New Blog

And then there were two blogs to neglect! Hopefully my mum and brother will help with the latest one - enMatte. A place to record memories and developments in the south of France...

So what has inspired me to start doing this again?

Very good question. While struggling to spell taught, while writing up a particular stressful appraisal, I resorted to a Google search and came across SelfTaughtGirl - it distracted me for long enough to be re-invigorated in the writing I had to do myself!

British Property Market

Having spent the last 5 years watch in the UK property market in wonder - hoping to get on the property ladder, and the last 6 months helping my mother buy a property after she received an offer on her house that was too good to refuse, I think it is time for first time buyers to go on strike. If we all collectively point blank refuse to buy any property in the next 12 months, then combined with the rising interest rates, some common sense might return to the market. If only the government hadn't chickened out on HIPs, it might not have taken 12 months. My impression is that everyone telling us that house prices are rising have a vested interest in that being true. It is the mortgage companies - who can't loose these days, the estate agents - who like the high prices because they get even high fees for hardly doing a thing, and existing property owners who are building up massive unsustainable debt based on a property price bubble. Come on - average property prices six times average earnings, when the historical average is four time is not sustainable.

Improvement in British Sport?

It looks like British sport might be improving - if not off the death bed yet. We have a new young F1 driver who appears to have more skill than fear! And the cricket team have crushed the opposition - even if it was a West Indies team reeling from a World Cup even worse that England's and the retirement of their long term hero. But it might be a false dawn - now all our Tennis players appear to be failing by the wayside - Henman is almost finished, Rusedski has retire and the new young hope has over played and is out injured. And just as the prospect of having to defend the World Cup, the entire Rugby side appear to have gone down sick!

What has happened to British Sport?

Well the Ashes have started and it already looks like the poor form for English sport is continuing... The football team failed to live up to all the hope and hype - they still can't take penalties - you would have thought they would have learnt. And they played their best when down to 10 men because the "wonder boy" was sent off - and we never got to see the youngster that meant we where a striker short! Then the rugby team has been dismal - 7 straight losses and the victory that saved them from a record wasn't convincing against a SA side that left almost another experience team at hope to blood the youngster they are going to the world cup with... In F1 the highlights for the British was the perennual under performer Button finally one a race, and the old timer Coulthard manage to drag himself around just in front of the no hopers! I'm not sure how much it says about our Tennis players that a good new prospect is the highlight of the year in the area we host what many consider the most important annual contest. I really think we missed a trick - most of these sports come from the British Empire - we simply shouldn't have told everyone else all the rules - that is the way the US do it - no one outside the US can work out American Football - and for baseball they have a world series, but only invite the Canadians from the rest of the world to take part!