Ban Alcopops

They taste just like fizzy pop and are one of the reasons we have a destructive binge drinking culture. Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer for England, makes alcohol abuse the main focus of his annual report. But suggesting that low-cost drink is heavily taxed is not the answer. Pandora should never have been let out of the box in the first place. When Bass launched Hooch lemonade in 1995 even I could predict it would lead to a disaster. Hooch has since disappeared but it paved the way for the billion pound market which is now dominated by the likes of Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer, WKD, Reef and Red Square. I'm guessing that alcopops earn the government lots of tax so I can't envisage any sort of ban. As a youngster I loved fizzy pop and all things sweet. I hated booze because it tasted bitter and disgusting. In my twenties I developed a taste for sweet cider. By this time I was married with two young children money, was short so it was only an occasional treat. Everyone lived within their means because there was no such thing as credit or credit cards. One either made do and mended or went without. Being ever resourceful I learned how to make country wine from fruit leaves and vegetables. Once the equipment had been purchased it was cheap, easy and very tasty. The garden shed was full of 1 gallon demijohns and I became a regular tippler. So began my love affair with alcohol. The first time I got totally plastered I was 27. I had just failed my first driving test, felt sorry for myself and drank too much. Very strong Dandelion wine was the culprit. I'd followed a very old country recipe which advised gathering the flowers at midday on St Georges day. Both children had beach buckets and we gathered them in a local field. Being so drunk was a nightmare, my entire body felt like it was made from cotton wool and the real me was trapped inside this stupid body. But once I had recovered from the horrendous hangover I wasn't put off. In my thirties my life changed. I had a different husband, a proper job and a lot more money. My second husband liked his booze and encouraged me to drink. Alcohol was treated like a reward for stress. At the weekend lunchtime was the signal to start on the wine and quite often we'd drink and not eat, on holiday we'd often start at breakfast time. It felt hedonistic and was a world away from my previous life. And so began my descent into alcohol dependency.

Self Indulgence

L'Oreal's selling point is, 'Because I'm worth it!' We willingly respond to his subliminal message by constantly reward ourselves. We convince ourselves that we are special but the truth is that we are self absorbed, self-indulgent spineless idiots. So why can't we exercise self-restraint, and self-denial? Why are we so weak? Fire-fighters are being called out at least once a day to lift obese patients weighing as much as 40st into an ambulance or on to a hospital bed. Thousands of individuals are claiming incapacity benefit as a direct result of obesity. Middle aged, professional Britons are more likely to exceed recommended daily levels of alcohol consumption than the working-classes, with twice as many drinking every night of the week. They do not believe they are drinking too much and that simply having a large glass or two of wine each evening is an acceptable way to unwind after a stressful day at work. Wine is presented in such a way the bottles appear to contain something precious. Since potential buyers can’t taste it, the bottle design and label seduces them. NHS spends 3billion on treating liver disease. Doctors report that people don't want to give up smoking because it costs too much, they want to quit for health reasons. Having an addictive personality isn't easy but I keep it under control. I was once a moderate smoker but gave it up over 20 years ago. For many years I was gripped by alcoholism but am now tee-total. Giving up was extremely difficult, I was successful but I do know that not everyone has my strength of character.

Card Skimmers In Store

A friend was duped by criminals. She used the self service checkout in Asda Portsmouth and Hey Presto! £100 disappeared out of her account. I've used self service tills but the prospect of being a victim has put me off. I'll stick to Tesco Cosham, a small friendly store. "CUSTOMERS from three major banks have reported that their cards have been cloned in recent weeks. Initially, it was thought only Barclays customers had been affected. At first, investigation into the thefts centred around the Gosport branch of Asda after bank customers reported using chip-and-pin machines before losing money. But bank customers from Portsmouth have now come forward to say they have been targeted too. Customers reported money being withdrawn from their accounts in Canada and China. Banks, the supermarket chain and police are all involved in a probe into the incidents and are checking whether they are linked."

It Was Written

In the mid seventies I got my first ever 'proper' job. My employer was Mars Confectionery. During my training I learned about forecasting, not the weather but future trends. Thirty years ago it was predicted that small shops would close and they were so right. Other aspects of shop closures is greedy grasping councils believing they can milk car drivers by charging extortionate prices for parking and unrealistic landlords for constantly pushing up rents. The likes of Tesco also use forecasting. Not only future trends but the long term weather. That way they can easily swap between soup and salad. Added to that the general public are like sheep. Lets all pile into the car and go to the supermarket where we can buy everything we need under one roof and parking is free!! Yay!! I can't remember the last time I went shopping in Commercial Road, Portsmouth. I would never pay to park in the town centre car parks. But I know where I can park for free and walk. Years ago I stopped buying new so what do the town centre shops offer that I could possibly want? The fashion brand Principles is in receivership and 66 of their 85 UK shops will shut. In my view they were selling over priced clothes. Who will be next? This blog makes interesting reading, apparently the future is renting.

On Scrubbing Up Well

One day a friend advised. "You know Liz, if you made an effort you'd scrub up very well." I didn't take offence because I knew she meant well. Later this year she will be 69 and is still very good looking - but she has to work hard at it. Her hair, if left in a natural state, would be snow white. Visiting the hairdresser every three weeks keeps it a nice shade of chestnut brown. She paints her nails and spends a fortune on makeup. When it started going grey I dyed my hair. One day I announced that I would let it revert to it's natural state and hands were thrown up in horror. After it had grown out comments were made about how nice it looked. If I had taken heed I might still be dying it. I do my very best not to keep the cosmetics industry afloat, and I would never be a slave to fashion. Even if I followed my friends lead I would still the same person. I hate wearing makeup because I forget it's there and it wouldn't be long before it was smudged. How silly would I look with smeared panda eyes? I am confident and comfortable in my own skin. I am my own person. I don't want to look like Barbara Cartland. There's nothing so ridiculous as an overly made up old bag. What if one became very ill and spent months in hospital. Would visitors have to be turned away because one hadn't been able to keep up a beauty routine?

Floaters

It is quite upsetting when changes to one's vision suddenly occur. Last week a big floater appeared in my right eye. It has settled down but is sitting in my direct line of vision. It is Posterior Vitreous Detachment. It's a common condition which occurs in about 75 per cent of people over the age of 65. As people get older the vitreous, a jelly-like substance inside the eye changes. It is essentially a harmless condition although with some disturbing symptoms and that it does not normally threaten sight. When it gets dark I experience flashes of light. As my Mum used to say, getting old isn't for the faint hearted. I'd be less polite, I think getting old 'sucks'.

James Ravilious - A World In Photographs

On BBC 4 this evening Alan Bennett narrated a documentary about James Ravilious, one of the great unknowns of British photography. Son of the renowned water-colourist and engraver Eric Ravilious, he dedicated his art to a small area of north Devon, where over a period of two decades he took more than 80,000 photographs. This collection has become one of the most comprehensive and poignant archives in the country, documenting an English world and way of life most people had thought long gone. His photos show real people, mostly eccentrics earning their living as smallholders and getting by on very little. Years ago they were part of everyday life. It begs the question, where have they all gone?