Last week our wondferful ruling party took a right hammeriong in the local elections. So much so that they now control only 2 of the 22 councils in Wales - their "heartland". They'll pick up a few more as independents and the Lib-Dems combine with them to keep out the Torys.
It always used to be said that you could put up a donkey for election as the Labour party candidate and he'd be elected - a great insult to donkies everywhere I think. Now they've been proved wrong.
In response we're told that the Labour Party will now "listen" to the voters. What the **** makes them think that they can? They haven't done so for the best part of 10 years - see Iraq, 10p tax cut, detention without charge etc. This government has made Maggie Thatcher look like an amateur at upsetting swaithes of the electorate - the difference being that people voted for her.
However we should be grateful. We could live in Burma - Myanmar or whatever they're calling it these days. They have a humanitarian crisis and would rather see people die than let help come in.
Now I know that the US are not the most likely country to not interfere in a country's internal politics - see Vietnam, Grenada, Iraq etc - but not even they are that bad. As arrogant as the US can be they do have a very caring side to them as well. They'll help anyone, enemies included, who suffer from a disaster.
So the Myanmarian dictators have decided that they want the aid but no physical help from outsiders. They've even told their own people this as well. Many they're scared that everyone from an aid organisation is really a renegade ex cop, who's also a renegade ex Navy SEAL, who's also a chef!!!!! I think they need to watch less Steven Segal movies and definitely avoid Rambo 4.
Maybe they just don't understand that life is more important at this moment than their dictatorship - we can see them off later.
History Today :
1386 : England & Portugal sign the Treaty of Windsor, the oldest alliance in Europe still in force. It helped us to fight the Napoleonic War after we were thrown out of the rest of Europe. That'll teach the French with their Entente Cordiale.
1671 : Colonel Blood, sounds like an Errol Flynn character, steals the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. Later he lost his own "jewels".
1936 : Italy annexes Ethiopia after a short, victorious campaign that involved the use of mustard gas, several hundred bowls of penne pasta, frozen pizza and Dolmio pasta sauce (a product of the Netherlands).
My colleague has been advised, by the doctors, that he is stressed and have signed him off work for 2 weeks. What strikes me most is the lack of compassion from my colleagues. It's not that they don't care about him it's just that they have been in this situation before.
It seems that every time there is some sort of disagreement between him and other colleagues he always seems to take time off with stress. This seems to anger them because they have faced the same problems but just get on with it.
I've suffered from stress and can understand what he is going through. He has many problems at home, with close friends and medically. He is someone who takes everything very personally and broods on them constantly, yet he won't confront things head on. He lets things build and build until he breaks.
His doctor wants him to retire on medical grounds but he refuses to do this. I can understand this as he has no real way of filling his time outside work. His son is moving away this week and his daughter lives close but has her own family to look after, yet makes time for him when she can; he sings in a choir and is a lay preacher.
His big idea is that he will be able to do more services during his retirement and hopes to conduct more funerals. Unfortunately local churches are not booking him as often as they used to because he also has another medical condition, as yet undiagnosed, that may, or may not, be Parkinson's Disease - at present they think not.
I'm hoping that he'll follow doctor's and actually take the next 2 weeks off. They've said that they'll reassess things in 2 weeks time but that he should take yesterday as a warning. Let's hope he listens this time.
History Today:
1660 : Charles II is declared king of England by parliament, restoring the monarchy after more than a decade. Nell Gwynn was most happy with the news.
1945 : Winston Churchill announces the end of the war in Europe. All we need to do now is defeat Japan.
1948 : The state of Israel comes into being - officially it was declared on 14th May but, under the Lunar calendar, it is celebrated today. However the Arab population were not happy and started leaving in droves - others were forced out by the Israelis.
No Arabs or Jews were displaced during the writing of this entry.
Yesterday I had an argument with a work colleague. It wasn't much of an argument really but I did feel sorry afterwards. This morning I received a lecture off him when he came to collect me for work. I apologised and admitted that I was in the wrong in my tone of voice but that didn't seem to pacify him.
He went on to say that it wasn't him I should apologise to but the woman I'd upset in the office. At this point he told me that I'd better make my own way to work and then, after I got out of the car, drove off.
On arrival at work I was amazed to find that he wasn't there, especially as he had a 10 minute head start and I had to stop for petrol. I approached the woman that I'd upset, only to be told that I'd done no such thing - she hadn't even complained.
It all comes back to the fact that I'm there to take over from him when he retires, or leaves due to illness. Normally we'd get on well but we are very alike, FW calls me Mini Him. However where we differ is that I tend to explode and then forget what had happened. My colleague is more likely to steam and resent you for a few days/weeks.
Later this morning we discovered that he'd gone to hospital because of chest pains. We've now discovered that he's ok and that it was caused by stress. He's having family problems, medical problems and is also supporting another family who have been in the news but are besieged by the press who write incorrect reports. His doctor has already told him that he should retire on medical grounds.
Like me, he is someone who doesn't like to be ill and can get agressive under stress. Like me, he won't want to stay at home and follow the doctor's advice.
History Today:
1915 : A "perfidious Hun" U Boat sinks the SS Lusitania, killing 1198 people and inflaming anti-German feeling in the US.
1945 : Nazi Germany finally surrenders unconditionally to the Allies at Rheims. Thousands of SS men and prty functionaries begin to leave for long term holidays in Argentina.
1954 : The North Vietnamese forces, the Viet Minh, defeat the French at Dien Bien Phu, effectively ending French involvement in Indochina. Next they face the American backed puppet regieme in South Vietnam - they'd have another 20 years of fighting before the war of independence ends.
On Friday we collected the nephews from school and took them out for an ice cream. The ice cream was a "prize" for Shouty Boy, who'd won a class weekly award for finishing all his work.
On Saturday we watched the last match of Pooler's season and was an occasion to celebrate our promotion to the Welsh Premiership. Unfortunately it was somewhat ruined when our winger dislocated his knee in the last minute of the match.
Sunday was very quiet as we chose to do nothing.
Monday saw us venture to the Model & Toy Fair in Abergavenny. I bought a Western diesel and we had lunch in a nice little Italian cafe that had their "famous" iced slice. I must say that this was the best ice slice that I've tasted in years. The portion was enough for me to share with FW.
After this we visited Big Pit - The National Mining Museum ogf Wales - for the first. We were sorry that we'd left it so late in the day as there was a lot more to see than we had time for. We were also on the last trip down of the day and didn't have the complete tour - an incentive for us to go again.
I don't know what I'll do for the next 3-3.5 months as there is no rugby and the football season ends in 2 weeks. There are the 2008 European Championships, which will be extra special as England won't be there.
C'MON YOU CROATS!!!!!!!!
Today in History:
1937 : The Hindenburg explodes on arrival at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 people. Not a major disaster as things go but memorable for the photo of the airship on fire and the radio commentary.
1954 : Roger Bannister becomes the first man to run a mile in under 4 minutes. I don't think I'll ever achieve that....
1992 : The Channel Tunnel opens, linking London and Paris by rail. The French have the fast link rightto the tunnel. We finally get ours in 2007.
Today is my favourite day of the year, Wedding Anniversary/birthdays etc excepted. VOTING DAY!!!
I love to vote. I usually rush down to the polling station to be the first person to vote - I like it that much. This year I'm waiting for FW to come home so that we can vote together - it's what married couples do - so I'm told.
This year it the local council election. I shall be voting for anyone but Labour - my assessment will be made on who is standing against them. Like many elections locally we've only heard from the Labour candidtates - standing councillors hacving sat for 20 & 25 years each - and Peoples Voice. I think that it's time for a change.
However we have heard nothing from the Conservatives or the Liberal Democrats. So, even if they are standing, I won't vote for either of them.
I think that I'll have to vote Peoples Voice. This is not good for me as they are really Labour party activists/supporters who have left the party because they didn't want a candidate imposed on them by Central Office - which is fair enough.
However they have presented no actual policies and not even knocked on the door. Maybe that's because of my webfriendship with Rosamundi - see her post from yesterday.
History Today:
1707 : The Act of Union takes effect and England and Scotland become Great Britain - the Welsh get no say - with a new Union Flag. The Scots have been bitching ever since.
2003 : President Bush announces the end of combat operations in Iraq, after 43 days. I don't know what's been happening there since.
2004 : Ten new country's join the EU, making it the world's biggest trade bloc with 455 million people. Many of these seem to have arrived in Britain since then - according to the Daily Mail.
The good thing about FW being away is that I cam do all those things that I couldn't do when she was here - scratch my butt; wash-up when I finish eating; watch football every night; have a good bit of duvet on my side of the bed - it's just like being single again.
I'm trying to think of the bad things but haven't come up with any..... yet!!!
Today in History:
1789 : George Washington DC is sworn in as the first president of these here United States. It turns out that he stubbed his toe - hence the swearing.
1945 : A Mr & Mrs A Hitler commit suicide in a bunker in Berlin as Soviet forces overun the city. The 1000 Year Reich ends after 12 years and 3 months.
1975 : The South Vietnamese government surrenders to North Vietnam. They join together to become Vietnam. The Americans are upset by this and leave in helicopters from the embassy roof in protest. Countless Vietnam war movies are a result - there would have been no Rambo with Vietnam.
When Does It Start Growing Ma????? 
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