I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year, whether working or spending time with your families. My wife, Maxine and I spent Christmas with some of our family who live in Sweden. Although our daughter lives in Barcelona and we visit her as often as we can, we also travel to Sweden to see our son, his wife and our two young grandchildren. We obviously want to watch our grandchildren grow, especially in their formative years.
   In the early years of our marriage and after becoming a cabdriver in 1965, like most butterboys I worked very hard so I could give my family the best I could manage. The downside was that I now find it difficult to remember our children when they were young - probably because I was always working. So travelling to Sweden to see the grandchildren has now become a very important part of our life. Just like many families, spending Christmas with them is a real treat.
   Sweden celebrates Christmas a little differently with Christmas Eve being the big day for giving and receiving presents. Watching the excited looks on the kid’s faces as they unwrap them is something you can never forget.
   This is also the day of the Swedish Christmas feast, which comprises a smorgasbord - including a few traditional dishes such as ham, jellied pigs feet, rice porridge and Lutfisk (sun-cured cod served in cream sauce). The Christmas feast also includes a tradition called doppa i grytan (dipping in the kettle), in which the assembled family and guests dip bits of dark bread into a pot filled with drippings of pork, sausage, and corned beef – this is apparently not kosher!
   We also still had our traditional fare of turkey with stuffing and vegetables and then my favourite, Christmas pudding washed down with a glass of Glogg (mulled wine). Then it’s games with the children, a bit of ye old Swedish TV and then sleep.
   The following day I thought we’d give our son and his wife a break and take the kids for a drive into the Swedish countryside. The one thing I didn’t expect to see was an Elk blocking our way! I was aware that although not massive in size, they are tough and powerful animals. So what to do? A first I thought we’d wait until it moved on, but after 10 minutes it was still there.
   So I decided to try to scare it by driving up to it, but still no movement. After making sure the children and my wife were safely secured in the car, I got out and

A SECOND CHANCE!

And now for something different…
I have read with interest all the hype with regard to the 2012 Olympics, the millions being spent on ‘Stratford International’, new shopping complexes and hotels, plus the expectations of much needed tourism. The one thing that appears to have been overlooked is the disgraceful state of the roads both in the City, Central London and the suburbs.
   The following piece was written by Municipal Engineering Board Chairman of the Institution of Civil Engineers, John Sanders.
   "The condition of three-quarters of Britain's local roads, footpaths and cycleways has deteriorated over the past year. Research compiled from Britain's local authorities estimates there is a £8.3 billion backlog of maintenance to be carried out. The poor state of the local highways network means the government will fail to meet its 10-year Transport Plan targets.
   The Transport Plan, published in 2000, included a commitment to halt the deterioration in local roads by 2004 and eliminate the maintenance backlog by 2010.
   The problem is being exacerbated by evidence that local authorities are spending money meant for roads, on other things such as health and education.
 

   At present, it is up to each
local authority to decide how much of their allocated highways maintenance budget they spend accordingly. In some instances, little more than half is currently used to address the deterioration. Road planners are frustrated by the ‘patch and mend’ mentality of road maintenance and money for roadworks should be ‘ring-fenced’."
   He ended by asking: "Do we want to sit back and watch our local roads disintegrate into a network of potholed cart tracks? Are we happy to have streets in a state of constant disrepair?"
   Due to the government cutbacks, does that mean roads will deteriorate even more? At his moment, driving in London is like driving through a third world country. I am aware the Mayor for London and his colleagues - plus the Highways Agencies and Transport Ministers - do read Call Sign, therefore my question is that although there are various strategies in place and more to come with regard to cleaner air etc to make London the number one destination for visiting, especially leading up to and during the London Olympics, I suggest more attention be given to the disgraceful state of the roads.
   Ladies and gentlemen of those various authorities, if you find you are a bit strapped for cash, provide me a shovel, a wheelbarrow and a road repair kit and I will give you a hand. That is on the important assumption that it does not stop me seeing me grandchildren or include working with Elks! However, my charges are reasonable.
   Ladies and gentlemen, as interested parties, have a moan at your local MP…

Mike Son
DaC Special Projects