Andrew's Blog

Hi,Just letting you all know about a sit in protest on the Isle of Wight.

Vestas, a Danish company and the largets wind turbine manufacturer in the world, is shutting their factory on the Isle of Wight which makes the blades for wind turbines.

The problem is that the demand in the UK is not there for a couple of years due to the early stage investment is at and delays in the planning process.

Blades manufactured there were being exported to the USA but Vestas have opened a factory in the USA and are moving production there, it is often the case that permissions and government funding in the US is tied to US job creation.

Anyway the mangement have done a poor job of the consultation with the workers over the redundancies and despite making massive profits were not offering generous packages to them.

It is also a travesty thet the UK governement are investing millions in wind energy but are refusing to come up with a solution to the short term issue and help the factory stay open.

The lack of support for UK manufactuing is poor at best.

As a last ditch attempt to save their jobs about 20 workers are staging a peacful protest in the management offices at the plant. They have been there for 11 days now.

Vestas have now sacked them loosing their redundancy pay and pay in liue of notice.

They are continuing their protest and are asking for support.

Vestas made a total mess of an application for a court order to evict them (shows how good they are) yesterday and it was thrown out of court until next week for them to get their papers in order.

The island has few skilled jobs and loosing 600 is a big blow.

The government have just announced £6million grant to Vestas to create a R&D facility on the island only employing 150 and very few of these will be former Vestas workers. Vestas had a £3.5million grant to set up the production facility a few years ago which they are now closing.

Why are the goverment giving grants with out true long term comitment?

Please visit www.ventnorblog.com for news and information along with the Guardian and other local and national press.

Oh joy week one of the school holidays and I'm already fed up.

Why, I have no kids, I am not on holiday.

Well at 8.30 pm I go to do my shopping at the supermarket as per usual.

I Wednesday evening should be quiet, but no, kids everywhere loads more people shopping for their families with massive trollies overflowing.

There was even a todler in her pjamas and dressing gown shopping with her dad.

Of course Sainsbury's don't have any more staff on the checkouts, the basket till has a massive que and I have a trolley.

I will not use the self scan tills because they can never get it right and always need a supervisor, besides at a normal till the operator scans and I pack at self scan it takes twice as long as I scan then have to pack after that to the annoiance of the que behind.

It is not really responsible to bring kids out past their bedtime to go shopping and as for the older kids, control them, I do not appreciate your brat whizzing past me at full pelt being chased by another of your offspring.

No I am not Victor Meldrew.

So last night on the local news there was a report about some cricket programme for youngsters ahead of the test match where some of the English and Aussie players were giving a bit of coaching and a photo oportunity.

So where was this?

Accoring to Midlands Today it was in Highgate park in Neachells.

This may come as a revealation but Highgate Park is actually in Highgate, the clue's in the name!

Highate is actually the first suburd of Birmingham where the merchants and factory owners of the new city set up home in the rural surroundings on the edge of the city away from the squalar of city life.

They could look across the fields and the valley of the River Rea and see their business empires on the other side of the valley in the new town of Birmingham.

Hard to think that the industrial heartland of Digbeth / Cheapside and the markets were actually outside the city and were just fields.

Highgate Park is also the first municipal park in Birmingham.

On the other side of the City the Aston area was also fields when the General Electric company decided to set up it's manufactuing plant just the other side of the river Tame in the green field site that became Electric Aveneue just next to what is now Spaghetti junction and the M6.

Anyway enough of the history lessons, why can the news just not get things right!

The latest thing to get on my tits is driving.

Well it is a constant irritation.

Why do people not indicate at all at islands, then you have those who indicate right and then left when going straight on confusing the hell out of every one.

You also have those who decide that it does not matter which lane you approach the island in, then turn right from the left lane or vice versa.

The next are those who fail to move lanes as they go around the island, a serious issue when turning right. As you progress around the island you are supposed to move over from the right lane to the middle and then end up in the left lane for your exit but some will just stay in the right lane all the way round until thye swerve across all the lanes and shoot off down their chosen exit.

We also have the going straight brigade. They take a straight line from entry lane to exit when the island is round thus cutting across all other lanes. they seam oblivious to what they do.

We also have problems with multi lane islands where people fail to read the road markings in advance of the island. Many multi lane islands allow two lanes to go the same way entering an exiting alongside eachother. One island I have frequent problems with has two lanes that go right with the inside lane also allowing you to go straight on. Often thoses in the right lane will cut you up if you go right from the left lane which is clearly signed on this particular island.

I have more reason than ususal to be pissed about this as last Sunday I was hit by a driver struggeling with the island.

It is a 3 lane island. I went straight on from lane 2.

As I enterend the island a car entered from the road to the left in the left lane we passed another road to the left side by side, I indicated to come off the island in the outer of the two lanes of the road I wanted and assumed the car to my left, which was not indicating, was going to take the left lane of the same road.

Sadley no, as i exit the island there is a crunch and a bang as they drive into the rear passenger door of my car pushing the back end over.

It turns out the driver was making a right turn from the left lane without indicating at all.

She was Polish in a hire car picked up in somerset the day before and was lost in Birmingham.

It makes the driving understandable at least. That does not help my cause as I am now faced with getting it fixed and getting the money off the hire company's insurance.

An hour earlier on the same island I turned right from the right lane and had a near miss as I exited the island with a red golf who was doing a U turn from the middle lane.

This is a daily occurance on all the large islands in Birmingham.

Another cause of twitchy bum syndrome is the Pump Engine island which has part time traffic lights.

People do not know what to do when the lights are off. many times I have to break and swerve to avoid those who blindly follow the car infront on to the island without looking.

I have also had to screech to a halt behind those who stop at the stop line on the island when the lights are off clearly not noticing the words "Part Time SIgnals" on the traffic lights and stopping while they try to engage their brain.

I want a tank then I would not care what they do as I will just crush those who are too dumb to know the rules of the road.

On Midlands bulitins in breakfast today the news reader read the script to a story about a fire, who is responsible for writing shuch total and utter bull shit?

"...80 residents had to be evacuated on Wednesday due to burning asbestos."

Have I missed something, is the most fire proof material known to man suddenly combustible?

How do you extinguish burning asbestos, with fire proof petrol???

Never let the facts get in the way of a story.

Oh and it was not a slip up, the same script has been used on all the bulitins from 6.30 to 8.30am.

The world is filled with fuckwits!!!!!!!!!!!!

Farmers,

Do not drive tractors with trailers with no lights or reflectors on the back.

Do not cut your hedges without putting up the appropriate warning signs, I am not happy driving around a corner to find a tractor with hedge cutter stopped dead.

Do clean up your cow's shit once they have crossed the road, it's dangerous to cars skidding on it.

Do not forget to turn off your bright working lights when you drive onto the road.

Do clean the the mud off your wheels before driving on to the road.

Do not think that parking an old Land Rover in the road with it's hazards on is a universal traffic control measure that allows you to close off the road.

Do not drive your telehandlers with spikes sticking out.

Do pull in occasionally when you have a mile or so of traffic behind you.

Do ues your mirros to asses the traffic behind.

Do not carry half the work for in the tractor cab, it only has one seat for a reason, hint hint.

Do realise that there is a limit to how many bales of hay you cna get on a trailer and that limit is exceeded when it toples over when taking a corner.

Do realise that tractors and trailers are dangerous to the general public as well as yourself. By all means kill yourselves but please do not kill the rest of us in the process.

Do not think that just because you are a farmer you have an automatic exemption to all the rules of the road and health and safety laws.

So I am watching the local news on breakfast TV.

BBC lead with a story about a massive fire in Moxley, homes exacuated, fear of asbestos etc.

Switch to GMTV for Central News, their lead story, Sven is coming to Notts County as director of football!!!

Sure the fire was no. 2 story but for fucks sake, leave Sven to the end with the sport. Anyway it is yesterday's news.

I don't know why I waste my time watching it. The evening news is ok but the bulitins are a waste of time and money, poor editing, rushed and poorly delivered.

Hi all,

I don't know where I have been or what I have been doing.

Not a lot I guess in many way just on the treadmill towards my grave that is the journey of life.

My relationship had had its ups and downs lately, more downs than ups in recent times.

Business is crap, loosing more money than a drunk in a casino.

The recession is a total pain in the arse.

I am finally being me a bit more, totally stressed for months I am emerging from my hum drum and trying to be the nice me, not always an easy task.

My Gran passed away after Christmas, a timely passing, sad but an ending to a good life that was becoming overdue due to her failing health.

My GF has now moved into my Gran's flat. a good move on paper but a total mind shreader for both of us.

but life must go on.

Life has gone on and I am ashamed that I have not missed gran more.

Money seams to be non existant, I am in a web of debt between me and the business that I cannot see the clarity of it all and just trust it will all come good in the end.

Trouble is the end is determined by when the recession ends, any answers???

Anyway I am being far too gloomy here.

I am alive, well if a little over weight and have a good life and income.

Lots of good news in the family, babies dropping everywhere, not mine I add.

I have decided i want one but need to have stable home life, financies and relationship first.

I guess that is why so many kids are accidents, it's like a solar eclipse trying to get all 3 in line at one time.

Best of everything to you all in blogland.