Life Traveller. Been Somewhere. Going Somewhere.

I just got this email. I am not a NatWest Bank customer. Looks like something very phishy is going on.

Dear NatWest bank customer,

Security and confidentiality are at the heart of Natwest Bankline. Your data (and your money) is protected by a number of technologies, including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
We would like to notify you that NatWest bank carries out customer data verification procedure that is compulsory for all Natwest bank customers. This procedure is attributed to a routine banking software update.

Please login to Natwest online banking using the link below and follow the instructions on the screen.

http://www.nwolb.com/newmeasures/procedure/default.aspx?refererident=702196905571766194329211491502262393885724156136018&cookieid=56805838585

Natwest Customer Service

A talented young man playing his own composition.

Thanks Subville and Jenray

1. What I was doing 10 years ago:
Enjoying my life, pretty much.

2. What 5 things are on on my to-do list for today:
Get tomato plants out into garden
Go for a long walk
Have lunch with daughter and granddaughter
Get rid of some rubbish
Chill

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Handcooked crisps
Cherries (and most other fruits)
Green and Blacks milk chocolate with almonds

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire:
Make sure my family were financially secure.
Have properties in Paris, Edinburgh, Adelaide, London, Florence and other cool places.
Give most of it away.

5. Places I have lived:
Ha, now that would be telling.

I know I should be tagging people, but I imagine most of you have already done this, so it ends here.

Yesterday I came across a book I bought last year, or maybe even the year before. It's title - How To Improve Your Memory. I fear it has proved less than successful in it's intent. I'd completely forgotten I'd got it.

I enjoyed watching this on avrilo's blog the other day, so thought I'd have it on mine.

My daughter: "That's because I've never had a child before."
Me: "Well, neither had I until I had your sister. And your brother. And you."
Pause whilst I consider what I've just said, then: "Except your brother and you, that is."

Not only does my computer dictate whether or not I can use it and when, but now the internet is in cahoots with it. For several days I've been unable to log onto it, and most inconvenient that was, particularly as it is such an amazing source of information. I can find information on just about anything there and I really missed it. Not that I log on every day, but I like having whatever information I require at the end of my fingers. The internet is my encycolpedia, my dictionary, my prime news source and so much more, not to mention that it is how I keep in contact with most of my friends. And of course, it's how I connect with the world of Blog.co.uk. No wonder I miss it when I can't access it.

I'm feeling so much better. It might not last, of course, but as long as it does, I'm making the most of it. Isn't it amazing how different the world looks when one isn't feeling ill? I'm not even feeling old now, either. What was all that about?
Oddly enough, now that I am feeling so much better I really have very little time to spend here as I'm desperately trying to catch up with everything I've been unable to do of late.

Some people say that chocolate is better than sex, and at last I can appreciate why. Recently my elder daughter spent some days in Zurich where she purchased some very expensive chocolates. A praline selection box costing twenty-six pounds (for thriry-six chocolates) has come my way. Oh my, how very delightfully tasty they are. They are almost as good as the truffles costing one pound each that I had a sample of at her house. Actually, that is an understatement - those truffles are orgasmically delicious. But better than sex? Not quite - there is nothing better than sex - however they do come a very close second.

I was just thinking of how much I love poetry, but the weird thing is that I can't stand too much of it.

I'm feeling rather weird of late. Everything seems to be slowing down. Everything seems too much of an effort. Physical and mental processes are all affected. I've been ill, so that might account for it, or maybe I'm just getting old. If that is the case, all I can say is that I don't care for it one bit.

How aware are you? Maybe doing this test could save a life. Seriously. It could be my daughter's, it could be Captain Autumn's, it could be Subville's, it could be her son's. It could be someone you know. So, do it. Okay? H E R E

I posted this a couple of weeks ago, but because it was in the evening, I think most of you missed it.

Ha. Not enough young Catholic men coming forward to be priests. Good. Stupid expecting young men to give up everything, and by that I mean a sexual life and a family life, which as far as I'm concerned, is just about everything. It's about time the Catholic Church woke up and dispensed with compulsory celibacy for it's priests.

Wasting my life on YouTube now. This one is hilarious.

Do this excellent test HERE. You will be surprised.

I'm not really back - just lurking. I've caught up with your posts, but other than a couple of comments which really needed making, I've not felt the pressure to comment. That's the way to go, I think. I'll answer all comments on my own blog sometime, but probably not today as I'm about to settle down to a sunflower roll with delicious French butter, Manchego (Spanish ewe's) cheese and some sandwich pickle. Whilst I'm munching on that, I'll also be drinking tea and reading The Thorn Birds. My life is still full of stress, my blog friends are still leaving, my house still looks like some unnatural disaster has hit it and I'm still going to escape by reading a book.

Closing Time - Leonard Cohen

Ah we're drinking and we're dancing
and the band is really happening
and the Johnny Walker wisdom running high
And my very sweet companion
she's the Angel of Compassion
she's rubbing half the world against her thigh

Remainder of lyrics here.

I found out this morning that Lindow has burnt his blog, and as far as I know without even a word of farewell or explanation, although thinking about it now, he did say he might do so a little while back. I was already feeling rather fragile and this disappearance of someone I was really fond of has not helped to make me feel any better.

The World of Blog may be a virtual world, but the emotions we feel here are real enough. We become involved more closely with people we never meet (apart from those of us who go to Blog Meets) than those we are actually in contact with in real life. So many secrets, so many emotional outpourings. And I'm thinking, I don't know if I can take it any more - if I can take the wrenches involved in each parting. Of course, it isn't like this with everyone who goes, but there have been some people here of whom I have become really, really fond and when they go, I miss them so much. Lindow is the latest in quite a line now. I'm feeling very vulnerable at this time and blogging is becoming a negative activity for me, so I think I'm going to have to go myself. This isn't to say that I won't be back, because almost certainly I shall, but I just have to move away for now at least.

Beautiful song sung here by Journey South

The first time ever I saw your face, I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the endless sky, my love

And the first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move through my hands
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command

And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last till the end of time, my love

The first time ever I saw your face

Lyrics by Euan McColl

One of my blogfriends Jenray aka Jenny Hunter has written not one, but two science fiction novels and they are available here.

Now I'm not a person who is fond of science fiction myself, but I feel that I can recommend Jenny's novels on the grounds that she's a very good writer, always interesting and articulate, so I'm sure her books are bound to please those of you who enjoy the genre. I know there are some of you out there. The books are available for purchase either bound or for download. If anyone buys one, please let me know what you think.

Just writing the above has made me think about the fact that there are several of you here who have written books, Sixpence (poetry) and KevinWilson (children's) come to mind just now, but I do believe there are more of you, and I'm thinking why don't those of you who have done so start one of those blog groups to promote your works? I think it would be really interesting to see who has written what and, if any appeal, to purchase same. What do you think?

Without really realising it I’m always looking for a way to escape. Every new thing I get immersed in - computer games, crafts, gardening, writing, blogging is an escape. And the one I come back to most often is blogging, that’s the one I can’t let go of. Yet I do want to let go of it. I want to let go of it because I am addicted and I don’t want to be addicted. I used to think addiction was to drink or drugs, but it can be to anything that lets you escape from what’s inside your head. I don’t want to be addicted but I do want to escape from what is inside my head. I want to escape from me.

Sometimes I think I'm very stupid, sometimes I think I'm very smart, and sometimes I wonder which of those is right.

Have I any idea what I am doing? I don't think so. I've added Feedburner to my blog in an attempt to discover just how realistic the viewing figures that Blog.co.uk provides are. I have no idea if that is what they will do. Actually the Land of Internet is a land of mystery to me. Somehow some things work, but how they do that I have no idea. Anyway, we'll see what this Feedburner thingy does. The question is, will I be able to remove it when I've had enough of it?

Oh, the widget thingy says zero readers, but I assume it is going to start counting from now on and doesn't include what has been. Of course, if it's not a daily total, I shall still not be any the wiser unless I want to do some serious mathematics (i.e. use a calculator).

There is a certain point in life up to which one is afraid of dying too soon, and after which one is afraid of not dying soon enough. GS

I don't understand what has happened to Stephi's blog. Anyone any ideas?

I find Marty Berk miming to Along Came Jones, sung here by Ray Stevens, makes me laugh. I hope you enjoy it too.

A very satisfying evening and I'm so pleased to see the following friends getting bloscars:

LandersUK, Subville, ajnspencer, lyndlj, Juzzzy, rowtheboat, and RunDontWalk who also gets special mention as winner of the Moira Smith Forget-Me-Not Award. Warmest congratulations to all of you. And well done LandersUK for organising it again.

I wish Jenray and Lindow could have won as well.

Congratulations also to the winners who are not on my friends list (even though they are unlikely to see this).

That avrilo has something to answer for.

I. You have to look up page 123 in the nearest book to you.
II. Look for the fifth sentence.
III. Then post the three sentences that follow the fifth sentence
IV. Tag five people to do the same.

The nearest book to me this evening is The Faber Pocket Medical Dictionary. Don't ask.

Since it's a dictionary and short on sentences I have looked at the fifth definition and am posting the next one, which rather strangely is:

drug. Substance used as a medicine. D. addiction. A dependence on drugs which is beyond the subject's control. D. erruption. Rash due to sensitivity to a drug.

And so it carries on in a similar vein (well, it is a medical dictionary - groan). The person writing the definiton of 'drug' seems to be inordinately fond of full stops.

I'm going to tag my five newest friends here: frankofyle, kelki, Arnica, babooshka and rowtheboat (sorry row, I got you last time as well, hope you don't mind).

Last of the Mohicans. Beautiful. It lifts me. I want to die listening to this.

What has happened to Andy Spencer's blog? It's been like this for two days. Does anyone know?

Dirty Old Town was written by Ewan McColl and is set in the industrial landscape of Manchester of around fifty years ago. I think Shane McGowan's voice is perfect for the rendition of this song and is wonderfully evocative.

I met my love by the gas works wall
Dreamed a dream by the old canal
Kissed a girl by the factory wall
Dirty old town
Dirty old town

Clouds a drifting across the moon
Cats a prowling on their beat
Spring's a girl in the street at night
Dirty old town
Dirty old town

Heard a siren from the docks
Saw a train set the night on fire
Smelled the spring on the smoky wind
Dirty old town
Dirty old town

I'm going to make me a good sharp axe
Shining steel tempered in the fire
Will chop you down like an old dead tree
Dirty old town
Dirty old town

I met my love by the gas works wall
Dreamed a dream by the old canal
Kissed a girl by the factory wall
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Dirty old town

I've never seen a train set the night on fire, but I can visualise it. It's such a beautiful and powerful image.

Oh no, I've been tagged twice now - thanks avrilo and jenray - I think. I'm hard put to think of any habits, facts, quirks, let alone seven.