A Rant From France
I received this comment last week and feel it should be posted.
Hello Anonymous,
I came across your blog whilst doing my daily research regarding wind farms.
I live in rural France and now have six x 140 metre high wind turbines…….one of which is under 600 metres from my home.
The value of my property has dropped by around 40%? Exactly how this percentage is arrived at I do not know. I can say the estate agent I asked to come and see my property was “shocked”! by the size of the turbines and the close proximity of them to my home.
He was also amazed that I was not getting any money for having them so close to my property.
He declared that I had a lovely home, beautiful garden and extremely attractive gite, he then said what a pity about the windfarm…….getting people to come to the house would be the biggest hurdle as the turbines loomed from every angle over my property,enough to put most people off before they even got here. He felt ( and I can only agree) that given a choice most people would not choose my property over a property without a wind farm so close. Now how bloody obvious is this!!!? For goodness sake…….so here I am with a blighted home, with a mortgage, with noise issues. I am just one of many in this situation.Our neighbours host the turbines on their land and receive around 25,000 Euros a year plus, the village 2.5 kilometres from where I live also receives around the same amount. I have received absolutely nothing apart from a complete change of circumstances as to how I now live my life. There are of course worse things in life then having a wind farm next door but it is the way “we” are simply overlooked and referred to as selfish! that I cannot understand.People need to “wise up” as to just how crushing it can be to have turbines so close to them.I am forever reading about people not understanding why turbines can be so unpopular……it is only the people who have to live next to them who really know why.Visiting a wind farm is not anything like living with one and yet again and again groups of people are taken on a visit for a couple of hours so they can make an “informed” decision about having a wind farm near them………please everybody wake up! bit of a rant I suppose.?
All I can do is sympathise!
My views on wind farms are detailed here.
The Greenway Is Open Again
The Greenway is now open again after the Olympics and I walked it from Hackney Wick station to Pudding Mill Lane DLR station, taking these pictures as I walked.
I had a coffee at the ViewTube on the way. It’s changed hands, but it’s still as good as ever.
London Is Going T*ts Up
Judging by the Christmas adverts everywhere, it certainly is.
You see them on bus stops, buses and inside Underground stations.
Galettes With The Precision And Care Of A Surgeon
I haven’t had a crepe or galette in over fifteen years. But I bought one from this stall in Camden Market.
It was well-worth waiting for. I won’t wait as long next time.
As you can see the gluten-free galettes are made from buckwheat flour.
Why the surgical reference? Go and have your delicious pancake ask the guys; one French and one Spanish.
Guys like this really show up most chains of fast food, as what they are – purveyors of toilet fodder!
Not Monaco, But Hackney!
I took this picture in the sun this morning.
Not Monaco, But Hackney!
As you can see the location is rather given away by the Hackney Empire.
Soft Staffies
It may be cold in London today, but I’ve seen several Staffordshire Bull Terriers with coats on.
Has the breed got that soft now?
I’ve Now Got A New Ceiling
My hall had terrible lighting, so I decided to put a false one in to hold some decent lights and be able to take out Jerry’s awful wall lights.
You can see the lights in one of the pictures.
All it needs now is to be plastered and have the lights fitted.
More New Universities
We’ve just had a whole new set of universities created, as the BBC reports here.
I would have thought we had enough. On the other hand Cornwall gets its first university and other colleges like the Royal Agricultural College are upgraded.
It’s Parky, But The Radiant Heater Is On!
It’s very cold, but the sun is out and although, I’ve no heating upstairs in the house, where I live most of the time, it’s warming up with the sun.
The origin of parky is a bit obscure. Some say it’s northern, but then my parents in North London used it.
Christmas Never Changes
Last year, I posted this called Christmas, Bloody Christmas.
It doesn’t appear that this year is going to be any better. Although, I suspect, I could be able to get to the football at Charlton on Boxing Day. That is if the buses decide to run!
I should also be able to get to Ipswich for the New Year’s Day match against Brighton, but I won’t bank on it, as the train drivers will probably go on strike to annoy me. At least there doesn’t appear to be any engineering work this year.
The Anonymous Widower 