My Diseased Mind.

- Caution - It could effect you - !!! -
It started in June and has now spilled over into July, its the start of the seasonal pandemic.

Why is it at this time of the year and its the same every year, a huge ‘cloud’ settles over the UK, [I suspect some other countries as well] a cloud that has a nauseating effect on me. As much as I try to avoid it, as much as I take every precautions against it, its ever present, ever twist and turn I take its there. I go out for a drive in my little Red Ferrari, its there, I go shopping down town and in the local Mall, its there. Trying to avoid it I sleep during the day and work/stay awake at night. I turn to my trusty ally, my friend, my companion the one who I have whiled away many a happy and enjoyable hour with, the one friend I’ve spent days and yes if I’m honest, weeks and months and even that has been effected. Virus’s, Worms and Trojan horses I can deal with but this disease effects it so much so it wants to make me vomit and spew out ever thing I’ve eaten for the last couple of days,.

The effect gives mind and brain boggling alteration, can effect people who are usually quite normal go of into an insane state of speaking and muttering so much gibberish it beggars belief. I take every precaution I can, I take my medicine which dulls my brain and bolsters my immune system.

There is no doubt in my mind that for the next eight months or so we are going to have further types of disease which effects old and young a like. Some workers of this world will declare they have been infected with a imaginary dreaded lurgee and make phone calls to their employers declaring a weeks self sickness, further to this can so easily persuaded their Doctor to give ‘sickness‘ notes as well. This cloud of nauseating, contagious, infectious, suffocating illness is every present, there is no known cure.

The name of this disease is ‘SPORT or SPORTING ACTIVITIES’.

Now before I’m taken to task I’m not wholly against sport or sporting activities, believe me I’m not - I just don’t want it rammed by my throat all the time and being told I’m an odd ball for not enjoying ‘it’.

I like and enjoy true amateur sporting activities, those amateur people who engage in sport or activity as a past time rather than a profession I appreciate the sacrifice and hardships they have had to under go to engage in their sporting pastime.

I find it very hard and fail to understand when I hear about sporty persons with their family who spend 10-months of the year in some sunny and warm part of the world ‘training‘, calling them selves as an amateur performer. Yeah-!!! well who has been paying for it all, how can they maintain their lifestyle if they are not being paid for their sporting prowess either by being sponsored or some generous benefactor organisation. Amateur they are not.

Try as I might I can not justify how one person would cost £40,000,000-00-p, yes thats right forty million pounds payment to transfer from one club to another come on lets face it thats damn right obscene or how the prima donna’s of Football can command being paid £150,000-p per match - unbelievable but true.

Try telling that to 35-per cent of the worlds population who it is said are below the poverty line and being staved to death.

Just imagine if we could ban all sporting activities for one year, think of all the money that could be saved and spent on more worthy causes but there again what would millions of people do over the weekends with time on their hands or what subject they would talk about during the week. Mind boggling.

Here endth Sermon.

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Elusive OXO-cubes.

More on those damned elusive OXO-cubes.

- Once more ‘I step into the breach’ my dear fellow OXO-cube lovers -

In May 2008 I put up a post called “Those damned elusive OXO-cubes”, for me [then] it was a ‘fun’ post just a little bit of a tongue in the cheek post, not for one minute did I imagine it would cause so much interest and resulting in over a hundred e-mails and a overall 60-ish comments.

I did try and reply to everyone of them although after a while the replies did become a ‘rubber stamp‘ reply, sorry about that.

I have never knowing been beaten in my life and surrender is not in my vocabulary.

At first I did make some mild tentative enquiries with my local Supermarket why they no longer stocked the cubes I wanted only to be told the manufactures couldn’t or wouldn’t supply them. I tried another two popular well known supermarkets to be told the same reason. I phoned the manufactures only to be told the retailers purchasers weren’t ordering them - funny that, one saying one thing and the other saying the opposite.

With so much interest being expressed from other people who said they too couldn’t find and purchase those elusive cubes generated me into in depth enquiry as to the real reason [s] why. Sorting through all the stupid and inaccurate replies I received, some abusive, some funny some genuine and some damn right offensive [comments edited by me - phone calls, e-mail replies and letters] I think the following [copy of comment] from the very sensible Blogger Mouse may well be true and to a degree accurate.

At 8/21/2008 05:41:00 PM , Blogger Mouse said... [My comment: Posted without permission.]

Booo! Got this reply today:

Dear

With reference to your recent email request address to Andrew Ward as to where you are able to purchase our Chinese and Mexican OXO Herb and Spice Cubes. We have been asked to reply on Mr Ward's behalf.

We are informed by the Marketing Manager for OXO that Retailer's sales diminished and as a result their orders to us reduced significantly. The OXO Spice Cubes are a relatively difficult product to manufacture and were no longer economically viable for us to make in small quantities so we had no option but to discontinue the Mexican, Indian and Chinese varieties. For this reason, it is unlikely that they will be reinstated. We are continuing to manufacture the Italian variety as we are currently still receiving sufficient orders from retailers.

May we take this opportunity of thanking you for taking the time and trouble in contacting us and trust that you will continue to enjoy our wide range of quality products.

May we assure you of our best attention at all times.

Yours sincerely

Melanie
Consumer Relations Advisor

This seems plausible, makes sense to me, however I think there are other factors as well, they are my assumptions and not facts so I’m not going to list them.

It was suggested because I had started the OXO-cube shortages that I should organise some sort of campaign and originate a petition to get them reinstated. I thought long and hard for this, I sort legal advice and spoke to members of my family, mostly the advice I was given was as there wasn’t much chance of getting them reinstate so best not to start unless I could persuade some ‘Big Guns‘ to be sympathetic to ‘our cause’.

I telephoned the local two Radio Stations also to the two Television Stations and asked them if they would be interested in informing their listeners and viewers [a slot in one of their consumer programs] about how the large manufactures were dictating what we the consumer should have instead of the consumer telling the manufactures what we wanted. Sad to report none of them expressed any interest, one station said there wouldn’t be much interest in anything like that.

A side note from me: If you reply or leave a comment I’m sorry I can not reply to them, the reason is last year when “Those damned elusive OXO-cubes” was at it’s height I was going to bed thinking OXO-cubes, waking up in the morning thinking OXO-cubes and spending most of my computer time with OXO. One good thing that, for me has come out this involvement with all those OXO-cubes questions and answers is I now make my own cubes.

The following [copy of comment] from the very sensible Baba is the latest comment received. [My comment: Posted without permission.]

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Those damned elusive OXO-cubes.":

Hi Mike
Like you I use flavoured OXO cubes if and when I can get them but I find that the supply has dried up. I am in the Borders of Scotland. A few months ago I managed to get Mexican and Chinese in Poundstrechers.
I cannot find either Indian or Italian Grrrrrrrrrrrrr
Sorry but there is no way I will give away or sell any of my stock and will use them even if the use by date has long gone. My nose works perfectly well and if they even smell bad I will know!!!
I am wondering if you have done anything about a campaign to ask OXO to get it together to bring them back.
I would definitely agree with the person who said that it was bad marketing or I would change it to NO marketing. I don't remember seeing any ads about them!! AND lack of investment to allow the public to 'get to know the lovely little spicy cubes' that work wonders in my cooking. I'd sack the lot of them

The OXO site is still not up and running and that's nearly a year since the first comment about it was posted. Looks like they could be going out of business.

many thanks.

baba.

OK some of you might say I was beaten by OXO, some of you might say I surrender to ‘them’ , no sorry I never engaged them in the first place. [My training is never engage the enemy unless you can win or have a superior force.

My OXO-cube posts. Mick.

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English Writing.

Now here's a surprise

My writing, my entries or anything I have written on my blog, web page or on my private Newsletters and Supplements I am accused of not using correct English I'm accused of : “Not Correct English” or “I should know better”, “Try harder”, “Take a course on writing basic English” - [Oh yes - true, I still have those e-mails on record] but hey !!!!! - I don’t really care, I know that you know, “All the words are there but not necessary in the right order” I say if you don’t like what I write then the second word is off - So there. .....

Friday today, the day I do a weeks cooking. I’m stuck for some new recipes to cook, anyone got some good ones so long as it Indian or Chinese. ........?

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Just a Worthy Appeal

Your help needed - It's Free

Yesterday I received the under as an e-mail. I don’t normally enter into or pass on such like requests for them to be publish on my blog but as this is free and safe here it is - [slightly modified from the original - Thanks 'Daffy'.

This is pretty simple... Please ask ten friends to each ask a further ten today. The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily so they can meet their quota of getting FREE FOOD donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute (about 15 seconds) to go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food for animals for free'. This doesn't cost you a thing. 

Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.



Here's the web site - Please pass it along to people you know.

[This web page is safe - I’ve checked it out]
Doesn’t this photo just get to you so help him out - visit the page

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Bank Credit Card Fraud.

Recent Banking Credit Card experience.

I don’t know how many of you have experienced your credit card being ‘frozen’ by the Fraud Department of your bank.

This week [16th June 2008] when renewing a subscription on the internet found that my payment was refused ‘Authorisation failed’, thinking I had made a mistake filling out the renewal membership form and the entered credit card details, damn, I tried again, repeat of ‘Authorisation failed’, double damn, I tried the third time still got the ‘Authorisation failed’ treble damn. [Damn has been substituted for the word I used.] I decided to wait for 24-hours before trying again, I thought perhaps the banks computer was either down or was under necessary maintenance.

Later on that day when I returned from my shopping afternoon out I found a message on my answer machine inviting me to urgently telephone a telephone number I had been given This I did, I found I was speaking to Bangalore in India, I confirmed my name and a reference number I had been given. [I don’t know about you but I do have difficulties understanding English laced with a heavy Indian accent]. I was then invited to answer a series of personnel questions about my banking details. I told the operator I wasn’t happy to do so and said how did I know they were who they said they were. I then started to ask the operator a number of question which only my bank would know, I pick up on her hesitation and reluctance to give me the answers, but in the mean time I phoned my bank on the mobile using a secure number I have and asked them to confirm the telephone number I had used. No problem they confirmed the number as being their Credit Card Fraud Department.

OK, I then answered all the questions I was asked but I also told ‘her’ I still wasn’t very happy to give details of my bank account over the telephone which is not secure.

The reason why my card had been ‘frozen’ was they had notice that there was a large payment [£1.300.00-p] made [15th June 2009] and other small payments as well and this large payment was unusual as my credit card amounts don’t normally have such large amounts. I confirmed I had made such payments and agreed the other small amounts as well. ‘She‘ told me she would unfreeze and activate my card and I could carry on using it given five minutes. OK, no problems for me. Aggressively I told her I wanted to speak to her manager or supervisor and for him to call me back on my mobile phone number.

Five minutes later mobile phone rings, its the manager of the Bank’s Fraud Department. To cut a long story short [although we talked for a full ten minutes, but Hey-!!! I didn’t care they were paying for the call]. I told him how pleased I was and how satisfying it was to know that my Bank was looking after my interests, etc etc. ....... I told him I would be e-mailing the Banks Head Offices and expressing how pleased I was they had noticed the large amount and freezing the card.

[e-mail sent today - 17th June 2009] My e-mail expressed how satisfied I was that they had been looking after my interests [and theirs] by freezing my credit card but suggested in future they used the secure e-mail facility on my/their internet net banking services page. I await their reply.

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Trouble - What trouble?

- Meeting Trouble Head On -

I have to say and it will come as no surprise to most that for me at the first sign of trouble, the first sign of a confrontation with the authorities, the first sign of any trouble or confrontation with anyone I withdraw into my secure castle, the draw bridge is raised, the portcullis is lowered and the ramparts are managed. No beating of the drums, no false flag waving, no jeering or shouted verbal abuse or casting aspersions and accusations.

I have on many occasions whilst secure in my castle had the big guns firing at me suffice to say the walls of my castle have been sufficiently thick and strong enough to absorb the impact of the many salvos being fired. Over the years I’ve successfully repelled many attempts by the aggressor to penetrate my defensive front. [I am like a sponge absorbing the impact and acting as if nothing has happened and easily returning to the norm.] This defence has on some occasion infuriated the aggressor leading them on to a more aggressive approach, still with a negative response. My counter attack will be made in my own good time.

My arsenal, my ammunition, my weaponry is knowledge and the knowing the rules and regulations, quoting verbatim my learned knowledge of the rules and regulations A to Z and Z to A .

My counter attack plan is for a full charge from my castle, banners waving, a full frontal attack with no mercy given. On my charger, my new found armour shining bright and reflecting the suns rays leading on my many soldiers. My second in command armed with knowledge and able to quote chapter and verse by my side, together we are unbeatable nothing is too insurmountable, we take on the superior aggressor.

Leading my merry trustworthy troops full of knowledge and my many sympathisers we take on with a full front attack the wall of imaginary impregnable resistance. They are soon slaughtered and despatched, who can fail when you have right and might on your side. A full frontal charge through the remaining poorly training opposition soon leads us to the inner sanctum, where the hierarchy soon opened their inner chambers to the victors. The holy of holys.

I state my demands, I state what I know are my lawful entitlements and that their demands for the collection of taxes have been incorrectly calculated, they nod in agreement and all profusely state that my tax for the following year will be substantially reduced.

I withdraw with my army of sympathetic supporters. I leave with the knowledge that they know that I know that they know for I believe that half of on my taxes will go into paying for their high salary and supporting them in their high flying life styles

Many of my faithful soldiers were baying for the heads for the leaders of the aggressors to be severed from their bodies and displayed on erected poles outside their HQ. I veto those evil intentions and say and practice its best to walk away and adopt a superior attitude. We live to fight another day. .......

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Is Dieting bad for you?

- Dieting. Who needs 'It' -

Why is it that everything I like doing is in some way bad for me, you name it, it’s bad and can damage my health and thus shortening my life. Take for instance, I love my Indian and Thai curries, I love my Chinese foods as I love my English, Italian, Mexican. I eat beef, pork, fish, lamb, [although I can’t eat fish cakes they make me sick for some unknown reason,] fish fingers I’m OK on, chicken as long if it doesn’t come from France, offal.

I’ve eaten foods at some time or other, like, snake, crocodile, locusts, snails, fried worms and most animals I’ve tried, some I liked, some not so nice. I would eat them first with out knowing what they were, on being told occasionally turn a bit green and saw again what I had just eaten.

Smoking, OK, that can damage your health no question on that, drinking to excess also some what not good. Doing a lot of exercise it would appear is also not good. I was once told by an Army doctor that making love wasn’t good for you, one love making session equated to a ten route march then why is it at my age last week I did a thirty mile route march and still manage to survive.

I say take everything and try everything in moderation.

Doing a little research I found that certain ingredients, which we take for granted as being good for us, may actually be health threats in disguise. I say don’t go over the top on your diet.

- Hidden health food dangers -

Avocados
These super foods contain a lot of fat and protein – so enjoy them, but in moderation! Although avocados contain monounsaturated fats, which are an essential part of your diet, they contain a lot of them: a single avocado can contain as much as 30 grams, or 270 calories

Grapes
You may have overdone the wine over the Christmas period: however, research suggests that the high percentage of sugar in fresh grapes may actually be bad news for your teeth.

Different varieties of grape contain large amounts of sugars – it’s one of the things which makes them so good for winemaking – so be sure to clean your teeth after snacking.

Fruit juice and smoothies
Once fruit has been juiced, the sugars in it are released and will damage your teeth. While fruit juice is good for your health in some ways – it will count as a portion of fruit and is a good source of vitamins – it should be enjoyed in moderation

Prawns
A standard “healthy eating” ingredient. However, they contain comparatively high levels of cholesterol.

Although cholesterol from food is known as “dietary cholesterol” and not as immediately harmful as that derived from fat, you should eat prawns in moderation – and saturated fat in the same dish is a no-no.

Apples
Apples aid digestion, and they’re a good natural source of vitamin C. In addition to this, the malic acid in apples can, in moderation, help oral hygiene by fighting bacteria in your mouth.

In large enough quantities, though, malic acid is believed to be harmful for your teeth, particularly if you eat a number of apples a day or drink a lot of juice.

Miso
This Soya bean paste is a hot health topic. It has a number of proven benefits and some of its more unusual health-giving properties are still being disputed.

However, miso is very salty, and should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet to avoid the negative effects of an excess of salt in your diet: including high blood pressure

Wholewheat
Is wholewheat bread and pasta going to make you thinner? It takes longer to be digested, quelling the hunger pangs you may feel soon after eating. However, brown bread and pasta often contains just as many calories as white bread, if not more.

Green tea
This is often used as a detoxifying alternative: it’s a useful source of antioxidants, which are believed to help fight against certain types of cancers, and is a cooling, refreshing drink.

But be careful. A cup can contain as much caffeine as coffee, meaning that it could make you anxious and irritable.

Liver
Liver is seen as a healthy source of protein, thanks to the iron it contains. In addition, it’s easy to cook it healthily without fat, in a stew or gravy. But beware: liver contains a lot of cholesterol. Chicken livers are among the most cholesterol-laden foodstuffs available.

Salmon
A useful source of essential fatty acids, and in recent years it’s been easier to get hold of wild salmon at prices which won’t break the bank.

However, farmed salmon is also widely sold, and chemicals present in the food that the fish are reared on are classified by some as cancer-causing toxins.

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Stretching and Relax - [Part Two].

- Stretching and Relaxing -

Please read Stretching and Relaxing Part One - first.

As I have said I’ve always been a bit sceptical of fitness freaks, dieticians, pill pusher, people who tell me to buy a piece of equipment that will increase my performance and improve my, culinary art, will improve my driving ability, will give me superior advantage over my compatriots etc, etc. ......

I was last caught out at a Superstore from a demonstrator demonstrating a piece of equipment to: Cut up potatoes to make chips, slice cucumbers, carrots, slice up red and white cabbage to make coleslaw, cut tomatoes and onions in even slices, cut up, well, you name it and it would do it. No problem, it did what it said it would do, the only problem for me, and yes there was a warning in the simple instructions of how to use it, ‘Warning: please use with caution, the blades are very sharp, use item holder at all times’, Yeah OK with that so why is it I lost the top of one of my fingers with blood gushing out like a demented fire hydrant all over the cut up vegetables. Finger heavily bandaged for a couple of weeks and besides that why should it take half an hour to clean the damn thing. Definitely destined for the local tip.

Right then back to my Stretch and Relax Book.
I’ve always believed in ‘A health body, a healthy mind‘ and over my life have kept myself in a relatively healthy state, physically and mentally although now because of self abuse - smoking, find that I now easily get ‘puffed’ out.

Keeping fit in my army life I had no trouble with, but on retirement with my civilian employment my fitness levels diminished to a level that I realised that I would have to do something about it. I took up running.

My employment required me to open the department up at 0600-hrs and not finish until 1800-hrs - [long day], Saturday mornings as well. It would be impossible for me to exercise in the evenings - [I was too knacked] however I did join a fitness club and attend their fitness training on a Tuesday night. After a short period of time I had to knock that on the head purely for the time factor, half an hours drive to the centre, two hours in the centre, [changing time, training, shower, drive home] getting home way past my bed time.

The only time slot open to me was first thing in the morning. I was already getting up from my slumbers at 0515-hrs to get in to work for the 0600-hrs dead line, so I would have to get up even earlier, no problem for me, I’ve never suffered with back problems. i.e. not able to get it off the mattress.

The first couple of weeks was shear hell I could barely run a mile without nye on collapsing. With in three or four weeks I found running a mile run was easy and hardly left me in a sweat, I increased the distance to a mile and a half, within three months I was running 4-miles with out hardly any distress at all, two miles, out and two miles back. Surprisingly I meet so many interesting people even that early in the morning, the milkman, the postman, dog walkers and other runners, all calling out encouragement as I ran by, On occasions I would see a policeman sleeping in his police car and as I ran by would give a gentle tap on the roof. On my return run he would give me a friendly wave.

With changing circumstances and the times my early morning run peated out.

‘Acquiring’ the Stretch and Relax book was a God send.

I read each chapter and studied the exercises with interest. It seemed to make sense to me. I tried it out, I master the techniques from the first chapter then progressed on, chapter by chapter. The main advantage for me was I didn’t need to buy expensive pieces of equipment other than a broom handle and the exercises could be carried out in the comfort of my home/bedroom. If you expect to build your muscles up like a freaky Arnold Swaltisnega then this not a book for you. This book is not expensive but the value gained is enormous. The official blurb is as follows:

The stress-free way to stay supple, keep fit and exercise safely. This practical head-to-toe guide to stretching will remodel your body in just 21 days through quick home exercises that will improve your posture and counter the effects of ageing. Step-by-step photography show stretches for every part of your body and also includes mini-routines when you are short of time or if you have space restrictions, such as when stuck in the car in a traffic jam. Discover how to help relieve pain, ease everyday stresses and enjoy sport without injury.

This is a complete home workout course, tailored to individual levels of fitness and lifestyle. It shows how a regular 30-minute stretch can increase fitness and vitality to build a foundation for total body health. A progressive workout plan features exercises to tone muscles, unlock areas of stiffness and promote flexibility and relaxation, all presented in step-by-step photographs. Stretching is described in this book as the perfect complement to sport, and short programmes target a range of activities, showing how to boost performance and prevent injury.

Click on photograph to enlarge

Go here for information on book purchase
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President Obama

- President Obama's stand up routine -

Politicians, celebrities and journalists have attended the White House Correspondents' Association black-tie dinner in Washington.

In keeping with tradition, President Barack Obama was the guest of honour and as such received what has become known as a "roasting", a series of jokes made at his expense.

However, Obama soon turned the tables, by mocking his critics and joking about the next 100 days of his presidency.

Go here.
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Stretch and Relax - [Part One].

- Stretch and Relax -

Many of the ‘jobs’ I did when I left full employment and to supplement my income from my Photograph business [Photoquest Studios], when it became slack and I had no immediate bookings was to do ‘House Clearance’.

I was tasked by a number of Estate Agents/Mortgage Societies who had repossessed a property, many reasons for this but mainly due too debt owed and no payments by the previous owners because the couple had broken up, were getting a divorce, had gone off and done a moonlight flit, or simple just gone their separate ways leaving their home/property vacant and empty.

I would be given a list of properties to visit with instructions to do a clean up and make good any security measures necessary, repair broken windows, new locks on the external doors, secure letter boxes, bagging any mail that had been posted through the letter box. Most of the properties I was asked to visit had already had the bailiffs in to recover property for the debt owed, the repossession companies who had ‘broken in’ to recover their furniture or items because payments had fallen behind on the hire purchase agreements.

Most of the properties were in a disgusting state, mainly due to the many companies who had been in to recover their items having no respect or compassion for the previous owners who were unfortunate enough to fall foul of the modern society. They did a ‘Smash and grab’ no matter, come what may, smash and grab they did, a trail of destruction left behind them.

Some properties had had the mindless one brain cell wonders in and and left their mark, graffiti and unmentionably objects deposited in various places, used syringes by the score, why and how anyone can do this is beyond me.

I would employ outside contractors to attend and do a clean up in general. A painting and decorating jobber, plumber, carpenter/chippy, bricky, to repair the damage. Enough to satisfy the the estate agent that the property was now habitual and up to the saleable value for the price they were asking.

For some unknown reason the repressors and reclaimers never thought that books held a monetary value. It was in my remit to depose of any items from the vacated property, I asked my employer what I should do with these items, they told me they were mine and to depose of them as I thought fit.

Most of the books and other items I found and recovered I took to the charity shops but the more interesting books I found I kept and as result built up quite a library.

For me this ‘job’ proved too much for me, [I lasted about 6-months] no, not the physical work, nor having to arrange and deal with the sub-contractors I employed and making sure they did a decent job, nor with the many arguments I had with the repressors and bailiffs.

For me it was too emotional.

On visiting the property for the first time to do an assessment, before the mindless wonders broke in, before the bailiffs and re processors arrived I would do an inventory of everything there. Not really necessary nor called for by my employer to do this but never the less I did making an inventory just to protect my arse.

I would start with a cursory inspection of the outside area then inside starting with the kitchen listing and photography all the ‘items’ in the property.

My inspection and inventory, made me think of the Marie Celeste’. All the food, all the tangible items abandoned at a minutes notice, everything thing left as it was. I felt this strange and rather disturbing, it played havoc with my emotions.

Inventory for the kitchen, fridge, which still had food in, all the cooking pots and pans, the cooker, washing machine and all the kitchen paraphernalia. The lounge with comfortable settees and arm chairs, TV with recorders, good quantity curtains various ornaments dotted around. Upstairs, the main bedroom, double bed still with tasteful covers on, the wardrobes with hanging clothes, chest of draws, his and hers, still full of clothing. Hers with all the female garments you would expect, undergarments and the like. The bathroom with her and his cosmetics. The second bedroom normally converted off into a nursery, cot and all the baby things. I would become sad and filled with emotions, feelings I had never experienced before, my sympathies went to the previous young couple who had such high hopes for their future, they started off with such grand ideals, their love for each other, their first big step to begin their lives together.

I’m not a man who is effected by emotions, nor am I effected by sentimental factors. For those of you who don’t believe that a house can talk to you, you are wrong. At mid day siting down with my thermos flask and sandwiches sitting within the property I would hear the house talking to me - true.

Sitting there eating my lunch sandwiches and having a drink I found that my emotions and thoughts ran rife listening to what the house/home was telling me about this young couple who had started off together with a new future together and very much in love. I could imagine their happy times they had together, their laughter, the fun they had had, I imagine the planning, the sacrifices they had to make to purchase items they had carefully thought about. The heart ache they must have felt when they started to fall behind with their debts. I gave up thinking and wondering for what ever the cause was how they could suddenly just walked out and leave everything. ‘What was the straw that finally broke their backs’?.

The fun, the enjoyment they shared together, and then suddenly all gone, for what ever reasons I’ll never know, nor do I want to for I think it would be too painfully for me to know. OK think of me what you want, a sentimental old fool, perhaps so be it, all I know is that after 6-months I had had enough, I just couldn’t stand the emotional strain and effect it was having on me so I gave it all up.

One of the many interesting books I acquired from a vacated property was ‘Stretch and Relax’ by Maxine Tobias and Mary Stewart, publisher, [DK] - [Dorling Kindersley.]

I’ve always been a bit sceptical of fitness freaks, dieticians, pill pusher, people who tell me to buy a piece of equipment that will increase my performance and improve my culinary art, will improve my driving ability, will give me superior advantage over my compatriots, will improve my sexual performance. [well, I’ve not had any complaints to date so I must be all right in that department] really, for me all of it is a load of bull manure.

Enough said, please see my part two for my finding on this book ‘Stretch and Relax’. It really works or it did and I can say it still does. - [Much modified because of age].

A scanned page from my book to wet your appetite. The first page of how to Stretch and Relax.
[Click to enlarge]

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