Anything but the weather.

If only you could keep that "first coffee" feeling for the whole day.  I guess a lot of us would get very little done if that were actually feasible, as we would sit and stare into space for hours instead of those few minutes we snatch for ourselves before heading for work.
This week was as diverse as ever for me, though I try and stave off talking about the things I have done I have to admit even for me, this week was encapsulated by a whole list of diverse extremities.

As those of you who follow me on Twitter @DaveJames_ you will know I have been involved in a huge battle to stop our beloved Primary School here in Craven Arms being side lined to a "sponsored academy" for those of you not familiar with the term or the idea it is the amalgamation of teaching staff, resources and governors into one collective and even worse one identity. A little like Westminster with less fingers in the pot.
This idea from Michael Gove who is Minister for Education is laudable as it seeks to rid us of failing schools and poor teaching, which in itself I am all for. But, this is politics, (so there has to be a but), the "one size fits all" concept can never work, there are always local issues that mean a master plan such as this can only ever be considered a guideline not a stipulation, thus I have just unravelled one of the all time weaknesses of politics, not all their ideas work.
As we speak the number of Academy school's still failing is in double figures, the D of E is trying to bribe school's with up to £60k of much needed funds to become Academies and even Mr Gove's own MP's the length and breadth of the country are refusing to support the act. This, is still not enough to stop Mr Gove on his blinkered track, he has the "Poll Tax" mentality and is set on a course to change the structure of every school in the Country, but we all know what the "Poll Tax did for the Iron Lady, so a little caution would be a wise career move I think Mr Gove.
Anyway, the upshot of all this is we had a meeting with our MP the Rt Hon Mr Philip Dunne this week. We (The Governing body) sat around the table at the school with the staff and discussed our concerns and issues and he listened and offered some very wise words. Yes, I did say that. The man was genuinely concerned about our plight and listened intently, there was an element of political manoeuvring in his speech but all in all he made a very lasting impression of a local man in tune with local issues, but then again Mr Philip Dunne MP is also a businessman with a proven track record of success and therein lies the key to a successful politician, something No.10 is so so sadly lacking and it shows almost daily.
 The result for our school is a reprieve until the end of the summer term where our destiny is once again in our own hands, it is the best we really could have hoped for. I will keep you informed!.

This week will see the launch of a new venture in Craven Arms, I am working alongside a heavy vehicle recovery specialist in Mid-Wales and setting up our own pilot outlet rescuing heavy vehicles in the South of Shropshire, please don't ask why i have taken this on as i couldn't give you an answer that would actually make sense. Anyway, it's happening and we will move to a 24/7 state of alert. This is very much uncharted territory for me and i will be very dependent on my staff, who thankfully are excellent but I am just a little more than daunted by the prospect of such a venture. It is excellent news for the Town as it will surely lead to more employment opportunities and in some ways that should bring a cheer to my cold cheeks, but being a businessman as well i am also very aware of the responsibilities that follow.
 While all the above was cooking on full steam i also managed to sell 4 vehicles this week, something that I am quite proud of as I was already engaged in fighting for the local school, setting up the recovery business, managing our tyre company and overseeing and negotiating a new lease for the yard we occupy as well as some alterations and building work, not bad considering my female friends continually remind me that men don't multi-task, if you don't mind ladies, in my case I beg to differ!. (still ducks as he hears "incoming!").

Enjoy your Sunday and i shall try not to indulge myself with rantings of my own life and times next week, it's just been a week where the weather has dominated everything and i refuse point blank to talk about the weather.
 Heaven forbid.

Dave James.

The price of thoughtful solitude.

Does anyone ever have your back? You know, not just stick up for you in an argument but really have your back and be there when the chips aren't just down but spread all over the floor?. I am sure there are a few of you jumping up and down ever so excited desperately ready to tell me about your partner or your best friend or even spouse who has done exactly that, been there come what may.
But, as in all things in life not everyone is so lucky. Some have no-one to catch them if they falter or fall, indeed quite a few have managed so well on their own for so long they don't actually NEED such a willing friend. That is fine and I am sure they are very strong willed independent focused and totally dedicated to whatever career or pastime they do. But what if you are one of those without the confidence to tackle everything that comes at you?, what if you are outwardly strong and seemingly in control of everything in your life yet inside desperately trying to steer the course the ship sails?.

Well as the latter in this equation I think I can answer that question.
As a man it is customary not to express your doubts and fears in public, in fact in Shropshire my home County it is positively frowned upon, the risk of teasing and ridicule is all too credible if you are discovered having a sensitive side to your personality, so to openly admit it would surely mean social suicide!.
Well, that's where the theory stands, but for me the reality is somewhat different as many of the locals know i write and apart from the odd huddled whisper in the corner of the local bar I am pretty much accepted as "reasonably normal" and trust me in Shropshire that's almost an A star rating!.
Going back to the question posed at the start of this piece I have to admit I feel very isolated at times due to the very nature of the businesses I run, they have a high general public turnover so in reality I have to adorn a face for the public as much as any actor would ever do, yet my performances usually last well over 12 hours at a time seven days a week. During that time you are at the beck and call of all those who seek your attention be it good or bad and oh, while you are at it don't forget to smile...
That last remark was very much tongue in cheek, sometimes the general public can test the patience of a Saint..and sometimes they are wonderful people with a lovely attitude and interesting to chat with, the highs and lows are huge in the job but overall it can actually be quite pleasant.
So, has anyone got my back?. The acute answer is no, it could never happen because of my diverse and busy lifestyle, does it matter?.. in reality i guess not because regardless of the problem i am presented with i still jump the hurdle no matter how high and this is true of nearly all the small businessmen and women i know.
 So if next time you drive through our little County Town and you see a Tyre Company boss laughing and joking with the customers and seemingly on top of his game, tap him on the shoulder and say "sit there a minute Dave, I will make you a coffee and we can talk about your latest written work and shoot the breeze while someone else answers the phone and deals with the customers... now that would be the person who in my opinion would definitely have my back .....!!

Trouble at t'mill

I had a very interesting conversation with a divorced woman in the yard today. She was very polite and had brought her car in with a fault. While i was plugging the car in to the diagnostic computer she started to chat, she said life was tough going at the moment as she was recently divorced and had an offspring at college and she needed a lot of support which she was finding hard to cover. I naturally struck up a conversation with her as i believe being polite costs nothing at all.
"Does your ex help with the bills?"
"Oh he does quite a bit but its still bloody hard going"
came the reply.
"Oh right, so he is doing his bit?"
"Well actually yes, but the stupidest thing is i speak to a few women my age who have frozen their hubby out as soon as the kids are born, even KNOW they are doing it yet still do and now the kids have grown they realise they have no kids and no husband and it comes as a bit of a shock"
"You are not being serious?" i replied surprised
"Oh i bloody well am, we women are programmed to look after the kids and hubby just gets in the way"
"You will have the women's rights movement up in arms talking like that" i laughed with her,
"Well all I can tell you is that when the reality of the kids leaving home hits you then you need that soul mate to help you back to earth and for many of my friends HE isn't around"
"That's very sad for all concerned" I said rather pitifully
"Well i can assure you it's true, we are born as mothers and when kids are born it sets off all sorts of hormones, none of which are conducive to a healthy relationship."

This conversation stuck with me all day. I thought just how sad it was that here was the perfect example of not knowing what you have until it's gone i.e the relationship. I have heard of this kind of behaviour before but never witnessed it first hand or in fact from the thoughts of a woman who was obviously well educated and certainly no fool.
We guys do get a bum deal sometimes but we do bring a lot of it on ourselves by getting into a rut with life.
As guys we tend to look at work as the "be all and end all" and we deserve some time out at the weekend or after work because we put so much time in. Women see their task as a mother to be without time limits and therefore insist they are the harder worker of the two.
Well, truth is, they are both right, men do like some time out when they have been at work, but women on the other hand do get stressed by the kids as it's a very full on job which means both parties are deserving of some TLC.
So, to pick sides would be wrong, but to see each others point of view is ultimately the right answer. This seldom occurs however and it usually escalates into a full blown tit for tat war, where, as you rightly guess there are no winners but the divorce lawyers.
I have to admit I know quite a few career orientated women and they are brilliant to deal with and have a fantastic attitude, but I also realised when thinking about it today that the majority had not settled down to a family life.. now that IS a controversial subject and maybe just coincidence but I am certainly not going to debate that topic !!

A day at home a day of thoughts..

A rare day at home. How quaint. Although now i have seen just what the other half of the Country gets to do on a Sunday it's going to be rough justice next weekend.
Cleaning cars, walking to the pub, DIY, walking the dog you name it I have seen it all outside today, semi-detached Suburbia as it was once so eloquently put.
So what make me so different?. Why not for me the gentle stroll to the pub with a few mates and a few sherbets and then home for lunch?. What went wrong for me after the Doctor held me up in front of mother and said "it's a boy Mrs James"?.
I can't answer that, but fate intervened in my early years and meant I left home at 15, this was the start of a fierce independence that has never left me and continues to haunt me even today.  I became self-employed in my mid twenties and "Madame Own Boss" has had me in her spell ever since. Not for me holidays in the sun and lazy days spent appreciating the finer elements of life on this planet, nope, for me there has been 7 days a week work, continuous unrelenting work.
Now, I hear "think of the money" from a few of you shouting in the background, well let me assure you if it was for the money then i have wasted 25+ years of my life because successive governments, the tax man, the vat man and uncle Tom Cobbley and all have seen to it that for my effort there is little to show, admittedly it is building up again after a huge hit 3 years ago, that saw me in a David and Goliath battle (yet again with the gov) and but for the help of a guardian angel i was out for the count but got given the opportunity to take it all forwards, which is where I am now, but this has now taken a heavy toll, as you would expect.
So if you are considering being self employed then let me give you a little taster of just what it's like to get your name above the door in current day Britain.
 A good friend of mine just earned £720.00 for driving a lorry all week, he was away for two nights. The lorry is paid for without any finance outstanding. The lorry earned its happy boss £2700 + vat for its weeks toil. Immediately that is reduced to £1980 by my friend for his hard work driving the truck. If you then go to fuel at £1.20 + vat per litre you get a bill of £1200 + vat. That leaves our truck owner with £780.00. Then take out £100 a week for insuring the monster and wear and tear and road tax at £1200 a year.. and you start to see that our man has his name on the door but very little else to show for his efforts.
Now the astute of you will say there is a recurring theme here, e.g : tax. You are of course right, this is the sharp end of successive governments blind alley approach to the small business, I have taken trucking as an example here but it is the same in any small business, if it isn't road tax its business rates (or money for old rope in proper English) there is no incentive to go out on your own and be an entrepreneur, the Government will take all your profit and give it to anyone and everything except put it back into the infrastructure you need to carry out your business, roads, telecom, hospitals, schools etc.
The whole Government bandwagon has been rolling since William the Conqueror days so, successive in-breeding has led to an "expected entitlement" to become an MP.
 If your face doesn't fit in the corridors of Oxford it's Hasta la Vista baby for you, no matter how good your business skills or fitness to govern,  in fact the powers that be in Westminster WANT this to be so because power corrupts and nothing corrupts like absolute power, it's a game of cat and mouse with these upper class twits trying not to get caught by the press or their watchdogs with their hand in the till and even when they are caught they get pensioned off.
At some point the real people of this Country will have to say enough is enough, hopefully before another treasonable little note of contempt is left on the treasurers desk announcing "the money has all gone".
Labour had 12 years and screwed it up, Con-Lab have made more u-turns than a Polish Truck driver at Spaghetti Junction in a white out.. so where to next?.
Well, how about we head uphill and select the next PM elect from the level headed and less interbred Northern hemisphere, after all let's call a spade a spade, if they sat on their asses like i did today and did nothing we would still be better off with them than this load of business ignorant numbskulls.

The Sunday Roast.

As you write more and more you learn much about yourself and in particular other people. You learn about what they want to hear and what they want to read and the fact that you have a story to tell is not reason enough to put pen to paper, because your own musings are (without pulling any punches) usually personal to you and as such rather boring to those who don't know you.
If that seems harsh that's because it was meant to be, if you are feeling a situation personally then the last place to put your thoughts is in the public domain, you need a balanced yet inspirational approach to writing a good story that puts you and the reader in another place/time and not reaching for the Prozac within 10 minutes of the first chapter. That said every story ever written has some personal experiences written into it and would be all the poorer without it, but they are usually hidden so that only the author or closest of their friends can detect a wisp of actual reality.
 Writing poetry however is nearly always  full of such emotions, where falling into a state of self-pity and putting it into verse is fully expected and as such more accepted. The reason for the poet getting away with musings straight from the heart and soul and staying there throughout the entire piece is simple to understand, we 'expect' it in poetry and it is also just a short outpouring of grief and as such more palatable to it's reader than a whole book of woe !.  I have much to learn still, but my thoughts are, that the more you engage your reader and the less you ask for their sympathy the better the read.

So, England got beaten well and truly by Wales, who let's face it deserved the victory in Cardiff yesterday.
The usual calls for someones head on a plate will now be resonating around Twickenham as the weight of expectation is realised then devastation at such a heavy loss start to sink in. But, like all things in life making a decision that is very important in the heat of the moment would be complete folly. England have been unbeaten until yesterday in the 6 Nations and as such deserve better than the press they will no doubt be receiving in this morning's papers, (none of which i read). I find that to become better at what you do you need experience, that can't ever be bought, each one of those players will carry that defeat with them forever and will want to turn it all around as much as the rest of the Country if not more so. My view is cut them some slack, applaud a fine effort and support them through the next stage of their careers, succinctly put we need to move on.

My last subject for today's Sunday Roast is a little bit heavier and much more controversial and that is the subject of religion.
 As we are all aware a new Pope was elected this week amid all the pomp and ceremony that follows such an event. Countless billions sat glued to the tv while they eagerly anticipated the arrival of different coloured smoke from a chimney. I have to admit, being on the peripheral of all this fuss is a little amusing but also thought provoking given the all too easily forgotten sexual appetite of some of the disciples who have sworn their allegiance to this cult. Just imagine for a few moments that we were not talking about a religion with possibly billions of followers but a small sect with say 30,000 or so eager but just as brain washed brethren. Do you think for one moment they would still be allowed to practise their 'religion?'.  The answer is plainly no.
Could you imagine the outpouring of public grief and anger if this small group of followers were systematically raping young boys and leaving them scarred for life eternal ?. They would be hunted down and vilified for the monsters they are, celebrities would be shouting from the tree tops and starting campaigns by the dozen and politicians would be jumping on the band wagon vowing to close down such an evil and disgusting group of perverts. But no. This is the Catholic church and as such to me seems above such criticism, but facts are facts, abuse is abuse however you dress it up. So, what we are seeing here is majority rule, as long as the group of people is large enough they can get away with the most heinous of crimes because 'going after them' is political and personal suicide.
I for one will never subscribe to that and as long as the shroud of child abuse hangs over such a sect I will view it with the contempt it deserves, just because it is followed by so many people doesn't make it right in fact it makes it all the more galling.
Religion? ... no thank you I will take my chances and stand by my own moral judgements..

Dave James.

When All The Wheels Stop Turning

When all the wheels stop turning
The dust has settled too
The fire's no longer burning
And the evening sends the dew

When darkness roams the alleyways
The city slows it's breathing
A tune the lonely the piper plays
Gives souls the time for grieving

I talk of time when street lights dim
The world is gently sleeping
The quiet stirs the thoughts within
The secrets they are keeping

In smallest bedsit, Mansion grand
The song remains the same
To hold that special someones hand
While whispering their name

For world's of hurt are carried through
To darkest part of day
Until the sadness felt by you
Seems just to melt away

The silence that surrounds your dreams
Yet plots your destiny
The strength of love and all it means
The place you need to be

So next time darkness seals days fate
And wheels once more stop turning
Believe that love is never late
And stays forever burning...

Cold Working Comfort

This cold weather spell has come to many of us here in the Uk as a bit of a shock. The wind chill has fair taken your breath away as you walk and the aching feeling you get as the day wears on is systematic of such extreme temperatures when having to work outside at times.
We British have a very stiff upper lip until you start talking about the weather, then we let our guards down and throw all our effort into a full blown moan about just how cold, wet or hot it is. It's a pastime for us Brits, we choose it as a topic above all others to the point where it has been a familiar sketch on many a sit-com... "weather is nice for the time of year" is a must when the conversation is grinding to a halt !.

I have seen many extremes of our wonderful weather during my life, let's face it if you live on the Welsh Border the weather is going to be anything but conventional. When i was around 22 i worked for a local contractor Dave Alderson, Dave would literally work night and day and i was quite happy (at that age) to do the same thing. We once headed off right up into the Clun hills above Ceri Forest close to the Powys/Shropshire border to put some wire fencing up for a local farmer, it was so cold in the freezing mist up there that everything was soon coated in a layer of fluffy white ice, including the wire we were trying to nail to the posts, which duly stuck to any skin it came into contact with!.
We worked all day from 7 am in sub-zero conditions until around 6 pm when it became too dark (even with the lights of the Land Rover shining for us) so at last Dave said "we had better head for home i suppose" fine words to me indeed at that point !.. except Dave being Dave said, "Oh well, while this wood is here we may as well fill the Land Rover up for the journey home we need some for the fire at home.." so yet another half hour or so later we were eventually heading back down into the valleys below.
There is something you need to know about a Land Rover heater in those days, if someone from the trading Standards office was confronted with that label on the Land Rover heater today they would be sued. Heat it didn't, blow it did, mostly cold air ! so we froze all the way home.

Did i learn anything from this escapade?, well obviously as it sticks in my mind then yes i must have,
I learned that I can take tough going if need be and hold my own, it proved i could work hard and not complain. But, if i am honest if i look back at it now I am confronted with a slightly different analysis and that is, why was i daft enough to do it?. The answer is simple and springs to mind almost instantly, "a sense of duty."
 A very very good friend of mine has warned me of the perils of the "D" word. It causes much strife and heartache in so many ways. To this day and until i am no more i will agree with her. Damn you Duty, you owe me big time.

You never know.

Inspired by a certain Mr Lennon, wish i could have 10% of his thoughts..

When all the guns are silent
When all the tears run dry
When life is void of violence
And children never cry

When hearts are never broken
And life is so revered
Not just a simple token
For priests so often feared

When skies reflect the mountains
The air stays pure and cool
And crystal clear blue fountains
Refresh the minds of fools

Then we can tell our children
Look what we all can do
No more earth's hostile cauldron
Now make it work for you ..

The angst of dreams

The still of the night
My thoughts race in my mind

Heart slows in anticipation
Moonbeam shadows formed

Sentimental selfless soul
Lost by shards of reason

Held in animated hate
Like cancer to my flesh.

Fallen idols litter paths
Like a shattered constellation

Time has played the Joker
Smug it simply laughs

Freedom begs release from this
Grains of life consumed

A world now damned by very thoughts
As the sandman craves attention. 

So tread the spine of rainbows
To a land that promise brings

Hollow thoughts forgotten
Until, once more.. the darkness falls.

Dave's Sunday Roast.

"It would be very easy for you to go into politics", is something I hear all the time. I guess it would,  along with many other things that require a smooth patter and passion for what you do.
The truth is, I would make a hopeless politician and I know it, the art of the political arena is a world away from that of a writer. Politicians have to learn to think as a collective, not for them the freedom to express just what they are thinking as writing allows me to do, far from it, expressing your own doubts when you are a political figure can mean instant career suicide.
I quite often think the press do our quest to be a free and open society no favours by sensationalising the fact that perhaps a politician has expressed a slightly different view to that of his party, after all isn't that the heart of democracy,  freedom of speech?.  It would find it unimaginable to stand on a plinth and speak to the world about something i could never believe in. I don't think that politicians are any the worse for what they do, despite their well deserved sleazy reputation, I think that as a collective we humans get things done and without that ability we may not have progressed up the evolutionary ladder quite so far as we have, I just have trouble with the fact that being chastised for questioning the direction of said collective shouldn't result in such damning criticism as it does, after all a good idea is a good idea if it comes from one mind or 100.

Sunday has arrived here in Shropshire with a flurry of snow and a cold breeze, perfect for Mother's Day, kids inside under feet, Dad snoring on the settee after lunch and the dog sat looking at you with his lead in his mouth. If that sounds familiar you have my permission to kick Dad, wake him up and shove him and the dog outside in the cold for an hour while you send the kids to play upstairs, then take the top off the bottle of Port you were given and hit the Tv button.. kick back and relax its your day, if anyone moans tell them I said it's allowed.

I saw in the news this week that processed meats have been added to the ever burgeoning list of items that are bad for you and will lead to instant death if you touch them. These warnings along with the scientific data that follow closely behind, written by leading scientists and nutritionists in their field are becoming a regular occurrence, now, that could be because the tests we run are getting more accurate or that we are looking down far too narrow a gun barrel for the tests to be conclusive. I think the former is possibly true but let me shed some light on the latter.  If you take a narrow minded view of a food, it will have a detrimental affect on your life in some way, sugar will rot teeth on its own, fibre will make you constipated, curry the opposite, you see, now you are getting a pattern.
 I am sure there is some very strong evidence that processed meats are indeed not the best product in the world to eat but in moderation I am sure they are no worse than any other item we choose to lay on our pallet as long as its in moderation and followed by a little exercise "Much ado about nothing" does spring to mind, but then again it was a slow news day.
Finally, as i mentioned the word exercise in the hopes of a British summer this year I am off shopping to buy a few pairs of much needed shorts, so if you bump into me in a sports shop please feel free to take a picture alongside me and publish it on every social network site you wish to as there is nothing better than having a good publicity shot in a place surrounded by items that help you get and stay fit, it's great for the image and what the hell, you never know i may pop round with you to the corner cafe and buy you a sausage and bacon with red sauce.

Have a lovely Sunday and Mum's enjoy your special day.