Since I posted on here. One of the articles I have recently read about blogging says that you should post on a blog at least twice a week. So, I am going to aim to do that from now on.
I had a great weekend in Maidenhead with some wonderful friends. They know who they are. This week I am working on some quite boring stuff at work, but thankfully I have some entertaining and perhaps challenging activities in the evenings.
Wednesday evening I will be continuing my quest for Advanced Communicator Silver in Toastmasters with an impromptu speech at Huntingdonshire Speakers.
Thursday evening I have the honour of attending the 10th. anniversary dinner for Cambridge Speakers at Clare College, Cambridge, and I will be presenting an award. I'm really excited about this and will report on here after the event.
Monday 15 June 2009
Friday 5 June 2009
Stakhanovite
Well, I was called 'Stakhanovite' today, and I had to go and look up the definition on Google - where else?
Apparently, it means that I achieve goals through putting in a lot of hard work, and I'll take that compliment!
Today Toastmasters Area that I have been supporting since July 1 2008 achieved President's Distinguished Area. A very proud moment, and one of the most respected members of the Area emailed me that it was due to my Stakhanovite efforts. Thank you, Brian, but this award belongs to everyone in Area 41, whether they be a long-serving member or one of the people that has joined in the past few weeks!
For anyone reading this who doesn't know what Toastmasters International is, you can find out more information at www.toastmasters.org or www.d71.org
Toastmasters International is the world's largest not-for-profit educational organisation, and the quickest acting and most cost-effective self-development programme in the world!
Apparently, it means that I achieve goals through putting in a lot of hard work, and I'll take that compliment!
Today Toastmasters Area that I have been supporting since July 1 2008 achieved President's Distinguished Area. A very proud moment, and one of the most respected members of the Area emailed me that it was due to my Stakhanovite efforts. Thank you, Brian, but this award belongs to everyone in Area 41, whether they be a long-serving member or one of the people that has joined in the past few weeks!
For anyone reading this who doesn't know what Toastmasters International is, you can find out more information at www.toastmasters.org or www.d71.org
Toastmasters International is the world's largest not-for-profit educational organisation, and the quickest acting and most cost-effective self-development programme in the world!
Sunday 31 May 2009
Why I Called It Strands of Life
Perhaps I should explain why I called this blog 'Strands of Life'.
It seems to me that most of us have several strands to our lives. For me, that means work, which provides the means to allow all the other strands to exist, given that pretty much everything we do to enrich our lives costs money!
Then, for me, there are several networks, or strands, of friends. I have a group of people all over the world who are like a substitute family - my ex-Exclusive Brethren friends. Some of us have an email list that we use to keep in daily contact with each other and there is also a website. Further to that, we have an annual 'gathering' and often a small group of us will meet up for drinks and a meal, usually when there is a visitor from overseas.
There is also a small walking group that I have belonged to in Peterborough for the past ten years. We go for a four or five mile walk in the country most Sundays, go for a meal together three or four times a year, and occasionally some of us will go away for a weekend in the countryside.
In the last few years I have become more and more involved with Toastmasters International. Toastmasters is one of those rare large groups of people that doesn't, for me, have any negatives. There is no politics or religion involved at all. I know some members are Christians, Muslims and I'm quite sure that other religions and pretty much all shades of politics are represented in Toastmasters membership. None of this matters, however, because we all go along to develop ourselves and to support others in their development.
So that's some of my Strands of Life, hastily typed on a beautiful Sunday morning before going off to the gym. Then it'll be The Archers while doing the ironing, then a walk in the country this afternoon.
It seems to me that most of us have several strands to our lives. For me, that means work, which provides the means to allow all the other strands to exist, given that pretty much everything we do to enrich our lives costs money!
Then, for me, there are several networks, or strands, of friends. I have a group of people all over the world who are like a substitute family - my ex-Exclusive Brethren friends. Some of us have an email list that we use to keep in daily contact with each other and there is also a website. Further to that, we have an annual 'gathering' and often a small group of us will meet up for drinks and a meal, usually when there is a visitor from overseas.
There is also a small walking group that I have belonged to in Peterborough for the past ten years. We go for a four or five mile walk in the country most Sundays, go for a meal together three or four times a year, and occasionally some of us will go away for a weekend in the countryside.
In the last few years I have become more and more involved with Toastmasters International. Toastmasters is one of those rare large groups of people that doesn't, for me, have any negatives. There is no politics or religion involved at all. I know some members are Christians, Muslims and I'm quite sure that other religions and pretty much all shades of politics are represented in Toastmasters membership. None of this matters, however, because we all go along to develop ourselves and to support others in their development.
So that's some of my Strands of Life, hastily typed on a beautiful Sunday morning before going off to the gym. Then it'll be The Archers while doing the ironing, then a walk in the country this afternoon.
Tuesday 26 May 2009
Musical memories
For some unaccountable reason, I have had a Miles Davis track going round my head for the last few days. I got home from work, of which the least said the better today, went and had an hour's work-out at the gym (great for de-stressing and de-angering - is that a word? If not it should be)then came home and looked out the Miles Davis live double album from 1982 - 'We Want Miles' - recorded in New York and Tokyo, and performed at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, in my presence in the late summer of 1982, if my memory serves me correctly. The track I wanted to hear was 'Jean Pierre'. Now a lot of people didn't like this album. It features the wonderful bass guitarist, Marcus Miller, who went on to produce some of Miles' later work, Mike Stern, the guitarist from Blood, Sweat and Tears, Bill Evans (not that one) on soprano sax, Al Foster on drums and the excellent Mino Cinelu on percussion.
I well remember the evening I went to see this band. I had bought tickets for myself, my friend Colin and his girlfriend Rachel to see this much-anticipated gig. At the last moment, Colin and Rachel cancelled, leaving me, for the one and only time in my life, to sell their tickets to a tout outside Hammersmith tube station.
That has got me thinking about Colin now. We met when he asked me for a light in the Windmill pub on Clapham Common one evening. He drove one of the first VW Golf GTI's and we used to cruise around in it thinking we were the bees knees.Well, I thought I was a bees knee anyway! We used to meet for lunch in the Coach and Horses in Soho which was well-known then as the 'home' of Jeffrey Bernard and the Private Eye lunches. Norman Balon was the landlord.
Anyway, back to Miles Davis. It was just awesome to be in about the tenth row back from this living legend who was certainly in my top five of greatest ever and most influential musicians. Miles spoke not a word throughout the evening, but the music was electric in all senses of the word. I have read that Miles used to tell his band just to play what they felt, and I think this was true. One of the great things about jazz is that you could go and see the same band five nights in a row and you would never see the same concert, even if they played the same tunes.
What I love about this album is the fact that the music can be very angry one minute and then it emerges into some wonderful blue sky, like a jet coming through the storm into stillness and beauty. Can't beleive I wrote that - I'm sure none of the critics said that at the time.
'We Want Miles' is the only album that I have ever bought on my way into a concert. I know I had to have it, just like the other twenty or so Miles albums that I have. It still does it for me after a stressful day, after 27 years
I well remember the evening I went to see this band. I had bought tickets for myself, my friend Colin and his girlfriend Rachel to see this much-anticipated gig. At the last moment, Colin and Rachel cancelled, leaving me, for the one and only time in my life, to sell their tickets to a tout outside Hammersmith tube station.
That has got me thinking about Colin now. We met when he asked me for a light in the Windmill pub on Clapham Common one evening. He drove one of the first VW Golf GTI's and we used to cruise around in it thinking we were the bees knees.Well, I thought I was a bees knee anyway! We used to meet for lunch in the Coach and Horses in Soho which was well-known then as the 'home' of Jeffrey Bernard and the Private Eye lunches. Norman Balon was the landlord.
Anyway, back to Miles Davis. It was just awesome to be in about the tenth row back from this living legend who was certainly in my top five of greatest ever and most influential musicians. Miles spoke not a word throughout the evening, but the music was electric in all senses of the word. I have read that Miles used to tell his band just to play what they felt, and I think this was true. One of the great things about jazz is that you could go and see the same band five nights in a row and you would never see the same concert, even if they played the same tunes.
What I love about this album is the fact that the music can be very angry one minute and then it emerges into some wonderful blue sky, like a jet coming through the storm into stillness and beauty. Can't beleive I wrote that - I'm sure none of the critics said that at the time.
'We Want Miles' is the only album that I have ever bought on my way into a concert. I know I had to have it, just like the other twenty or so Miles albums that I have. It still does it for me after a stressful day, after 27 years
Friday 22 May 2009
Thoughts on the week's going's on (is that correct English?)
Well, I am sure that someone will correct me if it isn't. English was my favourite subject at school but that was a long time ago. The other night at Toastmasters I had to clarify what 'alliteration' was. I was the Grammarian. I always got 10/10 for spelling at school but was pretty mediocre at everything else.
Mediocre is a word that springs readily to mind when thinking of the political events of the last few weeks in the U.K. My obviously somewhat misguided impression was that politicians are public servants. The money that they get paid, both in salary and expenses, comes out of the taxes that most of us pay. Obvious, I know, but you would think there would be some humility about these people. Of course, it would be wrong to tar them all with the same brush. Vince Cable, for one, comes out of it all with a good deal of credit. I suppose it helps in my opinion of him that his son and daughter-in-law are wonderful opera singers, although I'm not particularly into opera. I only mention that because I heard Vince Cable on Desert Island Discs a few months ago and he played one of his son's opera songs and one of his daughter-in-law's as two of his Desert Island Discs. The one his daughter-in-law sang made me cry, like all my very favourite music does.I can't remember what itwas called, but it was spectacular.
My low opinion of politicians might be coloured slightly by the stories I have heard (and witnessed) about the Honourable (some mistake, surely) members (or, should I say Members) that have represented the city where I live since I have lived there. I moved here in 1991 - the member of Parliament for this city at that time has since been ennobled and now sits at the top of the tree of one of the great sporting institutions in Britain.
In 1997 I was one of the people who thought the world, or at least the U.K., might change, when we elected the first Labour government since 1979. Perhaps the world did change after 1997, but not in the way that I would have liked. I was hoping for more equality, more opportunity. More humility from people who were elected to serve their constituents. What I got was a local M.P. who, the first time I met her, was more interested in what I could do for her than what she could do to help me. On the two subsequent occasions that I saw her, she was drunk in a local hotel. Still I voted for her, because the alternative was even more unpalatable to me.
I even voted for her at the last election, because I couldn't bring myself to vote for the alternative candidates. Then, one of the alternative candidates was elected. I was resigned to the fact that my local city had returned to its normal habits. Despite having quite a large 'underclass' population, my adopted home city has traditionally elected Members of Parliament who may not have the interests of a majority of the population at heart. Maybe that's because 'underclass' people don't vote. Whatever the reason, the opposing candidate was returned at the most recent election.
I'm informed that the current local M.P. was on hand at the recent parade to celebrate the elevation of our local football team to the Championship. I am also informed that there was a large proportion of the audience who did not know who he was. This is despite the fact that he is alleged to live in a 475k. house less than ten minutes walk from my house, which is 15-minutes walk from the centre of the city. We are told that he claimed some money from the Fees Office in order to have someone come over and tell him how to 'work' the swimming pool at his house in this adopted constituency.
Now, I'm not saying that M.P.'s should live on nothing. Currently, they live on around 65k, which is more than twice what I earn. I would like to earn half as much as they do, then I would have a great lifestyle, by my standards. My standards are those of someone who has spent a night, homeless, sleeping on Victoria Station in London. Anything better than that is a step up!
Since my night on Victoria Station, which was 34 years ago, I have 'graduated' to a three-bedroom semi-detached ex-council house which I almost own. If you could average out everyone in the world, it is my belief that there is enough resource in the world for everyone to live like I do. Financially, I mean. I woudn't expect everyone to live by my standards in any other way!
Enough for a Friday night!
Mediocre is a word that springs readily to mind when thinking of the political events of the last few weeks in the U.K. My obviously somewhat misguided impression was that politicians are public servants. The money that they get paid, both in salary and expenses, comes out of the taxes that most of us pay. Obvious, I know, but you would think there would be some humility about these people. Of course, it would be wrong to tar them all with the same brush. Vince Cable, for one, comes out of it all with a good deal of credit. I suppose it helps in my opinion of him that his son and daughter-in-law are wonderful opera singers, although I'm not particularly into opera. I only mention that because I heard Vince Cable on Desert Island Discs a few months ago and he played one of his son's opera songs and one of his daughter-in-law's as two of his Desert Island Discs. The one his daughter-in-law sang made me cry, like all my very favourite music does.I can't remember what itwas called, but it was spectacular.
My low opinion of politicians might be coloured slightly by the stories I have heard (and witnessed) about the Honourable (some mistake, surely) members (or, should I say Members) that have represented the city where I live since I have lived there. I moved here in 1991 - the member of Parliament for this city at that time has since been ennobled and now sits at the top of the tree of one of the great sporting institutions in Britain.
In 1997 I was one of the people who thought the world, or at least the U.K., might change, when we elected the first Labour government since 1979. Perhaps the world did change after 1997, but not in the way that I would have liked. I was hoping for more equality, more opportunity. More humility from people who were elected to serve their constituents. What I got was a local M.P. who, the first time I met her, was more interested in what I could do for her than what she could do to help me. On the two subsequent occasions that I saw her, she was drunk in a local hotel. Still I voted for her, because the alternative was even more unpalatable to me.
I even voted for her at the last election, because I couldn't bring myself to vote for the alternative candidates. Then, one of the alternative candidates was elected. I was resigned to the fact that my local city had returned to its normal habits. Despite having quite a large 'underclass' population, my adopted home city has traditionally elected Members of Parliament who may not have the interests of a majority of the population at heart. Maybe that's because 'underclass' people don't vote. Whatever the reason, the opposing candidate was returned at the most recent election.
I'm informed that the current local M.P. was on hand at the recent parade to celebrate the elevation of our local football team to the Championship. I am also informed that there was a large proportion of the audience who did not know who he was. This is despite the fact that he is alleged to live in a 475k. house less than ten minutes walk from my house, which is 15-minutes walk from the centre of the city. We are told that he claimed some money from the Fees Office in order to have someone come over and tell him how to 'work' the swimming pool at his house in this adopted constituency.
Now, I'm not saying that M.P.'s should live on nothing. Currently, they live on around 65k, which is more than twice what I earn. I would like to earn half as much as they do, then I would have a great lifestyle, by my standards. My standards are those of someone who has spent a night, homeless, sleeping on Victoria Station in London. Anything better than that is a step up!
Since my night on Victoria Station, which was 34 years ago, I have 'graduated' to a three-bedroom semi-detached ex-council house which I almost own. If you could average out everyone in the world, it is my belief that there is enough resource in the world for everyone to live like I do. Financially, I mean. I woudn't expect everyone to live by my standards in any other way!
Enough for a Friday night!
Thursday 21 May 2009
Code violation indeed!
Well, the minute I put a link to this blog on Facebook, I was slapped with a code violation because they thought I was a spam blogger, whatever that is. It's enough to make you give up before you've started.
Anyway, I'm getting to the end of a fairly regular sort of week, looking forward to a long weekend and trying to motivate myself to sort my house out (again). That's trying to motivate myself again, not trying to sort the house out again.
This will be my last quiet weekend at home for some time. The last weekend in May I am taking my niece (brother's estranged wife's daughter, to be precise) to Chessington World of Adventure for her tenth birthday. I have known Laticia since she was three, and she is the most lovely child.
The weekend after that I am off to Chelmsford, where I was born, to see Essex play cricket, and then on 13 June I will be in Maidenhead for the weekend for the annual reunion of a group of friends who were all brought up in the same religious group as I was.
So this weekend I really have to make count, and not sit around aimlessly in the garden listening to music or cricket and drinking wine!
Anyone who has any ideas on how I can motivate myself please let me know. Oh and while you're about it, I have to get myself motivated to write some health and safety training at work too. Oh joy!
Anyway, I'm getting to the end of a fairly regular sort of week, looking forward to a long weekend and trying to motivate myself to sort my house out (again). That's trying to motivate myself again, not trying to sort the house out again.
This will be my last quiet weekend at home for some time. The last weekend in May I am taking my niece (brother's estranged wife's daughter, to be precise) to Chessington World of Adventure for her tenth birthday. I have known Laticia since she was three, and she is the most lovely child.
The weekend after that I am off to Chelmsford, where I was born, to see Essex play cricket, and then on 13 June I will be in Maidenhead for the weekend for the annual reunion of a group of friends who were all brought up in the same religious group as I was.
So this weekend I really have to make count, and not sit around aimlessly in the garden listening to music or cricket and drinking wine!
Anyone who has any ideas on how I can motivate myself please let me know. Oh and while you're about it, I have to get myself motivated to write some health and safety training at work too. Oh joy!
Saturday 16 May 2009
Catching up (I know it's a boring title!)
But I really am catching up with everything this weekend after a very busy couple of weeks.
Last weekend was one of the most memorable in a long time. I wish I had discovered Toastmasters International many years ago. Toastmasters has cured me of my phobia of 'belonging to things' which probably stems from having been brought up in a religious cult that controls its members every waking thought and deed.
Many things will remain with me from last weekend, but here are a few highlights:
Getting dressed up as Riff Raff from the Rocky Horror Show, and walking from my room, stone cold sober, with a long blonde wig on, to the bar. Halfway there I met a very attractive young lady who was dressed up as one of the girls from Abba. Later that evening I had some pictures taken - one of them is currently my profile picture on Facebook, but not for long!
The International Speech Contest was fantastic, but my favourite memory will be the farmer's wife from Ireland who made it to the finals of the Speech Evaluation Contest.
There are no negatives in Toastmasters. Everyone is there for their own personal development, and to help other people develop. There are people from all religions, political and sexual persuasions and walks of life. Everyone is supportive, and all know how to have fun.
Work has intervened in my life this week, but I am going to keep work out of this blog, except to say that without the work there can't be all the other things in life. I consider myself fortunate to have great friends, a wonderful social life and good health.
Last night I had the great pleasure of seeing Tim Garland's Lighthouse Trio at the Peterborough Jazz Club (yes, there is culture in Peterborough - you just have to look for it!)
I had last seen Tim Garland play when he was a young, up and coming saxophonist around the London club scene, probably twenty years ago. Now he is an accomplished player with an international reputation and an eclectic portfolio of music. This music demands to be heard live, and long may it continue.
As I am typing this I am listening to the great Tony Cozier commentating on the England v. West Indies Test match at Durham. I am reminded of 1979, when I first got into cricket, and yes, Tony Cozier was commentating on Test Match Special then too. One day I will tell the story of how I got into cricket. Now I have other things to do!
Last weekend was one of the most memorable in a long time. I wish I had discovered Toastmasters International many years ago. Toastmasters has cured me of my phobia of 'belonging to things' which probably stems from having been brought up in a religious cult that controls its members every waking thought and deed.
Many things will remain with me from last weekend, but here are a few highlights:
Getting dressed up as Riff Raff from the Rocky Horror Show, and walking from my room, stone cold sober, with a long blonde wig on, to the bar. Halfway there I met a very attractive young lady who was dressed up as one of the girls from Abba. Later that evening I had some pictures taken - one of them is currently my profile picture on Facebook, but not for long!
The International Speech Contest was fantastic, but my favourite memory will be the farmer's wife from Ireland who made it to the finals of the Speech Evaluation Contest.
There are no negatives in Toastmasters. Everyone is there for their own personal development, and to help other people develop. There are people from all religions, political and sexual persuasions and walks of life. Everyone is supportive, and all know how to have fun.
Work has intervened in my life this week, but I am going to keep work out of this blog, except to say that without the work there can't be all the other things in life. I consider myself fortunate to have great friends, a wonderful social life and good health.
Last night I had the great pleasure of seeing Tim Garland's Lighthouse Trio at the Peterborough Jazz Club (yes, there is culture in Peterborough - you just have to look for it!)
I had last seen Tim Garland play when he was a young, up and coming saxophonist around the London club scene, probably twenty years ago. Now he is an accomplished player with an international reputation and an eclectic portfolio of music. This music demands to be heard live, and long may it continue.
As I am typing this I am listening to the great Tony Cozier commentating on the England v. West Indies Test match at Durham. I am reminded of 1979, when I first got into cricket, and yes, Tony Cozier was commentating on Test Match Special then too. One day I will tell the story of how I got into cricket. Now I have other things to do!
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