Wishing you all a Happy New Year

Just a quick post to wish you all a Happy New Year!  Hopefully, there will be no repeat of the numbers of dead legends, but more importantly, I am hoping for a just peace across the world, notably in Syria, Burma, Nigeria and Palestine/Israel.

Was the US election fixed?

The answer to the question, about the US election being fixed is that it was not.

However, Putin, the great believer in democracy, influenced the elections.  It has been argued by some that Russia hacked both parties, and released the contents of those from the Democrats.  While there have been allegations that the hacking allegations should have been brought up before the election, it issue was.

But, while there is lots of evidence that Russia influenced the outcome of the elections, the American public had been made aware of the allegations.  Which means, that the outcome of the elections is valid.

There is no doubt that Putin won it, and this shown with several things.  One, is how the next Secretary of State is a recipient of the Order of Friendship from Russia.  And of concern to many nations in NATO, the proposed cancellation of the F-35 fighter will reduce the ability of nations in Europe to defend against Russia.

I am sure that there will be lost of people who will say that Russia is no threat.  But tell that to Georgia and Ukraine.  And we in the UK have known, since 2007 that the Red Star has been flying close to our nation.  That means, that I think that we do need a nuclear deterrent, but with Trump being in charge of the USA, part of me wonders if we should team up with the French on this one.

Fake News about both candidates had been spread, so the way that the Russians had hacked into the servers of the Democrats is not a reason to invalidate the election.  I am old enough to remember the Fake News abut Swift Boat when the war hero John Kerry lost, in part due to the lies spread to make him look worse that the draft dodging George Bush the second.

If anyone had hacked into the servers counting votes, then yes, the election should be re-run.  But no one did.  Which means, sadly, even though Clinton got almost 3 million more votes than Trump, this election counts.

Hate leads to suffering

I have been involved in an interesting discussion on Twitter with a tweeter about Jews.  I am of the view  that a religion should not be defined by standards not applied to others and that hatred and extremism corrupts the core message of most religions (santanism being an obvious exception).

This discussion had started when I had responded to a tweet about an LBC presentor and links to Zionism. Since then it has resulted in one poster accusing me of racism despite my repeated statements that all racism is wrong.  Sadly it appears that hatred may have blinded them. I say appear, as I may be wrong on this matter.

Anyway, for the record, I don't like the current actions of the state of Israel towards those in the West Bank, and the way that Gaza is being treated. But people have to remember that Israeli Arabs have more rights than Palestinians in Gaza. As for if one side is right or wrong people have to remember that the history of both Arabs and Jews in the area is riven with horrors.  Sadly some decide to deny history and in this discussion, several people have redefined history to say Jews never lived in the Holy Land. But such bias has been present on the other side with some stating that Israel has just taken land where it was not being used before.

I remember that wrath, which also applies to hate is one of the seven deadly sins and the reason for this is that hatred begets hatred.  Only through love and tolerance can we learn to live together.

So let me go on record, that I want a just peace for all in the Holy Land. If that makes me racist, then so be it.

Merry Christmas everyone

A quick post before bed.  We have been at home after spending Christmas with my mother and brothers.  The morning was spent opening presents, and afterwards, breakfast.  Sadly it appears that the children no longer accept Father Christmas as being real, but despite that, it was an amazing morning.

Come the afternoon we got to my mother, who to describe her as happy on seeing her grandchildren, would be understating the issue.  My brothers had yet to arrive, but they were not too far away and then we ate.  It has been a while since my mother cooked a Christmas meal for me, and this was the first time that the children got to eat there.  And they loved it.  Of course, presents came afterwards which the children loved as well.

Anyway it is late and I must sleep.  Good night.

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

I forgot to post some of the pictures taken by my daughter yesterday on the blog update.

Anyway, today was my last day off.  In the morning, after walking the children into school, my wife dropped me at work for me to go through some paperwork before she collected me for lunch at a local diner.  Sadly both of us seem to have contracted one of the many viruses going about and on getting back home, we were both knackered.

But later, we got to watch the kids in the annual school carol service.  My secondary school stopped singing hymns during my stay there, so it is nice to see the Christmas spirit being taught to children.  The kids both love Christmas, and even though they do not believe in Father Christmas, they seem to be taken in by the magic. I just need to get my daughter to sing louder...

Today did not go quite to plan

Today did not go quite to plan.  But, it was still awesome.  We had intended to travel into London in the morning to get some breakfast for the children, spend some time on the South Bank and then take them to see the Christmas lights and then see my mother before heading home.

But, sadly, we did not wake in time to do exactly what we wanted.  The children had been up the night before watching the Strictly Come Dancing Final, but had not gone to sleep straight afterwards.  Due to this, and a late night on the part of my wife and I, a rest in bed meant that we had missed out on the early morning window that was needed to park in Brick Lane.  In the past, we had taken the children there for bagels, and this was a plan that they were keen on.  But, due to the time taken to get there, we were not able to get any parking as close as we wanted.  But instead, we went to a past memory.  When studying in the East End, there was a bakery that we had gone to after we finished our degrees.  During our courses, my wife had got me into eating Challah (cholla) and when in the area, we would often get bread from there.  But when driving past it last, we noted that it was closed.  Today we saw it was open.  And as our usual place to park was taken, we turned around and found a place to stay near the bakery and ate there.  Unlike the place we had eaten before, this had seats and that meant that we had a more relaxing time.  But with the time that we arrived, this was more of a Brunch than breakfast.

After this, it was a trip to the South Bank.  The kids, as on the day before, were playing Pokémon Go, and as we drove through London, they had loads of fun doing so.  We have learned though that we have to stop them from doing this when we are not driving slowly, and this has been learned the hard way as they can get headaches or start to feel nauseated.  Once we parked, it was a walk along the South Bank to the Tate gallery were we sat for another coffee and after some art work from my son, a walk for them to some of the entertainment that was on offer.  We did not get to see as much as we would like, but later, had a late lunch and then made for the lights at dusk.  And they my wife and I felt that the lights that we were able to see on Regents Street.  We did not get to show then Buckingham Palace, but were able to show them other sights and explain bits about them.  However, we were not able to get time to see my mother as my son started to feel unwell.  Hopefully, he will be better tomorrow, but they are both now asleep, tired after a great day out for the family.

Time with the children

Again, I have had the opportunity to spend time with my children.

In the last week, I have technically been off work for most of the week.  I still had to go in to complete the work that I have allowed to pile up, but this was a lot more relaxed than this would otherwise be.  As I had been slightly under the weather I had not cycled in after walking the kids to school but took the easy option to drive instead. This was not an option on Wednesday when I work in my other job, but I was up to cycling then.  Which was just as well as I am not allowed a parking space at that job, and that in turn has made me have to become fitter. I am not up to the standards of others in my area of Colchester who cycle to work (or as part of their journey to do so) but I am much better than I once was.

On Thursday I was back at my usual job, and it was a hard day. But yesterday I got to spend time with my amazing wife. It was not long, but it was time together without children, who while we both love them very much, at times distract our attentions from each other.  I did return to work, but later had to take the kids to an appointment which meant that they were taken out of school early. But later, after school, we went to watch a film, or rather the film I have been waiting most of the year for.

And it was awesome. All four of us loved it.  I was wary as some films we not as appreciated as the original three were by me.  But I was a child and these films are really meant for children. But the magic of Star Wars was present in Rogue One. We now await the extended version which should be available for Christmas next year.

And today, we traveled to London as my wife had a reunion to attend. The children were entertained by Pokémon Go on the way down, and we had a late lunch in East Ham. The food there was, as before, amazing and this is a place the children look forwards to going to.  They do not like spicy foods, but this appears to be an exception.  They are peacefully asleep now, after watching Strictly Come Dancing, but this week spent with them, has been treasured once more.

Is the BBC biased?

The answer to this is simple. Yes. Against Arsenal.  The evidence I cite on this was in the recent game against Stoke.  In the post match analysis on Match of the Day, they quite rightly focused on the penalty given away by Xhaka but then ignored the stamp by Charlie Adams on Alexis Sanchez.  We scored in that attack, and if he had not been trying to cause our star striker an injury, he might have been able to stop that.

When it comes to politics, then for the most part, then no.

There has been controversy over the way that they cover politics, but all parties claim that it is biased.  People moan when UKIP are featured on panels, or complain when UKIP is not.  Both Conservatives and Labour are of the view that the BBC is biased against them, and the same occurs with other political parties.  In addition to this, there was the refusal of the BBC to air an appeal during a conflict with a large number of civilian casualties in Gaza.  I did not agree with that decision, but I do see how most of the time, it is trying to be impartial.

There are occasions when it is not, and one appears to be with Russia.  But then with the way that Russia has managed to manipulate things elsewhere, that does not seem to matter.

Romeo and Juliet is lovey-dovey apparently

It has been a really nice week.  Most of it was spent with the family which is why it has been amazing.  I got to take the kids to school most days and even helped in my sons class by talking to them about the skeleton.  It did mean that I got a lot more exercise as to the annoyance of my kids, we walked to and from school most of the time.

They had decided to give me the sponsorship forms that they needed for this week two days before they were to hand them in, and then carried out the exercises that were required. Sadly not that many people at work got to sponsor them, but they did raise money and hopefully one day, they will learn to hand me the forms sooner!

Today my son read a short version of Romeo and Juliet stating that it was too lovey-dovey for him. I was hoping to take him out cycling but only had time for my daughter, and she loved the route she went on.  The main picture is from this and was taken by her.

Anyway, that is the end of the update. Take care all!

Why did we invade Iraq?

To answer the question, it was to get the Weapons of Mass Destruction that we, in the west, allowed Saddam to develop.

In 2003 Iraq was invaded by the United States of America and allies that included the United Kingdom.  Saddam Hussein was overthrown and while the war was easily won (and I was surprised at how easily it was won), the peace that was meant to occur afterwards was lost. 

Now, after many years, the Chilcot has finally been published.  And the United Kingdom have appeared to take it as gospel.  But, I feel that the way it has been reported has been unfair.  When looking at the decision to invade Iraq, we can look at it in isolation, or we can look at it in the context of history around that time.  And I think that we should bear in mind events that occurred before the invasion.

First of all, during the Iran-Iraq war we helped Saddam Hussein’s Iraq (which had been armed by the USSR).  Then we turned a blind eye when he used chemical weapons against Iran.  And then when he used chemical weapons against Iraqi civilians (though being Kurds, he felt that they were the enemy) we continued to support him.

Saddam then invaded Kuwait, or as he saw it, the un-elected leaders of Kuwait were overthrown by a revolution, who then asked for Iraqi help.  And this threatened the oil that the west depended on then, and still continues to depend on.  The world had two options, to leave Iraq in control, or defend Kuwait and go to war.  Oil won, and the first gulf war occurred were we fought against one dictatorship to protect a monarchy.  To be fair, Kuwait now has elections, but it is still a monarchy.  The war was won, and won with relative ease by the west though the human cost in Iraq was different and was to get worse.

Sanctions were imposed on Iraq and efforts were made to ensure that Iraq no longer had the capability to use the chemical weapons that it had used in the past again.  But this affected the people of Iraq while Saddam did not seem to suffer.  We also encouraged the people of Iraq to revolt, and then did not support them when they did, allowing Saddam to massacre them.  But Saddam did not allow the weapon inspections that were part of the ceasefire agreement to take place.  He would agree, then change his mind.  And a report by a weapons inspector (who died later) stated that Saddam was hiding weapons, and while they could not be used, he would try to do so if given the chance.

So before the second war, we were faced with several options.
1 - continue the sanctions (and continue the harm to ordinary Iraqi's)
2 - lift the sanctions (and let Saddam get WMD's)
3 - invade (and we all know how that ended)

While in hindsight, we can say the invasion was a bad idea, it appeared to be the least worst of three terrible options at the time.

The west had seen what military intervention had done before.  In Kosovo by intervening, we had prevented a repeat of the horrors of Bosnia.  In Sierra Leone, intervention helped and avoided any chance of the horrors of Rwanda occurring there.  So I understand the desire to bring about the change that had happened elsewhere.

My concerns at the time, was the spin and propaganda being sold to us at the time.  I did not believe that Saddam posed a direct threat to us, but I did feel that he was someone who needed to be removed for the overall benefit of humanity.  At the time, I felt that we should show that we could bring democracy to Afghanistan (which we had not at the time) and also bring about a more equitable solution to the troubles in The Holy Land.  

So overall, due to the threat that Saddam posed, I felt that regime change was needed.  

If you disagree, please post why.  I do try to learn from others and if you feel I have missed out on points on this, please let me know.

Are we doomed?

I know, a cheerful title to this post.  But there was an interesting result in America where they voted in a leader who says global warming is not occurring (while taking action to protect his interests from it).  And lets face it, this is someone who has expressed unacceptable behaviour talking about sexual assault and then excusing it as "locker room" talk.  When younger, and single, if I was with some other blokes, I would talk about a desire to have sex with a woman if they were attractive, but talking about assaulting them was something I never heard others talk about.  Anyway, with his attitudes to Syria and Russia, the world is going to be a very interesting place for the next four years.

On a lighter note, it was learning conference day today.  The kids were great.  My son however has a tendency to be like me at times when I was at school and not work to show his potential.  I now know how my mother felt and each time we have this, I remember the 'discussions' that my mother would have with me afterwards.  Saying that, he is doing a lot better than I did when I was his age.  But as he never reads this, it is a safe place to say that!  My daughter has allowed me to post two entries in her school blog here.  I would love it if both did more, but I can live in hope.  My son now has Pokémon Go which he loves.  I guess, I could use that to 'encourage' him to make posts!

Anyway, I am going to post on my progress in chess since my last posts.  The tournaments that I have played in that have finished are as follows
Speed King #150 - Very fast players 5(1)->2 U1500
Top Of The Pops 22
Apple pie
We have so much Snow under 1500
Holger Danske
Also my rating peaked at 1541, but I think it is going to fall, and fall hard soon.

Good night!

Howloween 2016

It has been too long since my last post.

My daughter has been away on a school trip, and come back.  She had a great time in Norfolk.  Needless to say, we missed her.  But one great thing about this was being able to spend time with my son.  And after some time where the kids have not been on their bikes that much, they are getting back on them again.

Anyway, we are back now.  We have been away to Chessington and as I type this, the kids are up in bed asleep.  My wife (in case you are unaware, she is amazing.) had booked a treat for them and for the third year, we went there to stay.  The first time we had been there was two years ago.  Then when we stayed, we were given a Fastpass and although we used it, the kids did not make the best use of it.  To be fair to them, they were tired and young and had not had to queue much, as when we had taken them to Legoland, we had always bought a pass that allowed us not to queue that much.  The following year, when staying, there was no such pass available for guests that I was able to find, and the kids got to experience the joys of the queue.  This year it was much the same, but arriving late, it meant that they stayed late in the park.  As before, they enjoyed the Black Bucaneer.  Food was better than on previous years, thanks to my wife insisting that we booked to eat at the Zafari Bar and Grill, which we had tried to eat at last year, but found it to be booked.  And after eating, the kids changed into halloween costumes, and we went back into the park.  This time, we did not get to go on that many rides, going on one called the Dragons Fury, the queue taking ages.  I screamed, apparently, and after this, we went to queue for another ride.  The park was open late and all the rides bar one closed at eight at night.  If you were in the queue for the ride, you got to ride on it.  Other than The Vampire.  That ride was open later and we were able to get into the queue for that before it closed.  And as we were amongst the last to get onto the ride, once our ride was over, they gave us a free ride.  Both children were ecstatic, more so my son, who had been annoyed that we had not returned to the hotel for the fancy dress competition that was being held there.

The following morning, this morning, we returned.  Being guests of the hotel, we gained early entry into the park, but this was only to limited areas.  The kids played in a treetop playground for a bit and then we went into the park.  I had dragged them out of the playground too early, but after a wait, were were through into the main park and rides.  The ride we decided to go on was the Cobra.  But, while the kids looked at the map to find the right way there, I told them they were wrong and almost got us lost.  So, when we got there, we thought that the ride would start without us.  But, we got on, and were able to enjoy the first ride that Cobra offered that day, and as the queue was short there, the second and later the fourth ride that if did.  After that, it was a trip to a bird enclosure where my daughter (and after she let me, me) fed some birds.  I got one to rest on my arm, but my daughter, who in the past has had an owl on her shoulder decided not to try this experience, instead feeding the bird.  We actually went in twice, the first time, one bird flew towards her, but we did not have any food with us then, returning afterwards with some nectar for them.

Then it was three trips on Dragon Falls, were the kids took great enjoyment in getting me to sit in the front so I would get soaked.  My daughter was tempted on the third go to sit in the front, but canoe 13 was not quite right, so she made me sit in the front instead.  My son tried his had with basketball, but we realised he needs to build up his strength, and we went on a shoot-em-up ride following which it was lunch, a go for my son to try and win another prize, and my daughter got to use a water gun and later had some chocolate covered strawberries.

Once my wife arrived, it was a trip home on the Road to Hell (the M25) upon which, as would be expected, there was traffic issues.  But we got home safe, changed and then were out for a party.  This was one aimed at children and adults which was a great way to almost end the day.  Once home it was to watch Strictly and then later Match of the Day.

It is amusing to watch the ManUre game as after Moaninho got sent off the advertising boards had a message originally intended for fans asking "Where are you watching the game?"  But it was more satisfying to see our result away against Sunderland.

Anyway, before I go to sleep, an update on the chess tournaments I have played in.
Speed King #152 - Very fast players 4(2)->2 U1500
Speed King #153 - Very fast players 5(1)->2 U1500
Top Of The Pops 20
1st Essex County Chess Group Championship
BIG TOURNAMENT / 1 VS 1 / 1300 - 1400
3rd Bat'leth Tournament
Chess.com Unofficial Knockout Tournament!
Top Of The Pops 21
Creep

Wednesday 28th September

My daughter wrote this on her blog as an assignment for her school

Henry Blogg

Henry lived all of his 78 years in Cromer. He was born on 6 February 1876 in a cottage in New Street on the cliff top opposite the pier. Young Henry spent several years in the care of his grandmother before moving to the home of his stepfather, John Davies, in Chapel Street, which was a fishing family (John was Second Coxswain after his father, James Davies, who was in charge of Cromer’s second RNLI lifeboat). At the age of 11, Henry didn't need to stay at school as he was always top of the class. His stepfather needed him to help in the family crab boat. So Henry swapped reading, writing and arithmetic for his stepfather’s lessons about baiting, hauling, rowing and seamanship. He learned how to use an oar, handle a sail, and learned about tides, currents, rocks and shoals. (This knowledge was later put to such good use in his rescue work that it was said of him: ‘He knew what his boat could do and, as nearly as a man may, what the sea could do.’) In 1894, when Henry was 18, he joined the lifeboat crew. Although he joined in January, it was not until 28 December that he journeyed on the lifeboat Benjamin Bond-Cabbell for his first service.In 1902, Henry was voted in by the crew as Second Coxswain, as his stepfather was forced to retire due to bad health. This was an impressive achievement at the age of 26 after only 8 years of service.

 Silver medals

From 14–16 October 1932, Henry and his crew rescued 29 crew from the Italian vessel, Monte Nevoso, which was stranded on Haisborough Sands.Henry received his first RNLI Silver Medal, a Silver Medal and a diploma from the Italian Government and a Canine Defence League medal for saving the life of a Tyrolean sheepdog that had been on the ship.Henry liked dogs, and the captain gave him one, which he named Monte. .On 13 December 1933, Henry and his crew were called out to the 65-tonne barge Sepoy. Henry described this as the worst journey in his then 24 years as Coxswain.Henry had made several attempts to go alongside the barge but it was impossible to hold the lifeboat in position because of the wind and tide. He then ran the lifeboat’s bow onto the deck of the Sepoy. One of the casualties was seized by the crew and, when Henry repeated the manoeuvre, the other man was rescued. The two men and the lifeboat crew had all suffered terribly from exposure.He received a silver medal for this.On 13 December 1933, Henry and his crew were called out to the 65-tonne barge Sepoy. Henry described this as the worst journey in his then 24 years as Coxswain.Henry had made several attempts to go alongside the barge but it was impossible to hold the lifeboat in position because of the wind and tide. He then ran the lifeboat’s bow onto the deck of the Sepoy. One of the casualties was seized by the crew and, when Henry repeated the manoeuvre, the other man was rescued. The two men and the lifeboat crew had all suffered terribly from exposure.He received a silver medal for this. On 9 October 1939, Henry took part in the rescue of the 29 crew of the Greek-registered vessel SS Mount Ida, which was wrecked on the Ower Bank in a gale with very heavy seas.On 26 October of the same year, the SS English Trader of London ran aground on a sandbank on the other side of Haisborough Sands. A full gale was blowing with a very heavy sea. After brave efforts that afternoon, 44 of the crew were rescued by Henry and his crew the following morning.

                                                                                    Gold medals                                                                                                                                                                               On 9 January 1917, one of the bravest and most spectacular services ever undertaken saw 11 crewmen rescued from the shattered ship the SS Fernebo. Despite having already carried out one launch that day, Henry and his crew, whose average age was over 50, battled through a gale to reach the wreck 350m offshore. The service was performed in an open boat, powered only by oars and the strength of the crew. By the time they pulled alongside Fernebo, the crew had been fighting the elements for nearly 14 hours. Henry was awarded a Gold Medal for this service.On 22 November 1927, Henry rescued 15 people from the Dutch tanker SS Georgia, which had halved on Haisborough Sands. The lifeboat had been on duty for 28 hours. This service got Henry his second Gold Medal. On the night of 5 August 1941, in gale force winds and heavy breaking seas, six vessels in a southbound convoy were wrecked on Haisborough Sands. The following morning the two Cromer lifeboats, along with the Sheringham and Gorleston lifeboats, were launched and 88 men were saved, he also received a gold medal for this. 

When I’m Gone

Today was an interesting one.  On Wednesday mornings I look after the kids after my wife leaves for her work.  I take them to school (though normally she has fed them) after looking after them for a bit.  However, on the way to school, we realised that my son had left his glasses at home (again).  Fortunately, we were walking, and what we have been doing was walking on a different route to school, one which the kids can take themselves if needed if they have to go to school alone.  So, as I was walking with my bike, I cycled home, got the glasses and then cycled back to find the kids further down the road, as instructed.  But, my son now was feeling low and down, and had told my daughter that he wanted to die.  Well, it was an interesting conversation on the way to school talking about death, especially as a friend of his had a relative die that had affected him.  My son is amazing, and earlier in the week, when the boy broke down crying, gave him a hug.  But after school the kids were back to normal.

On the bright side, Arsenal are back to winning ways after escaping with a draw last week in the European Cup.  It was sad to see Jack Wilshere give away a free kick when playing for Bournemouth against the Manchester Team that rhymes with City from which the first goal in a 4-0 defeat occurred.  Maybe we can survive without him afterall.

And with chess, as you can see, I have won a game against a better opponent.  They had tried a gambit with a knight, but after it failed to checkmate me, I was left with the advantage, and for once, I was able to use it.
The update on tournaments won and lost includes
5th Friends & Family - won.
32nd Chess.com Quick Knockouts (1401-1600) - lost but I surprisingly gained tournament points in this despite finishing last in my group!
Two knights defense - finished joint second.
Episode 2 - finished joint 5th.
Wallyjacks 200th Anniversary Of Waterloo 18/6/1815 - 1302-1402 - 17th placed finish.

Blakeney Point

This is a post by my daughter on her school blog

Seals

Blakeney Point seals are what draws many to Blakeny. The colony at Blakeney Point is made up of Common and Grey seals and in the Winter of 2014/15 became the biggest colony in England. This is because common seals have their young between June and August, and the Greys between November and January. Both suckle their pups for about three weeks during which time they grow very quickly.The seals are very inquisitive and often pop up and swim around the boats which can usually sail close to the basking seals on the beach.There is a significant colony at Horsey and you might also see seals turning up in the water or on the beach around the Norfolk coast, in Wells harbour or on the sandbanks at Holkham, or you might spot them bobbing around at Sea Palling and other beaches on the eastern coast. The seals travel on land at just 3 or 4 miles an hour but can reach 30 to 40mph when swimming submerged!

Birds

All year round there is plenty of wildlife to see, whether the nesting Sandwich Terns or rarer Little Terns, oyster catchers, the pink-footed geese, barn owls, birds of prey such as Hen and Marsh Harriers and Peregrins.  The list could go on and on.  Whether you’re an avid bird watcher or not, there’s always something of interest to see at Blakeney Point.On the sands you might also see Oyster Catchers, Ringed Plovers, Turnstones and Dunlin. During the winter months, you might see numbers of duck and geese including Mallard, Widgeon, Teal, Pintail, Pinkfooted Geese. Greylag and Brent Geese usually arrive from October onwards. In the summer you might see'll Common Terns, Sandwich and Little Terns and also Arctic Terns. Many of them begin to arrive from West Africa in April and breed into the season. They make a small scrape in the shingle where they lay their eggs.On the sands you might also see Oyster Catchers, Ringed Plovers, Turnstones and Dunlin. During the winter months, you might see numbers of duck and geese including Mallard, Widgeon, Teal, Pintail, Pinkfooted Geese. Greylag and Brent Geese usually arrive from October onwards.

  

Do it anyway

It has been a while since my last post.  I am better now, as are the rest of the family after our weekend of being ill.  As it was, I was not back to 100% on the Monday which surprised me as normally, if I have a flu like illness I am normally back to normal within 72 hours.  The following weekend my son and I went to London as my mother was featured in a literary meeting.  Jeremy Corbyn was meant to attend, but with the leadership challenge that he is facing, he had to cancel.  Still it was amazing to be reminded just how amazing my mother is.  I forget her work as a feminist, nurse, author, midwife, grandmother, health visitor, political activist, film maker, single mother and human rights campaigner.



And this weekend, was a trip camping for my son, and for my daughter, the eleven plus.  My daughter has been amazing at working hard, though I imagine that there have been many times that she wished that it would just all end.  After our return from France, she seemed to have made steps backwards, missing out questions and making silly mistakes in the practice questions that she did.  But once she got to school, things improved.  And on Saturday, she sat the paper.  Her brother had left for camping on Friday, so we did our best to relax her the night before the exam.  In fact, I stayed with her in her room until she fell asleep.  We walked her to the exam in the morning after my wife made her an excellent breakfast, and then it was off to work for me.  After getting back to collect her, we had the after exam chat, and spoke to others from her school who sat it.  Or rather she spoke to them and we spoke to their mothers.  After this, it was a trip to an Italian restaurant later that day where she had one of her favourite foods.  It was not made exactly how she wanted it, but that is something that I may have to rectify tomorrow!



And last of all, a story about the children that made me smile.  As all parents know, there are times that the kids do something naughty that we as parents are proud of.  Well, yesterday after getting back from work, I found my wife having words with my daughter.  It turned out that she had 'sold' my son a small magnet and two rubber arrows for two expensive board games.  My wife, when she found out made them give back the items that had been traded, but it got me telling the kids of how I was when I was a child.  I used to sell my brother ten coins for one.  It would be that I would sell him ten pennies for a pound, but it worked for me, and he felt that he had lots of cash as he had more coins.  Explaining this to my son hopefully will stop him being taken for a ride by the older sister he trusts and admires so much!

The house of ill

We are not feeling well!  Well, my son who normally is the ill one, has been found to be immune, for now.  So my wife and I are aching and trying to rest.  My wife is better than I am having come down with this on Thursday, and therefore giving this to me to be ill when at work yesterday.  I guess it was to be expected as she had a very stressful day on Tuesday.  After work, she had a very stressful journey to Southend for an interview where she ended up arriving an hour late.  Fortunately, the people there were kind enough to wait for her, and even better, later we found out that she was successful.

Last weekend, we collected my mother on Monday.  This was after a trip to Ikea, which I found out, has been made even more child friendly.   A lot of the areas to show living spaces and ideas now have other passageways that the kids can walk through.  And of course, happy kids, means happy parents, which for Ikea is excellent as this means that we end up spending more.  Kids can be strange.

My Mum was invaluable as we needed her to look after the kids on Tuesday and Wednesday.  And on Wednesday, after work, my son and I went for a walk with her.  It was relaxing, and this is something that I guess as a family we could consider to do more often.

And as for today, well, my daughter and I are watching Once Upon A Time while we both are ill.

On the bright side, I have had another great and unexpected win in chess.  I did not expect to have a chance in this game but the use of the bishop pair helped me.  Unfortunately, this luck will not help in my other game against this opponent.

Since the last post, I have done okay in online chess tournaments however.
Top Of The Pops 19
Speed King #151 - Very fast players 3(2)->1 U1500
Kings Gambit Knockout Tournament

But while I have done better than expected in chess, I am uncertain that Arsenal are to do the same.  I can not agree with the decision to send Jack Wilshere to Bournemouth, I felt, when we were offered Cesc Fàbregas that it it did not matter as we had Wilshere. And although I wanted N'Golo Kante to join us, when he went to Chelski, we still had Wilshere.  And now we do not.  In Arsène we trust, and we are going to have to trust him a lot this season.  

 

A memorable Wednesday

Well, today was one that the children will remember.

My wife and I had been discussing where I was to do with the children today.  We had been thinking about me taking them to London, but she did not appear keen.  And with today being a hot one, we decided last night that staying in Colchester might be better.  Anyway, the children did not leave bed until after my wife left for work, so a morning trip to London would have been useless.

After breakfast, we travelled into town, stopping at TESCO to get lunch.  After that, it was a cycle through town to the park which is where the picture was taken.  The kids spent over an hour playing in the park.  At the end of this, my son had an ice-cream, my daughter had a lolly.  We sat elsewhere in the park while my son ate his later and then rode to the boating lake (or rather, pond).  After locking the bikes, the kids went on the boats and loved it.  After this, it was a cycling trip to show them where the skate park was and then lunch.

They loved feeding the ducks later with the crusts that they had not eaten.  Then we rode along the river and across to the Hythe.  And that is when the day crashed.  While cycling along the river, at the back of Brook Street we came across two men almost fighting.  One asked us to call the police as he said he wanted to hit a bearded man who he said had accused him of selling drugs.  While I thought this was an extreme reaction, he then later claimed that this man had put a broken bottle to him.  They came much to close to us while they were discussing this, worrying me and freaking the kids out.  The bearded man had a chance to run to his bike, which we then used to turn round and cycle away.  And I have to say that my daughter can cycle really fast!

The journey back home was meant to be much more relaxed, but due to this, the kids just wanted to get home as quickly as possible.  Later in the day, we did get home, and I have to say, as freaked out as they were, they were amazing both with that and the journey back home.

Our first proper weekend back

Well, it has been a while since we have had a weekend at home with our holiday in France.

At the end of last week, my wife took her mother back to her home and stayed over there.  This meant that on Friday the kids went to Madame Tussaud's.  I have not been there since I was a child, and we had intended to take them there for ages.  But they went without me (sniff) and they had a great time.  When they came back on Saturday, I had been to work and got back to wait for them.  It was great seeing all three of them, absence does make the heart grow fonder.

On Sunday, we went out for a meal, but before then, it was the first bike rides of the holiday.  First, it was my daughter who now is even faster than before.  At the end of the ride with her, I was out of puff, and then, after a rest, took my son out.  And he is getting better at tackling hills as well.  I am determined that they are both to get fitter and cycling is a way that I can do so as well.  Saying that, we have discussed the option to swim as well, but that may come later. The meal was amazing, and once back at home I was finally able to watch the football.

Now on the game against Leicester, Arsenal were fortunate.  There were some decisions that could have gone against us, two penalty ones, and the other was when a second yellow card was not issued.  Saying that though, we look like we are going to be feared once more.  So long as our defence is protected properly.  The Ox was amazing and it is always great to see Ozil play.  And Cazorla almost got a goal from one of his fantastic free kicks.

And now an update on chess.  I have had a fantastic win but sadly have not won the following tournaments.
1st Amateur Arsenal Chess Championship
CCC Less Than 1300 Tourney
Queens Gambit
TSS Head-to-head tournament #3
ICC Division 2
Still I hope to do better in other games.

At home, finally

We have finally returned home.  Properly.  Yesterday we stayed at my in-laws which did mean that we got to visit my mother.  My wife, was knackered after driving so much yesterday so she rested, and if you have read some of the previous posts, you will know just how much she deserved it.

While at my mothers, we played a game of Chinese Chequers, the kids now being more determined to beat me when playing it (my son managed it once when he was winning when we ran out of time, so I said that he won).  They enjoyed it as did my mother, but the downside was that she was late for a meeting.

Anyway, we returned home, unpacked, and got to business as almost usual.  My daughter helped a lot while I rode my bike for the first time in two weeks to get some milk.  The kids have been unwinding and have spent the last hour or so before bed watching James Corden and his carpool's with various people.  It is great to be home, and great to be able to have spent time with the family.  I am truly lucky as I know so many others are not so fortunate.

Which sort of makes the loss of Arsenal today a bit more bearable.  While ironing, the kids and my wife went upstairs to watch Modern Family allowing me to watch the match.  And it all looked so promising.  But we lost, but regained some honour when pulling back the score from 1-4 to 3-4.  A loss, one where we had four goals scored against us, but one where we had a chance to draw.  Yes, we should have won, but the season shows promise and I think that we have a chance to finish in 4th place (I think that Chelski or the Manchester team that rhymes with City will take the top two places and ManUre will get 3rd).  So it was not as bad as it looked it would be.  But, I do think that Arsenal fans should get behind the team and stop booing.

Back in Blighty

Well, that was an interesting day.  At the time of posting this entry, I have yet to upload the post from yesterday, and this will make more sense when that is done.

Waking up with a full belly turned out to be important.  After getting ready, we went downstairs to find that breakfast was being served before we had been told it would.  We met up with the others staying at the B&B a family travelling to a similar area to us, between Bordeaux and Bergerac, they had brought the grandparents (I presume to baby sit).  This was over breakfast, which was in essence, a croissant and a brioche as well as a café au lait.  The setting of the B&B was amazing, but when it comes to value for money, and the stress we had, the Ibis would have been a much better place to stay in.  But hindsight is one thing and on paper, this place did look wonderful.

We left Tours today, to return to the garage and have our wheels replaced.  Having had the chance to look at the maps in the morning and last night, I realised that we had not been taken along the most direct route to our B&B.  A slow trip through Tours took us to the garage and I got us there 30 minutes late, but they were great and if you ever are unfortunate to break down around Tours, visit them.

When on the road, the issue of contacting EuroTunnel was raised.  My wife was driving, so when I was sure that I would not be needed for directions, I made the call to them.  Unfortunately, I did not ask the questions the way she wanted them to be asked, but before I was cut off with poor reception, I found out that we could delay our departure, but that there would be an additional fee to pay.  Again, once past some more navigational hazards, I rang again, but this time was placed on hold and once going through a poor reception area, lost contact with them again.  However she pulled over at a service station, which we had been to earlier this holiday when heading south.  But this time, as it was not when we usually went to them (i.e. before lunch) there was an issue with car parking as well as having to wait in line for food and the toilets.  But my wife got the food while I hunted down a parking space and then found them.  While eating lunch she made the various calls that were needed to delay our departure so that we could actually arrive on time and then we set off in good time.

But then we had decided to fill up with petrol in Rouen.  Which on paper sounded great, but my iPhone, which would direct us to the relevant petrol stations was out of action, and the iPhone of my wife was using Google Maps as a SatNav,  While this is great, it is no competition and due to a few more failings on my part, we wasted a lot of time there searching for petrol that we had hoped would be cheaper than on the motorways, but ended up paying more as well as losing time.  And that was a big issue as now we had little margin for error.  Fortunately, traffic was on our side and we made it with time to spare.  We thought that we would be able to visit Duty Free, as my son had saved his holiday money to buy something there, but were ushered straight to the train.  Cue a nap there, and then on the other side, freedom in England!

I am now at my in-laws house, with still no internet access (I am using the iPhone of my wife for this), and hopefully, if all goes well, it will be a trip to see my mother and then home.

Day Eleven in France - Flat

Just in case I have not said this often enough, my wife is amazing and is our hero.



We left La Batellerie today, our hosts being helpful with our departure. My wife and I had a disagreement about which route we should take to Tours and our next destination but she won. She had hurt her foot yesterday so I did not want her to drive so we went through the French countryside. I had wanted to make for the motorway and return by the route that we had come by, but Google said that it would take longer. A problem with this was that the SatNav, on my now malfunctioning iPhone when we came, had the ETA wrong due to the villages that we would have to drive through.  But, the scenic route it was.  



When we were almost at the dual carriageway, we stopped for lunch, just before a diversion due to roadworks blocking our route.  After this excellent lunch, we took a different route than initially planned and ended up driving near to Châteauneuf, my wife not being allowed to stop though (which was good as it was the wrong one)!  Soon we were on the dual carriageway and then later the motorway but after stopping at a service station we developed a flat tyre.  That was fun. My wife, the French speaker, had to walk to the emergency phone while we waited to be picked up. Our breakdown cover did not allow them to collect us from the motorway and while waiting a motorway service vehicle but some bollards around us and the police stopped to see how we were doing. The kids coped well with this but did love seeing our car being pulled up onto the recovery vehicle once it arrived. They were not going to change the tyre on the hard shoulder and instead took us to a local garage.  Who spoke no English! Fortunately, my wife, finally managed to get through to someone in England who could speak French and a lady there allowed us to use the Google Translation service until a local lady came around who spoke English.  Our tyre was changed and a new one ordered for the morning (hopefully).




Then it was a journey through Tours trying to drive below 80Kph (50mph) which meant avoiding as many dual carriageways as possible and driving close to the Ibis where we had stayed on our journey south. We arrived at our destination, a B&B on the other side of Tours to find no one here and no way in!  A lady came around later to let us in and show us around. We were told (in French as she spoke no English) about a local place to eat which was very close by. With no internet access we walked only to find that they were fully booked and did not have the dinner reservation that my wife had been told had been made for us (my fantastic wife found is out as they spoke no English either).  We walked to a hotel that the local signs said had a restaurant to find it was closed and then walked back home, my son despondent that he might not be fed, and my wife, who had been through a lot, started to show the strains.  How we wished that we had stayed at the Ibis in Tours now!  Fortunately, when we got back, one of the families from the restaurant arrived at the B&B, which meant that we knew that a table was now free. We returned and they took pity on us and let us dine there.

And the food was worth the visit, so long as you like crepes. So now we are back and have a journey back to the garage in the morning, but it should be more direct, and if we are lucky, less stressful and if all goes well, our only issue should be not making the EuroTunnel train that we have booked to travel on.

And while the kids showed admirable resilience during what must have been a scary time for them and deserve heaps of praise, my wife deserves most for dealing with this and keeping things together when everything seemed to be going wrong.

Day Ten in France - up and down again

Today is our last night in this area before we journey back north.  We woke and ate at a local patisserie and then travelled, as planned to Saint-Émilion.  We had heard that it is best to visit the town in the morning, but due to one reason or another, we did not arrive until about 1100 in the morning.  The reason for arriving in the morning is that we had been told that in the afternoon, tour buses containing loads of Chinese and Japanese tourists descend upon the town.

Unforutnately, we just missed some tours, but in a way, this was a good thing.  The town is pretty and certainly worth visiting.  I had the chance to take the children on a 90 minute journey around the town on a tour, but I decided that they would not appreciate this, something when they were told, they agreed with.  They were interested in the ideas of entering the catacombs below, but settled for a journey up the bell tower.  And they loved it there.  We spent over an hour as they enjoyed the view, something I fail to understand that others do not try to experience.  In a town where so many experiences appear to cost so much, this was €5 for the three of us (I think that we were charged for four of us to explore, but my wife decided to learn more about the local wines).  By the time my wife was ready to meet up, the kids were starting to get ready to leave the tower.

After this, it was a trip home, with a detour to buy biscuits for our respective workplaces and then lunch.  We had aimed to take the children to the river beach, but an injury to the toe of my daughter prevented that.  Instead we watched a film and then went out for dinner at the amazing restaurant that we had been to before.

Anyway, packing has commenced and I have to get to bed to finish this with my wife tomorrow morning before we journey north to Tours.

Day Nine In France - An Amazing Meal

Today was another easy day.  I woke late to the smell of bacon.  My wife and kids and woken up earlier, but I was so tired, that I had slept through them getting ready and then leaving and returning with breakfast. 

After this, we went into the town and wandered about.  I wanted to explore some of its history and my wife let me (I will post this to YouTube when back in the UK).  I found her in the central square and completed my quest which had started aided by my son, instead, with my daughter. 

After this, we returned for a light lunch and then a trip to taste some of the local wines.  My ability to do this was limited by my driving and also my reluctance to spit out the wine rather than drink it.  My wife, who was being the passenger, was making the use of her superior knowledge of wine to the benefit of us both. 

After a trip home to relax, we went out to eat later and had an amazing meal.  I feel that this was one of the best that we have had in ages, not just in France this holiday, and neither of use expected it.  They were great with our kids and now we are in bed recovering from a busy day.

Day eight in France - The Cleaning Fairies

Today we have been to Bordeaux and I have to say, what an amazing city.

Our journey was forced due to the illness of my friend, or as others may term it, my iPhone.  I had it fixed last month after a few intermittent issues that it had, and got it back in the last week of July, but when in Bergerac, it sort of died.  Well, that is what I thought at first, but the screen had gone.   It was able to receive calls, and texts, as well as messages on Twitter, but there was no way to use my screen.  I tried the normal advice on a forced reset, but with no message on the screen, and limited internet access here at La Batellerie (I have it for now), there was no way to get it working.  So this morning, we travelled to Bordeaux.  We thought, from searching forums, that the issue would be with a connection to the screen, but on getting it there, we found that this was not going to be the case.  They offered to repair it, and they did try a low cost repair, but alas, this was not possible.

On the bright side we got to see the city of Bordeaux.  I had not expected it to be so pretty and it was great to see some of its sights.  We did not get the chance to explore it as much as I would like, but it would be great to return in a few years time.  My daughter took loads of pictures and did a bit of shopping while my son was patient and spent time with my while his mother and sister had other bits of fun.

Anyway, we are back at La Batellerie and it was great to come back to find that the cleaning fairies had been in.  My wife always said that they did not exist, but I now know otherwise!

Day Seven in France - the Market

Today we went after breakfast to Issigeac, where there was a market being held.  It was different to the market in Sainte-Foy-la-Grande opposite the river from where we were staying and in some ways better.  We did spend more money there, including spending some Euro's on a game of Chinese Chequers.  After this, it was lunch in the town, which I loved (the choice of my wife meant her meal was not as good as mine), and then on the way home we bumped into a place where we could taste some wine.  As I was driving, I did not sample any of the wares, but we did buy.  It was a great place with great service and had catered for children to be entertained allowing adults to spend time appreciating wine!

Once home, the kids were knackered and although I had intended to take them onto the river bank beach, they were not really up to it, and instead we relaxed watching the Simpsons.  After dinner, playing another game of Chinese Chequers (my wife won the game today) it was a trip to the river back with my daughter to feed the fish the bread that we were not going to be able to eat.  Anyway, it is time for me to read to them.

Day six in France - Pistashoberry

Well it has been interesting today.  We went to the market in the morning in town and bought fruit and vegetables for the next few days.  After returning home and having breakfast, it was a trip out, initially, we were thinking of travelling a while, but in the end instead went to Bergerac.  However, once there, my iPhone died.  It had been out for repairs before we came to France, but it may have developed a new fault, or it was not fixed properly.  But, other than that, the day in the town was great.  Lunch was good where my daughter made Pistashoberry ice-cream, a mixture of pistachio and strawberry which I was not allowed to eat.  Following this, it was a walk down to the riverfront and a trip on the Dordogne River with a lesson on some of the history of the river and town.  An ice-cream again and then it was a trip home.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to fix my iPhone, but we did have a great dinner made by my wife and played Chinese Chequers.

Day five in France - All that Jazz

As we start to get ready for bed, we listen to the sounds of Jazz on the quay outside.

Today my daughter and I went to get breakfast only to find the food we had been sent out to get had sold out and I had forgotten to order the giant pan-au-chocolat that they also sell. Before this we had been watching a film together while her mother and brother caught up on much needed sleep.

Later it was a trip to the river beach where my wife and I watched the kids playing in the river and later make a sort of sandcastle. It was altered later when a boy found it unattended and destroyed part of it, but that is another tale.

Come dinner time I attempted to use the barbecue but failed miserably, the charcoal heating up for a short period of time before cooling. Fortunately my wife had food that mostly did not need to be cooked on the BBQ and instead we used the cooker in the cottage.

But, while we did not do much, the kids loved today.

Day four in France - films

Today has been one travelling about in the area.  We had a trip into town to find one of the least helpful Tourist Information centres that we have found and then after that, it was a journey to find another. Luckily our hosts had told us where they could be found and we then found one of the most helpful Tourist information centres ever.  The good thing about the tourist information centre was the museum above it, which while sparse was free and offered information on the basics of the Stone and Bronze Age, which I presume included local finds.

We were fortunate enough to be told more information to augment that which our hosts had given us both today and yesterday.  And armed with this information, due to the day being one with weather reminiscent of England (the stereotyped version) we traveled. We visited a chateau and tried some wine. The kids were great but we felt it would be too unfair on them to take them round looking at furniture when they were hungry so instead we went to a nearby restaurant were we had good food. I always love the idea of fried cheese but the Camembert with breadcrumbs today accompanied by a salad with raspberry vinegar was amazing.

Once back near our temporary home, it was a trip to a local patisserie to reward the children for their patience with a treat for them and a Cafe au lait for us.  At home while my wife slept, the children watched the end of Transformers 2 (as bad as all the other sequels) and then we watched Batman vs Superman which was a far better film.  Anyway they are in bed now, no doubt sleeping about superheroes and the argument we had over dinner as to if Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a superhero (or heroine) or not. For the record, she is one, and an awesome one at that.

And the picture is of a snail is one that we picked up somewhere along our travels today.

Day three in France - civilised

Today has been more relaxed.  Breakfast was relaxed and great. My wife is far better at French than I am and is speaking less Italian now when speaking French.  I am not one to judge however as I am terrible with both, only speaking a few words despite having lessons in both languages in the past.

Lunch occurred after a trip to the local supermarket and then, for the children and I, a walk down the river bank to a beach on the river. I do not think the kids were too happy with this, but they came along anyway but when there, loved it.  There is a park as well as two areas, one to swim in, the other to wade in. We didn't take the appropriate clothes so were not able to stay for as long as we would have liked.

Dinner today was outside our cottage to the sound of music, a delight we were never going to have in Italy.