The Wisdom Of The Wee Folks.

My last post, way back when, was more from a personal, family angle.  My concerns for my son and his health.  My ongoing battle to work through my fog.  To see clearly that brighter future on offer. My son is much better and he's back at work.  The fog begins to lift. 

And yet, my friend, you are very much an integral part, a catalyst in my working through all that has impacted me so profoundly over the past year.  The emotional and physical upheavals have drained me.  I'm slowly getting there and in part, thanks to you.

This "electric family", this community of caring beyond my screen, is one that leaves me with gratitude beyond any suitable words.  Thank you.

I sat there in the deafening hush of the living room.  My mind's eye vaguely noticed fleeting visions. Of blurry blacks and greys.  The mind's eye hankered back to a time not so long ago.  Back to a time when the wee folks danced, sang songs of joy, in an enchanted garden that now seemed but a distant dream.....

I concentrated, oh how I concentrated.  Fidelina, the beautiful fairy princess, her husband, Geoffrey the garden gnome and their boy child, Einahalk, came more into view.  Somewhat clearer, the vision started to take on dashes of colour.

Then the brilliance arrived.  The resplendent colours, symbolic of hope, of renewed optimism, washed upon my inner vision.  The wee folks spoke.  Gentle, whispered words of hope.  Words of wisdom from the wee folks.

I visualised my son.  A sense of pride consumed me knowing that my son is adapting so well.  Yes, he has started his life in his own home.   I celebrate his independence and come to terms with my reality.  A reality I'm determined to make the most of.

I opened my eyes.   Stared across the living room.  There she was in all her sweet innocence.  Penny the loving dog and three of the garden gnomes.  Three garden gnomes from the community of wee folks who travelled from an enchanted garden.  They make the most of a new situation.  The past meets the present.   What an image of inspiration.

The Rainbow Warrior.

The last year has been one of significant upheaval.  Upheaval that's challenged my ability to cope with an overwhelming feeling of isolation.  Isolation that questioned my sanity.  Isolation that relived past times when I nearly drowned in my own unique sea of debilitating madness.  A madness that told me I was not worthy of being loved, of being respected.  

The last year has seen me start a new life in a new home.  The last year has seen my son start his new life in his own home.  The last year has seen me struggle in a relentless loneliness as I try to come to terms with the sense of change that has brought on tear-filled, "empty nest syndrome", bouts of panic.  

I sit here alone, day after day, night after night, without a partner to share a mutual realisation that our little boy, now a young man, is making his mark in his statement of independence.

My son, my beloved son, has not been well as of late.  He's wrenched his back and yet, kept going to work injured.  Perhaps a sad commentary, that so worried was he about losing his job, that he would jeopardise his health even further.  Thankfully, I managed to get him to see a doctor. Thankfully, he now has a sick note which should give him time to get better.  And yet, despite it all, I constantly worry about his well being.

  

The last year has impacted me in such a way that I'm barely able to formulate a blog posting. Chronic fatigue continues to linger.  An exhaustion, that despite numerous blood tests, has found no conclusive evidence as to why I'm so tired all the time.  It may well be psychological.  A condition that has made even switching on my computer a rather daunting task.

I will carry on.  The love of my son and all those vital to my life, will help me make it so. 

I've been through many a challenge in my life. I survived a total breakdown that cost me my marriage.  I survived five weeks in hospital devoid of visitors.  Indeed, I nearly died that first week in hospital.   One man alone as all around were surrounded by loved ones who laughed, who cried, who hugged.  I was the invisible man, drowning in tears that nobody noticed.

That second week in hospital and a nurse came over to my bed.  She placed me in a wheelchair and took me to the main desk.  I was handed the phone and listened to the voice of my mother.  My mother, so far away in Vancouver.  What she said would be the start of my renewal.  That experience would change my life for the better, forever.

I have to remember how far I've come as I work through the emotional torment of the past year. Focus on how proud I am of my son.

I gazed out upon such magical beauty.  Observed the wonders of the rainbow.  I listened to the gentle breeze whispering through the open window.  The clock ticked its rhythmic tone in the background. A tone set in harmony to the beating of my hopeful heart.

This is my son, Tristan, at two and a half years old.  I dearly love my son and that would never be in question.  Now my little boy has turned in a kind, pleasant, caring young man.  Yes, not only do I love my son, now I like my son.

Thank you, my friend.  This therapeutic, reflective post has the comments switched off.  All I ask is you spend a moment or two to absorb this posting of one lonely, reclusive man whose spirit will be inspired by the love of a son and the symbolism of a rainbow.

Each Of Us, A Small Yet Significant Difference.

We've been witnessing the worst of humanity that has produced an overwhelming reaction enhancing the best of humanity.

Like so many, I've watched the plight of those refugees fleeing from the unimaginable warring strife of Syria.  I've been moved to tears from the moral impact of that little boy lying dead on a beach in Bodrum, Turkey.

There have also been tears of hopeful joy.  Hopeful joy as I witnessed the scenes in Austria and Germany as they welcomed the refugees with gifts, with hugs, with warm handshakes.

This could be the start of a worldwide reaction to make this fragile, beleaguered planet the better place so many of us would dare to dream.

I'm blessed and I know, in my own small yet significant way, that I can truly make a difference.....

Flash Friction.

Hi there, yes it's me, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!  My human dad, Gary, is still feeling rather lethargic.  Which means, I'm going to get him motivated.  Motivation will come from him doing the following assignment.

The assignment is in regards to something called, "flash friction", arf, sorry, "flash fiction".  Gary is  curious about what it is and thus, I'm getting him to do some research on the subject. 

I could tell him what the definition of flash fiction is.  However, I think it would be most excellent that he went to the village of Flash and find out if the folks of Flash, who I guess are called, "Flashers", could explain to Gary what flash fiction is all about.  

We live in a town named, "Leak", oops, "Leek."  As you can see, Leek is not far from Flash.  The distance is just over eight miles.  Gary can get there in a flash in his flash car, or maybe about fifteen minutes.

Gary being Gary, thinks that flash fiction must be rude.  When it comes to a flash, he thinks of somebody and we're not naming names, who likes to quickly expose their private parts.  At this point, I make no mention of a trench coat.

So, with his thinking, "Flash Gordon", means flashing some dude named Gordon.  I shall let you work out what he might think of, "flash flood", "flashlight", "flashback", "flash in the pan", "flash the cash", or that movie, "Flashdance."

I could help Gary out by letting him know that there's a nice human who's well into flash fiction. All he'd have to do is follow this link over to Yolanda's site, which is here, DEFENDING THE PEN.

I shall end this pawst off with some pawetry.  Yes, Penny the Pawet, paws some prose, you nose, um, knows.

Flash fiction

An addiction

Do a flash

Make some cash

Flash in the pun

Flash on the run

Jumpin' Jack Flash

Balderdash 

Such a mishmash

So slapdash 

With a bit of panache

Flash fiction

An addiction.

Awards And Oops!

Due to ongoing chronic fatigue, I've been struggling to maintain any sort of momentum in the weird, wonderful, wacky world that is the community of bloggers.  So much so, that I'm only now acknowledging all the awards that I accumulated.  To give you an idea of how far behind I am, one of the awards goes back to July, 2014.  

My humble apologies to all of the well meaning bloggers who kindly bestowed the following awards upon me, yes me, shy and humble me.

I would like to thank Julia over at, My writing life, for passing on the "Very Inspiring Blogger Award."  Julia writes with a thoughtful passion that resonates through her variety of writing styles. It's my honour to know her and I do hope, if you haven't done so before, check out her site, which can be discovered here, My writing life.

Although the award comes with rules, I hope Julia will understand that I break rules.  I'm supposed to reveal seven things about my life.  I've pretty well run out of things to reveal about my life.  Maybe just one thing.  That would be that I've stayed at a very posh apartment at a place in London named, "Dolphin Square."  Dolphin Square has been the scene of a certain chap from the House of Lords getting caught on video with a couple of prostitutes as he allegedly snorts coke.  I can assure you I'm not the dude from the House of Lords who then proceeded to pose in a bra of one of the prostitutes.

A rule also states that I should pass on the award to other bloggers.  Being in my usual dilemma, if you like the award, grab the photo and enjoy.

Thanks again, Julia.  Stay special, my kind friend.

Way back when, I received the above award, "The Lighthouse Award", from Alex J. Cavanaugh.  It's very likely you are aware of Alex.  Alex has this uncanny knack of commenting within seconds of a blogger publishing a post.  How does he do that?  Did somebody mention clones?

According to the rules of the award, I'm supposed to at least tell you three reasons how my blog helps others.  Okay, let me think about that....*twiddles thumbs.*

1:  My transparency about my mental health issues has created a sense of empathy for those who relate but feel uncomfortable discussing their own mental health concerns.

2:  My blog is proof positive that my mental illness is only a small part of who I am.  Something for the reader who is struggling to think about in their own life.

3:   My blog shows that a dog can take over and "pawblish" the valuable lessons that our animal friends have to teach us.

I realise I'm suppose to forward on this award.  Once again, the dilemma is that I just don't who to forward it to without somebody wondering why I overlooked them.

This means that I shall now thank Alex who is, without question, one of the kindest, most interactive bloggers out there.  If for some reason you have never visited Alex's site, here it is, Alex J. Cavanaugh.  Thanks again, Alex, it's my honour to know you, good sir.

I was also the proud recipient of the, "creative blogger (award)".  The award was thoughtfully passed onto me by a dear lady name Yvonne.  Yvonne truly writes from the heart.  Her inspiring, thought provoking poetry is a wonder to behold.  

The rules state that I should state five facts about myself.  Without ending up repeating myself and I hope you understand, dear Yvonne, I shall forgo any more facts because basically, I'm at a loss as to what to make note of.

Yvonne and her poetic thoughts can be found here, NASHVILLECATS (2) POEMS BY YVONNE.

I wish to apologise for not forwarding on this award to anybody.  The same theme in my head here. It really is a dilemma in who I should forward the award to.  

Thank you, Yvonne.  Keep smiling and stay positive, my lovely friend. 

And thus, I received the, "creative blogger (award)", a second time.  I thank Bish Denham for passing on the award to me.

Bish, if you didn't know, is an accomplished author of several middle grade books and one young adult themed book.  You can find out all the info about Bish at her blog, which you can visit here, Bish Denham.

Thanks to Bish.  Happy writing to you, my illustrious friend.  You might note my ongoing theme of not actually obeying the rules to the awards.  My apologies for that.

To conclude my rather anarchic approach to awards, here's "The Versatile Blogger" award. Evidently, I'm versatile.  Any versatility I seem to have is really thanks to Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar showing me various writing techniques.

I shall now take this opportunity to thank the wonderful, kind and caring, Yolanda, for considering me for such an award.  Thanks for that, Yolanda.

Yes indeed, the theme continues because I'm now supposed to mention seven facts about me.  Yikes, the fact total keeps rising.  Anyway, the fact is that I have no fact to fact about with.  I know that Yolanda will understand.  Yolanda has taught me all about "Flash Fiction".  Now that I really know the true meaning, I shall keep my clothes on.  The Naked Blogger is another story......

To end this feast of awards, to no surprise at all, I shall also not forward on the award due to previously mentioned dilemmas that the awards cause.

If for reasons beyond my comprehension, you've never been to Yolanda's blog site, here it is, DEFENDING THE PEN.

Yolanda, you know you have my total respect and admiration.  A truly remarkable lady who embraces the magic that is the written word.

Thanks to all five bloggers who thought about me.  I appreciate your ongoing support and kindness.

The comments section is switched off.  I'm trying to play catch-up in blogsville and having the comments switched off will help.

Thank you and I'm outta' here.....................................................................................

A Letter I Read In Disbelief.

A neighbour has a very noisy, aggressive Jack Russell terrier.  On a number of occasions whilst out walking Penny, our beloved Jack Russell terrier, the very noisy, aggressive Jack Russell terrier has tried to attack Penny.  The snarling and snapping of that dog is rather unsettling.

Each time Penny and I have encountered this dog while just trying to go for a peaceful walk, has ended up with Penny and I maintaining a calm demeanour.  Penny does not react.  I've been polite, good natured and courteous to the lady whose dog is causing so much aggravation.  She's said, on numerous occasions, how much she appreciates me not making a fuss about it.  I told her that I suppose her dog is trying to protect her.  I think maybe her dog is jealous of Penny, what with Penny being a famous yet modest internet superstar!

Penny and I continued to go out for walks.  We tried to keep our distance from her dog.  Thought it best for all concerned.  Yet, time after time, the lady would get very close to us with her aggressive little dog.  The yapping of the dog is so loud that at times I'd have to speak louder just so the lady could hear me.  My conversations with her were always pleasant, always cordial.  I try to be a polite, respectful neighbour.  Nobody needs the stress.

Last Wednesday morning I had a letter posted through my mailbox.  Upon opening the letter I couldn't believe what I was reading.  The letter stated that a neighbour of mine was lodging a complaint about me in regards to anti-social, aggressive and threatening behaviour.  The neighbour said they felt intimidated by me.  The letter went on explaining about what is acceptable behaviour within the housing community I now live in.  I was in shock.  I felt sick.

I phoned the person who'd sent the official letter of complaint.  I told the lady on the phone that I would like a meeting with the person who had made such outrageous allegations.  A few minutes later, the lady phoned me back and asked me if the next Tuesday at ten in the morning would be okay for a meeting with the person who accused me.  I told her that was way too long and I needed to  get the situation sorted as soon as possible.  She phoned me back again and a meeting was arranged for the next morning, Thursday morning at ten.

At the meeting, the lady with the very noisy, aggressive Jack Russell terrier, was the one who had made the allegations.  Staying very calm, I asked her why she had said such awful things about me. She responded by saying that I was yelling at her.  To which I responded that I had to speak louder because her dog was barking so loud.  I was actually trying to tell her that when she had been out of her apartment her dog was barking loudly.  So much so that a fellow neighbour said he was going to lodge a complaint if it continued.  I was only trying to warn her.  I pointed out how kind I had always been to her and that this seemed to be a perception issue.  She conceded that she had got it completely wrong,  She apologised, over and over again.

The letter that I received was ceremoniously placed in the office shredder at my insistence.  I hope that such a situation never happens again.  I really don't need this.  Especially when I'm struggling with my confidence and my mental health concerns.  Such an incident, in my fragile state, could of set me back even further.

After the meeting, I thought about how I could turn such a negative experience into something positive.  I talked to the supervisor at reception.  I offered to help set up a blogging community within the apartment building.  This was enthusiastically received.   My idea will be in next month's community magazine.

On the Thursday evening, my doorbell rang.  The lady who had made those horrible allegations against me was standing there with a box of chocolates.  She apologised again and gave me a box of Swiss chocolates.  A nice gesture and I hope that she's realised a lesson from all of this.  Perception and reality can be such a fine line.

On Saturday evening, my doorbell rang again.  This time, it was a dear older lady from across the hallway.  Even though I made no mention of the meeting I'd had, somehow word had gotten around. She just wanted to see how I was because she was worried about me.  She told me she'd vouch for my good nature.  It turns out I'm not the only person that lady had lodged a complaint about.  Rather ironically, she had made complaints against folks who have been very nice to her.  I do understand that the lady in question has her own mental health issues.  These, however, need to be addressed with her having the right support.

Yes, I had a sleepless night before that meeting.  Playing over and over again in my mind what I could of possibly done wrong.  A week later and I'm much calmer, especially knowing that my reputation as a kind, caring, well meaning man is truly intact.

Apologies for an unusually long post by my standards.  I had to get it out of my system via the therapy that is my writing.  Peace and goodwill to you, my friend.

Randomly, Random, Here I Go....

It's been ages since I put up a random selection of musings. Randomly, random, here I go.....

Evidently, a "selfie" is not a euphemism for masturbation. 
                                                               
There was this snail who didn't like being called a snail.  So the snail got the letter "S" painted on each side of its automobile.  From then on when the snail was driving about, onlookers would yell, "Look at that S car go!"

Let's get ready to CRUMBLE!!!

 The locals tell me they are getting sick and tired of the American influence in the UK, as they go out and line dance!!!

Miami Vice-Grips.

Do tornado chasers have whirlwind romances?

Today's writer acronym alert!  "WTF", which means, "Writers Trying Fiction."  Further writer acronym alerts shall discuss the meaning of, "MG", "YA" and the writer's favourite, "WIP". 

I watched some of the games from the Women's World Cup in Canada.  Congratulations to the USA team for winning the Final against Japan, I state, through gritted teeth.  I do note that the women's version of football aka "soccer", has some ways to go before it becomes the spectacle the men's version is.  Not once did I see any of the ladies removing their 
 tops as part of a goal celebration.  Even worse, I didn't see any of the ladies exchanging tops with the opposing players at the end of any of the games.  

I was watching the ladies' tennis from Wimbledon.  There was a lot of noise coming from the lady tennis players.  I turned the sound down and switched on the subtitles  which looked like this, "Ooooooohhhhhh!".................."Eeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkk!"   "Ooooooohhhhhh!"....   .................."Eeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkk!"

I think it would be well neat if the cameras focused on the tennis audience so I could watch their heads sway side to side. 

If you're looking for info on, "Ukeleles", in your search engine, type, "uke hunt".  Now, go ahead, say, "uke hunt", out loud and note the reaction you get!