, Wreck-It Ralph which my son has said is more scary than Star Wars!  A great film that I think shows that team work is important and that while some people may do jobs that no one likes, those jobs are important anyway.

Restaurante Rei das Praias

Evening all, and for the kids, another day at the pool. But, we did sort of visit the beach, having a trip to a restaurant that we went to before back in early May on more than one occasion.  The view from the restaurant is amazing as it overlooks the beach and the food is terrific as well.  Like most good food, it takes some time to arrive, which is an issue if you have children, but ours are quite good when they have been kept occupied.  My daughter is a fan of sea food and loved sharing a large dish with my wife, my son like me is not a fan of that and while I had steak (and loved it) they altered one of the dishes that they made to suit him.

Anyway, they are in bed now and we might go to the beach properly tomorrow.  Did not get to watch the Arsenal game, we won, but have had a few injuries and no players coming which means that I am dreading the weekend as we play the scum then.  I have already warned work that I might be ill afterwards...

If you've ever lost your iPhone, take solace in the thought that maybe - just maybe - some mouse family now has a flat-screen TV.

Today resulted on no trip to the beach, but it was one of the best days yet.  My daughter had bought herself a snorkel and some flippers after making a friend on holiday who had the same and loved them, so when at the local supermarket my son spent some of his holiday money to get a set.  The kids love them, that and some toys to play in the pool resulted in a very enjoyable day for them, and therefore all of us!

Steve McManaman: "Gareth Bale needs to embrace the Spanish way". With his record for diving, it appears he's already done that.

Evening all, again a day at the pool.  I am not going to get to watch the football tonight.  We heard an interesting discussion where one husband was trying to convince his wife to eat somewhere that he could watch the match.  Words relating to poo and hole were used to describe one of the places that he wanted his wife and baby daughter to visit for this!  The wife is getting better, but my daughter has now hurt her ankle!

The facts about the need for the Affordable Healthcare Act

As some of you are aware, I make a few posts on Yahoo Answers! of which some are based on dispelling the myths, lies and half truths spread by the far right.  In addition to this, I also like to make balanced posts about the US healthcare system.

The only reason I got into this was due to the lies that those on the right in the US have spread about the NHS, and then I guess, I got a bit carried away.

But back to the point, here are some points on the need for health care reform in the USA and some facts about the nature of the reforms.

FACT - Insurance companies in the USA before the reforms pushed up prices, did not pay out claims when they should and bought or blackmailed politicians
FACT - PER PERSON the USA spends more on healthcare than any other nation onthe planet
FACT - Obama debated his healthcare plans before he was elected in 2008
FACT - the chance of a child under five of dying in the USA is greater than industrialised nations with universal health coverage
FACT - Obama was elected to bring in change
FACT - Obama wants to stop insurance companies from screwing America and Americans
FACT - The reforms Obama wants work in the Netherlands and Switzerland

Let me know if my facts are wrong, but please provide proof.

In a strongly worded statement the UN warns Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, if you use Chemical weapons again, we will be forced to hold another meeting.

The kids have had a great time today. They have again used the pool, and used the pool and also made use of the kids club that is here. My wife unfortunately is still ill but appears to be getting better. So I took the kids to the local supermarket for supplies for dinner tonight.  Not that it was anything special, but trying to get the kids to eat can be fun.  Still, it was a relaxing day.  I did not get to watch the Arsenal game which was a pity and I do not think that I will get to watch it tonight either.  It was good to hear that we won again and I hope that this is the begining of something good.

What is surprising on the world stage is the way that the world stands by while murder continues in Syria.  There is no doubt that both sides are bad and the choice is between what is felt to be the least worst side.  Not that it helps that the rebels are not just one group but loads.  I guess while Russia and China side with Assad, all we can do at present is to pray for a quick and just end to the violence there.  It is interesting that no one is taking action against Syria for having chemical weapons, something that Syria never agreed to not developing, but still something that in my view makes that nation one which should be shunned by all.

José Mourinho - "I'll walk if Chelsea don't win trophies." Stephen Hawking- "I'll walk if Arsenal win trophies."

The kids have had a great day in the pool today.  It has been hot enough for us to be in the pool and enjoy it, though as my wife was not that well, we were not able to stay there as long as the kids would have liked.  There are two pools here, a smaller paddling pool and a larger one.  The last time were were out here, it was warm, but not hot enough for the pools to be warm.  That is not the case now.  While the pools are still cool, with the heat they quickly dry off.  The trick is also to make sure that they are not too tired.  So far, I have managed to pace them by taking one into the pool at a time.  There is a bit of complaining at the end of the turn each has, but I think that is the only complaint that they each have.

Thanks to the joy of WiFi, they have not been able to stop me keeping up with Arsenal, and it was good to hear that they won on Tuesday.  You never know, the season may not be over already and who knows, we may even be able to land a player or two!

GCSEs: Who needs them? I've been lying on my CV for years and no one has checked them. B in maths? I can't even count to B.

Well, it is the end of a long day.  We woke at two in the morning for our journey from home to Luton Airport for our early morning flight to Portugal.  The kids were excited as they had never been woken up at two in the morning to travel and they stayed awake for ages!  Luton as an airport was surprisingly easy to get to.  Meet and Greet was in the short term car park, and on arrival, there was no one there to greet us. It could have been worse as at least it was not raining when we arrived.  Things in the airport were simple and it was my wife and I who fell asleep on the plane, the kids both were awake and would wake us up at times.  In fact, it was only once in Portugal that my daughter fell asleep, that being in the car which is normal for her.  Back at the hotel, the kids have loved it so far,  We got here too late to nab a place at the poolside and that is something we are looking forwards to for tomorrow.  So far, rest, food and the kids have been in the playground and have been making friends.  And of course, sleep again...

2 women athletes kissed on the podium to protest Russia's anti gay laws You should have seen the baton change.

The video is about the kiss between two members of the winning Russian relay team. There was a thought that this was in protest at the way that Russia is discriminating against those in same sex relationships, but the two athletes concerned have stated that this was not the intent. But with the way that Putin deals with people who work against him, such a statement would be a good one if you want to live a healthy life outside prison! The kids are still excited.  My wife and I however have to pack.  Oh the joy.  But it should be worth it.  My daughter does not know what she is looking forwards to the most, my wife states that it is torturing her father.  My son remembers the playground at the hotel.  I suspect both will enjoy swimming most though.  That and the beach.  I guess the only downside of going will be that I will miss the football.  me included, last year said the same thing.  And despite those doubts, we still finished in the top four come the end of the season.  We might win tonight in the European cup and despite not buying anyone so far, we might be able to add to our squad.  Watching the highlights of the Chelski game, I was interested to see how they did not press Hull in the second half as much as they did in the first.  This might have been as the game was already over, but, it could have been a sign that the way that Chelski play is not sustainable throughout 90 minutes.  If that is the case, we might have more of a chance than the doubters say we have.  But the kids will keep me busy and I doubt I will have much time to mope!

What do you call a bunch of over ripe bananas hanging from a ceiling? The bat exhibit at a Chinese zoo.

Just in case you are wondering, the post title is a reference to the barking lion at a Chinese Zoo. 

Well, it has been great for the kids since the last post.  They are enjoying the holiday, though I have to say it is a bit stressful for the two of us, more so with my wife as of course, I get to rest at work!  Not so as much now as we are now getting ready for our holiday away back to Portugal.  I have cleared up what work can not wait till I get back and have enjoyed a day with the kids.  It has been a good three years at work, and no, I do not miss my old place.  The only down side is that the manager supports the Scum, which has meant that he did get to gloat on Monday considering that Arsenal lost and his team have bought loads of players and of course won on the weekend, while Arsenal keep missing out on players and we have had more injuries as well.  Anyway, the kids are excited about going away and I am as well.

Papiss Cissé fined for refusing to wear shirt showing Newcastle club sponsor Wonga. Initial fine of £5,000, rising to £47,987,654,334 if he hasn't paid by Friday.

Mind you, Arsenal have not been up to much in the transfer window so far.
Anyway, interesting day today.  As usual, paperwork in the morning and then home with the family.  We all did some DIY putting together a garden swing and then off to watch Monsters University.  The kids loved it, and while comedywise, Despicable Me 2 was better, I did like that the plot was not as predictable as I thought it would be, and I loved the messages that it gave, one being that you should make use of your differences.  And the other is that no matter how much you may want something, sometimes it is not just for you.  Which is not something you hear that often!

And later, on the way home we found a little boy.  He was walking towards a busy road when my wife noticed him.  We stopped him, phoned the police and waited for them to pick him up.  He did not speak much English and appeared about three.  A shaky event when you have two kids of your own, but things worked out okay as the PCSO's who collected him phoned us to let us know that he had been picked up by his parents.  Each had thought the other had him!

Silence is golden, unless you have kids. Then it's just suspicious.

This picture was published in 1992 in the Dilbert comic strip. 

I have knackered the kids out I think.  Today is my paperwork day and so I went into work early to do my paperwork and got home to take them out.  The original plan was to take them to Walton-on-the-Naze where the kids wanted to spend time on the pier, but it rained, loads in the morning.  The forecast was one were more rain was a possiblity.  I wanted the kids to go to London to see the Tower, but they were not interested in that.  It was hard for them to make a choice, as I game them the choice to go to various places, but in the end they decided to go to Castle Park.  So we walked into town, they played there for about two and a bit hours, they bumped into friends there, had ice lollies and of course, had a few playground inflicted injuries (one caused by me)!  Anyway, after some lunch and some down time for me, we went back out, this time in their bikes.  A few screams as they thought that it was a race, but a trip to the local shops and back, the kids are tired and are now relaxing watching Scooby Doo.

Fortunately this gives me the time to do this while I ache from running to keep up with them, but I am very overdue exercise.  In fact, my wife and I were invited to the 3 PARA ball on the weekend.  It was a TOWIE theme and my wife had to get some clothes for me, and that meant that I had to buy my first ever 36 waist trousers!  So, the exercise I got today was great, but I really need to do more.  Spending time with my wife is always great, more so when she is on the other side of the country which is where she has been during the week for the past month or two.  The kids miss her, as do I, but we get to see her every day thanks to the wonders of the internet!  Her mother has been up looking after the kids, and has just come down after having a nap (the kids do take a lot out of us).