Category: Random musings

Barney the dogs Birthday

I wrote a couple of weeks back about getting a strange invite to a six year olds birthday party. That six year old is a Cockapoo dog called Barney, the original post can be found here: Happy Woofday

Well todays the day, I’m working nights, but before I move off to work I’ve promised I’d pop around with the wife to have a bit of lunch and to give him a pat or two on the head, and tell him he’s a good boy.

Birthday boy, unimpressed by cake and all the fuss

Well, I must admit there was a good spread but after the overindulgences of the last week it was one party too much for me. Even Barney who’s been at most of our homes over the last week just looked as if he’d had enough of us all and just wanted some peace and quiet. I’m lucky as Im working nights, I’ve had the perfect excuse to slink off and find my our serenity in the offices at work.

We humans are a little crazy at times and I think even our animals sense this. That said, it doesn’t hurt to be a bit crazy, it makes the day go past a tad quicker, and to be honest anything that spreads a little happiness and produces smiles and laughter is not a bad thing.

Stay crazy people 👍

Idyllic

You get to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What’s it like?

Illustration by Maurice Sendak in Open House for Butterflies by Ruth Krauss.

One of those questions that you give little thought to. However for me peace and quiet and tranquility reigns supreme.

Not just for reading a writing but for all my hobbies, all I ask for is some peace to be with my own thoughts and no rushing, peaceful all the way. I may also like to have a radio on, turned down low in the background just to hum along to,

Melton brook – Melton Mowbray

A little cottage with a separate annex by a slow babbling brook would be ideal. However I don’t think that is going to happen anytime soon, but one can dream can’t they? So in the ideal world it’s down to the river every time to seek inspiration and mental stability for me.

Have a glorious day everyone and stay safe.

Boys toys

What is your all time favorite automobile?

First of all I hope you all had a good Christmas Day, our family day went really well with no issues, and today is round two at someone else’s house so at least the washing up won’t be left for me today.

All time favourite automobile? Now I’m not really a petrol head and to me an automobile is purely a way to get from A-B. I’ve owned some right old bangers that I’ve really loved, but to be honest as I’m having to choose favourites, one is a toy and one is real.

The toy:

1970s I was brought a Tonka crane that was my absolute pride and joy. I was probably about 8 years old when I was brought this but to this day it’s still there in my memory banks as just something special. Knowing my love for anything retro I will probably one day look at obtaining one, much to the wife’s dislike.

A 70s Tonka Crane

The real thing:

When I was diagnosed with Kidney cancer a few years back I went out and treated myself to Landrover discovery 3. God I loved that car, it was like sitting in your favourite arm chair and a beautiful car to drive. It cost an absolute fortune to maintain but was worth every penny. Just like everything in this country though, we pay too much tax and because big diesel drinking vehicles fell out of fashion the grabbing government decided to tax these out of every day affordability. I loved that car and must admit I shed a tear the day it drove off our drive for the last time. I’d buy another one in a heartbeat, I loved it.

Doris – my old trusty Landy

We currently have a new car that serves a purpose but is as basic as you can get. That said, I’d rather walk anywhere within a reasonable distance than take the car.

Have a peaceful pleasant day.

Just have a calm and peaceful day

Ok, I’m not going to be around on the 25th as I have a number of hungry mouths and inquiring minds to keep occupied, as we have the wife’s side of the family here for dinner.

It’s been a tough year but for one day I think we can put all bad to rest and hopefully look forward to whatever new challenges the new year can bring. Today we can let bygones be bygones and celebrate being together, our health and wellbeing.

I know everyone does not celebrate Christmas and I fully accept that, so hopefully I can attempt to wish you all the most peaceful of days , I apologise in advance for any words lost in translation, no offence intended.

Have a wonderful peaceful and happy day.


  • आपका दिन अद्भुत, शांतिपूर्ण और मंगलमय हो

  • તમારો દિવસ અદ્ભુત શાંતિપૂર્ણ અને આનંદમય રહે
  • Magkaroon ng isang magandang mapayapa at masayang araw

  • أتمنى لك يومًا هادئًا وسعيدًا رائعًا

  • একটি চমৎকার শান্তিপূর্ণ এবং সুখী দিন

  • 祝你有個美好嘅和平同快樂嘅日子

  • Que tingueu un meravellós dia tranquil i feliç

  • Passez une merveilleuse journée paisible et heureuse

  • Να έχετε μια υπέροχη ήρεμη και χαρούμενη μέρα
  • Semoga harimu indah, damai, dan bahagia
  • Selamat menjalani hari yang damai dan bahagia

  • Ich wünsche Ihnen einen wunderschönen, friedlichen und glücklichen Tag

I know there are probably about another 140 languages I have failed to address. But to you all my message remains the same.

Peace, love & happiness.

A few, and a profession.

Who are the biggest influences in your life?

Personally my biggest influences amount to no more than a few people and one profession. Let me explain.

  • My Mother, she went through absolute hell in a marriage where she was beaten, abused and used like a carpet. I did my best as a child to protect her and like to think I did that well. She was still being abused well into her Seventies by a horrible jealous man who masqueraded as a husband. I dislike that man, as I have previously stated in a previous post I am unable to hate, I feel sorry for him and I’m sure he received his judgement when he passed over. At least I hope he did. Mother taught me patience and kindness, i absolutely love and adore my mother, and this week was the 20th anniversary of her passing.
  • My wife. She has this year kept the family together, she has saved a friend from harm. She has rescued that friend from the precipice, cared for her, seen she gets helped and spoken with her four or five times on a daily basis until that friend has been repaired, and brought herself back to a place where she is happy. My wife continues to impress me and make me so proud as she is a wonderful, beautiful soul that I believe was put on this earth to help people. She was unable to be a mother, something she would have truly excelled in, but she treats every child as her own and has beautiful relationships with youngsters, she guides and protects, she really should have wings on her back as I’m sure she was put here to serve that purpose. I am so proud of her and I know I have been gifted her presence for a short while, and I so appreciate that, I am a very fortunate person. And I so love her.
  • Anyone who teaches. You are very special and underrated individuals who deserve so much. I was most fortunate to meet the most influential man in my life who was a teacher : My Primary school teacher. Anyone that teaches deserves the utmost praise and respect, it is these unselfish individuals that shape this world and shape individuals into respectable members of society. You make the people who will go forward and shape this world. You make the world a better place. Anyone who just offers good advice and comfort to someone should pat themselves on the back.

We all have a role in society, we can all influence someone.

Have a peaceful day, have a wonderful holiday period no matter what your faith is or where your beliefs lay. Be that better person. Peace.

I won the lottery…that day

Share what you know about the year you were born.

My birthday year was special because I was born. I’m not being big headed, I actually won the lottery that day.

Well I didn’t win the actually “money” lottery, so you can stop thinking about the begging letters, however anyone born prior, during or since are all in fact lottery winners and your prize is life. (Like it or not.)

Yes your chances of winning the top prize in the Uk National lottery are a whopping 1 in 45,057,474 (source National Lottery)

Prior to being born your parents entered into a lottery arrangement (Polite way of saying what occurred) and your odds of being born are allegedly an eye watering 1 in 400 Trillion . Just let that sink in for a moment. You really have won the lottery of life.

As I said, like every big winner there are things you will like and dislike about you fortune, but you have been afforded probably the most precious gift of all.

Life.

So there is the saying that someone is one in a million, next time you are told that, stop that someone in their tracks and say. “ Hold on there, I’m actually 1 in 400 Trillion.”

We are all very special, on this little planet of Lottery winners.

Stay safe. You wonderful person.

(Picture courtesy of Earth.com)

We are all judgemental

Are you a good judge of character?

People are a puzzle, I think we all know that. Some say we shouldn’t judge people but those same people may have well been stung as a result in the past. It’s hard to avoid being judgemental, and to be honest it’s hard to imagine anyone’s survival by not being judgemental. And thats why we have the saying “ Once stung, twice shy” it came about for a reason and that reason probably was that someone had trusted someone when perhaps they should have been a bit more wary. I direct you to an earlier post I wrote: Trust

Being judgemental does not mean you are nastily caging someone and instantly putting them into a “bucket” as they say. Not one person can honestly say they do not judge people, do you not have someone turn up at your door and think “What do they want?” Do you not see a customer and ask “Why are they here?” This is judgement in its most basic, every day use. Now, when you instantly start labelling people all wrongly when you don’t know them, calling them all kinds of nasty things, this is very wrong, and you’d be a wise person to avoid this kind of behaviour. This is poisonous judgement of someone.

We all get judged, we go for work interviews and are judged, on a regular basis at work my superiors regularly check my competencies to carry out a role, this is all judgement and is needed to see how capable an individual is. It is in many cases a necessity.

A good judge of character has the ability to advance the process through to a number of other traits, one of those being trust. This may then lead to friendships as well, as you can see this is the natural progression of your life, this entire process needs to occur to develop social interaction and relationships.

Don’t say you don’t judge, you do. You just need to look back over the day to see your style of judgement. If it’s bad – make a change.

Have a peaceful day.

Happy Woofday

Strange how people’s social calendars change when they become carers of animals.

Today I have received an invite to one of our dear departed Alf’s friends.

It’s Barneys birthday

Wasn’t expecting this to be honest, what does one take to such a soirée as this?

He has good texting skills

Barney and Alf grew up together, Alf was about 5 years his senior and when he was younger he took him under his wing, however as Barney got older and a lot bigger the order of bossiness changed. However he is a great dog and one of the family, just crazy as a box of frogs.

Strange as you start aging, the randomness in your life just gets stranger and more wacky.

I wonder if they will be serving Jelly and ice cream? That might just swing the acceptance of the invite.

Happy days everyone.

My World

When are you most happy?

Like a broken old loop from an Eastenders sub plot, lots of people will say “When I am with family”. Well that doesn’t work for me. My family were an extremely dysfunctional unit and to be honest we were probably best kept apart. My dear darling mother died on this day 20 yrs ago, she was the glue that held our family together and once she had gone the rot set in.

However, I have my own small arm of the family that consists of just my wife and I. It used to have a third member, little Alf our dog, but he unfortunately passed away in August of this year and what I always refer to as “My World” again collapsed, so now we are two.

Alfie Bichon Frise

Home is my safe place and that is where I feel safe with the only person I know that knows me better than I know myself. After 33 years of marriage I am still excited to go home at the end of a working day, and I can’t wait to see her again.

My world

I’m just scared that one day My World will collapse again, but I will not dwell on the future, I will concentrate constantly on ensuring that My World is content, happy and safe and most importantly cared for.

Peace

Anger and hate – Why?

I’m not going to answer today’s daily prompt as WordPress sometimes asks some quite pathetic questions. Who really cares what my 5 favourite foods are or what the last things are that I did for play purposes. If you want to get some good interactions then ask about real life issues, if you want to know what someone has had for dinner then mosey on over to Fakebook or one of its sibling sites.

Today I’m talking Anger and hate, as I’ve experienced it big time in the last few days and I don’t really understand why.

I work hard. Very hard and it’s a thankless task at times. In my job I have to keep transport moving and people safe, however, occasionally one collapses and the other suffers. A young girl with serious issues, had this week presented herself, wandering out onto high speed train lines wearing just pyjamas bringing the system to a halt. I’m one of the first on scene, I arrange protection for everyone ensuring that trains aren’t moving near us and we then go about the task of recovering her and getting her to a place of safety. We achieve this and after a short while she is taken away and given support from a medical team. She is safe, it is all that matters, a life has been saved and it’s about as good as a day gets, but then I meet members of the public who’s travel plans have been ever so slightly disrupted, and it is disturbing and disgusting what I now experience.

“Why didn’t you just let her get hit by the train?”

“She’s ruined my F***ing day as I’m now late”

“People like that deserve to die”

I could go on, and the personal abuse I received questioning my parentage was not much better. It was pure bile and hate and that is why I ask why is there so much anger and hate about today?

What have we become as a society when your lives are arranged in such a way that a small delay brings out the absolute worst in you.

Why is so much anger present in society, even I walked away from this situation and wondered why I had even bothered.

I never use the word “Hate” anyone in my family will tell you that, and I will always pull someone up when they use that word. It’s an awful word, and there is far too much of it in this world. Dislike is a simpler word and can always be worked upon to improve a situation. It’s always easier to turn dislike into something more positive, however hate is a cancerous word that that can rarely be eliminated, it poisons the mind and very quickly kills all manner of rationality.

I work alone, I help get teams together to achieve common goals, the main one being to get transport from point “a” to point “b” safely. Sometimes we are challenged and have to work hard to achieve this goal, but we are always doing our very best. We work in the background and you probably wouldn’t even see us on a daily basis keeping everyone safe, but we are always there, always looking out for issues. Always looking out for you.

But it seems there is (hopefully a minority) an underbelly of society who are so selfish, that they are a danger to their fellow humans, they seem to have lost all reasoning, and common decency and this seems to be eating away at our core values as a social and caring society.

It’s been a tough week and I dare say on the run up to Christmas and just beyond that we will, experience more of these incidents. But guess what?

I will be there, I will do my job, I will put an arm around each of these individuals ( if they allow me) and tell them that I care and that I will be with them whilst they are my responsibility, they need this. I will think about them, no doubt for a long time after the incident and wish them all the very best.

For the irate passenger though I will feel sorrow, for the way they feel and act, and I will dislike that, however they can easily change their ways and become that better person.

Be that better person yourself, don’t hate upon anyone and just try to make life that much better for someone less fortunate, you just don’t know what they are going through.

You will feel a warmth in your body that you may never have felt before. That’s peace and contentment. Spread that feeling, this old world needs a lot more of it.

Have a safe and happy day.