Attention

In the words of Homer Simpson WOO HOO! I've had a comment from someone who isn't a family member! It isn't the first comment from the big wide world but I haven't had a non family member comment for a long time. It brings home the public nature of blogging. Anybody can read this stuff. It also means of course that I can read the blogs of others which is something I have'nt done (apart from my son's blog and my daughter's blog(s)). I've just had a quick look at other blogs in blogspot and discovered recipies, music and photographs that were intriguing, clever and in some cases amazing.

I picked up a bit of advice from a Chinese girl who lives in Stutggart; thats the one in Germany, Europe:

"When a task has once begun, never leave it till it's done"."Be the labour great or small, do it well or not at all".

One of my school teachers used to say something similar! He was talking about woodwork but it can be applied to any field of endeavour, cooking, writing,working,blogging. Any adjective you can add an 'ing' to really.

I also found a piece of music that I'd forgotten - "First we take Manhattan" by Leonard Cohen. He was very popular in the 1970's although I found his music a little depressing. He recently released an album with a reworked version of First we take Manhattan thats quite upbeat. The lyrics are a little "Catcher in the Rye", see forth verse below. I must work out how to attach music to this blog.

They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within
I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward them
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin
I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'd really like to live beside you, baby
I love your body and your spirit and your clothes
But you see that line there moving through the station?
I told you, I told you, told you, I was one of those

Ah you loved me as a loser, but now you're worried that I just
might win
You know the way to stop me, but you don't have the discipline

How many nights I prayed for this, to let my work begin
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I don't like your fashion business mister
And I don't like these drugs that keep you thin
I don't like what happened to my sister
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'd really like to live beside you, baby ...

And I thank you for those items that you sent me
The monkey and the plywood violin
I practiced every night, now I'm ready
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I am guided

Ah remember me, I used to live for music
Remember me, I brought your groceries in
Well it's Father's Day and everybody's wounded
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin
I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'd really like to live beside you, baby
I love your body and your spirit and your clothes
But you see that line there moving through the station?
I told you, I told you, told you, I was one of those

Ah you loved me as a loser, but now you're worried that I just
might win
You know the way to stop me, but you don't have the discipline

How many nights I prayed for this, to let my work begin
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I don't like your fashion business mister
And I don't like these drugs that keep you thin
I don't like what happened to my sister
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I'd really like to live beside you, baby ...

And I thank you for those items that you sent me
The monkey and the plywood violin
I practiced every night, now I'm ready
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

I am guided

Ah remember me, I used to live for music
Remember me, I brought your groceries in
Well it's Father's Day and everybody's wounded
First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

Bravery

I've just read my son's blog. MS is giving him a good kicking at the moment. He is in a lot of pain and now has no medication other than pain killers. While he doesn't seem any worse physically - he can walk with a stick but needs a wheelchair for extended periods - he's having emotional upheaveal as his girl friend will be moving away with her parents to a different part of the country. One of her parents is seriously ill too. My son will miss her terribly. I think that he needs to be around other human beings and the sooner we can get him nearer to the family the happier I will be. He is very brave and has a strong postitive attitude and both are serving him well. He is a shinning example of human spirit and I am very, VERY proud of him.

My own financial worries pale into insignificance when I read my son's blog. Life is a lottery, the fact you get born at all is amazing. I once wrote a piece here about the meaning of life as described by Monty Python, my son did a similar piece with better pictures. I still think that we are here to be happy. Perhaps that should read we are here to be happy regardless of the circumstances.

Life is relentless and just goes on and on. We all have to be brave; I feel lucky to have such an exellent role model.

I was cheared up a little by some intereesting news from my daughter - moving closer to home - and my other in law daughter who I think of and describe as my daughter - job interview. If/when my daughter moves back we will all be back together again it will be like the Walton's all over again. If/when my other daughter gets this new job she will be earning more than I am! I'm unconflicted about that; bringing up young children is an extremely costly business these days and what granddad would not want the best for his grandchildren?

Live Music

Had a good weekend. Went to see a Pink Floyd tribute band called Off The Wall on Saturday night followed by a small party 23:300 to 02:15. On Sunday went to the South Lakes and bought some fantastic ginger shortbread.
I've never seen a tribute band of any kind before Saturday and I didn't know what to expect. I honestly thought that they would be awful. I was pleasantly surprised. Each number was done more or less straight as the original recordings with a bit of artistic license here and there. The guitar,sax and vocal solo's were just amazing. I know that some people don't enjoy the creative aspect of a live performance but I think that its essential to my enjoyment of the show. I can enjoy the original recording but I like to see what the band can do with the material. I imagine that if you are in a band on tour playing the same thing night after night would get pretty dull,
The party was good too. The beer flowed like wine (and so did the wine). The company was good and we all had fun. I discovered that my host's wife is desperate to have sex outdoors, a fantasy she had had for some time. So I offered and she said yes! (If any of my children are reading this you will know who I am talking about NOTHING happened!) She'd had an awful lot of wine though bless her and she usually talks way too much when she's had a few. Just goes to show that excessive alcohol consumtion in an innocent environment can be fun.
The South Lakes were brilliant. The day started with crap weather at home; we nearly didn't go. I'm glad we did go though. By the time we drove there the sun was out and the temperature was high. The hills looked gorgeous in early autumn colours and the lakes looked like mirrors as there was no more than a light breeze. We had a good look around Ambleside and Grasmere. Both places were busy; lots of tourists. But the scenery and the food held our attention.
The weekend set me up for the week ahead and so far I'm doing alright.

Family life

While I was thinking about free time or rather the apparent lack of it I remebered a time when I was in my mid thirties. I had 4 children and as many hobbies, we went walking in the hills of Northumberland or spent time on the best beaches in the country every weekend. I worked long hours then too. But I shrugged off the stress because, in my own naive way, I thought that was the way life was for everyone. My life was normal; brilliant fun but normal non the less.
So whats different now? I'm older thats for sure and work is more stressful as I have much more responsibility. So why do feel so run down? I don't have children any longer - well not in the sense of demanding 24/7 children. I don't have many hobbies any more I don't even get in to the garden often any more either.
I haven't been exhausted by family life so I must be whining about old age. If its my perception of tiredness that the issue then I can do something positive to change things. Fifty percent of the energy you think you have is mental energy. Thats that solved then! I'll be walking over to collect my grandchildren from school this afternoon time to put theory into practice! Can't wait.

Taking back the power

I wrote the other day about not having enough time to update this blog. I've thought about it a lot since then and it dawned on me that I may just be getting old. I actually work fewer hours than I did last year and fewer still than I did in the 90's. So I feel stessed rather than tired.
According to the media large numbers of people are saying that they have little or no free time. Is this just a fashionable whinge? There are statistics that show as a nation we are working longer hours. There is also a study from Scandanavia that shows in comparison with ourselves Scandanvians produce the same output in a shorter working week. Which suggests that if we didn't fart about so much we wouldn't have to work such long hours. This is of course complete bollocks, if our employers want to pay us for these long hours we have to work then we will work the long hours and take the money. We shouldn't whine about not having enough free time if we accept payemnt for the lack of free time.
If we want free time then we have to take back the power. During those awful Thatcher years there was a lot of talk about productivity - talk that you don't hear any longer, largely as a direct result of the policies of Thatcher. We don't actually produce a lot of anything anymore. So if we are all stuck in a service industry of some sort and we think that we have no free time I think that we should fart about as much as possible and take our free time as the opportunity presents itself. Take up smoking or if you're worried about your health pretended that you smoke; you can get a ten minute break every hour. Most offices nowadays allow limited internet access; keep a window open so that you can do some discreet surfing inbetween bits of work or during long telephone meetings (or update your blog!). You could of course work from home which is the ultimate solution. Being paid for long hours to stay in your own house. On quieter days its possible to a little decorating or gardening or whatever. Not that I do any of that when I work from home.
Take back the power use your free time when it arrives. I hope to update more regularly from now on.

Good intentions

They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The following is something I intended to place here and continue. I just haven't had time. The positive effects of my holiday have evaporated in work and family commitment. Making time is getting harder.
My son and daughter are off to New York for 7 days so my wife and I are babysitting my two granddaughters. I thought that I might do a daily diary of events so that I can remember what happened.

My granddaughters are aged 9 and 3 respectively. The youngest one has a nickname of Mouse although I don’t know why – she is small and beautiful but she is not shy or timid in any way. I would have nicknamed her wolverine on speed as she is into everything and has an appetite for chaos. She is hell bent on destruction of other people’s property. The older one is beautiful too and life with her is a joy although she is a bundle of insecurity.

Last night they went off to sleep just fine or so we thought. They were in bed just after 20.00 while their parents were still around. Once their parents left they switched on the bedside light and mucked about until we discovered what was going on around 21.00. After that they slept well. The little one rose at 06:45 this morning as bright as a button and went straight to see my wife. I lay still pretending I was asleep and they went off to look for biscuits. I must have actually gone back to sleep as the next thing I knew our dog jumped on me only to leap off me and continue chasing about the house egged on by both my granddaughters.

As the morning wore on my oldest granddaughter changed from a lucid, well mannered, intelligent young girl into a vacuous blonde (she isn’t blonde) once she had eaten she slipped into a sort of dream like state and took ages to do anything. We arrived at school on time though.

What will this evening hold?

You will never know as I couldn't maintain the diary. My granddaughters are wonderfull and the older one isn't vacuous all the time - just first thing in the morning!

Four good books or three

Back from holidays and end of first week back. Had one migraine already and a filthy cold that I don’t seem to be able to shift.

I read 4 books while I was away.

The Da Vinci Code (I thought that I would leave it until it was an unfashionable read – fashion in all its forms is a waste of time). I was pleasantly surprised. A good story and well written. What was all the fuss about?

The Last Templar which was ok but I didn’t enjoy the ending. A Bart Simpson would say “this sucks and blows!”

A tall man in a low land – Some time among the Belgians. This was excellent in a laugh out loud sort of way. (lol is the fashionable expression or so I believe).

Homer’s Odyssey. A real classic that I have owned for a while but didn’t have the motivation to read all the way through. I also own the Aeneid which I am now going to read. As I can’t read ancient Greek I have to accept the translation was accurate; I wonder what was left out. I know little of ancient Greece but I do know that there was a lot of sh@gging going on, young boys mainly on the receiving end. Civilised? Don’t talk cobblers.

Anyway the holiday is over. Roll on Christmas, roll on next year’s holiday. As long as things roll on I’ll be alright.

Next time I give my opinion of a book I'll try to remember the authour's name.