Oxford

This is Oxford's newest hotel: Malmaison. In the foreground is Becky - say hello, Becky. You might be thinking, hmmm, that hotel looks suspiciously like a prison. That's because it IS a prison, or was, I should say. HMP Oxford was closed in 1996. The Council had to decide how to preserve this piece of heritage and in the end chose to sell it to a hotel chain. A great idea - the result is a wonderful piece of architecture. The hotel rooms are made up of two or three cells knocked together, and use the original three-inch thick doors. All the old stairs, exercise yard, corridors have been kept intact. Go Oxford.

Goostrey to Wembley in Eighty Days

What an astonishingly exhausting day. Some people will go to the most extraordinary lengths to see the bands they idolise - and now I'm one of them. I'm not sure I've ever done so much travelling or been on so many delayed trains. Goostrey-Wembley is not a journey I would recommend to anyone.

When Becky and I stepped off the tube at Wembley Park we were rewarded by the sight of the new Wembley Stadium with it's glorious arch stretching across the skyline (I should stress that I didn't take this picture!). Ah, football... but of course we had to turn aside and proceed to the much smaller Wembley Arena next door.

We stood pretty near the front, feeling very chuffed with ourselves, until we discovered we had to stand waiting a further two hours before Muse came on. By this point the crowd was rabid. We barely had any room to move. And when the first chord was struck, everyone surged forward crushing us in a heaving mass of 17-year old A Level students. We didn't last long before we were fighting our way to the back!

All in all, it was an excellent show. The audience alternated between a state of possessed exuberence and bored dehydration. I was no exception. Unfortunately, Muse themselves didn't seem very excited by the occasion, but that didn't stop them putting on a good performance. Yes, we all had a good old sing-song. And next time I go to Wembley, it'll be with Three Lions on my shirt.

Why politicians should sack their aides

The news that Blair has publicly admitted that western intervention in Iraq has been a disaster may come as a surprise to some, but it will be welcome to most, if only because it will allow Britain to continue its work in Iraq more fully aware of the challenges our troops face. Even more surprising is that he made the comment in an interview with David Frost!

But don't jump out of your seats yet. Blair's spokesmen are already trying to pull the plug on Blair's remark, saying "he was simply acknowledging the question in a polite way before going on to explain his view" and didn't actually agree with the remark that Iraq has been a disaster. Well, judge for yourself:

Frost asked him whether Western intervention "has so far been pretty much of a disaster"?
Blair replied: "It has".

Just a polite acknowledgement? Or an honest and open answer? Which would Blair's spokesmen rather we interpreted it as?

A nice image for you

Story in the Daily Mail yesterday:

"I thought only women got osteoporosis - until my back exploded on the dance floor."

Muse-ic

I'm going to my first ever rock concert next week. I haven't been this excited since I was more excited than this.

A review in The Times today says, "Ablaze with kaleidoscopic lights, supersized video screens and a hydraulic riser mounted on what looks like an upturned Dalek, their retro-futuristic stage show is unlike anything seen since the heady heyday of 1970s progressive rock". Oh, goody! "The cumulative effect here was rather like being force-fed an endless supply of overrich chocolate cake". Mmmm, yummy!

Still on my way

Time for an update on my job-hunting, I think.

So far I have had one interview and lots of rejections. On the other hand, I am currently employed so things aren't all that bad. On Sunday, we had to try out food from the new menu at the pub, and got paid for out exertions. I guess I can cope with this existence for a while yet.

I've thrown myself wholeheartedly into a couple of graduate schemes: the Civil Service Faststream and the Local Government Graduate Development Scheme, but I can't say that I'm entirely enthused by either of them. Still, I do have a Faststream assessment centre in December to look forward to.

I also have ongoing applications to the Metropolitan Police (! - but actually I quite fancy that one), and the Privy Council Office, both of which look promising.

And if anyone reading this needs a shelf fixing or lawn mowing, I'm sure that for a reasonable price I can tell you to get lost.

Light and movement

Yesterday I went to another careers fair. In Birmingham this time - the National Exhibition Centre. Birmingham's actually harder to get to than London. I had to change trains twice both directions. It wasn't a bad day, but I've nothing exciting to report so I experimented with my digital camera instead.

These are three photos of the same walkway in the NEC, but taken with different settings. Cool, no? I can't remember which settings go with which picture though , so I've still got plenty of room to improve!

Frustrate their knavish tricks

Next February we are to get a new £20 note. Edward Elgar, the Worcester composer, is to be replaced by Adam Smith, the eighteenth-century founder of modern economics and author of The Wealth of Nations.

Adam Smith will be the first Scot to appear on a British banknote. This is simply unacceptable. The Scottish already have their own currency. In fact, they already have Adam Smith himself - on £50 notes. They should keep their grubby hands off British money, or scrap Scottish notes altogether.

This is just the thin end of the wedge. Scotland now has its own parliament, but still elects MPs to Westminster to decide on issues only affecting England. Now they want to be represented on someone else's currency too! You know what we should do about it?

Nothing. 'Cos who really cares?