Yes this blog is still running!
SO what next?
Specially for someone who loves his food:
How about fried eggs -home grown- , streaky bacon, black pudding fried tomatoes and thinly sliced potatoes.
At least that's something to be getting on with !
Best wishes
NOTE : Google are placing safeguards against robots on comments that are beyond my control
My apologies.
Saturday, 8 November 2014
Friday, 3 October 2014
Beware, don't clap.
When we lived at The Falls, just outside Ulverston, we lived in an old farmhouse built in the seventeenth century, with its rose growing outside the front door and two feet thick walls.
The field, that one drove in through was owned by people in the town .
One morning , looking out of the front of the house, there was a large working horse on the front lawn outside . It didn't belong there, but in the field we drove in through to reach the farm, so my immediate reaction was to shoosh it off back to where it belonged.
What did I do?
I opened the front door and clapped loudly. Result : two very deep holes about a foot deep in the lawn as the horse took off at speed with its back legs. It had a lot of weight to shift quickly.
So if you see a horse on your front lawn, speak to it quietly and ask it to leave slowly!
The field, that one drove in through was owned by people in the town .
One morning , looking out of the front of the house, there was a large working horse on the front lawn outside . It didn't belong there, but in the field we drove in through to reach the farm, so my immediate reaction was to shoosh it off back to where it belonged.
What did I do?
I opened the front door and clapped loudly. Result : two very deep holes about a foot deep in the lawn as the horse took off at speed with its back legs. It had a lot of weight to shift quickly.
So if you see a horse on your front lawn, speak to it quietly and ask it to leave slowly!
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
It's nearly time to bring the spikelights out again
 |
| Photo taken from The Railings, Ulverston Web Site where it all started |
Preparations are now underway for another Candllit Walk up Gill Banks, Ulverston on Halloween - October 31.
Have a look at the Facebook Page for the Ulverston's Candlelit Walk. You may want to join in with the activities there.
Only on Saturday, thanks to the snipping team , the 'Underwater the Sea Shadowscreen' masterpiece was created.
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Some positive thoughts
More and more of my active friends are avoiding reading or watching the news
This strikes me as a very positive approach.
Too often the news is seen as a form of entertainment.
Those that care about what is happening feel dragged in by the media into wanting to do something to influence the result. In reality they know that all their efforts will have little to no influence on the result.
We all need to choose to do things that avoid frustration and have a reasonable chance of success otherwise we will become depressed.
For me I am learning to focus on the real people around me and not on things that are so distant. People that I meet in the flesh and can relate to directly. People that live in the same street or close by. People I see and can talk to almost daily or at least weekly. The ideal people for me are those that I can work with in some activity or other. In this way one can get to know what people are really like. Too often talking can seem empty unless they result in positive actions. Talking can reveal great differences in opinion which is fine as long as these opinions are not rigid.
Sadly there are some people who are absolutely sure they are right. These are the people who on the broad scale cause wars, when both sides are completely sure the other side is wrong.
By getting to know others personally we can come to like the qualities of a great variety of people who all have their different strengths and weaknesses.
If we respect each other and admire the qualities of those around us then we can feel good about each person. This doesn't mean that we need see all their views and actions as positive from our point of view. What we can do is focus on the qualities,
These are thoughts that I am seeking to put into practise.What are yours?
I love the quote attributed to Saint Francis de Sales:
This strikes me as a very positive approach.
Too often the news is seen as a form of entertainment.
Those that care about what is happening feel dragged in by the media into wanting to do something to influence the result. In reality they know that all their efforts will have little to no influence on the result.
We all need to choose to do things that avoid frustration and have a reasonable chance of success otherwise we will become depressed.
For me I am learning to focus on the real people around me and not on things that are so distant. People that I meet in the flesh and can relate to directly. People that live in the same street or close by. People I see and can talk to almost daily or at least weekly. The ideal people for me are those that I can work with in some activity or other. In this way one can get to know what people are really like. Too often talking can seem empty unless they result in positive actions. Talking can reveal great differences in opinion which is fine as long as these opinions are not rigid.
Sadly there are some people who are absolutely sure they are right. These are the people who on the broad scale cause wars, when both sides are completely sure the other side is wrong.
By getting to know others personally we can come to like the qualities of a great variety of people who all have their different strengths and weaknesses.
If we respect each other and admire the qualities of those around us then we can feel good about each person. This doesn't mean that we need see all their views and actions as positive from our point of view. What we can do is focus on the qualities,
These are thoughts that I am seeking to put into practise.What are yours?
I love the quote attributed to Saint Francis de Sales:
"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering you own imperfections"
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
My first kiss?
"I dare you" Philip whispered. It was very early in the morning just after dawn. He should have been facing the other way in his bed, but he was not used to talking out of the back of his head, so he preferred to break the school rule:
All boys must go to sleep facing the far end of the dormitory lying on the right side of their bodies ( a posture that endures with me to this day- the one I am most comfortable with).
This rule was intended to deter chatting amongst the thirty - three rows of ten- boys in this long room with its five large windows left open whenever possible with their wooden shutters that could be closed in poor weather. We were sleeping, after all, in one of the four dormitories of Hunters Hill Open Air School, Blackwell, just to the south of Birmingham, near Bromsgrove. I was ten, preparing to move back home and enter if at all possible King Edward VI Five Ways Grammar School.
Miss Maguire had her small bedroom immediately next to the dormitory so that she was handy to deal with any misbehaviour from her 30 charges.
" Dare you" Philip whispered again." I dare you to go and kiss Miss Maguire."
My what a challenge for me, a well behaved ten year old to kiss Miss Maguire, my favourite teacher, while she slept in a room next to ours: one I'd never been in before, so had no idea where in the room she slept.
"You're on" I stated nervously.
I got out of bed in my pyjamas and crept gingerly to her bedroom door. It was a terrifying challenge . But then I really liked Miss Maguire. She gave me extra tuition after school in Maths, a subject that was to become my best subject throughout my life. Fist at school and then on after that at university.
After what must have seemed hours to Philip, I summoned up the courage to turn the door handle and enter forbidden territory. It would be a very gentle kiss - my lips just touching her cheek and my teacher would never notice as she slept so would never know . Then, I would have complete my dare without waking her and being discovered.
I was in. I could hear her regular breathing so I could tell where she slept. Her head was just discernible on her pillow in the very early morning light.
Panic: I had a big unexpected problem. Only the top of her head was visible- her face was under her blankets and sheet.This wasn't going to be easy at all. By my definition. a kiss involved my lips touching skin and not just hair. I'd come this far I wasn't returning to admit defeat.
Nothing for it but to very slowly draw back the covers so that some skin would eventually appear. I worked very slowly to achieve my goal a fraction of an inch at a time.
Suddenly, the sleeping body reared up. Time to achieve a quick exit as the bedroom light flashed on.
"Come back immediately" was the demand. I stopped dead in my tracks and considered. No name had been used.
"Come back who ever you are". Yes I could escape unknown. Trouble was: I was honest to the core and would get found out anyway. Best to go back and face the limelight. I re-entered into the now blinding light - I was at the mercy of my teacher.
"So Dellow. What did you want? What were you doing ?'
A very sheepish quiet voice replied very hesitantly "I, I , I, was just trying to kiss you Miss."
Silence -while Miss Maguire took in the situation.
"Go back to bed".
I left wondering what would happen to me in the morning.
Philip awaited my return wide eyed "You were a long time: I thought you'd chickened out" I had failed my bet - never-the- less there was obviously admiration in his voice.
I returned to the safety of my bed and took up my correct position on me right side ready for sleep. Thinking what will happen next . . .I quickly dozed off. Miss Maguire hadn't appeared too upset after all.
Next day school continued as normal : not a word was said about what had happened. Philip kept the story to himself. We were mates after all.
Miss Maguire took no action.
Did I get get some rather curious looks from the other teachers? I asked myself. Or was Miss Maguire keeping her little story to herself?
Thanks to the tuition from my favourite teacher I went on to do well at my grammar school. Sadly a school devoid of any female teachers. It was a boy's grammar school after all.
All boys must go to sleep facing the far end of the dormitory lying on the right side of their bodies ( a posture that endures with me to this day- the one I am most comfortable with).
This rule was intended to deter chatting amongst the thirty - three rows of ten- boys in this long room with its five large windows left open whenever possible with their wooden shutters that could be closed in poor weather. We were sleeping, after all, in one of the four dormitories of Hunters Hill Open Air School, Blackwell, just to the south of Birmingham, near Bromsgrove. I was ten, preparing to move back home and enter if at all possible King Edward VI Five Ways Grammar School.
Miss Maguire had her small bedroom immediately next to the dormitory so that she was handy to deal with any misbehaviour from her 30 charges.
" Dare you" Philip whispered again." I dare you to go and kiss Miss Maguire."
My what a challenge for me, a well behaved ten year old to kiss Miss Maguire, my favourite teacher, while she slept in a room next to ours: one I'd never been in before, so had no idea where in the room she slept.
"You're on" I stated nervously.
I got out of bed in my pyjamas and crept gingerly to her bedroom door. It was a terrifying challenge . But then I really liked Miss Maguire. She gave me extra tuition after school in Maths, a subject that was to become my best subject throughout my life. Fist at school and then on after that at university.
After what must have seemed hours to Philip, I summoned up the courage to turn the door handle and enter forbidden territory. It would be a very gentle kiss - my lips just touching her cheek and my teacher would never notice as she slept so would never know . Then, I would have complete my dare without waking her and being discovered.
I was in. I could hear her regular breathing so I could tell where she slept. Her head was just discernible on her pillow in the very early morning light.
Panic: I had a big unexpected problem. Only the top of her head was visible- her face was under her blankets and sheet.This wasn't going to be easy at all. By my definition. a kiss involved my lips touching skin and not just hair. I'd come this far I wasn't returning to admit defeat.
Nothing for it but to very slowly draw back the covers so that some skin would eventually appear. I worked very slowly to achieve my goal a fraction of an inch at a time.
Suddenly, the sleeping body reared up. Time to achieve a quick exit as the bedroom light flashed on.
"Come back immediately" was the demand. I stopped dead in my tracks and considered. No name had been used.
"Come back who ever you are". Yes I could escape unknown. Trouble was: I was honest to the core and would get found out anyway. Best to go back and face the limelight. I re-entered into the now blinding light - I was at the mercy of my teacher.
"So Dellow. What did you want? What were you doing ?'
A very sheepish quiet voice replied very hesitantly "I, I , I, was just trying to kiss you Miss."
Silence -while Miss Maguire took in the situation.
"Go back to bed".
I left wondering what would happen to me in the morning.
Philip awaited my return wide eyed "You were a long time: I thought you'd chickened out" I had failed my bet - never-the- less there was obviously admiration in his voice.
I returned to the safety of my bed and took up my correct position on me right side ready for sleep. Thinking what will happen next . . .I quickly dozed off. Miss Maguire hadn't appeared too upset after all.
Next day school continued as normal : not a word was said about what had happened. Philip kept the story to himself. We were mates after all.
Miss Maguire took no action.
Did I get get some rather curious looks from the other teachers? I asked myself. Or was Miss Maguire keeping her little story to herself?
Thanks to the tuition from my favourite teacher I went on to do well at my grammar school. Sadly a school devoid of any female teachers. It was a boy's grammar school after all.
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Something to ignore and erase
If you get an email like this:
YOUR E-TICKET(S) ARE ATTACHED TO THIS EMAIL, SENT TOgd@tygh.com. Please print ALL PAGES of the PDF file attached to the email and bring them with you to gain admission to the event. |
| The attachment requires that you have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, please click HERE to download and install this program. |
|
| ||||||
Monday, 8 September 2014
Real three dimension people
People are finding out, more and more that instead of being a
help, technology is getting in the way of a rich enjoyable life.
The following article describes the life of someone who works from
home. Sounds ideal doesn’t it?
However what has happened is that he rarely sees anyone face
to face. All his contacts are remote:
through the telephone or using his computer. This deprives him of the
rich human contact that one gets from actually being in the presence of another
person where communication comes in so many ways: visual - body language, with little revealing gestures that are so expressive: sound
– tone of voice, and something that is possible only
this way: touch – maybe a hand shake, a gentle grasp of an arm or all the way to a
full blooded body hug.
Ever since humans evolved, over the last hundreds of thousands of years, face to face, physical presence has been the way we have communicated. Now in the only the last hundred years our technology has robbed us of this emotionally rich way of living together. First the telephone, then television, now by the computer : the use of email and more recently Facebook.
He writes:
Ever since humans evolved, over the last hundreds of thousands of years, face to face, physical presence has been the way we have communicated. Now in the only the last hundred years our technology has robbed us of this emotionally rich way of living together. First the telephone, then television, now by the computer : the use of email and more recently Facebook.
He writes:
Is a decline in face-to-face contact leading to a decline in our well-being?
"I'm writing this on Wednesday lunchtime. The
only face-to-face interaction I've had since Sunday is a 30-minute
appointment with a physiotherapist who diagnosed me with tennis elbow."
and continues:
"... I can do most of my work from home, and over the years I've chosen to continue doing so, figuring that the
wealth of electronic communication available to me – email, text, social
media – keeps me sufficiently connected with others for me to feel
vaguely human. But when the workload grows, I certainly feel that
absence of real interaction, and I know from experience that it can't be
assuaged by having a stilted chat with a DHL delivery guy.
"a study this week that found a strong correlation between a decline in
face-to-face contact and a decline in our well-being. Engaging with
people face-to-face, they say, has a deep and profound effect upon us
that's related to our status as a social species. Social media, it
appears, isn't that social at all, coming in for particular criticism
for its "insidious negative effects".
Electronic communication by text has come in for all kinds of criticism
this week. A chiropractic physician voiced his fears over the increased
incidence of what he terms "Text Neck", a condition where the practise
of hunching over a phone is resulting in the first few bones of our
cervical spine bending forward in an unusual way. Then there were
arguments over a study into whether instant messaging has a pernicious
effect upon children's spelling and grammar skills; the study found that
this was absolutely not the case, but many still equate the use of
shortcuts, emoji and abbreviations to be causing untold damage to our
brains.
I totally agree. My recent experience of having had a stroke has made me very appreciative of direct contact with real people. People that live in our lane, people that I've got to know well well over the past nine years that I've lived back here. They are all, in their very different ways, very supportive. They really care about me and value my friendship, and have rallied round to do things for me at every opportunity: support that would never be available if I only knew them by email or by Facebook.
"if we can be of any help: pop in and get us at any time"
We in Ulverston, because of our limited size of some 12,000 people, can get to know people so easily.
We have the great advantage over large towns things like Market day when chatting groups of two and three down the street are so common. Our schools enable parents to first get to first get to know each other. Many walk with their children, meeting up with other parents on the way. Then those close to small parks like Mill Dam Park develop their contacts into the rich friendships that many of us enjoy.
We have something special here in Ulverston: lets keep it that way.
We in Ulverston, because of our limited size of some 12,000 people, can get to know people so easily.
We have the great advantage over large towns things like Market day when chatting groups of two and three down the street are so common. Our schools enable parents to first get to first get to know each other. Many walk with their children, meeting up with other parents on the way. Then those close to small parks like Mill Dam Park develop their contacts into the rich friendships that many of us enjoy.
We have something special here in Ulverston: lets keep it that way.
Small is beautiful.
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
A time to be silent
If its something I've learnt from older wise people (and I have known one or two):
It's their ability to be silent when it counts
Now is my time to learn to be wise.
.
.
.
. . .
Tax collectors are good?
Police are good? Politicians are good? . . . . .
We had a day out to visit old haunts yesterday.
The sun was out. The clouds in the sky looked beautiful.
The Tourists were of course being welcomed with open arms in the Lake District: for some the last day of the school holiday.
At Grasmere church, visitors were being welcomed in as many as thirty different languages.
Presentation was paramount at the Ginger Bread Shop. There was a steady flowing queue to see and buy a product sold all over the world by two young women dressed in traditional costume in this minute establishment.
At another promotional shop. It would follow that everyone is good from the bags on sale at the ultimate feel good gift shop in Touristland at Grasmere, in the Lake District.
A teacher , nearby misread the following bag at first glance as Teachers are GOD
She commented
"How appropriate"
Monday, 1 September 2014
Encouragement
Tell me someone that doesn't like to be encouraged for what they've done.
It works like magic.
So why is punishment used so much?
Doesn't it just lead to resentment and hostility?
If you want a student to arrive early for school, I found that when I was teaching, encouragement worked extremely well.
I reasoned. Why not help the student want to come to school?
So, rather than scold them for being late, I welcomed them when they arrived with a big smile.
I was able to do this because we had a very caring Head who also was very positive ( he was the reason I chose the school in the first place). We started school with a form period of twenty minutes before assembly. This enabled me to check over each of the form members, visually, one by one each morning to see how they were emotionally and spot any potential problems for instance from bullying. We would discuss form outings. (We were doing this during an Ofsted inspection: a trip to see the Musical , Grease in central London. The Ofsted report stated that one of the forms was discussing their trip to Greece in their form period: It just shows how reliable these reports really are!)
Chioma Anyanwu was one of these. She was highly intelligent but cause endless problems in her classes when I took the for over in year 8. She was good at sport and went to a netball club after school and was a natural leader. so I went along to this and praised her for all her efforts there. Very soon she started arriving at school on time. Encouragement really worked.
When she was given an after school detention given by another teacher of picking up litter :she refused. So I was able to get the Head to immediately talk to her and we reached a compromise: she would pick up litter with me doing it as well but with her wearing rubber gloves to keep her hands clean. It worked.
Chioma went on to do well in her studies, going to our six form and on to University - one of the few from this particular school then ( Hainault Forest High School in North East London now the Forest Academy). She was a capable young woman with a supportive but overworked single mother, a nurse, with several other somewhat resentful children.
Giving children merit stickers at the beginning a class to all these who were settled for the lesson with equipment ready and sitting quietly and attentively within thirty seconds of being admitted to the class, worked beautifully for the younger classes, Thus setting a good habit for the rest of their lessons later on in future years.
Now I will make a point of congratulating a train conductor as I leave the train if he has been helpful and friendly as he does his job. His response:
"Thank you , you made my day"
It is so sad that our society chooses by contrast to use punishment as a way of changing people's behaviour and rarely encourages on the spur of the moment with a "Thank you". Most of the time negative attitudes don't work but lead to resentment and hostility in the future. Focusing on groups of individuals, listening to them and being encouraging , does.
It works like magic.
So why is punishment used so much?
Doesn't it just lead to resentment and hostility?
If you want a student to arrive early for school, I found that when I was teaching, encouragement worked extremely well.
I reasoned. Why not help the student want to come to school?
So, rather than scold them for being late, I welcomed them when they arrived with a big smile.
I was able to do this because we had a very caring Head who also was very positive ( he was the reason I chose the school in the first place). We started school with a form period of twenty minutes before assembly. This enabled me to check over each of the form members, visually, one by one each morning to see how they were emotionally and spot any potential problems for instance from bullying. We would discuss form outings. (We were doing this during an Ofsted inspection: a trip to see the Musical , Grease in central London. The Ofsted report stated that one of the forms was discussing their trip to Greece in their form period: It just shows how reliable these reports really are!)
Chioma Anyanwu was one of these. She was highly intelligent but cause endless problems in her classes when I took the for over in year 8. She was good at sport and went to a netball club after school and was a natural leader. so I went along to this and praised her for all her efforts there. Very soon she started arriving at school on time. Encouragement really worked.
When she was given an after school detention given by another teacher of picking up litter :she refused. So I was able to get the Head to immediately talk to her and we reached a compromise: she would pick up litter with me doing it as well but with her wearing rubber gloves to keep her hands clean. It worked.
Chioma went on to do well in her studies, going to our six form and on to University - one of the few from this particular school then ( Hainault Forest High School in North East London now the Forest Academy). She was a capable young woman with a supportive but overworked single mother, a nurse, with several other somewhat resentful children.
Giving children merit stickers at the beginning a class to all these who were settled for the lesson with equipment ready and sitting quietly and attentively within thirty seconds of being admitted to the class, worked beautifully for the younger classes, Thus setting a good habit for the rest of their lessons later on in future years.
Now I will make a point of congratulating a train conductor as I leave the train if he has been helpful and friendly as he does his job. His response:
"Thank you , you made my day"
It is so sad that our society chooses by contrast to use punishment as a way of changing people's behaviour and rarely encourages on the spur of the moment with a "Thank you". Most of the time negative attitudes don't work but lead to resentment and hostility in the future. Focusing on groups of individuals, listening to them and being encouraging , does.
Sunday, 31 August 2014
Ulverston Lantern Festival
Is here again.
The organisers are working hard as usual. Though there was some doubt about it happening this year. But Gavin Knott has stepped in as Treasurer and I assume with the usual impressive involvement of the scout troop who have in the past led one of the processions with a gigantic creation.
Every year there's a new crop of children eager to join in this wonderful event. I'm always amazed at the creations that emerge from people's living rooms, cunningly created so that the large lanterns can emerge through restricting door ways and windows and the final version put together outside.
Apparently it's been going 32 years now. I still remember some of the early events, instigated by John Fox and Sue Gill of Welfare State when the events in Ford Park were spectacular with some superb Firework displays. Now their children in turn have their own children though still very young. John and Sue usually still play their saxophones as part of Blast Furness in the procession.
Thus children who first got carried away at the excitement of the procession are now parents of children also excited at the prospect of joining in themselves. No wonder that the procession continues year after year.
Leaflets abound. In case you haven't seen one:
Lantern kits are available now from
The Coro
Laurel and Hardy Museum
The Book shop in the Market Hall
and Costa Coffee
Lantern Making sessions are great fun :getting ideas from other people of all ages:Every day Sept 5th to Sept 12th in the Lantern House.
The time table for the four processions are on the leaflet: basically starting at five minute intervals: from 7:45pm at Croftlands Community Centre, then the Parish Church, then the Auction Mart Yard and last from Hill Foot Hotel at ten minutes later at 8.05pm
For updates Ulverton Lantern festival can be found on Facebook
Theme: What's under Hoad
The organisers are working hard as usual. Though there was some doubt about it happening this year. But Gavin Knott has stepped in as Treasurer and I assume with the usual impressive involvement of the scout troop who have in the past led one of the processions with a gigantic creation.
Every year there's a new crop of children eager to join in this wonderful event. I'm always amazed at the creations that emerge from people's living rooms, cunningly created so that the large lanterns can emerge through restricting door ways and windows and the final version put together outside.
Apparently it's been going 32 years now. I still remember some of the early events, instigated by John Fox and Sue Gill of Welfare State when the events in Ford Park were spectacular with some superb Firework displays. Now their children in turn have their own children though still very young. John and Sue usually still play their saxophones as part of Blast Furness in the procession.
Thus children who first got carried away at the excitement of the procession are now parents of children also excited at the prospect of joining in themselves. No wonder that the procession continues year after year.
Leaflets abound. In case you haven't seen one:
Lantern kits are available now from
The Coro
Laurel and Hardy Museum
The Book shop in the Market Hall
and Costa Coffee
Lantern Making sessions are great fun :getting ideas from other people of all ages:Every day Sept 5th to Sept 12th in the Lantern House.
The time table for the four processions are on the leaflet: basically starting at five minute intervals: from 7:45pm at Croftlands Community Centre, then the Parish Church, then the Auction Mart Yard and last from Hill Foot Hotel at ten minutes later at 8.05pm
For updates Ulverton Lantern festival can be found on Facebook
Friday, 29 August 2014
It's a lovely day
remember this?
Had to throw the LP - gone to Oxfam- so bought the CD which has just arrived
love the pictures.
Wistful.
Had to throw the LP - gone to Oxfam- so bought the CD which has just arrived
love the pictures.
Wistful.
Blog statistics
I'm sure you will be aware that Google Analytics provides information on the different people that look at a blog.
It is very gratifying that so many of you continue to look in to read what I am writing. It's good practise for me of course as I learn to express myself in writing: at school I found English my most difficult subject, preferring Maths by far (It used to take me a whole weekend to write an essay starting on Friday evening, continuing on Saturday and finally being forced to finish on Sunday). In fact I still have some quite good pictures I drew and painted for fun just to avoid writing my very demanding essay. I was an only child without the distraction of siblings and television- very few families had one. I also took my studies at school very seriously!
I get quite a lot of ideas for postings from the people I talk to and from emails I receive.
The numbers over the past four months since my stroke are steady and in fact rising up towards 500 people (now at 441) with as many as nearly 60% returning visitors (58 in fact) who have made 1,439 pageviews in the last month.
It is a puzzle why so few people comment. This may be that the kind of people who read this blog prefer not to be identified with their views as the internet is quite exposing to people who value the opinion of those around them. I also now refuse to publish negative and abusive comments (something I used to do, thinking it revealed the kind of negative people that were around).When I talk to people in 'real life' they freely admit to having read what is written here yet I get the impression that they are the kind of people that would rather not share their views in public. They tend to be people who have very busy lives without feeling the need to write about what they do.
There is perhaps another group of people who prefer to use Facebook where topics of the kind discussed here are not shared. Facebook I think is quite different and much less serious and more fun and chatty. Personally I find it quite addictive. In fact I get drawn in to making inappropriate comments and find it difficult to follow if I don't keep 'looking in' on a daily basis. There are too many other things to get on with such as answering emails and taking live to people I meet : something I far prefer to do.
It is very gratifying that so many of you continue to look in to read what I am writing. It's good practise for me of course as I learn to express myself in writing: at school I found English my most difficult subject, preferring Maths by far (It used to take me a whole weekend to write an essay starting on Friday evening, continuing on Saturday and finally being forced to finish on Sunday). In fact I still have some quite good pictures I drew and painted for fun just to avoid writing my very demanding essay. I was an only child without the distraction of siblings and television- very few families had one. I also took my studies at school very seriously!
I get quite a lot of ideas for postings from the people I talk to and from emails I receive.
The numbers over the past four months since my stroke are steady and in fact rising up towards 500 people (now at 441) with as many as nearly 60% returning visitors (58 in fact) who have made 1,439 pageviews in the last month.
It is a puzzle why so few people comment. This may be that the kind of people who read this blog prefer not to be identified with their views as the internet is quite exposing to people who value the opinion of those around them. I also now refuse to publish negative and abusive comments (something I used to do, thinking it revealed the kind of negative people that were around).When I talk to people in 'real life' they freely admit to having read what is written here yet I get the impression that they are the kind of people that would rather not share their views in public. They tend to be people who have very busy lives without feeling the need to write about what they do.
There is perhaps another group of people who prefer to use Facebook where topics of the kind discussed here are not shared. Facebook I think is quite different and much less serious and more fun and chatty. Personally I find it quite addictive. In fact I get drawn in to making inappropriate comments and find it difficult to follow if I don't keep 'looking in' on a daily basis. There are too many other things to get on with such as answering emails and taking live to people I meet : something I far prefer to do.
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Wisdom
Someone very wise originated this thought.
It has at least two versions of unknown origin:
God give me
strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the
things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.It has at least two versions of unknown origin:
God grant me the SERENITY to
accept the things I cannot change;
COURAGE to change the things I can;
and WISDOM to know the difference.
In my present state of mind, suffering from severe lack of sleep after my stroke, it has great pertinence.
Battles, I would normally have taken on, must be left to others to fight in their own way. Their fresh approach may well succeed in the long run. Succeed in a way I would have never achieved.
I for my part need to focus on getting better and if necessary, letting my opponents winning battles over issues I feel very strongly about . Another wise quote comes to mind:
He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.
I'm looking forward optimistically to being fighting fit again in about six months to a year, but this is not for me at the present time.
Reflection
Stopping to reflect is such a powerful thing to do.
It keeps us in touch with our emotions: the very essence and core of out being.
Isn't it easy to get swept along into living at a mad pace? Swept along ,thinking we have found what is important to us, without having given any time to reflect why we're pouring all this energy into what we're doing?
We miss the feeling of calm by being in touch with the person we are.
I love this poem:
Perhaps we need to pause and learn to stop and stare a lot more.
Doing it will help us discover what we really want out of life.
It keeps us in touch with our emotions: the very essence and core of out being.
Isn't it easy to get swept along into living at a mad pace? Swept along ,thinking we have found what is important to us, without having given any time to reflect why we're pouring all this energy into what we're doing?
We miss the feeling of calm by being in touch with the person we are.
I love this poem:
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
Leisure by W.H.DaviesWe have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
Perhaps we need to pause and learn to stop and stare a lot more.
Doing it will help us discover what we really want out of life.
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
Common sense: Where is it?
An extraordinary tale from Ulverston's Recycling centre.
Is it time to start breaking petty rules made by bureaucrats?
For my part I've started. They can take me to court if they want to!
Tom visits the Recycling Centre with a broken glass shelf from his fridge to get rid of.
He sees an identical shelf in a fridge there. "Can I have it?" He asks.
"Nope. No one is allowed to take anything out of here. They're our orders from the boss"
"Couldn't you just look the other way then?"
"No, I lose my job. There are CCTV cameras up there."
"I thought this was a Recycling Centre. Clearly it's not"
So next time let common sense prevail take it without asking or perhaps say "Prosecute me then":
Is it time to start breaking petty rules made by bureaucrats?
For my part I've started. They can take me to court if they want to!
Tom visits the Recycling Centre with a broken glass shelf from his fridge to get rid of.
He sees an identical shelf in a fridge there. "Can I have it?" He asks.
"Nope. No one is allowed to take anything out of here. They're our orders from the boss"
"Couldn't you just look the other way then?"
"No, I lose my job. There are CCTV cameras up there."
"I thought this was a Recycling Centre. Clearly it's not"
So next time let common sense prevail take it without asking or perhaps say "Prosecute me then":
Is it time to break the silly rules so that umcommon sense prevails?
Monday, 25 August 2014
Remaining positive
It's the only way to be.
Getting angry with things around us, can often trigger off more anger back, setting off a vicious circle that escalates. The stuff that wars are made of.
People like Lawrence Conway with his vicious way of dealing with happy people that are having a great time together Mill Dam Park, need to be pitied and ignored whenever possible.
He has now made himself and the actions of his staff, the laughing stock of people around them. I'm sure that his actions has brought the people of Ulverston even closer together to resist outside interference from people who are so out of touch with us here.
At some point Conway and his team will be looking for employment. Will they want someone like these?
"Don't let the buggers get you down " is an expression I hear more and more these days. Buggers appear to be raising their heads left right and centre these days. So What - we can get used to dealing with them and just getting on with life.
We need to have a good laugh and get on enjoying the lives interacting with the great people close to us : people we get to know well at places through places like our park.
So what's going to be our next project there that we can do together.
How about buying soft toys and dangling them from the trees for the children to come and find?
There are a few other positive ideas floating about. Things we can all do together
How about you, have you got some ideas? Something worth considering rather than getting dragged into feelings of resentment.
Getting angry with things around us, can often trigger off more anger back, setting off a vicious circle that escalates. The stuff that wars are made of.
People like Lawrence Conway with his vicious way of dealing with happy people that are having a great time together Mill Dam Park, need to be pitied and ignored whenever possible.
He has now made himself and the actions of his staff, the laughing stock of people around them. I'm sure that his actions has brought the people of Ulverston even closer together to resist outside interference from people who are so out of touch with us here.
At some point Conway and his team will be looking for employment. Will they want someone like these?
"Don't let the buggers get you down " is an expression I hear more and more these days. Buggers appear to be raising their heads left right and centre these days. So What - we can get used to dealing with them and just getting on with life.
We need to have a good laugh and get on enjoying the lives interacting with the great people close to us : people we get to know well at places through places like our park.
So what's going to be our next project there that we can do together.
How about buying soft toys and dangling them from the trees for the children to come and find?
There are a few other positive ideas floating about. Things we can all do together
How about you, have you got some ideas? Something worth considering rather than getting dragged into feelings of resentment.
Saturday, 23 August 2014
Lawrece Conway: Communites, in these times are essential
Despite the fact that I have been told to keep out of this. (The families concerned know that because of my stroke and my sensitive and vulnerable state of mind, I need to stay out of the the situation that has arisen at Mill Dam Park). However for my own sanity I must speak out here on my blog: it has always proved to be my safety valve for what I feel strongly about.
After a night , full of outrage, I see no alternative but to speak out here.
It concerns the high handed and vindictive actions of Lawrence Conway, who is a Chief Executive of SLDC. He is clearly out of touch with the communities in his area
Background: a thriving local community
The Mill Dam Park community of hard working Mums and Dads have suffered an enormous shock to their enjoyment of their Park; one they use almost daily.Over the past four years they have invested a lot of precious energy in making the park into their very own space for meeting and enjoying and encouraging their children to play. Anyone who visits the Park becomes immediately aware of the friendly and supportive nature of the people who use the Park. In fact because of the picnic tables , paid for a in some cases built by this communityPeople are encouraged to chatas they watch their children plating with others in the Park .All the flowers are there because this same community have either put them in themselves or helpful supporting gardeners have kept the beds stocked with an increasing number of perennials. The local Guides were responsible for planting the annuals that are there now. They were donated by David of the plant stall on the market who has given about 400 plants to the park every year.In short there is a probably no better organised group of parents and supporters in a Park: like no other park within South Lakeland District Council. It attracts users from as far afield as Lindal, Pennington, Haverthwaite and Bouth.
Recently the parents were given the pottery that they and their children actually made in the park. They decided to put this pottery back up on the fence where it could be enjoyed by all those using the park. Its presence encourages the feeling that this park is part of an intimate caring community. Putting back the pottery was a joint activity of mothers, fathers and children, with unanimous approval from those that use the park.
Outrage
Yet on Friday, to their absolute outrage, they found that their pottery had been removed. They still have not been told who stole thoir pots, but from past actions, the removal was certainly authorised by Lawrence Conway. If it is he, he in possesion of stolen property, the ownership being the people who put the pots up in the parkand the people who made them. He must return them immediately to the pots owners and notify them why he had them removed.If you visit the park today you will witness their fury at such aggressive action being taken against them. Parents have put up notices all over their park demanding the return of their pottery. Whose park is it after all? Are not the SLDC the custodians of the Park for the community to use?
Conway and his officers are clearly out of touch with this very active community. This is of course not the first time he has ordered his officers, against their will to remove the pottery. Last time he was ridiculed in the main editorial of the Westmorland Gazette( see below) saying : hadn't he got more important safety issues to be concerned about. He claimed that the pottery was dangerous and hadn't been authorised my a constituted group.
The Pottery is clearly not dangerous . Furthermore because of the transient nature of the park users there is no interest in a formal group. Parents are only involved with the Park while their children grow up to five years old (when the children move on to other activities). Besides parents have had negative experiences in the past with power grabbing members of committees who like to throw their weight about. No. The park runs extremely well as it is now . Common sense and spontaneous activities prevail as is found in any small community who get to know each other well.
What is needed now is for our local councillors to assert themselves. These councillors are: Colin Pickthall , Helen Inving and Margaret Hornby on the Town Council and Helen Inving their District councillor. SLDC are clearly out of touch. They need to tell SLDC to keep be their noses out and ruining of a very happy and thriving community. It is this community our councillors need to support not a remote Chief Executive.
The press can also help with insightful reporting. It would be a good story for North West today on television.
I'm sure the polite views of people reading this article will be listened to by Lawrence Conway: email - L.Conway@southlakeland.gov.uk . I suggest that you insisist on a reply to be sure that your message has been received.
The government is after all trying to clamp down on spurious uses of the Health and Safety Issue see:
Judith Hackitt, who chairs the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said: "I would urge all decision makers to take a step back and ask themselves whether a decision made in the name of health and safety, is actually just an excuse for something else.
"the pottery display does not meet with the council’s approval. He cites health and safety as his prime concern. "
" It would be ironic given their safety concerns over the pottery. A sensible move would be to officially recognise Bugs as a representative group of the local community so such displays can be arranged with the council’s blessing and guidance. That way SLDC might stop itself from looking silly."
Friday, 22 August 2014
WRVS, you are about to lose a very hard working volunteer
The local WRVS (or the RVS as it is now known since men were admitted), amongst other things run a very much appreciated cafe at the Ulverston Health Centre, at which this volunteer has been helping for three months now. I know her well because I see her regularly and often go over to the cafe for a drink and a chat. Many people in Ulverston, often pensioners living on their own do the same to enjoy a drink and a tea cake at low prices, made all the more enjoyable by the friendly helpers.The volunteers there are a lovely group of people and she gets on well together there.
This volunteer has in fact she put herself out to help out and does extra shifts when they are short staffed there, in spite of having a heavy work load at home. She enjoys the work.
The problem is that Head office in London is run by bureaucratic bullies who insist on their mindless procedures are followed. A woman there, by the name of Fiona insists that the two referees for membership ring her to give approval of my friends application for membership. This they tried to do, Head office insist they keep trying.
At this point my friend is rightly digging her heals in . "No if you want me as a volunteer - and she knows the Ulverston branch is short - you will have to ring them". They are doing you the favour of supporting my application for membership. It's great to see someone sticking up for her colleagues. They are fed up with being bossed about by the bullies above them who come along with 'inspections' when knowing very little of local circumstances.
Now we have someone who is ready to make a stand. "You give me membership . I have complied with your rules of providing with two references. Now take it or leave it. "
"Do you , Fiona at head office with your mindless rules really want to lose a much needed volunteer who has the strong support of those that work with her?
Note: if you go enquiring at the similar WRVS run cafe at Furness General Hospital in Barrow you will hear of similar heavy handed complaints about the way the bosses outside the area attempt to supervise them from away.
if this money goes to pay for incompetent people who boss others about. I suggest we make sure our donations go to support our local groups and not to an organisation that allows power crazy people to dominate. Furthermore our local managers must be encouraged to stand up to this bullying behaviour.
Surely now is the time for local people in this kind of organisation to assert themselves.
This volunteer has in fact she put herself out to help out and does extra shifts when they are short staffed there, in spite of having a heavy work load at home. She enjoys the work.
The problem is that Head office in London is run by bureaucratic bullies who insist on their mindless procedures are followed. A woman there, by the name of Fiona insists that the two referees for membership ring her to give approval of my friends application for membership. This they tried to do, Head office insist they keep trying.
At this point my friend is rightly digging her heals in . "No if you want me as a volunteer - and she knows the Ulverston branch is short - you will have to ring them". They are doing you the favour of supporting my application for membership. It's great to see someone sticking up for her colleagues. They are fed up with being bossed about by the bullies above them who come along with 'inspections' when knowing very little of local circumstances.
Now we have someone who is ready to make a stand. "You give me membership . I have complied with your rules of providing with two references. Now take it or leave it. "
"Do you , Fiona at head office with your mindless rules really want to lose a much needed volunteer who has the strong support of those that work with her?
Note: if you go enquiring at the similar WRVS run cafe at Furness General Hospital in Barrow you will hear of similar heavy handed complaints about the way the bosses outside the area attempt to supervise them from away.
Do we, the public, really want to donate to this charity?
if this money goes to pay for incompetent people who boss others about. I suggest we make sure our donations go to support our local groups and not to an organisation that allows power crazy people to dominate. Furthermore our local managers must be encouraged to stand up to this bullying behaviour.
Surely now is the time for local people in this kind of organisation to assert themselves.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)