These early shifts make me more tired than I realize, particularly as the week progresses. I planned to make a few more comments last night but my mind went blank as I started to type, undermining the very nature of this blog as I hope to jot down a few notes on the days events if I can't remember what happened 4 hours later. Not that anything noted (or rather not) is that important only a little frustrating. I do recall that I was going to mention the little frisson of excitement and the Alison's slightly nervous anticipation to find a letter addressed to me from the House of Commons. True we don't lead very exciting lives so that anything above the mundane becomes a talking point. Opening it was an anti climax as I found a reply from my MP after petitioning her to support the Science is Vital campaign. In two lines she agreed that it was important and had signed the Early Day Motion to that effect. It was nice that she agreed and replied but I can't help feeling slightly short changed by the brevity of the reply - almost to the effect that it would have been better not to have bothered. This may also stem from the time during the election campaign when I forwarded a stock letter from Amnesty to the candidates from the three main parties asking them not to forget about human rights. The Conservative candidate gave a windy reply that talked the talk but did not convince especially as he did not make mention of their proposal to withdraw from the European Human Rights Act. The LibDem candidate did a pretty good job of addressing the individual points mentioned but our eventual MP, Jenny Chapman of Labour simply replied that yes she agreed it was important.
   As for today we took Bethany to a Halloween party at her nursery dressed as a pumpkin. Alison warned me that it would be mostly mums there but I thought it would be nice to go along and sure enough I was the only male over 3 years old present. By the time they gave them some tea another man in army fatigues turned up to pick up his child but at least Bethany enjoyed herself and got a goody bag as we left. Thinking that she was still too young for Maltesers which were in the bag we shared them ourselves on the way back home.