For some reason, instead of getting ready to go out and deliver leaflets, I am sitting in front of my computer watching an octopus open a bottle.
I had a vague plan to go camping on Shell Island this weekend, but the weather doesn’t appear kind, and it is Eurovision after all.
I am tickled pink by the “Bystander”‘s take on today’s announcement of the increase in expected costs for Labour’s ID card scheme.
“It’s still cheaper than the Olympics.”
Bah, indeed.
Yesterday I was in a magistrates court before some of his colleagues, supporting residents of my ward as they went to watch the Council defend an appeal against a noise abatement order. A bus company has started work in very close proximity to a housing estate, and the worst affected of the residents have had interrupted sleep for over a year, the loss of the gardens to diesel fumes, vastly increased traffic on nearby roads, and so on. The noise abatement order is an attempt to force the company to abandon all night working, but whilst the appeal is in progress, the company can continue as before.
My first trip to the Magistrates’ Court in Nottingham was fascinating. The building is enormous, and very well appointed. A vast glass atrium gives views of an unusual line up of the Council House dome and St Peter’s church spire, with the canal in the foreground. Apparently, the atrium is much more impressive now it no longer leaks.
Around the huge space 16 courts are laid out over three floors. I imagine some are bigger than others. We were in court 14 on the third floor, in front of well-spoken lay magistrates and a hassled-looking court clerk who appeared to do the bulk of the work.
I’m thinking about upgrading my phone. I don’t think I’ll be getting this one.
I’ve always had Nokias. Just recently, they’ve been able to do diary functions almost as well as the second hand Palm pilots I used to get off eBay, so now my phone does my diary and contacts as well.
My current one is a 6680, which has served me well, but has been cludged up with unneccessary bad Orange software which removes some really good keyboard shortcuts, as well as sending me to the awful Orange mobile internet portal at the click of its most prominent button.
I’m currently thinking about the N73. But apparently that has bad Orange software on it too. Maybe I should leave Orange, but that would be a bit of a wrench after all this time, and are any of the others actually any better?
Stakeboards are grown in allotments, gardens and bits of scrubland. Here are some Chesterfield’s harvest growing in the garden behind the office.
They’re not quite fully grown but will have to be harvested early and replanted into people’s gardens, where they will continue to grow.
Like all Lib Dem policies, the stakeboards are cut and dried.
Here are some stakeboards from our previous record breaking year in 2005. These signs were fertilised with high-manure content Labour leaflets, and consequently grew to record sizes.
Took this one morning last week after my all-nighter. Rather pretty view of the famous Chesterfield crooked spire through the early morning fog.
Just as impressive were the market stalls, still almost deserted as at 6am, only the first traders were arriving. The Lib Dem council has recently refurbished the stalls by attracting grant money, and the market is beginning to turn a corner after many years of decline.
Here’s a trailer for the film I was an extra in!
It’s nearly out – mid May. Can’t wait! I should be fairly obvious – there’s a scene where Webb appears in the audience, and I’m sitting in the spotlight that lights him up. Mind you, the camera was a long way away…
This week, I have mostly been lusting after Dr Wilson, Greg House MD’s long suffering best friend, member of the board of House’s hospital and head of the Department of Oncology.
And in the episodes I’ve been watching recently in the middle of the night, we learn he blow dries his hair, AND he can cook.
Phwoar.
It’s good to have a something else to do as well as elections
Whilst idly checking my server logs as yet another way of putting off going out leafleting, I see that today I appear to have a record low number of hits – just 10 page hits since 0:01 this morning.
I imagine everyone’s out enjoying the sunshine or delivering leaflets, or like me, accidentally sleeping through most of the opportunities to both.
I will crosspost this to LibDemBlogs – that usually bumps my hits by 50%.
And now I’m heading out to pick up my leaflets and go canvassing.
It’s going to take an awful lot of sleep in May to make up for all this metabolism-challenging activity in April.
This time two years ago, I was doing almost exactly what I’m doing now. My car got locked in again, I’m behind on printing target mail, so I’m still in the office at nearly 4am.
Most nights when I park in the bingo, I set the alarm on my phone to remind me at 10pm that I need to move my car to avoid getting locked in. This evening when my phone buzzed, there were so many people around me talking that I pressed ignore, and hey presto, a few hours later, I’m locked in.
There are plenty of people in Chesterfield who have offered a bed for the night in such circs but for no real reason I can justify to myself, I am reluctant to take them up on the offer.
And anyway, the letters still need to be printed.
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