Back on the Allotment and is the BBC Trust chair 'not up to the job?'

Well as I've whinged on I was hit by the 'Flu and this is (I like to think) the reason I've neglected Plot 202 but the bill for the years rent  came in last week and the weather's picked up recently  so today I made the effort and went down.

Well the good news was that the plot was nothing like as bad as I feared - seems that during the winter things don't grow (I had forgotten how true this is) - and that's even true of the weeds.

Buds are appearing on trees and in the hedges though so I need to get my finger out to start sowing a selection of vegetables soon.

On a bright day it's a pleasure to be out on site.

I need to turn over the soil ahead of getting onions etcetera and some woody type waste that needs a bonfire to see it off.

We'll see how full it is next time

As well as digging out some weeds, topped up the bird feeder (not sure if this is good allotment behaviour?).  I trimmed  the paths with the  first grass cutting of the year and watered the roots of my fruit trees.

I was also reminded why I enjoy spending time in the fresh air and I even came back with some leeks and turnips, anticipate a few aches in the morning though.
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Leeks that'll make a nice change

 The Chair of the BBC Trust is Grilled

There's something  of a coterie  from which  governments of all hues select personnel to oversee the rest of us, Margaret Hodge a Labour MP was giving one of their number Rona Fairhead a rather intense  grilling earlier in the week.

 Rona  the wife of  Tom a former Conservative councillor and director of Campbell Lutyens  (a Private Equity financing outfit) was already working for HSBC and Pepsi-Cola before she was anointed by the Tories to look after the overseeing of the BBC as Chair of 'The Trust'. 

It's the  HSBC duties (for which she earns around £1/2 Million a year - seems a lot doesn't it?)  that's   bringing an intense spotlight upon her - Margaret  has her doubts about her capabilities as you can see here.

Most of the UK Press seem to be equally unimpressed with the revelations from Fairhead and her position looks shaky (but not as shaky as Jeremy's).


Seems disappointing that so many  'Public servants' are revealed as not only self-serving but  being  devoid of integrity they don't seem overly competent - some might say that if they weren't so well connected they wouldn't necessarily  flourish?

Accident or Design (Museum) and Check out Luna Lee

Yesterday while I was in town  I took the opportunity to look at a few of the public  statues, like the commemorative 'Blue Plaques' on various buildings that are scattered around  they're a marvellous way of getting in touch with history.

Greathead and possibly a great Engineer too

First one I was drawn to outside the 'Bank' station was to J H Greathead (what a fantastic name) - seems Greathead (James Henry to his friends) was a Chief Engineer - who led the work around boring in London (something I'm prone to do too).

Not too far away by Royal Exchange Buildings there's another monument to a monumental figure who bestowed improved communications by the use of Pigeons - not sure if they still deposit on his head but the Belgian born Reuter bestowed upon us a company that's significant in all things News and Financial  (Now Thomson Reuters)

Reuter's statue  without pigeons 

The final Statue is again an indicator of the importance of migration and our international  age the American born George Peabody - the name of Peabody is almost synonymous with Philanthropy around housing in London

George Peabody  has undoubtedly earned himself a sit down

Design Museum

London press coverage of Design Museum move

Good to see that the Design Museum is not forgotten about in the London Standard - [erhaps there'll be a public statue to the leading figure behind it, Sir Terence Conran one day.

The move to Kensington and change to free entry is being supported by the Arts Council with a £3m  award signalling the importance of the Modern Design paradigm

Luna Lee from Korea Rocks

 On a different topic check out the great Hendrix interpretation below, Luna Lee does other great songs in a different stylee too..

Keeping up with old work friends

Reuters - he was the founder.

Last week I met a friend I've known for well over 30 years - he's no longer resident in the UK and when he does visit Ealing his time here is usually short and full of things that he should do so it was something of a treat to get some time with him. I know Richard from working with him both at ITN and Reuters TV in Hong Kong.

It was great to catch up with him at The North Star a pub I've been going to for more than 30 years

North Star Ealing

People who we choose to remain in contact with for such a long time are important they give us an opportunity to relive parts of our lives and also provide a reference as we age - if X looks older then we probably do to, if Y is getting set in their ways perhaps the same applies to us.

Today it was another Monday  with old friends John (ITN and Euronews) and Shaun also from Euronews - it was fun to meet and have something to eat John is now based at Sky News, Gherkin studio and Shaun continues to push the envelope of languages, Violin playing and keeping in touch with his family and friends.

Having spent time with people in other countries provides quite a bond and challenging circumstances often brings out the  good in people.

London's Gherkin, Sky have their 'City'  Studio here

Looking at the East - Philosophy & Film ( B & W celebration)

This week's philosophy session was about the Non-Western tradition and for me this area is a challenge but that is not to say it is one I think that should duck.

St. Paul's London, we all need to kick out at times

During classes last year at City Lit last year  I began to recognise that although different terms and perspectives were in action the goals and aims were broadly in line but a problem for me remains around where a philosophy becomes a religion and what we should consider legitimate areas for intervention.

The Ealing session on Philosophy took a totally different but legitimate  'tack' on the issue - we started off by looking at an excerpt from the film 'The Tokyo Story' (1953) directed by the acclaimed director Yasujirō Ozu who also had a hand in the screenplay- it was challenging to differentiate between what were the cultural differences of the film and what were solely down to the particular idiosyncrasies of this story, stylistically it was certainly different from the films that we as a group of Western people were used to.
  
The film by it's nature reflected change in family which undoubtedly was accelerated by the repercussions of Japan's defeat in World War Two - {you can see the film here}.

The Film was involving but we were there to talk about 'Philosophy' and after a while it was paused and we reflected on Confucianism which became dominant in China at around the time of Socrates was active in Ancient Greece.

Do we get to reflect enough?

As I looked at thoughts from the East I had not really considered Confucianism  (my error) - as a group we've perhaps overly focused on the narratives around the characters and in this case our course leader seemed to wish to steer us away from the character towards the ideas - it is true that any history is open to argument, dispute and rewriting over a period of more than two and a half centuries.

It is also worth reflection on the need for a Philosophy to be relevant  for it to resonate with the population - Confucianism is rooted in relationships  and it proclaims the importance of hierarchy and behaviour .

By contrast the so called Kyoto school in Japan offered what  many consider  something of a synthesis of East and Western thought favouring introspection - again my struggle is with what appears often to be a lack of engagement and what I feel to be a 'submission' to our (human) condition.

What do we expect ?