GREY BLUES

We just had a quiet holiday on La Gomera. A nice place. Very quiet. A wide range of people were there holidaying. But amongst them, perhaps attracted by the peace and quiet of the place, were a number of retired people. Watching them set me thinking.
The government encourages us to save for our retirements. A sensible thing to do, no doubt. But what occurred to me was that retirement itself is an odd concept. It's predicataed on the idea that what you do in your work is something you'd want to move away from, leave.
If you were doing your Life's work, this would make no sense.
What is your life's work?
A question worth asking.
A question I am asking myself.

HONEY I LEFT THE KIDS AT HOME

La Gomera is a great place. Few have even heard of it. It is largely unspoilt. and very easy to get to. That's where we've just taken a little family holiday. Now, I wouldn't want to be called a contrarian, but here's what I've observed. Small kids don't actually like holidays. We try and sell them to them, so we adults feel great about it. But my observation is that robbed of their normal routine, their normal weather, their friends, their normal diet, their normal playthings and their normal routine, they make the best of it rather than relish it. They like the idea of it, not the reality. There must come an age when you become an enthusiastic hloidymaker. But three isn't it. I'm seriously tempted to holiday only without the kids until this age is reached. And think of the savings!

CHEERS

A curio I picked up on holiday in La Gomera. Apparently the reason we clink glasses together is that, in the days when chalices were frequently poisoned, the habit spilled liquid from one person's vessel to another's.

Not a lot of poeple know that!

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

I've got six.

How many have you got?

MR. ANGRY

Name me 5 things kids don't ruin.

INTERVIEWEE: We just haven't got the time to think.

ME: (Thought) But surely you have exactly the same amount of time as anyone else?

ONI-GOGS

The most important trick in anything creative is to throw away inhibition. Fitting in kills creativity.

That's why I laughed aloud reading Nigel Slater's book Tender. It reminded me of one of those moments when the best people of all at dropping inhibition - because they have so little - kids - come up with something of pure genius. It was George, aged about 9. In Nigel Slater's book I was reading about how to lessen the tears from chopping an onion. I remembered that George, who liked to help with the cooking, had come up with his own. He took a pair of swimming goggles, drew an onion on them with a felt tip pen, and christened them his Oni-gogs.They worked a treat.

MANIFESTO

Treat everyone as your own flesh and blood

FUN IN THE SUN

I am fond of the Sun newspaper. Great when you are on the khazi. I love their headline writing. And the other day was one of their finest. A builder won £26M on the lottery. The headline:
WORTH A FEW BOB, THE BUILDER

JEDINBURGH

My son, Jed, is appearing in Sound of Music on its UK Tour, at present in Edinburgh.

www.thesoundofmusictour.com/cast/jedberry.php

It's a great show. Go along, and enjoy!

EMPOWER PLAYGROUNDS

I thought this was brilliant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empower_Playgrounds

AYO GORKHALI

I generally pride myself on being a reasonably independent thinker. But sometimes I fail alarmingly.
I did recently.
My friend was staying with me. Now, he is notably independent of mind. The subject of the Gurkhas and their UK settlement claim came up. I said that I hoped he'd joined their successful campaign.
"Why should I?" he asked. "What's so special about the Gurkhas? Should we be opening the door to settlement claims from any commonwealth or other foreign soldier who has fought for a British army?"
I saw in an instant how I'd been seduced - by Joanna Lumley, by my sentimental view of Gurkhas, by my prejudices against the mealy mouthed and ungenerous character of bureaucrats and politicos.
Heart, meet Head.