Atomless

Delightful day out today on an adventure to find another Pantopticon. We found the Atom on a beautiful hillside but we were slightly disappointed (as we were with The Halo if you remember) - according to all the photos on the web there should have been a shiny silver globe within the sculpture but alas it was not there. I guess it was Atomless. When I looked the mysterious disappearance up on t'interweb, it reported that vandals had hacked it off its stand in 2012. Ah well...twas ever thus.

The Atom sans its silver reflective globe

Anyway we had a lovely walk and visited the heart of Wycollar Country Park where we walked through a willow tunnel, fed the ducks and my son and daughter ran up and down many a hill and rock. We had a delightful lunch in an olde worlde café and all was well with the world. Everywhere was silence and serenity.

I would recommend bagging a Pantopticon even if they never quite live up to their publicity. With time something always seems to have gone astray. We are off to the Singing Ringing Tree next. We went there a few years ago but my children can't remember visiting it (too young I guess) - I'm hopeful it will all be there when we arrive and that we will remember it in all its glory.....fingers crossed.

Indignant of Manchester

I wrote to my MP the other month about the little matter of our local library being relocated. I related how I understood that it was probably a fait accompli that the library would move. Libraries are after all a soft target - no one gets hurt if a library closes or services are reduced. It's just the quality of life that is diminished. I expressed my concern that savings would  continue to be made once the library had been relocated by reducing the range of services and number of books. I thought, naively as it happens, that my MP might be concerned and perhaps lobby local councillors to ensure that the range and depth of library services in my town would not be reduced even if the library was moved.

I got a letter back on Friday. The MP or I suspect probably one of his researchers had contacted the Council on my behalf. The letter went on to explain how much money needed to be saved. A letter full of facts which quite frankly I could have researched myself in the library! There was not even a smidgen of an opinion expressed from my elected representative. Not even a tentative concern about a possible reduction in service. Not even an undertaking to monitor the situation.

The culmination of my indignation with this letter was the following phrase: "The Service Manager for this particular service will ensure that staff at the library is relocated accordingly." Oh if there was ever an example of Councilese, this is it. A meaningless sentence that just let's the Council do as it wishes with staff depending on the level of service the Council decides to provide. I wondered why my MP had accepted this statement in the first place, let alone repeated it back to me.

Ah well. The first time I've been motivated to contact my local MP and on this performance the last.

P.S. Of course I've written a letter in reply from Mrs Indignant of 88 of Manchester, hoping for some reaction, for some opinion. I'll let you know what happens.