About 'Dads'

I read a teenage guy's Tweet, today, about how all Dad's are crap at jokes. There is some truth in this . . but I hope he still loves his Dad. Dad's are people, too, and it's sad if their children dislike or disrespect them. I loved my late father to bits . .still do . .although he never really showed much overt affection. I guess he showed he cared in other ways. He would've loved to have met you and you would have found him funny, for sure.

I was puzzling about this, yesterday. My paternal Grandad was a very cold, Victorian father . .so I can't imagine how my Dad turned-out so well. I think it must've been his 6 yrs at War, in Nth Africa & Italy. It seemed to give him a perspective on life that a home-body might have lacked.

When I asked him about the War, he simply told me that when he saw kids playing the same games in Africa , Italy . .wherever . . .it just clicked with him that we were all the same - all brothers and sisters. He also had a great facility with language. I never saw him pick up a book, so I guess it must've come from his schooling. Kids were taught to read poetry and spell properly, back in the day.

" Love ya, Dad, . . thanks for everything " :]

A scene from the early Church

From the front, sweetly sung :

" Stand up, stand up, for Jesus . . . and let his glory be."

(Almost immediately, from the back, . . . somewhat louder & coarser)

" SIT DOWN, SIT DOWN FOR JESUS . . . THE BEGGARS AT THE BACK CAN'T SEE ! "


Moral: You have to consider all members of society when planning an event =p

Would Jesus buy a Mercedes ?

I caught a few minutes of evangelist, Joyce Meyer, on Christian radio. She made a good point - she said:

' The World says: "Show me & I will believe", but God says: " Believe & I will show you.

The World says: " If you want to be rich, be a miser and hoard your money"
God says: " If you want to be rich, give-away some money - share your wealth " '

I think this points-up the problem people have with becoming Christians. They expect it to be like The World . . but it's the opposite. That's why Richard Dawkins' idea of trying to apply scientific principles is silly. They just don't apply.

Pavlov DogTube

I saw a commentator, ages ago, talking about this. He said that the numbers-tally is the addictive aspect of the whole YouTube thing. It's how YouTubers get their 'fix' and feel validated. I think there's something in this. It's a 'reward' that doesn't cost Google anything. Participating in YouTube has, at times, made me feel like a pigeon in a behavioural experiment - Google switches-on the light, and we all press that button =p Excuse me, I'm inexpicably salivating. Oops! It's that bell again!

Autumn In Springtime . . .

Today I received some lovely photographs from a young Brisbane-based friend, showing his first picnic of the year with his girlfriend, in what is now early Spring for them.

I'm always fascinated by the fact that, for this brief moment, the climates in my own hometown of Weymouth and Portland and his, in Brisbane, are pretty similar. Soon, of course, the sunshine see-saw starts to tilt . . giving us progressively less sun and Australians, more . . before tilting back again and reaching equilibrium, once more, in 6 months time. Having friends on the other side of the globe gives one a very real experience of how all this stuff works. It's much easier to understand the seasons when you can see the process in-action, globally

Today (Sunday) was a perfect example of an early-autumn day for us; and, being my wife's, birthday, we went on an afternoon walk around the wooded headland in Weymouth called 'The Nothe', with views all-around out to sea. Barely had we begun our walk when a squirrel appeared in the middle of the path . . eager to see what treats we had for it.

By the look of it, it was a pregant female. She sat on the park bench next to my teenage daughter for about 20 mins, as my daughter hand-fed it with brazil nuts, dried coconut & dried banana and raisins. Clear blue skies, not a breath of wind, very hot . . people out sunning themselves on the grass . .and the air fillled with swallows who were, rather unfortunately, snatching the beautiful dragon-flies from the air and gobbling them up . . .as the rich folks raced-about in the bay, in their ultra-expensive motor cruisers . . .whilst the Isle of Portland, in its autumn thrall, lay at-anchor just off-shore. It was the sort of autumn day we can sometimes be blessed with, down in these southern climes.

Of course, in less than two years time these same tranquil waters will be a-buzz with hundreds of yachts, sails billowing in the wind; the hotels and B&B's will be packed with reporters and T.V. crews . . and the roads, no-doubt, will be totally gridlocked - as Weymouth & Portland plays host to the sailing events for the 2012 London Olympics.

Do, by all means, come and visit us during those two hectic weeks in August - it should prove an exciting spectacle! But, if you want to see the real Dorset, set aside a few days to visit the county, out of season. You certainly won't regret it - spring or autumn !

Men With Bra's

I was just starting-up the computer, this Saturday a.m., when I saw the postie heading our way. I rushed downstairs, hoping to avoid the 'ding-dong' which would wake-up my happily-snoozing teenage daughter.

Well, I signed for the parcel but, as I closed the door and went inside, . . .I found that I'd had one of wife's white bras attached to the side of my trouser-leg, as I stood at the door, for all the world to see.

Now, . .I had on my working-trousers ( which are patched and grotty), my shirt had greasemarks on it from working on the car . .and my vest had the remains of some pizza- sauce on the neck, which I'd sponged-off, the previous evening ( obviously not very well). Add to this sartorial elegance a large-cupped white bra, hanging down from my knee . .and I think I may have invented a new look - a sort of 'tramp-pirate' combo =p

It was some time before I could work out that my wife must've dumped it on the side of the computer chair and when I rushed to answer the door it had somehow hooked itself onto my strides :/

It could only happen to me - this sorta thing is considered quite normal in our household. In fact, I left it attached for a while longer whilst I waited for my teenage daughter to get up - and then I paraded around the room like a fashion model, showing off my latest look. I should've taken a photo !

O.m.g. . . .what a life ! LOL

Survival Of The 'Thickest'

In the distant past, the ancestors of everyone alive had had great survival skills and were good at breeding - it was a case of: 'the survival of the fittest'.

Nowadays, in more enlightened and kinder times we have fertility clinics, social benefits and advanced medical care to ensure that almost all survive.

One wonders if, ultimately, this will actually be of any benefit to the long-term survival of our species. Can we prevail against the selfish gene of evolution . . and should we ?

Barclay James Hairnet ?

When I was about 22 & selling cameras in a drugstore . . the whole Barclay James Harvest group came in from the hotel, next door, to buy shampoos & conditioners.

I struck-up a brief convo. Sadly, I'd already bought a ticket for that evening, else I think they may have given me a comp' (bah!)

I think they said something about "come back-stage" afterwards. I did approach the security after the show but I never got past the barrier.

They were o.k. . . but not great =p Their 'fros had gone all frizzy!

Steam gives-way to sail ?

I almost bumped into Prof. Steven Hawking - in Cambridge, u.k. - many years ago. He was entering our favourite Thai restaurant, just as we were leaving it. We stood-aside to allow ingress to the good Professor and his powered chair but to our surprise - and in accordance with maritime convention - HE actually gave-way to us!

The 'special' that night might well have been something like: 'duck curry with fragrant rice & soft spring rolls'. Now, you can just imagine that - as delivered by the great man's u.s.-voiced speech generator. Hawking lived just across the road from the restaurant, so I bet he was in there all the time, lucky beggar! ( lol for my use of irony, there) =p

'Hope you had a good meal, that night, Professor Hawking - and for many nights thereafter. Does Thai food really make you think all those'deep' thoughts? Perhaps it's the chilli ? ;]

A Drought Of Love

The famous author, Rudyard Kipling, and an Indian friend were both bidding farewell to a dear companion who was returning to the U.K., from India, where they had all been working.

Kipling grasped his friend firmly by the hand, coughed - slightly embarrassed - and then bid him a good journey home. . . before releasing his grip and pretending to brush some fluff from his sleeve.

Kipling's Indian friend advanced with tears in his eyes, kissed the fellow on both cheeks and went-on at some length about how much he would miss him and how much they all appreciated his work . . and that no-one could have done more, etc., etc. Finally at an end . . . he stood, sobbing and wiping his eyes, . .comforted by his wife.

When the mutual friend's ship had sailed, Kipling turned to his Indian friend, with real anger in his face, and said " That was terrible. The British just don't do things that way. You have embarrassed me . .and our young friend! "

The Indian replied,

" I am sorry that I have embarrassed you, but I 'feel' in the way that I feel . .and I must express my feelings as such. I have noticed that the British express love as if they only had a finite amount of it, and they feared that a 'drought' of love might arise at any time.

In India, we know that our love is infinite, and we have no fear of ever running out of it. Accordingly, we shower it recklessly on our friends and family whenever the opportunity arises. "

Kipling stood, white faced, listening to his dear friend's explanation. He then apologised to him, unreservedly, and was a much better and humbler man thereafter. The conversation added greatly to his future writing and to his understanding of what it is to be 'human'.