It is already August and we haven´t seen the sun
It has rained through and through
and is making everyone so blue
The clouds are keeping the sun away
and it doesnt look like they will sway
I do not know how much more I can take
It is the end of summer for goodness sake
We have to go on holiday to get some sun
It is great to go to Spain and have fun
We could even jet off to the Carribbean
Go to the beach then drink barcardi and rum
But I still need to go to work before this holiday
I am now counting down the days
Three, two and then one more day to go
Oh why is this week going by so slow
Every day is the same, there is no sun
Raining all the time so I cannot go for my run
I quit the gym as I would exercise outside
Take advantage of the summer weather
and even maybe go for a long bike ride
But it hasnt been used since June
When it was 25 degrees by 12 noon
At long last, Friday has arrived
And I am packed and ready to fly
See you all in just over a week
I cannot wait to get into that heat
Tara for now and hasta la vista
I am going to Spain for a big fiesta
Sunday, 24 August 2008
Friday, 22 August 2008
Working After Hours
In these rooms, people work up quite a sweat
Trimming down their legs, bums and tums
So that they can squeeze into their little black dress
But in this room they look like such a mess
The body builders in their own area
Surrounded by mirrors, making sure they look just right
But they are never out of sight
Of all those others trying to lose that last inch or two
But which is making them feel so blue.
Some of these places have a great view
High above the city
Or out in the middle of the country
Inside, people run for minutes at a time
On a constant revolving machine
They pass the hour by staring at the tv screen
Hoping they can watch their favourite show
Or perhaps a dance music video
Who would have thought
People would be willing to pay
To go to this place
And work even more after a long day
No time for friends or family
But if you want to be fit
And all you do day long is sit
A visit to this room is a must
So you can get rid of that nasty gut.
Sometimes I wonder if people didn’t eat a lot
And ate their five small meals a day
They would have much more time to play
and spend time with people who they love
instead of a direct debit that costs so much
This is the world we live in
So we should all get used to it
For those that want to be super trim
They have to spend hours at the gym
I am one of them I must admit
I always want to get fit
But sometimes it is hard to take in
That some people will never be slim
Trimming down their legs, bums and tums
So that they can squeeze into their little black dress
But in this room they look like such a mess
The body builders in their own area
Surrounded by mirrors, making sure they look just right
But they are never out of sight
Of all those others trying to lose that last inch or two
But which is making them feel so blue.
Some of these places have a great view
High above the city
Or out in the middle of the country
Inside, people run for minutes at a time
On a constant revolving machine
They pass the hour by staring at the tv screen
Hoping they can watch their favourite show
Or perhaps a dance music video
Who would have thought
People would be willing to pay
To go to this place
And work even more after a long day
No time for friends or family
But if you want to be fit
And all you do day long is sit
A visit to this room is a must
So you can get rid of that nasty gut.
Sometimes I wonder if people didn’t eat a lot
And ate their five small meals a day
They would have much more time to play
and spend time with people who they love
instead of a direct debit that costs so much
This is the world we live in
So we should all get used to it
For those that want to be super trim
They have to spend hours at the gym
I am one of them I must admit
I always want to get fit
But sometimes it is hard to take in
That some people will never be slim
Thursday, 21 August 2008
The Credit Crunch
Oh no, we are deep in the credit crunch
Things are so bad, I cannot even buy lunch
I should have saved when we were in plenty
But now my pockets are completely empty
I don't think there will be a bonus at Christmas time
Maybe we will get some good old mulled wine
Gas prices are on the rise
Despite the public's cries
This will affect me greatly
Especially as I have a big mortgage rate
I am trying not to get irate
Everyone is in the same boat
except the traders who can sit around and gloat
I hope this crunch does not last
as I am soon losing all my cash
But at least I have my health
and as they say
when you have that you are on your merry way
Things are so bad, I cannot even buy lunch
I should have saved when we were in plenty
But now my pockets are completely empty
I don't think there will be a bonus at Christmas time
Maybe we will get some good old mulled wine
Gas prices are on the rise
Despite the public's cries
This will affect me greatly
Especially as I have a big mortgage rate
I am trying not to get irate
Everyone is in the same boat
except the traders who can sit around and gloat
I hope this crunch does not last
as I am soon losing all my cash
But at least I have my health
and as they say
when you have that you are on your merry way
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Parents who mourn their empty nests
For all of you going off to University, take a moment to think of your parents..........This is one mother's feelings
As I enter the house I can feel the emptiness. No music blasting out, no shoes to trip over, no one to say "hi" as I come in. It is difficult to believe that this is how it is going to be. My daughters, who have been the focus of my life for the past 18 years, are no longer here.
Everywhere is so untouched, the phone hardly rings and the quiet is chilling. Nothing seems the same - even the cats are wandering around the house in search of company. Sitting down to Sunday dinner, which has previously been a family affair, was more depressing than I could have imagined.
This is just the rehearsal. A two week trial;. For them, or us. I am not sure. They will be back from their holiday, but this time next week they will both have started new lives in two different universities, leaving us home alone.
As thousands of students take up their places at universities and colleges next month, they leave in their wake many parents, like myself- depressed and traumatised at their departure. For some the departure of unruly and difficult offspring will be a relief: for others it represents a significant milestone in their role as parents. While parenting and ante-natal classes can help to prepare for the arrival of a child, nothing can prepare parents for that child leaving home.
While siblings may be pleased to see an older brother or sister leave home so that they can gain access to a coveted room or possession, the effect on parents is far less positive. For parents of several children the parting from the first may be offset by the fact that there are others to be cared for. There is no such distraction for parents of a an only child. One of my friends told me that when she and her husband took their only child,, a son to university for the first time, they had to stop in a lay-by on the way home to sob into each other's arms.
While many people may dismiss the notion of empty nest syndrome, those who have been through it understand the far-reaching consequences. When the last or only child leaves home, parents have to learn to be a couple again. After years of concentrating on their children they suddenly find themselves thrown together in much the same way as when one of the parents retires. Relate, the marriage guidance service, has noted that is is at this stage that many relationships break down.
It would be wrong to assume that mothers have the monopoloy on the empty nest syndrome, fathers feel the absence of their offspring just as keenly. The problem is that men are not so conscious of that it is doing to their relationship with their partners. At this stage in their lives many men may be changing direction, slowing down, facing unemployment or other major changes. The sudden moving away of their children may clash with these life events, causing depression, alcoholism and the breakdown of their relationship. While they may bury themselves in their work or play more sport to mask their senses of loss, their partners are left home alone.
For many mothers who have been the chief carers, the sudden departure of the teenager affects them on a more practical level. The quietness and solitude, the lack of washing and ironing, the absence of hungry beings to fee, make he loneliness more palpable. Many women in the 45 plus range (the age group most affected by children leaving home) who have not been career orientated will experience feelings of depression, loss and redundance because they are no longer needed.
Career women, as well as non working mothers, suffer equally the emptiness of children leaving home. The dean of the university where I worked shared her feelings of loss and loneliness with me when her last child went to college. We joked about going around the supermarkets with our trolleys half full, not knowing what to buy, unable to downsize our grocery list to accommodate two people instead of four or five. Even though her children had left home in a more staggered pattern, the effect was just as great when her youngest left.
Perhaps one of the chief ways of dealing with this condition is recognising that it exists. Lucy Selleck, a counsellor and a spokeswoman for Relate, explains the important of acknowledging the situation. "This period in a couple's life can be one of the most eventful" she says. "One of the problems is that many people do not recognise that children leaving home is a major change that can subsequently affect their relationship."
Mothers may have relied on children to keep them going. Filling the gap, once they have gone, becomes more and more difficult. While they may be looking to their partners for support, their partners may be equally miserable and unable to give it.
Individuals need to take responsibility for their relationship and not look to each other to make themselves feel better. The perception of emptiness and sadness on to the relationship makes it even more difficult to communicate and come to terms with such a fundamental change. The consequences can have far-reaching effects such as depression, alcoholism and even erectile dysfunction"
One of the paradoxes of being "home alone" is that no sooner have parents got used to ti than students come home for a weekend. While this is undoubtedly welcomed, the father hay have got used to having the monopoly on his partner's affections. Once the chicks come home he is thrown out of the nest or at least relegated to the edge. Accommodating part time parenting is an additional factor that affects the balance of group dynamics within the home and has far-reaching consequence.
"Couples should look on the period without their children as an opportunity for the self" says Selleck. "having spent so many years caring for and nurturing their offspring, they should so something for themselves - plan trips away, take up new activities".
It is important, she says, for couples to start doing something new while their children are still at home to make the adjustment easier once they leave.
Everyone tells me that it passes, that you get used to it. You spend the first few weeks stricken by the loss, the following few coming to terms with it and building a new life and the remaining time wondering how you coped with all the chores before. When the come home you find yourself waiting for them to go back. I can't quite imagine that but perhaps by next year I will have arrived at that stage where I can enjoy my free time.
But for the moment, I am still moping around the house wondering what on earth I am going to do.
Written by Jennifer Turnbull
As I enter the house I can feel the emptiness. No music blasting out, no shoes to trip over, no one to say "hi" as I come in. It is difficult to believe that this is how it is going to be. My daughters, who have been the focus of my life for the past 18 years, are no longer here.
Everywhere is so untouched, the phone hardly rings and the quiet is chilling. Nothing seems the same - even the cats are wandering around the house in search of company. Sitting down to Sunday dinner, which has previously been a family affair, was more depressing than I could have imagined.
This is just the rehearsal. A two week trial;. For them, or us. I am not sure. They will be back from their holiday, but this time next week they will both have started new lives in two different universities, leaving us home alone.
As thousands of students take up their places at universities and colleges next month, they leave in their wake many parents, like myself- depressed and traumatised at their departure. For some the departure of unruly and difficult offspring will be a relief: for others it represents a significant milestone in their role as parents. While parenting and ante-natal classes can help to prepare for the arrival of a child, nothing can prepare parents for that child leaving home.
While siblings may be pleased to see an older brother or sister leave home so that they can gain access to a coveted room or possession, the effect on parents is far less positive. For parents of several children the parting from the first may be offset by the fact that there are others to be cared for. There is no such distraction for parents of a an only child. One of my friends told me that when she and her husband took their only child,, a son to university for the first time, they had to stop in a lay-by on the way home to sob into each other's arms.
While many people may dismiss the notion of empty nest syndrome, those who have been through it understand the far-reaching consequences. When the last or only child leaves home, parents have to learn to be a couple again. After years of concentrating on their children they suddenly find themselves thrown together in much the same way as when one of the parents retires. Relate, the marriage guidance service, has noted that is is at this stage that many relationships break down.
It would be wrong to assume that mothers have the monopoloy on the empty nest syndrome, fathers feel the absence of their offspring just as keenly. The problem is that men are not so conscious of that it is doing to their relationship with their partners. At this stage in their lives many men may be changing direction, slowing down, facing unemployment or other major changes. The sudden moving away of their children may clash with these life events, causing depression, alcoholism and the breakdown of their relationship. While they may bury themselves in their work or play more sport to mask their senses of loss, their partners are left home alone.
For many mothers who have been the chief carers, the sudden departure of the teenager affects them on a more practical level. The quietness and solitude, the lack of washing and ironing, the absence of hungry beings to fee, make he loneliness more palpable. Many women in the 45 plus range (the age group most affected by children leaving home) who have not been career orientated will experience feelings of depression, loss and redundance because they are no longer needed.
Career women, as well as non working mothers, suffer equally the emptiness of children leaving home. The dean of the university where I worked shared her feelings of loss and loneliness with me when her last child went to college. We joked about going around the supermarkets with our trolleys half full, not knowing what to buy, unable to downsize our grocery list to accommodate two people instead of four or five. Even though her children had left home in a more staggered pattern, the effect was just as great when her youngest left.
Perhaps one of the chief ways of dealing with this condition is recognising that it exists. Lucy Selleck, a counsellor and a spokeswoman for Relate, explains the important of acknowledging the situation. "This period in a couple's life can be one of the most eventful" she says. "One of the problems is that many people do not recognise that children leaving home is a major change that can subsequently affect their relationship."
Mothers may have relied on children to keep them going. Filling the gap, once they have gone, becomes more and more difficult. While they may be looking to their partners for support, their partners may be equally miserable and unable to give it.
Individuals need to take responsibility for their relationship and not look to each other to make themselves feel better. The perception of emptiness and sadness on to the relationship makes it even more difficult to communicate and come to terms with such a fundamental change. The consequences can have far-reaching effects such as depression, alcoholism and even erectile dysfunction"
One of the paradoxes of being "home alone" is that no sooner have parents got used to ti than students come home for a weekend. While this is undoubtedly welcomed, the father hay have got used to having the monopoly on his partner's affections. Once the chicks come home he is thrown out of the nest or at least relegated to the edge. Accommodating part time parenting is an additional factor that affects the balance of group dynamics within the home and has far-reaching consequence.
"Couples should look on the period without their children as an opportunity for the self" says Selleck. "having spent so many years caring for and nurturing their offspring, they should so something for themselves - plan trips away, take up new activities".
It is important, she says, for couples to start doing something new while their children are still at home to make the adjustment easier once they leave.
Everyone tells me that it passes, that you get used to it. You spend the first few weeks stricken by the loss, the following few coming to terms with it and building a new life and the remaining time wondering how you coped with all the chores before. When the come home you find yourself waiting for them to go back. I can't quite imagine that but perhaps by next year I will have arrived at that stage where I can enjoy my free time.
But for the moment, I am still moping around the house wondering what on earth I am going to do.
Written by Jennifer Turnbull
The Morning Drink
They have become a normal sight
Enticing all from morning to night
On every street corner you will find them there
Never will you see them bare
The mono brand has arrived
while the smaller guys have not survived
small, tall, grande
how do you want your latte?
light milk, soy, half cream
they know all about their drink it seems
coming in from work, two or three times a day
lining up to recite their usual and pay
the same people come and go
it is like a clockwork show.
So many brands, so many choices
Each shop filled with international voices
Paper cups with black text
Showing which box is checked
Making sure they have the right coffee
To get them through the long day you see.
Who would have thought how fast these shops have spread
Especially in a nation where tea was said
To be the most popular drink for all
And now coffee stands are seen down the Mall.
Who drinks tea now? It is hard to think.
Everyone seems to need their coffee fix
It makes me wonder where we would be
If the coffee shops disappeared so very quickly
Everyone walking around blurry eyed
Never waking up, always tired
Like zombies swaying to and fro
The coffee has filled the black hole
Which existed long ago
But that is in the past and it is here to stay
So let’s grab a cup, don't delay
We must get to work right away!
Enticing all from morning to night
On every street corner you will find them there
Never will you see them bare
The mono brand has arrived
while the smaller guys have not survived
small, tall, grande
how do you want your latte?
light milk, soy, half cream
they know all about their drink it seems
coming in from work, two or three times a day
lining up to recite their usual and pay
the same people come and go
it is like a clockwork show.
So many brands, so many choices
Each shop filled with international voices
Paper cups with black text
Showing which box is checked
Making sure they have the right coffee
To get them through the long day you see.
Who would have thought how fast these shops have spread
Especially in a nation where tea was said
To be the most popular drink for all
And now coffee stands are seen down the Mall.
Who drinks tea now? It is hard to think.
Everyone seems to need their coffee fix
It makes me wonder where we would be
If the coffee shops disappeared so very quickly
Everyone walking around blurry eyed
Never waking up, always tired
Like zombies swaying to and fro
The coffee has filled the black hole
Which existed long ago
But that is in the past and it is here to stay
So let’s grab a cup, don't delay
We must get to work right away!
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Where dreams come true
Disneyland California is the magical place in the west cost of the US.
I had wanted to go to Disneyland in LA since I booked the trip to the United States which was back in October 2007. My sister, wasn't so keen to go to Disney, perhaps it was because we had been to the resort in Tokyo and Paris, plus now we were no longer children and Disneyland is supposed to be for kids. But to me, it seemed like a great place to visit.
So after paying for my sister and I (she refused to pay), we went for the day to Disneyland Anaheim.
It was quite expensive, about $112 per person - which included the ticket and the transport there and back. There was only just us two from the hostel in Santa Monica though.
We arrived at around 12 noon, just as the park was opening and as it was a school day, the park was not busy at all. We were able to go on all the amusement rides without lining up for too long.
We went on the famous "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride - even though this is quite old, it was still good. Splash Moutain was probably the best ride of the day and yes we did get splashed. We also went on Thunder Moutain and Space Moutain. The maximum time we waited in line was 30 minutes for Space Moutain and that was at 4pm in the afternoon.
I recommend having your birthday at Disney if you are a Mickey and Minnie fan. They come to your birthday party and spend time with you and your family and friends. Other Disney characters also come over to your table and you can have your photo taken with them. You get to eat Disney birthday cake and other party food and it costs around $10 per person.
We left the park at 6 pm and had our own private bus take us back to Santa Monica Youth Hostel. It took around 60 minutes and we tipped the driver as well. You always have to tip in the US of A. But then when it was $2 to the pound, it didn't matter as much.
Viva Las Vegas
I had never been to Vegas before this April and what a great place it was. My sister and I had booked a mini tour of the South West USA and Las Vegas was a stop over place for us.
You really have to go if you haven't been before. Yes Las Vegas is a little tacky but it is a party town and certainly the place to go if on a "hen" or "stag" weekend.
We flew into Las Vegas, Nevada airport which is in the middle of the desert and took a short taxi ride to our hotel - Excalibur. It looked like a castle from the Magic Kingdom. The taxi driver thought we both were going to find our "princes" in the Excalibur Castle hotel. The taxi ride took about 20 minutes and it cost $15.
You really have to go if you haven't been before. Yes Las Vegas is a little tacky but it is a party town and certainly the place to go if on a "hen" or "stag" weekend.
We flew into Las Vegas, Nevada airport which is in the middle of the desert and took a short taxi ride to our hotel - Excalibur. It looked like a castle from the Magic Kingdom. The taxi driver thought we both were going to find our "princes" in the Excalibur Castle hotel. The taxi ride took about 20 minutes and it cost $15.
We flew Virgin Arlines from London, it was very good, especiaially if you are only flying economy. Total cost of flight was about £520 each, including taxes.
When we arrived at the hotel, my sister and I wasted no time in walking down Las Vegas strip and stopped off at the Bellagio hotel - featured in Oceans Eleven. The fountains of the Bellagio are famous and so is the interior which includes the Fiori di Como, a vibrant flower petal chandelier by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly.
It was April but still warm and sunny - up to 25 degrees Celcius. How refreshing after coming from cold London. My sister and I continued our walk down the strip into the Paris hotel, Venetian, MGM, Treasure Island and then the Luxor on our way back.
When we arrived at the hotel, my sister and I wasted no time in walking down Las Vegas strip and stopped off at the Bellagio hotel - featured in Oceans Eleven. The fountains of the Bellagio are famous and so is the interior which includes the Fiori di Como, a vibrant flower petal chandelier by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly.
It was April but still warm and sunny - up to 25 degrees Celcius. How refreshing after coming from cold London. My sister and I continued our walk down the strip into the Paris hotel, Venetian, MGM, Treasure Island and then the Luxor on our way back.
Las Vegas has to be the city that never sleeps as there was still people gambling, playing black jack, poker, slot machines at 4 am on a Thursday morning!
One thing we didn't do which I regret, is to walk down or take the bus to downtown LV, the old town of Las Vegas. You get to see the stylish neon lights and there is an evening light show that covers the entire street. The shows are hourly after dusk every day. You can also buy lots of cheap souveniers down Fremont street and as well as on the rest of the Strip.
A Bird's Eye View
Workers lined up two by two
There are so many in the queue
What are they all waiting for?
It must be something important
as there are so many more
joining them in this strange line
That goes all the way down platform 9
8 o clock and the queue is getting bigger
It has grown by hundreds in such a short space
But they all seem to know their place
Mrs Smith with her pearls and shiny suit
And matching shoes to boot
Standing by the coffee stand
With her Chanel bag in her hand
Mr Jones over there by the vending machine
He always looks so pristine clean
He reads the metro while he waits
Trying not to get irate.
What is that I hear?
Oh it soon becomes clear
A distant sound getting louder and louder
And then the big long train appears
The queue of people shuffle about
They get ready to shout
If someone stands in their way
As the doors open they push and push
Hoping to get a seat on this expensive route.
The train leaves the station
But there still seems to be a whole nation
Left on platform 9
They have formed orderly rows
Which seems to grow and grow
No matter how many trains pass by
There are always people left waiting high and dry.
The funny thing is, they don’t have a clue
That I am up here, watching from my bird’s eye view.
(C) September 16, 2007
There are so many in the queue
What are they all waiting for?
It must be something important
as there are so many more
joining them in this strange line
That goes all the way down platform 9
8 o clock and the queue is getting bigger
It has grown by hundreds in such a short space
But they all seem to know their place
Mrs Smith with her pearls and shiny suit
And matching shoes to boot
Standing by the coffee stand
With her Chanel bag in her hand
Mr Jones over there by the vending machine
He always looks so pristine clean
He reads the metro while he waits
Trying not to get irate.
What is that I hear?
Oh it soon becomes clear
A distant sound getting louder and louder
And then the big long train appears
The queue of people shuffle about
They get ready to shout
If someone stands in their way
As the doors open they push and push
Hoping to get a seat on this expensive route.
The train leaves the station
But there still seems to be a whole nation
Left on platform 9
They have formed orderly rows
Which seems to grow and grow
No matter how many trains pass by
There are always people left waiting high and dry.
The funny thing is, they don’t have a clue
That I am up here, watching from my bird’s eye view.
(C) September 16, 2007
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