OAP Aid

I received a letter the other day, with an incomplete address, though the postman managed to get it to my door.  This was from someone new, the county council.  As part of Liz Truss's response to the energy crisis she has sent cash around the country to aid us poor folks in our distress.  This is kind of her, so kind that I will not inform her that by nationalising the energy companies she could have saved us a lot more money, and saved the cots of this gift.

However, £80 is quite decent, and a big surprise.  So, wide eyed and having checked this was not a spam merchant playing games, I trotted off to the store this morning to take advantage and fill shelves.  I confirmed with one of the better staff members that this was legal and they were aware of these 'handouts' from a woman who does not do 'handouts,' and began collecting the required goodies.  With my freezer quite full, not of steak however, I obtained the tinned stuff, and other long term goods as I intend to use them much more in my culinary arts. (The word 'arts' here is a misnomer.)  Some £19 was used, the young woman at the checkout appeared happy, and I carried my heavy load away already scribbling in my mind a return visit for other long term goods soon.  

Did I need this money?  I am doing OK here.  I am not starving, indeed the bug helped me lose weight, and I am seeking lighter meals anyway.  However, it is when the gas and electric contracts run out they will then raise the prices to who knows what.  That is when this will be a benefit.  Some have gone from £400 a year to £1500 or so. These often OAPs who do struggle.  How can they pay such bills?  We can take hope that this temporary PM will soon be gone, that a sensible individual will take over, and that intellectually satisfying policies can be offered.  Hmmm... we wait and see...

Vote!

I have done my democratic duty and voted for one of the losing candidates in the local County Council election.  I know he will lose as the Conservatives and their unthinking lackeys dominate this area.  
The Polling Station is in the museum which is helpful as our boss takes the role of Presiding Officer.'  I spoke to him this morning, he had plenty of time to talk, and discovered that he could expect over two thousand people eager to vote today.  I asked how many had arrived by then, around eleven O'clock, and he reckoned just over forty people had voted.  There are of course postal votes to be added but how many dozen of those would arrive?  The town is divided into three for County Council voting and the total eligible constituents in our third is 14,367.  I suspect the count will finish early.
With the voting beginning at seven in the morning and continuing until ten at night the boss will have had a tiring day.  How he eats I did not dare to ask, I did offer to make him tea, but I suspect he will be off tomorrow!  Actually the suspicion has come too me that this vote will not be counted until tomorrow, to save costs I assume, which makes sense with so small a vote.  
June the eighth will of course see the General Election and a far bigger turnout of Conservative voters desperate to vote for the party that lowers their taxes.  The fact that that party has raised them continually behind their backs as they have done since time began has been ignored by such sheep and the cross goes to their man, who I can tell you will be grateful but really not be interested in them, his eyes are on promotion!      

Unless there is a major controversy few people care who runs the County or Local Councils, they just want good folks to get on with it and leave them alone.  However such an attitude ignores the fact that these voters, non voters that ought to be, are the first to complain about local taxes, housing, roads, hospitals and any and everything else.  When asked why they didn't vote they say "It makes no difference."  This is true and the reason it makes no difference is that you DIDN'T VOTE!
Local Council elections are more likely to draw crowds if there is a dispute.  Many around here are grumbling about vast housing projects that are being dumped on their doorsteps, often in 'Green Belt' areas.  This does bring folks to vote, I note no election for local Councillors is happening at this time when plans are being considered, and this can see people removed from their comfy seat.  This will not happen with this vote.
It must not be said all Councillors are bad, corrupt or self seeking, though many are, some do want to change the world, some wish to learn the ropes and go on into parliament, some dream of high office, many just wish to improve their local area and these ought to be commended for their work.
The public at large however remain skeptical of Councillors motives and many stories of corrupt behaviour do not lessen these fears.
Anyway who wishes to spend days arguing about the siting of Public Lavatories or Street Signs?  And who wishes to spend many days discussing local issues with members of the public?  Not me!

 

A Better Bus....

A better bus took me to Chelmsford, one of the dullest towns known to man.  The main street has been pedestrianised and today contained several stall offering the usual fruit and veg, bread, cakes and stuff.  None offered coffee funnily enough but 'Costa' cafes appeared every few minutes.  Another wasted search for that jacket, although I did find a chap with a similar search to me.  Neither of us have been satisfied by the major stores.   

Coffee was provided, for £1, at the excellent stall in the Market however.  Not as good as the Colchester chap but better than overpriced 'Costa!'  I prefer such places as this.  

The old entrance to the Essex County Buildings reflects the Edwardian elegance and pretentiousness considered so important at that time.  Around the corner the new portion of the building reflects the modern pretentious style.  I much prefer this door!  Clearly this building did not satisfy the needs of the populace, or their councillors at least as an addition was added in 1929

It is of course the panel on the right indicates Chelmsford Council however I canny find any information on the building and at the moment have too little time to search.  Quite why a rams head, if indeed it is that, sits above the letters I know not, there again there is no reason for another ram or what might be a vulture above the date 1929.  That was of course the year of the Wall Street crash so I hope the builders were paid before people started to throw themselves from 67th floor windows.  I checked the pavements round about but they were no worse than normal.

Along the old canal I wandered, strengthened by the coffee and discovered 'Boris the Spider' hard at work under the road bridge.  My knowledge of such beasties is somewhat limited, usually limited to crying "AAAARGGGH!" and running away, so I am not clear as to the real name of this one.  I have seen lots of these around here and usually have a couple on the windows living of other beasties.  You can keep this one if you like....  

I am much happier disappointing the ducks by not feeding them.  This lot were ganging up to threaten a toddler for his lunch just before I arrived.  Once he had been deprived they looked for other mugs.  I never expected to find a large pond in this area.  An excellent feature and much more interesting, when the sun shines, than the High Street and its crowded shops.  In Primark, a place I never entered before, I discovered an imitation Harris Tweed like jacket for £28.  Not far away a similar jacket, made with slightly better 'Tweed,' cost more than twice as much at a 'reduced ' price.  It crossed my mind that the same sweatshop slave earned fourpence for making both.

Running across the top of the park lies the Liverpool Street Railway.  High above on this excellent viuduct the trains run several minutes late regularly, especially at rush hour when people jump in front of them or lorry drives crash into the weaker bridges!  It was not possible to get the whole thing into a photo, it continues behind and into the distance, but the number of bricks is very impressive and a credit to the men who erected in during Victoria's reign.

As I said goodbye to the ducks that followed in a forlorn manner I headed back towards the bus station grasping my Free Bus Pass tightly in my hand.  However I was distracted by a statue in the distance that at first I thought referred to the Theatre that stands nearby.

With the light right behind the poor souls head it merely leaves him a dark silhouette but this man holding the 'lightning flash' in one hand and what looks like an old fashioned phone in the other is Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of 'wireless.'  He in fact was not the actual inventor but he did play a serious development role and created a successful factory in the town that survived until recently.  It may still be found as part of GEC, if that has not died also.  You may recall him as the chap who sent a wireless signal across the Atlantic to Newfoundland, in spite of opposition from the men running the Telegraph system!  

Naturally I missed the bus!  As I approached I noticed the bus maneuvering about in a tight space.  Quick thinking, and a fast walk against my will, took me around the corner to the next stop which I reached, puggled, by the time the driver had made it past the traffic lights.  I was quite proud of my quick thinking.  I could tell by his snigger the driver had watched my attempt at speed and did not mistake me for that Bolt fellow.

I snatched this picture of the 'St Annes Castle' as we sped along because I noticed the sign on the other wall claiming that this was 'The Oldest Inn in England,' with a date that I think may have been possibly 1171.  I began to wonder how many other 'Oldest' Inns there may be, there is always a pub claiming to be the 'Smallest,' and how many can claim 'Elizabeth Ist Stayed Here!' Claims such as these have limited evidence but one of the must be right.  Inns such as this, on a road probably going back long before Roman times, must have carried many travellers requiring sustenance, so it is possible it was around a thousand years ago.  Here is the pubs own information regarding its age.   The place is mentioned in the Domesday Book, which you will recall, though not from personal experience, was written in 1086.  I may go down there to check it out one day myself....          

                                       

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