Cosford Airbase Bradley and I spend a few hours here this afternoon. Haven't been out with Bradley on his own for ages. Months and months.

We see some small planes taking off as we drive in, they're so far away that they look like toys, but Bradley's attention is grabbed. We look for more, wait some... Drive on and we pass some of the planes that are on the satellite picture. "Big, big, big, big ones," says Bradley, stretching out his arms. He is suitably impressed.

I see some bombs. If fact there's a lot of bombs in this place. I explain to Bradley that they're fireworks, they go whoosh and bang. Bradley doesn't like fireworks, he cringes at the merest mention of the word, let alone the real thing.

I wonder about these bombs, rockets, cruise missiles, bombers, should I bring him to such a place, even if it is only a few miles down the road, and free to get in. Amazing to grow up with these things, but will it turn him into a military man?

We end up in the cafe. Bradley finally takes a bite out of my doughnut. I'd been asking him for ages, though he'd eaten well today. He starts licking out the jam. I sigh. Look around the room. Then, I spot him sticking in the straw to get at the bottom bits. Reminded me of the chimps with the grasses and ants.

766 Also posted to: personal . At: 11:56:22 PM  . .
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For the first time ever, I'm at the top of the board. Two big hitters are currently replacing a senior FSM. They, I guess, are spending less time knocking doors. Thus they are out of the picture, but still not very far away [Bal's at 5th with 71 and Stu 11th with 54pts.

Stu did the presentation of the board. And then I realised that all the attention was to be on me as he called out from the bottom.

Nice, I get loud claps and bangs on tables. As look around the room [I only see half the reps, and I ain't going to look around - gotta look nonchalant] and I see genuine, congratulatory smiles. This is nice, I think, as I smile to myself.

765 Also posted to: Telewest backgrounder . At: 10:49:53 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Big hitter at Telewest

I think Francis was a little bit surprised by Esme and Bradley's behaviour, though she soon realised the fun that was to be had.

764 Also posted to: personal . At: 10:43:16 PM  . .
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Another wild screaming time in the park. Everybody had fun.

763 Also posted to: personal . At: 10:41:54 PM  . .
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Bradley likes being a pig. I guess all kids do. Here, he was licking, sucking and sticking his tongue out to the world. I told him not to do it the first time, "it's disgusting." This made him do it several more times [predictably] to which I made no comment.

762 Also posted to: personal . At: 10:41:31 PM  . .
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A lawless visit to MacDonalds

Francis, Esme and Bradley. We go to feed the ducks, wander around the toy shops, ending up in the fast food hell. But, they crawl across the windows, scream rowdily. In MacDonalds I can let them get away with it.

I think she was saying something along the lines of, "this ice cream is very sticky."

761 Also posted to: personal . At: 10:22:59 PM  . .
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"London moves while others await war

The Bank of England unexpectedly cut interest rates Thursday to the lowest level in nearly half a century, raising concern in financial markets that the strongest major economy in Europe faces unpleasant surprises as war in Iraq looms. . Analysts said the Bank of England might have acted with inside knowledge of unusual stress to the financial system, perhaps stemming from a sharp decline in stock prices; since Jan. 1, the FTSE 100 index in London has fallen nearly 9 percent, nearly double the drop in the Dow Jones industrial average during the same period."

More interest :-) and intrigue.

760 Also posted to: warBlog . At: 10:18:52 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: IHT: Surprise in England: Interest rates are cut

"Analysts said the dollar would weaken further relative to the euro, particularly if the United States were not able to muster support for its Iraq campaign, and proceeded without a United Nations mandate."

Interesting, the twists and turns of war.

759 Also posted to: warBlog . At: 10:13:00 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: IHT: A muddle for Europe's Central Bank