According to the Governor of the Bank Of England the economy of the country is in danger of falling in to recession and the nice decade is behind us. Sadly I fear he may well be right and the signs of the slowdown can be seen quite clearly even in Wycombe.

The housing market in the area does not appear to be very buoyant indeed there is a house for sale in my road that has been on the market for months without selling. Usually houses in the locality are snapped up by buyers eager to invest in property in the hope of making a fast buck on a buy to let scheme but the bottom appears to have fallen out of that little earner.

On this site yesterday it was reported that the number of homeowners facing repossession in South Bucks has rocketed by 26% in the last year. This figure does not surprise me. Stand by the war memorial in the town centre and look towards Frogmoor and you will see the awful sight of boarded up shops standing empty. Hardly the sight of prosperity is it?

Since the opening of the complex the town centre has been decimated and from what I can see not even the complex is doing very well. It may have created 1,500 jobs when it opened but a friend of mine tells me that some of those workers are now being laid off.

The good times appear to be drawing to an end and a rocky road awaits. With little disposable income thanks to rising bills I for one am tightening my belt when it comes to spending and sadly no doubt there are many people in a similar situation. Let’s hope things don't turn out to be as bad as forecast but at the moment I am fearing the worst.

Are you worried by a looming recession?

The weather was so lovely yesterday that I decided to take an extra long lunchtime walk and rather than wandering aimlessly around the complex I decided to explore further afield. While walking along Desborough Road close to the zebra crossing a group of people could be seen congregated in the grounds of the church.

As I got closer to the people the tins of drink could clearly be seen in their hands. Once upon a time the town centre drunks could be found in the bus station occupying the seats intended for the travellers. With the demise of the old Newlands Bus Station the drunks, dossers and down and outs of the town appear to have found a new day time home in the grounds of the church.

It was quite an unpleasant and frightening experience walking past them. Most were seated but the few who weren’t were standing as steady as a field of corn in a strong breeze clutching their tins of drink as if their life depended on it. Quickly I walked by without being noticed. After spending the rest of my lunchtime exploring the wonders of the western part of the town centre it was time to return to my office.

Not wanting to be caught out twice I walked back on the other side of Desborough Road. As I turned into Bridge Street I could see an ambulance and police car in the distance parked by the side of the road. It appeared there was a shemozzle going on which appeared to involve some drunks who were holding each other up with the same fervour that they were holding their tins of beer.

The old Newlands Bus Station may have sadly passed in to history and the security guards at the complex are doing a sterling job keeping the complex drunk free. However the drunks have to go somewhere and it appears they have moved to the outer reaches of the town centre. They may be out of sight from the visitors to the complex but they are still out of their minds with booze and causing as much trouble as ever.

It is still unbearably hot. An army of cooling fans are whirring away around my house in the hope of bringing relief from the punishing heat. If things continue as they are much longer I shall have to think about getting my portable air-conditioning unit out.

The summery weather also changes people’s habits. Short sleeved shirts, sunglasses, hats, patio sets, deck chairs and other summer paraphernalia are starting to appear as the people react to the weather. Some people are also changing their transportation habits too. The other day I passed bicycle rack that was full with cycles as the summer weather entices some people to convert to greener forms of transport.

My attention was drawn to the news article on this site yesterday about road users being urged to look out for cyclists and motorcyclists. From my experience of motoring on the roads of Wycombe those who use two wheels seem to think they own the road cutting up other roads users and dicing with death with every mad manoeuvre they make. It’s no wonder there are so many accidents involving cyclists.

The worst accident I ever saw involving a motorcycle took place at a set of traffic lights on a cold winter’s day. While waiting at the lights the motorcyclist started revving his engine up to draw attention to himself. When the lights went green he shot off like a rocket but unfortunately he came a cropper on a patch of black ice. The bike slipped out from under him leaving man and machine lying unceremoniously in the middle of the road.

The number of times I have seen cyclists overtaking on the inside, going the wrong way down one-way streets and jumping traffic lights is unbelievable. Considering the lack of protection a bike offers it amazes me that bike riders take so many risks. In order to prevent accidents I think it’s time that cyclists were banned from the roads. What do you think?

LAST year, when I originally started this blog, I told of open warfare involving various birds trying to nest in ivy at the back of our house.
Back then, robins fought with wrens, then blackbirds fought with robins, all for the privilege of nesting there.
In the end, the robins won out and successfully raised chicks.
Well, blackbirds and robins went to war again this year to nest there but this time the blackbirds came out on top.
As I write this, I can hear their chicks cheeping in a nest beneath my window.
The vanquished robins have vanished, which is a shame because they are one of my favourite birds.
But it has not been all plain sailing for Mother Blackbird (who, of course, is actually brown in colour)
The other morning, at about 5am, I was woken by a commotion, during which I heard the croak of a crow close to the window.
I knew what was coming next.
Bleary-eyed, I tried to think what to do but by then the crow had already pounced on the nest.
Both parent blackbirds went potty trying to drive it away yet it was already too late.
It must have snatched one, maybe two chicks, for its breakfast.
Grisly stuff.
Later on, using a stepladder, I carefully checked the nest and there were at least three chicks remaining.
But how long they'll survive is anyone's guess.

We are certainly having some hot sunny weather lately with wall to wall sunshine from dawn to dusk and night time temperatures in double figures. For some the weather is perfect but for others it’s just unbearable.

Being a touch overweight the hot weather is not something that I look forward to as it’s difficult enough just walking along in the cooler temperatures but having to battle with the intense heat makes things unbearable. Even driving in my car is uncomfortable as my car does not have air conditioning. No, hot weather is not something that I look forward to.

I wonder how long it will be before the water companies impose a hose pipe ban? We had quite a wet winter so the water table in Wycombe must be quite high. Sadly most of the green fields have been built on and as a result the water which falls flows straight down the drain instead of replenishing the underground aquifers.

Most of the houses in my area are not on water meters so there is no incentive to use less water. I never use a hosepipe not even for watering my plants. Using a watering can helps to keep me fit and also helps to save water. Tonight just as I finished watering my plants one of my neighbours got their hose out and washed their drive down.

Despite my best efforts to save water by using a can it made me very angry to think of all the water being wasted by my neighbour as they washed their driveway. If this summer turns out to be a scorcher we may well need that water later in the year. I think those who waste water should be forced to go on a meter. What do you think?

I had a wonderful time over the Bank Holiday weekend. The weather was nice and sunny so most of my time was spent tending the plants in my beloved garden and greenhouse. There was also another good thing about the Bank Holiday. What could this be you ask? Well, on Monday thanks to the postman also being on holiday not a single item of junk mail appeared on my doormat.

As an experiment over a one month period I kept every item of junk mail received at my house. To my amazement the pile was two feet high at the end of the month and it took over three hours to sort it all out and ensure that anything with my name and address on it went through the shredder. Once the papers with my personal details on were collated the shredder was switched on and ran continuously for half an hour in its own private battle with the senders of the junk mail.

Yes. I know you can join the mailing preference service but I’ve already done that yet the junk mail still keeps coming. All it takes is one moment’s lapse of concentration resulting in failure to tick the opt-out box when buying something and hey-presto another group of junk mail pixies have my details ready to bombard my house with yet more unwanted offers.

Almost every night a leaflet advertising fast food drops through my door yet on Bank Holiday Monday for once I was even spared for receiving that unwanted leaflet. Yippee I cried when at seven o’clock I realised the pizza pushers and burger barons had decided to spare me the torment of throwing their leaflet away.

Over the holiday weekend it was so lovely to spend a peaceful few days relaxing in the comfort of my home. I just can’t wait for the next Bank Holiday when hopefully I can enjoy the same level of tranquillity. Who knows by then they may have the electrics sorted at the complex and I may even be able to go out and play a game of skittles.