I Know There Is Something Up

With politics in its current state when I find myself agreeing with Anne Widdecombe. I mean I find her political views to be almost 100 percent repulsive, she was a dreadful minister and choose to become a Catholic not because she was persuaded of the truth of transubstantiation but rather because she disagreed with the Church Of England's move towards equality in the form of women priests.

But this morning on the Today Programme she defended the Church of England's right to request that voters shouldn't let their anger lead them to voting for the BNP because of the views the BNP stands. I agree with her especially when the BNP claimed through an election poster that Jesus would vote for them! which is gob smacking cheek on their behalf, because if Jesus was around today they would wish to deprive him of his rights as he would be in their eyes a dirty foreigner.

Given that the BNP have tried to steal the Church's "IP" they've got every right, nay duty to speak up against the racists' odious claims. After all if the BNP had tried to claim that Desperate Dan would vote for them D.C. Thomson would have placed an injunction against them faster than most Dundee chippies could whip up a deep fried Mars Bar. I would also go along with what Widdecombe said and support their right to speak against the BNP on moral grounds too if they so wished. In fact I think it is a shame that that we are not hearing the new Archbishop of Westminster (RC) raise his voice along side Rowen Williams and John Sentamu.

Now as many of you know, I am an atheist, not because I think the churchs are a steaming mass of hypocrisy or suchlike - I'm not particularly anti clerical and also it wouldn't matter if every member of the clergy, whatever their religion or denomination were outstanding paragons of virtue it wouldn't change for me my lack of belief in a god or gods. My atheism comes from finding the idea of a personal god ludicrous and illogical and I see no point in an impersonal god either. For full disclosure I should also point out that I was baptised, first holy communioned and confirmed all within the Roman Catholic Church, I went to a Catholic school for my secondary education (excluding the year in the States) however, I don't think I ever properly "believed" and my religious education at high school probably only helped me to come to the view that there isn't a god, in fact one of my RE teachers spotted that I was an atheist before I did.

I believe strongly that the Church of England should be disestablished, the removal from the statute books of all the remaining anti Catholic legislation, Anglican vicars should be allowed to stand for parliament and I don't believe that schools should be required to hold a daily act of worship. However, Nick Clegg is wrong though to say that religion and politics should stay seperate, they can't be for one thing, not in a country where so many people do have a religious faith and where so many people develop their ethical standpoints from what their faith teaches them. Also no section of society, in this case the clergy, should not be silenced politically because who they are because that is censorship, which I think most of us are agreed is wrong.

No let the clergy speak and where people agree with them, let them be cheered and praised and where people disagree with their views - disagree and oppose through evidence and facts not by telling them to "grow up" and complaining that it's not fair because the Church of England "wants to be nasty [to them] the BNP" Eh Nick Griffin? When you get called on your vicious lies you whinge and complain and want the people calling you out to be silenced, you vicious lying scumbag.

We Are Now In Single Digits

Until the due date, which of course actually means not that much as the baby could come now or he could need to be induced in mid June. I would advise him to come about now as he's got a better chance of having his birthday off school during the Whitsun half term (I went to a Catholic school that's what we called this half term).

I had what could possibly 38 weeks midwife's appointment. I am the picture of maternal health, my blood pressure is 110/70 there was no blood, protein or glucose in my urine everything else was as tickety boo as could be expected at this late stage, i.e swollen ankles were not held against me.

The baby is no more engaged that he was last week, he's still bang on for dates and very active which is a good sign apparently.

It looks like the iPod is going to join the choirs eternal, it can be charged up, and we could "get it working" if very slowly, I tried to sync it with iTunes last night which didn't work as some of the files were fatally corrupted. iTunes then tried to reset it which failed a couple of times so the long term prognosis is not good. Simon says that I can have his iPod touch when the new iPhone comes out, but that may not be until June/July and I'm not sure how long I can last without my iPod.

Ipod Statue

It may not be as dead as I first thought, Simon is trying different methods to dry it out and we've got it going enough so that it shows up start up screen but not much more at the moment. But fingers crossed there may be life in it yet.

A Moment's Mourning Please

I killed my Ipod touch, I accidentally dropped in the lavatory and although it was only submerged for a few seconds if that, the damage seems to be irrecoverable. We've dried it out, but it hasn't come back to life. What is really annoying about all this is that it was my surprise extra special Christmas present from Simon and I am so cross with myself for being so careless. So although it can be replaced it just won't be the same.

Graham Norton Saviour Of Eurovision

Or to be a bit more prosaic the saviour of the Beeb's coverage. El Tel had lost the plot years ago and he sounded like a man who was too old too tired and too confused by johnny foreigner to be covering the show. He'd been ruining my enjoyment of the programme for at least the last five six years. Graham was a delight, I thought, he didn't take it too seriously and most importantly made it clear that other performers can be popular in European countries without us hearing of them something Wogan forgot or never understood in the first place.

I thought the British song was a bit meh, but it obviously was the right sort of meh for the show. Be interesting to see if Lloyd Webber writes the song for next years Eurovision or if someone else has a go. I just hope we don't end up taking it too seriously because after all the music has been pretty uniformly shit since Abba won it. And as a viewer I enjoy the misguided frocks and attempts at gay euro disco than I do the actual songs.

I'm Sure

... That there is something I should be blogging about but I can't think what it is at the moment.

Is That The Time?

Sorry about the blogging outage but I've just not seemed to have had the time or the inclination to blog.

I'm sure that you don't want to hear my whinges and grips about being pregnant, I am going along nicely and the baby's head is now 3/5 engaged (THIS DOES NOT MEAN I AM LIKELY TO GO INTO LABOUR ANY MOMENT NOW) but boy is it uncomfortable and tiring and I'm bored with the whole thing. The uncomfyness and tiredness has been a main preoccupation for the last few weeks so you've been spared some major whinging trust me.

But cat naps aside it hasn't all been daytime TV and gaviscon. No, we got the nursery sorted out, bought a new car 3 and half year old Golf TDi 2.0 it's the nuts. I went to kiddiecare near Peterborough met up with my mum and bought a pram, cloth nappies, various bits of cot bedding, stuff and a baby bath thermometer.

We've also entertained, bought a bbq, garden furniture. Planted seeds, planted out seedlings and tomato plants.

I've learnt the joys of online grocery shopping, Sainsburys since you ask. Really pleased with the service so far.

I've spent a lot of time in the bath, great for getting comfy and reading books although nothing too heavy as it has to fit round the cat naps and not fall out of my nerveless grasp into the bath when I start snoring.

So now you know what I've been up to mostly. My due date is in twenty days and the hospital won't let the pregnancy go beyond 14 days so at some point in the next 35 /36 days we shall become parents.