tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56561792008-08-08T09:50:31.897+01:00James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comBlogger1142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-13254895257529733532008-08-08T09:50:00.001+01:002008-08-08T09:50:31.911+01:00

The Olympics will open at 8:08 on the 8th of the 8th, 2008. Perhaps they will be lucky as eight is the Chinese lucky number! Twenty years ago, my late wife, Celia, had a horse called Golden Panda, who she had named after a Chinese friend’s restaurant in Ipswich. On the 8th of the 8th, 1988, Golden Panda ran in a handicap at Nottingham. Given a superb ride by Steve Cauthen, she won easily at

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-5139524596983045302008-08-02T10:28:00.003+01:002008-08-02T10:30:38.727+01:00

I've just had a cheque for one of Celia's cases from the Legal Services Commission. She did the work in January 1999 and was partly paid in February 2000. But the final payment was nine and a half years after she did the original work. Where's the interest?

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-51506385743895933822008-07-26T08:15:00.000+01:002008-08-02T08:15:36.454+01:00

My wife, Celia, died in December and since then I have taken out a subscription to both Sky Sports and Setanta. In some ways it’s been a lifeline and a great help to get my life back on track. You’d be surprised at some of the offerings I’ve enjoyed. Especially the Indian Premier League. But she would have disapproved!

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-81393178144298793432008-07-25T08:13:00.001+01:002008-08-02T08:14:33.802+01:00

This was prompted by a letter to The Times. I sent it in, but it wasn't published. As an engineer, who worked for ICI in the early seventies, I’ve never really used Imperial units, as that company went to SI (metric) units in 1956 or thereabouts. I also have a copy of The Times for the 20th July 1969, which as well as announcing the birth of our first son, Edward, also documents the first

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-22516364957429176962008-07-23T08:09:00.000+01:002008-08-02T08:10:14.662+01:00

If you put two economists in a room, you get two opinions, unless one of them is Lord Keynes, in which case you get three opinions - Winston Churchill

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-82012727213992768562008-07-22T08:04:00.000+01:002008-08-02T08:05:50.897+01:00

They’ve just announced the new Lotus. I know that supercars are a bit passé, but at least with a Lotus you get economy as well. If I could afford it, my name would be on the list. I’ve just returned from a holiday in Germany driving my 1990 year old Lotus Elan. What fun! There we were travelling down the autobahn at well over a hundred mph, with all the Merc, BMW and Audi drivers giving me a

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-91120683598667248272008-07-20T21:42:00.004+01:002008-07-20T22:07:35.854+01:00

Celia nearly didn't end up as a barrister. After her first year at University College, Celia had failed Roman Law. It so happened that summer that we had swapped houses with people in Westport Connecticut, as I was trying to sell PERT7 to the Yanks. No-one has ever realised that the data structures of PERT7 and Artemis were exactly the same. As the first one worked, why shouldn't I have used

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-46918420821474684422008-07-19T21:16:00.002+01:002008-07-19T21:23:26.804+01:00

If there was one person that Celia detested it was Robert Kilroy Silk. He had been her tutor at Liverpool University and it had annoyed her that he had proceeded to chain smoke Capstan Full Strength or some other noxious weed throughout all of the tutorials she attended. As she died of a secondary lung cancer and these tutorials were the only time she was ever in a seriously smokey atmosphere,

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-66667388358371902942008-07-13T06:18:00.000+01:002008-07-13T06:19:10.473+01:00

With all those tennis fans out there perhaps someone might be able help me. In the 1950s and 60s, Dunlop used to run a series of tennis tournaments at places such as Frinton, Hoylake, Torquay and all round the country. My father used to print the handbills and it was always my job as a child to compose the type for the tournaments. I’ve always wanted a copy of one of those that were printed by

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-9575941776083507592008-07-13T06:07:00.003+01:002008-07-13T06:12:54.789+01:00

I just searched for the title of this post and everybody seems to be having a dig at the Essex town. But I did laugh at some of the posts and especially the paid for web site called allaboutincontinence.co.uk. It's just the name. But it's good that it's being talked about. It'll probably get me in the end!

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-5900029855995182052008-07-13T05:25:00.002+01:002008-07-13T05:48:55.320+01:00

I must admit that I laughed at the story about long socks with shorts at Frinton Golf Club on BBC yesterday. Very in tune with the sign at Manningtree Station, that used to say "Harwich for the Continent", to which some wag appended "and Frinton for the Incontinent". Celia knew all about Frinton and was persona non grata in the town. Not that she would have ever wanted to visit. Except

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-49795442145389955082008-07-11T06:14:00.000+01:002008-07-13T06:14:42.851+01:00

Someone I know is a lawyer, who handles terrorism cases. They will say that some police forces are so much more professional at doing the investigation than others. If you look through published cases, you will see that some forces charge people much quicker than others in what appear to be very similar cases. So is one of the reasons for 42 days to cater for those forces that haven’t got

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-68562380349717625942008-07-01T06:19:00.000+01:002008-07-13T06:19:53.175+01:00

The BBC has just announced that it is now illegal to smoke tobacco in restaurants and bars in Holland. But it still legal to smoke cannabis in coffee shops, provided it’s not mixed with tobacco. I did laugh!

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-4002933669629678462008-06-29T22:00:00.000+01:002008-07-13T06:22:07.565+01:00

I know I only watched her on television last night, but it was the first time I’d seen her and I wasn’t impressed, as her performance seemed tired and lacklustre. On Friday night I’d seen Jools Holland live at Newmarket Racecourse and that WAS a performance.

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-6574764247253321922008-06-29T21:22:00.003+01:002008-06-29T21:37:51.259+01:00

On Friday, I went racing at Newmarket. I have a members badge so I ought to use it. But also the racing wasn't too bad for a Friday night and Jools Holland with his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra was the entertainment after racing. As Celia and I, always used to do, I did the Tote PlacePot. I missed by one race, where I had the third and fourth in a seven-horse race. If there had been the eight

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-54096229944280172192008-06-26T09:25:00.000+01:002008-06-27T10:55:09.546+01:00

I’ve employed people for years. In all that time, I’ve actually never had two candidates who were equally good. Usually you get one candidate who stands out from the others. Sometimes, you don’t actually get anybody at all. But if I did have two exceptional candidates, then I’d probably bend over backwards to try to employ both. That actually happened to my son and he was the second

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-44093440690143799802008-06-18T11:08:00.000+01:002008-06-21T11:09:00.014+01:00

I’m still using a Nokia 6310i. I also have a spare for when it dies, but you can get them rebuilt in London. I was purchasing a new radio for my nineteen year old Lotus Elan and were testing the Bluetooth link in Halfords and the twenty-year-old or so, thought my battered phone was really cool. Perhaps times are changing. As to cameras for YouTube, I use a Fuji S5700, which cost £125 or so.

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-75933885282496270102008-06-11T11:05:00.000+01:002008-06-21T11:05:27.205+01:00

If the guy worked for Intelligence how come he left the papers on the train? As he wasn’t intelligent, he should be fired. But he’ll probably been promoted.

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-68471743414910220052008-06-09T11:02:00.000+01:002008-06-21T11:02:37.266+01:00

I can’t really leave the car at home as I live in the country and am 15 miles or so from the main station in Cambridge. However, there is a little local station at Dullingham, five miles away, and as the local service to Cambridge is very reliable if a bit cramped, when I go to London, I now park there. I buy a ticket on the train and get paper and coffee in Cambridge when I change trains. All

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-32558854619117531142008-06-06T11:33:00.002+01:002008-06-06T11:37:04.978+01:00

Celia and I used Portmeirion Pottery for years. Some were in a bad state probably due to misuse in an AGA. So I pointed this out to the company and they asked me to return one. I was most surprised to get two new ones. But it does show that treating customers well, can only have positive effects. I shall be buying more in the future.

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-60645269398602208422008-06-04T10:57:00.000+01:002008-06-21T10:57:39.705+01:00

Several things really. My wife of nearly forty years died in December and it’s been tough. What has brought me through it has been all of my widowed friends. Bereavement is ignored by the media, but the compassion of widows and widowers has been superb. Sometimes, you are at a low ebb, but there will be one on-line, who will cheer you up, with a dose of dark and black humour. And should I

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-87335382550451390232008-06-03T10:55:00.000+01:002008-06-21T10:55:44.874+01:00

I am not in favour of detention of suspects for 42 days, as it is only one step before Detention Without Trial and we all know that methods like that when used in Ulster, were the best Recruiting Sergeant the IRA ever had. It is often said by those in favour, that cases are getting more complex and this time limit is needed to break computer codes and unscramble networks. As someone, who has

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-26635151204438621852008-06-03T10:54:00.000+01:002008-06-21T10:54:44.796+01:00

Why does anybody pay the extra for speeding boarding? On Ryanair or easyJet I always board a few from the end. That way as I travel light and now alone, as my wife died in December, it means I’m away quickly at the other end. I also get the luxury of choosing who I sit next to, so would generally ignore a fat, smelly, tattooed bloke in favour of a beautiful slim young lady.

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-30618017207384307332008-06-01T10:51:00.000+01:002008-06-21T10:51:53.472+01:00

One problem with the Police is all the petty rules. Remove a lot and we’d get a much more efficient and visible service. Take yesterday. I have been plagued for the last few days, by nuisance calls on my mobile phone. Nothing serious, but a lot of noise, like a party, from a hidden number lasting for six or so seconds. I suspected it could be a boiler room trying to sell me dodgy shares. So

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5656179.post-47405711243649678202008-05-27T08:43:00.000+01:002008-06-01T08:43:33.333+01:00

What are people going to do when the fuel supply gets even shorter in the next few years and prices rise even more? The writing has been on the wall for years and people should have taken action years ago. I still drive a lot, but my car does twice as many miles per gallon as the one I drove five years ago. I’ve worked mainly from home since 1972 and in that time I’ve created two world class

James Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476591571607719674noreply@blogger.com