26 September 2008

26/ 9/2008

THE way I see the world is that it’s like a big house (the world) with lots of rooms (countries) in it. Each room has a parent (government) to look after and maintain not only the room but the families who live in it.

The parent has to be wise and mature and lead so that the families can learn by example. They must also be good at housekeeping (economy) so that each family has all its basic needs that will allow each branch of the family tree to look after itself by working for a living and putting something back into the family coffers (treasury). Then, the wise parent of the room can continue to improve the living conditions and maintain a healthy household for each new generation.

And when there are problems, as there always are in big communal houses, the parents have a set of rules and regulations that the family must abide by so that they can all live alongside one another, in peace.

As always, some rooms will be in better shape - better than others because the parents have decorated the rooms nicely and made sure the basic infrastructure is working.

When the parents of the poorly administered rooms fail to look after their families then a better set of parents are voted in on the basis of what they will do better for the families than the previous bad parents.

The one criteria which is necessary to be a parent is that they need to be fair and not show favouritism. And whilst everyone is regarded as equal we all know that some are more equal than others and some are less than equal but a good parent doesn’t differentiate and rewards each on merit.

But this is utopia and utopia, meaning nowhere; doesn’t exist. It doesn’t exist because perfection is impossible and no one is perfect. However, it is possible for the parents to do for the families what is best for all concerned when things go wrong. This is why they need to be prudent and be able to handle crisis and disruption and deal with it as any loving parent will do in order to preserve the family unit. After all, it’s not the problem as such that causes the trouble because in time the problem disappears. What matters more than the problem is the way you come out of it. And if you come out of it stronger and intact as a family then it’s testament to the skills of the parent.

I just wish we had such a parent in our room here in the UK as they have in the promise of Sarah Palin in America. What an inspiration she is for a country that has gone to great and corrupted lengths to produce squeaky clean candidates who have been laundered that many times they resemble plastic dolls with wind-up keys attached to their backs like those old fashioned tin toys from years ago.

Not so Sarah Palin. This is a woman with which every wife and mother can identify with the exception of women in politics. ‘She’s anti-Washington and anti-politics … her politics are horrendous’ says one female UK politician who is very obviously troubled by this real woman. Keep wearing the lipstick Sarah, you are right to be proud of your family and go rattle those pots and pans in the corridors of power and bake a whole new, fresh American Pie.

ACOUPLE of weeks ago I received a statement from my gas and electric suppliers telling me that my monthly payments were going up from £75 to £125.

This was a shock enough for me to start palpitating and wonder where on earth was I going to get this kind of money from. And no matter how hard I tried to work out ways of economising further than what I already am doing there was no way I could afford this massive increase in my fuel bill. In desperation I ‘phoned the company and told them I really thought this increase was extortionate considering that I do not have my heating on excessively, not even in the bedrooms because I can’t stand overheating. I only have the immersion heater on for two half hour periods per day and use the economy cycles on the washer maybe twice a week.

After going through various checks, etc, the lady from the utility company explained that she would need a meter reading because the last time they were read was last January. ‘Er … not so’ said I with certainty. I could remember with clarity the two occasions since January when the meters were read and I could even describe the last person to read the meter which was not all that long ago. I arranged to ‘phone her back after I’d read the meters. It was only after I’d struggled to get access to the electric meter (because of where it is) that I realised this was why the meter readers were not actually reading the meter and putting my address down as not having gained access.

With great relief the current reading showed that I had not used half the power they had estimated and my monthly payments were decreased by just under £10. It’s a massive difference from the £125 they originally demanded but the worrying thing is if I hadn’t ‘phoned to question it they would have just happily taken the money and not given a thought about it.

The moral of this story is to always question and make sure the meter readers are actually reading the meters.

JOYCE Barker nee Aspinall who now lives in Ontario, Canada has contacted me via email to say how much she enjoyed reading Golden Voices when she was over here a couple of weeks ago visiting family and friends.

Joyce wrote to say what a memory jolt it was to read about ‘The Palais’ and how she too began to recall the ‘nick names’ of the lads that even I’d forgotten about. Curley Owen, Nipper and Jimmy ‘the weed’.

‘What a great era’ says Joyce, as has everyone who has been in contact concerning Newton Heath Palais. Joyce wants to say hello to Margaret Riley, Veronica Greenough, Gladys Jones, Mavis Trelford, Pearl Galvin and Val Dean.

It’s going to be a fantastic afternoon of nostalgia not only for the jivers from the Palais but also for you Golden Voices readers who I can’t wait to meet. The list of ticket reservations is growing by the day.

Tickets are now on sale at the Music Hall on Church Sreet, Newton Heath. You can get in touch for tickets by ‘phoning 0753-317-3487. As well as the ticket reservation list I’ve now got a list of names to be read out for people who live abroad who want to be mentioned and connect with people who might remember them. I think we’re going to have to have a ‘Get in Touch’ board at the ‘do’. Can’t wait.

MONDAY 29 September starts the week-long events celebrating the Manchester Full of Life Festival which the Valuing Older People partnership has organised.

It promises to be a fantastic week with everything under the sun on offer for people of a certain age to enjoy and feel part of a vibrant older Mancunian community. For information of events in your area contact Rachel York 0161-234-3547.

I’ve resigned myself to accepting the fact that my cuckoo in its clock has retired or given up the fight. He appeared last Thursday night at seven O’clock and I haven’t seen sight nor sound of him since, Amen.