The Polzeath Plague

During my teenage years in the 1970s I attended two summer camps organised by the Crusaders in the wonderful village of Polzeath in Cornwall. The photograph shows the sun setting over the camp in August, 1976.

The holidays were immensely enjoyable and most of the day was spent swimming or attempting to surf the seemingly enormous waves that came crashing into the bay. However, there was a malaise which seemed to affect every camp and that was a particularly unpleasant stomach upset which the campers knew as "the Polzeath plague". This illness, apparently caused by the local water and to which the locals were immune, caused considerable discomfort and embarrassment to its sufferers.

I imagine that South West Water have long since cured the problem and that more recent visitors to Polzeath have not suffered the effects that were visited on campers every year in the 1970s.

QE2 1975 MAIDEN CRUISE MEDAL

This large (45 mm diameter) medal was struck for the QE2's maiden round the world cruise. On the reverse side there is a stylised map of the world and a list of the ports of call. I bought one of these in a table top sale in Sheffield but have never been able to find out anything about it despite a long search of the internet.

I think that the medal is struck in cupro nickel. It is unfortunate that this example has been mounted. Any information from readers would be gratefully received.

Floodlights at Bramall Lane, 1985

This photograph, taken in 1985, shows the now dismantled floodlights above the old John Street stand. I think that there were five floodlights in all at Bramall Lane. They were removed in the mid-1990s as lights on the roof of the stands gave a more even coverage of the pitch. The John Street stand itself was also replaced some years ago.

It is a shame that tall floodlights are now a thing of the past. The lights were always a useful guide to the ground when was travelling to an away game in an unfamiliar town.

Bramall Lane is a much more modern ground today but I still miss standing on the old Kop. However, the football is generally better today than a lot of what we endured in the mid-80s.

Platform 0, Stockport

Forget Harry Potter and the mythical platform 9 3/4, at Stockport station there really is a platform 0.

I can only assume that this recently constructed platform was given the number "0" as it is on the other side of the existing platform 1 to the other four platforms. It may have been easier to renumber all the platforms but it is good to come across such a novelty. Perhaps, there are other odd numbered platforms at stations elsewhere in Britain or abroad.

Sunset over VDNKh Park, Moscow, 2003

This picture was taken from one of the higher storeys of the hotel Cosmos which overlooks the park. The Cosmos hotel is a remarkable tall curved building which was constructed for the 1980 Olympic games.

VDNKh park is well worth a visit. There are some very impressive if rather kitsch looking fountains and numerous pavilions. The pavilions were intended to be monuments to Soviet achievement but today house stores selling electrical equipment and household items. At the furthest end of the park, from the hotel, there are two jet liners on display which are slowly rusting away. The VDNKh experience is a little surreal but a trip round the park is well worth it if you happen to be in Moscow.

Site of Meadowhall shopping centre, 1986

A grim view, indeed. This photograph, taken in 1986, shows the area where the Meadowhall shopping centre now stands in Sheffield. A steelworks had stood on this site and it had recently been demolished when this photograph was taken. Visible in the photograph is the Tinsley viaduct on the M1 and some cooling towers. The cooling towers have become something of a Sheffield landmark in recent years and it is to be hoped that plans to demolish them can still be thwarted.

The Ten Pence Tax Rate Fiasco

I rarely use my blog to talk about political matters but like millions of other Britons I feel quite incensed about the Government's decision to abolish the 10 pence tax rate for low earners. It is totally unjust that hard working people on low wages have had their taxes increased whilst those on higher incomes have had a tax cut.

Now, the Government is talking about giving some of the money back in the future via tax credits. It would be far better not to take the money from low earners in the first place as the administrative costs would be lower and many people would not know how to claim the credits. Additionally, it seems unjust that people will have to go cap in hand to the Government to reclaim their own money. I can only assume that the Labour party are trying to create more clients who will depend on them for their well being.

This proposal was announced one year ago and yet only now have we heard the howls of protests from Labour backbenchers. It was obvious at the time of the announcement that the tax change would harm low earners. Why has it taken so long for the backbenchers to realise the implications that were obvious to anyone with even a modicom of intelligence?

The whole thing stinks. Low earning workers, who often do the jobs that others don't want to do, keep many of our essential services running. They should be rewarded not punished.