The Sunday Telegraph ran an article today on the supposed joys of moving out of London - here is my advice: Don't do it! You will regret it.
If you work in London and own a house in London you should never leave London unless you simply cannot afford it (or are retiring). If the commuting doesn't kill you, the travel delays will destroy your reputation at work.
If you think you can work from home - forget it. Clients still want to meet you, face-to-face not via some web-cam in your bedroom.
London is one of the most wonderful, dynamic and versatile cities in the world - you cannot find the range of facilities it has to offer in any other place in the UK.
I know - I made the mistake of shipping out a couple of years ago when I got a ridiculously high valuation on my London home and thought I could find the good life out in Norfolk. Trust me when I tell you I was wrong.
In London I barely used the car - 3-5000 miles a year max - now I average 10,000 miles a year just flogging round this vast county in search of cultural stimulation (whereas in London I was 30 minutes by tube from the best art galleries, museums, theatres, restaurants, cafés, bookshops, libraries, cinemas, and centres of learning in the world).
The houses out in Norfolk are, in the main, hideous. Sprawling bungalow land and 60s tat. Unless you are loaded - in which case you would still be better off living in London.
If I had my time over (or ever came into enough money) I would move back to London without a second thought. That despite the fact that the air where I live is cleaner (consequently I don't suffer as much from hay-fever).
The countryside is dead. The views are an illusion. Self sufficiency is an economically illiterate delusion. There is no right to roam over the fields and through the woods that you see - most are still privately owned and while agriculture may look bucolic you are in fact staring at one huge food factory with all the restrictions on public access that you would expect with any business.
London is for living - the rest of the UK is for sheep and death. Head to London, buy in London and stay in London - there is no other place on earth to equal it.
Blessings for a good life.
Father Ignatius Brown
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Education should be fun
The Times has a School Gate report today on Home Education (following the government's announcement that it wants to regulate HE more, as if they haven't done enough damage in the state system).
One responder, Jeff, said: "Charley just seems spoilt to me. No-one likes school. No-one likes work."
How sad if true (which I doubt since I have met many people who love the work they do) - but it says more about Jeff than Charley - Jeff thinks that even if no-one likes school we shouldn't try something else - we should not look after our children and actually go out of our way to make them happy - oh no they should suffer with the rest - and likewise with work I presume - don't bother trying to find something that interests you it won't work, we all hate it etc etc...
What a dreadful council of despair - and having met many home educated children and adults I know that I would sooner employ the unconventionally educated to cope in a rapidly changing world than the drones that get pumped out of the socialist state system. Freedom of education leads to freedom of thought (a scary and dangerous concept for socialist politicians and teachers - but then they are always scared of independent minds).
Blessings for Education Otherwise.
Father Ignatius Brown
One responder, Jeff, said: "Charley just seems spoilt to me. No-one likes school. No-one likes work."
How sad if true (which I doubt since I have met many people who love the work they do) - but it says more about Jeff than Charley - Jeff thinks that even if no-one likes school we shouldn't try something else - we should not look after our children and actually go out of our way to make them happy - oh no they should suffer with the rest - and likewise with work I presume - don't bother trying to find something that interests you it won't work, we all hate it etc etc...
What a dreadful council of despair - and having met many home educated children and adults I know that I would sooner employ the unconventionally educated to cope in a rapidly changing world than the drones that get pumped out of the socialist state system. Freedom of education leads to freedom of thought (a scary and dangerous concept for socialist politicians and teachers - but then they are always scared of independent minds).
Blessings for Education Otherwise.
Father Ignatius Brown
Friday, 5 June 2009
Worrying Swine Flu development
Thank you to regular correspondent Sangellone for this news clipping from the San Francisco Chronicle - http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/04/BA031810KP.DTL&tsp=1 - tragic for the family of course but of concern to us all because she was apparently a healthy girl in all other respects.
While antibiotics are no good at getting rid of the original viral infection they can help cure a secondary bacterial infection (the sort that can swamp the lungs with mucus) - so make sure you demand antibiotics if you get a bad chest infection.
Blessings
Father Ignatius Brown
While antibiotics are no good at getting rid of the original viral infection they can help cure a secondary bacterial infection (the sort that can swamp the lungs with mucus) - so make sure you demand antibiotics if you get a bad chest infection.
Blessings
Father Ignatius Brown
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Democracy Day - Don't let others decide for you.
June 4th 2009 - Whatever you do - PLEASE VOTE - not voting tells the politicians you don't care who wins and that you are happy with the status quo - not voting effectively means someone else votes for you (if only half vote the power of their vote is doubled) - don't let others decide, YOU MUST VOTE for someone.
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