Making A Difference.

I had a very quiet Christmas Day.  Although, I did manage to have a fascinating conversation with the four walls who refused to give concrete answers.  I also discussed the meaning of life with Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!   Lovable son arrived in the early evening just long enough to open presents, grab his Christmas meal and proceed to his bedroom.  I have learnt that an X Box and gaming online, is a must in my young man's life.

I do have an advantage spending Christmas mostly alone.  No tolerating 'uncle Bert' who gets increasingly drunk, talks in a very loud voice about his views on politics, religion and the kids these days.  One tries to nod  their head at the right times. "Yes uncle Bert.  Ah those kids these days, eh!"  What one really wants to say to him is, "Why don't you shut the f**k up, you opinionated buffoon!"  Instead, one grins at him through gritted teeth.

'Granny Good Witch', in the meantime, continues with the theme about the kids these days, how they have no respect and are ever so rude.  At this point, Granny Good Witch makes a snarky comment about the state of the home, reaches over the table, grabs the last slice of turkey, finishes of the finest malt whiskey, lets rip with a fart that burns out nostril hairs and then falls asleep in the Christmas pudding.

Nephew Tom and niece Mary, have food fights, smash the antique grandfather clock and torment the family cat.  The night of Christmas Day ends up with a traditional family argument where uncle Bert finds out his wife, auntie Mabel, is having an affair with Bert's brother, Fred.  Fred, quickly swigs back the last drops of his home made wine and staggers out the front door.  Uncle Bert staggers after him down the street and tackles him in front of the police station.  They are both arrested and wake up on Boxing Day in a cell wondering how they got there...

Yes, I could of felt sorry about myself being mostly alone on Christmas Day.  Instead, I decided to try and make a difference.  I knew that many folks do struggle with Christmas Day and I reached out to the sad, the lonely or those who just wanted to chat, anyway.  It turned into an inspiring day and I was deeply touched by the interaction that was shared.  To direct my focus onto something positive, instead of being overwhelmed by sadness, taught me some valuable lessons.  If we do help each other, we really do help ourselves.

There are those who only look for the bad.  And thus, all they see is bad when there is goodness right in front of them.  I used to be like that.  Yet such negativity, ate me up, controlled my life.  Now I choose to see the good.  What we shared on Christmas Day was a resounding victory for the good in this world.

I looked at the warm, gentle ambience of the flickering candles.  The flickering candles, symbolic of a continued better life.  Thank you for being here and I will always be there for you.

You Have Been Here For Us And We Are Here For You.

Hello, I'm Einahalk, the wee child of Fidelina the beautiful fairy princess and Geoffrey the garden gnome.  You have been here for us and we are here for you.

Hello, I'm Fidelina, the beautiful fairy princess.  You have been here for us and we are here for you.

Hello, I'm Geoffrey the garden gnome.  You have been here for us and we are here for you.

Hello, it's me, your friend, Penny the Jack Russell dog.  You have been here for us and we are here for you.

Hello, it's me, your friend, Gary.  You have been here for us and we are here for you.

Some find Christmas Day a desperately tormenting and a very sad time. They are alone. Immersed in their pain.  They are invisible background spectators as they watch the happy children ride around on their shiny new bicycles. They sense a celebration that is not a part of their lives. On Christmas Day, the phone doesn't ring and the cards of Christmas past, gather dust in the back of dresser drawer.  

We can make a difference to the lives of someone who is suffering in relentless silence. That neighbour down the street, the little old lady who hardly comes out, may well be grateful for a visit.  See her eyes sparkle as you ask how she is and wish her a Merry Christmas. Yes, for the sad, the lonely, we can make a difference.

On Christmas Day, we want to make a difference. If you find Christmas Day to be a very sad time and need someone to talk to, we will be here for you. If all is well in your life and would like someone to talk to, we will be here for you. I struggle with Christmas Day and if I can be there for others, then I know we really have helped each other.  

If you wish to contact us, we will be online almost all of Christmas Day. Please take into account time zones and we might not be able to respond to some messages until Boxing Day. You can private message us on Facebook, or Twitter, or via the "About Me" section on our blog where you can find our email address.  All information regarding how to contact us are on our sidebar. You can be assured your anonymity is guaranteed.  

And young Gary.  A little boy on a pony.  A young boy full of sweet childhood innocence who rejoiced in the wonders of the world.  That young boy, now this man, wants to show much he really cares.

May you and your loved ones have a peaceful, positive Christmas.

In hope and kindness, Einahalk, Fidelina the beautiful fairy princess, Geoffrey the garden gnome, Penny the Jack Russell dog and Gary.

The Wee Folks Annual Christmas Message Of Hope.

  The wee folks.  A message of  hope and may mankind learn the lessons they tell us.

And thus, Fidelina, the beautiful fairy princess, Geoffrey the garden gnome, and their wee son, Einahalk, rejoiced in the warm, reassuring glow of the twinkling Christmas lights.

The wee folks, such wondrous, magical creatures, had come in from the cold and gathered in the comfort of the living room.   All different, all equal, celebrating the magic of a special time.

Such diversity.  Their's is a world where all is possible and no judgement is ever passed.

See the joy, the sheer delight on the faces of the wee folks.  They know that life should be a celebration of all that is good.

And the party continued.  They danced and they sang to sweet tunes of love, hope and understanding.

In the above photograph are Venetia, the sister of Fidelina, and bridesmaid from the enchanting wedding of Fidelina, the beautiful fairy princess and Geoffrey, the garden gnome.  Standing beside her is the 'best gnome',  Teagan.  There was a hint of romance between the two of them at the magic-filled wedding on the first day of summer, June 21, 2010.  Note the gnome in the background, Yrag, who is the best friend of Teagan.

And here is a happy little monkey, with his great long arms, wrapped over a couple of friendly garden gnomes. Nice tinsel effect, happy little monkey.

Dreams can come true.  Dare to believe in yourself.  Fidelina, Geoffrey and their beautiful little boy, Einahalk, wish you a peaceful, happy and so very positive Christmas.

And the wee folks gazed out the window.  They looked out, looked up, at moon drenched sky.  Tis a marvel to behold the shining orb through winter branches.  Soon they would leave.  Return to their world of love and peace. 

Their message to us is simple, yet profound.  For the wee folks live in their wee world, where stigma, labels and the passing of judgement, are bizarre and baffling concepts.  May we learn from them.   Let us celebrate and rejoice in the diversity of mankind.  And just like in their world, we can truly be, all different, all equal.  

International Date Line.

I thought I might as well give it a try and so I phoned up the "International Date Line".  I was hoping they would work out better at providing me with a date then those dating agencies I've seen advertised on television.  You might know of the ads I'm meaning.  Yes indeed, they boast, if you don't get a date in the first six months, you get the next six months, free!  Wow, great stuff!  Add another six months of humiliation.

Anyway, I got through to the International Date Line. "International Date Line, how may I help?", stated the friendly female voice.  "Hi there, my name's Gary and I'd like a date please.", I replied.  "Certainly sir.  Any particular date?", she said.  "I'm not fussy.  As a long as she's breathing would be a heck of start.", I explained.  "Sorry?  I  don't understand.  This is the International Date Line and we can offer you a calendar date of your choosing."  At this point, I was going to tell her that I didn't want a date with a calendar, but thought better of it.

"Sir, at a nominal fee, we can have a day in your honour marked on calendars worldwide."  I started fantasising about staring at my calendar and grinning at February 30th aka "Klahanie Appreciation Day."  Realising that the International Date Line was not a dating agency, I politely ended the conversation.

After smashing open my piggy bank and gathering up my life savings, I proceeded to the betting shop.  "Good day Mr. betting shop dude.  I wish to bet my life savings that the world will end on December 21, 2012!"  Oh yes, I noted the silly grin on his face.  He wont be smirking when I win my bet.  Hang on a second.....hmmmm....

I'm going to be calling the Tonga Information Board and being the closest country to the International Date Line, where the new day begins, I will ask them if the world has ended.  Anybody west of me, I shall duly inform you if the world ends on December 21, 2012.  You are very welcome.  Apocalypse Yes?  Apocalypse No?

Blog Of The Year, 2012.

Hi, yes it's me, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!  We have been honoured with having the, "Blog Of The Year, 2012", forwarded onto to me and okay, my human, Gary.   We wish to thank Teresa and her very talented writing dog, Indy, who can be found at this site, A Likely Story.

Okay, there seems to be some kind of rules to go with this award.  So here they are.

1: Choose the blog(s) you consider to be deserving of the "Blog Of The Year, 2012", award.

2: Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen and 'present' them with their award.

3: Please include a link back to this page, Blog Of The Year, 2012 Award.  and include these 'rules' in your post (please don't alter the rules or the badges.)

4: Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the 'rules' with them.

5: You can also join the Facebook Group .     

6:  As a winner of the award, please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award.  Then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar.  Then you can start collecting stars.

Anyway, I'm now totally confused.  I just hope that by following the above links, you can figure this all out.  I think I will finish this and go for a well deserved doggy nap.  Oh yes, I'm supposed to tell you about the blog or blogs I have chosen and tell you all about them, or something like that.  I'm also supposed to let them or one person, or animal, know I have actually bestowed this here award to them.  Excuse me while I catch my breath.  Wow, I just watched my breath float around the room and now I've caught it....

It's a very difficult choice to pass on this award.  There are so many amazing blogs and the interaction from you is warmly embraced.  You are all superstars in the blogging world.  So here's what I'm going to do.  There is one young fellow who inspires so many with his informative, wonderfully written and heartfelt postings.  Many of you will know what I mean about this remarkable young man.  Several of us put up birthday tributes for this young blogger who has touched so many hearts.

And thus, it gives me and my human, great privilege on bestowing this award to Lenny Lee.  If you've never visited Lenny, you can find him here,  Lenny's World .  I know how much it would mean to him if you went and said "hi" and wished our terrific young buddy, "A Merry Christmas".

Santa Paws Is Comin' To Town.

Hi there, yes it's me, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!  Gary, the human I so kindly allow to live with me, has asked me if I would grace this site by doing a 'pawsting', I mean, posting.

Ah, "tis' the season to be jolly".  Goodwill to all man and animals, alike.  Yet I know that this time of the year can be even more pronounced for those in pain.  For those who only know desperation, solitude and feel like spectators peering out from tear-stained windows at the celebration of others.

Gary is sick and he knows that his sickness is not some sort of bizarre competition.  The, "I'm sicker than you", mentality does not come into the equation.  He knows it's not a contest.  Everyone's hopes, dreams, pains and concerns are just as valid as the next.

Gary has told me how humbled and inspired he has been by the interaction he receives from those who are in pain and yet their selfless, altruistic attitude is about being of support for others who are needing words of encouragement, of comfort.

On Christmas Day,  three years ago, Gary stayed online on a mental health website "chat room" for almost the entire day.   He was there for the lonely, the sad and those who just wanted to talk.  Now, with my support, we are going to be available on this Christmas Day.  If anybody wants to email us, the contact details can be found in the "About Me" section on this blog.   We will do a further reminder about this just before Christmas Day.

We want to be here for you as you have been here for us.  Oh yes, when we help each other, we help ourselves.

Pawsitive wishes, Penny.

Despite The Glare.... I Made It There.

Ah yes, last Tuesday I went to Wales.  Remembering which side of the road to drive on, the left side, was one heck of a good and vital start.  Yes indeed, I can imagine the following situation.  Driving along and some British police dude indicates to me to pull over.  "Excuse me sir, but you are driving on the 'right' side of the road!".  To which I reply, "That's okay then."

I don't have satellite navigation in my car.  No voice of Mr. T telling me, "At the next roundabout, sucker, take the first left.  I said the first left, not the second left, fool!"  Or the alluring voice of  Joanna Lumley stating, "You've arrived, darling!"

Tuesday was a very sunny day.  The entire trip from Leek, Staffordshire, England to Cardigan, Wales, was a matter of driving directly towards the sun.  No, not literally.  However, the glare off the road was so bad that I could barely make out the direction signs at roundabouts.  This meant, even though I mostly knew how to get to my destination, some roundabouts were guesswork.  

And some roundabouts where I could almost make out the name of a place I needed to head to next, suddenly became mystery roundabouts where the names I could almost make out, made no sense at all.  What happened to 'Upper Lower Piggy Bottom'?  One roundabout got me so confused, I ended up getting dizzy as I went round and round and round....until finally I gave up, took a chance and much to my relief, discovered I was on the correct road.

To go from my place to Cardigan, Wales, is a distance of 162 miles.  Being mostly on single lane roads and getting stuck behind tractors on winding, uphill roads, meant it took 4 1/4 hours to do 162 miles.

The last part of the journey is from the town of Aberystwyth.  From Aberystwyth to my friend's house, near Cardigan, is a total of 37 miles.  During the entire 37 miles, a Welsh police car followed behind me.  Weird, even though I wasn't doing anything wrong, I kept waiting for the lights to flash and get pulled over.  I start thinking, "Did I pass that last tractor at a correct place, do I maybe have a burnt out break light...I gonna' end up in jail....." Then I pulled into my friend's driveway and thankfully, the police car didn't follow me into the driveway.

From late Tuesday afternoon until noon on Saturday, I stayed with my friend.  I like to think that we created positive distractions as both of us are going through some challenging times.

Every time I go out, I have to confront my social fears.  To drive a car without any company just compounds my anxiety.  Yet, once again, I was determined to challenge my inner critic and I'm so glad I did.

I am deeply, profoundly grateful for your support.  I'm very sorry I've not been as interactive on other blogs as I would like to be.  I will do my best to rectify that.

I reflect back as night fell upon the harbour in Cardigan, Wales.  No matter what the oppressors try to impose, they will never get the better of me, or you.

Bringing Back The Vibrant Colours Of The Rainbow.

And the darkness descended again.  The colours of the rainbow faded back to shades of black, of white, of grey.  For the past month I've been living under a cloud of gloom.  Time to have the sun shine through that cloud of doom and see the vibrant colours of the rainbow.

Like so many, I have been targeted by a ruthless British government.  A government who are attacking the poor, the sick, the vulnerable.  And through this, the memories I had tried to move on from, were dredged up by a questionnaire that questions my illness.  Yes, the stress has been unbearable and made me feel sick, distraught and hysterical with fear.  Indeed, this horrible government is making the already sick, sicker.

Why are they doing this?  It's all in the name of austerity.  That would be austere measures where those who can least afford it, are suffering the consequences of those who got us into this mess in the first place.  This may sound all too familiar, no matter where you live.

For the past month, I've been completely exhausted.  Barely able to get out of bed.  For the past month, I would get out of bed and within an hour, found myself back under the duvet.  Thanks to all this outrageous stress imposed, I have been feeling anxious, breathless and barely functioning.  In actuality, I can hardly muster up the energy to type this.

With every fibre of my resilient, defiant nature, I challenge this.  I need to relax and realise a more positive now.  I have decided, no matter what obstacles are put before me, I shall knock down the barriers and find a way.  I always do.  I will not give negative influences permission to sabotage my right to a peaceful, positive life.

I have a friend in Wales who needs some comfort.  My friend is going through a challenging time and I want to be there for him.  This means that I'm staying well away from a computer for the next few days, starting Tuesday morning.  I believe that by trying to help my friend, in turn, I help myself.

I am profoundly grateful for your ongoing support and understanding during one of the worst moments of my life.  I know that we are here for each other and that fills me with hope, inspiration and the determination to carry on.  Thank you for reading this.  I'm visualising the vibrant colours of the rainbow.