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.........!!!!!!

Events that can cause angst and trauma

It is at times like this that the whole fabric of your psyche can be challenged remorselessly when the economic climate is particularly taxing and you are in the midst of a house that looks like it is in the centre of the Blitz. Stalingrad is not that far away and the fact that the very nature of the living areas are resembling rubble and dust suggest that the future can only get better, but as I write this blog, that is the situation that I find myself in currently.
     Yes it's that time of year when house improvements get the go ahead and the weather insists on remaining lovely, balmy even, so that the workload continues unabated into those months of late spring when the world is at peace with itself apart from the house half standing at no 4 Acacia Avenue ( this of course is a fictitious address to protect the incumbents )
     There are certain niceties to address in such situations, you still have to make yourself look respectable within the household as the scaffolding and converted erections begin to take shape albeit in a very primitive way and the daily routines tend to go out of the window, not literally but certainly metaphorically. The ubiquitous builder, for that is what he has become, becomes more chummy as he drinks more and eats more of your hard earned pantry and emerges from his latest skirmish with the roof to refer to you as " mate" and gives you a good slap on the back in a friendly way. Ah yes, the British artisan, always a treasure and in most cases need to be given a good burial but in our case, we wouldn't be without him. Well certainly not during the working process. He is a consummate professional in his job but his skills at clearing up after himself have surely deserted him many years ago. I have to say finding a mug of tea lying on its side under his Black and Decker drill did not do much for my understanding of his mentality or common sense sensibilities but he is good at what he does, and I dare say that if the roles were reversed I would indeed find his technique of telling all my patients to pull themselves together would not be out of place!!! if not somewhat amusing. As the victims of building work we accept the mess and disruption that follows such cratsmen in their normal daily rituals but we do hope that in the weeks to come, their presence will fade away into that time when most sane people might just choose to forget that they were there and treat it as a blot on their lifestyle. Roll on the conclusion to this difficult time for us and to realise that we don't always need to display white hair and dusty clothing to be referred to as "old timers".

The Royal Wedding 2011

It is indeed good to see a Royal wedding where the main participants are so poised and focused on their aim, it was, on the reverse side of the coin, particularly galling to see the crusty old grandmother scowling for much of the service, as if she had been sucking on a lemon. Now why should this be? There did seem the occasional smile but this seemed to be after the result of some dental surgery to correct the grimace that she had had fixed on her face throughout the whole panoply of the service.
      Mind you I am not here to discuss the aftermath of such facial expressions but to wish the young couple well and to hope that this will be a turn away from the old school of stiff and starchy behaviour that has so often permeated the lives of the older royals which is hardly a good example of current day authenticity. You see, like many older people there is a magnetic attraction to live in the past, it is after all what is familiar to them and has a sort of warm comforting feel about it. The issues that I feel need to be addressed are the insidious and somewhat disturbing levels of hypocrisy that the Crown have been accused of regarding throne succession. Back in the 1930's when Edward VIII decided to relinquish the throne for the woman he loved causing utter consternation to constitutional experts, it seemed to act as a tenet to any future divorcees being treated the same way. He was honourable in choosing the decision that he made realising that he could not rule without Wallis Simpson by his side however the same does not seem to apply in these times of modernity. The current incumbent of the " Prince of Wales " title seems to go against the grain as he has indeed married a divorcee, as he himself is, and still seems to be the next natural successor to the Crown. Now we have no way of knowing whether he will be bypassed or whether his accession to the throne will be rubber stamped on the demise of the current monarch. One thing seems clear, that Elizabeth Regina Mark 2 is in no mood to cede power over to her eldest son and it may be by the time Charles is ready to succeed her he will be getting quite elderly. It might then be deemed more appropriate for the power shift to veer towards the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but that's for the future. The central point in all my rantings is that the open hypocrisy of the Crown is quite palpable and it does make some of us realise how dysfunctional they still are, and what a long way they have to go in order to attract the warmth and support of the British public again. A wedding is not really going to rectify their problems, just paper over the cracks of a long standing and dwindling dynasty that was once great but now.........? well that sentence must be completed by those of you reading this diatribe. William and Catherine are young and will have their own opinions as they get older and more experienced when doing the job but their rise to eventual power should be tempered with a sense of duty but also caution. Three of the Queen's current children are already divorced, this should be a lasting reflection of what is a very tenuous hold that they have on their desire for privacy and happiness, but I wish them both well in the circumstances.

Family additions

My life was somewhat turfed upside down last year when my wife arrived on these shores in tandem with her furry, hairy canine friends who had joined her in the immigration to be with me in this country of wealth and opulence. Now don't call me insensitive but at the outset I was rather disturbed at having to share my creature comforts with three small canines, as my previous experience with these vulpine typed animals had been with much larger breeds. I had no idea how they would take to me, or more's the point, how I would cope with them. Well if first experiences were anything to go by I would have thought that I had been dealt a triple whammy by earth's creator as three very small and noisy dogs emerged from the animal reception centre at Heathrow to launch themselves upon my wife and then unceremoniously licked me uncontrollably in the reception centre lounge. Not exactly the most auspicious beginning and I dread to think what would have happened if we were on our way to a Royal garden party with me displaying distinct elements of dog slobber all over my face. Ah from such ignominious beginnings are love affairs borne. I had already mentioned that my experience of small dogs was limited and my perception of them was pesky and somewhat difficult to handle but as the days wore on in a very languid way, my burgeoning affection for these pesky little creatures took on new heights. There was the two boys, same breed but different characters, and the small chipin, with the dainty legs and the porcelain styled body and the stubby tail that just melted a person's heart.The two boys bounded out of the reception centre in a playful mood until they reached the car where they proceeded to have a distinctly unsavoury disagreement which ended in a maelstrom of snarling and biting, and for what reason. It seemed that one of them took a dislike to the other wanting to travel in the front seat instead of him and so their Jekyll and Hyde personalities emerged at that point. One minute they were " mummy's little darlings " and the next, they were the devils incarnate sent to their " father " for correction but I was still reeling from the shock of their arrival and in no fit state to correct any misdemeanour at this time. Things did eventually improve  and we all became close buddies amidst all the fur flying and disgruntled egos that we had to put up with daily. The point of all this, is that at the time, I wasn't sure about their presence or what I had done, allowing them to come here too, but you know now I wouldn't be without any of them especially my wife who I can honestly say is one of the most caring, sweet and good neighbourly people I could ever hope to meet. These dogs are surely a gift from God and they have  taught me a great deal even if they are naughty to the n-th extreme and my love for them has deepened over the time they have been here. They provide us both with happiness, entertainment and humour which enriches and strengthens our lives and relationship. Dogs are such great social stabilisers and they instinctively know when to play up and when to act in a sympathetic way towards you. They are such great socialisers and are able to change a person's mood at the drop of a hat. If you ever get the urge for a challenge in life then give a dog a home. It will make you a better person and make you more aware of your own shortcomings which you can iron out. They never discriminate against anyone or anything and their love for you as a human being is unconditional and without reproach, they can be truly man's best friend if only man would behave appropriately too. We can learn from animals in so many ways so ensure that we take advantage of this in the future to enhance not only our lives but the lives of the followers ie the animals who love us and in some cases would lay their life on the line for us, truly the act of a noble and courageous spirit. I salute them all and give them the highest commendation.

More unusual observations

As I sit here in my somewhat vulnerable state, I realise that life is to be lived rather than scared of, and in many ways I have chosen to be bound by the conventions that society and life have imposed upon me. One wonders whether this is due to upbringing and protocol. My days of just keeping to the house are over and now I have a wife it is important that I make sure that we share a lot of things together. The days of a singleton are behind me and now I have to realise the necessity to share everything and not keep everything as secure as it used to be, that really just doesn't work.
    My wife, bless her is as unpredictable as the wind but then it certainly stops me from becoming too complacent in my actions and realising what a gift that I have been sent by the Almighty. It takes a good woman to make a man realise what he has and to contemplate the future with a better sense of security than in the past. I sometimes think that I have been unlucky in life events but then when I am brought such a gift as my wife, it makes me reappraise my life and realise that not everyone is lucky except of course for me.!!!!  For all you men out there, marriage is a sacred ritual and you should all learn to accept that women are a very special breed and if you can't get your heads around that fact, then maybe it is time for you to move on.

Party time

Last night we attended a party in the wilds of North Staffordshire, in a large house and a grand marquee in the garden. My wife's eyes were bulging as we headed through the large gates and up toward the front of the house where our hostess was waiting for us. It had been a very long day and of course we had combined this event with the usual spate of house viewing which has recently taken over our lives. It was a very eventful day as we finally felt we had found the house we really wanted to buy and to live in, but in the current climate selling our own pile is beginning to prove a thorny issue but at least we are not alone. The party gave us time to focus for one evening on other matters. The garden was massive and as the guests congregated on the grass and in the marquee we felt quite at home, as my wife's eyes continued to enlarge unabated, irrespective of the rather inclement weather conditions. We spent around 3 hours in this environment chatting and talking to some of my work colleagues and eating the freshly cooked chicken and snacks that had been laid on. The noise from the guest artiste was truly horrendous which is synonymous with such parties but if the theme had been dour as a consequence of the weather at the time, then Shostakovich would have been a better bet. We could have all been depressed together at this time !!!.  It proved a useful outlet from our normal routine and we enjoyed ourselves even though the heavens were not exactly kind to us. On the way home after a good evening and when I needed to speak to my wife to keep me awake she repaid me in the best possible way by falling into a deep sleep and communicated via grunts and snores and of course received my thanks for this event. Such loyalty and devotion, and realising that at the end of a very busy day the last thing she wanted to do was to indulge in small chit chat with her over stimulated husband. Thanks darling but in retrospect she was probably right but then aren't they always .....?

Night time driving

It has always been apparent to me how driving techniques change as the daylight reduces. The other night I had to drive at night to London Standsted airport to pick up my wife from a flight from Malaysia. It is a journey of around 150 miles and normally it can take around 2hours 30 minutes and has no major complications. I tried to sleep a little in advance of the journey but was not able to do so and so consequently I set off feeling unusually tired, generally the tiredness wears off as I drive however as the temperature was moderate and there was little breeze in the air the lethargy didn't wear off so by the time I reached the outskirts of Cambridge around 4am I was beginning to look like a characted out of Victor Hugo's novel -- The hunchback of Notre Dame, namely Quasimodo. If anyone had seen me, I'm sure I would have been a dead ringer for Lon Chaney's version of this character in the 1923 version of this famous story, piercing eyes and bad makeup would have suited my appearance at that time but surprisingly as daybreak began to take effect my metamorphosis was virtually instantaneous. The lethargy that had beset me disappeared and I suddenly became a more stimulated and rationale figure looking less like the aforesaid Chaney so viewers it shows that with the advent of light the body remarkably seems to ressurect itself back to its former self, and on this occasion, I, at least looked human when I met my wife from the airport, rather  than the miserable wretch that was Quasimodo in that famous novel by that well known French author Hugo. " Comme bien dans l'amour et le guerre " aptly said I think !!!

Politicians-- do they ever listen?

It's strange that when I listen to political programmes the protagonists involved never ever seem to give the electorate reasonable and honest answers, all they seem to be interested in is keeping their own jobs at whatever cost? I wonder at times the point of any politician, and their attitudes are quite frankly of no real value to a country as a whole, as many are purely in it for the greed and the corruption that it provides them with, as a form of furthering their careers and nests. European countries have their own issues but regarding Blighty, we always seem to score own goals when it comes to policies. It may be that as a country we should take a leaf out of France's book by completely disregarding some of the ridiculous European rules imposed upon us and create mayhem, and let's face it if the French hauliers can do it by blocking the tunnel then surely we can also cause our own particular brand of non obedience to both political mandarins and the political system in general. Together they have dismantled and disrupted every country they are involved in, surely there has to be a better way than politics to govern a country and send these parasites back from whence they came. Sometimes I just despair at how countries are governed.

Holiday time

It is refreshing to know that during holiday time, regimes can change and often a new lease of life can be accommodated after the mundane drudgery of the ubiquitous working week. This week alone, I have been getting up at a more leisurely 9am and wandering down to breakfast debating as to what to eat, unlike the norm when porridge is the order of the day. Mainly for speed. So what did I have this morning, .....porridge!! well I like it ( he said indignantly) however I did push the tug boat out with a dish of sauteed mushrooms, sausages and a poached egg on toast. This you will understand is not usual, however on days when I can suit myself, it is nice to do something completely different. In the summer months it is quieter and life tends to be so for me, as well. My wife told me to go for a walk the other day and you can't disagree with her, it helps to keep the digestion and body working properly. Why are woman always right? Is it that innate desire in them to want the best for their loved ones? I would like to think it is, well in my wife's case that is a strong point for her. Family is the closest thing we have to genuine and honest support in our lives although I am aware that this is not always the case in some family environments. Holiday time is a period for robust and genuine reflection of your life and relationships, it makes me appreciate how lucky I am to have such great support and love from those closest to me. The shackles of work are released albeit for two weeks and there is more of a chance to let my hair down. The charging of my batteries and life are paramount in an otherwise cut throat and tense ridden world outside the four walls of my house and land. The garden at this time is a lovely sight with all the shrubs and plants vying for the sun and in some cases the rain to promote their appearance and vitality. Yes two weeks of solitude and relaxation will do very nicely. !!

Commentators and my pet hates

Do you know that when big global events come round like the World Cup and the Olympics, we are all waiting with a sense of anticipation only to find that the commentators spoil much of it with their inane drivel, and their highly inflated vocal patterns that turn the coverage from either a mellow and laid back chilled out individual, to that of a demented warrior who hasn't experienced real excitement in all their lives. I guess it is a sign of age when I make a rant about it but for many, the destruction of the grammatical content of our language is somewhat disconcerting. For example, certain tried and tested phrases which we have used for many years suddenly get a new structure and what on earth are they talking about?  The worst offenders are " they are nearly home and hosed " and the classic " we have to prevent getting beat !!! "  getting beat ? what sort of example are we setting to future generations when high profile commentators cannot even grasp the rudiments of simple basic everyday English? It is laziness to the extreme, and what for goodness sake, does " home and hosed " actually mean? home and dry I can understand, but hosed? this implies that the subjects were wet to begin with??? I will never understand the propensity for these so called reporters to crucify our language with such ridiculous phrases. Is it to find a level with those whose educational abilities were compromised early in life and isn't that somewhat patronising to them that these well paid people still seem to have little concept or comprehension of what language actually brings to a nation. I despair at times and wonder where we, as a country, have gone wrong over the years to allow such a poor grasp of language to pervade our media and television screens, where so much influence is meted out to the young with a diet of soap operas and poor intellectual communication. Is it any wonder that nowadays there seems to be a dumbing down of standards across the board, and that no one seem to be doing anything about it as that would be considered " uncool ", oh look, even I am not averse to such lingo.....woops there I go again.

CASE CLOSED I think .....!!!!

Nationalism

Patriotism is alive and well in deepest England, this can be seen, particularly at this time of the year with the flags of St George unfurling over the roofs of moving cars as we head into that phase of life that is the World Cup Finals. For some this tournament is the nadir of all that they hold sacred, for others and possibly the majority, the hope that it engenders with regard to business, prestige and nationalism is swelling over like the waves of the sea. The intensity and fanaticism that such tournaments bring to a country can be refreshing, enduring and often inspiring for all, even those that normally would not be seen watching a football, never mind a game, but it can envelop the whole country and consume and engulf innate passions in people that they would never think that they had. Such is the " beautiful game". Now for the Brazilians who spent their young years on Copocabana beach kicking a ball around; this is all very much part of their ritualistic lifestyle but for us, hard work and sheer passion tends to do it for us. As a previous traveller to Brasil, I would like to think that we might meet them in the final to test our skills against the real masters but I fear that might not happen but as a student of nostalgia I can but dream can't I? It is after all, what all our dreams are made of, ......hope, faith and nostalgia. Whether you like the game or not, the next four weeks for some will consign them to be " widows" during this time, for the rest, a glorious reflection and desire to succeed against the very best in that noble art of association football, so whatever team you are following, I wish you well and hope that this quad-annual spectacle musters up all sorts of emotions in all of us that allows us to reflect upon our own lifestyles and future prospects.

The little things that matter

The little things that matter can be many and often not remembered but then there are some little things that really do matter. Apart from the obvious like telling your partner how much they mean to you, there are the ones that involve safety, like tyres and their pressures. Very romantic I hear you all ask, after such a romantic analogy to begin with, but I mean it. For weeks now, I have been promising myself the luxury of checking my tyre pressures and pumping up the tyres, a job I sincerely love,as you can all tell, however today I was all ready to do this small job and what happens?.... the heavens open with disastrous weather following. Now there is a particularly irritating and obnoxious forecourt attendant at the local garage who I despise and as I was about to drive into the forecourt to check my tyres, this demon from Hell appeared. I had no wish to bandy words with him and I headed off on my merry way. The tyres seemed to get lighter and lighter and I convinced myself that I needed a new foot pump as my old one had bitten the dust and had gone off to meet its manufacturer in the ether above. Well you are all ahead of me, I reached my destination in heavy rain to find that there was little air left in the tyres, how had I managed it, low speed, sensible driving and a fear that I had been stupid......VERY STUPID so I resolved to change my ways when it comes to cars. On the way home I invested in a new foot pump and this time carefully pumped up each tyre in turn, by the end of the week I will have two new tyres fitted on the car and the other two next month. This is a salient lesson to us all. NEVER put off what you can do today especially if it might involve your life, the risks are just NOT worth it. Sometimes bad weather can make one appreciate the value of life and the need to modify one's behaviour in such challenging road conditions. It was a lesson in humility to me and it has made me think far more objectively now about the future and the trauma caused to my loved ones if anything more serious had happened to me. Stay safe everyone and remember to check your tyre pressures weekly, they could just save your life!!!

House hunting

I never realised how frustrating this process can be before I started out on it. I thought, I'm living in a nice house and in a nice residential area with good neighbours and a community of older people who generally keep their own counsel so where's the problem? Well no problem looking for that dream house for us but selling ours.......? I might have more luck selling a second hand wigwam!!! The recession, people in general and time of year and actual timing all come into play and are major factors. The problems are that some people have some really daft ideas, they view, they nod in the right places and then offer me a really derisory offer, what pigs!!! Others are just, as I would put it, professional viewers wanting to check out any property in the locale and then just destructively criticise it mercilessly and the worst are the ones with the really daft excuses. If people look at the details from the estate agents they ought to have some inkling as to what they are going to get. If I state that it is in a salubrious area and benefits from all the mod cons, does that help ? well possibly but then it can backfire on me, maybe I should say, it is positioned at the end of a problem estate with beautiful barricades on a backdrop of drug dealers and dirty needles, will that sell the property, well for those of us in that "special area of life" , it might!!!! but for the vast majority, NO so why do the potential buyers come up with so many feeble excuses. I cannot quite make up my mind whether they are time wasters or just mickey takers. I don't actually find it stressful but just DAMNED ANNOYING AND FRUSTRATING!!!!!!!!   Thankfully for some of us, my wife, in particular, being back in Malaysia makes it easier for her to look at this topic far more objectively and less of an irritant that I am finding it. I prefer a bartering system myself, how about I'll buy your house for three pigs, a water tower and a year's subscription to your local Horse and Hound magazine!!!!  not realistic of course but somewhat more interesting than the current set up. Then I have the estate agents suggesting I lower the price as well, Aaaaargh  is there no end to this madness, at this rate by the end of the year I will be owning my very own tent complete with groundsheet. Surreal behaviour is alive and well in the Staffordshire/Shropshire borders and Mr Eccentric is alive and ranting again.........roll on 2011 !!!!!!

Tragedy and triumphs

In all of us there is, at times a beast waiting to pounce. The insanity that can be caused by mood changes is all too apparent after the sad events in Cumbria yesterday. For a human to go on a killing spree is rare but when it happens, it rocks whole communities. The understanding and mentality of such tortured souls can at times be totally intangible to the rest of us. It is by the grace of God that most of us were in other places at the time but this surely does not detract from the blunt truth of what happened to those unfortunate residents of the sleepy coastal strip in Cumbria. This reflects on the other infamous tragedies of latterday Blighty namely Hungerford, Dunblane and from the distant past Aberfan, but the last one was more of a natural tragedy than one perpetrated by firearms and violence.

        On the other footing, England head to the World Cup finals in South Africa and for the majority of people I'm sure they are wished well for the upcoming tournament however for those of us who are due to become football pariahs or widows during this time, my only advice is to take yourselves away to a dreamy beach in a quiet secluded cove with no mobile, no radio and certainly no television to gain that truly isolated experience and feel totally free of all media attention, at least until lunchtime ( joke) I wish you all well, whatever your persuasions but for me personally it is a chance to reflect on previous campaigns and think to myself, is it all really worth it.!!!!! 

Such is the difference between hope and despair, and most of us would settle for a neutral place right in the middle. GOOD LUCK to all of you whatever you are planning to do this summer.