The saddest of days

Back in January you may recall I posted about a lady called Karine, the author of the blog 'Graybar'. I know some of you since then have visited her blog regularly.

This morning I received an email telling me of the tragic news that Karine died today.

I didn't know Karine for long and only via her blog and email, I never got a chance to meet her but I felt I knew her. She was one of the most truly inspirational people I have ever and I suspect, will ever, know. In the face of an illness that most of us would find hard to bear she remained courageous and strong, though she herself would typically, probably deny that. She embraced life and all it had to offer with a passion rarely found and always, even in the dark moments, retained her wonderful sense of humour and spirit.

In a few short months this lady taught me a great deal about life, love and humility and made me rethink how I live and view my own life. I will feel forever privileged and lucky to have known her.

My thoughts and deepest sympathies are with her husband and young son at this sad time.

Wherever you are now Karine may you be happy, you were truly one in a million...... you touched my life.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Ping'

Am I the only one having problems 'pinging' blogroll the last few days? It will just not 'ping', instead I get an error message that appears to be written in a language yet to be discovered by man! Help anyone?

Great balls of fire

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Sunset 24.03.05


Sunset 24.03.05 (1)

A quick update

Yesterdays anticipated difficulties and problems did not materialize in quite the manner we expected, they still exist but things could be a lot worse. A small sigh of relief could be heard in gemmaks-ville at round about 17.00 hrs as news was received that the impending trauma had been averted somewhat. It is, it seems, an ongoing situation that cannot be completely resolved immediately but for now things are looking up.

Today should be a better day. Today is the 'official' opening of the store in which I work. There have been mail shots, a television and press advertising campaign and we are all ragged from preparation but it should, with luck and a prevailing wind be a fun day..........if knackering! I won't bore you with the anticipated rise in takings and customer flow but expect me to be at least an inch shorter by this evening! We have of course the company of the boards hierarchy, how lovely (not)..... best behaviour everyone please...... but we also have one or two good things going on throughout the day. Yes, I think today will be a better day :o)

Small world syndrome

Amazing!

A few evenings ago, sat here as I am so frequently, I began surfing in an endeavor to find any other bloggers within the area of Scotland that I live. Believe me when I say that there are not many, in fact to be more specific I found just two. One was a long ago abandoned attempt with only one post but it was the the other that caught my eye.......it's owner was listed as in the very same vicinity as me.

This blog too seemed abandoned..... but me being me, I left a comment regardless and expected to hear no more. I was wrong. The very next day I received a reply, sadly the reply said that the blog was no longer active and it's author now blogged on a private access only url.

We mailed back and forth, and it transpired that we live very close to one another indeed, infact in the same small postal town. What was even more amazing is that we have the same name!! Well he of course has the male version for his first name but we both have exactly the same sir name.....how weird and how wow is that?? ......and what a small world.

Very kindly I have been given access to this guy's blog but as it is closed access, for his family and close friends you will understand why I can't give you an url.

The odd thing about this is that we have become so used now to having instant access to friends all over the world, that to find someone close by is now the more amazing!

I wanna go back to bed!

Today is my first day back to work after our holiday, no more html fiddling all day for me, no more lazing about doing my 'own thing', it's back to reality. Gah!

Add to that I have a feeling it's not going to be a good day, there are one or two problems facing us that have been hanging over our heads for a while causing worry and have to be dealt with today. We have not been practicing avoidance, they are situations that are beyond our control, I can't blog the details right now (if ever) ........ I just wanna go back to bed and hide!

Fat chance, into the melee we go, think positive thoughts, who needs a self fulfilling prophecy! I'll be back later, perhaps I'll have a smile on my face......here's hoping!

Back at it!

Well that's it, only the remainder of today left of our holiday and then it's noses to the grind stone for both of us.....it seems but barely a day since I was shouting hurrah as I left work with 10 days of freedom ahead of me.

Since we returned from London life seems to have been hectic, one long round of laundry, ironing and cleaning, how can just two people get through so many clothes in less than a week I wonder?

Poppy and Ditto, against their better judgment, appeared to have a good holiday in their 'cat hotel'. I am ever wary, the establishment we used to patronise closed recently and the new one was until now 'untested' by 'you know who'. We made all the necessary checks but having had one bad experience previously, I am ever worried that things are not always all they seem.

I need not have concerned myself, they both returned home in good humour, there was little evidence of the usual huffiness and stand-offishness we are normally greeted with. Amazingly Ditto ate during her time away, something she usually refuses to do and Poppy came home having gained a little more weight and with her coat looking all posh and shiny! I must check out what she was fed!

Things declined somewhat yesterday for Ditto. I was woken early by the sound of her throwing up, poor little soul, this is a first for her, she has thus far had a cast iron stomach and the vomiting process seemed to confuse her a little! I checked her over, kept a close eye on her and then left her to sleep. I fear this incident is likely to be related to over zealous hunting in her eagerness to catch up with lost time since our return. By the evening she seemed back to her normal self and was howling to be let back out and check her territory for interlopers. With luck it was a one off.......she seemed decidedly miffed at the whole 'being ill' business!

School boy kills ten in Minnesota

It's happened again, a schoolboy, this time in Minnesota, has gone on the rampage with a firearm, or in this case two, and killed nine of his class mates before turning his weapon on himself.

This kind of incident has happened before and no doubt will tragically happen again at some point. It is an horrific crime in so many ways and one can only but imagine the horror felt by those poor children when face to face with such trauma, in a place they consider themselves to be safe. The lifelong suffering that will haunt their families and loved ones must be catastrophic and the damage done to those who witnessed the incident and saw their classmates slain in front of them, will be immeasurable.

How does one 'legislate' against this to prevent a repeat? Schools in many places now, as a result of this type of crime and other heinous incidents, are often beginning to resemble fortresses. Children are taught from a young age to be aware of their personal security and there are all manner of professional bodies set up to 'catch' individuals with family or psychological problems, before they 'fall through the net,' and become so damaged as to even consider behaving in such a tragic manner.

Sadly, and perhaps negatively I suggest that we just can't hope to prevent these occurrences 100%. 'Justitia', as a professional in this field, will be better able to consider this point than I but is it not impossible to account for every severely disturbed child, ever individual with an undiagnosed psychosis or those who's lives have been so blighted by personal trauma or pain from an early age that their feeling of self loathing and inadequacy give them a propensity for such outrageous behaviour?

As a society perhaps we have some responsibility. I am not normally given to 'blaming the parents' but without doubt there are parents who take no reasonable level of care of their offspring, I hate censorship but where young and forming minds are concerned I worry that we expose then from a young age, to scenes so violent via film and other media that they must surely become desensitized and in cases where there is no other guidance available coupled with an instability of one type or another, can we be completely surprised that occasionally a vulnerable child loses sight of what are normal and acceptable bahaviours?

There is a train of thought that suggests these children (and adults) are just wicked or evil, in some case perhaps, though I doubt in all! In the main I believe we are a product of our life experiences, it may not be a popular belief but it is my opinion that there are reasons for most things if we delve deep enough.

Yesterday's killings in Minnesota seem an act of pure evil, most of us cannot imagine the thoughts or motivations of a child choosing to take these tragic actions. My thoughts and sympathies are with those who suffered, lost their lives or lost a child they love, who's lives will be blighted forever but still, I cannot help but wonder on the history of the perpetrator, of what tormented him to such a degree. Perhaps I am wrong.

~ May they rest in peace ~

Five questions, courtesy of Kate

Sauntering around the blogosphere late last night, as one does, I noticed Kate of Kitty's Scritchings was playing the five questions game. Of course, I couldn't resist offering myself up for the slaughter so here goes:

1. The most memorable day in my life was:
The day I met PG face to face for the first time.

2. My favourite place to shop is:
Anywhere that sells gadgets, PC world or Next.

3. If I could go back in time to give myself one piece of advice, I'd go back to when I was:
getting married for the first time and say DON'T!!!

4. When I was little I wanted to grow up to be a:
Prosecution lawyer, a cop or a television camera (wo)man. I could never decide and in the event I wasn't bright enough for the first, I was too short for the second (yes, I know the height restriction changed later) and somehow never got close to the third!

5. If money were no object, purely for indulgence I would buy myself:
A flawless diamond of at least 2 carats.....or an R1.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Any one want to play? Drop me a comment or mail if you want to join in.

And finally........

......a cyber cafe, Camden style!



High speed connection?? Hmmmm.

The first sunny Sunday

As I pottered around the flat yesterday, windows flung open in the warm sunlight a frequent sound bought back memories of years gone by and of the 'first sunny Sunday' in every springtime. There are very few things that I miss from my old life, save of course for my family, very few things that can fill me with instant wistful-ness and even fewer sounds that fill me instantly, with a feeling of excitement, good memories and the promise possibility of a long hot summer to come.

So of what am I talking, the sound of swallows returning from their winter vacation, of lambs bleating in the field, of lawnmowers beginning a new season of work or of people walking outside, chatting to one another and greeting neighbor's they have not seen for the duration of the winter, while they hid away indoors against the cold?

No....it is none of these, it is the unmistakable sound of high powered motorcycles chasing madly around the lanes, screaming up and down through gearboxes, 'popping' with power and signaling, for me, the start of spring.

Even here in this quiet backwater this annual pleasure can be heard, for to me it is indeed a pleasure......as I listened to these feats of engineering given their head, for the first time this year I was there with them, I felt the power, went smoothly through the box with them at the corners, felt the machine become part of the person, the wrench on my shoulders as they braked hard and accelerated even harder and felt the power of the air around my body.

Yeah, so some will say it's a dangerous pass-time, that these reckless petrol heads risk their lives for an adrenaline rush and disturb the peace and quiet, but for me nothing ever came close to being so much fun ( Ok...maybe just one thing). After a long winter on four wheels the first sunny Sunday in spring always heralded the beginning of a new season of everything fun one can do in leather. Memories of hastily made phone calls among those like minded friends as we realised that at last summer was on it's way, the roads were dry, the sun was out and we could go play together. Memories of 30 or so bikes, winding, snake-like through the countryside, blowing away the winter cobwebs, the feeling of power, of torque, of speed and of utter freedom.

Yes, the sound of screaming engines, the Ducati dry clutch 'clunk', the Kawasaki 'whistle' and of pegs and sliders hitting tarmac is music to my ears.

Take it easy guys.....but not too easy......

Bugger and damn........I miss it!

Holiday: Part two

Thursday morning saw us on the underground bright and early, well early at any rate, our destination Chelsea's Kings Road followed by a stroll around Camden.

The Kings Road was a 'must do' destination in my past, a place that we considered in our youth the only place to be and most certainly the only place to buy one's attire. I still love the Kings Road, though my penchant for it's kind of fashion has diminished a little and my ability to pay the price has become somewhat inhibited.....did I really pay so much for a pair of jeans in my hey-day?

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SW3

The journey in was uneventful, the weather again was treating us to temperatures reminiscent of summer and we sat 'people watching' clutching pain au chocolat and good coffee in the sun courtesy of the first pavement cafe we found. There is still no ignoring the fact that this is Chelsea, some things never change and the Kings Road being a favorite with 30 something's blessed with economic wealth is one of them. It would only be a blind man who did not notice the multitudes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, diamonds and designer this and that adorning a larger than average proportion of the population. Maserati and Ferrari seem to be the transport of choice and coffee and pastries for four will still set you back almost as much as dinner in a less affluent or trendy area....... You just gotta love it!


Kings Road

We wandered aimlessly among the shops and the day to day throng, this may be an expensive place to be but it has a certain laid back ambiance that I think has probably always been one of it's attractions. We marveled at the beautiful tree lined residential streets jutting off the main street at intervals and did the 'what would I give to live here' conversation that always occurs accompanies these places for me. I may love our little patch of Scotland and the countryside but just ask me if I would swap.....absolutely no contest! Unfortunately I am short of a few million GBP.


I wanna live here!

Lunch time-ish and we headed for Camden. I hate buses but London buses are different, they of course have an upstairs, the child in me still has to attempt to procure the upper front seat and it is never boring with so much to see,unlike the tube which affords one a view of almost nothing in many parts. So a bus it was, first to Tottenham Court Road and a bite to eat, nothing exciting here, we were too hungry and fell into a McDonald's opposite the Dominion Theatre and then back onto another bus and to Camden.



Camden Lock.


Camden Market.

Camden is very a very different place to Chelsea, it boasts four markets all selling antique or 'alternative clothing' and of late has become a must for those preferring a slightly unusual lifestyle. The shops, boutiques and markets are something else and are inhabited by fascinating individuals living life their way. One can buy here almost anything from a bottle of milk to magic mushrooms and piercing and tattooing are available in abundance. The atmosphere is good, laid back and at the same time upbeat, anything goes and the place has a kind of freedom not found elsewhere easily.


Retail therapy ~ Camden style.


Mushrooms anyone?

As the sun went down we headed home again, another bus trip to Baker Street and the tube from there. London they say is a stressful place, busy, loud, fast..... but for me it is a magical place, a place like no other, it's atmospheres are many, it's attraction and beauty unending......sometimes, just sometimes, I miss it like hell.

And that's it, Friday we packed, went for one last cappuccino at a local place, we sat outside in the sun of course and then hit the motorway homeward. We stopped for a few hours in the Midlands to visit my sister and her family. My nieces required that I spend two hours on scooters and roller blades with them......don't ask if my legs still hurt.......and then it was truly home bound. A journey of stamina, the temptation to stay 'just a little bit longer' won, well we see little enough of them, one has to make the most of the opportunity but the downside of course was the 300 miles ahead of us, already tired and at the dead of night. We made it, we stopped often, drank copious amounts of coffee and fell into bed, with cat's happy to be home, in tow!

Holiday: Part one

So we are back and it barely seems a few hours since we left, I hate that time with my parents goes so quickly but like they say, who ever 'they' may be, "time flies when you're having fun"

Having arrived late afternoon on the Monday, been fed and watered to the usual excellent and somewhat decadent standard, we hit the sack in readiness for a day of retail therapy on Tuesday. Please don't ask, what can I say? One has to make the most of the opportunity and what is plastic for if not that?! Besides, shops have places to sit and PG was still nursing his fat leg, we could hardly drag him the tourist route now could we, without at least one more day for him to recover a little!

Wednesday we woke to something in the region of 20 degrees, clear blue skies and bright sunshine, the weather remained as such for the duration of our stay and having left Scotland at minus 2 degrees the change made our small holiday seem positively like summer. We seemed to spend much time peeling off layers of fleece and winter clothing having been wary of trusting the weather Gods.....well this is the UK, sun cannot be guaranteed!

We decided to hit Windsor and do the 'tourist thang', as locals, of course we endeavor not too but PG is new to all this and provides the rest of us with a suitable excuse to enjoy some of the attractions we haven't visited for years. Windsor was as ever, royal and busy, a selection of well clad tourists, upmarket shops and eateries and of course the residence of HRH and her gang. Perhaps not surprisingly the furore of previous royal weddings is not in much evidence. There are of course the tacky souvenir teacloths bearing images of the 'happy couple' but whilst Charlie appears somewhat odd in his image, as is the way of these hastily and cheaply manufactured delights, Camilla seems to have had bestowed upon her some improvement! ;o)

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Windsor Castle from The Guildhall.


From the main street.

Aside from these items being on sale there seems to be little activity save for a larger than usual police presence and a plethora of armed officers hastily checking all man-hole covers and re-sealing them with regular monotony......a sad indictment of the times in which we live. Even the letter boxes were sealed, though as luck would have it just as I was standing looking hopeless, post card in hand, infront of a sealed specimen, a guy from the post office appeared and kindly took my offering personally!


Enter here.


The obligatory tourist shot with Victoria!

We meandered about until lunchtime, when we partook of excellent fare at a very trendy and laid back establishment offering such delights as 'a posh fish finger sandwiches' and the most superb cappuccino known to man (or woman for that matter).....despite the wind the sun was warm and on my insistence we ate outside at tables on the pavement, I just love pavement eating, though there was some chasing of serviettes in the wind, involved!

Stuffed with lunch we pottered back castle-ward and to The Guildhall, the soon to be venue of a certain wedding. Two things struck me, this is by no means a 'common' building, as HRH seems to believe, or at least her lackeys would have us believe, but with a little more warning it could perhaps have been treated to a coat of new paint before the worlds media descend upon it. Secondly my feelings that the excuse given for the Queen not attending the forthcoming nuptials is somewhat weak.....it is not 5 minutes walk from the castle entrance and I feel sure there could have been a suitable mode of transport arranged, should she not wish to use the foot method of propulsion!


The Guildhall.....venue of an imminent marriage.

Having completed the tourist bit we made our way, via 'Ben and Jerry's' of course, to the Thames and to my favourite part of Windsor...... the Mute swans that reside there owned by HRH. They are the most beautiful creatures and despite their regal appearance behave in a very un-regal fashion, shouting and hollering, begging for food (which of course can be purchased from a water front vendor, no opportunity at economic gain missed in a place like Windsor) and upending themselves inelegantly at every opportunity.


Royal swans on the Thames.


Feeding frenzy!

Swans, I know, can break one's arm if they have a mind too but these are more than used to 'visitors' and providing they are treated with reasonable respect are a delight in that they will interact to a point. We of course made haste to the aforementioned vendor to purchase the appropriate food and fed swans, ducks and assorted 'hangers on' to our hearts content, until we had almost to be dragged away by my parents like kids, in an endeavor to miss the London and Heathrow rush hour..... not something one would choose to be involved in!


Stretch.


The less glamorous get hungry too.

And then it was home, foot weary but happy for a small respite before dinner out in one of my favorite places locally, 'Cafe Uno'. Here of course further stuffing of faces occurred on all manner of things including red snapper, pasta, anti pasto, lamb shank (not me of course) Parmesan, salmon, olives by the bucket load and the most enormous piece of a bitter chocolate torte concoction I have ever been presented with. I of course finished it, well it would be rude not to! The only tricky part of the day was my father's dessert, a thing of gluttony that was, in theory, to be flambe'd at the table. The waitress seemed to have forgotten this small point so ever helpful I attempted to assist, cigarette lighter ever handy. Perhaps the less said about this little incident the better.....let's just say we eventually managed to extinguish the er....'flambe', without resorting to calling 999! Heh.

~Part two to follow~

Home

We are home! It's 01.00 hrs, it was a long drive and I need to sleep.......more soon :o)

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............