Catch that Thought

Australians have nicknames for most of their friends and family. My daughter is no exception, one that stands out is her nickname for Michael, they call him Macca, and I have since discovered that Macca is an old Scottish word for a poet or poetry writer. I do hope he will start writing about the experiences he has had in all his travels, better now while they are fresh in his mind.

Mika is off to university shortly and will be taking a place at the University of Exeter and will be reading Medical Imaging (Diagnostic Radiography). I did cover this in a previous blog but as the day draws nearer I thought we could just wish her all the best with her studies and life lessons while on campus. Whoever thought that scatterbrain Mika Mouse would one day be striving to be an eagle.

When we are young we do not know what our future holds but sometimes those around us have an idea. It is like a young eaglet in a nest who does not know that one day it will become a giant eagle but the gulls want to peck it because they do know. Good luck Mika from Monrovia. If you find yourself in Exeter, look her up and buy her a meal, students are always hungry.

One of my followers from Ireland, asked me where I get my ideas from?

The speed of our contemporary world encourages you to just let things pass by. Some of us do stop and listen, look and feel the moment and that gives us inspiration. I sometimes get a napkin, or a back of an old envelope and catch that thought I had yesterday and see if it becomes something. Mostly just rubbish but that is a great feeling, once you have that out of your system you can concentrate on what comes next and it mostly does. Where do I get my ideas from? An overheard remark, a line of a song, the news and my family are a treasure trove of inspiration.

Another question was what is the most difficult to write about. Sometimes just writing, I stop catching the odd remark, hearing the line, it vanishes sometimes, but do not rejoice too soon as it always seems to come back.

Sometimes the narrative is my biggest enemy, just does not come naturally to me and other times it flows like a river in flood, unstoppable. For example on a day, I will be having a coffee and see someone interesting walking out of the coffee shop and I feel nothing, are they going to the bathroom or Cairo, I do not know and no one is going to tell me. Another day, same place and I will know where they are going and will be able to tell you their journey and why. This time I am telling the story.

The Queen has passed away and as a nation, we are mourning, she was one of those iconic figures, the world loved and sometimes I think we took for granted. The Royal bashes are strangely silent at the moment, maybe they are feeling the loss? The age-old process kicks into gear and King Charles is now our head of state, I really like him and hope he stays true to himself and ruffles a few feathers along the way. Elizabeth was amazing but this world has moved so fast over her 70 years of reign, King Charles is a little more in tune with our modern society.

This is not a time for selfless celebrations, this is a time to reflect. A prime minister who has only been in power for 2 days and a new King of only 24 hours, let us take a deep breath and think about where we are going. Your Majesty King Charles III,  long may you reign.

Susan did remark a while ago that my latest blog did not offend too many people, it is never meant to offend. I write them as an observation of the world around me, if it offends someone, look to yourself and your actions and then decide.

Lady Vivienne and her friend HarperF have a website/forum/newsletter on green issues. I never thought this was close to their hearts but the Green Edge is worth a read. They discuss all manner of things, from electricians to the industrial revolution, and also do a very absorbing Podcast for those who are in the new world of technology. HarperF is a musician and a fine one. As I have alluded to in recent blogs, his talent goes much further, with podcasts and insight into important things like LaLa land and getting there first. Fascinating articles, worthy of those eco-warriors. I include their URL, believe me, you will not be disappointed - http://Greenedge.substack.com

To finish I would like to say congratulations to one of Michael’s friends, he just got engaged and is local, meaning all their friends are here in Dorset, they are getting married in, you guessed, New Zealand, how crazy is that? What is the farthest place from Dorset? New Zealand must be up near the top. Crazy world we live in.

Maybe Susan spoke too soon, maybe someone somewhere will be offended!

Sorry, I am rambling on a little but talking of podcasts, I am still looking at the possibility of a monthly podcast, subtitles for our Australian and Canadian listeners could be a thing! Russell seems to be all in flavour and he is the media mogul of Tanzania. I will have to consult Lady Vivienne and HarperF as to the finer details but we always have Google.

Talking of Russell, he has just sent me a song which had its debut in Tanzania, The Sounds of Silence, not sure if I know that one but according to him a worthy listen. I do believe Judith Wambura Mbibo, known by her stage name Lady Jaycee has covered this song and getting mixed reviews. I suggest she gets in contact with Paul Simon, also an aspiring singer, who has done Broadway and Glastonbury. Times are hard, use your contacts or phone Russell, he will help.