A Christmas Address

Rather than write a round robin letter, like we did last year, we are taking the easy way out and directing anyone who's interested to this blog. So a very Merry Christmas to one and all and best wishes for 2009!

2008 has been, in football parlance, a year of two halves. It started in the worst way with Gran (Bessie's Granma Kay) passing away in February. Whilst she had not been in the best of health towards the end of 2007 her loss was no less sudden or saddening for that. She has been and will continue to be greatly missed by everyone that knew her. But in that strange symmetry of life, the mood of the second half of 2008 was set for us by the fact that we are expecting another addition to the family. Bessie's little brother or sister is due in the spring 2009.

And in between these two key events life has gone on. Bessie has turned from a toddler to a teenager in the space of 12 months, still keeping us in fits of laughter the vast majority of the time, but also testing our patience and nerves to the limits (and beyond). She started 'play group' in September for two days a week and becomes more independent by the day. So far she hasn't won any football trophies, gained any 'A' levels or been offered a scholarship to the School of Performing Arts and as such is a bitter disappointment to her parents. However, she was awarded a sticker for tidying up at play group (if only she would do the same at home.)

We took our first tentative steps towards self-sufficiency in response to the credit crunch and took on an allotment (with mixed success). As usual rugby gave us some highlights, but this year what highlights! Not only being at the Millennium stadium to see Wales win the Grand Slam, but also seeing Nick Koster play for the Barbarians at Wembley. We also managed to see some bands, some films, some comedians and some heroes. We made three trips to some fabulous seaside resorts (thanks Salcombe, Padstow and Kingsand) and generally had pretty good - no, excellent - weather. Ali is still pretty much a full time Mum although she does work freelance for her old employer looking after their website (as a bit of light relief!). Brian is still enjoying working as a local authority planner in Chippenham (but there are big changes ahead for local government in Wiltshire in 2009, so there is a frisson of uncertainty and apprehension in the air).

We failed to visit anywhere much further north than Birmingham this year, Brian failed to run a half marathon and Ali failed to get to see Coldplay - there's always next year.........although I suspect we may be rather busy for other reasons (not least being a rash of fortieth birthdays - including Ali's). Feel free to browse around our blog. Go on, have a look, you might find something interesting, informative or vaguely amusing.....there are some pretty pictures to look at too........oh, please yourselves!

Here's wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2009.

With Love Ali, Brian and Bessie

We're on our way to Wembley.....

Hey the Taylors get to go out again!

This time more rugby, but at Wembley Stadium. Alis's cousin Nick was (as regular readers will know) picked to play for the Barbarians against Australia. So the Cirencester Branch of the Cullip family (including Bess) set off for the smoke to meet a large contingent of the South African branch to watch.

The new Wembley is a fantastic venue, more of a hotel that just happens to have a stadium attached than a football ground. I've never seen stewards on any ground wearing suits and ties ("can I help you sir?"). Nick was starting on the bench...but what a bench with Shane Williams (officially the finest player in the world and pictured above with our Nick) and George Gregan keeping him company. The entire Barbarians team was a roll call of the best players in the world - so it was a real thrill to see Nick even warming up along the touch line.

The atmosphere was fantastic everyone who wasn't Australian (and there were a lot of them) was cheering on the Barbarians. It seemed odd to sing 'god save the queen' with only few englishmen in the team, but Bess belted it out with the rest of us. It was a really exciting game and played with a lot of passion (as a number of injured Aussies will testify). Nick played for most of the second half and played well, no doubt securing himself a place in a future Springbok team.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and the score, although the Barbars lost, seemed immaterial. Bess enjoyed her second international rugby match, singing, cheering and even eyeballing the lads sat behind us who had knocked over a beer. And we enjoyed the occasion and meeting up with a whole bus-load of South African relatives.

Twice in a week

I don't go out for weeks, months even and then my body is sent into shock because I take it out twice in a week.

Saturday night The Feeling at The Oasis in Swindon (exotic location, but actually not a bad location and I think you'll find that the group 'Oasis' actually named themselves after The Oasis. so there). My highlight was the fantastic cover of Take on Me by Aha - please listen.

And then on Wednesday night Scouting for Girls (at The Oasis the aclaimed venue in Wiltshire). They also did a superb cover of Video Killed the Radio Star by Buggles.

They were both really, really good and I'm getting quite a taste for it now.

The quiet life...

Sorry, but this blog is getting overtaken by stuff about Wales. But if your view of the bit in the middle of the principality was of peace and quiet and a slower pace of life, think again...see the speck in the middle of the above photo of Llyn Brianne...thats a man in a canoe. Check out the video click here

Welsh Gold

Well they might look like a couple of effete cyclists preparing for the next tour-de-france, but no its the new Welsh 'change' strip. Hmmm..... can't see them selling too many of those out of the Millenium Stadium shop. Certainly not on the back of a very dodgy performance last night.

But, all was not lost! I met up with brother (Ed) and nephew (Rob) and 58,997 others to see the match and have a few beers afterwards. This was a belated 50th birthday celebration for Ed. We once again marvelled at the Millenium Stadium, it is a great venue and all the better for being right in the city centre. Even the dodgy pitch is a bit better than it was originally.

After the match despite it being a Friday night we managed to find a relatively quiet and cosy pub that didn't play pumping drum and bass or have too many neon lights and sold something other than bottled beers and alchopops (i.e. it let in over 40's!). A good time was had by all.

It appears that Rob is perhaps the only person to regularly read this blog so (as they say on Radio One) a big shout out to Rob! Oh, and Rob, follow this link to read about that incident at a US baseball stadium I was telling you about. Very funny (first seen on Rich's blog at http://allhale.blogspot.com - which is always worth a read)

Problems with Wind

(Sorry this is a long diatribe, but I've included some pretty pictures for you to look at too)

Resolving the competing demands of interested parties is the bread and butter of us 'planners' (town and country planners/urban and regional planners/those numbskulls at the council whatever you like to call them). And one of the prerequisites of being a 'planner' is to be able to try to appreciate everyone's point of view and to assess how valid their concerns and expectations are. Its easy really.....

The problems associated with doing this balancing act, and making an independent and objective choice is made all the more difficult when the issues involved affect your home and family. Renewable energy. There's something we can all support. Cutting down on fossil fuels, reducing our carbon footprint, combatting global warming and ultimately helping save the planet. It's a no-brainer (unless your Sarah Palin or Jeremy Clarkson of course) - renewable energy is 'a good thing'. Wind turbines - wow those majestic, elegant and graceful towers slowly turning in t he breeze, gently and quietly going about the business of energy creation. Certainly an improvement over the concrete blocks of coal fired and nuclear power stations belching out smoke and radioactive whatnot dotted around the remote coastlines or industrial areas of the country, isn't it? The problem is that the places where you need to put turbines are in the places that get most wind and they tend to be the high and remote places (although there is a great one alongside the M4 at Reading in the middle of a business park). And the problem with that is that the high and remote places are the places that are most unspoilt and therefore most in need of protection from any sort of development.

And therein lies the problem: It's conservation versus conservation : the conservation of energy and (ultimately) the planet versus the conservation of our natural heritage, the landscape and that feeling of tranquility and remoteness (an experience that increasingly becoming more difficult to find). Change is not of course necessarily a bad thing, indeed it can be a positive and necessary. There are wonderful examples of where man-made structures or interventions are perceived to enhance the landscape - just look at the field patterns that so define our countryside or the Fens or the Elan Valley Dams or all those Capability Brown designed estates. But I'm also sure that the landscape before such interventions was equally as breathtaking ( and I guess the former residents of Elan Valley or Brown's landscapes weren't so enamoured with the changes made when they were forced off their land and out of their homes). The rate of change in our landscape today is far faster than at any time in the past. Where do we draw the line and say enough is enough? We certainly can't stop development altogether in the countryside. For one thing some development can only happen in the countryside, and for another people need to live and work there - without new houses 'local' people are forced away, local builders have no work, local schools have fewer children etc etc. But allow unfettered development and we destroy the very thing that makes the British countryside what it is.

So back to Wind Farms. There is a small one proposed on the borders of Radnorshire near where Mum and Dad live. Inevitably, it will be visible from miles around and inevitably it will change the face of the landscape. Understandably there is some local resistance to that change; but there is also support from those that believe wind farms are a necessity and that the turbines will enhance the landscape. Its a classic balancing act, weighing up the pro's and cons; the costs and the benefits - Is there a 'cost' to the landscape and character of the Radnorshire border? And if there is does that cost outweigh the benefits of renewable energy and all that brings? If half a dozen masts are acceptable, what would the effect of a dozen or two dozen or a hundred - where do you draw the line - do you want to draw a line?

I'm glad I don't have to make the decision. But taking off my balanced, impartial and fair minded 'planners' hat and putting on my emotional 'former local resident' hat I really don't think I want to see turbines scattered around the landscape of this special and largely unspoilt part of the world.

Here endeth the lesson.

Sorry for taking up so much of your time..........

Goodbye Mr A

One of Bess's favourite songs to sing along to is 'Goodbye Mr A' by the Hoosiers, although Bess thinks its called 'Goodbye Mr Ray' and is about the character in 'Finding Nemo'. Now I had never thought what it was really about, but this week I found out. And now I'll tell you...whether you are interested or not. Apparently its about an obscure comic book character (called 'Mr A') created by the legendary Steve Ditko.

Now isn't that interesting........(that's a rhetorical question....)