It turns out that Dan is a pretty adept gardener – a very surprising revelation indeed. Our garden has needed a face-lift for a while; it was getting rather overgrown around the edges. So, earlier this week, we went to the garden centre to get some nice flowers. We also bought a pretty little water feature to sit in the corner, and yesterday and the day before our p.a Dan was busily weeding, pruning, raking and planting. The result, I must say, is really rather impressive: I was in the garden earlier, reading. I could hear the trickling of the solar-power water feature, and I could look up and see the brightly coloured flowers, and it was blissful. My dad is a keen gardener, and, as a child and adolescent, I used to play or read in our garden. I was reminded of those days earlier, filled with Tonka trucks and Tolkien, and I was struck by how pleasantly domestic my life now is with Lyn.

Today I think I will just send you all to this video by Alan Holdsworth. It’s about people who have – or are described as having – learning difficulties, and questions many of the preconceptions people commonly hold. The film is not without it’s problems: the opening demand of ‘full inclusion now’, for example, should be treated with caution. Inclusion should be treated carefully, and I am now of the opinion that to rush head long into full inclusion, blinded by dogma to the consequences, is folly. Anyway, the film is still very interesting; go watch.

Lyn and I are currently training up a new PA – Godfrey – to work alongside Dan. They are currently working together; they seem to enjoy it, as they’re good friends. Both are rather noisy people, and seem to love computer games, so it’s almost ,like there’s a family in our house. Lyn and I are the parents, and godfrey and Dan are our rather hyperactive boys.

Seriously though I’m rather pleased with how things are coming along, godfrey is very punctual and attentive; he does, however, use a very curious form of English. For instance, last week he claimed to have ‘Bigged’ something to mean he had mastered it. The local dialect really is strange. I really must teach my sons better use of language.

I think I am starting to get to know London quite well, and I’m starting to get used to it’s ways. At first, it was a strange, intimidating, laberynthine place; coming down here as a kid to visit my grandparents, I always felt a little scared. Yet now the fear has been replaced with fascination.

I felt pleased with myself this week: I mastered the docklands light railway! Lyn and I wanted to go to Greenwich market, but first I needed money. We worked out that the easiest way to achieve our goals was for me to go to Woolwich and then rendezvous with Lyn and godfrey in Greenwich. This meant me taking the DLR alone, which made me feel apprehensive. However, as it turned out, the DLR turned out easy to use – I just told the guard where I was going, and he arranged the ramps – and I even got there before Lyn!

I know it’s only getting on a train, but it made me feel proud of myself. It’s just another little step towards a complete mastery of my world, and away from the timid little boy I was ten years ago.

Tomorrow, youtube intends to make a film called ‘Life in a day’; it apparently wants as many users as possible to film things that are pertinent to them, and send the footage in. the overall film is going to be directed/edited by Ridley Scott, and is intended to create a snapshot of life on earth. It won’t, of course, as only certain types of people – western, petit-bourgeois nerdy types – will send their footage in. everyone else will be too busy to piss about with Youtubes projects. Thus while I think iit really is a great idea, and will probably form a fascinating film, the project will ultimately fall short of it’s goal.

Link

This place seems to have gone Ipad crazy. Both Lyn and our pa Dan have one, and they both seem to be constantly using them. More often than not, they’re playing games on there – the Ipad has various little puzzle games which are apparently highly addictive. Every now and again, I hear little yelps of joy as someone goes up a level. I wouldn’t mind – I tried playing one on Sunday and it really was engrossing – but it has reached the point of silliness. I popped down to Woolwich yesterday afternoon, and when I came back, it was like I had entered some weird dimension where I didn’t exist; everyone was so fixated on their Ipads it was like I’d become invisible. I’m now considering buying one, just so I don’t feel so left out.

It has certainly been quite a day. Yesterday I got a text from dad telling me that my uncle aki and aunt Dinah were coming to visit. Thu would have been an exciting prospect in itself, but in he event at about half four they arrived with my uncle David, my cousin Christina and her fianc tom. I knew immediately it would be a good evening.

It was great to see them. It feels like an age since I saw any of them, and I was glad they made the effort to come. I think I last saw them all at my cousin Alexander’s wedding in brazil, and, before then, I had a meal with uncle Aki and aunt Dinah, as well as Mark and Kat, when I visited Paris with Charlotte. It felt good to be the host this time. I don’t exactly live locally though – Charlton is, in a way, off their beaten track. I showed them a nearby park, and a bit of the village, and we had drinks and crisps in our garden. I felt very grown up, as if me and Lyn were any other couple playing host to visiting family. It made me feel very proud indeed, being able to show my family our home.. I think they were impressed, and they said they would return before too long. All told, it’s been a terrific day.

We just got back from the O2 arena. All this week there is a sixties exhibition there, and radio caroline is broadcasting from it. Lyn couldn’t resist going to see her favourite radio station in action.

It really was fascinating stuff; as well as caroline, the exhibition explores the music of the decade, which, as we all know, was rich and vibrant. It really got me thinking, and I decided that it was not about music but about history, politics and power. I realised that, while all art forms are powerful, music is perhaps especially so. In that decade, combined with drugs and the hippie movement, music became a force to be reckoned with; it taps directly into the soul.

I think today we need to revive that spirit. Forty years ago, people seemed more politicised, and the music reflects this. we seem these days to have lost something; perhaps it is still there but has been drowned out by mass produced pap. Either way, I think the time is come, with an unelected narrow-minded toff in number ten, to reignite the spirit of that era.

I was just watching the news, and was appalled to find out that CaMoron is now on about cutting the BBC license fee. They claim the beeb is wasteful, and needs to be cut as part of the so-called ‘austerity drive’, but we all know that’s bull, and that they’re acting out of ideology. Everyone knows the Tories hate the bbc. I, on the other hand, support it strongly; it is fair, unbiased, and balanced; in this country we are fortunate to have possibly the finest broadcasting organisations on earth. The Tories hate it because it tells the truth rather than reflecting their narrow-minded views.

In a way, then, they are trying to dismantle the free press. Seen in this light, this is a move towards fascism and totalitarianism. The bbc is only as excellent as it is, as fair as it is, because of the way it is funded. To cut the license fee means it has less money, and less money means it cannot be as effective in news gathering. In short, the government is trying to silence one of it’s main potential detractors. They must be stopped,

The case of Raoul Moat still chills me. Yesterday CaMoron stood up in parliament and condemned those who showed sympathy for the gunman: apparently he has become a heroic figure to some. I do not, of course, is view, but nor do I simply dismiss Moat simply as an evil, vicious killer. The man needed psychiatric help; he was a disturbed, mixed up individual. It is folly to ignore the background of this case, and simply see it in terms of good and bad, as CaMoron apparently does.

This is what I find so unsettling. What provoked this attack? What lead Moat o act as he did? What failed in the system so catastrophically o allow this to happen? More to the point, I keep wondering what was going through his head? Why did he shoot himself. Simply to dismiss this as a case of an evil man run amok is far, far too simple, as it’s much more complex than that. What it says about how we treat the mentally inn in the UK I find particularly troubling.

I heard yesterday that the French government had voted to ban the wearing of the Hijab in public, or, more precisely, they banned the wearing of any items of clothing which cover the face. This strikes me as problematic, especially in a western liberal democracy; it is indeed a backwards step. Surely we should be at liberty to wear what we want: indeed, rather facetiously ii noted that now nobody can wear zentai suits in France.

The French government justifies its move by arguing that the veil is a sign of women’s repression. While it would be nave to deny that women are sometimes forced into wearing them, I strongly suspect many do it out of choice. It is, after all, part of their identity, and I presume they are proud of their Islamic heritage. I think they should be allowed to show such pride, just as I should be allowed to wear whatever I want to wear. I am rather interested in identity, dress and so on, and anything that prevents one from expressing oneself in whatever way is surely a bad thing. Should we ban Rastas from wearing hats, Christians from wearing crucifixes, or Charlton athletic supporters their red and white tops?

The answer, of course, is no, which leads me to suspect that the French government is singling out Muslims. This law represses their rights, both to act as they wish and to show their faith. Of course, I am no expert in French politics – I can just about point out their president from a line-up, but that’s only because he has big ears and a stupid-looking wife – but this strikes me as a lurch to the right, which, in our closest neighbour and fellow permanent member of the UN, troubles me very deeply indeed,

I am quite sure that everyone will be as horrified as I am over the recent events in the north-east. This time last week, I was petrified to hear there was a gunman on the loose; on Saturday morning, we woke up to the news that Raul Moat was dead. I must say, I have a very uneasy feeling about the whole affair – a strange feeling that I need to get off my chest. The whole thing reminded me, in a strange way I cannot explain, of a Stephen King novella – such things, like the massacre at dunblane, do not happen here. There’s a sort of eerie, uncanny feeling to it. Yet, most of all, it just strikes me as sad how inevitable it’s denouement was. And there was nothing I or anyone else could do but watch the news, horrified.

Troubling. Very troubling indeed.

If anyone reads this within the next two hours, please tune in to radio Caroline, because Lyn’s track Crash Head is due to be played between now and eleven. I’d just like to say how very proud I am of my fiance, and how much I love her. Anyway, tune in, listen, and enjoy!

Go here

I hope they don’t mind me blogging about this, but today my friend Marcie is getting married. I know Marcie from university, where she was known to everyone as Rocky. She is one of the greatest people I know; kind and brave, with a wisdom far beyond her age. I whish her and Mike all the happiness in the world, and many wonderful years together.

Today I think I will just direct you all to here, to a very strongly worded letter to George Osbourne. I’m not going to comment much on it, and I think you’ll see why when you read it, save to say that it shows how much hatred people have for the Tories already.

This time yesterday I was just approaching Paris, believe it or not.. The school I work with organise an annual day trip there, and this time they had a spare wheelchair space. I couldn’t believe my luck when they invited me, as Paris is the city I love the most.

Of course, one day is barely enough time tto explore such a wonderful place, yet, at the same time, it was amazing what we managed to fit in. I was up at six, at school by seven, nick, one of the staff, having picked me up; then it was down the road to ebbsfleet and on to France. this gave us a good seven or eight hours in Paris – it’s pretty incredible when you think about it.

We spent most of the day walking about the city, taking busses here and there. The students were pretty independent physically, and we took lots of staff, meaning I was okay at mealtimes etc. we had lunch in a quiet cafe near the river, and were treated to a flypast – they must have been practicing for bastille day, as lots of aircraft kept zooming overhead in tight formation.

We then caught a bus to the Eiffel tower. Thee view from there was just as amazing as I remember it; it really is an awesome sight. As I was in my electric wheelchair, I could move myself around, looking at the view from all angles. I also got a new key chain with a small model of the tower on it: I had one from the last time I went, with Charlotte, but one day it got caught in my wheelchair wheels and was lost. Now, the new one can serve to remind me of both yesterday’s trip and the trip with charlotte. I don’t know why, but there’s a pleasing unity to that.

Anyway, the time came to return to guarre du nord all too quickly, and, after a short wait at the station, we were on the train home. Of course, we didn’t do as much as my last visit there, which lasted five days, and I didn’t have any ‘cow in a pot’, but it was nevertheless a remarkable trip to my favourite place. Tthe students we took are remarkable kids, and they learned so much on this trip. I was very proud of them. Travelling is probably the thing I love the most, apart from Lyn; it was amazing to experience such a trip. I got home, late last night, with an enormous sense of satisfaction, wondering where my luck might take me next.

I’ve just come back from a roll, and I’ve realised that my last entry was bullshit. James bond is a franchise unlike any else – its almost a genre unto itself. there are good and bad bond films, yet 007 seems to transpire fashion and era. The article I cited forgot that the bond franchise can exceed ordinary limitations, as it is not pinned down to one actor, producer or director.

Times may change, but you can always count on one man: James bond 007.

I just came across this guardian article asking whether the bond franchise is dead, or should be allowed to die. I’m a big bond fan, as I’ve written here before, and I love the franchise. Yet, with MGM being in so much financial trouble, it may be time to let 007 become film history. As the writer notes, there have been hiatuses in the franchise before, after which everyone screams ‘Bond is Back’, but after that the films always slip into clich and buffoonery. Indeed, there are so many other heroes out there now, that bond is no longer that distinct. Putting all emotion aside, I can’t help but agree that bond should have just one last outing, and then be allowed to slip into history.

God, you have no idea how heavy my heart feels after writing that.

I have some good news to report today – rather excellent news, in fact. Crash head, Lyn’s latest track, will be played on radio Caroline sometime next Sunday. I’ll post more precise details if and when I get them, but it’s great to hear that Lyn’s work is getting some air time. Mind you, it’s not surprising: everybody says how good crash head is; even my dad. Let’s hope this is just the first time this happens! Caroline can be listened to at http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/#home.html

I got an email from Simon this morning in reply to my last blog entry but one. I need to think over what he said, and the implications of it. I’m not sure if I agree with all that he says, but he does make some good points, so I think, for the sake of fairness, I’ll post hiss reply in full:

”I do not agree with you and I do think you are being far too obsessive. We have people with minor impairments, like depression, claiming benefits without taking responsibilities. When people have rights, they have responsibilities. For example, why are you not in paid employment assuming you are not? every government has good and bad policies but non-disabled but impaired people can no longer treat disability as free candy in a sweet shop and cry foul when they are to take responsibility everyone else has to as citizens. Stop getting personal and start thinking about the real issues there and avoid this romanic view of disability as only a small percentage of disabled people have significant needs.”’ controversial stuff indeed