Wednesday 26 February 2014

'D' Day Cometh

    Following up the invitation to take part in my experiment (see last but one post,) the day I have chosen is Saturday, March 1st.
    Anyone who follows my blog, regularly or otherwise  is invited to respond. All I require is that you record your day in as much detail as you want. Please do not do anything special for this blog; YOUR day, YOUR thoughts. Your day you might think boring or unimportant but it is important to YOU. It is one day in your life, never to be repeated. One day in a life of probably many, many thousands. (If you live to be 100, you will have lived over 36,500 days!)
    No day, however mundane is wasted; it's lived, not wasted. But every day is a gift in a way. How we use it is up to us, consciously or otherwise. (We don't think about it because most of us assume, rightly or otherwise, that we have more, hopefully many more days to experience.
    I will publish ALL responses as a blog post around a week or so later. You can respond by blog comment, e-mail, anyway you deem fit. You don't have to be one of my 'followers listed on my blog. (I know some of my readers are not listed anywhere.) Length unimportant, as little or as much as you like. I will list EVERY response. I have NO idea how many of you will respond, but if makes you think, good! From wakening up to falling asleep, what did you do on Saturday, the first of March in the year 2014?
Please give some short identity and profile details, unless you're very, very shy! Thanks.
Photos welcome.


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A

Tuesday 18 February 2014

A Bit of This and a Bit of That.



    I walked unaided across the hydro pool this week. I know its only small  and the water supports you but this was the first time  I've walked unaided for many months. Some fool didn't bother to unlock the lift that goes from the underground car park up to the theatre. ( I do theatre review for a free paper when I can.) It made life very difficult indeed. Abled bodied people often don't consider the disabled. I must confess I didn't until my present dilemma. It's survival of the fittest in this world I'm afraid.
    The play I reviewed was The Odyssey; Greek mythology and all that. For the first fifteen minutes I was mystified. Which brought home to me how ignorant we often are. (I didn't do Greek at school, only Latin.) I reckon I have taken in a million trillionth of the worlds knowledge to date. I'd better hurry up with my reading, times running out!
    My mind is so taxed nowadays, what with the lack of mobility and the lack of sleep. I spend hours pondering the daftest of things. Why, for instance does this cat that has adopted us lick my toes and more ominously, bite, yes bite my fingers. Is it affection or is it trying to eat me! I honestly reckon it doesn't know it's a cat. (Called Mo because it runs everywhere, Cat on occasion, and Crackers because everyone says  'That cats Crackers!'  And why are my dreams so repetitive, like a stuck record in a juke box. I think about it on waking. Now of course I dream about dreams repeating themselves and stuck records!
    I\we spend most of our time at doctors, dentists and hospitals. (Physio alone takes up four afternoons (My wife attends a class mainly attended by ageing heart patients. It is not true they study embalming and flower arranging for funerals on alternate weeks. Ah, the joys of getting old!
    I have not forgotten the future post concerning 'A Day in the Life of ' (See last weeks post.) I have a date in mind in the next few days. I was intrigued with the comments made concerning my 'plans'. It is fascinating to read of other peoples lives and how they/we see ourselves. In the last blog I remarked that I am convinced everything we ever do, however small is stored forever in our 'minds.' I am indebted to
 rhymeswithplague for enclosing this poem by Noel Coward. He thinks exactly as I do, but so eloquently. That's why he was famous. Me, even the postman delivers my mail elsewhere! (rhymeswithplagues blog is well worth a visit, as are all those who took the trouble to comment.)
       
Nothing is Lost
by Noel Coward

Deep in our sub-conscious, we are told
Lie all our memories, lie all the notes
Of all the music we have ever heard
And all the phrases those we loved have spoken,
Sorrows and losses time has since consoled,
Family jokes, out-moded anecdotes
Each sentimental souvenir and token
Everything seen, experienced, each word
Addressed to us in infancy, before
Before we could even know or understand
The implications of our wonderland.
There they all are, the legendary lies
The birthday treats, the sights, the sounds, the tears
Forgotten debris of forgotten years
Waiting to be recalled, waiting to rise
Before our world dissolves before our eyes
Waiting for some small, intimate reminder,
A word, a tune, a known familiar scent
An echo from the past when, innocent
We looked upon the present with delight
And doubted not the future would be kinder
And never knew the loneliness of night.

"Nothing is Lost" by Noel Coward from Collected Verse. © Graywolf Press, 2007.
     One other thought in this 'hotch potch' of a post. Reading this post I am reminded of poetry in relation to my school days. I can remember only one poem by heart. (Go on then, fifteen lines of it) Its called 'The Ice Cart by  Wilfred Gibson. How strange  that this poem has been retrieved  from the dark recesses of my mind by reference to Noel Cowards poem. And why, I wonder , have I remembered this poem. Were  any of you, I wonder, given poems to learn as a homework or a punishment at school. And have any of you remembered a poem from school, for any reason. One last thing. This post, this 'hotch potch' of a post Reminds me of the saying 'Normal Service will be resumed as soon as possible. (Old ones amongst you, explain to the 'young ins' where these words came from.} Which in turn reminds me of Arthur English and his immortal words!

'I dunno what the devil I'm talking about
Play the music! Open the cage!

(Arthur English's words are very apt. The change in format etc is accidental, due to my lack of computer skills. Will revert back to normal when I fathom what I've done! ****, ****, Apple systems!)




Monday 10 February 2014

Day 27069; Just Another Day.


    I remember VE Day after the war, or rather I remember the celebrations. I remember the chapel minister telling me it was not my sixth birthday but the 'celebration' of my birthday. Aren't adults pompous when they want to be! Falling off a three wheeled bicycle and breaking my arm; falling off the cricket pitch roller and breaking my arm; falling off a two wheeled bike and breaking my arm! Teacher Mr Jones shouting at me in lessons. and the teacher, was it Mr Jones coming into lessons and announcing Mr Ghandi had been killed. 
School trips to Eyam and Hansel and Gretel. In later years camping at Mundesley, a trip for 'the poor boys', courtesy of some charity or other. Playing in the river and canal; in the farmyards and on the railway line. Coming home from school and being told my mother had died; then I went out and did my paper round; no wonder I'm a bit of a fruit and nut' case!
    In the big wild world of work I remember frenetic days at F W Woolworth's and those lovely young Saturday girls. And less than frenetic days at British Celanese, stuck behind a desk adding up lists of Dicel and Tricel, as if I cared! Wet, windy duties on the yard as a teacher, also frenetic and frenetic too the years spent 'youth- leading'. Why did I so often choose jobs offering a less than peaceful existence! All in all years and years gone in a flash. Seldom regretted, not even the morning spent as a Betterware salesman on the outskirts of Ilkeston. (A morning was ample!)
    Marriage, one, children, two. Ups and downs, but far more ups than downs. Excruciating happiness and much love, more than one man deserves. And life goes on; the eyes dim and sometimes the memories fade. Many, many memories. (I honestly believe EVERYTHING we have experienced, however trite  is stored in the brain until death. Otherwise how do we recall memories that we have NOT thought about for so long, triggered and recalled in an instant.) 
    So what's significant about day number 27069, anybody hazard a guess. No, well it's my number of days on this earth. Of no significance to anyone except me, but its set me thinking. Mainly because of the days I can't rather than can remember.Very, very few 'diarists', not surprisingly, record EVERY day of their lives. Certainly not at my level. If I can recall hundreds, maybe thousands  of the days of my life, that leaves many, many more days that  were so mundane as to have vanished 'into the ether' so to speak. They are not necessarily wasted, it is just that we  'live' so to speak on special days. The majority of our time we 'exist', not necessarily in a bad way. My friends, I would like, with your help to conduct an experiment. Anyone why reads my blog is welcome to take part!
On a given day, in the near future I would like people  who choose to do so to tell me, in some detail, what you did, morning 'till night on the chosen day. I too of course will do likewise. Remember, this is NOT a special day. From what you ate to what you did. I know its nosey, but 'never mind eh!' I have readers from all over the world from all walks of life. I will print every reply as a blog a week or two after the invitation. I have readers from all walks of life, all ages, all parts of the world. ( A short profile will be needed.) More details , e.g. length to follow.) The only common denominator, being readers of Grumpy's Blog! Probably a mad thing to do, I've no idea who, if anyone will respond; it could be interesting!