Back for a new week

Man, we have a good time of it! Another jolly weekend with D in Edinburgh. Didn't get up to a great deal though it was worth the trip just to see Grandad Young's face when he was told he had flights to Stornoway for his birthday pressie. It will be their first time in an aeroplane. What fun! Good to see the Carrubbers folks as always and hope those on the weekend away had a great time.

Read quite a bit of reading over the past few days including Maurice Maeterlinck's The Intruder which I'd recommend if you are in the mood for a weird play (perhaps it is only me who ever feels in that sort of mood). Getting on with Leviathan which I'd recommend if you like reading about the whaling industry or the sexual prowess of the sperm whale. Actually it's lots of fun and beautifully written.

Last night we enjoyed an evening in with Indiana Jones. I hadn't seen the new one until last night. It was enjoyable rubbish.

So after a busy afternoon meeting students I got back to find the plumber at the door. Rather unbelievably the shower was plumbed in the wrong way up originally so it is no wonder we haven't managed to have a hot shower since we moved in! Fortunately we have a bath which is a bit of a luxury. Here's hoping we'll be able to get this sorted soon.

After our usual Skype evening with the Wardens (on Monday nights we all watch University Challenge together - I know it is a little bit sad though my colleague calls it "adorable" so we'll go with that, shall we?) I tuned in to a very fascinating programme I saw advertised - Tower Block of Commons. A very interesting show and an insightful look at some of the problems of British urban life. Catch it on ITVplayer if you can. Rather amazingly the Tory and Lib Dem MPs came out the best. Now as D and good ol' Councillor Rose will tell you, I am no Tory, but in this show it was the Labour MP and his wife who made themselves look like idiots while Iain Duncan Smith was described by his host as 'alright, not stuck up but a bit slick', Mark Oaten genuinely seemed affected by the whole situation and Tim Laughton's dancing was very humorous. By contrast, the Labour guy had to bring his wife (honestly!) and seemed intent on making jokes at every opportunity and ended the show by going to a friend's house for dinner. Since most of these horrendous urban estates were thrown up by Labour and continue to be run by ineffective Labour governments, it seemed a bit ironic to me. I like to think of myself as a bit of a trendy lefty. When we first met (and interestingly round the dinner table of the aforementioned councillor) D called me a 'Champagne socialist' and I was extremely cross, refused to talk to him and called him 'opinionated'. Actually it is quite surprising we got married at all! But if Austin Mitchell is anything to go by Labour are really quite beyond the pale...and can I confirm that this does not mean I will be automatically voting Tory (just to clear that up). And so ends my contentious political rant. You can tune in to this again next week and I'd really recommend it.

Have a superb week folks.
CSW