If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I am almost certain that I have answered this exact prompt before, or at least one very like it. Still, I am always happy to indulge in a bit of wishful thinking. So, why Australia?
First and foremost it’s the outdoors lifestyle for a family. When we lived in Australia for just over a year while I was doing my degree, we were very cash poor, but the trains were cheap, the beaches were free, the weather was excellent and the children loved our trips out. The school we sent our children to was excellent and, if we had stayed there, each one could have followed their educational passion because they actually have secondary schools which specialise in specific subjects. To add to that the school system has one set of exams at the end, not the constant testing of this country which makes children and parents dislike education so intensely. As a place to bring up children it’s so much better than the UK.
The culture of sports is amazing. I have been a fan of Australia in the cricketing realm since 1989 when an amazing team came over to the UK and won back the Ashes. From that series onwards, I have supported Australia against England in every competition from T20 to Test Matches. When we were over there, my younger son was able to spend a season playing baseball because sport was accessible, relatively cheap and absolutely inclusive. Even if you lacked talent you could find a way to get involved as there were teams at all levels. Cricket takes place on beaches and if a game is going on pretty much every time you can join in if you want to. When we were over there I swam at least two or three times a week in the Sutherland Leisure Centre pool which was cheaper and infinitely better than any public pool in the whole of the UK.
The scenery in Australia is amazing, ranging from pristine beaches to ancient forests and incredible mountain views. These places are accessible and relatively cheap, although they were definitely getting more expensive when we returned a couple of years ago, allowing most people the opportunity to experience them. Parks are numerous and well kept with room to play sports, have picnics or just walk around. One of my favourite parks is Stanwell Park in the Sydney area which overlooks a beach and which makes for a brilliant base for a family day out.
Of course, no place is perfect, and Australia has very high prices for groceries compared to the UK, but Australia for me anyway pretty much ticks all the boxes as the best place to live anywhere in the world.
What is your favorite genre of music? This is today’s prompt on Jetpack and I thought that it was time I answered one of these! One of the things I have always done is ignored genres in favour of music I like, but I have found a number of common threads in my music. My […]
Musical Taste
A year ago I answered my first daily prompt but it would be a bit later that month before I decided to make it a daily habit. This first one was music based and, looking at it now, I feel as though it’s a very nice encapsulation of my earlier posts on My Musical History. Click on the link and not only will you get a nice read, but you will also get a link to an excellent playlist!
Is a little chaos actually good for us?
When I looked at this prompt I thought about the personal realm first. I have faced what seemed to be chaos in my life a few times. However, when I reflected I realised that at no point had chaos ever truly entered my life. Every occasion where I thought of chaos I could actually ascribe my situations to previous poor decisions by myself or others. Chaos is one of those words we can often misuse to excuse our own failings or to exaggerate somewhat difficult situations.
Now, I have been very lucky so far not to have been caught up in a natural or man made disaster, but I feel that this is what the word chaos should be reserved for, namely something completely out of your control which you had no opportunity to affect. We often misuse words and rob them of their meanings and chaos is a very good example. A morning where trains are completely messed up for whatever reason or roads are blocked is routinely called chaotic, but it really isn’t. It’s just one day where you can’t get to school or work easily. A storm can cause chaos in the short term and occasionally in the medium term. An earthquake can cause chaos for decades especially in poor countries. Human beings in their limited sphere cannot cause chaos, although they can cause anger, misery or despair especially if they lead a nation or a tech company!
If we replace the hyperbolic chaos with upheaval then I would agree that this is useful for personal growth, but perhaps that personal growth starts by using appropriate words that have, as far as possible, exact meanings. If you have ever faced true chaos then I wholeheartedly sympathise but if you have merely faced difficulties you will solve them much more quickly by putting them into perspective rather than trying to dramatise them.
Who is your favorite blogger to follow?
Here are some of my favourites, any of which are worth a deep dive
Lion & Unicorn Lion & Unicorn ‹ Reader — WordPress.com – an excellent social history site that also does film and TV reviews. I first discovered this site as Alwyn Turner, the best social history writer around, often contributes to the blog.
Paul Carney Paul Carney’s Blog – Stories, thoughts and musings on life, art, philosophy and education. One of the most fascinating, well written and, occasionally, mind blowing blogs around. Well worth a read especially when he delves into philosophy.
My Journey Into Sound My Journey Into Sound A blog that features music and reminiscences in a similar vein to my own. Always worth a read.
Fifienne BOREDOM IS FUN SOMETIMES An eclectic blog that is always fun to dip into. I really enjoy the 40 songs for 40 years series.
Rebuilding Rob Rebuilding Rob – Building a more perfect man A personal journey, but one which has a resonance to anyone who is trying to negotiate the pleasures and difficulties of life.
Lindsay Bloomer Whining, Wine-ing & Winning – A lifestyle blog full of mom stories, recipes, and a little wine to wine-d down. A fun blog that always raises a smile as it reflects on life in the US away from the politics.
There are of course more but this is a really good start. Happy reading.
What’s a lesson you’ve learned recently that shifted your perspective?
I have always had a rather negative view of other human beings and have reflected on that in a number of my posts in the past year or so. Then, on an otherwise unremarkable June day, well apart from the temperature, I was forced to do some significant rethinking.
I went up to town to do some shopping as I often do, even though Janet had told me to wait until she got home and the temperature was lower. The shopping went normally and I started to walk home. One minute I was heading down a street at my normal pace and the next minute I was on my side having fallen very heavily. There was no time to react but I must have done instinctively because I fell on my right side rather than face first. However, I still gave my nose and my cheek a significant bang and my nose was bleeding freely. As I tried to figure out what happened a couple who had witnessed my fall came over to help me up. They made sure I was lucid, which I was despite the shock, and asked me where I lived, and whether anyone would be there. I told them, thinking that they were just making sure I could get home once I had recovered. Next thing I know my shopping was in their car, I was in the back seat trying not to bleed on their upholstery and they were driving me home. They asked which house I lived in and drove onto my driveway. I was incredibly grateful and, although dazed, was able to express that gratitude.
If it hadn’t been for that lovely couple I would probably have been determined to struggle home on my own which would have done me little good. Just under a fortnight later I have recovered much of my confidence for walking although I am still tense whenever I prepare to go out. The bruises are slowly fading but what will never fade is the memory of true kindness of the sort that I often told readers was the exception not the rule. If that was really the case the couple who drove me home and the others who came to check on me were many of those exceptions in a very small area. I now accept I was wrong. People are fundamentally kind, whatever the media tells us, and I have first hand experience of that.
