Encounters with a Guide Dog

I often stick my nose into other peoples' business. That particular bit of nosey parkering took place while I was waiting for a bus in Cosham. A young woman with a guide dog was asking people which bus went to Fareham. She needed to get to a specialist shop and wasn't sure where it was situated. It was an impromptu decision, I had nothing planned so I volunteered to go with her. She readily accepted. We caught the bus and spent the journey chatting. Jenny went blind aged three and is now 37. Her right eye had been removed when she was 15 and was wearing a very realistic false eye. What a small world, it turned out that it had been made by a friend of mine who is now retired. Five weeks previously she'd an operation to restore the sight in her remaining eye. It was very successful, she'd been promised three metres of vision but could actually see as far as six. Jenny is very excited but is philosophical to the fact that it may not last In Fareham I asked other shoppers for directions and it didn't take us long to find the shop. Afterwards we went to a cafe. We caught the bus back to Cosham and then we walked round the corner to another stop where I made sure she caught the right one to take her back to Horndean. Ada her Labrador guide dog is nine years old. As she is too old to get used to another person she will spend the rest of her life with Jenny.

Pick Up Those Feet!

During the last week I've tripped over twice, the first time was coming in the back door, fortunately I landed on a mat, not a hard floor. The second was going UP stairs, on carpet. My 'reward' is a bruised knee and a stiff finger. Both times it was because I was in a hurry and hadn't picked up my feet. This is the sort of thing that old and doddery people do. This posh staircase isn't mine, I wish. Being council built housing mine are very basic.

Times Online - Money Central

MPs' expenses: the ten most outrageous claims ever

MPs are paid an annual salary of £63,291 – yet in 2007 each MP also claimed an average of £135,600 for expenses. Travel costs, staff pay and, of course, the controversial second homes allowance are amongst the many things charged to the taxpayer.

Matthew Elliott of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Some politicians have been taking the mickey and taking advantage of taxpayers’ generosity. It is more important than ever, for the democratic system as much as for taxpayers, that the full details of every claim be published. The minority who are cashing in so disgracefully should be run out of town.”

As the row over the transparency of expenses continues, Money Central lists the 10 most outrageous expense claims ever made by MPs.

1. Jacqui Smith’s pornography

Jacqui Smith was left “mortified and furious” after it emerged she had claimed the cost of two pornographic films her husband had watched from her parliamentary expenses budget. Her expenses claims included two films, each costing £5, viewed on April 1 and April 6 last year.

2. Jacqui Smith’s house

Ms Smith is already facing an inquiry over her decision to designate her sister’s house in London as her “main home”. This allowed her to claim £116,000 on her Redditch constituency house, where her family live, as her “second home”.

3. Tony McNulty’s house

Tony McNulty, the Employment Minister, claimed £60,000 as a second home allowance for staying in his parent’s house and is also facing investigation by the Commons watchdog.

Mr McNulty started claiming allowances for the house in his Harrow constituency in northwest London in 2001 and continued to do so until January this year, even though he moved out in 2002. Since then he has lived in Hammersmith, which is just nine miles from Harrow.

Sixteen London MPs claim up to £16,000 a year for a second home, despite living less than an hour's commute from Westminster.

4. Derek Conway’s son, or “parliamentary assistant”

Derek Conway, the senior Conservative MP, used expenses to "employ" his teenage son Fredrick as a Parliamentary assistant, despite the fact that Fredrick was a full-time Geography student at Newcastle university. Frederick was paid up to £11,773 a year for his work – but was “all but invisible during the period of his employment,” according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

5. Nick Bourne’s iPod

Last year it emerged that two members of the Welsh assembly, Conservative leader Nick Bourne and fellow Tory, Alun Cairns, bought iPods on their expenses worth a combined £398. Mr Bourne, who represents Mid and West Wales, also bought a £120 trouser press.

6. Bill Butler’s £1 charity donation

Bill Butler, the Labour MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, tried to claim back a £1 charity donation that a hotel made on his behalf. He says that the hotel made the charge without his knowledge. It was rejected by the Scottish Parliament authorities.

David Whitton, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, also had a claim rejected this year – he wanted £290 in expenses for printing Christmas cards.

7. Caroline Spelman’s nanny

Caroline Spelman, the Conservative Party Chairman and MP for Meriden, was found to have broken the rules for MPs expenses when she hired her nanny as a secretarial assistant in the late 1990s.

Tina Haynes received free board and lodgings - but was not paid - for looking after Mrs Spelman's three children. However, she was paid £13,000 a year, from Mrs Spelman's expenses, for 18-hours work a week as the MP's assistant.

8. Brian Gibbons’ remembrance wreath

Brian Gibbons, the the Labour Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, claimed £16.50 for a Royal British Legion wreath that he presumably laid at a remembrance service.

9. Alex Fergusson's charity advert

The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament attempted to recover £132.78 for the cost of a "congratulatory advert" for a constituency charity for disadvantaged children. His claim was rejected.

10. Council tax

With the average annual council tax bill set to increase to £1,414 from next month, many struggling pensioners will be interested to learn that MPs do not have to pay council tax on their second homes. They can, of course claim it on expenses.

Can Any Mother Help Me?

This play is based on the book 'Can Any Mother Help Me?; by Jenna Bailey. In 1935, a young mother wrote a letter to a magazine, asking readers for help. She was lonely and frustrated, stuck at home with two children, unable to express her thoughts and ideas. The letter struck a chord with women all over the country and someone suggested they start a private magazine.

And so the Cooperative Correspondence Club, or CCC, was born. The women wrote about every aspect of their lives - the pain and elation of childbirth, the challenges of marriage, broken hearts and fading dreams. None of them could have anticipated the friendships that would grow nor that the magazine would last their lifetimes.

The play opens in a 1930s world of teacups and Vim where young mothers exchange childcare tips in the pages of “Nursery World”. The Foursight Theatre Company has captured the essence of the lives, times and personalities of the assorted women who committed half a century of joys, fears and sorrows to paper. At first, it’s a bit like a schoolgirl club. Everyone has a pen name - Isis, Angharad, Cotton Goods – not forgetting Ad Astra the indomitable headmistress cum editor-in-chief who masterminds the enterprise. The club is secret especially from husbands and has rules “members must be mothers”, “no footnotes”. Developed by members of the company, this play is an exquisite evocation of the friendships fostered between the women who made up the CCC. With the passing years the magazine becomes a place where they can not only be themselves, but where they can grow up and grow old together. Fine, well paced performances from all members of the cast are complemented by a well chosen set and lighting that captures the dinginess of the mid 20th century British home. Funny, entertaining, moving and above all truthful, this is a first rate piece of theatre.

Lionel Blue, a British Reform Rabbi and Broadcaster

He appeared at the Kings Southsea last night. He is best known for his wry and gentle sense of humour on "Thought for the Day" on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Blue is 80 and still performing, his kindness and common sense shines through. At times he appeared to lose his thread but quickly recovered. He is known to millions through his broadcasting on BBC Radio. Many others know him from his numerous TV appearances and his books, among them 'Bolts from the Blues' and 'Simply Divine'. Using his own experiences and offbeat sense of humour, Rabbi Lionel Blue told a selection of stories, incidents and conversations whose dotty inconsequential flavour will appeal to people from all religions, and from none. He’s thoughtful and funny with it, mixing humour with humility, compassion and common sense. He talks about the people he has known with affection and about himself with a delicious sense of the ridiculous. He can spot when his dog is having an existential crisis and knows that the best cure for insomnia is a straight-from-the-tin baked bean feast. “My aim”, Lionel said, “is to give people the courage to get out of bed”. He made me feel better by recounting that as he's got older his life has got better. His 60's were good, but his 70's were even better. At the interval and at the end he was available to sign books and share thoughts. What a lovely guy.

Help For Heroes

My friend Stella Astbury is also involved in the community and does a lot of charity work. Last Saturday, 21st March, she was a major player in the 'Colossal Cake Sale' which took place in the Brook Centre Winchester. From the Fareham and Gosport area Stella took 80 large cakes, around 250 small cakes plus biscuits jams and chutneys. Donations are still arriving in lieu of purchases but the total she has to date is around £4,000!! Just from selling cakes! She said it was a very special day. The spirit was amazing, everyone involved was just fantastic, even if it was just coming and ' buying a cake for a Hero', or sending a donation, and then those who 'baked a cake for a Hero', kneaded, iced and packaged and delivered the BEAUTIFUL cakes of all descriptions were just fantastic. There were so many cakes they lost count, but there must have been upwards of 1500 cakes, teabreads, scones, cupcakes, flapjacks, meringues, brownies, biscuits, jams, chutneys etc etc. It was quite overwhelming...... none of them believed they would sell them all, but by 4pm the last cake had gone! The Mayor bought a cake and they had the most wonderful man in kilt playing the bagpipes which attracted people from all around the town and gave the day a great sense of occasion. She is fellow organiser for 'Contact The Elderly' in Gosport-Fareham. Help for Heroes is a very worthy charity.

April Fool's Broken Promise

What is this about? A promise our 'Esteemed' Prime Minister made. Fuel duty is set to rise by roughly 2 pence per litre on April 1st meaning that 66 pence of the average litre of fuel goes directly to the Treasury. Fuel tax goes into a central government tax pot. It's not necessarily allocated back out to motoring, so fuel tax can be spent on anything – the NHS, housing, pensions or even banking bailouts. At the height of soaring pump prices Brown made a promise during Prime Minister's Questions on July 16th 2008 not to raise fuel duty for a year. He stated: "In recognition of the problem people face with petrol, we are freezing duty on petrol for the full year." Brown broke this promise in December 2008 when he added 2 pence per litre to fuel duty to offset the reduction of VAT to 15% - a move which angered UK hauliers who are able to claim fuel VAT back, but not fuel duty. He is set to break the promise for a second time on April 1st when fuel duty on unleaded and diesel will rise 1.84 pence per litre. Including the additional 15% VAT on top this will make the rise at the pumps around 2 pence per litre. The Treasury have said that the only time further changes to fuel duty can take place are at the next Budget – which has been postponed from March until April 22nd, after the duty rise comes in. Do you think the Budget has been postponed to push through a duty rise unchallenged? Do you think it's fair that 71% of the cost of a litre of fuel goes directly to the Treasury? Should Brown be held to account for breaking his promise not to raise fuel duty?