Keeping warm in style

For a period I was in love with sports leisure  wear and one example of it is this.

This Baseball jacket is by Henley's with stud fastening but you know there's  quite a few variations on this theme out there. The pink lining is a nice touch just taking the masculine edge off of it but I'll guess most of us could get away with a guys!

Prom-a-lot

You know apart from just getting soaked in today's downpour it's not the only reminder that we're approaching that time of year, girls, that has us on the one hand super excited about being with friends and yet at the other worried about how we look as well as if we have anything in that might cut it.
Well if you're in the UK with a reasonably slimish build this might be a dress that would work.

It's by Diamond stocked by Debenhams and designed by Julien McDonald.
Although it's shortish so you need legs, it's reasonably full with a mesh skirt with net trimming underneath to pouf it out a bit while the contrasting top half is simple leading itself to accessorising but with the cut outs at the side.
Available in UK sizes 6 through 18, teamed with heels you'll stand out without looking too out of place.

Less productive time

I only wish I felt this alive right now.
I've had a long day not really being helped by spending the preceding day catching up on sleep from the day wired to the blood pressure monitoring that wasn't much fun.
We did some works case records training and it was obvious from the outset that not one of liked or used the scripts and that we feel we're being held to account for outcomes that were those chosen by supervisors all of which having differing ideas on what is best outcome and if appointments are needed. And that's one thing we can marked down on.
I always record as joint me plus supervisor determines outcome to throw back some ownership for the decision making.
I felt they needed to have common training for supervisors first so they all know when an appointment was needed etc and then cascade that down to us.
It's not that training around this isn't a good idea it's simply you have to start from the top having established common practise .

The skinny cat returns!

Well, after a long time campaigning  in what at times has been a bitter and somewhat personal affair it's all over with.
He's back and I can come out of the coal bunker!

Really as Americans it's your affair, it's your gig, but what those of us outside of the States want from a President is a person who knows it's your job as the leading democracy in the World to engage with that World, a person who knows how to use those special relationships especially with the English speaking democracies such as Canada and Great Britain to improve international trade, co-operate in the attempt to resolve conflicts peacefully and encourage those where democracy isn't the norm to transform their own societies. We don't need more regime change that destabilizes regions, allows less amenable regimes in and cost all our soldiers their lives.
You know it takes a long time before any one can see what their programs are set out to deliver.
If, whatever your own misgivings and the difficulties your Country is going through,  you gave him a chance in the polling stations yesterday may I say thank you for returning him to office.

We want our EU contributions cut!

No apologies to returning to a grown up topic I've spoken about in the past on this blog namely Great Britain and its relationship with the European Union. If you haven't read them, no doubt searching the blog would bring them up.
Anyway, I think most of know the UK has got a large deficit which regardless of what our opinions on how we're reducing it and how that is affecting ordinary folks, we are doing it by reducing the amount of money we spend on government services.
One item of expenditure we have over here is our contribution to the budget of the European Union and there is a lot of talk from them about increasing by around 4 or more percent the budget contributions because it says it needs that to pay for its programs even though most National Governments like ours are doing the opposite ironically to pay for bailouts from the EU!
It is fair to say their is a schism between the opinions of the Political Establishment  here and that of many ordinary people regardless of party politics and it can be summarized as this:
Most Britons like people from Europe, they are happy to visit, co-operate trading with and certainly have no desire for conflict never mind war with them. The one thing they will not accept is a political Europe with it's own sovereign parliament, binding Europe wide laws, financial regulation and currency.
That's because they have a proud history of having one of their very own to which they remain happy with.
Now in the last few days because their is a split between the generally pro EU Liberal Democrat half of the Government and the more anti Political EU Tories meetings were held and the Tory Prime Minister decided he was going to argue at the upcoming EU Budget meeting for a Freeze in contributions , the idea being in time it would have to reduce some of its ambitions.
Unfortunately for him many of those of his party not in the Cabinet thought otherwise wanting a cut on the grounds that it was unfair to expect people to have to accept cuts in what National Governments spend on goods and services we use and for them not to do the same.
I'm not a Tory but I have to say I agree completely with that especially when the spending is not and hasn't been accounted  for properly year on year for a very long time.
Last night in the vote on the proposition, just for one this once rebel Tories and the Labour party defeated the Government by 307 votes to 294 making it clear through our representatives what is is so many of us feel.
I only hope the message isn't lost on people involved in the European Union not least the Comissionaires.
Today Britons have spoken.