Aims and Ambitions for 2016

I will finally convince Rachel Riley that she should divorce her husband and move in with me instead. 

I will support any movement campaigning for  a fairer, more democratic and more representative political system.

I will fight for our NHS. 

I will accept the fact that my hair isn't coming back anytime soon. I've got Alopecia and there is bugger all I can do about it. No point letting it get me down. 

I will not let myself get upset If Rachel Riley won't divorce her husband. She might consider a passionate affair instead. 

I must get back on the diet and go to the gym at least twice a week. 

I will tweet Piers Morgan and call him a c*unt at least twice a week.

I will write a best selling novel that'll be respected by intellectuals, given rave reviews by the critics and loved by the masses. I will then sit back and wait for the offers for the film rights to come flooding in. 

I must spend more time with my friends.  

I will whittle down my list of candidates for first against the wall when the revolution comes. (I'm looking at you Hopkins)

I love going to gigs. I will watch as much live music as I can. 

We might not like to admit it but we all judge people. I will try and judge people only by who they are and not what they are. 

I know it's unlikely but if Rachel Riley just isn't interested then all you single ladies, it's your lucky day - I'm open to offers. Form an orderly queue. 

I've enjoyed having a couple of months off work after being made redundant but now it's time to get a job. 

When I say form a orderly queue. 

Anyone?

Anyone at all? 

No, seriously....

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you had a good year. Mine was full of the usual ups and downs. 

I turned 40 this year and celebrated with a lovely holiday in Cornwall and a nice weekend with my family in Berkshire. Some people freak out at the thought of turning 40 but it didn't bother me. I had a great time. 

The other major event of the year for me was being made redundant. I had worked for the same firm for 13 years so I got a decent redundancy package. Starting again somewhere new after all these years is a bit scary at my age but I'm sure I'll be fine. I've enjoyed taking a break for a couple of months leading up to Christmas but it'll back to reality soon. I was unhappy at the old place so it's probably a blessing in disguise. 

Who knows what 2016 will bring. I couldn't care less about material possessions. Good health and happiness for my me, my friends and my family is all I want. 

Peace and love xx

Nerja part III

It's been another lovely day in Nerja. It was a bit windy earlier but the sun was beaming down and it's now a beautiful evening. It's my last day today. I fly home tomorrow afternoon. 

I've had a cracking week but I dread to think how much weight I've put on. Crash diet and back to they gym are my main priorities when I get home. 

We are just going to have a quick bite to eat and then my Dad is heading home whilst I find a somewhere showing the Rochdale v Bury match. 

Nerja part II

I always take the piss out of people who go on holiday, stay out in the sun to long and end up with sun burn. 

Guess what I've done today? Yep, I'm burnt to a crisp. My bald head looks like the top of a Vimto lolly. I should know better at my age. It's not safe and it's not clever but when it calms down I'm going turn a lovely shade of brown. 

Nerja

I'm writing this post sat outside a cafe in Nerja, Spain. The sun is in the sky and there is not a cloud to be seen. 

I'm having a lovely holiday. My Dad lives out here so I'm staying at his place for the week. 

Yesterday we went to the car museum in Malaga to see all the classic cars on display. If you ever find yourself in Malaga and have a spare afternoon I highly recommend it. 

As today is world book day I'm going to find a nice spot in the shade and finish reading my book. 

I'm only here until Saturday so I'm going to make the most of it before heading back home to the rain and the grey sky. 

Climate Change

It’s been another week of rain, wind, snow and floods. The British weather has always been a national obsession but it was usually on the level of conversational grumbling about the rain in summer. Now that we are having more frequent extreme weather events we have really got something to grumble about.

I’m no expert on climate change but it doesn’t take a genius to recognise the fact that the weather is changing in a dramatic way. I don’t know if climate change is caused by mankind or if this is just part of the planets natural cycle but I think the evidence suggests human activities are playing a roll in accelerating global warming. When I was a kid and people first started talking about climate change and global warming they said it could result in warmer but wetter summers, an increase in extreme weather events and prolonged colder winters. All these things are now occurring on a frequent basis. Is it a blip in the long-range trends or a permanent shift in weather patterns? Time will tell.

Recent studies claim the Jet Stream may have altered as a result of increased temperatures in the arctic. This could also have a dramatic long-term impact in relation to the traditional British and North American weather patterns. The BBC has reported on this today:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26023166

We have to face facts, manmade or not, climate change is now starting to impact our lives in a big way. We need to find ways of dealing with flooding and our Dutch friends can help with this. We need to be better prepared for more frequent heavy snow for longer periods of winter. We also need to work out how to cope with seasonal changes and how they impact farming and energy resources.

These are big challenges and we can’t kid ourselves that reducing our emissions will solve everything. It will help in the long run and is of vital importance but these extreme weather events will become the norm and we have to invest in the technology and the infrastructure so we don’t have the terrible scenes we have witnessed over the last few weeks on an annual basis.