Feb 26th

A late start this morning, and as I was in a virtuous mood I tried to get a few outstanding jobs done. Printed off the form to apply for registration as self employed (erm 9 months lae shh) then tried to get printer working to deal with a keyring order I received. it won't accept the paper. Rang S in Oxford to arrange an intensive course with him early next month.
Then back off to Croxley Green H has his test tomorrow, so 5 hours of trudging round test routes. Did a mock test which he blew, but I still think he should be ok tomorrow if he doesn't flood his brain with too much Red Bull.
T was also doing some strange things on his lesson, but by and large coping ok.
Back home to the video project. Sophie is now chattering intelligibly and so engagingly. Dan is on his feet, and is rumoured to be saying "Mama" and "Dada", though I have yet to hear evidence. Went on holiday to Toulon that year, it wasn't one of my favourites I have to say.
Back in the real world Dan has grown up an is semi permanently welded to his pc all night, and I am getting more and more pissed off by this laptop which keeps missing out letters.
Great prog on tele about Marlow. The place is logjammed with cars. A guy in the council shows how during the school hols the traffic runs freely as it is reduced by 20%. The logic is taken up by a roads campaigner who suggests trying to persuade people to take one day a week off from the car. The opposition they meet is at first unbending and sometimes astonishingly vitriolic. People are incredulous that they may be asked to walk a mile to take their kids to school in February. Chelsea tractor drivers abuse the woman in the street. Eventually though the idea gets hold. The 8 schools in the area vie for a prize to have the most pupils cycling to school on "no cars day." They persuade their parents. Bit by bit the mums are persuaded. A local businessman bullies and then cajoles his staff, the council is leant upon to produce brochures.
Come the great day and the streets are devoid of cars. The one and a half mile queues over the bridge are reduced to just 3 vehcles. Mothers who originally fought the plan tooth and nail walk their kids happily through empty streets, and a peleton of bikes brings happy ids perspiring healthily into school. Great stuff.
Over the pond Barak seems unstoppable but goes face to face with Hillary in a televised debate, generally reckoned to be Hill's last stand. Meanwhile Ralph Nader has declared as an indie once more, presumably to the consternation of the dems, who still blame him for Al Gore's narrow defeat (if of course defeat it was) to Bush.