It Started With The …

On a Facebook group our talented leader often posts a “Sunday Prompt”, it might be a word, usually a picture, something to get our poetic juices flowing. This week she posted this

Go for a walk around your flat, or wherever you are. Pick things up and look in nooks and crannies. Find something that sparks a memory. Write about that memory. Have the first sentence be:

“It started with the…’

Hmm… interesting, intriguing and inviting. It started the musing and cogitating – I glanced around me and wondered what item would spark an interesting anecdote. So much of my trinketry and souvenirs of my life adventures had to be let go, donated, sold or ditched. Then I remembered by box of bits and wondered what curios of my past it was hiding.

---

It started with the day trip, for the fun of it we’d go to Felixstowe, walk onboard the ‘roll on roll off’ ferry and sail the seas to Zeebrugge., then catch the next one back (6 hour sail, each way). At the time I was learning navigation at the Maritime College, so I would set myself up at the table with the sea chart (the size of a small table cloth), compass, dividers, parallel ruler, pencil, paper, and calculator, and would plot our progress.

After seeing me doing this my Dad got a bit of balsa wood about inch long, shaped it, glued a couple of cocktail sticks, painted it (complete with green and red navigation lights) and found a little Perspex box to put it in. Then he found a tiny piece of blue paper for the ship to sit on, and created a background complete with lighthouse and birds in flight. He presented it to me when we were getting ready for the next trip.

I set myself up once more and every few minutes I would recalculate our position and move the ship along. Often we would see the same person walk past and take a glance, maybe make a comment. Sometimes a gent would stop and ask a question or start a chat. Then one day, after the Purser had been back and forth, he returned with a piece of paper and passed it to me. Word of my plotting had reached the Bridge and the Navigation Officer sent down an exact position Latitude and Longitude. Guess what folks, lil old amateur learner was less the a few millimetres out!

I have a vague visual remembrance of a line of bums peering out the windows into the darkness, counting the flashes of buoys, so I could find them on the chart.

It made the journey more interesting than just reading or doing homework.

 

Sigh, humph,

::sigh:: I’m struggling to shake off my winter lethargy and general clouded funk that cloaks me every year. It was certainly not helped my the sinusitis and blocked ears across Christmas and New Year, both events passed me completely unrecognised.

The good thing about January was my BFF visiting, and as she was finally well enough after her three months of chest infections, she was pleased to get here too.

We surpassed our level of activities by doing absolutely nothing. We watched films and tv series, we ate tasty comforting food and we did little else. Our viewing list (not including the quiz shows) consisted of –

1. Man of the year
2. St Trinians
3. Heat of the night
4. Chicken run dawn of the nugget
5. The trust (Netflix series)
6. I am a stalker (Netflix series)
7. Maestro (Leonard Bernstein)
8. Nyad 
9. The Mercy 
10. The electric life of Louie wain 
11. The reverend & Mrs Simpson
12. It snows in Benidorm 
13. Pamela with love - her words
14. Murdaugh Murders (both series)
15. Inside the mind of cats
16. I used to be famous
17. King of thieves
18. Failure to launch
19. Morning Glory
20. Murdered
21. Man vs Bee (series)
22. Filthy Rich, Jeffrey Epstein
23. Our Father
24. Hard times
25. 23 Walks
26. Belonging
27. May contain nuts
28. Walking the Grand Canyon
29. H is for Happiness
30. Archie (becoming Cary Grant)

All too soon she was on her bumpy way home 😢 but will be back in June 😁

What else – I think I mentioned I’d become an ‘engaged customer’ with the Housing Association, while I enjoy the sessions and the putting forward of opinions and suggestions, questioning some issues etc, the involvement in governance and recruitment at higher levels, with much more intelligent experienced people than me, I do have a bubbling bout of imposter syndrome. Have I over egged my past experience and abilities or just lost a level of confidence that comes with increasing age and decreasing health.

Anyway, maybe I need a list 😆

• Book an at home eye test
• Call for a Dentist appointment
• Start stitching the baby blanket
• Spend some time at the desk
• Bravely ask for help with some sorting of my junk jobs

Onwards and upwards as the year brightens……

 

The Poppy Bows It’s Head

The Poppy bows it's head
As we thank the generation who
With unselfish fear, sacrificed and suffered
And did all that they could do

They were not career fighters
They were fathers and sons
Transported across our globe
Firing life ending guns

They were not career fighters
They were daughters and wives
Digging land, turning lathes,
Manning factories, nursing lives

Never knowing how it would end 
As bombs and bullets rained.
Buy your poppy, bow your head
And be thankful they sustained

©️AMGroves 2023

 

The Reckoning

I’m going to premise this review with a disclaimer. No matter what is written or said on this particular subject matter, it in no way excuses, mitigates or concedes any of the absolute deplorable behaviour of this man nor those around him.

Right then. It was with some intrigue and curiosity that I wanted to watch this drama series. I only ever came across him via my very limited exposure to radio and television across the seventies and eighties, namely Top Of The Pops and Jim’ll Fix It. Even from the hue of a black and white television screen there was something that cringed my child like intuition senses as ‘creepy’, ‘weird’ and ‘odd’. His speech delivery, his clothing, his unkempt look, his language when we upgraded to a colour television only heightened those things. How I’d have felt in his presence, is another matter, quite repulsed I imagine.

The mini series begins with his early dj days at various dance halls of Manchester and Leeds, cultivating a strong following of teens, all eager to hear the new music styles of the fifties and sixties, to kick loose the conformity of post war restrictions and that of their parents generation. The notoriety of his position made him influential , at least gave him an aura of power and status, which in turn meant he could coerce any giggly star struck female his eye took.

As his fame grew, so did his exposure to even bigger stages, namely the BBC with prestigious prime time radio and tv programmes. All the while, being reported upon as a charitable gentleman, who took good care of his Mother. He had the front of someone willing to do altruistic deeds to bring cheer and fun to the downcast and young, such as the Leeds Childrens Hospital and Stoke Mandeville Hospital (leading spinal injuries specialists). He was the Mr Goodguy that parents, politicians, prestigious organisations and the press trusted – but with a slight edge.

As he grew older, remember that by the mid seventies he was fifty, his proclivities grew younger, and following the death of his Mother (a relationship never really explained or detailed) more bizarre and odd.

Maybe the lack of understanding, or the lack of knowledge of the depraved behaviour possible by some men meant that, although there were those who were suspicious, it was quickly glossed over by an authority saying “Oh that’s just his way” or “He’s nothing like that”.

As he grew older and those around him in authority younger, the power of his celebrity status diminished, articles questioning him were starting to appear in the newspapers, he became a figure to be investigated and he could no longer keep the control. Following his death, the true vastness of his behaviours and the decades of activity, along with the numbers of children and dead bodies he violated came to light. Utterly deplorable and shameful.

Watching it from a 2023 perspective it is cringingly uncomfortable. The outlandish acts of what we now know as grooming, the obvious manipulation of people (not just victims, but friends, colleagues, bosses, audiences) that enabled his horrendous acts of abuse, the disgusting sexual gratification that this man acted upon, would be unrepeatable today – thank progress for that.

We are more outspoken, quicker to speak out, children are able to shout up. Whilst undoubtedly there is still those who abuse and molest and use fear as a weapon, it is getting harder for them to hide.

I cannot use the phrase that it is a good watch, an excellent piece of entertainment, but it is gripping, thought provoking, eye opening viewing. With the acting interspersed with real life footage it carefully crafts the eras well.

 

Setting Forth!

It’s been a few long, bumpy, down, groggy, then happy weeks since I proper blogged. Just after the crowning of old C3 (resisting urge to add PO, does that make QCC R2D2🤔) I came down with a cold, it sat in my throat robbing me of the sexy raspy phase rendering me breathy mute feeling like I swallowed a cactus covered in chilli powder. My nose didn’t clog but my sinuses and ears did. After two weeks it had gone but it left my ears blocked and bunged, I contemplated calling dyno-rod but settled for drops instead. They’re still not right, I have a high frequency whine in my left ear, possibly menopause triggered tinnitus.

But then – Hoorah- BFF came to play, two weeks of good eating, good chatting, good watching, slightly less sleeping and, hold on to yer hats, going out-out, I know, proper out-out, to eat, to shop, to saunter along the seafront!

All good things come to an end too quickly and as I type she’s on her plane waiting to take off for home (I have the flight tracker set ready to wave) 😢. So we reset our countdown for her return and have decided that we each will get to grips with the things we’ve let slide or procrastinated about.

It’s listing time…… 1st the fun one … 2nd the necessary one … 3rd the tedious bureaucratic head banging tear inducing one.

List one

• Secret crochet project, finish the three elements by month end
• More gear nob ghosts, get yarn and do by end August
• Super secret project, get extra yarn and finish by October
• Do a few of the cute Christmas Stocking

List two

• Desk jobs, pictures for frames, cataloguing, playlists, backups
• Picture, for the walls, sort and hang
• Tv & DVD, tv for the wall.
• Find some trousers! (bought 4, returned 2, threw out more)
• Find a couple of tops for the summer
• Website, update and back up.

List three

• Chase up Neuro (for 4th time for brace referral)
• Call Wheelchair services about assessment and service manual chair
• Get my butt sorted with new shower chair, maybe rise sofa 1cm
• Make contact with OT

::Sigh:: that third list is going to try my patience. I’m already annoyed and I’ve only typed the list!

So what are your summer plans?? 😎

 

May – Poem(s)

Here we go, I’m sure these months are getting shorter. This month another style to tackle.

A clerihew has the following properties: It is biographical and usually whimsical, showing the subject from an unusual point of view; it mostly pokes fun at famous people. It has four lines of irregular length and metre for comic effect and has a rhyme structure is AABB; the subject matter and wording are often humorously contrived in order to achieve a rhyme, including the use of phrases in Latin, French and other non-English languages.

The first line contains, and may consist solely of, the subject’s name. According to a letter in The Spectator in the 1960s, Bentley said that a true clerihew has to have the name “at the end of the first line”, as the whole point was the skill in rhyming awkward names.

A well known example being – Sir Christopher Wren
Said, “I am going to dine with some men.
If anyone calls
Say I am designing St Paul’s”

So here are my attempts.

King Charles the third
"This crown is absurd
So heavy one fears
It'll just sit on one's ears"

~~~

Camilla the Queen 'Consort'
A title, insult and retort
Causing such strife 
As mistress and wife.

~~~

Charles and Camilla
Appear quite vanilla
Leaked phone calls broadcast 
A quite salacious past!

I’ll just take myself to the Tower, I know the way I’ve been there before 😬

 

Two Vital Questions

Now I’m not saying that BFF’s latest visit was ….. erm ….. lazy ….. more relaxing, chilling, easy going, ….. okay okay alright sheesh, we were both beautifully lazy.

We asked ourselves two vital questions each day – first, what are we eating and second, what are we watching.

And do you know what …… it has been abso-bloomin-lutely wonder-friggin-ful.

Food highlights has been the Jambalaya with the super special, hard to get, I got sent from New Orleans, mix …. and the rib eye steak with haggis and chips 🤤🤤🤤 droolerific.

Watch highlights – we did The Crown. But we really got into the Netflix series Yukon Vet and nightly the joy of I’m A Celebrity.

There was stitching done too. We were not complete slobs. BFF is knitting a blanket with a gorgeous mixed yarn called fruit salad, it doesn’t grow fast but she got through two balls of 200g, back and forth, back and forth. I finagled the ghost pattern to make some Father Christmas gear nob covers, and BFF’s middle child found a cute Santa sock pattern, about big enough to pop a fun size mars bar in. I didn’t want to tackle them without my guru (BFF) beside me but it worked out well (so long as I concentrate and count)

One of my carers asked what I intended to do with them and I said give them away. She helps at the local food bank and asked if she could take them there for them to pop some Christmas chops in for the kiddos. So that’s my project for the next couple of weeks.

Now it’s 3:10pm, BFF is on the road to the airport to fly home 😢. This is the worst day, saying good bud and being the furthest from when she’ll return,

 

The Journey

I was drawn to this film as it starred Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney, two incredible character actors whose work I’ve admired for many years.

The Journey is the fictional dramatisation of a true event, in 2006 the first initial talks of the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement were being held in St Andrew’s Scotland. An incredibly precarious intense meeting between the two highly charged staunch political figures and their associates. However Dr Ian Paisley needed to return to Northern Ireland to attend the celebration of his golden wedding anniversary, bad weather closed the local airport but when a proposal to use a different airport was put to Martin MaGuinness he cited the protocol that he and Paisley must travel together to prevent any attempted assassination plot, thus the two men were driven to the airport where a private jet awaited them both.

Unbeknown to these two figures MI5 had one of their operatives as the driver, and had bugged the car with microphones and mini camera to listen to what the two men might discusse in hope of getting useable intelligence to help the talks progress. Initially neither man can bear to look at the other, neither wanting to give in and look/speak first either. Both despising the history, the past actions, the beliefs and hopes for the future, it seems impossible to find any uncontroversial common ground.

Timothy Spall as The Reverend Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, is astounding, his mastering of mannerisms and instantly recognisable voice and vocal manner is remarkable, along with the craft of make up and wardrobe completing an incredible transformation.

Colm Meaney as Martin MaGuinness the republican politician for Sinn Fein and leader of the Provisional IRA is captivating. There is a true sense of battle weary, concern that the movement and ‘the troubles’ are breeding another generation of soldiers without fully understanding the cause and reasoning. Fighting an unwinable civil war.

Even though I grew up during this era and vividly remember the news reports of street warfare, the terrorist bombings and numerous attacks, the core fight was not really understood or known, other than Catholic versus Protestant. Listening as these two enemies eloquently spoke of their experience through life, their earnest beliefs,

Without giving too much away, gradually through this journey there are cracks in their iron resolve, there are moments where the human comes out instead of the political representative, even moments of mirth, and a couple of plot twists which question what one thinks of the other.

As they are about to board the plane the two men speak alone, perhaps this is the moment when they can acknowledge that while they fervently disagree with each other they can at least respect each other’s passion and commitment.

It’s a film I feel I need to watch again, to enjoy what I know is coming and perhaps catch a few nuances I missed first time around.

 

Celebrating Persecution

In this time of woke-ness, is there room for the tradition of Bonfire Night?

Ask yourself this …. what is the fifth of November about?

Historically, its begins with the events of 5 November 1605 when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the Houses of Lords intending to kill the King and many Lords and politicians at the Grand State Opening.

Hmm, treasonable actions indeed.

Hmm, if you dive a little deeper it becomes a failed conspiracy, or terrorist endeavour, by a group of provincial English Catholics to assassinate the Protestant King James I of England (VI of Scotland) and replace him with a Catholic head of state. An act of religious war during a period of Great British history where there were factions arguing over whether the absolute monarch should return to the original faith of Roman Catholicism or remain as the newer revised Anglican Church of England, still in its relative infancy since Henry VIII separated from Rome.

Hmm, suddenly it’s starting to sound a little more sinister.

During the years after the foiled plot the tradition sprang up with locals gathering around bonfires had an effigy on the top. In some parts of the country (predominantly Protestant) they were more like scruffy scarecrows, but there were towns and cities where the effigy was made to depict Guy Fawkes, the local Catholic Bishop or The Pope. The idea being to send a strong political message that Catholicism would not be tolerated and sympathisers/followers could expect to be severely punished.

Definitely more sinister, a potential act of incitement and definitely religious intolerance.

In our modern times the strong messaging of Bonfire Night has been lost, generally now firmly placed in the ‘wrap up in hats and scarves, the owww and ahhhs as colourful sparks cascade from the skies while you munch another hot dog or potato baked in the roaring fire’. Yet there is still an event in Lewes near Eastbourne where they make an effigy to the likeness of the presiding Pope to burn atop the tree.

Mind boggling!

Still as we all gathering around the carbon emitting flames and marvel at the chemical incendiaries releasing gasses into the skies, celebrating the burning of those following a religious denomination, maybe the words of A D Wintle will ring in our ears…..

Guy Fawkes, the last man to enter Parliament with honest intentions.

 

David Helfgott

Back in October 2009 BFF and I went on one of our epic expeditions. This time we traveled to Vienna to attend the David Helfgott concert at the Mozart Hall of the Concert House – front row too!

Some of you may recognise his name, he was the subject of the Oscar winning film Shine in 1996. David, an Australian born concert pianist, son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, developed a schizoaffective disorder during his time in London at the Royal College of Music. He returned to Perth where, after numerous treatment methods, was a rehearsal pianist for the Australian Opera and part time pianist at a wine bar.

His performance style has often been criticised as “reducing music to a rubble of notes”, but he does have a completely innocent, child like rapture and charm that comes through the emotion of the pieces he plays. His disorder maybe unpredictable and mannerisms unusual but he truly just wants to bring joy to all. He brings back the ethos that classical music is for all, not just the black tie, exclusive, regimentally trained few.

David is incredibly tactile, and verbal with his little mantras. After the show he hugged us plentifully and uttered “Be happy today, we must be happy”. My endearing memory as he was part way down the stairs from the dressing room was to scurry back to me declaring “Just one more” as he hugged and kissed us both again.

Vienna itself is a stunningly beautiful city, we wandered around the grounds of Belvedere Palace, once home to the Austrian Royal Family, including Frank Ferdinand whose assassination sparked the outbreak of World War One. The Palace itself an art gallery where we saw art by Gustav Klimt, Claude Monet, Jacques Louis David, although the quiet was rather disturbed by my wheelchair’s slight squeak and the creak of the parquet flooring. The marble room with its six foot tall fire places and tromploy ceilings was something to be marvelled.

Wandering the streets through the stunning architecture, beautiful buildings with incredible tableaux, discovering alabaster white statues or fountains at every corner. The sound of horses hooves echoing through the narrow streets made everything so atmospheric. Seeing the famous Lipizzaner horses in their stables. The food of the coffee houses, all the wood panelling, mirrors and crystal chandeliers.

A completely enchanting experience.