Colchester comedy

My wife and I went out to watch live comedy in Colchester. It has been a while since we have done so, the Mercury Theatre hosting it in their Studio. Last time, we sat right at the front. The same happened again as my wife, when asked what seats she wanted, picked them. Being at the front was not too bad, we were only asked a few questions. What freaked me out was saying my age when asked (though I later changed it to 35 as another man my age said that when asked) but also that the couple behind us were both aged 25, this also being the number of years my wife and I have been married! The picture is from the comedian who hosted it, though if you click on the links, you will see that he took two photos that night.

We both enjoyed it, though we disagreed about which act we preferred, and if this was a better night or not than the previous night we had been out. But it was good to do something different and I need to make more of an effort to ensure that our life has a bit more variety in it. I do hope that the last lady enjoys her caravan stay in Clacton. She will find out why we laughed when she said she was off there after the show! 

It Was The 90s!

Last night, my wife and I went out to see some live comedy.  She had booked this a while ago and it certainly was worth it.  We both love live comedy and we are lucky to live in Colchester where we can access this.  Watching it during the time of the pandemic makes me nervous, and we were one of the few to be wearing masks most of the time, a fact mentioned in the show, but it was great.  When we booked, we did not know that Esther Manito was on as well.  I thought that I had seen her before and while she has been on television, I do not think that I have.  Which is a shame as she was brilliant and she is one to follow in the future.  The video will add unneeded context to one part of her show, but it was nice afterwards to understand the context, and even better to watch the excerpt!

As for the main event, she was great as well.  To paraphrase her, the show had material that I had not seen on YouTube.  I have watched her on television and listened to her on the radio, but watching her live was even better!  We were very glad that they came to Colchester and hopefully will get to watch them again if they return in the future. 

Silver linings

Well, I knew things were going to be bad for Labour, but I did not expect things to be as bad.

First of all, due to the margin of the victory of Will Quince, tactical voting would have made no difference, so Labour and Lib Dem supporters can and should not blame the other, and instead work to getting him out, when it comes to the next election in five years time.  I had hoped that he would be voted out of office, this despite the way he had answered the letters that I have sent him.  But now, with over 50% of the electorate of Colchester voting for him, he can truly claim to represent the town.  Let me again emphasise, the silver lining here is that those who voted Green, Lib Dem, or Labour need not regret what would have happened if they had voted another way and some of the rancour that was present before the election should be forgiven and forgotten.

Second, Arsenal did not lose.  I had expected that to happen, and while going two goals down is never good, the team showed resilience to come back from that to earn a draw.  Hopefully, this will be reflected in league performances and the team will be able to pull together and produce the results that the ability that is in the squad deserves.

Labour will look at the reasons why this loss occurred, the question is if the right reasons for this loss will be identified and acted on.  Many are going to blame Brexit, and many are going to blame the leader of the party.  It was felt that Labour were going to be destroyed in the polls in 2017 but Jeremy Corbyn proved that there was an appetite for a fair Britain for all.  But, ultimately, he still lost and austerity continued (other than in Northern Ireland due to the deal with the DUP).  And to put things in perspective, despite Swine Flu and the global credit crunch, Gordon Brown came closer to being PM in 2010 that Corbyn did in 2017 or 2019, and that is when Corbyn had a failing NHS, police and education cuts giving people a reason not to vote for the Tories!

I am of the view that elections are won by getting voters who do not vote for you normally, to vote for you.  Boris Johnson has done that, getting Labour voters to either vote Conservative, or switch to the Brexit Party.  Labour can continue on a path away from appealing to voters of other parties, one which has resulted in one term stints in government, or Labour can learn from its most successful leader and bring about a government for the many which lasts longer than one parliamentary term.  But considering the calls to have a purge of Blairites (I am a Brownite), I suspect I know what is to happen.  And I fear that means more Conservative rule after the next General Election in 2024.  

Our nation is like a turkey voting for Christmas.

Today is the day that the nation is probably going to vote for another Conservative government that has ruined education for many, has run down the NHS, has cut police numbers and has increased in work poverty.

Needless to say, I am not happy with this.  The sad thing is that people are voting for a government that has done this, and is to vote for a Prime Minister who has been sacked more than once for lying and is not trusted by those who were political allies because he lied to them!  My wife cannot understand why people would vote Conservative considering what they have done to the nation, but many are.  And sadly, many have decided not to vote Labour due to Jeremy Corbyn, my wife being one, even though she ended up more left wing than me when it came to comparing the policies of different parties in this election.  I have friends who voted for him when it came to the Labour leadership election who have been driven out of Labour, being called Blairites (even though I am more of one than they are).  I also have other friends who used to vote Labour, but who feel that cannot due to the direction that the party has now taken. And I have friends who are natural Conservative voters who have voted Labour in the past who would never vote for Corbyn.

I do think that Corbyn has been great at inspiring young people to vote, I do admire his push for kinder gentler politics and at heart, I think that he is an honest man who despises racism and injustice.  But elections are won by getting people who normally vote for other parties to change.  Blair did this in 1997, 2001, and 2005 and while many in Labour despise him, they forget what he did for our nation. Sadly, Corbyn does not appear to have done this in parliament, though his performance was better than Blair in 2005.  And yes, part of this is due to the numerous smears that he has faced, by Labour overcame this in 1997, 2001 and 2005.  It is a shame that the lessons that had been learned then have been forgotten now.

All I can do is hope that Colchester, where I live, gets rid of Will Quince.  As an MP, despite blocking me on Twitter (for asking him if he voted for police cuts), he has been kind enough to respond to the letters that I have sent him.  But ultimately, he is a Tory and it would be great if Colchester could get rid of him.  My fear is that with an increased majority in the last election, this will not be possible, and conflicting messages have been sent about tactical voting.

So in the election today, I am not going to vote tactially, like I have done in the past.  I am not going to vote on personality (I have never done this in the past), but I am going to vote on policies.  And pray that the Conservatives are not returned into office, in Colchester and in Number 10.

The end of the Bank Holiday weekend

The family have recovered. Mostly. In fact the children are ruffling my hair as I type. However my wife is not 100% and her elbow is giving her jip.

And the holiday continues, but not for long.  And as preparation for my son, we went out cycling. It was the first bike trip for my daughter since her bicycle accident last year.  And while my son has managed to avoid a lot of cycling this holiday, as he intends to cycle to his new school, there was no escape from it.  Ideally, I would have liked him to have cycled throughout the holiday, but sadly he has not.  My intention is to ensure that he cycles is a safe manner, and has the energy to get to his school and back.

On our last trip, he was cycling slowly.  And on the one before that, we was so slow, I thought it was deliberate.  But now I realise just how unfit he is.  So we have a week and a bit to get him better, or he will be walking to and from school.

I missed out on some politics

While I do love being on holiday in Sri Lanka, tho two down sides were that I missed the Facebook live chat that Jeremy Hunt did (I would have been one of the trolls as apparently anyone who is not a fan of him is one), and also Any Questions, a show I listen to almost every Friday night, and often tweet about, was in Colchester.

Heritage Day in Colchester

Today was heritage day in Colchester.  And we took advantage of this.  First of all it was a quick drive around town for Pokemon Go, but after breakfast we explored one area we had not been to before.

Following the local politicians on Twitter I learned that a local private school had its doors open to allow people to take in the view from its battlements.  Three girls from my daughters old school go there, so she was understandably curious and my son and I both were as well.  And it was worth the walk there.  The staff there were pleasant and friendly teaching us a lot about the history of the building and allowing us (and others) to take in the view.  She is glad that she got into her school, but if she had not, I imagine that she would have loved to go there.

After that, it was a walk down to the boys Grammar School and again a tour where we learned about the history of the school which was fascinating.  My son would love to get into the school, and time will tell if he can or not.

Anyway, we ended the day watching Strictly Come Dancing and the kids are getting much needed rest.  I say we ended, as I have stayed up to watch Arsenal on Match of the Day.  It is always great to see Arsenal play, though this game against Bournemouth did not really test our suspect defence.

Invasion Colchester 2017

We had a great day today in Colchester.  Today was Invasion Colchester and it is something that I have been looking forwards to with my son for ages.  My daughter, when I had first discussed it, was not too interested in it, but she changed her mind on this.  So my son walked in with us, dressed in a jacket we got him a few years ago when The Force Awakens came out.  Although he had wanted me to dress up in something, I had refused but did wear a Star Wars T shirt while my wife and daughter wore normal clothes.  

And of course, this meant that we played Pokemon Go while my wife was very patient and did not complain at all.  We split up when my wife and daughter went into a shop and my son and I continued walking about to catch more Pokemon, but later, we met up again.  But this was in the town centre itself, and my son and I had encountered some of the characters invading the town.  This included two Predators, and later I had my photo taken with Wonder Woman (no not my wife, the other superhero).  

My son of course had no idea what the Predators are, and of course, being so young, he is not going to find out for a few years.  But he was in ecstasy when we saw an Ewok.  Culver square was full of other people, including Batman and Harley Quinn as well as the Joker, but we had to meet up with the other who, who had encountered some Wizard and Witches.  Both my son and daughter were sorted into houses, sadly neither into Slytherin, but time will tell.

Later it was a walk to Castle Park, where a Pokemon raid was to take place.  My daughter, now she has seen some of those who play Pokemon, is not as keen on it as she was before, but this means that I might get access to her account!

Anyway, she met up with some friends and left us to shop with them (a first) while my son had us by himself for two hours.  Later, we ate at Mamma Mia, a restaurant three of us had been to before, but my daughter had not and we had an amazing meal there.  

Once at home we rested and watched The X Factor. There were some good singers, but this one is amazing.


And last of all, while the kids have not played chess that much, I have continued to do so, and I have realised that I have not continued to post much on it.

So, my performance includes the following finishes.
1st place
12th place out of 19 players
203rd place out of 507 players
2nd place out of 100
19th place out of 100 players
52nd place out of 100
5th out of 99 (I was annoyed to come so close to a top three finish!)24th place out of 99 players
150th place out of 533
9th out of 16

The Natural History Museum

Yesterday was a day spent with the kids.  Due to issues with childcare I had to spend time with them.  I guess that if I had really really tried, I could have arranged something, but yesterday was the last Wednesday before they return to school. Next week, my daughter will be in secondary school (which does mean more quality time with my son) and before long, she will have left home.

We had to visit the doctors and after that, it was a walk into town.  The kids enjoyed a milkshake, and until my son had a sulk, they also enjoyed Pokemon Go.  Of course, my daughter was a bit stressed when she was told about a few issues with her uniform but that did not last too long (and was amusing to watch).  After seeing the headmaster of my sons school we went to the Natural History Museum.  I have wanted to visit it for ages but the kids were not too keen.

But they liked it a lot more than they expected.  It was a great way to learn about the natural history of the local area, it had interactive exhibits that stimulated them.  I think that they were surprised at how much they enjoyed it.

After that it was a trip for food where they ended up eating my burger and then home.  Days like this will become fewer, especially when my daughter visits the town centre with her friends.

Friends, Romans, countrymen...

Today, I was meant to go to work, but a late night listening to the election results, then my wife keeping me up watching it meant that I needed some rest today.  So we went to a festival of Roman heritage in Colchester which was awesome. The kids got to meet Boudicea who literally brought teaching history alive and after going there, we went to get some plants for Nevyn, the Siamese fighting fish that my daughter has.  But, we ended up getting one plant, and two snails as we decided to move him to a window sill.  We will see how that lasts....

Il Padrino Restaurant

I spent a few hours in work today before coming home.  During the week, someone was talking about Il Padrino a restaurant in Colchester, so today, I booked it for lunch.  My wife was not too keen on leaving to walk into town for lunch as we needed to do a lot at home, but agreed.  It was nice walking into town today, no arguments, and overall, a great time for all the family.  And when in the restaurant, both kids fell in love with the menu.  The service was great, and the food matched.  I even had two glasses of wine!  Walking back was nice as well.  While my wife went into a shop, I took my son on a walk to run up some miles for his Pokémon account.  Once back at home, it was some time to relax before getting back to the work at home and then watching The Voice.  My son had to go to sleep before then end, but hopefully he will get to watch some of the acts tomorrow morning.  Some of the acts were truly amazing.  I like this much more than the X factor, though I do miss it being on the BBC as they had no adverts.

A post by my son (mostly)

A post from my son with minor edits from me.

Today I went with my dad👨 and my sister 👧  😢 

In the morning we walked in to town happily  and then played Pokémon Go going to special Pokémon things.(There is something called a poké gym  were you fight with your Pokémon)  Which I won beating 2 Pokémon but only one Pokémon went out so My team would not go in .after I fought my sister got in after beating Arcanine .

Then we went to THE COLCHESTER CASTLE ( I jumped on the stone ruins that is supposedly walls)  which was one of the Pokémon things (I fought and lost) then we went to castle park (that is not in capital letters because it is not a monument).
then we fed the ducks old stale yellowish bread which the male mallard ducks liked, but the seagulls stole most of the food. Then I went home had sandwiches, mummy came home then daddy asked me to write this.

I do hope to have more from him.  

I forgot to post a picture

When I made my post yesterday, I realised that I had forgotten to post a picture taken on the ride.  

My daughter took me around the area as she had been here before and we saw the Roman Circus Centre, but as it was closed, and we were without my son, we did not enter it.

Anyway, an update on chess with me.  Here is a list of the tournaments I have not won but took part in.  For some, I had a chance, for others, I had no chance, but it offered me a learning experience.

Top of the Pops 15

Speed King #112 - Very fast players 4(2)->2 U1500

taechess and friends

House Arryn

Death to Rebel Scum iii

House Tully

<1400 For The Win!

Speed King #106 - Very fast players 4(2)->2 U1500

The Great Battle II

The evil knight tournament

Essex County Open

Roses iv

Amateur Bat'leth Tournament

But my best games in a while have happened today.  I have lost quite a few games today, but I have won two games against opponents much better than me.  One resigned which was great as otherwise I would probably have made an error in the end game but the other was even better as it involved both a bishop and a knight sacrifice to gain position and then win the game.  I do not think that the opening strategy that I have been using is a standard one which equals the playing field when I play against those who have memorised different openings.  

But while I am proud of those two victories, I still have made some very silly mistakes, one a defeat against another parent at our local school yesterday who took the opportunity to punish me.  

Scientists have estimated the brain has the capacity to store 4.7 billion books. Just not the one about my missing keys.

Today we went to see my mother who has had her knee operated on.  However, after a late breakfast, I went with my daughter for another ride on our bikes, and considering that I was wearing my Arsenal backpack, it turned out to be a possible nightmare.  The reason for this was the football team that was coming to town for the FA cup match.  Cycling towards the station, there was a huge line of traffic, but when we got near the station, the reason for this was made clear.  I remembered that Colchester were hosting the scum (or Spurs, or Tottenham for those who are not aware of my bias) when I saw loads of fans leaving the station in football tops and scarves.  And remembering that my backpack has the (old) Arsenal crest, I realised what a huge mistake I had made.  Most fans would have been fine, but with my daughter, I did not feel that it would be a good idea to risk it.  Which considering it was raining and was windy at the time was probably a very good idea.

Once warm at home and fed by my amazing wife, we went to London, first a trip to her parents house, and then to see my mother for the kids to see how she has been and more importantly, for her to see them.  One of my brothers has been amazing and has taken time off work to help look after her, and my other brother has taken his turn starting today.  It was good to see him as well, but I do feel guilty that I have not been able to help in the way that they have.  

The trip back was uneventful, though I did not get the chance to spend with a cousin who had come to visit my mother as we were leaving.  The kids were tired though and had relaxed by the time we had got home to watch the voice.  We all still think it is amazing, and it is great to hear the judges offer constructive comments to those that they do not pick, a big difference compared to the X-Factor.  Another good thing was that Arsenal won, though the errors that Laurent Koscielny made concerned me especially with the way he almost gave a penalty away in our defeat against Chelski as well as leaving Per Mertesacker exposed that resulted in an early red card.  A shame that Colchester lost, but few expected otherwise.  But we could only hope for the magic of the cup to strike around lunchtime...

Sri Lankan man arrested 'for smuggling gold in rectum' Is he The Man with the Golden Bum?

It has been a while since I made a proper post about the family.  Yes, I made a post at Christmas, but it was not that long.

To be fair, it was a very tiring day, so much so, that I have only just recovered from it properly.  We now have David round, a great friend from the past who we have not seen in the flesh for a while.  Now we just have to meet up with Tony, Who we spoke to on FaceTime.  What has been great as well, apart from the company is the beer!

Today we have been to GreyFriars in Colchester and had a great time having afternoon tea there.  As before, this was a great meal and one that met our expectations.  And as you can see from the pictures, the kids got to make cupcakes, which they loved!  We had been thinking about having this for a while an were not disappointed.  It may be a while before we go back, but it will be worth any wait.

But one of the great things that I have enjoyed in the last few days has been riding my bike with the kids.  I need to get fit, or my odds of having a heart attack at a young age like my father will be not good (I think he had a heart issue when he was young, but I can not be sure).  Don't get me wrong, I am aware that this is only to reduce my odds, but getting fit is important and the best bit is spending time with the kids.  Each time they learn a bit more when riding a bike, I feel even prouder of them, just like with everything they do.  But this is different as I do not get to teach them much, and worse, they do not let me teach them at other times.  I guess I have to remember to cherish every moment I have with them as they will, with time, need me less.  My worry is that one day, when they are older, that I will not get to spend as much time with them as I have as they will want to do other things and will be used to not spending time with me.

We just need now to get a bicycle for my wife.  She is keen on the idea, but we do not know much about bikes and have a steep learning curve to deal with.  I also need to learn how to ride better so that I can think about being able to ride to work.

When it comes to chess, these are the competitions that I have not won sadly...
Episode I
New generation tournament
Gorlank 2nd Tourney - Fast Knockout
-15
Dragon Warriors 6
Top of the Pops 8
28th Chess.com Quick Knockouts (1201-1400)
Quick Knockout #10

Guy walks into my parts store. Says that he needs a gas cap for a Lancia, I said, okay, sounds like a fair trade

When it comes to what has happened on Friday the 13th the most important thing has been teaching the children that all Muslims are not terrorists.  It is easier for me, for I lived in London when the IRA was attacking it, as well as when Far Right terror attacks occurred.  And for those who have not noted this elsewhere, I live in Colchester, again a target for the IRA in the past.  I do not consider all Catholics or all the Irish to be terrorists and why should I when almost all are not.  Just like with Muslims.

At times, while people blame Islam for the actions of Unislamic State, they forget that most of the people that Unislamic State murder are Muslims, and that most of those who fight against them are other Muslims.  While some may blame the attacks on the actions of France against Unislamic State, they forget that France has been the victim of terrorism before this back in 1995 and since.  And of course, there have been the attacks just before and since.

But to the family and the picture.  Last weekend we got to take part in a car race.  Well, my daughter did not, but she had loads of fun racing the cars anyway.  I got to race against my wife, and although I beat her, I was very unsportsman like in my victory celebrations.  All in all, a great night and one that we enjoyed loads.  Anyway, it is late and I have to go to bed.  Good night!

I am surprised Britain has not put a man on the Moon yet. It is hardly rocket science, is it?

We had a great Sunday yesterday.  I had been working on the Saturday night before, hence the picture of my fuel gauge when I almost ran out of petrol on the way home.  On the day, my daughter and I went for a walk into town for the Colchester Heritage weekend.  Our aim was to visit the castle which I thought had free entry for the day.  On the way, we found a caterpillar and when we arrived it was early, hence our visit to the water garden to look at the fish and admiring the dragon.  But on getting into the castle, we realised my mistake and found that free entry had only been for the day before!  Still, we got to look at the well!  After that, it was a trip to the park where we waited for my wife to bring our son and the kids had a great time.

After that it was a trip to Cuckoo Farm where we all had a great afternoon.  I did not realise that Cuckoo Farm Studios existed, let alone how much work was created there.  I, like the children took in the art and we loved it.  Rather than take the kids around the place, I asked them to take us places, and they loved having the control to take us from one place to another.  Not everything was to the taste of each of them, but as an experience for us, it was amazing,  I would recommend this to anyone for next year when they are open to the public again!

Last of all, Chess, and the end of another tournament where I did not win (sob).,.

"It's important we remember the true meaning of Easter" says The Archbishop of Cadbury.

Weekends with the family are great and it has been great these last few days over the long weekend.

Most of the time, I feel that I do not get to spend enough time with the kids when I have enough energy to appreciate the joy that they have to offer.  When I get back from work, I am tired, and so are they.  I do the best I can when I get back, but the combination of tired knackered kids and adults is normally not too good.

But this weekend, I have had the chance to spend more time with them and more importantly, quality time.  It has been a great weekend spent with them.  We have been to Orford, Snape and have been out and about in Colchester.  And of course, there has been chocolate.  The long weekend is not yet over, but I am so grateful for the time that we have had as a family, my wife making sure that it has been enjoyable for all.

Unfortunately, the Voice UK has ended, but all good things come to an end, and the kids are already looking forward to the series next year.  We all have had our favourites, and while I am sure we all wish Stevie McCrorie the best, he was not our favourite.  Come the final, the house was united behind Lucy and we wish her well for the future.

Orford Castle was a great place to visit.  It is somewhere that I have wanted to visit for ages and thanks to the kids, I know more about how to use the toilet in a castle.  My wife and I have been to Orford before and even stayed at the Crown and Castle in the life that we had before children.  The meal there was as good as we remembered.

But in between the castle and lunch was a trip to Snape Maltings.  While my son stayed in the warm with my wife and shopped, my daughter and I went for a walk, hence the photographs below.  Yesterday was a trip to the Waiting Room, one which I hope to return to as the kids loved eating there and next time, I hope to not be full from breakfast so that I can join them.

I would love to post more, but I am knackered.  Good night!

We found our son's hamster dead today. "I don't want him to get upset," said my wife, "Why don't we just replace it with a puppy?" "Because he'll notice the difference." I replied.

Quite a bit has happened since I last made a post about the family.  We have had a birthday, a birthday party, and a few meals out.

First of all, the birthday was one that was enjoyed by both the children,  They enjoyed it and now have more weapons with which to fight me.  As for the birthday party, it was held at Pizza Express and they managed it well, the kids enjoying the interactive party.  My view is that if you love pizza, you will have to love Pizza Express, and today, they did not disappoint.

And on the topic of Italian food, another great place to eat in Colchester is Granata which serves authentic fresh cooked Italian food.  Considering the competition that it faces with some very good Italian style chains, it holds its own and is certainly worth visiting, for we loved the service as well as the food.  Why it was not more busy when we went there is beyond me.

I would love to post more, but I am knackered today.  Goodnight...

I've been listening to my radio all night. It's definitely off

Good evening.  It had been a while since I posted about the family.  They are doing well, but I have to say that I am getting annoyed that they are growing.  They are of the view that I will be the shortest in the family.  Not counting the women and their grandfather that is.  They state that out of my siblings, I am the little one.  But I am the oldest and therefore my siblings are by definition, little.

My birthday has passed and we spent it at the Old Siege House.  I have always loved the setting, though this time, the food, while good, was not as good as I was hoping it would be.  I am spoilt in that I have a wife who is an amazing cook, but that means that I am more fussy when we do eat out.  And for many, I would say that the food is good.  It may have been an issue that we went midweek, but the great thing was that the staff were friendly, let us in early when it was freezing cold outside and while the waitress was not able to answer questions about the food when asked, she was more than happy to ask about it.  The downside was that the kids food was charged at full price (though that may have been due to use using a Tastecard there) and as I said, the food was not as nice as I would have liked.  We may go back there again, but I suspect if we do, it will not be for a long time.

More recently, we ate in a place in East London called the Taste of India.  Now there the food was great, the service not as good as it was at the Old Siege House, it never is, but the service is okay.  The food, vegetarian, has never disappointed us.  Now that is somewhere that we will keep going back to when we are in the area.

I am going to have to go, and that means that I will not be able to discuss the Arsenal game.  Needless to say those I meet at work who support the other team are happy...