But the reality for me, at least, is that he has got off lightly.

Whant killed two completely innocent people – 19 year old Nikitta Grender, and the baby she was carrying. Nikitta was girlfriend of his cousin and best mate, the person he was actually out partying with at the time of the murder. What left a party he was at with the baby’s father, to fetch some cigarettes from his grandmother’s house.

In fact he went to Nikitta’s flat, raped her and murdered her.

Now Whant has been sentenced to a minimum of 35 years in prison – and at cost of over £41k a year, keeping Mr Whant in jail will cost cost tax-payers a total of £1,435,000.

In the USA, they say that a lethal injection costs $86.

If we allowed haf-a-million for appeals, etc., it would still reflect better value for money to give him the shot . . why would anyone sensible not want to edit his genes out of the human race?

The Star was a highly valued member of the community in its heyday – certainly when I remember it best, 40 or 50 years ago, people in our house made a dash for the letterbox to grab it first. Mum and Grandma wanted to see who’d died – Grandma wanted to outlive all her “old dears” – and I liked to keep an eye on the jobs and local politics.

It was always a little bit sensationalist as a paper, alway using favourite journo words like “fury”, “row” and “anger”, but there was a core of good reporting in there, too – some older writers among the young reporters local rags depended on, looking at local stories with a dispassionate eye that had seen it all before.

Overall, the paper had balance, and a strong editorial stance. It took its local responsibilities seriously, running campaigns about topics which caught the public mood, supporting and sometimes leading local opinion. Above all, The Star used its strength and popularity to keep an eye on every aspect of local life, and in doing so contributed the one thing any local media should provide for its community: bright daylight into potentially dark corners.

The fact of the matter is that without clear public oversight, people like local (and national) politicians can quickly start to behave badly, taking decisions based on factors other than the public good, and sometimes even lining their pockets from positions of power. We’ve seen it dozens, if not hundreds of times. MPs swindling us, their electorate, through their expenses, and local politicians and officials providing inappropriate help to businesses and individuals in return for favours, etc . .

So in the last couple of months, I’ve been quite surprised to see some serious changes. First, the move from 6 days-a-week to 5 days-a-week publication. It isn’t, on its own, a particular problem, but it does mean that publishers Archant must be feeling a sufficient financial and sales draught to want to cut production costs by half a day.

But I was taken aback when I saw the latest edition of something called the Felixstowe Star Advertiser (I think) which was simply filled with readers photos, headed up as “iwitness news“. There were a couple of pages of text, noteably a page from Richard Cornwell, who’s always worth reading . . but the rest – well, a quite fat newspaper filled with the cheapest possible content.

Times must be incredibly hard for our local paper . . more later!

When he cleverly managed to lift the million quid, without waving a gun in anyone’s face, or doing much more than driving off in his securicor van, it certainly brought a lot of excitement to our little town, and I’m pretty convinced the ensuing discussions in pubs, over garden fences and in the streets gave many people a good deal of entertainment and interest.

No-one had the vaguest idea about where he’d gone or really, much about what happened. The police also didn’t seem have much idea or many clues – unlike the cops on telly, they didn’t have informants popping up with the story, and they must have felt rather at a loss.

Now we’re told that someone suspected he was an illegal immigrant in the USA, and rung it in to the police and the FBI. They snatched him – and surprise,surprise, the machine must have made a very surprised beep when his details matched some 20 year-old crime in the UK.

His son, appearing on TV over there, said that his dad always came across as a law-abiding citizen, keen to keep his boy out of trouble. Neighbours said they hardly knew he was there.

And now he’ll be brought home, to be dragged through the legal mincing machine. I’m quite sad about it.

I think he’s an exemplary kind of criminal. He carried out one single illegal act, as far as we know. He took the money without hurting anyone, and vanished. He gave the police a bit of a work-out, made sure the banks continued to pay their insurance premiums, and probably made Securicor think again about their recruitment policies. He never, as far as we know, wanted to become a crime baron, or a criminal mastermind.

Overall, I think I like him. Where did I put that “get out of jail free” card?

PS: discuss this on the Felixstowe Forum: http://www.felixstoweforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3599

But in a more effective way, I believe I made most of the mental adjustments required back in 2000 and just after, when I quit full-time employment. However, I seem to have found the last few months quite odd – the effect of having a few hundred quid appear in my bank account every month seems to have changed my thinking more than I thought it would!

It’s taken me much more effort than I expected to get myself motivated to do things that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, like getting things happening with my Retired Life video/tv project.

But I think things are at last starting to happen. It looks as if I may have found a couple of potential broadcast partners, who’re possibly interested ennough to give Retired Life TV a try on air, and I’ve now got a couple of workable half-hour trial formats to work with, and to develop from.

I need to find a couple of people to get involved, too. I think the show definitely needs a female co-presenter, with some journalistic and current affairs interests of her own, and I could also do with a bit of background help, too – any takers?

According to an Australian nurse who spent years caring for the terminally ill, that is the most common deathbed regret expressed by men in their final days. We all know people who work all the hours they can, who spend half their hoped-for leisure time with a phone clamped to their ear . .

“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me . . “

It’s another of the same, isn’t it? Personally, I’m sure that a vast majority of us do the things we think we ought to do, to make other people happy – or maybe just to keep them off our backs?

“I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings . . “

How true . . Lots of us don’t.

Honestly, I’m rather pleased with those three.

When I quit my job and went sailing in 2000 at the age of 53, it was the result of lots of ongoing stuff that had filled my life to overflowing, with “things to do”.

I’d had a small heart attack, my marriage had collapsed, and although i felt better, I had no idea what to do with myself. But someone gave me a copy of one of those kind of “self-improvement” books written by someone called Susan Jeffers . . called Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway. I surprised myself by reading it all.

It did “kind-of” change my life, because it does act as a timely reminder that hey, we’ll all going to go the same way, and if you really want to do something, you really should . . go out and do it!

So over the course of the years since 2000, that’s led to me spending a summer sailing, another summer bumming around Europe, starting the now quite odd (I think) Felixstowe TV, and making 160-odd half-hour TV programmes.

And having a much better life than I think I would have if I’d stayed on the treadmill!

I’m moderately convinced that I’m coming to the end of that tunnel, and like a lot of the odd experiences we have in life, its all come together to sort a few things out – like what’s happening next!

Last year felt pretty difficult in many ways. Having the op and getting over it overshadowed the first 4 or 5 months, but the second part was better . . The last part of the year was a bit difficult, too, essentially because I felt that I had to make a few difficult decisions.

But in the first few weeks of this year, things seem to have come together increasingly.

My little video blog, Chris’s Caravan Diary, seems to have developed a life of its own. I made around 40 short video clips for this, covering everything from campsites to towns, and from storm-force winds to a lifeboat launch, and people quite enjoy them. I now have a new sponsor, which is great, and also have some interest from a businesses who supply useful services.

My more large scale project, Retired life TV, has started to take a better shape, too, although it still isn’t very clear where it’s going!

I’d really like to make it into a half-hour or whole hour TV slot, but finding the right broadcaster is proving difficult. I’m reasonably sure it would pick up some advertising and support if it got on-air, but it has to go in the right place, to have a chance of survival!

At present, the content consists of some Retired Life specifically produced material, plus some items that I’m branding as 2-minute Britain, Bus Pass Britain, and I’m adding the content from Chris’s Caravan Diary. With additional material, links and a suitable format, I think this would make a really attractive daytime/evening package for a minority Sky satellite or Freeview broadcaster.

Over the coming weeks, I’m planning to write a regular blog around my progress – so you might like to call back to see how I’m getting on! Don’t hesitate to leave a comment, or get in touch through Facebook, etc., but don’t expect to see your comment until I’ve looked at it – there’s too much spam about to just let comments pop up!

We had a couple of days there just recently – one just having a Sunday afternoon stroll, and the next (a Tuesday) enjoying a really nice meal and show in the West End – that was for Dot’s birthday.

We’ve already got another date arranged at the end of August to go and see Les Mis (for my birthday treat), but out of the blue, Dot decided to book an outing for us and her grand-daughters to go to The Dr Who Experience, at Olympia 2.

Wow – was it great!

I have to admit that I was a bit concerned – some people I know had been to the Dr Who exhibition somewhere in Wales, and had facebooked their not very enjoyable experience.

But as soon as the black door opened and we went into the “experience” bit, I was much happier. The show started with a great 15 minute walk-through event – we started in a m useum, staffed by one of the information nodes from that spooky library – remember?

Then, into the Tardis . . wow, loved it! Good effects, plenty of shake, rattle and roll, with the excellent Matt Baker chatting away to us . .

Then into a final room for a bit more excitement – with all the nasties, including those horrible Angels – very scarey!

And then, via loads of darkish corridors . . into the exhibition, and that was excellent, too.

Loads of top quality exhibits, including all the costumes, the Doctors, the monsters, everything.

We loved it – and so did the kids. Reasonably expensive, but hey, we won’t need to go again; we’ve seen it all now!

So this last weekend, while Dot was watching the Grand Prix and stuff, I worked on my Retired Life project – I’m really rather pleased with it, too. But today, as Dot was off to look after her grand-daughters, I was at a bit of a loose end. She didn’t know if they had any plans, and I didn’t really have any . . looked like another day at work.

However, there was something I’ve been thinking about – that’s taking the ferry from Felixstowe to Harwich and seeing what develops . . so I did. I decided just as I got out of the shower at around ten o’clock, phoned Giles at five past to see if he was good for a lift down to the viewing point where the ferry lands, and see if he wanted to come.

He said yes to both, and turned up outside ten minutes later, although he’d only just got up himself. But in the end he decided he was too tired, sooooo . . off I went.

I think I must have annoyed the ferry crew, essentially because I didn’t want to book a place on the boat coming back. I hadn’t decided what I fanced doing, at that stage. So I paid my two quid (half-price for bus pass holders!) and enjoyed the 15 minute trip over to Harwich.

I was delighted with Harwich. It’s loaded with maritime history, there’s tons of stuff to look at, like the Electric Palace cinema and the old houses, and at first glance, there seemed like a couple of pubs to dive into for a pint . . but!

At twelve, I was ready for a beer. But virtually all the remnants of Harwich’s fast-dying pub trade seemed closed at lunchtime, so I said forget it and got myself a sausage and chips from the local chippie – who must have no competition at all because they delivered half-a-portion of chips, compared to what we get locally in Felixstowe, and a sausage that tasted okay, but looked pretty anaemic, for the princely sum of £2.20 – at least 40p more than I’d pay at home.

I wandered to the seafront again, and sat drinking tea from a stall while a nice young chap in the tourist office let me charge my camcorder battery – good bloke, ta! I really ought to get a bigger capacity one.

Then, back to the ferry and over to Shotley – £1.50 this time, and no-one asked if I wanted to book anything . .

The ferry lands you at Shotley marina, on a pontoon just outside the lock gates, and I strolled up to film it sailing off, before meandering towards the Bristol Arms pub, where I hoped to find details of bus times . . but – yet again.

Right in front of me, parked up with the driver having a relax in the back seat, a bus for Ipswich. I hung about . . but not for long. The doors were opened, the engine started, and we were off!

Half an hour later, Ipswich. Finally, somewhere I knew I could get a beer. Into The Plough, right next to the bus station, where I used to help out Barry Howard with his disco once a week, 45 years ago. A print of something called English Pale Ale, brewed by Marstons, and startlingly good value at £1.99 for the pint, later, I caught the bus for Felixstowe.

What a great day. Two boat trips, two bus trips, a pint of very nice beer, a cup of tea from a stall and a short portion of chips with a palid sausage . . and the cost: £3.50 for the boat, £2.20 for the grub, 80p for the tea, and £1.99 for the beer. Thats a total of £8.49 for a really good day . . and – tomorrow you’ll be able to watch the video, on www.retiredlife.tv!