Off to St Ives

On the overnight sleeper at 23.45. Over and out. Arrive St Ives at 8am. Fresh air and relaxation here we come.

The Sword of Damocles

Another one has bitten the dust at work today - a strange gallows hunour now pervades the corridors: nobody is safe. One might think better to be made redundant now than when the money runs out leaving you with the statutory minimum, but equally it pays to be optimistic. However, as the banking crisis deepens day by day, and Sir Fred-the-Shred Goodwin's wallet grows at the taxpayers expense, alas the Sword Of Damocles looms large over everyone.

An Ash Wednesday crocus

Ash Wednesday - and very nearly March. March means Spring. Spring means sun. Sun means happy days are here again.

If proof were needed that this interminable Winter is soon coming to an end (notwithstanding that most British of threats - "you can get snow at Easter you know?!"), there are at last some crocus in the garden. See above.

Heading to St Ives at the weekend to welcome in March - cannot wait.

I am putting up some pictures of St Ives too today because if anything can cheer me up on a dank Wednesday evening at the end of February, then St Ives surely can - a fantastic place. A couple of pictures from May 2008. Happy days!




As an aside, did pancakes last night with Delia Smith's foolproof pancake recipe on BBC Online. The secret appears to be in the hot butter poured into the mix - nothing sticks at all - they were flippin' marvellous!

Link at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/pancakes_1292.shtml

Westfield

Sunday took us to the Westfield Centre - west London's new temple to the Gods of credit and debt. It is at once mighty impressive (and huge) and strangely past its sell by date. Had it opened 5 years ago you would have been wowed; that it opened before Christmas 2008 leaves you somewhat bemused and concerned. As though to underline the peversity, the Dow Jones Index has sunk today to an 11 year low, the FTSE is nearly hitting bottom. Some shops had ashen faced assistants looking more concerned about the date of their impending P45 than how on earth they were ever going to find the time to serve the next customer. If they cannot fill this place on a cold grey Sunday afternoon in February, then what hope a Wednesday morning in May? Anyhow, I took a picture of the incredibly impressive central square - at least it is nice to walk around.........

The London Eye

Marian is over from Oz and here are some great pics of her and Andrew yesterday on the South Bank. What a better way to spend an unseasonably warm February day than to take our Antipodean visitor for a trip up the London Eye?! A perfect afternoon.

Why oh Why oh Wye!

Here are some pictures of the beautiful Kent village of Wye where we'll be spending a lot of time (and a great deal of time indeed if the economy keeps heading south) in 2009. At least economic armageddon has some benefits. Wye is quite simply a perfect village. I'll be blogging about country life from April. Now, I'm off to buy a Barbour..........

The-Public-Sector Goes Live

So here it is at last: the private wit and wisdom of the Public Sector laid bare, and it comes to you all care of the wonders of the world wide web. I'll try and update it as regularly as possible with anything that takes my interest, and hopefully for that matter - yours.

The Public Sector, 18 February 2009