Sunday

I awake this morning to the wind shaking the trees, the roads wet, and gray clouds hanging over the whole country. This can only mean one thing, this is a bank holiday! Yes indeed the nation has a day off and celebrates by shopping for a new umbrella! However I see no use for a brolly when the wind is blowing as it is difficult to control and pokes folks in the eye. In such circumstances you will realise that lots of women are wandering past carrying umbrellas and poking passers by in the eye. There are war zones that are safer than street round here when it rains! Naturally, by the time I have written that the rain has stopped, the streets are beginning to dry, and the queue at the Accident and Emergency (Optical) department is lessening.

The August Bank Holiday events will continue rain or shine, the trips to the seaside, days out at overpriced 'fun parks,' including too much fattening 'fast food.' The Notting Hill Carnival (which I endured for many years) will continue to fill the area with lorries packed with steel bands featuring many instruments and absolutely no talent whatsoever. Speakers will be piled high on street corners and the volume turned up so loud it distorts whatever is coming though them. Half naked girls will dance in front of the visitors while their wallets will be picked by said lassies boyfriends, fun and laughter for all - bar those who actually live there! I look forward to Mondays main parade, the near naked girls freezing in the rain, the police waxing lyrical about their overtime and the locals glad of the chance to disappear to the sodden coast.

Yes I am miserable today. I woke tired, the coffee made me edgy, the weather chills me and the chance to win £14 million pounds on the lottery failed completely. This ruined my house buying in warm, sunny Greece, and did little for my buying bread and milk here, having spent the appropriate money on the failing ticket. Bah Humbug! Not that being rich makes you happy of course. I guess as many rich folks kill themselves as do poor ones. Sickness and divorce, fire and flood affect one and all irrespective of wealth. However I would have liked the chance to risk it.
I avoided all the churches around here again today, the fear of slow handclapping someone put me off. Strange some of these places. The problem with a small town is that too many have been connected to one church for generations. One recent Congregational member was a great nephew of the famous Charles Haddon Spurgeon (who was born near here). He and others had been members for possibly two hundred years. It does not lead to openness I fear. Especially when I once belonged to the lunatic fringe of Christianity! Coming here and visiting the Baptist Church was like going back to 1964!

Good news however, the Olympics is about to finish! The absurdity of London spending millions on this in four years time is taking my breath away. Especially when they are determined to enter a 'Great Britain' football side! Another example of English arrogance and ignorance towards Scotland and Wales! The English F.A. top man has stated 'There will be a 'Team GB' side at the 2012 Olympics, whether Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland join in or not!" Now if that is not racist I wonder what is? Scotland should insist on entering their own side. If they treat us as 'Greater England' it is time we stood up. Only Rangers fans could disagree.

At least the BBC can now go back to routine programmes. Hold on, I see a problem there, don't you?