In the scheme of things many people would consider me to be quite a poor man, well perhaps not too well off should we say. I’ve had many health issues in the last few years, and was really forced into early retirement, much against my will and judgment. There were many times when I felt very sorry for myself and I was very depressed for a while. I got over that by writing poetry. It helped me to say things I wouldn’t normally voice. I know my poems are far from being of epic quality, though I have had a few published, but the important thing is that far from being depressed now, I found that getting all that rubbish off my chest helped it disappear. I write a little too. Never underestimate the power of expressing your thoughts. The way you do it is for you to decide.

With a family who care about me, who have helped me when I was ill and down, and who love me precisely because I am me, I feel very lucky.

I have books, both physical and ebooks, music that is both physical and streamed via the internet, and some amazingly nice and interesting people I’ve come into contact with using social media platforms. I encounter birds and wildlife, that is always there wherever I travel. I had a wonderful wife, fabulous children, one of whom we lost to cancer sadly, and grandchildren, a sister whom I love, and some lovely friends.

Actually, I’m rich. I’m more rich than I could ever have imagined possible. For that I am very happy and very grateful in equal measure.

©JoeW 2024

It wasn’t the first time, nor do I expect it to be the last, but the attack last Thursday night was as bad as any before, and worse than many. It was thought to be a classic heart attack or myocardial infarct to be precise. Fortunately, this time it was a bad angina attack. No less painful, but not quite so serious.

I won’t bore you with the details as they may have happened to any one of you in your lives too, but I will tell you about the amazing love that reached out to me to help. It came firstly and not surprisingly from my family, who all gathered round, some physically, others just emotionally to help. Then it came from my friends in the village where Daphne and I live. All want to help. It also however, came in waves of caring and loveliness across the social network, particularly from @natyblooming and @pooblemoo both of whom have given me lovely boosters to help me feel better.

Guys! I managed a lot better with your wonderful help.

Kisses to my wife and a big thank you all.

©JRW2013

As I get older I find that what I thought would be a lifetime of wisdom comes not to me as I expected it would, as and when necessary, but after the moment to highlight my wisdom has passed. This serves two purposes I believe. On the one hand it let’s me realise that I am not always as clever as I like to think I am, whereas on the other hand it also gives me the peace and quiet born of people not bothering to ask my opinion on things and go getting me all riled up when they disagree with me. It therefore serves as a balance between sense and nonsense.

I see this as a benefit on many levels. It means as I said, that I don’t often get asked for an opinion, but it also leaves me plenty of time to spend my retirement mulling over things. I’ve mulled over politics, and let me tell you, a lot of mulling is necessary there.

The selfish group currently in charge, don’t seem to know what they’re doing at all. They seem only to be interested in other people like themselves who have lots of money and land, and who don’t care for seemingly less important folk.  This will prove to be their undoing of course, it always does. The Chancellor cuts at the middle income bracket with a scalpel, the poor are getting poorer, people aren’t getting proper pay rises when business leaders and bankers are getting huge bonuses. They themselves are still putting in massive expenses claims. The NHS is in chaos. Schools are falling apart. We have a rail system that should be getting all of the investment that is scheduled for HS2, which should scrapped. We would then have a good rail system.

A leader not having the courage to say to his backbenchers that it is now far too late to come out of Europe, and that we should be getting the very best we can out of our partnership there, is heading for replacement, certainly after the next election. This goes for his coalition partner too. He led his party into a get into a government at all costs situation that will haunt that party for decades. The time is here for the other main party to rise up and take control. Have they got a leader with courage? We shall see. He is burdened with having been elected from a strong union vote when the party would have voted in another. Can he shed that yolk? He is trying, but we’ll see.

This is just my opinion of course, which as I said, people don’t ask me for very often. Maybe this is why. Who knows! I don’t care too much, I’m busy mulling something else over. Life’s too short and there are too many things to mull over to spend too long on one mull.

©JRW2013

When I look back I remember children running over the fields without a care in the world
I remember not going home till Mother had called to say that tea was ready
They were innocent times, and yet, we were aware of things around us
Things that adults rarely spoke of, things that were bad and dangerous to children.
Some men’s, for it was almost always men’s, behaviour towards us was questioned
Usually answered by that person never being spoken of again
But them sometimes being seen about looking battered and bruised

That is when innocence disappears.

It’s good that this behaviour is full on in the arena for discussion and comment
And that such evil men are finally being brought to face the consequences of their actions
I was fortunate in a way, in that it happened to me only once.
I was approached in the town where I live when I was seven years old and had wandered I suppose
I was terrified when a man called me to help him in an alley way and then undid his trousers
I screamed and ran off, my elder brother and father chasing the man and giving him a thumping
It was how people handled things back then, probably a mistake as nothing was solved.

Fortunately the human condition dictates that we will never be satisfied,
and what went around then is coming around now.

©JRW2013