Autumn Colours

Some years ago I was listening to Gardener's Question time on Radio 4 and one of the experts recommended a Virginia Creeper to an enquirer with a bare-looking brick wall in her garden. He enthused about the colours at autumn time, brightening up everything like a flame. Immediately I thought, I must have one for the garage wall which had always looked so desolate on one side of our landscaped garden, no matter how many plants and flowers were in front of it.

Now is the time of year to enjoy the purchase of my Virginia Creeper (or Quinquefolia to give it the technical name) to the full. As I look out of the kitchen window I can delight in the flame-like beauty and reflect on money well spent! In just over four years it has now covered that barren garage wall.

That does remind me though: I have been rather neglecting the garden recently. I need to get things tidied up out there before it's too late and winter comes with a vengeance. If it's anything like last year, winter will be a testing time again. I suppose I'd better enjoy the autumn colours while I can.

'i' for News

It’s the first quality newspaper to be launched in Britain for almost 25 years: ‘i’, produced by The Independent. They say it’s a ‘new kind of paper, designed for people with busy, modern lives.’ And I have to admit that I’m impressed. I have paid 20p (yes – that is twenty pence!) for the past two mornings now and it certainly does what it says on the tin.

It’s colourful, well presented for fast consumption, and gives a wide range of news and views in very manageable chunks. I love the user-friendly style which maximises the deployment of graphics and summaries. Even the TV guide gives a snapshot of programmes in well-defined sections, such as comedy, documentary, reality and sport. ‘The Opinion Matrix’ is a masterstroke, giving the ‘i’ opinion, on a range of topical issues from home and abroad, alongside the views of various other newspapers across the world.

This new product has been well thought out, well researched and well executed. It has left me wondering why I even bothered to pick up the free Metro after my morning swim, since there really is no comparison. At 20p it really is hard to find fault, so all I can say is well done!

The Castle in the Pyrenees

I recently finished reading Jostein Gaarder’s book The Castle in the Pyrenees, which I was inspired to buy after hearing his interview at the Cheltenham Literary Festival. This is the first time I’ve read one of his books since Sophie’s World and it’s certainly a fascinating novel.


It’s written in the form of email correspondence between two ex-lovers who happen to meet again by chance at a beautiful place in Norway, where thirty years previously a strange and unsettling event took place. It was their differing interpretations of what actually happened which ultimately led to the breakdown of their relationship. 


The book explores two very different world views through the prism of their memories and dialogue. Solrun takes a spiritual approach to life and believes in an afterlife, whilst Steinn, now a university professor, responds with a purely materialistic understanding of the existence of the universe and life itself.


Their relationship is rekindled through the correspondence and gradually they are forced to reassess the disturbing incident from their past. The Castle in the Pyrenees, a title based on a favourite painting by Magritte, raises serious questions about the human condition and about our understanding of reality.

It Isn't Easy Being Green

We all know that it isn't easy being green, but maybe the time has come. There is a proud statement on the Green Party website saying that since Spring 2009 membership is up by 50%, so it would seem that a lot of people out there are beginning to think that the Green Party has a lot to offer.


Let's face it - many of us, me included, are totally disillusioned with the mainstream parties. Before the advent of the coalition there was a groundswell of support for the Liberal Democrats, who were less obviously tainted by the muck and mess of politics than Labour and the Tories. And Nick Clegg certainly performed admirably in the leaders' debates. But, since the days of power-sharing have dawned, even the most ardent Liberal Democrats have found it increasingly difficult to justify the ongoing retrenchment from previously inalienable policies and beliefs.


So, can the Greens save the planet? Or even the sinking whirlpool of British democratic politics? Experience would caution us not to expect too much. However, it is impressive that their manifesto takes on and powerfully rebuts the ongoing accusation of it being a one-issue party. It's also very hard to disagree with the Green Party statement that climate change is a far bigger threat than WMD. We all know about the controversy of the climate change experts' emails, but none of that can hide the fact that our planet is warming as a result of human activity. We need to do something about it for the sake of our children and our children's children. I for one am at least going to start looking more closely at the Green Party's credentials. We live in unusual times and maybe it really is time for radical change.

Whistling in The Dark

I was intrigued to read a newspaper report earlier today which was predicting an Indian Summer for the next few days. Strangely, I was reading it whilst looking out of my window at the most almighty rainfall, followed by hailstones the size of marbles!

It took my mind back to 1987 and the rather unfortunate Michael Fish, then a respected BBC weather reporter. Prior to the worst storm to hit Britain since 1703, he had dismissed a warning from a caller to the BBC. Sadly, trees and buildings were ravaged later that evening and at least 13 people were known to have died as a result.

Listening to David Cameron's predictions about cuts being so good for us made me wonder if politicians and weather forecasters are trained by the same people. He said today that the cuts would deliver growth, investment, jobs and put money in people's pockets. Politicians, like weather forecasters, love their predictions. But I get the impression it's all a case of whistling in the dark.

Football - Sport or Business?

We hear today that Manchester City have made a financial loss of £121 million in the 12 months to May 31st 2010. This is the second largest financial loss in Premier League history, the largest being £141 million at the end of Roman Abramovich's first full year after his takeover of Chelsea in 2004-05. In Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's first full year of ownership the club's income of £125 million was exceeded by a wage bill £8 million higher than that figure. Then there was the small matter of assembling an incredibly expensive squad of players.

It begs the question of where the Premier League is heading and whether we now need to turn to the business pages rather than the sports pages for our football news. I can't help but hanker for the 'old days' when virtually any club could aspire to win the First Division. It seems so sad that money now plays such a massive part in our national game and creates an increasingly large gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'. Or maybe I am just being bitter because this month is likely to reveal in which of these two groups my club, Liverpool, will belong.


In any event, at least UEFA has introduced a financial fair-play edict requiring clubs to break even as of next year. This means that clubs are permitted to lose only £39 million up to the year 2014. If they lose more than that they may face sanctions, including exclusion from major European competitions. It's going to be very interesting to see how the clubs with the sugar daddies cope with these regulations.