Following the Leader

This cute and innocent creature is simply trying to do too much at the moment. She’s at the age where she’s too small to do things but she doesn’t want to miss out on anything. She wants to copy and takes part in everything that her big sister does; and gets frustrated when she doesn’t get the same opportunities or attention. She will try to fight off every physical exertion, no matter how tired she gets, until she gets the same or similar treatment. She’s too young to understand that sometimes in life you must wait your turn for your moment to shine. Hang in there, little one. One day you’ll develop your own thread and will want to do different things. You’ve just got to learn patience and one day you might outshine your older sibling. But until then, the world just wants you to remain as little and cute and cuddly as possible.

Entertaining

I might seem like a true party pooper with this next piece; but when I did attend this party it was straight after finishing a shift at work with the intention of just picking up my mother who’d been there all day. Enter the idea of picking out music videos on the TV. This was clearly ill prepared as the hosts had no idea how to do this or the equipment required. We ended up installing an update for an app on the idea while we anxiously cheered on the progress bar in the hope that there would be voice recognition when the update was complete. It was clearly not. After that it was a case of choosing the same person who fumbled with the remote every time when it came to punching in the name of the next song. The poor guy operating the remote sat behind the fireplace, so he didn’t have a clear view of what was going on. He even insisted on looking up the name of the group before typing it in rather than just typing in the song name. Perhaps another game should have been prepared.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle!

What’s the best thing for children to do on Christmas day? Go outside and play! There wasn’t any snow, but these kids had wheels. So after Christmas dinner and in the last hour of daylight it was time to don hats and coats and hit the rec ground opposite where my brother lives. As we went outside, he magically made bicycles appear from his van; where he’d been storing them out of the way to give the other thirteen of us a bit more room in the house. The oldest child had the biggest bike, and it was time for her to start learning to ride without stabilisers. Luckily Dad wasn’t far behind to stop her from toppling over. The other two did have stabilisers fitted, but couldn’t grasp the concept of pedalling to make the bike move at all. This resulted in a lot of pushing across the rec ground by the grown-ups to make the thing move, which they enjoyed much more than the pedalling that they failed to grasp.

Mistaken Fortunes

"Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck." -Dalai Lama

Sometimes there's an error in our favour. You might be given the wrong meal that you ordered, and it turned out to be nicer than you expected. Not being able to travel to somewhere you'd planeed to go to may save you time in the long run because of bad weather or delays on the roads. Or you spend your time wisely and you get more tasks completed than you thought you would because a friend lets you down. There's a lot of times in lifewhen things don't always go your way, but it's how you react to the situation that makes you a better person. You can kick and scream all you like; but that won't necessarily change the outcome in a positive manner. You have to look at how you can turn that frown upside-down. Sometimes, a simpler method using a bit less effort will make life much easier.

A Christmas Mohican

This gentleman loves to be a jester and show his own independence, whether it’s arriving in his own time for Christmas dinner or playing a trick on each and every person in the room. It’s not surprising that he owns his own dress-up kit, and that he can tailor it for any occasion. He’s not embarrassed by anything and he’s happy to be the life and soul of the party. He loves being the centre of attention and wants to be the organiser of everything rather than play along. He’s happy to be smart and casual and never makes the effort except when he wants to be the star of the show. But he’d rather sit down and play with you on a one-to-one level than have a meaningful conversation. He’s also happy to play with the children that are least likely to interact with him; so he doesn’t have to anticipate a negative response. To that end, he’s a strange one.

Click and Collect

I was quite looking forward to this comedy; after all the plot is based on an industry that I’m involved with. But ultimately, it wasn’t about war on commercial Christmas itself; but a journey about how one man managed to recover his Christmas spirit. It was a tad predictable at times and it’s a shame that some of the sequences had to be cut; especially when Andy falls off the roof of his car. It did make for an enjoyable little comedy that was quite different; even if it did have a lanky white-collar git and a dosser teaming up together with plenty of awkward silence moments in between. There’s also a tremendous amount of feel-good from the deeds involved, even when they have to take the law into their own hands to do their mission justice. I’ve never known anyone to honk as they drive past a house’s Christmas lights though, and I’ve never known anyone to leave them on day and night. Must be a southern thing.

Merry Christmas!

So if there really is a jolly fat man whose mission is to deliver toys to all the children in the world in one night, then why does he choose to reside in the North Pole? It’s one of the remotest places on the planet. Surely he’d choose to settle down somewhere that’s a bit more central to make things easier? Or the other hand, he may have chosen the location to get away from our increasing population with the excuse that it’s too much work to meet the demand. With the ice caps melting, we’re bound to discover him sooner or later. Unless of course, he’s already moved underground and into the desert. If it was me, I’d operate it from the moon as it would always be in sight should anything go wrong. With the speed that I travel, getting out of orbit and onto the planet should be no trouble at all.

Meddling With Meercats

It’s car insurance renewal time again – just what you want to think about on Christmas Eve. But be as it may, the cogs of the world must turn on. This year, the people at the office want to charge me an extra £65 for their electronic mail; despite me not having to contact them at all in the last twelve months other than to buy the legal document that I required the year before. Yet other providers are quite happy to charge me £95 less for their services which have some bonus extras flung in as well. It’s almost as if my current provider has already decided that they don’t want their custom this year as they have plenty of other people who need their services to deal with. So naturally I haven’t renewed and had a word with the meerkats who did find me a better deal; and then I got confused with another comparison site who managed to save me a tiny bit more for the exact same policy. I just hope that they don’t try crawling to me with their hands outstretched next year.

Stockport South Island Pale at the Weatheroak Taphouse, Studley

Pale folk come from the south. They have better jobs so that they can afford more expensive fresher ingredients in their cooking which is healthier for them. They’re represented by a triangle because they’re more physically active and contribute a lot more to society because they fit together. Because those that live in the north have much whiter faces. They see the sun a lot less so they tend to remain indoors. Their jobs tend to be more menial which puts them on a lower income, meaning that they can only afford the cheaper ingredients and spend more money on snacks and unhealthy foods; especially when they’re on special offer. And that’s their ultimate downfall because they stock up and then use up their supply a lot faster because it’s always in front of them. This causes them to be represented by a circle because of their more rounded fattening shape which causes problems when they have to work together because they don’t rest side by side.

It's Gone Time

It’s a mad dash for the shops as everyone’s coming in for their last grocery shop before Christmas. People are struggling to cope as most retailers will be closed for a whole day. There’s cars everywhere and trollies are only to be found scattered about the car park. Some people are darting in for the last thing that they’ve forgotten in the hope of grabbing it and making a quick exit. Others are simply confused as they carry a single bell pepper outstretched in front of them as if it was a hand grenade. There’s people in pyjamas and onesies stacking shelves and a woman pushing a trolley of freshly baked loaves as though they were bricks. After doing several U-turns in the frozen aisle to avoid the chaos of trollies everywhere and catching up with my mother on the next aisle; we swing behind a single old man with a broken arm who’s dumped his basket on the conveyor belt. Naturally, it’s up to me to remove it. Our escape isn’t too bad; there’s still space to reach around the back of the car to load up and go.

Making Tracks

I love the feel of fresh snow. I love the sound of the first scrunch as you make your first mark with your foot. The deeper the better, unless you’re in a hurry then it’ll slow you down and you should really allow extra time for your journey. If the roads have fresh snow then it’s a big no-no. Of course, later on when the snow stops falling, it’s hard to find a fresh patch when you’re in an urban area. It’s all been trodden on and scrunched together, and it’s no longer smooth. And as it’s been compacted, it’s more likely to freeze overnight and become extra slippery. Compacted snow also takes longer to melt away. But when the compact snow has taken over, there’s very little effort from people to get out there and make tracks or even build a snowman. They’d rather just hole up inside and let someone else do it.

Droning on About Drones

Why is everyone droning on about drone disruption? The technology has been around for a while now; so surely the government should have foreseen this kind of trespassing? There’s been a lot of talk about drone registration and law enforcement when drones reached the shelves so why hasn’t this been actioned? What’s happened to the jamming posts which should be fitted on the airport’s perimeter fences to prevent these incidents from happening? In any case, there’s only one airport which seems to have been affected, so is this a case of being caught with their trousers down? If they’re not enforcing their borders, then ultimately they should be the ones responsible if they’re not doing their civic duty to catch the perpetrators. They’ve talked about shooting the drone down but why haven’t they acted? And why aren’t aircraft fitted with similar jamming devices to prevent drones from getting near them while they’re in the air? It just goes to show how behind the times our government really is.

Frosty the Snow Boy

On a cold winter’s day two innocent little girls have built a snowman in their garden. They had great fun running around in the garden gathering up all the loose snow around them until it began to form a ball. They ran out into the park opposite and found some felled branches which they fashioned into arms, and their mother gave them some chopped cucumber to use as eyes. A few pokes with a finger created teeth and some stones pushed into his base formed his buttons. But this snowman certainly isn’t innocent when the night settles. As soon as the curtains are closed he’ll vault the fence and create as much havoc as he possibly can. He’ll tear down your Christmas lights, ice up your windshield and create as much ice as possible to trip you up as soon as you set foot outside of your house. And all because you made him ugly.

What Small Thing can tell you a lot about a Person?

A confused person is easy to spot; especially if their head is spinning left and right as if they’re looking for something. They might even dart back and forth from one point to another in their quest for their search. When you’re an assistant, these are the signals that you have to look out for; even though they might be one of the most confident people that you’ve ever seen walk through your door. What might be obvious to you might not necessarily be obvious to them. Even when you’ve explained what’s going on and pointed out where they need to go and what they have to do; there’s always the chance that they’ll misunderstand your instructions and you’ll have to walk them through it. But it’s the quick ones that you have to keep an eye on; these people know how the system should work and some know how to manipulate it as soon as someone has made a mistake.

Snowmobile Park

Snow has hit our hidden town and I’ve been called in to open up the shop. I’ve had a phone call from one boss saying that she can’t get there and that I should go in her place and set up a command centre to see whether we can trade or not and rely a message to the rest of the staff. I then get in touch with the original colleague who she was supposed to be working with to affirm that I’ll be arriving on foot in her place and that I’m on my way. There’s not a car in sight, but there is a shopping trolley that someone could convert into a snowmobile. People are asking me if they should come in. I have to explain that if it’s safe for them to make an attempt to come into work then they should do so; but I’m not going to force them into coming in and be responsible for any accidents. Eventually a small team arrives and we open up. I then have to decide how long are we going to be open for and how long can we hold out.

Mr. Bucket

The idea of this simple children’s game is very entertaining. It’s a bucket that spits out coloured balls and your job is to scoop up your chosen coloured balls with your shovel and be the first to get all your balls back inside the bucket. The only trouble is that the thing fires them out fast indeed; so much so that’s it’s to the point of exhaustion. To make things more interesting, there’s even hands which wave back and forth across the lip which blocks your way; forcing you to chase your ball across the floor again. It’s also quite frustrating to put the thing together. It took me a fair while to get the nose clipped in correctly; and  I wasn’t sure whether the hands were properly attached or not either. There were also stickers to add which was frustrating as it’s always awkward to get them lined up in exactly the right places. But we turned it on and I’m not entirely ensure whether it’s supposed to travel backwards; but logically it makes sense as otherwise the balls would never come out. And the kids love it.

The Chain Joke

It’s nice to receive a chain joke, but often it’s a bit of a shame when people decide to kill it. I can see why though; people want to get on with other things in their lives. It’s nice that they’ve thought of you; so long as it’s from the actual person and not from a bot. Occasionally you’ll get the odd one that you just don’t understand at all, and you’ll choose to bin it immediately rather than read it or at least the first few seconds. Or you might forward it onto someone, and they might be grateful to receive it; but after that it’s a toss of the coin as to whether they send it on as well. You can ask them if they got it the next time you see them in person, and it might make a little conversation opener. It may also cause you a bit of embarrassment if you haven’t actually read it.

The Get It Man

I seem to be a man who can get things lately. It’s a bit odd as we’re not in a prison yet I now know how Morgan Freeman felt when he acquired certain items in exchange for packets of cigarettes. There’s just two downsides; I’m making very little money from it and the other major thing that it’s costing me is time. I don’t mind collecting items when I’m on site anyway but to ask me to be in at a certain time to organise a collection when I’m due to be at home is just downright inconsiderate; especially if there’s no bonus for me. Another area where it gets complicated is when I must fund the purchase in advance; source the item and wait months later for the final payment. Even when I get small items, I still have to have them hanging around for a collection that would suit them. It’s time for others to be a bit more independent. Either that or I’m going to have to ask more things of them…

The Richards Review

It’s been a hard year for the Richards clan but we’re making it through. There’s the grandmother who’s battling hard to stay positive in readiness for her first Christmas without her loved one. There’s the youngest gorgeous granddaughter who’s just beginning to talk and pulls a cheeky grin every time she’s put in front of a camera. There’s the hard-working Dad who’s celebrating his first Christmas with his newly married wife. There’s the new daughter-in-law who’s suffered a year of ups and downs with both positives and negatives and is always trying to make the best out of everything. There’s a second older granddaughter who’s been through her own medical trauma and is healing up fine and is doing her upmost to hold up as much Christmas cheer as she possibly can. Finally, there’s the suffering son who must somehow hold it all together and keep going all the while trying to find his own path.

Follow Your Dreams

"Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs." -Farrah Gray

The problem with today’s world is that we always want the easy option. Everyone always wants things done for them and they’re not prepared to put the effort in. But if you don’t put the effort in, then there’s little in life that you can control, and you’ll end up being ruled over by everyone else’s decisions. You’ll end up in a job doing a task that someone dictates to you which makes you feel small and you’ll struggle to feel valued while contributing to someone else’s plan. It’s not slavery, but you don’t get to choose how you earn your living either. The worst part then is that you’ll feel bogged down competing all the other tasks and you’ll run out of time to complete the ones that you’ll find the most fulfilling. And if you don’t show enthusiasm while you’re in your current job, it makes it all the more easier for them to throw you on the scrap heap.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

It’s dance time! Why do girls have to get so frisky on the dance floor, yet when you dare to approach them anywhere else you’re likely to get doused with pepper spray? They dance and prance while boys stop and stare but why is it always on the boys to make the first move when it comes to relationships? You’ve then got the problem of when to make your move. Do you spring onto the dance floor and join in with them? You then run the risk of being the party pooper of their evening. Do you gather them up when they’ve moved over for a drink? Or do you single out the one you fancy and wait until she’s on her own? And then after any of these attempts, there’s no guarantee that these actions will grant you sanctuary anyway. And if the girl does the first move, it’s she who is the desperate one.

The Cowardly Cow

Have you ever seen a cowardly cow? As far as my memory serves, they only exist in adult cartoons with gay pictorial characters. But in real life, they have very little to fear. You may see the odd calf get up and walk away when you enter a field, but in general they’re bigger than us and have very little predators in the wild. It’s only when we domesticate them and trick them into entering the abattoir that man becomes its dominant hunter. They may be afraid of machinery such as tractors or even cars and learn to keep away from them as they don’t like the noise. And in other environments they may be hunted down by wolves and bears in desperation. But in general, most species value the cow because its milk has so many uses. A cow that runs away from you is a rare one indeed.

Tree Blockers

What are these things that enforce us to dress up on the shortest day of the year? It’s only the start of the cold season, yet people will insist upon dragging us inside to be dressed up in all kinds of shiny things and fake lights (which we’re most grateful for) only to be thrown out a month later? It’s providing us with a real treat only to snatch the luxury away again when we need the most comfort. Perhaps it’s their way of providing for us; to prepare ourselves for those three months afterwards. We don’t know if we’re being punished for some unknown sin; though they do get frustrated when our pine needles are shed upon the inside ground. There’s also rather a lot of noise. Outside we’re used to the big metal boxes whizzing by but inside there’s a black window which makes all sorts of noises which really does get in the way of trying to sleep. No wonder we’re exhausted by the end of it all.

Redditch Spice Bazaar #dreamdiary70

I’ve got a job in my town’s newest food store in the shopping centre. Simply put, we just sell spices. The customer walks in to view a large glass counter with some scales at the end; while a big poster on the wall lists the various spices for sale. Behind the counter is a set of steps similar to an auditorium which are covered in green Velcro carpeting. On each step at three feet intervals lies some earthen pots with a large lid placed just behind each one. It’s my job to go up and scoop out each spice and bring it down to the scales. Occasionally I have to climb up the steps to the back and up a ladder to get to the store room, while underneath the steps lies our computer for accounting purposes, a kettle and fridge, some chairs and a door which grants access to the loading bay.

Here come the Girls

It’s become a tradition that we get together with family and friends in mid-December to get Christmas off to a flying start with a few drinks. It’s not too early to start celebrating and it’s not too late to interfere with people’s plans for the big day itself. Throw in the fact that the venue is right in the middle of the country and it should be accessible for everyone to pop in and say hello, even if it’s only for a quick drink and a mince pie. Party games are kept to a minimum song that each and every table must join in with their own chorus to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas. A fair bit of grub is laid on, though you need to be quick if you’re considering it as your lunch. There’s also balloons and a giant inflatable snowman to keep the youngsters happy, though we’ll probably need a bigger boat and more entertainment in the future.

Keep Refrigiated

What would you do if you only had a set of instructions in front of you? If you were told to keep a sandwich refrigerated; would you do it until the very end? Those with extensive housing might be lucky to have a whole cold room where you’d just need to wrap up in warm clothes before popping in to eat. The rest of us would need a fridge with a cat flap big enough to stick your head through, a special dining hat so that we won’t freeze in the winter and a brush to scrub out all the crumbs afterwards. It’ll also have to be dining solo, and there might be a rush for the kitchen just as there would be for the bathroom. And the worst of it that the bulb in the refrigerator will be used a hack of a lot more; so you’ll have to read up on your electrician skills too.

Eye Candy

She might look adorable, but this little girl is also quite tough. She’s had to undergo the removal of a kidney in a run-down hospital in the heart of the city centre. The operation went well, though she screamed the place down when she had an injection. Unfortunately, the nurses would only let her return home after she’d done a wee, which she struggled to do on that day and she had to stop an extra night. Once she returned home, she was quite tired and had to have a lot of rest; we went to join her for a pyjama day on the sofa watching films. She was very excited to see us, but we had to keep reminding her that she was supposed to be resting, which frustrated her a bit. But now she’s just running around as usual enjoying her childhood; though her childish tantrums are beginning to kick in.

Postal Weights

One of my latest charges as our society secretary is to see that our quarterly newsletter is sent out to our postal subscribers in a timely manner. Those who want it post out SAEs and it’s my job to put them in the post as soon as they’ve been published. For some reason, it’s also my duty to tell them when it’s time for them to send me more SAEs which made it complicated last year as we missed producing two issues. This edition is slightly heavier than usual as we’ve changed the paper quality and we’ve also added extra pages. I’m wondering if the envelopes still class as a standard letter. After having a fiddle with the kitchen scales and a debate on whether we’re getting a good deal on our sugar; I’ve decided that I’m going to have to bite the bullet and get them checked at the post office before sending them out.

Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer

Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The novel starts with a contrast of two worlds; and it’s amazing at what odds Rosnovski had to deal with compared to the cushy life of Kane. I thought it was a shame that their ultimate downfall would be to attempt to destroy each other financially. There could have been more interest if they had met on the battlefield or at their child’s wedding, and it would have been more dramatic if the true circumstances of Rosnovski’s birth had come to light later on in the story. And the conclusion of the novel felt a bit sudden as the chapters were a lot shorter and not many events took place within them. The mystery of why Rosnovski’s benefactor chose to remain hidden is also a mystery and is perhaps unnecessarily out of character for Kane; who has remained stubborn for much of his life. But this still makes for a very interesting novel with lots of page-turning moments and momentous happenings, even without the involvement of fiscal events.

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The Black Tower

There’s an office tower near to the railway line just outside King’s Norton. It’s made of black glass and stretches up into the sky. Below it is an old factory made of brick with closed gates leading onto the railway track followed by an overspill car park for the current rail station. I wonder what ghastly deeds came out of this empire? Maybe the business has carried on in a faraway country; leaving the office behind to interact as a worldwide headquarters. The CEO must have a great view at the top; if only to show off to his subordinates while he’s teleconferencing. Yet down below, it’s pretty sparse. Perhaps there’s a white-collar worker inside wandering around the cubicles with a bottle of scotch surveying what was once his kingdom. Or maybe it’s a secret government bunker storing reserves of food or medicine in preparation for a Brexit crisis. Perhaps in the future years the tower could be used as an observation point for tourism? But most likely the whole thing will be torn down to make way for housing.

Mobile Mayhem

I’m getting a bit fed up of the company asking us to use our own property more and more. There’s always been a ban on mobile phones in the workplace and that we should keep them confined to the staff area and our lockers; but lately the company’s asked us to take advantage of the latest technologies by signing up to chat groups and networks on our own devices. It’s also frustrating that there’s no employee wi-fi; yet alone any for the customers to use their devices. And it’s not just our battery power that’s being used; it’s our data allowance as well. The other annoying thing is that we also receive updates when we’re outside of the workplace and we can’t always turn these off. So if they’re not going to improve their infrastructure or arm us with devices that allow us to do the job, then at least they should put an allowance towards the cost of us keeping our phones.