Category: Retirement

Dec 26th

12/26/2013

www.bbc.co.uk

Japanese history lessons barely cover the facts about WW2. Read one Japanese woman's startling facts about the few references to the event in her country from BBC. She left Japan at 14 years to continue her education in Australia. In Japan, only 19 of the history book's 357 pages dealt with events between 1931 and 1945. From Homo erectus to the present day - more than a million years of history are covered in just one year of lessons.

For instance, the Nanjing Massacre: A six-week period of bloodshed, after the Japanese captured of the city in December 1937. The International Military Tribunal for the Far East set up after WWII, estimated more than 200,000 people were killed, including many women and children. Dispute over the scale of the atrocity remains a sticking point in Chinese/Japanese relations. Some Japanese question whether a massacre even took place.

She said that students have no time to dwell on a few pages of war violence even if they read them in their textbooks. Now, Japan's Asian neighbors—especially China and South Korea—accuse the country of glossing over its war atrocities.

Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has criticized China's school curriculum for being too "anti-Japanese". He wants to change how history is taught, and is considering revising Japan's 1993 apology over the comfort women (prostitutes or slaves) issue. If and when that happens, Japan's Asian neighbors might raise a huge stir. And yet, many Japanese have no clue why. It seems to me that war, brings about more war, which continues on and on and on.

Yet times of tumult make the best stories. Consider the great emotions stirred during the American Revolution and WW2 in films like Gone With The Wind and Casablanca.

My husband and I watched both epic productions yesterday, as those of us without family are prone to do.

Gone With The Wind lasted over 4 hours. I don't remember most of it. Perhaps I'd previously seen a version where whole sections were cut. What a great story of human love and selfishness, emotional hardness and sacrifice. Every human sentiment the characters displayed tore at my heart. And all that killing. I don't know if the end justified the great cause of ending slavery. Hope I got my facts right and that's what the civil war was trying to achieve.

Casablanca showed a time when the Germans were marching into Morocco in 1942, the year of my birth. My husband and I both had the wrong idea about its location. I thought it was East Africa, and he said Close to Portugal. Casablanca is actually on the coast below Portugal in the West of the African continent. The great stars acting in the movie showed love, bitterness and sacrifice. What a classic.

War. Everyone needs to learn the correct facts, which could be hard long after the events occurred. Perhaps knowledge will prevent further aggression, suffering and hardship. I doubt it, though.

Dec 25th

12/25/2013

Some people are lonely this Christmas. Their family may be far away, part of a dimly remembered past. Those without a home will have no chance to read this message. Worldly goods won't be part of their belongings. I only hope they find some comfort on this day.

People working for the Salvation Army do a wonderful job in caring for anyone living on the streets. They don't judge, but understand the frail mental, emotional, and physical condition of the people they contact. I wish I could adopt the same attitude. I'm working on it. How about you?

In the latest news, the police fund gave £50,000 to food banks in West Yorkshire out of money raised from stolen property.

The commissioner said: "As Christmas approaches more and more families are struggling to make ends meet and the reliance on food banks has become a reality.

"This money will help those food banks in the areas of greatest need to buy more supplies as the festive season draws closer and into the New Year.

"This donation will go some way to addressing the needs of families and hopefully contribute towards easing the pressure on those in our communities in these increasingly difficult times.

I remember my childhood in Australia. The Salvation Army would march to my street and play music. My sisters and I would join the crowd to listen to their message of peace and understanding. Times were hard in the 50s, but we knew no other life.

We should never take what we own for granted. Who knows what's around the corner. 'But for the grace of God, go I'.

Dec 21st

12/21/2013

www.express.co.uk

After more computer problems caused a two-day delay in posts, I'm back, shaken and stirred. Not only did I hand out money I can little afford to a technician to set Ciboxer to rights, I learned that in April next year, Windows XP will no longer be supported. I'm considering the purchase of a reconditioned Windows 7, which is half the price of Windows 8. Although the cost is hard to bear, the computer is one of my main reasons for motivation. It keeps my mind active and enables me to write and publish books.

You might not be at my stage of life, but, believe me, focusing on a goal is just as important as keeping the mind vital. Another is working out a daily crossword.

One hundred years ago the first proto-crossword appeared in the New York World newspaper on December 21st 1813. Since then, millions of people have chewed pencils, jotted down letter clues on a separate sheet of paper and stared into space.

Apparently, the crossword is the secret of keeping readers happy. The newspaper can alter their politics and even get their facts wrong, but they should never mess about with the crossword. Each time a clever puzzle-setter has tried to vary the style, readers have responded with anger—or stopped buying the paper altogether. Many people turn straight to the crossword and toss the rest aside unread.

www.express.co.uk

72% of British adults solve the puzzles, with around three in 10 attempting a crossword at least once a week. My husband and I do it together every day. He makes a start as part of his daily routing and then hands it on to me. If incomplete, I attempt to fill in the missing words. We slap hands when it's finished—a team effort which brings us closer.

I'm new to the world of crosswords, never finding the time or inclination before. In fact, I never played games—and I guess a puzzle falls under that heading.

Physical newspapers are declining, but the humble crossword puzzle might save them by being one of the few features to benefit from taking physical form. By the time the copies arrive at the kiosk, the news may be out of date but the grids are there—original, interactive, brimming with challenge—waiting to be filled. This could be the one reason to keep printed newspapers alive.

Indulging in this game may not set the world to rights, but it keeps every mind alive no matter what your age and is particularly good for the elderly—like me and my man.

Do you set your mind toward solving the crossword puzzle?

Dec 14th

12/14/2013

www.bubblews.com

Do you measure your success by what you own? Answer truthfully. What about your car, your house, and what you eat and wear? What about getting everything just right for Christmas? Buying more and more? First, let's define what success means. The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted. The gaining of fame or prosperity. Most of us can discount the latter.

The prosperous wife of the head of the Bank of England recently suggested we should all dress in organically produced clothing rather than wear a second skin of poisonous synthetics. Her selection includes jeans made from cotton grown in an organic way. The extra cost is worth it, she says. While I agree, some of us don't have the extra funds to use in this way.

In a recent survey, more than 16,000 people were asked whether they agreed with the sentence: ‘I measure my success by the things I own’. Out of 20 countries, people in the UK were ranked third least concerned with material things. Only 16 per cent of British respondents said yes - with only Spain, at 15 per cent, and Sweden, at 7 per cent, coming lower.

China was top, followed by India and Turkey. The survey found that 71 per cent of Chinese and 58 per cent of Indian people polled said they measured their status by what they owned.

www.cashartblog.com

I measure my success by the lessons learned from experience. I began life as an optimistic child and grew into a presentable woman who took whatever life offered as a right. I never had to earn praise, or nice clothes or attention. Over the years, I've learned to understand how hardship affects other people—how their outlook is governed by circumstances—and how everyone needs encouragement.

Now, I don't belittle myself because I've lost my beauty, my ability to walk straight and tall, or my lack of money to maintain a good standard of clothing. I wear the same old outfits, let my hair grow long and treasure the support of my husband during our maturing years.

How do you measure your success?

Dec 10th

12/10/2013

blogs.independent.co.uk

A panel of experts has found that changes are needed to improve the treatment of laboratory animals at one of the UK's leading animal research centers, the Imperial Collage. The report boiled down to the need for more communication between animal care staff and scientists, who failed to work together efficiently to prevent animal suffering.

It breaks my heart to hear about the needless agony of animals. I'd do away with all such experiments if I could. Just Google 'animal experimentation' images to see the horror of it all.

Around the world, people are still fighting wars, taking others into slavery, abusing children, suffering injustice, fleeing from their country to seek refuge elsewhere, preying on others, and committing crimes.

What can a person who is lucky enough to be living free do about changing the social circumstances in a foreign country? As far as I can see, we can only offer sympathy to those who are oppressed and concentrate on our immediate surroundings. As in: Love thy neighbor.

Gone is the time when I could have made a difference. Only my writing will endure. Even that's not certain. The cloud could vanish along with technology and paperbacks could be swept away in a flood. The end of the year when I've blogged every day is drawing to a close. At the moment, I'm undecided about carrying on with a daily blog of views on news.

But I've lived a glorious life.

As an Australian teenager in the 50s, I watched spellbound while Elvis Presley sang about the warden throwing a party in a county jail in America. Even prisoners could break free to sing and dance in the jailhouse. Teenagers everywhere stepped out of their social constrictions and became a driving force to change social order from the strict moral code. From then on, youth took on importance.

I've travelled in a luxury caravan with my family around Australia in the 70s, looking for a perfect spot to live 'back to the earth' and found what I sought at my own front door. I've lived an artistic life-style, branched out on my own, travelled the world, moved to England and settled in a small cottage overlooking a field. Even now in the pink morning mist, paddocks sweep up to tree-covered hillsides and horsed graze in peace.
Hard times and good blend in my memory to make the perfect concoction.

What assessment can you make of your life?

Nov 26th

11/26/2013

www.telegraph.co.uk

Part of being human is to be born, to live, and to die. The years we spend living are the most interesting. Barring an accident, everyone will grow old. No argument. So why not take action while you're young to ensure your later years are healthy? Rather like taking an insurance policy or a fund for your retirement.

One of the most important things to consider is exercise, which cuts the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and depression.

In a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine of people at or abound retirement age, those of the 3,500 healthy participants who took up exercise were three times more likely to remain healthy over the next eight years than their sedentary peers.

People who took up exercise in their 60s were also less likely to struggle with day-to-day activities such as washing and dressing. Some experts suggest the over 70s should take up sport. Rather than slowing down, people should try to keep up. More and more pensioners are taking up ballet, according to the Royal Academy of Dance. It is putting the phenomenon down to the popularity of TV programs like Strictly Come Dancing. The best thing to do is to keep moving when you are elderly.

I hope my 10 minute daily walk uphill and back counts as enough exercise. I certainly breathe hard and stretch my legs even though I'm supported by the handles of a rollator. Unfortunately, my hips were malformed at birth. Now after 4 operations, I'm having difficulty walking.

www.getawaygrey.com

I washed my hair last night. I've got to confess, my long hair is hard to manage. It nearly touches my waist now and I find drying the long strands awkward. Because my hair's naturally dry, I only wash it every two weeks. For me, that's enough. But now, with the length hard to manage, I'm considering having it cut. Why not sell my hair like Jo in Little Women?

Bloomsbury of London says on their site: We are constantly in need of hair whether it being to repair wigs or to make wigs that can help people who suffer from hair loss. They say the bottom 2 - 4" might be useless with dry or split ends so the length needs to be 10" of usable hair.

On another site, I found some tips for keeping your locks healthy before you sell it:

    Regular trims will keep broken and split ends away (trimming every six to eight weeks is best, but remember not too much!)

    Remember healthy body = healthy hair. Make sure to get your calcium and protein for strong hair

    Wash out all product from your hair at night, there are loads of chemicals in them that dry out your hair

    Give up your hair dryers, curling irons or flattening irons, hairspray and other styling products now! These dry hair out and cause hair breakage and split ends

    Instead of blow drying, towel dry

    Braid your hair overnight and in the morning you’ll have lovely waves without any of the damage curling irons will cause

    Though you might be tempted, don’t brush your hair more than twice daily and use a high quality vent brush when you do

    Oils like rosemary oil, cedar wood oil, juniper berry oil, and lavender oil will help lock-in your hair’s moisture. At night apply the oil, braid your hair and you’ll be moisturising your hair. This way it won’t be breaking while you sleep

    Go au natural – Beer and egg whites make excellent hair conditioners.

Okay. My hair is long, strong and full of body. My diet is good and I take calcium tablets to keep my bones strong. I'm hovering. To sell or not to sell? That is the question.

Nov 25th

11/25/2013

www.scandanavian-hiking.com

I'm in pain today. My agony isn't something that a pill would fix. It's caused by accumulated operations and time, one compacting on the other until there's nothing left of what should have been a beautiful, but aging, body.

I wonder how life treated older people from the past. Perhaps allowing nature to take its course would be better than this lingering half-life. My mind's still active, so I won't explore that avenue any further. At least I can entertain myself by writing. And I can luxuriate in my husband's company, knowing that very few partners are still together in their seventies.

A crackling cave fire sending out fingers of warmth sounds appealing. Just sit in shelter and allow others to find the food. I could pound grain and watch the children in their absence rather than be a burden to the others of my group. But, is this cozy picture one of reality?

www.theguardian.co.uk

Research presented to the Royal Society in London, shows a group of Neanderthals killed and ate their fellow ancient humans, including young children. Using modern forensics techniques, including DNA analysis, the researchers found that 12 Neanderthals, all from the same family, had been eaten by their peers. Remains, discovered at the El Sidrón cave system, near Asturias, in north western Spain, included the bones of three female and three male adults, three teenage boys and three children aged between two and nine-years-old.
According to the findings, the people were eaten raw during one sitting.

Did they run out of game to hunt? Where was their cozy fire? Maybe they were in a hurry. The most astounding thing is that modern man's moral code has changed. On the whole. Discounting murderers.

But, I'm happy with my life. I love what I do—love sharing my stories with you. During no other time on earth, has one isolated woman been able to contact so many other people.

And now, a story. Here's a short excerpt from Knights in Dark Leather, my co-written post-apocalyptic novel, which is the second in line from the Higher Ground Series shown on the right sidebar.

Chapter Forty-Two

Cerridwen opened her eyes and felt stronger. Time to face her fear. The best way to handle her capture might be to try to fit in until a chance to leave arose. Smoke and steam from the cooking pot rose into the central shaft of the underground room. She swung her legs over the edge of the cot and walked towards the fire. "Can I help you with something, Tina?" she asked the old woman with speckled white skin.

"Not today, dear. It's all taken care of. I've made a nice pot of stew vegetables with some roots that Ginny brought back yesterday."

"Smells good." A rasping croak attracted Cerridwen's attention. She swung around. A black bird perched on a tree branch stuck into the ground. "Oh, who are you?"

The crow opened its beak. "Crawk."

Tina laughed. "That's our pet, Fortuna. She broke her wing a year ago. The men wanted to twist her neck and put her out of her misery. But I couldn't let them. She can't fly, but she keeps me company."

"Crawk!" Fortuna hopped from the perch.

"Oh," Tina said. "She doesn't do that very often."

Fortuna waddled towards the centre of the room. Cerridwen squatted and called, but the bird just gave her a quick sideways glance and moved on, glancing up every now and again.

"Anyway," Tina continued. "Ever since she recovered, we've prospered. The earth provides more nourishment for us, and animals are much easier to catch. Fortuna is our good luck."

One for sorrow. Cerridwen had heard a rhyme about black birds once, probably during one of her vivid dreams. "She's beautiful. And what a pity she can't fly anymore."

Nov 19th

11/19/2013

Esther Rantzen, a mature television presenter, has set up a helpline for lonely pensioners. And with Christmas approaching, Miss Rantzen is only too aware that this is the loneliest time for some of the UK’s 10 million people now over 65. With this in mind she is rolling out The Silver Line, a 24-hour helpline service aimed at elderly people who are struggling to cope with loneliness, nationally on Monday November 25. Having successfully set up the ChildLine telephone service, for worried children, Miss Rantzen knew providing a similar service for the elderly would prove just as helpful.

But it's not just at Christmastime that elderly people feel a sense of loss. All year round, many people struggle daily to find some purpose in their lives, especially those without close family ties. The Silver Line has been running for a year, but now the service is to be set up nationwide.

Talking about her decision to set up the service she said in a new interview with the Radio Times: ‘Recently I received a letter from Ellen, clearly a clever woman who has brought up a family and held a responsible job, and yet who feels that in her old age “my days are pointless and I’m a waste of space”.

‘Reading it, I felt a surge of anger. Something must be done to assure our older population that they are valued. We must reach out to them, link them back into their communities, and convince them that older people are a resource, a national treasure. There must be no sell-by date, no moment when older people become rubbish to be discarded, thrown away. Loneliness is, according to the Department of Health, as dangerous physically as smoking or obesity. Mentally and emotionally, it is utterly destructive.

‘This is the generation that does not readily ask for help. They don’t want to be a burden. Loneliness is a creeping enemy, it isolates, erodes confidence, until it becomes more and more difficult to step outside the front door.’

Each one of us had a mother and a father. If they were good to us, we know how precious they are—how irreplaceable. My parents lived to their mid. 80s and I'd abandoned them in Australia when I left for England. My siblings took good care of them, and I wrote on a regular basis. I'm forever grateful that I took a trip back to see them one last time before they died.

But, now I'm facing a time of uncertainty in my later years. Separated from family and the grandchildren I never had a chance to know, I'm redundant. Despite living with the disability of not being able to walk without pain, I write, which gives me a sense of fulfillment. You'll see my published books on the sidebar. I've vowed to never have another operation—they go wrong. Besides that, what is the point at my age? I'm not a working member of society. I won't bother a busy doctor with my disturbing weakness. My husband takes care of me—at the moment. I'd rather not face what will happen in the future if he should be struck down.

Bravo to Esther Rantzen for setting up this Silver Line for all those people who feel alone and just need to talk to someone. I don't know what it's like in your country, but I hope you appreciate all the knowledge that an older person can share, given encouragement.

Nov 18th

11/18/2013

Doris Lessing, the Nobel Prize-winning author has died aged 94.

At the age of 30, she began writing for a profession, although her debut novel The Grass is Singing was not published until 1950. She made her breakthrough with The Golden Notebook in 1962.

Born in 1919, Doris Lessing's best-known works include The Golden Notebook, Memoirs of a Survivor and The Summer Before the Dark.

The Swedish Academy said the Golden Notebook was seen as "a pioneering work" that "belongs to the handful of books that informed the 20th Century view of the male-female relationship". On winning the Nobel Prize, the Swedish Academy described Lessing as an "epicist of the female experience, who with skepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilization to scrutiny".

The content of her other novels ranged from semi-autobiographical African experiences to social and political struggle, psychological thrillers and science fiction. Harper Collins published her last novel, Mara and Dann, in 1999, which makes her 80 years old at the time.

She became the oldest winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature when in 2007 she won the award for her life's work aged 88.

The figures add up to fifty years of writing, in itself, a remarkable feat. I made a late start so I'll never achieve a similar target. Nor will I reach such heights of acclaim. My first book, Still Rock Water, on the sidebar at the right, begins with the relationship between a domineering man and woman who wants to please, who believes that everything she does will influence someone for the better and that a vow should never be broken. Yet, fete separates her from all she holds dear.

Writing runs in my family. Random Romance, a branch of Random House, will publish my sister, Virginia Taylor's first novel, available next month.: Dr. No Commitment. Virginia is the clever one of three sisters. She's charming, witty and sensible, whereas I acted the role of nonconformist. Virginia worked toward acquiring an agent, who submitted her work to various publishers. At the same time, Virginia received acclaim from many writing competitions. But, if we were all the same, it would be a dull world.

Gone are the days when someone could be described like Doris Lessing as 'an uninhibited and outspoken novelist who shattered convention, embarking on dizzying and at times stultifying literary talent.' Rest in peace, sister in spirit.

Nov 16th

11/16/2013

www.mirror.co.uk

The coldest weather of the year so far is about to hit parts of the country in UK as Arctic winds bring flurries of snow and widespread frost, with temperatures dipping as low as -3C. The weather is expected to be picturesque rather than cause serious disruption. However, long-range forecasters predict a horror winter ahead in Britain with months of freezing winds and heavy snow.

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Maya Angelou

Okay. We've established we can't change the weather. What can we do to alter our attitude? Enjoy the diversity of nature. Look forward to the next season when buds form on bare branches. Most of all, appreciate the warmth and security of our home. There are so many people in the world right now who lack basic protection from the elements.

Despite this, there's a chill in my heart. I've blogged every day this year in the hope that my readers will appreciate my writing and choose to buy one of the five books displayed in the sidebar of my page. Four hours a day have been wasted with a goal I couldn't reach. Perhaps I should shift my perspective. Or stop blogging and concentrate on writing with these spare hours. I have three more books waiting to be edited.

I ask you, dear reader; has your curiosity been aroused enough to take a look at the first novel, Still Rock Water? Solstice Publishing have placed the novel in their paranormal category—and rightly so. It's also a love story. A tale about how a woman conquers her insecurities to find the strength lying inside. How a woman can subjugate herself for the sake of someone she loves. How she can never help that person unless he wants her to. And how positive thinking can influence so much more than we know.

You can see it on Amazon and take a peek inside here. Click on my name there and you'll see my bio and list of books.

Francene,

who wishes her time on earth wasn't drawing nearer at such an alarming rate, who needs to stay alert to achieve each goal, and who cares about you.

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Author

Francene Stanley, author of many published novels. If you like my writing, why not consider purchasing one of my books? You'll see them on the sidebar below.
Born in Australia, I moved to Britain half way through my long life.