The strange tale of the West London Orbital Railway debacle

Last week, the Mayor of London has announced that the West London Orbital Railway has moved a step closer to being built and an article in the Evening Standard detailed progress that has been made to date. This blog has been following this scheme since it was first proposed, The first mention in this blog was in 2017, although John Cox had been promoting a far more ambitious scheme for nearly a decade before the plans were announced in around 2017. 

Unlike Crossrail or HS2, the West London Orbital line already exists. I have even travelled down much of the route, when I took a special train from Mill Hill Broadway to Bristol a few years back. The line is not open to regular passenger trains and there are no stations. It is largely used for freight and stock movements, but is perfectly functional.  The financial benefits of the scheme are extremely sound, the railway exists and as much of the work is based around resignalling and track upgrades, it will add a huge improvement to existing freight timetables, as well as making public transport around the crowded North Circular corridor far more practical. 

When it was first announced, I had a tea with the then Barnet Council leader, Richard Cornelius, who was a champion of the scheme. He expressed a firm desire to work with Mayor Sadiq Khan, stating that this sort of thing should be above politics and should be a top priority for TFL once Crossrail was done. Sadly, TFL has become a football, with the Tory government seeking a good excuse to put the boot into Khan. A coalition of West London Boroughs of all manner of politucal persuasions have championed the scheme, pushing forward feasability studies etc. The case is proven, but Mayor Khan is still talking about 'developing a firm business case'. It seems that now they are talking about services starting in the early 2030's. This is ridiculous. Such schemes, where the infrastructure exists should be fast tracked. They are not sexy, super high speed lines. They are just simple suburban services, that make thousands of people's commute to work better. By removing car journeys, people using cars and buses will also benefit. 

In truth, the fact that it has taken six years to get to the point where a robust business case can be prepared, to open an existiong line to passengers, is crazy. It demonstrates what a complete debacle infrastructure planning is in the UK. What is even more crazy, is that the Mayor, having spent the last few years berating us owners of diesel cars, introducing a ULEZ to make it even more expensive, is planning for the line to use old fashioned diesel units. Whilst I understand that this is cheaper than an electric line, why not use hydrogen or battery technology? some of the line is electrified and making the whole line electric would mean that freight from the Midlands to the West Country could do away with diesel. A friend with a knowledge of such things has suggested that there are former Thameslink trains, which have been fitted with diesel back up generators that could open a service tomorrow, albiet without most of the stations being completed, but a service from Hendon or West Hampstead to Acton and Old Oak Common and Acton could be opened almost immediately, with stations added along the route as needed. There is a precedent for this. When the Thameslink service was first opened in 1988, it was a rather ramshackle service, with far less trains and lower speeds through London than we see today. The final upgrades to make it the service we see today were completed 30 years later.  In the meantime, I used it on a nearly daily basis for work. It isn't perfect but transport in London never is and even one or two trains an hour travelling at 30mph max over clapped out old routes, would make a huge difference to many people who need to commute.

Why I started Mill Hill Music Complex

Did you know that I'm a thick, lazy, good for nothing, who will never amount to anything? I was told this by the man responsible for my education between 1973 and 1978, Mr Nick Kelly, Headmaster of Finchley Catholic High School. My careers advice suggested I might try some form of engineering such as a motor apprenticeship or perhaps driving a train. I say a prayer of thanks to the good Lord that I didn't screw anyones brakes up, burn their house down or crash the train they were on. I never for one second considered any of the options they suggested seriously. From the second I saw the Ramones on the 6th June 1977, aged 14, at The Roundhouse, I knew I wanted to be a punk rock musician. Until a millionth of a second before they took to the stage, I had no idea what I wanted to do. As I believed my Headmaster, I assumed that I'd never get any job that required a modicum of intelligence and anything that didn't seemed far too dull to bother with.  When The band took to the stage and Dee Dee shouted 1-2-3-4 and the first number started, I realised that to be a rock and roller, you did not to be a virtuoso. You simply needed a workable level of skill and good glazing of attitude. I acquired the attitude long before I got even a basic level of competence on my chosen instrument, the guitar. But I learned that attitude got you everywhere. 

When myself and Pete Conway started The False Dots, we had three main obsticles. The first was that we didn't have any instruments or sound gear and even worse, lacked the cash to buy them, being at school. The second was that even if we had them, we couldn't play a note and thirdly, we had nowhere to practice. So we set about making a plan. Myself and Pete were brilliant planners. We were far better at making plans than executing them. But the plan was to beg steal or borrow a guitar, a bass and an amp so we could start learning the instruments. I managed to persuade my sister to lend me her Columbus Electric guitar. It was a very pretty guitar, but a pig to play and did not stay in tune. Pete scraped up money to get a bass and I bought a FAL 50 Watt amp, that we could both play through. We started madly writing songs (that we could barely play). We had no concept of music theory or how to structure songs, so not only were they played badly, but they were rubbish. But a true punk never lets that stand in their way. In the 1970's, we didn't have mobile phones and nothing was on telly, so we had nothing much to do. We slowly improved. We got a drummer, a Mr David Edwards from Finchley. Dave didn't have a kit, so he banged a biscuit tin and a tambourine. Fortunately, no recordings exist of this awful racket. 

After about a month of this, my parents were going mad. My Dad was very supportive, but it was driving him mad. He'd recently acquired the freehold of Bunns Lane Works Industrial Estate and there was a derelict caretakers cottage. He said we could rehearse there if we gave hime £2 a week. We immediately started working on how we could turn it into a 'proper studio'. We approached a couple of other bands, did a deal where we all had a day of the week to rehearse and they gave me a £1 a week towards the rent and electricity. We pooled our gear and "The Cottage" was formed as a musicans collective. Other bands started to use the facilities and also paid, so I ended up making a tidy profit. IN a short period of time, the other bands split and we bought their gear off them. Although the name Mill Hill Music Complex was not used until 2001, the studios started in 1979.

The reason they came into existence was because there was nowhere for young musicians to play in Mill Hill, so young musicians sorted the situation out. It was not and never will be the aim of the studios to become a multi national company, although I do believe that our formula is the best. We exist because people love music and music can only exist whilst there are places for people to make music. It all starts with places like Mill Hill Music Complex. 

As I am now 60, my thoughts turn to the future. A business such as ours only exists because of the passion of people to make it happen. Without that passion, it is nothing. 

A moment of enlightenment I'd like to share with you

 I had a moment of enlightenment yesterday. I've had a few things on my mind of late, as regular readers will know. I've also had a rotten cold, on and off, for the best part of a month. In truth, I was feeling pretty low at the start of last week. As the cold has lifted, I've started to feel a little bit more positive. I have however been feeling rather reflective. Yesterday, I was meditating on life, having a quiet moment. I was thinking about a whole range of rather thought provoking matters and I got to thinking about the nature of evil. It may sound strange, but it really isn't something I've given a lot of thought to. I believe that most people are fundamentally good, but a few are fundamentally evil. I've met a couple of people who I would put into that category. What makes them evil? It is not a religious thing, some have been outwardly very 'religious', in fact being religious is a very useful skin for evil people to wear, to disguise their true nature. The single characteristic that all of these people share is that they bring misery wherever they go and destroy lives. Some of them can actually seem to be great to be around, but it is like the sweet aroma that the venus fly trap emits to tempt in flies to trap and devour. Such people destroy people with relish.

But it lead me to contemplate how they devour the happiness in people. I've met more than a few people who seem to walk around in a cloud of misery and unhappiness. What I have observed is that such people seem to have had the ability to see the good things in their life stripped from them. At some point something in their life has happened that has affected them so negatively that they cannot get beyond it. So often, when friends and colleagues who seem enveloped in such a cloud of misery have opened up to me, it seems that the reason is because they've been exposed to an evil individual who has stolen their ability to see the good things in their life. They steal the ability to move on. 

It seems to me that evil people are not interested in anything other than causing misery. I will give you two very different examples. Lets start with Vladimir Putin. The man is the President of the largest country on Planet Earth. He controls the largest reserves of natural resources and a huge army. If Mr Putin was so minded, as an unchallenged dictator, with the huge natural reserves of Russia, he could make the people of Russia the wealthiest, best educated and happiest on the planet. He has huge wealth and if he chose to be a benign dictator and use his power and wealth for the benefit of his own people and the downtrodden of planet Earth, Russia could be a beacon of light. However, he has chosen a different route. A war of destruction against a neighbour. His own people are enveloped in misery. Every day dozens, if not hundreds of Russiana mothers wake to the news that their sons have died. What for? If Putin wins, the Russian people will be no richer or happier. All he has done is destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukranian people. Russia is not a poor country, so the whole thing is totally unnecessary. Does he care for the misery he has caused? Does he care for the mothers, who dreamed of seeimg Grandchildren who have had their future robbed? Sadly, using the sweet smell of patriotism and nationalism, he has enveloped a huge country in a shroud of misery. For Putin, it's not about having more personal comfort, as he already has a lifestyle that is beyond the imagination of most of us. It is purely about the joy of creation of unhappiness and should be seen as such.

Sadly, there are cases closer to home. A friend of mine lost a son to suicide. Like the Russian people, his son had fallen prey to an evil individual. This was not a dictator, just a rather sad, controlling Paedophile. When the son was seven, the individual who was the boyfriend of his aunt started to abuse him. He controlled the poor child by telling him that if he told anyone, the paedophile would kill his little brother and it would all be his fault. Sadly, none of this came to light until a couple of decades after. The poor lad simply could not move on. His relationships suffered and he spiralled into depression. I know a few people who enduredd such abuse. What I've noticed is that for many, they simply can't get past the abuse, decades later. The evil that has been inflicted on them has left a scar too deep. Whilst outwardly, they may be successful, have all the things anyone can want, inside they are scarred and reliving the pain, sometimes on a daily or hourly basis from decades ago. Some turn to drugs and alcohol, some take even more desperate measures. Some just see their days out with a deep unhappiness. For many, not only do they have a PTSD, but they feel shame and guilt. Often when they learn that the perpetrator spent their life doing such things (they invariably do) to other people, they also feel guilt. 

I sat contemplating the horror of all of this. I said I had a moment of enlightenment. I feel a sense of despair that such people walk among us and their victims suffer on a daily basis. What can we do? Often  we will never even know why a friend never really seems happy. Sometimes they will tell us and we'll feel impotent and helpless, as we realise that we can't heal the scars. But there is something we can do. We can refrain from judging people. When they are 'having a bad day', we can be there for them. Simply saying "Are you OK, can we have a coffee?" is all we need to do. Never think you can sort anyone elses problems out (unless you are a plumber and they have a blocked sink). But you can be there. You can always say "If ever you need someone to talk to I'm here". It won't fix the problem, but sometimes, it will help them get through the day. And in truth, we all live in the here and now, so if you can help someone now, that's all that really matters, isn't it?

How Rupert the Bear changed my world and the art of being a lousy parent

I'm a lousy parent. It is a wonder that any of my kids still speak to me. When they were young, they found me to be the most embarrassing parent ever. Whilst their mates parents had nice comfy BMW 7 Series motors, which shined immaculately, we had a beaten up old Ford Mondeo, where the red had faded to a rather salmon coloured pink. Whilst their Dad's would have nice sensible jobs like accountancy and sensible hobbies like golf, I ran a music studio and played guitar in a band. Worse still, I didn't play in some nice respectable band, I played guitar in a punk rock band that wrote naughty lyrics and didn't sound anything like Steps or S-Club 7. When their friends came to the house, they might hear songs with naughty words in played at volumes they'd never experienced. When Manchester City were on TV, family life stopped. When they needed help with homework, I'd say "If I do it you won't learn anything and I don't care if you come bottom of your class, I always did" 

My wife has a burdensome life. I made it 100% clear that I abhor washing up, housework, hoovering and washing. I used to pay someone to do all of this. I made it 100% clear that I wouldn't change. This is not a sexist thing. It has nothing to do with misogyny. I'm just lazy and hate it and if I was single I would be the same. I made her a promise that I'd everything I could to make her happy, treat her to lovely dinners at the best restaurants and cook her the best dinners at home, take her on the finest holidays, throw myself in front of a bullet for her. Just don't ask me to wash dishes or hoover up. I'm happy to pay for someone to do it. My kids, very correctly soon ascertained I was a slob and they do not like that fact at all.

When my wife informed me that she wanted kids, my response was "Ok, but you have to do all the work in raising them". Now this may sound rather selfish and it was. As a concession, I agreed to stop playing football for Hendon old boys on a Saturday, for a year whilst our first baby was little. Even a lazy git like me realises that parents need some rest and respite. I'd encourage her to go out with her mates and enjoy herself. I'd sit in with the baby and spin punk rock records. I didn't mind changing nappies and plonking bottles in the baby's gob on occasion. I quite like babies, especially when they are asleep. They are perfect companions. I suspect my kids can sleep through anything. 

Unfortunately, all of my kids take after their mum and are exceptionally bright. Within six months, my eldest was talking and demanding conversations. By the time she was two, she was cleverer than me. My wife plays in the BBC Elstree concert band. On a Monday, I'd be left with the kids when she went to rehearsals. My second daughter is 18 months younger. So I had a super inquisitive two year old and a cute baby. The challenge was to entertain them between 6.30pm when my wife left for rehearsals and get them in bed for 8pm, when the Monday nigh football started. As my wife was always in a rush on a Monday, she said "You feed her".

I struggled to work out how best to address this. One thing I really hate is the sort of slop that are widely accepted as "kids meals". So we developed a ritual. We'd plonk the baby in the buggy, walk down to M&S and choose three things each that would make up our dinner. It would not be fish fingers and beans. It would be smoked salmon, prawns, avocado etc, sun dried tomatoes. There may be a cake or bun in there, but neither I nor my daughter have a sweet tooth so, it was rare (this sounds very middle class and I am sure it is, but I see nothing wrong with enjoying nice grub if you possibly can).

We'd then lay out a rug on the floor, put Happy Trails by The Quicksilver Messenger Service on the record player, light a candle and tuck in. This still left about 30 minutes to spare. So I came up with a brilliant ruse to keep her quiet. I bought her a scrap book and we'd cut the Rupert The Bear cartoons, which were printed in black and white in, then she would colour them in. I still have the scrapbook. The first attempts were just like a chimpanzee might do, but over the course of a year or two, they became better, until they were perfectly coloured. When her sister became big enough, she got a scrapbook and we'd do the same with Garfield cartoons. The ritual was we'd return from the shops. They'd do the colouring, I'd get dinner ready, we'd sit on the floor, listen to the record, then they'd go off to bed, as the football began. In truth, it was one of the best times of my life. It was not some cunning plan to educate them. However, when they went to school, they were brilliant artists. My eldest daughter has a degree in fine art and the other did the painting at the top of the page. 

One thing they both developed, was a love of drawing. When I look at them now, I am proud of them. Not of me, any good things they do in life will have little to do with me, beyond having been raised with a roof over their heads and food on their plates. Strangely, these days they enjoy the music I play and appreciate that the money I didn't spend on a BMW meant we had some amazing holidays. They like the fact that our studio is a key part of the London music scene. They still nag me and moan about being a lazy git. 

A few months ago, I mentioned the fact to my eldest daughter that I was a lousy parent. What she said surprised me. She said "You used to be so embarrassing, but I realised that all of my friends used to love coming around our house, because we always have fun. If we made a mess or were noisy it wasn't a problem". And it made me realise that in fact, I am not quite as bad a parent as I thought. To me, the primary job of a parent is to keep your kids, clothed, fed, housed and happy. To my surprise and largely thanks to my wonderful wife, we somehow managed to do that. It's a bleeding miracle in truth.

Rog T Cancer Blog - The PSA test results are in and .....

 So today, I received the results of my latest PSA Test. The previous one in October 2022 had been 6.6 and seen a small decrease, so I was feeling fairly good about it all. That was until I had an MRI scan in mid March. The news wasn't what I hoped. It seemed that a small area had turned malignent. UCH, who are responsible for my care scheduled a PSA test and I received the numbers this morning. It was not what I was hoping for at all. It is now 10.3, an almost 50% increase on last October. It is clear now that things are starting to move in a direction that I am not particularly comfortable with. 

But, I have to be pleased that this has been detected at an early stage and hopefully, the treatment options will be ones that are not too disruptive, life changing or unpleasant. In life, we all have challenges, we all have crosses to bear and I genuinely believe that eevn in the most dire of situations, there are postives we can take out of them. When I was diagnosed in 2011, I made various lifestyle changes. I believe these have given me an enormous benefit. I have taken far better care of myself over the last 12 years. I also became aware of the need to manage my mental health and not get down. Writing this blog has been a big part of that. It has been good to meet people who tell me it has helped.

On a practical note, there are all manner of things which such things make you do. We sorted our wills out before I had treatment in 2016. I will also be sorting out a lasting power of attourney, in the event something bad happens. This is unlikely, but for anyone of 60 or above, it is a sensible step. No one is immortal and it is always sensible to have your affairs in order. My life is not in immediate danger, I am not being over dramatic, just doing what I always do when news is not how I want. I do a quick audit of everything and make sure that the house is in order. More sensible people than me do this as a matter of course anyway, I need a kick in the backside.

I always think of something my father said to me. He said "In life, we always have choices. Sometimes none of the options are pleasant, but when you choose the least unpleasant, thank the Lord that the most unpleasant isn't your only option". I'm going to have a rather unpleasant procedure (a prostate biopsy) and I'm going to most likely have an unpleasant medical follow up procedure (yet to be determined). Not great, but if I'd not had that PSA test in 2011, I'd have learned some time in 2017-18, when I started to observe symptoms. At that point, the cancer would have spread and my options would have been very limited. 

That is why I always urge every man over 50 to get checked. I wrote this song with the False Dots on the subject.

The False Dots · Dont be scared of a finger up your bum

---- About this feature
For those of you who are regular readers and have read the previous posts on Cancer, there's what this is all about. I write this blog because knowledge is power and if you know what you are dealing with, you have more weapons in the locker to fight it. It is a personal view, I'm not medically qualified. This is for the sole purpose of information for those who are interested.This is the latest installment in my occasional series about how I'm adjusting to living with a big C in my life.  For those of you who aren't, here's a quick summary. I'm 59 years old and in October 2011 I  had a prostate biopsy following two "slightly high" PSA tests - 2.8 & 4.1. The biopsy took ten tissue samples and one of these showed a "low grade cancer" which gave me a 3+3 on the Gleason scale. I was put on a program of active monitoring.  In early February, I got the results of the a PSA test - down to 3.5 and an MRI scan which found absolutely nothing, two more tests in 2012 were at 3.5 and 3.9, in 2013 my test was 4.0, Jan 2014 was 3.8, August 2014 was 4.0,  February 2015 it was  up to 5.5  and my latest in August 2015 was down again at 4.6. In October 2015 I had a transperinial Prostate biopsy, that revealed higher grade cancer and my Gleason score was raised to 3+4 (Small mass + more aggressive cancer). On 22nd Jan 2016 I had HIFU (Hi Intensity Focused Ultrasound) treatment at UCHL). My post procedure PSA in May was 4.0 which was down, followed by 3.7 in August, and 3.5 in October  which means that the direction is positive . However in January the follow up MRI revealed "something unusual which requires investigation" After a follow up biopsy, it appeared this was nothing to worry about. My two most recent PSA tests were Ok (3.7 and 4.6) and an MRI scan in March was very positive. A  PSA in October 2019 was 4.6, so stable and good news, the last in May 2020 was 5.45 a small rise, so worrying, however after a review against the most recent MRI, it was decided that this was fine. My two latest ones in February 2022 was 6.7 and October 2022 was 6.6 was stable. My MRI in March 2022 showed 'a change' so I am now awaiting a biopsy. I had a biobsy in late March which also showed a marked increase to 10.3.
 I've no symptoms apart from needing to wee quite regularly and sadly for a few people, if I'm gonna die soon, it won't be from Prostate cancer. Got the picture?

Do misogynist bullies have really small dicks?

 It's a rhetorical question. Please do not send me pictures, one way or the other to prove me right or wrong. Having said that, I've always been someone who sticks up for my friends, even if they are Facebook/Twitter friends. I hate bullies. Always have and always will. Recently, I've seen more and more examples of really nasty, toxic attacks on female friends on Twitter and Facebook. This is really widespread but I will stick to a couple of examples. When I first stood as a Lib Dem candidate in 2010, I came across Brent Lib Dem councillors Alison Hopkins. Alison is what I consider to have been, in many ways, a perfect Lib Dem local councillor. A local who got involved because she wanted to improve her area. What I particularly like about Alison is she is quite blunt and quite funny. What I particularly like about Alison is that she has no truck with racists and misogynists and takes no prisoners when engging with trolls. However, the abuse she seems to get is quite sickening. Have a look at some of what she has to out up with, if you are interested - twitter.com/Hopkins_Alison/with_replies

Another Twitter friend is Lorraine King, who happens to be black and is a writer for The Daily Mirror. Like Alison (who she exchanges much banter with), she is more than capable of sticking the boot into racists and misogynists, who clearly seem to have nothing better to do than spend their life posting idiotic comments with the sole point of upsetting her. Again have a look if you want to see what she puts up with  - twitter.com/lorrainemking/with_replies

As I follow them, on occasion their jousts pop up on my timeline. What I find really interesting is that when I've felt the need to stick my oar into the Trolls, to stick up for people I like, the twats never come back at me. It seems that whilst they are more than happy to bully women, they feel far more reticent picking fights with a bloke. This is a pattern anyone who has seen bullies in any walk of life will be familiar with. Bullies always pick fights with people who they think won't fight back.

I recall a situation in Edgware in the early 1980's, where Nazi skinheads decided to ttack young Jewish kids on a night out in Edgware. What they didn't take into account was that some of the Jewish kids had brothers who'd been in the Israeli army and Dads who had spent decades fighting fascists. The net result was that they got comprehesively duffed up. I saw all this first hand, after a night in the Beehive. We were getting a KFC when all hell broke loose. A bunch of thugs started to attack a group of young Jewish kids, when out of nowhere a group of rather fit and very handy men stormed in and comprehensively beat the hell out of the thugs. Although I am someone who abhors violence, I couldn't help but chuckle to see such Twattery thwarted. 

Sadly on Twitter and facebook, there is no such comprehensive and decisive victory. The twats simply move on to someone they percieve as weaker.  I've studied psychology as a hobby for decades. It is always good to understand what motivates peoples behaviour and why they do the things they do. When I was at school and in the workplace, I noted that bullies are invariably rather inadequate people, who are not thriving in life. They seek to take out their frustations on those that they think they can get away with, so it is usually smaller kids, females and outsiders. Sometimes they band together to form little gangs. There is a degree of mutual support and affirmation, but it is all rather sad in reality. 

Which brings us to on line misogynistic trolls. When they take on strong and confident women such as Alison and Lorriane, they invariably lose the argument. Some skulk off. Some start pretending that they are trained killers. Some simply start a new profile and it all starts again. But sadly, as they all seem to be a bit thick, the outcome is the same. They look stupid. 

Which brings us to why. Well when I am out with friends, at a party, having dinner, watching a band, having a romantic night in, etc, the last thing I want to do is start fights with strangers on Twitter. So the first thing we conclude is that they have nothing better to do. They are sitting in their bedroom, madly bashing their keyboards. Then there is the misogynism. Why are people misogynistic? I know of no one who has been successful at having happy relationships with females who are overtly misogynist. I know quite a few guys, who act like that for a period when they are young and then learn that it gets you nowhere, if you want a successful adult relationship. In short, they grow up. Many of the trolls Alison and Lorraine have to endure are clearly not teenagers. They are grown men. There is no evidence at all on their twitter feed or anywhere else of any joy in their life at all. 

Now I posted the rather offensive title of this blog to grab your attention. Why do blokes end up sitting, on their own,  in their bedroom, night after night, looking for women to insult online? Why do they feel so embittered that that's all they can think to do? I'm sure the suggestion I made in the headline is wrong, so please enlighten me. Is there a better reason?

Water privatisation has failed the UK - Our rivers are full of $h1t!

 

When the Conservatives privatised water back in the 1980's, the argument was that this was necessary to generate the investment needed to bring the quality of the network up to a suitable standard for the 21st century. Various governments, both Tory and Labour had cut investment and it was true that the UK's water system was in a dilapidated state. The argument was that private companies access to capital and innovation would lead to a rapid upgrade of our water supplies and sewage networks. 

Here we are, nearly 40 years later and the system is in a worse state than ever. In 2022 there were more than 300,000 sewage spills into UK rivers and coastal areas. The argument that the water companies use is that this happens when there is exceptionally heavy rainfall. It cannot possibly be argued that if it is happening 300,000 times a year, it is due to upredictable or unusually heavy rain. The way this is prevented is well known. It also happens to be expensive. The sewage runs off because there is a lack of storage capacity for it. As soon as there is any heavy rain, plants are inundated and the sluice gates are opened. To prevent this, water companies need to invest serious money in sewage storage systems, that can hold the sewage, until it can be treated. This is a huge amount of sewage to be temporarily stored and the investment needed is massive. Companies make far more money, simply pumping the sewage into the natural water environment. 

There are also many issues with home owners doing bodged work that direct sewage into waterways, to cut the cost of proper drainage being installed. The water companies are meant to police this, but again are failing.

In both cases, the remedy is simple. The answer is to properly regulate and fine companies that are failing to protect waterways and habitats. Privatisation has produced huge cash generating monoliths that do not serve the UK or its population and are failing to meet their mission on every measurable goal. I suspect that one of the reasons that these companies are not properly regulated is because they would no longer generate the cash for their shareholders if they were. Rather like private rail companies, when they are forced to do the job properly, they don't make the cash and hand back the keys.

The UK need to decide whether our interests are best served by lining the pockets of shareholders or by having a clean, safe natural environment. I know which one I would want.

The tweets of the week in the London Borough of Barnet - 9th April 2023

 I've had a wonderful week, I hope you have as well. Without further ado, lets see what the Tweeters of the Borough have been up to.

1. Back in 1944, my Dad was flying Wellington Bombers for the RAF and was shot down and taken prisoner in Romania. He was taken to the burial of his rear gunner at a cemetary for allied air crew, then given hospitality by the Romanian Air Force, before being returned to the POW camp. He said that the Romanian people were the warmest, most generous people he'd ever come across, especially given that he'd been bombing them when he was shot down. It seems that the tradition continues. Happy Easter to our local Romanian Community and everyone else. Easter is a time when we are reminded that we are all one people really

Feeling like you want to taste your favourite homemade food?Come to RCCT Romanian Hub on Thursdays for a taste of “home.”Freshly made, from pot to plate only in Little Romania/Burnt Oak🇷🇴🇬🇧Thank you Patiseria Romana for all the food you donate every week! https://t.co/Pt9449Llml pic.twitter.com/urE0Ex8DLU

— RCCT Romanian Hub (@RCCTOfficial) April 8, 2023

2. I think this is a wonderful picture

Atop the Cricklewood bus

Reading radical literature never looked so good#suffragette pic.twitter.com/DwzlO9DnPQ

— Enlightened Despot 🦅👽🇨🇦🇩🇰🇸🇪 (@caulaincourt27) April 3, 2023

3. I rather like this. I used to have a Camper Van, but the Missus made me hack it in for a more sensible family car. This is a wonderful advert

With the Easter holidays almost upon us, how many people will be venturing out into the countryside in a VW camper? Back in the 1970s, Colindale was the place to come to if you wanted to buy one of these iconic vehicles....

Images from ebay. pic.twitter.com/BfubIfkvLP

— NW London TimeMachine (@time_nw) April 4, 2023

4. Reel Streets is a wonderful account, I highly recommend it to you. This is just one example of their work

There's an 'Emergency' that could involve Garard Green as he waits outside Colindale Hospital on Colindale Avenue NW9. pic.twitter.com/jH6Boacqg4

— ReelStreets (@ReelStreets) April 4, 2023

5. I also rather like Robin Morel's account, he's our local network rail track supremo, he's chronicling the rise of Brent Cross West station. I nearly did an April Fool on that. I was going to state that as Brent Cross Shopping centre was closing, it was being renamed Cricklewood North, which I actually think is a much better name!

"Build it and they will come"
2017 & 2023 #BrentCross West #Cricklewood #TrackTeam 🚧🦺 pic.twitter.com/L4cWwEaYLE

— Robin Morel 🦺 (@13milepost) April 6, 2023

6. We don't normally do politics tweets on this slot, but I do think many people will be interested to see these. I think Finchley is the most interesting. Bear in mind, these are only polls.

LATEST SEAT PREDICTION: FINCHLEY AND GOLDERS GREEN

LAB @sarahsackman GAIN FROM CON (Mike Freer MP)
MAJ: 8.6%https://t.co/0EXjB8mtMw pic.twitter.com/sBi48vj5TZ

— UK Polling Report (@PollingReportUK) April 8, 2023

LATEST SEAT PREDICTION: CHIPPING BARNET

LAB @Dan4Barnet GAIN FROM CON (Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP)
MAJ: 28%https://t.co/cPAJiZTmME pic.twitter.com/pzgJDVJAii

— UK Polling Report (@PollingReportUK) April 5, 2023

LATEST SEAT PREDICTION: HENDON

LAB @DavidPintoD GAIN FROM CON @Offord4Hendon
MAJ: 21.6%https://t.co/M2Gdhb7HAd pic.twitter.com/kPzWaFvxJN

— UK Polling Report (@PollingReportUK) March 29, 2023

7. We agree!

Salute to @BrentPollution, @Lewis_EA_ , @Thames21, @welshharpies, @silkstreamers for reporting on state of trash screens and outfalls around Brent Reservoir this week. Misconnections still polluting wide area of the SSSI. Now @thameswater must do more. pic.twitter.com/Vyn5birqSD

— Cool Oak (@CoolOakGroup) April 7, 2023

8. This looks fun

Join us at Hendon library on Weds 12 April, for a fantastic table football competition! ⚽⚽ pic.twitter.com/U8Muk1C0uz

— Barnet libraries (@BarnetLibraries) April 9, 2023

9. Someone is in a spin at Mill HilL Music Complex!

Ooo what’s happening here! 😱🎤 @MillHillMusicCo #newmusic pic.twitter.com/WCvXSVxfSK

— Nathalie Miranda (@vocalfreaknat) April 6, 2023

10. And finally, Happy Easter!

Happy Easter (pic from @sacred_rc Mill Hill) pic.twitter.com/gmTW6kTsR7

— A Better Mill Hill 🔸🌈🇬🇧🇪🇺 (@ABetterMillHill) April 9, 2023

That's all folks!

The Saturday List #402 - My top ten home improvements

 I was amused to read a comment a few years ago from a rather snotty commentator who stated that "Only a complete saddo is over 40, lives in the home they were born in, married the girl around the corner and sends their kids to the same school they went to". This was the moment I realised I am a complete saddo. Yesterday, I celebrated my 28th Wedding Anniversary. I bought my parents house in 1987, my missus was raised around the corner in Newcombe Park. My kids went to St Vincents, where I went. My son also followed my route to FCHS, although he did rather better. 

So having lived in the same house since 1962 and having owned it since 1987, I have made a few changes around the place. I thought I'd go through these and explain the benefits.

1. 2002 - Loft Conversion. This was a massive improvement. Our house had four bedrooms, we have three children. One of the bedrooms was tiny. Our house being built in 1908, it was designated as the maids room, although we never had a maid! The house still has a bell system, so the maid can be summoned, but in truth the space was not great. We looked at the options and decided to get a loft conversion. This gave us a decent sized room with en suite shower and toilet. It gave all of the children decent sized rooms. It cost £30,000 and was money very well spent. We used a company called Sunlight lofts, who were very good and we've recommended to several friends. 

2. 2016 -  Paving the main back garden. I always said I'd never do this, but our two dogs had torn up the lawn and kept walking mud through the house. After a particularly wet spell, I gave up. We had a very nice Romanian chap next door and he offered to do the paving for £600 if we got the materials. We also had a permanent gazebo installed. The whole garden is now useable throughout the year, we no longer have mud continuallly walked around the house and during lockdown it was  Godsend. The paved area takes approx 50% of the garden, the rest is wilded, with two wildlife ponds, home to amphibians, sticklebacks and all manner of other critters. We also planted five trees to provide habitats for birds. The M1 provides a wildlife corridor on its edges and providing watering holes is a good thing to do

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3. Double glazing. One of the first things we did when we bought the house was to install double glazing. When we growing up, the house was always cold and draughty. In 1977, Dad installed gas central which was a massive improvement, but the house was still draughty and as soon as the heating went off, it got cold again. Double glazing made a big difference and reduced our energy bills. We did various bits as we could afford it. Personally, I think the govt should give grants to do this for every home in the UK, but that's another matter.

4. A new kitchen. We've actually had two kitchens. The one my parents had was one they bought cheap from an old council supplier. It is the same units as in the kitchen of the flat in Withnail and I, manufactured in Mill Hill at Lyn Products. We got a pine kitchen in about 1991. It was nice, but by 1994 looked dated, so we did it again, using our friends company, Kitchens with Elegance. Not only did we put new units in, we knocked down a wall between the kitchen and living room, to make it more open plan and light. This was a massive improvement. I'd urge anyone planning such things to think a bit out of the box and work out if your general space layout can be improved. 

5. New bathrooms. Back in about 1995, we decided we wanted nice bathrooms. We engaged Dolphin Bathrooms, as we thought they'd do a spiffing job. We wanted to replace the downstairs bath with a shower. The salesman persuaded us to have a a spa corner bath upstairs. It all looked very nice when it was done, but within a few years, all of the components fall to bits. We  had to have them all completely redone. This time we got a local builder we know, who used top quality items. It was a salutory lesson. Big companies do not necessarily mean best quality.

6. Parquet flooring in the hall. A big bugbear of mine was that when we had carpet in the hall, it always ot dirty when people walked in with dirty shoes. When we took the carpet up, I noticed that there was an attractive Parquet flooring underneath, that was in very poor repair. So we got it sanded and repaired. Unlike carpet, it is easy to clean and looks great. We've now got rid of all of the carpet, except for the stairs and landing. Wood floors are far less hassle.

7. Underfloor heating in the kitchen. When we had the kitchen redone, we had underfloor heating installed. When it is cold, this is wonderful.

8. Window shuttering. One of our dogs decided that his favourite hobby was barking at people walking past the house. It was extremely irritating. We decided that something needed doing. A friend had installed shutter blinds. This seemed a good solution. What I didn't appreciate was that in winter, this makes massive difference to the amount of cold which comes through the double glazing. Although double glazing makes a difference, the shutters keep the cold out completely. In summer, they also help keep the room cool.

9. Solar panels. In 2017, we had some spare cash. I thought about it and I decided that rather than invest in stocks and shares, I'd invest in the house and get solar panels. Our house does not have a great roof configuration for panels, but the payback was still better than a building society. The projection was a payback in 7-8 years. After a couple of years, this looked wildly optimistic, but events recently have transformed this and it was now definitely worth doing. We are now on target to hit this.

10. And finally. As I mentioned, we've planted various trees in the garden. We have two pear trees, a bay tree, a plum tree, a greenage tree and a cherry tree. In the autumn, we have plentiful supply of fresh fruit. For some reason, apple trees have not thrived, but I will try again. We also grow potatoes, cabbage, herbs and various other crops, which our friend Pat, who is a keen gardener tends for us. I'd recommend putting the space to good use if you can. 

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I'd always suggest that if you have spare cash and you own your own property, you invest in improving it. Not only do you increase the value, you make your quality of life better. I believe that primarily you should view your home as a place to be happy, not an investment, but it is the biggest investment most of us will ever make. Our house is a far better place to live in than it was when I bought it. My parents also made many improvements, as I mentioned the central heating. They also added an extension and bathroom renovations. I am lucky that I bought a house in Mill Hill in 1987 when I was 25. The job market was buoyant and I saved a deposit and got a mortgage for three times my salary, that covered it. I despair that London seems to be driving young people out with its ridiculous costs. 

A very Good Friday story for your delectation

 The Sun is shining. Today is a special day for me. It is my 28th Wedding Anniversary and also my Daughters birthday. A day of celebration. It is also the most solemn day of the year for Christains. A day of fasting and abstinence for Roman Catholics. This presents a dilemma for me, as someone of faith. Do I celebrate or do I fast? For me, faith ( a very different thing to 'being religious') is a huegely important thing. I was raised as a Roman Catholic, lost faith in my teens, nominally describing myself as agnostic or atheist. I felt rather comfortable with this, it seemed logical and sensible. I had no sense that there was anything missing in my life. I had fierce arguments with my Father, who was a devout Caholic. Mum let me be. 

It all changed in 1996. My sisters husband Tim had a terrible accident. We althought he'd die. I was in a state of despair. I did what many do in times of crisis. I went to mass, said a prayer and made a deal with God. If Tim got better, I'd go to mass every week I could.  I couldn't promise belief, that would be dishonest. But I would stick to the bargain. Tim had been knocked off a moped in Greece. He was a successful doctor in the USA, but he had brain damage and multiple broken bones. His blood pressure was zero when he was found and taken to hospital. We were told to prepare for the worst. But he hang in there.

He pulled through the immediate crisis, but couldn't speak and was immobile. Tim is 18 years older than me. I went to church every Sunday. I reminded God that the deal was that Tim had to get better. Lying in hospital, unable to speak or move was not getting better. Getting better was being Tim. It seemed like I'd be able to have my Sundays to myself. But I persisted. I'm too suprestitious not to. 

After a few months, Tim managed a few words. He'd forgetten every word in the dictionary and had to relearn them. By sheer bloody mindedness, he got out of his bed and started to take tenuous steps.  I sort of decided a Tim that could walk, talk and have a beer was good enough. It seemed we had him back. This took a long time, but it happened. Tim is a highly motivated and intelligent man,, He realised that he'd forgotten every word in the dictionary, so he bought a dictionary and set about relearning them. Due to the brain damage, he lost his medical license. He was determined to recertify. 

To our amazement, he did this. He is now 78 years old and still working in an A&E department, saving lives. This is a very abridged version of the story. There are many ups and downs. But this is the reason I go to Church every Sunday. But there is another part to the story. I went, assuming it would be a waste of my time, a deal that I couldn't renege on but one I had to keep, as if I stopped and Tim dropped dead, it would be my fault. A sort deific joke on me. The worlds worst but most observant Catholic.

I found that taking an hour of my week to spend in a place of peace, being reminded that we should be good, caring human beings is actually a very beneficial thing. I picked up the bible and re read the gospels, something I'd only done in RE lessons at FCHS. What did I learn? Oddly that Jesus was a very different being to what I thought. A very different being to what the Religious right portrays him. A man who broke conventions and advocated non violence. A man who abhored snobbery and hypocrisy. 

I have to admit, I struggle with the rituals, but it is time well spent. I am not blind to the issues with organised religion, but sadly these are because we dont listen. I have a friend who is a chair of a Mosque. We have great chats and conclude the same thing. Be a good person and love your family. Easter is a time of rebirth and in some ways I see parallels in what happened with Tim, which is why I thought I'd share it.  

So that is what I will do. I'll make time for the 3pm service at the Church and be with my family as well. I trust that this will be ok with the boss upstairs, have a great Good Friday.