Green Custard

For posterity here is that custard being thrown at Lord Mandelson. Perhaps better entertainment however was Mandy's response: "I quite like custard, just not when its thrown in my face." Bizarrly, the custard thrower has only this afternoon been arrested after she walked away form the scene unapprehended to carry out a series of media interviews. Efficiency cuts at the Met may have been a little too savage?

Her cause is of course Heathrow, or rather stopping its future expansion. Noble, but best served by words rather than custard.

Law of the Jungle

Exposed today is the treatment of Binyan Mohamed at the hands of the CIA, and it appears, by consent - MI6.

Now there can be no doubt that the security services have had their work cut out over recent years, and have had an unenviable task post 9/11 and 7/7 to ensure that the bombers do not caste indiscriminate carnage again for their higher purpose. All well and good so far, and thank heavens for the work they do. Yet it appears that the rendition saga has plummeted depths of depravity for which no civilized nations should dare ever be proud. Today's papers are full of allegations of torture straight out of the Bad Boy Book of Uncivilised Treatment, the pages of which are normally fingered by the grubby hands of despotic regimes.

I am not normally one for inquiries, but it does seem here that one is needed here - with answers - if we are ever to be able to hold our heads up high again and talk to some higher purpose in the international arenas of the UN the next time some runaway state brutalises its population. At least one person in Harare must be lapping up every sordid morsal of this story this morning?

In short, we cannot decry bad treatment elsewhere if we turn a blind eye when we descend to it ourselves. That, alas, is the descent into the law of the jungle.

Planned Closure on All Lines

A phrase to stop a beat in the heart of any self respecting weekending Londoner - "Planned Closure".

"Planned Closure" is of course is a euphemistic phrase. Behind it lies a whole self satisfied TfL lecture which actually reads:

"Dear Customer. Your journey is completely buggered. You know you are better heading straight home, but you are through the barrier now and its charged your Oyster Card. You are too mean to turn back now so you must carry blindly on into a void of despair. This includes an interchange at Elephant & Castle - lucky boy. And all because you thought it might be a good idea to go to M&S in Oxford Street to buy some new socks that you could have bought on Monday. Anyway, your socks would have lasted another week. Shouldn't you be darning the holes in them anyway? There's a recession on, or have you forgotten that? Oh well, too late - Loser!!!"

Were I in the marketing department of TfL I am sure there would be a better spin to put on this weekly farce. My money would be on advertising on electronic display boards "Surprise Openings". Today these occurred on the Central and Northern Lines. There, that's more like it.

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.........