Lo Smee gen. Stares at the photo. Sea the see move. Feels like just dropped a stitch. Aint work right nor unsad. Can’t get to grips at all. Samma said the God Light pop agen this morning in deeps of the Far Off Sway. She would know of it just before any one else felt the warm wave spreading across the Volks Haven, touching the peoples of the Mandrel Reaches. Shes a Boracles communicator wiv gifts and knowing. M says she can’t get a fix on the thing. Shame because R works with out a rest all yezdaze trize ta mek it works best and ready fuh landings. Some would be cure. The virtual thingy un lily pad dream things is all suspend and normal will be restore anydaze now.Little S is lovey. Dressup for go out in it all. Rain or no rain shes be goin. Sad boy come in yesdaze. Shell is boy worker and wonder helps un stuff. Shell be girl worker anall. Helping B who is so sad and loss like bereaves. Has childer time spoil by broken father who abooz her when kid. Hurts her sen and need fixup. Ah! But she is sooooo bootiful like angel when smiles. She bootiful when sad too un rech out fuh love. Is all around her now. We is soooo safe and all is good in the quiet. I tells you how I finds the quiet later. Don’t cry as you reads it cos I is happy now. So much here ta helps her when is workin. Ah! Says M power up. Minds Wide Open room is open for bizinesses and is a start fuh us when first comes. I wuz loss n founded here. When loss wuz in a south place in some other bod dream but loik real un dread. Forgot what sunshoin on me felt loik. Forgot what talking loik. Miss everybody loves and feel bust. Is a terrible tale but cloud un silver lions , or summat, med me gift never knew afore. Gev peace un understand boot folks un true loves in a dread spell
Woz feels abit depressed is lighter now.
I as just return from sea. I loves to looks out cross the waves and mek me happy. Always meks me memory of travel and spectations for us adventures coming. The fishing is poor. The avarice and lack of forward thinking of the trawler men is emptying the sea. Recently a government minister visited a fishing port and was horrified to find that two thirds of the average catch is lost and dumped. When the last fish is gone we won’t be able to eat money. Yes I am disappointed as a sea angler but that is not the big worry. While I would place the responsibility for this waste with the regulators and the government culture of pandering to big business, I accept that some of the fault lies with us. All too often we don’t look at the big picture in our drive to secure what we want for our selves. We don’t fight for what is decent and ethical as we once did and so the silent majority is increased and our rights and possibilities for a more equitable way of going forward is diminished. The day the over lords see our complete dissatisfaction with the process of electorate participation they will do all they can to exploit it. We might not be so slow to protest then but by then it might be too late.

A couple of days ago I was fishing in the mouth of an estuary that accommodates one of the biggest ports in Europe. Only a few years ago this was a good area for anglers. As the tide ran down from the large town, up river from the harbour, plastic bags were caught up in our lines. Judging by the junk floating by and out to sea, the few plastic bags I caught were just the tip of the refuse iceberg. I use the term because in the strong ebb tide as it first began to turn, the junk was under water and invisible. I guess the people who threw it in the river would take the view that if you can’t see it and it doesn’t take £20 out of your wages on pay day then it’s o.k. I suggest to the culprits that one day it will cost us all a great deal so when ever I see them offend I will continue to tell them so. I guess it is possible for the reader to see me as a nutty old geezer lecturing transgressors for their own wellbeing. When I am even older perhaps that will be part of my mission when I am not touring with the EBB in residential care homes that have been taken over by the residents. Out Demons Out.

In spite of government assurances that they are spending more and more on our health and welfare we all know this is either a blatant lie or the money might as well be burnt to keep a few folks warm for while. The decline in public services is an epidemic which is eating at the very foundations of our culture of care. I know of at least one county in the south east that has removed all specialist social services. If I was living in another nearby county and became deaf I would be eventually referred to a consultant after a long process involving myself or some one prepared to help me, when seven workers would be involved in the decision making. The consultant would facilitate a hearing test and, for the sake of argument, I would be assessed as needing two digital hearing aids. Wow stereo! I am already completely freaked about losing my hearing and I can only just hear my two hundred watt Marshall guitar amplifiers so this seems a positive conclusion. But I then wait two years for the appointment to have my hearing aids and when I am summoned to the hospital I find I will get one hearing aid, worse I will have to wait another two years for the other one. For some a digital hearing aid is very difficult technology to get to grips with so imagine what the mono experience of one unit would be like. Would I be able to choose a left or a right one? There are even worse scenarios. Why are we so silent? Will we wait until we are, our selves, in dire need before we protest about a system that obviously does not care? Basically if some one needs meals on wheel and a few minutes time from a carer each day that is o.k. That fits neatly into what the government will pay for. This is because the government believes people will be happier staying in their own homes than being in a care home. How ever the implementation of policy suggests it is all about cost cutting. There is not much point being in your own home if no one cares. What else is the wealth of a nation good for if it is not used to help the vulnerable and needy. It will become increasingly difficult to get help for your self or a family member, unless that person is a child in which I guess no one of us should object. It might even be worse than we think. I believe that in the event of a major national disaster public services would grind to a halt and crumble.

Some demented educationist was ranting on the radio the other day recommending shooting should be on the curriculum in schools. He suggested that along with boxing this would teach discipline and respect for guns. I know kids who would fill the gun class but bunk off most others. Bring back the old village stocks I say. Then we can chuck rotten stuff at the purveyors of such dangerous nonsense. We should have a few sets of stocks in Parliament square in Westminster, wheel out the sadly lacking from the House and let the people loose with bags of specially selected gunk for a small fee ( all contributions and proceeds to be declared and given to real and worthy causes). Kids would go free. Ah! I feel better already.

Sad to say it seems there is not much enthusiasm for the First Supper -Two Nights on the streets of London event. Perhaps I should have said Spring would be a good time ( snigger! )
I suppose a lot of you feel even older than me. Oh well! I know three or four people who will be there.

Just after writing the last blog which I suppose gave a few people, at least, a little insight as to the current state of my head, ( I like to share my better days as well as the night mares with you all ) the EBB had an offer to play a festival in the far, far north of Norway in August. I don’t usually talk about a gig that isn’t confirmed but this possibility is very exciting. You never know I might catch up with Tindu the Rain Man.

This morning I went to see my doctor. We spent a few minutes chatting about the state of the nation. She seemed to need to tell me about her stress and her dissatisfaction with the way red tape and paper exercises are threatening the real work with patients which is her “reason for being”, as she proudly described it. It didn’t cheer me up much and yet it was good to share common ground and to find a comrade.

So what is the good news? Well – SHAMELESS is back on TV and …

More good news -There is a trend in the London City Business community that is encouraging. Highly educated young people are asking their prospective employers for portfolios detailing the company links to other companies. In some instances successful candidates have turned down jobs with companies who are involved with other companies they deem unethical. Others have taken less money to work with companies they deem ethical. Hope for the future?

Thanks for all of your emails recently. I answer them as and when I can so don’t be disappointed if you don’t hear back straightaway. I will get back to you eventually. Steve and Art have been sorting out Steve’s recording space and setting up equipment in readiness for the pre production and recording of the new album that has the working title Ice on fire. We have got the whole place to ourselves for a week so that will give us the chance to get settled in to a routine. As you probably know by now Dave Cox is not with us any more. I wish him well.

I think that is all for now. Take care of each other. We are all we have and all we need.

Peace.

copyright e d g a r b r o u g h t o n 2008