Britain says "Happy Birthday" to Eric Idle

Eric Idle, a founder member of the 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' team' is 67 today.




Things you probably didn't know about Eric :

* born County Durham in Harton Village, his father served in the Royal Air Force and survived World War II, only to be killed in a hitch-hiking accident in 1945.

* his mother had difficulty coping with a full-time job and raising him and when he was 7, enrolled him into the Royal Wolverhampton School as a boarder.

* he is quoted as saying : "It was a physically abusive, bullying, harsh environment for a kid to grow up in. I got used to dealing with groups of boys and getting on with life in unpleasant circumstances and being smart and funny and subversive at the expense of authority. Perfect training for Python."

* he became Head Boy, but was caught at the local cinema on sports afternoon and was stripped of his prefecture.

* he refused to be senior boy in the school 'Cadet Force', as he supported the 'Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament' and took part in the yearly 'Aldermaston March'.

* he said that there was little to do at the school and boredom drove him to study hard and consequently won a place at Cambridge University to study English.

* he was invited to join the 'Footlights Club' by its President, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Club member, Bill Oddie. Other members included Graham Chapman and John Cleese He became in 1965 and was the first to allow women to join.

* from 1967–69 he starred in a children's television comedy series along with future 'Python' members Terry Jones and Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam provided animations for the show.

* from 1969–83 he appeared in 'Monty Python' where his work is often characterised by an obsession with language and communication:

the man who spoke in anagrams,
the man who said words in the wrong order
the butcher who alternated between rude and polite every time he spoke


* One of the younger members of the Python team, he was closest in spirit to the students and teenagers who made up much of Python's fanbase and sketches dealing with contemporary obsessions like 'pop music', 'sexual permissiveness' and 'recreational drugs' were his work, They were often characterized by double entendre, sexual references, and other 'naughty' subject matter — most famously demonstrated in the 'Nudge Nudge' sketch.


* A competent guitarist, he composed many of the group's most famous musical numbers, most notably "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", the closing number of the film 'Life of Brian'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPOzQzk9Qo

* Since 1983 has had a varied career on radio, TV, in stage opera, film voice-overs and on tour in Canada and the USA. He has also written books of fiction and non fiction.

But it is 'Monty Python' sketches that he will be remembered :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W6b_UF6Weg

Britain's old men say "Happy Birthday" to an old American tv and movie actor called Leonard Nimoy.

Leonard Nimoy is 79 today. For millions who remember the t.v. series from the 1960's and 70's and the movie spin offs, he will always be frozen in time as 'Mr Spock'.
Here are some things you probably didn't know about him, that he :
* was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Yiddish-speaking Orthodox, Jewish immigrants from the Russia. His father owned a barbershop.

* started acting at the age of eight and had his first big role at 17.

* studied photography at the University of California, got his degree and has an MA in Education and an honorary doctorate from Antioch University.

* served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955.

* spent most of his early acting career playing small parts in B movies, TV shows such as 'Dragnet', and serials such as ' Zombies of the Stratosphere'and played an Army sergeant in the 1954 Sci Fi thriller, 'THEM!'

* appeared in a number of 1960's tv series including 'The Outer Limits' in 1964.

* was the half-Vulcan, half-human Spock in the 'Star Trek' series which ran from 1966 to 1969 and earned 3 Emmy acting nominations for his work.

* had a number of stage roles in the 1970's : 'Fiddler on the Roof', 'The Man in the Glass Booth', 'Oliver!', 'Camelot', 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', 'The King And I', 'Caligula', 'Twelfth Night', 'Sherlock Holmes', 'Equus' and 'My Fair Lady'.

* started film directing in 1984 with the third 'Star Trek' movie. When later asked would he continue to direct he said : " No. No, I'm done with all that, thank you. I directed, I think, five or six films — I had a good time.”

* he had a love/hate relationship with the character of Spock and the Trek franchise.

P.S. In the early 1970's I attended an adult education evening class with my friend P.K. We were learning German. Unfortunately, the class clashed with 'Star Trek'. First, P.K. dropped out and then me, a few weeks later. Who knows, my spoken German might be better if it hadn't been for Captain Kirk and Mr Spock. It's O.K. Leonard, I don't hold it against you.

If you want a reminder of the original series you can see it on this link after a 20 second advert : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buF-BLM5RTU

Britain's Imperial War Museum is a place for school children and old men

I went with my friend R.P. to the 'Imperial War Museum' in South London yesterday.

The journey was tortuous, involving us driving from North Kent to Greenwich and then by train to 'Waterloo East' and another train to 'London Bridge' and then a walk to the back entrance of the Museum. It was all worth it.

I hadn't been to the Museum for many years and may well have been there as a school child on a school visit. There were lots of school parties there yesterday and also retired people like myself and R.P. and we mingled together well.

The purpose of the visit was to go to the 'Photographic Archive' Section. R.P. wanted to pick up his Uncle's photo album which he had loaned it to the Museum for them to copy any photos from the 'Battle of Tobruk' in North Africa in the Second World War.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Tobruk

The 'Photographic Section' was a wonderful mix of the old and new. You could check references to the battle in an alphabetical card index of hundreds of draws filled with postcard size entries recording the information in copper plate handwriting. At the same time in the viewing room you could access photos on a monitor.

The young man who returned the album told us that he had copied 22 photos from the album of scenes from Tobruk the Museum didn't have.

Apart from getting the album, R.P. was interested in looking at the ships involved in the Battle. He combed through the album and found a few morsels. R.P. is still a water colour artist who specialises in Britain's naval power.

Our next 'port of call' after lunch in the restaurant, was the main gallery. It now had a glass roof to light the exhibits and before we left Kent R.P. showed me the paintings he had done for the Museum by commission, to envisage what the gallery would look like when the roof was done and suffused the exhibits with natural light.


In the gallery R.P. explained the special features of each war plane and each tank. In fact, one or two visitors 'listened in' as we went round' probably thinking that he was a museum guide.

I was struck and impressed by the following :

* That we still employ people to care for our National Archives.

* That The First and Second World Wars are still part of the 'History National Curriculum' in State schools.

* That old and young can rub shoulders without friction in a museum whatever their motives for being there.

* That the old and young can still get excited about the details of long forgotten battles, witnessed by the fact that the young man was just as enthusiastic as R.P.


P.S. Like R.P., I too had an uncle who served in North Africa in the Second World War. He was in the 50Th Royal Tank Regiment. I'll have to do some research on him. I'm sure that, he too, was at the Battle of Tobruk.

P.P.S. Some interesting facts :

The Imperial War Museum has :

* 19,000 paintings, drawings and sculptures constituting the second largest collection of 20th century British art in the world
* 15,000 posters
* 120 million feet of cine film
* 10,000 hours of videotape
* 56,000 hours of historical sound recordings
* more than 10 million photographs, negatives and transparencies
* over 15,000 collections of unpublished diaries, letters, memoirs and other papers
* 270,000 library items, including books, maps and ephemera
* plus thousands of three dimensional objects including, uniforms, medals, firearms, as well as hundreds of larger objects including aircraft and vehicles

Japan is a country for old men

A robot pet stimulating old Japanese with dementia, is an example of how Japan is catering for the needs of its ageing population.

So, I have found it. I think my quest is over. I have found a place for old men, a country where you can grow old and be 'revered' and not be either looked down on, patronised or laughed at.
It is called 'Japan' and is turning its technology towards the problems of the 'new' old.

I found it in an article in the 'Guardian' today, which made some interesting observations : i.e. that Japan :

* Has a population ageing faster than any other nation : by 2020, there will be three pensioners for every child under 15, before long, one in six people will be over 80. That population will soon be falling by nearly a million people every year and some say that some time in the next century, the last Japanese person will die.

* Doesn't encourage immigration to solve its demographic woes, but is developing an array of hi-tech products and services.

* Gives a glimpse of what consumer society may look like in Britain when the baby boomers hit their 70s and 80s.

Japan has produced :

• Intelligent toilets :

Which will talk to your GP, when it examines the healthiness of your stools. It has sensors which measure blood-sugar levels in urine and the blood pressure body fat of the user and the data is emailed to the GP.

• Cars :

Which not just have dashboards that have large numbers and letters, but also hand controls for the brake and accelerator, and swivelling seats that make it easier to get in and out.

* Intelligent cars :

Toyota is working to make cars which monitor brain activity. The car will learn the driving patterns of the user, then curb any unusual and dangerous activity. This is good : it would automatically slow the car if it senses the driver is hitting the accelerator for no reason.

* Bikes for the arthritic :

Cycle equipment maker, 'Shimano' is developing bikes with handles and gearing designed for arthritic hands.

• Pens, pencils and paint brushes in abundance :

With 30 million people expected to enjoy a 30-year retirement, Japan has seen a boom in the purchase of artists' drawing kits and pen and pencil sets, as millions take up hobbies.

* Internet kettles :

* As more care will fall on the dwindling number of younger adults, devices intended to allow them to remotely monitor the old without being too intrusive are now becoming popular. A good example is the 'Internet-connected kettle'. Each morning, when Granny boils the kettle this automatically triggers a signal to the carer that everything is normal.

• Wide aisled supermarkets :

Supermarkets are making aisles wider, for the old to move around more easily, especially in motorised wheelchairs. There is also a boom in health foods and and in particular, 'royal jelly' , which is believed helps to reverse the skin-ageing process.

• Robot pets :

Japan has twice as many pets as it has children and real animals are difficult to look after as their owners age. Paro, a furry white baby seal robot, responds to petting by moving its tail and opening and closing its eyes. It shows emotions such as surprise, happiness and anger, and has sold well in nursing homes where it is reported to stimulate responses among those with dementia.

* Robot lifters :

Japan's Institute of Physical and Chemical Research has developed Riba, a nursing care robot that can lift the elderly out of bed.

• Burial space :

One company maintains underground vaults for the storage of cremated remains. When family members want to pay their respects, they use a radio-frequency identification key to locate their loved one's remains which are dispatched to a private viewing area. Families can also view the memorial stone from anywhere in the world by logging in.

• Beds that turn into wheelchairs :

'Panasonic' last year launched a robotic bed that can transform into a wheelchair, so the old can get up without assistance. One half of the mattress rises, the other lowers and a unit slides out from the bed and the person is slipped into a motorised wheelchair. It can be driven around the home or even on to the street and when the person is sleeping, it helps turn them over to prevent bedsores.

And here is the way the Director Alexander Korda saw the H.G.Wells book ' The Shape of Things To Come' in 1936.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5xi8m_things-to-come-10-19362037_shortfilms

That was 74 years ago. It's a funny old world.

Britain is a country where old men can enjoy spring sun

It is warm. My ancient cat and the crocus, crocuses or croci, whatever you want to call them, are, like me, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

I am reminded of the poem :

Spring is sprung,
Da grass is riz,
I wonder where dem boidies iz ?

Da little boids is on da wing,
Ain't dat absoid,
Da little wings is on da boid.

A poem not by e e cummings, or by Ogden Nash, but that other well known poet called : 'Anonymous'.

Isn't that interesting ?

Britain is a country for cats with old cat owners

We have had 6 cats over the years :

One is still alive at 17 years. She has the feline version of 'Alzheimer's' but is still relatively fit.

I like this link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvo-g_JvURI

We said "Goodbye" to O and R and C and T and M along the way.

Britian is no country for old baby boomers and the 'Daily Mail' and Dominic Sandbrook

Dominic Sandbrook wrote the ' SATURDAY ESSAY' in the 'Daily Mail' this weekend.
He began with a 'profound' statement :




How the baby boomers bust Britain: Self-indulgence has left the country financially, socially and even morally crippled

Right, I'm one of them and my 'self-indulgence' has left the country I love :

* Financially
* Socially
* Morally ...'CRIPPLED'

Oh dear, what have we done ?

Apparently we :

* Are the luckiest people in history: 'the richest, most secure and most powerful generation the world has ever seen'.

* Are people who, while our parents 'scrimped and sacrificed through the Depression and World War II', 'basked in the long boom of an affluent society'.

* Were children in the prosperous Fifties and teenagers in the Swinging Sixties'.

* Bought our first homes in the Seventies and saw our mortgages 'wiped out by inflation'.

* Made our money in the Eighties and Nineties, and are now looking forward to a long, healthy and well-remunerated retirement.

This is the good bit :

'Welcome to the world of the generation born in the two decades following World War II: the baby boomers.'

We had :
* Free school milk and handsome benefits.
* Cheap holidays.
* Women's liberation and the shopping revolution.

We have :
* For more than half a century, been living it up, borrowing and spending in the conviction the money our wouldn't run out.

Now as we are :

* retiring and looking forward to their hefty pensions, the cost of our 60-year spree is becoming unpleasantly apparent.

And here it comes : good old right wing 'Daily Mail' :

'As everyone who has ever thrown a party knows, there comes a point when somebody has to clear up. And, according to The Pinch, a new book by David Willetts - one of the more thoughtful Tories in the Shadow Cabinet - that moment is upon us.'

So there we have it : The Daily Mail backing the Conservative Party with David Willetts, who I mentioned in a previous posting :

http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2010/01/britains-baby-boomers-beware-david.html

He goes on to state that we :

* Were brought up in an age of surging living standards and we were not prepared to wait for jam tomorrow. WE wanted it today, tomorrow and forever and we raised our children in our own image.

* With our 'me generation' values, we spearheaded the sweeping social changes of the late Sixties and Seventies, when the illegitimacy rate almost doubled from seven to 13 per cent, the annual abortion tally leapt from 24,000 to 170,000, and the divorce rate almost quadrupled.

Oh dear, more illegitimacy, abortions and divorces - we were responsible for all that and 'Britain has the highest rates for divorce and illegitimacy in the EU. And government figures show the proportion of single mothers has surged from ten to 25 per cent in the past 20 years'.

Apperently we are :

* Bequeathing a more individualistic, selfish, atomised society. * Handing over a Britain addicted to spending and crippled by debt - public and private.

* Going, in ten years, to suck up an extra £20 billion in public spending.

* Due to our the sheer size we have maintained an unprecedented monopoly on jobs, houses and income, effectively shutting out our juniors.
* Since New Labour came to power, our wealth of people in their late 50s has almost trebled.

* Through our 'enthusiasm for immigration' been reponsible for keeping wages for 'British youngsters at an unprecedented low'.
* And the future? : With the last of us still 'drawing pensions and benefits, paid for by the taxes of millions of immigrants, Britain could be a distressingly hectic, threadbare and overcrowded place'.

Just to recap, we :

* Had a party which went on too long.

* Ignored the warnings of our parents and were enjoying ourselves so much, we could 'barely hear the cries of their children'.

* Thought we were as rich as Croesus, the ancient king reckoned by the Greeks to be the wealthiest man in the world. Then forgot what the philosopher Solon said when Croesus asked what he thought of his riches and good luck. "Call no man happy," said Solon drily, "until he is dead".
He was right. Croesus eventually lost his money, his family broke up and he died in squalor.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1257631/How-baby-boomers-bust-Britain-Self-indulgence-left-country-financially-socially-morally-crippled.html

Britain is a country where young industrial workers who are now old, were caught in aspic by a photographer called Maurice Broomfield

While Bert Hardy was the British photographer of street life in the 1940's and 50's, Maurice Broomfield was the photographer of the factories in the 1950's and 60's. He was interveiwed on the 'Today' radio programme earlier this week. He is 94.

What is interesting about Maurice is that he :

* Was son of a lace-maker and started as a lathe operator at the local Rolls-Royce plant. This didn’t please his mother : “She wanted me to be a nicely clothed worker, not a chap who had to take off dirty overalls before I was allowed in the house. They were covered with this terrible mixture of whale oil and disinfectant that got everywhere.”

* Later said that : " There was a human relationship between the man and his product. They’d clean up the machinery and make things look nice with the same pride they took at home. And they’d dress nicely, too. It wasn’t unusual to see a chap in a suit and trilby hat or a girl with red shoes and scarf."

* Would wander the factory, drawing: “I loved the noise, the movement. I remember sitting on the loo seat, making sketches on a piece of lavatory paper.”

* During the War, drove a Quaker ambulance.

* After the War,began taking photos, and became an industrial photographer who had been inspired by painters : Joseph Wright and Johannes Vermeer.

* Worked for ICI before travelling the world photographing for Hawker Siddeley a company making a spectrum from transformers to aircraft.

* Was in the 1950s, a newspaper photographer and said : "I was fortunate: Lord Drogheda had a great interest in the arts. He said he liked the way I regarded industry as a stage set. And he was right, I did see it as magical; that’s why my lighting became quite theatrical."

* His photos to be shown a in two exhibitions this Spring and Summer reveal not just, that defunct world of looms, laboratories, car factories and cooling towers, but also,something of the excitement of being part of Post Second World War British industry.

His website shows his beautiful photos : http://www.mauricebroomfield.com/flash.html

Here he is interviewed on the 'Today' programme : http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8559000/8559164.stm

Britain was once a country for young boys who are now old men who were caught in aspic by Bert Hardy

I came across this photo in the 'Sunday Times' magazine in an article by Richard Woods in a feature called 'Photography under threat'. It was taken by the photographer, Bert Hardy in Glasgow in 1948. Two street urchins. I think it is wonderful.

George Davis on the right and his dirty-faced pal Leslie Mason were snapped on the way to the shops as they walked up Clelland Street. George died at the age of 61 and Leslie is now 69. 'The Gorbals Boys' picture, was syndicated around the world and highlighted the appalling poverty in the city.

Leslie has said : "It's amazing how much impact that picture has had. My wife has relatives in Canada and they saw the picture for sale as a fridge magnet and sent me a few as a present."

George Davis died in 2002 at the age of 61.

His was a sad story from that harsh, bygone age of Britain in the 1950's.

In 1955 when he was 16 he was sent to prison for fathering a child by a 15 year old girl. She was sent away to live with nuns and have the baby and when she was away on a home visit, the baby boy was given to an adoptive family.

George subsequently married the girl and they had two daughters. With their mother and father both dead, the daughters, now in their 40's, are still trying to find their long lost elder brother.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/editors-choice/2008/10/16/exclusive-hidden-heartache-of-the-gorbals-boy-86908-20808329/

Bert Hardy, the photographer died in 1995 at the age of 82.
I find his pictures strike a chord with me and take me back to my boyhood in Deptford in South London in the 1950's. I remember milk and bread being delivered by horse and cart and streets completely free of parked cars, since there were none.











Kids wearing air raid warden helmets left over from the recently ended Second World War and hitching a lift on a horse drawn cart.

Britain says "Happy Birthday" Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes

Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, OBE, was born on this day, March 7 1944, 66 years ago. Here is the weather chart for that day :















Born on 7 March 1944, better known as Ranulph (Ran) Fiennes, he is an 'adventurer' and holder of several endurance records.

Things you probably didn't know about him :

* Was born in Glasgow, shortly after his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel, was killed in the Second World War at Monte Cassino in 1944.

* Inherited his father's title and became, the 3rd Baronet of Banbury, at his birth.

* Is the third cousin of actors Joseph and Ralph Fiennes, and is a distant cousin of Britain's royal family.

* After the War his mother moved the family to South Africa where he remained until he was 12.

* Ranulph then returned to be educated at Eton and then joined the British Army where he served for eight years including a period on counter-insurgency service while attached to the army of the Sultanate of Oman.

* Then undertook numerous expeditions including being the first man to visit both the north and south poles by surface means and the first man to completely cross Antarctica on foot.

* Was appointed OBE in 1993 'for human endeavour and for charitable services' — his expeditions have raised £5 million for good causes.

* In 2009, aged 65, he climbed to the summit of Mount Everest.

* According to the Guinness Book of World Records he is 'the world's greatest living adventurer.'

Here is my favourite :

* As a young soldier he was offended by the construction of an ugly concrete dam built for the film 'Doctor Dolittle' in the Wiltshire village of Castle Combe — reputedly the prettiest village in England.
He planned to demolish the dam and used explosives which he later claimed to have accumulated from leftovers on training exercises with the S.A.S.
He evaded search dogs by night, he escaped capture, but he and a guilty colleague were both subsequently traced.
After a court case, Fiennes had to pay a hefty fine and he and his co-conspirator were discharged from the SAS.

The Sea Wall at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, is a place for old men to stroll in the spring sun

I went for a stroll yesterday afternoon with my Old friend D.B. We were on the shore of the North Kent coast at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey. It was a sunny afternoon which was the perfect antidote to what has been, a long, cold and grey winter.The sea was a calm as a duck pond and full of relected blue light. Even the Isle of Grain Power Station reflected in the River Medway at Funton Creek looked beautiful.













Here D.B. points to the 'Celestine', a ferry en route from London and bound for for Zeebrugge in Belgium.


Spring was in the air. The sun was warm. A young couple sat without coats on the sea wall, while a man to their right was painting the railings.

One old Briton remembers Dave Berry

I was 17 when Dave Berry released 'The Crying Game' in 1964 and it was probably 'apposite' for me then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwkq48UetR8

I know all there is to know about the crying game,
I've had my share of the crying game.
First there are kisses (kisses), then there are sighs,
And then before you know where you are,
You're sayin' goodbye.

One day soon I'm gonna tell the moon,
About the crying game.,
And if he knows, maybe he'll explain
Why there are heartaches (heartaches), why there are tears,
And what to do to stop feeling blue when love disappears.

First there are kisses (kisses), then there are sighs,
And then before you know where you are,
You're sayin' goodbye.

Don't want no more of the crying game,
Don't want no more of the crying game.

Dave Berry, who was born David Holgate Grundy in Sheffield is now 69.

As a performer, I shall remember him wrapping himself around and behind, the microphone lead.

One old Briton says "thanks" to Darrell Banks

When I was 17 I thought I could dance. At parties I would flay my arms around in, what I thought was, a creative way.

I went to university and met and became a friend of K.M. who knew a thing or two about 'dancing to music'. He had honed his skills on the 1960's 'Leeds' dance circuit and took me in hand and showed me how to dance 'on the off beat'.

I remember the dancing classes took place in my flat in Hove, with me wearing moccasin sandals on a green carpet. These gave me the extra bit of 'shuffle' I needed to twist my legs and do the 360 degree turn which added that extra bit of 'flounce'.

I practised hard, while taking time off from essays on 'Machiavelli' in History and 'Kierkegaard' in Philosophy, but I knew it was going to pay off when I went to a party and a girl called Lucy said that of K.M. and I, that we : " danced like snakes."

The one 45 record I had, which K.M.loaned me was Darrell Banks singing 'Open the Door to Your Heart'. I played it over and over again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8rC9Bf0hXk

Thanks K.M. and thanks Darrell.

Sadly, Darrell died 5 years later in 1970 at the age of 33.

Walk right on in,
Stretch out your arms.
Let the lovelight shine on my soul, baby,
And let love come running in.

You know that I needed you,
I've needed you a long, long time.
My pride is too much for me, baby, and I'm about to lose my mind.

Walk right on in.
Let your love come running in.

Open the door to your heart, baby,
Open the door to your heart,open the door to your heart,
And let love come running in, let your love come running in.

Let it flow like the river,
Let it shine like the light.
Take all my mind and soul, baby,
Why don't you give it sight ?

I'm trying to keep from loving you,
And I've been loving you a little too long.

Darling, darling,
You've been so sweet to me,
That's what keeps my love so strong.

I need you to stand by me,
Let your love come running in.
Let it flow like the river..

Britain is a country where one old man has sharp auditory memories of Eden Kane and Billy Fury

Eden Kane was born, Richard Graham Sarstedt in Delhi, India in 1941 and is 69. Billy Fury was born Ronald William Wycherley in Liverpool in 1940 and died at the age of 43 in 1983. Had he lived he would now be 70.

The auditory memory is a wonderful thing. I can have trouble remembering what I did yesterday afternoon, but my recall of the songs and singers of my youth is almost perfect.

Eden Kane recorded 'Forget Me Not' in 1962 when he was 21 and I was 15.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A94evtK0iz4

Billy recorded ' Once Upon a Dream' in the same year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae_ogriURVk

My memory of both songs is alost word perfect, possibly because at the age of 15, I probably fell in love for the first time and so their songs were my songs.

Eden today :

Comments on Alexander Chancellor's article asking : Why is it so fashionable to celebrate ageing ?'

The Alexander Chancellor article entitled : ' Why is it fashionabble to celebrate ageing ?' provoked 65 people to send their comments to the Guardian Newspaper.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/26/good-time-to-be-old#start-of-comments

These are my 3 favourites :

1. 'Can't imagine why an ageing society is something to celebrate.'
Oh I can.
More pensions to tax and more people to mug!

2. 'The prime minister has invited me to a reception in Downing Street next week for "celebrating our ageing society".'

Twat him with your walking stick.

3 ......and what's more I voted Labour in the last Election and I'm still five years older now. It's all their fault!!!

Britain is a country where the Labour Party celebrates ' Our Ageing Society'

The 'Guardian Newspaper' journalist, Alexander Chancellor told us readers on Friday that :

* The Prime Minister, had invited him to a reception in Downing Street next week, the purpose of which was, to ' celebrate our ageing society'.

* Having just turned 70, he wrote : 'I am clearly ageing, I cannot imagine either, why I have been asked, or can imagine why, an ageing society is something to celebrate'.
* He went on, along the lines that, as 'everybody knows', our ageing society is 'a worry'.

* He had read two reports in newspapers which said that more than 100,000 British workers were forced to retire last year at 65, although they 'couldn't afford to' and 'didn't want to'.

* The second report said : 'By the middle of this century, people will have to wait until 70, for their state pensions, if the country is going to be able to afford to pay them'.

* Alexander said : 'One might conclude that now is a grim time to be getting old'.

* He went on to say : 'this is not a widely voiced opinion'. It is more fashionable to maintain that the old have never had it so good, or been healthier, happier and more vigorous.

* He said that this seemed to be borne out by a survey showing that the average person is happiest at the age of 74.

* Having asked 21,000 men and women : 'how happy they were at different moments in their lives?', analysts found that they reached their peak of happiness at the age of 74.

* He wrote : 'That is what we all hope will happen to us in old age, but alas, we can't count on it. Not everyone is granted serenity with the years. 'I know almost as many anxious, dissatisfied and insecure old people as I do contented ones'.

* He went on :
' Poverty and ill health are the enemies of happiness, so I wonder, if we should totally trust, the surveys findings.'

* He perceived that : ' Old people know :'the young long for them to be happy so they won't have to feel guilty about them' and know that 'if they aren't happy now, there won't be many future opportunities, since the grim reaper cannot be indefinitely delayed'.

* He noted that ' everything written nowadays about old age doesn't really mean anything any more, like :

'You're only as young as you feel', just adds pressure on old people to respond positively to questions about their state of mind.

* he noted that he didn't ' that most old people aren't happy, or that the outlook for them isn't now as good as it ever has been'.

* He was at pains to point out that he would : ' like it to be recognised that old people have no more a duty to be happy than teenagers have and that it is no more abnormal for them to feel depressed than it is for anybody else, whatever their age'.

* In politics the Labour Party is ahead of the Tories by 8 points on policies for 'taking care of older people' which could explain why Gordon Brown thinks Britain's "ageing society" is worth celebrating. Or, is that being too cynical ?

Old Britons say " Happy Birthday" to Sandie Shaw.

Sandie Shaw is 63 today and the 'Guardian' Newspaper says she is a ' singer and businesswoman'.

I am intrigued and shall research. Remember, that I have an open mind, but the ' businesswoman', is in the forefront of of my my mind.

What did I find out about Sandie ? :

* Was born, Sandra Ann Goodrich and brought up in Dagenham, Essex.

* Leaving school, worked at the nearby 'Ford Factory' and did some part-time modelling, before coming 'second' as a singer in a local talent contest.

* Potential spotted by singer, Adam Faith, who introduced her to his manager and she got a contract in 1964 and the stage name : 'Sandie Shaw'.

* Second 'single' had the Bacharach and David song : "There's Always Something There to Remind Me", which rose to 'Number 1', in the 'charts'.

* "Girl Don't Come", followed and became her biggest U.S. hit.

* Other songs : "I'll Stop at Nothing", "Long Live Love", and "Message Understood".

* Recorded most of her hit singles in Italian, French, German and Spanish, boosting her popularity in Europe.

* Was popular across South America and performed behind the Iron Curtain and sang at concerts in pre-revolutionary Iran.

* In 1968, began the 'Sandie Shaw' fashion label, selling her own brand of clothing and shoes and hosted her own TV show.

* In 1969, her single "Heaven Knows I'm Missing Him Now" was released, which became an inspiration for a hit by 'The Smiths', 15 years later.

* In 1972, retired from life as a singer and began working on a rock musical, songwriting and acting in stage productions, playing 'Ophelia' in Hamlet and 'Joan of Arc' in Saint Joan. She also wrote and painted childrens' books.

* In 1982, married Nik Powell, 'Co-founder of the Virgin Group' and Chairman of the European Film Academy.

* In 1986 started her first 'university tour' in almost 20 years.

* In 1988 released the album, 'Hello Angel' and made appearances at 'Gay Pride' and 'Peace' festivals.

* Had her 'biography' : 'The World at My Feet', published in 1991.

* In 1992 began studying at Oxford and the University of London and qualified as a 'psychotherapist' in 1994.

* Opened 'The Arts Clinic' in 1997 with her husband, to provide 'psychological health care and creative development' to those, in the entertainment and media industries.

* 1998 was invited to join the 'Royal Society of Musicians' as an 'Honorary Professor of Music'.

Well, I didn't find much evidence of 'the businesswoman', but here is her last 'hit' :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNM-skJZGq0

Britain said " Happy Birthday" yesterday to Denis Waterman and Paul Jones

Paul Jones is 68 today and
Denis Waterman is 62.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i8oZUPKWOo

Things you didn't know about Denis :

* Born in Clapham, London and of 13 played the part of 'Winthrop Paroo' in the Adelphi Theatre production of 'The Music Man'.

* A year later starred as William Brown in the BBC TV series 'William' based on the 'Just William' books of Richmal Crompton.

* Had a major role in the 1968 film 'Up The Junction'.

* Played the boyfriend of Susan George in "Fright" in 1971.

* Started to build a name for himself with appearances on the BBC's 'Play for Today' series, most notably in the Dennis Potter dramas : 'Follow the Yellow Brick Road' in 1972 and 'Joe's Ark' in '74.

* Became well known and something of a pin-up as D.S. George Carter in the TV series 'The Sweeney', as well as starring in 'Minder',

* Sang the theme tune, "I Could Be So Good For You", which was a top three UK hit in 1980 and a top 10 hit in Australia and had a brief singing career.

* In 1981,starred in the TV film, 'A Captain's Tale , true story of West Auckland Football Club, a part-time side who won the 'first' World Cup, known as the 'Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy'.

* In 1982, starred in the musical, Windy City which also featured Amanda Redmond who he later went on to star with in the TV series, 'New Tricks'.

* In 1986, took the lead male role in the BAFTA Award winning BBC adaptation of Fay Weldon's 'The Life and Loves of a She-Devil'.

* He appeared on stage as Alfred P. Doolittle in 'My Fair Lady'in 2001 and narrated the reality-format television programme, 'Bad Lads Army'.

* His most recent appearance was in the 2009 BBC2 mini series 'Moses Jones'.

* He has been caricatured by David Walliams in the radio and TV comedy series 'Little Britain', in sketches where he visits his agent, played by Matt Lucas looking for parts. Most of the jokes in the sketches are about Waterman being so small such that common objects are massive in comparison to him, but he is in fact five foot nine inches in height. In 2006, Waterman made a guest appearance in a Little Britain stage show, alongside the comedy character version of himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R95eqdkYflU

And lastly, the song we remember Pail Jones for :

'Do Wah Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Do' which he sang with the Manfred Mann band in 1964

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30p0PJrHrgE

and 'I've Been a Bad, Bad Boy' when he had branched out on his own in 1967 :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMEgDBj6n9g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKYJFscJcS4

Britain is a country for old men of 74 but not before or beyond

I am going to have to wait another 12 years because, according to scientists, we are most content only when we hit 74.
Apparently, a combination of fewer responsibilities and financial worries and having more time to yourself, produces a contentment unknown earlier in life.

Researchers have found that 'happiness' starts to dip in the teenage years and continues on a downward spiral until the age of 40. It then levels off until about 46, before rising to a peak more than 30 years later.

German and American scientists analysed the results of a 'long-term British survey' in which more than 21,000 men and women were regularly asked : 'how happy they were with their lives ?'

Slump: People in their twenties and thirties are handling the stresses of buying a house and bringing up a family and happiness hovered around this mark for the next few years, before taking an upturn around the age of 46.

Through their fifties and sixties they became more upbeat, with satisfaction peaking at a rating of 5.9 around 74. After that it drops off as more people become affected by health problems.

Britain this winter has been no place for old men but one with plenty of advice from the Government

It's snowing again. The wet stuff, so it won't settle. This is the worst winter in Britain for 30 years and it's good to know that our Government has provided sage observation like this from, Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron, who has said : "Cold weather is especially dangerous for older people or those with serious illnesses".

And it's also good to know that leaflets have been published for the Government's 'Keep Warm Keep Well' campaign. These give important advice to older people on how to stay fit and healthy through the winter. This advice is available online at 'NHS Choices' and in local GP's surgeries, pharmacies or council offices.

And a big 'thank you' to Yvonne Doyle, Regional Director of Public Health for the South East Coast who has said :
"Remembering the needs of friends, relatives and neighbours who could be at risk is essential. In particular, they need to keep their home at the right temperature, between 18 and 21 degrees centigrade by day and heat the bedroom just before they go to sleep. The elderly, and those who are ill, are particularly vulnerable during cold weather."

Britain shall soon say " goodbye" to a brave man who was, once the infamous 'Inspector of Schools' called, Chris Woodhead

When I was a teacher in mainstream secondary education, the name of 'Chris Woodhead' was anathema. He was 'Chief Inspector of Schools' from 1994-2000 and, to a man and woman, we hated him.




Now, I read and found moving, as he writes in the 'Sunday Times':


* Ten years ago walking down a mountain in Wales, my legs turned to jelly. "I am getting old ?", I thought. "I spend too much time behind a desk. A pint or two in the pub', and I had forgotten all about it."

* Over the years I started to wonder about the difficulties I was having : "Why were the stairs beginning to be a problem? Why couldn’t I do rock climbs that, not so long ago, I had found a doddle?"

* I stopped pretending and the doctor was smart.
“Probably nothing,” he said, “but I’m going to refer you to a neurologist for a check-up".

* He noticed my jaw drop and added: “Don’t worry, there is probably nothing wrong. Anyway, you might walk out and get knocked down by a bus.”

* There was something wrong. Motor neurone disease . It sometimes feels as if the bus would have been the better option.

* At any one time 5,000 people in the UK have MND and 5 die every day. Fifty per cent die within 14 months of diagnosis.

* For some mysterious reason, messages from the brain, fail to reach the muscles that activate and muscles arms and legs, which then atrophy AND DIE.NDN

* Because the number of patients is small and the survival period short, there is not much incentive for drug companies to research a cure.

* 'Riluzole', the only drug available, prolongs life by two months. Whether an extra two months is worth having when you can't ' move, breathe or swallow unassisted', is a moot point.


* " Four years ago I was still walking in the Highlands. Today, I need help with washing and dressing. I struggle to get out of bed. Last June, lying on the floor waiting for the ambulance to turn up after I had fallen backwards off some stairs and hit my head on the slate floor, I was not sure that the struggle was worth making much longer.

* At some point I know that I am going to decide that I have had enough.

* In death, as in life, what matters is the timing.

* The timing of my decision will depend in part upon my physical decline: whether, that is, I can swallow the pills unaided, thus avoiding the threat of prosecution of anybody implicated in my death. That threat is real.

* As I write, Ray Gosling is being questioned by police for the murder of a lover dying of Aids he said he suffocated decades ago. No sane society would waste police time on such an investigation. Does anybody think that Gosling acted out of anything but compassion or that he is likely to rampage through hospital wards suffocating everyone he can find?

The fundamental question for me in deciding when to end my life concerns my own state of mind. One of my A-level texts was TS Eliot’s play, Murder in the Cathedral. Becket seeks martyrdom. Why, Eliot asks? Is this quest an act of egotism, or is he driven by a selfless desire to do what he believes to be right? Is he doing the right deed for the wrong reasons? For me, this has become a critical question.


* When the cards are stacked against us, the temptation is to complain that life is not fair, to stamp our feet. I know. I have been there. I have sat in my wheelchair glaring at the able-bodied young, and seethed with ridiculous jealousy. I also know that our lives are not toys to be thrown away when they break. I do not want to slide into oblivion knowing my death is a result of my pathetic inability to accept the cards I have been dealt.

* I am writing about my situation for only one reason. My life, still, just, a little, can have some use. So when the MND Association asked me if I would help its campaign to lobby politicians about the needs of patients, I didn’t hesitate. At present, support is patchy. Patients wait months to see a consultant. Many, after the diagnosis, are left to struggle on their own. Go to www.mnd2010.org to learn more; sign the petition and lobby your MP. Somebody, somewhere, is going to be told tomorrow that they have MND. Thirty seconds of your time could make a difference to what will remain of their lives."

Is Britain is no longer a country for 'Angry Young Men' like Osborne, Sillitoe, Mercer and Storey ?

Left to right : Harris, Courtenay, Burton and Warner.

When I was a student at Sussex University over 40 years ago, I chose a course about the literature of the Post-Second World War ' Angry Young Men'. It was a course designed for us students by the left wing dons at Sussex.

It was a time when we reflected on 'Post- War Anger' and still felt angry about politics in particular and the world in general, in a way that I think no longer stirs students on university campuses today. Sad. I think all countries need 'Angry Young Men' to ask questions and criticise 'The System' before, they too, become part of their Establishment.

I might be wrong.

Out in front was 'Look Back In Anger'written by the late John Osborne in 1956. The film starred the late Richard Burton :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKk5gzEhphY

' The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' in 1959 was written by the now, 82 year old Alan Sillitoe and starred the now 73 year old Tom Courtenay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0FJdzPnUjw

Then, 'Morgan, a Suitable Case For Treatment' in 1962. Written by the late David Mercer, the film starred the now, 69 year old David Warner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNEWimL7-vw

'This Sporting Life' in 1963. Written by the now, 77 year old David Storey the film starred the late Richard Harrishttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckb15MUOiks

And then things became less angry with 'The Knack' starring the now 68 year old, Rita Tushingham and in 1965 and 'Alfie' in 1966 starring the now, 77year old, Michael Caine.

The Knack :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckb15MUOiks
Alfie :
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2310340889/

Britain's B.B.C. is a no company for old men who want news, but one where they can get a full update on the love life of golpher Tiger Woods

I just checked into the 'BBC 1 News on T.V'. to be updated on World Affairs and Domestic Affairs like 'the big ministerial discussion today about the funding of health care for the old in years to come' and possibly the latest on Haiti in the aftermath of the death of the 250,000 people.

None of that. The B.B.C. main news for first 6 minutes was the love life of the golfer Tiger Woods.

Was this the BBC, the premier broadcasting channel, which once led the world ?

I think not.

Just a wan prostitute of a channel, by the side of the road touting her salutary wears.

Sad.

Britain today, a country where no longer resides, the once 'Mighty' BBC.

Britain's Old Men say " Hats off" to Leonard Cohen who wrote 'Hallelujah' in 1984 and K.D.Lang who sang it at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010

I'm not moved much these days, but K.D.Lang's rendition on Leonard Cohen's song, 'Hallelujah', moved me to tears :

In the Stadium : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEKL4GaAdvg

In the Studio : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE&NR=1

I heard there was a secret chord,
That David played, and it pleased the Lord,
You don't really care for music, do Ya?

It goes like this :
The fourth, the fifth,
The minor fall, the major lift,
The baffled King composing :

Hallelujah
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah.

Your faith was strong, but you needed proof,
You saw her bathing on the roof,
Her beauty and the moonlight, overthrew Ya.

She tied you to a kitchen chair,
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair,
And from your lips she drew "Hallelujah".

"Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah"

Baby, I've been here before,
I've seen this room and I've walked the floor,
I used to live alone, before, I knew Ya.
But I've seen your flag on the marble arch,
Our love is not a victory march,
It's a cold and its a broken "hallelujah".

"Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah"

Maybe there's a God above,
But all I've ever learnt from love,
Is how to shoot somebody, who outdrew Ya.

It's not a cry that you hear at night,
It's not someone whos seen the light,
It's a cold and broken, "hallelujah".

"Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah"

I sought out the words :

And the creator of this beautiful and hauntining song is the 76 year old Canadian, Leonard Cohen. He released it in 1984 when he was 50.

What does it all mean ?

Wikipedia says : "Hallelujah", contains several biblical references, most notably evoking the stories of Samson and traitorous Delilah from the Book of Judges as well as the adulterous King David and Bathsheba: "she cut your hair" and "you saw her bathing on the roof, her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you".

What the Master sang :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01nV-IfC98M