Personal Stuff

In Memory Of Peter Caddick 23 May 1943 ~ 23 November 2011

2011-12-14T12:26:00.001Z

We’llSee You Later

Heybig man, you’ve gone and left without saying your goodbyes

“Well,I’m still around!” I hear you say, “Ithought you’d realise”

“ThatI’ve not gone, I’m here and there, within you and without”

“So ifyou need to speak to me, all you’ve got to do is shout!”

“AndI’ll listen carefully to all your words and assist you if I can”

“I’lldo my best to help you hear, wise words from this old man!”

“Dreamyour dreams and fulfil them, each and every day”

“Gofor gold and do your best, you have often heard me say”

“Itstill stands good, so remember them and by doing, honour me”

“Shedno more tears, for a life I’ve loved. Because now my soul is free”

You’veleft your mark and enhanced our lives, what legacy could be greater?

Thankyou Peter Edward C – I know we’ll see you later!

Rest well, dear friend.

With love from

Hugh

Babsy's 60th Birthday 18th October 2009 at The Vincent Hotel, Southport

2009-10-27T09:45:00.004Z

Here is a collage or two of Barbara's 60th birthday party on Sunday 18th October 2009. We had a great time and thanks to all for their presents and good wishes from Babsy xx - (Click on picture to enlarge in another window)

Babsy 60th

2009-10-20T13:16:00.001+01:00

This is to celebrate the first 60 years. Here's to the next 60 Babsy. I love you very much xx

Our Ruby Wedding Anniversary

2009-04-25T15:09:00.003+01:00

Babs and I will have been married for 40 years on Sunday 26th April. We are off out for a romantic dinner this evening to a posh Southport restaurant and tomorrow will be meeting up with our two daughters and their children for a family lunch at another posh Southport restaurant!

Happy Anniversary darling.

Much love

Hugh xxx

My Mother

2009-04-04T01:22:00.005+01:00

On April 11th this year my Mum would have been 88 years old. There are lots of women who live to be this age nowadays, but for Patricia Catherine Jones (nee Bryant), her life was to end at a mere 71 having suffered for 6 years with Alzheimers.

So, in a very real sense, we lost her twice, Dad, Nina and I. She was lost to us when she ceased to comprehend who we were and then again when she slipped away, hopefully to regain full self consciousness in the next world.

Nevertheless, it was hard to bear for all of us and there is rarely a day goes by that she is not far from our thoughts. Just before she died I wrote a poem to her, for her, but of course she never read it in this life. I like to think that she looked over my shoulder in the next one and read it then. Here it is, for me really, to tell whoever reads this, how much she meant to me...

My Mother

(born 11th April 1921 – died 4th January 1993)

Shining light that shone so bright
To illuminate my world,
A beacon in my darkest hours
When my weaknesses unfurled.
You gave me Love when Love was lost
And Hope when there was none,
You helped me look beyond myself
Gave me the Will to carry on.
You made me laugh when I would cry
And to think when I would not.
You always sought the truth from me
And you knew when I would lie.
Sometimes you made me feel ashamed
Of the things I’d done or said
Yet always you were there for me
To show the way ahead
And lead me from my waywardness.
You shared my Hopes and Dreams and Fears,
You cooked and cleaned and washed my clothes
And dried away my tears.
You stood by me when I let you down,
As I was prone to do
And forgave me for my churlishness
When I was rude to you.
You gave yourself to me and mine
And helped us on our way,
I know my wife is grateful
For that week you came to stay
So long ago when we were young
And felt we couldn’t cope
With a new born babe’s demands on us,
But in fact you gave us Hope,
By doing what you did so well.
So thankful am I that I had You,
I would not have wished for any other
Person in this world than You,
To have as my Friend and Confidante,
To Love and call “My Mother”.

Babsy's Birthday 18th Oct 2008

2008-10-19T19:35:00.000+01:00

We had a great night out with our friends - and Babsy... you don't look anywhere near 65!!!

Red Arrows

2008-09-09T23:57:00.000+01:00

Red Arrows at Southport Air Show on Sunday 7th Sept 2008

I'll See You In My Dreams

2008-08-23T11:12:00.001+01:00

For Babsy.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

2008-08-23T10:42:00.001+01:00

A great version of a geat George Harrison number. Brings a lump to my throat.

Anglesey Aug 2008

2008-08-23T10:13:00.003+01:00

This is the cottage where my grandfather (Taid) was born in 1869. I was named after him, Hugh Jones was one of 11 children (9 girls and 2 boys). His father was a quarryman. The house was called Llein Swch (which means "Tip of the ploughshare")

This is a memorial statue at Moelfre of a famous lifeboatman - Dic Evans

A desolate view from the top of Parys mountain

Point Lynas - beautiful!

Beatles Day - July 10th 2008 - Liverpool

2008-07-12T11:16:00.002+01:00

Click on title to read the review in Daily Telegraph.

On Thursday July 10th, Babs and I attended the Beatles Imagine concert at the Echo Arena. It was in aid of charity for Alder Hey hospital and Rhys Jones who tragically lost his life on August 22nd last year.

It was a night of memories for all of us who were teenagers in the 60's. The whole set was enhanced by the Backbeat Beatles who reproduced the magic of the fab four as well, if not better, than any Beatles tribute band I have seen.

The first half of the concert was hosted by Ricky (Royle Family) Tomlinson and his wisecracks about "zimmer frames and bus passes" each time he introduced a Liverpool personality from the Merseybeat era, kept the audience amused. Ricky even joined the original Quarrymen for a rendition of Maggie Mae with his trusty banjo!

The second half was hosted by Liverpool's own radio personality Billy Butler and he got in on the act as well with his version of Yellow Submarine (don't give up the day job Billy!)

The highlight for Babs and I was "In My Life" which was voted the best Beatles song of all time by the people of Liverpool in an Echo poll, winning more than 23% of the votes.

It was a great night and we hope that this will become an annual event in Liverpool. The Beatles did more for this city in the last century than anyone else. (Take note Ringo when you make your daft remarks!)

It was great to see Tony Crane and Billy Kingsley performing together and although it was a tribute to the Beatles, we would have loved to have heard "Sorrow" or "Don't Turn Around" too.

The finale featured the whole ensemble singing "All You Need Is Love". Thanks to everyone who organised and performed in a great night of nostalgia for the best band ever!

Paolo Nutini - Daydream (live, Lovin' Spoonful cover)

2008-04-24T00:58:00.001+01:00

If you have never heard this guy, I suggest you do a You Tube Search. He is fantastic!

Acorn Antiques the Musical! -

2008-04-23T23:56:00.001+01:00

Julie Walters is superb in this clip!

REINCARNATION, past life evidence, PART 2

2008-04-20T20:37:00.001+01:00

The next part. Makes you tink doesn't it?

REINCARNATION, past life evidence, PART 1

2008-04-20T20:35:00.001+01:00

Interesting

What I Really Mean!

2008-04-20T19:48:00.004+01:00

DICTIONARY FOR WOMEN'S PERSONAL ADS

40-ish.................................49
Adventurous.....................Slept with all your friends
Athletic..............................No boobs
Average looking................Ugly
Beautiful............................Pathological liar
Contagious Smile..............Does a lot of pills
Emotionally secure..........On medication
Feminist............................Fat
Free spirit.........................Junkie
Friendship first................Former slut
Fun....................................Annoying
Gentle...............................Dull
New Age...........................Body hair in the wrong places
Open-minded...................Desperate
Outgoing...........................Loud and Embarrassing
Passionate........................Sloppy drunk
Poet...................................Depressive
Professional......................Bitch
Romantic..........................Frigid
Voluptuous......................Very Fat
Large frame.....................Hugely Fat
Wants Soul mate.............Stalker
Widow..............................Murderer

WOMEN'S ENGLISH

1. Yes = No
2. No = Yes
3. Maybe = No
4. We need = I want
5. I am sorry = you'll be sorry
6. We need to talk = you're in trouble
7. Sure, go ahead = you better not
8. Do what you want = you will pay for this later
9. I am not upset = of course I am upset, you moron!
10. You're very attentive tonight = is sex all you ever think about?

MEN'S ENGLISH

1. I am hungry = I am hungry
2. I am sleepy = I am sleepy
3. I am tired = I am tired
4. Nice dress = Nice cleavage!
5. I love you = let's have sex now
6. I am bored = Do you want to have sex?
7. May I have this dance? = I'd like to have sex with you
8. Can I call you sometime? = I'd like to have sex with you
9. Do you want to go to a movie? = I'd like to have sex with you
10. Can I take you out to dinner? = I'd like to have sex with you
11. Those shoes don't go with that outfit = I'm gay

And finally.....A recent scientific study found that women find different male faces attractive depending on where they are in their menstrual cycle.For example, when a woman is ovulating she will prefer a man with rugged, masculine features. However, when she is menstruating, she prefers a man doused in petrol and set on fire, with scissors stuck in his eye and a cricket stump shoved up his backside.

Senior moments part 3 - Agnes and Mildred

2008-04-20T13:26:00.003+01:00

Agnes and Mildred were getting ready to go out for their weekly game of bridge when Agnes noticed that Mildred had something odd in her ear.

"Why Mildred, I do believe you have got a suppository in your ear!" exclaimed Agnes.

"Aah!" said Mildred. "Now I know where my hearing aid is!"

Senior Moments Part 2 - Early signs

2008-04-20T13:05:00.004+01:00

You start to call your best friend of 25 years "Thingy" (not yet)

You discover that your car has mysteriously parked itself on the other side of the road (no)

You can't remember any of the people in your photo albums (some!)

You sink your teeth into a steak and leave them there (got all my own)

You take to opening childproof caps with a hammer (nearly)

The list of things you hate outnumbers the list of things you like (yes)

You prefix every word with "little" - e.g. "I'll have a little lie down." "I'll just fix myself a little drink". etc... (don't do little drinks)

You begin laying the table for breakfast a 6 o' clock the previous evening (not yet)

Any news items containing the word "pension" attract your immediate attention (yep)

When you arrive at a party, you start planning the time of your departure (yep)

You start answering your phone when it rings on television (I do now and then!)

You are paying more attention to the government's advice on how to keep warm in winter (and looking forward to the winter heat allowance)

A Few Senior Moments From The World Of Sport!

2008-03-22T10:22:00.005Z

"I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father." - Greg Norman - golfer

"Even when you're dead you shouldn't lie down and let yourself be buried." - Gordon Lee - former Everton manager

"Ah! Isn't that nice, the wife of the Cambridge President is kissing the cox of the Oxford crew." - Harry Carpenter - commentator

"Playing with wingers is more effective against European sides like Brazil than English sides like Wales." - Ron Greenwood - former Manager of England football team

"Fred Davis, the doyen of snooker, now 67 years of age and too old to get his leg over, prefers to use his left hand." - Ted Lowe - snooker commentator

"Sure there have been injuries and deaths in boxing - but none of them was serious." - Alan Minter - former World Middleweight boxing champion

Taken from "The Book of Senior Moments" - by Shelley Klein

Uncle Antony on New Year's Day!

2008-01-05T16:32:00.000Z

Ella, Alex Antony and Hayden. AJ wouldn't have his photo taken! NYD 2008

28th & 29th Dec 2007 on the Wirral!

2008-01-05T14:17:00.000Z

Some more pics with our friends from Spain and the Wirral! The doggie in the middle is called Teddy - and as he is a male, we call him "Teddy Boy!"

In Memory of Mum - died 4th Jan 1993

2008-01-04T16:50:00.001Z

The one above was taken in 1946 with Dad & Nina when Mum was expecting me.

I think Mum was about 6 or 7 when this one was taken - circa 1927/28

Taken when Mum was about 17 or 18 - circa 1938/39.

Rest in peace Mum. You were a great Mother and a wonderful friend.

Night Out With Mark, Debbie and Friends

2008-01-04T16:24:00.000Z

Another drunken night out over the Christmas period with our friends from Barcelona and West Kirby...and New Brighton!

Boxing Day & Night

2008-01-04T16:17:00.000Z

Karaoke at the Caddicks! Mostly Deborah (of course!) - Saw you on Dragon's Den the other night Debs. You looked good in the Serafina maternity girdle!

Our Christmas 2007

2008-01-04T16:05:00.000Z

Just a few piccies of our Christmas Day and Boxing Day. On Christmas Day we had a lovely meal at Auberge restaurant in Southport. On Boxing Day we went to my daughter's house - Notice grandson No 3 with his guitar! Quite the little rock n' roll star!

While My Guitar Gently Weeps Acoustic George Harrison

2007-11-28T13:42:00.001Z

Lovely version of a great song

Out And About In Singapore

2007-11-19T23:36:00.000Z

Bottom middle is afternoon tea in the Fullerton Hotel. The Fullerton used to be the General Post Office building and was used by the Japanese as their HQ during the occupation of Singapore in WWII. Central photo is Bev and Babs leaning on Sir Stamford Raffles, but when I put this photo in the collage, he was decapitated!

Kuala Lumpur - Petronas Towers and The Skywalk

2007-11-19T23:15:00.000Z

Arthur Mee

2007-11-19T19:23:00.000Z

Arthur Mee who are you?
A name, a person long since dead
Living flesh and bones?
A body that possessed a soul
Created by almighty God
To live on earth
To do as He would want you to
Arthur Mee?

You wrote your letters Arthur Mee
To boys both large and small
And in the schools of England
Your books filled every hall

I wonder what you looked like
Were you bearded or clean?
Were your collars stiff and white?
Were your stockings really green?
Arthur Mee... Far So La Tee Doe

1968 - He really existed! - Click post title for information on Arthur Mee

Old Age

2007-11-19T19:03:00.000Z

Like a child in the grip of life
Tossed upon a sea of infirmity
Precious gifts
Given back
To He who gave them
Like a tree – the leaves of life
Fall away and bare the branches
Old and withered...
To the cold

A mother’s babe
So soft and smooth
A tiny soul
An old man
Hobbling alone
Can the two...
Have ever been the same?

Memories cherished of long ago
Dream-like days
And painful nights
Visitors of old come in broken sleep
The days come and go
What joy is this
In being old
And alone?

Making tea for one -
Going to the cupboard
To find utensils
One of each
‘Cos no one ever calls
Remembering…..
When I was young and strong
And laughter lived
For that short time
In my life
But now the smooth babe
That I was, is now...
Wrinkled and old

1969

The Summer Sleeps - Goodbye To Jane

2007-11-19T18:53:00.000Z

Clouds scuttling across an Autumn sky
Chased by cool winds with icy tongues
Birds rise and soar up high
The winds pause, to fill their lungs

Trees shed leaves and sadly shiver
“We hate winter” they seem to say
The squirrels noses start to quiver
Time for sleep, till’ Spring anyway

And the waters, cold and blue
Reflect the clouds' coldness too
And lovers part – for life is cold
Because summer’s love has now grown old

1968 – Wriiten at the end of a love affair

Kranji Cemetery

2007-11-13T14:08:00.000Z

Click on post title for more info on Kranji War Cemetery

Complete Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Poems

2007-11-13T12:15:00.000Z

Click on the title to be taken to a great site with all of Kipling's poems. Enjoy them!

My Boy Jack - Rudyard Kipling

2007-11-13T11:43:00.000Z

Last Sunday I watched on TV, David Haigh's play of the same name. It was truly a memorable event. Here is Kipling's poem.

'My Boy Jack' (1916)

'Have you news of my boy Jack?
'Not this tide.
'When d'you think that he'll come back?
'Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

'Has any one else had word of him?
'Not this tide.
For what is sunk will hardly swim,
Not with this wind blowing, and this tide.

'Oh, dear, what comfort can I find?
'None this tide,
Nor any tide,
Except he did not shame his kind -
Not even with that wind blowing, and that tide.

Then hold your head up all the more,
This tide,
And every tide;
Because he was the son you bore,
And gave to that wind blowing and that tide!

Kipling's son, John, was lost in action during the Battle of Loos, September 1915. His body was never recovered until long after his father's death and the war's end. Kipling and his wife had to endure long years of uncertainty regarding their son's fate.This poem was published to accompany some articles written on the Battle of Jutland, May 1916 - the largest naval engagement between British and German warships during the war. British losses - of men and ships - were heavier than that of the Germans, although the German High Fleet never attempted to come out of port again for the rest of the war.
Rudyard Kipling
pre1914:Tommy (1890)Recessional (1897)
writing directly elated to the First World War:Prose -Mary Postgate The Gardener
Poetry -The Beginnings Epitaph 'My Boy Jack'Mesopotamia Justice The Hyaenas Gethsemane En-dor

Singapore - Past and Present

2007-11-13T10:25:00.000Z

Click on post title for more on Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles - founder of Singapore

Our Last Night in Singapore at Clarke Quay

2007-11-11T16:21:00.000Z

Colin thought the bottom middle pic would indicate me negotiating with young girls for "Me ruv you rong time!" In fact they were students selling bracelets and I bought 3 - one from each!

Our Friends' House

2007-11-11T16:11:00.000Z

Interesting story about the cabinet shown in picture on top right of collage - The cabinet is 17th century and was made in Thailand. Apparently it is a dowry cabinet. When a daughter was born, a tree was planted and when the daugher married or was betrothed, the Father would cut the tree down and make a cabinet, which would then be used to store the wedding gifts. Upon the marriage, the cabinet and all it's contents would be given to the newlyweds. In this particular case, there is not one nail or screw in the cabinet. It is entirely made of wood and dowling for the connections.

Our Night At Chijmes

2007-11-11T15:50:00.000Z

Click on post title for a history of Chijmes - it is very interesting!

Shopping down Arab Street

2007-11-11T15:41:00.000Z

The British Club - Singapore

2007-11-11T15:34:00.000Z

Bantai Beach - Phuket

2007-11-11T15:22:00.000Z

Wat Pho - Temple of Reclining Buddha - Bangkok

2007-11-11T15:16:00.000Z

Click on post title for information on Wat Pho - The Temple Of The Reclining Buddha

Our visit to Sentosa

2007-11-11T15:12:00.000Z

Click on post title for more information on Sentosa

Our boat trip on Singapore River

2007-11-11T15:07:00.000Z

Click on post title for History of Clarke Quay

Kuala Lumpur

2007-11-11T14:59:00.000Z

Click on post title for more info on Petronas Towers

Hugh's 13th birthday - 18 May 1960

2007-10-08T22:45:00.000+01:00

Written by my Mother (Patricia Jones) in 1960

The ripe old age of thirteen years
you have attained today
Here's hoping that good luck and joy
will stay with you always
May happiness attend you
Good health be yours and then
Let courage be your guiding light
to the Fellowship of Men
For tho' you are now just a youth
with all youth's joys and tears
To Man's Estate one day you'll come
In not so many years
So set your sights on targets high
and train your heart and mind
Be brave and thoughtful in all things
and to others always kind
Help those who need a helping hand
And give to those in need
Then you can rest assured my Son
Life will be Full indeed

Moving ~ written 29 April 1979

2007-10-08T22:32:00.000+01:00

Such an age I have been here with my wife and my kids
Ten years of our lives have we shared in this home
The fights and the laughter, the tantrums and tears
Our hopes for the future, our ambitions and fears
Parties and friends, family and loved ones have all been
Oh Lord what will happen, will it all start again?

And now we are moving away from Croft Heys
A place where we've spent some beautiful days
We've seen movement of people and the growing of trees
And of children, now taller who were once round my knees
Neighbours who've turned into wonderful friends
Whom I'll always care for until my life ends

Soon, this haven, where we first made our start
Will be a fond memory, locked away in my heart
To be treasured forever like the most precious of pearls
And shared with my family, two boys and three girls
In hope we'll draw closer as time presses on
The perfection I seek is that we'll all be as one

To love one another and share a good life
With friendships progressing and memories to savour
I look forward with sorrow of the path we shall take
But with hope for the future and of what we will make
Of our lives and our living down at Church Lane
Oh Lord give me this happiness all over again.

Let Me Die A Youngman's Death - Roger McGough

2007-10-08T11:13:00.000+01:00

Let me die a youngman's death
not a clean and inbetween
the sheets holywater death
not a famous-last-words
peaceful out of breath death

When I'm 73
and in constant good tumour
may I be mown down at dawn
by a bright red sports car
on my way home
from an allnight party

Or when I'm 91
with silver hair
and sitting in a barber's chair
may rival gangsters
with hamfisted tommyguns burst in
and give me a short back and insides

Or when I'm 104
and banned from the Cavern
may my mistress
catching me in bed with her daughter
and fearing for her son
cut me up into little pieces
and throw away every piece but one

Let me die a youngman's death
not a free from sin tiptoe in
candle wax and waning death
not a curtains drawn by angels borne
'what a nice way to go' death

Roger McGough - click on title to go to Roger's web page

Sad Little Lady - written in 1969

2007-10-06T13:26:00.000+01:00

Sad little lady sitting in your chair

Sad little lady, who can't go anywhere

Upset little woman, you're life has almost gone

Did any light shine on you

And having shined - shone on?

Oh poor sad lady what can you give this world

With your sadness and your tears

All your troubles now unfurled?

All the blessings that have blessed you

And passing quietly on - what can you do now

To rest your soul upon? My little sad lady

In your dirty purple coat

And your muddy Guinness by your side

My tears for you I cry

My sad little lady, with your lips quietly quivering

As you read the evening news

And I sit across the room - observing in the gloom

Your face and soul and Being

I'm wondering about you

My sad little lady

What's Within you is Without you

All your life.

Memories Were Made Of This

2007-10-06T12:11:00.000+01:00

Dresses tapering round the knees
Winters crisp and naked trees...
Memories were made of this,
Of changing homes and fortunes,
Of being loved and loving back

Trains that made incessant chatter,
Billowing clouds and deep blue skies
Pebbled beaches and tuppence ha'penny to spend
Father's motor-bike roaring down the road
Reading Billy the Kid and enjoying it as much as I

Calderstones with the seasons dressed as ladies, ripe
Gypsies offering their wares and your fortune
Made out as ogres who eat small boys
I Spy and Boys Own - standing on bridges
For trains to envelop you in steam and smut.

Falling off bikes and being picked up, seeing
Only legs, not faces till they bent down.
Peering through the hole in the fence into Paradise.
Being kept in the bedroom when the Ratman called
So we wouldn't be poisoned.

Christmas with simplicity, sometimes snow,
Knowing that Jesus really loved you and calling
for Mummy when that shadow in the bedroom
Moved meanacingly near

Collecting rent with Daddy and getting tuppence
From Old men with tired faces and sitting
On the chair keeping quiet.
Standing in the garden, in the snow with sister
For our photograph - Remembering back
Through all those years

Memories Were Made Of This

Being sent away to school - I wondered
If I'd done anything wrong
Crying for my own home and Mummy to hold me close
Of coming home on the train that took forever
Almost
And Daddy big and Mummy warm to welcome me
Eventually a stranger

Of staying with Bryn and Betty and Bob in the pub
Where the barmaid was Sheila, dark and mysterious
Who was always kissing that man - and Bryn and I loved her

That derelict house, which became our palace
The girl we disturbed having a pee in the bushes
Oh sweet memories were made of this!

Halcyon days and those warm summer nights
When we couldn't sleep - that night with Ralph
When we watched the dawn come up and
We felt Holy and close to God and Switzerland
When I was a yob - it was as if I wasn't there.

The football matches on ice hard pitch
The lazy cricket and those headaches that hurt
Falling asleep in meadows and being late back
And being in love with Beryl at home and sometimes Anne

Then slowly / the beauty / of memories
Drifts into the hardness of realities
And I don't know
How lucky I am to be where it's at - Here and
Now in the peace and security of my own home
Watching my children make their own memories

click here >>>>Memories were made of this

written in the 70's - Click above and this is the pub I stayed at on many a week-end between 1957 and 1960

My Space

2007-10-06T12:02:00.000+01:00

This is my book
My private space
Where I can climb mountains
And face my disgrace
This is my haven
My Confessor, my Friend
Where things I have written
I can read now and then
Yet not understand
What or why, yet I did
But I wrote it,
I wrote it,
I bloody well did!
I'm not Kipling or Keats
nor Thomas or Blake
Theirs is a Magic
this mortal can't make
I'm a speck, just a morsel
Who squeaks now and then
Just a few of my thoughts
Will spill from a pen

written in the 80's

In This Room

2007-10-06T11:27:00.000+01:00

Sitting here in this room
in another place
Reflecting on life
and how I filled this space
Remembering the times
when I was cruel and unkind
Unearthing the bad aspects
Of me in my mind
And thinking of you
who has filled my life
My lover, my friend,
My wife
I am sorry that I may not be
All I could be
To you or our children
Or even to me
But I tell you this
and I tell it true
There's no one I love
In this world more than you

7th November 2001

NEW! QUIZ QUESTIONS

2007-10-04T13:36:00.000+01:00

You will notice on the left hand side of the page I have inserted a POLL element to the page. I thought it would be better if I have a little quiz question instead. I will publish the correct answer on the blog in November. Happy guessing!

EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN

2007-10-04T11:37:00.000+01:00

EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN - (One of my more popular courses!)

Note: due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants

The course covers two days, and topics covered in this course include:

DAY ONE

HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS
Step by step guide with slide presentation

TOILET ROLLS- DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS?
Roundtable discussion

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR
Practicing with hamper (Pictures and graphics)

DISHES & SILVERWARE; DO THEY LEVITATE/FLY TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES?
Debate among a panel of experts.

LOSS OF VIRILITY
Losing the remote control to your significant other - Help line and support groups

LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS
Starting with looking in the right place instead of turning the house upside down while screaming - Open forum

DAY TWO

EMPTY MILK CARTONS; DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?
Group discussion and role-play

HEALTH WATCH; BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
PowerPoint presentation

REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST
Real life testimonial from the one man who did

IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS?
Driving simulation

LIVING WITH ADULTS; BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER
Online class and role-playing

HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION
Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques

REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE
Bring your calendar or PDA to class

GETTING OVER IT; LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME
Individual counsellors available

Squirrelled Away!

2007-10-03T22:47:00.001+01:00

Sobriety Test!

2007-10-03T17:12:00.000+01:00

Letter Of The day

2007-10-03T17:02:00.000+01:00

I thought this was rather funny. Hope you do too!

Click on image to enlarge.

Peter Perfect's Birthday Poem - April 1993

2007-10-02T12:37:00.000+01:00

He knows who he is!

He's D.I.Y.'d washed up and dried

And fixed that leaking tap

He's mowed the lawn and cut the hedge

And even had a crap

He's read three books on better Bridge

Whilst fixing faulty fuses

He thinks things through so carefully

Excepting when he loses!

Then he's like a lunatic

Wild eyed and don't you dare

As much as question that last card

Keep your head down and Beware!

If Sir is rattled, then look out

He suffers no fool gladly

And because he's fair that includes him

So I suffer when he's playing badly!

But Peter Perfect can't be changed

The years have failed to alter

His quest for reason and fair play

In that he will not falter,

Nor does his mood when in his mind

The balance is not quite right...

"Hey! Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose

Who really gives a shite?

It's playing games and having fun

And learning Bridge together."

"Fuck off! It's not, you stupid prick

It's winning - come whatever!!"

Wise Words

2007-10-01T20:59:00.001+01:00

Baby – I Love You And Your Moustache

2007-10-01T18:59:00.000+01:00

Baby, it grows on you
That knightly fringe
that adorns your upper lip
Proud, majestic, manly
Curling at the ends,
so arrogant a growth
Twitching,
tense at every move
Like whiskers on a cat
Feeling, knowing – so sure
Baby – I love you
And your moustache
But – couldn’t we see
A specialist
And ask if we
Could remove it
And put it
On a fella

1968

Sidewalk Blues – or Pavement Paranoia - 1968

2007-10-01T16:08:00.000+01:00

The idle faces
of a disinterested human race
Tumble away like spilt evaporated cream
and die slowly in a council grid
Spotty-faced shop girls
with tight tops showing
And goofy uneven teeth
spread in their faces like pebbledash
Gurgle into boutiques
like the last of my bathwater
going down my plug

They struggle into clothes
meant for Twiggy & Shrimp
And without knowing it –
turn themselves into immediate cartoons
But not in colour.
I peep in and see their bottoms.
Shades spits them back out
to create more ugliness on the sidewalk
A road sweeper
accidentally throws one in his cart
And carries on risking his life
in the traffic of Church Street

The man outside Marks
has still got his blades for sale
But the growth on his chin
shows business in blades is bad
Red amber green - amber red amber green –
fatwomen everywhere
Suddenly a familiar face,
but you blink and she’s gone
Disappearing into a gaping doorway –
offering herself
To be financially assaulted in the BHS

Suddenly, as I watch,
everyone’s legs disappear
And hemlines drop like stones
and I feel sad
Women stumble everywhere
with awkward dresses
And faces to match –
but the fatwomen everywhere
Are happy and remember the old days
They rush to the cupboards
and pull out their drawers
And suddenly again
become stupid with the rest

The Day Begins - written 2nd Jan 1983

2007-09-27T22:28:00.001+01:00

The day begins now with the sun
Giving light and warmth to everyone
But my heart is dark inside
The sun can't reach it, but it's tried

The day begins now with a prayer
Peace and love to people everywhere
But peace and love escape me now
I've tried to capture them, but how?

The day begins now with a song
Of hope and purpose - a need to belong
But my songs are out of key
It's as if they don't belong to me

The day begins now with a dream
Of being part of life's mainstream
And adding more and more each day
But it very rarely works that way

The day begins now without you
I wonder how I'll struggle through
Another day of heartache and pain
And wishing for our time again

And wishing for our time again.

Perhaps Love - John Denver

2007-09-27T22:00:00.000+01:00

Perhaps love is like a resting place, a shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort, it is there to keep you warm
And in those times of trouble when you are most alone
The memory of love will bring you home

Perhaps love is like a window, perhaps an open door
It invites you to come closer, it wants to show you more
And even if you lose yourself and don't know what to do
The memory of love will see you through

Love to some is like a cloud, to some as strong as steel
For some a way of living, for some a way to feel
And some say love is holding on and some say letting go
And some say love is everything, and some say they don't know

Perhaps love is like the ocean, full of conflict, full of pain
Like a fire when it's cold outside, thunder when it rains
If I should live forever, and all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

40 Years On - 27th Feb 1983

2007-09-27T21:45:00.000+01:00

You've travelled down life's road together
For forty years and all kinds of weather
Good times, bad times, sad times, glad times
And sometimes, just times, but still together

No partnership is perfect or so the sages say
But you've battled through and here you are today
Surrounded by your family - all close to you at heart
Remembering together, the day you made your start

And hopeful for your future, in the autumn of your years
That it will contain much laughter and very rarely tears
That happiness will fill your lives and may contentment be your friend
In the knowing that the 'partnership' has worked, right to the very end

The poem above was inspired by my Mum's poem to my Dad which is as follows:

It was a lovely sunny day, that day we made our vows
Do you recall those bright blue skies? I can even now
No church bell rang for us (that's one thing I regret)
They rang only for "Invasion" - that War we can't forget
Our firstborn came the following year to warm our youthful hearts
But within the year you left us, to go to foreign parts

Soon the War was over, we were together once again
Searching for a little home, but we did not complain
For we were young and full of hope, the future looked quite bright
Then another babe was born - a boy - that made it right
Now a family of four and we had found a little home
It made an anchor in our lives, we did not want to roam

So here we are, in ripe old age, still partners that's for sure
We've watched our children have their babes, we could not ask for more
Each one has brought us pleasure and in return we give our love
And for those joys we have received, I thank the Lord above
Forty years of memories, we can still recall my dear
Forty years of partnership - it seems like yesteryear
There's a passage in The Bible, which makes a perfect end
"This is my Beloved and this is my Friend".

Mum and Dad Ruby Wedding 1983. Mum died 1993 - Dad died 2003

As the mist leaves no scar - Leonard Cohen

2007-09-27T16:28:00.000+01:00

As the mist leaves no scar
On the dark green hill
So my body leaves no scar
On you nor ever will

When wind and hawk encounter
What remains to keep?
So you and I encounter
Then turn, then fall to sleep

As many nights endure
Without a moon or star
So will we endure
When one is gone and far

Click on title for biography of Leonard Cohen

Life - Boxing Day 1982

2007-09-27T16:20:00.000+01:00

Life is for living
For taking and giving
For caring and sharing
For crying and dying
For failing and trying
Again and again
To make each day brighter...
Each others' load lighter
Than it was before

A Night at the Royal Court - Liverpool 3rd Dec 1981

2007-09-27T16:00:00.000+01:00

See the pretty painted faces, moving
See the girlies, laces, frilly, waving
Watch the bright eyes, shallow, glistening
Hear the silence in the theatre, listening

Crunch the paper cups beneath your feet
See the dust and feel the heat
Rivers flowing, people gathering
Buzzing, bustling, cursing, laughing

Rolling up to see the show
Will it go or will it go?
Moving swiftly now the doors are open,
Empty faces filling seats,
Now in the House become possessed
Anticipating a night's success

The lights dim low, the scene is set
Then like the manic demons screeching
Comes the catastrophic wail beseeching
Lights are flashing - voices raising higher
And now the night is under way!

The yelling, loudest at the last
Like a climax, soon is past....
And out they spit into the streets
Leaving rows of empty seats

Take it down and get them out
Get them in tomorrow night
Tomorrow there's another show
Will it go or will it go?

Human League - 3rd Dec '81, when I was working at the Royal Court

Seasons Of The Heart by John Denver

2007-09-27T12:46:00.000+01:00

Of course we have our differences
You shouldn't be surprised
It's as natural as changes
In the seasons and the skies
Sometimes we grow together
Sometimes we drift apart
A wiser man than I might know
The seasons of the heart

And I'm walking here beside you
In the early evening chill
A thing we've always loved to do
And I know we always will
We have so much in common
So many things we share
That I can't believe my heart
When it implies that you're not there

Love is why I came here in the first place
Love is now the reason I must go
Love is all I ever hoped to find here
Love is still the only dream I know

So I don't know how to tell you
It's difficult to say
I never in my wildest dreams
Imagined it this way
But sometimes
I just don't know you
There's a stranger in our home
When I'm lying right beside you
Is when I'm most alone

And I think my heart is broken
There's an emptiness inside
So many things I've longed for
Have so often been denied
Still I wouldn't try to change you
There's no one that's to blame
It's just some things that mean so much
And we just don't feel the same

Love is why I came here in the first place
Love is now the reason I must go
Love is all I ever hoped to find here
Love is still the only dream I know
True love is still the only dream I know

To His Mother C.L.M. by John Masefield (1878 - 1967)

2007-09-27T12:24:00.000+01:00

In the dark womb where I began
My Mother's life made me a man
Through all the months of human birth
Her beauty fed my common earth
I cannot see, nor breathe, nor stir
But through the death of some of her

Down in the darkness of the grave
She cannot see the life she gave
For all her love she cannot tell
Whether I use it ill or well,
Nor knock at dusty doors to find
Her beauty dusty in the mind

If the grave's gates could be undone
She would not know her little son
I am so grown. If we should meet
She would pass by me in the street
Unless my soul's face let her see
My sense of what she did for me

What have I done to keep in mind
My debt to her and womankind?
What woman's happier life repays
Her for those months of wretched days?
For all my mouthless body leeched
E're birth's releasing Hell was reached?

What have I done, or tried, or said
In thanks to that dear woman dead?
Men triumph over Woman still
Men trample Women's rights at will
And Man's lust roves the World untamed
O grave, keep shut lest I be shamed.

A Walk In Sefton Park And Other Places - 1968

2007-09-27T03:21:00.000+01:00

Before I was born
The grass grew without objection
and a few swans swam there
The hothouse remained hot and the flowers grew strong
Before I was born
that's where they belong
Now, idly trampling on the unplastic grass
Where flowers need light and water and don't
melt if placed in the sun,
leaving only a price ticket behind.

Sometimes I forget it's Liverpool
until a foghorn gently reminds me
Today I passsed many lives in the street
with the maddening pace of bunioned feet
All trying to make their ends meet
My ends have never met yet my sweet

Dressed in the grey clothes of a November dawn
I find myself thinking how good it all is
The sludge, the mud and the snow..
I wonder...
how many tigers roam in Calderstones?

Then slowly, but smoothly
The Mersey bursts her banks
and the Wirral disappears
saluting into the night and..
Once more fighting breaks out between the Irish and the Welsh

Tall and grey and pregnant with people
The Liver Building frowns upon its children
Tomorrow waits in the wings until
The Royal Court re-opens for the seventh and again...
final time - The Beatles promise to buy the Cavern
and play there every night

Gone are the days of Freddie Star and Roger Hunt,
Lennon's lazy, McCartney's a _______broad somewhere
in isolated unhappiness and is
still wondering what happened
Cill takes her pill at the Phil with her gin
and they've taken "Police" off the doors of the cars
"The plain clothes look"

Yet still at 4 a.m. after a heavy night
and an unsuccessful relationship
with a 20 year old one eyed bird
from Barbados
I find myself
Loving the leaves/andthetrees/that I've grown to know/
along with the dogs/in Sefton Park/my heart sings out/Iwannashout/
"LIVERPOOL! I LOVE YOU SO!"

The Magic Dreams - 1971

2007-09-27T02:56:00.000+01:00

You lied to me so often
I thought of all you said
And felt the words you'd spoken
no - not the ones I'd read
For your voice called out from the pages
and ages went sailing by
In the arms of the night I was taken
Into the magic of your eyes
Words that enchanted me
and held me and led me
away on a dream
I lived for what I now don't remember
And no one will come in between

The adventures you led me on and the joys that you gave me
when I was so very, very young

Now - looking back on the horror
of those days, of the games/and the war/are two one?
And the innocent young men who laugh loudly at death till its grip chokes the laugh/from their breath/I wish/
Oh I wish I was back in the warmth
of your glowing words
and your wonderful mind

The day may come
The day has gone

Now my nights are lost in my mind in The Far Away Tree and The Famous Five/Oh Enid/are you still alive?/And my life will go on/and I don't mind/because of the pleasure you gave me / / / Rupert.

1971

Message for Ella - born 3rd March 2001

2007-09-26T23:13:00.000+01:00

Message for Ella - My first grand-daughter

Welcome child, of child of mine, to us on Earth from the Divine. You carry God within your Soul. His presence in you makes you Whole.

And so from one who's been on Earth for more than fifty years before your birth, some words to guide you on your way, which I hope you'll read and understand one day.

“Be proactive in all you do, this is your Life-it's up to you.” You have the choice to choose your life and make it what you will. Choose it well my little one and you shall have your fill.

Begin with the end in mind from the very start, picture your life and what you wish from deep within your heart. Then live it to the full and give it one hundred per cent and fulfil your Plan and the reason why you've been sent..

Put first things first and second thing never, in your heart you make the weather. So make the sun shine every day, be positive in every way. Think win/win with those you meet, from your Mum and Dad to the Man in the street. We have all got the right to share the World with you, so be considerate and kind in all that you do.

Try to understand the other person first, even though you're fit to burst and want to tell them about your day-it really is a better way. Walk briskly with purpose and your head held high, with a smile for people as you pass them by.

Always seek the right way even when it's not there and you will always find it if you take care. May your Life have much laughter and your Heart filled with Love and may our Father in Heaven Bless You from above.

Much Love from Grandad Hugh 31.03.01
xxxxxxxxxxx

Alexander's First Birthday - 26th August 1999

2007-09-26T14:30:00.000+01:00

For my first grandchild on his first birthday

What can I say to you Little One?
With mischievous eyes so full of fun
How can I express the joy that you give
My hopes for you and the life that you'll live?

Let me lay down my wishes and say
As you celebrate your first Birthday
I wish you a life that is filled with Light
That your values be Just and you do what is Right

I wish for you a life of good deeds
To harvest fruit where others reap weeds
That you love your parents as they both love you
Without any conditions and whatever you do

For your Mother, my daughter who is dear to my heart
Was the vessel that held you till you made your start
And your Father has ensured you a comfortable life
One that will be free of material strife

So be thankful dear Alex for such a fortunate birth
Make a positive difference with your time on this Earth
I hope you will gain Wisdom as you grow in years
That your life's filled with laughter and very few tears

So, today is a milestone, you are on your way
And we all take great pleasure in your Special Day
We look forward to sharing so much with you
Wherever you are and whatever you do

It was with Love that I started, it's with Love I will end
For Love is a foundation on which families depend
And I pray for you to the good Lord above
That your life is blessed with Joy and much Love

God Bless

Grandad

Little Man - by me 1981

2007-09-26T13:59:00.000+01:00

This was written about my son in 1981, who is now in his thirties! And I love him as much now as I did then.

Listen to the little man, playing games without any fears
Smiling, laughing
Up and down the stairs he runs
His life before him planned out - the good times and the bad
Expecting everything from each moment, never doubting, always trusting
That all will be well within his world

The innocence that was, now ceases as he learns the facts of life
That Santa doesn't bring his presents and Superman can't really fly
That guns he plays with are imitations, the real ones are abominations
And that he'll have examinations, always being tested to the full
To line the profits of fat corporations
Who want their profits now and again and again and again

Then maybe cynical he'll be - resenting his youthful years of freedom
Of innocence and wild imagination, living almost casually among the debris
Of the lies and deceit around him - having sought the good in everything
Disappointed, hurt and pained - when he's been let down again
Then out of his chrysallis he'll emerge, a powerful potential force within this world
Moulded by the lives around him, to either ease or cause the pain

So please don't disappoint him now...
Just let him live and play his games

Hugh's 60th Photo Archive

2007-09-26T13:44:00.000+01:00

I have now created a label for my 60th photos, so if you click on the label on the left hand side of this page you will be taken directly to the photos.

Then click on the photo and the image will be enlarged.

Then press your browser back button to take you back to the page to view another picture.

Enjoy!

Death In The Suburbs - by Adrian Henri (1932-2000)

2007-09-26T13:03:00.000+01:00

Click on Title to take you to the poem where you can also listen to Adrian reciting it if you wish.

Without You by Adrian Henri

2007-09-26T12:23:00.000+01:00

Without you every morning would feel like going back to work after a holiday,
Without you I couldn't stand the smell of the East Lancs Road,
Without you ghost ferries would cross the Mersey manned by skeleton crews,
Without you I'd probably feel happy and have more money and time and nothing to do with it,
Without you I'd have to leave my stillborn poems on other people's doorsteps, wrapped in brown paper,
Without you there'd never be sauce to put on sausage butties,
Without you plastic flowers in shop windows would just be plastic flowers in shop windows, Without you I'd spend my summers picking morosley over the remains of train crashes,
Without you white birds would wrench themselves free from my paintings and fly off dripping blood into the night,
Without you green apples wouldn't taste greener,
Without you Mothers wouldn't let their children play out after tea,
Without you every musician in the world would forget how to play the blues,
Without you Public Houses would be public again,
Without you the Sunday Times colour supplement would come out in black-and-white,
Without you indifferent colonels would shrug their shoulders and press the button,
Without you they's stop changing the flowers in Piccadilly Gardens,
Without you Clark Kent would forget how to become Superman,
Without you Sunshine Breakfast would only consist of Cornflakes,
Without you there'd be no colour in Magic colouring books,
Without you Mahler's 8th would only be performed by street musicians in derelict houses, Without you they'd forget to put the salt in every packet of crisps,
Without you it would be an offence punishable by a fine of up to £200 or two months' imprisonment to be found in possession of curry powder,
Without you riot police are massing in quiet sidestreets,
Without you all streets would be one-way the other way,
Without you there'd be no one to kiss goodnight when we quarrel,
Without you the first martian to land would turn round and go away again,
Without you they'd forget to change the weather,
Without you blind men would sell unlucky heather,
Without you there would be
no landscapes/no stations/no houses
no chipshops/no quiet villages/no seagulls on beaches/
no hopscotch on pavements/no night/no morning/
there'd be no city no country
Without you.

Adrian Henri

A Man Of Means - 1969

2007-09-24T09:55:00.000+01:00

I’m a man of means, a peculiar guy
My home is the hedgerow, my roof is the sky
My carpet’s the grass, a log for my chair
I don’t have money, and I really don’t care

My pockets are empty, but my cup is filled
And my love for life has never been chilled
I sleep when I want and wake when I like
And I walk everywhere for I don’t own a bike

I haven’t a clock to stare at the hours
I’d much rather look at the beautiful flowers
I don’t like the cities, they’re all full of smoke
I am what you would call a natural bloke

My habits are simple, like the bird in the tree
I’m happy, I’m healthy and also I’m free
I’m not on the dole, yet I don’t do with nowt
When hungry I eat, and I always eat out

For nature is there to care for us all
For the rich and the poor, for big and small
The Earth is my Mother, to me she’s the best
She feeds me and cleans me and gives me my rest

I ramble and wander, I happily roam
Up hills and down dales in my wonderful home
I do what I can for less fortunate folk
For I’m rich with no money, how could I be broke?

Death Of A Bee - 1967

2007-09-24T09:49:00.000+01:00

The end of an age, the end of a life
The start of some good things, the death of strife
The beginning to ending what’s evaded us all
Is it there? Can we find it? Are we too small?

Are blossoms still blooming in this world that we’ve known?
I hope they don’t die before they’re full-grown
Or sadder than sad will the apple tree be
For no nectar collector for poor bumble bee

He’ll buzz all around from flower to flower
Soon he will tire; he’ll die in an hour
And fall on the ground, his wings have worn out
“More honey! More honey!” The worker bees shout

But sounds have grown dim for our tired little friend
He knows that he’s finally reached the end
He sighs with a silence so deep and profound
On a warm sunny day – he dies on the ground

After watching a bumble bee die of exhaustion - summer 67

The Indispensable Person - Anon

2007-09-23T21:11:00.000+01:00

Sometime when you’re feeling important,
Sometime when your ego’s in bloom,
Sometime when you’re feeling quite certain,
You’re the best qualified one in the room.

Sometime when you feel that your going,
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow this simple instruction
And see how it humbles your soul.

Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Take it out and the hole that’s remaining
Is the measure of how much you’ll be missed

Anon

Life Is Full by Denis S Simons

2007-09-22T17:46:00.000+01:00

Life is full
Of undertakings incompleted;
Golden chances lost;
Destinations never reached and
Bridges never crossed;
Worthy causes unsupported;
Kind words left unspoken;
Ideas not put into practice;
Compacts idly broken;
Projects that remain unactioned
Trains and buses missed
Love affairs unconsummated
Willing lips unkissed;
Tasks that never quite get finished
Desires no more than dreams;
Ambitions largely unfulfilled, and
Schemes that lay just schemes
But,
In the hoping
And the trying
In the fighting
And the crying
In the travelling
And arriving;
In the reaching
And the striving
In the planning
And the scheming
In the wishing
And the dreaming
Life is full

Something In The Air Tonight?

2007-09-21T18:11:00.000+01:00

It's been on telly recently, but it is such a great advert have another look!

Click Here

Sensation - by Me 1968

2007-09-21T01:27:00.000+01:00

Sensation

Thudding like a drill
Running like a water mill
Whistling like an express train
Humming like the golden rain
Sensation
Sensation you come over me
How sweet it is
Sensation drowning me
How sweet!
Driving like a bullet
From a mercenary’s gun
I’ve won
Sensation

Lost like the chord that they never found
Waning like the devalued pound
Sensation you’ve almost gone
Now the cold without you

The walls close in
Without
Sensation

1968

Where Am I Tonight - Me from 1968

2007-09-21T01:19:00.000+01:00

Where Am I Tonight?

Tonight when the moon rose
And slippers were placed
In front of the fire to warm
Ready for the telly
Tonight when the freshly pressed white shirts
Were buttoned up and decorated
With obscene ties
Tonight when it was discovered at 9.30
That there was no milk for coffee
Tonight when all the bars were full
With loud happy faces
And fat wallets
Tonight when Freda and Jim
Started a family on the sofa
In the parlour
While Mam and Dad were out
Tonight when the shilling ran out
In the middle of Danger Man
And there weren’t anymoreinthehouse
Or the pub
Tonight when the baby wouldn’t stop
Crying
Tonight when I wanted you
You weren’t there

1968

Love Is.... by Adrian Henri (rest his soul)

2007-09-21T00:51:00.000+01:00

Love is...

Love is feeling cold in the back of vans

Love is a fan club with only two fans

Love is walking holding paintstained hands

Love is.

Love is fish and chips on winter nights

Love is blankets full of strange delights

Love is when you don't put out the light

Love is

Love is the presents in Christmas shops

Love is when you're feeling Top of the Pops

Love is what happens when the music stops

Love is

Love is white panties lying all forlorn

Love is pink nightdresses still slightly warm

Love is when you have to leave at dawn

Love is

Love is you and love is me

Love is prison and love is free

Love's what's there when you are away from me

Love is...

Adrian Henri

Today's 3 wishes

2007-09-20T20:21:00.000+01:00

1. That Everton win tonight.

2. That Everton win tonight.

3. That Everton win tonight.

They drew 1-1 and had a good penalty ordered to be retaken, which was then saved. They then had another penalty which went high over the bar! Which was nice! Not!

My Blackberry's blown a Raspberry

2007-09-10T15:15:00.000+01:00

When my contract for my mobile phone recently came up for renewal, on the advice of a friend, I upgraded to a Blackberry. I am delighted with it as I can send and receive e-mails and surf the web whilst out and about.

Babs, my wife, who is not into things of a technical nature was telling some of her colleagues at work the other day that...

"My husband has bought one of those new Raspberry phones and can't stop playing with it."

Bless.

A few more photos from Hugh's 60th!

2007-07-12T00:36:00.000+01:00

And Here's Some More!

2007-05-23T15:52:00.000+01:00

Yet More 60th Photos!

2007-05-23T15:47:00.000+01:00

Yet More 60th Photos!

2007-05-21T23:43:00.000+01:00

A few more, including 2 on Sunday at The Far East restaurant in Liverpool.

My Family at My 60th

2007-05-21T12:51:00.000+01:00

Thank you for making my evening so wonderful! I love you all!

More of Hugh's 60th

2007-05-21T12:49:00.000+01:00

Hugh's 60th

2007-05-21T12:48:00.000+01:00

AJ Being Very Busy!

2007-05-17T11:28:00.000+01:00

Here is a collage of my lovely grandson AJ, taken on Monday when we looked after him for the day.

Missing Madeleine McCann Poster

2007-05-10T18:45:00.000+01:00

Please click on title and download the poster from the GMTV website. This little girl needs to be reunited with her family - NOW!

Those of you who have children must in some way, be able to understand and empathise with the desperation, anguish and heartache this family are going through. I am sure you feel helpless, like I do, but download the poster and send it it to everyone you know.

Someone, somewhere, may remember something, it may spark a memory that may be crucial to helping return Madeleine to her family.

Thanks for reading this.

A Trip to WIgan

2007-05-10T15:36:00.000+01:00

Today, I went on a shopping trip to Wigan to get kitted out for my 60th. Eldest daughter accompanied me together with her youngest child, my grandson, who kept us amused the whole time.

We had a surprisingly nice snack in BHS and I managed to buy a nice pair of slacks and shirt so I won't look too scruffy next week.

Looking forward to it and getting my bus pass!

The Zimmers

2007-05-10T08:28:00.001+01:00

More My Style!

More Photos From Germany

2007-04-04T05:30:00.000+01:00

Some more photos from Germany. From top to bottom:

Antony and his Mum, Babs on bridge at Luxembourg, main street in Heidelburg old town, Babs by Neptune in Heidelburg Castle, view of Luxembourg from bridge

Our Visit To Germany

2007-04-03T11:00:00.000+01:00

Place D'Arme - Luxembourg

View of Heidelburg from castle

Heidelburg Castle