I haven't mentioned this for a few days in case I didn't last but on Wednesday I gave up smoking after 20 years.

I've taken the patch route because I smoked a lot (40 a day) and the withdrawal on the first day was really bad. With the patch it's very easy so far.

Wish me luck :-)

After a 2 year break I've taken up squash again and had my first game this afternoon...

feeeeel the pain....... feeeeeeeeeeel the pain :-)

There is a huge campaign in Torbay at the moment to ban smoking in all public places including pubs and clubs. This got me thinking...

There are an estimated 13 million smokers in the UK. Let's say that the average smoker smokes 20 a day (I don't think this far off). The average pack is getting very close to the £4 a pack mark. Of that a huge portion of it is tax. I believe it is 80% of the total price but I'll go in at a third (£3 a packet tax) to make my sums easier

If everyone in the UK stopped smoking today the Government would be down in revenue by almost 40 million a day, 280 million a week, 1.1 Billion a month and almost 13.5 Billion a year.

Ok, Health minister Lord Philip Hunt said: “smoking-related diseases cost the NHS about £1.7 billion a year". So in roughly two months of a year smokers pay back what they cost to the NHS, the remaining almost 12 billion a year gets pumped into other things.

Heh, you think your taxes are bad now; pray they don't all give up :-)

Amazing, the Herald Express actually published my letter in todays paper :-)

I had an email tonight from Dave Tozer who explained why the pots are there and I thought I'd post it here so others can see:

hi simon not really an enquiry but just comments regarding the buoys on the pier.
these buoys are infact cuttlefish traps they are placed there every year in recent years and will probably be there until the beginning of June. I agree with you that its a bit close to have them but I look at it like this.
in past years if them buoys haven’t been there then instead you get the trawlers dragging nets up the side of the pier sweeping through for the cuttlefish it is huge business for them. And too me it is better the buoys than ruining the seabed.
bit of info on the cuttlefish to explain why they do this so close to the shore.
Every spring the cuttlefish come in to shallow beaches and piers to mate then spawn once they have done this they die and give it 2 or 3 weeks you will see the seagulls picking at dead remains of cuttlefish washed up on our shores. the name of the netsman in question i believe is mike scott if it helps you any further in your complaint.


Thanks Dave for the detailed answer I've been looking for. Mike Scott if it is you.... AAARRRRGGGHHHH you're costing me money and loss catches dammit :)

So until June it's a lose-lose situation. Fish on the marina side and face a heavy fine or fish the seaward side and lose catches and tackle... /sigh

It doesn't bother me as much because I can always fish in other places but I really feel sorry for the disabled and kids who are going to have real trouble until those pots go again.

I think I'm going to put on a really strong line and the next time I get hooked on one I'll reel the bloody thing in :-)

Does it really have to be the entire length of the pier? Couldn't they be huddled up in one spot to at least allow some trouble free fishing to the lucky ones who get their early?

This weekends tide times for Torbay has been updated.

My other free wallpaper site has been updated.

I wrote to the letters page of the Herald Express about those buoys right by where everyone fishes. They have never posted one of my letters before but I live in hope. This is what I said:

Princess Pier in Torquay has long been a very popular place to fish. With its railings and easy access it is the safest place for children and the disabled alike to go fishing. Princess pier is by far the most popular fishing spot in Torquay visited by thousands of locals and tourists each year.

Now it is nothing but annoying thanks to the buoys someone has placed along the whole side of the pier. By early evening you’ll see quite a number of floats snagged onto the buoys and if you could go underwater you’d also see a large number of feathers and other bottom fishing tackle. Children and others with difficulties cannot cast with the precision that the pros can but even the pros are getting caught out.

I would love to know what idiot granted them permission to ruin the safest and most popular place to fish in Torquay. With changing tides and currents plus the fish swimming around the ropes as you reel in this is now a place you can guarantee to lose catches and tackle alike. I am simply baffled someone has given them the green light to do this. It is a huge ocean out there so why target the most popular place for shore based fisherman in Torquay?

The last two days I have spoken to a number of other fishermen about this and every single one I spoke to is complaining about it.

Can we PLEASE have some common sense and get rid of them!

As some of you know I am a movie freak. I love movies (which helps because I work in a video store).

I was lucky enough to see what will be the best film of 2004 by far. It's called The Butterfly Effect and is along the same lines as Memento but still completely original.

The butterfly effect stars one of my least favourite actors; Ashton Kutcher but he played the part very well and I didn't think he had it in him to play a serious part. I'm glad I was wrong because this movie is awesome.

It already has an IMD rating of 7.1 but I think this could well end up heading towards or pushing past the 8 rating.

A film well worth seeing!