At last some sunshine, a bit of warmth. Yes I know some parts of the country are still shivering, but at least we can leave the back door open for more than a few milliseconds, and can go out to the garage without having to dress as though it was the Arctic.
I serviced the mower and was able to do the first cut last week, a very late start to the mowing season. Everything is so far behind, daffodils are still starting to bloom, which is very unusual at this time of year. We are planning two big holidays this year more of which after we’ve had them. Talking of which, we like to use our membership of the National Trust, and we were drawn to a ‘food festival’ last week at Box Hill near Dorking. It promised a food extravaganza, which is was nowhere near, but that is more down to the weather, which was a biting cold wind on the highest hill in Surrey. Box Hill was made famous by the London 2012 Olympics when it hosted part of the long distance cycle road race as a hill climb. In fact some of the names involved (Wiggins etc) are still visible where they were painted on the narrow zig-zag road that goes up to the summit. Box Hill is also famous for the old fort in its grounds and for John Logie Baird, the inventor of the mechanical television, having lived in Swiss Cottage on the hill. Anyway after a ratburger, sorry hamburger (the former name is our pet name for a meat patty in a bun). That was OK, and we bought some ‘local delicacies’ but otherwise it was all a bit of let-down. Last year the same event was held on a warm sunny day, so the chill wind may have made some difference to the turnout. It did at least spur us on to wanting to go back again, the views on a clear day over
Mole Valley and The Weald leading down towards Dorking are magnificent.

The USA are going through a bad patch with the Boston bombing and subsequent chase for the suspects, and the chemical explosion in Texas having been widely publicised. I can never (nor I suspect can 99.5% of people) understand what thought processes these bombers go through to think their actions will change anything. History has proven that any campaign designed to maim and kill civilians doesn’t do anything of the sort.
It seems radicalising young men to do dastardly deeds is the main way to cause destruction and mayhem, in the Boston case the two men had lived in the states for 10 years so you wonder why they could be so influenced to cause the death and what was the final aim. Questions which obviously rhetorical. Luckily there was no backlash at the Thatcher funeral or the London marathon. This could be because Brits are not so wildly fanatic as other races. The 7/7 bombers were radicalised Muslims, but the IRA were British so who knows how their minds work.

So more elections coming up, I’ve applied for postal voting, I can’t be bothered any more with going to the polling station, queuing up and putting my X on the polling card. In any case this time there doesn’t seem to anyone I want to vote for, so its just as well. The whole polling process is a bit of farce, but there doesn’t seem to be a viable alternative. To add to that the incompetents at my local Conservative office didn’t send nomination papers in time for their candidate; the result is UKIP, Lib Dem and Labour candidates but no Conservative. Is this a farce? In the most staunchly Conservative area in the country, oh dear it doesn’t bode well for them in the future, does it? The main parties don’t appeal to anyone who is not a slavish supporter of their particular slant, so their electioneering pledges and manifestos don’t actually achieve anything.  As Churchill (the wartime Prime Minister not the insurance nodding dog), said ‘democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others’.  So voting turnout, traditionally low, as shown by the farcical police commissioner elections, will continue to represent a tiny minority of the whole population. As well as that, most local politicians are voted in due to apathy, none of them has vast support. I know, having been a parish councillor for 13 years. Thank god not any more. Needless to say I shan’t be voting in these elections.

See you soon.