Today is the day. Today I face the Gestapo... Erm... I mean an important Customer Compliance person at the Job Centre. It's not something to take lightly. Already several people have had their money stopped for discrepancies in their job search, including FR, my old buddy from my glory days in local bands, who has chosen to become self employed again in the music scene after they stopped his money for forgetting to apply for a particular vacancy. I wish him well.

"This won't take long." She told me as I entered the small interview room. Gulp. Show no fear, Caldrail.

To my pleasant suprise I survived unscathed. It pays to observe the rules, regardless of whatever complaint you might have. The lady who got me to sign the contract observed that most of the veteran claimants on her books find it difficult to find work because they're either been unemployed a long time, or that they have specialist experience and struggle to find that niche again. She reckoned I fitted both categories at the same time.

Perhaps. Thing is though I have to believe I'll come out the other side of this with gainful employment, if not quite the job of my dreams. As I pointed out I have plenty of transferable skills. I'm not sure knowing a bit of Roman history is going to land me me a well paid job, nor am I sure my skills at driving sports cars, flying Cessnas, and wacking the heck out of a drum kit night after night is going to help much, but you never know...

Assigning Blame

Why on earth was anyone suprised by the violence of yesterdays march by students protesting at the governments plans for tuition fees? There's always been a minority of anarchists in that age group who want nothing more than a chance to defy authority under the cover of an organised protest.

It must be said though they made a mess of that building at Millbank, London. Like everyone else, I don't see the point of such blatant damage. All they've done is wreck the credibility of the student union's argument, but then, they weren't there to add support for the cause.

I had to laugh though when Boris Johnson, our current London Mayor, refused to answer the questions of the television news reporter. It seems Boris warned there would be violence when the government plans were first revealed. Steadfastly he refused to identity himself with the aims of the march and referred to it as a legitimate protest ruined by mindless vandals who should face the full weight of criminal proceedings for their actions. I agree, as it happens, but who punishes the politicians when they wreck things?

Wet And Wind Blown

As I was warned of previously, the weather was foul. Blustery winds and persistant rain made it a somewhat uncomfortable day. As I packed my shopping at the supermarket checkout, you could hear the wind howling through the automatic doors behind me.

The lady on the till chuckled along with me at the exaggerated noise. "This is going to be a quiet day." She commented. What? Surely not? Since when were Swindoners put off by Atlantic squalls sweeping across the West Country? Good, honest, bracing weather for us hardy Wiltshire breed. As if we had any choice.

It is of course Armistice Day today, marking the end of the Great War and our annual rememberance of those who died. It's a shame the weather was bad but that didn't put off those attending the gathering at the Cenotaph just across from the library. Nor should it. We glorify warfare a lot these days. It's as well to honour those who actually suffered the consequences of it.

Come to think of it, there's a cemetary in the back streets of the hill behind where I live. Although it's officially discouraged, I sometimes take a short cut through there. Walking through I did notice a modest cairn of stones. Compared to the mossy and glossy headstones spread across the hillside, it sort of stood out as crude and makeshift.

If you look you find a dark metal plaque which announces the cairn is to remember a gentleman who died in South Africa serving King and Country against the Boers. His friends had the memorial put there to mark his passing, since they had no body to bury. I found that an oddly touching sight. It wasn't that my thoughts were on the great loss of life over the last century due to conflict, but rather the personal touch, far more meaningful than the anonymous service held in the town centre. It's been a century or more since a small group of railwaymen piled those stones there yet the sadness of the moment survives.

That was this morning. It's now the afternoon, and the weather is still intermittently bad, but we've had brief spells of sunshine. It's almost safe to go outdoors again.