Stormy Scottish sky

The skies here at dusk are becoming an obsession it seems!


Stormy skies


Stormy skies

Rules to give to your Boss!

Ohhhh...... Don't you just love a touch of vitriol!

Thanks to Magz for this:

1. Never give me work in the morning. Always wait until 4:00 and then
bring it to me. The challenge of a deadline is refreshing.

2. If it's really a rush job, run in and interrupt me every 10 minutes
to inquire how it's going. That helps. Even better, hover behind me,
and advise me at every keystroke.

3. Always leave without telling anyone where you're going. It gives me
a chance to be creative when someone asks where you are.

4. If my arms are full of papers, boxes, books, or supplies, don't
open the door for me. I need to learn how to function as a paraplegic
and opening doors with no arms is good training in case I should ever
be injured and lose all use of my limbs.

5. If you give me more than one job to do, don't tell me which is
priority. I am psychic.

6. Do your best to keep me late. I adore this office and really have
nowhere to go or anything to do. I have no life beyond work.

7. If a job I do pleases you, keep it a secret. If that gets out, it
could mean a promotion.

8. If you don't like my work, tell everyone. I like my name to be
popular in conversations. I was born to be whipped.

9. If you have special instructions for a job, don't write them down.
In fact, save them until the job is almost done. No use confusing me
with useful information.

10. Never introduce me to the people you're with. I have no right to
know anything. In the corporate food chain, I am plankton. When you
refer to them later, my shrewd deductions will identify them.

11. Be nice to me only when the job I'm doing for you could really
change your life and send you straight to manager's hell

Will we never learn?

Party, party, party!

"One in five men in their early 20s in England has the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia, figures suggest".

This is the lead paragraph in a news item this morning concerning the steeply rising incidence of STD's among the British youth and it makes worrying reading.

Perhaps I am missing something about the dynamics of today's youth culture but I don't think so. I find it horrifying that in an era where so much information is apparently available, people are still falling victim in such numbers to diseases and infections such as this.

There have always been 'dangers' attached to sexual activity but it seems that each new generation finds it's own way of ignoring those dangers and putting themselves at risk. In the days when pregnancy was the greatest fear and information was scarce it was forgivable that individuals made mistakes and misjudgments, but today that should not be the case and the risks involved are so much greater. To fall pregnant out of wedlock may well have been shameful in the past but it wasn't, in most cases, life threatening and if chlamydia doesn't scare the life out of young people then HIV should, but it doesn't appear to!

We read time and time again of the suggested reasons why a whole generation is behaving in this way but I see an anomaly here. On one hand there is the reasoning that youth culture has changed, teenagers, men and women alike are under more pressures in their day to day lives to achieve and hence 'party' harder, binge drinking leaves those who partake unable to make good decisions and a more liberal (if any) moral attitude prevails.

Forgive me for looking at these reasons finding them wanting somewhat. I was a teenager in the 70's, if anything, as one of the first generations to grow up 'post sexual revolution' and with the pill readily available should we not have been the ones to be at greatest risk? Our formal sex education was almost non existent and where it did exist it concentrated on frogs not people, we drank to excess and made some poor decisions and we suffered pressures. We were after all the first generation to grow up feeling we had to 'have it all', there was youth culture, drugs and sex and yet whilst we didn't have the fear of HIV we still had fears. Pregnancy out of wedlock was still considered unacceptable, though less so than in previous generations and sure, some did fall pregnant, some did contract unwanted infections but today with all the help that should be available the numbers are far higher!

I for one do not advocate moralistic preachings, I do not want to curtail the activities and fun of teenagers, how many of us look back on our 'wild days' with affection and still with a frisson of excitement? Liberation, sexual and otherwise should be a plus and a life enhancement but with it comes responsibility and thereby hangs the problem perhaps.

Do we really teach our burgeoning generations responsibility suitably?

Teenage media shouts, nay screams, sexuality at children barely out of kindergarten, advertising promotes sexuality at a ridiculously young age, clothing stores for the age group have on offer items well suited to the inhabitants of a bordello and what counters it? Very little it would seem. Many many parents struggle against all this and the peer pressure it creates but many don't and formal sex education still seems sadly lacking. I fail to see the use of educating an already sexually active teenager of 15 on the biological facts alone.

Some parents, some authorities, may not like it, may not accept it but the fact is that teenagers will have sex despite protestations. They may not be emotionally mature enough to handle the fall out and they seem to not have the skills in place to avoid the dangers but that won't stop them, it's gonna happen like it or not.

Is it not therefore time that we took responsibility for our youth, gave them the skills and stopped the stupidity. Education has to be the key and it seems to have improved little in realistic terms. Yes adolescents will always have an uncanny ability to feel 'it won't happen to me' and to believe they are immortal and some just won't ever give a damn but if we as adults don't take proper responsibility how can we expect this generation or those that follow to take responsibility for their actions and decisions?

It seems that the biggest difference between my teenage years and those of today is the responsibility we felt. We were not all perfect by any means but we did grow up in the main perhaps feeling a little more responsible for our actions than today's young people, or perhaps we were still just more scared of the consequences. Decent education on life skills would have helped enormously and in 30 years not much seems to have changed. We still pussy foot around the subject and fight those who think they have the moral high ground!

Is it not possible to teach sex education realistically or will we never learn? As an adult I would like to be able to instill in children that sex is not just about gratification and 'a quick shag' with whom ever you happen to leave a club with at 2am, pissed, but the fact remains that is how it is in many instances and it has been for years, it just wasn't so readily publicised in previous generations. Somehow the moral do-gooders need to be by passed and honest, upfront information needs to be given at the right time. What is the use of teaching a 15 year old the intricacies of a frogs reproductive system when what he or she really needs to know is how to extricate a condom from it's impossible package and successfully persuade it to adorn the appropriate area, whilst still in one operational piece!!

The world is not perfect, people will not always have 'Mills and Boon', respectful, loving relationships however much some might want them to...... wild, silly one off encounters will always happen and
I wouldn't want that to be taken from life's experience or from the fun of growing up, but let's at least give each new generation the tools to do it with some degree of responsibility. Afterall, there is no fun whatsoever or moral gain, in finding at 25 you are suffering PID or are infertile...... and even less fun in the news that you are HIV positive!

Gone, leaving barely a trace?

Can anyone out there in the blogosphere enlighten me please as to the apparent disappearance of Tom Reynolds and his much hailed, and Guardian reviewed blog, 'Random Acts of Reality'?

A long time favorite of mine, it has recently just gone without warning, leaving barely a trace, save for a blank black page!

Try the link, does it work for you?

Any redirections or information gratefully received.

Damn, I'm wrong again......

......in that my limited intellect had previously understood the task of a delivery company was to deliver!

It would appear not to be the case and if my experience yesterday is anything to judge the remit of such a company by, then that remit seeming includes in it's description, lying, laziness, bad manners and stupidity!

We have all been there, I was promised a long awaited delivery would at last be with me by 18.00 hrs yesterday, why I ever believe these promises is beyond me. Perhaps I have an inherent and latent ability to take the word time after time, of one inefficient company after another.... or perhaps I just can't actually believe, in my naivete, that delivery companies are just so appallingly useless!

So, as you will have guessed, I spent the entire day sat indoors awaiting this delivery. It is not relevant here that for me it was no serious inconvenience and meant a whole day of uninterrupted computer fiddling, something I am most certainly not adversed too, with no guilt that I should be doing something else. I was after all doing something else, I was waiting for a delivery!

Suffice to say that by 15.00 there was still a noticeable lack of anything being delivered and so began the 'tracking' kerfuffle. Off to the appropriate website I went, nothing concrete there so the next step was to navigate my way through the 'delightful' menu system on the company in questions telephone helpline.....help line my foot! I could have walked to Lockerbie and collected the damn parcel myself in the time it took to speak to a human being. That finally achieved, I was assured the parcel was still in transit and would grace my home before 18.00.

17.45.........another journey through the telephone helpline menu and more reassurance that I would receive my delivery, if slightly late, the driver was behind schedule. Alarm bells were ringing in my mind now, in my heart of hearts I knew, I just knew it was going to be a no show, but on I go, hope against hope that just this once, what the company say they will do, and what they actually do, will bear some similarity.

Do the words stupid woman spring to mind here? if not they should.... 18.10 sees yet another phone call............oh knock me down with a feather, the parcel is not going to arrive, I am informed tersely by a woman who's customer service training was presumably with a far flung guerilla warfare unit.

Reason: The driver couldn't find the address!

Excuse me? I had understood that one of the skills necessary for a delivery driver was to find addresses, it seems not. I accept we live in an out of the way spot but hey, we have made it onto most data bases these days and we do have a post code! Seemingly that was not enough information for this driver, he got to the village and maintained he asked directions at the local shop....codswallop, believe me if he had I would have received my delivery. In a place as small and insular as this he could have asked anyone for this address and he would be told. Every one knows everyone...........and a lot more besides.

Mr white van man no doubt was late, rushed past the village shop en route to his supper and decided upon the suitable tale of woe he would present to his logistics department.

So did I receive an apology? an offer of a timed delivery today?.......did I hell. The lady (I use the description loosely) on the other end of the phone seemed to be blaming me for this debacle with weak excuses along the lines of "it's difficult to find" and "it's a new postcode".....come on lady this house has been here 200 years, how new is that?

This I might add is a multi national delivery and courier company, the terms mobile phone, delivery tracking, GPS and bloody common sense spring to mind!

Exasperation at the limited intellect and outrageous lack of customer service prevailed and an email of complaint was hastily rattled off last night, doubtless it will not be acknowledged let alone replied to.

How do some of these individuals keep their positions of employment I wonder?

And thus, today I have another day 'forced' to reside infront of my computer, guilt free and ready to 'have words' with the driver should he ever appear. I won't hold my breath......

Is it any wonder?

The news this morning offers the report from Ofsted that schools are not making good use of the outdoor activities facilities available to them and that our children's life experience and broader education are suffering as a consequence. The situation is thus because schools are increasingly afraid of being sued in the event of an accident.

Is it any wonder?

Whilst I accept that over the last few years there have been some heinous incidents of gross negligence by education authorities and staff responsible for children engaged in these types of activities, like so many things they have been few in comparison with the numbers who have benefited. Good news is not news and as such, as with most things, it is only the catastrophies we hear reported. For those families who have suffered genuine loss and trauma, the incidence is 100% and a nightmare beyond the comprehension of most of us. To lose, or have seriously injured a child, while apparently in the care of the authorities we entrust them too is dreadful and all circumstances surrounding such tragedies require thorough investigation to prevent a repetition.

These are not the cases of which I am talking.

As appears to be the case in so many situations in the last few years it seems to me that this is another illustration of individuals jumping on the compensation bandwagon, so much so that education authorities, among others, are too frightened to put themselves in the position for fear of the massive law suits we seem to favour of late. The U.K would appear to be fast becoming a culture motivated by the opportunity to make a fast buck from the possibility of suing for just about anything.

We balk at what is referred too as the 'nanny state' and yet so many seem to absolve themselves of the day to day life responsibilities, preferring instead to look immediately for someone else to blame. Of course in the serious cases those truly responsible should be bought to justice, made to accept responsibility for their actions and have the full weight of the law bought to bear upon them but often this is not the case.

I see it every day at my work place and it apalls me. Bear in mind that this is a place full of potentially dangerous chemicals, heavy objects and professional equipment and then consider this scenario.

Mum and dad enter the store with 'little Jonny' who despite warning notices spelling out the dangers, have put the child in the front of the trolley instead of the child seat, immediately rendering in unstable. They wander the isles musing over their prospective purchases, park said trolley, still with child in situ, and become engrossed in shopping. At this point one of two things will normally happen. Either a staff member, who has noticed 'little Jonny' about to tip headlong onto the hard floor, gently asks the parent to attend to the child and generally gets abuse along the lines of "don't tell me how to look after my child" or 'little Jonny' clambers over the side, and assuming he manages this feat without falling and pulling the trolley ontop of him, runs off to explore alone, still unnoticed.

Give him 10 minutes of lone exploration and he will have pulled something heavy ontop of him, got something unpleasant on his skin or fallen somewhere. Now assuming we can find the guardian of this child in the first place, while we gather him off the floor and administer any necessary first aid, what really horrifies me is the number of parents, who having made a cursory inspection of the damage, immediately then begin to blame us! You can see the ones in an instant with dollar signs in their eyes, they are not comforting the child as you or I would, they are questioning and accusing, some within minutes are already talking money and litigation.

Sure, in some instances we or any other public place are to blame and have been negligent in some way but what scares me is just how many people see the misfortune of others, even their own child, as a means to lay the burden of their life's responsibilities at someone else's door and make a buck in the process.

Like the news, I hope it is only the bad one's I notice, the majority out there do genuinely care, we have our share of mothers and fathers who's child has snuck off in a split second and who are frantic with fear......... but it sure doesn't seem like it at times!

Are we turning into a country of people unable, or unprepared, to take responsibility for our own lives and thus causing a narrowing of life's experiences, as is apparent in the schools outside activities situation. How long will it be before much less is available to use purely because the operators do not have the means to support the ever increasing financial burden of legal representation?

I will end this rant with the tale of a guy, who having cut his fingers on a light bulb that shattered in his hand while trying to fit it, considered it our fault........his reasoning, the box didn't specify or warn him that a tight grip may cause it to shatter!!!

Er......... ok, I will resist the temptation for expletives at this point!
*#/%*$%"*#!!

Meet 'Cleo'

'Cleo'

One of my oldest (that's the length of time we have know each other, not his age!) IRC friends has a new addition to his family, the picture above arrived in my inbox this morning and I just had to share it :o)

Rescue!

Field mouse

As I returned this afternoon from collecting PG's car from yet another expensive visit to the garage(don't ask, yes it broke down again!) I was greeted with the sight of Ditto tormenting another small rodent.

I raced headlong from the car, probably an amusing sight, shouting prolifically and in a none too demure manner, in an effort to distract her..... as ever it was to no avail, she raced off with the small squealing creature firmly in her jaw.

Eventually, among the wet grass and mud I achieved capture and some vigorous shaking released the terrified animal, which stood shaking violently but stationery allowing me to scoop it up gently and rush it indoors.

It seemed somewhat worse for wear poor thing, soaking wet, cold and bleeding very slightly. A warm dry nest was hurriedly assembled in an old casserole dish, I couldn't find anything else that a small mouse might not be able to escape from, and I placed on top of a shelf in the warm bedroom, in a 'cat safe' position.

Despite my worries that too much damage may have been done and this mouse may be suffering I couldn't bring myself to 'finish it off' and hoped instead it would either recover, or at least would die in a warm dry environment instead of in the rain, soaked through.

Regular checks over the next few hours proved heartening, no more bleeding was evident and a dry, fuffy, squeaking mouse emerged full of life and trying desperately to scale the walls of the casserole dish!

Ditto was firmly shut in and we set off with dish in hand to release our little captive back into the great outdoors by torchlight, it clambered over the edge of the tipped dish into my hand and then scuttled off as fast as it's little legs would carry it, squeaking loudly, into the undergrowth..........oh happy day.

I considered taking a photograph to post here but was too concerned that the flash, after all it's days trauma, would frighten it again and so the first time I actually remembered to take a picture of something as it happened, I still didn't! The photo above is not mine!

Not again

© SuperStock, Inc.

Well that's it done, four days at work over with and in actual fact I quite enjoyed it. As much as I love my 'middle of nowhere existence', the lack of human interaction can wear a little thin occasionally and the opportunity to be among others is a welcome change. That said the five play days ahead of me are no less welcome!

Work bought with it this week a stark reminder that yet again we are rushing headlong toward the festive season. As a child I adored Christmas time, it was my absolute favorite, everything about it enthralled me and filled me with an un- matchable feeling of excitement that nothing else could come close to. As an adult for years it was the same..........and then I hit the world of retail employment and it all changed.

Christmas begins for us next week! From today the hundreds of lines of festive merchandise are 'rolled out', we have in fact had a number already available for sale for the last two weeks though very low key. We all hate it, by the middle of October there isn't one of us who isn't fed up to the back teeth of tinsel, lights, artificial trees and the sound of those damn novelty scenes playing their horrendous faux Christmas carols! By the time Christmas arrives for real we have all been well and truly de-sensitized to any pleasure there may once was in the festivities.

The reasoning behind this unfortunate and much disliked situation is of course the mighty dollar. Ever mindful of profit margins and market share retailers, fearing for their corporate lives attempt to beat the competition year after year and consequently Christmas is heaped upon the unsuspecting customer earlier and earlier.

There are greater minds than mine I assume, that have foraged their intellectual, degree qualified way through unending market research and statistics to come to the decision that this is the way forward in a world where nothing matters beyond money. The confusing aspect to me is that almost without exception customers complain bitterly about it. Their complaints are the same as those of us who work in the environment.........that Christmas is ruined by such over commercialisation and very little is sold until much nearer the date.

It is perhaps indicative of the world as a whole, push push push, spend,spend,spend, advertising executives and manufacturers flooding children's TV schedules with bright advertisements for all things attractive to the under 16's (and over for that matter), surreptitiously heaping burden upon guilty burden on parents already struggling with the financial demands of life. The message, that if you truly love your child you will purchase for him or her, one expensive toy after another, because without doing so that child will suffer abject misery in one form or another, is very ill concealed. There are in the UK supposed to be controls on this type of advertising but they seem to be nowhere in evidence!

I am not a religious individual by any means, I would describe myself as agnostic in fact but without Christianity there would be no Christmas at all and yet it seems all but forgotten. The Christmas story, you remember, the one about a man and a woman, a donkey and three wise men seems to have been completely abandoned in favour of the 21st century version, the one about a man a woman, peer pressure and credit card debt. Do children even learn who Jesus and Mary were in these days of political correctness, where education seems to be so multi cultural that no culture learns anything? I can only assume that advertising executives and the chairmen of the worlds retailers sincerely hope not while they pile on the pressure and bombard us with all things Christmas for a whole quarter!

Bah humbug!

Sunday sunset

Sunset 26.09.04


Sunset 26.09.04

Catus (un) domesticus!

(Do not read before dinner!)

Ditto is in disgrace.

This small, 'butter wouldn't melt in my mouth', charming, little catus domesticus has for the last 24 hours begun behaving in a somewhat less that domesticus fashion.

I have kept cats for over 20 years, I thought I knew them inside out, what I did not account for was the differences between the domestic species who reside in a town, as mine did, and those like Ditto who are 'country cats'.

Poppy and gemmak, who lived most of their lives in suburbia, would not have known a mouse had bit them hard on the nose and in 36 years of joint life managed to capture perhaps 3 birds between them! Ditto on the other hand has spent the entirety of her two years in cat wonderland and has reasonably well honed hunting skills. As has been well documented here I regularly receive little 'gifts', most of which I am glad to say I manage to rescue before too much damage is done.

Things have moved on a pace I am sad to say. Yes I know it's natural'cat behaviour', I have nigh on a library of books on the subject, cats hunt given the opportunity. I know that.....honestly I do..... but she is pushing her luck now!

Last evening PG spied her taking rather too much interest in something small and furry. As is my way I set off at a pace to rescue said rodent from the fate of being a plaything...........I arrived at the scene of the crime just in time to see it's head be devoured! Ugh!

Thankfully PG 'dealt' with the remains while I went slightly pale, he then took the slightly bloodstained perpetrator indoors for a stern talking too.

She has since then shown her disapproval most markedly, she whined incessantly last night to be let out, something she never does normally, she harassed Poppy mercilessly by laying in wait around every corner and jumping on her from a height, she chased my feet and attacked my ankles and just as we went to bed she saw fit to use her litter tray and 'misfire', depositing the unmentionable on the floor. She followed that little gem by kicking the litter out of it's receptacle.... also all over the floor. Again not something she has done before!

This evening I came home to find she had again made 'good use' of the litter box. Today's trick was to step in the 'wet bit' and proceed to tread damp white paw marks through the hallway, through the living room, onto the table and finally to indulge in some dancing on the windowsill! This stuff set like clay!

Arghhhh. if I didn't know better I'de swear this cat actually understands!

Heavens above..............

....it's nearly 48 hours since I last posted something here, the withdrawals are getting bad, this is a most unnerving situation!

I have said it before and I will say it again, how on earth do those bloggers among you, who don't have access to the internet from work manage to keep it up? My head has been so frazzled by the time I have arrived home each day I could think of nothing to blog about in the first place but even if I had come up with something I haven't had a moment spare to type it. It's not good, in fact it's very un-good!....I have to blog soon..... I just have to!

No smoke without fire

Smoke

About lunch time I noticed this pall of smoke coming from the vicinity of the farm behind our home, incidentally I would make an appalling photographic journalist, the fire was almost out by the time it entered my mind to take a picture!

Said pall of smoke presented me with a problem. I hate wasting the time of the emergency services and am well aware of the number of inappropriate calls they receive each year, I was married to a fireman for years and the tales of peoples idiocy still ring in my ears. This is also a farming community and I don't know what farmers burn in the day to day 'administration' of things farming.

My dilemma......to call a 999 or not. I hurriedly tried binoculars, rushed on foot a bit closer and still could not decide where the seat of the fire was or if anyone was attending or controlling it. My decision made on the basis that should I have taken it too lightly and someone got hurt it would be dreadful I called it in. Oh what embarrassment. My second hand fire service training had deserted me, I forgot that this would be a job requiring a predetermined turn out of some magnitude and suddenly this quiet little village had not one but three tenders and an emergency rescue vehicle rushing through it on blues and two's!

Suffice to say three left and only one remained to put out the offending inferno. I was somewhat reassured by the fact that it at least required some attention but have a nasty feeling that this may well have been just a farmer going about his business, albeit on a reasonably large scale. I have visions of some poor soul going about his day quietly until some 'silly city incomer' who didn't understand called the fire brigade and caused mayhem!

I don't think I will be broadcasting locally who called 999!

A good read

Now this is a book, or to be more specific a number of books, I would like to have adorning my book shelves and available for bedtime reading, if only I had the required space!

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, published yesterday, costs a 'mere' £7000 and takes up 12 feet of shelf space! It's biographies are of some 50,000 individuals who are considered to have shaped Britain into what it is today and includes those such as Stephen Lawrence, Linda McCartney, Queen Victoria and the Dunblane mass murderer Thomas Hamilton.

I wonder if there is an Adobe version I can download?!!!

Other items in the news that caught my eye this morning are the reports of Iranian bloggers protest against censorship by renaming their blogs after banned publications and this article, for obvious reasons, concerning a man who prevented a woman throwing herself off the Cliff at Beachy Head.

Oh... and finally this seems a little severe. Janet Jackson and her antics don't normally interest me but come on, accident or not, this was after all only a breast! It may be considered inappropriate to some but I find it slighly insulting that the momentary sight of a woman's breast can be deemed 'indecent' in any circumstances.

Perhaps Judy Finnigan should call her lawyer!

The good life!

Who's bed?

Ups and downs

Thus far this week I haven't posted much in the way of happenings in the gemmak household, in the main because it has been a strange week with things seeming to hang in the balance.

PG has been off work ill for 3 days and under my feet requiring ministering too at frequent intervals, as is the way of the male of the species. He hasn't in fact been that ill (a point that is of no consequence where levels of 'attention' are concerned) but given the nature of his job, is prohibited from work with any kind of infection etc. His work is with severely mentally and physically disabled adults who's immune systems can barely cope at the best of times.

To be encouraged, nay banned from work while ill seems a Godsend to those of us who continue to struggle in when ailing and receive little sympathy for our stoicism. It is not so much of a gift however when you consider that despite not having a choice in the matter he does not get paid!

I think in honesty he was glad to be out of the place for the last few days. Saturday bought him and his colleagues news of the tragic death of one of their number, who had apparently and without warning thrown herself off a cliff to her death.

PG was one of the last people to speak to her, she had only been with them for maybe a year but he and she had some common ground and often chatted together. There seems to have been no warning that she was feeling even remotely suicidal but it is often the case and ultimately it is sometimes impossible to know what is going on in someone else's mind. PG is not given to showing his feelings but I think quietly, this hit him harder than he would admit.

On a more positive note his father was moved from ITU late last week and has made such steady progress will hopefully be returned home by the end of this week. It was decided that further surgery was not necessary thankfully and having 'turned the corner' his subsequent recovery was impressive. The ability of the human body to heal itself amazes me. Of course in this case massive medical intervention saved his life but once over the worst the natural healing process is astounding.

So thus far it has been an odd week, sad and happy, up and down. Unusually I am working the rest of it,Thursady through Sunday, so less playtime for me. PG shuffled off to work at 6.30 this morning, looking slightly sorry for himself in the gales that have blown all week...... Autumn has most definitely arrived in this corner of the world.

This week over with and it is then only one week remains until we are off to London to visit my parents again, I can't wait..........

I couldn't resist......

Cosy! © Xavier Chantrenne

........sharing this! It's one of today's offerings from Webshots the only site I pay good money to to use.

Given it's subject to copyright I suppose I should have really avoided the temptation to post, but hey........I just couldn't resist :o)

Expect disruption

It seems today is going to be another day of teeth gnashing and hair pulling in the endeavor to find and put in place a new template! I may complain bitterly at the task that is this but in honesty I enjoy it as frustrating as it can be. I'm not entirely sure why I do it or why I want to do it, other than it's akin to the feeling one gets when bored with the decor in the bathroom/bedroom etc. I think perhaps it's just because it's there to be done and beaten!

So never one to give up the fight and having been charged with the task of getting something new up and running by the end of the day by my ever helpful and patient 'HTML mentor' Lisa, I'm off on yet another trawl through the world of the internet on the seemingly unending hunt for a new template!!! Finding them is not the problem....finding one I like is.

Watch this space, expect some disruption but in the end don't hold your breath..... there is yet again a fair chance that nothing significant will have changed by the end of the day!

Just don't go there!

Well, I have spent the entire day alternately fiddling with templates and fighting an inoperable Blogger...to very little end!

I built too many templates to remember and then discarded them all, either because I didn't like them once complete or out of frustration when Blogger failed to allow me to do something as basic as publish!

In the end, not to feel like I wasted the entire day I made a few changes but you'll have to look hard to notice.....the complete remake will have to wait while I re-ajust my patience settings!

At least Blogroll has got it's act together now.

Anyone got any Prozac?

'Blogroll' bother

Ever since Blogroll had a spot of bother a few days ago mine refuses to show the 'updated' append....anyone else noticed this problem with theres?

It's good to talk.

That's another working weekend over with....I have three days of 'playtime' ahead of me now and then four at work! Yes I said four, I am actually going to work almost a full week for once, euchhh! I can't say I relish the thought but there is no avoiding it and the financial remuneration is not to be sniffed at!

The weekend was reasonably uneventful this time, no customers of particular note, no gossip to cause excitement. Last week when I told the story of the customer from hell my description was supposed to be loose enough that the individuals concerned where not recognisable. Hey ho, I failed there. Yesterday a colleague arriving for work greeted me with the opening sentence..."so you had 'Mrs X' in then last Sunday"! Having read the post he knew immediately who I was referring to.... Ooops!

That brings to mind a conversation I had with my boss a week or two ago. I was in his office for my annual appraisal but as I think we both knew it would, the conversation turned to the topic of the sacking incident back in July. I admit to having been somewhat nervous of discussing this situation with him, I had until that point avoided it for fear of reprisal and for fear of inappropriately losing my temper. In the event I was pleasantly surprised. We managed to behave like adults! He had, as I suspected, acquired the URL for this blog ( yes I know where from now but it's not an issue) and had read the posts in question. What surprised me was his reaction....he was for the main part upset that I viewed him as I did and had felt unable to approach him to discuss my feelings.

He and I have some history, we haven't always seen eye to eye but we had in the past worked on that and had improved our working relationship dramatically. This situation had undermined all of that. This was I think the longest appraisal I have ever had and barely did we touch on any performance issues, we did however agree to disagree on the incident in question and move forward.

He, I assume for legal and professional reasons, was not ever going to tell me his side and I for the same reasons didn't want to discuss the specifics. That said he knows I will continue to support the individual in question and respects my decision to do so and I know he disagrees with my opinion.....we will both live with that.

I feel no less strongly about the situation and I will fight what I see as discrimination wherever I can, the colleague involved knows he has my full support but I have to give the boss credit ......I have rarely, if ever, had a manager prepared to listen to and accept the point of view of a minion, or to give up the time to do that.

It's good to be working in a more positive environment again and C.S. if you read this, my apologies for misjudging you.

The Infinite Cat

For those of you who like me have a predilection to madness and stupidity where cats are concerned go HERE:

...and thanks to Justitia for the link

Payback

Princess of Wales Conservatory. Kew.

The last 48 hours has seen me absent from the blogosphere for an unusually long period of time.....and surprisingly I survived to tell the tale! I managed to pop in briefly very late last night but barring that not a keystroke have I made.

This unusual state of affairs was the result of the weather, unseasonably sunny and warm for the main part had the result of spurring into action a project that had been 'waiting in the wings' for some weeks.

The building PG and I live in was originally built approximately 200 years ago as 4 cottages for workers on the nearby railway. Having been long since decommisioned the cottages were sold. 5 years ago they where renovated and converted into 8 flats by our current landlord. We inhabit a flat on the first floor which provides us with stunning views but no garden. Those on at ground level have gardens. The property directly below us is let to a guy who keeps it purely as a 'bolt hole' and rarely visits even to collect mail let alone attend to his garden, which for the last year has borne more in common with the Amazon than an idyllic country extension to the dwelling.

So it was this situation that prompted myself and a neighbour to tackle the landlord on a solution to the ever increasing eyesore. As is the way of landlords he was in no hurry to spend time or money rectifying the situation but after some discussion gave us permission to effect a take over. Ok....so it's not our property but it is the environment we live in and is our home, the two of us finally agreed to take on the task.

For the main part I enjoy gardening and have missed not having a 'patch' to call my own. I am passionate about plants and horticulture in general, how many of us residing is Scotland I wonder visit Kew gardens on perhaps ten occasions a year.....I do!

The weather having taken a turn for the better my neighbour and I decided to take the proverbial bull by the horns on Wednesday morning and tackle the task before us. And some task it turned out to be. Plants and shrubs of maybe decades age and rooted somewhere near Australia were in abundance once we had cleared the ever advancing weeds, the soil was heavy with clay and we dug and pulled and swore and sweated for the entire day. For all our efforts, upon standing back to admire our progress this patch of land looked barely touched...... and so it was that on wakening yesterday morning to find yet more sunshine we set about day two.

The rewards were at last evident by the time, late in the evening, that extremely strong winds and rain called a final halt to the project, Kew Gardens it will never be but this small piece of land albeit quite bare and uninteresting thus far, is at least clear and tidy....but oh how I suffered.

I recall many moons ago teasing my mother, when she had been involved in some physical task complaining of her aches and pains and being warned to 'wait until I was her age'. So now I am suffering her warning and the payback is brutal! My back is locked into a strange position, I have muscles I never knew existed complaining loudly, my hands are red raw and so stiff even my efforts at typing are painful and I lost all but 3 long and manicured fingernails into the bargain!!!

PG nagged me into a bath last night in an endeavor to alleviate my state of decrepit-ness having taken much amusement in the state of disrepair I had fallen into. He rarely misses an opportunity to remind me of in the fact that he is some years my junior! The results of the prolonged soak were pleasing, somewhat less pleasing was waking at 3 this morning and being unable to eject myself from the bed without his assistance in rolling me off the edge!

Goddamn....what happened to this body of mine? Having been a gymnast for years, ridden large motor bikes and spent years in a physically demanding job it used to be strong. It seems but a few months since I could easily lift a 40kg bag of cement (don't ask) without any detrimental effects, not bad for a woman of 5 foot and 7.5 stone,...........oh how my mother will laugh. The phrase 'I told you so' will soon be ringing, if sympathetically, in my ears I think!!

My only comfort is drawn from the fact that my neighbour, the other member of the 'digging party' is suffering no less than I...... despite being 10 years my junior. :o)

City girl, new experience.

Harvested


Clouds

This normally quiet part of the world has been a hive of activity and noise for the last week or two. Something that has never figured in my life before has been much in evidence.....the harvest.

As a city girl the question of how crops got from the field to the consumer had never really fluttered through my mind for more than a few childhood moments sat cross legged and impatient on a cold hard floor during school harvest festivals!

Here in a community whose economic survival is based on farming, the seasons and weather are of greater importance than I am used to and dictate what is done and when. I am fascinated by a way of life I have never witnessed before and have given little or no thought to previously.

The harvest in particular seems to be fraught with difficulties, crops can only be lifted under certain conditions and here for the past few weeks the normally still, quiet atmosphere has been permeated by the sounds of heavy machinery in the fields. This is not a 9-5 job by any stretch of the imagination. Once the crop is ready to be harvested and the weather suitable, those who's job it is to carry out the work are in the fields 24/7 until it is done. Social lives stop, the pubs are quieter than is the norm and it seems half of the already meagre population disappears.

Never before have I seen the almost eerie sight of these massive harvesting machines cutting their straight lines in the fields throughtout the night lit by powerful halogen lights. Nor did I ever realise just how big and technically advanced they are. These things are immense and this is the one time of year when getting stuck in traffic becomes slightly more common. Get behind one of these monsters and you have no chance......alone they can barely manoeuvre using both lanes let alone allow other traffic past!

You know .......

.... You're From London When...

You say "the city" and expect everyone to know which one. You have never been to The Tower or Madame Tussauds but love Brighton. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Shepherds Bush to Elephant & Castle at 3:30 on the Friday before a long weekend, but can't find Dorset on a map. Hookers and the homeless are invisible. You step over people who collapse on the tube. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual. You've considered stabbing someone. Your door has more than three locks. Your favourite movie has Hugh Grant in it. You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression. You call an 8' x 10' plot of patchy grass a garden. You know where Karl Marx is buried. You consider Essex the "countryside" You think Hyde Park is "nature." You're paying £1,200 a month for a studio the size of a walk-in wardrobe and you think it's a "bargain." Shopping in suburban supermarkets and shopping malls gives you a severe attack of agoraphobia. You've been to Tooting twice and got hopelessly lost both times. You pay more each month to park your car than most people in the UK pay in rent. You haven't seen more than twelve stars in the night sky since you went camping as a kid. You own hiking boots and a 4WD vehicle, neither of which have ever touched dirt. You haven't heard the sound of true absolute silence since 1977, and when you did, it terrified you. You pay £3 without blinking for a beer that cost the bar 28p. You actually take fashion seriously. Being truly alone makes you nervous. You have 27 different menus next to your telephone. The UK west of Heathrow is still theoretical to you. You're suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you. You haven't cooked a meal since helping mum last Christmas with the turkey. Your idea of personal space is no one actually standing on your toes. £50 worth of groceries fit in one paper bag. You have a minimum of five "worst cab ride ever" stories. You don't hear sirens anymore. You've mentally blocked out all thoughts of the city's air quality and what it's doing to your lungs. You live in a building with a larger population than most towns. Your cleaner is Russian, your grocer is Korean, your deli man is Israeli, your landlord is Italian, your laundry guy is Chinese, your favourite bartender is Irish, your favourite diner owner is Greek, the watch-seller on your corner is Senegalese, your last cabbie was Pakistani, your newsagent is Indian and your favourite falafel guy is Egyptian. You wouldn't want to live anywhere else until you get married. You say 'mate' constantly You think anyone not from London is a 'wanker' You think anyone from outside London and north of the Watford Gap is a 'Northern Wanker' You have no idea where the North is. You see All Saints in the Met Bar (again) and find it hard to get excited about it. The countryside makes you nervous Somebody speaks to you on the tube and you freak out thinking they are a stalker. You talk in postcodes. "God, it was really warm round SW1 the other day" You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from London.

Get Your Own "You Know You're From" Meme Here

Of Poldark and porn.

Poldark

My post yesterday and the subsequent comments prompted me to consider the the porn industry and the offerings of modern television schedules in general, further.

Pornography for me is neither particularly offensive nor a pleasure and I don't feel degraded by it as a woman or a human being. As Dale said in his comment, "in North America it is big business" and were there not a market for it we can be rest assured that in an era, where the mighty dollar is a God, it would not exist in the volume it does. There has always been, and doubtless will always be, an enormous market for the mainly low quality products this industry produces....The Sun's page three and Hugh Heffners Playboy are now institutions, they are in comparison to most more recent offerings tame stuff but none the less they appeal to the same base nature in a large proportion of individuals.

Sex is an inherent part of mankind and since time began a powerful driving force in much that we do. It is therefore no great surprise that human nature has an unending fascination with it in one form or another. One only has to google the word 'sex' to get an idea of how much is out there, it would not be so if there were no market. I cannot say that this is a 'man only' phenomenon though I would suggest that women prefer in the main, something slightly less 'in your face'......as an individual whilst I have no problem with pornography in essence, the unending close ups of random individuals engaging in multifarious acts that must on occasion defy even the most athletic body leaves me cold. At best it is soul-less. Porn is for the most part aimed at the male of the species and there is no doubt it is received with relish. Men and women are inherently different creatures (ok guys I know you didn't need that pointing out) and if you have ever tried to find pornography for women on the internet you will know how little, by comparison, there is.

I am of course talking here of what has become the 'legitimate' main stream porn industry, where those involved are involved of their own choice and free will and have not been coerced. Where coercion and deviance are involved I have like most a big problem with it, that is a whole different subject and a very tragic one. We all have our own opinion as to where normal behaviors end and deviance begins but there is no need for me to spell that out here.

My main concerns with what is on offer and how it is offered are these. Firstly pornography is for adults and spamming and advertising that is available to minors requires much tighter controls than are currently in place. Children should be bought up in a safe environment to enjoy a true childhood and learning that sex is only about self gratification is harmful. Porn most definitely does not promote sex as part of a loving and respectful relationship!

Secondly, like advertising, it concerns me that the presentation of all that is pornographic instills in people unrealistic standards and goals in life. The reality is that we are not all sexual Houdinis, with perfectly honed and well endowed bodies and nor are we multi orgasmic on a thrice daily basis! Is it any wonder that sex therapists are inundated with lost souls feeling unnecessarily inadequate and that the population at large feels they are somehow missing out?

All this brings me to my second point....the content of modern television schedules.

I was bought up in a household where television was a big part of our life, not because we watched it unendingly, quite the reverse, we, as children, where only allowed very limited access but because my father worked for the BBC for nigh on 40 years at the sharp end in production. He and his colleagues were proud of what they produced, they had been in from the very early days of modern TV, had watched it grow and were involved in its evolution.

Today, despite a vast array of channels and options the quality and choice on our screens, with a few exceptions, is dismal and for the most part is made up of reality shows, game shows, porn by another name and 'drama' that concentrates on either sex, violence or both. There is good work out there but you have to look damn hard to find. Anything mentally challenging or stimulating is generally well hidden. The days of treats such as Poldark and David Attenboroughs journeys around our natural world are sadly all but gone..........feel good, stimulating television is rapidly becoming a thing of the past!

And who do we blame? We blame the production and broadcasting companies... but while we turn on in our millions to watch this claptrap it is hardly surprising, in an industry that is like most, economically controlled that claptrap is what we get!!!

Porn star??

It never ceases to amaze me just how peculiarly idiotic the occasional individual can be.

Late last night whilst indulging in a little of the infuriating male pass-time of channel hopping, PG found himself, inexplicably watching a documentary (I use the word very loosely here) on the subject of the porn industry. Inexplicably my foot.... for someone who maintained it was not intentional that he had arrived at this particular channel he seemed somewhat keen to remain there.... men will be men. This un-delightful half hour of footage was one of those low buget programmes produced under the guise of 'education', though I doubt the producers had little more in mind than cheap titillation.

This post, I promise, is not going to be a moral or ethical lecture on the pro's and con's of pornography, I will leave that for someone else, rather it is to register my perhaps unkind amazement at one individuals utter lack of common sense!

The programme was intended to be focusing on the endeavors of a particular director to find a new star, though the cameras (along with PG's gaze) seemed to be focused elsewhere mostly. Suffice to say the 'applicants' for the position came and went, did their stuff, said a few ill articulated words, in general about how impressed they were with the kindness of the attendant male participant and how the legitimate side of the porn industry is wonderful.... and off they trotted, all blonde hair and oversized assets.

My amazement was centered on the final girl, perhaps aged in her early twenties, who arrived late but seemingly with the appropriate attributes...that is barring one thing.

This young lady's face was completely covered in angry looking red spots and on closer inspection so were her legs! She was not investigated further. My surprise was not with her medical predicament but with the fact that she, in an industry so apparently obsessed with appearance and sexual health was completely outraged when told kindly by the director she could not be used in that days shoot!! He advised her to seek medical attention, advice she seemed to ignore. He attempted with unexpected tact, to explain the situation to her again and again but for what seemed like an interminable length of time she persisted in arguing that 'it was nothing' .....absolutely no amount of persuasion was going to convince her otherwise!!! She was finally unceremoniously dispatched toward the exit and the advice to see a doctor was reiterated.

It may well have 'been nothing' but come on, how could she possibly have imagined that in the porn industry of all industries it would be acceptable.

Utterly amazing!

I know, I know, I should really have been more sympathetic and in the main I am, the issues surrounding this industry are serious and many.... I just couldn't resist being amused by her audacity and stupidity.

Porn star??...I doubt it.

Scary!

You Know You're Addicted to your Blog When...

If you can't access the site, you have a minor freak out - and a major case of hitting reload. You found yourself composing journal entries during dates, movies, even sex! When you're out, you suddenly think of a witty reply to a comment somebody made to you... several days ago. You've downloaded some sort of blog program which has only the purpose of making entries easier to write without going on the site manually. You consider it a great offence if someone deletes you off their friend's list. The first thing you do every day when you go online is check your friends blogs - even before checking your email. You actually paid money for a few extra pictures with a full account when you could actually just alternate pics when you want to for your screen icons. When your friends ask what's new, you get mad at them because you already wrote it in your blog and they didn't check it yet. You have put more time into your blog than all your assignments for the semester. You have more friends in the blogosphere than in real life. You've met at least 50% of your Blogger friends. You can't seem to call your friends by their real names - only blog names will do. You've fallen in love with someone you met on blogger. You have posted about a party or get together on your blog... and random strangers showed up. You are guilty of traveling more than an hour to meet someone with Blogger. (Extra points for traveling five hours or more) You've written a protected entry about one of your blog friends. (Extra points if they eventually found out about it) You have written posts to notify people you're going to sleep. You talk about your blog friends to your real life friends all the time... like they're a part of your group. You've created a blog community, and people actually post in it. You've been recognized in real life by a fellow blogger'er. You have friended someone because of their blog icon. You have "pity friends" on your list, who you would defriend if you could. You've pimped one of your friends on journal, trying to get people to friend him / her. Instead of doing research, you post difficult questions on your blog. Your pets all have their own blogs. You know, right now, how many people have friended you (without peeking). You've stopped being friends with someone in real life because of something they've said on your blog. You're guilty of posting sexy or nude pictures to get more people to friend you. You have consoled yourself after a horrible day thinking "At least this will make a great blog post" You're jealous of people who have more friends and / or comments than you. You have written a really great, solid post - only to be disappointed by the lack of good comments. You're guilty of commenting excessively to get more traffic to your journal. You've deleted a post a few minutes (or hours) after you've written it, because it seemed lame in retro spect. You have an additional, secret journal that hardly anyone knows about. You've broken up with someone - or ended a friendship - soley via Blogger. You have gotten mean anonymous comments (bonus points for figuring out who it was via their IP) You've been reported (or reported someone) to Blogger Abuse. You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends who are blog addicts.

Get Your Own Addicted Meme Here

A personal triumph

Andrew Murray

I was heartened this morning to read this story.

Andrew Murray, a 17 year old Scot who survived the Dunblane massacre of 1996, yesterday won the US open tennis junior title.

A true case of courage triumphing over adversity. Long may he continue to achieve his dreams.

"My long-term aim is to make the world's top 10"

Andrew Murray.

And the prize for customer from hell goes to...

This weeks two days in the world of retail was particularly challenging! To be strictly correct it was actually only one day. Saturday saw me ailing and I called in sick, something I hate doing but on this occasion was unavoidable. Sunday was madness.

Anyone who has the misfortune to be employed in this field will know only too well that there is a very definite clash between the need to provide an excellent service and to maintain the approval of shareholders. The two things are not good bedfellows........an excellent level of customer service is difficult in the extreme to provide with the skeleton staffing levels dictated by the need to maximise profits!

In the main I enjoy the high pressure environment and it's challenges though I'm not sure I could cope at that 'pitch' full time as I used to. For 8 hours solid we are at full stretch endeavoring to 'keep it all together'. I wonder at times if some who walk through our doors have any idea whatsoever of what is involved in a modern retail environment. Historically it is considered a job for those who can do nothing more professional, perhaps that used to be the case but it is by no means true in this day and age. Even to operate a checkout in the modern retail environment requires considerable skills in my opinion, but yet much of 'Joe Public' still appears to imagine shop staff are there in the main to be abused and condescended too.

The specifics of yesterdays experience are both annoying and amusing at once. The phrase 'If you didn't laugh you would cry' springs to mind.

First I must explain that this outlet is a very large, self service, warehouse type establishment. We retail, among other things, much technical equipment and are expected by customers to know everything about everything. We are talking thousands of products here and sadly perhaps, the days of small shops where the proprietor was a specialist in his or her field has gone. We do our best but we are not trained technicians, those of us who have been in the business for years have gradually acquired considerable product knowledge and the company provide some training but we are not tradesmen.One cannot recruit specialist staff into a retail environment at the rates of pay on offer.

My job specifically is it to keep the checkouts running smoothly and queue-lessly, to man the front of house desk, from where the rest of the store is controlled during opening hours. I deal with all enquiries, requests for information and process refunds and the more complicated transactions. For the most part of the day I am directing other staff, via a tannoy, to points in the store they are required to be, shouting instructions to checkout operators with problems, along a line of tills, holding at least one phone on my shoulder, dealing with a queue of customers who need my specific attention and trying to complete a pile of paperwork that a computer spewed out overnight. The adrenalin flows freely, if it didn't I would be reduced to a snivelling heap within 10 minutes.

We have a very progressive refund policy that allows for a full, no questions refund within a long period should a customer change their mind. We don't adhere closely to it, rather in the name of goodwill we have a tendency to overlook most of the criteria and refund within much wider limits. Something that in my opinion,having worked in retail security, is only encouraging dishonesty but what do I know?

Against this background you will perhaps understand why yesterday the sight and sound of a particular family walking through the doors en-mass filled me with dread. All shops have them....the people you just know are going to present problems and test your patience and personal communication skills to the limit. This family are notorious to us. They recently emigrated here, are very well educated, financially very comfortable and an absolute pain in the ass. We are not Harrods or Harvey Nicks and yet they demand, very rudely, something akin to an army of personal shoppers. They demand complete attention, require that I recall individual staff members that they prefer to deal with from lunch breaks to serve them, seat themselves at some point in the store and proceed to direct as many of us as they can command to attend to their every whim. Add to that, a large proportion of the goods they purchase they invariably return for refund,up to a year after purchase having nigh on destroyed them and rendered them unsaleable. Yesterday was no different. 27 items in various states of disarray where dumped unceremoniously on my desk along with a pile of very questionably stained receipts, dating back almost a year, with a loud demand that I sort it out.

I know from experience this lady will question my every move, she will check that I am refunding for the correct items, question each and every price, add them herself to be satisfied that I or the technology have made no mistake, she will never have the correct credit card to hand and all the time rattle complaints in my ear! Through out this delightful exchange I have to maintain absolute politeness, remain understanding and sympathetic to her every complaint, listen to her argue with her husband and 30 something daughter (who still incidentally refers to her annoyingly as 'mummy'), take other directions and complaints from said husband and daughter and attempt to appease the by now growing annoyance of a large queue of customers forming behind her.

That is the bit that really angers me.....in the real world surely this woman knows this is a self serve outlet and that she can't or shouldn't demand such special attention, her behavior is selfish in the extreme. She shows an utter disregard for all those other shoppers waiting patiently in her wake, they too need attention but for this lady that is of no consequence whatsoever. For her with her arrogant manner, they are not worthy of any consideration. Each time she walks though the door the majority of staff become embroiled in the scene, despite attempts at escape and for her, the rest can go hang!

Sadly the bottom line is that she spends a lot of money with us and by virtue of that we have to accept her obnoxious visits, I disagree. Those customers that spend less are no less important and deserve our attention just the same. Whilst retail is generally understaffed one cannot staff to unprofitable levels and we can only stretch ourselves so far. We should not be giving special treatment to someone purely on the strength of their spending power but the reality is that we have to.

I'm sorry, but where the f*** do people like this learn such outrageous attitudes?....I just don't get it!

How common are you?

gemma is the #1711 most common female name.
0.003% of females in the US are named gemma.
Around 3825 US females are named gemma!
source namestatistics.com

....and my real name is #77!.....how common :o)

The end of the rainbow...

....is in Scotland!





11.09.04

9/11

© SuperStock, Inc.

I couldn't let today go by without remembering the atrocities of September 11th 2001.

I doubt anyone will ever forget the events of that day or the feeling of disbelief at what we were witnessing.

My thoughts are with those who so tragically lost their lives, the families they left behind and with the courageous individuals involved in the aftermath.


We may carry fear but we must never bow to terrorism.

Why I love ...... my cat.

My mother sent me this cutting from The Guardian. When I say cutting I mean just that, the piece cut from the paper! Not for her the wonders of email, her preference is snail mail. Normally my father attends to the technology in their household but he is currently away enjoying his annual weeks holiday with his friends, no doubt doing their damnedest to emulate 'Men Behaving Badly' despite the advancing years! :o)

So here it....and very amusing it is too:

Why I love ...... my cat.

There are the obvious reasons of course: the delicate marmalade-coloured fur on his feet and belly, the utter reliability of his cupboard love, the joy he gave me once when he caused my mild wife to say "Get down you buggering little sod" as he trotted across the fish lasagne she had just prepared.
But the main reason is his endearing stupidity. Some cats are clever, and one owner I know claims that her favourite has not only worked out how to open the fridge to get at her food, but has also declined to teach this trick to the other cats in the house.

However, my cat is stupid. He exhibits this best in the rain. He pushes his way through the catflap at the back of the house, gets his nose wet, and returns immediately. But now his eyes plead with me to open the front door - on the grounds that, although it is raining out the back, it may be dry at the front.

What is especially attractive about this is that there is no development. Almost without exception, children become more intelligent, almost day by day, and if you watch them, you can see this happen. I have even noticed myself becoming cleverer, and now, at the age of nearly 60, I have almost thrown off adolescent habits of moral certainty and political priggishness.

But my cat never learns. He insists on sitting on the mat where the door might slam on him, and on challenging the same old bruiser of a female four doors down, who duffs him up every time, leaving him cut and scabby.

I admire this determination not to develop, and reflect how simple it makes his life. Those of us who try to do a little better every day, and who break our hearts in failing, could learn a lot from him.

Fred Sedgwick
© The Guardian 2004

Miscellaneous mumblings

'Cloudless blue sky in gemmakville'

If the weather holds for today, and it looks promising, that will be three entire days of unbroken sunshine we have enjoyed. For a British summer that's pretty impressive and all complaints will cease from this point on!

I did a modicum of spring cleaning, or should that be autumn cleaning?, just doesn't have the same ring does it,here last night and removed some dead blogroll links. They were swiftly replaced with a few new one's. Gone it seems are the early days of living in the blogosphere, when my blogroll was short and sweet, there are so many good blogs out there. I'm gonna have to use a smaller font before long or risk litigation from those suffering RSI whilst attempting to navigate through it!

My original and enduring list of favorite blogroll residents still remains and joining them now are Justitia, Road to pregnancy, Number Wann and Beyond Northern Iraq. The latter is the blog of BBC world affairs journalist Stuart Hughes, who in April 2003 unfortunately made the headlines himself. The guy is an inspiration and his posts are always interesting stuff.

Should you have a spare moment in your blogosphere travels take a second to visit 'getblogs', a new (ish) blogring set up and run by a guy in Canada, he is working hard to 'make it happen' and deserves the attentions of the multitudes! :o)

Off now on a completely different tangent.

Yesterday in my small corner of Scotland, where people are few and crimes even fewer I was victim of an amusing if aggravating theft! Don't rush of and alert Reuters please, this was the unlikely theft of my dustbin. Here, where council tax is high and services few the 'bin men', or as they are now prefer to be titled the 'refuse technicians', do little more than put your 'already deposited at the correct point 500 yards up the road', bags onto the truck.

It is the 'depositing in the correct place' bit that miffs me. We have to drag copious amounts of refuse a considerable distance to comply with this rule and yesterday by the time I had arrived at the designated spot I was knackered (no reference to age please). In my near state of collapse I abandoned the bin temporarily for rescue on my returning visit. In those few minutes someone helped themselves to it! Strange in the first place because there are few people here and even fewer at 7.30 in the morning.

Suffice to say, memories of residing in Manchester and London where real crime is part of daily life left me temporarily and myself and two neighbours, in a state of over reaction at this minor misdemeanor, set about hunting the bin....to no avail.

I duly and rapidly typed and laminated a terse notice and stuck it on the wall requesting the return of said item and then forgot about it. At 7 am this morning I was woken by a phone call from an excited neighbour announcing the return, overnight, of the item in question. My faith in human nature is restored but on a more serious note I was reminded just how lucky I am to be living in a place where 'bin theft' is noteworthy. It never dawned on me just how much stress living in a city with it's attendant crime levels subjected me to until I escaped!

A right decision

Logo

For once it seems common sense and a feeling of moral wrong-doing has prompted a correct decision.

The Mobo Awards list for 2004 included artists ( I use the term artist loosely here)'The Elephant' Man and 'Vybz Kartel' both of which have produced lyrics of homophobic content and in the case of one, lyrics promoting the killing of homosexuals!

The gay rights group Outrage!, among others, called for these artists to have their nominations for this years awards removed and the BBC agreed not to broadcast lyrics with this content. The usual arguments ensued with the artists promoters claiming the lyrics in question where earlier in the careers of those involved and more recent content was of an acceptable nature.

Is it relevant that now, doubtless having suffered previous negative reaction and the attendant economic fallout, these individuals have had a change of direction. In my opinion it is not. The tracks concerned are still available and the damage done, this is likely to be merely a decision taken on the grounds of economics alone and not a genuine change of heart.

These people carry the inherent responsibility that comes with being in the public domain, or at least they should. Their audience is in the main young people, still formulating opinions and to witness individuals they admire condoning such heinous behaviors and thinking has the possibility of very serious consequences. I do not think for one minute that every teenager listening to one of these tracks will immediately go out and commit a crime of this nature but I do think it has the likelihood of instilling in some, that homophobic attitudes are acceptable or even 'savvy'.

We should not be encouraging anyone, in any manner, to think that prejudice of any kind, is in any way, acceptable and yesterday it was agreed by those within Mobo to remove these artists from the list of nominations.....bravo Mobo! a good call in my opinion. The industry should be sending a message that it will not reward people for such appalling displays of hatred not reinforcing them, in this instance they got it right and hopefully in the future others will follow suit.

I do not pretend to be familiar with these artists, I am way too old for that but even the name 'Elephant Man' I find offensive, no doubt the A&R people will have an excuse for that too, but for me, to choose a name with such sad connotations is in itself unacceptable and indicative of the mentality we are dealing with here.

Yes I would defend the right to free speech for all, and defend it fervently but where the speech is coming from a source so obviously ignorant and misguided we have a duty to silence it or at the very least not encourage and reward it.

One last thought, both the individuals concerned are black and by virtue of that have sadly perhaps suffered prejudice at some time in their own lives. Should they not therefore have a good understanding of the pain caused by such ignorance and would they not be outraged themselves, and rightly so, at a band or any other individual or group of people inciting racial hatred?

An Indian summer

Glowing sunset

Summer finally arrived in the Borders of Scotland today. A little late maybe but very welcome! A whole day of unbroken sunshine, blue cloudless skies and temperatures unheard of in recent weeks. As evening fell and the light faded we were treated to this beautiful glowing sunset.

The human spirit

Yesterday was a long day.

PG finished work at 2.30 and we made our way the 80 miles South to visit his father in hospital.

It was surreal day. We where of course prepared for the sight that is ITU, the myriad tubes, pipes and numerous items of high tech equipment that currently support his father but I somehow hadn't expected to be unable to quite equate this man, completely at the mercy of machines, with the man I know. In some ways we were relieved, he was comfortable and appeared peaceful. I had expected agitation as is often the case but there was none. He had a good colour and despite all the technology surrounding him the unit was bright airy and new and an atmosphere of calm was very evident.

His condition is slightly improved thankfully, though not in any way perceptible to anyone other than a professional. His sats and blood pressure have improved and remained stable, his heart rate is nearing normal and he has short periods now of consciousness and appeared to recognise us. There is of course a very long way to go and we are not complacent but for now things are looking very slightly better.

We in the U.K are used to hearing nothing but dire predictions and horror stories of the NHS. Good news is not news as they say but I have to beg to differ where my own experience is concerned. I and those close to me have had need of the service on maybe more than our fair share of occasions over the years and have, without exception, had excellent and prompt attention. That of course does not detract from the importance of the incidents where the system fails but I am constantly struck by the fact that those working within the service are dedicated, professional hard working and highly skilled individuals but who are ultimately like you or I....human beings and fallible. I don't envy them their job. I for one would not like to be in the position of making life and death decisions on a day to day basis with the inherently attached impact that has on others. PG's father is receiving care of very high calibre, at a staffing ratio of 2:1 and with equipment available to him that beggars belief. All this at a moments notice and at the point of delivery, free.

Standing at his bedside trying to think of things to say, unsure if he is hearing I felt humbled by the human spirit and it's contradictions. One one hand life seemed so fragile, in a moment changed forever, circumstances in an instant rendering an individual completely helpless and dependent entirely on technology and the help of others. On on the other hand fighting still, despite the odds, strangely strong in the face of such adversity.

Against massive physiological trauma the human body and spirit still fights for life with all it's got!

U.S. coverage of the paralympics

I am appalled!

One of my favorite and regular reads is Someone else's life. Blackrat, it's author, never fails to deliver something both well written and absorbing, Today is no exception. His latest posting concerns the U.S. broadcasting companies coverage of the imminent paralympics, or rather the lack of it!!

I am for once lost for words. I won't repeat here the content of his post, rather I urge you to read it for yourself HERE.

Indoor hunting!!

Blue Tit. Parus caeruleus

Ditto, having honed her hunting skills over this summer, to such a degree that we have bestowed proudly upon us at least one 'gift' a day seems to have turned her attentions to a less rugged form of sport.

We have tried our best to dissuade her from the attractions of live quarry, she has not one but two bells on her collar, a reflective 'tag' that the maufacturers assure the purchaser is noticed more readily by the unfortunate creature within her sights, though I have my doubts and wherever possible we are seen chasing her like madmen to extract small mammals from her jaws before serious harm is done. We are often successful in this endeavor and are the source of much amusement for our few neighbor's who call us to alert us when they see her 'with prey' and then watch us scooting about after her in a most ungainly manner!

With winter approaching and her dislike of the cold on her paws she has, it seems begun training for a new winter 'game'! Our living room window is very narrow and hinged at the top. It has installed a lock, which enables it to only be open approximately 2 inches, purposely so, in an attempt, as we live on the first floor, to prevent her skydiving in moments of over excitement. Yesterday however she managed somehow to circumnavigate this security measure to some degree. Just as I exited the shower, dripping wet, there was an unearthly commotion from somewhere close by. On investigation, still dripping wet, I came upon Ditto, beside herself with glee, chasing a blue tit around the living room! She had it seems managed to catch it through the 2 inch opening in the window....heaven knows how. The window is recessed from the outside preventing birds flying close to it, we have never seen one land on the sill and even if that was the case the design is such that I just cannot see how she would get any part of her body in such a position as to reach! We are still scratching our heads on that one.

Suffice to say, a scene followed that I am sure to any onlooker would have been hilarious. A most undignified battle began between a naked an wet me, a terrified bird and a much thrilled Ditto!

I am pleased to say that ultimately I was victorious, bird and cat where separated, cat was confined to another room and bird was captured unharmed, if somewhat alarmed, and released safely. I was left with an extremely miffed cat, a living room scattered with small feathers and an array of scratches on my unprotected flesh!

Said cat is now most confused, she can obviously smell 'bird' in 'her house' and is still monitoring the area closely in the hope of further sightings and possible opportunities for indoor hunting!!

...and on a lighter note

Can we have some manners please!!!

At the eleventh hour

Today didn't work out as planned.....at the 'eleventh hour', circumstances beyond our control dictated it better that we go to visit PG'a father tomorrow. Half of me heaved a sigh of relief the other half knows we have to key ourselves up for it allover again in the morning.

Consequently I have found myself at a bit of a loss as to what to do with my day, having made plans to be busy all day today I had caught up with everything I needed to do last night and what I was going to do tomorrow will have to wait, that aspect of the re-arrangements I'm not sorry about!

Tomorrows planned job was to be to endeavor to lay a laminate floor myself.
I will no doubt rue my decision to take matters into my own hands later this week. Ok guys I know this isn't quite on the scale of house building or foundation digging but believe me, that stuff is damn heavy when you're small!

I'm not even convinced I like the stuff but the carpet is crying out to be replaced and laminate flooring is cheap, this is a rented property and I'm not paying a fortune to carpet someone else's floor! Laminate is also considerably more forgiving where cat vomit is an issue!

So I'm off to gather together a jigsaw, mitre block and other sundry items. PG has promised to assist but I wont hold my breath, particularly if there is an upturn in the weather and golf becomes an option! DIY is neither his passion nor his forte.

Expect there to be expletives of exasperation here later this week ....these
'simple' jobs fail ever to be simple in practice!

Hospital visit

The weekend at work with it's sadness' overwith and this morning we are off to visit PG's father in hospital. This is our first visit, his parents live a considerable distance away and visiting restrictions combined with work made it impossible sooner.

It's one of those difficult decisions, one's gut reaction is to immediately 'be there' but employers are 'less emotional' and common sense and hospital advice advise a less 'knee jerk' reaction.

His father is slightly improved since yesterday, he remains ventilated and critical but is awake at times and recognises those around him.

I have to admit to being one that watches medical drama and reality shows from time to time but events such as those this weekend bring home that it is perhaps not 'drama' to be watched for entertainment, rather it is other people's real lives and trauma and I should question the ethics of such shows and of my viewing them. When it happens in your own life or that of someone close to you it is a whole different story. In reality I am not a fan of hospitals, I doubt that many are. The selfish part of me anticipates this visit with some trepidation. Outwardly I cope well with these situations but inwardly, so much raw emotion and intensity I find hard to deal with at times. But today is not about me, it is about the others involved, PG and his family. So it's time to put my strong head on, brace myself and get on with the matter in hand of hopefully offering some support where I can.

Swan-song

Eggs


Hatched

Talking of swans, which I wasn't, but I have been recently, and I am doing again, a friend of mine from 'the south' sent me these lovely photographs (thank you Pauline) after she read my last 'swan post'.

The pictures where taken on a canal bank behind her place of work. She was lucky enough to be able to follow the progress of the parents and their eggs from laying to hatching and managed to take some pictures along the way.

Sadly these delightful little creatures may not have had a happy ending to their story. A few days later they mysteriously disappeared with out trace and where never seen again. The circumstances surrounding their disappearance where never discovered but it is thought a predator took them.

Nature can be cruel at times.

Apologies, it's not been the best day.

My apologies if you have mailed me or left me a comment and I appear to have ignored it thus far.....I will get to it eventually I promise and if anyone asked for a Gmail invitation and hasn't got it yet please remind me!

Today was not good, I am just home from a particularly hard day at work, it was hot, very busy, under staffed (what's new) and customers from hell where out in force.

I shouldn't complain, my annoyances pale into absolute insignificance in comparison to problems affecting some of those around me, about who I care.

PG's father was re admitted to hospital again yesterday. He underwent heart surgery last week and seemed to be doing well until 36 hours ago. He has undergone further surgery and is now in ITU, ventilated and critical but stable.

I arrived at work this morning to hear tragic news of two colleagues. We employ a Downs syndrome man, a lovely guy and a real character, sadly he suffered a stroke last night, we have no further details.

The brother of another colleague, also last night, in a freak accident, fell down the stairs and died of his injuries.

What can I say, my thoughts and sympathies are with all those affected. Today was a difficult day but it sure makes you count your blessings and appreciate those you love..........

The small things in life make it worthwhile

Puffin © Laurie Campbell

It's a special pleasure when little things work out so unexpectedly well, when in this age of mistrust and corporate paranoia someone takes your word and treats you as a normal reasonable individual.

On Thursday when I posted the beautiful picture of the swans, I gave little thought at the time to any copyright that I might have violated. A while later it dawned on me that the picture must actually be someone's property and so set about tracking down it's owner.

Task complete I emailed the individual concerned explaining that it was rather a case of 'locking the stable door after the horse had bolted' but please would he be kind enough to permit me use of his photograph. In honesty I expected to either hear nothing back, or to be the shame faced recipient of a mail telling me to take the picture down and reminding me sternly of copyright laws.

Neither was the case. I received a reply this morning from the individual concerned, a professional natural history photographer of some note, Laurie Campbell, not only giving me permission to use his picture but offering me the use of others should I need them. He also included information about his current exhibition at Paxton House near Berwick.

This nice little story goes further. It transpires that Mr Campbell lives not more than 10 miles from me!!! What a small world it is. I had no idea when I looked for the copyright owner who or where he was!

And more still. A week or two ago at work an advertising display was erected for bird food. On this advertisement is the most beautiful picture of a robin on frozen twigs, I fell in love with it immediately. On perusing Laurie Campbells online gallery the night before last I discovered the 'robin' is one of his!! Not only that but he has a number of limited edition prints still available for sale.....one of them will be mine!

I just love it when little things work out so happily, yesterday was not a good day in the gemmak household (more on that another time) and this nice happening made my day and renewed my faith in human nature.

For anyone even remotely interested in natural history or photography, a visit to Laurie Campbells website is a must. This guys work is beautiful and breathtaking...... an absolute joy.