"At the end of our lives' she said, 'we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by 'I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in."

 -Mother Teresa.

It’s nice to earn a qualification. It feels like you’ve achieved something. It’s a plan set by someone else to show that they believe you understand a certain skillset. Whether that knowledge remains with you is another thing. But a more important question is whether that knowledge will help someone else as well. Is it there just to benefit and enrich your life, or are you able to reap the rewards and share it with someone else freely rather than for personal gain? Will it create a reputation for you? How will others tell? Is it because you’ve done a great deed for them? Have you sacrificed something to assist and enrich their lives? Will they be grateful for the time that you’ve spent with them? Will they remember and appreciate your actions? Will others? How have you cared for your environment? How have others cared for you? Are you thankful?

Too Much Choice?

There’s a difference between creating quality dishes and something that’s to suit everyone’s tastes. But amazingly, there aren’t too many hot dishes (unless of course you request them), but to need to state that this is so, especially when you’re an Indian restaurant. And it’s so easy to get an order wrong when you get a lot of the popular dishes. You might just cook for convenience and add the other ingredients at the end. But it always results in an interesting and colourful array of sauces, even if presented a little too thickly. Just hope that you don’t spill any on any fabrics or surfaces and pray that the stain comes out if it does. I usually have one of the traditional dishes when I’m having a takeaway, but if I’m eating inhouse then I’ll go for one of the specials or the chef’s recommendations as they’re best consumed when it’s all just come out of the oven.

Top Ten

So how is a chart decided for the year? It’s not even finished yet. Has everyone had the opportunity to cast a vote? Is everyone aware of how the voting process works? Why was it hidden from you and was there an attempt to keep this secret? Why wasn’t your entry considered and who are the people that voted? What are the nominations that didn’t make it and close were they to making the cut? Is there a criterion? How can they improve upon their ranking? It doesn’t necessarily seem right. Many will try out the nominations and compare it to their own findings. It’s all a bit biased, especially when you look at who’s declared the winner. You have to ask yourself how high you rank that person or organisation. It might even be based on sales rather than opinions. Still, if you’re not sure of a favourite or want something to try then it’s good to look around.

Done and Gone

This Dunlop satchel was quite smart and fashionable when I had it. I’d like to think that it was made of tyres but it was a nice mixture of brown leather with a smart strap and golden lettering on the front. It was very comfortable to wear. It had a zip able inside for keeping documents in and it looked very business-like. The whole thing was fastened by a push-in button. However, I would have liked for it to have lasted a little longer. Over time it did begin to develop some holes. Objects would get lost in the lining and occasionally I’d hunt for a pen only to find it on the floor. The easiest way to get round that was to put a bag inside the bag, but that would defeat the object. I don’t know if I was using it too much or was overfilling it, but eventually it had to go.

Sunset for a White Van Man

It’s not what you expect to see when you’re out delivering at night. It’s nice that you can take the time to enjoy these moments. I found this while driving a route out of Banbury towards some villages. Sometimes it’s nice to take the scenic route back, especially when you’re ahead of your schedule. I spotted it as I turned a corner and there was a small dirt layby, so I parked up and rolled down the window. Just below me through the wire fence was a drop onto a hill. It was nice to see just fields and hills, even though there was a motorway down there somewhere and a farm building in the immediate vicinity. It was like watching an evil eye move down behind the horizon. I did send the picture to a few people but I didn’t hear back, either because it was late or that they were jealous that I was allowed out.

Sitting in a Lawn Chair with your eyes closed

It’d be nice to hear birds chirping, maybe a sheep communication with its companions in the distance followed by a hearty moo. Sadly, I’m more likely to hear engines overrevving as they tear down the distant road, echoing some drum and bass if they’re nearby. I do get to hear some wildlife though. There’s overstuffed pigeons cooing as they approach the garden to consider venturing in to scavenge for food. There’s angry dogs defending their territory and cats mewing loudly trying to attract the attention of someone to let them into the house. Occasionally you’ll hear an owl howling at the confusion of all this noise going on as they’re trying to get some kip. There’s the sound of neighbours closing their car doors where they’re sealed off from the outside world in an environment better protected than in a house, and you might catch a snippet of conversation first. Sometimes you can hear a train echoing through the valley as it approaches the station. Welcome to the sounds of suburbia.

Upon Reflection #clent 8

This is quite a mysterious thing to find on the top of a hill, though it’s not that uncommon. There’s quite a few stone circles set up on crests of hills, and I’ve even seen druids undergo rituals at some of them, and we might even have interrupted the process. But here there’s just picnickers and a drone in the background. I wonder if they’ve come to film my own ritual amongst the sandstone? I could just be doing my daily exercises. It’s certainly an inspiring spot. I wonder if the stones were originally bigger or greater in number and that they’ve been weathered away by the wind over time. Will they still be the same height and width in a hundred years? There’s more likely to be nicked. It looks like my left pocket is being targeted. Maybe the droid is coming down for a snatch of the contents. Still, at least there’s a dog nearby to try and chase it for me.