Spa Tek

futures

With thanks to all those who care enough to tend to the needs of an old man - and topoint out that he got his grand-daughters names mixed up. Sorry Belle.

My grandaughter, aged 5, no longer eats a school meal. She had to collect it from a service counter, designed for far larger children, where food was slapped onto a plastic tray with four compartments - rather like those found on aircraft. A plastic knife and fork were available but most children used their fingers. They were easiest to to use to deal with the burgers, chicken nuggets, fish fingers and sausages that were the staple diet. A drinks machine selling sugar-laden fizzy drinks stands in the entrance to the dining hall, alongside a chocolate and crisps machine.

My little Belle was herded through this monstrosity and given 10 minutes to eat the rubbish on her plate. At 5 years of age no help was available, teachers were elsewhere, canteen staff over-stretched and another shift of hapless kids ready to take her place as soon as she had finished.

Back in my bad old days (that's before Thatcher and her mob privatised everything and the concepts of service and value were lost) we sat on three long tables, with a teacher at each end. Starting at one end of the table we gradually worked our way towards the other, where we helped to serve portions of meat or fish (real meat and fish, not mechanically collected rubbish pressure-washed from the carcases of ill-fed creatures). Vegetables came in large terrines, from which we served ourselves, and we used knives, forks and spoons, understood the need for cooperation and enjoyed fruitful conversation with our peers. Grace was said, in latin, at the start and end of each meal. We had filed in, and we filed out, quietly.

As a proportion of our parents income we probably paid much more for that substantial meal, finished off with jam roly-poly, choc pud and custard or fruit pie. But then we also had milk during our mid-morning break, and younger kids had orange juice.

The progress means that my little Belle now takes a packed lunch to school every day. This burden adds to the gym shoes, the books, pencils and other paraphenalia she must carry around with her because children can no longer be trusted not to steal from school desks and lockers.

I'm clearly getting too old for this daft world.

posted by Suffolk Notes @ 4:14 pm 8 comments

Victory in Europe

Can we really wonder that Russia became paranoid after the last Great War? So many millions of its people killed it must have been so determined to maintain a buffer zone between itself and perceived enemies. That Germany was the most obvious enemy, and annexation of part of that great country seen as an adequate preventative measure seems obvious. Since those days we have had equally awful stories of the Stalinist regime, and none of this helps persuade me that mankind is making much sense.

In August we shall remember the millions slaughtered in Asia during the Japanese invasion of China and elsewhere. Even though time has passed it is still difficult to understand why the first atomic bomb was not dropped on a hillside close to a major Japanese city. Why did some many tens of thousands of innocent people have to be blown to pieces? The threat should have been enough, even for the Japanese leaders.

I'm a convinced pacifist, a ridiculous stance perhaps, but at least it keeps people alive. Those countries facing bloodshed are no better off. Iraq is an obvious example, Palestine is also poorly developed because America's political interests are with Israel. North Korea, Somalia - the list can be continued.

However protective we may feel do remember that America has not won a war since the renegade British living in North America in 1776 adopted that name. Vietnam has never suffered the persecution from communism that 57,000 brave US soldiers gave their live to fight against. Aggressive invasions do nobody any good.

Our real battles are with arrogant politicians, like Tony Blair, who take their fellow citizens into wars that nobody wants.

Nice new picture (well it was taken in 1976) of my two children and me in Austria. We drove to Northern Italy that summer - where it rained most of the time, In England there was a heatwave.

Such is life and memories

posted by Suffolk Notes @ 10:43 am 0 comments