http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/The occasional journal of a cat lover,intrepid middle-aged explorer,Aikido enthusiast, poet, artist and writer.en-EUMokoFeed10http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/01/6c7bc8ec08f8d6e455048911029b2c_160x200.jpghttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/25/d-day-landings-7242686/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-10-25:/2009/10/25/d-day-landings-7242686/Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:42:41 +0100 <p>As a man who was born during WWII I am grateful for the men and women of my father's generation for doing their bit and poking the cold steel up the Gemans.  My problem at the moment is the celebration of the 65th aniversary of the landings which I understood took place on June 6th 1944.  So please explain why we are celebrating them in October?</p> <p>Am I thick? Have I missed something important or am I reading the reports wrong?</p> <p>Here I am getting ready to donate on poppy day and remember also the Anzacs and the rememberance in Australia and New Zealand when I am confused by the celebration of the D Day landings.</p> <p>Put me right please.</p> <p>Today I recall the wars we were involved in and those we have to justify.  I recall the fear of Cyprus, the stories of Palestine, the debacle of Egyptand the Suez canal, the tragedy of Korea, Malaya. the Mau Mau, Vietnam and the Balkans not to mention the stupid Falklands war where we nearly deployed Nuclear Weapons and of late the illegal intrusion into Iraq.  I question the wisdom of expecting a solution in Afghanistan. </p> <p>It all boils down to what is a 'just war' and considering Aristotle's explanation.  If we as a nation agree with our rulers that the war we are about to embark on is a 'just'  war, that is one that we cannot avoid waging because not to do so would destroy our way of life and hurt our people, then we should be taking part. </p> <p>I am convinced that the war against Herr Hitler was a just war and to celebrate winning is a good thing to do but I would not want to be confused  - did we land in October or June?  Or are we celebrating a particular phase of the war? </p> <p>I cannot see us celebrating the Afghan war unless it is the day we pull out with the job done or having realised that there is no winning decided that we have had enough.</p> <p>And that brings me to my gripe about the BNP - they have no right to use icons from WWII to justify their fascist position nor to call on british people to identify with our religion to justify their position in society.  At a time when we are remembering the great fight against fascism their input into our consienceness is unwelcome.  Their claims detract from the D Day celebrations however confusing they may be.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/25/d-day-landings-7242686/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>anti-bnpiraq-ward-dayafghanistan-warwwiihttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/25/d-day-landings-7242686/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/20/fun-with-the-tv-license-authority-7210106/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-10-20:/2009/10/20/fun-with-the-tv-license-authority-7210106/Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:46:57 +0200 <p>I listen to the radio, work on my computer, read the newspapers and read books and sometimes I listen to music on tape and CD.  I have a television monitor on which I watch video reels and DVD movies.  I have no ariel connected to the monitro neither do I want one. </p> <p>This situation came about when I moved into a flat in Sheerness and discovered that I could not get a proper signal - I got bored and gave up trying. </p> <p>That was when the threatening letters arrived.  The aggresive nature of the letters; the unrelenting harrassment and the constant reminder that the property was unlicensed and therefore subject to a fine of up to £1000.00 etc only made me angry.  I wrote to them explaining that I do not recieve TV signals and even telephoned their office when a letter threatening court action arrived.</p> <p>I became even more angry when the operator on the other end of the telephone began to read me the letter of the law without listening properly to what I had to say.   I was treated like a criminal.</p> <p>The letters and the threats of court action dogged me for nearly three years with me telling them I do not use TV and them telling me it was a crime not to have a license.   I sent them christmas greetings, wrote sarcastic letters and explained that:<br> <br>They were welcome to sue me if they could prove I was watching TV sans license.<br>That they would need a warrant to enter my place to inspect it. <br>For which they needed proof.<br>That as I was not recieving TV  signals there would be no proof.<br>Ergo I didn't need a license.</p> <p>I also explained how they could make the enquiry letter more user friendly and continued to resist until at last they agreed to leave me alone for three years. The implication was that I might lapse and be a naughty boy and when I changed addresess the whole thing began again.</p> <p>I wrote a letter of complaint and was contacted by their customer services department.  I put my case to them explaining that if were to connect to an ariel I would buy a license and explained that I was not actually a customer the whole process was redundant.</p> <p>Year five and I have not had any letters from them.</p> <p>I also explained that as I was into recycling I would recycle any further letters - put them into my blue bin unopened. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/20/fun-with-the-tv-license-authority-7210106/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tv-licensehttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/20/fun-with-the-tv-license-authority-7210106/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/19/communication-with-tesco-7203748/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-10-19:/2009/10/19/communication-with-tesco-7203748/Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:39:31 +0200 <p><a title="DSCF0761" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/dscf0761/4020928"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/928/4020928_f6aa232b4f_m.jpg" alt="DSCF0761"></a><a title="PIC_0002" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/pic_0002/4020929"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/929/4020929_7eb79cc9f9_m.jpg" alt="PIC_0002"></a><br>I Thought that before I begin complaining again I need to cheer you up with a picture of our greatest national icon and introduce you to Ratty the Ship's Rat and talisman of Island Artists - we are aware that its live counterpart was  the carrier of the plague flea that ravaged Britain from time to time. </p> <p>So, it is a plague on the house of Tesco!</p> <p>My cat showed consumer resistance to the products I had to use as an alternative to the one we have been using for the last few years - result I was out of pocket.  So on behalf of Sophie the cat I trooped down the Tesco customer service department and did me bit with the complaint.  I was fobbed off with a hurried discount before it became obvious that I was yet another disgruntled customer.  My request that the previous successful product be reinstated was ignored.</p> <p>I have had no further reply from the company so I have sent a letter to the local store and another to the head office.  One was directly to the manager and the other had to be sent to customer service(Groceries). </p> <p>I bought a bag of cat litter from Aldi which is being used but again it is not the same quality. </p> <p>I will not bore you with the details but merely explain that I am beginning to realise that Tesco's do not want you to talk to them.  I will keep you posted as to progress.   Maybe I can keep this going for a couple of years as I did with the TV licensing people (I do not watch TV - do not recieve TV signals - ergo do not need a license)  But that is a different story.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/19/communication-with-tesco-7203748/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tv-licensetescocat-litterhttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/19/communication-with-tesco-7203748/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/17/tescos-again-7190363/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-10-17:/2009/10/17/tescos-again-7190363/Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:25:19 +0200 <p>So I had a reply from Tesco that said "Thank you for yourr feedback" and went on to say that they were alway<img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/380/4013380_a4585fc66c_s.jpg" alt="DSC02268" width="200" height="150">s happy to get feedback from their customers in order to offere a better service.  Being somewhat cynical about their altruism I replied that as I was in fact making a complaint and would like an answer to my query. </p> <p>I used the alternative products - first the so-called lightweight clay which was unmanageable and heavy and followed that with a clumping product.  I will spare you the details but imagine a small flat filled with the aroma of cat pee, dust and bits scattered on the floor.  Problem: cleaning said dirt-box.  Again I will spare you the details but it is enough to say that I spend more time cleaning than actually doing the task.</p> <p>So I tried the supposed alternative that seems better - a paper based product. The consumer resistance is noticable - Sophie pees and poos on the paper placed under the pan and scrapes disdainfully at the litter.</p> <p>Sorry to force you to endure the details but I am annoyed by Tescos apparant stupidity in withdrawing what is a popular and useful product that actually works well. Idiots!<img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/379/4013379_1d6d3c7982_s.jpg" alt="DSCF0822"></p> <p>I am now thinking of completely abandoning Tescos and going elsewhere for my grocery shopping - like the changing of the gaurd I will be ringing the changes </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/17/tescos-again-7190363/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>anti-tescotescostupid-tescohttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/17/tescos-again-7190363/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/11/anti-tesco-a-rant-7147751/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-10-11:/2009/10/11/anti-tesco-a-rant-7147751/Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:02:10 +0200 <p><a title="Sophie Puss" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/sophie_puss/3992230"><img src="http://data6.blog.de/media/230/3992230_0900a1f491_s.jpg" alt="Sophie Puss"></a></p> <p><em>Sophie Puss - contemplating her navel.</em></p> <p>For several years I have burbled along doing my weekly shop at my local Tesco store using it as a convenient one stop shop on my way home from work on  a Friday night.  A man of habit getting most of my fruit and veges and other groceries there as well as a selection of meat and fish.  I like a glass or two of red wine at the weekend so Tesco's wine racks were attacked as well.  So for a while all was well except that gradually I became aware of the insiduous increase in the Tesco brands that replaced the brand names that were my favorites.</p> <p>I came to terms with the changes and showed mild annoyance at the 2 for 1 deals on products where to buy one was good but two meant waste.  I liked to buy my meat from the meat counter but the prices of meat when sky high and so I resorted to the packaged stuff which was cheaper.  As I shopped for dairy products, tea and coffee I began to be aware of brand names disappearing in favor of Tesco's own and that disturbed me.   The cost of a cheap bottle of wine rose by a pound and that annoyed me.</p> <p>But the thing that gave me a wake up call against the company was when my local branch discontinued a most excellent cat litter product that  not only absorbed smells but was light and easy to dispense and dispose of, they replaced it with an inferior product.  I went to the customer service desk to complain as any grumpy old man would to discover the stock reply that it was a head office decision. </p> <p>To date I have had no reply to my emails and was fobbed off with a customer feedback card which was not what I wanted. .</p> <p>Result: I am now becoming aware of the way Tesco's operates and will no longer let them control what I do as a customer.</p> <p>Niggles:  The way they follow my buying patterns and offer me extra points on what I buy as if there is a camera looking over my shoulder.  The way Tesco's own brands are taking over the shelves.  The 2 for 1 and 4 for 3 deals that could be otherwise offered as genuine discounts.  The quality of the out of season produce - like the vegetables sold they are bland and uninteresting to taste - rot quickly and lead to waste.  The steady increase in cheap non-grocery goods many of which are so shoddy as to give no value for money.</p> <p>Loyalty to Tesco's is loyalty to their high profits and the opression of the primary producer - not loyalty to the customer. </p> <p>Rant over. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/11/anti-tesco-a-rant-7147751/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tescosrantown-brandsshoddy-goodshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/10/11/anti-tesco-a-rant-7147751/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/05/06/identity-cards-6071840/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-05-06:/2009/05/06/identity-cards-6071840/Wed, 06 May 2009 21:14:46 +0200 <p>Getting grumpy am I and maybe for a reason. Although I sometimes agree with the idea of Identity Cards I am disturbed by the latest reports of High street retailers (Boots perhaps) being given the means to take the data and send it on. That is people who can possibly be put in the tempting situation to sell the information, falsify information after the bio-data is collected and act as a channel for government department bumbling. </p> <p>I am suspicious of the terminology used in the report in The Times that suggests the pilot scheme is voluntary, and by insinuation, a voluntary system nationally when the only logical way is to insist that an ID card is a compulsory measure from the very launching. The Times articles seems to favor the scheme but as an added sting points out that it is now costing some 5.3 billion pounds which seems an awful lot of money to trust to a bunch of chemists' assistants in a retail store. </p> <p>The further sting is that the cost to you and I, the poor punter, as rumors will have it is set at £60.00. </p> <p>Now, I have two passports being a dual citizen, both of which I have paid for and intend to renew. The reason is because I want tor travel overseas and need them. </p> <p>I do not watch television so I do not buy a TV license because I do not need one. </p> <p>Logically unless there is a reason for me to need an ID card why should I purchase one if they are currently voluntary? I have a passport and a driver's license with my mugshot on both so why do I need an ID card. I know who I am. </p> <p>If the government want us to comply willingly then the only logical way is to issue the ID cards for free - after all I do not pay for the one I have to wear at the school where I work. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/05/06/identity-cards-6071840/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>id-cardsgovernmentpassportshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/05/06/identity-cards-6071840/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/17/don-t-i-look-gorgeous-5959768/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-04-17:/2009/04/17/don-t-i-look-gorgeous-5959768/Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:03:02 +0200 <p> </p> <p><img title="Sophie Puss" src="http://data5.blog.de/media/497/3342497_c0a3135515_s.jpg" alt="Sophie Puss" width="301" height="178"></p> <p><img title="Daffodils" src="http://data5.blog.de/media/436/3419436_62cdcad6b3_s.jpg" alt="Daffodils"></p> <p>Sophie Puss was born in New Zealand so when I moved back here I brought her with me.  She is a lovable, lively cat now ten years old and enjoys a game with a cheap toy although she is addicted to a catmint mouse bought from the PDSA stand in Queenborough two years ago.  I can put my hand into those sharp claws and teeth and play-fight without getting totally scragged.   My last cat - Toots - was a maniac and all the time she had sharp teeth and sharp claws its was a case of shredded fingers and antiseptic washes followed by sticking plaster dressings and using a chewable object instead.   Sophie is just as active but less ferocious. </p> <p> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/17/don-t-i-look-gorgeous-5959768/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>catmint-toyscatsharp-clawsdaffodilscat-play-fightshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/17/don-t-i-look-gorgeous-5959768/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/17/electric-motor-cars-5959624/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-04-17:/2009/04/17/electric-motor-cars-5959624/Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:36:16 +0200 <p>The rumors have it that in the near future we will be able to claim a subsidy for purchasing an electrically powered motor vehicle. Wow! Great idea? First we have to have the infrastructure in place to service them; next we have to realise that if everybody changed over we will have to have extra power supplied to make up for the demand and most importantly the money to pay for the change. Granted we have to find a way of reducing our energy use and pollution to try and conserve finite resources but we also need to take a look at the way we live and ask the question: do we really need the motor car?</p> <p>Is it possible to channel the proposed electric revolution into a comprehensice transport system that will enable us all to travel at costs we can afford? We are used to travelling at will in cars often as sole occupants on journeys that could be better served by frequent, cheap and efficient public transport. </p> <p>The knee jerk reaction to the dire situation of the car market by the government is silly. Without thinking the situation through the idea is daft because what is needed is an integrated system that will employ the minds of engineers and systems designers to produce a solution that has not just had money thrown at it. </p> <p>For a person in my situation an electric car, a new car or even a better car is not a viable proposition - in other words I cannot afford it so it will be on the bus or foot using a rail card or perhaps a bike. </p> <p>The proposed few thousand pounds for an electric car could be better used making public transport work The car makers can do what other manufacturers have had to do in the past - change to another product. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/17/electric-motor-cars-5959624/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>electric-carspublic-transporthttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/17/electric-motor-cars-5959624/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/12/the-place-i-live-5930205/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-04-12:/2009/04/12/the-place-i-live-5930205/Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:29:52 +0200 <p><a title="Bobbin Church" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/bobbin_church/3402944"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/944/3402944_e46e0804eb_s.jpg" alt="Bobbin Church" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> <a title="Sittingbourne street" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/sittingbourne_street/3402943"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/943/3402943_4c2ff1e496_s.jpg" alt="Sittingbourne street" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>On a more cheerful note I thought I must talk about the place I live.  Sheppey and Sittingbourne in Kent is considered by some as an area of outstanding mediocraty.  Recently I took a stroll around Sittingbourne which is not the most attractive of towns I have to admit and I was pleasantly surprised at what I found.  I was taking photo's to put on our local writer's group website to show a little of the area's more attractive parts - an exercise to cheer people up who live there. </p> <p>The result was a Spring showing that even in the middle of town was pleasant.  Nice pubs and a cheerful looking street and some wonderful displays of daffodils and magnolias; the latter in gardens and the former also in gardens but as additions to public spaces including roadside berms, cemetaries, church yards and our local sports fields.</p> <p>Sittingbourne can be a treat in spring. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/12/the-place-i-live-5930205/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>daffodilschurchyardssittingbournemagnoliashttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/12/the-place-i-live-5930205/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/11/pirates-5927507/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-04-11:/2009/04/11/pirates-5927507/Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:42:15 +0200 <p>Now that the Somalian pirates have defied the US forces sent to assist and had the gall to hi-jack an American ship we are likely to see some fireworks. The oops factor has kicked in and these high seas criminals have made a mistake. When I was a boy I used to like the idea of a Pirate movie or playing game with my friends in which we, as pirates, captured ships and took prisoners who were made to walk the plank or captured one of the girls and held her hosstage, although one of them always wanted to be pirate captain. This as you can imagine was a bit of nuisance for us boys as we expecetd the girls to be girls and not tom-boys. Unfortunately this one was a tougher than some of us and got her way - she was also quite pretty and those early stirring unrecognised for what they were encouraged giving way. </p> <p>The game was fun and although I had some idea that piracy was not all peg legs and parrots that squawked 'pieces of eight' I was happy to play my part. The sword fighting and the silly accents we adopted were all part of it as well as the romantic movie images, and of course the book Treasure Island, the story of Peter Pan and Hook and the popular hero worship of Sir Francis Drake who was little more than a state sponsored pirate if historians have it right. The bloodthirsty appeal of a pirate on the Spanish Main was a great draw for a boy. It was later as an adult that I realised how awful a pirate's life must have been; short, brutal and precarious. </p> <p>Today we have an expectation of being able to travel wherever we wish within reason by air and sea and to be wise about going to places we consider to be dangerous, as westerners that is, but we do expect to cruise the seas with safety other than for storms and such sea borne hazards. Piracy doesn't come into it.</p> <p>Except that is for the Somali pirates who are getting bolder. It is time they were reminded that attacking the US, European and Russian ships is a mistake. In 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and learned that the Paper Tiger had claws and teeth and they got badly mauled. The US was taken by surprise and in 2001 Al Queada attacked the US which created a reaction - the US got annoyed and fought back. That is a difficult fight.</p> <p>The pirates of Somalia by attacking a US ship have grabbed a Tiger by the tail and the nature of tigers is to turn on their attackers and bite them. Oops! Let us watch the claws and teeth in action - take a lesson from Entebbe and the recent French attack to release a yacht siezed by the pirates, or from the bravery of the passengers inn the aircraft on its way to damage the White House. </p> <p>When you insult American patroism you take a tiger by the tail and should expect to get bitten on the bum. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/11/pirates-5927507/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>tigerspiracyus-shippingsomaliaentebbehttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/04/11/pirates-5927507/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/30/how-friendly-can-people-be-5860564/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-03-30:/2009/03/30/how-friendly-can-people-be-5860564/Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:15:22 +0200 <p>I went to Sissinghurst gardens in Kent this weekend to see the early arrival of their spring bulbs and plants before the trees and shrubs began to take over. The idea was to enjoy a walk in the post winter - early spring garden and to contemplate on the season. It was more a trip to clear the air a bit and indulge in a little Zen meditation; the sort of thing is to relate to the bare trees and shrubs yet see the emrging foliage and enjoy the growth of the daffodils and other plants. I was also keen on taking some pictures for my writer's group web site and add some more to my google blog. </p> <p>Naturally I met people with like minds and although I appreciated being a lone walker and watcher I was pleasantly surprised when people smiled and talked to me - maybe I look daft and they pity me - and this added to the pleasure of the visit. </p> <p>Spring is yellow. </p> <p>I also saw some lambs newly born wobbling on pipe cleaner legs and bouncing as joyfully as Tigger. I saw families enjoying the the day and bossy ten year old boys telling their dads how the world works; a couple hand in hand walking the muddy woodland tracks and volunteers smiling warm greetings. </p> <p>And when I got home my cat came running. </p> <p>Zen helped a lot. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/30/how-friendly-can-people-be-5860564/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>catsnew-born-lambszenwalkingdaffodilsgardenshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/30/how-friendly-can-people-be-5860564/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/24/on-books-and-reading-5821858/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-03-24:/2009/03/24/on-books-and-reading-5821858/Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:14:20 +0100 <p>I was encouraged by a contact from rainbowgirl to think again about the books I read or have read when I read her blog.  I was surprised to see that she had read some of the books I had read considering that she at age seventeen and me at age nearly sixty-seven I had some idea that she would like books so much different from my taste.   Wrong! I'm pleased to say.  Yes, I did thing that Pullman's story was a bit weak but the middle volume was excellent; and I too enjoyed and still do enjoy The Hitchhiker's Guide but do not recommend trying Arthur Dent's method of learning to fly - it hurts.  Lord of the Rings is one along with The Hobbit, CS Lewis Narnia stories and the Alice stories as well from Carroll. </p> <p>I can recommend The Half Men of O by Maurice Gee, The Life of Pi as a must read and try Catch 22 which is barmy; and also by Heller God Knows - but read a little about the Biblical David first.  As a man who has read all of Shakespeare's works, acted in a Henry V and is currently, among many other projects re-writing Hamlet from the point of view of an infinite number of monkeys, who also writes poems I also have read many books and continue to do so.  Current read is Varney the Vampyre having also for many years enjoyed Dracula and Frankenstein. </p> <p>I also dive into romances and such classics as Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and its counterpoint The Far Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, taken a look at Albert Camus - La Peste - and read Les Miserable, The Naming of the Rose and such quaint stories as The Thirteen Clocks and  The Wonderful O.  </p> <p>My reading covers all areas from thrillers, Crime, Comedy, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Autobiography, Biographies, academic reading for subjects ranging from History to Modern technology; in fact anything that interests me.  Most importantly although we have the interenet as a most useful resource I still take pleasure in sitting down somewhere and reading a book .  In this way I discovered that Mills and Boon also have much to offer because when you research the genre you learn how they work and understand the need and apepal of the market. </p> <p>The world of literature from wherever you approach it is rich with pleasure and knowledge and its is great to hear from young people who appreciate the media.  Okay so rainbowgirl is not entirely unique but she is refreshingly exciting and has a lively and witty blog which I put down to her eclectic tastes.   As a Teaching Assistant at a Secondary school working with post sixteen students I meet young people with wide reading tastes who are also willing to read beyond their interests.  Rainbowgirl has reminded me of that.  Thanks.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/24/on-books-and-reading-5821858/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>readingfantasybookshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/24/on-books-and-reading-5821858/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/22/on-being-a-cat-lover-5807033/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-03-22:/2009/03/22/on-being-a-cat-lover-5807033/Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:13:42 +0100 <p>I know that I have introduced myself as a cat lover so there may be nothing new in me doing so if it were not for a few more observations.  I talk to my cat and of late I have noticed that she seems to understand one or two key phrases - now don't panic I am not as daft as seem - that I say when I am talking to her.  For example if I want her to come to me I ask her and often she will do so and even using the word 'no' seems to have an effect.  I tried other phrases on the silly assumption that se might be learning English and of course, you geussed it - zilch.  No effect whatsoever.  So I tried again and carefully made a note of what worked and what didn't and came to the conclusion that it was not the language or the words selected that made a difference but the time and place, my body language and habit that did it. </p> <p>Cats seem to like adopting patterns of behavoir according to their familiarity with events.  It is <a title="James Apps" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/james_apps/3342494"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/494/3342494_2b871230cf_m.jpg" alt="James Apps" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="287" height="187"></a>well known that many dogs will recognise a familiar footstep, the sound of the masters car etc and react by running toward the sound in greting long before the person has arrived.  This awareness is recognised and can be seen in a child knowing instinctively who is mother, or where she is.  It is later whan we grow into adults we forget the instinct and ignore its pull.  <a title="Sophie Puss" href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/sophie_puss/3342497"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/497/3342497_c0a3135515_m.jpg" alt="Sophie Puss" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="291" height="300"></a></p> <p>Cats have an instinct that allows them to recognise patterns in your behavior and relate that to good things in their lives, comfort, treats, feeding times, times when doors will open, play times and sleeping times plus your voice when you announce them.  Voice accompanied by actions that make them happy will attract cats toward you and as it is Mothering Sunday I am sure that we can claim to be surrogate mothers to our cats and so any noises we make can be intr=erpreted by them as the precursor to treats or comfort. </p> <p>That does not mean fro one moment I will give up talking to my cat in my own language as long as I also attempt to learn hers.  Result: I remain as daft and as soppy with my cat as normal and my cat gets fed, watered and fussed as normal which a is a mutually beneficial arrangement because to get all these things all she has to do is smooch, grovel, purr and trill her way around me. </p> <p>The bonus is that I get an affectionate pet and the illusion that I am in control and have somebody more interesting than myself to talk to.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/22/on-being-a-cat-lover-5807033/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>talking-to-catsmothering-sundaysoppinesshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/22/on-being-a-cat-lover-5807033/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/13/tough-times-5752067/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-03-13:/2009/03/13/tough-times-5752067/Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:46:43 +0100 <p>Okay, so we are going through some tough times here, right? Be aware that for the past two decades we have ridden high on good wages, unlimited credit, piles of available goods and the expectation we can have what we want at any time we want it. Added to that we have suffered from the embarrassment of celebrity culture that has created some awful people, some horrendous behavior and Big Brother. Eek! The reason I don't like the program is because it creates celebrities with little or no talent unless it is that they are celebrities because they have been on Big Brother. The problem is that in Orwell's story the room 101 was where Winston Smith and Julia faced their worst nightmare and sibsequently betrayed each other. In our version the inmates face only minor humiliation and it is not life threatening. Except of course outside of the program when one celebrity with little or no talent other than her place on Big Brother is discovered to be ill with a rather nasty form of cancer. </p> <p>Now, this is where I changed my opinion of the poor woman and began to wish her all the best in her fight to gain as much from the situation for her family as she possibly could. Her tragic circumstances and the media hype that was whipped up to help her maximise her profits is a brave attempt to gain the advantage in a financial climate that is as hostile as the cancer that invades her. </p> <p>I do not like the persona that Jade Goody showed to the public but that does not mean that I have no sympathy for her in these tough times. In fact I must make a tribute to her and her efforts and offer my sympathy to her. Tough times for her and tough times for us but let us learn from her. Be brave and face the future however short or precarious and howver cock-eyed it may seem do what you do best and let things happen. Like Jade you may go under but there is always hope that those you leave behind will benefit from your sacrifice and survive the tough times. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/13/tough-times-5752067/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>braverybig-brothertough-timeshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/03/13/tough-times-5752067/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/02/28/christmas-and-dropping-out-for-a-while-5667586/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2009-02-28:/2009/02/28/christmas-and-dropping-out-for-a-while-5667586/Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:37:07 +0100 <p>There is one thing that happens to all of us at some time or another and that is the need to disappear for a few weeks and as they say to chill out.  In this case the chilling out was chilling in.  I had no gas heater to keep this slightly overweight body warm or a place for my cat Sophie to stretch and purr in the luxury that cats expect.  I spent Christmas day with my sister and devoured much food in the warmth of their large, well heated mansion and afterwards, having spent the night there, staggered home to a cold building which cost me an arm and a leg (metaphorically speaking) to heat with electric heaters.  The chaparrived to do the gas heater after the 'chimley' as he described it was repaired. </p> <p>The landlord was as tight as could be and was reluctant to spend the dollars on scaffolding, bricklayers and such to repair what was a leaky chimney so I had to threaten him with withdrawal of rent and a visit to the council offices who provide me with the wherewithall to pay the sum.  result: a sudden enthusiasm for getting the job done.  We had snow and ice but eventually the thing was done and Sophie puss and owner had a place that was warm.  Great stuff!</p> <p>But what about the dropping out?</p> <p>I decided to change a few things and so with all that was going on I left this blog to last.  So, Cat and I apologise and will be in touch.  For the moment we are trying to find a company to work for - preferably a Scottish bank - to enhance our retirement fund.  The idea of gaining £650000 for messing up a financial icon is quite attractive.  We are op[en to offers. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/02/28/christmas-and-dropping-out-for-a-while-5667586/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>financecatsdropping-outchristmashttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2009/02/28/christmas-and-dropping-out-for-a-while-5667586/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/12/24/the-usual-chruistmas-blurb-5271118/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-12-24:/2008/12/24/the-usual-chruistmas-blurb-5271118/Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:57:15 +0100 <p>Okay, so we are at the end of the year; the mad scramble to feed the metaphorical five thousand has emptied the supermarket shelves of brusssel sprouts, turkeys and many perishable viands; wines and spirits are disappearing as fast as they can be put on the shelves and finding a parking space downtown is a frustrating exercise. Santas wander around the shopping centers, children queue up at makeshift grottos and the tinsel, lights and plastic decorations glitter provocatively. </p> <p>Me, I mutter 'Bah Humbug' and wish for a return to the innocence of my childhood when the Christmas hassle was far removed from my ken and grandma sang carols at the piano and we came downstairs on Christmas morning to see the living room transformed into a magic place of warm food, Christmas tree in the corner with parcels underneath and the smell of spiced puddings being readied for the pot. </p> <p>So, I send my contacts a greeting for Christmas and hope that you are all going to use the Christmas message of hope and weather the economic storm.</p> <p>In the meantime to cheer you up try the Sheppey Writers web site and read the Christmas stories written by year seven children of the Westlands School at Sittingbourne. The address is: <a href="http://www.freewebs.com/sheppeywriter">http://www.freewebs.com/sheppeywriter</a> and you are invited to make comments on our guestbook, read the stories and if you want to download the PDF pieces that are attached. </p> <p>Incidently, my cat cares not a fig for Christmas but will eat a portion of Turkey if placed close to her nose; otherwise it is jellymeat and biscuits.</p> <p>Merry Christmas! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/12/24/the-usual-chruistmas-blurb-5271118/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>bah-humbugchristmas-puddingskids-storiescatchristmashttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/12/24/the-usual-chruistmas-blurb-5271118/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/11/24/walking-in-the-cold-5099377/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-11-24:/2008/11/24/walking-in-the-cold-5099377/Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:54:26 +0100 <p>I left my cat at home snoozing fatly beside the heater on Saturday 22nd and took to walking with my sister using the Ringlestone Arms in Kent as my base.  We dressed up well in 'sensible' clothes took off to walk the exposed hills between the villages of Frinstead and Wormshill.  The thing is to keep moving, look for the sunny spots and step out a bit more vigorously than normal.  The reward was a wonderful experience that embraced the mid Autumn colors and some great views out over the Thames and Medway estuaries. </p> <p>Returning to the pub we enjoyed the warmth of a cheery fire and ate a pleasant lunch having exercised well.  The method I use for keeping the cold at bay is to warm up by walking along a road or an easy path first at what is described by us oldies as 'a brisk pace' and then venture into the less easier walking where you are forced perhaps to slow down and get a little exposed to the cold.  This day the wind was cold and vicious but with hats on and scarves we weathered the cold breeze and by the time we had clambered over a few stiles, climbed a few hills and finally reached the road we were well warmed up. </p> <p>Why walk in the cold?</p> <p>The reason is that you can layer clothes on and as long as it is not yer actual artic conditions you can walk a long way without sweating your veritables off.  If you get too warm you can always take a layer off and add it on again when you get cold. </p> <p>I apoligised to my cat when I did get home after sitting with my sister at her home waffling and drinking hot chocolate.  She, the cat that is, seemed to accept the apology and cuddled up happily and all was well in the Apps household. </p> <p>Have you seen a cat walking in the cold?</p> <p>Mine hates it and would rather be inside warm and sleeping, but then I do not blame her, after all she has only her fur to protect her and with bare feet on a cold surface I should imagine the experience leaves a lot to be desired.  She cannot add or remove layers so easily.</p> <p>Mind you, I think she quite liked the idea joining me at the pub in front of their roaring fire.  But then I may be wrong.  Who can tell?  Cats have minds of their own.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/11/24/walking-in-the-cold-5099377/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>hiking-in-the-coldwalking-in-autumnautumncatsringlestone-armshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/11/24/walking-in-the-cold-5099377/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/11/05/new-president-a-welcome-change-4990518/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-11-05:/2008/11/05/new-president-a-welcome-change-4990518/Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:28:30 +0100 <p>From where I sit and watch the American elections it appears that the American people have taken the inevitable step and voted for the right man. Even if his opponant had been of a similar ilk, white or black, he still came across as the right choice. </p> <p>That he is black is an advance, bearing in mind that many people in high administration in the USA are black, it is great that Obama has been chosen. I was impressed, as we all were, by Martin Luther King's speech and the promise that one day all men will be equal in the USA and now his dream has come partially true. The USA has a black president but there is still a long way to go. The next step is to elect a woman - right? </p> <p>The amazing thing about Obama's election is that the American people have recognised a man with presence, a man who is strong in his ideas and can offer hope for the ordinary people. </p> <p>What I like about Obama is that when he chose his running mate he discarded Hillary Clinton and made his own selection. I believe if he had been stuck with a Clinton he would be making a rod for hios own back and she and her husband would be like the Ancient Mariner's albatross hanging upon his soul. </p> <p>So, let us watch what happens and in the meantime let's welcome him as the new leader of the free world. A little sarcastic perhaps but let's hope that he makes Iraq free and thinks again about Afghanistan and is strong enough to face off against other major powers and help us to stop the fiasco in both places. </p> <p>Bush's war against terror and Blair's illconcieved involvement may find a new direction and in the meantime we will celebrate the change. </p> <p>Welcome on board Barack Obama </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/11/05/new-president-a-welcome-change-4990518/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>presidentusahttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/11/05/new-president-a-welcome-change-4990518/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/24/on-writing-haiku-and-short-stories-4926679/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-10-24:/2008/10/24/on-writing-haiku-and-short-stories-4926679/Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:50:14 +0200 <p>I am a writer:  that I am also an artist is another part of me that adds to my status a servant to my cat and a lover of motorcycles, and allows me to be creative on my own count and appreciate creativity in others.  The Haiku comes into the picture through an artistic project at the RSPB site in Elmley marshes on the Isle of Sheppey.  A small group of us went there in the evening and in between showers walked in the dimming light trying to write Haiku poems.  Great fun when it stopped raining. </p> <p>A Haiku is a three line poem consisting of seventeen syllables with five in line one, seven in line two and five in line three.  Traditionally the Japanese Haiku should be about what you see immediately and should have a seasonal theme.  They are a fascinating form to write and should be written down and then left as they were written to capture that immediacy. </p> <p>In the 1950's and 60's the so-called Beat Poets took the Haiku and changed it to suit themselves but still used the short form and the immediacy of it to say what they needed to put across.  Simple, direct but with the images thus invoked led to quite complex thoughts rising from the words.  I use one of my own as an illustration. </p> <p> In the thunderous dawn, The sparrow flies, Forever.</p> <p>or-</p> <p>In the rain, the sun gleams yellow and green, my cat shakes diamonds from her fur.</p> <p>The second one has seventeen syllables.   Note that in both poems there is the bones of a short story if you can bridge the ideas that are presented and add your own imagination to words.  </p> <p>So, this is what I have in mind. </p> <p>Check out the Sheppey Writer's website and if you feel you want to submit some work to us and if we like it we will put it on the site.  No prizes offered but it is great to have your work published. </p> <p>Now, as for short stories, I am sure that many people have a short story or two tucked away that could be published too.   Again, submit them to the site and see what happens. </p> <p>The site?  We are the Sheppey and Sittingbourne Writer's Group and to learn a little about our group click <a title="Sheppey and Sittingbourne Writer" href="http://www.freewebs.com/sheppeywriter">HERE</a>. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/24/on-writing-haiku-and-short-stories-4926679/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>-shorts-storieswriting-cats-haiku-poetryhttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/24/on-writing-haiku-and-short-stories-4926679/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/19/a-more-serious-note-assisted-suicide-4896651/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-10-19:/2008/10/19/a-more-serious-note-assisted-suicide-4896651/Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:09:54 +0200<p>I was sad when I read about Daniel James. </p> <p>When I say sad it was not just because of his condition or the decision he came to, but that we in this society of ours have forgotten that in societies past there was a personal choice.   Greeks took their lives for many reasons - Socrates was given the option - take his life or be executed.   Dianne Pretty had a choice - take her own life or be executed by the disease and Debbie Purdy is facing the same dilemma.  Three deaths that are nasty, uncomfortable - not that death is comfortable - and possibly painful.  Dianne Pretty wanted her husband with her at the end to help her in her last moments and so does Debbie Purdy.  Both women are entitled to have their wishes respected.   Socrates was niether brave nor foolish but merely practical in following the edicts of the times. </p> <p>Daniel James made a choice - right or wrong - to take the Socratean way, condemned as he was to a life with very little meaning - a life sentence more restricting than a murderer, more punishing than being on death row in an American state prison.   He made his choice and his parents and family did their best to help him carry it out. </p> <p>The 'what ifs' are obvious - what if he were cured of his paralysis?</p> <p>What if he regained some control of his body some years down the track?</p> <p>Obviously there is also what if he didn't? </p> <p>He could spend a hopeless life seeking hope or have hope and keep going or do as he did and end his life.  Not much choice really is there? </p> <p>But I knew a man in New Zealand whom I shall call Joe who was in a similar position.  He sustained a spinal injury that paralysed his whole body and although he could talk and eat he had to have everything else catered for.  He was kept in a spinal treatment unit and one day a nurse doing a regular test on his extremities saw a reaction and this began waht turned out for Joe a painful recovery.  I met him in the rehabilitation unit and the man was an inspiration to me to work towards my own recovery - his condition made mine look like a scratch to a major open wound - and I saw him recover almost completely.</p> <p>Daniel James may not have had that option.</p> <p>But what makes me sad is that he might have had the chance.  </p> <p>What else makes me sad is that his family cannot rest and take stock in their grief without being charged with the crime of assisting suicide. </p> <p>I do not agree with assisted suicide as a means of resolving a situation unless that situation is proved to be hopeless for the person concerned.  The thought of allowing this solution to happen without extreme justification is horrendous - the opportunity for abuse is too much to contemplate, but there is a need to make  a law that will allow people in situations such as Dianne Pretty, Debbie Purdy and now Daniel James to make a rational decision and then permit their loved ones to accompany them without prosecution. </p> <p>It is time that this situation is carefully examined and the law process carefully devised to make sure that people have the right to die with dignity. </p> <p>Is it morally acceptable to deny choice to a rational person as a opposed to making a choice for somebody who is perhaps too ill to think rationally.  Danial James, Dianne Pretty, Debbie Purdy and Socrates are all rational people and it seems irrational that they are not allowed to make their choice without it affecting the lives of those who love them in such a way as to cause them suffering. </p> <p>Did the man who handed Socrates the hemlock suffer from the hands of the law?   No, the cup was properly prepared and willingly taken. </p> <p>I am not brave enough to make such a choice - are you?</p><p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/19/a-more-serious-note-assisted-suicide-4896651/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>-griefsuicide-dignity-dianne-pretty-socrates-life-sadnesshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/19/a-more-serious-note-assisted-suicide-4896651/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/12/the-aftermath-of-poetry-day-4860990/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-10-12:/2008/10/12/the-aftermath-of-poetry-day-4860990/Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:00:33 +0200 <p>I was at home on Thursday 9th October working at home instead of at the school where I hang about telling 6th formers what to do,  waiting for the gas inspector to arrive to inspect my gas heater.  He arrived and interrupted my work; I was designing a tutorial for building websites.    He condemned the heater and told me my 'chimley' needed repair before a new fire could be fitted and took the old one with him.  What a treat!</p> <p>Moments later another worker arrived to fix my back door and again interrupted my work. I was now  putting together some poems and short stories for a reading/recital at a local art gallery - the Polka Dot Gallery at Teynham in Kent.  </p> <p>As a result I had to work late that evening to finish the task. </p> <p>All went smoothly - not - the night before my printer decided to sulk and not work so I had to sort it but it steadfastly refused to be sorted and I had to resort to a lesser quality printer.  Bummer. </p> <p>My intention was to write some new poems to mark the day but unless you regard a list of expletives poetically arranged all aimed at the perpertrators of poor engineering, bad programming and huge sucker bleeding profits as poetic then there was poetry. </p> <p>Result: grumpiness of the first order.</p> <p>Then my cat came to the rescue and with poetic movements that goes with her natural elegance and poise. She nuzzled up with almighty purrs and attacked my hands and fingers with her claws and teeth.</p> <p>Poetic justice. </p> <p>I think this was her way of joining in the anger and frustration; on the grounds that if I can swear and moan and threaten to hang certain manufacturers and their whole families from digitally devised wooden crosses, she could at least have a piece of my flesh.  Below is a picture of Sophie in all her elegant innocence.<br>Comment: Ouch! <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/media/photo/sophie_puss/2889264" title="Sophie puss"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/264/2889264_9076a88af9_s.jpeg" alt="Sophie puss" hspace="5" vspace="5"></a> </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/12/the-aftermath-of-poetry-day-4860990/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/12/the-aftermath-of-poetry-day-4860990/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/05/back-to-black-cats-4825879/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-10-05:/2008/10/05/back-to-black-cats-4825879/Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:43:00 +0200 <p>I am aware that October is here and soon we will be embracing the idea of halloween - the night before All Hallows the day when spirits of the dead are forgiven as they walk in our world.  The images of black cats, broomsticks, flying witches and other goulish and supernatural entities abound and in the USA and Canada there is a tradition of 'Trick or Treat' where children dress up in odd costumes and visit homes.  </p> <p>In England this idea is fast catching on and it is with mixed feelings that I see its coming.  </p> <p>Now, I have a black cat.</p> <p>Ah, you might say, there in lies a tale.  Or tail if you feel like it.  What is this man doing with a black cat.  Are they lucky or or are they a kin of the devil and witchcraft? </p> <p>From my observations of them I reckon they are different, odd to say the least and peculiar when it comes to their relationship with people.  My small, elegant, green eyed feline is a friendly, soft, purring twit with the occasional need to assert herself with a display of sharp claws and teeth that will shred my hands if I let her.  </p> <p>But she is a pussy-cat compared to my last moggie who could shred my flesh to the bone in play and still purr happily as she did it.  If any cat was a witches familiar this was her.  Toots was not evil but she was a one person cat - the political correctness is deliberate - Toots cared not a jot for PC and attacked both males and females with equal vigor. </p> <p>And the one before her was strange to say the least .  Frodo didn't walk around puddles but through them, liked to attack small waves on the beach, loved to ride on my shoulders and seemed to choose the full moon to go crazy.  </p> <p>As for Sophie, my present puss, she tends to be more active during the full moon than at other times.  I am beginning to wonder if black cats are familiars and as a consequence I am now quite worried about what I may be.  </p> <p>Maybe this Halloween I might find out. </p> <p>Thinks: must get that birch broom stick... </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/05/back-to-black-cats-4825879/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/10/05/back-to-black-cats-4825879/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/09/14/the-moon-and-haiku-and-wolf-howling-4726950/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-09-14:/2008/09/14/the-moon-and-haiku-and-wolf-howling-4726950/Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:08:52 +0200 <p>Dateline: 13th September two days before the full moon.  <br>Location: The RSPB reserve on Elmley Marshes on the Isle of Sheppey.<br>Purpose: To read the results of a workshop on Haiku poems to  a gathered audience consisting of the mayor of Swale, the artist, Stephen Taylor, whose vigil for 28 days taking pictures of the moon and observing the activities of birds and animals in the reserve was the focus of the evening entertainment.  </p> <p>We saw children's paintings, shapes of animals and birds constructed of wire and white cloth, moonscapes and images of the birds and animals (mostly birds) that inhabited the Elmley marsh.  </p> <p>My part in it was to read Haiku that I had written for the occasion.</p> <p>The surprise was that not only were the local press in evidence but so too was the local telly.  I rose to the occassion and fortified by some bubbly and a familiarity with reading and performing poems in public I and Stephen Taylor read Haiku and Beat Poet's versions of Haiku's to a receptive crowd.  </p> <p>The night was clear and as I drove to the venue across the marshes on the winding farm road I was overwhelmed by the rising moon and the wonderful sunset.  Tonight, I thought, was a moon howling night and I would finish my performance with a poem that would do just that.  </p> <p>Yes people, in front of the telly, the press and the mayor we had the people howling at the moon!</p> <p>And don't you just want to do that? </p> <p>First, just in case you are not familiar with Haiku I will elucidate.  </p> <p>Haiku is a Japanese poetic form that traditionally was spontaneous and highly competitive and still is in some places that in our language takes the form of three lines.  The three lines contain no more than seventeen syllables with  line one of five, line two of seven and line three of five .  The form usually relates to the season or time of year and has a climax in line three.  It is simple and written about yuor observations - what you see - with no poetic devices or contrivances.  </p> <p>The Haiku looks easy but it is not.</p> <p>It gets easier whan you have a Haiku to reply to - hence the competition.  Zen helps. </p> <p>I have a couple here - all the poems you read are written by me - and these are based on traditional form.  The first inspired by the project when I heard about it and the second on the day.  </p> <p>She cat slits her eyes,<br>Hunting unwary creatures;<br>In bright August moon. </p> <p>Sunlight breaks the gloom<br>September sun paints golden - <br>The wind blows Autumn songs. </p> <p>The Friday night - the 5th of September was cloudy with rain squalls - there was no moon showing.  The clear night on Saturday was a boon.  The Beat Poets of the late fifties and sixties changed Haiku to suit themselves and so we followed their lead  and below I give you the final poem, Haiku style which should be read at full moon, outside with everybody joining in with the last verse.  </p> <p>This was written on the death of Allen Ginsberg who wrote the poem Howl.</p> <p><strong>Lunantic!</p> <p></strong>Lunantic 1  Do you not    Howl the Moon   When   Wolf bitten   Madmen  Scream</p> <p>Unwritten  Ancient   Tongues.</p> <p>Lunantic 2  <br>When<br>Wolf bitten<br>Madmen<br>Howl<br>The<br>Moon<br>Scream<br>Unwritten<br>Tongues!</p> <p>Lunantic 3<br>Scream<br>when wolf bitten<br>madmen<br>howl the moon<br>in ancient unwritten tongues.</p> <p>Lunantic 4<br>In ancient tongues<br>you howl the moon.</p> <p>Lunantic 5<br>Wolf bitten<br>Howl</p> <p>Lunantic 6<br>Howl!</p> <p>The last line you do together and as we reached the end of the performance this is just what we did.  I think it's a bloke thing.  </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/09/14/the-moon-and-haiku-and-wolf-howling-4726950/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>haikupoetrymoonpoemszenhttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/09/14/the-moon-and-haiku-and-wolf-howling-4726950/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/30/the-ideal-summer-holiday-paint-your-flat-4658939/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-08-30:/2008/08/30/the-ideal-summer-holiday-paint-your-flat-4658939/Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:24:10 +0200 <p>I tried hard to fit in with the terracotta walls, gold woodwork in the bedroom, reddish brown in the hallway and the lounge.  I honestly tried to come to terms with the white wall with the red polka dots, and the large black circle with the bamboo attached in the bedroom.  The chinese style motifs got to me as did the large design in gold, black and red on the back of the bedroom door.  On top of that I had to face a Noddy style red and yellow kitchen.  </p> <p>As the inhabitants of Douglas Adams' planet Krikkit remarked when they saw the Universe 'It will have to go'.</p> <p>We though it would be cheaper to do it ourselves so I consulted with my cat, Sophie, and we decided that it was best to go for neutrality and contrast. We chose Ivory, a pleasant off white emulsion for the walls and replaced the red woodwork for a brown that looked as much like dark coffee as possible and to go with it Pearl Ivory, a soft cream color for the doors.  </p> <p>Like in the song, we did one wall at a time, shifting the furniture, removing shelves, filling holes and sanding, painting the woodwork and then the walls.  The hard work was shifting my goods and chattels to different locations to allow room to work but the lounge ended up painted with the furniture in a better position.  A shelf that was along one wall disappeared so that I could use the space.  </p> <p>I started on the bedroom and again I shifted goods and chattels.  Sophie hid in the newly painted lounge looking bemused as each day I shifted my bedding and mattress into her room as I worked.  The area above the picture rail was covered with bamboo matting stapled a la changing rooms and that, along with bamboo runners, small creatures and dirt, came down.  The large black circle, the motifs, the decoration of the door had to be sanded down as did the gold painted woodwork, before I could start painting.  </p> <p>The bedroom took six days - very biblical - and on the seventh day I rested (went out for a drink) and I had another room sorted.  Sophie cat began to look interested.  </p> <p>The next task was to paint the hallway for which I had run out of Ivory so I bought a can of a similar shade and used two coats of that, again painting the woodwork brown and the door to match the others which were reasonably good.  </p> <p>Now, I don't about you but as an artist I have a lot of framed paintingsthat needed a home.  I bought the entire stock of S shaped picture hooks from my local hardware store and my paintings are now dangling from the picture rails.  Very pretty. </p> <p>Last but not least I attacked the kitchen.  There was a hole in the wall big enough to put a fist in above a shelf - the kitchen is small and the previous tenant made an excellent job of replacing the cupboards with wide shelves that allow light in and storage space.  However, thay are red above red tiles and the bright, Noddy style yellow was too much.  We changed it for a softer yellow - Gold Rush - that looks better and reflects the outside daylight.  </p> <p>Sophie cat being black with green eyes looks pretty cool against the red tiles and manages a certain feline elegance posing in the windows and against the Ivory walls.  </p> <p>Of course I didn't go anywhere or do much as one week was spent working at summer school and in between the model T Ford (a Fiesta) insisted on breaking down.  </p> <p>Still, the advantage was that in between periods of hard work I did quite a lot of cat cuddling, and that, if nothing else is alays part of an ideal holiday.  </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/30/the-ideal-summer-holiday-paint-your-flat-4658939/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>catsflatspaintingdiyhttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/30/the-ideal-summer-holiday-paint-your-flat-4658939/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/06/on-black-cats-in-particular-4551667/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-08-06:/2008/08/06/on-black-cats-in-particular-4551667/Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:16:57 +0200 <p>In 1986 I met Toots; this was after losing my all black tom cat Frodo who was a strange cat and seemed to be attached to me from the beginning.  Frodo was the only cat I have ever met who would rather walk across a puddle than go around it.  He liked attacking the sea, providing it wasn't raging surf, and although he didn't like rain and getting wet he was always the last to come in during showers.  </p> <p>Toots was a stray who more or less introduced herself by snarling at me whislt devouring a fish head scavanged from a neighbor's bin.   It took me a little over two months to tame her down enough to confidently handle her which was how she got her name.  She came in one morning with a fish hook through her lower lip, demanded breakfast and allowed me to examine the wound.  I needed three hands to deal with her so it was off to the vet.  Up to that point she was called 'the Cat' but a dragon-like vetinary nurse demanded a name so I gave her the first one that came to my head.  So Toots she was.  <br>She had kittens and I helped her with the birth, acted as kitten sitter, and generally became part of the feline family.  The treat was having her spread on my lap with her four kittens happily and busily suckling.  </p> <p>Toots, like Frodo was attached to me and would go out of her way to avoid other would be fondlers and petters to get to me.  Wherever I went in the garden or around the house Toots was there, we more or less ate and slept together.  </p> <p>We moved house more times than any sane person other than a nomad ought to and each time she sat in our room with all the familiar trappings around us and accepted the place as hers.  To prove it, until she got old - with one exception; a huge tom cat who knew he was king - she fought herself into the area.  </p> <p>What with Frodo as my boon companion and Toots as close as a witch'es familar I was getting the idea.  </p> <p>Black cats are special.</p> <p>Sophie, who replaced Toots, is black and she shadows me wherever I go.  </p> <p>I like that.</p> <p>I have come to the conclusion having observed the behavior of other black cats owned by my friends that there is something different about them.  Being the wrong gender for the traditional broomstick and the cackling that goes with it I am still worried by the signs.  Are black cats truly familiars, and should I take care to examine my armpits regularly for teats and steer clear of stakes and piles of dry faggots? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/06/on-black-cats-in-particular-4551667/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>black-catsstakesbroomstickscatswitcheshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/06/on-black-cats-in-particular-4551667/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/04/cats-and-an-outlook-on-hard-work-4542611/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-08-04:/2008/08/04/cats-and-an-outlook-on-hard-work-4542611/Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:00:04 +0200 <p>I have a cat; a black cat with green eyes and a few faint white marks who appears to be devoted to comfort. She also seems to like my company and follows me around in the house, and when we were able to, outside as well. My friends remarked that she was my shadow - my personal stalker. I am not famous enough to have a regular human stalker which is a relief - I like the idea of being safe. </p> <p>This month should normally be a holiday time with trips out and perhaps a visit to friends or family. Instead I at home decorating the flat to get rid of the previous tenant's unusual taste. If you can live with a terracotta and brown decor with two white wals, one of which sports some red circles, and a predominance of red, then good luck. I cannot. </p> <p>Which brings me to the title. </p> <p>As most people know, decorating can be hard work fit only for tradesmen (or women) and DIY experts. I am neither but having done a lot of painting and decorating during my Uni years I am saving on labour by doing it myself. </p> <p>In the meantime my cat Sophie looks on with bemused contempt and occasionally inspects progress the way cats do. As if to remind me that I am working too hard whenever I take a tea break she ensconces herself on my lap and settles down for a comfortable snooze. Being a totally soppy cat owner I cannot simply chuck her off which makes the tea breaks longer and the working time shorter. Result: I am relaxed and not tired out at the end of the day yet I have achieved enough to keep me happy. </p> <p>I deduce from this observation that the cat is trying to tell me something. </p> <p>Back to people. Many people rush around full of energy doing things, often doing great things and end up tired and grumpy in front of telly knowing they have to start the same thing the next day and the day after. </p> <p>My cat? She has the ability to loaf around doing nothing all day, snoozing, washing herself, eating and the normal cat things with the occasional rush to attack and murder unsuspecting small creatures, but mostly lazing around. And here's the rub: she can do nothing all day and still look tired out at the end of it without any twinges of remorse or guilt at spending yet another wasted day. </p> <p>But then, by taking on a part-time job, studying the laziness of cats, and combining all of it with Zen I have in fact discovered that I can do more and relax more.</p> <p>Fun, isn't it? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/04/cats-and-an-outlook-on-hard-work-4542611/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>zenrelaxationcatshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/04/cats-and-an-outlook-on-hard-work-4542611/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/01/end-of-summer-school-teamwork-extended-4530978/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-08-01:/2008/08/01/end-of-summer-school-teamwork-extended-4530978/Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:05:36 +0200 <p>One of the great things about children is that when given free rein to explore after they have first been given an idea is that do it with enthusiasm. These boys and girls are year six pupils going into year seven - eleven year olds. Full of energy and the need to find out what is going on these children will surprise you. Summer school offered Numeracy and Literacy classes designed to challenge their ability and to find out who needs what in September. </p> <p>The challenge in Literacy was to advance their reading and writing skills and gain confidence in expressing ideas using the written word. Yes, there was poetry, and stories but there was also understanding of grammar and how punctuation works. </p> <p>In numeracy the challenge was to use mathematics to design and construct a working parachute that would safely drop a chocolate egg from a height of ten to twelve metres. They were shown how a parachute works, shown shapes and sizes; given lessons on area and perimeter, measurement of weights and let loose with materials and the means to make parachutes. </p> <p>Now, here is the kernel of the exercise.</p> <p>The egg dropping project relied on teamwork. Each team had to experiment and come up with the best design they could and together 'tweak' it on the final day of the drops to get it right. </p> <p>Competition was fierce, noisy and mostly well directed by the children themselves. We had no tears from the losers and no crowing from the winners. The reason? There were enough rewards to go round and those who won the contests were seen to deserve their prizes. </p> <p>That is the second stage of teamwork. </p> <p>What of the rest?</p> <p>In the afternoons the children were given recreational but educational tasks to do, again in teams and on the last afternoon the four groups took part in a rounders tournament. Again, and by now not surprisingly, although some were getting distracted, the teamwork showed through. </p> <p>Note: Eleven year olds doing Podcasting is hilarious. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/01/end-of-summer-school-teamwork-extended-4530978/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>podcastingteamworksportsteam-buildingeducationlearninghttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/08/01/end-of-summer-school-teamwork-extended-4530978/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/07/29/summer-school-how-to-team-build-4517432/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-07-29:/2008/07/29/summer-school-how-to-team-build-4517432/Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:52:48 +0200 <p>Children are competitive. If there is one thing a child likes is being recognised by their peers as the leader, the cool kid, the one the others listen to. The task of teachers, teaching assistants and others involved in education and sport is to use that egotistical energy to build a working team. </p> <p>So, at the school where I volunteered my services for the summer school this is put into practice.  These are enthusiastic year six kids who will be the new year sevens and they have differing abilities, which are sorted out into groups to enable them to get the right level of learning and fun out of the week.  </p> <p>In the maths classes - named as Numeracy - each group builds working parachutes in teams of four, five or six.  The object being to drop a fragile chocolate egg from a height of some 15 to 20 metres without breaking.  This is done with the usual ego battles and noise until they realise that the only way they get to win is by being part of a team.  </p> <p>This day we had a treasure hunt in the afternoon.  This is part of geography with the children learning map references, drawing and plotting a treasure island and using map references to locate their partner's 'here there be treasure' cross.  They are then divided into two groups to navigate around the school grounds to find a bag of treasure - sweets - and collect clues.  </p> <p>They are given a map of the school, shown how to orientate it for North South East and West and told 'You must work together as a team', which of course they ignore and go rushing off like mad things.  </p> <p>Team One ran like maniacs.<br>Team Two ran like maniacs - except for one boy who had a gammy leg and couldn't run.  </p> <p>Result: team one dashed around and doubled up in a bickering group.<br>Team two suddenly found one member was missing.  </p> <p>Time for the 'you must work togehter lecture' </p> <p>So yours truly brought the blighters together after they had found their prize and talked about the weakest link, and how the weakest link is the strength of the whole team.  I added that this weakest link had a chance to think things out and come up with the right answer.   True, there was one other team member who worked the solution out, but this lad had the time to think it through.  </p> <p>Back in the class room when team two was asked to 'put their hands up'  they did it straightway and when asked what they had learned from the exercise they answered more or less in unison "Teamwork". </p> <p>Maybe they didn't get it at first but by the end of the afternoon they were aware that they have to work together to succeed - maybe tomorrow they will do even better? Who knows? </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/07/29/summer-school-how-to-team-build-4517432/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>teamworkteam-buildinghttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/07/29/summer-school-how-to-team-build-4517432/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/07/26/back-on-line-again-4502555/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-07-26:/2008/07/26/back-on-line-again-4502555/Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:31:13 +0200 <p>Back on line again after a move from one flat to another. An absence of a month and in the meantime our beloved leader has been given a belly blow in Glasgow East. I see also that he has decided to take his holiday in the UK, how sweet. </p> <p>On the sporting front I note the English Cricket Eleven are struggling - perhaps they are an extension of the Labour Party. A bonus is that the Olympics committee are about to spawn giant screens in our city squares. Maybe those of us who will be starving and on the streets by then because of the coming recession can be comforted by the fact that at least something will be free. </p> <p>Am I turning into a grumpy old man? Your comments please. At least my cat still loves me. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/07/26/back-on-line-again-4502555/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>catshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/07/26/back-on-line-again-4502555/#commentshttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/06/25/a-walk-around-hollingbourne-kent-4363957/tag:catblogger.blog.co.uk,2008-06-25:/2008/06/25/a-walk-around-hollingbourne-kent-4363957/Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:36:00 +0200 <p>For those of you who may not be familiar with the area around Maidstone in Kent the village of Hollingbourne is one of those ancient villages that nestle below the North Downs close to the river Medway.  Once the seat of a district council today Hollingbourne is a village set in farmlands on the edge of the M20 and the Eurostar Rail line.  </p> <p>href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=2617508" mce_href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=2617508"> <br> In truth the area we know as Hollingbourne is made up of two villages Eythorne and Hollingbourne with Hollingbourne north of the old standard southern rail line and Eythorne to the south.  Wandering along the base of the hills is the Pilgrims Way bereft of foot weary pilgrims telling dirty stories but still dotted with Inns and Taverns to sustain and refresh the traveller.  </p> <p>As you can gather there will be pubs mentioned in these posts with the idea of suggesting good places to eat and drink.  </p> <p>And why not? </p> <p>It is a pity that the two villages are so close to the M20 and the Euro Rail link as both tend to disturb the inherent tranquility of the place. However, if one ignores the rush and roar exploring is pleasant.  We stopped at The Sugar Loaves pub for a drink and a comfort stop aware that unfortunately we could not have lunch there and walk.  That was a pity because the menu looked good at good, affordable prices and the food smelled good too.  The beer was excellent.  We settled for a walk along out of the village close to the railway and past the M20 service area.</p> <p>The pathway crossed the railwy above the services where we bought sandwiches.  We, are my sister and myself, she a Golf widow on Saturdays and me in need of the company to explore.  I have permission from my cat.  The path way climbed steadily through fresh clean woods partly coppiced toward the small village of Broad Street straddling the Pilgrims Way.  A pleasant surprise was seeing pink orchids growing in the coppiced way; an unpleasant surprise was discovering a notice that warned us of wild boars advising us not to disturb them.</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=2617508"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/508/2617508_321e63a2f9_t.jpg" alt="Orchid" title="Orchid" width="220" height="110"></a> </p> <p>Above is a pink wood orchid we saw in the woods before we discovered the sign about wild boars.  After that, when we clear of the animals I had thoughts of spit roast pig decorated with wood orchids. </p> <p>Have you ever had that trouser wetting feeling that you have wandered in where you are not wanted and something nasty is about to happen.</p> <p>Well, we got a little of that.  Aware that we, as middle-aged persons, that our tree climbing abilities were limited and running faster than bacon on hooves with tusks was a daft thing to try we did what Samuel Pepys was apt to do; walk swiftly on.  </p> <p>The walk up the hills opened up views across to Leeds and Maidstone and although steep the road was pleasant with trees and chalk cuttings to view and evidence of rabbits.  At the top we stopped in the Woodland Trust property to eat our sandwiches.  This area, close to Hucking and Hucking House, consists  of    135 hectares of woodlands and natural grasslands which is grazed by cattle.  </p> <p>From there we walked down to the North Downs Way and then along the Pilgrims Way back to Hollingbourne church passing close to the Manor and discovering that there is a large pond close by.  A sight I have never seen when passing through! </p> <p></p> <p><span></span></p> <p><span></span></p> <p><span></span></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/06/25/a-walk-around-hollingbourne-kent-4363957/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>pathwayswalkingpub-mealswoodsgolfgolf-widowshikinghttp://catblogger.blog.co.uk/2008/06/25/a-walk-around-hollingbourne-kent-4363957/#comments