Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Busy day today.  A driving trip to look at some items we are interested in is not ideal on a day with a rail strike, but my wife and I did it and only had one argument doing so.  Road works and train strikes do not make for an even temper!  We did get to have a great lunch though.  I drank the odd cosNOpolitan but did try a Movie Star Martini as I as the nominated driver for the way home.

My son is preparing for his end of year exams and my daughter has finished hers so we went for a walk at Gosbecks with Leia.  Sadly, my son does not tend to enjoy such walks but Leia loved it.  My daughter revelled in her freedom and ran about with Leia, something I rarely do myself when I take her for walks.  My method of getting her to run is by throwing balls for her to fetch in the back garden.  In addition to the great company, it was amazing weather.

After this, we watched Ghostbusters: Afterlife.  I enjoyed it.  I had wanted to watch it in the cinema, but Omicron put an end to that as we avoided public spaces for a while over that time.  I would have had no issues had I paid to watch it with the family in the cinema.  Unlike Jurassic World Dominion, which my wife wants to watch on the big screen but I think that the plot and direction will be as bad as the previous two films.  

The rights of a State vs the nation

Roe vs Wade is no more in the USA.  States will be able to make decisions about abortion rather than having this view imposed on a nation wide basis.

First, this will harm women much more than men, and this will disproportionately affect those on low incomes who will find it harder to bring up a child.  Those who are richer will find it easier to travel to a state where abortion is legal and also have the funds to defend themselves if challenged in court about being accused of having an abortion.

Second, if the nation cannot make rules on abortion, what about matters like voting rights and equal marriage?  Women in same sex relationships in general will not be affected by this not counting women who cheat on a partner or who are raped.  I do wonder if the religious right will act on this later.

I am still of the view that those in favour of banning abortion are pro-birth rather than being pro-life. Maternity pay is optional in much of America and the support for mothers when it comes to childcare is poor as well.  And don’t get me started (again) on school shooting’s.

Loyalty to the Prime Minister

I do not think that the Conservatives are good for our nation.  Under Boris Johnson things have been worse.  We have had record levels of poverty for those in work.  Our government decided to not feed children over school holidays during the pandemic, of course there was PartyGate.  But there was the waste as well when it came to COVID contracts being awarded through a Chumocracy and so many other issues. 

About 60% of MP’s backed him through these matters.  If they are to turn on him, I want to know which if the many things was the factor, or was it just because they might not get elected in the next election.

Blaming the unions

I wish that Network Rail had averted this unnecessary strike by engaging in a meaningful way the Unions like ScotRail has. 

The unions have been blamed for the rail strike today by the government. But the government forget to tell you that the workers were balloted on strike action and the workers decided to strike.  I know this because I am a member of a union.  I have been out on strike and my union has worked to protect my rights.  Many years ago, my union acted to ensure that my employer acted within the law and had to be involved as my employer did not listen until the union was involved.

In my job, I see how employers treat those in a union fairly, but often, those who are not in a union do not get treated in the same manner.   Due to this, when I see people with stress at work, one of the questions I ask is if they are in a union, and if they are, if they have involved it.  

It is easy to try and make political capital out of this, and the government have with soundbites that do not stand up to scrutiny.  With this tweet, the wages of teachers has been mentioned.  Teachers in the UK may be considering strike action over low pay, so the answer here is to pay teaches more.  Nurses in the UK have taken strike action over pay.  I presume that this MP backs a call from them for better wages.  Also, the MP ignores how unions are formed by their members.  If workers want a ‘hard left’ person to represent them, that is their right.  I know that I want someone in charge of my union who looks out for my rights and is willing to defend them.

I do not know a union member who wants to strike over everything.  I do know loads of union members who want to work but are part of a union to ensure that their rights are protected.  Strikes are a last resort, and in this case like others, can be avoided through negotiation just like has happened in Scotland.

Home again

Finally, we are back at home. The day was not as eventful as yesterday. 

I woke early this morning to find a charger and charge our car.  I found one that was being used by a mobile home, another which appeared to be residential and finally one in an industrial estate.   Had hoped it was part of the nearby shopping centre, but no such luck.  At first I could not work out which charger to use as it was confusing on the app, but by a process of deduction I sorted it,  we got enough charge to get to a supercharger closer to home, but in Belgium.  I drove in a more energy conserving manner and we had charge to spare when we got there.  This time, my wife visited the nearby truck stop so that I would have something to eat other than Cadburys eclairs!  It did not take long to get the charge needed to get to Calais and we were off.  Again we returned to the supercharger that we had used on Saturday, but this time we got a lot more charge.  One more charging stop on the M20 and we got home with 9% charge, though this time I was not as stressed as I was in France on Saturday! 

It was great to see the kids again and I soon crashed and had to rest a lot.  But it was a long drive, and one far less stressful than before,

Live is Live

Well that was a day. 

We started the day looking for somewhere to charge the car and failing, only for my wife to find the app (which I thought had not been developed) which allowed us to charge our car at the hotel.  We had tried to find a charger in town and also one in a nearby Aldi.  We found one at the Aldi, but issues with a lack of an RFID card were present.  We got back to the hotel despondent, after getting lost and my wife worked out there was an app and we got some charge in the car.  We hoped that it was enough to get us to a fast charger in Belgium, but I got spooked and we tried to find one in Dunkirk.  That did not end well as almost all of them needed an RFID card or fob.  We did find one with 4% charge remaining in the car.  Until then wife and I thinking that our weekend away was ruined were in a state of depression.  An hour at a free charger allowed to get to Belgium and use a very fast charger, again after some additional drama.  

We finally got to the hotel and what an amazing place.  It is a marked contrast to the historic and welcoming stay we had last night.  That had a small lift and very steep stairs.  This has been designed with equal access in mind and we have seen more guests in wheelchairs than we have in a hotel ever before.

We have just got back from the concert we thought we were going to miss.  Mika was amazing and my wife loved seeing Duran Duran live.  We did leave early but we were able to listen to Girls on Film as we left, but did miss the encore.  But it was cold.  From a heatwave two days ago to this,  mind you, it could have been worse.  There was wind and heavy rain last night, and today when at Dunkirk, I got soaked in the rain.  So while it was cold, it was dry.

I am hoping that tomorrow is not as dramatic. I am crossing my fingers that we can find a charger tomorrow morning..

Logis Hostellerie Saint Louis

We have arrived in France.  My wife and I are away from the children in Bollezeele.  Leia is at the dog sitters, friends are helping with the children and my wife and I are about to have our first meal in France in ages.

We drove down in my Honda E, but left home late.  We had to charge on the M20, but  it was quick and easy.  On the train my car grabbed the attention of many and another electric car driver gave us advice on where to charge and not charge in France.  Apparently Belgium will be better.  I am a bit nervous as we are low on charge now and there is only one quick charger nearby, the one next to the hotel not being able to be used without a card which has to be ordered in advance.  We did try to charge in Calais, but due to issues with my iPhone, this did not work well.  Hopefully we will be able to use it on the way home though.  I do love being in France and it is great to be abroad again.  It has been drizzling at times, and if this is the rain forecast for tomorrow, this will not be too bad.