Hi All,
It is with mixed emotions that I sit here and blog. Our grand adventure has come to an end after an action packed month. No more rotary dinners and smiling rotarians (at least in D1080), no more museums, tours or countryside walks, no more warm and wonderful hosts, and no more churches!! So it is with sadness that we leave D1080, however we leave with much more than we arrived with. We leave with some strong friendships and fabulous memories that will last forever.
On the other side of the coin we all get to see our families very soon. I will see Kel when she hits London Monday, but sadly still have to wait another 3 weeks to see the two boys Jacob and Riley. In between Kel and I will have a couple of days in London, 6 days in Scotland, 5 days in Ireland, 2 days in Paris and 2 days in Amsterdam. Hard to take but someone has to do it.
So how was Swaffham?? Great! A nice balanced week to allow us to catch up on much needed record keeping and resting, whilst still embracing the local culture and scenery. After meeting our hosts we enjoyed a visit to Oxborough Hall which saw me attract the wrath of a 72 year old, 4 foot 2 inch high, tour guide. Once again I failed to see the rather large sign warning against taking photographs. One may have thought I would have learnt following my earlier misdemeanours with the camera at the Rijtsmuseum and red light district in Amsterdam. After capturing a beautiful full tiger rug (with attached head) the rather tiny and elderly attendant ripped into me with the sharp edge of her tongue. Clearly, she was not swayed by a 90 kg Aussie cop about 4 times her size. Anyway, a little charm went a long way and we left on pleasant terms. Phew, close call!!
The visit to the Queen's 'weekender' (or holiday home) at Sandringham House on Monday was terrific, poor buggers do it a bit tough with that pokey little home, got to feel for them.
I had a great vocational visit to Cambridgeshire Police HQ at Hitchingbrook. Spent the first four hours sitting in on the monthly performance review between the Chief Constable (Julie Spence) and her Superintendents. Excellent! Spent the rest of the afternoon stealing more ideas.
The visit to Wayland Prison was enlightning. Particularly high standard for prisoners (although some of them disagree). The girls were a little put off by our visit to the sex offender cell where we mixed openly with prisoners. We later spoke with some general population prisoners and gained a great insight into prison life, education and rehabilitation (for some). Gulia was really taken by the sheer honesty of those we encountered!!
The final rally was a rip snorter but for 0ur technical hitches. Got through it none the less and finished with quite a few pints under the belt.
Anyway, must flly. Thankyou to my hosts Stuart and Susan Nairn for their fabulous hospitality. I managed to get to one of Stuart's services last Sunday which was great. Two church appearances for me this trip - my grandmother will be most impressed! I actually thought I might get a like week on the grog given that I was staying with a clergyman. Not to be! No. Stu introduced me to the world of single malt whiskey, sampling such pleasures as Glenfiddich, Glendivet, and Laifroid (??). Whilst my first sips saw me looking like I had been weaned on a pickle only to recover with a little H20 mixed in.
Thankyou to D1080 and all the wonderful people here. You have made my visit truly memorable and I trust you have enjoyed a little bit of Australia through our GSE team.
Cheers
Whitey.
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I just want to share this article.
Cheap shot smears Fallon, misleads on crime policy
The Register's Editorial • May 29, 2008
* Read Comments(31)
Some Iowa Democrats must be seriously worried about Ed Fallon's primary challenge to incumbent Congressman Leonard Boswell. Evidence? They have rolled out the cheapest of cheap shots in modern American politics: Fallon is so soft on criminals he even thinks it's OK for sex offenders to live near schools.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080529/OPINION03/805290382/-1/GIRLSSTATEHOOPS#pluckcomments
The assertion is made in a direct-mail flier pointing out that Fallon cast the only "no" vote as a member of the Iowa House when the Legislature passed a law banning convicted sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools and other facilities serving children.
The ad has a staged photo of a man in a orange jumpsuit with "prisoner" on the back standing outside a schoolyard filled with kids. "Ed Fallon thought it was more important to cast his vote to make a political statement than to cast a vote that protects our kids from these dangerous predators," the ad says.
The ad was paid for by a group calling itself "Independent Voices, Red Brannan Chair." A Boswell campaign spokesman said of the ad, "That's not ours," but he said Boswell "stands with the overwhelming majority of the Legislature and the governor in supporting this measure."
Fallon can say for himself why he voted against the bill, but opposition to the sex-offender residency law does not translate into support for sex offenders living near schools. In fact, leading county prosecutors, other law-enforcement officials and victims' advocates oppose the law because they say it has made Iowa communities less safe by driving sex offenders underground. These groups have lobbied the Legislature to repeal the law and replace it with something more effective, such as a law preventing offenders from entering schools — something the existing law does not prevent.
The residency restriction is a classic example of feel-good legislation. It was passed when Republicans controlled the Legislature, but they were joined by Democrats terrified of the "soft-on-crime" label. Fear of the label has led to all sorts of bad legislation that does not make Iowans safer. It has, however, filled the prisons to record levels and driven up the cost of the criminal-justice system at the expense of K-12 and higher education.
It is time for lawmakers of both parties to have the courage to admit that the "tough on crime" mind-set has put state and federal government on a path to insanity. But that won't happen as long as political parties take cheap shots at candidates — even within their own party — with simplistic and unfair campaign attack ads.
The residency restriction is a classic example of feel-good legislation. It was passed when Republicans controlled the Legislature, but they were joined by Democrats terrified of the "soft-on-crime" label. Fear of the label has led to all sorts of bad legislation that does not make Iowans safer. It has, however, filled the prisons to record levels and driven up the cost of the criminal-justice system at the expense of K-12 and higher education.
It is time for lawmakers of both parties to have the courage to admit that the "tough on crime" mind-set has put state and federal government on a path to insanity. But that won't happen as long as political parties take cheap shots at candidates - even within their own party - with simplistic and unfair campaign attack ads.
The Fallon attack ad was paid for by a group calling itself "Independent Voices, Red Brannan Chair." A Boswell campaign spokesman said of the ad, "That's not ours." Does that mean Boswell supports such tactics? If not, he should say so.
It's Laphroaig!!! Goodness me!!! Glad you enjoyed yourself - Mum tells me you had an interesting time trying to send all your many parcels home!
Hope you enjoy the cricket - nice day for it!!
Fiona.
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