To catch up on a couple of items from last weekend – Mr. QPR phoned me on Monday and had no recollection of our conversation on the Sunday – just as I suspected he wouldn’t. Everything on the football front is done now; West Ham got the other promotion spot by beating Blackpool on Saturday, so we’ll be playing them in the Premier League next season.

It is also good to note that all of the Williams’ mechanics are back home now after that garage fire on Sunday which apparently started when a KERS unit gave off a spark and ignited some fuel.

I’ve already documented my experiences when trying to buy something as simple as a blue-tooth earpiece and as I write I am still without. I will get one in the coming days, but to be honest I’m still seething about the abysmal customer “service” I was on the end of.

On Wednesday I was up at Marble Arch – the Met were mounting London-wide “Operation Daffodil” which was effectively a communications exercise with the public, a chance to get to know the officers in the SNT’s, have your cycles security marked and pick up some UV marker pens/key-rings etc. My interest in this was the airing given to a 1965 Morris Minor that is still in its original Police markings. I had a chat with the (W)PC that had driven it up from the garage for the occasion – she was given two instructions by the Garage Sergeant – i. Don’t prang it and ii. Don’t let anyone else in it!

It was lovely to see something that I can just about remember as a very small child out and about again and it was drawing quite a crowd, which was helped by the sun that had put in an all-too-rare appearance for the occasion!

I understand that the Met have considered Op. Daffodil a success, which is good to know. Thursday was also spent in town, but the camera stayed at home. I met up with a friend of long standing and we played “tourists” for the day. Well, they did, I was designated “Sherpa”, of all things. Not one to waste an opportunity, I’ve got some ideas for a twilight shoot in the near future currently bubbling away in what passes for my brain.

Whilst I was in town I received an SMS message from a young lad that I’ve known for 9 or so years – he’s always wanted to be a Copper and on Thursday he’d got confirmation that he’d passed his exams and was “in”. It was all he’d ever wanted to do and had been a Police Cadet, a Special in the Met and will now be a PC – he’s waiting for his posting and should be on the beat as a fully-fledged PC in early June. I caught up with him on Friday – he’d have given a Cheshire cat a run for its money, such was the grin!

I think it’s wonderful to see such ambition realised in the next generation – we hear so much about how they are all disadvantaged and cut off from society, but here is proof that if you are prepared to work for something, you can achieve your goals – the world does not owe you a living. I’m still quite proud of him for sticking to his guns and knowing what he wanted, but I think his Mum is probably still the proudest person on earth at the moment! Well done, P.C. DJH!

On the subject of ambition, there is a piece I want to write about one of my own goals from childhood that I managed to realise, but it’ll have to be a separate entry, hopefully sometime this week.