Body language and high spirits at the supermarket

I love watching people in the supermarket. in this case Booths

Tonight there was a beautiful woman there.

Well to any sane man she was beautiful: she had a lovely lively confident personality. She had a confident cheeky way of moving her hips, not in a sensual way but in a confident"I know what I'm all about" way. The last time I remember this was in Paris, where eighty percent of women are beautiful.

Not because of their physical looks but just because they believe in themselves. They don't need men to leer at them by exposing as much flesh as possible in a cheap 'come and get me' language that I see at eleven in the Ulverston High street on a Saturday night. On the contrary they are beautiful because they know they are: and they don't need any man to tell them they are. In fact,far from wanting to attract the attention of a man by exposing flesh, they do so by putting across the message"don't bother looking my way, You wouldn't stand a chance so why bother.

Such was the woman in the supermarket. What an exciting personality. She was surrounded by ripples of laughter as she quipped and glanced teasingly in a confident way. She was totally relaxed in response to the appreciative remarks from this eighty year old nan. There was none of the "what do you think you're looking at" thigh length skirt alternative model.


Long live the confident Parisian, full-of-sparkling-personality alternative. Sadly I rarely come across these, normally, on my trips to the  Supermarket  these days.

It's so refreshing!

What a great thought

read the story

Some very positive people

After a spell of being in contact with some very negative people, it's wonderful to be back in touch with people that are so positive no matter what they are dealing with.

Some show their maturity by quickly putting misunderstandings behind them so that one moves forward into a much deeper relationship of being accepted as an ideosycratic human.

The value of casting ones net wide in mixing with a wide range of people is that one comes across several of these positive gems of humanity.

- and they're here in Ulverston !

To the rescue

Threatened with a hard day of graft, spading and wheelbarrowing endless loads for possibly two days, eleven people sprang forward to do a lot of hard work to help me out.

Better still they thoroughly enjoyed themselves and thanked me for the experience.

Here's a record of their adventure.

Some of you would have dearly loved to be there and help.

Next time perhaps - see below !

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Contact Geoff  if you'd like to get involved - gd at tygh.co.uk - 01229 480 347

 Terry from Star street is helping later today at 4 pm (Friday) to spread some of it over the turf as a dressing where it's needed in the park - while it is still dry and easy to work with.
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Next job - refurbishing the decrepit fences !

Creating a lovely relaxing space in next door Pound.

A celebratory picnic and play for all.

Watch this space as they say.

But especially the little notice board in The Park

And starting in a fortnight, please bring scissors and pick all the Sweet Peas on the fencing: the more they are picked , the more they grow - please don't stop and we'll still be getting flowers in November.

An old friend of mine from London

Jeff lived just round the corner from me when I was studying at Goldsmiths in London.

We shared many happy hours.

He makes so lovely animated wooden art objects - Toy maker of the year.

Worth looking round his blog at http://jeffsoan.blogspot.co.uk/

Beware of Facebook

BEWARE OF FACEBOOK - my suggestion is to use face to face if at all possible.

Yes face to face is more risky but in fact far more rewarding.

Facebook are trying very deliberately (and successfully) to get us 'hooked' - because it leads them to be able to make more money: the more it is used , the bigger the bulge in their pockets.

My reasons:

1. It is designed to be addictive
2. It can easily misrepresent our attempts to communicate with each other and therefore be very damaging.
3. It gives us a false sense of achievement of getting on with others when in fact the contact is far less substantial than it would have been face to face.

1. Several people that I respect are moving away from Facebook because they have found that they have more productive things and ways of communicating with their particular world .

2. I have just had a message that someone close to me followed a link on my page - she did nothing of the kind. Also when having an argument with someone else I got messages that suggested the person was being supported in her argument by a third person with messages like "A ( who is friends with B) thinks you're very immature": B in fact had nothing to do with the statement.

3. I'm finding an increasing number of people who are going back to basic of face to face meetings and chat. If this is not happening then they use the phone. Email and Facebook easily lead to misunderstandings and can ruin relationships in their formative stages. As an example of positive 'face to face', I have just this minute enjoyed such an experience - I can hear Clare and children going past my door so I quickly open the findow and say "Hi and mimic the children" as they walk past the house on the way to school. I regularly go up to people's houses when I have something to say rather than use any other technical means (phone) of contact them. It takes more time but is far more enjoyable in the long term.

On the negative side I had a painful interaction with someone by email which had to be sorted out by a very friendly face to face contact and we resolved to use the phone where at all possible in future

To back this up I enjoy a lot of very enjoyable interactions with people - even strangers - where all that happens is that we exchange a look - or a wink of a smile. We have had lifetime of developing these valuable skills. Lets use them as much as possible.


Yesterday I travelled by train to Salford and back.

In the course of the trip I had many face to face chats with other people - some I knew but most were initially complete strangers.


Counting them all up:

I talked to seven people for about two minutes each;   only one I knew before.
Three for between five and ten minutes.
Three for twenty to 30 minutes.


What a lovely day, rich with human contacts and I learnt a lot about others and in the case of one I took on board a suggestion that I live my life differently.


Compare that with a day with facebook.

Yes my face to face strategy is far riskier however by actually doing it, one gains confidence and learns to do it well.


For me:
Facebook is no substitute to face to face contact.

Stan of Dalton

An amazing man - an amazing project.

Possibly the only one of its kind in the UK:

An organisation that grew out of one man's vision and has been doggedly pursued for the last 35 years by Stan and his group of volunteers. One that is thriving with a turn over of over £1,000 per day in these financially difficult times.

In 1976

"My wife nearly knocked me off my chair and said, " you ought to volunteer" "

Volunteer he did, back then - and he's been working hard ever since - and is still going strong.

Watch both these videos if you want to learn from someone who takes on a vision and not only achieves it but takes on more and more visions into what is possible.

If the vision was to dig a tunnel under the atlantic to New York - Stan would be the one to have in charge if he were persuaded it was a good idea ( may I correct that if Stan's wife had thought it was a good idea and was able to persuade him). I suspect Stan's wife is an equally impressive person - I wonder how much of him she has seen over the years.


I sought out this impressive man over a week ago - one of the people behind the community Baths-Leisure Centre- Cafe´- and now playground project in Dalton. He agreed to be interviewed.

I've now allowed the week for censure to pass and am now making the interview public.

It comes in two halves. Here's the first:

And here's the second.

Here is a view of the park Stan was talking about with the Leisure Centre and Swimming Pool /Cafe´in the distance.

An interview with Jackie Williams - in 2007

Digging around on my computer, I discovered this gem - an interview done at the Ford Park Market stall in June 2007.

This was my first meeting with Jackie - on a market stall in June 2007. Here she talks about the plans for converting the Ford Park Centre into a Youth Hostel and community facility - a project she put an enormous amount of work into. In spite of detailed plans being drawn up and a strategy involving a comprehensive consultation and a bid to attract funds, this project failed to attract the approval of the people awarding grants.

Never-the-less, as a result of Jackie's will to succeed, this scheme has now morphed into a visitor's centre which has been built and is about to open. All credit to her determination and will power to not be defeated in the face of many obstacles and problems. Compare the person we have now with the one we had in 2007 and you will see the effects of years of struggle.

Jackie's enthusiasm shines out as a beacon for the rest of us.

Something else that will put Zest in your Life

If in doubt - give Diana a ring - what impressed me when I met her is how intently she listens.

A rare quality these days.

I'm convinced that anyone taking her class will enjoy the experience.

Make the most of her before word gets around - I am.

Salute to a very special person

Photo JOHN LAWRENCE

Dr Ann McPherson: The GP who believes she should be allowed help to end her life

The Monday Interview: A growing number of medical professionals are supporting the idea of assisted dying. Dr Ann McPherson – who herself has only months to live – tells Jeremy Laurance why.

You can click here for the news article and see if you agree.

On a similar theme there is Johann  Hari's front page article in the Independent :

The shocking truth about how Britain treats its old people

Both these excellent articles focus on our society's avoidance of facing up to difficult decisions.

We continue to want to bury our heads in the sand.

Many refuse to stop and think about these issues that cause endless pain akin to torture to ageing people.

We operate on the simpleminded view that life must be preserved at all costs - even if it causes great pain to those that are forced to continue living.

In the interests of ourselves for when we grow old and approach death, we need to face up to reality and make some hard choices.

Life of itself is not the important factor.

It is the quality of our lives that is.

Under the present system the state can force us to endure a living hell because it will not face up to what is happening amongst us.

We are inflicting untold (literally) suffering on thousands of people because of our refusal to take time and consider the consequences of our inaction.

I'm truly gratefull to outstanding people like Dr Ann McPherson above who give some much of their energy to getting us to move away from our greedy unthinking lifestile and give more thought to those around us.

Sadly our inaction could well lead to those that read this having to enduring the same fate in twenty, thirty fifty years time.

We all are going to die.

Let's enjoy the process to the end as Dr McPherson appears to be doing

A great night out!

As you might have expected - the mood was ebullient .

The band played with gusto.

Their favourites.

We had solos.

Music from all walks of life -

classical, pop, film, wartime and I guess the rugby field.

The microphone didn't work - we smiled and joked - but it helped us get to know Joe's son a lot better. He coped very well in a relaxed positive mode - as his father would have done.

There was an air of friendship.

We were all there because of one person - Joe Harrison.

I chatted with two people, on their own, who, it turned out came from Broughton and Haverigg.

People had come from all over the area.

The church was healthily full.

Tea and biscuits at the interval were welcome.

Had it not been cold outside, the music was best suited to the open air; but this was not a time for musical excellence but of conveying emotion - of performing to the best of one's ability of giving of one's all.

This the band conveyed well.

For me there were negative sides but lets not spoil the main theme.

Long ago in Ulverston

Performed by Robber's Dog.

Lovely low key song and photos.

Murray is on a roll

Not only does he thrash Nadal 6-4 6-3 but beats Federer in two sets to win for the second time in Canada.

With tennis like this -

Who needs football?

And the women are doing well to boot.

And not a stroke to be seen on tele -

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Potfest in the Park is on

I'm off to pick up a figure made specially for me by a brilliant artist who is exhibiting at the above.

Will probably by some more of her work - after all it's magical.

On a wet day, give yourself a treat!

This is so beautiful,

it brings tears to my eyes.

Thankfully I can cheer myself up all over the house at the press of a button, I have one of her CD's and can go an emulate her music in my amateurish way on my piano.

Enjoyment to the full.

And now for a good dance about the place - without the piano!



Now can you keep your extremities still?

Forty five minutes of pleasure

Listening to this very wise and thoughtful woman and her choice of music is something I plan to repeat soon.

Dr Gwen Adshead on Desert Island Discs

Our Monday morning interview - Mr Chirpy

Each week, someone from Ulverston will appear here.

Here's our first one - a little early!

Don't we all look forward to seeing him here every Thursday and Saturday Market Day?

Postman under pressure

While I'm all for postmen (and women) being monitored to check things are running smoothly, my hackles rise when I hear of our postie being criticised.

Who are these inspectors? They seem to have picked on the wrong guy this time and the management at Ulverston are now the people under scrutiny.

Surely one has to take the operation of a postman in context. This is not the inner city with pilferers of mail at every street corner. This was Sun St for God's sake - an area where you could leave your door wide open and get no intruder other than an inquisitive cat. If a guy slips up in a small way then the situation needs to be taken into account.

I'll be round tomorrow morning to remonstrate and I know that up-the-lane-Simon is furious even though he's smiling. Andy too was most unhappy so that's three out of three that are NOT pleased with the way Royal Mail are dealing with our postie who has been suspended.

Join us in telling the managers to get their surveillance tactics into line!

More on this tomorrow morning!

Regretfully coming to an end

Once in a while I have the experience of reading a really good book and as you sit and share someone else's thoughts through the pages you can see those that still remain rapidly diminishing.

June 4th is quickly approaching and I will cease to have a good excuse to go knocking on people's doors and finding what great people are hidden behind them.

Every night I'm out, I meet someone new that I didn't realise lived here. You can't predict what kind of people you'll meet by the area you go knocking. There are always lots of surprises. The conversations will soon come to an end. . . .

The exciting thing then is finding out how these meetings will progress into friendships where actions become the result and difficult obstacles are overcome!

Whatever the result of the election, I shall have lots to follow up and enjoy!

Celebration

A celebration of Chris Thorp's life.

At the Lantern House , Monday, April 5th, at 2.00 pm.

He will be there in the form of the influence he had on the people who knew him.

I'm looking forward to it.

A chance to tune in with the spirit that he has left behind in the many that I've not yet met.

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