Beautifull St Mary's and disasterous Delhi

What a lovely Autumn morning as I headed into town around 7 a.m., with a full moon in the Wet and a nice sunrise to the East - end result, perfect conditions for photographs. Parking in my usual Saturday spot I had to pass St Mary's Cathedral, Palmerston Place, Edinburgh, one of my favourite places in the city. With perfect lighting the detail of the south windows was superb - hence the following three photos which magnify to show the marvellous detail by the stonemasons.

This has to be in stark contrast with the recent shambolic structures we have seen in the media of the so called Commonwealth Stadium and Games Village in Delhi, India. What a dammed disgrace, but not unexpected. I keep forgetting to track down the photos I took while in India of various construction sites - WIP ( Work in progress) a total farce when you see four or five men with a cement mixer, supposed to be rebuilding a highway!!! In Mumbai, the main motorway from the airport into the City is like a roller coaster with different sections NOT QUITE MEETING IN THE MIDDLE !! so you are zooming along (bumping along) on one section, then down a ramp, over a bumpy area where they did not meet , then up a ramp and off again.

While I was in the City there was a death when a balcony collapsed and killed a tourist, the enquiry revealed that the cement used during the construction was so adulterated due to the bags been opened and cement stolen and the remainder mixed with rubbish.

Our friend now runs a big business out there and when he tried to give his staff a pay rise the Union stepped in and objected, it turns out that he has to pay the Union Rep who pays the workers, but for every £1 he pays the Union the workers get 25p. !!!!!!

From the photos in the media it is obvious that the workers have been living "on the job" in the games village which accounts for the filthy conditions of the accommodation, which is obviously palatial compared to their normal living conditions - shanty towns , cardboard boxes, and under tarpaulins by the roadside.

Tonight,s media conference was a classic with everyone blaming each other and no one accepting responsibility.

Touch wood we will not have a repeat of the horrific scenes when the Raj Hotel in Mumbai was taken over by terrorists, set on fire and ended up with carnage.