Blog: Mel's Muse - Related to Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Empowering Solutions: Lift Up Your Eyes; Enlarge Your Vision!
Posted: Tuesday, 8th June 2010
Have you ever felt weighed down in an emotionally draining situation – as if someone had thrown a heavy, wet, cape around your shoulders; as if the effort of having to drag it around drained you of energy for anything else? Especially anything inspirational, like creative writing.
Of course you have! Most of us have at some time or other.
EMOTIONALLY DRAINING: A CREATIVE VACCUUM
I’m not talking about the wild turbulence of anger, disappointment, or self-pity, but of an unidentifiable load. Something you can’t quite put your finger on; something emotionally draining.
Quite literally, you become downcast as your shoulders slump, your head drops forwards, and your eyes are lowered.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Personal Growth; Inspirational
The Foolishness of God: A Mad Sad Plan?
Posted: Monday, 5th April 2010
An advertisement for a new book, Bad Laws by The Daily Telegraph’s assistant editor, Philip Johnston, has just caught my eye. The book is subtitled An explosive analysis of Britain’s petty rules, health and safety lunacies and madcap laws, beneath which is the following statement: For 13 years, a war has been waged on British liberties, traditions, and even religious conviction.
It's launch is obviously timed to precede the UK's General Election, but it particularly interested me because of its juxtaposition with the Easter weekend.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Book Promoting & Christian Integrity
Posted: Tuesday, 23rd March 2010
You’ve finished writing your novel, your bestseller, and had it published. So now what? How do you market your book, or promote it?
You understand the need to bring it to the attention of the book buying public – your readers.
Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Godparents - What Should They Do? Anna Ford And Martin Amis At Loggerheads
Posted: Friday, 26th February 2010
Godparents - what are they and what is expected from them? In times of falling church numbers, it may seem almost anachronistic to be asking. However, it appears to be a hot topic!
ANNA FORD ON MARTIN AMIS’ ROLE AS GODFATHER
I arrived home from holiday today and, within ten minutes of stepping through the front door, received a phone call from the producers of the BBC Radio 4 programme ‘PM’.
Articles on related themes: Speaking Engagements; Radio / TV; Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
UV Readers' Group & ONLINE BOOK CLUB: The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Discussion Summary
Posted: Friday, 29th January 2010
My UV Readers’ Group met last Thursday, 21st January, to discuss The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid and, as always, we had plenty to say! First and foremost that we had found the book an enjoyable and compelling read, with the sinister elements evident from the start and building to a climactic conclusion.
A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP
The narrative threw up some interesting and topical points and, because one of the aims of the group is to examine life applications for ourselves, we began by looking at the way in which a love/hate relationship might affect each one of us – just as it did the protagonist, Changez.
Articles on related themes: Book Reviews; Book Club / Readers Group; Online Book Group; Current Affairs; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Heroin Addicts Like Kate Walsh Show That The Grey Areas Of British Law Need A Black & White Reform
Posted: Wednesday, 4th November 2009
We read, this week, of a situation which has complied with British law but which is, nevertheless, a grave miscarriage of justice. Kate Walsh’s parents, when their sixteen year old daughter died of heroin in a dirty squat, were denied the protection that the law is supposed to provide. They are not alone. British law in the area of adolescents is a mess.
“I have lost faith in the police, in doctors, in the Government; they have shown a shocking level of incompetence,” Kate’s father, Anthony Walsh, is reported as saying.
A "GREY AREA" IN BRITISH LAW
He’s right! And the sad thing about it is that there’s nothing new in this.
Articles on related themes: Bereavement; Family & Parenting; Current Affairs; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Abusive Relationships And Those Trapped In Them
Posted: Tuesday, 20th October 2009
Dear Mel,
I don’t know where you live in the world so I
don’t know whether you saw that drama programme on TV a
little while ago but I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears when
I saw it. I think it was called Criminal Justice or something like
that – and it described exactly what I’ve been going
through for years with the father of my children. Not the sex bit,
when he said “roll over baby” but the relationships
between the father the mother and the daughter.
Articles on related themes:
Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Assertiveness; Relationships
Anti-Social Behaviour: Is It The Result Of Legislation Promoting Children's Rights?
Posted: Wednesday, 30th September 2009
Newspaper reports on the life and death of Fiona Pilkington and her disabled daughter make harrowing reading. Victims of abuse and anti-social behaviour by local youths, the lives of both were made a misery for years. However, despite making no fewer than thirty-three complaints to the police, her plight, and that of her daughter, was ignored. Until, unable to endure the situation any longer, she ended their misery in the only way she knew how: by taking her daughter to a remote place, and setting fire to the car.
I could weep for them both.
TACKLING ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR? HOW?
Three points particularly interested me about the story.
Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
What Is The Role Of Godparents: Are They Really Relevant Today?
Posted: Friday, 14th August 2009
The Richard Bacon Show on BBC 5 Live airs a debate between midnight and one in the morning. The topic, last night, was Godparents. I was asked to be one of the panellists, to explain the role, and to argue the case that Godparents were still relevant in this day and age.
To be honest, I’m not entirely sure that they are!
THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
It was easy enough to do a little research on the subject via the excellent Church of England website, and I was able to tell the radio audience the bare bones of the history and role of Godparents.
Articles on related themes: Family & Parenting; Speaking Engagements; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
What Is The Role Of Godparents: Are They Really Relevant Today?
Posted: Friday, 14th August 2009
UPDATED 27th FEBRUARY 2010
It seems strange, in this highly secularised world, that the concept of Godparents appears to be such a hot topic. It makes you wonder if, despite our anti-religious dogma, we’re not – deep down – actually spiritual beings after all.
Well, of course, I’m in no doubt that we are! But the article that follows – first written in August, 2009 - suggests that there does seem to be some strong feeling, plus a good deal of confusion.
Articles on related themes: Speaking Engagements; Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Erotic Photographs & Sacred Spaces
Posted: Wednesday, 5th August 2009
The Diocese of Truro is suing photographer, Andy Craddock, for taking erotic photographs of women inside the 13th Century St Michael Penkivel Church, in Cornwall, in South West England.
Naturally, the self-professed-self-taught photographer denies intentionally causing the “deep offence” claimed by the church.
“I don’t understand it and I don’t see the photographs as offensive, it’s art,” he says.
Given that his website is named Deviant Art, that the photographs in question are hidden behind a “banned” sign, and that access to them is only granted if you sign in as a “Deviant”, I somehow doubt that. In my opinion, this is titillation for the sake of commercial interests.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Les Holidays Anglaise
Posted: Monday, 22nd June 2009
If you don’t mind having to flush the odd, alien, pubic hair from the shower tray, and polish your cutlery before eating, les holidays anglaise take a lot of beating. I am not, you understand, referring, here, to the fortnight in an Eastbourne hotel or boarding house favoured by my parents’ generation during my childhood, when homemade knitted, or shirred-elastic bathing costumes, deck chairs and windbreaks featured alongside jelly fish, jellied eels, rolled up trouser legs and corner-knotted handkerchief sunhats.
THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING SARTORIALLY WRONG-FOOTED
No! The sort of holiday to which I refer is the touring-the-countryside, stop-a-night-or-two-here, and a-day-or-two-there variety on which we embarked earlier in the week.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Occasional Silliness
Live With Less: How To Love Working To Live Rather Than Living To Work
Posted: Monday, 18th May 2009
I began this article a couple of months ago before Parliamentary Expenses took over as the latest UK soap opera escapism from the real story of boom and bust economics. So I wondered, this morning, whether it would still have any relevance; whether, in fact, it would resonate with you, my readers. But thinking about it, I see now that it is all part and parcel of the same malaise: an obsession with economic prosperity which completely masks the real values in life.
Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
What Drives You: Final Instalment Of The Easter Story
Posted: Friday, 10th April 2009
Previous Episodes: What Drives You? Part I & Part II
The rev rave on the cliff top was no longer a happy blare of horns and engines but had taken on an entirely different ambience, bordering on what appeared to be mass hysteria. From where he stood, in the corner of the car park, the nearly-red little car could see it all. The down-turned bumpers; the gnashing radiators and whining engine noise; the water spurting from windscreen washers, only to be dashed away by swiping blades.
And the flowers! Garish displays of red and orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. He rubbed his headlights.
Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
What Drives You? Part II
Posted: Thursday, 9th April 2009
What Drives You? Part I
Now read on:
The rev-rave on the cliff top was a riot of music and laughter, as engines were tuned and horns were blasted. The little once-white-now-pink car was ecstatic; he’d never seen anything like it before. His little red car – he still thought of her as his, though she was surrounded by an adoring rally of other brightly coloured cars, all shiny and new – turned a loving gaze towards him.
His engine raced. He flipped his sunshine roof back and forth like the other cars, flashed his headlights and pooped his horn with abandon. The scent of high octane stardust was intoxicating.
Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
What Drives You?
Posted: Wednesday, 8th April 2009
Once upon a time there was a little white car, shiny and new.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
My Mother in Law Or Voluntary Work? My Husband Says Charity Begins At Home
Posted: Friday, 3rd April 2009
Dear Mel,
You once wrote something about trying to please everyone – I forget what – but you know what I mean – people like me who still have kids at home who don’t seem to want to leave, and who have to hold down a job, ok its only part time - and now this. My mother in law’s been widowed and says she can’t cope and there’s only me to help – my brother in law’s no good. He never comes near her, though he only lives about thirty miles away.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Self Help; Relationships
Sex Education And Teenage Pregnancy
Posted: Sunday, 15th February 2009
“Do cats get married, Daddy?”
The question came from my four-year old granddaughter. She’s one of twins, and is obsessed by cats.
“Nope,” Daddy replied.
“Then how do they have babies?” asked Millie.
With the news of a thirteen year-old fathering a child fresh in his mind, and wanting to foster a sense of relationship, my son-in-law quickly revised his denial.
“Well - perhaps cats do get married after all.”
SEX EDUCATION REVIEW
It’s a tricky topic. Not how cats make babies, but how children shouldn’t. Much is made, nowadays, of educating the young.
Articles on related themes: Family & Parenting; Current Affairs; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Stroke Survival: How To Recognise The Signs & Save A Life
Posted: Saturday, 7th February 2009
If your Mum or friend had a stroke would you know what to do to ensure their survival? No? Nor me! So when I received the following by e-mail, I thought it was so important, I’d put it up on my blog.
THE STORY OF A SAD AND UNNECESSARY DEATH
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and fell. Someone offered to call the paramedics, but she assured everyone that she was fine, and that she’d just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
Her friends got her cleaned up and brought her a new plate of food.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Self Help
Golliwog Banned: And TV Presenter Carol Thatcher With Him
Posted: Thursday, 5th February 2009
As a little girl, I owned a much loved golliwog. I have no idea who gave it to me, nor what their motive was in doing so. I can only conclude that it was a toy of its era, and that the gift was intended to please and delight me. And so it did! As did the enamelled golliwog badge I received from a well-known marmalade manufacturer, who, for decades, offered them as a free gift in exchange for tokens collected from the label on the jar.
Years later, one of my parents’ favourite TV shows was The Black and White Minstrel Show.
Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Current Affairs; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Assisted Dying For The Terminally Ill?
Posted: Monday, 26th January 2009
Revised: 15th January, 2010
Does it ever strike you as strange that medical advances, in Western civilisations, are such that we can prolong life by nearly half as much again as our allotted three-score-years-and-ten, yet the legal position of euthanasia is constantly challenged? Of course, we don’t call it euthanasia! That in itself would challenge our sensibilities, especially those of us for whom Hitler’s programme of eugenics is still uncomfortably close.
So it’s ‘assisted dying’ that we speak of, which is more in keeping with our preconceived ideas of sanitising life in the twenty-first century. And that, somehow, makes it sound more altruistic. Less sordid! More natural.
Articles on related themes: Bereavement; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Why I'm Tearing My Hair Out About The Gap In Your Teeth!
Posted: Monday, 19th January 2009
Talk about early signs of senile dementia! If I’m not already a victim, I’m sure I soon shall be. I Twittered (or should it be Tweeted?) only a couple of days ago about how sad it was seeing my father so upset about being left behind (with a Carer) while my mother (his usual Carer) was booked for some much-needed respite. She was flying to Spain with a female companion, to join my sister and brother-in-law on a bridge holiday. My other half and I – being the ones who live closest and, therefore, the most involved – had left all the arrangements to them.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Proof That God Does Not Exist? Look No Further Than A Bendy Bus!
Posted: Sunday, 11th January 2009
There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life. So says the 800 or so advertisements that now adorn London’s bendy-buses, as the result of a campaign by The British Humanist Society (BHA), funded by Prof. Richard Dawkins.
Really? Now what do you say to that?
Much has been made of that word ‘probably’. As Tony McNulty (Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform at the Department for Work and Pensions) joked on the radio, that’s so wishy-washy a declaration, it can only have been made by the Lib-Dem party.
Articles on related themes: Current Affairs; Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Occasional Silliness
Overcoming Shame: Are We Guilty Of A Guilty Conscience?
Posted: Tuesday, 6th January 2009
I was reading about a man – Jeff Lucas – who described himself, in his younger years, as a “shame addict”. The term resonated with me and sparked a sitting-up in bed, early morning debate – though, sadly, without a cuppa to accompany it.
“That describes me years ago,” I said.
“Yes!” my husband agreed. “But what did you feel ashamed about?”
“Everything,” I replied.
It made me think.
Articles on related themes: Family & Parenting; Current Affairs; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Thirteen Things To Boost Your Morale
Posted: Monday, 5th January 2009
On the last day of 2008, I posted a blog titled Let This New Year Be Your New Beginning, and suggested that if you’ve been having a tough time in 2008, or are facing hard times as the New Year dawns, you might try a writing exercise. Exercise is probably the wrong word to describe what I proposed. It was more of a free association of ideas that I had in mind: a cathartic experience when you indulge in an outpouring of yourself, your disappointments and angst, your hopes and aspirations.
FREE ASSOCIATION NARRATIVE
The idea is that we are all stuck in denial, to some extent or other.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Personal Growth
January Blues
Posted: Saturday, 3rd January 2009
I don’t know about you, but for the last couple of days I’ve been feeling vaguely depressed. Some of my feelings of malaise are undoubtedly to do with tiredness brought on by having a houseful of guests to feed, and the late nights spent sitting on hard, upright chairs, playing games like Mexican Train Double Dominoes around the kitchen table. The game, purchased for us by a chum visiting America, has been a huge success with friends and family.
Articles on related themes: Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Let This New Year Be Your New Beginning
Posted: Wednesday, 31st December 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I hope that 2009 will bring you good health and happiness. If you’re an aspiring author, let this be the year that you achieve success in publishing terms. And if you’re simply in need of a little love and understanding, may you find it where you least expect it. Read on . . .
DARK DAYS & DASHED HOPES
I was a young woman when, in the early nineteen eighties, I put pen to paper (literally) to form the first draft of what was to become my first book. Those were dark days for me.
Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Personal Growth; Writing & Publishing A Book
A Black Hole Where Once Your Mind Was
Posted: Saturday, 27th December 2008
His world is one of darkness. Silent. Confused. He’s not entirely Anything. Not blind, nor daft. Just less of what he was. Diminished. Shrunken. Glimpses of shapes he catches in the side of his eye appear tall and distorted, disorienting and delusional from a moving car. The rushing sensation induces motion sickness. He cries out for it to stop.
Sometimes, in the house in which they’re staying, he thinks he sees faces he knows. His eyes dart about to confirm an identity, but the features he thought recognisable dissolve into a black hole of oblivion.
Articles on related themes: Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Ten Thoughts At Christmas
Posted: Tuesday, 23rd December 2008
Happy Christmas
A hot debate in The Daily Telegraph has dubbed the family Christmas letter as ‘self-congratulatory’, ‘embarrassing’ or ‘derisory’. Am I alone in enjoying news of far-flung family and friends? I hope not, because this one comes with a very sincere thank you to all of you who have visited my website in the (nearly) six months since its inception, and my Best Wishes for a Very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. Plus a comment on the photograph.
My daughter brought these little figures back from a school visit to Nigeria when she was nine years old. Together they form a Nativity Scene.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Advent: A Time To Reflect Between Thanksgiving & Gift Giving - Ten Tips To Happiness
Posted: Tuesday, 2nd December 2008
I woke, yesterday morning, feeling bad-tempered. This is a rare occurrence and is almost alwaysas a result of my husband’s snoring! There’s something deeply offensive about lying next to someone whose somnolence – loudly and bed-tremblingly declared - is the sole reason for your inability to sleep. Don’t you think?
A FEELING OF CONTENTMENT WAS MARKEDLY ABSENT!
But that wasn’t the only reason I felt bad-tempered.
Articles on related themes: Personal Growth; Self Help; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Youngest Child In The Family: Paragon? Or Pain?
Posted: Friday, 14th November 2008
Where, in birth order, do you come among your siblings? Are you the youngest child in the family? Do you see yourself as different to your brothers and sisters? Are you aware of a gulf between them and you?
Having previously written about eldest child syndrome and middle child complex, today I’m going to begin a study on the concept of the youngest child in the family.
Articles on related themes: Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Self Help
The Right To Die; The Fight To Live
Posted: Wednesday, 12th November 2008
On the day that the news broke of the British teenager who has chosen to reject a heart transplant, an e-mail arrived in my in-box from a young woman who has no such choice. Both stories are incredibly moving.
THE RIGHT TO DIE WITH DIGNITY
Hannah Jones, the thirteen year old, has had leukaemia since the age of five, and chemotherapy to treat it has left her with a hole in the heart. Three operations to fit a pace-maker resulted in a collapsed lung. She is a sick girl, for whom a heart transplant offers the only hope.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Animal Rights Stuff
Posted: Saturday, 8th November 2008
This surely has to be the stuff of comedy? I mean I know we, in Britain, are a nation of animal lovers, but do we need a whacking great document telling us how we should look after them, with a threat of a £20,000 fine if we stray from the guidelines? What are these people at Whitehall thinking about? And why are we paying them to do it?
I have loved all my pets and wept at their demise. There was the thrill of finding kittens born in my bed when I was a schoolgirl.
Articles on related themes: Current Affairs; Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Occasional Silliness
Healing And Forgiveness
Posted: Thursday, 6th November 2008
An article in The Times, last month, contrasted, without condemning, the reactions of two families who have recently been in the news. First was the story of the two young boys killed by footballer and drink driver Luke McCormick, whose family was unable to forgive him. And second was Carolyn Todd, the widow of Michael, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester who forgave her husband not only his affairs, but also his death on a mountain in Wales. In the same week, the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and Cabinet Minister, Peter Mandelson, showed us all (seemingly) how to forgive and forget in political circles.
Articles on related themes: Self Help; Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Books, Reading & Words; Forgiveness
You Wouldn't Do It To A Dog
Posted: Wednesday, 29th October 2008
A cracked rib is painful at the best of times. A fortnight with an undiagnosed cracked rib still worse. But a fortnight, yelling in pain, being fobbed off with paracetamol and accused of malingering, when you’re 94 years of age is outrageous.
THE WRONG SORT OF BLINDNESS
It began two weeks ago last Sunday. My other half and I went to my parents’ home to spend the day with my father so that my mother might have a day of respite playing in a bridge tournament. My father is the ninety-four year old; my mother – his carer – is ninety.
Articles on related themes: Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
True British Spirit - Transport Style
Posted: Tuesday, 28th October 2008
It was with a sense of dread that I left home, at the weekend, to travel north to visit my eldest daughter. It was a trip which should have taken eight hours and included three trains journeys, with a car ride either side. As it turned out, it took nine hours, five trains plus the two car rides – and because my itinerary was shot to bits before I even started, I felt I was stepping into the unknown.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT – BRITISH STYLE
My first train was cancelled. The second was more than twenty minutes late.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
The Art of Forgiveness - Is It Achievable?
Posted: Tuesday, 21st October 2008
My daughter passed on to me her copy of The Times from a couple of weekends ago. She thought I might like to blog about an article to do with modern grannies, but my eye was caught by another – on healing and forgiveness. Time enough for grannies at a later date, I thought!
PERSONAL PRACTICE OF THE ART OF FORGIVENESS
It was particularly relevant to me because of a decision made by others a decade ago, which has resonated through my family ever since. What was once a warm and close-knit unit is now, sadly, scattered, slow-burning coals.
Articles on related themes: Self Help; Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Forgiveness
Bank Of England Bail Out Versus House Repossessions 2008
Posted: Monday, 20th October 2008
Now I’m not an economist, and neither do I read economist reports. But I am a human being! And it seems to me that it’s not difficult to see a great injustice going on in today’s troubled times. What’s even more galling is that wherever you come across it, there’s always someone benefiting from injustice. With apologies to Matthew 18: 23-35 in the New Testament – see what you think:
THE PARABLE OF THE UNMERCIFUL BANK
There was once a Prime Minister who wanted to settle accounts with his banks. As he began the settlement, a bank which was several billion pounds adrift was brought to his attention.
Articles on related themes: Current Affairs; Debt; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Birth Order - Middle Child
Posted: Friday, 17th October 2008
According to the Wikipedia website, one of the first people to suggest that birth order has an effect on personality was an Austrian psychiatrist, Alfred Adler. A contemporary of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, he argued that the way in which each of us tackles the major aspects of life – friendship, love and work – is greatly influenced by our birth order in the family.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Family & Parenting; Books, Reading & Words
Sex or Chocolate? Chocolate or Sex? How Would YOU Define Happiness?
Posted: Wednesday, 15th October 2008
Revised: NEW YEAR'S EVE, 31st December, 2009
Much has changed since I first wrote this article, so it seemed to me that it deserved to be revised, amended and added to, with quotes, suggestions and advice. I hope, that in following some of the ideas, you might find yourself stumbling on happiness, without, perhaps, ever having defined the secret!
“Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city,” joked George Burns.
With the frenzy of Christmas still upon us, many may agree.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Self Help; Personal Growth; Inspirational
Is Taking Risks In The Second Half A Good Game Plan For Life?
Posted: Monday, 13th October 2008
OLD AGE? YOU GOTTA LAUGH, BEFORE YOU DIE
Do you ever feel that there are times in your life when your body is trying to convince you that it’s closer to lights out than it is to reveille? You don’t, actually, have to be in your dotage to feel like this. Neither do the symptoms have to be the subject of tragedy. It’s all a matter of perception.
That seems to be the message of David Lodge’s latest novel Deaf Sentence, in which the protagonist, a sixty-something year old, is losing his hearing.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Books, Reading & Words
Man Flu? The Female Version's The Killer Strain!
Posted: Monday, 6th October 2008
MAN FLU?
I don’t know about Man Flu, but I’ve definitely been suffering with the female version this week. You know the sort of thing? Having hardly slept overnight, you wake up on Monday morning feeling utterly ghastly: stuffed ears feeling as though they’ve been pumped full of the insulating foam that lines the cavity walls of your house (unless you happen to have shares in British gas); throat behaving as though you’ve swallowed a golf ball, if not a tennis ball; head exploding; and nose like a blocked drain in need of a plumber and a plunger.
THE FEMALE VERSION’S WORSE
But hey! You’re female.
Articles on related themes: Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Recipes From A Yorkshire Woman
Posted: Saturday, 4th October 2008
THE REAL YORKSHIRE PUDDING
Consistently produce the perfect Yorkshire pudding; one that rises majestically into crisp pinnacles on the edges yet retains a moist base. Nick says mine are great, but unlike me, he doesn't come from the north of England where a housewife is judged on the quality of her Yorkshire puddings!
This was one of the comments left on Day 14 of the competition: 5 Things I’d Like To Do Before I Die so I thought I’d respond by giving the Yorkshire Pudding recipe which was passed on to me by my children’s great-grandmother, a Yorkshire woman through and through.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Protesters Take On The Post Office - And Win!
Posted: Thursday, 2nd October 2008
Other Posts in Life, Faith & Other Stuff: Recipes From A Yorkshire Woman
Last month we saved our local Post Office. This week it’s Ban the Mast. Well – you gotta try, haven’t you?
RADICAL ACTIVIST NETWORKS
Actually, I’ve never been a try-er in the sense of protestors who regularly practice militancy, marching, or sitting-in. I recall the Ban-the-Bomb lot, and the Greenham Common women with a mixture of awe and revulsion. All those unwashed bodies. But what dedication! And what about Swampy? Remember him? His dreadlocks emerging from his tunnelled home beneath Binsted Wood were a regular feature on our TV screens in the nineties.
CAMPAIGN PRODUCTIONS
Our campaigns have not been in that league.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
IS FAITH A LEGITIMATE SUBJECT FOR FOOLISHNESS, FALSEHOOD OR FUN?
Posted: Monday, 29th September 2008
A COMEDY OF CHRISTIANITY
It’s a strange paradox that at a time when so many people profess not to believe in God, religion appears to be a subject enjoyed by the masses in almost all forms of multi-media. To mention but a few examples, we’ve had the stage-shows Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell; the book The God Delusion (and counter-argument The Dawkins Delusion ); umpteen TV comedies from All Gas and Gaiters to the inimitable Vicar of Dibley, and the film Life of Brian. Now I hear that we’re to have a new film, Religulous, and that the producers unashamedly want to espouse the same anti-religious zeal which makes for best-selling status.
Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Cool Brittania: The Good, The Bad - And the Utterly Sublime!
Posted: Sunday, 28th September 2008
THE GOOD
The Good News is that we have a National Health Service at all! Even better are the advances made in medical science, which mean that conditions like Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) can be treated.
Articles on related themes: Current Affairs; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Credit Crunch: The Personal Pain And Gain
Posted: Wednesday, 24th September 2008
Related Posts: Ten Tips to Stay Free From Debt; Ten Tips To Get Rid of Debt
EFFECTS OF THE CREDIT CRUNCH
Watching the UK’s Channel 4 TV programme Dispatches on the human cost of the credit crunch was heartbreaking. First there was the man (Jamaican, I think) who’d worked all his life on the buses. Masking his emotion with a big, beaming smile, he told us that he had never imagined that retirement would be so frightening. He indicated his gas and electrical bills. They terrified him, he said.
Then there was the single mother, wanting to do what all mothers want – to give the best to her children.
Articles on related themes: Current Affairs; Debt; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
A Life of Laughter: BOTTOMS, WEE-WEES, WILLIES & POO-POOHS
Posted: Thursday, 18th September 2008
Other posts on Parenting: Parent Power = Kids Confidence
WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Yesterday, I received an e-mail from my cousin. He used to be an airline pilot flying holidaymakers out of Gatwick, and he tells stories of walking out to the plane in full view of all his passengers, dressed in a long gabardine, with one leg strapped up and only a wooden broom handle visible. As if doing a Jake the Peg impression wasn’t enough, he’d weave about as if drunk. The story, and his telling of it, made me laugh. But how true it was I don’t know.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Memories of 9.11.2001
Posted: Thursday, 11th September 2008
Other Posts on Current Affairs: Rick Warren
I thought that in memory of all who lost their lives, and those who lost loved ones, I would reproduce the comment I left on The New York Times online.
COMMENT
I expect, like me, you've been thinking about the terrible events of seven years ago. But can you remember where you were? I'm old enough to remember the assassination of John F Kennedy and still recall exactly where I was when the news came through. But 9/11 was worse. So much worse!
I was at home (in the UK) when my eldest daughter rang to ask me where my niece was.
Articles on related themes: Current Affairs; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
New York Times Comments On Rick Warren's Forum
Posted: Thursday, 21st August 2008
SHOULD POLITICS AND RELIGION MIX?
Should politics and religion mix? This is the question which is vexing the readers of the New York Times – and probably many more of the population.
REV RICK WARREN’S FORUM
An article by the columnist William Kristol, titled Showdown at Saddleback, was what prompted the dispute. It seems that Rev. Rick Warren staged a question and answer session with Barack Obama and John McCain, the two main US presidential candidates, at the large, evangelical church over which he presides. His method of probing was, according to Mr Kristol, equally fair to both candidates and allowed viewers to hear ‘revealingly different’ answers to the same questions.
Articles on related themes: Current Affairs; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Dry mouth and sinking stomach - Photographer v Dentist
Posted: Tuesday, 29th July 2008
Dry mouth and sinking stomach.
‘Without wishing to cast aspersions on your profession,’ I said to the photographer, ‘I should tell you that as far as I’m concerned, having my photograph taken is akin to having teeth pulled.’
Actually, I’ve never had teeth pulled – but the sensations I experienced as my sitting room was invaded by lights and little white umbrellas, was exactly what I imagined my husband must have been through a month ago when he had to have a tooth extracted. He, needless to say, thought my assumption a gross exaggeration.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff; Books, Reading & Words; Occasional Silliness
Is The F-word Foul?
Posted: Monday, 21st July 2008
Whatever happened to the old saying, 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me'? They can, of course. But only if we let them. Have we become a nation of wimps that we have to talk of legislation to prevent the use of certain words? Words like Chav, for instance.
I say they can hurt, but is that entirely accurate? I once had a debate with a friend, a well-known author, about the use of the F-word. It’s not a word I would use: it would shock my friends and family if I were to do so.
Articles on related themes: Current Affairs; Books, Reading & Words; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Journeys & Destinations
Posted: Thursday, 17th July 2008
A visit to a friend in the Malverns, en route to my daughter, brought home, vividly, how fortunate we are. Forget the increase in car tax, food, fuel and heating. Put out of mind the drop in house-prices, the pesky politics, the miserable summer. Blake’s green and pleasant land is stunning; Elgar’s inspiration lush and beautiful. And all despite – or rather because of – the cool, wet weather. 'Have you been to this area before,' my husband asked, forgetfully.
Instantly, I was transported back to an occasion when three of us – all young women – had driven up for some event or other in Birmingham.
Articles on related themes: Life, Faith & Other Stuff
An Inrush of Hissing Air
Posted: Thursday, 10th July 2008
It must be the most expensive single purchase I’ve ever made on my own. Oh, no! There was the house, of course. I bought that at auction, whilst heavily pregnant, and exceeded my husband’s upper limit by several thousand. I could only plead temporary insanity and excessive competitiveness due to hormones. My other half and the beginnings of his beer belly nearly went into labour for me. But I digress. The purchase to which I alluded was made in Tenerife.
Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
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