Midlands Easter

I am home after almost two weeks away for the second time this year although despite an excellent visit which I enjoyed very much it has ended in a most unsatisfactory manner as I have a streaming cold brought on from moving from back and forth from hot to cold, and which together with losing a remote for the garage door and then find I had bought the wrong black ink cartridges what started as a good day end somewhat disastrously.

So I shall try and look back remembering the positive experiences commencing with an early morning train journey from Newcastle to Newark North gate. I decided to pay the £3.20 Metro fee rather than wait until 9.30 and risk the rush to the platform for the 10,25. It proved he right decision because the train arrived on the platform around 9.30 and was ready for boarding just after 10am. I enjoyed a small Americano coffee as I had dome a couple of hours later the previous Thursday and assisted a young woman who was being seen off by her aunt and wanted to know which end of compartment E was her seat. I speculated if this yet to be another journey where I would have interesting encounters as occurred on my visit to Croydon the previous weekend.

I had been allocated an aisle sweat at a table at the opposite end of the compartment and was free only until Durham when I was joined opposite by two men, one a teacher, I suspect going to London for a union conference The fourth seat was taken up at Darlington but by then I earmarked on of two free seats on the other side of the carriage and with the second seat free throughout the journey. I took care to keep all my luggage close to hand and at Newark Northgate remembered to take the lift up to the cross track bridge and then the second lift down to exist where I was being met. There was an excellent lunch where I opted for a stew with unlimited vegetables and a glass of Pepsi before heading to Travel Lodge where I was allocated a familiar room with a flat screen television and remote only to find that I had left the connect cable at home. I also forgotten to bring an extension cable to checking that there was time to take the bus into Mansfield centre and go in search.

The bus stop was only a short walk in the cold air from the Travel Lodge and with a selection of four buses taking the five to ten minute direct route to the bus station by the Four Seasons shopping centre which I had visited once before when I thought I lost a mobile phone, only to find it had slipped under the carpet of he back seat of my car over six months later. A walk around the main shops and then in the revealed no where likely to provide the items but having seen what appeared to be a second centre the other side of the bus station I made my way to find a large Argos store opened until late on the Thursday evening.

The connect cable was expensive given that I had two already at home rather like the SCART leads where I seem to have several and where a different kind of cable now connects the Blue ray DVD Played and Sky box to the TV for 3 D and HD films. However the extension cable for the Sleep Apnoea machine was on discount and both will now be kept in case to ensure they are available for future trips. The next planned in May is also to Croydon and London for the cricket at the Oval when Durham play Surrey.

Returning to the bus station I noted that its days are numbered as on the 1^st of April the new station located close to the railway station, and some three minutes away is to open. The existing station appeared more than adequate to me although the waiting area is covered it also open to the weather on one side whereas the new centre has a fully enclosed waiting area space as I was driven past at one point.

For the evening I eat the three small rolls I had baked early filled with pate and a few pimento olives. There was a few dried digs and pieces of liquorice to finish and I also had a mushroom cuppa soup instead of coffee. I was ready for sleep early but was disturbed by the constant banging of a door which I subsequently discovered involved two teenagers with their parents in rooms either side of the corridor. After I remonstrated the noise ceased and I was able to have a good overall sleep.

The following morning I made my way back into Mansfield for a coffee and toast at Debenham’s after using the two £1 boots vouchers for responding to the Daily TV and radio survey exchange as part payment for two packs of the shop brand of digestion tablets.

The subsequent intention was to walk in Clumber or Rufford Park. It was colder than anticipated and the walking comprised a visit op the Roast Buffet restaurant where coffee was drank until the food was ready at midday. The road was satisfactory but the vegetable choice limited and the cost comparatively expensive but given the circumstances the meal was appreciated. Every two years one of the local dance studios puts on a show at the Palace Theatre In Mansfield and in the evening I made my third visit. The studios takes pre school children through dance examinations including the General certificate level school examination. This was only one of three similar studios performing at the Theatre over the Easter period. My information is that the studio premises is rectangular whereas the stage at the Palace Theatre is more square which does create some problems adjusting routine and coupled with the atrocious weather over the past weeks this has prevented many students from attending all the practice sessions and couple with attempting to included all the students in one or more performances I thought that overall the show failed to match the previous two although saying this the overall level of performance is remarkable given that the young people attend classes outside of the full range of school activities, other interests and their family lives. I particular enjoyed the grand finale which included several big band swing numbers including Sing Sing Sing made famous by the Benny Goodman band and Gene Krupa’s drum solos in particular,

Given that the school provides classes in traditional dance-the ballet, the modern which comes under the umbrella of Jazz and Street, plus tap dancing and theatrical where singing is added the cost of attending plus providing for the multi costume changing is significant especially if parents decide to send more than one of their children to the activity. It is not just the poor who are being accepted by the policies of the Coalition government in terms of welfare benefit reforms with the loss of the child allowance part of the family credit for those in the middle class together with the controls on public sector incomes and significant reduction in public sector jobs.

I introduce this aspect because yesterday on April the 1^st, traditionally April Fools day, marked the start of the bedroom tax where those living in public funded social housing had their income reduced for every bedroom of a certain size regarded as unoccupied and where there was also a reduction related to Council tax although generally the level has been maintained which means that although there has been a freeze on wages with a maximum 1% overall for the coming year with also pressure for authorities and agencies to hold back on incremental increases where pay scales are in operation, the outcome has been severe reductions in some services as well as reducing the managerial and supervisory levels which always is to the significant detrimental impact on quality.

I visited the Subway adjacent to the Travel Lodge for breakfast less and one morning the breakfast comprised half a chocolate Easter egg although I did have two rounds of toast with coffee on the motor way journey home which came around £4.50 more that the cost of a McDonald’s Chicken sandwich meal which included a coffee rather than soft drink enjoyed not once but on successive evenings at the branch across the way from the Travel Lodge.

There was an added bonus because the company has reintroduced its Monopoly Board give way with literally millions of prize. In addition to the buy six get one free coffee stickers the coffee and the French Fries have additional stickers added and these provided instant prizes which yielded two apple pies (99p) each and one fruit bad fresh grapes and apple slices and a breakfast porridge carton where I assume the normal cost is similar, In addition one collects monopoly prizes which includes weekend breaks, and more expensive holiday and 3D TV’s. However given the limited number of these prizes most people will have to settle for the freebies. In addition to those mentioned there is a third category of award made available to everyone who registers on line and then enters the code of individual properties. I have not completed this task but so far there has been a 20% discount for Raleigh cycles, a free swimming lesson, 20% of other purchases as yet unidentified as the voucher has to be printed out and a free printing of digital photos for the cost of postage although this appears too good to be so.

The highlight of Easter Sunday was a visiting in the city centre of Nottingham to watch the Nottingham Panthers Ice Skating team beat the Fife Flyers in the second leg of the quarter finals of the play offs competition at the cities FM arena. I have a vague recollection of being taken to an ice rink to watch while other relatives went on the ice and noting how cold it was and to gaining the impression that this was professional sport pone to fights and rough stuff and where decisions and results were often questionable.

Having said that when Sir John Hall attempted to establish the idea of general sporting club attached to Newcastle United with sponsorship of both the local Basketball and Ice Hockey team I know a former colleague switch his time and money from Sunderland AFC because the enjoyed the atmosphere and also the winnings. There is no longer a Newcastle Ice Hockey team. The team was originally based in Durham, the Durham Wasps and then appears in various guises and continued despite financial difficulties up until 2011-2012 season.

There is now no club in the north east with Hull and Sheffield from Yorkshire, Belfast, Northern Ireland, four from Scotland and one from Wales and another the Midlands Coventry. There arr teams playing at Ice Rink include the Whitley Bay Warriors and also matches between Universities There are teams Notting playing at all levels with the National Ice Skating centre built next to the FM arena.

I enjoyed the game in which the Panthers showed the great individual skills and team play although for long periods they were held by the opposition who came tot eh second leg 4 goals to 2 in the lead but the Panther went to the semi finals and possibly the final next weekend winning 5.4 aggregate. I noted that the given the small size of goalmouth and heavily protected goalie it was difficult for anyone to score with a direct shot coming at the goalkeeper and that the hat appeared the only way to score is to create a situation where one players appeared to be bearing on the goalie to shoot but was able to accurately pass to another player able to immediately hit the small puck into the goal before the goalie had time to turn.

So I am back full of cold and I have spent the first day watching TV and sleeping with little inclination to write. Yesterday was little better and today Thursday I have attended to more which I hope to report before the week ends