There are many things I could talk about this week, the "Windrush Generations" issues with the Home Office and UK Border Agency, Anti-Semitism in the opposition Labour Party, The Lords, EU Customs Arrangement and our Brexit all of which are serious, deserving of thought and indeed having matters of some concern too.
Sometimes though as important as any and all are, somehow you feel overwhelmed by it all and that was both a major trigger in the regressed side of my life and connected to some changes around this blog.
For me the walk down that road wasn't the easiest thing to do and indeed physically walking isn't for me but it was necessary to go beyond that busy core where one could instead focus more calming sounds, smells and warm colours and yes take a breather.
That's what I tended to find in politics from when I was directly involved in it, many of problems stem from not taking a break and thinking through how our aims are joined up to the means so we don't see those unintended consequences of our actions or we're so busy with our words that don't get around to making those actions that help translate ideas into clear-cut action.
There is no place in politics for race hate even though we need to have rigorous debate around migration, international terrorism, world affairs and how as a society of many differing backgrounds we do get along with common set of shared values.
Some problems are caused when the people who knew what went on before are let go before the memories are shared with younger staff so you have organizational loss of intelligence.
Ensuring you have that space between to reflect before acting I find makes a huge difference.
On Wednesday UK time, it was announced that Barbara Bush, wife of former president George Bush and mother of former president George W Bush Jr. and former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida had died aged 92 years.
It is rare that I make any much reference to stateside political dynasties not least as someone who wasn't U.S. born such things tend to be off of my horizon but my reasons for include being the mother of two important people in U.S. politics and for playing an important role role in the career of her husband, creating a card index of people he'd met so such contacts and influence could be best used.
The other is what she did in her own right, which is champion literacy and numeracy for people who struggle either as children or adults with them, something having read an account of a person who took advantage of this to learn their fifties to read and write which was so moving showed how her Literacy Foundation helped turn lives around, granting opportunities.
She passionately believed by tacking this issue it would make a big difference to tackling some of the U.S's biggest issues.
Having been a part of a program in this district to encourage Junior children to learn to articulate better and to learn to how to address a debate, not surprisingly I so agree with her on that.
The role of the partner of a President under the Constitution is not so defined but I feel rather like in her way Michelle Obama, Barbara made a big difference by using that influence for the good.
Rest in peace, Barbara Bush.
The subject of how gender divides play and other learning experiences continues to lead for discussions but to me it isn't even what it is we learn from even that's at issue but how move on from a position of hostility and almost reverse sexism where anything with a hint of masculinity is bad to one that is more balanced and respectful for all.
This is from a much criticized era, the 1950's the era of the retreat to the kitchen and being #2 to the man of house but actually is really good in that we have an engineering based toy that can and is shown used by girls as well as boys and unusually the girl is show putting a piece together even.
The message is a girl can make things and moreover we have gender co-operation too, where his is allowing her to play a role as an equal.
Yes, she's actually putting a coupling rod in while still being feminine! You CAN do both.
One wonders how many female engineers of the 60's and early 70's took part in those baby steps in getting women in engineering on the back of such cross-gender toys?
Where is its modern day equivalent???
I did have a Meccano set when I was younger but found much of suggested things to make too masculine but this would of been really ideal.
It's not just girls who suffer from the sharp gender signalling that many toy manufactures go along with, it's also gender fluid children who in time of course become gender fluid adults.
It may sound ironic but maybe a return to this kind of toy would be better where we all play together as equals.
Just after Easter here and after last weeks 'golly gosh Caro actually posted about cycling!!!' post, we're back on firmer territory albeit with a bit of a twist.
The last time I posted anything around Simon and Garfunkel was way back in April 2010 when after living with reissue lps and the odd tape I finally sorted out my recordings by them but that left the period after they split off.
Fast forward on to January 2018 and the small British company Vocalion announces it is to the release the first two Art Garfunkel albums recorded for Columbia/CBS in 1973 and 1975 which of itself wasn't so unusual as both got their UK cd debut in 1992 in the short lived Collectors Choice budget choice.
What was is that they were being issued on hybrid Super Audio cds like a few others I've commented on in the recent past on this blog that play on regular players and for improved quality on Super Audio cd players like my current one.
The twist being they included the original Quadraphonic four speaker surround sound mixes too that came out on SQ Quad record and Q8 discrete Quad 8 track tape for the first time ever.
This means those mixes much acclaimed are now available while tracks such as "Mary Was a Only Child", "I Shall Sing", "I Believe (when I fall in love it will be forever)", "Disney Girls" originally recorded by the Beach Boys and featuring BB member Bruce Johnston on this recording, "My Little Town", a Paul Simon Song where they duet and the British smash "I Only Have Eyes For You" have never sounded better being carefully remastered from the original mid 1970's analogue tapes.
If you lived through this period and liked more soothing performances you won't want to miss this as they sound the best ever in any format. Recommended especially as they're just £11.99 each delivered less than U.S. speciality companies charge.
Past entry:
Simon and Garfunkel: Simon and Garfunkel on cd
Were at the start of Easter Events here at the Dorm not being far off tucking into ones Easter Eggs as I file a report after I'd been out for a walk nearby.
Sunday saw the Cheshire Cat sportive that started at Queens Park, Crewe pass through the edge of our village enroute for Scholar Green and then on to the Staffordshire Moorlands over Congleton Edge toward Leek in a route that takes 174.3 kilometres in total.
From there they go around the edge of Northwich, Tarporley, Nantwich before cycling back to Crewe.
The highest point they will be climbing up to is Mow Cop which is 515 ft above sea level and clearly visible from the upper room windows which will be a bit taxing having been up there few times in the past and is home to a famous Folly, Mow Cop Castle.
The day had started off quiet foggy but by the time the first riders were passing through the fog lifted allowing the sun to shine through as I cheered them all on.
Tuesday wasn't a good day for me not least for an incident that I hope never to witness ever again on our estate just out of town.
As I think I mentioned on here I do walk quite a bit on a daily basis even though it is pretty tiring for me with my difficulties because quite simply not only would be likely to put on weight but also because if I did not, my muscles would start to waste away becoming less and less able to even get around the house.
Anyway, it was the afternoon and as I had been taking care of stuff for Mom had eaten about a half hour earlier I decided to put my winter hat, coat and shoes on to have a gradual walk around the estate and adjoining countryside.
When I do, I don't have a fixed distance our route in mind,preferring to listen to my body, the terrain and the weather instead and having just turned to a housing around passing the sinking village green (Brine Subsidence is marvellous!) as coming the other way on the opposite sidewalk (/pavement) stood a man in his fifties, and two adult daughters around late twenties, early thirties and a head of them a small Scottie type dog that had no lead on it but clearly was theirs.
I decide the best approach is to continue along walking where upon the Scottie runs across the road that is the main thoroughfare through the estate and starts jumping up yapping at me refusing my attempts to persuade it to leave.
At this point having tried to call it over owner dashes across after it and it runs into oncoming traffic and this goes on and on with the daughters joining in with the squeals of quickly applied car breaks being applied four times as dog and car wheels narrowly avert a road traffic accident between which said dog is jumping up and down pawing my legs.
I am stood their hands over eyes expecting the sound of crunched dog.
A quarter of an hour later, eventually the owner is able to pick up by by the collar muttering about it being a naughty dog with no apology..
The dog may of been out of control but the thing was they were not in control of that dog who could of caused a traffic accident resulting in injury or death to others because they for whatever reason chose when taking it out not to put a dog lead on.
They have a far higher responsibility for all that did happen than the Scottie ever did.
The whole incident left me very shaken up.
Please if you do own a dog put it on a lead of a suitable length when walking it in built up areas as well as in fields. Thank you.
It's been a bit blustery and wet here in the last few days so I've had to wrap up and make sure I'm kinda waterproof when I've been out of doors going for a bit of a stroll around our district.
That's a favourite building of mine here, Ye Olde Black Bear and no your eyes are not deceiving you, it is a bear on the thatched roof of this Seventeenth century public house that serves food. Much of this district is like old as in Sixtieth century or later and actually at the far right just out of view is two objects that are Ninth century, namely Saxon crosses that were full restored after being destroyed during the Civil War.
I have been purposely quiet over the business that saw Sergie Skripal and his daughter become seriously ill on March 4th in Salisbury in England's West Country, a policeman attending been taken ill due to contact with the use of Novichok nerve agent used on Mr Skripal, a former secret agent exchanged in an organized 'swap' between western powers and Russia.
The nerve agent has been identified as coming from a Russian laboratory not being made anywhere else in the world that was part of program that was meant to have been stopped and supplies decommissioned.
It would seem reasonable to conclude that either it was used by persons authorized by the Russian State as no one else would be allowed to have it OR stocks are insecure and held by others that ought to be of grave concern to all including the Russians.
Given a deadline to say what had happened, Russia refused to answer preferring to make boastful comments with sarcasm, treating the matter of attempted murder of two people, the making seriously ill of a another and the potential risk of what in effect would of been a chemical attack on UK soil as little more than a joke.
That is why 23 Russian Embassy staff will be removed together with other measures from the UK - it is that serious, the deployment of Chemical Weapons on UK soil - and frankly I fully support this. It's a long way from agents at midnight with pistols settling scores between themselves and their bosses.
Canada, Australia, The United States of America and some EU countries all agree this and will be consider what (additional) measure they wish to take in concert with the UK.
A sample of the nerve agent will be lodged at the International Chemical Weapons Research Facility in the Netherlands for the record.
Thank god we have a leader with some backbone who is prepared to act even if retaliation is likely because the Russian behavior in all this is totally unacceptable.
