On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month We Will Remember you!!!

On the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month

We Will Remember you!!!

Mr Spring told me of the time that Colonel Dick Pedder rallied his men around before the Litani River raid in Syria, where over 120 men gave their lives needlessly due to a mix up with a map.

Colonel Dick Pedder said to his men as he formed them into the 11^th Scottish Commandos “you must be ready to fight against all tyrants and oppressors”.

Tyrant meaning: - absolute ruler who uses powers cruelly and unjustly, an exerciser of authority.

Oppressor meaning: - dominate harshly or cruelly, to be a source of worry, stress or trouble to somebody.

Those words are as poignant, true and rousing as they were when he stood in front of his men in the Second World War, and just before he died fighting for those words. Mr Spring would say that you did not have to be fighting a war against tyrants or oppressors, as they walk amongst us. Over the years I have thought back on Colonel Dick Pedder’s chosen words.

There will always be tyrants and oppressors of countries and governments, local authorities, in our work place and around us in our everyday life; it is a frailty of human nature. It is up to us all, to ask questions and to strive to have humanity in our societies. That humanity is hard fought for and guarded by a few who pay the ultimate price.

History in general and Europe’s History in-particular, shows us what can happen if one group of people believe that they are more intelligent, or more worthy than any other. Disrespect of others breeds War, greed, pain and suffering.

No one human has an absolute right over another. Against the frailty of human nature democracy is all we have. But democracy comes at a very high price and is hard to keep. So on this day on the 11^th hour I will remember every child, woman and man, civilian or soldier, who has or is striving to hold onto humanity through the adversity and give thanks for their bravery, grit and determination.

This year 2016 more than any other in my life, Mr Springs story of Colonel Dick Pedder gathered more meaning, and never have I truly understood what this could mean. It is a very strange time to be a woman, and a mother and it is not just Donald Trump we fight. It is the injustice done to those who fight to support those less fortunate, the ill and infirm, those that are left to fend for themselves while our tick box society, leaves their morals in rhetoric and justify their actions by sanctions. When the powers of government, establishment and media, that think they can hoodwink us, make us fight each other on all sides of a tangled web of lies. We are braver than that, we are stronger than that!

I will ask questions, I will strive for justice and humanity and I will remember you!

Time to slam in the Ham

Time to slam in the Ham

Had a great time last night; at a very dear friends and up early this morning to slam in the ham. You know how it goes-you buy a big piece; you have family coming over and the joints are half price so you get the biggest you can. So you arrive home with the monster and you lie in bed and worry.

Now I was going to boil the monster but my saucepan is too small; although it would fit if pushed, I worried that it would burn, as not enough water would surround it. So unable to rest I came downstairs and wrestled with it. I lovingly prepared it in foil and have decided to nurse it through the nearly six hours of cooking time. We have to be out by eleven so I got up at silly o’clock. Us women, honestly!!!

So here I sit with the lights flashing, my fairy glowing and have just had the best cup of coffee on my own, in quiet, true bliss.

Then I got thinking, this I find is always a bad idea when my very own flight of fancy is a flashing (my flight of fancy is the fairy that comes up on my blog). Now I blame Julie; you see she likes to hear me read out my work and would love to down load them and enjoy them as she works (not sure her clients would agree). I can see where she is coming from, as I too like to hear writers read their work. I ran this idea past my very supportive family; as you do, when my daughter began to laugh. Then I did something really silly, I asked her why she was laughing.

Well she explained; after she had calmed down a little, that my voice was not the best for that sort of thing. I try too hard; apparently, to get feeling and emphasis into my work (my family would make good critics, what am I saying they are good critics) and when I had podcast my first few pieces they had been inadvertently downloaded onto her i-pod. She then went onto explain how disconcerting it was to have your mothers dulcet tones recite a poem about balloons. Humm……. I thought she has a point, not sure I would’ve gone a bundle on that at her age.

Once a seed is set however it starts to grow. I have played around a bit with my Pod casing kit which was designed to be fool proof; yes well, this fool has a few issues with that statement. As usual with anything technical it’s only easy when you know how, getting that know how, a little bit more difficult.  After many attempts I have mastered; in my inevitable style, to save them to file and will be having a go at downloading them onto my blog. So very close into 2011; I hope, I will be making the first of my four resolutions. The second is to send out my work that I had ready before Christmas but never got around to sending out and be brave when it comes back (not that I’m defeatist but unfortunately realistic). The third is to get together with Watkins soap and make a bar that has frankincense and Lavender oils in, with a butterfly design in it to go with my book that came out on lulu.com just before Christmas. And lastly to get brave and take my book to the book shops, it all sounds so easy and doable but I know for me this will be difficult to achieve.

I hope you will follow my progress in 2011 and achieve what you set out to do.