Oakwood Olympics Part Two.

    Following the Estate Olympics last week I'd just like to show my readers that living in Derby is uplifting, upbeat, exciting, a place without parallel. Derby, 'a with it' city; probably not exactly, but  mundane and boring, never! Well, go on then, Thursday night can be a little underwhelming at times, so what better than a little bungey jumping to liven up the evening. And what do you need for such sophisticated pleasures. A charity that can use all the money it can find in these austere times. (always easy) Some generous sponsors to encourage anyone and everyone to participate in an activity bordering on the insane. (again never easy).  As many as possible drunk, egocentrical or plain daft individuals to make a total exhibition of themselves. (Neither easy nor impossible) And an audience to cheer on the the brave? the crazy? the foolhardy?

    Participants were found (Some even jumped twice). At least one jumped with an inordinate amount of alcohol inside him, (I would not consider jumping sober, never mind with two treble brandies and a pint of lager inside me.) On or two looked decidedly ill. (Do you remember that Procol Harum recording 'A Whiter Shade of Pale.') The 'audience' was, I thought, reminiscent of the ones that attended public executions in times gone by.

    A modern equivalent without the macabre connotations I hope. An amusing evening, a charity concerned with breast cancer benefited and a good time was had by all. (Well nearly all). But it did make me think. Enjoy, if that's the right word, the two videos. I did not, of course display them before the event. I'm not that stupid, honest.

Olympic Gymnastics, Housing Estate Version.

    I seldom plan posts. One of the joys of blogging is that you write about what YOU like. I seldom write about the current news so, writing roughly weekly I'm never sure what to write about next.

    I was, with my wife in my favourite pub the other day. Called The Oaklands, in a way its a typical estate pub. Badly in need of a refit (Pub chains are more interested in profits than the comfort of the customers I fear). The clientele is mixed to say the least. But the beer is good, the staff are welcoming and the place works hard to survive in these austere times. Plus the Oaklands serves excellent meals and the staff have an excellent understanding of my wife's problems. (No I don't mean being married to me, my wife is a coeliac and MUST have a diet that is absolutely without question gluten free.)

    We sat in the pub, the door was open with a clear view across the road. In view was scaffolding surrounding some shops; it has been there some considerable time thus attracting various youngsters, from the very young to late teenage. (seemingly mainly if not exclusively male.) And the gyrations, the swinging from the scaffolding gave much food for thought. Foolhardy, certainly, but containing some moves that were both unusual and skilful. Where were such gymnastics learnt, I wonder.

    'Health and Safety' would certainly not approve! Neither did anyone in the pub. At one stage the police did appear, but the 'action' ceased only for the time the police were present. Now I'm not condoning the youngsters actions but think for a minute. Why are these youngsters using the scaffolding for their own purpose. It reminds me of the Everest conquest in 1953. 'Why did you climb it' they were asked. 'Because it was there.' I had no scaffolding available in my formative years; therefore I never climbed scaffolding. Instead I placed pennies on railway lines; I 'swam' in the River Derwent and the Borrowash Canal, although 'swam' is a misnomer because I was a non-swimmer at the time. In the farmyard I climbed high on the straw bales, drove farm machinery and once climbed into a pen, accidentally that housed a bull.(I climbed out a lot faster than I climbed in!)

    It's all part of growing up, 'horses for courses' so to speak and not everyone survives. Several of my peers died young. I've no answers as to why some did, some didn't (survive).

    One final point. Its the Olympics very shortly in case you haven't noticed. How many of the sportsmen or women at the top get there without help or influence. Tiger Woods, one of the best golfers in the world' playing golf at the age of three due to influencial, parenting. Andy Murray, not a bad tennis player, certainly by British standards. The son of a professional tennis player. Victoria Pendleton, British world champion cyclist on several occasions is the daughter of a somewhat fanatical racing cyclist in his heyday. You get the picture plus I wonder how many of the parents of the 'gymnasts' knew where their offspring were. (and perhaps even cared.) Most who reach the top in sport have advantages other kids don't have. I wonder too what Derby has to offer teenagers who strive for sporting success. One final thought. The youngsters on the scaffolding looked fit enough to me, unlike their audience including myself; plus it's cheap entertainment. Perhaps a case of 'pub clientele, eat your heart out!'

There's Some Sad People About, That's For Sure.

 

'Also remembered was a John Bull printing set. Comprising of a small much prized tin containing: inkpad and two sets of rubber letters. The complete alphabet, one set being capitals, a small wooden block and a small pair of tweezers to handle the individual letters. Considering every word and sentence had to be set out backwards it was a wonder we persevered, though printing out rude words in private was an education few adults had reckoned on.

Concerning rude words I well remember discovering at school the word twat. Thus virtually every sentence was punctuated with the word, ‘twat this’ and ‘twat that’ until I made the mistake of uttering such ill chosen utterances in front of adults, in my case Aunty Mary. I was made to understand in no uncertain terms that such words had no place in God fearing households. Strangely enough no attempt was made as to why such words were taboo. The result, the words gained a new prominence, to be uttered now on away from adult ears. I must have been around eight years old at the time.'

    This extract was taken from my e-book A Childhood Revisited. I was, as indicated a mere child of around eight at the time. Then I gradually grew up! I still swear at times, I am not particularly proud of it, it is generally selective and on occasion it can be effective I reckon. But I would not dream of swearing in front of a lady or children.

     I used to teach English for a living in a large, very average comprehensive. IF a child swore in class I used to 'jump' on it quickly and point out that I didn't swear in class, so why should they. Even the most challenging of pupils, with very few exceptions accepted this 'rule' and we 'got by' quite well in a career lasting nearly twenty years.

    I am reminded of those days in my distant past when I read of the trial of John Terry. Irrespective of a not guilty verdict concerning racial abuse, what a depressing scene; what desperately pathetic, uncouth, limited, ignorant people there are in the world. (The trial centered around the use of the terms a black c*** and f****** k***head.) No argument that the term was used, merely how it was used. And these people are adults, for goodness sake! How rich and self indulgent some modern sportsmen seem to be. And not just sportsmen, for there were loud cheers from the public gallery in court that clearly indicated the behaviour and presumably language of John Terry was acceptable to some. To what depths have we sunk. I am a football follower (of my beloved Derby County) but at times I question whether I am just encouraging sick and depraved people by spending my hard earnt cash so that they can lead a lifestyle devoid of any moral worth.    

    Not all footballers are bad of course. But when you have a footballer who admits he tried to break an opponents leg (Roy Keane) and another paragon of virtue who doesn't admit to adultery and then has the cheek to resort to law to prevent us knowing what a hypocrite he is (Ryan Giggs) all seems lost. No one seems to care, Keane is seldom off the television sports programmes; Giggs is captain of the Great Britain Olympic team. Remember, these people are heroes, role models to our children and grandchildren; is that right. And before I get too carried away, what would my attitude be, I wonder, if Derby County were to be offered a psychopathic, philandering centre half who happened to be the best prospect since the proverbial sliced bread.

Act Your Age.

Regular followers will have read of our recent problems. Not helped by increasing years. A fact of which I became increasingly aware when watching 'When I Get Older' on BBC television this week. I was particularly moved by four nursing homes featured in the documentary. Some of the residents had various stages of dementia; it was at times harrowing and extremely sad. But dedicated staff insisted even dementia patients can have a quality of life that is of sufficient value to justify existence. In a way us 'old uns' can seem  somewhat decrepit but boy, 'we ain't finished yet!' At times it tends to be 'What does society expect of us; what are we supposed, and more important, not supposed to do!'

    My wife wears stripy leggings on occasion. (Influenced by two 'with it' daughters); she also has, at least for July, glorious red hair. Its not her natural colour but its great (and so useful when I lose her in a crowded supermarket.) Some probably frown on it. They think when you're getting on a bit you should go all dowdy and let your hair go grey. Old people are interesting if you get to know them. (When you get them off talking about free bus passes,  fuel allowances and their aches and pains.) Do you remember when you were young and you did daft things. And what did your parents say. 'Act your age.' Always act your age! What exactly does that mean. And why should you, not acting your age is far more fun.

    A couple I know, John and Lyn have just changed their transport. Now John's over seventy and Lyn's not too far short. Plus Lyn's arthritic so you'd think they'd go for something a bit sedate. Not a bath chair (presumably John pushing) but some 'old age pensioney' type transport. So what's John gone out and bought? (With Lyn's approval of course). Only a trike, a 3.5 litre, Rover engined, Jaguar back-ended automatic gear boxed trike. What's more John, who is an exceptionally talented engineer has only gone and fitted a hand throttle so that Lyn can be in charge  of it as well. (She normally rides as passenger.) What a terrific, brave, exceptional thing to do. What a brilliant advert for the elderly. What a proverbial 'poke in the eye' for all those who dismiss anyone in their 'senior years' as 'past it', geriatric duffers. (Many of the 'young uns' couldn't do it, couldn't face it and couldn't afford it.) So good luck to John and Lyn, 'keep on trikin', while ever you do so there's hope for us all! 

    As a matter of interest, what do you fancy doing or buying

that you really shouldn't at your age. It's not true you're only 'young' once!

A Day in the Life of....

I normally post every seven days or so. Plus I normally blog as far as possible on non controversial items, I don't do topical. But we've had a funny, not funny ha ha day,. My/our solar panels packed up and its dominated the day. That's how sad our day has been; Its an age thing to a certain extent.
I've got nowhere dealing with 'big business' and I feel frustrated and demeaned. Is this the state we have reached. Is no one straight/honest anymore. Are we aged beings of no value, no importance. In this instance, time will tell. Having, I feel, being dismissed out of hand today; by putting pen to paper, I feel better already!

Copy of letter sent to the over governing body of the solar industry

Dear Sarah

You e-mailed me 11 June concerning problems with Solar Sun 4 Life UK. I e-mailed back reporting that EVENTUALLY Solar Sun delivered a Bluetooth device as paid for in the original order. No doubt influenced by your interest.

29th June.

I write this e-mail with a strong feeling of deja vu. At 8,40am Wed 27th June the system fitted by Solar 4 Life recorded no solar working due to 'grid voltage fault' according to the bluetooth device. (Not noticed by ourselves until Thursday afternoon.) I rang Solar 4 and was instructed to carry out a procedure that should clear the problem, but to wait for results until Friday (today). No result so I rang this morning at 9 30am. The 'office manager' took the call and professed surprise that I was unduly concerned. This system cost £10,000 approx and is losing me on average £8 daily each day it is out of action. He said he would try to arrange someone to call (he talked of an inverter failing. I had not mentioned an inverter but know some people in Chesterfield have been waiting some time for problems to be dealt with) He suggested I gave him time (until dinner) to arrange something. Rang dinnertime. Message received, ongoing, surprise, surprise. Suggested, promised, it would be dealt with afternoonwise.

Nothing! Rang 5 05pm Steve, the 'owner 'answered. Made excuses and PROMISED he would suggest course of action BEFORE he left the office. As expected, no chance! No phone message (There is a long history of past pathetic lack of meeting promised deadlines etc,) How do these people hold a license that suggests they are fit people to be NATIONALLY ok to serve you and I is beyond belief. What exactly is the purpose of real assurance.org.org.uk

Ken Stevens

'Epilogue'

The Real Assurance people contacted me, were sympathetic without seemingly having 'teeth' and gave me the address/e-mail of others in the solar panel 'care/concern hierarchy.

I eventually made another contact with Solar 4 You. Instructions were again relayed (this time to my wife who has much more technical ability/ understanding than myself) which necessitated crawling about in the loft and pressing buttons connected to the 'inverter'. Wait, and next day, hey presto, a return to normal. My blood pressure has seemingly also returned to normal, presumably until the next time.

We are obviously relieved but feel that 'big business' and perhaps some of the younger generation miss the point. To be oblivious as to the stress and anxiety their actions can cause defies belief. I KNOW the pressure of the commercial world is considerable. BUT the ways of the world in dealing with it do not seem to equate with the world of my youth. It is no great fun getting old. Even less so when dealt with in a way that lacks understanding and compassion.  Good luck in life but don't forget, my friends, you too will one day be old! 
 

Losing It, But did You ever Have it In the First Place.

A follow on from the previous post and then a rest from the e-book, honest!

    The book has created no small interest, not least on the technical side. It is no secret that technically on most things I'm as poor as they come. A year or two back I had a TGA, not for the first time. (See blog dated 18th May 2008 entitled 'Hooray for the NHS.) On querying the cause I was told being immersed suddenly in a freezing river or too violent sex could do it. I don't know about the river bit but I'm seventy two years of age for goodness sake!)

    The full effect I do not know, suffice to say I am told I suffered some brain damage, evidently to the frontal lobes. If you study what the front of your brain does you'll know more than me. Another problem is that I cannot retain some information for more than minutes. (Yet I can write about 1945. Scary!!)

    I do theatre reviews for a free paper.(Long Eaton and District Chronicle) One play I reviewed was a play called '2401'. It was based on a true story about a man who was the subject of a lobotomy that went wrong.He finished up with a memory span of around five minutes; for the rest of his life. After he died his brain was sliced into 2401 sections and toured the country, carried in a suitcase; the subject of medical lectures, hence the title. I related to this play profoundly; it almost mirrored my own situation, but in a much less dramatic way. Is this any part of the reason I am hopeless technically I wonder.

    Several people have asked my advice concerning self publishing. I try to help but I'm not the right one to ask. I do not know/understand computer language (I have books on computing for simpletons but I seem to be a lost cause.) I don't really understand what KDP means, or html. I don't really know what a browser is and I had to look up 'indie' when I chose to publish as an e-book. Tags and links, I know roughly what they are but forget five minutes later. Books on computers and computer people assume too much. I do realise that we do not necessarily have to know HOW something works when we use it. For example I can just manage a light switch but how it lights up my room is a mystery. I have included at the end of this post information from my learned, much valued friend Russell, information that some of my blogging friends have requested. I would love for some of you to comment, I am very interested as to how wide your experiences are; whatever we feel about computers, they are here to stay.

Here is that guidance link on how to go about publishing a book on kindle amazon as sent by my 'guru' Russell. Remembering how 'untechnical' I am, there is no chance of me ever mastering this sort of thing. Kindle reckon it is easy, not for people like me it aint! Hope it helps some of my readers.

https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help

The high level steps are:

1. Check the book formatting guidelines from the publishing system (note: I used kdp amazon so hence the above link)

2. Set up your font styles in MS Word e.g. headings, body text, paragraph styles etc.

3. Write the book

4. Perform regular Spelling and Grammar checks

5. Reduce book file size by compressing any photos / images

6. Generate a table of contents (TOC) when book and formatting is complete

7. Save as a standard MS Word .doc

8. Save a copy as a Web Page, Filtered (*.htm; *.html) file (available under Save As options in MS Word)

9. Publish with an online provider (e.g. KDP amazon)

If using KDP Amazon then make sure you have got yourself an account with them.

1. Register for free account with Kindle on their KDP website

2. Create a profile of your book on your KDP bookshelf e.g.

a. Book name

b. Edition number

c. Book Description

d. Author details

e. Add any contributors details (if you have any e.g. reference materials, photos etc.)

f. Choose categories (seven key words or phrases) that describe your book e.g. personal history, post war Britain, etc.

3. Upload your book cover - follow the image guidelines for sizes and formats

4. Upload your book – this should ideally be a compressed ZIP file containing .htm file and a sub folder containing all photos for your book

5. Preview and check your book. There are tools on the kdp amazon publishing site that enable you to simulate previews of your book on different devices e.g. kindle, ipad, phone etc.

6. Choose your publishing territories e.g. worldwide or individual territories

7. Choose royalties – either 30% or 70% (read up on the terms of how these rates are calculate)

8. When ready then save and publish your book following the on screen tools – then wait for approx. 12 to 48 hours for Amazon to review and approve.

Hallelujah

    At last, its finished! My ebook, A Childhood Revisited, the culmination of goodness knows how many years work has finally 'hit the shelves'. It might be good, bad or indifferent, in a way I don't care, all that matters to me is that it now exists.
    I don't know for sure why I have written this book. Partly ego I suspect, the idea that someone might read of my existence when I'm long gone; to prove Ken Stevens was a real living person albeit briefly on this earthly stage. And partly to explain to my children, Alison and Sarah plus their children 'from whence I came'.
    A Childhood Revisited is no Cider With Rosie, neither is the work of Dickens as Britain's finest writer under any threat. Nevertheless I'm pleased to have persevered; am I too old to write a sequel I wonder!
Many people have encouraged me, thanks to you all. The technical side to all this has been mind bending. To Russell, thanks from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea as to how incomprehensible all this has been. (My grandchildren from aged three upwards have more understanding of computers than this geriatric hilly billy!)
    I fully realise my problems are only just beginning. Half the world does not own a Kindle. Three quarters of the age group that might be interested in my story have no access to it; assuming of course that they were ever interested in the 1950's in the first place. Nevertheless I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Any help, advice on 'marketing' gratefully received. Tell your friends and if you fancy reading the first few pages click on the top of my blog where it says 'click TO LOOK INSIDE' for a preview! All previews on the complete book very gratefully received! Thanks.