Locked out Boogie

Good morning and on a personal level it’s been an eventful few weeks.  Kenan got a first in his degree and yesterday learnt that he’d been awarded a prize for best final year project in the Electronics and Computer Engineering field.  In a couple of weeks we’ll be heading up to London for his graduation ceremony.  Jafer, like most people in the education sector, is counting down to end of term and a nice few weeks break from 5-11 year olds in August. He’s down in Hastings for the weekend.

Go, now!

For many people Kensington conjures up images of wealth.  It is paired with Chelsea in the pretentiously named ‘Royal’ Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.  Last week Kensington was the last constituency to announce its result in the General Election.  On the third count the Labour candidate was declared the winning candidate by 20 votes over the sitting Tory candidate, who lost her seat, and her job.  During the week the Conservative Party declared that all former MPs who’d lost their jobs would be looked after by their party, having lost their jobs 2 years into a possible 5 year term.

But during the week North Kensington was in the news for different reasons as the fire in a tower block devoured the lives of at least 30 people and we won’t know the full number until the emergency services have made the building safe enough to properly check all the flats.  There are 120 flats and there could have been as many as 500 people in Grenfell Tower when the fire started.

In office but not in power.

A late start and a lazy Sunday morning.  Thursday night is still having an effect on my body clock.  I’ve been taking medication to help me sleep for years but I don’t think I need them.  I just need to stay awake for 36 hours and then I have a perfect nights sleep. On Thursday night I got a call from Jafer who was watching the election in a south London pub.  It was nice that he wanted some information on what happens in the event of a hung Parliament although at the time I was cautious about whether the exit polls were accurate.  And in the morning as I was getting ready to have a bath I managed to accidentally call my cousin Ayse and have a pleasant, but short chat.  Be good to get together soon.

Don’t waste time and opportunity for success.

Good morning all.  I failed in my meagre efforts to sleep yesterday morning following my all nighter on election night.  I slept like a baby last night but woke at 9 am as I had to drop Penny off at the station, think I might have slept a few more hours otherwise.

The success of sleeping through the night wasn’t matched by the success of the Labour Party in becoming the government.  Close.  But second is still second even if the vote did go up by 10% (to 40%) from 2015.  But the Tories at least lost their majority and are reliant on others to get their progeramme through Parliament.  My prediction that Teresa May will be gone by 1 pm yesterday didn’t occur.  I think I got the facts correct but not the timing.  Although not defeated she was wounded by the result.  How long it is till she exits out of Downing Street will depend on what happens in the next few months.  There are Conservative MP’s who are out of work due to her.  And there are plenty of others who hung on to theirs by a small margin and will now be worried about what might happen next time.  And next time may not be so far away.

Fear versus hope

Yesterday Penny and I travelled to Eastbourne to meet Chris, a former colleague from a day centre in north London.  Chris lives in York but was spending the weekend down south.  It’s thanks to social media that Chris is in touch with us and yesterday morning I got a lovely message from a fellow Tolly Park student about my blogs.  A fellow called Joe who I didn’t know but who I hope to get to know a little better, and this on top of a message from Claire last week.  So I was having a good week until last night when the news from London Bridge came through.  Our beliefs and values are being tested.  Will we be strong enough to get through this period without over-reacting and succumbing to hatred and intolerance?  I aim to be.

Hold on to your humanity

Damn them.

Those who have no regard for the life of others as well as for themselves.

Those who seek to divide us when we have so much more in common.

This morning I woke early having gone to bed late.  Anxious to find out more about the tragic events on and near London Bridge.  Where I was myself on a Saturday night a fortnight ago.  Jafer was in Hastings and Kenan replied to my text this morning.  I don’t think I know anyone caught up in this.  There are six dead, I hope it stops at that and the injured recover, physically.  And get the support to do so psychologically too.  For the time being take care and remember not to lose your humanity in the rush to make sense of the senseless.

 

What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Somehow I slept through the night and the thunderstorms at 6:30 am.  And the window was wide open because it was a hot night.  Nothing better than waking up to the sounds of laughter.  Set your radio to Radio 5 and put it on anytime between 9 and 11 on a Saturday morning.  And we need laughter after the week we’ve had.  Going to bed Monday night, again with Radio 5 on, I got to hear the beginning of a story that by the following day had evolved into an attack by a suicide bomber which has caused the death of 22 and many more injured.  Would have been better for the rest of us if the bomber had just driven his car off a cliff.  Or sought help, not that there’s a lot of it about.  This week whilst at work we got a report of someone feeling suicidal.  The GP service were contacted and asked to do a home visit.  But GP had their quota of visits already set up so not possible.  So it was left to the police to go and see this vulnerable person.  Is that the really the job of the police?  Not that I doubt they’d do their best.

Slow moves to Pressure Drop. Or Five Go Mad in Clerkenwell

Monday evening and I still ache from Saturday’s exertions.  The joy of ageing! As some of you may be aware I missed the last train home.  This realisation was whilst I was travelling southwards on the Northern Line at 11:45 and I’d just pulled up at Angel, Islington.  I’m not going to get to London Bridge, Platform 15 in 8 minutes I thought.  So I considered the night train option.  The one that left London Bridge just after one and arrived at Hastings just before 8 am, with hours hanging around Brighton Station in between.  But wait, Jafer lives one stop away from London Bridge.  So I called him and woke him up at midnight and one hour later I was in his flat.

I got to spend a little time with him discussing the election and watching a replay of Football Focus before I set off and returned home 24 hours after I’d left.  Perhaps  I should have booked that Travelodge after all.

Unfulfilled potential

Good morning all, the sun is out and I’m off to London later to catch up with John, Andreas, Yat and Ben.  We’re coming up to 30-40 years of friendship and our last meeting was too long ago, January 2016.  Friendship nourishes the soul and it’s an essential part of my battle to maintain positive mental health to stay in touch with all I know and love.

I will be thinking of my friend Robert Lucas who is on the other side of the world and perhaps we’ll have a toast to him.

Where has the Conservative Party gone?

Good Saturday morning to you all.  Jafer is returning home later this evening and tomorrow we’ll watch Palace v Hull together.  If we lose we’re at huge risk of relegation because we might have to beat Manchester United in our last game of the season at Old Trafford.  But we’ve beaten Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal this season so it’s not completely beyond us.  My mood this week has improved.  Next week I am meeting up with Ben, Yat, John and Andreas for a few drinks and a catch up.  They’re friends from my teenage years and we get together once a year and keep in touch via social media etc. the rest of the time.

My post last week generated quite a response and I am thankful for the support you expressed about my disgust about the mud slinging at the parents of a missing child. However neither the person who made the post nor their many friends who voiced support for the views they expressed have opted to have a debate with me about their opinions.  Silence is their response.