TOWGP

This blog is of more relevance to my e-mail recipients than to anyone on here, but I put it out here for your understanding anyway. Thanks TOWGP
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As well as writing a few blog items myself, I also forward on a lot of other emails and blog items on to friends and acquaintances that I think interesting or funny. Sometimes though, these people think I have written things that I haven’t, and have given me credit I don’t deserve, or even want for that matter.
So, to try and resolve this problem for the Future, I thought I would simply attach the initials of my name to the articles I write in future.
However, and also noted in earlier blogs of mine, (“Who is W.G.P?” & “The Other W.G.P.”), there is another writer well known for writing pithy sayings for Desk Calenders out there, who already uses WGP as his signature. And even though he is long deceased, his writings still appear regular on Desktop calendars.
So instead of using my initials to solve my original problem, I would, at best, only be making things more confusing and worse. And at its worst, it could even be seen as deceptive.
So, to solve my problem, I am henceforth going to sign my own writings with: TOWGP. Or in full: “The Other W G P.” TOWGP. Bye for now. TOWGP

How will you be remembered? Another view!

In my recent Blog, (How will you be remembered?) I wrote how our honorary Nephew from Transkei in South Africa, remembers me. There, he first referred to me in passing as “the husband of a woman who makes the most divine roast pork and apple sauce my taste buds have yet come to know!”
Fortunately this lovely young friend of ours, unexpectedly also had added directly to me:
“I must say though, Uncle Walter, even though you have been back in Australia for 10 years I still think of you as a Transkeian, man from Mthatha (or as we once knew it, Umtata).
I will come down eventually, Uncle Walter... eventually. ;-)”
Needless to say, even though I did say it in the other blog too, I was quite chuffed about this unexpected compliment, which means a lot coming from one who doesn’t give compliments willy-nilly.
Anyway, the very day I wrote that blog, and completely unconnected to that, I found this posted on my Facebook page from a real nephew of mine:
“Some people call him a "god-botherer" or a "bible basher". Walter Gordon Parker may be both of these, but i respect him a hell (haha) of a lot. He posts some interesting stuff, and with our views being almost completely opposite, he gets a lot of stick from me regarding his views, but he may have a powerful friend up there and I may need him to put in a good word for me one day. :)”
Now perhaps not as chuffed by this remembrance as the other, I was still quite pleased with it. For, whilst I have to rather ashamedly admit I probably don’t bother God enough with my prayers and although I have too much respect for the Bible to actually bash anyone with it, it is nice to know I am still respected for my beliefs even if they are in total opposition from someone else’s. And I guess when all is said and done, if that is the best I can achieve, then it is certainly better than the alternative. So again. How will you be remembered? Whether by family or friends: With fondness or respect, if remembered at all? Again over to you for Now.

Basic headache Cures

Recently saw the following posted on Face Book:
“******* Has the worst head ache, can't get rid of it. Tried water, panadol please any other options????”
Then came the following advice:
1. Rest?
2. Rest??? More panadol, or nurofen...
3. Advil.
4. neck massage with lavander oil, and stretches of the neck,
5. Sleep!!
Now I am no trained medical practitioner, but as one who has been plagued with bad headaches for 20 years now, I have picked up a thing or two along the way.
First that there are headaches and then there are Head aches and then there are HEADACHES. So any steps in treating headaches are to find out the Cause and if possible avoid those causes.
Headaches have many causes. A few I have experiences are Stress. Weak neck Muscles or neck out of kilter with your body. Caffeine craving from chocolate and Coffee. And of course there are many other causes too!
So if you suffer any of the above problems, you need to try and resolve those issues for Future pain-free heads. Yes one first needs to reduce one’s stress inducers as much as you can, then live with the rest.
If neck pain, massages and even a new pillow, along with some neck strengthening exercises are all good.
If it is coffee or chocolate or any other food, you either need to cut it out all together or find kinds you can eat or drink IN MODERATION.
Okay, now let’s see if we can now answer the original question of how to get rid of a bad Headache and how good was the above advice to do so?
Many years ago Bex Aspirin ran a very prominent advertising program that said something along the Lines of Headaches? A Bex, a cup of tea, and a good lie down will fix you.
So their solution was medication, Hydration and a good rest. And it seems that that advice is still the best on offer. Now some can get away with just rehydrating and resting, for others it also needs some medication.
Then of course we come to the question of which is the best over the counter medication? Years ago one doctor I went to recommended taking both paracetamol and Aspirin together, which is my usual medication when I need to go that route. I have also tried ibuprofen (Nurofen/Advil) but found it not as effective for headaches, (but wonderful for back pain).
So again medication and the dosage, is really an individual thing, and you may, like me, have to try different ones, till you find the best one or ones, for you. But do always remember, medication is only part of the solution and you should not neglect diet, neck massages and exercises, hydration and of course, lots of rest.
And if all that fails, also follow that sage advice one often hears after medicine advertisements these days: “If symptoms persist, see your doctor or trained Medical Professional.” Again, always good advice to follow. What say you?

Ball-peen, Ball-pein or Ball-pane Hammer?

Now I am one of the first to admit that my spelling is atrocious, and I think that Spell Checker is the greatest invention ever. Even if it does spell American and not proper English!
Anyway, the other day I wrote a blog (Over the top with the sledgehammer I think.) in which I mentioned a Ballpeen Hammer. Which the spell check rejected. So I looked up the online dictionary to find out its proper Spelling; only to discover that there actually was no one way of spelling it.
And then on Wikipedia, I discovered this: “A ball-peen (also spelled pein and pane) hammer, also known as a blacksmith's, engineer's or machinist's hammer, is a type of peening hammer used in metalworking. It is distinguished from a point-peen hammer or chisel-peen hammer by having a hemispherical head. Though the process of peening has become rarer in metal fabrication, the ball-peen hammer remains useful for many tasks, such as striking punches and chisels.”
So not only is a ball-peen Hammer a mighty handy tool, but it also has many names and spellings of names too. Yet despite all that, I still managed to Spell it wrong. Told you my spelling was atrocious! (Which funnily enough, I can spell without help!) How’s your spelling?

Junket, Rennet and You.

In a recent blog, I asked, “What does Junket mean to you? To which my younger but not youngest sister replied with: “Yummy! Junket with hundred and thousands!
Crushing the junket tablets, adding sugar? hot water and stirring until all the tablets were dissolved. Tasting it while unset and releasing the pleasant aroma and then adding the fresh warm milk and stiring then patiently or not so patiently waiting until it was set. Slicing it with a saucer to serve it into the bowl, to avoid breaking it up too much as it sometimes separates in to curds and whey.
Then adding the 100's & 1000's and eating the yummy slipper pudding before the colours of the 100's & 1000's made it a brown mess. on top.
First there was vanilla and later flavoured tablets from the Mr Rawley's man.
I wonder if junket tablets are still around? I know the company is still around! I Know I have probaly spelt the name of the company wrong but you will know who I mean!”
Well, I think she means “Rawleighs”, but not too sure of the spelling myself! But anyway, I do agree with her that it was yummy, but I wonder if she would still think so when she finds out what the Junket tablets were made of!
Junket tablets are in fact technically Rennet tablets, and rennet is a product used not just for Junket, but more widely in Cheese making.
And according to Google, “Rennet is an extract from the fourth stomach of young ruminants, such as cows, goats, and sheep. This extract contains a number of enzymes which are designed to help these animals digest their mother's milk, and when added to milk, rennet will cause the milk to coagulate, forming the curds and whey which are so essential in the cheesemaking process. Humans have been working with rennet for thousands of years, and it is typically readily available in stores which carry cheesemaking supplies; it can also be made at home, if you happen to have access to the necessary ingredients. For vegetarians and kosher Jews, non-animal alternatives to rennet are available.
There is a great deal of mythology surrounding the history of cheesemaking, because humans have been making cheese for a very long time, and the steps involved are actually fairly complicated. The stomachs of ruminants have historically been used to make bags and sacks, and food historians theorize that someone must have stored milk in one a bit too long, allowing it to curdle, and someone thought of turning the curdled milk into a food product. Modern rennet is created through an extraction process which yields neat, dry tablets or a liquid which is very easy to work with.
Traditional rennet was made by washing the stomach of a young ruminant after it has been slaughtered, and then salting it. The salted stomach is kept in dried form, with cooks snipping off small pieces and soaking them in water when they have a need for rennet. Some cheesemakers continue to make and use rennet in this way; the vast majority use commercially processed rennet, which is made by creating a slurry and then subjecting it to a compound which will cause the enzymes to precipitate out.
The main enzyme in rennet is rennin, although there are a few other enzymes as well, and the precise content depends on the animal the rennet comes from; sheep rennet, for example, is different from cow rennet. When added to milk, the enzyme causes the milk to coagulate, essentially starting the digestion process. Once curds have formed, cheesemakers can cut the curds, drain them, and pack them into molds to make cheese.
Several plants produce natural rennet compounds, as do some microbes, and these non-animal sources of rennet can be found for sale in stores which cater to vegetarians, and in shops which produce kosher dairy products. If you are a vegetarian, you may want to be aware that cheesemakers are not required to disclose the source of their rennet, so unless a cheese is specifically labeled as vegetarian, it may contain rennet. Under Jewish dietary laws, milk and meat cannot be mixed together, so cheese which is certified as kosher or pareve will not contain rennet. It is also possible to find cheeses which have been coagulated with acids like lemon juice; paneer is one such cheese.”
Just thinking of this interesting information as to the origins of rennet, made me wonder what other wonderful foods we have that are made out to things not quite as wonderful to the ear? I know that there is coffee made from Coffee beans that have passed literally through the digestive system of Civets, and is greatly prized for its flavour. Well over to you now for more suggestions please?

How heavy is my Sledge hammer?

Having grown up on a small farm on the then country outskirts of Melbourne, there was always a wide variety of tools around the farm to borrow if I needed something but not enough to buy my own when I moved out and into my own home. A sledge hammer was one such tool that I occasionally borrowed from home.
However upon our return from our many years overseas, I decided that I had enough need of a sledge hammer to warrant buying one of my own. So one day I went to the local hardware store and looked over what they had for sale. What I really wanted was a 10 pound one, but they only had 8 or 12 pound ones! Anyhow, after a lot of indecision and umming and hahhing, on my part, I finally decided to go for the heavier one.
A decision I often later lamented about, (and apparently often to my son too), as a 12 pound hammer gets quite heavy after a while! Don’t believe me? Ask my son! In fact I will pass onto you here, his very own comments on my sledgehammer. A little while back he had to help a friend build a dog proof pen in his yard, and so borrowed my “little" sledge hammer!
Here is his response to my inquiry if he would be around the following night for tea (Evening meal). “Won't be around tomorrow evening for dinner......or anything else. Helping **** build a fence for the dog and have only got about half way through so will be continuing that tomorrow. On the first picket I thought you were weak, complaining about your sledge hammer, but soon was agreeing with you, and then completely and utterly in agreeance after the 12th one.”
So the answer to my question of how heavy my sledgehammer is, depends on how much you use it. If not often, it isn’t heavy at all. But use it a lot and it soon becomes quite heavy.
Life is often like that isn’t it? Some things don’t seem too “heavy” at first, or if you don’t do them often, but then can become quite burdensome after continual usage, and often you just have to either pace yourself, or only do them in short bursts, so as not to wear yourself out.
So as I close now, what heavy "sledgehammers" do you have, that you either have to trade in for lighter ones, or else pace yourself for, in their usage? Over to you now for your thoughts.

What School Did You Go To?

Ever been asked a simple question, and realised that the answer is not so simple? For instance recently I was asked, “Where did your kids go to School”? Like, which kid and which year?
For me the answer is simple. Not only did I not go to Kindergarten, but I only ever went to two schools in my whole life. Three if you count Bible Collage! {They were Kangaroo Ground Primary School, and Watsonia Technical School. (&Bible Collage of Victoria @ Lilydale)}
However for our/my Children it is very different as they went to quite a few different schools in two different states of Australia and even overseas too.
The ones I remember are listed below, with whichever child attended them listed as 1, 2, or 3, standing for First-born, second-Born and last-Born respectively. Schools:
1 & 2. Diamond Creek East Kindergarten.
1. Diamond Creek East Primary School.
1 & 2. Lilydale West Primary School.
1 & 2. Wagga South Primary School
3. Wagga Ashmont Pre-School
1, 2 & 3.Kew East Primary School
1. Kew East High School
Then in South Africa:
1, 2 &3 Umtata High School in its original 3 subdivisions.
Then after it separated into its 3 separate main branches
2 & 3.Transkei Primary School
1, 2 & 3. Umtata High School.
Also: 2. Port Elizabeth Technikon.
Then back in Oz:
3. Belgrave South Primary School
1 & 2. Upwey High School
3. Lilydale High school
1 & 3. Swinburne University Lilydale Campus.
Enough of me and mine. How about you? Was your schooling as complicated as that? Or even worse? If so, please share it with us.
And also what are some other simple questions that are not so simple for you to answer? Your contributions welcomed, please?

Postage cost verses cost of original item?

Since our return to Australia late 2002, I have been in the habit of sending some cheap but colourful Australian calendars to a few of our close overseas friends. One year I wanted to send an even better one to a particular friend, and finally choosing a really nice one, paid, $12.50 for it, then was shocked and horrified to find that the only way I could supposedly send it to them was by airmail and had to Pay $19.50 to do so.
Fortunately for them, I valued their friendship enough to send it, even if just that one time, and went back to the cheaper ones the following year! Cheaper ones, which still cost more to post than purchase, but at least was reasonably affordable. Particularly if you want to send a half dozen or more!
So as I close for now, what are some other items that you have found that cost more to Post than to buy? Over to you now for your comments.

I Remember ...

A while back I received an email that talked about how different things were when the writer was a Kid. Being someone who was born smack dab in the middle of the last century, many of those things listed in her memory, although now unheard and often forgotten, were common for me and my siblings then too.
Yes although living little more than 25 Miles from Melbourne, the second biggest city in Melbourne we were still largely isolated from it through lack of transport and facilities. I remember when, not only did we not have a TV, but also had no Electricity to run one. Kerosene Lamps and even a Kerosene Fridge was the norm for us then. My, how things have changed since then! Mind, although in many ways they truly were Good Old Days, I have no desire to return to them without my now accustomed modern comforts either. Great to return occasionally in my memory, but not to want to live through them again!
Anyway the above mentioned e-mail that started this reminiscing, ended with a list of things, now mostly forgotten, which I will include here. I will also add to that list my own personal memories of these items, if I knew them then.
“MEMORIES from a friend: How many do you remember?
1. Cho Cho bar: They were just one of many lollies (Sweets) around then but not now. Can’t say they were my favourites though. Much preferred “White Knights”.
2. Drive Ins: Actually don’t think they were even around yet when I was a ‘little un”. Although they certainly were when I got my Licence and I went to a few in my younger days.
3. Candy cigarettes: “Fags” were a favourite of mine because they were nice. Now they are banned because of their negative connection to real cigarettes and the now negative meaning of their name!
4. Soft drink machines that dispensed glass bottles: Were definitely around but we never had much access to them due to our isolation from city life.
5. Coffee shops or milk bars with tableside juke boxes: Again something only experienced late in my teens due to lack of close public transport due to our isolation from the “Big Smoke”, ( even if only a few miles from it.)
6. Home milk delivery in glass bottles with foil stoppers: Was definitely around but we never got them. We got our milk straight from our own Cow, which I guess now that I think of it, was in fact home delivered, even if only by the cow!
7. Party lines: Never had one, but when we did finally get the phone on, we had to go through the local exchange.
8. Newsreels before the movie: Again due to our isolations, movies and Newsreels were not a part of our early lives, until we got our Licences, and by then Drive Ins were all the rage!
9. Packards: Not too many American cars around here in those days. Mostly English. Our Fist car was a vanguard.
10. Blue flashbulb: I do remember them and how hot they got when they went off! Yes, I had a few burnt fingers before finally getting the message that they were very hot!
11. Telephone numbers with 2 letters and 4 numbers: Ours actually had three: Panton Hill 336
12. Peashooters: Again around but I was more into Spud Guns than Pea shooters.
13. Wash tub wringer: Oh yes had my arm in it up to the elbow more than once.
14. 78 RPM records: Indeed and also the wind up Phonogram to play them on.
15. Metal ice trays with lever: Yes I also remember those Aluminium contraptions.
16. Studebakers: Again not many American cars around our way, but plenty of Austins, Morrises and Humbers.
17. Cracker night: And the Big Bonfire over in the swamp area and going around the next morning picking up all the unexploded ones and having another go.
18. Using hand signals for cars without turn signals: Yes, but by the time I got my Licence indicators had become compulsory.
19. Bread delivered by horse and cart: Horses were out when I was young but we had our bread delivered once a week by Van.
20. Head lights dimmer switches on the floor. Yep. Took a little while not to hit the floor feeling for it, when they changed over to Column shift.
21. Ignition switches on the dashboard: Usually in the middle, as often was the key, although separate then.
22. Heaters mounted on the inside of the wall: Yeah, but they didn’t last long as they were totally inefficient up so high.
23. Real ice boxes; No. never had ice out our way. But we did have a Kerosene Fridge.
24. Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain guards: Yep, very necessary on bikes then. Otherwise you often came a cropper when the chain chewed up your pants leg. Not to mention that mum would also chew us up about our now modified trouser leg!
25. Soldering irons you heat on a gas burner: Gas burner? Who had gas burners then? We had to use the open fire or wood stove.
26. Clotheslines held up by cloths props: Another necessity otherwise one tended to run the risk of losing your head to a low hanging wire. Thank goodness for the Hills Hoist when it came in!
27. Mum making me dolls out of the big wooden clothes pegs: Not applicable there.
28. Getting into trouble for cutting the crust off the bread, spreading it with butter & whatever and eating it: Not sure about that, but we did get into trouble for breaking the loaf in half and eating the middle out on the way from the Bread box on the road, down to the house.
29. Having a bath in the laundry on washing day using the water from the copper boiler. No soap powder: Actually our bath regime was on Sunday night, before the school week, and in the laundry away from the house in an old sheet galvanised bath with sharp edges. Thus I also remember a few cut fingers too!
30. Mum shaving the sunlight soap for the copper boiler: Yes, and the copper was also in the corner of the laundry and used for heating water for both the washing and our baths. And for cooking the Christmas Puddings! Loved Mum’s Christmas Pudds!!!!!!!!!!
31. Good old Sunlight soap in the little wire cage, shaken up for the washing up: Mum used it for many years in the kitchen sink.
32. Wrapping the ice in newspaper for the Ice chest so it would last longer: Nope! No ice Chest, but we used to save the newspapers for the Butcher to wrap his meat in, before that too became unhygienic.
33. Plugging the iron into the light socket: No. Mum had a flat iron she had to heat on top of the wood stove.
34. The Thunder box at my grandmothers. Never had a grandmother that I can remember, but we had our own thunder box at home. And Mum and Dad had it for many years after I moved out too! (Had one Grandfather who died when I as 6 and a half. The other Grands died before I was born.)
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Well that was just a few reminisces from me. How many of the above revived a memory, whether pleasant or unpleasant, to you? Again, not all my memories of the above things were pleasant. Having a bath outside, and the outside toilet, chief among the less enjoyable ones, especially on cold or wet nights! Over to you now for your reminisces.

Improving each time.

About this time last year, my wife and I went to the Harold Stevens Athletic Track in Coburg where the Coburg Harriers have their base and where a friend’s son was running in the 24-hour Marathon then in Progress.
While there, I was talking to one of the Members there who just happen to be Harold Steven’s wife and my cousin June. She told me that this event has been held there for some time now and was regarded not just by them, but by the participants as one of the better organised events of that type. But not satisfied with that, she went on to say that the organising and running of the event, was in fact improving and progressing each time it was run, from lessons learnt from past events and with new ideas and practices tried out.
All this made me wonder about how we also do things too. Do we try and improve every time? Or do we still stick to the same old tried and true, but perhaps outmoded ways now? So as I close today I would like you to ponder the question of what, if anything you need to adapt, change, or add to your current program to keep it improving and not stagnating or even declining. Again, what say you now?

You never know who will …

When our current property was bought, not too many years ago, there was an above ground swimming pool on it. A pool that we quickly found out, had no permit or proper pool fencing. We found this out because the man responsible at the local shire, saw the property advertised with a pool and quickly checked to see if it had a proper fence. Which it didn’t, but since then, things have been done to comply with his instructions. However when someone else had to sign off on the end result, we found that some of the things previously acceptable, were now not so and more work needed to be done on making the fence acceptable. All of which didn’t make us too happy about certain inspectors!
Anyway, a few e-mails changed hands with the new inspector, as we got things again up to scratch. Now although I have been very sporadic lately with my Blog postings, on the bottom of my e-mails I have a permanent message pointing to my Blog site where I also post these messages for the general public. Anyway the other day, the Inspector, a lovely chap by the way, came out for another inspection. And during the course of conversation, he mentioned that he had checked out some of my Blog postings and found them “Funny”.
Now I had not thought of it before hand but had I, I would not have thought that he would have been inclined to be checking out my Blog site, (Nor that were they particularly funny either!)
So, it was a good thing that I had not written anything bad about him on it wasn’t it? Not that there has been anything bad to write about him, but it did make me think about these open forums: like Blog sites, Face book, etc, and the need for us to always be careful of what we say, as we really do not know, who may “check them out”, nor how far down the track either, when our thoughts or ideas, may have changed or been modified by then.
So today’s lesson is, to not only be careful what you say and do, but to be even more careful about what you put down in print and in open forums. Your views please?

So what did you get for Christmas?

Well Christmas has been and gone for another year; so it is time to ask that most important question, “What did you get for Christmas?”
Me? I got a load of dirt! Sure I got the socks I desperately needed, the Book(s) by Michael Parkinson, that I said I wanted, and the Camera for my computer that I also desperately wanted. I even got a Callander with cute little doggies on it, and a couple of other things too. But it was the dirt that really excited me the most.
I had been actually wanting to go to my brothers for some time and get some, but had not yet gotten around to it as I only have a car and no trailer. Anyway although I had again mentioned I wanted some a week earlier, I was taken back by his phone call on the night of Boxing Day when he rang and said he would be a round the next day with his utility full of this composted soil, as a late Christmas present.
So not only did I get some dirt for Christmas, I got a whole lot of dirt too! So I am over the moon! (Even if I now have work out where to put it all. At the moment, most of it is still in my garage blocking the car from getting in.)
So while I can understand why a load of dirt might not be your idea of a perfect present, it was to me. So all this led me to thinking about other most unusual but most appreciated presents people may have received. Either this year or in years past? So over to you now for your response.

Normal vs Double

Was at the Chemist (Pharmacy/Apothecary) recently, to buy some medication for myself. Upon deciding what was most appropriate for my complaint, I was only left to decide between the normal product and the double strength one. They were in fact made by the same company, had the same ingredients, except, as you would expect from a product labelled “Double Strength”, that one had 2 X the amount of active ingredient. Upon further checking I also noted that on the weaker strength one, you needed to take two pills each time instead of one. I also noted that the single strength packet had 20 tablets, compared to the 2x’s one, having only 10. So in the end it all boiled down to the fact of whether I wanted to take 2 little pills (And they were little) each time, or just one, and then pay an extra 15 cents a tablet for that pleasure?
For you see, although the double strength ones seemed to be offering more, (and charging more too), they were actually offering the same product in the same dosage, only offered in one pill and not two. Now that may be an advantage to some who have difficulty in swallowing pills (although again these were so small, that that could not really be an issue for any but the most extreme case, in which case they would probably have to be in hospital anyway.)
So again the issue was one of false or misleading perceptions and of a hidden or extra cost involved, to no other end than making the manufacturer richer.
So today’s query is, what are we, either buying or passing on to others as a bargain, that really isn’t a bargain at all, but a disguised “Rip off”? And what are you going to do to change that situation? Be more careful in future in all transactions? Or just “plough on” regardless, as you normally do? Time for your reflection now!

Further hints for sleeping.

In a recent blog (Trying to get to sleep.) I wrote about how hard it was for some, including myself to get to sleep at night. I also mentioned, Sadly for me, that this had ever been a reality and I have tried various things over the years with varying and usually not long lasting success if any. Sometimes getting up again and reading even at 2 am works. Lately I have simply been counting. Sometimes it works and other times I can be up to 7 or 800 without dropping off. I them mentioned a Missionary friend in PNG, who lies in bed counting backwards from 1000 to help the mind to stop being so active and get to sleep.
I then closed with the following comment: “So my question today is for those like me, my daughter and our friend in PNG, who suffer from sleeplessness, what works for you? Your thoughts please?”
Here are 2 comments and suggestions that I received. Plus my personal reflections on them! 1. First from West Australia. “Hi it's me again!!!! When I first go to bed, I read for a bit and then set the radio on ( usually ABC FM or a station that has nice soft music) "sleep" so that it will switch itself off when an hour passes. 99% of the time it works, but on the odd occasion nothing will get me to sleep and I lay there thinking of all the worst scenarios of things, until I start to read again.
The books I read in bed at night are "mush". Years ago I went to the doctor and said that I couldn't sleep (at the time I was clutching a mystery-thriller) and he said that if that was what I was reading in bed , no wonder I didn't sleep. The he suggested that I read Mills & Boone paper backs. So at night I read "M & B "mush" and at other times I read all the other genres of books - mainly historical and biographies. At night the other causes my brain to go "dead", and so I fall asleep. The other sort fires it up and I could read all night!!!!
I don't suggest that you read M & B stuff, but maybe something that will slow you down and so that your brain idles along, eh?? Cheers, ******”
True I don’t read M & B, but I do like Paperback westerns; But when I read westerns (or novels), I often find myself more wide-awake and determined to finish them even well into the next morn, which is rather at cross purposes to the original intent, isn't it? So I tend to read heavy books like theology. They tend to make me stop reading fairly quickly when I am tired to begin with.”
2. From South Africa: “Reading or praying can help. ****”
To which I replied, ‘Praying does work, but then I feel guilty about falling asleep when I pray!”
Well that is all I have for now, but please feel free to add to this list if you can.

Trying to get to sleep.

I am fast pushing 60 and will hopefully make it there, before the year is out, but have, ever since I can remember, from “a wee little tacker”, had trouble in both going to sleep and staying asleep. A problem I probably inherited from my father and one, which I have passed along to our first born too. (Fortunately for the other two, they have inherited their mothers ability to drop off at the drop of a hat, and especially our boy!)
Sadly for me, that has never been a reality and I have tried various things over the years with varying and usually not long lasting success if any. Sometimes getting up again and reading even at 2 am works. Lately I have simply been counting. Sometimes it works and other times I can be up to 7 or 800 without dropping off.
Recently on a missionary friend in PNG, Face book page, she wrote:” *****lies in bed counting backwards from 1000 to help the mind to stop being so active and get to sleep. I've never gotten lower than 600 and I usually stop before 800, so I think it works for me! 1000, 999, 998, 997...”
As I said, I have counted upwards to 1000 before many times, but never backwards, but she is right in trying to keep an active brain otherwise engaged on things that won’t keep you overly alert. This is a good thing and usually effective for me. So my question today is for those like me, my daughter and our friend in PNG, who suffer from sleeplessness, what works for you? Your thoughts please?

Hypothetical Moral Dilemma for you? 6/3/2010

When I was in Secondary School (Watsonia Technical School) in the early 60’s, the strongest drug around my school then was ordinary Cigarettes, so I missed out on ever having the opportunity to ever try Marijuana. Similarly, although it was definitely around the places I worked in, in the and 70’s and early 80’s, and I knew of people who possibly used it or had possible access to it, I never saw the need to try it at all.
Not even in the 90’s, which we spent in the Transkei area in South Africa which supposedly grew the best marijuana (Or Dagga, as it is called there) in the world, whilst still strictly illegal.
Now, shortly, my wife and I, will be going to Amsterdam where apparently smoking Marijuana is Legal. So my moral dilemma is, should I, just because it is/will be legal to do so, now take advantage of this legal opportunity to try Marijuana or not? After all I can legitimately say I am thinking of trying it to cure my ongoing and persistent headaches, thus giving reasonable health grounds for trying it?
Don’t worry, I am not seriously considering trying it, but was again struck by the irony that just because a thing is now legal, doesn’t necessarily mean it is good for you or that you must now rush out and try it, just because you can now do so legally. What say you?

Being Cautious Vss Being too Cautious.

Received an email from a friend in which she commented that she was always cautious about risking getting hurt again. What about you? Do you have similar restraints to reaching out to other people and trying new things for the same reasons?
It is good and right to be cautious but there is such a thing as being too cautious, and doing nothing for fear of exposure and hurts. Sometimes we do have to take some risks, but that risk taking does need to be evaluated up front. For instances, the blog I wrote recently “Andre Rieu Visits Eastland Again.” The Shopping centre took a great risk having him come back again after the disruption of his first visit there as an unknown, and I am sure even with the later time spot now, many of the shops in the immediate precinct, suffered loss of business on Saturday, yet an estimated 6,000 people turned up to see him play just two tunes and sign autographs for an hour and a half or so.
This resulted in free mass exposure for the shopping centre in the major Newspapers and even mentioned on the TV news for 3 nights running. Exposure and advertising that they could not afford to buy!
Yes, for some shops, there would have been some short-term loss due to the massive crowd blocking their customers gaining access to them, but overall and for the centre, there was massive immediate and long-term free exposure for them.
Like wise for us too at times! Yes, sometimes all of us need to take some calculated risks; otherwise we will never experience many, many truly lovely blessings. Again that doesn't mean becoming a foolish risk-taker all the time, like some. But occasionally, we do have to put ourselves out to get something back.
Well enough preaching for now. Now is the opportunity for your say/reply.

The Best Reason For Saying Sorry.

In my previous Blog, I asked the question, “Why Do You Say Sorry?” And received the following reply:” Hi Walter,
I have to answer this one because I, like you believe that the Bible has it right. So many times we hear people say ‘sorry’ when we know very well that they don’t really mean it. The Aboriginal situation is a very complex one because we all feel sorry for what occurred, but does saying sorry make it that it didn’t happen? I think not, but by the same token I guess some Psychologists would tell you that it would have had a beneficial effect for both sides. I hear mothers telling their children in the supermarkets to ‘say sorry to the lady’ for something they have done and it is obvious that the kid doesn’t feel sorry. I know it is teaching the kid that it is not right to do what they have just done but just saying sorry doesn’t make it at an end because the kid doesn’t really feel sorry at all. I personally believe that as parents we must teach our children to have respect for others, and that is something that is not happening in this day and age. We live opposite a school, and some of the children there have no respect for anybody. That does not apply to all of them because there are others there who are really respectful but unfortunately they are in the minority. That’s my say on a very pertinent subject: Alan.”
Alan has raised a very valid point in that sometimes we do have to say sorry. WHETHER WE MEAN IT OR NOT, BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!
We shouldn’t be hypocrites about it, but sometimes, when it is the right thing to do, we should not only say sorry but be sorry to. So whilst I would normally advocate only saying sorry when you really mean it, I would also advocate saying sorry when you are wrong, even if you don’t feel like admitting to it, because it is the right thing to do and you are setting the right example for others to follow too.
Thanks Alan for your insight on this subject.

Why do you say sorry?

There has been a lot in the press lately about saying sorry. And especially as we have recently celebrated the anniversary of the Australian Federal Government’s “Sorry Statement “ to the Australian Aborigines.
This question has divided a lot of people, as many feel that they had no need to apologize for events that happened in their ancestors past, to people who were also not here then. Others felt that it is was necessary, to make the present people feel a sense of closure to the past, even if it is just a symbolic gesture.
All of this brings up the question, “Why bother if you don’t mean it?” Again, “If it’s not so much to right a wrong, but to make the person or organization making the apology feel better,” why apologize if it is not genuine?
All of which leads me to ask you, “Why do you apologize? (Assuming that you do occasionally!) Do you apologies because you are really sorry, and wish you hadn’t done it? Or are you just sorry that you got caught and are trying to alleviate your punishment? Do you apologize to try and make the other person feel better? Or do you apologies to try and make yourself feel better?
Personally I don’t think it is fair to yourself or the other person, if you apologize without meaning it, As the Bible says in Matthew 5: 37, “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No”; Anything more comes from the evil one.”
Well, you have heard what the Bible and I think, so what say you?

I’m Not Dumb, just not as smart as I thought I was.

I’m Not Dumb, just not as smart as I thought I was. 6/2/2009
Yesterday I posted a blog entitled, “ I’m Not Dumb”. Sadly two of my children immediately wrote back indicating otherwise.
Following is what they wrote:
1st Born: “Clearly, you didn't learn to spell. College has an e not an a. Although I am sure that the Bible Collage would look fantastic."
2nd born: “Ahhhh the irony!!
Quote "Even if you have to go back to school, or in my case Bible collage..."
Really? An artful display of a bible made up of varying layers of materials!?"
Ah well. I guess I can still draw some encouragement from their comments can’t I?
1. At least I know that they still read my blogs, which is a good start.
2. I also know that at least the money I spent on their eduction wasn’t wasted.
3. And at least I know that they feel comfortable enough with me, to try and correct their dear old dad.
4. And also, (although I’m not completely sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing), they both seem to have inherited a fair bit of my warped sense of Humour too!
Anyway, this blog is simply to correct yesterdays mistake and to show that I am fallible too, and to thank my kids for pointing this out to me. Yet again!!!!!! Have a great weekend.