Kindles and the beauty of owning one !!

To those of us that had been brought up on books as children, but for some reason have lost the habit of reading regularly, there is a simple answer. Get a Kindle ereader because it has, quite frankly, re-ignited my desire to read than ever before. I used to find books somewhat tedious and hard work partly turning pages and partly due to sheer lethargy however having a Kindle in your hand is quite amazing, something stirs within, that actually makes me want to quench my thirst for further literary knowledge. Just clicking on a side button to turn a page is wonderful and to alter the font size of a work is something that could never be accomplished with a hardware edition of a novel. It can also store so many books within its relatively compact frame and the portability of it certainly outweighs the burden of carrying large heavy books around with you in your bag or car and quite simply it has re-energised my love for books and the pleasure that is created from reading has been re-kindled. Bloggers I urge you to consider investing in a kindle if you haven't already done so for the sheer delight and pleasure it can give you on a pleasant Sunday afternoon, but then of course, any day will do. Happy reading and creativity to you all.

New beginnings

Eventually the day of reckoning is upon me. yes redeployment looms like a harbinger of doom, on this bright sunlit day the spectral shadow of the transfer of services at work does still seem to rankle with many of my colleagues. I suppose for many of them the idea of returning to a position that they once owned would be a body blow and for some of my colleagues, the thought ranks like somebody giving them a glass of the finest hemlock and stating " I've had a good life ....."
No , no, no, my feeling is that we have to put this into perspective. Returning to previous experiences is not always the best policy for career advancement but often it's a means to an end, and that's how I look at it. The palatability of such a transfer may stick in the craw but beggars can't be choosers and when money is involved, what are the options? Take another job in this austere time? or sit put with the prospect of some extra financial booty at the end of it. Yes life is not always palatable but often it's a question of " the need for work is paramount, rather than the option to choose " as in the past. This is especially so. for those workers under retirement age who really need the work. If you can get a job, then good luck, but for the rest of us, remember that families and lifestyle are important but without the means to afford the comforts of our lives, then work still needs to be considered, however unpalatable it might be. Let us be reassured that all my colleagues will make the right decisions for themselves and that it enriches their lives hereon in.

Fetes and the beauty that comes from them

Now by reputation I have never been a large fete attender in the past but today has really opened my eyes to the prospects of such a social activity. To summarise, my wife, bless her!!, had been burning the candles at both ends the night before the fete, getting all her cakes in order for the big day and to say she was pooped was a distinct understatement. Sleep came easy to her last night and then this morning she was up with the lark, applying the finishing touches to her mesmeric creations and you know it proved a big hit with all the fete attenders. By the time she had registered all her eateries for purchase within the confines of the little church nestling on the green in Shifnal, the sun was out and the marquee and stalls were going up rapidly. Even before the fete had officially started her cakes had already drawn gasps from the watching tea/beverage ladies in the church and eager and greedy eyes were already surveying which delicacies were going to be gobbled up in one go. " These are amazing" said one parishioner and soon most of the cake pops had been earmarked by the refreshment brigade as they presided over who had what....even before the general public had arrived on the scene. It was like a possee already instructed as to the task in hand. My wife's culinary attributes often raise emotions to record levels and therefore it was little surprise to me but there we are...half the cakes already spoken for by the helpers. utterly amazing. Such is the power of such a talent and my wife has it in droves, sickeningly so, but what a talent.
The people arrived and the gasps of pleasure became more and more praiseworthy as the cakes started to dwindle but my wife's resolve was steadfast and true.
For my part in the supporting role as her husband, I picked up bargains in the video and furniture department and came to realise that I was a natural at bidding in the pressure cooker situation of an auction, but it was all in a good cause, the local churches.As for the auctioneer, he was more like a benevolent uncle and we picked up 4 items that would have cost a great deal more in any department store so together we had a really good day. One thing is readily evident, when you have a talent you must visibly flaunt it, and my wife did that admirably to the tune of picking up more orders from people to enhance and establish her expertise in the local community as a cake specialist. Bravo to her, and for my part, I'm just glad I was able to help in some small way, but I know that even with my small contribution it was appreciated it by the woman of the moment or should that be , " of the fete " whatever; hats off to my wife for her sterling contribution and her continued place at the very heart of our community.

The perfect car

As some of you may well know and have experienced, the loss of a car can either have no meaning or significant loss in the life history of an individual. It may be that emotionally the womenfolk are affected badly by such losses, however men are not exempt from this process of emotional wringing of emotions especially as a car can extract emotions not otherwise noticeable on a daily basis. So it was on the first day of August of this year 2011 when I set off for work on an otherwise mundane day.The weather was rainy but nothing of any great note; then, about a quarter of an hour into the journey, disaster reared its ugly head and the prized MG with low mileage and a new cambelt was lost to the insurance loss adjusters as the remorseful and upset business magnate from a local firm sliced into the back of the MG with some relish as he had, prematurely felt that I was taking too long to enter the roundabout system, ah the sad irony of it all. After all the shananigans of the insurance company, the repair centre and the solicitors looking after my personal interests finally coming to the inevitable business conclusion that the damage would have cost more to repair than the value of the car, it was time to move and look for a replacement.
Hard bull nosed decisions but in retrospect it may well have done us some good. The first hired car we received from the accident repair centre was an absolutely incredible and stunning BMW 520d Auto Sport with satnav and an amazing array of gadgets that quite frankly I could not take in. I was so in awe of this car that I felt, if I touched any button in the cockpit, a rotisserie might appear to cook my dinner, such was its opulence and prestige that it literally blew me away. As my wife also liked it, it was an idea that started to germinate in our minds of thinking of a used approved BMW as a replacement car for our beloved MG. What if we could actually afford a bimmer ? Not the hired car of course, all £34000 of this car would be just too much for us to handle but a previous incarnation of it. The reviews led us to the most perfect of cars, a series 5 BMW 2002 with satnav, phone and computer console along with a very beefy 3 litre engine. It is well known that BMW engines go on and on provided that they are well serviced and maintained and with a diesel engine, fuel costs can be reduced to a degree, saving fuel money. Research is always the key when looking for a new car and we duly did this in a methodical and progressive fashion. After some deliberation and consideration, I eyed a car that looked ideal for us, the only issue was that it was based in East Yorkshire, east of Hull, near to the eastern seaside resort of Withernsea. However we decided to go for the day and risk the chance that this car would not be for us, we were not disappointed, far from disappointed and on arriving in the bracing flat lands of East Yorkshire we met the garage owner and then met the car. I almost knew immediately that this car would provide an adequate replacement for our old MG. It was clean and tidy and the cockpit was spacious and well set out. It also had the ubiquitous satnav and front and rear parking sensors( especially for my benefit) lol but the leather seats and comfort was the aspects that impressed my wife and as we headed home we both knew that this was the car we wanted, opulence, luxury and a little bit of class. This car oozed all of those attributes and we loved it.
Automatic gearboxes are more the domain of my good lady wife but I am learning quickly about the advantages of a good automatic gearbox as opposed to manuals and having diesel on board gives us more cost effective fuel options. Sometimes you need to let the past go in order to move on with your life, and if this is an example of letting go then I say bravo.Life is far too short to morosely reminisce on what might have been, as time never stops and we should all be enjoying our present lifestyle than to remember what could or might have been, because often things are never the same when brought back to provide a second chance. I am now smitten with the BMW range and I'm sure in time my wife will share my enthusiasm on this subject.

Hospital duties

Earlier this month I had to take my trouble and strife to the hospital for a little bit of plumbing but the whole environment brought back to me the different aromas and fragrances one finds in such places, you remember the invigorating smells of dettol based substances and the whole concept of bacterial products to ward off the nasty infections that are so prevalent in such places.
However on this occasion in the 21st century, the seeking of such comfortable and memorable smells seemed sadly lacking, the whole environment established a far more clinical and sterile area devoid of those somewhat friendly if not noxious substances of yesteryear.
The staff were pleasantly affable ahead of the busy day ahead of them as they kept themselves busy with paperwork and pre-operative assessments, and my wife; well to say she was a consummate patient would be understated, her behaviour was more applicable with someone that was totally at peace with her life and that by being in for day surgery was merely a blip in her already busy daily agenda. The serenity afforded by her in that time leading up to her operation was not only commendable but strangely bizarre in the extreme, her manner and calmness was a lesson for all of us that would be scared by the very nature of our predicament.
When I had left her on that hospital trolley being wheeled to her fate and headed for a lunch date, my mind started playing cruel tricks on me and the only thing I could ask myself was " why? " if my best friend and partner could cope with the event about to happen to her in that aseptic room down the corridor, then where was my belief? Yes it makes the individual wonder where there own courage has gone to, evaporation into the ether not that far away!!! It is a sobering thought that my wife and life partner can treat both fear and happiness in the same manner whereas her spouse has enough trouble believing that tomorrow will be a far more successful day than the current one, it teaches people like me the benefit and need to deal positively with every obstacle confronting us rather than seeing a scenario as a insurmountable hurdle that is far too difficult to achieve a major success from it. Constructive food for thought I think and I have my lovely wife to thank me for the lesson in maturity.

The aftermath of trauma

Recently I was in the unfortunate situation when I was shunted from behind in my car coming off a motorway near to where I live by a man in a business car with trade insurance. Apart from the initial shock and delayed trauma it made me think about the whole concept of road accident collision scenarios and the rule of law that states that any rear shunt is attributable to the perpetrator behind the shunted car. It is unfortunate for the man behind, but my sense of justness would lead me to believe that maybe his perception of my driving off instead of stopping at the bottom of the motorway exit road was distinctly flawed by his position behind me.
In the 21st century there are still some people that rush from one appointment to another at breakneck speed as if there lives depended upon it, and the only question I can come up with is " why?" because point A and the destination point B are not going to change positions and the intent to rush like maniacs down a motorway would appear to be insane. Is it speed that is their fuel for adrenaline or the joy of speeding rapidly down these roads for a sense of excitement would again appear to be a flawed argument for doing so. As my friend in the car behind me on that fateful day reflects upon his behaviour, it must be a sobering thought for him to realise that even at low speed, his car came off worst in this scenario and for that I am truly sorry for him, however this is what life is all about, making wise or unwise decisions and for this unfortunate motorist, he can reflect on what was a very sad and stupid decision in retrospect which leaves him with being penalised by his insurance company and two rather less than perfect vehicles now needing repairs to both, causing unfortunate and in reality unnecessary inconvenience to both parties but then, that is what makes us all humans ......flawed judgement from time to time. C'est la vie !!!!

The trials and traumas of house renovation

Isn't it surprising how work of a structural and aesthetic nature around your house can go on for what seems an indeterminate period and also how generally it is invariably under budget. Well bloggers it has happened to us now. You may recall I started talking on this subject in the early part of 2011 with the optimistic view that within two good months of hard work from our builder the project would be nearing its end........how wrong could I have been!! As house owners we have endured every humanly conceivable situation that we legislated could go wrong and yet it was something else that thwarted our aspirations to start showing off our finished product for the summer months. Yes readers it was, absolutely, our builder's wedding and cut price honeymoon where his guests pay for the 7 nights in romantic Cleckheaton and Liversedge in deepest West Yorkshire. OK it wasn't those two mentioned towns but it might as well have been so.

       Let me explain, first we had the health and safety week off due to an update course which he had to fulfil, but of course this put the work back a week, then we were treated to more time away from the hub of the working environment for window installation in another property which he was trying to finish, (eyebrows started to rise at this point in Roger Moore fashion ) then of course we had the amazing story of the honeymoon fund and wedding to his long time partner. I am beginning to think that this man was taking us for a ride especially when he was asking his congregation not for the ubiquitous wedding gifts but , wait for it , money to fund the honeymoon. Eyes rolling outside our heads at this point !!! It just makes us doubly determined to monitor what our friendly builder is going to throw at us next to delay the work further, tea at the Ritz perhaps or possibly an audience with a Papal Nuncio, now that would be intriguing ? My religious name might be Benedict but I am not , by any stretch of the imagination, that daft to think that he is about to engage in an audience with me!!!!!! The summer rolls on and so does the work, but by Xmas of 2011 we may finally be able to start unpacking all our furniture in the newly appointed conservatory, just in time for that momentous time of year ; the snows of January and February.......ah the good old builder, one of life's greats.........!!!!!!