(no subject)

[inulro]

Greetings! I think everyone I know is accounted for and well, though as I have no LJ access at work and very few of your telephone numbers in my phone or diary, I wasn't too sure till I got home.

Because I get up too early, I found something that got buried in all the London bomb news, which shouldn't have:

McCartney fiancee forced to leave home
I've been driven through the Short Strand. It's a scary place.

The saddest thing I've seen all day (I thought on the BBC, but I can't find it now):

Muslims warned to 'stay indoors'
I do hope there's no increase in violence against Muslims, but am not holding my breath.

With regard to ID cards, Jason & I are wondering whether we should start his paperwork rolling at the Canadian embassy sooner rather than wait for the stampede of people who want to leave the country.

On a purely selfish note, I hope the price of transatlantic flights doesn't jump as a result of today. I haven't booked our holiday yet, and it's about the only thing I have to look forward to.

On a random and stupid note, the weather here has been so consistently shit (every day the BBC has promised it will be warm & sunny tomorrow, honest) that yesterday both Jason and I were both overcome with the urge to go to Miami and rent a convertible. (Checked prices. Not going to happen). Today was that revolting combination of cold & humid - too cool to be without a jacket, but wearing one causes you to sweat like a pig.

Past my bedtime again. Better take my sinus headache (I've even taken my meds today) and fall over.

Comments

[sarah-mum.livejournal.com]

"Muslims warned to stay indoors" Oh good God that's appauling! If your average citizen altering travel plans is 'giving in to terror' then what the hell is that? Of course if we gave then all *good Muslem* ID cards, they'd be safe wouldn't they? Grrr.

Oddly enough, today has inspired my housemate (who is moslem in the same way that I'm catholic) to go to a prayer-meet, as he wants to hear the reaction of the 'devout' and to try to understand the more extreme elements. That's more like it I feel.

[wehmuth.livejournal.com]

Personally I'm prepared to go to jail rather than have an ID card, but I can't help feeling that the whole "ID cards are guaranteed" smacks of knee-jerk paranoia.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping that if anything it will make more people wake up to the fact that ID cards are a Bad Thing, but then again this is the government that ignored 1 million people protesting going to war.

[quercus.livejournal.com]

The Plod at the Hollyhead ferry terminal are apparently "on alert" today and are waving their guns about.

Sneaky chaps these IRA fellers.
They've just been waiting 30 years until we were distracted.


Mind you, last time I walked through Short Strand at night I got bottles thrown at me. I was walking past a traffic light where the local kids (not one over 12) were hoying stones at "Hun" cars (How you tell which foot they accelerate with is news to me). So I gave a couple of them a clip round the ear (yes, literally) and politely suggested they refrain. And so they threw bottles at me. At least they were empties.

[mimmimmim.livejournal.com]

Ah, but if they'd been full you could have had a free drink!

[mimmimmim.livejournal.com]

Haven't noticed any more or fewer of the local muslims. There's a very pretty, very shy girl who uses our train, and it'll be interesting to see if she ditches the hijab. The rest of her clothing covers everything but is off the high street, so she'd look like everyone else.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

Re: your transatlantic flights, have you considered www.canadian-affair.com or flyzoom.com? charter but cheap and cheerful.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

Hiya! Jason and I always fly Canadian Affair, and we're using them to fly home, but we're making this one a bit of an epic and starting out in New York & then visiting people in Boston.

I did check out FlyZoom, but Canadian Affair is cheaper, and they've always been really good to us - we were in Canada when Canada 3000 went under, and by the time I called the London office the next day, they'd already arranged alternative flights home for us.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

I fly Air Canada because of comfort but my guy flew Thomas Cook via Canadian-affair in May and was quite pleased with it. Add to the convenience of him flying direct here from Manchester.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

Thomas Cook do indeed rock. We are making sure that we fly home on a Thomas Cook day this year. (Canadian Affair do a flight from TO every day, but some days it's My Travel, who are terrible).

I can't remotely afford to care about comfort, or I'd never go anywhere. Then again, you probably have access to better Air Canada sales than we do.

[tvor.livejournal.com]

i think a lot of the Air Canada sales are contingent on travel starting in Canada. Right now a return flight to heathrow from Halifax between Dec 27 and Jan 10 is $558 plus taxes, about $730 but if i was to book the same flight return departing from heathrow on the same dates, it's 645 pounds total. Quite a difference.