I’ve got four tickets! Woah! Took me two hours on the phone. Cost me over £200. Had to have sitting, rather than standing. I don’t care. I’ve got tickets!

I know I’m probably years behind on this, but just found They Work For You, a site dedicated to exposing the work rate of MP’s in the UK.

So, before you vote on the 5th May, you might want to see what your bod has been up to.

Last night I went to a public consultation meeting on the down-grading of our local hospital from a consultant-led to midwife-led maternity unit. I haven’t got time to rant in the way I would really like to, but there was one thing that annoyed me beyond belief and I have to get it off my chest.

At the moment, the proposal to down-grade the service at our local hospital is in a consultation period. This means, if public reaction is strong enough, changes to the proposal should be made. It became clear last night that this is not going to happen. After being told by the consultant previously that the proposed change is the only way forward, this was said again, although with a little more “political spin” by the Head of the Local Health Board.

So, why are we wasting money with the consultation? Why say that people have the right to change what their public services are doing, if they don’t? Why not just impose changes? There are six meetings in the public consultation, on top of the work that has gone into producing documents and website information. It must have cost thousands of pounds. This is all well and good, if the consultation meant anything. However, as it obviously does not, why bother?

I’m so frustrated!!

.. available Tsunami Concert from the Millennium Stadium held last Saturday.

Particular thanks to the Badly Dubbed One, who was one of the team working on this.

Go here to vote for the 2005 bloggies. Nominations for three people on my daily reading list. Have a warm feeling by association, or perhaps the heating has come on.

Seriously, vote Troubled Diva, vote Greenfairy and vote My Boyfriend is a Twat.

At least they are all in different categories - otherwise the knives would be out!

.. on the most depressing day of the year to start worrying about reports on the links between suicide and intelligence (thanks Dunk) or even the Romeo and Juliet style suicide of an old man (thanks to My Dear Friend).

Instead, today, I have decided to invite friends to a party in May, work out the telephone number to book tickets for U2 at the Millennium Stadium in June (lets be fair, Glastonbury just ain’t going to happen this year for this old hippy) and get some of the backlog of public affairs work out of my in-tray. I feel remarkably at ease with the world!

As part of the invitation I wrote to the Other Half’s graduation party in May, I’ve asked our friends to come up with a theme. We’re quite an ambitious lot down in the Gene Puddle - if not a little predictable. We’ve done the ’80’s, School Disco, James Bond, Grass Skirts and Hawaiian Shirts, Halloween, all the usual stuff. However, as this is a big night, I wanted something unusual. That, and if I don’t come up with something else, the Other Half wants to come as a pirate a la Captain Hook!

Anywho, in the space of a few hours, we’ve had a couple of suggestions (I’m particularly liking both the superheros (but one’s you make up yourself, not out of comic books - which should lead to a little less lycra and tights on the boys *shudder*) and the album covers (with William as the baby off the Nirvana album..)). However, I’ve given people until the end of the month.

As an extension (and because I’m crap at coming up with ideas) does anyone have any suggestions? I’ve been told in no uncertain terms, no vicars and tarts (damn!).

Whilst not wishing to comment on the Jodi Jones murder case directly, on reading this “profile of the killer” on the BBC News website, I wondered how many people, in younger days hadn’t;
watched horror movies, dressed differently, smoked cannabis, watched porn, had under-age sex, liked alternative music, etc, etc. Most of the things described in the case against the young man in question, I had done.

I’m not saying he’s not guilty - I am sure there was more evidence than this. I do, however, have a nasty feeling that many middle class parents will be going home to their teenagers tonight and tearing down Marilyn Manson posters and making them listen to main stream pop. Because, obviously, it was the goth influences that made him kill his girlfriend.

Since the New Year I have sent five sympathy cards. One card to each of my parents’ respective families and three to friends who had lost either a grand-mother, mother or sister.

My faith in any form of after-life or God has long since been extinguished. I can’t see that there is some great plan put in place by a being sat on a cloud being merciful. I don’t understand, after watching someone I was once very close to bury her mother today, how a guy in a dress can stand on a raised platform and tell a group of assembled friends and family that there is a meaning to it all. A reason why her husband, children, grand-children, family and friends should be deprived of her warmth and love.

It’s kind of a sad day in the Gene Puddle today.

I’m doing this because people keep asking me. Updated snaps of William over at the gallery.

The boy himself is doing well. He is still developmentally a little behind, but that is to be expected due to his prematurity. He’s weighing in at a hefty 18lb 6oz, which is just about where he should be, so no worries there.

Since going back to work, he spends his day with an excellent child-minder, her dog Rolo and some other children, who come in and out, depending on their school/nursery/play-group commitments. He’s extremely happy - and so are we.

As ever, thanks for all your good wishes and interest.