Runners-Up Again!

Today Hethersett came second for the second year running in the large villages/market towns section of the Norfolk Village Games. A good day at the UEA Sportspark. Once again Downham Market got the better of us. We were proud of coming second as all the other towns in our category have much larger populations and we are still a village.

For me the day ended a stunning run of village events that of course included the visit of the Olympic flame, the open weekend and many many more events.

Now we have to start our planning for next year in an attempt to become number one. Well done to everyone who took part and at least we won the badminton, the tennis and the junior five-a-side football. In the meantime perhaps time for a short rest!!!!

On TV news last night politicians and journalists were vying for cliched words. Politicians talked about rigour and scrutiny. Journalists weighed in with visibility and transparency .... yuck. Perhaps it's time for all of them to learn some new and more meaningful words.

A Joker and a Farce

Tonight I witnessed one of the most contrived sporting events I have ever had the misfortune to see. Growing up I was an immense speedway fan and regularly went to see Norwich Stars.

Tonight I decided to watch the world team championships. It was a farce and not pure sporting theatre and gripping stuff as the commentators suggested. I don't profess to understand all the silly rules of the evening, suffice it to say that due to a joker system we had riders trying not to win races and virtually stopping on the line to let other riders beat them.

The issue surrounded the joker system. It went something like the team in second place couldn't double up their points by using a joker unless they were at least six points behind the leaders. So Denmark fixed it so that Australia stayed less than six points behind and then Australia fixed it by deliberately not trying in a heat so they would fall six points behind and so could use the joker. It was basically their way of getting free points which the leaders could not have access to.

As it turned out Denmark won the title without being able to play their joker. We could have had the farce of Australia being able to double up their points and winning the competition whilst Denmark came second simply because they weren't able to play their joker. Whoever thinks up these contrived rules and whatever happened to pure sport of the team gaining the most points without gimmicks winning? Very often speedway isn't accepted as a real sport - this shows why it has lost credibility. It's more like It's a Knockout!!!! The trophy was named after former Swedish world champion and Norwich rider Ove Fundin. He was in the crowd. I just wonder what he thought of the shenanigans.

Moved from that to watch an equally contrived quiz. Secret Fortune on BBC 1 is so contrived that I doubt whether even the contestants understand what's going on.

On the news Didier Drogba said that he hasn't gone to play in China because of money - yeah right. Why else would he move from the best league in the world (British Premier) to the backwaters of China where the whole game is under a corruption cloud? I reckon the £200,000 a week may have had something to do with it.

Tomorrow Hethersett are competing in the finals of the Norfolk Village Games at UEA Sportspark. We are hoping for a dry day and looking to finish one better than last year when we were runners-up.

Bad Television .... Bad Service

Two questions today - How bad has Coronation Street become and will it ever stop raining?

Today it rained virtually all day and everything is now saturated. I suppose it wasn't too surprising as it was Friday 13th.

Oh and finally I finished the fourth book in the Harry Potter series. I am currently reading all seven in order on My Kindle and have to say the stories are wonderful. Okay they are slightly contrived with the get out clause to any difficult situation being  a new spell, but there are so many themes there. One day I might just list the areas of interest including faith, friendship and many others.

So to Coronation Street. Everyone knows I love the programme but now they are just recycling the same sad and sorry storylines i.e Peter gets drunk, Peter apologises and goes to Alcoholics Anonymous, Peter gets drunk, Peter apologises and goes to Alcoholics Anonymous, Peter gets drunk (you probably get the idea) and then there's the other storyline Peter falls in love with Leanne, then falls in love with Carla, then ditches Leanne, then ditches Carla, then tries (oh what the hell you get the idea).

I call it the Eastenders syndrome, continually running the same stories e.g Phil Mitchell shouts, Phil Mitchell gets violent, Phil Mitchell breaks down, Phil Mitchell shouts etc ad nauseam.

From time to time I underline in my blog examples of good and bad service. Today it's bad. It amazes me that some companies survive despite treating their customers with contempt. The problem is they don't survive for long. My latest gripe is with a company called Jonny Canvas. They do canvas prints from photos. I won't go into all the boring details but I have been very unhappy with their service. I asked them to do a simple task as their customer and after getting nowhere was told they no longer wanted my custom and "didn't like my tone." Unfortunately they already have my payment which I'm now trying to get back. My suggestion is give them a wide berth.

Olympic Themed Film

Nice evening at Norwich Forum. Hethersett's great year goes on and hopefully it's fully reflected on my village web site.

Tonight we went to view a 15 minute film put together in the Hethersett cluster group of schools. It featured just some of the Olympic themed events that the schools have been involved with this year. It may have been a short film but it did sum up the Olympic journey that the village has been on this year.

If you want to read all about this go to http://www.hethersett.org.uk/olympicodyssey.htm

One Enormous Day

The enormity of today (and I mean that in the nicest way possible) won't sink in for some time.

It was the day the Olympic Flame came to Hethersett and almost 2,000 people turned up at 6.20 a.m to see it paraded round. It was such an excellent event. In itself and on the surface it may not have looked much. After all the flame was in a lantern under one foot high. It was with us for just seven minutes, but the fact that so many people turned up said it all. It brought the whole community together.

As Harry Chapin said in one of his songs:

Sometimes words can serve me well and
Sometimes words can go to hell
For all that they say.

Today I think that words will serve this blog rather well. Just think about the following:

Hethersett is the only place in Olympic History that has had an off route visit by the Olympic flame. That's right the only place in the entire history of the Olympic games. That makes our village world famous, So this was one of those brief moments in time that will last a lifetime. Now to send photos and copy to the newspapers and web sites to reflect such a glorious event,

John Lewis, David Beckham and Rafael Nadal

Do you ever get the feeling that people don't properly read e-mails you send and don't answer points made? Yesterday I mentined the use of inappropriate music at a fashion show by John Lewis at the Royal Norfolk Show. I sent them an e-mail saying that London Calling by The Clash was not appropriate music for a clebration of British life. Here was their reply:

Dear Peter

Thank you for your email, regarding the Fashion Show you at the Royal Norfolk shoe.

I am sorry if the final choice of dance music offended you, as I am sure  this was not the intention.

The person who set up the fashion show, would have been selecting music suitable for the show and maybe did not know the meaning of the song.  I will pass your comments on, as this will assist us with future events.

If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.


No music offends me - I listen to Eminem! I actually found the use of the Clash to be amusing but was just pointing out that they really needed to have the music chosen by somebody who knew what they were doing. Paragraph three is amusing as they state the person would have been selecting music suitable for the show and that's exactly what they didn't do!! And incidentally what exactly is the Royal Norfolk shoe?

Onto the Olympic games and the massive own goal that is leaving David Beckham out of the Team GB football squad. This is quite ludicrous. The man, irrespective of whether you like him or not, is a national treasure who has done so much to promote the London 2012 Olympics. To include him in the squad would have been a fitting end to his career. To have left him out is completely churlish and suggests that coach Stuart Pearce and the selectors (whoever they may be) are out of tune with the public (as if we didn't already know that). They need to realise that football may be our national and most popular sport and also arguably the most popular sport in the world, but when it comes to the Olympic games it is almost a minority sport of only limited interest (as ticket sales have already shown). Including Beckham would have been a thank you for all his hard work. And I bet he wouldn't have let anyone down on the pitch either, which is more than can be said for some of the second rate England players on display at the recent Euro Championships

Still on the sports theme. I am glad that one of the big three - Rafael Nadal - has been knocked out of Wimbledon. It keeps the interest in the men's singles going. It was getting rather boring watching the big three win everything. Now we might have the chance of a lesser known light making the final (perhaps even Andy Murray).

A Clash of Styles

Couldn't help but smile at what had to be a big mistake on the John Lewis stand at the Royal Norfolk Show yesterday. We watched the fashion show which was hugely cheesy with models wearing a number of different outfits and smiling inanely as they danced their way along the catwalk in some carefully choreographed moves.

When it came to the finale we were told that the last outfits would be a celebration of the coming Olympics, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and Britain itself. The music they used was London Calling by The Clash. Last time I looked this song was about nuclear errors, police brutality, depravity in society and London being flooded. I think somebody had tried to be trendy and not worked out what the words meant. Perhaps Waterloo Sunset would have been a tad more appropriate.

I have written to John Lewis to point this out and will let you know if they reply.

Colour and a Love-Hate Relationship

I wouldn't call today a scorcher, more a hot and humid one and 10 hours at the Royal Norfolk Show took some stamina. But it was a good day.

The main reason for going was to take part this year in a main ring parade celebrating the coming Olympic games and the part played by our village of Hethersett. Hethersett organised more Olympic themed events over the past three years per head of population than any other village, town or city in the United Kingdom.

So over the two days of the Norfolk Show over 350 schollchildren from Hethersett will have taken part in a celebration display/pageant in the main ring, resplendent with flags and sashes. Getting all those youngsters together was no easy matter and a tribute to the schools involved. So it was an enjoyable one and a half hours.

I have a love-hate relationship with the Norfolk Show. Country fairs etc are not my idea of a great day out and I spent numerous years working at the show when I was with the police. So it's a few years since I last went. I must say going and not having to work is much more enjoyable and many thanks to the lovely people at the Norwich Schools stand for giving us so many refreshments and looking after the school's old boys so well.

What a Playlist for Today

Lots of gardening today only made palatable because I re-visited some old playlists on my mobile. Ones I had downloaded some time ago. So there were some good sounds to go with the grass cutting and weeding and general tidying up.

So how about this for a playlist

West Side Story - Leonard Bernstein's score is arguably the best musical ever written: followed by What the World Needs Now/Abraham, Martin and John by DJ Tom Clay. This is a very poignant record  and is a mixture of clips, music, interviews and speeches featuring John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. It sold over one million records as a single. I followed that with Where Are You Now My Son, a very strange mixture of song, poetry and live reportage by Joan Baez made during the Vietnam War. It's a powerful 20 minute piece that was put together during a US bombing raid on Hanoi in 1972.

How about this for lyrics 

It's walking to the battleground that always makes me cry
I've met so few folks in my time who weren't afraid to die
But dawn bleeds with the people here and morning skies are red
As young girls load up bicycles with flowers for the dead

An ageing woman picks along the craters and the rubble
A piece of cloth, a bit of shoe, a whole lifetime of trouble
A sobbing chant comes from her throat and splits the morning air
The single son she had last night is buried under her

They say that the war is done
Where are you now, my son?

and how about

The children on the roadsides of the villages and towns
Would stand around us laughing as we stood like giant clowns
The mourning bands told whom they'd lost by last night's phantom messenger
And they spoke their only words in English, "Johnson, Nixon, Kissinger"

Then followed the following playlist:

Child in Time by Deep Purple
Fool's Overture by Supertramp
Refugees by Van Der Graaf Generator
Melinda by Curved Air
Catch the Rainbow by Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Parisienne Walkways by Greg Lake
The Village Lantern by Blackmore's Night
Autumn - Heroine's Theme by The Strawbs
The Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson
Take a Pebble by Emerson, Lake and Palmer
The Weavers Answer by Family
Tears and Pavan by The Strawbs
Mandolin Wind by Rod Stewart
Who Knows Where the Time Goes? by Fairport Convention

I look forward to more gardening!!

Never Trust the Weather

You can never trust the British weather as today proved. The exercise session before the village fun run was led by the excellent Norfolk Olympiad Paul Evans who is a very special person. I have got to know Paul over the past year and particularly over the 10 weeks of the Hethersett Social Running Club which Paul has coached. Paul radiates positivity and manages to transfer that to all around him.

So the sun shone. But as the event began it started to rain - slowly at first but then torrentially with thunder and lightning. The runners/walkers got soaked and I'm sure some of their facepainting ran something rotten. I was taking photos of the start and finish and got drenched as well. The last time my camera got soaked was on the Great Wall of China when it stopped working. This time it seemed to survive okay.

With everyone safely back I set off with organiser Shane Hull to run the course myself and see whether my 10 weeks of athletic training have improved my performance. I did run the square a few weeks ago when I completed it in just over 20 minutes.

Taking part in the funrun must be - well fun - with 280 people taking part. I always miss the roads being shut off and being able to run with others. So it's a pretty lonely furrow that we plough and the feeling of wanting to stop on occasions becomes quite string, Somehow I managed to keep going for the whole course and when I stopped my stopwatch was delighted to find it reading 18 min 38.1 seconds - almost two minutes quicker than last time.

I know I keep saying it - but this was another excellent event. By the time I ran the sun was out again. Good old Paul Evans even made something out of the rain, saying it added to the challenge and excitement!!!!

I returned home to dry out further and then wandered down to the Memorial Field where our football club was holding a major ladies five-a-side competition. We had 26 teams taking part from Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire and it all ended with Peterborough Ladies winning both the main and the plate competitions.

For me that concluded the weekend - what an exceptional one it had been. I got to every event apart from the multi-denominational church service on Sunday morning in Hethersett Social Club and the songs of praise this evening in the parish church.

I have to admit I was so tired that I even watched England lose to Italy in the Euros. Usually our national team leave me so cold that I start doing other things. Oh well there's still the World Cup for that.

Early, Sporty and Tuneful

Saturday morning and certainly on lay-in today. Up at around 5 a.m to try and put as much information on the internet as possible before returning to the swimming pool. We were there for 6 a.m so Anne could do half an hour in the swimathon whilst I just watched. Came home to load the car up ready to set-up a refreshment stall at the Sport in the Park event and then back to the pool for the end of the swimathon which included a chat with paralympic gold medallist Oliver Jones who swam the final length. Overall the marathon effort went to over 11,800 lengths -the equivalent of swimming from Hethersett to London!

The main event of the day - and also one of the main events of Hethersett's year - was sport in the park. A free festival featuring well over 20 come and try sports events including badminton, korfball, dodgeball, football, rugby, hockey and much more. My day was a mix of helping on the refreshment stall and taking photos and then clearing up the stall and returning all the borrowed gear. It was the most successful Sport in the Park event to date and testimony to the hard work put in by members of the village Olympic Committee and Shane Hull and James Rice in particular.

Didn't have much time to relax before setting off for the parish church for a concert by the Hellesdon and Sprowston Brass Band. I somehow managed to keep awake - not that the music was boring. It was a very good mix of classics and swing/pop played with a great amount of fun.

The conductor was very entertaining in how own right - although his plugging of the band's CD stopped becoming amusing after about the 20th mention. It was a good way to conclude the second day of the Open Weekend. Here's to tomorrow.

Hethersett Open Weekend Kicks Off

Today saw the start of a three day festival better known as the Hethersett Open Weekend - a vast number of events for all ages and tastes with very much a sporty theme.

So it was up early and down to the Junior School for the start of a 24 hour swimathon which was celebrating three things - the 40th anniversary of the pool, the start of the open weekend and the life of teaching assistant Lorraine Hedges who died last year from cancer. The school's first ever swimming teacher Jo Hill was guest of honour and started everything off.

I have fond memories of the swimming pool for a number of reasons. Firstly it's where I lost my fear of the water at the age of 40 and learnt to swim. My wife bought me a serious of one on one sessions with the swimming teacher Jane Newstead in a charity auction. I had always had a huge hatred of swimming and the water probably from a day as a very young boy when I had run into the sea in Great Yarmouth and suddenly found myself out of my depth and struggling and getting a mouthful of horrible seawater. I panicked and  ended up with a lifelong dread of the water and a horrid memory.

Anyway I always said that if I could just put my head under the water I would be able to swim. It wasn't quite as simple as that. I was soon happily sitting on the bottom of the pool but learning to swim was still slightly difficult but eventually I made it. Now I am very far from being even a competent swimmer but at least I know that I will float and not sink to the bottom. Jane is still swimming teacher at the school and organised the swimathon.

My other big memory of the pool is being very proud to play a part in saving it when I was chair of governors of what was then Hethersett Middle School. The pool was on the point of being condemned when a group of us decided to fight for it and with the support of the county council we managed to get enough grants to at least make it sound. Today it's a very high tech pool and very modern and safe. Jo Hill told stories of the first few years when she had to liberate frogs every morning before swimming could start. How things have changed over 40 years. The swimming marathon got underway and I returned home to put some photos and copy on my village web site before going to Easton College for their end of year prize presentations, another very enjoyable event. I was there is my capacity as chairman of Hethersett Athletic Football Club - we use the excellent facilities at the college.

During the afternoon went to my second Open Weekend event - the three day flower festival in Hethersett Parish Church. Again it was excellent, as were the coffee and cakes. Again took a load of photos and returned home to put them online.

The evening was spent at the third annual Hethersett's Got Talent competition in the village hall. A good evening of entertainment and yet more photos. For me the winner Bonnie Holmes was miles ahead of the other young contestants. Bonnie took part in last year's event and was unplaced, which just shows how much she has improved in a year. By the time I got to bed I was already very tired and there's still two days to go!!

All My Life's A Circle

Song lyric of the day

All my life's a circle;
Sunrise and sundown;
The Moon rolls thru the nighttime;
Till the daybreak comes around.

All my life's a circle;
But I can't tell you why;
The Season's spinning round again;
The years keep rollin' by - Harry Chapin

This seemed so apt as I listened to the early morning news to hear that the Government is looking to scrap GCSEs and return to O' levels and a simpler system. So I couldn't help thinking of the phrase what goes around comes around.

I could never see the need to change in the first place but here we are again re-inventing the wheel. How long before a subsequent Government decides to go back to GCSEs? This is all very well as long as the emphasis is put on teaching children the basics because in my limited experience of the education system as a former chair of governors some of the youngsters cannot even grasp the basics of the subject they are being taught.

Tonight sees the final session of our social running club in Hethersett. We have been going for 10 weeks (doesn't time fly?) It's been great fun and hard work and I certainly feel fitter for it, not to mention losing half a stone in weight. I'm sure that the club will continue in some form or other at least throughout the summer. A huge thank you to Norfolk Olympiad Paul Evans and Coach Ron for making it all so much fun.

Favourite Song Lyric of All Time

Britain's Got Talent - but not of the kind that you would expect.

Today we went to another evening acoustic showcase at Bedfords in Norwich. I keep going on about these excellent evenings and thankfully there were more people there last night than for some of the concerts.

Once again it was an excellent line-up headlined by Dave Gerard and the Watchmen who was supported by David Booth and Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker. Listening to Josienne you couldn't help but think of Sandy Denny and she also threw in a slow version of Who Knows Where the Time Goes - one of my favourite songs and quite possibly my favourite lyric of all time because of its beautiful simplicity.

So song lyric of the day:

Across the evening sky, all the birds are leaving
But how can they know it's time for them to go?
Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming
I have no thought of time

For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?

Sad, deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving
Ah, but then you know it's time for them to go
But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving
I do not count the time

For who knows where the time goes?
Who knows where the time goes?

And I am not alone while my love is near me
I know it will be so until it's time to go
So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again
I have no fear of time

For who knows how my love grows?
And who knows where the time goes?

To me that is pure poetry. I remember a few years ago the Norwich Evening News had a piece on the greatest song lyrics and I supplied this one as my favourite. It has a simple but undefinable quality.

Once again the evening illustrated that there is a wealth of musical talent throughout our country that is largely ignored or overlooked in a society that promotes crap and rubbish to the masses.

Cheesy News Stories but Exciting Times

I just love writing cheesy stories for the newspapers and my village web site.

Today brought a perfect example with a story about a local couple who have abandoned plans for a romantic weekend away to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary in order to see the Olympic flame come to Hethersett.

Couldn't have had better subjects than Tim and Julie who were quite happy to ham things up to the full. It did remind me how busy the next few weeks will be. This weekend we have the Open weekend with a massive number of events over three days from Friday to Sunday. Then next week 200 Hethersett schoolchildren are providing an Olympic pageant in the main ring at the Royal Norfolk Show.

The Olympic flame pays its visit on July 5th and ten days later we have the county finals of the Norfolk Village Games..

Last night the village football club outlined its plans for expanding in the future to a very responsive parish council. We are hoping the two bodies can work together to help improve sports facilities in Hethersett and the Meltons. As they say watch this space.

More Rain - Busy Week in Hethersett

Couldn't face staying up into the early hours to see the end of the US Open Golf championship so went to bed instead to read more Harry Potter. I have all seven books on my Kindle and have decided to read them straight through in order. Philosopher's Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkabhan are now behind me and I'm on to book four.

This is going to be another huge weekend in village life with our annual three day open event running from Friday through Sunday with a packed programme on all three days. Yesterday was also the annual Friends of Hethersett High School Garage Sale and I believe over 100 garages and car boots throughout the village were in action.

Spent the morning catching up on the village web site and also this week's copy for various newspapers. Glory be there was plenty of rain overnight which will help our son's turf to knit together. I feel a barbecue coming on if it ever stops raining and the sun comes out!

Floral Mistake

Fathers' Day and a nice one which means I can now look very trendy in my pink striped shirt and new sunglasses - not that we have a lot of sun to wear them for.

Interested to see on a new development in Wymondham they have put up a sign with the word Petunia spelt wrongly . It is up there as Pertunia!

A Very Busy Saturday

There's nothing like a busy Saturday, but today was so busy I had to drop two of my scheduled things.

In the morning helped to cook and serve breakfast to 20 people at Hethersett Methodist Church and then onto our sons for six hours of back-breaking action to turf his garden. It was hard going but very satisfying to see it turn in the last year from a weed infested jungle into a smooth patch of grass. Now all we need is some rain to make it knit.

After that rushed home to get showered and changed to go to the Encore Concert in Wymondham Abbey - a nice evening if a little chilly. It all meant that we didn't get to Hethersett cricket or Hethersett Woodside School fete - c'est la vie

Mr Grumpy Rides Again

Continuing on the theme of customer service and my thoughts - and many of these are based on my experience working within pr and marketing for many years.

Yesterday as I outlined I had a big problem with mobile telephone company O2. After a pointless 30 minutes on a chat adviser programme I got so frustrated I went into Norwich to try to sort the problem out. Half an hour with an adviser and another 15 minutes on the phone and I was assured it had been sorted. It remains to be seen whether it actually has, but my simple request to change my tariff and keep the same phone and same number has necessitated a visit to Norwich and about three hours of my time being wasted.

Multiply this by all the other poor service and you begin to ask yourself whatever happened to the old fashioned notion that "the customer is always right?"

Which brings me to the point of my discussion here: We are so conditioned to marketing and advertising that we no longer have any idea about quality. Companies seem to think that if they bombard us with messages stating how good their service or product is we will believe it. Experience shows this not to be true. There is nothing more insulting to an individual who has had a bad experience with a company or product to then have to watch advertising telling them that said product or service is the best available.

It's pretty much the same when we watch witnesses in the Leveson Enquiry talking what I would refer to as "twaddle." You just know that most of them are openly lying or should we say "being a bit conservative with the truth."

There is often a million miles between what companies promise and what they actually deliver and customer care has gone out of the window. Once you are signed up to something things sadly go downhill and all the promises made beforehand count for nothing. When you have a problem or complaint you are likely to be shoved from pillar to post before finding out that the person you are talking to doesn't have the authority to administer what you need. Even trying to get to the right person in the right place has become an art form.

One of the big problems is a workforce that feel disinterested because of the way they have been treated and the ridiculous workloads they are expected to undertake. This leads to a "couldn't care less" attitude and this is something I can understand.

Of course there are exceptions - there are companies where employees are valued and where they do feel part of everything - but the number of these seems to be dwindling. I guess it's all part of the modern disposable society we live in. Rant over for today.

This morning caught up on a feature on Sky TV about British Academy footballers helping with coaching in South African townships. This was of particular interest because one of the "scholars" featured will be living with us this year. This was a wonderful example of young people "doing good" and being idolised by disadvantaged youngsters who still spend the day with smiles on their faces. In today's time of hugely overpaid and pampered footballers it was good to see these youngsters thriving in an atmosphere that gave them the opportunity to experience a different world and a world in which they could make a difference.

Pleased to see lots of features and news items in this week's local newspaper - plenty of articles I have written about Hethersett. I still get a buzz by seeing my writing in print.

Mr Grumpy Sails Forth on Poor Customer Care

One of the most annoying things for me in life is the huge distance between what companies promise and what they actually deliver - particularly in the area of customer care.

Today it's O2 that have p----d me off. It's a simple matter. I have two mobiles with them - one for my wife and one for myself. I recently changed her plan from a rather expensive monthly contract to a sim only deal. I was assured by the company that the payments would be changed and guess what - they weren't so suddenly I was paying for two plans on the same phone. So I contacted them via chat e-mail to point this out and of course the person I talked to couldn't authorise a refund or sort the matter out because he wasn't from the right department.

Whatever happened to the days when the person you talked to would sort out any problems for them because it was their job to be helpful and because you were the customer. No wonder people move from company to company. So here's part of the conversation and you will see that towards the end I got more and more angry when I realised everything had become a big waste of time.

You're through to Marcus.

Marcus: Hi I'm Marcus. How can I help?

Me: Hi

Marcus: Hello

Me: I recently changed my tariff on the phone to a sim only and was told in writing that my monthly amount I was paying (£20.42 approx) would be erased and the new amount of £10.84 would be billed. I see from my latest bank statement that I am still paying both amounts.

Marcus: Let me check this for you.

Me: I want to start using the sim card but would also request a refund of the £20.42 paid this month as I was assured by you that this payment would automatically stop. I have now deleted it from my bank payee list but consider I have paid £20.42 too much

Marcus: As I see it's a new order.

Me: Yes the £10.84 is a new order. The £20 plus is for the old plan which I have asked to discontinue and was told the amounts would automatically be adjusted. Now it seems I am paying twice for plans on the same phone.

Marcus: Can I know how was the order made by chat or calls?

Me: I made the agreement by chat. I kept a copy of the replies but unfortunately my e-mail system has gone wrong otherwise I would be able to send it to you. The new sim card was ordered over the internet. I specifically asked about the £20 charge being stopped and whether I needed to do this myself and was told that O2 would take care of everything, cancel the £20 charges and change to the new sim rate. I need now to stop using the £20 tariff, put the sim card into the phone and start using the new plan but I need to be assured that the £20 charge will cease (although I have cancelled my direct debit for this) and that I will receive a credit for the month charged.

Marcus: Let me check this for you in our records.

Marcus: It may take few minutes.

Marcus: Thanks for waiting.

Me: ok

Marcus: I'll help you with the contact details to demand refund.

Marcus: You can call us on 0844 809 0202 between Monday to Friday 8am to 9pm, Saturday 8am to 8pm & Sunday 8am to 6pm. If you dial 202 from any O2 Pay Monthly mobile it would be free of charge.

Me: No I need you to sort this out for me as I have already wasted enough time on sorting out something I was told wouldn't happen. I need you to ensure that I receive a refund for £20.42 as I am the customer here. I do not have time to make phone calls and go through everything again. I was assured on this chat that this matter would be taken care of and it quite obviously hasn't. So the onus is on you to sort this out. Otherwise I am afraid that you will lose my custom not only on this phone but on my other phone which I pay over £30 a month and which is up for renewal in a few months.

Marcus: I could have sorted out this for you immediately if had the authority to refund you the amount. I suggested you to call so that you can claim refund.

Me Yes but this will take up considerable time that I don't have to waste when I had assurances from you that this wouldn't happen and I will have to go through the whole thing again. It is up to your company to provide me with the required refund and not for me as a customer to have to make numerous phone calls.

Marcus: If you don't wish to make numerous calls you can visit your nearest O2 store they'll arrange this for you.

Me: Yes but that's the same thing. Wasting my time to put something right that you agreed to do in the first place.

Marcus: I'm sorry but online customer support team has limited authority compared to customer adviser on calls.

Me:: No problem. I will just switch to Vodaphone when my contracts are up. This is very poor customer service. You all work for the same organisation and I have been overcharged through your obvious inability to do something you promised would happen automatically.

Marcus: Please have a word with our customer support team. You'll get the solution to the problem

Marcus: I would have helped you if I had the authority to credit the account.

Marcus: I haven't heard from you for a while. Are you still there?

Marcus: As you haven't said anything for a while, I'm going to close the chat. I'm sorry we couldn't finish it. If you need anything else, click here to send us an email.

I expect over the next few days to receive a questionnaire about how satisfied I have been with their customer service.

I recently dealt with another company. In trying to order goods I had nowhere to put in some voucher codes I had. So I contacted the company and all they could say was "put in the voucher codes at checkout. We have cancelled your order so that you can do this."

Again my reply was something along the lines of "There is nowhere at check out to put the voucher codes. I have sent them to you by e-mail. Why can't you just add them to the order and bill me for the correct amount?"

To date I haven't had a response. So why is customer service so bad? Tomorrow I will let you have my thoughts on that if I'm still around after another running club evening tonight.

More Warriors

See from the news that they have uncovered over 100 additional Terracotta Warriors at Xian in China.

It was a pretty impressive display last year when we visited. The new additions apparently have some of their original colouring which makes them unique. Apparently when the warriors came to the British Museum it was the second most visited attraction there of all time after Tutankhamen.

England's Performance

Most people seem to be quite happy with England's performance against France last night and the point from a 1-1 draw was seen as a good one.

I thought the performance was sterile and rather turgid and that both teams were so happy with a draw that they needn't really have bothered to play the match at all.

The Sounds of London

On Saturday night  I watched an interesting documentary on the Sound of London in which Jools Holland took us on a musical ride through the capital. I usually find Holland annoying (apart from when he's playing the piano which is where his real talent lies) but he did pretty well in this programme in taking us through centuries of London music and sounds. It was a tough task in just over an hour. Good pieces from Ray Davies (who to my mind wrote the greatest ever song about the capital - Waterloo Sunset) and about Ian Dury. The only major omission was no mention of David Bowie who I believe was once voted in the New Musical Express as the greatest musical influence on other artists. It's 40 years since the release of the classic Ziggy Stardust album and it still sounds as fresh today as it did back in the 1970s.

More mindnumbing rubbish regarding the England football team. Yesterday morning Sky once again broadcast live from outside the team hotel: "Well the players are just beginning to come out to get the coach. Captain Steve Gerrard is first on board (one must assume from this that this in itself is some kind of achievement). The mind boggles.

Unique Year for Our Village - Champions Again

Hethersett are South Norfolk village sports champions for the second year in a row - hooray.

Great credit to everyone who represented the village today at Framingham Earl which saw us once again win the section for large villages and market towns. That puts us through to the county finals in July. Last year we came second, so we will be hoping to go one better this year.

The sports is a great family day out with youngsters joining together with adults. Over the past few years Hethersett has developed a huge sporting legacy and we are the envy of villages and towns throughout Norfolk. We are in the middle of a remarkable year for sport and leisure in the village. Yesterday saw our football club's funday which showcases the youth side of Hethersett Athletic FC with presentations and football games.

Today it was the village games, June 22nd to 24th is the Open Weekend with a massive number of events and July 5th sees the visit of the Olympic flame - a special visit which recognises the village work in support of the London Olympics. There are plenty of other events scheduled as well - it really is a unique year in the history of the village.

Football All the Way Today

Football all the way today.

Yesterday the Euro championships started with Greece doing a good impression of a bankrupt country with a very poor first half display against Poland. Then somehow they pulled themselves round to snatch a draw. Can't see either of these sides winning the tournament. Russia must have a chance, however, after demolishing the Czech Republic.

Can't help commenting on the England players visit to Auschwitz and the Oscar Schindler exhibition - the latter in particular. Sky news showed them entering the Schindler museum. One of them was fiddling with his mobile phone, one was suppressing a sneer, one was openly laughing and not a single one seemed interested in the displays, most walking straight past with a vacant look. I'm sure those who went to the concentration camp were more interested but I have to point out that without the bravery of those who fought in the Second World War for freedom there would be no football and these often overpaid human beings wouldn't be able to strut around with their millions. The Holocaust taught us so many lessons about the need for humanity and men like Schindler. Anybody who laughs and sneers is beyond contempt and needs to be sat down in a corner and have it explained that in the great scheme of things football doesn't mean diddly squat (and that comment comes from a football fan and amateur football club chairman). All the racism probloems are extremely concerning. It seem illogical that racism can exist in Poland after what that country went through at the hands of the Nazis!!!

Norwich have appointed Chris Hughton to replace Paul Lambert as manager and it seems a very sensible and solid appointment. Hughton seems to be a real regular guy and I liked what he said at his first Press conference. Not one I mean or you know came from his mouth. He was erudite and intelligent. It will be interesting to see when Lambert returns to Carrow Road whether the fans sing "One Paul Lambert, there's only one Paul Lambert" or whether it will be "You only went for the money."

Today we have our annual football club funday for Hethersett Athletic's youth teams. There only seems to be two kinds of weather for this annual presentation event - steaming heat or hammering rain. Interesting to see what we will get this year as the day has started very cloudy.

Just been watching Sky Sports news where they seem to be taking the Euros to new heights of crassness. They have just had their chief football reporter commenting on the players getting onto a coach to go to training. "There's Steven Gerrard he's just getting on" was followed by "well that's five on board and another seven expected shortly." Wow it's the BBC's jubilee coverage all over again!

Silly Names

Today I have been thinking about silly names. Two instantly spring to mind.

William James Adams Junior for example has done something really very clever (not). He has taken his first name and broken it up to come up with Will I Am. Wow I hear you all say. Problem is Will I Am is now making a career for himself as a nonentity that regular creeps onto stages and pretends he has talent. For the uninitiated he's the guy who wore silly gloves and waved an Olympic torch around as a judge on The Voice - another mind-numbing dull talent (or should we say lack of talent) show. Oh and he's also a member of the Black Eyed Peas.

The other silly name that springs to mind is the contestant in that awful prgramme The Apprentice who referred to himself as the Master Puppeteer as he pulled the strings of others. I have a better name for him - dick head.

Broke through a psychological barrier last night. Our normal running night in the village was cancelled due to safety fears on teh state of the school field following torrential rain late afternoon. Just another part of the wettest drought on record! So a group of us decided to run the square - a two mile run through the old part of Hethersett and the same distance as the run the square event in the coming Open Weekend.. The object of the group is to train us up to be able to run the distance comfortably.

Jubilee Coverage

I feel impelled to return to the thorny subject of the BBC coverage of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee for which they have received plenty of criticism. The question is was it warranted or not?

The problem with having hundreds of television channels and 24 hour coverage is that events get proverbally "done to death" and I felt that there was, if possible, just too much coverage. So that means that there were hours and hours of footage to put together.

So whilst newspapers were analysing the coverage, the Beeb was having to deal with torrential rain with all its problems and also keeping going for hour after hour after hour.

So we had Paloma Faith with her Royal sick bag and Tess Daley being "knighted" for her services to reporting in the wet. This is all part of our vacuous society. The problem is probably an age one. Older people will remember the days of the Dimblebys, Raymond Baxter et al when those broadcasting were 1/ consummate professionals and 2/ Historians in their own right.

The problem in today's X Factor disposable society is the BBC wants to be seen as a broadcasting company of the people. So we have reporters/presenters amongst the crowd making crass comments and asking stupid questions and pretending everything is absolutely wonderful. This hit a low when one young man made it known that he wanted to sing the National Anthem live on television and then proceeded to murder God Save the Queen in a totally tuneless fashion to which the presenter said "That was amazing." Amazing yes but not in the way meant.

My biggest problem came in the shape of the wheeled in celebrities who all seemed to be asked the same question: "What do you think of the jubilee?" to which their response to a man and woman was "it's absolutely awesome, fantastic, incredible, wonderful, marvellous and stunning."

There was a feeling that when Emma Bunton, who is basically famous for being Emma Bunton and little else, added amongst the awesomes, marvellouses and fantastics that she thought the BBC coverage had been amazing as well as though she had been primed to try and address the complaints.

At times it did become puerile but one has to question whether the pompous styles of the Dimblebys et al are what are needed in coverage today. Our world has been dumbed down. Whether this is a good thing is another matter but it is a fact. Presenters are no longer employed for their knowledge of a subject but because they look good..... nuff said.

Well jubilee weekend is over and I have mixed feelings about the past four days I would never call myself a Royalist but can see the appeal of the Monarchy and what it means to millions of people. To me it is irrational that so much is made of a family, but who am I to comment?

I would say, however, that I'm sure when Prince Phillip was taken to hospital he didn't have to wait three hours in A and E. There was a brilliant feelgood factor about the past few days - akin to New Year's Eve. Unfortunately today was back to normal. Food prices going up, unrest at airports and traffic jams on the way home to Norfolk.

We went to Oxford for a look round. Maybe I wasn't in a city visiting mood but I didn't enjoy the place. There was something about it. To me Cambridge is more picturesque. Oxford smacks of ripoffsville with charges to visit any of the colleges and to visit Christchurch (on which Harry Potter was based) costs something ridiculous like £8.50. You would need a healthy bank balance to visit all the colleges.

Did manage to have coffee in a coffee shop which was featured in the evening's version of the Lewis detective series.

Well the family party went well and now here we are staying in South Stoke which is on the banks of the Thames.

Firstly what of the music I took with me. Well it was all rather strange as I put six new albums on my MP3 player but accidentally had them on shuffle so it was a mix of Dexys, Rumer, Beach Boys, David Bowie, Patti Smith and Neil Young. Difficult to judge them listening that way of course. Dexys shows Kevin Rowlands at his most introverted but a couple of really good songs. Beach Boys can't seem to make up its mind whether it wants to hark back to the old days or just reminisce on times long gone. Actually it does both. It's not a bad album but a bit lacking in originality and some of the lyrics are simply silly. Patti Smith is interesting but Neil Young's Americana is a mess. He's put new tunes to some old American classics. Unfortunately it's a few years since he wrote a decent tune! As for the Bowie - well it's the 40th anniversary edition of the classic Ziggy Stardust album.

Today we walked from our base at South Stoke into Goring on Thames and had a good look round until it started to rain. I have for a long time wanted to walk as much of the Thames as possible and I guess this is a start. Met a couple in the pub where we are staying who could scarcely walk, having completed 20 miles in one go the previous day. So nothing like that for us - just a gentle stroll of five miles or so.

Late afternoon we drove to Henley which would have been lovely in the sunshine. Problem was it was raining heavily so we just had something to eat and then got back to the car. How food and drink prices change. We had two steak meals, a shared sweet and two glasses of wine for £16.50 - what good value!!!!

It's still Jubilee weekend and the weather is still dull and pretty miserable. Today we are off to Hertfordshire for a family party. I'm taking the new albums by Dexys, Neil Young and the Beach Boys with me.

The surviving Beach Boys have got together to celebrate 50 years and have a new album out. It's going to be interesting to see what it's like. Reviews have been mixed and say that it's rather patchy - a bit like the weather.

Jubilee Washout - not in Hethersett

Lyric of the day:

Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
But she doesn't have a lot to say
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
But she changes from day to day
I want to tell her that I love her a lot
But I gotta get a bellyful of wine
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
Someday I'm going to make her mine, oh yeah
Someday I'm going to make her mine - Paul McCartney

It was such a shame that it rained virtually all day in Hethersett. Hundreds of people still attended our Jubilee Fayre and Fete on the Memorial Field but I reckon the rain kept hundreds more at home. It was very wet putting tents etc up in the morning and very wet during the day but spirits were still high.

I popped home late afternoon to put the photos I had taken on the internet and they are available on my village web site at http://www.hethersett.org.uk

At least the rain had disappeared by the evening music session when there were still over 100 people around. Kept wondering how many more there would have been had it been a sunny and warm evening. Still another village event to remember fondly. Next up for me is the football club funday next Saturday followed by the South Norfolk Village sports on Sunday and that all morphs into the huge Open Weekend from June 22nd to 24th. So certainly no time to put our feet up yet.

Predators and Jubilee Weekend

Interesting analogy in the football world. Certain areas of the Media said yesterday that the merry go round of managers at the moment is all part of the football food chain.

The big badly run and under-achieving predators e.g Liverpool raid the small well run and over achieving clubs like Wigan, Norwich and Swansea. Then the smaller but still Premier Division clubs like Wigan, Norwich and Swansea become the larger predators and raid the next strata of clubs and so on.

So Norwich look like losing Paul Lambert to Aston Villa. All we can say about that is it was going to happen, nobody is indispensable, good luck Paul and onto the next manager for Norwich who are in a very healthy position. Oh and I hope we finish above Villa next season. Just wondering what kind of reception the man will get on his return, particularly if we play Villa early in the season. What chance of it being the first match?

Enough about football. This is Diamond Jubilee weekend and we have a huge village fete on Sunday. Sadly I fear it could be very wet and miserable. Let's just hope we get a few breaks in the expected rain.

Long Words, Ballet and Running

During the course of a day numerous pointless things come into my mind. Yesterday it was a question. What is the longest word that can be made by using just one key on a mobile phone? I googled this and came up with virtually nothing. Best I could do was feeded but I'm not even sure that's a word as it should technically be fed. Apparently the longest word you can make by using just the top row of a keyboard is appropriately typewriter.

Now all this is really quite irrelevant... but fun nevertheless.

Definition of boredom yesterday - four men sitting in a row in the ladies clothes department of Marks and Spencers, looking glum and bored silly. Obviously taking a load off their feet whilst their wives take a load off their wallets.

Have to confess I did enjoy Northern Ballet's production of I've Got Rhythm at Norwich Theatre Royal. Have to also confess that I enjoyed the music more than the dance - but I always will. Sitting on the front row it was interesting to see the huge strength needed by the dancers - something we always forget when it comes to ballet. Also interesting to see the facial features as well. The men in particular obviously have to keep smiling, keep remembering their movements and make them look natural whilst obviously under tremendous strain of having to lift the ballerinas above their heads. One particular guy sweated buckets and I'm surprised some of it didn't hit us in the front row. Also at times they got extremely close to the edge of the stage. I could just see one of them falling and dropping into our laps - which would have made the production even more interesting.

Felt very lethargic all day which was all sorted out by running club in the evening. Over the past few weeks I have picked up numerous small injuries and niggles. Today I bought a new pair of running shoes and they made all the difference. A bit of stiffness but no pain. What is it they say about a workman and his tools?

Hethersett's Come and Try Evening and a Tax on Getting Hot

Last night we had an excellent come and try sports evening on Hethersett Memorial Playing Field.

Well over 100 people - mainly youngsters - took part in a variety of free activities from archery and athletics to rounders, football, cricket, petanque and bowls. The event is something of a warm up for Sport in the Park on June 23rd which will feature well over 20 themed sports throughout the day.

I had the pleasure of working with Active Norfolk in arranging the Come and Try Event. Last year's inaugural event was a wash out with heavy winds, lashing rain and cold ruining the evening. Last night it was warm and that made all the difference. So thanks to everyone who supported the event and all the clubs that organised activities.

Today it's off to Norwich Theatre Royal to see the modern ballet "I've Got Rhythm." To let you into a secret - I really don't like ballet but I do like the music of George Gershwin.

Then tonight it's back to running club hoping that my calf and ankle will hold up as we are now getting towards the 20 minute running mark that will be needed for the two mile run the square event which is also part of the village open weekend.

Huge amount of TV coverage over the past two or three days about the Government's U turn over what has become known as the pasty tax. The 20% VAT put on hot foods has now been withdrawn but it's not quite as it seems. Chancellor George Osborne, recently accused by one fellow MP as being an arrogant little rich boy, has decided in his infinite wisdom to climb down on what has been called the pasty tax.

But the drop in VAT only relates to pasties straight from the oven or which cool naturally. So basically if your pasty was originally hot and is still hot (by some lucky co-incidence) you won't have to pay VAT. If your pasty was originally hot but is now cool or cold you won't have to pay VAT. If, however, the pasty is kept warm all day under lights or on hot plates VAT will be added and if you have the cheek to ask staff to reheat it in a microwave then VAT will be added. That for most people is probably as clear as mud. Certainly it will lead to absolute confusion amongst shop staff. It does illustrate, however, the ridiculous rules and regulations our country is bound up in. As one cow said to another cow "it all sounds like a heap of tripe to me."

What an exceptional place Liverpool is.

After four days there I have confirmed my view that nowhere in the United Kingdom is there a city so aware of its past, so aware of its history and so aware of its heritage than Liverpool and the city centre has been brilliantly regenerated into something very special. The city has a feelgood factor to it that it is difficult to explain.

It is also brilliantly geared up to tourism with free museums and attractions and good restaurants. I would urge anybody interested in history of culture to pay a visit to what has become a thriving city.

Ferry Across the Mersey

Our train didn't leave Liverpool Lime Street until just before 2 p.m which gave us the chance to have breakfast in Albert Dock again and get the passenger ferry across the Mersey. And yes they do play that song by Gerry and the Pacemakers which I'm sure the locals who use the ferry everyday to get to and from the Wirrel get heartily fed up with hearing.

It's just a 10 minute ride to Seacombe where there isn't a great deal to see but it's the crossing that's the important part of this very short journey. To be fair you can get off at Birkenhead but we just didn't have the time to look round there.

All too quickly we ran out of time. There is so much to do in Liverpool and we are already planning our next visit which will include a visit to Birkenhead, a journey down the canal to Manchester and a tour of Anfield.

Got talking in passing to a couple of middle aged Scousers getting on the ferry. They asked where we came from:

"We come from Norwich where they have a proper football team," we said.

"I'd dig up every bloody football, rugby and cricket pitch and plant potatoes," one of them replied in the manner of Jim Royle from the Royle Family.

I thought it best not to pursue this line of discussion!!!!!

We were back home by 7.30 p.m to face the usual volume of junk mail and forms that need to be filled in!!

Magical Tours of Beatles' Homes

The Beatles are very much alive as part of Liverpool's heritage. It is impossible to  move round the city without seeing reminders of the greatness of these four Liverpool lads.

They seem to be everywhere in posters, artwork, paintings, sculptures. You would have to be blind not to see the influence that they had on this great city. Virtually every museum has a section dedicated to them in one way or another.

On our present visit I have taken the Magical Mystery Tour for the second time in three years but also have gone inside the houses of John Lennon and Paul McCartney - two very contrasting people. McCartney - the jewel of Liverpool who still has a house in the area and makes regular returns and annually presents the prizes at the LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts) graduation ceremony and Lennon - the troubled soul cut off in his prime but whose legend has grown since his murder in 1980.

So two very different feelings in the houses. We went on the National Trust tour which is the only way to get inside them. Started at Mendips which was the boyhood home of Lennon where he lived with his Aunt Mary (whom he always called Mimi) and Uncle George. This is a place that I have read about so many times and which was featured extensively in the excellent film Nowhere Boy. It was a strange experience to stand in the man's bedroom and try to recall the ghosts of those far off days that are getting ever further back into rock music history.

To walk in the footsteps of Lennon, McCartney, Starr et al was a sobering moment. To look at the garden where Mimi, John's mother Julia and her student lodgers would have sat in deckchairs enjoying afternoon tea was an amazing experience that somehow overshadowed the McCartney home. Ironically Lennon lived a middle class existence whereas the other three Beatles had firmly entrenched working class roots. Yet it was always Lennon who portrayed the ideals of the "Working Class Hero." McCartney's home has been restored to what it was as he grew up, although the furniture is of the time and not of the house - in other words replacements for the originals which I believe were thrown out when his father Jim moved out of the property. Slightly disappointing that the piano was one like Paul used to play and not the one he actually played.

If you visit Liverpool you just have to immerse yourself in Merseybeat and the sounds of the past despite the fact that we are now half a century further on.

John, John, eeeehhhhhhe (The Sound of Sickness)

A bit of a broken night's sleep thanks to some idiot outside our apartment (thankfully we are three storeys up) screaming the name John over and over again and then being violently sick in the courtyard - another Scouse night out.

Another very warm and sunny day where the temperatures soared. Our climate is amazing. We can go from heavy rain and virtually Arctic temperatures to heat and sun within almost a matter of what seems minutes but what is usually overnight.

Anyway will cover our visit to Liverpool in more depth in subsequent blogs. Suffice it to say that today included a visit to the new Museum of Liverpool which was highly enjoyable.

The Hump Comes First From Last - Normal Service Resumed

Off to Liverpool for a few days.It's a five and a half hour train journey direct from Norwich. Many years ago five and a half hours in any mode of transport would have been daunting, but when compared to well over 20 hours on planes to New Zealand and Australia or 18 hours on coaches to Germany or Northern Ireland, it's just a short jaunt.

Liverpool has the feel of a very compact city with everything in the centre in comfortable walking distance and everything pretty much as we remembered from two years ago - our last visit.

The weather helped today as it was warm and sunny and Albert Dock shimmered in the haze. Our apartment is abut 10 minutes' walk from Lime Street Station.

In the evening managed to watch the Eurovision Song Contest. It was as crazy and ridiculous as ever which is probably why I enjoy it so much. Of course the results are pretty irrelevant - it's all a matter of politics and this is proved year after year. The strange thing is very often the best song does rise to the top of the barrel, proving that there is some justice. Can't say I was greatly enamoured by the winning Swedish entry, however. My favourite was the song from Iceland which had a prog rock feel to it but which did pretty badly. But not as badly as our Englebert, however, which just goes to proved that putting a 76 year old in as our entry was a mistake. I always thought that would be the case but I did feel a tad sorry for the man as our entry this year wasn't a bad song and certainly deserved to come higher than 25th out of 26th.

With 42 countries voting, it looked as if the contest would go on all night. In the end it was a landslide victory for Sweden. As for the Hump. Well his performance was poor. His voice at times was off key and he just didn't make the high octane end notes. But you have to feel sorry for the guy who was well beaten by a bunch of Russian Grannies with a novelty song and, even worse, by the talentless muppets Jedward whose only claim to fame is the fact they have silly hairstyles, are identical twins and have a total inability to sing. Ireland have been taking the mickey for years by using idiots like these and also a puppet a few years ago.

Seems nowadays there are countries deliberately trying not to win on the grounds of the cost of staging the event the following year. If this is so one has to ask just why they enter in the first place. Everyone votes for their neighbours. So why don't they just do away with the songs altogether and just get countries to vote on thin air? You would pretty much get the same result and we would still come in the bottom three.

Is it simply because nobody likes us or are our songs really that bad? I think it's a bit of both. You have to say that by the law of averages we should still have scored many more points. Yes counties will give their top awards to their neighbours or allies but there was still plenty of points lower down that would have given us a better placing. What most of the juries were saying was quite simply "we don't like Englebert, we don't like the song and we aren't even going to give it a single point." At least with 42 countries voting the chances of any entry receiving the legendary nul point is now fairly remote. It would have to be a real dog of an entry to achieve that - something like this year's entry from Turkey which somehow did ridiculously well despite being a heap of tripe.

Most of the real cringing moments come with the voting, however, with presenters from all over the world smarming their way through everything whilst you just want to shout at the TV "hurry up you moron I want to go to bed." The Finnish presenter took things to a new high (or should it be low) this year by appearing dressed as a death metal troll. He looked and acted plainly ridiculous and the only person he would have entertained would have been himself. I'm not sure who thinks these ideas up but they are obviously a few Euros short of a wage packet. Still we look forward to next year when once again the nation that brought rock/pop music to the world (along with the USA of course) will again be ignored irrespective of whether our song is good, bad or indifferent. perhaps we should employ Jedward.

A History Lesson

Spent a very pleasant evening yesterday learning about the history of the Norwich Yards at a talk at Hethersett Library by Francis and Michael Holmes. The yards were living spaces off the main Norwich roads. Many were little more than slums with sewage running down the centre of the roads and buildings that were literally falling down. Many have subsequently been pulled down, others renovated into modern spaces. The interesting thing for me was learning that yard dwellers were eventually offered new housing and that's how some of the major housing estates came into being.

Talent that Crosses the Country

Another very interesting evening of folk music at Bedfords in Norwich last night. This really is the best value for music in town - £5 for three acts and the food is good as well.

Sadly there was a very disappointing turnout on a warm evening. Those who didn't go missed a treat. The evening started with Jazz Morley - a young lady with a powerful voice somewhere between Amy Winehouse and Carole King. She sang her own songs - some poignant and some slightly less serious. She finished with a song about her brother who is serving in Afghanistan. It did bear a remarkable resemblance to Jennifer Rush' Power of Love but never mind.

She was followed by a guy called Jinder who was an all round entertainer - mixing good original material with stories and jokes. At time he was very funny and he managed an excellent slowed down acoustic version of Dexy's Midnight Runners' Come on Eileen.

The evening was rounded off by John Ward and Mario Price - a very interesting duo from Lowestoft. John on guitar and that Irish drum thingee that I can never remember the name of and Mario on violin. Plenty of Irish gig type music, mixed in with some ballads and slower numbers. I was particularly impressed by the song "From Stornoway to Lowestoft" about the migration of female workers over a 100 year period from Scotland to Lowestoft for the herring industry.

John kept mentioning the X Factor and such equally tripey talent shows. He pointed out quite rightly that these quick fix, instant star shows detract from the fact that criss crossing the UK in cars and vans every day of the year are some truly talented musicians who barely scratch a living from doing what they love. I agree wholeheartedly. These are the people with true musical ability and you can see them every month at venues like Bedfords. John also made interesting comments about the rivalry between Yarmouth and Lowestoft and the fish wars of the past between the two towns - all an important part of East Anglian history. He talked about something I have been going on about for some time - the ridiculous part that territory plays in our lives amongst people who, shall we say, aren't intelligent enough to know any better.

You probably know what I'm talking about. Yarmouth hate Lowestoft and vice versa but the two towns would combine to hate another part of the British Isles. Then Britain would combine against Europe but Europe would combine against the Americans and the the World would combine against Mars and then the Universe would combine against another Universe. You know the kind of drivel I'm talking about! It's about as understandable as my last paragraph but I know what I mean.

Tonight I'm off the get some more historical culture with a talk at Hethersett Library on the history of the Norwich yards.

Yesterday I spent quite some time starting to write a piece of poetry/prose to reflect my recent visit to Northern Ireland and Belfast in particular. Usually I write quickly but this idea is taking some time to form shape and at the moment it's just a series of unrelated notes that I need to develop and put together. Originally I was going to call it Words on a Map, but its new title is History and Music (Words on a Map). When it is eventually finished I will put it on this blog and my web site.

Moog Man and Gadget Man

Anybody who reads this blog regularly (is there really anybody who does?) will know that I like to come up with some strange facts on occasions. Today felt like one of those occasions.

So, instead of commenting about the sudden change in weather and the fact that the temperatures are climbing into the eighties, I will drop two names into the discussion - Robert Moog and Eugene Polley. One of those gentlemen invented something we cannot do without, the other invented something that changed the history of music.

Perhaps Mr Moog is more obvious. Today would have been his 78th birthday excpet for one fact - he died in 2005. Mr Moog created the Moog Synthesiser - a rather unfathomable keyboard instrument based I believe on tape looping and apparently very difficult to play. He created the Moog for musical experimentalists but it soon became a staple of the progressive (prog) rock scene.

It produced that swelling, swirling, wonderful wall of sound soon adopted by some of (in my humble opinion) the greatest rock bands and individuals of all time - the likes of Brian Eno, David Bowie, Ultravox, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson, Barclay James Harvest, Kraftwerk, Yes and Genesis to name just a few. So I doff my hat (or I would if I had one) to Mr Moog and the delights he has brought me over the years.

Eugene Polley, on the other hand, wanted to create something to make us lazy. So he invented the remote control, which he called the Flash-Matic. The first of these devices was used on televisions and looked more like a hairdryer than what we have been accustomed to. It shot out a beam of light capable of changing a channel or changing the volume. In those days there would probably have been only a couple of channels anyway but who cares. In addition other beams of light could affect the channel as well. So imagine hubby coming home at the end of a hard day at the office, switching on the room light and the TV changes from Mr Ed to Quatermass just like that. Eugene was obviously a visionary who could see the possibility of hundreds of channels and the need to cut back young people's concentartion spans to a minimal level (i.e a few seconds). He probably saw computer games consoles, stereo systems and many digital applications. I'm sure he also realised that there needed to be evolution that allowed the hairdryer to become a minute hand held gizmo and for the name to change from Flash-Matic to remote control. Early American adverts for the Flash-Matic heralded its ability to cut the volume of loud annoying adverts whilst keeping the picture. Can't quite see why you would want to watch a commercial without sound though but we must remember that these were very different days when relatively mundane things gave pleasure and I'm sure the inventor didn't want to suggest missing out the adverts altogether - that would have been a step too far. I wonder what he made of the present day when you can pause live TV and quite easily skip the adverts.

I did think at one point of writing a biography of the man and calling it The History of Mr Polley only to find HG Wells had beaten me to it! Anyway Eugene died today, but his invention will live on for decades.

Tried to get some of the new Olympic tickets that went on sale today. Failed miserably and wasted quite some time. So far we must have applied for up to 20 sets of tickets and have received absolutely zero.

Can't finish today without mentioning the One Show yet again. Good old Matt Baker. Last night they had our very own Englebert Humperdinck (who incidentally was born plain old Arnold Dorsey in Madras, India, which probably makes him a shoe in for our national cricket team which is full of people born in South Africa) live from the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, which you will remember from prvious blogs has the world's second tallest flagpole. Old Englebert (and I use the word as a reflection of his age and not as a term of endearment) clutched a microphone and uttered a few words of wisdom which had Matt B salavating: "This is remarkable. Englebert is even reporting for us now" he enthused. Awesome Matt just awesome.

Did They Mean to Say That?

I do hope Alex Jones knew what she was saying on last night's One Show. I sometimes despair at the amateur nature of the presenting on what is an enjoyable show but where sometimes you get the idea that the presenters aren't really listening to what the guests are saying to them.

Last night Alex and Matt Baker were talking to diver Tom Daley and Matt had been asking him about how tough it was to get over losing his father who died last year. Tom explained how he had been helped by focusing on the positive things and the fun times he had with his dad to which Alex chipped in with:

"Well he's certainly going to be proud of you this summer." I do hope that was a comment as in "he will be looking down at what you are doing and will be with you in spirit" rather than the obvious faux pas.

Talent and Come and Try Evening

Well what about Chelsea winning the Champions League? It was just plain ridiculous how they somehow beat Barcelona and then Bayern Munich when they had no right to win either matches. So respect to their ability to dig in. They have won the Champions League but I don't think you could ever claim that they are the best team in Europe.

Yesterday went along to the auditions for this year's Hethersett's Got Talent show on June 22nd as part of the Open Weekend. This is just one of a vast number of major events in our wonderful village this year. The village hall will be packed for the talent show and it will be another super evening.

A plug here for our Come and Try evening on the Memorial Playing Field on May 30th. It's for all ages and it will be great to see as many people there as possible. The thing we really need, however, is good weather. Last year's event was ruined by cold winds and rain. So fingers crossed this time.

World Champion in Waiting

Song lyric of the day

Who cares where national borders lie?
Who cares whose laws you're governed by?
Who cares what name you call a town?
Who'll care when you're six feet beneath the ground?

- From Sunrise by The Divine Comedy

My song lyric of the day comes from a Neil Hannon song which is about his growing up in Northern Ireland during the troubles. Hannon was born in Londonderry (Derry) and raised in Enniskillen. The song is one of hope and immediately after the verses above he concludes with a massive message of hope:

From the corner of my eye
A hint of blue in the black sky
A ray of hope, a beam of light
An end to thirty years of night
The church-bells ring, the children sing
What is this strange and beautiful thing
It’s the sunrise
Can you see the sunrise?
I can see the sunrise

This is quite a prophetic song in the light of what happened subsequently.

Random thought of the day - why when a footballer narrowly misses or makes a bad  miss does his manager/coach turn away from the field of play and clutch his head. Just watch the next time there is a bad miss and you will see this happen.

Today I'm off to take photographs at the  auditions for this year's Hethersett's Got Talent competition. I will let you know how I get on tomorrow.

Final thought on the sporting theme. This morning I watched Norwich boxer Sam Sexton get well and truly pummelled by Liverpool's David Price. Price looks like a heavyweight champion in waiting to me. He is 6ft 8in tall and lean and hits like a sledgehammer and seems to have all the punches from the jab through to the uppercut. I am off to Liverpool at the end of the week for a few days. It will be interesting to see what the local people think of his chances of eventually winning a world title. I would put them at very very good.

Sport, Sport all the way

song lyric of the day:

Said the apple to the orange:
"Oh I wanted you to come
Close to me and kiss me to the core
Then you might know me like no other orange
Has ever done before" - Al Stewart

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I often wonder how different my life would be if I didn't like sport. For a start I would have no involvement in the village Olympic Committee or the football club or the cricket club or the local sports association.

What I would have had today was more time on my hands because it was a non stop sport-fest all the way. So after digging a garden during the morning I felt like some rest and relaxation and so watched in order -

England move into a winning position against West Indies in the first test - cricket
Frankel win his tenth consecutive race at Newbury and become one of the greatest of all time - horse racing
West Ham beat Blackpool 2-1 to return to the Premier League - football
Hearts beat Hibs 5-1 in the Scottish Cup Final - football
Leinster beat Ulster in the Heineken Cup Final - rugby union

and all that was before in the evening I wrote this blog ahead of the Chelsea v Bayern Munich Champions League Final and the British Heavyweight Boxing Title fight between David Price and Norwich's Sam Sexton. Oh my head hurts must be time for more red wine and a coffee.

Handing Over Footage - The Debate

Oh I am just a student, sir, and only want to learn
But it's hard to read through the risin' smoke of the books that you like to burn
So I'd like to make a promise and I'd like to make a vow
That when I've got something to say, sir, I'm gonna say it now - Phil Ochs

One of those days when a song lyric came into my head and I couldn't lodge it. So there it is above and it seemed somehow appropriate for what I am going to talk about today - the decision yesterday not to order Media groups to release footage from the Dale Farm travellers' site eviction to the police. This is a complex and important judgement as far as freedom of the press goes. I have been on both sides of this situation - having worked both as a journalist and for the police over the past 30 years. In fact my 40 year working life has been split almost equally between journalism and public relations.

Obviously the Police must have access at times to footage if it helps them detect crimes or protect the public. But this cannot be a catch-all situation where the Police can apply willy nilly for any footage they fancy seeing.

Journalism at times can be a tough profession. A small minority of journos get the profession a bad name, one only has to think of the current controversy over phone hacking to understand that journalism can be tainted. The majority of journalists, however, are professional in what they do. As one reporter pointed out it takes a considerable effort at times to build up trust with a particular group of people. People such as the travellers at Dale Farm. A good journalist is not there to take sides but to put all sides of an argument or situation which allows the public to make up their own mind. This doesn't mean being in the pockets of any particular group but producing copy or broadcasts that are fair and balanced. I always saw my job (and still do) to be a chronicler of events.

Being fair and balanced would become impossible if those being interviewed thought the footage could later be handed over to the police on a whim. In the Dale Farm case it appears the police asked for over 100 hours of unshown footage on a whim, presumably because they thought it might be an interesting thing to have.

This is in no way justification for asking for cart blanch when it comes to film or tape footage. As the ruling stated there has to be a specific reason for the press being ordered to release footage and that is one of the major points here. Direction to hand over footage would have set a dangerous precedent that could lead to a loss of any trust built up by journalists in both this and future situations. This was not about the rights or wrongs of what happened at Dale Farm but about control and fairness. In my opinion it was the correct ruling and, of course, does not prevent future applications by the police on specific events when footage could help to solve crimes.

In my years working in a police press office, the relationship between the Police and the Media was pretty decent and was very much a two way street of co-operation and respect. I'm sure in general terms this ruling won't do anything to seriously harm this.

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So David Platt goes up to the bar in Coronation Street and orders "two beers."  He gets two bottles without the barman asking the obvious questions - "do you want bitter or lager, bottled or tapped, half pint or pint etc etc.

                                 

Euro 2012 - Squad is Too Safe

So Roy Hodgson has picked his squad for the European Championships. Hodgson always comes over as rather a dour man (I'm sure he isn't) and his squad reflects this.

It is difficult to see just where this team is going with a mixture of semi over the hill players and others who have scarcely set the world alight. My main worry is up front. Take out Wayne Rooney, as we have to do for the first couple of matches due to suspension, and the strikers we are left with are Jermain Defoe, Andy Carroll and Danny Welbeck. I can't see many opposing defenders having sleepless nights about facing any of them.

Defoe has been a bit part player in the England set-up for many years, Carroll has scarcely produced the goods since moving to Liverpool and the more I see of Welbeck the more I think he is a very ordinary player.

The whole squad seems to lack originality and there are few surprises. personally I would have included Peter Crouch and Grant Holt instead of Carroll and Welbeck. Crouch has never let England down and scored some fine goals and Holt deserves to be there on his contributions for Norwich this season. He would have been a surprise package and an unknown quantity. As Norwich fans have said repeatedly this season - who would you rather have playing for you Carroll or Holt and I think the answer is decidedly the latter.

Good to see Norwich's John Ruddy in the squad. He may be third choice goalkeeper but it's just reward for a fine season for the Canaries. I wasn't a Ruddy fan when he first came to the club. I thought his positional skill was poor but this season he has put in some fine performances. Good to see Robert Green back in contention as well. These two are from a long line of superb Norwich goalkeepers. Of course neither Green or Ruddy are likely to play in the Euros apart from injury or suspension to Joe Hart. Hart is head and shoulders above any other English goalkeeper at this time. Not only is he the best 'keeper by a country mile, he also has an infectious personality which is just what you want from the last line of defence.

Back at the grass roots level of football - we had another long but very productive Hethersett Athletic meeting last night. Tonight it's back to the village running club. I feel a little stiffness coming on for tomorrow.

Help Needed and Punting

Read in the local newspaper yesterday that they are thinking of introducing punting on the River Wensum in Norwich. What an excellent idea - although I'm not convinced it will be a viable business proposition. Norwich is a wonderfully historic city, full of interest and as picturesque as any in the country, but we are very much on the road to nowhere.

I don't mean that in a derogatory way as we are in many ways an undiscovered gem. The problem is Norwich is not on any through route (apart from the North Norfolk coast) so visitors have to make an effort to come here and don't just stop off as they pass through.

Punting in Cambridge is firmly established but is all linked up with Cambridge University, the colleges and the history of the town. In Norwich it will be quite different. However I can think of nothing nicer than an historical tour of the city via the river which winds its way round. I hope the venture is a success as it's a wonderful way of seeing the city. I guess only time will tell.

Spent more time this morning getting the Hethersett web site at www.hethersett.org.uk up to date. It really is becoming a full time occupation with so much going on in the village over the next five months. It is likely to be the busiest summer ever with Olympic flame visits, open weekends, jubilee fairs, numerous sporting and cultural events. It is a very good time to live in Hethersett.

I try to record and attend as many events as possible but will have to miss a number over the next couple of weeks. So it would be nice to find somebody interested in covering events to help keep the web site up to date. I see the website as a source of news about the village and also as an historical record for the future. In this Olympic and Diamond Jubilee year it is imperative that we maintain as good a record as possible to hand down to future generations.

So if anybody knows anybody who would like to help enhance and improve the web site further please let me know via e-mail at petersteward@lineone.net. Unfortunately the pay is lousy (actually there isn't any) but the satisfaction of having a good product is immense.

And still it rains.Went into Norwich today and it pelted down once again. When will the sun come out again? Last night's Hethersett and the Meltons Sports Association covered a huge amount of ground. Overall a good meeting but disappointing attendance with 11 people there. This year is absolutely chocked with events but when the dust settles on the Olympics and all the other events we are going to major on two things next year - I proving fitness through encouraging people to walk and cycle rather than use their cars and improving sports facilities in the village. The latter has been a bone of contention for some time. We are now a very large village with a population somewhere around 6,000. We are the envy of Norfolk for our success in the sports field and the current Norfolk sports village of the year, but our facilities are very poor indeed. So 2013 is the year we want to change that.It's going to be difficult. This morning I went to see Nicky Wardale who runs the Ducklings Playgroup in the village. Nicky is the second person from Hethersett to carry the Olympic torch on its route through the country in July.

Truly Talented

To slightly develop yesterday's blog. How good it was to see truly talented people on Young Musician of the Year. How good it was to see a genuine competition with people with sublime abilities winning. And how particularly good it was not to have all the trashy glitz of the X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and The Voice.

There were no long dramatic pauses when the winner was announced, no camera shot of all the contestants one by one, just an announcement of the result. Okay the Walton cello concerto played by the winner wasn't to my taste but at least here were 15 year olds with genuine talent and ability and not a load of fake wannabees taking part in a trashy second rate talent show.

Music and Football

I'm writing this blog whilst listening to the Young Musician of the Year Final on the television. They have just had a young 15 year old pianist playing Greig's Piano Concerto. I think being able to play that well at that age should be illegal!

It made me think about the gig I went to last night at Norwich Arts Centre. The contrast between the pianist and the first two bands was simply phenomenal. Firstly we had The Deers. "We are the Deers," they continually told us as if it would make us enjoy the noise they were making.

Actually they started off quite well. Their first song had some decent harmonies and seemed to garner inspiration from the Dave Crosby, Stephen Stills style of rock with West Coast American influences. Sadly it was downhill from that point as the remainder of their set turned into a mush of sound. The second band were even worse. Apparently they came from Wales and it's a shame they didn't stay there. I didn't even bother to make a note of their name. Of course the Deers informed us that this ragtag of a group were actually awesome. The only bit of that they got right was that a description of their performance certainly started with the letters aw - they were truly awful.

They had a white haired female singer (and I use the word singer loosely) who seemed to think there was something to be gained from almost shrieking into the microphone while the three guitarists and drummer made this horrendous crashing noise behind her. Every song sounded the same and you couldn't detect a single lyric. The problem is this type of band seem to think there is merit in all crashing down on guitars at the same time. You just wait for this to happen. There is no subtlety and basically pretty much no nothing.

Thankfully the main band Dry The River were very decent. They lean towards folk rock and are somewhere between Mumford and Sons and American band Fleet Foxes. To me they were very much like the latter which is certainly no bad thing. They brought some light and shade to the evening and some lovely textures. There were acoustic sections but also some crash, bang and wallop, but even the crash, bang and wallop seemed to have structure and even in the harshest passages melody shone through. I really enjoyed their set and would certainly pay to see them again.

I love rock music but to me it has to have some subtlety and I guess I do lean towards prog rock, folk rock and rock with classical music overtones.

I see a full interactive index of John Peel's record collection is now online and I must have a good look at it in the not too distant future.

Yesterday paid my first visit of the season to see Hethersett play cricket. We were well beaten by Swardeston B. With eight first team players out it was always going to be a struggle but it was still disappointing to lose by seven wickets.

Today was our last visit of the season to Carrow Road unless we go to an end of season testimonial game next week. Norwich were full value for our 2-0 win over Aston Villa and at the end the players did a thoroughly deserved lap of honour. It was rather low key compared to the last two seasons when there have been end of season celebrations and open top bus tours of Norwich. Nothing like that this season despite, as our player of the season Grant Holt pointed out, by coming 12th in the Premier League we have easily eclipsed the achievements of the past two seasons!!