Ross Noble

"please overtake quietly - refugees asleep"
- Graffiti on the back of a van

"Show me... show me... show me... Show me where your mother lives!"
- Confused climaxer

In the end there can be only one!

Steve's abandoning me then So I guess the time has finally arrived when I have to deal with the muppets on my own.

"We Are Not Afraid" campaign spreads to Cowes

Isle of Wight Today - RECORD FIREWORKS CROWN BUMPER WEEK

Not specifically blogging about that news story, but I've just been away for a week racing a J/109 at Cowes Week (sorry, Skandia Cowes Week 2005 to give its full official title) and the presence of a "We Are Not Afraid" symbol on the side of the Class 0 yacht Nokia Enigma has me in two minds.

(photo is from the above story in the Isle of Wight County Press)

On the one hand I'd spent the previous 3 weeks working in London every day, and was looking forward to a week of racing, recreation and alcohol abuse where I could forget about any and all world issues, yet this is here forcing world politics to intrude on my time off.

On the other hand its heartening to see that not only can a huge international event like this (over 1000 boats raced in Cowes Week this year, with many of them carrying over 6 crew, some as many as double or triple that) carry on almost exactly as normal despite the happenings in London, but there are also people here proudly displaying the fact that they are getting on with everything and not letting "the terrorists win".

I'm not exactly a Londoner by the classic definition, but I do commute into and work in London every working day (and a few weekends) and I've continued to travel into London and work there every day since 7th July (apart from a week off for Cowes, obviously). Despite the terrorist's attempts to scare us all away I've fought through the crowds, been insulted by security guards, been under constant scrutiny from the Police (City Police, Met Police and British Transport Police), security guards and the general public, and been on constant lookout myself. Yet I still love this City and wouldn't want to work anywhere else.

Some people call it the "Blitz Spirit", some call it typical British pig-headedness and stiff-upper lip resolve - I don't what it's called really, but very, very few people are letting these attacks affect them any more than they absolutely have to, and everyone is back at work as normal and London is still the buzzing, vibrant, multi-cultural great place that it always has been.