David Bowie and the anything but common cold!

I felt it only right to add my congratulations to David Bowie after he became the oldest winner of best male at last nights Brit Awards. I'm not here to debate the merits of the win, it was a decent enough album, released out of the blue. It would have won the "Best kept secret by a Brit" award, if there was one. I just can't help looking at this, and not without a wry smile, from the point of view of those who these awards are for and who they are aimed at. Let's be honest most of the so called pop fans of today should have been in bed when the show was broadcast. For those who did defy their parents or watched in their room on their own TV Smart Phone or Tablet this result must have been puzzling. Here is a man...yes an adult...yes an adult pop star!who could be their grandfather or even great grandfather who hasn't toured since before they were born, only released one album in years,actually that's similar to some of their own, beating some of their own...I wonder if they thought leaving the xbox and GTA 33 or whatever was worth it. And I wonder too if that thought flashed through the minds of some of the marketing execs etc... Whose night of XFactoresque self publicity had suddenly gone off the rails slightly? I suppose there would have to come a time when manufactured music aimed at primary school ages would have its day...I'm not sure we are there yet, unfortunately, maybe Grandpa David has brought us a little closer though...another reason to congratulate him. This week for what seems to be the umpteenth time this so called mild winter a group of germs has been attracted to me and the old hankie drawer has taken another battering. With this in mind I was interested to read that scientists are close to providing a cure for the common cold...a miracle I hear you snuffle...I too would have joined in the communal nasal celebration if it wasn't for the fact that I also read somewhere that humans never get the same kind of cold or flu bug twice...it is always different! So I hope I haven't yet had the strain that the scientists are working on, I would feel very put out if I had got rid of the thing myself just as the cure arrives!

Planning...weather or not!

The extreme weather and it's horrendous consequences over recent weeks have brought out various different kinds of human nature, good, bad and down right ugly. Brave neighbours risking all to help others, those with adequate transport helping to move people out, any suitable abode made ready to house people who were all of a sudden, sodden. That's some of the good...then you get the bad and the ugly...looters, people robbing sand bags and then trying to sell them for up to £40 each...Where are the sink holes when you want one?! Then there are our leaders, nowhere to be seen for weeks, until it spread a little too close to home for comfort, suddenly waterproofs were found, wellies were bought and off they went with their good will, promises of the world and ...oh yes plenty of camera men. The one thing all of the above good,bad and ugly have proved is that we in Britain are still possibly the best in the world at reacting to situations and probably the worst in the world at being pro active. Why is it, and I know I am not the first to ask this, that our whole infrastructure and way of life stops with a few inches of snow, a heatwave, winds, rain? Why is it that a nation that reared some of the greatest minds, engineers, scientists cannot put plans into action that would at least give those poor people and areas a fighting chance when the forces of nature head our way. The answer is normally money, less money than will be needed now to put things right by the way, but nevertheless money, along with our leaders short sighted attitude of,"it will never happen again" I'm sure the the residents of Somerset would have heard that last year...and the time before that and the time before that...

Read All About It?

Whilst enjoying a few days off I am catching up with some stories and events that I have only been able to glance at recently. For instance the story of the famous celebrity girlfriend of a famous celebrity who apparently could have sent a intimate text to another famous celebrity. I read on as it tells me that the first famous celebrity didn't take too kindly to this and started to contact the second famous celebrity to state his position and the story making it sound like a showdown was on the way mirroring their celebrity big screen personas. Lost in the story of mega star multimedia mischief I was awoken from my superstar slumber by the last paragraph of the piece as this was a report on a trial, not of film star text threats but of how this information was apparently discovered...hacking. Now those of you who know me know that I am not naturally cynical...ahem...but am I alone in thinking it strange that newspapers and media concentrate on the personalities and glamour of the story rather than whether their industry is guilty or not? I will let people with less suspicious minds than me to decide on that one.

Rodent Revelations

Today saw me notch up another year. I could witter on about age and how it's only a number, or I could enthuse about the wonderful cards and presents I received and was grateful for... But that would be quite normal and as those who know me would confirm I try not to be too normal. I started to think instead about the more spiritual side of birthdays and whether I was typical, in my case, Aquarian. However as I don't believe in astrology there didn't seem much point. As a man with an always open mind I then looked at the day itself and if there were any pointers to me and my traits. What I found was quite interesting as I will explain. February 2nd is Or was known as Candlemas, or Festival Of Light. I love candles, pretty thin evidence I hear you yawn...well there's more. The reason 2nd February was this day was that it is the mid point between the shortest day and the spring equinox, so candles were blessed to ensure the light came. So...I love candles, and I also love winter ...still a coincidence? February 2nd is also the day that certain furry animals pop out from their hibernation holes to basically see how winter is progressing, if they discover a bright clear day and see their shadow they stop, do an about turn and you won't see them for at least another 6 weeks as winter still has something up its sleeve. If they discover cloudy conditions with no shadow then they may hang around or pop out again tomorrow as winter has done its worst. How, I now hear you bellow, does this back the theory that I was most certainly born on the right day and I am so February the second? Well, the more astute amongst you will know that the previous tale of rodent meteorology is better known as Groundhog Day, and the even more astute will know that was the title of a film set on... Yes February the second and starring Bill Murray, an actor I happen to like...clinches it rather. Why not check out your birth date and see if anything similar is there for you...let me know, and happy birthday for whatever day of the year it happens to be.