There is good in the world

DAY 3#

I woke up today relieved to hear on the news......that aid worker Kate Burton and her mum and dad, Hugh and Win have been released during the night/early hours by their captors. Separately and via individual cars at different locations they were each set free.
I am really really pleased.
I was genuinely disturbed, worried and very concerned as to who had taken them and what motives were behind their being taken in the first place. Let alone what fate may have been awaiting them. Owing to the fragilty this once safe (ish) area and the miriad of terrible injustices that certain other governments have put upon both this and other parts of the middle east with their interfering I imagine I was not alone with my concernes.

Kate along with other United Nations employees working from the UN in Gaza had no option but to leave having been told by those in charge that Western hostage had become a very serous concern.
So having left the UN, she stayed in the same area but began working for the "al-Mezan Centrein"(Centre for Human Rights)
Kate who had invited her parents over to stay had been showing them around the town of Rafah which is near the Egyptian border. And it was here that their nightmare ordeal began. However Kate has made it very clear that not only was she treated well, but that her captors made a point of regularly asking her if she needed anything.
It is also aparent from the video that The Mujahadeen Brigades released yesterday showing Kate and a masked gunman, that she was not made to wear a mask or Quantanmo Bay type orange jump suite that has become symbolic and reminiscent of those shown in videos released by the Iraq insurgent groups who kidnapped and killed westerners as a last line of defence to fight the illegal US led occupaton of Iraq.
Kate is also seen to be in my own opinion quite together athough obviously frightened.
I wonder too that being able to speak French,Spanish AND Arabic, whether this would have been a blessing or simply added to the fear she must have already been feeling. I mention this because on the video we can see Kate standing beside the gunman who is reading a statement out in what I would imagine to be Arabic or similar. And if Kate could understand some or all of what was being read it would either have been a blessing to know what was going on or simply added to an already worsening nightmare for her.

I admire her courage and faith without question. Well done Kate. Especially since she's already said that she wants to carry on her work over the in Gaza.

It's very sad that this previously unheard of group "The Mujahadeen Brigades" has said it will go further in the future by kidnapping international monitors if it has too. From what I have read and heard, (thanks Sky news and BBC WS) the group have denounced the UK for it's involvement and the part it's played throughout history in what has been happening to Palestinians since 1918. This goes far beyond my understanding as I am not educated enough or up to speed on middle eastern history but I have a rough understanding. I will be researching it though as I think it is important to know what's going on especially in this world climate.



The second news story that needs mentioning is that from the Russian gas compnay Gazprom is threatening to cut off supplies to the Ukraine by a January 1st threatened deadline,unless it begins paying for it's gas supplies life everyone else.
The problem is not an easy one to understand and certainly won't fade away.

The basics of the situation are that the Ukraine has been used by Gazprom for many years as an outlet and throughport by which Gazprom has been using it to shift it supplies via the Ukraine straight through to parts of Europe, and in return, the Ukraine has enjoyed more or less free gas.
But the company is now saying it needs to increase it's overall fuel prices and by what is percieved to be a considerable amount. Hense forth the Ukraine too is now being told it must also start paying.
It's a sad state of affairs as the Ukraine is a middle man for a quarter of the Wests gas input too!!!!!
To top that off the Russian government has offered to bail out the Ukraine by way of a government loan to help pay for the fuel costs. This has no doubt enraged the state who say they don't want handouts and want to be independant. Who can blame them.

And looking a the situation further....even though we are on the other side of the water from them, we here in the United Kingdom may suffer too. the point is...We may see problems over her before long is this Jauary 1st threat of "switching off supplies" actually happens.

What's more worrying is that we are now under a really cold spell and yesterdays electricity problems have drawn home the bigger picture should the gas be interrupted in any way.
It was about 5pm or so late yesterday afternoon when the telly went off as did all the power.
We had no electricity for a good two hours. Thank heavens I bought my daughter a ton of batteries for christmas that are in the cupboard. May need them all at this rate should the powercut last the night.

From what I can understand, one of the main sub stations suffered from bad weather blues and caused a black out both in Trimley and (thanks mum) around the felixstowe area.


------------------------------------
Have just found out:
(Homes last night without power)
East Anglia: 44,000
East Midlands: 17,000
North Wales: 18,000
------------------------------------


I imagine some of the smaller shops and perhaps some of the supermarkets suffered quite badly too. I am talking about food products kept in the freezers and fridges although perhaps they were ok.

Luckily for us, daddy has been taught well (thanks again mum...LOL) and learnt over the years to always have standby lights ect.


I may not have had candles but my daughter who slept through most of the outage, woke up with fully charged batteries in her portable player and one of the battery lights beside her bed.
My old but reliable computer came in handy too what with it's battery supply. It's only good for an hour JUST!!! But it allowed me to whack across several of my daughter favorite cartoons from her drive to my phone. I wanted to have something for her to watch as my good old phone has four spare batteries and she would have been fine with it if everything else ran out.
What's funny is that she didn't seem bothered at all by the outage when she woke up and all I got was "I want my dinner" and "Can you put Thomas on"(Calling all Engines....Thomas the tank engine film)
She never ceases to amaze me. The best thing of all though was having dinner cooked just as the power went off. Luckily the meal was nearly cooked anyway..And the hot oven stayed hot enough to cook everything. I imagine others weren't so lucky so my thoughts went out to them whilst I savoured every mouthful of hot chips..Gravy...Beans...Sweet potatoes and pie...(like heck it did.....Am I sarcastic or what....He he he he he)


I digress....

Onto today....

Well..I have been up since waking at dead on (kid you not) 4am. I didn't even want a cigarette either which made me feel wonderful. I got up tucked my little one in....Made her a fresh water bottle and fresh milk bottle....Refilled her pooh bear water bottle.... made a coffee...changed my patch,made a quick phone call (not to a person as I am not in the habit of winding and waking people up at such as time LOL)... And then sat down to write this.

It's day three now of my stopping smoking and I am already seriously noticing the complete lack of being knackered first thing in the morning. I HAVE however felt a new 24hour urge to eat everything I can get my hands in relation to sweets and chocolates oh...And prawn cocktail crips too.....
And I don't mind telling you Mr.Blog that my daughters goodies that I always put on one side each week as treats may be next to go if I show the same lack of self discipline as I have shown my own treats/goodies...He he he he. She may be just coming up to her 3rd birthday but she is one amazing child. She knows how to throw a guilt trip and has become expert at letting the world know when she's annoyed. I'm sure she'll go far in life anyway...But with this talent at making daddy feel bad she will grow up to be just like a real female of the species....HE HE HE (only kidding....)

Anyway....(yes I KNOW I use the word "anyway" far too much but it'd one of those gorgeous words that one throws about at the beginning of a sentence when one is thinking and a little stuck at how to write the next paragraph....Something like that)

Like I was saying...I feel tired right now, but I don't feel miserable at the coughing I was suffering from only 3 days or so prior to stopping smoking. I also don't ache when I get up to do something....I am not out of breath so much when I move around quickly...
The perfect scenario for this would be like yesterday.....Sophie asked me to get her something from the other room like her garage and cars...And no sooner was I out of the door...She went and called me back in to get her a DVD she wanted to watch.....Then she will expect me to get the cat for her.....Seriously....She WILL literally ask me to "can you bring cat over her daddy" she always says please as myself and family have made a point of always teaching her manners whenever possible. I realize how crazy that may sound, as with manners should come the point where she should do things for herself...don't get me wrong as she's just like most children in that respect but when she can't be bothered and is comfortable on the settee that's when she'll expect ME to get things for her. She IS getting better though as yesterday she actually peeled her own banana.....honestly.....no word of a lie.

Anyway...I love her to bits and wouldn't be doing half of the things I am nearing to completing in life if it wasn't for the fact of knowing shes in my life. Even smoking...when I had my last cigerette on Wednesday night I was saying a little prayer asking for help and guidance throughout the coming year and though I was being quiet enough. But no....little miss heard some of it and came over, asked me for a cuddle and simply said "daddy are you not going to be going out the kitched window anymore" She hates it when I put my head out of the window to smoke and has told me everytime I would say where I was going, that she wanted me to stop. I have told her how bad smoking is now and that when daddy tried before to quite that daddy wasn't ready. Now she has been checking asking me if I have got a patch on. It may not be a lot but I know she understands enough to realise that her saying that and telling me not to smoke helps me so much. I pray that she never smokes and ever has to go through having to get to the point I did before realising it's time to make a concerted effort.

I am wafling on a little I think....sorry about that if I am Mr.Blog.

I will go get another coffee and do some of my assignment now.

Cu

DAY 2

DAY 2#

I have been up for about an hour or so now and have just put on a fresh nicotine patch having stopped smoking on Wednesday evening.

I decided to try again having thought long and hard about my current lifestyle and state of health which I feel is not at all what it should be. I know that I am not far off forty and that some things in life are in the lap of the gods, but on the other hand I am not doing myself any favours.
I mean...Every morning I wake up, moan to myself about how fat I am getting, (whilst shoveling the remains of yesterdays left over chocolate bar into my ever sweetening tooth) make a coffee, roll a cigarette, open the window, stick my head out and smoke it.

I never used to care about any of this, but I guess the fact that I am now enjoying having my daughter living with me for most of each week, and that I have started to feel tired a lot more when I want to feel alive and energetic has begun to play on my mind. There is so much I have done in life, but a hell of a lot more that I want to do. My daughter needs me and I want to be around long enough to watch her grow up.

It's begun to sink in that not only am I unhappy with my weight gain owing to age, food and lack of exercise, but I have begun to get out of breath a lot quicker and feel lethargic.
At the end of the day, not only do I want to be healthy, to feel good about myself and to live long enough to do all the things that I want, but I want to watch my daughter grow up, get married and meet my grandchildren someday.

As far as smoking is concerned....I haven't beaten the craving yet which is obvious as I have only just stopped and I know it'll take a while to loose the craving. I am also not dumn enough to assume a winning goal on the basis of a two day nicotine battle. But what I am sure of, is the straight forward fact that I have more than enough reasons to stop and NONE to carry on lighting up.


I can but try and try I will.

Cu

wait a mo....this is a really good film

Got up at 548am this morning. God knows why but I actually woke up and fed the cat straight away before anything else. Usually owing to not liking mornings (at least not until Mr.Cafeine addict here has had a fix) I mope about for at least an hour until fully awake.

But this morning I woke up with a smile. I can't say why because I don't know. Must be the christmas spirit. Anyway... I was woken up by my daughters cat jumping all over the bed in one of it's morning induced spasms. reminds me of a hyperactive gerbal in one of those running wheels.



This cat is crazy and more fuzzy than I don't know what. I not only put four cleans bowls out on her tray...milk....Bernard Mathews chicken slices....Kitecat poach and a spoonfull of fresh double cream, and guess what...she didnt EVEN WANT ANY OF IT.
Instead, as I sat on the floor reading my email, she clawed my arm until I turned around to pay her some attention. And there before me was her little toy mouse type thing. Shes a clever cat to say the least.
Anyway...I wound the mouse up and got clawed big time on the hand and not just once or twice but in constant attacking animal instinct asault mode.
If I dont throw the mouse in .0072 of a second then she attacks me INSTEAD....grrrr

Still love her to bits though. The weired thing is. Is that my nealry 3yr old daughter can wind that cat up...pick her up whenever she wants.....carry her around the apartment like a new designer bag assessory and the cat never AND I MEAN never ever scratches her. It must be a thing the cat has against me.

I digress........

I bought a film yesterday from the local Spar shop. (poor staff having to work xmas day...but hey...they must get a fair wage right...???)
The film is called "THE GIRL NEXT DOOR" and stars "24" actress
Elisha Cuthbert as Danielle the girl next door.... and

Emile Hirsch

as high school student Mathew Kidmen.







I didn't have time to watch it last night so I put it on with a coffee and bit of toast this morning and sat back expecting to be mildly entertained for a few minutes until my usual bordom light came on.....
But WRONG...!!! because this film ROCKS and I mean ROCKS....
It's got a great storyline....great script.....fast pace......comedy moments which I might add "came" at the right time. Oh and the sound track rocked too. Especially through my sony pans and with dolby pro logic on the dvd player. I recomend full bass on this one.

The film starts off telling the story of a soon to graduate American high school senior who doesn't seem to do anything but get straight "A's" and wish on a daily basis that his life had more meaning and fun.
Together with two misfit friends he hangs out with the film gets going on the laugh stakes from the get go.

Out of the two friends who we are introduced to early on as part of the storyline setup. We learn the fact that one hates the way he looks and feels he'll never find a girlfriend unless she excepts americal express,(you get the point ha ha ha ha ha) and the other who lives life on the edge (of a playboy centrefold centre pages whilst sitting alone in his room with his right hand)
There a reference to the term/word "tripod" which you'll nead to watch the film for this to mean anything but it's real feel good moment towards the end.
All three including himself are boring and lead a little bit on the odd side lifes.
.......our story gets going soon after a new neighbour moves into the house next door to Mathews house and who has rather an"interesting secret".....and so the madness begins
He falls for her in a big way....the story pans out from here in within around 13minutes and the viewer is certainly entertained. So I recomend this film to anyone who both wants a laugh and wants to switch brain activity off for a while.

The film wants desperately to fit snuggly into the comedy romance /feel good genre but IMO it's more all of them plus edge of your seet stuff too when certain scenes get going.

***** 5 STARS/10

By for now....

Early Christmas...But just this once (#1)

Good morning world.....
Well, amazingly it's warm out today and the sunshine has kicked both the rain and any possibility of snow right out the window.

Christmas this year has come early for us and for a few good reasons. I won't go into them as I don't want to, but rest assured it was a good idea.

--------------i am being hailed on daddy frequency number 5 so have to finish this off in a bit--

Every door that closes.....

I have been to college this morning expecting a lesson but found out that there wasn't one.
So having taken little one into playgroup and had some time to hand I went for a coffee at my fav cafe just up from the second hand record shop in Ipswich. I even had one of there YUMMY cheese omelets...

Read a really funny article in the sun newspaper which was lying about regarding Jeremy Clarksons German outburst/joke on his car show the other week (Top Gear..???). Seems the bbc have recieved a complaint....ooppps. Strange to read though that it wasnt from the german government but elsewhere.
He did a salute sign as in the 3rd rich/Hitler salute which in all intense and purposes could've been taken either way.

Being British born and bread, I feel it's true to say that we takes jokes about ourselves on the chin and either laugh it off or if a member of the government sue those responsible...(just kidding).
The Sun although a fun newspaper which I never take too seriously (editorially speaking) spoke out in his defense with an oposite page piece that reached in the apparent past and recalled the jokes that were supposed to have been common during and just after the second world war.Jokes which at the time were to keep the british moral up and keep the glue holding our stiff upper lip.

The funny thing here though was that some of the jokes were NOT that old and if they were, then they'd, most certainly been edited to update them.
Even so, when it comes to sitting on the fence "The Sun" does.. when it feels like it. If the newpaper itself was a person it would be that person we all know who will agree with both you and your enemies point of view and swear elegiance to the three of you (am being ironic here)

I digress.............

Anyway....back to what matters....I've just heard that my father is now in a ward at the hospital having been told yesterday that he'd have to phone this morning to see if there would be a bed available.
The ward he's in is a sort of half way stop off point until a permenant bed is found. (I have had to explain this as it wasnt told to him....not exactly anyway..)
Its difficult to rationalise situations like this at the best of times. But poor old dad has had another specific problem to deal with and for a while now but he's always made a point of keeing a smile on his face and been brave.
I would find it difficult to smile under these circumstances let alone to have something else thrown into the life pot on top of it.

I will catch a bus this evening and take some grapes with me and maybe some Lucazade etc. He needs cheering up even though he's as tough as they come. Must be where i get my resiliance from. Just wish I had a magic wand.
But I have somethings far stronger......"FAITH" :-)





Cu

SEALAND.......

A few years ago I spent time on Roughs Tower AKA: Sealand. It's about 7 miles due east from Harwich if I remember correctly. The reason I was there....well... I was under a music management contract with Jim (surname not important) who put together some recording time at Limelite studio in Battersea London and worked as part of a security detail on the fort.



Anyway...because he worked two weeks on and two weeks off on the platform I got to go with him along with some recording equipment and synth, dig piano and write new material in the most peaceful surroundings you can imagine. I remember someone at the time telling me that musicians and artists would spend good money to get that kind of peace and setting.
Memory.....ahh yes...sitting on the H.D with a portable keyboard trying to write an ode to Sealand waving like a snob to all the yaughts going past the once happy bouys. (don't ask)
It was a cool time in my life as I got to meet some moderately important people and got to have lunch dinner AND tea with some B list people who were behind the scenes at the time in the music industry....(and...yes this is true,)

For the record and for anyone reading this who might remember these artists, Jim was the one who found Paul Hardcastle and started him on the road to pre"19" n n n n nineteen (Vietnam anti USA war song) fame and also found Bronski Beat (Jimmy Summerville) playing to an audience in Covernt gardens in London. So I felt pretty sure I must have something special if he was helping me.

Anyway,I got to meet Sir Roy Bates, his charming wife Joan and son Micheal, who owned the platform. I found out at the time that Roy had been a guest on Terry Wogans show many years ago which was a suprise.

The point to this blog is basically that I was given a set of Sealand stamps which were produced along with curency and passports to allow for it to stand as a principality in the eyes of the law as well as it (controvercial fact alert) standing in international waters and hense was believed to be untouchable from the hands British Government.
I've heard many people say that if it was ever deemed a threat to the government then they would probably board it and take it.
Well, I say this "even back then...they would have hand a problem if they tried to and thats years ago...so I can only imagine the increase in security and logistics, especially with the new ventures"
Although even back then when I was putting whats known as a "silver rod" CB antena in the middle of the helicopter desk in the middle of one hell of an evil storm, I knew that it would never be a pushover if anyone wanted to try and come aboard.

Looking back,the only freaky time I still squirm at was the only way available to get on board. It's known as a bosans chair.I hated it at the time as Jim got smacked on the head by our boarding ships mast, whilst part way up.

......going back on topic...I have found out that a set of new stamps are now available to anyone who wants to buy them. I am hoping though that along with some extensive and VERY proovable memories, I still have something to pass on to my daughter when she is older when I can tell her about daddys exploits and mad life/past.

Here's hoping...

I digress. If this blog is a little in need of a spell check and is all over the place, it's because I am feeling god awful and have another damn cold. AND I WANT SYMPATHY..... :-(

The stamps I have are in a safe place literally. But I will take some snaps and upload the pics.

not again

Sunday 452am.

Just woken up. Sore throat, shivers and headache. Can't believe it....NOT AGAIN.
Only just got over this first time around..

gallery

Sometimes....
I have had about four and a bit hours sleep last night which is a godsend under the circumstances.
My little one is poorly once again. She came home yesterday so sick and straight away cried telling me she'd been asking for daddy. It guts me to see her like this. By 6pm though she was in such high spirits that even with an awful cough and a voice that croaked with every struggled word, she seemed to come alive. What a transformation. I must be doing something right to be needed so much that her spirit is so transformed simply by coming back home. All she wanted to do was paint, glue and glitter... oh yes, and chase after "Blue" (That cat loves her to bits.)

Come evening I got her to sleep around nine thirty last night and although she was obviously restless as anyone ill is, she did manage to sleep for a while.

Its now 5.34 and she woke me up to ask for cuddles about half an hour ago. I've been sitting beside her with the laptop typing up the remainder of a presentation that I must give Monday morning first thing.

------stop (am needed)-------------

(6.27am)
....well. We've moved on my little ones request to the front room. Insistant on watching Noddy-Adventues in Toyland (bumpy dog in "Bumpy Dogs Day" is my favorite) she's half asleep and I hope will soon sleep some more.
I had better leave it there for now as I need to warm some milk up and refill someones Winnie the Pooh water bottle.

....bye for now

Can't really think of a title....

It's monday morning on the 5th November 2005....
Been up for about 45 minutes. Got a million and one things to get sorted out to today. Just chucking some media files onto my pda before catching yet another boring and dull bus ride to college. I stayed up last night trying my hardest to get an assignment completed for today. I have more or less done it bar some of the detail. I am so tired. I guess it's this damn cold which some have called a flue type virus that kept me stuck in too ill to do much that I blame for still feeling so rotten. Although I am glad to say I feel a lot better than I have done over the past two weeks or so.

I have exported all the graphics using the batch function within Fireworks to transform all the png file on my site to gif images. The site is looking great although I have another idea that I will be working on once time allows. I intend to create a new index page graphic that will house smaller buttons all in one complete image. Then I will use that as a themed template and use it through the sites pages. Each page in turn will reflect its title by an enhanced button change that will depend on state.
It should look pretty good.

Anyway. Better run as the bus will be here soon. If I miss that I will end up having to go straight to my class instead of having time on my arrival for a cup of coffee.

Bye for now.
------------------------------------------------------
FOR MY PERSONAL DIARY
Yesterday evening the music was that loud that 5 people including 2 on the phone who called me at different times have said that it is not on and something should be done about it. Besides that the door that has been fixed on the entrance to my apartment has turned out NOT to be the cause of the door slamming. So I will need to think long and hard on this.

It's really nice when.....

.....when the odd day come along when everything goes really well....
apart from one small thing that didn't arrive as expected


Thats all I want to say.
Subject closed/