#Tesco

Hands up I am no expert on this. However I think shoppers should be able to make some basic assumptions when shopping at supermarkets.

1) Economies of scale apply. Buying a large jar of coffee should be relatively cheaper than buying a smaller one.

2) Buying multi packs will work out cheaper than buying single items.

3) Own brand is cheaper than branded items.

4) 3 for 2 or 2 for 1 offer a genuine saving rather than they just jack up the price of the single item to make it look better.

You can be sure of none of the above when shopping at Tesco. They play a manipulative and immoral pricing game to try and con the shopper. Gradually we are on to them and I am sure it is one of the reasons their corporate performance has dipped.

While I am having a go wouldn't be nice if their staff were genuinely helpful and engaged rather than pretending they are in a dreadful corporate way.

Knees - bless them

Have you ever wondered about your knees? What a fantastic bit of engineering they are - when you consider what they are expected to do over a life time. Is there anything man made that can compare.

I am deeply grateful to my knees - they have become old friends - have their own personalities - I know them well. Left knee is solid and reliable - ungrumbling - the quiet one. Right knee is a bit of an extrovert - likes to feature - can be a bit sulky but can be brilliant (all those crunching tackles and goals slotted home from distance - ha!) Bless the knees I have been given - they are so important and they have never let me down (mega mega touchwood!!).

Are you asking is there any point to this particular blog - yes I am coming to it now!

Aged 60 and still active (touchwood again!). I have played various sports all my life and continue to do so. My knees have never really given me any problems (touchwood) in a way that they have to many others. This could well be down to just good luck but have my own theories (not based on any medical knowledge whatsoever). Here they are.

First of all I understand my knee is a bone joint supported by cartilage and held together by elastic bands. The elastic bands are the crucial bit. If they are not strong and really elastic you get excessive joint wear or the elastic bands (ligaments - or is it tendons?) can fray or snap.

So you must keep your elastic bands in the best order. My methods -
1) I have always rubbed my knees before sports activity. Warming them up means they are more elastic - I am sure of that. It means they are less prone to over stretching and breaking.
2) There is no easy solution to this - using your knees strengthens them up. Periods of inactivity increases your chances of injury once you get going again.
3) Following on from 2) above what happens if you get an injury? Of course there might be a time when you your only sensible option is to stop. However my experience is if I play through aches and pains they have always got better. Certainly some people stop too soon - too often - the least little tweak. The effect of this is weaken your knee ligaments through inactivity and problems will surely come in the future.
4) I have always bought good quality shock absorber inserts for my sports shoes - particularly for the heel. I have no doubt pounding your knees on hard surfaces can be detrimental - so care with long distance running.
5) Different types of activity demands different things of your knees - think about that. I have found some cycling and breast stroke swimming exercise my knees in different ways and keeps the old ligaments more elastic than they might otherwise be. I do some regular bending - particularly on my haunches - at the end of exercise (ie when my knees are warm). I think skiing is the ultimate test of knees - and the reason so many people get knee injuries skiing is because the knees have not been given a chance to prepare and build up elastic resistance to all the unusual and exaggerated challenges they have to face.
6) My final observation - if my knees get a bit stiff in the mornings it means I have not been using them enough rather than I have been using them too much.

Ps I also think your knees like a bit of sun now and again!  

Time we save.

We oft hear "there aren't enough hours in the day" or "time is the enemy" or "I am up against the clock". Of course this can be true. It is the way we live our lives or the way we think we do or should do. However writing this is potentially stressful. What else do I have to do today? What else do I have to fit in?

I guess it makes sense to be as efficient as possible. The drive for efficiency to save time. No good meandering - or heaven for bid procrastinate because you don't feel like it today!

But my question - WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH ALL THIS TIME YOU ARE SAVING?

Anyway I can't stop now I am off fishing. Hold on I am ahead of the tide. Now what shall I do for the next half hour? I know I will go and smell the roses -ha!

The air that we breath

Almost every day I have an early morning bike ride. It is only about 4 miles and it is completely flat and gentle so not much aerobic exercise.The main virtue is it is along the sea front - some sea wall with no traffic at all - and some very quiet road with very limited traffic. Ozone levels are high, the sea smell strong - the skies big and the weather ever changing. I am very lucky to have the opportunity to start the day is such a wonderful way.

So each morning I fill my lungs with beautiful fresh air! But wait - if I am unlucky I might get passed by a car, worse a white van, very occasionally a lorry or bus. It is then you realise the pollution they are throwing out of their exhaust. By old standards no doubt vehicle emissions are much lower now. However the stark contrast between early morning fresh air and cycling through air just moved through by a vehicle - especially if it has just started up is incredible.

I am assuming as the day moves on the air we breathe is polluted more and more and the change caused by a passing vehicle becomes very much less apparent. We get used to the toxicity!!

Not very good is it! It must be detrimental to our long term health. It certainly must be damaging our planet when you consider the millions and millions of engines throwing out pollutants every minute for every hour of every day.

#English

Scots are Scots the Welsh are Welsh and the Irish are Irish. They are all proud of it and have their national identity including a stirring song that they play at the start of the 6 nations rugby for instance. They have their own parliament (assembly) of course. As an Englishman I feel a bit cheated. What identity do we have - what do we celebrate together? What are we proud of? What song do we play at the rugby to unite us - to stir us up? We have the National Anthem - which actually belongs to all four nations - and I have always felt - inappropriate for us to grab for ourselves. Anyway it does not do the job. I hope Englishness will reassert itself and the West Lothian question be properly dealt with after the Scottish referendum.

As an after thought - if we can develop and grow some true English passion our sorry footballers might do a bit better. We can hope!

The garden in your head

Victor Hugo wrote your mind is a garden. He described reading or writing as "doing some digging".

I like this notion. Expanding on it a bit - (I shall try and not take the analogy too far) - I think there is real pleasure - indeed joy, happiness and many other emotions to be gained from planting seeds in your mind, cultivating them and feeling them grow and develop.

Some people seem to have rather a barren garden. Very little interests them - they don't plant many seeds, don't invest much time or effort nurturing them and as a consequence there is little to bring them joy.

Some people plant just one seed and become obsessed with its care and development in a bonsai sort of way.Their joy lies in their focus.

Some like me have a  cottage garden going on in their mind - seeds planted everywhere - going in all directions. The garden can be all consuming - always needs a bit of tidying - but provides a constant source of mind food, perfume and pleasure. There are always new seeds to plant - ha!

More recently I have thought perhaps my cottage garden needs a bit more focus - maybe try and grow a few specimen plants - we shall see!

A final thought and dropping the garden analogy (work out how it fits in yourself!) - the more you know about something - generally the more interesting it becomes. I have just re watched Andy Murray's 2013 Wimbledon final triumph. Taken on its own a great match. However if you knew the journey he had been on to get there - right from the Dunblane massacre day - the sacrifices he had made - the desperate close losses and setbacks - the negative press he had suffered - the pressure he was under - the amazing guts and humility he showed - then it becomes not just a great match but something incredibly moving and wonderful and probably the greatest moment in sport ever. (he writes with a tear in his eye - the silly old fool!)

How to really enjoy your food

So many recipes - so many cooking techniques - so many ingredients - so many food outlets - but how do you really enjoy your food?

A simple technique. Here it is.

EAT WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY - BETTER STILL EAT WHEN YOU ARE RAVENOUS

I must remember this for the next Christmas dinner. All the effort that goes into planning it, sourcing it, cooking it, presenting it - but do I ever really really enjoy it? The honest answer is probably not as much as I hoped.

I know the reason - a special light breakfast -a glass of bucks fizz - preparing lunch - picking, tasting - a bit of this - one or two nice drinks - a few nuts - I will sample the turkey - taste the stuffing!

The big moment - I am not really hungry - certainly not ravenous.

Thinking about it - are you ever hungry over the christmas period? Do we really enjoy all the lovely goodies in the way we expect?

Time to try a new approach - but do I have the will power to listen to my own good advice ?!!

#Hijab

A while ago I had the pleasure of a days trek around the village of Imlil set in the foothills of the Atlas mountains - Morrocco.

I had a guide for the day - just me and L...I. He was a Berber and a devout Muslim. We spent 6/7 hours together walking and talking.

He was a lovely, gentle thoughtful man. Probably late 30's He was a family man - a wife and 2 young boys. He was gradually building a house in his village which would be big enough for his extended family which included his parents and eventually his wife's parents. He was not a sophisticated man and had not had much in the way of formal education. We agreed to chat freely and to be able to ask each other questions.

He explained to me that he had met his to be wife in Marrakesh. She was an Arab. (He explained that most Arabs consider Berbers to be inferior and Berbers consider themselves to be more devout Muslims).

He explained that when he first met his wife she was not "covered up." When they agreed to marry he explained that a condition of his proposal was she would "cover up" from thereafter - to wear a hijab etc.

I probed on this. His answers were simple and clear. A woman not covered up could not be respected - by him or any devout Muslim. She was to be his woman - for his eyes. Why should his wife be visible to any other man. Why would she want to be?

As I understand it covering up makes a woman devout in terms of Quran text. It certainly makes the husband happy. I have no idea how his wife feels. What is obvious though - by definition - devout Muslim men cannot truly respect western style women.

#England my solution

Another desperate night for English football and especially England's fans. Depression or is it exasperation - hangs over the country this morning. For me it is exasperation. I could do it better. Here is my plan, my approach :-

BASICS - and acknowledgement that

1. Football is less about tactics and systems than it is about attitude and teamwork and trust.
2. A boxer has his style and he tries to impose it on his opponent. Football is the same. It is about what we do.
3. Winning comes from competing harder - working harder. It is about effort and personal pride. In tournaments you need an FA Cup mentality and be up for it. We need tempo and intensity (more like when you are 1-0 down with five minutes to go!)
4. Players must play with freedom and spontaneity. There must be some joy in it.
5. Players play in their best position.
6. Choose players that create the right atmosphere in the changing room
7. A settled team - who know each other through playing together. Cut out all the chopping and changing and experimenting. There is an England team - players have to fight their way into it over time.

SIMPLE SET UP

• Four at the back - two fullbacks who can overlap.
• Four in midfield - including two wide men that can get forward. (Sterling/Lallana/Oxlade- Chamberlain) Two central midfielders who can tackle and spot a pass. Henderson/Gerrard/Carrick with Barkley/Wiltshire
• A central strike partnership - one big and bustling and good in the air (Lambert or Carrol (should have taken him) one nippy and clever. (Rooney or Sturridge)

SIMPLE TACTICS

• You have to shoot to score. What happened to the 25 yarder?
• Full backs and the midfielder in front of them work together/interchange - and try to get to the byline and pull balls back.
• Attackers look to go forward rather than play with their back to goal all the time.
• Big and little up front play off each other. The big guy competes in the air.
• We attack near post and far post from crosses and corners
• Central mid fielders role is up and down and cover for each other. One is typically a more defensive anchor.
• We are looking for threaded passes, knock ons from our big guy, and wall passes. It is all about turning defenders.
• We break with speed.
• Cut out all the risky and pointless passing along the back four.
• All throw ins to feet
• Wingers take the corners.

Ps I am available!

 

 

 

 

18/06/2014 Sunni and Shia - Catholics and Protestants

Sunni and Shia have been slaughtering each other for centuries, They are now embarking on another terrible round in Iraq.

What is amazing is they are both ardent followers of Islam and the Quran. They fundamentally believe in the same things. Everything they do is in the name of their religion - the same religion.

Their revered prophet is Muhammad - the argument - a political one - was/is who should succeed him as leader of their faith when he died in 632 - yes the 7th century! The political argument caused the schism that became Sunni and Shia.

The BBC article below sets out the background.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16047709

As someone who is fundamentally disgusted by the terrible things that have been done in the name of religion - Sunni and Shia seem to be up there as the most perverted - particularly as they are both followers of Islam.

However on reflection you think about Catholics and Protestants - same core religion - same perversion in the name of a Christian (good) god. Same potential to slaughter each other - to be cruel to each other - even to each others children. Same rotten sectarianism.

In reality (it seems to me)  to actually be about a grab for power - for influence and for wealth - for control of masses by an aspiring politicians defined as religious leaders. Sick.

17/06/2014 A terrible choice

Many countries - clearly most middle east countries are made up of sectarian groupings, religious groupings  or tribes that in reality seem to hate each other - or at least has the potential to turn to division, intolerance and hate very easily.

For years many of these countries have been held together by cruel and brutal regimes using despotic power to supress people almost entirely in a self serving way. Megalomania fostered privilege for a few and misery and random death and torture for the many. Economic progress was invariably non existent, wealth was squandered and individual freedoms denied. Often these regimes were associated with regional tensions and international threat. Iraq and Saddam, Gaddafi and Libya, Assad in Syria - Mubarak and Egypt etc etc

However despite all of the above you could argue these countries had some sense of order. There was not civil war or if there was it was quickly and brutally suppressed in a very effective way.

But the West is different. We have a system of democracy. We have imbedded institutions that ensure our freedoms under the law. We have free speech and religious tolerance. Woman and men are equal under the law. Our leaders are held accountable for their actions. Generally we have a higher standard of living.

Wouldn't it be a better world if all nations lived under our democratic model?

Can the democratic model ever work in countries so divided with so much enmity. Maybe social media has raised expectation beyond what is possible and the West must learn it cannot/should not try to export its values in expectation everyone will eventually live happy ever after. Perhaps all that can be done is live with the reality and let them get on with it providing they do not attack us.

Right now I would imagine many Iraqi's or Syrians would wish they had what they had before.

A terrible choice for them.

16/06/2014 People watching

 3 days at the IOW Festival. Not sure of the attendance this year - numbers up on last - maybe 70000 +. The festival crowd is pretty middle of the road - plenty of oldies too. I would guess just about everyone is in work or a student.

A few social observations :

At a time when there is much debate about intolerance you would be hard placed to find a more tolerant bunch of people. There is an unwritten festival code of course. Thousands of people milling around - going in all directions - picking through those sitting down, lying down, dancing around. In all the years I have been going I have never seen any nastiness. People are forgiving, considerate, polite and reasonable - even if they bang into you - ha! It sort of gives you hope that UK society can hang together despite those who are trying to cause division.

The battle against smoking has been won. A big generalisation - but by and large young people do not smoke. I think it might be a uncool to smoke now.

The battle against obesity is being lost! Shockingly so - and it seems so quickly and with no shame. There are plenty of overweight men - but can also see there is a man culture thing going on which is about the gym and working out. The girls however - so many seriously overweight. So many with no muscle tone - so much fat on display - because the girls are still wearing skimpy shorts. Actually it is quite incredible. It will be a hard road back for a lot of young ladies when they try and decide to do something about it. For now it seems it might to be cool to be fat in the world of laddish girls.

Something is going wrong with our food culture - not a pastie to be sold on the site! "Curly" fries though. Liquorice is weirdly a big seller it seems.

Ticket touts are a gruesome lot - scary. I would love to know how many they actually buy and sell and what sort of money they make. They always seem up against it.

Woman can dance - not many men can and look at ease.

It is easier to be a man at a festival. It is a scandal how long the queues are for the poor girls. (another down side of drinking pints!)

15/06/2014 Every day as if it is your last!

It is Sunday morning. I have survived two full days and nights at the brilliant IOW Festival - Red Hot Chilli Peppers last night - Kings of Leon tonight the last night.

I woke up in my own bed this morning - unlike the thousands of campers on site who woke up in a little tent. I have used a clean and comfortable bathroom and had a lovely shower and cup of coffee. The hardcore festival goer will have made their way to a porta loo, had a wash down with a wet wipe and maybe a warm can of beer.

Thankfully I have a clear head this morning and am feeling pretty vital. Many festival goers will have been partying all night and be hungover or at least highly jaded.

So I am feeling pretty smug.

But am I?

Haven't I really missed out on the true festival experience - not really part of the collective of being knackered and partied out in a Lands End to John O Groats sort of way.

I haven't lived each Festival day as if it was my last. Shame on me - or well done for exercising some sense and control - ha!

14/06/2014 a quote from Winston Churchill

If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain.

The harsh contrast between youthful idealism and the reality of life.

Being liberal minded might be admirable - might be high minded in theory. In reality society cannot function without controls because the deepest nature of the human being is to be self serving and self interested. A liberal attitude is so often exploited - too much faith in human nature.

On a similar note - Margaret Thatcher said - compassion is rarely enough. You have to earn it first before you can give it away. Not an idealistic comment but a practical one.

Another cynical but real observation - help is too often treated as weakness and the providers of charity exploited.Take the Tressel Trust or even  the benefits system more widely. It doesn't mean we should stop helping but it does mean we should not be naïve about it. The best help is to help people help themselves.

13/06/2014 G...........k is a good guy in a tough environment.

Dear G.......k,

We are now back in England after an amazing trip to Tanzania. We were so pleased to get to the top of Kilimanjaro. Thank you for all your help and for the brilliant support of your team. As you will remember we then went on to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro for a few days - we saw a  lot of animals and enjoyed it very much. We understand why you would like to move to the become a safari guide as you get older.

G........k while neither M..... or I are wealthy men we do recognise that in many ways it is easier for us in the west and you have worked very hard to get to where you have. You have many qualities that we admire and we would like to help you if we can.

We want you to understand that any help we can give is free to you and your family. We want or expect nothing in return other than a mutual respect and friendship. We are equals in this world and the fact we can send some money does not in any way mean we have or feel any sense of self importance.

So this is our thoughts :-

As most parents would, you want to give your daughter the best education you can and have been working towards that. We really respect your actions and like you feel education is vitally important for the future. 

We also understand you want to further increase your qualifications so you can become a Safari Leader (but this costs). We understand you feel you cannot afford to spend money on safari qualification courses and pay for your daughters schooling at the same time..

We would like to help with the cost of your daughters education in order to free up your money to pay for the Safari training.

This is what we have agreed to offer you.

We will send £xx per month each to your bank account on or around the 1st of each month. This will be £xx in total and should convert to about xxxTSH per month - xxxxxxxxTSH per year. We will continue to pay this figure until your daughter finishes school at the end of year 3.

This will mean you should have surplus money to go ahead with your safari training etc 

We will need your bank account details and will aim to start by 1st August latest. Now we have made this commitment you can rely on it.

Please ask any questions you have.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes from your friends

 

12/06/2014 Obesity and intelligence

I heard a Sales Manager give this account. He described himself (modestly) as decent looking and slim. He considered himself fit and intelligent and he was successful in his career. His job necessitated that he travelled a lot to see customers and he clocked up many thousands of motorway miles each year. Over a period of 5 years - his sedentary lifestyle, hotels and fast food meant he piled on the pounds year on year. It got to the point where he was defined as obese - even morbidly obese.

He observed with some disgust that people generally - even his customers - started to treat him differently as a "fat" person. He felt he was treated with less regard, less respect - to the point where he was treated as less intelligent. His sales figures and career prospects were negatively affected.

He saw this as unfair - judgemental and a symptom of how quick society is to categorise people.

A question to pose? Has society got it wrong?

Is it unintelligent, is it weak, is it slovenly to allow yourself to get  seriously fat? Are people right to regard you as some sort of failure - someone who defies all good and well meaning medical advice to indulge a weak character?

He claims he has now sorted himself out and has shed many stones. I don't know if he is happier or if his career is back on track. He certainly should be healthier and his good lady is likely to be happier at least!

11/06/2014 Unpacking - the art of being tidy - we are all different.

I am in the middle of the grotty job of unpacking bags from my 2 week trek. On to washing, folding and restowing for next time! Over the years I have recognised this sort of exercise is not a strong point of mine (and it has more to it than just the assumed ability to be lazy or procrastinate.) We have all worked with people whose desk is always tidy and ordered - there are others whose desk never looks ordered even after it has been tidied. Some people are clumsy some people are not.We can strive to improve, we can learn to improve.We should no doubt. However my contention is these things are fundamentally in our nature. There is no right or wrong way. It throws up interesting and potentially challenging issues regarding relationship compatibility. One tidy - one not, can offer plenty to laugh at - it doesn't have to matter - but it can be exasperating - a source of friction - so those starting out be aware is my advice. Maybe go camping first before you choose to live together - ha!

10/06/2014 religion in state schools

There is a divisive storm brewing over alleged "trojan horse" tactics employed by motivated Islamists in a number of Birmingham state schools.

Here is my take :-

• It is an absolute and fundamental freedom to be able to pursue your religion or not pursue any religion at all.
• If we allow state schools to be "church schools" which we do - Church of England, Catholic, Jewish - then it follows there can be Islamist schools without complaint.
• We increasingly live in a secular society. We live in a multi faith society.
• Children are vulnerable to undue influence and indoctrination.
• We must strive to acknowledge differences and live and let live without bigotry or feeling threatened. The state agenda through state funded schools should be to instil a general liberal (small l) attitude of peace and reconciliation with an underlying theme based on "british" values and particularly "british" institutions.

The only way I can see this can be achieved is to remove religion tags from ALL state schools. State funded schools should follow a "national curriculum" which teaches understanding and respect for all religions and non believers.

 

The state should play no role in pedalling a particular set of beliefs. Its role should be to influence the development of well rounded, well adjusted young people who can go forward into the world with a sense of intellectual freedom, tolerance and respect for their fellow citizen.

 

 

 

9/06/2014 Back from Tanzania

9/06/14 Back from an amazing and wonderful two week trip to Tanzania in which time my brother Mike and I scrambled to the top of  Kilimanjaro and completed a short safari to Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater. The trip was focused around my landmark 60th birthday which has now past. In many ways our experiences were significant to us and a lot to reflect on. Here are some photos to prove we got there!