I first started blogging using the nom-de-blog East Anglian Tory as my initial interests were reading and commenting on other political blogs. But then I widened my interest into reading the many other fascinating blogs out there on the world wide web. In comments people called me EAT which didn't have a great ring to it. Then someone called me East Anglian Troy.
I liked that name.
Meanwhile as I had started blogging on a variety of issues and as well as commenting on many other people's day-to-day life blogs, it seemed more appropriate to call myself first, East Anglian Troy, then later for more ease, just simply Troy. That also enabled the introduction of Mrs Troy and Troy Junior into the blog.
Many of the blogs I read in the early days have ceased although a few notable exceptions have kept going. As my retired life became ever busier though I found less time to write my own blog postings. My readership fell off until now I only have a small handful of (but much treasured) readers. Blogs are either on the up, or failing that, are on a downward spiral. This blog now falls firmly into the latter catagory. Accordingly I've decided to stop posting on this blog.
My other blog, written in my real personal name, which I started when I stood for election in the 2011 local district council elections has now been revamped with a view to blogging on items of "local, national and international interest". It will be primarily focused on political issues with an unashamedly right-of-centre outlook. I hope some of my readers from here will find it of interest. The posting I made there yesterday for example, comments on David Cameron's use of the veto at the EU summit and is written as an antidote to the hysterical negativeness of the BBC on that matter - although I suspect it will reach a much smaller audience!
The link is [SINCE DELETED]
I hope to see some of you over there going forward.
To those that don't follow me there - its been great knowing you and I'll do my best to still get round to your many interesting blogs. I'll most likely comment using my real name which will link to my ongoing blog.
So as this final posting - number 101 - comes to close, I'll sign off.
Sincerely yours, "Troy"
Monday 12 December 2011
Monday 17 October 2011
SWAP SHOP
This morning we had to take ten year old Troy Junior into the local hospital for an appointment in the Paediatric Department. We found some empty seats in the waiting area among the hoard of parents/babies/children and settled down, me reading my Daily Telegraph business section (as you do) and Troy Junior and his mother idly looking around. Troy Junior's eyes must have then caught sight of a notice pinned to a door and he asked "Why would parents want to change their babies?". The notice read "Parents wishing to change their babies should ask a member of staff". We explained that it wasn't actually the 'Swap Shop' that he imagined it to be.
Tuesday 6 September 2011
THE USUAL RUBBISH
Due to the inclement weather this morning I delayed my walk down to the village newsagents until after lunch. So now I've just returned with my "morning" paper - The Daily Telegraph.
I was delighted to read a small article at the bottom of the front page headed "Vacancy to fill : usual equality rubbish applies". It turns out that an advertisement on a NHS website was published with "the usual rubbish about equal opportunities" on the end.
Apparently this was then spotted by a prospective applicant and the advert was swiftly changed to read "we are committed to promoting equality and diversity". I do wonder whether if these words were omitted people would assume that part of the NHS was not committed to equality and diversity.
A couple of years ago I had to draft up an advertisement for a new school Headteacher. These equality wordings plus many more about commitments to child safeguarding had to be incorporated at the end of the advertisement. The advertisement then went into the Times Educational Supplement along with many, many other adverts, in total filling about 300 pages! I suspect without the additional words we would have saved over £100 of the advertising costs and just think how many other schools could have done likewise. All that it actually achieves is to transfer money from schools to Murdoch.
What annoys me most is the meaninglessness of these phrases. The "usual rubbish" sums it up well. Do people seriously think state schools aren't committed to equality and diversity unless it is clearly stated? Do they seriously think that state schools aren't likewise committed to child safeguarding? I mean ITS THE LAW F.F.S.! Do we really need to spend money telling people we are committed to upholding the laws of the land?
It really should go without saying. I didn't need to put at the end of the advert that the school was committed to putting all its staff on the Pay As You Earn tax system. Or that we were committed to providing toilet facilities to staff. Or that we were committed to providing public liability insurance. I could go on and on.
No doubt someone will be fired for writing "the usual rubbish about equal opportunities" on that draft advert. Meanwhile nurses neglecting elderly patients who die from lack of food and water will go unpunished. Surgeons who leave their surgical instruments inside patients will be merely reprimanded. And no doubt an Equality and Diversity Manager being paid well in excess of a nurse's salary will be employed by that NHS Trust.
Here's a link to the article on the Telegraph website.
And I was so eager to blog about it that I've only just seen that there is also an editorial comment about it on page 21 and here on their website
Also it appearshere on the Daily Mail's website
I was delighted to read a small article at the bottom of the front page headed "Vacancy to fill : usual equality rubbish applies". It turns out that an advertisement on a NHS website was published with "the usual rubbish about equal opportunities" on the end.
Apparently this was then spotted by a prospective applicant and the advert was swiftly changed to read "we are committed to promoting equality and diversity". I do wonder whether if these words were omitted people would assume that part of the NHS was not committed to equality and diversity.
A couple of years ago I had to draft up an advertisement for a new school Headteacher. These equality wordings plus many more about commitments to child safeguarding had to be incorporated at the end of the advertisement. The advertisement then went into the Times Educational Supplement along with many, many other adverts, in total filling about 300 pages! I suspect without the additional words we would have saved over £100 of the advertising costs and just think how many other schools could have done likewise. All that it actually achieves is to transfer money from schools to Murdoch.
What annoys me most is the meaninglessness of these phrases. The "usual rubbish" sums it up well. Do people seriously think state schools aren't committed to equality and diversity unless it is clearly stated? Do they seriously think that state schools aren't likewise committed to child safeguarding? I mean ITS THE LAW F.F.S.! Do we really need to spend money telling people we are committed to upholding the laws of the land?
It really should go without saying. I didn't need to put at the end of the advert that the school was committed to putting all its staff on the Pay As You Earn tax system. Or that we were committed to providing toilet facilities to staff. Or that we were committed to providing public liability insurance. I could go on and on.
No doubt someone will be fired for writing "the usual rubbish about equal opportunities" on that draft advert. Meanwhile nurses neglecting elderly patients who die from lack of food and water will go unpunished. Surgeons who leave their surgical instruments inside patients will be merely reprimanded. And no doubt an Equality and Diversity Manager being paid well in excess of a nurse's salary will be employed by that NHS Trust.
Here's a link to the article on the Telegraph website.
And I was so eager to blog about it that I've only just seen that there is also an editorial comment about it on page 21 and here on their website
Also it appearshere on the Daily Mail's website
Thursday 4 August 2011
NO LONGER TO BE A CLIFFHANGER
Although the Suffolk coast is only a short distance away we do also enjoy trips a little further afield to the Essex coastline. In less than an hour we can be at Harwich, Walton, Frinton, Clacton or Brightlingsea. An interesting feature at Walton is "The Naze". In fact the full name of the town is Walton On The Naze. The Naze extends northwards from the town into the North Sea and provides lovely panoramas towards Harwich, the Walton backwaters and across to the container port of Felixstowe. The ground slowly tapers away from high cliffs at the southern end to sea-level at the north. The cliffs are clay and are being gradually eroded by the sea.
The most noticeable feature on the Naze is man-made. The Naze Tower was built in 1720 as a lighthouse. It was used during WW2 for early radar experiments. It fell into disuse but was then bought and restored by a very enterprising young lady and is now a tourist attraction, art gallery, tearoom and viewpoint. The only problem was that the cliff erosion was bringing the North Sea ever closer. The cliff-edge, that in days gone by was a considerable distance from the tower, is now getting ominously close. Here it is:
It would seem only a matter of time - a few years - before the tower would be lost forever. However a fund raising programme was put together and granite boulders, forming a walkway and viewing platform, have now been placed at the foot of the cliff to prevent further erosion.
and
The granite boulders, each weighing about 4 tonnes, were shipped by barge from Norway and dropped into the sea at high tide. At the moment it looks quite messy between the cliffs and the walkway but the cliffs will gradually collapse just a little further from the vertical at the top to provide a more gentle slope which will grass over and look more attractive.
A lot has been happening since my last post back in May. My father and I had a very enjoyable week in Lanzarote in June with excellent weather - hot, sunny and clear blue skys throughout. We had a fascinating trip out on a submarine - one of only 15 commercial submarines in the world. Highly recommended.
We took Troy Junior to Silverstone to see the Silverstone Classics which included a parade celebrating the 50th birthday of the jaguar E-type (XKE)
That is just a snapshot. They were hoping to get close to 1,000 E-types into the parade to set a new world record. I haven't heard the final results yet.
Sorry I've been such a poor blogger recently. Today is the first day in ages (wet and cloudy) when I've had time to post. Hopefully it won't be as long a gap until the next time.
The most noticeable feature on the Naze is man-made. The Naze Tower was built in 1720 as a lighthouse. It was used during WW2 for early radar experiments. It fell into disuse but was then bought and restored by a very enterprising young lady and is now a tourist attraction, art gallery, tearoom and viewpoint. The only problem was that the cliff erosion was bringing the North Sea ever closer. The cliff-edge, that in days gone by was a considerable distance from the tower, is now getting ominously close. Here it is:
It would seem only a matter of time - a few years - before the tower would be lost forever. However a fund raising programme was put together and granite boulders, forming a walkway and viewing platform, have now been placed at the foot of the cliff to prevent further erosion.
and
The granite boulders, each weighing about 4 tonnes, were shipped by barge from Norway and dropped into the sea at high tide. At the moment it looks quite messy between the cliffs and the walkway but the cliffs will gradually collapse just a little further from the vertical at the top to provide a more gentle slope which will grass over and look more attractive.
A lot has been happening since my last post back in May. My father and I had a very enjoyable week in Lanzarote in June with excellent weather - hot, sunny and clear blue skys throughout. We had a fascinating trip out on a submarine - one of only 15 commercial submarines in the world. Highly recommended.
We took Troy Junior to Silverstone to see the Silverstone Classics which included a parade celebrating the 50th birthday of the jaguar E-type (XKE)
That is just a snapshot. They were hoping to get close to 1,000 E-types into the parade to set a new world record. I haven't heard the final results yet.
Sorry I've been such a poor blogger recently. Today is the first day in ages (wet and cloudy) when I've had time to post. Hopefully it won't be as long a gap until the next time.
Thursday 26 May 2011
WHAT BUSY DAYS!
For those of you (the Politics Yawn Brigade)that didn't follow my separate election blog, I'm pleased to rather belatedly tell you that I won my local district council election. So now I'm officially Councillor Troy although an old friend has advised "I hope you don’t use that ridiculous affectation in real life!" Mrs Troy, in contrast, seems to quite like the concept of being the councillor's wife and has gone out on a clothes shopping spree in anticipation of being invited to future events.
With a council chamber dress code* of "jacket/suit and tie", Troy has also had to delve into his wardrobe to find garments much under-utilised since he stopped working back in 2007. And I'm proud to announce that they all still fit perfectly. With the suits having been hand-tailored in Hong Kong and each with an additional pair of trousers (obviously not worn at the same time!), its nice to be making use again of that previous investment. Fastening the top button of the shirts and adding a tie is actually taking some getting re-used to. However it does feel nice to be smartly dressed for a change and Mrs Troy welcomed seeing her husband in something other than the usual casual gear.
The reason I just got round to blogging now is that I've been SO BUSY! There is a tremendous amount of training and induction involved for new councillors. Unlike with both the school governor's role and being a parish councillor, this training is all upfront rather than spread over the first year. So my calendar has been pretty full and I've had to co-ordinate a lot more with Mrs Troy as a lot of it spreads over into the evenings. In fact some weeks, with all my various activities, I'm now out on three or four evenings! I felt pleased to get involved on the Planning Committee as those meetings start at 9.30am so I could go to those whilst Mrs Troy is at work. Of course this rather forgot the several meetings in school holidays which will present its own child-minding issues.
There are a handful of new councillors - "Newbies" we call ourselves - and by and large they are a very friendly and social bunch of people as most of us are in the same party. Some of the more experienced councillors, in contrast, have been there for twenty or more years and have seen a lot of changes in that time. Overall its a good mix.
Virtually everyone who retires will tell you that they don't know how they ever found the time to work. I think that one paces oneself differently but it is amazing how the calendar fills up and the days race by. I certainly don't regret retiring early and having all these new experiences in my "older age". Talking about "older age" - I insured my car through Saga and subsequently got a offer from them to subscribe to their Saga magazine at £7.95 for three years (22p per issue!). Never one to resist a bargain, I now will find myself reading the Saga Magazine which makes me feel very old indeed!
(* at least for the Conservative councillors)
With a council chamber dress code* of "jacket/suit and tie", Troy has also had to delve into his wardrobe to find garments much under-utilised since he stopped working back in 2007. And I'm proud to announce that they all still fit perfectly. With the suits having been hand-tailored in Hong Kong and each with an additional pair of trousers (obviously not worn at the same time!), its nice to be making use again of that previous investment. Fastening the top button of the shirts and adding a tie is actually taking some getting re-used to. However it does feel nice to be smartly dressed for a change and Mrs Troy welcomed seeing her husband in something other than the usual casual gear.
The reason I just got round to blogging now is that I've been SO BUSY! There is a tremendous amount of training and induction involved for new councillors. Unlike with both the school governor's role and being a parish councillor, this training is all upfront rather than spread over the first year. So my calendar has been pretty full and I've had to co-ordinate a lot more with Mrs Troy as a lot of it spreads over into the evenings. In fact some weeks, with all my various activities, I'm now out on three or four evenings! I felt pleased to get involved on the Planning Committee as those meetings start at 9.30am so I could go to those whilst Mrs Troy is at work. Of course this rather forgot the several meetings in school holidays which will present its own child-minding issues.
There are a handful of new councillors - "Newbies" we call ourselves - and by and large they are a very friendly and social bunch of people as most of us are in the same party. Some of the more experienced councillors, in contrast, have been there for twenty or more years and have seen a lot of changes in that time. Overall its a good mix.
Virtually everyone who retires will tell you that they don't know how they ever found the time to work. I think that one paces oneself differently but it is amazing how the calendar fills up and the days race by. I certainly don't regret retiring early and having all these new experiences in my "older age". Talking about "older age" - I insured my car through Saga and subsequently got a offer from them to subscribe to their Saga magazine at £7.95 for three years (22p per issue!). Never one to resist a bargain, I now will find myself reading the Saga Magazine which makes me feel very old indeed!
(* at least for the Conservative councillors)
Saturday 30 April 2011
A VERY AMUSING COMPOSITION
A very amusing ditty appearing on Youtube, explaining the AV system and how it gives second votes to the extreme parties, has made me chuckle. I thought I'd share it with you. Worth a few minutes of your time before going out to vote on Thursday.
Brilliant eh?
VOTE NO TO AV on THURSDAY 5th MAY
Brilliant eh?
VOTE NO TO AV on THURSDAY 5th MAY
Sunday 10 April 2011
BLOG LETHARGY
Oh dear! Blogging mojo seems to have vanished this year. I'm not the only one as several people I follow seem to be suffering in a similar way - not sure why. Over the last few weeks I've been tagged twice which should provide blogging impetus - so watch this space and I will get round to it.
I was out in the garden earlier this morning and took this photo of our tulips
The daffodils seemed to come then go very quickly this year but I prefer the multi-coloured aspect of the tulips - they make a beautiful display with the sun shining through them.
I'm running in our local District Council elections in May. Readers who have been with this blog for a couple of years may remember my rookie campaign in the 2009 County Council elections. I finished a credible second then and hope to go one better this time. Actually finishing second this time would be okay as there are two seats in our election ward. There are eight (8!!!) candidates standing so there is plenty of opposition. Rather belatedly we found a second candidate to stand for the same party as me. That's useful because with each voter having two votes I was concerned that even my supporters could be helping the opposition with their second vote. Of course it is quite possible that this second candidate who is younger, female and more photogenic than Troy, may beat me!
If you'd like to follow my campaign I'm doing a separate blog about it. I'm putting in a link here [link since deleted] but will delete it after a few days. So do save it if you want to follow the progress of my campaign. If you comment there do remember to use my real name there rather than my nom de blog Troy.
I was out in the garden earlier this morning and took this photo of our tulips
The daffodils seemed to come then go very quickly this year but I prefer the multi-coloured aspect of the tulips - they make a beautiful display with the sun shining through them.
I'm running in our local District Council elections in May. Readers who have been with this blog for a couple of years may remember my rookie campaign in the 2009 County Council elections. I finished a credible second then and hope to go one better this time. Actually finishing second this time would be okay as there are two seats in our election ward. There are eight (8!!!) candidates standing so there is plenty of opposition. Rather belatedly we found a second candidate to stand for the same party as me. That's useful because with each voter having two votes I was concerned that even my supporters could be helping the opposition with their second vote. Of course it is quite possible that this second candidate who is younger, female and more photogenic than Troy, may beat me!
If you'd like to follow my campaign I'm doing a separate blog about it. I'm putting in a link here [link since deleted] but will delete it after a few days. So do save it if you want to follow the progress of my campaign. If you comment there do remember to use my real name there rather than my nom de blog Troy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
