Holiday time

We have now settled back into life in Bedfordshire after our week's holiday at Mr and Mrs Pops house...and what a superb week we had.  I could blog for hours about what we did and what fun it was, but I have decided to word cloud it all...

Beatrix Potter, Helvellyn, Blue Tarn, Beautiful, Breathtaking, Bluebird Beer, Quiz, Guinea fowl, AlPaca, Maize Maze, Swirrel Edge, Sheep, Alice in Wonderland, Pain, Aching, Rowing boat, Boathouse, Grebe, Striding Edge in the fog, "are you ok", Yorkshire pudding the size of a head, Rumicub, White wine, Stickle Tarn, melted sweets, Lovely People, Missing Ben, Sonos, Laughing

I might add more as I go on.....

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No money for Arts

Yet more proof that the Coalition government's theory on Arts funding is skewed beyond all comprehension.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/we-cannot-offset-arts-cuts-say-philanthropists-2027712.html

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I hate to say I told you so

So the new Minister for Culture has asked major Arts funding bodies to look at cuts of 25 to 30%.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10643425

I recently posted on this subject here http://www.bartonbydesign.co.uk/mr-plug/?p=233

So we are looking at something even more serious.  Whilst I genuinely believe that there is an opportunity for all arts organisations to really innovate and create as a result of the austerity, it would be wrong of me not to rant in the strongest possible terms about the cultural impact of this financial rape of what makes our country so precious.  Just a brief scan through the Arts Council's website http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/ will show you some of the superb, exciting and educational projects that will go under the knife.  Of course, the Arts are seen as a "Soft" subject, but are they really?  When you consider the income that the Arts generate in this country, "Soft" is not the appropriate word.  Soft, is a word that could be applied to the complete failure of this government to address the actual cause of the problems in the first place.  Vince Cable was at the forefront of the criticism of the bankers, but now seems to be keen on leaping into bed with the bankers and kicking those who do not deserve it. Is this what power does for you Vince?  The Lib Dems massive u turn on Tuition fees, which is now mutating into the ill thought out idea of a graduate tax just shows them up to be what they have become; the slightly softer side of what we will grow to think of as the harshest of Tory governments in history.  I wanted to run from the party kicking and screaming.  I have decided however, to rejoin the party, and try to fight against the changes to what was a superb party.  

Whenever anyone questions the "Austerity measures", I have noticed that it is still ok to refer back to the mess that Labour left us in.  I also seem to remember that we wanted to get away from the punch and Judy politics that Cameron Clegg so publicly denounced in the lead up to the election.  This new politics has the stench of the old about it, and I fear for the young people that are going to be affected so very deeply by these ridiculous measures.

I will be writing to my beloved MP on this, and many more issues, and expect a swift response.  I might even update the blog with the letters.

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The final Push

This time next week, we shall be preparing for our week in the Lakes with the lovely "Pops" family.  It is a couple of years since we were last there, and although we will be without our smallest companion this time, I am really looking forward to it.  We approach the end of a hard fourth year of the business, and I am very much looking forward to a break.  We have survived the recession, and numbers have remained good, and when we look at what has happened with so many other companies like ours, we can be rightly proud.  Next year we will be exciting as it will be the culmination of some of my writing projects, and the beginning of some more.  I hope that they turn out to be fruitful, as they not only give the company an edge, but also give me the chance to vent my creative spleen.  We move into the next year with the threat of cuts to the arts hanging over us all.  This new coalition government is waving the axe around with wild abandon, and it is only a matter of time before things start to get difficult in our industry.  I hope that everyone can remain calm, and use it as a creative force rather than a destructive one.  Some of the best works of art can be traced back to moments of austerity.  

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This Apple Business

I write this, dear reader, from the safety and comparative warmth of my new MAc mini. Well I say new, it is actually second hand...a purchase from ebay. I was disappointed to see that my Dell machine, had collapsed under the weight of it's own crapness, and worked out that in order to fix it, I would need to spend somewhere in the region of £150 to £200. It was no longer covered by the inadequate warranty, and as a result, I would be forced to spend around 50% of the original asking price in order to get it up and running again. I object to this. I have over the last year, become an advocate of the "Cloud", and as a result, I have been backing up to my hearts content, just on case a catastrophe like the one that recently occurred befell me. I weighed up the pros and cons of the alternative. I was surviving on my Dell laptop. Recent Dell behaviour leads me to believe that this was not a sensible option and that the laptop should be used as a back up only. I could simply buy another PC, on one of Dell's attractive "buy now pay in ten years time when the machine has long since given up the ghost" deals. Again, this seemed like a less than sensible idea. So off I trotted to ebay to see what was on offer. I also enlisted the help and advice of the army of geeks that I know, and pretty much all of them said "Get a Mac", you wont regret it. I have to admit that a few years ago I would have scoffed at such a suggestion and announced my allegiance to all things PC, however, I have enjoyed the use of my iPod and latterly my iPhone, and in fact become a big fan....so why not I thought. So here I sit...typing away on my Mac. It's weird...it doesn't feel quite right yet...however, all of it seems to work, and I am finding my way around. Much like moving into a new house, nothing quite works to start with, but you begin to feel more comfortable as the days go on. I have to admit also, to a moment of frivolity, in that I have purchased a second mac as well. I was looking for some particular software for this mac, and happened upon a listing for another machine that contained the software I wanted, and lots more....it went for an unbelievably cheap price, and so I await the delivery of my second Apple Baby. All in all, I have spent £160 for 2 machines, Delivery, and software. If they go wrong, then so be it...for that price I cannot really complain, and it will have been, if nothing else, and interesting experience. I shall wait and see how reliable the machines are, and if I become a fully paid up member of the Apple Love-in....so far, I am slightly smitten....like an old pervert in a bar....

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