GrannyRant

Today, I am back on the weightwatchers’ plan after my holiday. I’m glad to say that during my holiday (all 4 weeks of it) I only gained 6lbs….RESULT! Eating pancakes for breakfast, drinking far too much delicious beer and wine, barbecues galore and still, only 6lbs!

Right, that’s the positive side of things. On the other hand, it just goes to prove, that 9as a yo-yo dieter all my adult life), I only have to stop eating healthily for 4 weeks to gain that amount of weight. So, if I retired and didn’t have to work, I would be on permanent holiday and therefore would be heavier than ever! Perish the thought.

To try and re-educate myself into healthy eating again, I am now eating cereal for breakfast, weighing very morsel, eating salad for lunch (with copious amounts of salt) and writing everything down. I am even counting glasses of water. I know this works for me as I lost 33lbs before my holiday but it is so difficult to get back to it and motivate myself to eat sensibly.

Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight will relate to that feeling, when you’ve lost enough weight for people to start noticing and telling you how good you look. I have been at that stage for months. The trouble is when you’ve gained 6lbs; no-one then says “oh, I see you started to gain again”! Well, they would be too polite…wouldn’t they, but that’s what I need now, to stop me getting a false sense of security and thinking, that I’m ok as I am, when I’m still at least 3 stone from the ‘healthy range’ and still classed as obese!

So, if you see me in the street, or if you want to say something on my Facebook Wall or on twitter, here are some suggestions of what to say;

• A moment on the lips a lifetime on the hips
• You are what you eat so watch what you eat
• Eating all your dinner does not help starving Africans
• Checking your portion size is not a sexual act
• Eating until you’re full does not mean, eat until you’re so full you throw up

I thank you in anticipation of your help, in my quest to be healthy and turning my body into a temple…..Granny!

Good evening, Granny Calling…..Day 16 is the first day of our road trip. Robyn and Adam have been planning where they would take us for months. They are two of the best, a great couple who have kindly given up their holiday time to drive us to some special destinations and we only found out a few days before we left the UK that we would be going into the USA for a couple of nights. How exciting, and how lucky are we to have such special people looking after us.

Due to us losing all our stuff on the raft escapade, we have to sort a few things out before we leave. Robyn said “There is no way I am going on a road trip without a cell phone”, I have to agree, sometimes you are driving for over an hour here without seeing a house, farm, or Service station. Adam’s phone was also water damaged so he was going to get a Blackberry which he has wanted for some time. I think falling in the river did him a favour as his old phone was a bit of a Dinosaur!

I was up a 6am as I had to call the UK to report my phone missing, my debit cards and find out how to sort out money, I lost all my money and my cards to the Bow River. 6am here is 1pm UK, so that seemed to be a good time to ring as I didn’t get held up on hold as you usually do. They said I could get an emergency money fund but it would cost. I decided to go to my online banking page, transfer money to Martin and he could access it from his account. No extra cost…simples ttch!

Blackberry were great, it’s insured they said, ring us when you are back across the pond and we’ll send you a new one within 48 hours, doesn’t it just make your day when something is sorted easily, hassle free…..we didn’t need anymore hassle after yesterday.

We went to a Mall and bought a new camera. Robyn and Adam are going to share it for now, I am going to keep the camera when we go home. Martin has Nikon insurance so he should be able to get his replaced easily. Phew…so much to think about. We got some crutches for Adam from the pharmacy, got a huge filled pita for lunch and piled into van and left Calgary. We were heading south towards the Rocky mountains.

It was a gorgeous day, clear blue sky, warm breeze and around 25 degrees. Everything looks so nice in the sun and we were all in good spirits as we headed out of town. We drove through Banff National Park and into Kootenay National Park and Adam and Robyn described points of interest as we travelled. In the mountain, the roads start to twist and turn, a change from the mile after mile of straight roads in the cities and on the outskirts. We climbed up and down hills as we went further into Kootenay, Robyn driving as Adam’s foot was painful. As we drove along we got our first sight of some wildlife, four deer, two standing and two young ones laid down in the grass, they are really pretty and we all oohed and aahed at the sight. A little further on the road split into two lanes our side and Robyn managed to overtake some slow vehicles as we climbed a hill, she squeezed the van back in between two cars and suddenly, the vehicles ahead started braking and slowing down. What’s going on now we wondered, more road-works maybe? As we slowly rounded the bend a Female Black Bear and cub, were casually crossing the road, I struggled to get the camera, still wanted to look at this amazing sight but by the time I switched the camera on and pressed the button, the delay meant that they had gone over the bank and disappeared into the trees. I am disappointed that we never got a picture, but I still have goose bumps thinking of how close we were to them, I’m not good at distance, but I reckon we were about 4 car lengths away…amazing. Some people I have spoken to have lived here all their lives and never seen a Bear and Adam said it was the closest he has been to one. We were really lucky. Further on we saw some wild Canadian Mountain goats, just lurking in a parking space, like they owned the place. What a great way to start a road trip and there was more great stuff to come.

We drove on towards Moose Lake and Radium and as we turned left into the mountain road (well dirt track really), Robyn swapped seats with Adam for the drive up the mountain. Wow! What a scary drive, Gravel road, very high and narrow in places. I am not happy at height and I hate height and movement, makes me feel nauseous but if you want to see things you just have to grit your teeth and go for it. On the way up to Moose Lake we saw, black squirrels, chipmunks and cows! Yes cows, now that is really wild! At the lake, which is really pretty, we stopped and ate the watermelon we had in the cool box and finished off the ham, salami and cucumbers that we brought from the fridge. We didn’t stay too long as the flies are like bumble bees and they BITE! Martin got bitten and so did I, these bugs like British flesh.

On the way down the mountain, we stopped at a natural hot spring, we paddled in water that was hotter than bath water, the smell of the sulphur wafting all around. Martin tried the cold pool too, not for me though, I have had my fill of cold water for a while. We decided not to get right into the water as we had to go on further and didn’t want to get the van wet or our clothes. What a great day and we have some brilliant pictures.

We got back to the van and drove on to Kimberley, our hotel was fantastic, in fact it was more than that. Kimberley is quiet in Summer as it’s a Ski resort, so we got a great suite, 2 en suite bedrooms, balcony, fantastic living room complete with cooking facilities and the beds were so big, it felt like I was sleeping on my own! You can view the resort at www.mountainspirit.ca What a great place. We ate supper across the road at Kelsey’s which is similar to Brewer’s Fayre at home and the waiter (David) was kind enough to sell us a bottle of wine to take back to our room and he even loaned us a corkscrew, even though it was officially against the rules. When we went back to the hotel, we sat at the high table in our suite, drank the wine, took pictures with our new camera with the self-timer and had high jinks taking pictures, even one of Robyn, fully clothed in the bath-tub! We all fell into bed exhausted, what a day, I love holidays …..

Monday morning and we woke in the huge bed which could easily sleep 8. I was first up, I usually am, I think I’ve been second up twice……. What a woman! I switched on the net-book, we have complimentary wi-fi here and I wanted to message people on Face book, I am now without my usual way of contact (my deceased Blackberry). I messaged Joanne, transferred money to Martin’s account and phaffed about, I also made a pot of coffee, there is no kettle for tea. Adam and Robyn got up and hobbled around sorting out their sore feet and got straight down to finding us a Hotel in CouerD’Alane IDAHO we were going to be in America today, earlier than we expected.

We wound our way through mountain roads, past huge green fields and ranches, over railway bridges and through small towns with just a few houses. The scenery is stunning in this part of the World with huge lakes and rivers that wind through the valleys like big blue veins. We counted down the Kilometres to the border and got passports ready. We all laughed at our passport photos and Robyn and Adam thought it was funny that I said Martin looked like an escaped convict in his!

We passed through Cranberra and we all agreed that it looked a bit dodgy, one of those places you didn’t really want to stop at. Maybe it’s a nice place, but it looked dirty and run down. We passed by Elizabeth lake, went through Moyie, where the lake is enormous and the deepest blue and a little place called Yahk, the saloon there was called ‘The Horny Owl’ I’m curious to know where that came from.

We arrived at the border at 1.15pm local time and we had to put our watches back one hour. When you live in little old GB it seems strange to go through time zones while your still in the same country! The Border Policeman was really surly and snapped off questions really quickly. Have you been convicted of anything are you carrying any firearms, drugs, food and so on. I had difficulty understanding him and he instructed Robyn to take off her sunglasses as he checked the passports. Some people just have such an attitude, welcome to America! He told us to park around the corner, go inside and sign up for our I-94 permits to enter the US. We had to fill in paper work, get our fingerprints taken and get mug shots done. It cost us $12 and he asked for it in America, thank God Robyn had the sense to pick up some dollars at the bank and she could lend us some. By the time we got back to the Dodge we felt like criminals. I’m sure we don’t cause the Americans so much stress when they visit the UK, maybe we’re too soft!

About 3 miles over the border in Idaho, we stopped on a hill to take in the view, our first real look at the US, the expanse of land in front of us is immense and you just can’t quite describe the feeling you get. The way you feel like a dot, in a huge world, insignificant and tiny, as they say in America…Awesome! We drove on and passed small towns, with lovely place names like, Songbird lane, Dusty Lane and Silhouette Drive, stirs the imagination and you start to wonder where the names came from? As we drove on, we came to a huge lake in a place called Sandpoint. This was almost a small ocean and there were boats and jet-skis screaming up and down at break-neck speed. Near Sandpoint Lodge, there is a small ‘beach’ with sun beds, chairs and tables, just like the seaside at Blackpool, but with a lake where the sea should be. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The temperature outside was 32 degrees, so the people on the sun beds must be frying!

We finally arrived at CouerD’Alane at around 3.15pm and found the hotel, it’s not as nice as yesterdays ‘suite’ but the room is pleasant and clean. It has a microwave, fridge and coffee maker and a huge Queen size bed. The air conditioning is really cranky and hums constantly but it’s a muggy 32 degrees outside, so you need it on.

We chilled out for a couple of hours and then went out to ‘The Olive Tree’ restaurant for supper. I had Parmesan sirloin with garlic mash, Martin and Adam had a seafood dish with scallops and shrimp and Robyn had Chicken Marsala, with fried potatoes. They brought us hot bread, coated in garlic butter and a huge bowl of salad before we started and I sampled their signature wine, a Rose blush which was gorgeous. Robyn ordered a cocktail, Long Island Ice tea, but she didn’t like it, so Adam drank it, along with his beer and was just a bit squiffy! He and Martin also had 2 pints of Budweiser and Robyn had a strawberry Dachari which looked like a milk shake with whipped cream! At the end of it we were stuffed and made our way back to book a Hotel for tomorrow night.

We have just left the ‘young people’. Hotel booked for tomorrow, we will be staying in Seattle, but that’s day 18 and another blog post, so for now goodnight….Granny….to be continued………..

DAY 1 – 10th JULY 2010
Granny calling…..Today we travel to Manchester. We were awake at 6.30 and he brought tea to bed and we actually sat there quite stunned at the fact that ‘The Day’ has actually arrived! I think we are both a bit nervous, silly really bearing in mind that we usually drive across to Europe every year in a really old VW van which is far less reliable than my car and a huge aeroplane!
Valerie, (the cat) is looking suspiciously at us both, she knows something is up and I think she suspects that she’s going to the cattery for 4 weeks. She’s been before and I am not worried about leaving her, she has always been fine before and as she adopted us, so I feel it’s only fair that she puts up with the cattery for us to go away. Besides it’s a nice place and costs a fortune! There I’ve persuaded myself.
Now, you would think that two people who travel quite a lot and tend not to plan but just go where Boris (the VW) takes us, wouldn’t be apprehensive but this is a childhood dream of mine and also of his and therefore we want it to be perfect, no pressure then. Also he is terrified of flying and that is why we normally drive. 9 hours on a flight does not have the same appeal for him, especially when the first word you see when you get to the airport is ‘terminal’ and I’ve been told that Calgary airport is a bit of a hairy place to land as the approach involves the plane tilting at 90 degrees with the ground! I won’t tell him as for me it’s a means to an end and well worth the time in a flying tin can. (Check for passports for the umpteenth time).
Oh well, back to the checking and re-checking, dollars…passports…insurance….lists of lists…take me to the ‘Travel lodge’!

Granny calling,

Five days to go and I’m still not organised. I have ordered dollars,
I have finished all the washing and ironing and I am struggling to stay focussed at work due to the fact that I have so much to do and so little time to do it in. Hectic is a good description of how this week has started.

Blogging is also going to be difficult as I struggle to juggle life, travel plans and meeting deadlines for the end of this academic year. I have decided that little and as often as possible has to suffice.

If anyone has any tips for travelling let me know……Granny

I am no football fan, being born and brought up in the South Wales Valleys I was exposed to the other ball game. Rugby Union was the name of the game at my house and when Wales was playing the whole of my small village went silent apart from the sound of Fathers, Grandfathers and Sons shrieking at the Black and white TV with every pass of the ball and calling the referee names that cannot be repeated here. The one thing that stands out in my mind, is the passion that surrounded the game. These players played for little or no money and often trained after working shifts in the coal mines, the foundries and other manual occupations.

This was not only the case in Wales but was repeated all over Scotland, England and Ireland. They played for the love of the game, the pride in their country and the friendships built on discipline, respect and trust.

Turn the clock forward 40 or so years and look how things have moved on. Rugby players are now professionals, they earn money from playing and no longer have to work underground to support their families, progress indeed. That, however, is where the similarity to Football, the so called ‘beautiful game’ comes to an abrupt halt! Players earn rediculous amount of money, from a very young age. they have no respect for themselves, their team mates and certainly not the referees and official trying to police the games.

Rugby players know that if they were to act as footballers do they would be in the dog house from all sides, coaches, fellow players and fans. Referees are ‘wired’ for sound and you can hear the conversations, very rarely do you hear rugby players swearing or arguing with officials and if they did they have the sin bin to look forward to. They still have passion for the game and perish the thought that they would one day earn so much money that they would become spoiled rich kids with more money than sense.

After watching the farce that was Englands performance in the World Cup and even as a person who does not follow football, it was obvious that the team were not playing to their full potential. They were half hearted in their commitment and they left their loyal fans with a lot to be desired. They should be ashamed that they let everyone down, they should forfeit their fees and they should apologise to fans for their lack of professionlism and effort.

They could also do themselves a favour by taking a leaf out of the rugby book of life. Then maybe they would earn the respect of the nation…but I doubt they would ever be able to justify the obscene amount of money they earn whilst showing such a lack of respect for the game, the fans and the ethos of sporting behaviour…….Granny

Imagine this, you wake up one morning and you are suddenly a ‘teenager’. You are no longer 12 but 13! When you went to bed last night, you were treated like a child. You woke up this morning and you are expected to behave like an adult…overnight! Oh, but you must still listen to what adults say, you still can’t make any decisions, you still have to put up with rules and regulations, except now you are expected to think like an adult and act like an adult, even tough you are still treated by your parent, as a child? Confused, well I know I was at this period in my life?

In their teens, kids experience a growth spurt that causes all sorts of problems, e.g. my son went from a size 4 shoe to a size 11 in 3 months, causing a financial headache as we struggled to afford new shoes every 3 weeks or so and his trousers always seemed to be a half mast. Some boys can grow by as much as 9cm a year and girls at a rate of 8cm a year. Is it any wonder that teenagers are awkward or clumsy and self-concious at this time? They don’t know from one day to the next what will fit them. Another problem is that as a teenager, your brain doesn’t seem to keep up with this growth spurt and hormones rage through your body causing all sorts of mood swings and attitude issues.

As a 15 year old I caused my parents all sorts of problems but the problems started much earlier. At 13 I was a nightmare to live with and can vividly remember screaming obcenities at my mother because she wouldn’t let me wear makeup to the school party! It seems trivial now but at that time it was a matter of life or death that I looked older than my years and it was for this very reason that I took up smoking! Rebellion was high on my agenda! My hair was down my back and was my Father’s pride and joy, so I got off the school bus and had it shaved off and bleached! I bought 18 lace-hole Doc Martin’s, stay pressed trousers and a Ben Sherman check shirt and became the first Skin-head in the village. My Mother almost fainted when she saw it and I got a clip round the ear and was grounded for a month until it grew back (my hair has been short ever since). Rebellion is nothing new as this was 1973!

My point in all this is that teenagers have always been the same and puberty has always been a problem so why do the vast majority of people over the age of 35 seem to have a huge problem with them? they are just the next generation of ‘Teddy boys’, ‘Mods’ and ‘ rockers’, aren’t they?

I am lucky I work with teenagers on a daily basis and I think for the mostpart I understand them but when I don’t I accept that they don’t understand themselves yet. At this moment in their lives, they are working hard internally and externally, on trying to ‘morph’ into the kind of adults that adults find acceptable and that’s a huge ask! If they make mistakes, often they are not allowed to forget and move on, anyone who ever made a mistake, (and I made loads), will remember this feeling of despair as your family heap on the disappointment and guilt, is it any wonder that they become disillusioned with adults?

So next time you feel like giving your teenagers a hard time, remember that not so long ago, you were the teenager and while these young adults should be guided and advised, a little bit of mutual respect will go a long way. Treat your teenagers well, they will one day choose your nursing home! Now that is a scary thought……..

So what is it that people hate about swearing, after all, you can say all manner of words, but if you use them in a certain way, they can be described as offensive. These are the type of things I hear people say regarding swearing. It reduces respect people have for you, It shows you don’t have control, It’s a sign of a bad attitude, It discloses a lack of character,It’s immature, It reflects ignorance…..I have to say, I disagree for the most part. I am very much of the ‘school of thought’ that says all words are just that, words, and as long as they are used in context, then so be it. The only time I have a problem, is when words are used in a derogitory way, or in an aggressive manner!

I am old enough to remember my own Grandmother asking God to forgive her for using the word ‘Damn’ and woe betide her if she ever said , bloddy or bugger and I suppose they were the ‘F’ words of post WW1 Britain. Surely then the natural evolution of language, the media and the influx of migrants have led to a dilution of the English language and far more tolerence to improper English, dialects and swear words etc. These days expletives are all over the TV and increasingly swear words are being heard before the 9 0 clock watershed. So does it signify ignorance, lack of vocabulary or disrespect?

Oscar Wilde once said

With swearing, context is everything

I have to say, I agree; the one thing I cannot stand is to hear someone, no matter what age, swearing every other word and using swear words as part of every day language. I believe there is a time and place and in general most people respect this in that they don’t swear constantly at work in an office, they would not usually swear in Church or in front of parents and children, though they would swear socially with long standing friends or peer groups and also if they worked outside e.g. on a building site.

“Global changes have made a huge difference, with language barriers being overcome by finding common words that can be understood by diverse culture groups this is obvious if you listen to Rap music, and street talk amongst different groups. I think in some cases, the swear words are dumbing down slightly, for instance,you are far more likely to hear the word ‘crap’ as opposed to’shit’ and ‘shag’ as opposed to ‘fuck’, and so on. then there is every woman’s nightmare…the dreaded C*nt word! Why can’t I even bring myself to write it down in full, I hate the word, although I occasionally use all of the others. I honestly think it’s instilled in me that it’s so bad, that I may go to Hell in a handcart with my Granny who said ‘Damn’!

One thing is for sure though, I never use swear words in an offensive or aggressive way, I am far less likely to swear during an argument than I am while telling a joke, or laughing with friends. I am more likely to use swear words in a jovial way, therefore it is never meant as an expression of anger or disgust.

So if I swear at you on Twitter, Facebook, GrannyRant or any where else for that matter, it will mean that you are in the circle of people with whom I feel comfortable to do so. I chose you as a friend and to any one else who takes offence, they really don’t know me and I couldn’t give a flying fuck!….Now, Where’s that hand-cart??

I had a visit today from an old friend who emigrated to Perth in Australia 3 years ago. A wonderful new life, a relatively new country and great opportunities for the kids. So what are the negatives we may ask? “Well. she says, we have to work so hard to stay white!” Aha, said I feeling smug, so it’s not all hunky-dory.

Skin Cancer, is a huge problem in Australia and she and her lily white family, struggle to avoid the sun. If they have anything to do in the garden they have to get up at the crack of dawn as by 10 am in midsummer, the temperature is in the high 30′s and in the afternoon they stay in their air conditioned houses, or the alternative is to go to another air conditioned building e.g. shops. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure the positives, far outweigh the negatives and she says that there is no way they would come back to the UK, altough she admits to missing family and friends.

This conversation started me thinking once again, about how lucky we are in this country. Yes we get lots of rain, yes, the sunny days are few and far between and not particularly hot; but the benefits are not to be sniffed at. We have beautiful lush countryside, fascinating weather patterns, (even if sometimes they can be quite extreme) and with the correct clothes, nothing so extreme that we have to hide away from it.

If only we could have a 3 month summer, where tempartures averaged 27 degrees and the seasons were defined. then we would all be completely happy! Is that too much to ask?

IF ONLY WE HAD THE WEATHER

The tabloids and politicians of various parties (especially the conservatives) have been claiming that Britain is “broken” for as long as I can remember. While there may be problems, mostly caused by poverty and lack of opportunity in some areas and all areas tolerate their share of social problems, it has been much worse.

Growing up in the 60′s, I was one of the lucky ones who had good parents, who were happily married. My Father worked in the mines, my Mother stayed home and cooked apple pie and roast dinners and everything in my world was wonderful. Stay at home Mothers were the norm then and while I didn’t complain at the time (you wouldn’t would you) my Mother was denied the opportunities I enjoyed as a 30 something Mother of 3. The 60′s were definitely hard for my Parents and a lot of people who were ‘in the same boat’.

Take off the rose-coloured spectacles and look a bit closer at the 60′s and you will find a completely different picture.

For instance, take family breakdown, some commentators seem to think that this is a situation which only raised it’s ugly head 20 years ago; but that is because in the good old days, women and indeed men, put up with what they got. To coin a phrase “you made your bed, now lie in it!” Thank your lucky stars that has changed!

Free sex/love was not invented in the 60′s. Speak to any broad minded Granny and they will happily tell you of ‘sex out of wedlock’ which happened more frequently than some wish us to know about. The difference was the risk. No contraception, risk of being cast aside by your whole family if you should fall pregnant, as well as being unceremoniously dumped by the Father of the child and at worst, having your child taken away at birth and adopted by some rich and well to do parents!

Teenage pregnancy is still a problem, but it has been declining, with a few blips, for years. Girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are approximately 50% less likely to have a baby in her teens than their grandmothers were and while their partners will probably not want to set up home with them, they are also far less likely to be beaten. People have very short and selective memories about the so-called ‘good old days’.

In the initial years of this new millenium, ‘Great Britain’ has it’s fair share of problems, but broken, is too strong a word!

Scare-mongering tabloid journalists have done a great job of painting such a bleak picture, that many of our senior citizens are now afraid to go out in the evening, they are afraid to put the heating on in case they get a huge bill and they think that all teenagers, (especially of the hooded variety), are crazed, knife wielding drug addicts who will beat them senseless for the price of their next fix!

The main cause of our social problems (in my humble opinion), is that there is too little spent on education and a lack of meaningful employment, although there is no way I want a return to all men slaving underground in horrendous conditions. Older people need to engage with young adults, if they did they would find that the vast majority are really nice ordinary people from loving homes and if they ask, they may even mow the lawn!

There is now a whole generation of young males and females, who don’t know what to do with themselves. They need to regain their self respect and focus on what they can do and not what they can ‘get away with’ not doing.

Britain is not broken, it is just still a vibrant, diverse, safe place to live. If anybody breaks it completely it will be the tacky, headline grabbing tabloids and their propaganda!

I have to admit to being a bit of an ‘undecided lurker’ at the moment, reading this and that about the different parties and I have to say that I still haven’t found anything that sets the world alight for me.

From the newspapers recently, it seems we now have the Tories getting themselves into a pickle over National Insurance rates and people are surprised and confused at Osborne’s announcement this week. It almost seems as though both Labour and Tory bigwigs, were caught out by a renewed optimism amongst the British people.

Until recently, Tory Policy had centered on the doom and gloom politics of so-say Labour failure over the last decade or so. Tory front benchers claiming that these were desperate times and hard decisions were the order of the day. Indeed, there could be a return to ‘doom and gloom’ if there is a sudden downturn prior to the election on May 6th. At the moment though, there seems to be a suggestion of a recovery, albeit a tentative one. People seem to be more optimistic, even excited by all the shenanigans going on around the country right now.

After the expenses scandal, the Iraq war inquiry and the Hoon/Hewitt failed coup, who can blame anyone for trusting no-one? The truth is that the public think that all the parties, especially the Reds and Blues are almost like for like!

So who to trust? Here’s what they have to offer? The BBC has produced a sort of ‘Idiots guide’ to the political parties, the main ponts being

The Labour Party

Wait until 2011 to cut spending, to halve deficit in four years; increase spending on “frontline” NHS services and schools but freeze or cut spending in other areas from 2011; ensure all people who suspect they have cancer get test results within one week; ensure that 60% of any tax increases adopted as deficit-reducing measures will impact only the top 5% of earners; restore the link between the state pension and earnings from 2012; guarantee a place in education or training for all 16 and 17 year olds; guarantee people aged 18-24 a job, work experience or training place if they are unemployed for more than six months.

The Conservative Party

Begin spending cuts in 2010 to eliminate most of the UK’s structural deficit within five years; real terms increases in health spending; allow charities, trusts, voluntary groups and co-operatives to set up new Academy schools, independent of local authority control, and to run other public services; scrap identity card scheme; “recognise” marriage and civil partnerships in the tax system.

The Liberal Democrats

Identify and cut £15bn of “lower priority” spending to protect front-line services while reducing structural deficit at least as fast as Labour plans; raise the threshold at which people start paying income tax from £6,475 to £10,000; ‘mansion tax’ on the value of properties over £2m; scrap identity card scheme; replace the Council Tax with a Local Income Tax; introduce a written constitution and single transferable vote (STV) system for all UK elections.

If you live in Scotland, you also have the SNP to think about and here in Wales we have Plaid Cymru, me though, I believe I have to vote for someone who will do more for my local community. Who will look after front line services and at least be trustworthy (whatever that means)?

So there you have it, clear as mud, for me at least I have a few more weeks of sitting on the fence!…to be continued