I´ve left the UK. Left the house, the garden and the cats in the capable hands of No 3 son, Tim and Adrienne. No, its not because I earn more than 150,000 pounds a year and have decided to join the emigating herds of high acheivers. Its not even because I can´t any longer stand living in a country run by Gordon Brown. Its just that we fancied a few days golf in the sun - so here I am blogging from the Canaries, between four hours reading/snoozing in the poolside sunshine and nine holes on what looks a very challenging course.
Mind you, if I did earn 150,000K, we would have found a more comfortable way of travelling here from Birmingham yesterday. We were in a Thomas Cook 747, packed to the gunnels. My seat was horribly cramped because the seat in front was broken, and fixed in the recline position and then some. There was sticky tape holding the armrest of the seat across the aisle together. The engines sounded OK though. And the plane was full of children, every single one of them absolutely georgous when at home, but variously upset, hungry, exploratory, bored and highly vocal. Had to just shut down for the four hours it took to reach Fuereventura, a skill I learned when having to sit through some of the debates in the National Assembly. After the week he´s just had, I think our Prime Minister would benefit from joining us - even if the Daily Mail is complimentary all over the hotel.
The Elba Palace is a paradise, an oasis of relaxation in the middle of a golf course of such excellence that the Spanish Open was recently contested here. When I stand on the first tee in a few minutes time, I will imagine Tiger or Sergio blasting off with their obscene graphite drivers. I think I´ll take a 7-iron. Don´t want to flirt with the nest of bunkers half way down the fairway. With the General Election coming up, I´m going to play to stay out of trouble.
Just finished a seriously far fetched book by Michael Crichton, éntitled ´Prey´. Its not exactly written in the style that I´d expect from Prince Charles, but it the same message - don´t mess with nature, especially with nanotechnology, genetic engineering and playing games with microdots. Might take a look at the Island tomorrow, but this little oasis of tranquility will be difficult to leave. Unless Gordon accepts my invitation and does join us that is!
9 comments:
Crichton was a Chicago dude. I discovered this snippet of fact while reading Cricton’s Sphere standing up in a Jewel supermarket in Chicago. Milliways, after a while it became self-evident that Crichton was ‘full of it’. He so fooled his readers with his anti-hero science crapola. His imagination and attention to detail was amazing, so amazing he might have fooled himself. Some might argue that Phillip K. Dick was the real-anti-hero, the real tall giant even though he was not nearly 7 foot tall.
From 'Planet Q': Lembit was standing in a queue at a high street bank when he caught sight of a CCTV monitor. He marveled that there was a chronically egocentric party animal on the screen that he couldn’t see in the bank.
Of course the children were "upset, hungry, exploratory, bored and highly vocal".
Children whose parents think holidays are more important than their offspring being in school are hardly likely to be paragons of virtue. Assuming, that is, that they're all not flying home on monday night!
Seriously it is shocking how many parents seem to regard schools as an optional child-care facility.
There really needs to be a clamp-down on irresponsible parents taking kids out of school in term-time. It's not fair on the children, their class-mates or the teachers.
Hopefully you will get a hole-in-one - would make for a fine "double whammy" given that today marks the 30th Anniversary of Margaret Thatcher being elected Prime Minister. May Maggie reach her 35th Anniversary and her 40th too!
I can’t say that I was much of a fan of Margaret Thatcher or her government during the last (and final) large coal strike; Welsh miners got hammered both by their selfish union leader and by the government of the day. The coal miners’ union leader took advantage of them and their loyalty.
Cheap trick, disaster for the valleys, families and local businesses; I have often thought if the drugs moved in once the Welsh mines were run-down and shut-down by the NCB at the behest of Margaret Thatcher's government. What impact did shutting down Wales's coal mines have on global warming? A whole hydrocarbon industry in Wales essentially wiped off the map.
Not worried about your carbon footprint then Glyn, what with all this flying abroad you do!!
Glyn Davies: 150,000 volts of political keenness.
Lembit: Loves mistletoe
Bob hwyl ar y gwyl Glyn - a change is as good as a rest! Has Edna gone also or are we going to have to await your return..for the latest from County Hall and the Bay?
Sts - I thought it was an ok book, even if a bit far fetched. Better than ´Deadline´by Simon Kernick which I read yesterday.
Anon - I agree with your general point - but most of the children on the plane were pre-school.
Coaled off - Who and what do you blame. Coal becomes uneconomic and Governments close down pits - Labour and Conservative. A union leader who is prepared to use the loyalty of miners to destroy his industry in a fight with the Government - that the Goverrnment cannot afford to lose. or just blame the Conservative Prime Minister who is doing what must be done to repair the messthat the last lot left. What you see depends on where you stand.
Anon - Whenever I fly, I plant trees to compensate. We like a break in the sun (well Mrs D does anyway)and I like planting trees - a win win position!
You're dead right Glyn. It's all about perspective. It was very sad seeing the Welsh coal miners, their families, and local Welsh businesses take such a hit.
Any chance that Lembit might comment on this serious matter?
I hear that "You Lembit" is becoming a popular term - but not of endearment.
Purely an aside, but looks like Obama is doing much like what I said he would do (re: change the tax code) to suit job creation in the USA and that UK/Europe should be mindful of that or words to that effect. (Re: BBC's Question Time election special from Washington, broadcast a week or so before the November national election cycle).
Well, this is what President Obama wants to do. The press is running lots of copy on this. See, e.g., Sky News, "UK Job Fears Over Obama Tax Crackdown" ...
Elizabeth Edwards (very nice lady, wife to John Edwards who ran with Al Gore for the VP and P spots, respectively); well, Elizabeth Edwards totally disagreed with me saying something along the lines (I don't have a recording of the show, so excuse me for not quoting what she actually said) that I was wrong to think that there were plans to change the tax code (she might have said legislation, but either way changing the Federal tax code would involve new legislation at Congressional level).
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/UK-Job-Fears-Over-President-Barack-Obamas-Crackdown-On-Tax-Haven-Avoidance-By-US-Companies/Article/200905115275230?lpos=Business_Second_World_News_Article_Teaser_Region_8&lid=ARTICLE_15275230_UK_Job_Fears_Over_President_Barack_Obamas_Crackdown_On_Tax_Haven_Avoidance_By_US_Companies
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