tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31322750972426524612024-03-05T04:48:37.458+00:00Is it me?Musings, mutterings and disjointed thoughts for the delectation, or not, of the readerAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.comBlogger369125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-1436206623503089532015-01-13T06:50:00.001+00:002015-01-13T07:17:19.627+00:00Politics and Rants: Immigration Debate<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) blogzu.BlogSpot.com</td></tr>
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Just a short one as I am beginning to get more than a little fed up with this whole debate and UKIPS continued and ludicrous contention that our doors are wide open to 100's of millions of Europeans and lord who knows how many from the rest of the world, who could turn up on the doorstep at Dover en masse......<br />
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The problem with <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/immigration?source=feed_text&story_id=760982807318556"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">immigration</span></a> is not that <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/immigrants?source=feed_text&story_id=760982807318556"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">immigrants</span></a> are arriving here. It's the fact that they then refuse to integrate or interact with us. But, is that entirely their fault?<br />
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This is not a problem peculiar to <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/muslims?source=feed_text&story_id=760982807318556"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">Muslims</span></a> or this country either, but almost every culture does it, the <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/irish?source=feed_text&story_id=760982807318556"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">Irish</span></a>, the <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/poles?source=feed_text&story_id=760982807318556"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">Poles</span></a>, the <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/chinese?source=feed_text&story_id=760982807318556"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">Chinese</span></a>, the <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/jews?source=feed_text&story_id=760982807318556"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">Jews</span></a>, every race and culture does it in every country they 'escape to'. And this is the core root of the problem today with the poorly educated indigenous population, in m<span class="text_exposed_show">ost instances. And this is why you get moron 'experts' on <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/foxnews?source=feed_text&story_id=760982807318556"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">FoxNews</span></a> thinking that whole cities in the UK are 'City/state/countries' within a country...... and Nigel Farage complaining that he couldn't get to a meeting because the motorway was full of immigrants, and his followers believe this pathetic hyperbole. No wonder the world is going to hell in a hand basket, when there are so many gullible people who follow a self proclaimed delusional messiah.</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show">And of course the main stream political parties, Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dems, being so distanced from the electorate they are supposed to serve, through their corrupt expenses, the fact that most of them have all been through private schooling, and I don't have much issue with that I have to declare, many of </span><span class="text_exposed_show">them are millionaire's and will never struggle for anything while professing they know where their constituents are coming from when they complain about their daily struggle to survive, and they the politician never will know that struggle. These politician are unable to stem this ever rising tide of xenophobia. And that can only be bad for the rest of us as I see the country descending in to 'poll tax' type anarchy unless the argument is turned on its head....</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Says it all!</td></tr>
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<span class="text_exposed_show">The fact that many immigrants, who have lived in this country, or indeed their country of choice elsewhere in the world, and still cannot or downright refuse to learn to or speak in the local language, does not help their cause. Mind you when you hear the most vociferous of objectors complaining about the 'problem' or read their home made illiterate strewn posters, it makes you wonder just </span><span class="text_exposed_show">who you would want to eject from the country! </span><br />
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And of course the lack of integration was or may not have been the fault of the first wave of immigrants as the local populace didn't want them in their streets causing the cliques and supposed no go areas that even the seemingly educated believe exists #FoxNews, again.<br />
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But, as we all now know, some still refuse to accept, that most of our public services could not have survived without immigrants. Today and for years now, have we been unable to get many of the indigenous benefit claimants out of the system and into the fields in farming, even allowing for the fact that their is a minimum wage, why? Because, like catering and the service industries it is beneath them, more likely though, to tough for them, and so we have had to rely on immigrants, again, while paying out benefits to generational families of claimants.....<br />
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RANT OVER: discuss but, sensibly and with at least a modicum of decorum please, I'm a sensitive wee soul who is fed up with the whole thing when we seem to be ignoring more important things like poverty in the UK and food banks, and affordable housing over social housing, who tends to blubber easily 😢</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-73917041056217258952014-12-24T19:59:00.001+00:002014-12-24T19:59:25.095+00:00Mr Fat: thoughts for the day Christmas Eve 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I do hope this is not to maudlin for you, it is not intended thus, forgive me if so......<br />
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One of my dear cyber friends and Indie Author Brian Meeks sent me a Christmas wish earlier today with his kind thoughts on my condition and hopes for my continued involvement in life. Well, all I could say to ALL OF YOU out there reading this across cyber space and who continue to be an inspiration to me, taking someone you have never met in life, into your own lives, and then continually sending messages of support, love and well being. It is you guys out there, along with my family and British friends who continually pop in to see me, who are the real inspiration to me and my family...........<br />
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Dear Brian, my strength and the little success I have had in life, has been down to the fact that most people are good, nice and supportive. I have had that support from family and friends and in the workplace, the latter especially, which allowed me to be known as a very good manager when in reality I was surrounded by a fantastic & supportive workforce.<br />
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My family and friends, both who are here but also like you who are my dear dear cyber friends, give me two things: 1. A pragmatic acceptance of my fate and 2. The energy of the good thoughts and wishes to tell Mr Tumour, ' you are here and you are advancing, but we aren't going to let you take our Husband our Dad, our Grand Dad OUR FRIEND without a fight ' and it is that energy that keeps Me saying, ' get stuffed, mate, I'm not ready to leave yet ' You and everyone out there, even now are always on my thoughts and I truly wish for a magical holiday season with family and friends for every single one of you, as mine is and always has been since the birth of my first child and that magic exploded on the birth of my first grandchild and continues to do so and will keep me here for a long time, being the pain in the ass that I sometimes am.......MERRY XMAS TO ALL MY FRIENDS🎅🎄😍 👪 <br />
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And then today, one of my best friends turned up bearing Gifts and Flowers and when I asked how he was, as he too has recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer:<br />
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My thoughts turned to him as he reports that he has been scheduled for an operation on 20th January, 2015.<br />
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He will endure a 5-6 hour operation, they will remove the tumour and everything it touches, left kidney, spleen, pancreas and at least half the colon, as a minimum, intensive care for 2-3 days, hospital, 2-3 weeks, recovery time 3-4 months, he couldn't tell us the prognosis until the surgeons have been in, removed the contaminated bits, and the surgeons can see how good or bad it really is. But what they are sure of is, it must come out and now...<br />
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This type of cancer does not react to chemotherapy or radiotherapy, surgery is the only option.<br />
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I have told my Friend, Ricky Everett that like me he is a survivor, think about him in a positive way guys. Like me, he will feel the power of your goodwill. Xxxxx <br />
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To everyone out there reading this today, whether you are a regular visitor, and if you are, my sincere apologies for the paucity of posts over the last year, I really shall try to rectify that shortcoming in the new year, it's not as if I don't have the time these days, I wish you and those of you who have just popped in for a wee look, the very best seasonal wishes to you and to your family and kin.<br />
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Don't think sad thoughts for me and Ricky or for anyone else who you might know and who is in a similar situation. Think joyous thoughts and celebrate the lives that we and they have and the life that we and they still have.<br />
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For some of us it can be a long road to the end, for others it maybe shorter, but I for one would like to see happy smiling faces and receive happy positive thoughts from anyone, rather than they, you thinking, 'how sad'. ENJOY EVERY MINUTE YOU HAVE<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ishbel and me of to the Royal Opera House </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Holiday Feb 14</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L_R) Jennifer, Lacey Mae, Me, Steve (sil) Shannon, Mollie, Ishbel<br /> Family Breakfast pre Xmas shopping</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L-R) AJ , Marie, Ishbel, Charlie, Holly, Peter (sil)<br />
Family breakfast pre Xmas shopping<br />
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Tom and Ishbel</div>
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A very Merry Christmas to you all</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-12067714243992691782014-11-11T23:12:00.000+00:002014-11-11T23:12:52.545+00:00Mollie has another crisis of conscience ....,I had been very very ill over a period of a few weeks recently and the last week was not the cancer per say, although no doubt a large contributing factor. No, rather it started with a little sore appearing on my top lip which, and no evidence to support this, soon developed into what appeared to be a chest infection that left me completely debilitated and in bed for most of the week and left me almost completely helpless.<br />
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I had been taken to see the oncologist the previous week by S-i-L Peter who drove all the way down from Northampton and it was really good to see him and it also gave him the chance to come in and listen to what was going on, which is good, saves me remembering to report back to the inquisition that is Marie :). While there I mentioned the visit to the opticians who had found lesions on my eyeballs and of course this triggered the thought process with little 'Olly' that maybe a brain scan would be in order to check if the cancer was spreading up, I'm sure there was a little voice over my shoulder commenting well if it has, it wont find anything else up there.....<br />
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So, on Wednesday, the following week, Jen, S-i-L Steve, Shannon and Lacey May arrived from Woking as I was still in no fit state to do anything for myself and Steve took me to Hospital for my scan to see if there is a brain, sorry, if the cancer has spread up there.....<br />
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Mollie, didn't come and was so distraught, why, you ask? Well she is 11 and we love each other dearly and remember she is the first of our grandchildren so it is fair to say that the bond between her and us and me is a little bit stronger although I do hasten to add I have absolutely no favourites when it comes to the 5 of them but Charlie you are going to get a kick in the bum one of these days if you don't get it. We are men Charlie, it is one of our roles in life to go shopping with the women in our lives, whether we like it or not, the sooner you realise that the better, so get with the programme kid...... Oh, and cash management Charlie, you either have enough to buy the game you want, or you don't. If you don't have it this week, you get your allowance the next week as long as you get your chores done. Save what you have and add to it the following week so that you can buy your game and stop being a tit, leaving it in your pocket contrary to popular folklore, will not make it burn a hole in it, seriously.....<br />
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Any-hows, back to Mollie and her crisis. I have tweeted that Mollie, turning 11, has now moved from primary school to high school and Mollie being Mollie has made the transition without flinching or any sort of trepidation and has fitted in so comfortably that she just can not get enough of it. In fact now that she has settled in and homework being a big part off schooling here she loves that too and while the homework given out is normally not due for a few days or even the following week, thereby giving the pupil plenty of time to study, research and complete, Mollie by all accounts come in each day with her assignments and immediately sets her self up in either her room or at the dining room table and gets stuck in to it immediately, how cool is that.<br />
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So, I get a phone call from Jennifer to say that she had just gone up to Mollies room after they had had a family discussion to say that they were all coming over to visit on a school day, so that dad,<br />
S-i-L Steve could take granddad to hospital. Obviously Shannon and Lacey Mae were delighted at being taken out of school but as it turned out Mollie, while desperate to visit, as she always is, informed her mum, that she had a test the following day and really wanted to take it and didn't know what to do!<br />
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My answer was simple, tell her I am ill but I am not yet ready to die and that it was important that she go to school and sit her test and to do the best that she could do and that I would still be here when she came visiting the following week. It wasn't a problem and we always have face time and Skype to keep in touch with each other as we do.<br />
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So, Mollie, dear dear Mollie, this is for you.<br />
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We have always encouraged you to be the best that you can be. Your are small, tiny and petite. All of your school aged friends tower above you, but you have the heart, brain and intellect of a giant and this is because you are inquisitive and curious about everything, you like your little (big) sister Shannon were always reading well above your age group and your teachers were forever commenting on this. I remember you telling me one day that when your teacher asked what you were reading when you were about nine she was amazed to learn that you had just read Beowulf by Seamus Heaney and that you were getting ready to read To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, you never do go for the easy stuff and you still don't. I love browsing in the bookshops with you.<br />
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It is this willingness to tackle the hard stuff at so early a time in your development and to love the process of learning that you do, that made you feel so sad about not coming to see me when I was so ill, but on the other hand this made me so happy as it shows that you both care so much for me but also in the need to be tested on all the new things and subjects that you are learning in your new school. You made the right decision and you should know that I and Grandma and your mum and dad support you and love you for being who you are and for being the caring loving daughter and granddaughter and human being that you are and will continue to be for the rest of your long life.<br />
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I made you a promise recently; about how long I was going to hang around before popping my cloggs. I know, that you know, that not all promises made can be kept and you know I will try and keep that promise but that I may not be able to. You are wise enough to understand that, and I know that you are going to be heart broken when the time comes to say goodbye forever, But when that day finally comes you will find it incredibly hard to move on and get over it, BUT YOU MUST. Remember all the good times and there are thousand of photographs of you and your sisters and your cousins (ok, I admit it now, I was and am a pain in the butt with my camera, but I love you all too much not to always be taken snaps of you and I won't stop until, well whenever) and you will have these forever with loads of them with me in them too, to remind you forever of our special bond.<br />
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You will need the support of mum and dad and grandma and aunty Marie and uncle's Peter and Brian and your sisters and cousins will be sad too and you as the eldest will need to be really strong to support and help them through that dark period ahead, as your friends Ewan and Holly and others will help you through it and to move on.<br />
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Moving on isn't forgetting and not being sad, you are allowed to be sad, But, it is about coming to terms with the cycle of life, knowing one day that those you love will pass on and no longer be part of your life, but we can still be part of your existence. You can call on and recall the good times and the life lessons, the books and the TV and films and the news that we discussed and talked about. You can recall the first time I gave you a sweet when we were walking back from the shops and you asked me what it was called and I replied it was a 'Big Purple One' and you replied, "I'm in purple heaven granddad". This made me smile and still does as I recall it now.<br />
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You can remember when we took Lacey Mae and Shannon to the theatre to see their first musical, The Lion King and Granddad crying like a baby when he saw the absolute look of joy and happiness on Lacey Mae's face when that curtain went up and how she sat there laughing and smiling and clapping for the whole performance and granddad was so happy to be alive to see that joy and happiness on all your faces.<br />
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The look on your face when you got your first hot towel on your first visit to an Indian restaurant at the end of the meal, I will never forget these moments Mollie and you should remember them when feeling a bit sad too, they will make you happy and sad again, but I think more happier than sad....<br />
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My life has been pretty good Mollie. I met Grandma in Berlin in 1974 and we got married two years later. We had three wonderful children in Marie, Jennifer and Brian. Aunty Marie and your mummy Jennifer gave us you and your sisters and Charlie and Holly and we have been blessed having you all in our lives along with your dad Steve and Uncle Peter.<br />
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So, the whole point of this Mollie Ing is tell you that I will always support you in your decisions and your decision to stay at home and go to school was the right one. Your education is the most important thing right now. You should never stop the learning process. Some people will tell you that a good education isn't the be all and end all and that you can get on in life without education. that may be true for a small minority in the world but what they don't tell you is that while they might not have the academic qualifications because they do possess an intellect and drive that propels them to be successful in their endeavours and their lack of educational qualifications was probably due to boredom brought about by poor teaching methods, that does happen, or they just weren't getting challenged enough in the learning process. You on the other hand don't seem to get bored with any of the new subjects that you are learning at your new school and you have always enjoyed the schooling process and you always seem to benefit from having good teachers willing to impart their knowledge to you, helping and encouraging you through the various curriculum's. Stay on that road Mollie learn, learn learn, be the smartest and brightest star in the school and you will be able with your drive and ambition to achieve anything you want to in the future and I will be somewhere looking down and smiling and enjoying your successes for all time <br />
<br />
Love you chuckles xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-64567885106567356432014-08-07T13:06:00.000+01:002014-08-07T13:06:25.490+01:00Book & Film Reviews: RE-POST - The Kydd Club BulletinI never asked , but I'm sure Julian wont mind me reproducing his latest Bulletin here on my blog especially as I don't have much to say for myself these days ....... :)<br />
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And all I can say is if you haven't read any of Julians' Kydd novels you really are missing out on a great read, check out some of my reviews too, but bear in mind, I am slightly biased as I haven't picked up one that I couldn't put down until I finished it ........<br />
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<a href="http://www.julianstockwin.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2862c5; outline: 0px;" target="_blank"><img align="bottom" alt="" border="0" src="https://mg.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=2%5f0%5f0%5f1%5f11297%5fAIEo5C4AABXKU%2bNmSwAAAPonHNg&pid=2&fid=Inbox&inline=1&appid=YahooMailNeo" style="border: 0px;" /></a></div>
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<br />I'm thrilled with the covers of my two books due out later this year, <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Pasha</span> and <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">The Silk Tree</span>.<br /><br /><span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1407395318693_2298" style="color: orange; font-variant: small-caps;"><b id="yui_3_7_2_1_1407395318693_2297">Pasha</b></span><br /><img align="right" alt="" border="0" hspace="12" src="https://mg.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=2%5f0%5f0%5f1%5f11297%5fAIEo5C4AABXKU%2bNmSwAAAPonHNg&pid=3&fid=Inbox&inline=1&appid=YahooMailNeo" style="border: 0px;" vspace="12" width="200" /><span style="color: black; font-variant: small-caps;">Pasha</span>, as I mentioned in my last Kydd Club bulletin, is the next book in the series and finds Captain Kydd involved in a critical sphere of interest: the Dardanelles, strategic gateway to the Levant. I think I can promise you a few surprises in this book... Advance readers have voted it my best yet!<br /><br />Here's what two of them said:<br /><br /><em id="yui_3_7_2_1_1407395318693_2301">'I just finished my advance copy of Pasha and all I can say is WOW!! So many twists and turns. So many questions answered. So many things set to rights, and then it's all a whole new set up!! Totally unexpected and totally enjoyable.'</em><br /><br /><em id="yui_3_7_2_1_1407395318693_2302">'I have enjoyed the Kydd series immensely, but Pasha is my favourite. I love the new developments in Renzi's life. I will say no more!'</em><br /><br /><span style="color: orange; font-variant: small-caps;"><b>The Silk Tree</b></span><br /><img align="right" alt="" border="0" hspace="12" src="https://mg.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=2%5f0%5f0%5f1%5f11297%5fAIEo5C4AABXKU%2bNmSwAAAPonHNg&pid=4&fid=Inbox&inline=1&appid=YahooMailNeo" style="border: 0px;" vspace="12" width="200" /><span style="color: black; font-variant: small-caps;">The Silk Tree</span> is somewhat of a departure for me, a standalone historical adventure set in the sixth century. Forced to flee Rome from the barbaric rampages of the Ostrogoths, merchant Nicander meets an unlikely ally in the form of Marius, a fierce Roman legionary. Escaping to a new life in Constantinople, the two land upon its shores lonely and penniless. Needing to make money fast, they plot and plan a number of outrageous money-making schemes, until they chance upon their greatest idea yet. Armed with a wicked plan to steal precious silk seeds from the faraway land of Seres, Nicander and Marius must embark upon a terrifyingly treacherous journey across unknown lands, never before completed. But first they must deceive the powerful emperor Justinian and the rest of his formidable Byzantine Empire in order to begin their journey into the unknown...An adventurous tale of mischief, humour and deception, Nicander and Marius face danger of the highest order, where nothing in the land of the Roman Empire is quite what it seems.</div>
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<a href="http://historicalnovelsociety.org/julian-stockwin-sets-sail-for-uncharted-historical-territory/" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1407395318693_2354" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2862c5; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Historical Novel Society Interview</a></div>
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<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1407395318693_2320" style="color: orange; font-variant: small-caps;"><b id="yui_3_7_2_1_1407395318693_2319">Collectors Sets</b></span><br />This year I am offering TWO Collectors Sets but don't delay if you're interested. They are in strictly limited numbers. First come, first served...</div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1407395318693_2322" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://julianstockwin.com/shop/#PASHA_SET" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1407395318693_2337" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2862c5; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">PASHA</a> Collectors Set<br /><a href="http://julianstockwin.com/shop/#TREE_SET" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1407395318693_2336" rel="nofollow" style="color: #2862c5; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">SILK TREE</a> Collectors Set</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-18627029453640486262014-07-22T13:47:00.000+01:002014-07-22T13:47:30.881+01:00EDF Energy, I just can't stop myself .....<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> Especially when they are being DICKHEADS </span></b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">22<sup>nd</sup> July 2014<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Steve Hayfield<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Customer Services Director<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">EDF Energy <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Freepost RRYZ BGYC JCXR<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">334 Outland Road <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Plymouth<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">OL3 5TU<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.5pt;">Dear Mr Hayfield,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.5pt;">CONTRACT ACCOUNT NUMBER <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Thank you for your letter of 16th July informing me that my direct debit </span><span style="line-height: 14.949999809265137px;">has</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> been cancelled and as a result you are going to charge me a higher </span><span style="line-height: 15.333333015441895px;">tariff</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> for both </span><span style="line-height: 14.949999809265137px;">gas</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> and electric. I’ll wager,
as a ‘director’ that you sometimes wish that your organisation was efficient
but then you wake up each day to the reality of the situation, groan and head
off for another depressing day in customer services!<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.5pt;">Ah, well,
never mind. If they were efficient they might
well have recorded on your systems that on the day I cancelled the direct debit
with my bank, 15<sup>th</sup> July, I immediately called EDF giving my details
to Chris informing him that I was changing to another supplier and that I
wished to cancel my DD. He also confirmed
that my account was also in credit to the sum of £311.62 at that precise moment
in time. I also informed him that I was
changing over to OVO.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.5pt;">He confirmed
that I would not need to provide you with a final reading as OVO would do that. Now he did seem quite efficient and so I was
therefore a little surprised to receive your letter. Oh! Who am I kidding; you’re
a utility company, efficient at taking money only, but totally inefficient in doing anything
else!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.5pt;">So, yesterday,
21<sup>st</sup> July, I provided OVO with my final meter readings, and so that
you can pass them along and get a final bill raised and hopefully a credit
cheque issued with that bill, here are the final readings for you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.5pt;">Electric
06071<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.5pt;">Gas 08521<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">By the way,
in your letter you ask me to provide you with my new bank details on the
enclosed direct debit form, enclosed, which </span><span style="line-height: 14.949999809265137px;">wasn't</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> and then to return same in the
enclosed Freepost envelope, which </span><span style="line-height: 15.333333015441895px;">wasn't</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">, but then these are typical examples
of a poor quality service, don’t you think? <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.5pt;">Yours
sincerely<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.5pt;">Tom Stronach </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 7.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-20202386686886155042014-07-14T17:16:00.000+01:002014-07-14T17:16:28.955+01:00Mr Fat: It's been a while.......It has been so long now since posted any kind of a blog post and I felt that you at least needed something from me just to remind you that I haven't yet died......<br />
<br />
I have been so exhausted over the last few months that I really haven't had the energy to do much, haven't even read any of the many books I still have in my kindle and so many of you wonderful authors are publishing great books and I am buying them and not finding the energy to push the on button on my reader, sheesh ......<br />
<br />
Then I started the chemo again a week ago as the tumour seemed to be getting bigger and as usual the actual day of the gunk input was ok and it gave me renewed feeling of energy. ALthough having said that, I did get the right hump over the wait for treatment on the morning and unfairly started to take it out on the nursing and ward staff, but it's not their fault that they are understaffed and there are so many of us cancer stricken old farts hanging about It even seemed to 'cure' the gagging and choking effect I was prone to every time a morsel of food passed from my mouth into my gullet and that in itself was a relief. Four days into it though, last Friday I phoned the cancer specialist nurse as I wasn't feeling at all well, lethargic, nauseous, completely run down and in pain. I was in work, as usual, but ended up going home I just couldn't cope and it went down hill even more in the afternoon. I really thought I wouldn't make it to the end of the day, never felt so horrible before and the last time I was on the chemo I was bad and came off it but.... <br />
<br />
After speaking with Mel the cancer nurse and her reminding me about ALL of the meds ... shit I have so many of them I forgot what I had and for what symptons. There is one I call Dom Perignon, sounds like it but it's domperysomething .... anyways this is to counteract nausea. I also have tablets for constipation, have been taking them but then I ended up with diarrhea but hey, I have pills for that too. Anyway I didn't feel any better Friday and was still at deaths bed on Saturday but began to make a gradual improvement and continued to do so on Sunday but gawd was I pleased that Ishbel took the weekend off to look after me and of course Marie, Peter and the twins Holly and Charlie turned up to cheer me up. The only problem with that, having gone through life as a big tough scotsman with no outward show of emotion I find it difficult to not just start blubbering and just seeing the kids and the grandkids turning up is enough to turn me into tear streaked numpty.<br />
<br />
Oh, I've posted this, as you can see under the Mr Fat page but I can report that he has left the building ...... which everyone but me is getting their knickers in a twist over. Yep, lost just over a stone and a half in the last three weeks and had a visit from a dietician while I was in getting gunked up last Monday. Infact they are so concerned he told me I have to start bulking up again... WTF says I. You do realize that for the first time in 15 years I have just seen John Thomas, if you think .......<br />
<br />
And he says, yes very good but a lot of good John Thomas is going to be to you when you are dead. So, I want you to eat more;<br />
<br />
Mashed potatoes with extra butter and grated cheese Double cream full fat yoghurt chocolate .....<br />
Thick Gravy on meat dishes<br />
Salt<br />
Sugar<br />
Full fat Milk<br />
Shakes<br />
Bread lashings of butter, toast<br />
<br />
Now for some, that is an invitation to heaven I suppose, but for me, to be honest I'm finding I am full after a couple of bites, providing I can get it down that is.<br />
<br />
And another thing why is that I feel good enough, well most days anyway to come into work, but at the weekends I feel shitty, when I should be chillin and relaxing and then there is the pee problem. What's that I hear you ask? Well let me tell you.<br />
<br />
You know this chemo lark. They want you to get it into your system but perversely they also want it out again as soon as, I mean WTF again. Well you know me I never argue and alway, always do as I am told. So I have to drink gallons of water. Not a problem, I like water and so I drink gallons of the stuff anyway. Now tap water is good enough for me, not Ishbel though she has to have bottled water, just wait till I'm gone and she has to hump it back from the shops, we'll see how long that lasts then... anyway I digress<br />
<br />So, Take the chemo, drink gallons of water and flush the system. Fine and then that's where if there is a god he is messing with me again. like the feeling shit at weekends when I should be partying...<br />
I'm drinking gallons of the stuff sat here at my desk in the office but do I need to keep running up and down the corridor to my private loo, yes well what can I say I deserve it. No, I am not running up and down to the loo although with the amount of water I'm taken I'm thinking there must be a problem there too. So off home I goes and of course when I get home, it's time to take the next bunch of chemo meds so I'm drinking buckets of water again and do I need to run up and down the hall to the loo, no I bloody don't! But what I do do, is get into frigging bed, close my eyes fall asleep for an hour and then the first of my three or four 5 frigging minute visits to the loo starts... I mean WTF is going on there and who is messing with my head and body sheesh, I just cannae win .........<br />
<br />
So after a frightful weekend I have been back in the office today and felt much better, been run ragged with that bloody contractor again and not stopped, but it has been a good day so the sun is shining and all is rosy in the garden again. The chemo? I did say to Ishbel and the kids that I was going to phone the hospital and tell them to stuff it where the sun don't shine, but I'll give it some more time. YThe amelioration from the gagging has been good, but it's beginning to creep back again. so maybe the chemo has had an immediate effect but may not be doing all it might be... bastard, but I'll try and persevere and Jules is telling me to try radiotherapy, which wee Ollie the oncologist has also talked about, so I'll discuss that with her next week and by then it will soon be time to go back to Southend for another round of gunk input AND SOUTHEND HOSPITAL IF YOU ARE READING THIS DON'T HAVE ME FRIGGING HANGING AROUND COS I'M NOT NICE WHEN I'M GRUMPY.<br />
<br />
Other news: None. Well apart from the fact that we have had astro turf done in the back garden and all the kids love it, including the neighbours kids and tip good quality astro turf seems much cheaper from the carpet shop, I know, I know, than from the garden centres in fact in south east Essex can't give enough Praise to MD Carpets for the job they did with ours.<br />
<br />
Steve, Son in Law No 2 who lives down in woking came over and took me to hospital and Peter son in Law No 1 took time off from his work to come over at the weekend. I said it earlier in the week, life has been pretty good to me, pretty shit upbringing in terms of an abusive alcoholic father, but the hardest working caring mother as compensation. Ishbel who has put up with me for over 38 years, and I can see the pain in her eyes when I just want her to cuddle me, but not too tightly as it hurts, and three of the most loving, caring and hardest working kids, in Marie, Brian and Jennifer it would be any parents privilege to have helped bring into this world and from them we have been given 5 beautiful intelligent* loving grandchildren and then the added bonus of two of the most hard working sons in law that you are ever likely to meet in Peter and Steve who clearly love and adore their partners and their children and work all bloody hours to support them - guys take it easy once in a while will you - I love you all dearly and I want to be the first out the door<br />
<br />
*intelligence and tattooed eyebrows I'm sure there is a contradiction there.........<br />
<br />
So a few photos of what's been going on recently <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWl8GpdEsS0YPpSM0e1qhkjiWXRFfCfiggF6DE5kXdbUaWwIir-KPz9N-VCTCtnZ5sTvaghQwNcbbm4ljGPD2dyU9QAQ-_OX59v_Z6sZBfPigzhR4DQdSCwWMpivFaZ66GN0vzCwVdNE8/s1600/20130420_135001000_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWl8GpdEsS0YPpSM0e1qhkjiWXRFfCfiggF6DE5kXdbUaWwIir-KPz9N-VCTCtnZ5sTvaghQwNcbbm4ljGPD2dyU9QAQ-_OX59v_Z6sZBfPigzhR4DQdSCwWMpivFaZ66GN0vzCwVdNE8/s1600/20130420_135001000_iOS.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun in the garden before Astro turf</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new Astro turf</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ishbel planting pots but no pot for my pain!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first Indian Restaurant Lacey loved the popadoms!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter, Holly and Goalie Charlie K </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mollie loving the hot towel after the meal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYztQV_aSLBCe6y92exmNlKQjgUx2jfaYroTS29MgXwBPzqhi2l3EejsS51367wcBe5P9JSxDfrx_-mC8P7H14oeJYitx6ihuhbFGdesAb9HBlDNJgHPWKUQSMJLq7pc4I1DWn3E619g/s1600/WP_20140627_15_14_52_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYztQV_aSLBCe6y92exmNlKQjgUx2jfaYroTS29MgXwBPzqhi2l3EejsS51367wcBe5P9JSxDfrx_-mC8P7H14oeJYitx6ihuhbFGdesAb9HBlDNJgHPWKUQSMJLq7pc4I1DWn3E619g/s1600/WP_20140627_15_14_52_Pro.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lacey Mae, Mollie and Shannon aks KatNip</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM5vLsa4vM28Y5UJF-IVWCJP31XjGhdfkjeMBZemJhN8_J3qvzUXFeiGIa5u3BauSXVYTGGzaYvq_p2l7YwcB9-l0br-3oD0Du-ug5FxNkOF1vQ8W8qSelLXZ2O0ua7aF-r58_rbbfrQ/s1600/WP_20140627_13_56_17_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM5vLsa4vM28Y5UJF-IVWCJP31XjGhdfkjeMBZemJhN8_J3qvzUXFeiGIa5u3BauSXVYTGGzaYvq_p2l7YwcB9-l0br-3oD0Du-ug5FxNkOF1vQ8W8qSelLXZ2O0ua7aF-r58_rbbfrQ/s1600/WP_20140627_13_56_17_Pro.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mollie teaching Lacey Mae </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandmama and the darlings </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy Steve and cuddly Lacey Mae</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt1How-p0ARtC3HcB2l6Zs8rq-8PPafCCkaKZGIB71eaLMZIC5HulXn7ggZYa6Xv4CRlW7yasUdvh1oZNrVR1skALHI116DB1hJkfotUAd6Ynd-75YR3VzThPN9A3uFxs4L7wh3DpjTk/s1600/WP_20140629_10_14_01_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxt1How-p0ARtC3HcB2l6Zs8rq-8PPafCCkaKZGIB71eaLMZIC5HulXn7ggZYa6Xv4CRlW7yasUdvh1oZNrVR1skALHI116DB1hJkfotUAd6Ynd-75YR3VzThPN9A3uFxs4L7wh3DpjTk/s1600/WP_20140629_10_14_01_Pro.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MY JENNIFER with curls and.....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie beginning to outgrow Holly </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy Peter also being shown how to lose at archery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MY MARIE</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-57423860002587091212014-05-11T09:34:00.000+01:002014-05-11T12:07:04.944+01:00Two Birthdays in one....<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5TmfQbvt9yIE3dKnobj_0xSGqTSf3k4mnfKho2If29J5eq2wEqhXbLSo4Zdg1Yednd3efCxUwneK_ii3HU-E7ROAPEmElaL1BWyqUIdi936sGv-DN46Ap2xXHzmZaYbH2c5k3RP-ujs/s1600/WP_20140510_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5TmfQbvt9yIE3dKnobj_0xSGqTSf3k4mnfKho2If29J5eq2wEqhXbLSo4Zdg1Yednd3efCxUwneK_ii3HU-E7ROAPEmElaL1BWyqUIdi936sGv-DN46Ap2xXHzmZaYbH2c5k3RP-ujs/s1600/WP_20140510_002.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raspberry and meringue with coulis for both</td></tr>
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You all probably know that the British queen has two birthdays on two different days and to be honest I have have never been that much of a fan of UK royalty to be bothered to ever find out why that is, but there you go.<br />
<br />
Well I too, now have two birthdays to celebrate but, unlike old queenie my birthdays fall on the same date so it's double celebration time for me.<br />
<br />
10th May is my official birth date and so yesterday we celebrated me reaching the grand old age of 58 (I think) and I spent the day <i>chillin'</i> with the gorgeous one, Ishbel. Mind you after a cock up with a security company this week I thought it was going to be a day spent at work but Sharon who works for me and who herself celebrated her birthday eight days before me and was officially still on holiday yesterday, passed the workplace came in and sent me home covering the shift herself ... bonus payment next month I think!<br />
<br />
So, got home, promptly fell asleep for an hour and a half and then woke up and went out with Ishbel. We didn't get up to much as I have this problem that we assume is linked to <i>the problem</i> in that if I am on my feet for to long or walk for any distance I start to get a pain right across the top of my back that soon spreads to the whole of my back and quickly begins to feel like, I suppose, a sinking submarine would feel as it got to depths that would soon begin to crush its hull and it implodes in on itself. I imagine if that happened to such a vessel and it was capable of feeling pain it would be extreme and excruciating, well that's how I get. <br />
<br />
It happened last week too when, with my Big brother Jim and wee wifey Marie up from Liverpool and I decided they, me and of course the visiting angels, Mollie, Shannon and Lacey May along with mum and dad Jennifer and Steve would all go for a walk through the local woods and then to the park and I just barely made it home before collapsing in the kitchen in agony, it wasn't nice and it's the first time that my family had seen it this bad and I felt more sorry for them having to witness me blubbering, than I did for myself. I know although it is bad and I crave for it to end that I also know that as soon as I get sat down with a glass of water and a few painkillers it doesn't take long for me to make some sort of recovery.......<br />
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Yesterday, we decided to do a 'little' bit of retail therapy as I received gift cards and vouchers in cards, so we headed over to Bluewater across the Thames via the Dartford crossing. It got a bit much for me and I could feel Ishbels' arm stiffen as we walked around holding hands as she attempted to stop me from going down, so we curtailed the shops and headed to the restaurant and spent an enjoyable two hours in there recuperating and eating a damn fine meal with me chomping on meds throughout to prevent one of the gastric attacks I suffer from, no one stared, so it worked.<br />
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All in all it was a good week and day<br />
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The second birthday I was sharing with myself was of course my wee tumour. It was the 10th May 2013 that it was officially confirmed that I indeed did have cancer, so, although the prognosis hasn't been great, who cares, life still goes on and here is to sharing many more birthdays with my symbiotic friend, because as long as we celebrate it WE ARE LIVING and one really can't ask for much more than that on a birthday<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOU5yLxw-dShs_N1id8r81pikooqRmmIw78aIozNl3lnydyhh1b91UzGYEJar_mFuN7Z_6eoLEYmLeSawkjT-rRK7JOAlzdcnPua2ugZRhOBSlMAs60vKS98lFgNSMmwAAvszexJO51Uw/s1600/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOU5yLxw-dShs_N1id8r81pikooqRmmIw78aIozNl3lnydyhh1b91UzGYEJar_mFuN7Z_6eoLEYmLeSawkjT-rRK7JOAlzdcnPua2ugZRhOBSlMAs60vKS98lFgNSMmwAAvszexJO51Uw/s1600/006.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granny Ishbel and Grand Aunt Marie teaching Mollie ball tricks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoQ9FkZ5CEvhe-nVTyIKklxMDOooG9iFcSTKi1Vtv3TMWo0YZLsvCGMnXjt86N8s3syMY1kDeGN-NSqglax4IOQA9HtSvG1BohF1D4livfM7bWhK6KIY-wLMXpoD-6ES3VJIfRVNI6_4/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoQ9FkZ5CEvhe-nVTyIKklxMDOooG9iFcSTKi1Vtv3TMWo0YZLsvCGMnXjt86N8s3syMY1kDeGN-NSqglax4IOQA9HtSvG1BohF1D4livfM7bWhK6KIY-wLMXpoD-6ES3VJIfRVNI6_4/s1600/007.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lacey Mae and Shannon with Grand Uncle Jim</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnDteIwLzmrkGK_-1flCj9Z996uIVagKLj4Fe3pNA6Fc9zAJ1pQuq9NmgWijCyTwrEA8ePsxKrPfD8ii8a6PT6z1dTWA5WCz94g24qIA0Ef9U2H5CH4Xj-x3hzh6X4uZKmtrCrsdRBfY/s1600/018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnDteIwLzmrkGK_-1flCj9Z996uIVagKLj4Fe3pNA6Fc9zAJ1pQuq9NmgWijCyTwrEA8ePsxKrPfD8ii8a6PT6z1dTWA5WCz94g24qIA0Ef9U2H5CH4Xj-x3hzh6X4uZKmtrCrsdRBfY/s1600/018.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super Mollie foreground Super Jim background</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdg7KeyQeIiEN8FHrfhXqGRVWiysT4CpI2JtSM0yNXGE69ycSvyzyc5YFHHMDFlLysvgKI0C1zZgRVdJm6yW7nKZzCH-na-JDinb5nUfgW6Lh_UQh8TXpRwyLyMd18nNOE5t4wFvHKC6I/s1600/021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdg7KeyQeIiEN8FHrfhXqGRVWiysT4CpI2JtSM0yNXGE69ycSvyzyc5YFHHMDFlLysvgKI0C1zZgRVdJm6yW7nKZzCH-na-JDinb5nUfgW6Lh_UQh8TXpRwyLyMd18nNOE5t4wFvHKC6I/s1600/021.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mummy Jennifer outdoing Mollie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYL-9PjkWRDtbpb5QT8QTC1CcRUbHd8FxCqFPIAiGiyNIRZ9CU4_Nn8hHr6mz-kLoze3T0j5eWCiyQtbRx3LcyO2Cbx_oLlapXx_bJTlXda0X_2dR6AafXbmXBmc3eX9TodPnuYPR9vzs/s1600/WP_20140510_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYL-9PjkWRDtbpb5QT8QTC1CcRUbHd8FxCqFPIAiGiyNIRZ9CU4_Nn8hHr6mz-kLoze3T0j5eWCiyQtbRx3LcyO2Cbx_oLlapXx_bJTlXda0X_2dR6AafXbmXBmc3eX9TodPnuYPR9vzs/s1600/WP_20140510_001.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pink Veal and salad for me </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LpC-H5NOHcVUldxdmOM6kntEMZtMQARZ2LMZ7gSO5c_4lfmnPbhuhCi1C1AQo5yIYw2SBKftg5UrPSyQtSO96OUv9ka6Nz-jYKGnmhbj-HNproUlxHKc-7nomoT1hS9HfNI-Ubnwgo8/s1600/WP_20140510_004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LpC-H5NOHcVUldxdmOM6kntEMZtMQARZ2LMZ7gSO5c_4lfmnPbhuhCi1C1AQo5yIYw2SBKftg5UrPSyQtSO96OUv9ka6Nz-jYKGnmhbj-HNproUlxHKc-7nomoT1hS9HfNI-Ubnwgo8/s1600/WP_20140510_004.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sewing machine shop front that doesn't sell them!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnEpGn0eodnGg2uLbgscZEJa013d5AtAE1_PIqs-bJ1wNM1dNq2E4lKH5EAlMgi6Xc2q1bUGyS8IkAyZmC_tJe41PbpaAEZuNqhKMChKofaKmAt9fmMAviGjJQWMZaoFdNQ2Isevv0Ic/s1600/WP_20140510_005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnEpGn0eodnGg2uLbgscZEJa013d5AtAE1_PIqs-bJ1wNM1dNq2E4lKH5EAlMgi6Xc2q1bUGyS8IkAyZmC_tJe41PbpaAEZuNqhKMChKofaKmAt9fmMAviGjJQWMZaoFdNQ2Isevv0Ic/s1600/WP_20140510_005.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New outfit!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnuSWVIeh2PeDclYcR0jm4IA4LV6hp3CD_kGLjqf7qB6eUyG_GG3TZ_RO__4xAV0ha79qHGsfa6uOwu38J0Ozk7O3nBKmobw8zey8woEei6QDMMMrEpbQ9GGCHd1i12r4vPR5k2yo3t8/s1600/WP_20140510_15_42_39_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisnuSWVIeh2PeDclYcR0jm4IA4LV6hp3CD_kGLjqf7qB6eUyG_GG3TZ_RO__4xAV0ha79qHGsfa6uOwu38J0Ozk7O3nBKmobw8zey8woEei6QDMMMrEpbQ9GGCHd1i12r4vPR5k2yo3t8/s1600/WP_20140510_15_42_39_Pro.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea Bass for Ishbel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmsCArCHlMTAkncy35sv8BUrE9RY0FN6BkMV61GBGupPxH7HKEX30tHuFHuOPB5La7DwdKHxJW2sLzfnEGbTAsBdw7D-uLUOOtpt7e7jodaW3PdAmfHqNk1TOw61P0zho6waXtxN_dxo/s1600/WP_20140503_13_07_02_Smart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmsCArCHlMTAkncy35sv8BUrE9RY0FN6BkMV61GBGupPxH7HKEX30tHuFHuOPB5La7DwdKHxJW2sLzfnEGbTAsBdw7D-uLUOOtpt7e7jodaW3PdAmfHqNk1TOw61P0zho6waXtxN_dxo/s1600/WP_20140503_13_07_02_Smart.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mollie, will I sit on Grand Uncle Jim?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwPGQxPtsXlO3TqfSHg3PzHQWIIArR7Rl6MToBrJevTBTAekU8jP3x4er0AZse7nQYAyoAndpMlS3cpc0Zyt6r1lHpvsMErrCYZkhF5tFlT3aqCnWR1JFpeykQjRWmnD1tq21rDSYexY/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwPGQxPtsXlO3TqfSHg3PzHQWIIArR7Rl6MToBrJevTBTAekU8jP3x4er0AZse7nQYAyoAndpMlS3cpc0Zyt6r1lHpvsMErrCYZkhF5tFlT3aqCnWR1JFpeykQjRWmnD1tq21rDSYexY/s1600/004.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes I will</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFC4DHGWTF2pvKTmKgBkyZUj8ItKoRlIZn6w2EW_KsRU8vrYMDf9QniXIdegS2WHG2GnXMBHp648nmUBWOvpTm2m6gTPUODV9CTg4vyGNlTypU3XbU8lNFpJypEtV3Cx0IObLaYQxy4Xo/s1600/010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFC4DHGWTF2pvKTmKgBkyZUj8ItKoRlIZn6w2EW_KsRU8vrYMDf9QniXIdegS2WHG2GnXMBHp648nmUBWOvpTm2m6gTPUODV9CTg4vyGNlTypU3XbU8lNFpJypEtV3Cx0IObLaYQxy4Xo/s1600/010.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Adam Wilson Stronach aka JAWS, but I'm better looking!</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-50436307015653087432014-04-28T08:21:00.001+01:002014-04-28T08:21:48.129+01:00A Fathers LoveSaw this on twitter and just had to share it with you, beautiful, moving, touching. An elderly father and his grown up son, sitting in a garden .....<br />
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It reminds us that patience and love are two of the core essences of our being, or at least it is for some! Personally, I hated my father and was glad when he died and there is not a forgiving bone in my body towards him, I still do not miss him today.<br />
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For me, it is a reminder that some dads can be loving and thoughtful and still have patience when their kids get a bit grumpy, like we all do from time to time. And I hope that my kids think of me in that way even although I recognise that at times I was not the best father in the world......<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-89374370259429825412014-04-27T04:36:00.000+01:002014-04-27T04:45:26.709+01:00Another Dream Just woke up with a pounding headache it's 3:50 AM<br />
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I wonder if it was the weird dream I was having? It was about Mollie and I. Mollie our 11 year old and eldest granddaughter, you know the one, the tiny little package of beauty and intelligence with the most gorgeously sweet and arm twisting smiling eyes that it has ever been a grand dad's misfortune to look upon, purely from the perspective of that she just has to glance up at me with those almond eyes and I would walk through hell where no demon could lay a hand upon me until I reached her, standing outside on the other side of it, as she wouldn't actually be in there!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8kOKRIZTEM7rBSMTgEx121AKL_M1QjZflVqcbuTDr0uKMqtRa0dbUClpjLYpgGllBLSopwYs86aTY-KI_xaKSDsdaZtC44sv4IQB72u8l2pkkTlw7FN8Rm5TVKBfMIW24HTuW5mB5lM/s1600/mollie+head+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8kOKRIZTEM7rBSMTgEx121AKL_M1QjZflVqcbuTDr0uKMqtRa0dbUClpjLYpgGllBLSopwYs86aTY-KI_xaKSDsdaZtC44sv4IQB72u8l2pkkTlw7FN8Rm5TVKBfMIW24HTuW5mB5lM/s1600/mollie+head+shot.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
So, it's just Mollie and me. We are in Spain, no idea where in Spain, no idea where her sisters or Mom and dad are or Ishbel is for that matter. But Mollie is attending an English School and is getting ready for a great event. She has a boyfriend, not Ewan, English too, attending the same school, I don't take to him at all. During the course of the preparations we need to attend two different places in the local town and need to get the bus there. Because of the argument Mollie decides to go to one place on her own and I am told to go to the other place.<br />
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Her 'boyfriend' is also going to the other place and so he accompanies me there on the bus, he translating for me, still didn't like him. I don't know where we were supposed to be going, or for what but I'm sure it wasn't the place where we ended up.<br />
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It was an old building with many floors on it, it had once been an elegant very large home with wide stairs and many reception rooms, it was very bohemian and there was preparation under way for a large social gathering with tables being laid with all sorts of wonderful food and people arriving all the time. William Hurt was there, as was William Shatner, Martin Balsam was also there and many other famous faces too. As you moved from one room to the other, deep discussions were going on on all sorts of subjects, and there was music and poetry. <br />
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I was on my own as Mollies 'boyfriend' had abandoned me. I was approached by a woman who sat me down on a window ledge, it was one of those deep ledges where you could comfortably sit on and gaze out of the window or back into the large room. She asked me when I was going to die, before I could reply she got up and left!<br />
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I bumped into Mr Hurt on the stairs and asked him to have a photo taken with me. I have no idea why I did this as I have met many famous people in my life and never once asked them for a photograph or an autograph! As the woman accompanying him started to take the photo I started doing back flips of the stairs, we were going down them at the time.<br />
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I kept going down the stairs and found myself in an outdoor swimming/leisure area with pools and slides and water rings and fountains and I saw Mollies 'boyfriend' here .....<br />
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I woke with a pounding headache ..... and now I'm going back to bed at 4:35 AM.<br />
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Hope you are having a better night than I xxxxxx<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-78891472836992812062014-04-19T13:30:00.000+01:002014-04-19T13:41:51.176+01:00I had to share - A Dream "I just woke up from a nap about being lost in South Ockendon. You lived at a house at the top of an enormous hill which required traipsing up a bajillion steps to reach you. After being lost for hours, I'd finally reached these steps and knew I was close. I then had to battle an intricate arrangement by one of your psychotic neighbours:<br />
In order to pass their house, you had to squeeze between a wall and a cemented-down wire fence, behind which their 2 enormous rabid hounds prowled. To make your way through the dogs you had to delicately reach (without losing your arm to aforementioned mutts) and trip a system which automatically shot hedgehog prickles at them, dropping them instantly like elephant tranquillisers. I was in the middle of manoeuvring this last task when I woke up"<br />
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One of our beautiful gorgeous nieces had this dream, Iv'e no idea why she was finding it so hard to get to our house for gods sake ever since my impending death was announced EVERY BLOODY PERSON ON THE PLANET WE KNOW HAS BEEN VISITING AND I'M NOT BEING ALLOWED TO DIE IN GOD-DAMN PEACE ......... ;))))</div>
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And doesn't she have a fine turn of prose? In fact this was her latest Face book entry and all I will say is, if you are tempted to comment on this post, beware of the warning .....</div>
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<span class="fwb fcg" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" style="font-weight: bold;"><a aria-haspopup="true" aria-owns="js_7" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=808390225&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22nf%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/GrouchyMonsta?fref=nf" id="js_8" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Lesley Scott</a></span></div>
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<span class="fsm fwn fcg" style="color: grey;"><a class="_5pcq" href="https://www.facebook.com/GrouchyMonsta/posts/10154098946890226?stream_ref=5" style="color: #898f9c; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">3 hrs</a></span> · <a aria-label="Shared with: Lesley's friends" class="uiStreamPrivacy inlineBlock fbStreamPrivacy fbPrivacyAudienceIndicator _5pcq" data-hover="tooltip" href="https://www.facebook.com/GrouchyMonsta/posts/10154098946890226?comment_id=49315557&offset=0&total_comments=2&notif_t=feed_comment_reply#" id="u_jsonp_2_9" role="button" style="color: #898f9c; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; text-decoration: none; zoom: 1;"><i class="lock img sp_17jw3n sx_affa1f" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yT/r/LLK-TIt0Smf.png); background-position: -14px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 28px 164px; bottom: -1px; display: inline-block; height: 12px; margin-bottom: -5px; position: relative; vertical-align: top; width: 12px;"></i></a></div>
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Please. Everyone. Just...learn to fucking spell.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-48928174548936848132014-04-18T11:41:00.000+01:002014-04-18T11:41:00.543+01:00TGI Fridays - it was pretty average <div style="text-align: justify;">
Having already had our 'main' anniversary present to ourselves, <span id="goog_676306549"></span><a href="http://tomstronach.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/dinner-and-ballet-at-royal-opera-house.html"><b>dinner and the ballet<span id="goog_676306550"></span> </b></a>we decided to just pop into TGI Fridays for a meal on our 'special day' but only because we couldn't get across the Dartford Bridge as we were heading to a French restaurant at Blue Water, best laid plans and all that...</div>
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It's been a while since we were in this restaurant, 11 years, as our eldest grandchild Mollie, hadn't arrived, so we thought not getting where we wanted to go, it was time to re-visit.</div>
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As it was just pre evening getting a table was easy enough and we had a very attentive waitress, apologies as her name has slipped my mind! After 11 years I had forgotten just how loud the music is in a TGI's! I do like my music and I do like it loud, but really in a bar/ restaurant it really does need to be turned down a tad. Again, after 11 years it looks as if the restaurant hasn't seen a deep clean or a paintbrush since our last visit, possibly since it was built, very tired and shabby looking as were the gent's toilets with the walls full of holes where the hand drier had been moved around on what looked like at least 4 or 5 occasions!</div>
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<b><u>The food:</u></b> We had mozzarella sticks with a chilli dip and strips of chicken with a sour cream dip, both delicious although Ishbel wasn't to keen on the sour cream dip.</div>
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<b><u>For mains</u></b>: Ishbel had salmon fillet, couscous and vegetables and was impressed, the salmon looked a bit dry to me.</div>
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I had the 7 oz fillet steak, medium rare with Jack Daniels glaze, crispy fries and an apple coleslaw.</div>
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The steak was cooked to perfection tasted delicious and it melted in the mouth. The fries were limp and the apple coleslaw was absolutely rank and should not even be fed to the the inhabitants of the local piggery, it really was the quality of the steak that saved it for me.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-22571355728826532452014-04-17T12:28:00.001+01:002014-04-17T15:29:16.589+01:00It's only been 38 years .......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutKoLhGYPedr00UM-rDF1eYKv3qSNw_MOYh_PwssIZkxI3VeatRZfaQlA2ORu2snyETA_Gay2a9qlS_lS8lhhTT_hzV5k-U1sHHSN7Q6_Ki-t28i9ZoZ-zrVOBzWO0hwKdZVRkiM7oxA/s1600/April+1976+(26).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutKoLhGYPedr00UM-rDF1eYKv3qSNw_MOYh_PwssIZkxI3VeatRZfaQlA2ORu2snyETA_Gay2a9qlS_lS8lhhTT_hzV5k-U1sHHSN7Q6_Ki-t28i9ZoZ-zrVOBzWO0hwKdZVRkiM7oxA/s1600/April+1976+(26).jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
38 years ago today, it was a Saturday and it was a sunny warm day in Aldershot and I was sitting somewhere, but for the life of me I cant think where, contemplating the next few hours and what they would mean to me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqgZeBNKFHJqjns0wvQv84HXm75e6saz1ZYsdKX8X4lpRJoRPnRIZECEDHkfw2bItlCaUlfjuBpIPdMY5J2CVYgbf_L1YOvaCuGrGbuaLLhWnh_1FpZ7IVH5Zt29dfRk6wnN1E9FpvVc/s1600/Berlin+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFqgZeBNKFHJqjns0wvQv84HXm75e6saz1ZYsdKX8X4lpRJoRPnRIZECEDHkfw2bItlCaUlfjuBpIPdMY5J2CVYgbf_L1YOvaCuGrGbuaLLhWnh_1FpZ7IVH5Zt29dfRk6wnN1E9FpvVc/s1600/Berlin+025.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>It was Christmas two years earlier in Berlin. I was having xmas dinner with a wee bird called Ishbel Scott, her parents Alex and Margaret, her brother David and Robert Mcallister the family's best friend. They lived in a top flat, top flat Ishbel, not ground, not middle, TOP, on Schmidt Knoblesdorf Strasse a two minute walk from the barracks.<br />
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We were in West Berlin, Ishbel's dad Alex, Robert and I all served in the same regiment of the British Army posted to Berlin. I got to know the family as Ishbel's Mum Margaret worked in the NAAFI (PX) shop in barracks and me being the cheeky (read gobby) little git that I was, used to attend regularly to get me fags, cans of tango and chocolate digestive biscuits. Anyways, one day while I was in there I happened to notice a photo pinned to the wall behind the till register of two kids, a lovely wee bird and a plooky wee guy, only kidding David, you didn't have plooks in the photo, they came later - and being the aforementioned gobby git I said to the wuman ahin the coonter, "Who's the bird in the photo?" "That's no bird" says she, "That's my daughter".<br />
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"Fine" says I, "If she's free on Friday, she can take me out!"<br />
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Well that's how it started, me an ma big gob!<br />
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Of course Ishbel was still a wee schoolgirl at the time so you can imagine the response my attention elicited from her mother and I didn't even know her father, remember a Regiment has about four companies of men and can number up to 500 hundred souls, so you tended to know everyone in the company you served in and at most were on nodding terms with the rest until you had been in for a few years and moved around a bit......<br />
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Lord it was hard work, but eventually they relented. But, instead of letting me take Ishbel out and of course Ishbel's mother also knew from my buying habits (other than the tango and biscuits) that I was a bit of a drinker back then and of course a smoker, so eventually I was allowed to visit at home for meals and whatnot.<br />
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I don't think that Ishbel was too impressed to begin with but I soon discovered the way to win her affections was to buy her every Osmond Album , <a href="http://tomstronach.blogspot.com/2011/08/musical-reflections-and-i-still-hate.html"><b>see this post</b></a> (particularly the last four paragraphs), and knock me down with a feather, it worked, and she is still so easily bought ;)<br />
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And then of course there was that fateful xmas dinner, 1973 if memory serves, and we pulled a cracker and a little glass ring fell out, I got down on one knee and proposed I WAS DRUNK what can I say .........<br />
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I don't recall too much more of that day and I don't think we set a date but eventually one was set for 1976. In between Ishbel returned to stay with her Gran in Edinburgh to attend school (but I think it was her parents trying to put some distance between us.... ) and I got on with being a drunk and volunteering for all sorts of things, canoeing down the length of the not so blue Danube , that is one BIG river and having my canoe sink on me, crashing an Army 3 tonne lorry into a tree , oh! and making a drunken phone call to Ishbel in Edinburgh, from a call box in the middle of a bridge when in the middle of the call I fell backwards and disappeared into the river , true story Ishbel will confirm, but as usual I survived and then of course there was the wee parachuting incident in the middle of 74 when it was thought I may not walk again, but hey, I survived that too....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHP7W6ZSyX7TxKisFnBHhNT1vdxAJ0vmiWtrXZZ05NM7BgsEoQJOwOB27Z2H72BEYaGm_VTfrNVAsDcvN6OuSB408DIc2QkdQI_VZ6kFDr9CwjF6C-iCDFFhV-SihQKzjKfOOJRvRx1A/s1600/Berlin+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHP7W6ZSyX7TxKisFnBHhNT1vdxAJ0vmiWtrXZZ05NM7BgsEoQJOwOB27Z2H72BEYaGm_VTfrNVAsDcvN6OuSB408DIc2QkdQI_VZ6kFDr9CwjF6C-iCDFFhV-SihQKzjKfOOJRvRx1A/s1600/Berlin+030.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a>This is a photo of the Waldhaus restaurant on the Heerstrasse. It was the first restaurant I took Ishbel to for a meal and we revisited it and had another celebratory meal in 2004, 30 years after our first visit. Ishbel was still under age and so I blame myself for her addiction to red wine as I ordered a bottle of Spanish Torres Red, the bottles came with a little black plastic bull hanging from the bottle, I wonder if she still has it somewhere........<br />
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And then in 75 Ishbel's parents had organised an engagement party in Berlin. Only problem was I was on posting away from the regiment and true to form spent most of my time in a drunken stupor as a fully paid up member of the Boozy Army on The Rhine. The party was scheduled for the Friday night and I turned into work on the Friday morning when I should have been heading North to Berlin. My bosses were more than a little bemused but fully understood my confusion as this was a normal state of affairs for me back then. As luck, for me maybe not for Ishbel there was a visiting detachment from Berlin scouting out the area I was working in ahead of a major planned exercise, and they agreed to take me with them. To cut a long story short, I travelled the 11 hours in the back of a soft top land rover in a snow storm and made the party, frozen and shivering, with a sorry looking bunch of flowers in hand.<br />
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Fast forward to 1976 and we eventually got married in the Garrison church at Aldershot, had three brilliant kids, I stopped drinking when Marie was born in 1978, and THAT WAS AFTER I WAS SHOT AND SURVIVED and then Brian came along in 1980 followed by Jennifer in 1984.<br />
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Fast forward to 2014 and we have now been together, 38 years married and every day ISHBEL DRIVES ME NUTS, there is a proper way to load the dishwasher you know, I don't need your jim jams in the ironing basket THEY DON'T NEED TO BE IRONED NOR DO YOUR JEANS, PLASTIC DOES NOT GO IN THE BLUE BIN EEEEEVVVVVVEEEEERRRRR..... and the list goes on, Socks, <a href="http://tomstronach.blogspot.com/2011/11/great-sock-debate.html"><b>don't get me started on my socks</b></a> me I never do anything that annoys, cos I'm perfect anyway (apart from continually and regularly locking us both out of the house ....)<br />
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And then of course, there was last year when the doctors gave me a year to live but out of spite and because of all HER annoying habits, I refuse to die and I am going to hang around for years getting my own back on her and to make sure she starts to get things right, even if it kills me doing it.<br />
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Hey, Ishbel thanks for 40 years of friendship and love I know I can be a right pain in the **** at times but at least I'm still cuddly........<br />
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I LOVE YOU TOO<br />
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Oh and by the way HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ALSO to Jules and Oscar our Besties in California who also married on 17th April and have 2 gorgeous girls and a son just like us, Hope you two are having a great day too.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-15102208805381491892014-04-11T10:19:00.000+01:002014-04-11T11:04:19.794+01:00Guest Post: Sir Charlie Stinky Socks .... by Charlie Kennedy (aged 8 &2 days) <div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><span style="color: red; font-size: 36.0pt;">Sir Charlie stinky socks<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: red; font-size: 36.0pt;">And the really spooky
adventure <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One cold day at the tall tall tower with a pointy roof<b><u> </u></b>sir Charlie decided to go on an
adventure. He brought his sword, his trusty grey mare and his cat called bow.
So he set of then Charlie stepped in some quick mud so he yelled to his grey
mare “ quick grab that vine so I can get out” so his grey mare ran to the vine grabbed
it and threw it at sir Charlie but it was not a vine it was a poisonous snake
they were really in trouble Charlie tried to get out and grab his sword. Then Charlie
was free and grabbed his sword and sliced it in half and they ran. But he could
not go anywhere because there was a deep
lake. So he built a raft rowed it to the other side of the lake on the other
side of the lake was home. So he went home and had a very very long sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 36.0pt; line-height: 115%;">the end</span></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-22745890269031119852014-04-08T10:39:00.000+01:002014-04-08T10:39:12.468+01:00Book Review: Henry Wood Detective Agency: Perception (Book 3) <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42914Bn-x7Zz45w7Mi4Oj54at2cxHpV6QFJU9ovGWUAOL5ZgAGyoLA_rlazPfvZUY25Ac00of4YOFN0ADyvfiH3AZJ_UYB_EHJrboIEDCOKTaVHdIYPNiK7vsBrcD8faWXWCg88NEIHc/s1600/perception.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42914Bn-x7Zz45w7Mi4Oj54at2cxHpV6QFJU9ovGWUAOL5ZgAGyoLA_rlazPfvZUY25Ac00of4YOFN0ADyvfiH3AZJ_UYB_EHJrboIEDCOKTaVHdIYPNiK7vsBrcD8faWXWCg88NEIHc/s1600/perception.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look Inside Amazon UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00D6VIRE6?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creativeASIN=B00D6VIRE6&linkCode=xm2&tag=tostisitme-21">here</a><br />Look inside Amazon US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D6VIRE6?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creativeASIN=B00D6VIRE6&linkCode=xm2&tag=tostisitme-21">here</a> </td></tr>
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Book 3 in the Henry Wood serial and both Mr Meeks and the character are maturing into their stride. I enjoyed the first two books, I did, as evidenced from my previous<b><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://tomstronach.blogspot.co.uk/p/book-and-film-reviews.html"> reviews</a> </span></b>but this one, to use a Henry Woodism, (or as I imagine he would say) Mr Meeks has just, "knocked it out of the ballpark", he really has.<br />
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I have been watching, on and off, another one of those American TV imports recently, not an avid watcher, but tune in now an again to The Americans which is set in the 50's and 60's and has Russian spies embedded in US Society. Last week and I wasn't paying too much attention to it but I think part of the story was about the Russians trying to get their hands on US naval submarine technology as the US were making vast strides in improving the quality of their 'pipes' and what not, allowing their submarines to go even deeper than they could at that time and of course the Russians were desperate to get their hands on this material and of course the plans......<br />
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Well, switch off the telly folks and turn to Mr Meeks cos, he tells it a whole lot better, did the script writers get a hold of Henry Woods Perception or were they just looking at the same historical info at the same time and did a poorer job of retelling it, you decide but my money is on Mr Meeks being a better story teller.<br />
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Celine is now firmly embedded as Henry's boss, I mean secretary but is soon demoted from boss, I mean secretary when Mr Buttons turns up and takes over as head of the office.<br />
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Big Mike of the NYPD has been promoted to detective and Bobby, well he is still a bit of an anachronism, although we do learn one of his little secrets.<br />
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Francis is still a food critic and now wants to write a novel, don't we all .....<br />
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Lawrence, one of the kids from the last book is back and it looks like Henry may be getting a new sidekick .....<br />
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And Luna is still enticing Henry with goodies from the bakery, he'll need to watch his waistline in future episodes ........<br />
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The cupboard in the basement continues to spill out 'clues' from the future, in this outing a DVD and a CD, both of Billy Joel from the 70's, but we are no nearer to discovering the provenance of this contraption, how Henry came by it, where it came from or from whom, I suspect Bobby has something to do with it but Mr Meeks is keeping us guessing and as usual the clues are pretty abstract and thank goodness Henry gets there in the end because I never figure them out on my own .....<br />
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Anyways, Henry is engaged by the personal secretary of Daniel Kupton who has recently thrown himself out of a window of the Woolworth Building. Amy Silverton doesn't believe that it was suicide, he had a wife, he had a mistress and the fortunes of the family business had been turned around and was again making money and would make even more through being awarded a new Naval contract.......<br />
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Henry takes the job and the cold war intrigue really begins, we even get to sit in on a meeting with Nikita Khrushchev and the chairman of the KGB, Alexander Shelepin. The CIA are operating on US soil, oops and the FBI are sniffing around, bodies are piling up and Henry is racing to save not only himself but those close to him, who is gonna kill him first, the CIA or the KGB ......<br />
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Perception turned a corner for Mr Meeks, his writing has improved tremendously and the dialogue is much crisper although a few more contractions wouldn't go amiss and he still needs just a tiny bit little more work on editing, but nothing too much to complain about and character development is excellent, can't wait for number 4 in the series now .....<br />
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Editing for Kindle: 4 out 5 <br />
Reading Enjoyment: 5 out of 5<br />
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5<br />
Chapters: 90<br />
Page length: 283<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-50069687416352216092014-04-02T08:51:00.000+01:002014-04-02T09:03:59.893+01:00Cancer Sucks!<div style="text-align: justify;">
As you may know by now I have been diagnosed with cancer which, they tell me is terminal and apparently if I believe them, I have seven months left of the year or so left that the nice doctors gave me..... yeah, right says I; I intend to be around for a while yet </div>
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Anyways, I saw this video and it makes me SMILE more than usual and I'm sure even if not a cancer sufferer, it will make you SMILE too. The sheer joy of life and the beautiful smiles of these gorgeous ladies is well worth a visit and a revisit and a repost.</div>
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The message is:</div>
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DON'T LET IT GET YOU DOWN </div>
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and </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">SMILE </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-3198098865543981452014-03-28T13:05:00.000+00:002014-03-28T13:05:11.731+00:00Dinner and Ballet at The Royal Opera House <div style="text-align: justify;">
So, you'll recall I mentioned that Ishbel and I travelled up (you always travel UP to London, no matter where you are in the country!) to London last month, that time where we had intended to go and have lunch at Carluccio's restaurant in Covent Garden, that time where <b>we paid for lunch </b>instead of using the very nice Xmas gift of restaurant gift tokens from Isabel's brother David and his partner Yvonne.... Anyway before we left Covent Garden we popped in to the <a href="http://www.roh.org.uk/"><b><span style="color: red;">Royal Opera House</span></b></a> to see what was on and upcoming events and decides to purchase tickets to see <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://www.roh.org.uk/productions/the-sleeping-beauty-by-marius-petipa">The Sleeping Beauty</a>.</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BV7VmbuQOMSCbs9Cd1WMCEt6d66jI5AZp-SBdBJJHq14GVFHSW6IJvFzwGcRx95uWO1b7xbGvTIBxVU1_Do7ZtCmVhId2q3FhCfvPmTOQoVa9-svKCjzDUW8sKhE-d-0ARc5_5Oh0fs/s1600/100_3368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BV7VmbuQOMSCbs9Cd1WMCEt6d66jI5AZp-SBdBJJHq14GVFHSW6IJvFzwGcRx95uWO1b7xbGvTIBxVU1_Do7ZtCmVhId2q3FhCfvPmTOQoVa9-svKCjzDUW8sKhE-d-0ARc5_5Oh0fs/s1600/100_3368.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a>Now we know that Ballet and Opera aren't everyone's cup of tea but I have always, well since I was around 18 and was attending an event in Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin, well when I say attending that's not strictly true, I was in the British Army, posted to that fine city, and coincidentally that's where I met Ishbel too, but I digress. Anyway I was on duty dressed up in my parade uniform with Cock Feather on display in my Glengarry and the music for the evening was classical. My first introduction to it, and there was also a short opera piece as well. I never understood a word of it but the music was absolutely wonderful and the melodious tone and strength of the voices of the singers gave me goosebumps. Its a bit like some modern music today also, sometimes the lyrics just wash over me and I have no idea what they are singing about, not even picking up on the meaning of the song but, the sheer beauty of the voice and the tune and arrangement of the music just make me want to immerse myself totally in the voice and the music and leaves me quite sad when it ends and I find myself pressing the replay button until eventually I have to tear myself away and get on with my day ...... but enough of that I may do another post on all of that another time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgdk_2g3aoHDM1T5Clx1eQ6VY6SBO1S0wuBfRDuYQ3ZyD-BTW81P80oJ8iVDZFYdJsochDmB9lEqtuSojJcHe6eVQLUi-Ir_xEAOIx_5g-9J_tBAaFn9uO-LHwPpFl4VNjl3ZcX8JBOs/s1600/100_3366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgdk_2g3aoHDM1T5Clx1eQ6VY6SBO1S0wuBfRDuYQ3ZyD-BTW81P80oJ8iVDZFYdJsochDmB9lEqtuSojJcHe6eVQLUi-Ir_xEAOIx_5g-9J_tBAaFn9uO-LHwPpFl4VNjl3ZcX8JBOs/s1600/100_3366.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a>So, back to the night in hand. Times have changed when attending places like the Royal Opera House , once the preserve of the rich and famous and those supposedly more cultured than us common peasants or plebs, when it cost you an arm and a leg for a ticket and you had to dress up in evening suits and gowns and the ladies would be in the latest haute couture with their diamonds and pearls on display. No, it's not like that that at all these days, tickets are available at a variety of affordable rates and there is no need to dress up to the nines and restrict yourself in a corset and tight fitting suit, I mean gown, of course I don't need a corset (sheesh), many folk there on Tuesday were in casual clothes and indeed jeans were a common site too. Having said that, Ishbel and I do like to dress up for an occasion and as we decided that this was going to be an early 38th anniversary present to us, from us ...... so as you can see above we did make a little bit of an effort.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1uz1MOWpjkyt9HKAAkF7VQKrKjlM41YVT7gcvQ56gnU_9bqJZjK0QZWrxLwDnCy9j2bJakhjmDgiA2y4lh_tGC1PLqyRxVUft-VxLx8-OzleZD_-l7pOg7tf2pNMCC4tvfvO1_Rcj8E/s1600/opera+hse+menu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1uz1MOWpjkyt9HKAAkF7VQKrKjlM41YVT7gcvQ56gnU_9bqJZjK0QZWrxLwDnCy9j2bJakhjmDgiA2y4lh_tGC1PLqyRxVUft-VxLx8-OzleZD_-l7pOg7tf2pNMCC4tvfvO1_Rcj8E/s1600/opera+hse+menu.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a><br />
We started off the evening with an early dinner reservation at the <a href="http://www.roh.org.uk/visit/restaurants-and-bars/amphitheatre-restaurant-and-terrace"><span style="color: red;"><b>Amphitheatre Restaurant</b></span></a> within the ROH, there are a number of restaurants here and you can choose any one of them. The Amphitheatre is really excellent and is available to ticket holders only on the evening of a performance and the table is yours throughout the night. You can have starters and a main course before the performance and then pop back for dessert and drinks during the interval and if you have ordered wine with your meal the bottle and your dessert are waiting for your return, on the table.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4zdRY954JhFOGLaSnZDrS8EijeRWTrQscFO1Ri5D8eh73VlqNSbij2WBGffg6DEH388aCHyPYJk1CdaLa3a_MsoNZXtlrRYgFKhKvVX7VIOX4I0-78NwavPwVNVwfJQ1E4tBvdlz1EM/s1600/100_3371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4zdRY954JhFOGLaSnZDrS8EijeRWTrQscFO1Ri5D8eh73VlqNSbij2WBGffg6DEH388aCHyPYJk1CdaLa3a_MsoNZXtlrRYgFKhKvVX7VIOX4I0-78NwavPwVNVwfJQ1E4tBvdlz1EM/s1600/100_3371.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a>The menu is varied and excellent and really good value at London prices, considering the very excellent service from the waiting staff, the quality of the food and the ambience of the setting.<br />
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We both had champagne to start with, a glass, not a bottle, opting for champagne and not the 'Wild Strawberry Bellini' from the menu. Then Ishbel started the meal with the 'Dorset crab mayonnaise and toasted sourdough'. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrctPV7AQDd2-3LXKuMgrDZ0Nbq1h3Lpif9ePLSV77Xb6DNbJfwczAb9XNPrbehTfg1DXkBOYqrxuWbGq68htk2L9fYGzwpRx6V1GkRKbB34QCFbsiHTs6kzqgeUy-jW2g4tlYULZ53-c/s1600/100_3373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrctPV7AQDd2-3LXKuMgrDZ0Nbq1h3Lpif9ePLSV77Xb6DNbJfwczAb9XNPrbehTfg1DXkBOYqrxuWbGq68htk2L9fYGzwpRx6V1GkRKbB34QCFbsiHTs6kzqgeUy-jW2g4tlYULZ53-c/s1600/100_3373.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Ishbel followed this up with the 'Fish Pie', she does like seafood and I thought she might have opted for the 'Cod, saffron potatoes and bouillabassesauce' but no it was the 'pie' which I am assured was absolutely delicious.... and it did look scrumptious.<br />
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When eating, let alone eating out these days, I really need to be careful as you know this 'wee' tumour is causing me all sorts of problems not least of all in the eating and digestion department and the reflux and gagging reflex can be pretty bad. Ishbel has learned now to keep her hands and wrists well away from me at these moments as I grab her and crush her hand as I grip for dear life during one of these attacks. But having visited with the registrar last week, you'll recall him, I know Ishbel does, 'Handsome Ewan', he upped one of my meds and it does seem to be giving some amelioration to my wee problem.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzK42k0HfAqSuaNbSBkLXOJwjQ4SxfKDJ0mUmhZwvoU8Or1B8-W7tZIQagK-tqyvBxpt5BaFdi9i_B8sF09ZzaT2xCrOHPMDdh8Dg47FJw6piiGmCn6Sy5M189IdhZXjVVxIHDhU6YoDw/s1600/100_3372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzK42k0HfAqSuaNbSBkLXOJwjQ4SxfKDJ0mUmhZwvoU8Or1B8-W7tZIQagK-tqyvBxpt5BaFdi9i_B8sF09ZzaT2xCrOHPMDdh8Dg47FJw6piiGmCn6Sy5M189IdhZXjVVxIHDhU6YoDw/s1600/100_3372.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a>So, I started of with the 'Caramelized leek and blue cheese tartlet and apple coleslaw'. Gawd, it was to die for, absolutely deliciously tasty, to be honest I would quite happily have settled for another one or maybe even two more of these, they were that good.<br />
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For mains I opted for a medium rare, 'Rib eye steak, bearnaise sauce', with minted heritage potatoes. The steak was cooked perfectly and as long as I cut and nibble small pieces, I am fine and so thoroughly enjoyed this too, and I was too busy cutting and eating to photograph it, sorry.....<br />
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There was still a half hour before the start of the performance but we elected to save desserts until the first interval, so we made our choices and then enjoyed another glass of the excellent wine we had ordered and some more chat and of course some people watching! Because Ishbel was having two seafood dishes we opted for a white rather than a red to go with my steak and white with leak, even although blue cheese is deserving of a good sturdy red or even a port, white is just as fine... so we had a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape white, which while not as good as the red was very tasty indeed. And for those of you who like useless information, translated, Châteauneuf-du-Pape means, 'The Pope's New Castle'.<br />
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For dessert Ishbel had ordered 'Amaretto, orange and caramel trifle' along with a glass of Disaronno amaretto on the rocks, she does knock it back when she gets going, bless and I had the truly magnificent 'Lemon and pistachio pavlova' I truly was in heaven and the wine was an excellent accompaniment to that too.<br />
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It was then off to the performance; 3 hours with 2 intervals. The only downer to the ROH for me at least and maybe it's because I have a large bum!, is that I have never found the seats particularly comfortable and I fidget, but once the orchestra strikes up with the opening bars, I normally settle down as I did on Tuesday to be assailed by site and sound of performers at the top of their profession.<br />
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The whole performance, from members of the Royal Ballet and the Orchestra, was truly wonderful and <span style="text-align: start;">Vadim Muntagirov had, I believe, his debut at the ROH that evening in the role of Prince Florimund and was just wonderful and of course </span>Yuhui Choe, who had been promoted to the role due to injury to Natalia Osipova,<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: start;">as Princess Aurora The Sleeping Beauty gave an impressive performance, as did the rest of the performers</span><span style="text-align: start;">. I noted however, bearing in mind that Ballet and Opera, while no longer the reserve of the hoi polloi, there are still some snobby gits out there and I saw one comment on a social media site complaining that she wished she had known that Miss Choe was replacing Miss Osipova as it would have given her the opportunity to sell / get rid of her tickets, dear, dear me ....... </span><br />
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All in all, a truly wonderful night and a special mention to Carlos B, our waiter for the evening, who couldn't have been more attentive and helpful.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-21143590191310719602014-03-26T12:29:00.001+00:002014-03-26T12:29:07.720+00:00Book Review: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_3GT12IaGTeLbt4pRsdPqYhRzexIhdDP18n569Y7FrdREsC23aMrOkVrBiZf829EWb3Ue44f3-h13BnAvIXXCkmhD_FLCj6jX5DT1gbnLo9U4v3J214RF0fe1b7NhvJ83fgqs9YNYsE/s1600/the+prophet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_3GT12IaGTeLbt4pRsdPqYhRzexIhdDP18n569Y7FrdREsC23aMrOkVrBiZf829EWb3Ue44f3-h13BnAvIXXCkmhD_FLCj6jX5DT1gbnLo9U4v3J214RF0fe1b7NhvJ83fgqs9YNYsE/s1600/the+prophet.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look Inside Amazon UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003QHZGIK/ref=r_soa_po_i">here</a><br />Look Inside Amazon US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003QHZGIK/ref=r_soa_po_i">here</a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">A very short book, only 133 pages published in 1926. To be honest I have no idea why I downloaded this. I have a vague memory of listening to a radio programme on the author some time ago, which I found interesting, so it must have been that! Gibran is described in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahlil_Gibran"><b>Wikipedia</b> </a>as, 'the third best selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi.' </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">The book is written in bible-esque so if you are not a fan of that or indeed of religion it may not be a book for you. On the other hand and bearing in mind this was published in 1926 almost every passage can be related to every single one of us and our lives today.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">There are no chapter numbers in this short volume but they are defined by the questions asked of 'The Prophet' by the assembled town folk as he prepares to leave them, returning to his 'home'.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Marriage</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Children</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Giving</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Eating and Drinking </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Work</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Joy and Sorrow</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Crime and Punishment </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Freedom</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Reason and Passion</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Pain</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Teaching</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Friendship</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Good and Evil</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Prayer</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Pleasure</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Religion</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Death</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">So many of the words written by Gibran over 80 years ago, must surely, if you are tempted to purchase this book, resonate with something in your life today and his simple but reasoning outlook will remind you to step back and reflect on how you look at life and maybe think that there is something that you can do to change, for the better, on how you interact with others and with yourself!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">I'm not saying that I have had a religious or moral epiphany while reading this book, I personally still have no idea whether I am an atheist, agnostic or just a plane old fence sitter waiting for something different or better to come along, if that is indeed possible. I did write somewhere in regard to the Bible, and I suppose in the same tone the Koran would be included, that I look upon the former as a good novel and if only more people would read it (them) without the religious zealotry and bigotry surrounding it (them), the world would probably be a far better place for all humankind, but that aint gonna happen. But that should not take away from the fact that there are important life lessons in these works that are as relevant today as they were when they were written, as Mr Gibran's words, I believe, fall firmly within that description.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">Enjoy..... </span></span></div>
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Editing for Kindle: 4 out 5 </div>
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Reading Enjoyment: 5 out of 5<br />Plot:<br />Overall Rating: 5 out of 5<br />Chapters:<br />Page length: 133 </div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue Notes, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;"> </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-80691969799293104122014-03-22T16:25:00.000+00:002014-03-22T16:25:57.526+00:00DEATH CAFÉS and that unmentionable topic<div style="margin-right: 6px;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Saw a tweet this morning from The Guardian which took me to an article on Death Cafés, check it out, <a data-mce-href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/22/death-cafe-talk-about-dying?CMP=twt_fd" href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/22/death-cafe-talk-about-dying?CMP=twt_fd" style="color: #167efb;" target="_blank">http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/22/death-cafe-talk-about-dying?CMP=twt_fd</a> , </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_SgsfJnKh3WKjx4N5nU_D7dwDRtSf0yuiAGerBiPeZ7obUBZlWptDD8wxiUoH1bzEVwsqohcvd26AvDwexBoZwge10MOSjMOItedle17UE6EudcnMkUNyBQxLndbqa8mpBjhQKE9wqU/s1600/grim+reaper+%2528c%2529+cartoonnetwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_SgsfJnKh3WKjx4N5nU_D7dwDRtSf0yuiAGerBiPeZ7obUBZlWptDD8wxiUoH1bzEVwsqohcvd26AvDwexBoZwge10MOSjMOItedle17UE6EudcnMkUNyBQxLndbqa8mpBjhQKE9wqU/s1600/grim+reaper+%2528c%2529+cartoonnetwork.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Cartoonnetwork</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">it makes for interesting reading. It's all about the growing movement of a cafe, whether it is in an actual cafe or in someone's front room, where folk gather to talk about and discuss Death!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Notes', sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 24px;">A morbid subject you might think, and about a year ago I might have been of the same mind. But, since being confirmed as a person with cancer in May last year and then being giving 'about' a year to live from last September, death is a bit of a constant companion. Oh, don't worry too much about me, as I've said in other posts, I have come close to this on a number of occasions before, and told Mr D to go take a flying F*^k and he has, and I'm treating this little episode in exactly the same way.</span></div>
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Having said all of that, you do have to also deal with the reality of it all, and things do need to be discussed within the family, with friends and of course with work.</div>
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I think I caused a wee bit of upset within my close family circle over the news of my impending death as I accepted it and thought we should discuss it openly, even informing the Grandkids, aged 10, 7 (3) and 2, although of course the latter was excused as it would mean nothing to her until she noticed I am gone when that finally happens. There were tears especially from Ishbel who steadfastly refused to enter into any kind of discussion on the mater at all for weeks and weeks and even now, still has difficulty in talking about it. But it has to be done as things do have to be sorted out:</div>
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Wills </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMfBGFwqiM8kJR3XedtSpK0f7LgjU-YPRlQIyULfVCMrrwmuf6xMpBEmTTkaVWkk5lTFDyh3PpvELGU4gQfMgCxWC3GaovG_fHbbTaH7UYUuFC7E_PdihlKoqI14sn-vEoOMXYn_YiV0/s1600/law-order-solicitor-last_will_and_testament-wills-surprise-husband-mmi0110l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoMfBGFwqiM8kJR3XedtSpK0f7LgjU-YPRlQIyULfVCMrrwmuf6xMpBEmTTkaVWkk5lTFDyh3PpvELGU4gQfMgCxWC3GaovG_fHbbTaH7UYUuFC7E_PdihlKoqI14sn-vEoOMXYn_YiV0/s1600/law-order-solicitor-last_will_and_testament-wills-surprise-husband-mmi0110l.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) cartoonstock,com</td></tr>
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Finances including mortgage, insurance, shares, premiums bonds that may be in individual names, pension funds </div>
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Transference of certain accounts, that in many instances are in the male partners name such as Telephones, cable TV, water, gas and electricity, mobile phone accs the list can go on</div>
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Funeral</div>
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Notes on how to change the telly from TV to Wii to DVD not everyone knows how to do this .......</div>
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So, as you can see there can be lots to talk about. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRKFpXlMyZ0azZo7UzYfesHuDfNdHl1UsdYjS5L_x3Y0ZwDKibHcwFMvmBpX1IvVrthTPVIHBmuAoIT4yl5s7HbYvxZyByKUo0QTG6Cs0fVbwYdvnvNiqNU48xEidwdCkX0peBUwfQwo/s1600/Belize+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRKFpXlMyZ0azZo7UzYfesHuDfNdHl1UsdYjS5L_x3Y0ZwDKibHcwFMvmBpX1IvVrthTPVIHBmuAoIT4yl5s7HbYvxZyByKUo0QTG6Cs0fVbwYdvnvNiqNU48xEidwdCkX0peBUwfQwo/s1600/Belize+(1).jpg" height="320" width="243" /></a></div>
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For example, when I was 'thrown' out of the Army I received a military pension after being shot. The thing about this pension is, it only survives as long as I do, or until I reach retirement age, and then I lose it. So, if it's the former, Ishbel needs to know how to contact them to let them know I have shuffled off so that payments can be stopped, otherwise when they do find out they just go straight back into the account they were paying into and take whatever overpayment they have made in one go, regardless of the surviving partners financial state of affairs.....</div>
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Now that wouldn't be a problem, if the surviving partner has forgotten, and as long as the partner dying has taken out life insurance to leave the survivor comfortably off, after paying off the mortgage and any debts you might have had, but if you haven't done that THEN SORT IT OUT, NOW.....</div>
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Honestly people, if there is one thing you take away from this post, it should be that YOU NEED SUFFICIENT INSURANCE COVER, not just enough to pay off the mortgage and debts but enough to leave the surviving partner with a comfortable standard of living. </div>
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Regrettably, I haven't done too well in that area. That's not to say that we haven't got a few pounds stashed away and there is a cushion there but Ishbel is not going to be able to become the Merry Widow, partying, dancing and hitting the high spots of Thurrock, after my passing, no, she is going to have to work until retirement age in that miserable shopping mall next to the Dartford bridge/tunnel. Not that I am advocating that you, the survivor, should stop work after the passing of the partner, as the comfort and support and routine of getting up and out to work and interacting with work colleagues can be just as important as that from family and close friends and in many instances today, family do not always live close by, so continuing to work may be a good option. But, you could be losing a large chunk of income when one partner goes, if it is the male partner (sadly we still earn more salary than our wives, in many instances) who departs the mortal coil. </div>
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Your mortgage will hopefully be paid off, your debts even. But again you don't get a reduction on your cable or utility bills just because the household has gone down from two to one and these bills still need to be paid along with council tax here in the UK, although I do note on that last one, you can get a 20% reduction on that when one of the household kicks the bucket.... Who says local and national governments are heartless, oops me, I think, but every little helps.</div>
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I know for a fact one of my kids hasn't got any insurance, nor her partner. I was talking to a friend recently, they have a very large mortgage it is in one partners name, and one of them isn't insured, bad mistake friends, very bad. Even if it isn't an illness that grabs and takes you, it could be that you walk round the corner and someone knocks a flower pot off their window ledge onto your head, lights out, dead, partner and family stuffed... SORT IT OUT PEOPLE, TODAY, PLEASE.</div>
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And of course the final message here is, Talk about these things, they are important </div>
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But do keep SMILING xxxxxx</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-8895531051008778752014-03-21T10:52:00.001+00:002014-03-21T10:52:30.656+00:00Book Review: Stone Cold by C.J. Box <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNCeL9hXXdt48ECOO-lcfZSNJ-JMt8fRFIP0DqYhM0I8y4PB2iLgYJ6X5s5IEhRgTQ7kfwhrwoCFshgNVrFNUwrEHHprF6hNiqDOtNg7yB9riJkNYKecfohZvaaO5HQBBbNJWWZFpMns/s1600/stone+cold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNCeL9hXXdt48ECOO-lcfZSNJ-JMt8fRFIP0DqYhM0I8y4PB2iLgYJ6X5s5IEhRgTQ7kfwhrwoCFshgNVrFNUwrEHHprF6hNiqDOtNg7yB9riJkNYKecfohZvaaO5HQBBbNJWWZFpMns/s1600/stone+cold.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look inside Amazon UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stone-Cold-C-J-Box-ebook/dp/B00G1SW346/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395398046&sr=8-1&keywords=stone+cold+by+cj+box"><b><span style="color: red;">here</span></b></a><br />Look inside Amazon US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stone-Cold-C-J-Box-ebook/dp/B00G1SW346/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395398046&sr=8-1&keywords=stone+cold+by+cj+box"><span style="color: red;"><b>here </b></span></a></td></tr>
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Mr Box took a little break from writing about Wyoming Game and Fish Warden Joe Pickett and the ensemble cast of characters that inhabit Joe's world to give us '<a href="http://tomstronach.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/book-review-highway-by-cj-box.html"><b><span style="color: red;">The Highway</span></b></a>' but he has come back with a real cracker.</div>
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Nate Romanowski kicks off this book and he appears to have finally gone of the reservation and who could really blame him for that considering what happened in '<a href="http://tomstronach.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/book-review-force-of-nature-joe-pickett.html"><b><span style="color: red;">Force of Nature</span></b></a>' </div>
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Joe is back in Saddlestring and is found trying to retrieve ANOTHER trashed department truck that has been buried under snow on top of a mountain for months. Dave Farkus is with him, you'll recall Dave from '<a href="http://tomstronach.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/book-review-nowhere-to-run-by-cj-box.html"><b><span style="color: red;">Nowhere to Run</span></b></a>' and that oft repeated line, ‘Shut up Dave’, and he is just as dumb and talkative in this one too....</div>
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There is a new director in charge of the department, Lisa Greene-Dempsey or LGD as she likes to be known, and like all of her predecessors, she doesn't much like Joe Picket either. Joe has been reinstated, again and this time has his old badge number, 26 back, and of course his seniority, thanks to his association with Governor Rulon. </div>
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Sheridan is still at college in Laramie and is now a Resident Assistant looking after freshmen and has a 'gut feeling' about a new student, April and Lucy are still at home and April seems to have changed from being vlad the impaler to April 'sunshine' but the interest of Dallas Cates in her and Joe's dislike of him is about to change all that, again... all in all business as usual in the Picket household with Marybeth as the peacekeeper in the middle dodging the bullets. I oft think of my son in law Steve on reading about the Pickett family as he too is in a household with four strong willed women..... </div>
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It's been over a year since he has had any contact from Governor Rulon and out of the blue receives a call to tell him the Governors private plane will be arriving at Saddlestring airport to collect him and deliver him to the State Capitol, the proverbial S... is going to hit the fan again.</div>
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The Governor sent a state CID officer to Medicine Wheel County at the request of the Feds. Apparently he fell asleep smoking in bed in his motel room; It burnt to the ground, with him in it.....</div>
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As the Governor's 'Range Rider' he tasks Joe to be briefed by FBI agent and old 'friend' SAC Chuck Coon with both informing him that he only needs to go there, sus out the lay of the land, try and find out what is going on with Wolfgang Templeton a retired Financial whiz kid and who has recently bought up most of the county, oh, and to find out if Nate Romanowski is involved... Under no circumstances is he to ask any questions or get under anyone's skin. Observe, note and report back ... yeah like that is gonna happen.</div>
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The rest is up to you guys but you just know that when Joe Pickett sees wrongdoing of any kind he just cant help himself, so go on do yourself a favour get this and the other Joe Picket books and buckle yourself in for a great read </div>
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One of the best lines in this book was from a barmaid to a customer. "Don't flatter yourself cowboy, I was looking at your horse!" Loved it </div>
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Editing for Kindle: 5 out 5 <br />Reading Enjoyment: 5 out of 5<br />Plot: 5 out of 5<br />Overall Rating: 5 out of 5<br />Chapters: 31<br />Page length: 336 no page numbers on electronic devices<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-69582563230448046372014-03-19T23:00:00.000+00:002014-03-20T15:14:13.081+00:00Dying, it really can be frustrating...<br />
So, you all see the photos of me that I post from time to time and let's be honest, even almost a year after being initially confirmed as a person who has cancer I still look pretty good if still somewhat rotund ....<br />
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If the doctors are to be believed I now only have 7 months left of the year they estimated that I have left to live, but again being honest I really don't even think about it except along the lines of, yeah, right. No, I think I will last the seven months and like the Duracell bunny I'll just keep going on and on and on until one day suddenly the cancer will probably sit up and say, ' hey, this tit is giving me a run for my money so I think I'll up my game a bit and make him suffer!'<br />
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Well if that's the case then so be it, but until that date it can go and get stuffed and I will continue to grab onto life and enjoy it with Ishbel, the kids and the Grandkids and with all you wonderful folk popping in from time to time to keep me company.<br />
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Since the day the surgeon suggested it wouldn't be a good idea to operate I have been resigned to the fact that my death is going to come a lot earlier than expected and there is no doubt that I did feel more than a tad down about that especially as the Grandkids, apart from one are at ages where it will hurt them the most, with the youngest Lacey Mae still too young to comprehend what would be happening and even when she missed me she would still be so young that she would soon get over it and forget me apart from the silly stories her mum, and sisters would relate to her to try and remind her of me.<br />
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Death is not something, we as a family dwell on too much apart from me using it as a means to an end ... 'what, you're kidding, I can't do that or go there, I'm dying, give me a break...', usually to be told to piss off by Jennifer with the added rejoinder, you're taking your time then......<br />
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And then I get the call from the GP 'a surgery from a new nurse inviting me in for my annual asthma check up. On learning that she is new I ask if she has checked my records, no, not really, she replies. Oh, right, says I, so you don't know I have terminal cancer and there is not much point in me coming in, is there. <br />
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To be honest and thinking about it later I felt like a complete shit putting her on the spot like that but again I have never really been a fan of that annual check up. My first question to the old nurse ( who wasn't old really) was usually, have you found a cure yet for asthma. No, she'd reply. Then why am I here then, I've got better things to do with my life than take time out to come here ONCE A YEAR ...... yeah I know what an arse hole, I know, I know......<br />
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And then I have to attend the hospital every two months at the moment and these oncologists are busy folk, there seems to be a lot of cancer patients to see and I imagine that it wears them down. But with the cancer, apart from attending Broomfields hospital, there was just something about that place that really got to me and my irritation did show through, but generally I have accepted my fate and just get on with it. I attend hospital, I sit there and feel sorry for some of the others who look close to deaths door and clearly with much further advanced cancer than me and I feel sorry for them BUT glad that it isn't me ...<br />
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Not once have we attended the hospital and been seen by the oncologist or registrar anywhere near to the time of our appointment. Today was typical of that. Our appointment was for 4.15 and as usual I turn up a good 50 minutes early, a) to get a parking space and b) in the hope that I might get in early! Not much chance of that, but I keep trying anyway. We were finally called to see the registrar at 5PM, 45 minutes after the scheduled time.<br />
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It's one of those things and as I said earlier, there seems to be an awful lot of folk with cancer to be seen and I've noticed that depending on how poorly or well the person looks like going in, depends on the time spent with the doctor. I also imagine as well that where a person is having difficulty in dealing with their situation and maybe tearful , etc, I can't imagine the doctors rushing through the consultation and throwing them out of the consulting room. It's just the way it is.<br />
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So then there was this one guy there today. He looked a good bit younger than me, which also may have accounted somewhat for his attitude, but he also looked about as bad as me and you know what I'm saying here... Not that bad, considering the diagnosis .... So, he had been in there when we arrived. I noticed him as there were plenty of chairs in the waiting room, which was it's usual busy self, but he was perched leaning against the window ledge, staring at the corridor and the consulting room doors. Eventually one of the nurses spoke to him and the next thing we hear is him ranting at the nurse. 'I've been here for ages, all these others are coming in after me and they're being bloody taken in to see the doctor in front of me. I've only been given 6 months to bloody live and I've got better things to do with my bloody time than to stand here and be ignored ....'<br />
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And with that he turned and stormed out the door.<br />
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Now, I can and do understand his frustration. You can see from my own experiences above, that I too, along with every other cancer patient attending the clinic, have to sit for long periods and the first thing you do on turning up, you look at the board. Today it said, 'waiting time for Dr Chan, 30 minutes' but mine was 45 minutes. Is there not enough oncologists and registrars, clearly not. Is that the fault of the doctors, probably not? Is it the fault of the nurses, most definitely not?<br />
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Obviously I don't know this chaps particular circumstances. And my attitude, again as you know, having been shot, stabbed, crippled, nearly drowned (3 times) and all that as an adult and then of course there was all the near misses I had as a kid, I really was reckless and nearly died on a couple of occasions between the ages of 6 and 12 as I didn't recognise the danger of situations I put myself into, I accepted, quite calmly the news that my days were finally numbered. Having accepted it, I now just get on with living my life enjoying almost every minute of it and dragging myself out of bed to go to work every day, even when I really don't feel like it.<br />
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Will this state of mind continue as my condition begins to deteriorate, I would like to think so, but who can tell. I just hope this chap comes to terms with his situation, for his sake and those close to him. All the doctors and nurses who look after me, and him, at Basildon hospital really are there to help and assist and make life as comfortable for us as they are able to and through no fault of theirs, we, the cancer patients, will always outnumber the number of people who are giving every day of their lives to look after us to the best of their ability, training and calling. They are not there, when we turn up, huddled behind a closed door, drawing our names from a hat, to see who is going to get seen. Some patients condition are much more progressed than others and some have conditions that are much more complicated. <br />
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Some of us, need to have the information given to us by the doctor repeated ad infinitum, and in simple terms that we can understand. This isn't a visit to the GP that you know will only last 5 or 10 minutes and the sooner that poor chap comes to realise that, hopefully for him, he can get on with living his life and maybe, just maybe getting rid of his anger may slow the progress of his deterioration.<br />
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BTW: I didn't get to see pretty wee Olivia Chan my oncologist and ended up with tall handsome Ewan, her new registrar, which pleased Ishbel no end as apparently he was delicious ...... Sheesh and all I got was an increase in meds. ah well, maybe I'll get wee Olly next time .....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-20476998051715533472014-03-17T12:51:00.000+00:002014-03-17T17:17:34.814+00:00Book Review: The Tournament by Matthew Reilly<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlHbPRzLeSqOwlteUwT1HL4PZ2OTedHyoezjCoQquajK-P_8Is670-K0pLq409s-W8I4kjM39jone5mSg7r_NLUPkLCw_37o_tHbCV4pMpmwrJfn7PLsISksEvD9YC14e82nDNQwP-PY/s1600/The+Tournament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlHbPRzLeSqOwlteUwT1HL4PZ2OTedHyoezjCoQquajK-P_8Is670-K0pLq409s-W8I4kjM39jone5mSg7r_NLUPkLCw_37o_tHbCV4pMpmwrJfn7PLsISksEvD9YC14e82nDNQwP-PY/s1600/The+Tournament.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look inside Amazon UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Tournament-Matthew-Reilly-ebook/dp/B00EKHO3D4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395054040&sr=1-1&keywords=the+tournament+matthew+reilly"><b>here</b></a><br />
Look inside Amazon US <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Tournament-Matthew-Reilly-ebook/dp/B00EKHO3D4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395054040&sr=1-1&keywords=the+tournament+matthew+reilly">here</a> </b></td></tr>
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Move over, Cornwell, Stockwin, Sidebottom and Iggulden and any other writers of historical dramas/fiction that are out there, a 'new kid' has firmly arrived on the street... Matthew Reilly has continued his blockbusting cinematic writing style of contemporary novels with his latest novel, The Tournament set in the Middle Ages.</div>
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He has taken 13 year old Bess along on a journey, accompanying her teacher and Royal Court attendant, Roger Ascham, with Mr Giles, the latter, King Henry VIII's choice of representative in the worlds first Chess Championship to determine who truly is the best Chess player in the world......</div>
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The Tournament is invitational only to be held in the Ottoman capital of Constantinople at the invite of 'His Exalted Majesty Suleiman The Magnificent, Caliph of the Sons and Daughters of Allah, Sultan Lord and Ruler of All That He Surveys".</div>
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Thirteen year old Bess, if you haven't read the clue above, is the daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII and will eventually rise to become Queen Elisabeth I of England. Ensconced in Hatfield House, away from Court she is under the tutelage of Roger Ascham a Cambridge Scholar and a firm believer that a good 'education' is not something to be trifled with, even if his methods sometimes bring down the wrath of the King!</div>
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It would be difficult to review the story of this book without giving away many spoilers, so in broad terms only, Suleiman The Magnificent has issued invitations to the main and upcoming rulers of the day in all known Christendom. Contained within that invitation is a secret message and all are instructed to send their own chess champions along with a 'gift' for the Sultan.</div>
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King Henry consults Ascham as to his friend and fellow Cambridge teacher, Gilbert Giles, as to whether he is 'the best chess player' in the land. Ascham confirms that it is his belief that he is, and so Giles, accompanied by Ascham, Bess and the Ponsonby's, chaperones for Bess, set off across Europe for Constantinople. Bess is also allowed to take a travelling companion and chooses Elsie Fitzgerald who around 5 years older than Bess and much more worldly, and a very <i>interesting character, </i>finds herself in a whole heap of trouble.</div>
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However, notwithstanding Elsie's liaisons, there is much more trouble and intrigue in the Royal Palaces of Topkapi and Hagia Sophia in the heart of Constantinople. The city is being terrorised before the tournament by a murderer who once the murder has been committed , then skins the lower jaw of his victims leaving the skin, jawbone and teeth exposed and then leaves the bodies on display.</div>
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On the opening night;s ceremony's Bess leaves the banquet hall to get a better view of a fireworks display and is met with the sight of Cardinal Farnese, an envoy accompanying the Holy See's player and an outspoken opponent of Allah and the Moslem faith, dead, in a courtyard pool, with a disfigured jaw!</div>
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All in all there are 6 murders over the remaining pages and after the first The Sultan tasks Mr Ascham with finding the killer after hearing from Michaelangelo - did I mention that this book is sprinkled with many famous characters from history, yep Michaelangelo of Sistine Chapel and other famous works of arts and invention, and an old friend of Mr Ascham's - that he has some detective skills.</div>
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That's all I can really tell you without giving the whole thing away, suffice it to say Mr Ascham does on more than one occasion come close to losing our future Queen in the most terrible of circumstances....</div>
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Matthew Reilly writes big descriptive scenes, he lays it all out there like a cinema screen and you are visualizing these scenes in your minds eye as you race through this book and it does become a race as he writes so intelligently and with a fluidity that makes it difficult for you, the reader/ watcher, to stop turning pages.</div>
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He has done some marvellous research both on Chess, and the period of history described, that he almost convinces you, like those fine authors mentioned in the opening paragraph and in their historical pieces, that the events unfolding in front of you, DID REALLY OCCUR. He weaves true events into the story line and informs us that even some of the maladies of our own time started even before the setting of this tome and continue to vex as now as they did then and we realise, that just maybe, there are no solutions to the ills of man and religion so long as 'faith' has followers and the predilections of the weak willed are covered up by their unswerving following and adherence to that 'faith'..</div>
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This really is a marvellous read and your reading enjoyment will only be increased by adding this to your TBR pile, but when you start it, you wont be able to stop. I should warn you though, that this book, like most of Mr Reilly's other published works, is not for the faint hearted. The descriptions of priests, and others, and their 'use' of young boys and others, could offend and there are, through Elsie Fitzgerald's descriptions, some 'racy' sexual encounters too.</div>
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At the end of the book Mr Reilly informs us of the material he used for reference and also reproduces an interesting interview he gave on the subject of the book </div>
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Editing for Kindle /iPad: 5 out of 5<br />
Reading Enjoyment: 5 out of 5 <br />
Page length on kindle /iPad: Not given, but about 432 pages in length<br />
Plot: 5 out of 5<br />
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5<br />
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<b><u>Foot Note.</u></b> If you want to get a taste, FOR FREE of Mr Reilly's writing and of Mr Roger Ascham then I recommend his little FREE prequel to the Tournament, Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl The whole thing is about 88 pages in length with only about 25 of them a very short and interesting tale of murder in Cambridge, introducing us to the analytical mind of Ascham.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0cbelEH9MJLxMNXz_WStVt-K7TnhVnKJdEfC_aM_Irv4y427ElG7OMY6NeGL0sfPhgjv3_TdP7KYYz9qZUIW5pudGKPzu59KdlMaReoyDDJBAlTKMyrUo1iTW8YDx1ozmSmBt0Q5FN8/s1600/Roger+Ascham+The+Kings+Lost+Girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0cbelEH9MJLxMNXz_WStVt-K7TnhVnKJdEfC_aM_Irv4y427ElG7OMY6NeGL0sfPhgjv3_TdP7KYYz9qZUIW5pudGKPzu59KdlMaReoyDDJBAlTKMyrUo1iTW8YDx1ozmSmBt0Q5FN8/s1600/Roger+Ascham+The+Kings+Lost+Girl.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazon <b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roger-Ascham-Kings-Lost-Girl-ebook/dp/B00HDB6FDA/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395054040&sr=1-2&keywords=the+tournament+matthew+reilly">UK</a> </b><br />
Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Roger-Ascham-Kings-Lost-Girl-ebook/dp/B00HDB6FDA/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395054040&sr=1-2&keywords=the+tournament+matthew+reilly"><b>US</b></a></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-85797063323186953062014-03-11T20:14:00.000+00:002014-03-11T20:14:02.770+00:00Book Review: Henry Wood Detective Agency Time and Again (Book 2) <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EDnZRcXTwJYGW2Mx2Eu5XY0unitDuio9HJJT9fmBLlXl36Bg6ytI7zK9iZkMYC_PP388Yv2FUMZZN_KZdiWnHuqycXe7HOYLUtLZiiOT3FNtt_PtWHIX1S4qmjLO4Zx-BrngFjpgFMI/s1600/Henry+Wood+Time+and+Again.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EDnZRcXTwJYGW2Mx2Eu5XY0unitDuio9HJJT9fmBLlXl36Bg6ytI7zK9iZkMYC_PP388Yv2FUMZZN_KZdiWnHuqycXe7HOYLUtLZiiOT3FNtt_PtWHIX1S4qmjLO4Zx-BrngFjpgFMI/s1600/Henry+Wood+Time+and+Again.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look inside: Amazon UK<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Henry-Wood-Again-Detective-Series/dp/0985104627/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394568329&sr=8-1&keywords=henry+wood+time+and+again"> <b>here</b></a><br />Look inside Amazon US<b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Wood-Again-Detective-Series/dp/0985104627/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394568329&sr=8-1&keywords=henry+wood+time+and+again">here</a></b></td></tr>
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Book 2 in the Henry Wood Detective Agency series, Time and Again was every bit as good as the first, my review of that first book is <b><a href="http://tomstronach.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/book-review-henry-wood-detective-agency.html">here</a> </b>in fact Mr Meeks, or Brian to me, as I follow him on Twitter at <b><a href="https://twitter.com/ExtremelyAvg">@ExtremelyAvg</a> </b>seems to be getting into his stride and I actually enjoyed this one even more than the first, which clearly bodes well for number three in the series....<br />
<br />
So, we are still in 50's New York and Henry has settled in to his new office in the Flatiron building with some of the quirky characters, such as Bob, turning up here again , this time helping Henry in a new case.<br />
<br />
Can it be called new case though. Henry receives a visit from one of New York's finest telling him that he needs to come with him, there's been an accident!<br />
<br />
On arrival at the scene of the accident Henry learns the news that his mentor and boss, Michael Thomas Moore a PI, who trained Henry in Detective work, is the victim of a hit and run, while that in itself is a crime, the police are looking at it as an accident.<br />
<br />
It doesn't take Henry long to look at it as a crime, a street full of parked cars and where the only gap is, a bunch of dog ends discarded from someone sitting in a car ... waiting and watching.<br />
<br />
Henry asks to look at the body and lifts Mickey's note book from it to look at later.<br />
<br />
Henry soon discovers that his old boss, mentor and friend hasn't changed his ways and that the notes of the case he was working on are all in code but he does discover that he was working on a case that involved the shady side of the art world with secretive collectors who were willing to pay vast sums for black market art. Interestingly and as an aside I recently watched The Monuments Men at the cinema and Mr Meeks does touch on this in this book, without actually referring to that film title, I suspect, like the rest of us he did not know of their existence while researching for this one but he does describe what was happening to works of art during WWII in the same way as the movie, which makes for a contemporary and fascinating link!<br />
<br />
An old flame appears on the scene, well not really, more a case of unrequited love on Henry's part which complicates the mix and a secret auction being set up to buy a piece of lost art that most people, even in the art world, had never heard of. Henry finds he needs to call in reinforcements and enlists the help of Big Mike, from book 1, who has accumulated leave from the NYPD and Professor Dr Brookert from NYU. He even manages to get a secretary to manage his life, I mean office, and things begin to pick up in that area but the case has more twists than a spiral stair case.<br />
<br />
The strange cabinet in Henry's wood work cellar makes a couple of appearances disgorges clues once again, but Henry so wrapped up in the case and the reappearance of Katarina in town, that he misses the first set of clues, which he believes, had he found them, may have prevented Mickey's death and this troubles him greatly. I'm sure that in book three, or at least I hope, in book three that the mystery of this time shifting magic cabinet will be explained and while it is an anomaly it somehow doesn't seem to out of place here!<br />
<br />
Mr Meeks does need to slow down a little and maybe take a little more time in editing, before pushing the upload button to find and correct the few minor errors sprinkled throughout, but and I do emphasise that they were minor, they did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the story. My only criticism of the story line would probably come at the end of chapter 54 leading into chapter 55. I finished off the chapter started the new one and then had to go back as I thought I had missed either a chapter or at least a couple of paragraphs as some of the main characters were being followed to a destination and then suddenly seemed to have somehow been kidnapped by other unknown characters. It did confuse a little but did become clear in the end!<br />
<br />
All in all, another good book from Mr Meeks and Henry Wood ......<br />
<br />
<br />
Editing for Kindle /iPad: 4 out of 5<br />
Reading Enjoyment: 5 out of 5 <br />
Page length on kindle /iPad: 225 with proper page numbers too. Oh what joy....<br />
Plot: 5 out of 5<br />
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-32239516480952435862014-03-06T10:41:00.001+00:002014-03-06T10:54:29.186+00:00Recipe: Roast Rack of LambIshbel loves this, me, I can take it or leave it but when the boss likes it who am I not to prepare it...<br />
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So get your self a decent wee Rack, ask your butcher for the best end<br />
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There are many ways you an prepare this, drizzle it with garlic, chopped rosemary and a light olive oil and bake it off but one of Ishbel's favourite ways for me to prepare it, is with a bread crumb and herb dressing.<br />
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I was serving this with Dauphinoise potatoes, so let's start there and remember this is just for two;<br />
Pre-heat the oven to 160c/320F<br />
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<b><u>What you will need</u></b>:<br />
<br />
A couple or three large potatoes I used Maris Pipers, but King Edwards are good too<br />
A clove of garlic<br />
300ml /10 ozs double cream<br />
Salt and pepper<br />
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<b><u>Prepartion</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQay0GkLUmjJQJpl6ITvKgT4HAUAcvwWXM4bTetl-5At37LTclfxUd41aIUy7WMDc1KEHGwekhVPC5tLHJc5SwhiIpVUjCYOztjktx-qezqmPDLcvMRp1hK9xw1AzQbqumiO2RRFb0No/s1600/100_3295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQay0GkLUmjJQJpl6ITvKgT4HAUAcvwWXM4bTetl-5At37LTclfxUd41aIUy7WMDc1KEHGwekhVPC5tLHJc5SwhiIpVUjCYOztjktx-qezqmPDLcvMRp1hK9xw1AzQbqumiO2RRFb0No/s1600/100_3295.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a>Doesn't matter, your preference, peel or not the potatoes, and slice thinly about 1/2 inch thickness<br />
Rinse through to get rid of any excess starch<br />
Arranger in baking dish<br />
Grate the garlic and scrape into the dish with the tatties season with salt and pepper<br />
Mix all of the above<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsmylQktxIdJe56G2H23HfgJ7q9Iid8MIKiI-Hb_1QvLHE-NA3zHK_cXrUvYbHohOSVdEaGZ80HWYxlcvediaRqpUFWEui9bKq3eGqXwG6hyFSaB6UTra20RaDfrRriYClvvEkUZz9_o/s1600/100_3296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsmylQktxIdJe56G2H23HfgJ7q9Iid8MIKiI-Hb_1QvLHE-NA3zHK_cXrUvYbHohOSVdEaGZ80HWYxlcvediaRqpUFWEui9bKq3eGqXwG6hyFSaB6UTra20RaDfrRriYClvvEkUZz9_o/s1600/100_3296.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a><br />
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Pour over the cream and mix again topping up to just below the top layer of potatoes, and place into the preheated oven for 1 - 11/2 hours. Check regularly, you may need to top up with a little more cream and also to ensure the cream is not splitting, if it is your heat is too high ans should be reduced <br />
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<u><b>For the Lamb</b></u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3Lo-Nj6FSDYQYJne-_mHCO3PDPh-sULxGlhrHNszgsBFbL4fC2IbzoESlzSgfYqmnPXAYxdJNrRPqD5h9QkxSIlPQ_5iYJ-oYvLGJTyzwBtvexGA17gqxkvcsYjXPXcDto7L1Hmkv5w/s1600/100_3298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3Lo-Nj6FSDYQYJne-_mHCO3PDPh-sULxGlhrHNszgsBFbL4fC2IbzoESlzSgfYqmnPXAYxdJNrRPqD5h9QkxSIlPQ_5iYJ-oYvLGJTyzwBtvexGA17gqxkvcsYjXPXcDto7L1Hmkv5w/s1600/100_3298.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a><br />
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You can trim the fat off before adding the crust and cooking, if you wish<br />
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Preheat the oven to 200c Fan 220c conventional<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasfhsTDD_59LDYOQJFe_fcRk8tfopIZLGXL1gJ-Nl5SjL7MFpVYjnP1apFl6S6FVHUy9xYUPQV0i-mcknK7gjX8QUaVDHwODtFVqgjeshHUTHAa7tFG8TrabHE6oG5g1OOlICGXfSOUo/s1600/100_3297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasfhsTDD_59LDYOQJFe_fcRk8tfopIZLGXL1gJ-Nl5SjL7MFpVYjnP1apFl6S6FVHUy9xYUPQV0i-mcknK7gjX8QUaVDHwODtFVqgjeshHUTHAa7tFG8TrabHE6oG5g1OOlICGXfSOUo/s1600/100_3297.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a>Make some breadcrumbs, you can<br />
season these with whatever dried herbs<br />
<span style="text-align: center;">takes your fancy</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">One decent sized best end rack of lamb</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">and for this I used two dressings </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">1 large teaspoon of dijon mustard</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">1 large teaspoon of elderberry and port jelly</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">usually I would use just either the jelly or the mustard but being a bit adventurous here!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqOVz5aIFVI3Lzgb3f_iwtVgFGgICL7hdUEJzSgGlQlonanpij_Gffn4rd5PbEMG5OLGgDdU8eufWV4V0MwqpN_vC2eT3gPWrbDXhgQFBgIhVsSTtOcJce0aaMYWuSGlkKoVrYanWcok/s1600/100_3299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqOVz5aIFVI3Lzgb3f_iwtVgFGgICL7hdUEJzSgGlQlonanpij_Gffn4rd5PbEMG5OLGgDdU8eufWV4V0MwqpN_vC2eT3gPWrbDXhgQFBgIhVsSTtOcJce0aaMYWuSGlkKoVrYanWcok/s1600/100_3299.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a>Spread the mustard on one half of the fat (tip; usually I would brown the rack on both sides before adding the dressings, I forgot as I fell asleep and was pushed for time to prepare for Ishbel coming in!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKz20XyOukUi7ZOjsrH4fmVir0Qj1ICKm0p388r5_APIb93GgNTKgQziWAV2RTw9y5nKuAIEMbfLkK83ZqAEE5VH3Dyu3GgR3S_QhbMt0jh9jiSdKiFqbJw0eLVaIkBN1ADs75p85_D8/s1600/100_3300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKz20XyOukUi7ZOjsrH4fmVir0Qj1ICKm0p388r5_APIb93GgNTKgQziWAV2RTw9y5nKuAIEMbfLkK83ZqAEE5VH3Dyu3GgR3S_QhbMt0jh9jiSdKiFqbJw0eLVaIkBN1ADs75p85_D8/s1600/100_3300.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Cover with the bread crumbs<br />
I usually at this point just drizzle a tiny drop of light olive oil over the breadcrumbs <br />
and place in the oven<br />
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depending on your preference<br />
<br />
8 minutes should get you very Pink<br />
10 minutes should get you medium<br />
12-15 minutes for well done<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">I served this up with some some carrots and soya beans </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5brpg4RUc4-EEcK82PoM_TMZhAMxU0g99MA_CHfhZLSKTRGE5Iq176on272hK8tl7eODksPVv7tD_Gc-JrjrMU3F9UJqMJE_N7vatr-6HhmICOQAv_H4vGHrJdPYxL7qvRRAQNC87Po/s1600/100_3303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5brpg4RUc4-EEcK82PoM_TMZhAMxU0g99MA_CHfhZLSKTRGE5Iq176on272hK8tl7eODksPVv7tD_Gc-JrjrMU3F9UJqMJE_N7vatr-6HhmICOQAv_H4vGHrJdPYxL7qvRRAQNC87Po/s1600/100_3303.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Enjoy......<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-74542322081643725152014-03-02T10:05:00.001+00:002014-03-02T10:05:37.377+00:00The debate on gambling, what's your take?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMUYEIfprDrp7PrMqt-JGBrO99YAdgiRi3dfGUC1eh_CVPh6x3J49YXNlRg2HFUHKT9KAxSHJeYC6OK84qiBjvsp3-dkaL8HoBSt7yvmiGTNWZsDmY3peB-IFA2vtSexRm375K4ymL9E/s1600/gambling+1+(c)+Vectro.rs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMUYEIfprDrp7PrMqt-JGBrO99YAdgiRi3dfGUC1eh_CVPh6x3J49YXNlRg2HFUHKT9KAxSHJeYC6OK84qiBjvsp3-dkaL8HoBSt7yvmiGTNWZsDmY3peB-IFA2vtSexRm375K4ymL9E/s1600/gambling+1+(c)+Vectro.rs.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) vectro.rs</td></tr>
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All week on the news here in the UK, there has been yet another debate on gambling machines in betting shops and the addictive power they hold over some of the punters.<br />
<br />
As I understand it if you go into a pub or a takeaway where you find gambling machines you are limited to how much cash you can actually put into these machines which is a few pounds, but in betting shops, as I understand it, you can bet hundreds of pounds at a time.<br />
<br />
Also, and in particular to say, takeaways, your time is limited to how long you are in there waiting on your order to be made up and given to you and then you are out of there and of course the amount you can win is also a few pence to a few pounds while in betting shops you can sit in there all day and put as much as you want in, from a few pounds to a few hundred pounds with the returns also being that much greater, possibly!<br />
<br />
The debate I have heard this week is about the gambling industry introducing voluntary controls where, when you put the first coin or note into your machine you are given the option to set a time limit and an amount you want to gamble up to. So, you can start and say to yourself that you only want to spend an hour on the machine and you only want to gamble a maximum of £200.00. <br />
<br />
I have to confess to only having two addictions in my life that has been detrimental to both my pocket and my health. The first one is the dreaded fags if you haven't guessed it and even now after having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, although I hasten to add, according to my oncologist, my particular cancer is not linked to the cancer I have and my plan was to finally kick the nasty habit when it was thought that it could be cut out and that after the operation I was going to be in hospital for at least three weeks and that then, would be the perfect time to kick the habit, ah well the best laid plans, and all that. So, I have continued to smoke but there is a plan now in effect and the first step is the pharmacy today to buy one of these new fangled electronic fags and try again, but this timeI am I hope, more determined. <br />
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The second addiction was booze. I came from a hard drinking community and family, I can only remember seeing my father drunk more often than sober and I can remember well, being more than a tad upset when I was thrown out of one of my favourite watering holes when I was fourteen after been drinking in there for about a year, when a new barmaid started who new, " Hey, you're one of Agnes's kids aren't you ...." And you can imagine the rest. Mind you it didn't help, that Agnes, my mother was in the trade and I used to volunteer regularly to clean and tidy the cellar under the bar and this was at a time when most beers were in 'screw top' bottles in crates and that made it easy for me to go round a crate of beer, unscrew the top and take a swallow and as long as I managed to keep the levels equal and not take too much, I could guzzle a lot of beer in each 'cleaning' session!<br />
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I then joined the Army at 15, Junior service and then at 17 transferred to the Regulars and my Regiment was in Berlin. Part of the British Army on the Rhine, shortened to the acronym BAOR, then lengthened by those serving at the time to the 'Boozy Army on the Rhine', as booze in the NAAFI/PX was so, so cheap.<br />
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Well, you probably know the rest, got married 76, first child Marie came along in 78 and from that moment I gave up the booze only occasionally to today, having the very odd tipple. I found that relatively easy but the fags, clearly not.<br />
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So back to the gambling and the debate of the week which now has the government stepping in and telling the gambling industry that rather than them introducing a voluntary code of practice, the government is going to make them mandatory. Fine, let's make them mandatory, but is this really a way forward to help those who have this addiction? It seems to me that the new rules, whether introduced voluntary by the bookies, or mandatory by government, is a bit like pissing in the wind. Is it not like an alcoholic finally admitting his addiction, joining AA and then being applauded for their courage in finally admitting, coming to terms with it and then joining their first AA meeting, to be told, "just in case you need it, there is tea, coffee and water over in the corner, oh, and there's a bottle of Whisky, there too, just in case ........."<br />
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The warning is there on the slot machine and it flashes up on the screen to tell you to put your time/£ limit in, but the button is there for you to over ride it at any time, and unlike the AA meeting there are no like minded people also trying to fight their addiction sitting in a circle willing you on to win the fight and to resist the urge.... It's just you and the machine and the easy button to override your desire to feed your addiction, the machine and the profits of a vastly rich gambling company before you head home to your wife and family with empty pockets and wallets, again. and I suppose that's easy to do when you can bet £100.00 every 20 seconds! (<b><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26378026">BBC news</a>)</span></b><br />
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As an aside, at 57, I can report, that I can count on my right hand how many times I have actually been inside a betting shop in my life....... and why are they called shops any way? A shop is a place where you can purchase goods or services, can't see you can do that in these places.... And if you know me you know I don't have five digits on my right hand ........<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3132275097242652461.post-67592248053769436732014-02-28T11:10:00.000+00:002014-02-28T11:10:31.385+00:00On the one hand I feel guilty, on the other, not so much.....<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 12pt;">
Thanks for your call on Tuesday in regard to both The County and District Council's initiative in engaging the local populace in regard to determining how best to approach the perceived problem of anti-social behavior in the area. </div>
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As I pointed out during our conversation I was slightly perplexed by your apparent assertion that both the District Council and local Police had informed you that there is a major anti social behaviour problem in the area, giving me at least, the impression that this was concentrated in and around the Centre!</div>
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As I explained, I have been here since 1999, and I do have the scar to prove it, from where I was attacked by a large group of youths. At that time and up until the last couple of years it is true to say that there was indeed a large problem with local youths in the area and largely centred and concentrated around the Market and shops. It would also be fair to say that we, as a company and the major landowner in the area have to vicariously shoulder some of the responsibility in that, with the configuration of the 'old market' giving the youths who had nowhere else to congregate, a ready 'playground' where they could climb and run about on the market stall roofs and then in adverse weather, take shelter to drink, smoke and do whatever else they got up to under cover of the stalls. This was intimidating to the general members of the public and our own tenants who passed through the centre at all hours.</div>
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In addition the Local School, was, in my opinion, badly managed by the then incumbent headmaster and we suffered greatly at the hands of those pupils who did not want to be there, could not go home and from the large number of excluded pupils who seemed not to be given any other option but to hang about on the streets, once excluded, as neither the Local or County authorities seemed to have any firm plan in place to deal with those excluded or to round up those who were truanting. And so, the anti social problems were exacerbated by this too. As far as graffiti in the Centre is concerned, this too was a major problem. Again, we managed this by painting all of our low level walls white, giving the taggers a blank canvas to work on, but as soon as they tagged a wall we painted over it and within three months the taggers were avoiding us completely, so even that problem has been resolved.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;">All of that is not to say that there are still not the occasional problems within the Centre and with our tenants but these are largely directed at shops, the late night pizza shop has, I am informed, been the target of both anti social and racial abuse, people being refused in selling goods to the local pawn shop who become aggressive, these are clearly serious but criminal matters, well at least in relation to the racial abuse and not normal 'run of the mill' anti social issues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, Times, serif; font-size: small;">Since, we took the decision to redevelop the Centre and demolish the market we are largely trouble free with only the odd incident of anti social behaviour to contend with and most of the local populace, including the youths of the area know that we have an extensive CCTV system covering the Centre and we regularly provide the local PCSO's with images from the system, or not so regularly now. </span></div>
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Of course while I accept some of the blame as mentioned earlier this cannot take away from the fact that a large number of parents have no control over their offspring, and society in general, along with the complete lack of direction by central government and local authorities and the pulling back of any involvement in providing youth clubs or direction for children. This, of course includes the lack of direction and support for those parent less able to communicate at any level with their children by entering into meaningful dialogue and are not able even to offer guidance on right and wrong or fitting in and belonging to an inclusive society; all of this has been sadly lacking over the last forty years when it was the case that wherever you went there was at least some form of activity taking place in church and council run clubs in almost every district of the land from John O'groats to Lands End .....</div>
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So, while I applaud and recognise any initiative that will reverse the trend of non involvement I don't see that a mobile youth club parked up once a week on our new square is going to facilitate that initiative, particularly when you have the local authorities, 'The .......', only 200 metres away which, seems to me to be pre-eminently situated within the burgh, open every day and night for local community activities, and has the rooms and halls to house youth services located within it, on a full time basis, encouraging both the advantaged and not so advantage youths in the area to participate in activities..... </div>
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I may well pop along to the proposed event, could you remind me of date and times please, out of curiosity, but I fear I am not going to be in a position to offer you any positive help by way of facilities based on the comment in the preceding paragraph.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18318793094470458468noreply@blogger.com3