A Word to the Wise.

A weary eye that see's its future
Takes the fall that breaks the mould
Stares in wonder stark reminder
Seldom patience for the old
Time will tell such weighty matters
Turn to face the bitter sweet
Deceive to fail can hardly flatter
Those with youth lay at their feet

A wiser head can tell your fortune
Well advised yet often spurned
Overlooked as oft a buffoon
School of life so taught and learned
Beg to differ state your reasons
Though such thoughts hit rocky ground
When their youth has lived the seasons
Then that wanting will be found.

The Sunday Roast: No news is good news.

Seems there is very little to smile about just now worldwide. The quality of our TV news footage ensures we get an armchair seat at the biggest terror events anywhere in the world, the sort of advertising McDonalds could only dream of.  So, given that we now have 24hour access anywhere we like are we better off for it? Or are we gifting those fanatics who would do us harm the chance of fifteen minutes of fame?
If you are wondering where this is going cast your mind back a couple of weeks ago and the sight of a black flag with white Islamic rantings on it held up to a cafe window while terrified people were held hostage inside a simple coffee shop. It's an image as much sealed in our psych as the lone shopper in Tienanmen square who stopped a row of Chinese tanks with an Aldi bag and a straw hat.
We in the West are hungry to see such atrocities played out on the world stage, in fact we demand to see what is going on or we lose interest.

Just think a little about what I just said and you may start wondering if the press itself and indeed our own thirst for gossip and information fuels such sieges. Without such huge TV coverage the minority so called radical terrorists would be denied the world stage to get their ridiculous point over. I question the wisdom of allowing cameras so close to these real events.

Meanwhile here in Australia and especially Newcastle it has started to rain after a long dry period. As a thoroughbred POM I have to admit it is the sweetest rain I have ever tasted, it has been in the forties here a couple of times of late and I am savouring the low end of the twenties temperature wise this Sunday morning, you can take the POM out of London....

While reading the broad sheets on line and switching around to Sky News for a few updates on the depressing current atrocities in France, the state of the economy in an ever expanding over bloated Europe, the battles in America ongoing to defeat terrorism and the current instability in world order, something actually made me chuckle and brought me back to earth when I read the big news in Melbourne overnight was a brawl at a darts match. God bless Australia I say. That's the sort of headline the news was meant for!
Right, for me its a quick walk in the summer rain before it all evaporates, I can feel the pitter patter on my head and think back to chilly days dodging downpours while eating fish and chips from rain sodden newspaper while trying to convince the kids how nice the view of the sea is once I have demisted the car screen ..... aaaaahhh now that's a proper seaside holiday!

Have a great and safe Sunday everyone wherever you are right now, remember to enjoy what you have and not to worry about what you don't have, because there is always someone with less.

Here I am.

"Long time no see" prophetic words from a well educated Englishman getting used to a completely new way of life here down under a statement that could be applied to my blog page very easily right now, but I do solemnly swear to right that wrong!  I have to admit the transition into a "Pom" has not been without it's problems and indeed sometimes fraught with all manner of translation issues (yes translation) and the reality of work and all its new working practises.
One thing that strikes you very quickly over here is that although we English wrote the book on health and safety buffoonism my Australian counterparts have designed a new computer program on the subject and written it into their working life. Some of the rules over here regarding safety are taken to another level, it is almost laughable but I guess also endemic of a society that is emerging and growing and still very young. I hope that it doesn't become a major issue for the future of this wonderful country as although safety is an issue it has to be weighted against progress, a lesson the rule makers would do well to heed.
While mentioning the rule makers it was viewed with dismay that the Police patrol cars were thick on the ground over Xmas and New Year, not so much as to protect us but to give out some speeding fines and something called "double demerits" the points system over here is based on merit points for your licence and during the festive period they are doubled if caught speeding or jumping a red light and considering Newcastle City has more sets of lights than the Milky Way in mid summer that's very easy to do. The Police have been damned right sneaky of late parking in some very sneaky places that can only be reasoned with making revenue rather than contributing to road safety a move that only alienates the general public rather than endears them.
Newcastle is a wonderful welcoming vibrant and growing city, it has the makings of giving Sydney a black eye as the jewel in the crown of New South Wales if only for it's beautiful beaches and fantastic local cuisine.
 Every city however has it's growing pains, of late there has been much controversy over the main railway line being dismantled from its occupancy at the centre and heart of this metropolis so much so that many protesters have taken to the street to stop the break up of the tracks short of the city centre. All to no avail however, as on boxing day the line was closed and a new drop off station was commissioned to ensure continuity of services with buses running more frequently to help with the extra traffic. This has not been one of Newcastle's more defining moments as the whole thing is a bit of a shambles, ill thought out and for no logical reason rushed through, leaving the city without a decent terminal for people to be greeted in, bit of an own goal there councillors!

Its not all doom and gloom and I really do have to try and steer away from the "whingeing pom" stereo type, as indeed the sense of humour of your typical Aussie is very different to your average Anglophile. This city has a thriving port, wonderful beaches and great restaurants along with a wonderful multi-cultural population. It breathes life into your tired veins and lifts you like nowhere else I have ever been to, I love this city and I love the people of Newcastle, I love the people I am working with and they are patient (mostly!) with my huge readjustment to their country, that to me is the makings of a good start, only time will tell if that love is the lasting kind!

Safe to say.

No-one is safe at the moment. Harsh words and possibly alarmist? Well take a quick look around and you will see that the word "safe" in this context has many meanings.
Firstly, the most obvious starting place is politics, after all the word safe has been used more than a few times when it comes to David Cameron this last few weeks. The penny is dropping that he is weak as a leader and has his hands tied by the Liberals, I refuse to use the word Lib-Dem as democracy and politics are somewhat at odds with each other right now. David has lost this battle before it has begun simply because we want more right now. We want more money we want better services we want better living standards, better roads etc etc. Of course all this costs money and that is something we don't have more of as a country but everyone now believes Labour can deliver that promised land where we can spend spend spend on those who have little while taxing those that have the most.
Well, at least that is what Labour will have you believe, it's a cycle, a never ending one. Labour spend money they don't have, Tories take money from everyone to rebuild a money pot which is very unpopular and off we go again with Labour..... and we wonder why no-one turns up at the ballot box!
Moving from politics to wars, well what a wonderful world Bush and Blair have left us, we now have a full on battle with the Islamic state and we are trying to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted. Russia has a new dictator who fancies himself more than Brad Pitt in a Mr Cowboy contest and on top of that he has a nuclear arsenal under his right thumb, no doubt the rest of you reading this will be horrified that MacDonald's have been shut down as a result of the squabbling in Russia, the thin end of the potato wedge so to speak, or the last western foothold before the cold war starts all over again?
 Then we have the financial sector springing back into life and dictating what happens to our economy in the UK and when. Has no-one thought this might be a little dejavu? But I am sure they have learned their lessons and those huge bonuses are a thing of the past. (Ahem).
Perhaps it is a little bit gloomy at present but it's not easy to keep a positive outlook on such shenanigans especially concerning Russia whose people really should know better than let themselves be dragged into communism all over again, I feel very sorry for them as the few Russians I know are extremely polite and wonderful company, I guess it says as much about us in the West as it does their leadership that we are now facing another battle of the superpowers.

I suppose you could ask why should I be looking at the world in such a negative light right now? Well I guess being a father makes a difference, no longer does the slogan "it wont affect me" hold any water, it will affect me because I want my children to have a good long life they can enjoy much like mine has been, I don't want them faced with needless wars and diseases no-one can control, but like everyone else in this big world around us these things are very much out of our control, it is the risk we accept when we bring new life into the world.

On one final note and I am sure this is not going to be a popular thought but I am feeling a little uneasy at the amount of celebrities who find themselves close to death, (something we all have to face sooner or later) and parading it throughout the media and the public domain as if it is some badge of honour. Some people want to talk about their terminal illnesses but many others don't. I think facing such an illness is not an act of bravery as it is something we have to do there is no choice, bravery is a choice. I am sure everyone's motives are in the right place but it seems of late that its becoming a bit of a luvvie thing and as such carries less dignity. I genuinely feel for those who are given just a few months to live there can be nothing worse for us as human beings on this earth but I think something is lost if it is played out like a mini-series.
Anyway, less moaning, ironically I am off to a funeral this morning on someones behalf, no doubt I will be feeling unsure about my own mortality by the end of the service like everyone else, but as the old saying goes "life goes on" so feeling safe or unsafe there is little choice but to get on with it !  

The Sunday Roast

Well it will soon be time for the wonderful people of Scotland to vote. Centuries of hostile battles and even the building of a wall all bare testament to the blood spilt over this most rugged of Britain's terrain.
The question is a simple one yet the answer less so, independence from Westminster has been craved for longer than can ever be remembered, but the truth is we here in England crave the same thing yet we are definitely not going to get a vote on that here in England!
 In reality Scotland will just be voting for yet another bunch of politicians albeit with a much more right wing stance in favour of the motherland, whether that is a good or bad thing remains to be seen but governance cannot be learned overnight, it can also cost big time if it all goes awry.  Scotland will be voting for friends from Westminster or friends from Edinburgh, their location and their loyalty to the job have no bearing whatsoever on their ability, something that would be well remembered at the ballot box, I for one would be sad to see my Scottish friends be annexed to a very small country that will need decades to get established for the sake of Mr Salmond's over-sized ego, but I take my hat off to them and wish them the best.

The B/B gun.

The legacy Bush Junior and Blair senior have left our world in at the present moment in time can never be underestimated. Those two guys systematically entered us into a blood bath of killings and murder on both sides that will reverberate for years to come. George Bush senior withdrew from Southern Iraq at the time of the Kuwait invasion due to pressure from the Soviet Union and China and to a certain amount Europe, all except the U.K that is.
George Bush Junior had a score to settle and Blair thought a war would give him the "Thatcher effect" as the Falklands did for her in 1981 and give himself an election boost, so we had the Gulf war and hell has followed with it ever since. The harsh truth is that in some instances a dictator is the only peace certain countries will ever know, they rule with brutality and reward their friends but is that so different to the Western style of politics? Think about it.
 Saddam was a complete dictator and a showman along with Gadaffi but they kept an uneasy world peace because of their flamboyant almost unbelievable boasting and pouting, the trouble is we in the West have no sense of humour for such antics, we failed to understand that although it was a murderous reign from both of these so called heads of state the world was in fact safer with them around. It was a hard life for certain tribes that were almost wiped out by the civil wars but we need to ask if it was for the greater good? Harsh words yes but no more harsh than watching be-headings of westerners on live TV or the cost of anti-terrorism laws for airlines.
The facts are that because of Blair and Bush and their little pact we are now in a world war, not in the normal sense of the statement but a world war just the same.
Nice one boys, just do us all a favour and stay inside that cave of retirement you have both dug yourselves, at least we wont have to be reminded of your contribution to the present tense again.

On a lighter note the latest book I am writing is nearing completion and the next book is six chapters in, I have learned much about formatting and editing as well as writing standards over the past few months, my initial ramblings were very selfish and very cocky somewhat of a death sentence for an aspiring writer but I have had the benefit of some priceless advice from people sitting much higher on the branch of book editing and presentation than I will ever aspire to, I hope I can now do justice to this very busy mind I live with on a daily basis. The fact is I am enjoying writing again and it all makes a lot more sense, we will see.

The Sunday Roast.

Few conflicts in modern times have grabbed the headlines and raised emotions more than that of Israel and Palestine. Many heads of state have tried and miserably failed to broker a peace agreement between these two waring factions and that is set to happen indefinitely.
So, why is it such a difficult and seemingly impossible task to get these two "tribes" to co-habit as decent human beings?    This is by any means a complex and historically hate filled battle that ultimately rests with our old friend religion (don't most conflicts?) to a point, but we cannot lay the blame entirely at the feet of a "higher deity" for this is a battle made up of several elements each of which enough to perpetuate the war for many years to come.
All in all the above statement would lead any aspiring vote chasing world leader to run a mile rather than take a chance on stepping in to the eternal ring of fire this conflict hallmarks. The truth of the matter is that this war like all those before them throughout the history of mankind does have a solution, there is an answer to this problem and it should have been addressed many years ago. If you doubt just what I am saying lets use Northern Ireland as an example, it doesn't seem so long ago that the British people were scared to walk the streets of London during Xmas time for fear of being blown to pieces by the IRA. That conflict was ended so if that can be amicably ended why can't this same peace process be rolled out across the border between Palestine and Israel?
If only life (and war) were that simple, alas the Irish battle against the British was simply a religious battle, the land was not such an issue, though it was clearly a part of the campaign and the other thing is there were only four main players in that war, England, Northern Ireland and on the other side the Irish Republic and the United States.
Yes indeed, the United States helped fund the IRA for many years despite openly condemning the violence it supplied money for arms to the IRA with NORAID for many years, although once the brutality of some of the civilian deaths was uncovered during the later half of the campaign the aid did dwindle somewhat.

Anyway, back to the subject in hand, Israel is backed by the United States, it is a very good customer for U.S military hardware and Israel's intelligence service is quite possibly the best in the world, it is the eyes and ears of the U.S in a volatile area. Palestine on the other hand has the ear of the Arab nations, while it may be accepted that their military prowess lacks the discipline of their foes it is more than made up for with their buying power.
So, the issue here is not between Israel and Palestine, but between the United States and it's western allies and the wealthier Arab nations. This is where it gets complicated, the U.S loves oil and it loves selling arms, quite simply its good for business. The Arabs love selling oil and they love arms. This will never change and therein lies the reason why the state of Israel and the state of Palestine have been at each others throats for so long, any other conflict that has been won or lost has been because one of the two sides ran out of supplies of weapons or funds. This will never happen in my lifetime between these two as the current situation stands.

Logically then, you cannot blame religion entirely and you cannot blame the simple hatred these two countries inhabitants have for each other, after all you now have three generations if not more of families on both sides who have lost loved ones during the skirmishes. The blame lies squarely with those who would perpetuate this campaign with funding and weapons, basically the West and the Arabs. Israel has come under huge pressure over the last few weeks for bombing civilians and grabbing land that is clearly not theirs and if you squeeze a race to the point of extinction then it is bound to fight back with every means at its disposal. On the other hand Hamas have sited rockets in civilian areas and then cried "foul" when there are multiple injuries and heavy losses to its people and while that is reprehensible enough, its continued calls for the destruction of Israel without exception or hesitation are clearly undermining any form of talks between the two.

I am afraid that the end to this conflict lies with the biggest aggressor here and that is Israel, it is tactically superior and ultimately a super power because of its Nuclear capabilities, therefore it must make the brave and bold step to step back from the brink and offer the Palestinian people its own state, it must release land that has been settled upon despite the political fall out that would follow and it should be met with financial incentives for both states funded by, yes you have guessed it the two master races that have seen this conflict drag on and ever onwards.
In return Hamas must drop the perennial call for the destruction of Israel and start being a responsible neighbour, namely denouncing acts of terror and policing the many factions that have sprouted up from the numerous families that have seen their loved ones murdered during this bloody stand off.
For any war to end one of the two sides has to say enough is enough and it cannot win. Hamas must realise that it is not going to win by the sword and in fact it would find the higher moral ground if it ceased it's rocket firing. Israel would be very much on the back foot if this were to happen and ironically put under immense international pressure to give Hamas what it really wants and that is the settlements returned to Palestinian governance.
Sounds very simple doesn't it? That's because it is, all it takes is one side to take the lead and as Israel can defend itself better than Palestine it has to be the bigger of the two. That is if Israel wants peace and not more land.
If I were living in Israel I for one would be voting for a ceasefire. If i lived in Palestine I would be happy to live next to a neighbour that allowed its people to live in a country it could call its own and in return allow Israel to be a country all its own.
 

The Facebook Saga.

I have at last succumbed to the lure of a Facebook page for my wittering, the fact that my poor friends will now be bombarded with sonnets and my latest novels is I am sure filling them all with a sense of longing as I write... Well, it would be nice to think so at least, but my guess is they are looking into their laps and shaking their heads thinking "what is he up to now?"
You could forgive them for that thought, after all there are few careers left for me to try and the pool is getting smaller! The truth of the matter is that writing has always been a part of my make-up, I failed miserably at school because all i wanted to do was write, i had no passion for anything else, but when i left school at 15 i had to work and earn a wage, somehow my life just went on from there.
I will let you all into a little secret that I have kept for a long time, no, it's not that I am gay or that the children look a lot like our Postman, (they don't do they?). The fact is if you have an ability to write it is a gift, but it can also be a curse. To be able to write you have to be open and allow yourself to get involved with the subject matter, this in turn can leave your feelings and thoughts on a knife edge. Don't think for one minute that you can control them with a stiff Scotch or a good talking to, if you write with passion then it will haunt you.
If I was asked if i would prefer to be "normal" rather than be faced with this constant inner turmoil then the answer would be "yes". But that is not the case and if you cannot harness a gift then you must embrace it. I have found of late that the passion that is so entrenched in the written word can spill over into real life and for those not accustomed to it then it can be frightening and constrictive even overwhelming. I have found this recently to my cost, I will be haunted by it forever but it is my destiny and mine alone and I am who I am.

So, in the absence of a cure for my disease I will have to take that which would destroy me and make it work for me. Writing is a selfish lonely passion, it is a cruel mistress and takes no prisoners but when it is harnessed it is a thrill like no other, so don't feel sorry for this tortured mind, it will always do what it is doing now, evaluating, asking and talking....the last bit way way too much but I mean nothing by it. They are usually my thoughts out loud without any form of censorship. Years ago it was called wearing your heart on your sleeve.    Dave James Facebook

Beauty and the Beast.

Within your beauty and your curves there lies a blackened heart,
You spellbind with your charm and looks, yet heartache lies therein.
The flowing valleys, strongest rivers, mark out your domain,
But Shropshire hills all carry tales, so etched on aged and dying.
For beauty comes at such a price, once paid by those who lived,
Upon her bounteous splendour there and she would not forgive.
The quarries yielded precious ore, her furnaces a Nation.
But in her bowels good men perished her heart too, made of stone.
So cast an eye about her, aye, her wonderment and splendour,
For she was mistress harsh and vile to those that dare torment her.

A slice at life

There is a green hill far away of that we can be sure,
The past will be what others see just that and nothing more,
Our chance to shine is but a spark that brightly burns then fades,
Our journey on which we embark is mapped to it we're slaves.

Those that choose to cheat the fight are cut down where they stand,
They burn too bright and peak too soon they both go hand in hand,
The circle starts and ends with us the never ending ride,
The depths of fear and joy within all sampled once inside.
 
So if you take it personally then you are bound to fail,
For life itself takes prisoners few the and therin lies a tale,
Strike out hard and plan your moves watch others and choose well,
For life though like the heavens wide beneath is only hell.

One Day.

She is working but the stare is vacant
Those around her just a blur
People talking they're just statements
Of a world that crushes her

Stands to chat but she's not hearing
Lost in time but no-one see's
She would explain but who'd be caring
For that girl with shattered dreams

Hearts been broken spirits torn
The heart still strong but battle worn
She pulls through another day
It doesnt have to be this way

There is hope from one lone stranger
One who sees the good to come
She stays strong from constant danger
Does the work that's to be done

One day soon her Prince will enter
Take away those tears that bind
And all the heartache they all sent her
Will be left so far behind x.