Getting the Vote in

This is not a political blog – so I’m not going to discuss who I vote for or why – but as one who takes a keen interest in such matters I find myself once again out of the UK at the time of a General Election.

The first General Election in which I qualified to vote was in 1979 when I was still a student at University College Cardiff. In order to get a postal vote I had to visit the Council Offices in Selby, obtain and fill in some forms, and a postal vote duly arrived when I was back at university for me to fill in.

This time around I’m trying to organise it via the internet. I downloaded what I thought were the right forms for a postal vote and a proxy vote from Reading Borough Council’s website and e-mailed them in.

I got a response on Friday telling me these weren’t the right forms – I have to register as an Overseas Voter – and fill in some different forms.

They will accept them by e-mail provided they are in by Tuesday evening and I send them a hard copy to follow – given current stoppage of flights to Europe due to the volcanic cloud who knows when that will be.

But at least I should still be able to have my vote. Just to be hoped it’s worth it!

Being John Lennon

There are lots of people in Thailand who want to be or think they are someone or something else.

When I first encountered the chap pictured above I wondered whether it was John Lennon or Ozzy Osbourne that he fancied himself as. He started his singing routine with a couple of Rolling Stones numbers before doing some CCR.

Then he came to find out where I came from – he claimed to be from Liverpool. So John Lennon it was. He insisted on singing “Imagine” - something I’d rather he didn’t as I can’t really stand the song.

So when he asked for requests I asked for “Paranoid”.

He may think he’s John Lennon – but I much prefer it when he’s Ozzy!