29th March 2008, Desert Island Discs

Today something of a different vein. I am upstairs, the children are downstairs with their friends and judging by the noise, causing the usual chaos, however, as they have forgotten I am here I am left alone..............

But enough of my domestic life, now the thought of today -

I was driving to my office yesterday and was listening to the radio. On came Desert Island Discs and listening to this got me thinking.

What 8 records would I take to a desert island? What book and what luxury? and if I could then only have 1 record from my choice, what would it be? So here goes.........

Record 1 - Goodbye My Lover, James Blunt - A beautiful song with haunting lyrics. When all is quiet and I feel most alone I can look out over the sea and listen to this song and reminice about my family and friends. A little sad i know but sometimes this humility is needed.

Record 2 - Circle, Louise Cetara - Louise has a huge future ahead of her of that I have no doubt. I was introduced to Louise's music by her cousin (Bob), I owe him so much for this. This song is from a film, but is a great ballad and for that I can listen to it again and again.

Record 3 - Yellow, G4 -What a great version of this song, until now it had always seemed a little "pop" like for me, however, when G4 got hold of it........ I would listen to this as a upbeat version that would remind me of everything good and that loving someone is special

Record 4 - Say a Little Prayer, Bomb the Bass - A fabulous slow version of this original motown track. When I first met my wife (1988!!!!) this song was like "our tune", as was Donald where's your trousers, but let's not go here!! This song would be a constant reminder of us and our being together always.

Record 5 - Fairytale of New York, The Pogues and Kirsty McColl - This song is the absolute greatest Christmas song ever, it represents the definitive thoughts of Christmas. The song is upbeat and then whimsical within a few seconds. It represents all that is special about Christmas and highlights how Christmas can be special for everyone and should remain so. I have this song on various CD's a listen to it all year, not just in December, and having it to listen to on a desert island would serve to remind me of all the special things in life and how Christmas often serves to catalyse these thoughts and occurences.

Record 6 - Bat Out of Hell, Meatloaf - I am a huge fan of Meatloaf and his music. I have nearly all of the music and live Meatloaf is still a great actor putting on so much more than just a group of songs. This song should be played at full volume while we all scream out the words and air guitar to the chorus. On a desert island what better a place to enjoy this song at full bore and without anyone shouting "turn it down!!" The song lyrics serve to remind us all that despite everything and regardless of all, our chosen partner remains as our, sometimes, only constant that is there for us whether we like it or want it. They might be always right, but maybe we need this constant!!!

Record 7 - Old City Bar, Trans Siberian Orchestra - The TSO is a joinoing of Metalica, Jewel, Meatloaf ond various others to bring a rock trilogy for Christmas and an album in the middle celebrating the life of Beethoven and his life. The trilogy provides a modern Christmas story of epic proportions trying to reunite a family that for various reasons are not together. I found the TSO whilst looking for Carol of the Bells, what a find(!!), I continue to listen to their music as time passes. I became hooked on the music whilst travelling backwards and forwards between Birmingham and London as my Grandmother and Father lay in hospital as their time came to an end. Virtually every song evokes memories of this time, good and bad, some songs more than others. This song is not purely Christmasy and listening to something by TSO on the island would allow me to quietly listen to the lyrics, relate to them and maybe, just maybe, lay some ghosts to rest.

Record 8 - Anything for Love, Meatloaf live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra - This last song has taken ages to decide upon, I could listen all day to so much of a variety of songs. Everything from classics through to "mushy crap" ,as a my wife tells me, but I eventually chose this song. Australia was first to make this number 1 and 27 other countries then followed. That alone is a record to remember. This version has the Melbourne SO providing a fabulous background of classic rock and Meats huge voice carries it over. The song for me shows all that love can mean and what it means. I would run into hell and back, and I would never turn back and I WILL never do anything better because I would do anything. I know this sounds like a cliche and a repeat of the song, but, this is why I could put this on repeat for a long time as I would be the one who could scream out the lyrics with Meatloaf and alone on my desert island this one song would serve to remind me of how special love is and how special it is to clutch it close once you have it. Despite all, and as the song says, I won't do anything to ruin my love and I would do anything for love and to keep hold of it.

A Book - His Dark Materials,Philip Pullman - I never had to ponder over this. The trilogy of books might be aimed at a younger audience, although I doubt it, and is the greatest love story ever written. I could read this story over and over, I would always find something new and without a doubt the eventual end would still move me to tears. As Lyra and Will go on their journey both alone and togther an inevitability unfolds but the final battle and ending is both a twist and heartbreaking at once. It is for the reason of entertainment as a book and the fact that it would make me sit quietly somewhere and just read that is the attraction. Add in some beautiful music, what more could I ask for...........

A Luxury Item - Chocolate - How hard was this to chose. Do I want toilet roll, do I want golf clubs to swing? Actually I am a chocoholic and I NEED sugar in my blood. Good milk and white chocolate provides this. From Dairy Milk to Hotel Chocolat their remains no greater luxury than chocolate and the thought of not having some leaves me cold. For that reason, and that alone, I would like chocolate as my luxury.

One Song - How hard is this, all these 8 songs are special to me and I wouldn't want to be without any of them. But I must choose 1..............

Meatloaf, Anything For Love - For all the reasons above and I am sure others to mention. It came down to a toss up between Fairytale and this and I am sure at times I will wish I had chosen the other, but hey, I do love this song!!!

And so I have reached the end of my walk through my Desert Islands. I am sure this offers an insight to me. It may scare some rigid.

Now if all can add there Desert Island Discs I am sure we can build up a whole library of personal tracks and thoughts to share. Add away..............

What is Religion? A Rant of a Light Hearted Nature

A question for us all to consider.........

What is religion actually, can this belief in faith actually help or is it just the comfort of some and the crutch that mentally ill people use for help and excuses.

Let's think about it.....

In the Old Testament the world began and the laws and rules of society are laid down. A "story" that was written thousands of years ago has set the foundations for all religions. People who lived in biblical times seemed to live a reasonable type of life. They also seemed to live for hundreds of years. Moses, Abraham they all lived to be hundreds of years old with wives, children and followers.

But, Judaism, and to a large degree Muslimism, is based on these fables. Thousands of years on this great story, the Old Testament, is still being followed and belived.

So what is the New Testamant....

Without a doubt about 2000 years ago a baby was born and named Jesus. Whatever religion that you follow something must have occured to start a whole belief.

Somewhere along the way this person became a "prophet" or spouted theories that have been followed. Has this been a form of Chinese Whispers? Has a story that began with wedding guests drinking water become a miracle where the water became wine and 1 fish fed 5000.

However, whatever way you look at the New Testament this collection of stories has become a foundation of Christianity.

So now let us jump to 5000 years in the future. Will religion as we know it still exist? Or will the reality of religion 2008 go full circle. Currently we are Christian, Jewish, Muslim and a whole host of allied religions.

5000 Years into the future will people be following the religion of "Potterism"or the path of "The Dark Arts" will the current best selling books like "The Dark Matter Trilogy" form the religions of the future. 5000 years on will "The Half Blood Prince" be included in the new "Old Testament" as absolute truth.

We cannot know, we can only speculate. All of us now hope this is wrong and that the current bibles and beliefs will just continue. But wouldn't it be fun if my theory was correct. The new God is Dumbledore and the Devil is Voldemort!!! In the New Testament Harry Potter could be viewed as the new Jesus and Ron Weasley the new John the Baptist!!!

I apologise if these thoughts are blasphemous. They are not meant to be. I am not a heven and I actually believe in something, although what I am not yet sure, and I am afraid that I will be viewed as another mentally ill person leaning on religion.Maybe I am!!

I would welcome any views.........

Today, 25th March

And here we are, the last few days of March. The first quarter of 2008 is nearly over. What has 2008 given so far.............

It is fair to say that the first part of the year has passed fairly quickly. Already the end of March is rapidly approaching and at long last the short days of winter are coming to an end.

Easter has now been and gone, albeit early, and the children hapilly tell me how they have 9 eggs, which to me seems a lot(!!) but they seem to feel is quite normal. The family have visited for lunch and I have been able to spend 2 days with my Step-Mother which has been a joy.

So WHY has no one told the weather!! Good Friday through to Easter Monday I have been beset with hail, snow and ice. The snow has settled and on more than one occaision I would appear to have a white car and not the dark green I thought!!!

The ground has been waterlogged and then frozen solid, in fact it has been anything but Easter. The temperature has struggled to get above freezing and, although now a couple of days later, it is still perishingly cold.

Where does global warming fit into this?? In Cyprus it is 24 Degrees and sunny, Australia is hotter than ever before and the USA is experiencing snow!! What is happening?

Everything is blamed on global warming andf emmissions, but are these purely a result of planes, trains and automobiles? It is said that a cow gives off the same amount of greenhouse gasses over a year as a car? Shall we just kill all cows and save the ice regions? We seem to have forgotten that if global temperature drops by only 3 degrees than the world will experience a new ice age? Maybe we should just give up and see if we can all move to Mars??!!!

But enough ranting, enough moaning. The end of March approaches, April is coming and (hopefully) with it warmer days, longer days, and a glimmer of hope that Summer is actually coming.

I don't know what is around the corner. I can only hope that Q2 will show glimmers of hope for us all. As Richard and Kris Carlson say, "“Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. And it is all Small Stuff".

Hopefully if we follow this belief we might just make it, we might just.............

I welcome your thoughts and comments

A rant today........

I am a little perturbed, I am also a little surprised that there seems to be some sort of pleasure caused by these results...............

What am I talking about? I am talking about my understanding why retail sales seem to be higher in February.

Let us look at things realistically - Fuel is at an all time high, Energy costs have risen by a frightening amount over the last few months and are at an all time high. House price rises are making it increasingly impossible to get on "the housing ladder", inflation is running at 2.7% against a target of 2%, and if we are honest is probably running a lot higher than 2.7% but the addition is hidden within government released and managed figures.

Everywhere that the average person turns in an attempt to manage day-to-day life additional taxes, costs and expenses .

So let us look at a situation, the retail sales index is showing a rise, it would appear that sales through the tills in February have risen above expectation, potentially this is giving hope to the high street.

Now call me a cynic, and I apologise for possibly bursting the bubble, however, are sales not higher as the costs associated with living are higher. If a tin of baked beans was 30p in January and 40p in February the associated sales will be higher. I realise that a tin of beans is only one product, and I use it only as an example, but, this one item highlights the rising costs. If an average shopping bag has risen then it is obvious that the retail sales will also have risen. What will have fallen is the value for money and the physical number of items in the bag.

If we add into the sales hidden costs the actual money in the tills rises further. When are consumers going to realise that the average retailer (Tesco, M&S etc) are anything but stupid and will jump on any bandwagon that may reap higher profits, turnover and money in the till.

So what are the latest - The Green Portfolio and the Organic bandwagon.

Suddenly shops such as Tesco are charging 5p per carrier bag they supply. An average weekly shop needs 20 bags so we have just added a £1 onto the bill. £1 is not a lot to add to a bill, few people even notice. Multiply it by the weeks shoppers and suddenly the supermarket has a few more million pounds. The government takes some as a "green tax" and the supermarket gets the rest. Win, Win and........... loose the consumer looses again!!!

Next everyone is worried about organic food. I agree that organic food must be better by definition. I am sure it tastes nicer and I feel much better by doing my bit for the environment. But I also am adding at least £10 to my cost at the till. The question is does the retailer have an increased cost in relation to this? Or is the retailer using its usual tactics and is telling the supplier of goods that they will only pay XX amount, regardless of their sales price. Add to this, again, the government "green" tax and once again we are faced with a win, win.............Loose situation.

And so my rant could continue, if the chancellor decided to hold off adding another 2p to fuel prices, why have the petrol retailers increased their prices by at least this amount. I have a 70 Litre tank, I paid £80 for diesel yesterday. I get 8 miles per litre allowing for me doing decent runs. This is around 14pence per mile in fuel. My wife, who due to her small journeys, equally as important as mine is lucky to see 30pence per mile, over a 60 litre tank this is higher still.

So is are retail sales really rising showing hope in the high street. I would say "NO" everyone I know is also having to pull in their belts and a now getting much less for their money. I do not want to be the one to state the obvious, I do not mean to burst the high street bubble but, and i am sorry, I cannot are beginning to turn around and how the high street is really looking good.

Perhaps your comments on this can help agree with me or put me straight................

Observations of today Let's hit the Motorist, AGAIN!! - 8th March 2008

Here we are at the 8th of March already, and hasn't the first week of the month been quick. But also is this now the start of a concentrated assault on the "new villain" - the motorist.

The press is full of new ideas to tax, prosecute and make the motorist a social villain only fit to be scorned and treated with contempt.

As we sit here today petrol (and diesel) prices are at record highs, and yet despite the obvious distress this is causing, next weeks budget is set to see Mr. Darling add yet another 2p per litre on the price in what the government says highlights their green crudentials, whilst most people see the reality of the situation being one where another few million pounds per day is added to the coffers.

In reality is this new rise just another vote gaining situation? Who will this please and influence? The answer is the new breed of "environmentalist"if Alistair Darling follows the sensible path then he will hold off the additional duty. However, will this show the government, and especially, the chancellor, to be hypocritical. How can the government spout off their green crudentials and then u-turn on the rise? Well I say that the government is merely using this as a handy excuse to add yet more duty.

For the average person this is yet another nail in the coffin. However, despite the rise it is known that the world will still turn, and people will still need to fill their cars and vans. Business will still need to operate and journeys made. Is the answer public transport - trains and coaches? How can it be, the prices for these modes of transport will also have to rise, so fares will too. Public transport remains flaky and costly so why wouldn't I just bite the bullet and drive. In reality all I can do is load the prices I charge onto a customer so clients have to pay more. And so the cost of food will rise, the cost of living will rise and another nail goes in..........

Once the price of petrol has risen, the government will have to look for more revenue as the fuel rise has raised so much extra money....................

And so now a showroom tax will be announced adding around £2000 onto the price of new cars. Officially this tax will hit so called gas guzzlers listed in Group G, however to put this into perspective, a new petrol Mondeo or Vectra is Group E, a new Espace is Group G as well. So actually, and yet again, the person most hit is the man on the street who needs a family car. The owners of Porsches, Range Rovers and the suchlike are not really going to care about another couple of thousand pounds for the accountant to loose in the figures. £2000 on a much needed Mondeo for the average man will hurt, a lot, and all it will do is keep the man on the street running his older less efficient car as a new greener model is beyond their reach. So how is this tax going to help? Again I say it won't, but it will put more money into the treasury.

So fuel has gone up, new car prices have been taxed, what else can be done against the evil motorist?

I know, let's introduce average speed cameras to most motorways. Any motorist doing more than the variable speed over the measured distance will be fined and have points added to their licence. Now I am not saying that speeding is good, however, I would say that firstly often 70mph is too slow on motorways as a speed limit in todays society and that variable speed limits will merely add to the motorists pain as they drive. All that will be achieved is yet more revenue as more and more drivers fall victim to the variable speeds. This situation can therefore only be seen as a win-win. More revenue into the coffers and the constabularies hit their asigned quotas, which they have, even quicker.

Now call me an old sceptic, but why would the police want to go after violent and dangerous criminals like rapists, robbers and drug dealers when a few easy cameras can catch a few hundred motorists a day bring in lots of money and also ensure quotas are met. what a great situation.

What actually happens? Insurance prices rise so less people insure their cars, more people get the ritual 12 points, but take the risk anyway and just drive without a licence and who is left suffering? the poor man on the street, the average law abiding person who pays more fuel, pays more insurance and then gets hit by an uninsured driver and looses even more money as costs cannot be recouped.

So here is the only observation I can make, and I am afraid it is not a great one, I look around at the future and the present and I don't see a lot of fairness. I see the motorist being used as an excuse and I just can't see how this is right. Is it just a vote winner. All I can see is that despite everything and all that is said the only people really feeling the pain is just the common man on the street.

Not the rich who don't care, not the law breakers who also don't care, but just the average person already struggling. The people who will keep struggling, keep sticking to the law and probably keep voting into power parties that will hurt them.

I don't normally accept the whining sort of "it's not fair" type of statement, but, now even I have to question where we really are and how can this situation actually be fair?

I don't have an answer right now. I don't have a coherent theory as to what needs doing. I have never thought of the grass being greener elsewhere, however, right now, as I sit here even I have to ask is it time to start looking elsewhere and at other countries - New Zealand, Canada, Australia - as possibly offering a better solution to this issue.

I apologise for these thoughts and would welcome any views maybe a problem shared can be solved, but right now I don't know how...........

The Year - 3rd March

It is here, March has arrived. The dark days may still be hanging around but it is still March. The drudgery of February is OVER!!!



And let's be honest the year is a funny old thing, we neatly split it up into Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.



We can all asign months to seasons and say January is winter and September is Autumn, but is the year really that simple and clear cut?



If the year is broken into seasons let us look at the months that are held in these -



Winter - Let us assume that Winter is November, December and January. What is it that makes winter "special"? By November the run up to Christmas is well under way. At the same time the sky is lit up with fireworks and we all "ooh and ahh" at the beauty of these. As the co-owner of a firework company is see these all year, but even i have to say that there is something special about fireworks in November.



As the month rushes on and draws to a close December arrives with a bang. Christmas, Christmas and Christmas. The shops are full of it, the concerts focus upon it and Churches thrive on it. Children become more and more excited and desperate for Santa to arrive with the gifts that they wait for with anticipation. Families and food followed by a further celebration of New Year. And that leads into January, the end of Christmas and the strange anti-climax that this brings. However let us not forget that January still offers Burns Night and Wasailing to ensure a good apple crop for the new cider. Finally who can ask for more than the added exitement of a snow fall that often comes at the end of the month.



So Winter is filled with excitement and joy and the Christmas spirit quite happily remains until the end of January.



And then it is Spring............



Spring - February, March and April. Spring signifies the true new birth of the year after the coldness of Winter, or is early spring just a dire time?



February is a sadly poor month. Nothing really is good about February, I know it has Valentines day in it but is this one small patch of light really enough to lift the spirits February encourages. Christmas is over, Summer is a long way off, and it is still dark, damp and cold. Thankfully February is only 28 (or 29!!) days long and then March can come roaring in.



Now March offers a new start, often the month comes storming in roaring like a lion and showing off. But, it does offer light at the end of the tunnel, spring is truly beginning. Days are getting longer and the sun tentatively puts in the odd appearance as March matures. Christmas and New Year are just distant memories and a time to look forward to, but Summer is now coming, trees and plants are now growing and as March came in as a lion its meekness is shown at the end as it goes out like a lamb, a newborn Spring lamb!!



As March ends April dances in, often with showers and sometimes a cold snap, but as lambs are born and plants blossom, April heralds the end of spring and announces the imminent arrival of Summer. April often brings Easter with chocolates and flowers, but it also brings a taster of a summer to follow.



Summer - What is summer if not a period of warm balmy days and long evenings. May, June and July.

May offering a hint of the summer to follow with often early May showing long days and heat, and then all too often mid May teases by being wet and sometimes jumper weather again. But really this is just to make us appreciate the next more............

June is classed as true Summer, it is a time of greenery, heat and hayfever. All around plants are blooming and fields are growing. June offers a true chance to appreciate all that is good. Warmth abounds and even when it rains the day remains fairly warm and not really jumper weather. June offers nice long days and naturally opens the door for July.

July is a calm and warm month, it is also a month where crops come into their own as they develop fully and the shops are filled with fruit and vegetables.

However July also very, very gently hints of Autumn as the days grow ever so slighlty, almost unnoticeably, shorter. Where the sun set at 9.30pm it now sets at 9.15pm and in the morning there is slightly more dew on the trees. But July is still a month of beauty and definately Summer.

August - August is a month that really stands alone. Is it Summer or Autumn? Traditionally it is Summer. A holiday month and one of sun and laughter. But is it? August starts off as a true Summer month, however as things progress by mid-month it is definately showing signs of things to come. Crops are now ready to be harvested and end of summer fetes and festivals are underway, and these lead nicely into Autumn. -

Autumn - Some of August, September and October are true Autumn. When summer departs but a true harvest occurs.

September heralds the true start of Autumn, Last Night of the Proms says a fond farewell to Summer in true style and sets the scene for the Autumn and then Winter to follow. As harvests are gathered in and stored away the shops become full of an abundance of vegetables and fruit as produce is fully available.

In retail however shops are readying for (what they hope) will be a Christmas rush of shoppers. Earlier and earlier Christmas arrives in-store to build up a frenzy by December, however, September still remains a month of limited heat and the remenats of Summer. These are much more important!!

October brings the end of the full harvest although in many cases the start of the apple harvest. But, by the end of the month all is quiet. The heat has left and the schools are now preparing in earnest for festivities.

So what about October, this month holds the final residues of Summer and a chance to ready all for Winter. More importantly October still finds time to celebrate the dead and ghoulish as Halloween is partied at the end of the month.

And this festivity neatly brings in the true arrival of November and thus winter and the full circle of the year.

So, now I have looked at all the year what does that mean as we enter the start of March?

March represents, as I have stated, the true start of the year as festivities are finally left behind. What my synopsis of the year really shows is that actually things are not all bleak and every month has something to offer.

So whilst, at times, things seem bad, and at times months seem endless as does all time, maybe a quick glance at this "calendar" may actually allow us all to see that there is a future and we can't stop it.

whatever happens - "the sun will still rise, the tide will always come and go. However bleak things seem a day is only as long as 24 hours and tomorrow is a new day"

I hope it helps!!!