Mr Woodsilver

Mr Woodsilver (not his real name) called approx 5 am. I was on his home number for 30+ mins and then I had to call back on his mobile in order to guide him around house in order to find the alarm that was beeping (this is indicative of a battery problem rather than the alarm going off). On mobile for approx 30mins. Eventually found alarm. Unable to deactivate. Found details local age concern for him to tel after 8am for help with removing & replacing batttery. These are the calls I live for. This elderly gentleman was unable to work out where the noise was coming from. I asked if he had a mobile phone - because his land line wasn't cordless. He had but didn't know his number. What make of phone is it, I asked? A nokia he evenutually replyed. Do you know how to find the My number function? No!! OK I've got a Nokia here, let me talk you through it. Well, after I worked out how to find it, I keep my number in the directory, I started to explainb to him what to do. It was about 5 mins later that I discovered he was looking for his mobile number BUT he was looking in the actual phone book! You know, the one made out of paper with all the numbers in it! Most of the hour passed this way with the poor guy not really hearing what I was asking him to do.

Rites of Passage

Didn't get to make it to Rugby yestersday. Must remember to go to bed earlier when the clocks go forward! Shame really, as I missed two highlights of Nats life. First kick in the balls - oouch and first raking with studs. Part of a young Boy's Rites of Passage to Manhood I suppose. Wish I'd been there now to give him a cuddle as it must have hurt. Apparently he had to come off the pitch for a while in order to recover.

Cubs Sports Badge

This morning we went to Saffron Lane sports ground ( the 1st time I've been there in 25 yrs) to join all the other local Cub troops and to participate in the a sports badge program. It was great fun. Henri's Dad (a lad from Nat's class and Troop) & I agreed to look after one group. So there we were with 8 (later 9) 7-9 yr old boys and boy did we have fun! I don't remember being so out of control at that age, but then again I was the perfect child. It was exhausting just keeping them together, moving the from event to event was a major challenge.

1st up was the long jump and everyone managed it, with varying degrees of success. We moved on to the Sargent jumps (stretch to a mark on the wall then leap up to see how much higher you can get). On the way from this I foolishly took the short cut down the steep bank and slid most of the way down on my arse! Wow did I look cool in front of the kids - dignity at all times - ah.

Onto the Shuttle (running back and fore) again all got through to greater or lessor extent. However by now discipline was becoming a problem. Henri, who's huge for his age - tallest there and probably the youngest - was starting to get bored and decided the best way to alleviate this was to hit people. Unfortunately he's as strong as he is tall and that's when we started to have tears. Eventually he was told off by both his Dad and me and so decided to have a good sulk.

What was astonishing was the lack of self-esteem of some of the kids. At every event one lad in particular would insist that he wouldn't be able to do it. What on earth have his parents told him all his life to have an attitude like this, as it was he did virtually everything successfully.

Nat was pretty well behaved, as always, very active but knowing when to stop, most of the time anyway. Got on really well with Dave (Henri's Dad) and all our guys got enough points to earn their badges. Deb told me that she'd told Arkala that I would be glad to help out at Cubs on the Mondays that I'm not working and it appears that I have in fact been drafted. All in all a good morning.

To The Bastards The Spoils

It's 03.40 GMT and I've been looking at the Amazon web site for awhile. Somehow ended up looking at books about post communist Russia. What a depressing situation, after 70 yrs of oppression it appears once again that the bastards have got the spoils. From the Mafia to the Oligarchs everyone preys on the least advantaged. No wonder Russia is a nation of alcoholics. Even with their new found Gas & Oil reserves one wonders whether any of this wealth will ever filter down to the masses or will it be spent on buying more football teams for the super rich. This got me thinking :

How should I bring up my children?

Is it in their best interests for me to encourage them to be greedy grasping bastards, always on the look out for Number One,

or

Should I encourage them to be kind caring human beings with empathy and concern for others?

I know what I'd prefer but would that be best for them? Does every thinking parent struggle with this? A few decades ago it could be avoided because the West was King of the Heap. We could afford to encourage concern and compassion (so long as we didn't really act on it), but now with China, India, Brazil and Russia ascendant will they be growing up in a World where this is still possible or will they be in such a struggle merely to survive that compassion will become a luxury that they can't afford.

No matter how I try to envisage it I can't ever see China, or the others, ever sending aid to the West if our economies implore in the face of their competition.

So Devil take the hindmost and I only look out for my own?

This is Me, having negative thoughts

My turn on manuals last night, meant missing my last break again but I at least managed lunch. It's amazing, a few cold days and you'd swear it was mid winter again. Why do people insist on waiting up in a cold house for an engineer to call instead of keeping warm in bad and seeing him in the morning. If the world does go to hell in a hand basket, like the climate change people keep telling us it might, how are these pampered wuckfits ever going to survive? "You must call our and repair my boiler now, I've got young children who are very cold and who might get ill." "How old is the youngest sir?" "Sixteen"! God help them is all I can say, it's no wonder they've got allergies, they've never been exposed to the real world in their lives.

Going to Karate

Today Deb had to go to the Dentist, so Hannah & I took Nat to karate at the community center. we all walked up together, my God it was windy, nearly got blown back down the hill. Hannah claimed that she had left her coat in the car and had to wear Nat's old combat jacket. Fitted perfectly!!! I was going to drop Nat off and take Hannah to the play-ground in the Park. However we decided to stay and watch Nat, nothing to do with it being cold & windy outside! Nat needs to improve his concentration when performing Kata's but otherwise is doing fine. Deb met us there and we all drove home.

Home made curry - yum!!!

So, I've Finally Done It!

This is it then, finally taken the step and created my very own blog, however will I find that I have anything to say, either to myself or others? Only time will tell.

Tonight, at work, has been interesting. I seem to be on the line reserved for non-liberated women. Virtually every water leak from a woman tonight has been from the kind of lady who thinks it's not feminine to be able to turn off a stop-cock.

I'm So Sari...you should be that's a terrible pun!

Hannah being very very Indian after a friend of Deb's from work gave her these for Hannah. unbelievably these were the friend's saris and she's an adult...a very small adult

Sofa So Good

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