'The more we write the less we die' Brian Kessler
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2012690/BEL-MOONEY-The-moving-story-Ive-heard--Dads-life-words.html
http://www.livesonrecord.com/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/familyhistory/8519082/Battle-of-Britain-son-Ive-got-something-to-tell-you....html
Good idea or morbid? Exactly how do you introduce the idea to an elderly relative? Does the idea extend to the terminally ill? I think this is an excellent idea, if you can afford it. My uncle spent a great deal of time researching our family history and it makes very interesting reading. If the technology to record voices and take photographs had existed a couple of hundred of years ago how amazing it would have been to hear my ancestors stories in their own words instead of just reading stats about them - where they were born and died, who they married, how may children they had. My grandfather died in 1967 and if someone had taken the time to record him talking about his life it would have become my most treasured possession. Of course it would have had to have been copied onto new devices over the years, reel to reel, cassette, compact disc, mp3 and onto the computer. Imagine if video had been available? Yet stored in the back of cupboards I have lots of videos of my children when they were young. Will they ever see the light of day again as video players become obsolete? Surely we should be keeping our personal family history accessible and updated? There is evidence of some interest from my children. Not long ago my son was sharing family photos with his girlfriend and he delighted in telling me 'Wow, mum you used to look like a super model!' 'Really? I preened. 'Do I still look like one then?' 'No - you now look like you've eaten one' was his witty reply. He was disappointed that he couldn't play some of the videos and asked what was the point of having all these events recorded for posterity if they cant be watched.
How would I feel if my children sent an interviewer round to ask me about my life? Amazed they were showing any interest? Worried they knew something about my health I didn't? Or proud that they wanted to have a record of me before I got too old, too cantankerous and too vague?
Having spent several enjoyable outings with my mum and dad I must say that if I had the odd several hundred pounds to spare I would consider it money well spent. Only problem is my mum and dad would see it dangerous as writing a will....tempting fate. That's the problem. We all think we are going to live forever.
Ratdiaries is my life on record. Free and, as far as I know, with no need for reformatting. As I have said many times before - hope you read it one day guys. And for the sake of my great great great great grandchildren if you are reading this I would like to clear something up...I looked like a supermodel until the day I died.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Saturday, 9 July 2011
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now!
My daughter's partner unfortunately broke his ankle last week and I looked after my grandson while my daughter took him to the hospital. When she called with an update my grandson listened avidly to the conversation. After I put the phone down he asked me, struggling to hold back the tears 'will my daddy be in a wheelchair? 'oh no, darling' I replied 'but he will need to use crutches for a few weeks'. At this point my grandson broke down in tears. 'He'll be OK. don't worry' I comforted, giving him a cuddle. 'I know' he sobbed, ' but...but...he won't be able to play football with meeeeee' Oh the selfishness of the very young
My grandson is usually beautifully behaved and is one of those children that you can confidently rely on not to have tantrums and embarrass you in public. However he was playing up a bit on a shopping trip this week - refusing to hold hands walking across the car park, swinging on rails etc and his mother said to him 'will you please listen to me? this behaviour isn't like you!' to which he replied 'I know. I've had enough of being good so I thought I'd be bad for a change'. I know exactly how he feels.
I have always worked hard and been very committed to any job I was in. I rarely take sick days unless I am really really sick and I start promptly and leave long after everyone else has gone home. I listen to advice, I offer ideas and am happy to take on tasks that are not strictly in my remit if what I am being asked to do is reasonable and will make a difference to the families I work with. If fact I try to follow the advice of Max Erhamm:
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann c.1920
Sadly at the moment I feel I am more Morrissy than Ehrmann:
In my life
Why do I smile
At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfkvPnjb9hs&feature=related
What I need to find is a combination of grace and aggression. Would that be kicking the idiots that are in charge in the eye with a smile on my face?
Watch this space.
My grandson is usually beautifully behaved and is one of those children that you can confidently rely on not to have tantrums and embarrass you in public. However he was playing up a bit on a shopping trip this week - refusing to hold hands walking across the car park, swinging on rails etc and his mother said to him 'will you please listen to me? this behaviour isn't like you!' to which he replied 'I know. I've had enough of being good so I thought I'd be bad for a change'. I know exactly how he feels.
I have always worked hard and been very committed to any job I was in. I rarely take sick days unless I am really really sick and I start promptly and leave long after everyone else has gone home. I listen to advice, I offer ideas and am happy to take on tasks that are not strictly in my remit if what I am being asked to do is reasonable and will make a difference to the families I work with. If fact I try to follow the advice of Max Erhamm:
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann c.1920
Sadly at the moment I feel I am more Morrissy than Ehrmann:
In my life
Why do I smile
At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfkvPnjb9hs&feature=related
What I need to find is a combination of grace and aggression. Would that be kicking the idiots that are in charge in the eye with a smile on my face?
Watch this space.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
RED!
Red Top
My grandparents were avid readers of the News of the World, as were my parents. My mum insisted it wasn't suitable reading for me and I can remember sneaking looks at the broadsheet, as it was then in the '70s, and being shocked (but secretly excited) by some of the stories it carried. The NOTW is not a newspaper I read but it had a nostalgic element for me as when I saw it on the newsagents shelf's it brought back memories of my dear old grandad sitting in his armchair struggling with its huge pages. I am saddened by its demise. Hacking-gate is a scandal that will no doubt run and run, as did the MP expense scandal last year, and more and more underhand practices will no doubt be uncovered. The move by Murdock to kill off the NOTW is a clever and cynical one. The Sunday Sun will be launched and the Murdock empire will hardly suffer yet blameless people will have lost their jobs because of the corrupt actions of some unscrupulous hacks.
Red Head
I am puzzled - why is the editor of the NOTW not being made to resign? I am sure the NOTW was demanding Sharon Shoesmiths head on a plate after the death of Baby Peter. If Shoesmith had the ultimate responsibility for the actions of staff on her watch then why not the flame haired Rebekha Brooks?
One thing that is clear - come the revolution it won't be on the streets. It will be waged on Twitter and Facebook.
I love a newspaper - even in these days of online 24 hour news. I hope they survive this.
Red Car
The car I am currently driving is a real attention grabber. Every time I return to where I've left it parked I have to peel men of the bonnet and answer a barrage of questions about it. Women and even children come up to tell me 'I love your car'. I have lost count of the number of friends and acquaintances who have told me 'I saw you driving along today/at the weekend, love the car.' Out driving today my daughter she commented 'this is embarrassing - everyone is looking at us' and my son is starting to refuse the offer of a lift. Yesterday I was filling it with fuel (only the 3rd visit of a petrol garage in the several weeks I have had it) and I became aware of the man filling his car alongside me staring at it intently. He walked across the forecourt still staring hard at the car and I could see him continuing to stare at it as he queued to pay for his fuel. When I joined him in the queue he turned to me and said 'that's a beautiful car'. Instead of thanking him I said 'yes, isn't it' and we both sighed and then continued to look out of the window admiring its gorgeousness. Now if I was driving some high end German car, or a sleek sports car, or even a top of the range model, I could understand all this attention. But no, I am driving a new model of a very common car, albeit the model I'm driving is pretty rare on the road. What is grabbing all the attention is the car's colour. Imagine the brightest reddest red you can think of and then add a dash of orange and that may bring you close to the red of the car. The other day when I went back to it I found two men drooling over it. 'We were waiting to see what the driver of this car looked like'. They must have been very disappointed to see it was a middle aged, overweight woman. Apparently if you drive a red car it means you are sexy and adventurous. No wonder they had hung around. As I said it is a pretty unusual model but yesterday I found myself driving behind a brown one. Yes - brown. No doubt it is called 'Latte' of something but it is actually just...brown. This attracted very little attention. At a roundabout no other driver paid it
the slightest bit of attention but all had a good look at mine. So definitely the colour. If you want masses of attention and for complete strangers to strike up conversations with you get yourself a cute red car. Or a dog.
My grandparents were avid readers of the News of the World, as were my parents. My mum insisted it wasn't suitable reading for me and I can remember sneaking looks at the broadsheet, as it was then in the '70s, and being shocked (but secretly excited) by some of the stories it carried. The NOTW is not a newspaper I read but it had a nostalgic element for me as when I saw it on the newsagents shelf's it brought back memories of my dear old grandad sitting in his armchair struggling with its huge pages. I am saddened by its demise. Hacking-gate is a scandal that will no doubt run and run, as did the MP expense scandal last year, and more and more underhand practices will no doubt be uncovered. The move by Murdock to kill off the NOTW is a clever and cynical one. The Sunday Sun will be launched and the Murdock empire will hardly suffer yet blameless people will have lost their jobs because of the corrupt actions of some unscrupulous hacks.
Red Head
I am puzzled - why is the editor of the NOTW not being made to resign? I am sure the NOTW was demanding Sharon Shoesmiths head on a plate after the death of Baby Peter. If Shoesmith had the ultimate responsibility for the actions of staff on her watch then why not the flame haired Rebekha Brooks?
One thing that is clear - come the revolution it won't be on the streets. It will be waged on Twitter and Facebook.
I love a newspaper - even in these days of online 24 hour news. I hope they survive this.
Red Car
The car I am currently driving is a real attention grabber. Every time I return to where I've left it parked I have to peel men of the bonnet and answer a barrage of questions about it. Women and even children come up to tell me 'I love your car'. I have lost count of the number of friends and acquaintances who have told me 'I saw you driving along today/at the weekend, love the car.' Out driving today my daughter she commented 'this is embarrassing - everyone is looking at us' and my son is starting to refuse the offer of a lift. Yesterday I was filling it with fuel (only the 3rd visit of a petrol garage in the several weeks I have had it) and I became aware of the man filling his car alongside me staring at it intently. He walked across the forecourt still staring hard at the car and I could see him continuing to stare at it as he queued to pay for his fuel. When I joined him in the queue he turned to me and said 'that's a beautiful car'. Instead of thanking him I said 'yes, isn't it' and we both sighed and then continued to look out of the window admiring its gorgeousness. Now if I was driving some high end German car, or a sleek sports car, or even a top of the range model, I could understand all this attention. But no, I am driving a new model of a very common car, albeit the model I'm driving is pretty rare on the road. What is grabbing all the attention is the car's colour. Imagine the brightest reddest red you can think of and then add a dash of orange and that may bring you close to the red of the car. The other day when I went back to it I found two men drooling over it. 'We were waiting to see what the driver of this car looked like'. They must have been very disappointed to see it was a middle aged, overweight woman. Apparently if you drive a red car it means you are sexy and adventurous. No wonder they had hung around. As I said it is a pretty unusual model but yesterday I found myself driving behind a brown one. Yes - brown. No doubt it is called 'Latte' of something but it is actually just...brown. This attracted very little attention. At a roundabout no other driver paid it
the slightest bit of attention but all had a good look at mine. So definitely the colour. If you want masses of attention and for complete strangers to strike up conversations with you get yourself a cute red car. Or a dog.
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Viva La France
My skin does not take kindly to being in a warm climate. This is a problem as the rest of me has decided that it would love to live somewhere a bit more warmer that England. Not a hot, steamy, sweltering or boiling hot part of the world. Most of Africa and places like Texas, Turkey and Tasmania are out of the question but a warm, sunny and bright climate with gentle breezes and seductive nights would be ideal. So you would think. But my awful skin finds even a moderate 25c unbearable. The blues skies, sunny days and siestas of the South of France are the stuff of my dreams but my skin literally behaves horribly in the sun. As does my hair which turns from relatively straight hair, behaving as I dictate, to a mass of curls. I never look like me in sunny places, especially if they have a soft water supply, so in order to avoid a pink, blotchy and fluffy haired reflection it seems I am destined to live my life in cloudy rainy England dreaming of a cultured, civilised and free existence living on the Med.
The apartment in Aix en Provence was stunning. Situated on the Rue Du Opera it was beautifully decorated with 3 large double bedrooms which meant we got a bedroom each, all en suite. The apartment had a gorgeous terrace overlooking the terracotta roofs of the surrounding buildings and the cathedral. Although the first morning was cloudy the rest of the week was sunny from first til last and was perfect for breakfasts of croissants and bedtime drinks of chocolate.
Each morning one of us would shop for breakfast which we would eat while deciding where we would visit that day, Marseilles, St Tropez, Ventabren, Carry-le-Rouet or, my personal favourite, Cassis.
This was my second visit to this area of France and I noticed a few changes. Marseilles was still wonderful, St Tropez was still overrated but the exchange rate is very painful and the cost of everything was shocking (except the wine thank heavens!) I was saddened to find that the toll booths had moved with the times and were now aautomated as I missed the 'Bonne Route' from the people who used to man them. Even gazole was expensive.
The trouble with my skin is that, unlike my travel companions, who were able to sit in the sun for hours, without much protection, I had to be creamed and covered and shaded. It is a shame that the burka has been banned in France because I would happily wear one if it meant that I would be spared prickly heat, hives, mosquito bites and sun burn. However I think that even if I was able to sit on a beach for hours I would be bored stiff, even with a good book, so I was happy to leave my sun worshipping friends and explore. The calanques of Cassis are stunning and well worth a visit.
The apartment in Aix en Provence was stunning. Situated on the Rue Du Opera it was beautifully decorated with 3 large double bedrooms which meant we got a bedroom each, all en suite. The apartment had a gorgeous terrace overlooking the terracotta roofs of the surrounding buildings and the cathedral. Although the first morning was cloudy the rest of the week was sunny from first til last and was perfect for breakfasts of croissants and bedtime drinks of chocolate.
Each morning one of us would shop for breakfast which we would eat while deciding where we would visit that day, Marseilles, St Tropez, Ventabren, Carry-le-Rouet or, my personal favourite, Cassis.
This was my second visit to this area of France and I noticed a few changes. Marseilles was still wonderful, St Tropez was still overrated but the exchange rate is very painful and the cost of everything was shocking (except the wine thank heavens!) I was saddened to find that the toll booths had moved with the times and were now aautomated as I missed the 'Bonne Route' from the people who used to man them. Even gazole was expensive.
The trouble with my skin is that, unlike my travel companions, who were able to sit in the sun for hours, without much protection, I had to be creamed and covered and shaded. It is a shame that the burka has been banned in France because I would happily wear one if it meant that I would be spared prickly heat, hives, mosquito bites and sun burn. However I think that even if I was able to sit on a beach for hours I would be bored stiff, even with a good book, so I was happy to leave my sun worshipping friends and explore. The calanques of Cassis are stunning and well worth a visit.
There is also a satisfying feeling being able to negotiate tickets, timetables and itineraries on your own with very little French. There were surprisingly few English tourists around. The other visitors tended to be French, American, Canadian and German. As ever I had the urge to return, alone or with my grandson, to explore further the many beautiful places in this part of the world. To drive from Calais to Nice stopping off in little towns and villages along the way would be wonderful. Maybe one day. When the pound has recovered a little against the Euro.
Although the South of France is truly stunning I think England's coastline could certainly give it a run for its money. Combe Martin and Lynmouth in North Devon, Dartmouth in South Devon and the Juassic Coast of Dorset, Cornwall's St Ives, Newquay and Penzance are every bit as stunning as Nice and Cannes. And I rarely get hives in England. But what the South of France has is a J'Ne Se Qua that England lacks. It has a freedom, a 'devil may care' attitude that is refreshing to an oppressed Londoner. It has style. A quintessential essence that enchants. It is exotic and confusing. Sophisticated. And it is probably worth the itching that a visit in the summer results in.
Monday, 30 May 2011
Young, Talented and Brunette
It is always splendid when you make an impulse purchase and it turns out that you haven't wasted your hard earned cash. 'Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor' was one such impulse buy. Normally I buy my CDs and DVDs from Amazon but last week I picked up a couple of CDs from ASDA and am very pleased I popped Caro Emerald's new CD into my basket. Definitely my sound of summer 2011.
Check out 'That Man'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFA6dEwWOb4&feature=relmfu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caro_Emerald
I also bought 'Who Are You' by Jesse J. Another incredibly talented young woman. Completely different to Caro but just as wonderful.
Nobodys Perfect -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSZVYZTze74
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessie_J
Monday, 16 May 2011
Orgasm and Death
Scientists have certainly been busy recently.
This week two separate groups of scientists have unearthed the elusive female 'pathways to pleasure' which are located, not in her vagina, but firmly in her brain. Not just one pathway, oh no, so far they have located two. Pathway one leads to orgasm via masturbation and Pathway Two 'kicks in when a woman is being stimulated by a lover'. The American group of scientists tested women who masturbated and the scientists from the Netherlands 'observed women having sex with a partner (horrible job but someones got to do it...boom boom!) The European lot found evidence that suggests orgasm is 'achieved with a partner when a woman 'lets go' and reaches an 'altered state of consciousness'. Who'd have guessed eh?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387451/New-study-shows-women-pathways-sexual-pleasure.html
Would you take a test to find out how long you have left to live? Spanish scientists claim to have developed a test that can predict your life expectancy. It is all something to do with your telomeres and whether you have got long or shorts ones. Apparently having short ones mean that you have a short life span, and - here is where the argument is flawed - they are not sure if having long ones means you will live longer. The test can't predict how many years or months you have left to live (another serious flaw in a life expectancy test me thinks) but it can tell your 'biological age' and no doubt insurance companies are just going to love it.
I just did a 'fun' online 'life expectancy test' and got these results:
Life Expectancy: 76.73
Lower Quartile : 68.60
Median Lifetime: 78.50
Upper Quartile : 85.81
I can live with that.
This week two separate groups of scientists have unearthed the elusive female 'pathways to pleasure' which are located, not in her vagina, but firmly in her brain. Not just one pathway, oh no, so far they have located two. Pathway one leads to orgasm via masturbation and Pathway Two 'kicks in when a woman is being stimulated by a lover'. The American group of scientists tested women who masturbated and the scientists from the Netherlands 'observed women having sex with a partner (horrible job but someones got to do it...boom boom!) The European lot found evidence that suggests orgasm is 'achieved with a partner when a woman 'lets go' and reaches an 'altered state of consciousness'. Who'd have guessed eh?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387451/New-study-shows-women-pathways-sexual-pleasure.html
Would you take a test to find out how long you have left to live? Spanish scientists claim to have developed a test that can predict your life expectancy. It is all something to do with your telomeres and whether you have got long or shorts ones. Apparently having short ones mean that you have a short life span, and - here is where the argument is flawed - they are not sure if having long ones means you will live longer. The test can't predict how many years or months you have left to live (another serious flaw in a life expectancy test me thinks) but it can tell your 'biological age' and no doubt insurance companies are just going to love it.
I just did a 'fun' online 'life expectancy test' and got these results:
Life Expectancy: 76.73
Lower Quartile : 68.60
Median Lifetime: 78.50
Upper Quartile : 85.81
I can live with that.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Lead the Way Tim
At the moment I am reading Bill Bryson's 'Note From a Big Country' which is really just a series of Blogs about the USA made into a book. Technically they are articles Bryson wrote for the 'Mail on Sunday' supplement in the '90's but they remind me of a Blog. Bryson writes about the nonsensical, the quirky, the funny and the serious side of American life. He rants about bureaucracy, he examines the peculiarities of language and he talks about his home land with both affection and frustration. He gives the reader glimpses of his family life and comes across as a very nice, clever guy who sometimes thinks too much. And sometimes has too much time on his hands. Which is good for us readers because his idle thoughts sometimes become investigations into the whys and the hows that result in his many wonderful books.
Taking of idle thoughts is it OK to spend the whole day at home doing nothing? There has been a succession of bank holidays recently in which I did very little, other than celebrate the Royal Wedding at a friends 'wedding breakfast party' where we drank Bucks Fizz and ate Danish Pastries and oohed and ahhed over the dress and then, on following the Bank Holiday Monday, I spent the day on the Wey & Arun Canal. http://www.weyandarun.co.uk/hist1.php. I ask because I seem to have spent a lot of days at home recently shamefully doing nothing. Beautiful sunny days and I have steadfastly remained cocooned in my flat reading, listening to music, watching TV, spending time with my family and basically vegging out. Puts me in mind of the 'Lazy Song' if I was a teenage boy! Check out the impossibly cute Bruno Mars and this amusing little song -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLexgOxsZu0
While it is acceptable to have lazy days when you are young isn't it just a waste of time as you get older? I get cross with myself if I stay in bed too long at the weekend preferring to be up and about early and I begrudge the lost hours when I fall asleep at 9pm after a hard day at work. So the fact that I wasted a succession of sunny days makes me feel guilty. They may have been our summer!
Oh I forgot my eBay travels! I now know Essex like the back of my hand. Well Romford anyway. Ream! I take back everything I ever said about Sat Nav. What would I do without Tim, the kindly,
calm, authoritative yet slightly sexy male voice that never steers me wrong - not if I listen to him that is. He found all the places I have visited over the past few weeks and now I will have to relent and actually buy one as I really need to give this one back to its rightful owner. I will of course buy one from Ebay. And will insist it has a Tim. I was right about one thing though, I have lost my own internal navigation system - it was so fragile anyway that Tim has destroyed it with ease and now I can't find my way without him.
Back to the Wey & Arun Canal. I would never have found it if it wasn't for Tim. There is definitely something about being near water that makes me feel peaceful. As a child I always got so excited by my first glimpse of the sea when I went on holiday with my grandparents. As an adult,
taking my children to Cornwall for the first time, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of a truly bright blue sea in Newquay and then Looe, the sight of the sea meeting a lake will stay with me always. Lakes, rivers, canals all make me feel content. I wonder if that has anything to do with being born in a hospital situated on the side of the Thames and growing up a stones throw from its banks. The exception to this is the unease I feel whenever I see those streets up north, the ones with rows of small two up two down terraced houses and, at the end of the grim street is a grim river or sea. Whenever I see these streets on the television (Liverpool springs to mind although when I went there the Mersey looked wonderful) I feel depressed. So much so that I have been unable to watch any more of the new detective series 'Vera' starring Brenda Blethyn. Set in Northumberland it is utterly depressing with ugly bleak scenery and an ugly bleak sea. It looks bloody awful up there and is obviously somewhere I will never ask Tim to take me. Getting back to beautiful water ways it is such a shame that some canals were abandoned, unfinished and filled in. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Surrey_Canal. I had to park near the timber yard that was the beginning of the Grand Surrey Canal the other day and walk along the filled in canal which is now a walkway and cycle path. Strangely it retains the peace of a canal, even in a busy part of the city and is well used by commuters on their way to work.
eBay is a wonderful thing if you are looking for a bargain or have something to sell. That is if you are a private buyer/seller and are using it on a casual basis. Of course if you are selling or buying high value items there is a risk of being scammed but on the whole it seems to be a pretty good site. However it has grown at such a rate and is now big business and as such is subject to all sorts of rules and regulations such as Distance Selling Regulations and sellers are now ruthlessly monitored and judged. Of course a lot of what is going on is designed to route out the cowboys and scammers and ensure that the buyer can purchase with confidence but the pendulum seems to have swung too far the other way and sellers are being scrutinised to the nth degree. The sellers have something called Seller Performance which determines whether or not they can continue to sell and it doesn't seem to take much to make their SP enter the danger zone, just a couple of low ratings. Take a look at the Seller Central forum page on eBay to get an idea of the problems sellers face.
I may have been lucky as my experience so far has been painless and I always leave sellers positive feedback with high star ratings. If there ever was a problem I like to think that I would contact seller first before I would ever consider leaving negative feedback or scoring them low. Having read a few of these threads, the buyer is always right and sellers will bend over backwards to protect their SP ratings. So much so there are some unscrupulous buyers out there taking advantage of the situation. However if I buy a Sat Nav on eBay that sends me round and round in circles I may however feel differently!
Taking of idle thoughts is it OK to spend the whole day at home doing nothing? There has been a succession of bank holidays recently in which I did very little, other than celebrate the Royal Wedding at a friends 'wedding breakfast party' where we drank Bucks Fizz and ate Danish Pastries and oohed and ahhed over the dress and then, on following the Bank Holiday Monday, I spent the day on the Wey & Arun Canal. http://www.weyandarun.co.uk/hist1.php. I ask because I seem to have spent a lot of days at home recently shamefully doing nothing. Beautiful sunny days and I have steadfastly remained cocooned in my flat reading, listening to music, watching TV, spending time with my family and basically vegging out. Puts me in mind of the 'Lazy Song' if I was a teenage boy! Check out the impossibly cute Bruno Mars and this amusing little song -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLexgOxsZu0
While it is acceptable to have lazy days when you are young isn't it just a waste of time as you get older? I get cross with myself if I stay in bed too long at the weekend preferring to be up and about early and I begrudge the lost hours when I fall asleep at 9pm after a hard day at work. So the fact that I wasted a succession of sunny days makes me feel guilty. They may have been our summer!
Oh I forgot my eBay travels! I now know Essex like the back of my hand. Well Romford anyway. Ream! I take back everything I ever said about Sat Nav. What would I do without Tim, the kindly,
calm, authoritative yet slightly sexy male voice that never steers me wrong - not if I listen to him that is. He found all the places I have visited over the past few weeks and now I will have to relent and actually buy one as I really need to give this one back to its rightful owner. I will of course buy one from Ebay. And will insist it has a Tim. I was right about one thing though, I have lost my own internal navigation system - it was so fragile anyway that Tim has destroyed it with ease and now I can't find my way without him.
Back to the Wey & Arun Canal. I would never have found it if it wasn't for Tim. There is definitely something about being near water that makes me feel peaceful. As a child I always got so excited by my first glimpse of the sea when I went on holiday with my grandparents. As an adult,
taking my children to Cornwall for the first time, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of a truly bright blue sea in Newquay and then Looe, the sight of the sea meeting a lake will stay with me always. Lakes, rivers, canals all make me feel content. I wonder if that has anything to do with being born in a hospital situated on the side of the Thames and growing up a stones throw from its banks. The exception to this is the unease I feel whenever I see those streets up north, the ones with rows of small two up two down terraced houses and, at the end of the grim street is a grim river or sea. Whenever I see these streets on the television (Liverpool springs to mind although when I went there the Mersey looked wonderful) I feel depressed. So much so that I have been unable to watch any more of the new detective series 'Vera' starring Brenda Blethyn. Set in Northumberland it is utterly depressing with ugly bleak scenery and an ugly bleak sea. It looks bloody awful up there and is obviously somewhere I will never ask Tim to take me. Getting back to beautiful water ways it is such a shame that some canals were abandoned, unfinished and filled in. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Surrey_Canal. I had to park near the timber yard that was the beginning of the Grand Surrey Canal the other day and walk along the filled in canal which is now a walkway and cycle path. Strangely it retains the peace of a canal, even in a busy part of the city and is well used by commuters on their way to work.
eBay is a wonderful thing if you are looking for a bargain or have something to sell. That is if you are a private buyer/seller and are using it on a casual basis. Of course if you are selling or buying high value items there is a risk of being scammed but on the whole it seems to be a pretty good site. However it has grown at such a rate and is now big business and as such is subject to all sorts of rules and regulations such as Distance Selling Regulations and sellers are now ruthlessly monitored and judged. Of course a lot of what is going on is designed to route out the cowboys and scammers and ensure that the buyer can purchase with confidence but the pendulum seems to have swung too far the other way and sellers are being scrutinised to the nth degree. The sellers have something called Seller Performance which determines whether or not they can continue to sell and it doesn't seem to take much to make their SP enter the danger zone, just a couple of low ratings. Take a look at the Seller Central forum page on eBay to get an idea of the problems sellers face.
I may have been lucky as my experience so far has been painless and I always leave sellers positive feedback with high star ratings. If there ever was a problem I like to think that I would contact seller first before I would ever consider leaving negative feedback or scoring them low. Having read a few of these threads, the buyer is always right and sellers will bend over backwards to protect their SP ratings. So much so there are some unscrupulous buyers out there taking advantage of the situation. However if I buy a Sat Nav on eBay that sends me round and round in circles I may however feel differently!
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About Me
- Katie Clapton
- Rat symbolizes such character traits as wit, imagination and curiosity. Rats have keen observation skills and with those skills they’re able to deduce much about other people and other situations. Overall, Rats are full of energy, talkative and charming.