Peter Pan on Ice

Tyler wanted to go to see Peter Pan on Ice at the Grand Opera House and bring her mates Abbey and Kirsty so I got the tickets on-line. Kirsty’s lovely mum Eileen delivered the kids and picked them up from the good old and dilapidated Ballymoney Railway Station.

On the day of the event I slept in. Not enough to warrant the husband harassing me to near insanity to get in the shower even though Nick was there giving him a hand by washing the windows and I had to hang out the bathroom window in my dressing gown to say hello and shoot the breeze. Nick is lovely. His brother Simon was so scared he would end up mentioned in the best newspaper ever that when I first met him he told me he was Nicholas. Ha! Ha! Squeak shopped him. That’s his dad by the way. The one who calls his phone Mary Jane! No wonder the lads are confused. Imagine a rugby player scared of a little peep like me? He will never live it down. I will make sure of that.   

Meanwhile back at the ranch. The husband got to the point where he wanted to drag me out half dressed. He would rather be an hour early than live life on the edge where you get a buzz from catching trains by the skin of your teeth. We had plenty of time but people who are time conscious are rather up tight. I don’t wear a watch. I haven’t done in years. Time watching can do your heed in. Deadlines can become more important than spending time in good company. Wonder who thought up that term? It is worth thinking about.

I shoved whatever I could grab into my handbag and shouted goodbye to Nick. Half way to the station the husband asks if I brought the tickets for Peter Pan. No need to tell you I hadn’t!

When I told Eileen as she relinquished the kids into my care she looked as if she should drag them back.

We made it to The Big Smoke. Stuffed ourselves at Subway and bought enough sweets and drinks to last a Girls Brigade outfit. Eileen popped in to check we were OK. Bless her.

The gals at the Opera House ticket office were really lovely and re-printed the tickets. The Abbey doll is afraid of lifts so I had to walk them up to The Gods. Thought I was going to expire. The arthritic knees were grinding and creaking. The Gods is really high up and Abbey, high on an energy drink wanted to know if she could climb over the rail. I thought I was going to have to tie her down. They really enjoyed the Russian Ice Skaters. Their wee faces were lit up and after the show they were all talking at once, much to the delight of people around us. There is nothing quite as rewarding as a happy young person.

We were able to get a seat for four on the 17.10 train from Great Victoria Street. So many people got on at Central that there weren’t enough seats. I gave mine to a lovely man called James and he managed the girls like an old hand. James said he didn’t know the time passing. Such a lovely man and I hope we meet again. Ring Lyle and get my phone number honey.

So now to the moaning! Some mums and their young children were in the same carriage. The mum with the youngest had left her pram at the only place she could which was next to the door on the track side that wouldn’t be opened. The conductor came along and told her she couldn’t leave it there. I helped her lift part of it onto the rack. In my opinion it was more of a health and safety risk teetering up there. It could have fallen on someone. She folded the rest up and we tried to push it between the seats but it wouldn’t fit so she set it up against the side of the non-access point. The other people in the carriage could not believe that a nursing mother would be forced to do this. The same conductor told two girls who sat down opposite the pram that they had to stand. Shame on you guys at Translink. Has it not twigged that you need more carriages at rush hour? The Tall Ships debacle hasn’t taught you a thing. And the government want us to use public transport. Where are the facilities for storing prams? If someone can’t stand any longer and sits down on the floor are they going to be turfed off? Were the mum and her baby and pram going to follow? Do you get a discount if you don’t get a seat? I think not!        

The Census

Hat’s off to Janet Street-Porter on the Alan Titchmarsh show for questioning the purpose and cost of the census and the people tasked with compiling the information. Arms dealers! She is some Gal.

One has to ask why the government wants to know who was staying at your house on March 27^th and how that information is going to help improve services in the future.

If you are out of the country on that date does it make you exempt from filling in the extremely long form?

The respected journalist Rosemary Bennett who is Social Affairs Correspondent for the Sunday Times wrote...

“Almost £500 million will be spent on the biggest and most expensive census in an attempt to measure Britain's true immigrant population.

Questions have been added to try to establish how long people have been living here, what passports they hold and their nationality.

Ministers have been forced to admit that they have no idea how many immigrants are in Britain, which means that public services in areas of high migrant populations are often stretched because spending decisions are made using inaccurate data.

For the 2011 Census, millions of pounds will be spent on a new mailing list to make sure that every property is included”.

It is a farce. If the government think illegal immigrants or those who can’t read or write are going to fill in the forms they are deluded to the point of utter stupidity. And as far as I know the government don’t build places of worship so why do you have to state your religion?   

If the “powers that be” (and let’s face it they are shadows and puppet master’s in the background) cared a fig for the future and our welfare they would ask pertinent questions such as how good is your health service? Have you street lights and are you linked to a sewer system? We don’t and aren’t yet we paid nearly £2000 pounds in rates last year. I dread to think what it is going to be this year.

People in rural areas are really struggling. The elderly can’t afford to heat their homes. Friends I have met through Facebook are tuned into what is happening in the world and they have knowledge of oil moguls hoarding supplies so they can make a bigger profit.

No matter who is in power they are taxing us to the point where people can no longer have hope for a better future. Income tax, Vehicle Excise Duty, tax on fuel, value added tax (whether you get value for money or not), National Insurance, tax on the pittance of interest on your savings, tax on a wee glass of wine … it goes on and on. If they could tax the air we breathe they would, and probably will. Janet and I would make one formidable pair.

Back to Rosemary’s article.

“James Hulme, a spokesman for the New Local Government Network (NLGN), an independent think-tank, said: “We calculated that the Government could save about £250 million by drawing on records from existing public services, such as GP surgery lists and the electoral roll which is updated each year, rather than every ten years. At a time when the public finances are stretched, this is an ideal way of saving money.”

Councils said that they did not want spending decisions to be made on the basis of the census. They were furious at being short-changed because resources were allocated on the basis of the 2001 Census. The Local Government Association said that improving alternative sources of information such as national insurance numbers would give a much clearer picture.”

When are we going to get smart and caring people into government? People who aren’t out for what they can get for themselves

THE RIP OFF WORLD

I am fed up to the back teeth and beyond. We have oil moguls who are hoarding fuel so they can benefit from the price hikes and make more money. They are making mega bucks from the misery of those who can least afford to keep warm. That would be the elderly and the poorest in society.

Add to that the fact that the government used our money to bail out the bankers who gambled our money and lost it and continue to award themselves rather large bonuses and you get one really pissed off person.

My sister-in-law has a wee cleaning business and works herself to the bone. One of her extremely well off property management firms has decided to deduct 10% from her fee. I am ripping mad.

When is the rip off society going to be stopped?

Local solicitors banded together at the time the cost of property went wild. They agreed to charge a percentage for conveyance that was ridiculously high for the amount of work involved. Some sold endowment mortgages by telling clients that they would reduce their fees. In fact they were making commission from the endowment assurance companies and many people, including myself and my husband, found out too late that we would have a shortfall so huge that we would not be able to use the endowment to pay off our mortgage. If we hadn’t been fortunate enough to sell the house and make a profit we would be facing living on the streets. Had we gone for a repayment we would have been home and dry. As would many like us.

They also “overlooked” a boundary problem that caused us great difficulty when we were selling our property and Hugh Clarke of Greer Hamilton and Gailey with offices in Ballymoney County Antrim and Portstewart County Londonderry made disrespectful remarks about our new solicitor. The new guys and gals are totally above board and if you need good honest legal advice contact Wilson Nesbitt in Belfast or Bangor. They came highly recommended to us and I can assure you they are the real deal.  

I tried to make a complaint to the law society about the whole sad situation but they only talk to solicitors and legal eagles. I sent a detailed report to the Financial Services Authority. They returned it and said they had not logged it. They suggested I go back to the law firm and make a complaint. I did and they refused to accept liability.

Who exactly is protecting us from “the greed is our creed” crowd?

My sister-in-law is the most generous and hardworking, kind and honourable person I know and I am gutted that this is happening to her. She feels really bad about injustice and I am standing beside her in this. I say name and shame the twats. But she can’t. They can wiggle and wriggle their way out of everything while cashing in on the misery of others.

It makes me sick.

Nothing has changed. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I know there are many philanthropic people doing their best for those less fortunate but for every one of them there are many more taking advantage.

I am not afraid to name and shame though I know that many people are afraid to. Hugh Clarke can come after me if he wants. I have kept every piece of correspondence and I am up for a fight.

As for my dearest sis … I have her back and always will do.

She is like a Tiger when she gets up a good head of steam and right now she is misting up the windows … She says it is dog eat dog out there and she is so right. Things are going to get worse so prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Peace be peeps.

MANDY MOANS NO MORE

New life & Causeway Maternity via my gardening

I have been trying to gear myself up for the new growing season. Last year’s attempt at “grow your own” went many seedlings too far. I will never grow pumpkins in the poly-tunnel again. It was like Day of the Triffids in there and if you stood too long beside the beans they wrapped climbers on you … I jest you not. They were climbing and clinging onto anything and everything. I planted too many tomatoes and chillies. I had lettuce that shot. Clearly I didn’t harvest it fast enough or it should have been grown outside. Peas are better outside, beans inside. My purple sprouting broccoli shot but produced the most wonderful green and tasty leaves that they sustained us through the winter. And lo and behold they are producing flowering heads now. Growing potatoes in tyres was perhaps not my best idea and forgetting what was where left the long suffering husband swearing that he is growing sweet damn all this year. I did go mad at the start and then my interest waned a bit when I found a particularly good book to read and he was left to tend and water for days on end.

But the plants thrived despite me. Nature has the most wonderful survival mechanism I have ever witnessed.

Much as I am awed by it I have to tell you about the best new life experience I have ever had.

My baby sister Kelly was taken into the Causeway Maternity Unit to have her third baby’s birth induced. Her blood sugar levels were a concern and the team wanted to monitor her and make sure everything was ok. And what a wonderful, caring team they are.

I came to see Kelly at afternoon visiting time and they were taking her to the delivery suite to do some sort of gel rub to induce delivery. She got out of bed, looked and me and said I've peed myself ... Happy Days! The Nurse said she means her waters have broken. I stayed with her as long as possible while Johnny tried to get a grip ... He doesn't cope well with the birthing thing until it’s over ... Bless him. It was around 5.00pm when I finally had to go and Johnny rang just before 7.00pm to say the baby had popped out in short order. According to Kelly she knew it was coming and Johnny nearly ran out and she had to tell him to take deep breathes and calm down. Men! 

Mother and baby are doing great. I am ... I can't describe it ... Awestruck and tearful and happy. I would spend all day in the hospital if they would let me.

Summer Isabella was born on March 16^th and weighed in at 7lb 14 & 1/2 ounces. She is beautiful. Her big sisters and her Granny Eileen came to see her. They are as taken with her as everyone else. I can’t thank the Midwife Jenny and trainee Laura enough for the care and support they gave Kelly. Doctor Rami was lovely. And I want Heather the tornado to come and live with me. Boy can she whizz round and clean and tidy and dress babies. I bet she would have my house spick and span and the seedlings in before I dragged myself out of bed.

There are many beautiful babies born at the Causeway Maternity Unit and sometimes the staff are hard pressed because nature takes its natural course and they can be inundated with mums in different stages of labour. They don’t always have enough beds. Many mums need Caesarean Sections and it’s clear it can get pretty hectic. Thing is … everyone was smiling even though they were in pain, before, during and after giving birth. Thanks to the team of dedicated carers and deliverers of little bundles of joy they made it all worthwhile.