Following reading Rowland White's book thePhoenix Squadron and at the suggestion of my cousin Glynis, plus my interest in the subject, I obtained a copy of Rowland White's previous book, Vulcan 607.

This book gripped me from the outset, telling the story of when in 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, which Britain held sovereignty since 1833, having taken over from the Spanish, who were sold the islands by the French for £250,000 in 1767, who had  claimed the islands for themselves in 1764. Argentina regarded the Falklands as theirs, calling them Las Islas Malvinas.

The military junta of Argentina saw the return of the Falklands as strengthening moral of their country and planned to take Las Islas Malvinas with a quick invasion, especially as Britain had only a small garrison to guard the islands, and anyway, Britain was relinquishing sovereignty to other countries within their Empire.

An Argentinian entrepreneur and scrap metal merchant jumped the gun on the junta before they could finalise plans, by landing on the Falklands for its' rich pickings of old whaling ships and equipment. The result was a hasty invasion by Argentina, and a British reply of "no the Falklands are ours".

It was decided by the British Government that the sovereignty of the Falklands would stay in British hands, and despite many days of the USA trying diplomatic means to solve the problem, war broke out.

Britain assembled a task force of naval ships, and the army to send down to the southern hemisphere, and the RAF were tasked with a special mission to show Britain meant business, to show that Argentina were vulnerable to strikes by British Forces, and to have the Argentina junta having to redeploy their forces to protect their mainland.

The result was the longest ever bombing flight ever undertaken at that date.

This well researched book tells the story of how the RAF undertook the task, the training, the modification of old soon to be scrapped Vulcan planes, the operation itself.


Avro Vulcan bomber of the RAF
I was gripped by the story, better than a action fiction book, with true heroism throughout, as the story unfolded. I practically read the book in one sitting.

Yes it was my history, and the whole thing made a lot of sense to me, as I recalled driving passed RAF Waddington only a few years before the conflict began, seeing the Vulcan's sitting waiting to get airborne, and I remember the pride in my heart on arriving in Saudi Arabia for work in early 1983, only months after the conflict had ended, and seeing the Argentinian flag flying above their embassy, proud to be British.

Rowland White writes that RAF Wing Commander Simon Baldwin, the flight commander of RAF Waddington, had stated "only 30 percent of what was being reported was accurate", when reviewing the TV, newspapers and media after the event, I think that the book makes it near 100 percent.

Yes the book captures the story and history of the RAF's involvement, and good it was, but as I read I began once again to think that the book is from the British point of view, and yes I am British and nationalistic as you are to your country, and I wonder what are the views of the Argentinians, their story. Perhaps the book only gives 50 percent of the story, the British side.

Oh well, that leads me further on, more research and reading to find out.

        

It was in the late 1970's that I worked for NCR, a computer manufacturer, and I was tasked to design, write the software to customers requirements, install, train the customers staff, and maintain the installation thereafter.

The area I covered from my base offices in the UK, Nottingham and Leicester, covered a vast area, from North and South Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, down to the south of Liecestershire, from caravan manufacturers to a door-to-door cosmetic selling organization, and often I found myself driving hundreds of miles to visit my customers.

Often my journeys, especially through Lincolnshire, would take me past RAF airfields, and since a small boy I had a fascination of aircraft, mighty birds in the sky.

At RAF Coningsby, the B1192 road I took to my customer in Wragby, passed the end of the runway, and there was a convenient lay-bye, where I could stop and watch the fast jets, Phantoms, take off, looking directly up into their jet exhaust and afterburners. (click to see map).

At RAF Waddington on the A607 road from Grantham to the City of Lincoln, the massive Vulcan bombers of the RAF "V" Force, stood ready to launch at minutes notice on their dispersal pads near the end of the runways, ready to retaliate against Soviet Block targets with nuclear weapons should NATO be attacked. (click to see map).

At RAF Wyton on the A141 near Warboys, English Electric Cambera's, RAF reconnaissance planes flew low over the road as they came into land. (click to see map).

At RAF Wittering, the V/STOL Harrier Jump Jets, would fly over the A1 road. (click to see map).

At RAF Alcanbury, further south on the A1 road, USAF U-2 spy planes, with their albatross length wings glided in to a now closed airfield. (click to see map).

So many more airfields I would pass, fascinated by the power and beauty of the aircraft.

My love for knowledge of aircraft has stayed with me all these years, and reading, researching books, visiting museums on aircraft, gives me great joy and happiness, although my interest does not or has not become an obsession. As I discover more in my research, I need to fill in the blanks, find out more about information presented to me.

It is now I appreciate the art of reading, PhotoReading, allowing me to absorb so much information quickly, and when reading normally after PhotoReading the book to get specific information, getting so much more enjoyment.

Reading fictional books like Biggles, a pilot flying mid world war planes, solving problems and having boyhood fascination capturing adventures.
 
Living in Kingston upon Thames, the home of the Hawker Hurricane, led me to read about the history of the iconic aircraft, and visiting museums, the Imperial War museum at RAF Duxford, the old airfield and race track at Brooklands, the Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm Museum, RAF Uxbridge and the RAF Museum in Hendon.

As I read, one piece of information has led me to another, to another, to the book Phoenix Squadron by Rowland White, which I wrote about in my blog a few days ago. Then my cousin Glynis, read my blog and suggested that I read Rowland White's other book, Vulcan 607, as her husband Dave had been involved with them, and my mind went back to those early days as I passed RAF Waddington, with those big jets, the Vulcan's, just waiting to reach for the skies.

I had to buy the book.

        

Whilst having my birthday breakfast with my good friend Jill Lawday begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting in Kingston's Frank B's Diner, we were served by a very happy and pleasant person, Kapila Amarasinghe.


Phillip Holt and Kapila Amarasinghe in Frank B's Diner
He had time to make sure that he took our order correctly, to make us feel at home and at ease.

Obviously not from the UK, I asked where did he originate from, and he said Colombo in Sri Lanka.

I have spent many days giving training in Sri Lanka on many visits, especially staying in the very old Swimming Club of Colombo, and in the next few weeks I hope to return.

I told Kapila my association with Sri Lanka, and what a wonderful place I had found it, but not what I actually did there.

The time came when Jill and I had finished our breakfast, and it was time to leave, so I went to the till.

Kapila, again being very friendly wished me well, then mentioned that he had been involved with the Sri Lanka tennis team, along with Maxwell de Silva.

"What? Where did that name come from? Why did he name Maxwell de Silva?". Questions raced through my mind.

I was in shock.

Maxwell de Silva and I have worked together for a number of years, being co-directors of a company we formed, NLPNOW-Lanka, to provide training in Sri Lanka.

I never mentioned what I did in Sri Lanka, or my associations with people there, and yet Kapila and I had a common friend.

Here I am in the UK, and Maxwell in Sri Lanka, and suddenly, there is a direct link between us.

It's a small world, you will never know who you may bump into on your travels.

        

I hope I have said thank you for wishing me a Happy Birthday, but is good just to say "Thank You" for no reason, just perhaps for being a friend, just perhaps just being there, just perhaps just knowing you.

Today I have to say thank you to my very good friend Jill Lawday, a fellow trainer whom I have known for many years.

She had been in town, my town of Kingston upon Thames, and we spent some time together, talking about old times, the future, having a meal, me being a tour guide, and it was Jill's idea that we should have breakfast at Frank B's Diner in the Bentall Center of Kingston as a birthday treat.


Jill Lawday and Phillip Holt
Birthday Breakfast in Frank B's Diner
Thank you Jill, it was great, even though I needed a nap when I got home.

Oh Jill, watch the video I took off Kingston upon Thames, by clicking here Relax with views from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

Enjoy. 

see It is a small world

        

So did all the telephone calls I have had in the last two days come from telepathy? Did I send out a plea by telepathy to buy some services, or did the callers have some other means of obtaining my telephone number?

Having read many books on the psychic world, been on many courses to do with the human mind and human psychology, watched many people at work, studied many more, had many strange experiences, demonstrated certain powers, I have an open mind if there are psychic happenings.

For my telephone calls I received, the call centers must have a good search engine which looks at any entries made on the internet referencing certain criteria which they then can exploit, so no telepathy this time.

But are there psychic happenings?

I sometimes with the participants on my courses demonstrate mind reading, and not me doing the mind reading but the participants.

I have been with special people who are accredited with having certain psychic powers like Joe McMoneagle of the Us Army Stargate Project, and Remote Viewing, and mentioned in the book The Men Who Stare at Goats.  I have been with and learned from Seka Nikolic a bio-energy healer, and many more.

Then, why on my day out in Exeter I was drawn into a bookstore just to get something to read on my long train journey home, out of all the books in there I picked up The Psychic Tourist by William Little.

In this well researched and written book, William Little sets out to discover the truth of whether there is proof of the existence of psychic powers, fortune tellers, mind-reading, after he gave his sister a birth chart by an astrologer, which changed the beliefs of his sister and niece thinking they would die in water.

His journey takes him into a dark haunted wood with a witches' coven, having a fresh understanding of the thoughts of Richard Dawkins, talking to psychics such as Sylvia Brown and Sally Morgan, the psychological showman, hypnotist and magician  Darren Brown, and the psychic spy Joe McMoneagle. He visits Dean Radin at the Noetic Institute of Sciences in Petaluma, California, looking into quantum physics and entanglement theory, plus many more well know psychics, all in his quest to discover if psychic powers can be proven.

He comes to a conclusion which he tries to sell to his sister. But is psychic behaviour and belief in every human being?

Perhaps we should be as he found, after interviewing Richard Dawkins, open minded, even in the light of evidence to the contrary.

        

Yes, you are correct asking in your comment  "why is the TPS not working?", the possible reason is that the "cold" unwanted calls are being made from outside the UK.

Yes they are monitoring the internet, I know of organisations that other companies employ to search all the media, TV, radio, newspapers, courts, the internet, just to get information. It could be just to know what people are saying about their product or company, or like the companies who have been telephoning me, to make sales.

I have heard that there are people waiting in hospital emergency centers, waiting for accident victims to be carried in, and they sign them up saying that they will take the other party involved in the accident to court to get compensation on a "no win, no fee" basis.

Some of these companies even listen in on radio traffic of the emergency services, just to get to the victims before any one else so the victim can sue for damages.

TAKE IT EASY? ME?

I see it as a game, to have fun with the callers.

In my article Did I upset you? Unwanted telephone calls. I mention the fact that I said I wanted a conservatory, but when I said I was on the 2nd floor, the caller got upset for wasting their time.

Another example was when I lived on a boat, a rather large boat, Mr Toots, I had a call from a replacement window company who had been continually calling for days offering to replace the windows, so I went along with their conversation,

"Yes it would be good to reduce the heat loss and save money,"

"Yes it would be good lessen the noise, especially as the boat was moored under the flight path of Heathrow Airport."

The call center just did not ask the right questions, they presupposed that I lived in a house, not a boat with small round portholes made of brass.

When the salesman turned up, he was very abusive to me for wasting his time, even giving threats to sue me in court for his lost time and income, until I said I would counter to sue his company for wasting my time.


Mr Toots, a boat I live on in Brentford, London for 6 years
As a small boy, I remember my father answering the door to a "door-to-door" salesman selling cleaning products and vacuum cleaners.

My father let the salesman make his sales pitch on all the virtues of his company's' vacuum cleaner, and when the salesman went for the kill, to close the sale, my father said he already had a better one, that offered even more things, and was cheaper to run.

The salesman was taken aback, and started arguing with my father, saying that was impossible as his product was first on the market, and no other company had anything else like it, and he demanded to see the cleaner.

At this point my father called my mother to the front door, and said

"Here is my cleaner, and it cleans, irons, cooks and keeps me warm at night."

Like father, like son.   

        

Over the last couple of days, I have been interrupted by "cold" sales calls on my telephone.


I object to having to receive them, especially in the evening when I just want to relax. As someone said to me, if they wanted a new mobile phone, a loan, replacement window, they would go out and buy them.

I have now have my answering machine switched off, as I could be away from home giving training for many days at a time, only to return with my answer machine full of sales calls or "silent" calls.

I have also stopped diverting calls to my mobile phone, why should I pay for unwanted calls? Why should I pay for calls to be diverted  overseas when I am abroad with my mobile phone? Why should I be woken-up in the early hours with a diverted "cold" sales call I do not want when I am in a country 8 hours in front or behind UK time?

It is midday, and the telephone rings, and I look at the number received, "000000", meaning it is a withheld caller or overseas caller number.

I am ready.

"Can I help you?", I answer the phone.

"Can I speak to Mr Phillip?", in a lovely young female Indian accent.

My state changes straight away, but I control myself, and why don't the management of these Indian call centers teach their operators, that in the UK we do not use "Mr" in front of our given or Christian name, we only use "Mr" (or Mrs) in front of our family or surname.

Time for games for Phillip.

"Yes".

"This is -------- company based in London. Do you get unwanted telephone calls?" 

I will not give the company the satisfaction of giving their name, but obviously the Indian accent, the conversational delay and the clicking on the line means the call does not originate in the UK.

"Yes".

"When do you get these calls?", she thinks she has a potential foolish customer ready to sell too.

"Oh, I usually get them at about midday." I gladly offer a reply.

"Does your services provider not stop them for you?"

"Obviously not."

"Well our company can work on your behalf and stop all unwanted calls........", she replies, as I sense she feels she has a potential sale on her hands.

"How much does this service cost and how long do I have to sign a contract for?".

"Only £1 a month and for a long 5 years.".

A "long five years", surely she needs to think about what she is saying.

I fire back, "So I pay you a large sum of money, so that you just go on the web site of the Telephone Preference Service, which is a FREE service, and you take two seconds to enter my telephone number in the little box, to stop calls like you are making now. Is that correct? Oh, what is the weather like in India today?".

Silence.

I apologise to her, for tricking her into thinking I was a dumb potential customer, because the above is an abbreviated version of the conversation, and after all, it was not a waste of my time, I had had a conversation with someone, and I had fun, leading her down a road, carefully listening to the well rehearsed sales patter.

Oh no, another unwanted call, this time from EON, an electricity supplier, again the caller with an Indian accent, promising to cut my household electricity bill.

More fun for me to have.

I love my job.

see     Did I upset you? Unwanted telephone calls.  
            Weatherseal Windows, do you think I am stupid?
            Timeshare Advisory Service a Scam , 
            I don't believe it, 
            Is it a coincidence that I get more telephone calls.

        

In my previous articles of my blog, Timeshare Advisory Service a Scam and I don't believe it, I write about how I instinctively know when I am getting a "cold", unwanted call, which makes me mad.

I do not want cold calls.

After my first posting, Timeshare Advisory Service a Scam, I got a telephone call from the Indian sub continent, purporting to be an organisation, TPS, offering to register my telephone number to stop nuisance calls for a fee I expect of over £250, when TPS gives the service for free.

Spooky.

How did that person ring at that precise time to offer their service? I must have bee sending a message out through telepathy and picked up by the hard working call center worker.

Not long after, I had another telephone call from another nice sounding lady, with loads of noise in the background of people talking on telephones. Obviously another call center.

She politely led me through a spiel of how her company could help me resolve any problems with my timeshare. Firing well rehearsed questions and statements, "Was I satisfied with the high increases in management fees?", "have I seen their advertisements on Chanel 5 (UK TV)?", all to no avail, as I said I was extremely happy with my timeshare holiday week.

I asked for her company's' web address, just in case I needed help in the future, which was www.itra.net. I later find out that this is International Timeshare Refund Action, a "no win, no fee" service.

We ended the call in a pleasant way.

Spooky.

Why did at that moment I get a telephone call offering me a service, when clearly I had been thinking about the potential problems arising from owning timeshares?

Again, my telepathic powers must be working overtime.

This has to be more than coincidence.

I am reading a book at the moment The Psychic Tourist by William Little, is it a coincidence that I am getting more telephone calls on a subject I am working on, unwanted telephone calls, or is it some psychic force?

I must finish the book to find out.

Oh, just before I have finished this article, I have another call from a lovely Indian girl, offering me a five year contract to stop nuisance calls.

        

It has only been an hour since posting Timeshare Advisory Service a Scam , and the telephone rings.

Yes you have guessed it, "Mr Phillip?", in and Indian accent, and a small time delay.

It is hard for me to understand him as I curtly reply "What do you want?".

He purports (indicates) to be from the Telephone Preference Service, (UK 0800398893) and he started telling me how "cold calls", wanted calls, would be stopped.

But I was already registered with the free Telephone Preference Service, and I told him that, but he was having non of me butting in, interrupting him, saying that by registering with him I would be protected for five years.

"I am already registered with you." I said, thinking I was speaking to the TPS.

He would not listen, until I asked him what are the fees.

"Just a £1 a week." was his reply, "and then you will stop getting calls like this."

"Get lost." was my reply as I cut the call.

I just don't believe it.

The Telephone Preference Service is a free service, so if anyone in the UK wants to use it go the their web site http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/ and register for free. Do not fall for the webs sites when using the search engines that look as if they are the TPS and charge a fee. All they are doing is taking your money, then adding your name and telephone number to the free Telephone Preference Service.


As someone commented, I am "p----d off", or not very happy.

        

I am continually getting telephone calls from people wanting to sell me a new mobile phone, sort out my debt problems which I do not have, and buy my timeshare holiday week, even though I have used a service in the UK called The National Do-Not-Call List,  or the Call Prevention Registry, which should prevent such calls or organisations making unwanted "cold" telephone calls to me.



As soon as I hear a foreign accent, sorry to say from the Indian sub continent, and they ask for "Mrs Mee Holt", the hairs on my neck go up, I know that they will be trying to sell me something I do not want. She never uses the shortened name "Mee" from her name Mee Len.

"No you can't. She does not live here any more.", will only make them say, "Is that Mr Holt?"

Just thinking about it makes me mad, but then I expect they can get around UK laws by calling from outside the UK.

I apologise to those working in the call centers making these calls, I know I am rude to you and I cut you off. Sorry, I know you have a job to do and want to make money, earn a living, but I do not want to speak to you.

I also sometimes get telephone calls from people who want to buy the timeshare week. I wrote about one company Alpha Group Resales who sounded very convincing in their sales patter or talk. (see article).

They give a reference of the Timeshare Advisory Service and a telephone number. I wonder if when the number is called, it ends up in the same office as Alpha Group Resales or whatever name they are operating under now.

I still notice after a number of years, people are landing on my web site article after searching on Timeshare Advisory Service in a search engine, so the scam still seems to being used.

To operate this scam, taking a large sum of money at the outset by credit card, to register the sellers name and cover administration costs, the seller enters into a contract which contains a clause saying that if the seller ends or cancels the contract, the initial sum will be forfeited. Obviously, there are no buyers for the timeshare, and thus the buyer cancels the contract or arrangement with the company operating the scam, and looses their initial deposit.

I cannot understand how these people can sleep at night, knowing that the next day they are going to sell something to people that they do not want it, advertising space, search engine placement, listings in telephone books and directories, a name of a potential buyer who does not exist.

The credit card companies know that these scams exist, they must get hundreds of calls of complaints, yet they continue to let these companies trade and take money off unsuspecting people.

The banks must know about the scam emails, which promise untold wealth from a person who died in a plane crash, or from a military person who found a box of millions of dollars in the middle of the desert whilst fighting in Iraq and wants to share it.  Why don't they stop the unsuspecting public transferring money abroad to these people?

Worldwide government agencies know about these scams, why don't they do something to stop it?

Oh Poo Poo, am I sounding like a grumpy old man?

Life is so hard and unfair.

Now read I don't believe it
 

        

Was today a waste of time?

For some time now, I had been asked to attend an exhibition at London's ExCel Exhibition and Conference Center, and I could not make my mind up if the subject matter was appropriate for me.

In the end, I decided to go to Professional Beauty London, which is, quote, "the ideal place to meet therapists, nail technicians, hairdressing and beauty salon owners, tanning salons and freelance / mobile therapists looking to source new suppliers and benefit from great deals".

Well I do therapy, so why not, I may learn something, and it was a chance to be with a colleague.

I should have known it was not for me as soon as I got on the DLR train, it was full of excited young girls, obviously from a college going to the exhibition. But, I had come this far, being delayed by slow trains and cold, I may as well continue, and anyway I had made arrangements to meet someone there.

As soon as I got inside the hall, my suspicions were confirmed, this was not for me, but I did stay long enough to fight my way around the crowded aisles, of eager young girls, some in their health and beauty uniforms, their name badges hanging around their necks, craning to see the latest hair extension stand, the many nail specialists, the waxing treatments, the spray bronzing equipment, and other painful looking treatments on show.

At 95 (ho ho, I am not really 95) years of age, I do not think makeup will help me become more attractive or look any younger. I did not see any hair extensions in gray, and I have enough hair on my head to keep me warm, so I do not need a wig. My nails would look rather strange with flowers or birds painted on the, and I do not like pain so I am happy with having hair on my legs and my other private parts, and would not like waxing.

My friend was totally absorbed by the experience and enjoying every minute, but all I could think of was each hair being pulled off my leg, oh the agony.

I made my excuses and left, leaving those others behind, buying, learning, absorbing information relative to them, and perhaps some of those attending could pick-up some tips on becoming beautiful, because they needed help in their make-up application.

Me I am happy on my journey, how I look, and what has been given to me, as people can take me as I am, and yes I did see some well made-up females, in English we say that they "looked the bees knees", looked really great.

But then I thought, I wonder what they are really like, what is their personality like, would I get on with such a person?

How would they compare to the little tubby girl next to her, with no make-up, spots on the face, hair askew, and with hairy legs?

Um, beauty is only skin deep.

The exhibition was the same, on the surface and on paper it looked good, but when I got involved, it was not for me. For others it was the greatest adventure they had taken, it was for them.

Sometimes we take a road that keeps promising us the world, happiness, security, wealth, and we get taken in by promises and hold on with expectation, but we eventually find that road is not for us, no matter how it is made-up to look good, and then we have to change direction. If not, it will lead to heartbreak and unhappiness, be it a job, a relationship, a holiday or an exhibition.

I am happy on my journey, doing what I do, who I am and how I look. But that is my Cat on the Mat, my view of the world, and in my world I am warm and cuddly.

        

I have lived through many interesting times which have gone down in history, and it is only now, having time and the knowledge and ability of PhotoReading, (to absorb 20,000 - 30,000 WPM), that I can research and read so much more, to give me more insight into what has happened from the many books which continually get published to appear on book shelves.

A book is only as good as the author, and contains only what he or she wishes to write. So, I always try to stand back, to try and understand what is the author trying to tell me, what have they included in the book and what have they left out.

My fascination for aircraft, fast jets, fighter aircraft, airliners is ever strong, from the Hawker Hurricane of WWII, the Airbus A380  to Concorde, the one aircraft I wanted to fly but never made.

One book recently caught my eye, something I advise participants on my PhotoReading courses never to allow to happen. The picture on the dust cover of the hardback book Phoenix Squadron by Rowland White, showed two iconic fighter jets, the Blackburn Buccaneer, with HMS Arc Royal in the background.

In the bookshop, I quickly Previewed the book, and had the feeling that this book could help me understand more about the crisis between Britain and the South American country Guatemala, over one of the British Empire's last territories British Honduras, soon to become the independent country Belize. (see map of Belize - click).

The book tells how the Guatemala President, Colonel Arana Osorio, and his powerful military leaders, saw British Honduras as part of their country, and how neighbouring countries also saw either the little territory as useful to them as a means of expansion, or as an opportunity to assert influence as I seem to understand the USA was trying to do.

It was understood that the military wanted to invade British Honduras as the British were moving away from "owning" countries, by giving independence to nations, to their own people, and it was the wishes of the British Hondurans that they had their independence, and not become part of Guatemala.

The British had a very small military presence in British Honduras, no aircraft, no ships, just a few solders, but news of an impending invasion, a build-up of military strength by Guatemala, summoned to last aircraft carrier in the British Navel Fleet, Ark Royal with it's onboard aircraft the F-4 Phantoms and the Blackburn Buccaneers, to race over 2,000 miles across the Atlantic, to show the strength of the British military, and head off any plans Guatemala had.

The book itself gave a good account of the crisis from the British point of view, perhaps one day I can find a book written on the subject by an author from Guatemala to understand how they view their history of that time. It is well researched by other written material, newspaper and TV accounts, naval and government reports, and interviews with members of Arc Royal and the Royal Fleet Air Arm.

The book was at times difficult to read as it was full of acronyms or initialisms, for example, SPLOT, RAS, MADDL, CBALS, (hover pointer over to see meaning), which meant flow of reading was interrupted as I tried to workout and understand the meaning.

The first half of the book had little to do with the crisis and the part played by the Arc Royal and the Phoenix Squadron, but gave the background to the carrier and aircraft and their history. The author, Rowland White, built-up suspense, with stories of problems of the iconic and world beating Buccaneers taking off from the deck of Ark Royal, and I felt myself being let down when an accident did not happen, I was waiting for something to happen.

Personally I did not find it as "gripping as any Tom Clancy thriller", as said on the cover by the BBC Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, but yes "riveting" because of my interest in that field of knowledge.

But now, should I research more to view things from others points of view, or move on to other learning?

        

Feeling sorry for myself, having fulfilled my commitments for the day by 12 noon, I was at a loss for something to do with myself.

I know I am about to get a head cold, there is a strange sore feeling at the back of my nose, when that happens I know I will get a running nose, ending with my nasal tracts being stuffed up and blocked.

As I was a long walk from home, perhaps an hours walk which is good for me as it is exercise, my mind suddenly came up with an Idea. In the distance a fast train raced down the rail track to some far off destination, and I thought, why can't I be on that train?

My mind raced through distant places, as my eyes caught a plane reaching for the sky having just taken off from Heathrow, Penang in Malaysia, Machu Picchu in Peru, Rome in Italy, Erzincan in Turkey, all places far far away, too far.

How about Brighton on the South Coast of England, Bognor Regis another seaside town on the South Coast? I love the seaside.

Then I had a Eureka moment, Exeter in Devon.

Exeter is a town I had never been to, but heard about. My school friend from many years ago, Ronald Rose, used to go on holiday there, and back at school would not stop talking about it. My mind was made up, Exeter here I come.

My local train service, South West Trains, had a train that went there. I would see the City of Exeter I had wondered about for all these years, and as a sea port, be able to see the sea.

By 12:20 midday, with a sandwich, with fillings I had never heard of, and orange drink in hand I joined the train, and soon we were racing through the countryside, visiting railway stations, picking-up and dropping-off passengers, my mind fantasizing what I might see at the other end of the line, nearly four hours away.

At Salisbury, the nine carriage train parted, the first six carriages of to Exeter, the last three off to Bristol. Although I knew I was sitting in the correct part of the dividing train, a slight panic raced through my mind, "was I on the correct train?".

The speed of the train now reduced as we stopped at more frequent stations, some with platforms too small, so only the first three carriages of the six was actually in the station.

At one station we were held for five minutes. Why?

The rails was single track, with only limited places where trains could pass, so there could be only one train at a time on the track, one up train and one down train.

This did not bode well, small stations, single rail track, we must be leaving the hustle and bustle of suburbia, of London.

Eventually arriving in Exeter Central Station, one stop before the end of the line, I searched the city center map on the wall.

"Where's the sea?"

No where to be seen, so I headed to the city center, from there I must find the sea.

With seagulls squawking overhead, that must be a good sign surely, I headed down a steep hill, leading to a valley which I reasoned must contain a river which will lead me to the sea, and sure enough, there was the river, but no sign of the sea.

Nearby, was an old ruin, was it an old church, or a castle, or just an old warehouse? Some one was working on the stones, obviously an archaeologist, but I could see no information to help me.

There were direction signs which pointed to the City Center from where I had just come, and another to the Quay, a six minute walk.
 
Now that is the direction for me to go.

I walked by the side of the River Exe, slow flowing and not very wide, sitting in a valley.

I followed the flow of the river to the Quay, which was now a collection of cafés and handicraft workshops and only four or five at that.

There were no ships in the port, and as I read the information plaque outside the public toilets, I found out that it had begun to close in about 1840 due to that single track rail track built by Brunel I had just traveled on, which could take the wool exports away quicker. The port continued into the 20th Century, but declined rapidly, eventually closing to only the pleasure boats, and not many of those either.

The old warehouses, as in many old ports of the UK, have been converted to offices, apartments and restaurants.

Still no sea.

           
Exeter Quay
Another information plaque in the small harbour showed a map, and I was about eight miles or twelve kilometers from the sea, connected not solely by the River Exe, but a canal built two hundred years ago, to bring the trade ships to the quay.

By this time, it was too late to visit the sea, even if there was a pathway for me to follow.

I returned to the city center, noticing how small Exeter was as it rose up from the River Exe's valley.

I visited the Cathedral, St. Peters, an imposing building, but it was getting late, I was getting cold, my nose now running even more, and I contemplated the four hour train journey home.


St. Peter's Exeter Cathedral
Thankfully, I passed a book shop selling books at a cut price. That is my answer, a good book to read on the way home.

With another sandwich, with again only understanding the ingredients cheese, the rest I had no idea of, plus an orange drink, I boarded the London bound train.

Totally absorbed in my book, the journey fled past.

I had built up in my mind a day out to remember. I had in my mind something out of this world, total satisfaction, wonderment, a fantasy of Exeter started in my school days by Ronald Rose.

I was disappointed, it was not what I expected.

Life is so cruel to me. Oh Poo Poo.

But hang on, yes life is like that. We build something up to something beyond what will happen, what is there and available and we go for it, only to find that our expectations may not be fulfilled.

Yes, sometimes our experiences far outreach our expectations.

I actually had a great time.

I had forgotten about my running nose, my head cold. I had learned some more things about Exeter. I had relaxed for once. I had read a book and learned something from that.

I had made the journey I had watched others had done and made the sames journey myself and can now relate it to you reading it here.

Life is a journey, sometimes it is not what we want, sometimes it is more that we expect, but we should take the journey and be happy what we experience, for to be sure the track we take could be a fast or a single slow track, but it has a start and an end.

Enjoy.

        

It was a cold, crisp evening as I stood near to Traitors Gate of the Tower of London, looking down the River Thames at a wonderful view of Tower Bridge.


Tower Bridge, London, seen from The Tower of London, Traitors Gate
As I stood there, I wondered how many times had the bascules had been opened, the central section which has two sections swinging up and down, to allow shipping to pass up and down stream.

I wondered how many people had left London on journeys to other parts of the world, sometimes never to return, sometimes to return to a different London they had left, as London is continually changing.

I wondered for how many people this was their last sight as they went to beheaded, but then realised that Tower Bridge was opened in 1894, and the last beheading at the Tower of London was nearly 300 years earlier in 1601, one Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and the last execution being by firing squad in 1941 of a German spy Josef Jakobs.

I watched the flow if the River Thames, as the water was flowing back up stream from the Thames Estuary, flowing under the bridge as the tide was rising, just like the River Thames has always done bringing back travelers and people with memories of far off places and experiences. 

I could not wait in the cold night air to see the water change direction to flow downstream, washing away the dirty water, the drift wood, the flotsam and jetsam. I had a warm home to get back to.

There is a saying "water under the bridge", which means referring or looking back at past experiences, good or bad, which we have decided to or should have forgotten, to have left behind us.

Perhaps looking at way the flow of the River Thames under Tower Bridge is a better idiom or metaphor, for as past experiences are washed away, the tide brings them back once again, but there is even more fresh water from upstream which will eventually wash away the dirty water, the memories.

        

A recent course in PhotoReading  just finished in Milano.


The participants, PhotoReading, Milano, February 2010

I am always pleased to see old faces I know on the course who return for free, to reconfirm, to practice the techniques taught on the course. It is a chance to make the learning even stronger.

But no course would be the same without the chocolate cake, and sure enough a cake arrived.


The chocolate cake, PhotoReading, Milano, February 2010

Thank you all.

see "Old Friends"

        

Still traveling to Italy to give courses, it is always great to see old faces, friends I have made on previous courses, and yes I can call them friends, as we seem to make a bond.

One such person is Donatella Fazzino, a lovely girl, whom I have met many times on NLP courses and PhotoReading and Mind Maps, her smiling face, her eagerness to learn, and her friendship was a joy for me.

Oh and Donatella, your driving was not that bad.


Donatella Fazzino and Phillip Holt Milan 2010

        

I have a day off today in Rome, the airmen I am training have their senior officer visiting their base, so I am catching-up on my work and emails.

I had just finished replying to an email, and just about to hit "send", when I receive a text message from the person.

I then sent an email message to a person who had been negotiating with me to provide courses for them, but I had not heard from for two months,saying, if they did not wish to proceed, please let me know as I have other people wishing to work with me, and within five minutes, my telephone rang, and one of these people was asking me to go to their country to give my courses.

Oh Poo Poo, I really must have the power I talk so much about, telepathy, the power to transmit my thoughts.

        

Although I have traveled to Milan in Italy, I have not ventured from the Concorde hotel where I am giving PhotoReading and Mind Mapping courses, it is an enjoyable time,as I take participants from unconscious incompetence towards unconscious competence.

The participants visibly get more confidence and better with each hour, and the difference after a nights sleep is very evident.

It has not only been the participants who have changed but also the weather.

Arriving early Thursday morning, to a little snow in the air, to cold rain on Friday and Saturday, this Sunday morning there is not a cloud in the sky. Now for Rome tonight.

 

View from the Concorde Milano

        

One of the benefits of my work is that I am often asked to give talks.

Today I visited the Surbiton Probus Club, with about 50 members in attendance.

I hardly ever know what I am to talk about, unlike other speakers who have one set talk, so sometimes I get a challenge, to make the talk entertaining and informative, to get it right so that the listeners do not fall asleep, especially after a good meal. Well, if the talk is on hypnosis, then falling asleep can be an advantage.

But now I am back home. I have ironed my shirts, now I must pack for an early start to Milan Italy tomorrow, to start a set of PhotoReading and Mind Map courses in Milano and Rome.

Visit www.strategiegeni.com to book a place.


Surbiton Probus Club

        

It is always a pleasure to present my courses around the world, and in the next two weeks I will be returning to Milan and Rome in Italy to give PhotoReading and Mind Maps courses.

For those who would like to get a flavour of the courses, which are interactive and fun, visit the web site www.strategiegeni.com , or you can see two videos by clicking pictures below or on PhotoReading or Mind Maps here.

Hope to see you on a course soon.

            
CLICCA PER AVVIARE IL VIDEO                                    CLICCA PER AVVIARE IL VIDEO

        

To my many Chinese followers Gong Xi Fa Cai, Happy New Year.

This year it is the Year of the Tiger, and the New Year falls 14th February 2009, Saint Valentines Day.

So to my female followers, if you received flowers or a card and you do not know who sent it, think of me, and where is mine? Next year, perhaps you could send me a card or chocolates, as I do not like flowers much.

To my Italian friends. I will be in Milan from 18th February until 21st, and then in Rome from the 22nd until 26th, giving PhotoReading and Mind Maps courses. You can still join the courses by contacting Fabio Cucinotta at E-mail info@metodogolfera.com or visit the Web www.metodogolfera.com. You can telephone on Numero Verde 800 91.32.64 or Cellulare 334 50.29.667.

You can give me my Saint Valentines Day card and present then.

        

I will never become a millionaire, not because I would not like to become one, nor that I do not dream of not having to budget of what I spend, as most people have, but because I am not driven by money.

Some people are driven to make more and more money, that is their driver in life. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact it is good. For them.

Me? I am driven by other things. I get my drive from seeing change for the better in people and things.

I love to find how things work, to get them to work, to repair if broken. Yesterday, I had great joy in modifying my kitchen hot water tap to flow without splashing all over the place, and the exhilaration I felt this morning when washing-up my breakfast plate and cup, without getting wet myself must be the same as an athlete looking at their gold medal after winning at the Winter Olympics.

I love watching people change on my courses, when people come to me for fears and phobias. It gives me a buzz. The woman who was petrified of going into the MRI scan at the Penang Adventist Hospital, and after two minutes of me talking and working with her, being calm and ready for the treatment. The Doctor who had Bells Palsy, with zero percent movement in one side of her face to now having 88% movement, seeing her smile after 32 years, and the happiness on the face of her husband.

A member of the Southside Chamber of Commerce I belong to in London, asked me for help. Not for therapy, not for hypnosis, just to help her move her business along to the next level, to help her resolve a problem in a foreign country. To coach her, guide her.

I helped her by listening to her, finding her strengths and weaknesses, by helping her come up with her own solutions, but where she did not have the expertise, finding that for her, or just spending a little time, not for finacial gain, but giving my time.

Over lunch recently, I sat next to a highly respected business person, having served his community beyond what was expected of him, but now he wanted to stand back, to take things easy, to do his own things what he wanted to do. The relief on his face, his posture change within a few minutes when I got him to solve his own dilemma.

Did I charge them a fee? No. My payback was seeing them move forward.

Yes, sometimes my way, my generosity bites back at me. Sometimes I am taken advantage of, sometimes I am used, sometimes I am stabbed in the back, sometimes agreements are broken, because of the greed of people chasing money. I wish those people well.

So, if you need a costume, a dress, a suit designed, created, made, why not call or visit Pearline Banton in London who has a wealth of experience in delivering quality designs, patterns and clothes. Just take a look, no matter where you are in the world at Pearline Banton (click to visit web site) and see what she can do for you.


SSCC

        

I love gadgets and to be able to watch UK TV when I am travelling around the world.

I am a firm lover of Slingbox, as I travel abroad a lot and watch UK TV in the hotels via my PC. I also have a home in Malaysia, and with Sling Turbo and Sling Catcher, I can watch UK TV on my 32" Malaysian TV. OK, when I sit down to watch TV in Malaysia in the evening it is early morning in the UK (8 hours difference).

The problem arose when I was say in Turkey and wanted to watch BBC1 and my wife was in the UK home wanting to watch ITV1, two different channels, there would be a fight as I changed the channel and she changed it back.

To overcome the above I rent a second cable box from Virgin Media which is dedicated to the original Slingbox Clasic.

I decided to experiment with the newer Sling Media Solo attached to the other Virgin Media (TeleWest) TVDrive cable box.

I have my TV connected to the TVDrive via the HDMI cable. That leaves output available from the TVDrive to the Singbox Solo via the SCART (A/V, SD), S-Video, or Component (SD) outlets, and I spent even more money on more cables to try to get remote viewing via the PC working.

I could obtain a very acceptable video and audio signal on my PC remotely, and from my remote PC, control the TVDrive cable box back home, i.e. turn the cable box on and off, BUT, there is no text overlay, i.e. menu, information, shown on the PC when hitting the remote control on my PC, YET, the text overlay appears on the TV back at home.

The answer so far is before leaving home switch the output on the TVDrive to SCART, but then my wife complains about the quality of picture she is watching on the home TV.

Result?

Not the answer. Back to the drawing board.

Great product, great service from Sling Media, but I cannot believe I am the first one to have this problem.

           

        

Being a member of The Kingston upon Thames Rotary Club gives me great pleasure and enjoyment. The idea of Service above Self, being able to give back to the community, to other people, what I have in my portfolio of life experience gives me great joy.

Today, I had the honour to be asked to be part of a small team of Rotarians to visit a local school (The Richard Chandler School), to give mock interviews to 16 year old pupils, so that they can prepare themselves for life outside school, to experience and to gain knowledge of what to expect when being interviewed for a place at university, for a job, and to give feedback on how they did.

Just to listen to a young man who wished to become a creative writer, but failed to mention that he was already doing this on the internet as a so called game, because he thought it was not important, to draw out of another the fact that he manages a young football team, coaching them and leading their training sessions every week, to listen to one saying that he did not think he was sporty because he did not play football or rugby yet was a member of a swimming club, going swimming three times a week, and the enthusiasm of a young man who liked horror movies, yet the more I asked and drew him out, I realised that he did not just look at the film but analyzed what was really being said below the surface, (click to understand) the social messages being given.

I trust my little effort has helped them on their road, to point out to sell themselves, to prepare themselves, and to give them an experience.

I love my work.

        

Travel, means that I meet new people in different countries, but also I meet old friends too.

A very quick visit to Istanbul allowed me to return to a fantastic eating place, La Cantine very near to the historic underground train at Tunel and the terminus of the famous Taxim Hill tram.

La Cantine near Tunel with the Taxim Hill Tram in Istanbul
La Cantine offers a unique wrap, where you can choose a multitude of ingredients.


La Cantine Menu, Istanbul
As soon as I walked in, even after I think two years I was greeted like an old friend, and my favourite wrap was prepared for me, perhaps because I choose strange mixtures.

Sometimes old friends come to my home towns, and I look forward to being with  Mehpare Kileci     of GAP Danışmanlık, and her family in London. Mama Mia.

        

I had been to the Penang Adventist Hospital the previous day for a CT Scan on my heart. Now it was time to collect the results.

So, I give you my heart.

The heart of Phillip Holt seen from the front view

The heart of Phillip Holt seen from another angle showing the (LAD) or

left anterior descending, with the stent shown in white. Further problems shown

in the first diagonal, plagues, again showing in white

        

Previously I had noticed that I was sweating a lot, especially after a long walk, and at that time I when I was working in Istanbul I was staying at a place called Tunel and then walking up to Taxim Square, a twenty minute or so walk. It was a walk I used to enjoy, but was beginning to find I did not want to do, only to arrive in the course with my shirt soaking wet.

I was asked to give a course in Antalya in the South of Turkey by the sea, and my translator at the time, Asuman Yildirim, decided to learn scuba diving in the evenings. I am a Master Diver with over 600 dives under my weight belt, and my metaphors in class obviously was an inspiration for her to take up the hobby. On her qualifying dive I joined her and her instructor, only for my world to turn up side down, literally, I had to abort my dive.

Getting back to the UK, I went to my doctor to checkout my little ailments, and after cardiovascular stress tests and angiogram, I was given the stent, and tablets to take for the rest of my life.

I listened to what the medical professionals had to say what was happening to me, and thought I understood, but really it was like the Energy Saving Lamps articles, all I knew was at the surface level, I did not really understand.

Yes, I was modifying my life style, eating differently, difficult when staying in hotels, eating in restaurants in foreign countries, not knowing what I was eating. I tried to modify my daily exercise by walking more, doing exercises.

I had an idea why, because exercise helps you loose weight and strengthens the heart, and eating good food helps stop the fatty food, cholesterol entering the blood system, thus clogging the heart.

Then there were all these good fats, bad fats, trans fats, triglycerides, HDL's, LDL's, plaque, lipids, cholesterol, hypertension, high blood pressure, figures and measurements that just meant nothing to me.

All I knew was there was something wrong, I had procedure which involved placing a stent in my heart which widened the artery.

It was as if I was looking at the white Energy Saving Lamp, not knowing what was inside or how things work.

        

For my train spotting follows, here are a few pictures of the main West Coast line in Malaysia, taken at the Bukit Mertajam station.

The heavy rail system mostly carries freight and runs on narrow gauge tracks, that is track of 1,000 mm or 3 ft 3+³⁄₈ in, compared to standard gauge tracks of 1,435 mm or 4 ft 8+¹⁄₂ in.


Malaysian Freight Engine in Bukit Mertajam station. Narrow gauge track
Being much narrower, the trains seems ready to topple over at any time to me.


Malaysian Freight Train TG Piandang 26112, Bukit Mertajam
The Malaysian Peninsular railway also links into the Thai State Rail System, a wonderful journey I took in the 1980's from Bangkok down into Malaysia, over twenty-four hours, with wonderful views of paddy fields, temples, tropical scenes to dream about, all undertaken at a very slow speed.

At the moment there is mostly a single track laid, but this is in the process of being upgraded to a dual track arrangement.

        

So, now I know more about Light in our life, Energy Saving Lamps, LED's and incandescent light bulbs , and Energy Saving Lights, becoming environmentally friendly, but not everything. But really, do you really need to know everything to exist, to live, to work?.

Then you know how thinks start to connect? Well they started to connect for me, I needed more information.

In the blog Synchronicity, I found another lost friend I mentioned that I came across three books, they jumped out at me as I walked round Borders (MY) bookshop.

One of the three books I was drawn to is The Men Who Stare Ar Goats by Jon Ronson. I had seen the trailers to the film based upon the book staring George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Goat.

The Men Who Stare Ar Goats is supposed to be a true story about what happened when a small group of men - highly placed in the U.S. Military, Government, and Intelligence Services - begin believing in very strange things.

During my journey of acquiring knowledge and becoming an International Trainer and speaker, I have met, been taught by and learned from many talented, influential, initiative, amazing people, people who believe and do strange things.

One of these people was Joseph McMoneagle, a military man, who after a near death experience in Germany in 1970, found himself with extra-sensory perception, to be able to collect information on remote targets, to Remote View.

The Men Who Stare At Goats, is an investigation by Jon Ronson in how the American agencies started with ideas from Lieutenant Colonel Jim Channon to employ new ways of cunning to win wars and the minds of the enemy.

I started reading the book thinking this is just fiction based on facts, as Ronson writes in an easy first person point of view from the interviews he undertook. It is not an academic or heavy work, and my interest grew, I could not put the book down.

I have read perhaps a dozen books on Remote Viewing, (only a small part of Ronson's book is about RV), spent time with Joe McMoneagle learning Remote Viewing, been filmed and tested by a TV crew and by a specialized department from Northampton University (UK) undertaking a Remote Viewing target, so I knew some of the story of the Stargate Project, and the various other names given to the Remote Viewing program.

Ronson makes light of some of the activities the American military and other agencies were doing, it seemed only looking at the complete failures of projects undertaken, of how people involved in the projects were deserved by others. An example given was that it was purported that a photograph was taken of the approaching Hale-Bopp comet being paced by a companion object. This was seen by psychic spies Prudence Calabrese and Dr. Courtney Brown as a Martian space craft. This belief was broadcast by Art Bell on his nationwide radio program over a period of time, and it is said led to the deaths of thirty-nine people, including their leader Marshall Applewhite, Heaven's Gate, who committed suicide, thinking that they would be taken on a ride of the companion object to Hale-Bopp to a higher level of human existence.

He seems to make light of the said ability to "down" a goat or hamsters, simply by staring at them by such people as Guy Savelli.

Throughout my readings and study of Remote Viewing, some of the names given in The Men Who Stare At Goats I had never come across, but then Ronson writes about Joe McMoneagle, Ed Dames, Ingo Swann, these people I did know about. I learned more, I did not know that it was Ed Dames blowing the whistle, telling the world about the existence of the secret psychic Remote Viewers, that allowed the other members of the project to go public, and for me to meet Joseph McMoneagle.

But in the book The Men Who Stare At Goats, Ronson states that McMoneagle's gifts apparently manifested itself after he fell out of a helicopter in Vietnam. But I distinctly remember Joseph capturing my imagination as he told his story, and as told in his book Mind Trek, (page 28 et al), of his near death experience in a restaurant in Braunau am Inn, Austria, leaving his body and watching as they worked on his body, loaded it into an automobile, to be raced across the Germany border to a hospital to be resuscitated.

Who am I to believe? Joseph McMoneagle's own mouth and his book, or Jon Ronson? Am I to believe the other facts Ronson lays out in his book?

It was not until I read the whole book, The Men Who Stare At Goats, that a new picture begins to emerge of what is happening in our world. Strange things. Unbelievable things. Things that have happened and are happening in Iraq, Afghanistan, Panama etc. Things that can be achieved just by using thoughts, the mind.

Is what is in Ronson's book the truth, facts? I have an open mind, especially as I have met and learned from people in that book. I have met, seen and learned from the bio-energy healer Seka Nikolic, author of the book ‘You Can Heal Yourself', who I have seen move people at a distance by pure thoughts.

I myself have and do some strange things, but that is another story.

It is when we look below the surface, look for more facts, how things are done that we understand. It is those that do not look deeper, see things at the surface level, that dismiss strange things as stage magic, slight of hand, misdirection, delusion, fantasy who will be the losers. Ronson supplies this information in his book, but there is so much more to know.

Joe McMoneagle said that psychic spying, remote viewing, downing a goat with a stare is not 100% successful, and some people are better at it than others. But, if the results are better than 50/50, or chance, statistically there must be something in what The Men That Stare At Goats do. As General Stubblebine, who did much to promote "cunning" ways believes, everybody has the ability.

Sometimes it is good to know how an Energy Saving Lamp works.

    

        

Let me continue on from Light in our life, Energy Saving Lamps, LED's and incandescent light bulbs.

The filament type or incandescent light bulbs in the house in Bukit Mertajam, Malaysia, keep on blowing or failing. This is perhaps as they are cheap and low quality, and we have many bulbs in each light fitting. It is a constant battle to replace bulbs. 

Each bulb is 40 Watts, so in the photograph below, there are 13 bulbs, equaling 520 Watts of power consumption. Lowering that by 80% by fitting Energy Saving Lamps would be quite a saving in energy consumption and money spent on electricity. OK, there is the initial outlay to purchase the Energy Saving Lamps.


In one room, three light fittings in BM house,
two ceiling each with 6 bulbs
one wall light with one bulb.
520 watts. 

As an experiment I decided to replace one ceiling light unit of six bulbs with Energy Saving Lamps. Each Energy Saving Lamp being 9 Watts, equivalent to 40 Watts in the incandescent light bulb, that is the same amount of light.

Once fitting new lamps, the change in the light was amazing. Pure white light, daylight, compared to the old filament lights which gave a yellow tinge to the light.

Then I noticed that two of the Energy Saving Lamps appeared much dimmer than the other four. Looking into why, thinking I must have purchased different Wattage lamps, I found that there are two types of Energy Saving Lamps, "Daylight" and "Warmwhite".

Now that is something I did not know existed, two types of lamp. Look at the lables next time.

As I tested the lamps by switching them on and of, why I do that I have no idea, there was a load bang, and the trip switch on the main power supply to the house triggered, and the lights went out.

Investigating I found that one lamp had failed.

Oh Poo Poo. Buy cheap and you get cheap.

In the longterm, is it wise to by cheap, as the product never lasts long?

As I removed the failed lamp it fell apart, revealing the electronics inside.

Wow, it amazed me how many components were there. No wonder the lamps cost so much.

    
The internal components of an Energy Saving Lamp
That made me think.

How much energy has there been expended to manufacture the circuit board, each individual component?

How much manpower with its' associated power consumption was used to put the circuit board together?

I realised how little I knew about the workings of a Energy Saving Lamp.

And that got me thinking about other things to follow.

Um? I wonder if we go through life like that, only looking at the finished product, the outer skin, not knowing how it works, what makes it do what it does?

        

In the UK, the old style light bulbs, the filament type or incandescent light bulb, are being phased out, and now the preferred option is to buy and fit Energy Saving Lamps, which are also known as compact fluorescent lamps.

It makes sense to replace old inefficient tungsten filament bulbs, as they are heavy users of electricity, of power. The basic principle of filament bulbs is to heat a coil (filament), the heated coil glows which produces light, the hotter the coil, the more light will be produced.


incandescent light bulb

So, the byproduct of producing light is the heat, which is wasted energy.

New technology lamps, LED's and Energy Saving Lamps work on different principles.

LED's are illuminated by electrons that run through semiconductor material, the diode, they do not have a filament, therefore do not produce heat, use less electricity and will never burn out.


Light Emitting Diode (LED)'s

Energy Saving Lamps work by a completely different process called fluorescence. In principle, electricity is passed through two electrodes, one each end of a white tube which contains a mercury gas. The electrons produced by the electricity passing through the electrodes at each end of the white tube, strike the mercury gas which generates energy or ultraviolet light which unfortunately we humans cannot see. But, the white glass tube is coated with chemicals called phosphors, and when the ultraviolet light hits the phosphors there is a reaction and more energy is produced in the form of photons which we can see as light.


Energy Saving Lamps

So with LED's and Energy Saving Lamps, little heat is generated and wasted. It is said that 90% of the energy used in the filament type or incandescent light bulb goes on heat. Energy Saving Lamps are said to use 80% less energy and last 10 times longer than old style lamps.

There are the downsides with LED's and Energy Saving Lamps. The Energy Saving Lamps use mercury, and when discarded at the end of their life, the mercury gas can enter the environment and is harmful to it, therefore any old  fluorescence lamps should be discarded responsibly.

LED's are now being fitted to torches, car lights and traffic lights. As they use minimal energy, last a very long time, fitting LED lights to street furniture is very cost effective. But as LED's produce no heat, it was found that any snow or ice that formed on traffic lights was not melted, and thus drivers did not see the signals which resulted in accidents. People have to be employed to clear the snow and ice from the street furniture, rather defeating the cost saving I think.

Great ideas for saving energy and the environment.

Let me continue.

        

In his book Synchronicity, Joseph Jaworski tells his story, his journey of life, and he describes the coincidences that occurred for example meeting and marrying his wife, how things are actually connected, or as C.G. Jung's book title says, "Synchronicity, An Acausal Connecting Principle".

Synchronicity is defined as a meaningful coincidence of two or more events, where something other than the probability of chance is involved. (Jung - Synchronicity, An Acausal Connecting Principle).

I had to return to the Penang Adventist Hospital to pick-up my results from a CT Scan and on the return journey home, we diverted to a new shopping complex on the island of Penang, the Queensbay Shopping Mall, the largest and best in Penang giving wonderful views to Penang's Bridge. (click for other views)


Penang Bridge in the far distance (Jambatan Pulau Pinang in Malay), among the longest bridges in the World.
Parking the car in the open air potholed earthen car park, it was a joy to walk into a modern cool air conditioned complex and the first shop that caught my eye was Borders (MY). My favourite bookshop in the UK which had closed down just before Christmas, here in Penang,  Borders (MY) are very much in business.


Borders book shop
Queensbay Mall, Penang
I am sorry, but I had to visit the store. The set-up, the layout, the whole shop had the same atmosphere as those that had closed the doors only a month ago in the UK.

It was like meeting a long lost friend, I was excited, overjoyed, like a child in a toy shop.

Wondering around the bookshelves I felt at home, the sections were the same, and I kept my eyes open for anything of interest, especially for books published by Prion, who bring together books of a nostalgic literature, Biggles, Sherlock Holmes, King Solomons Mines, books I should have read when I was a boy.

It was like putting on my favourite pair of shoes.

I did not find any books by Prion, but out of the whole shop of Borders (MY), three books jumped out at me from the book shelves, I was drawn to them. It was as if a hand from above had led me to these books above any other books in the shop, they caught my eye, they stood out. They did not have any eye catching features, they were just books, but they had something special for me.

Was I using Phillip's Sausage? I wonder?

Why was I drawn to one book in particular?

This book may save my life. This book has given me a deeper understanding of a subject that I will write about soon, enough knowledge that I can talk with the experts, to be able discuss the subject, and, understand what they are talking about.

Thank goodness for PhotoReading.

Synchronicity happens to me all the time. Why was I to go to the Queensbay Shopping Mall? Why was I sitting in the waiting room in the Penang Adventist Hospital? Why did the Doctor in Gaziantep with Bells Palsy attend my NLP course and after 32 years of zero (0) movement in one side of her face now have 80% muscle movement and control?

As Jaworski says, "the world is not fragmented but fundamentally connected". We should open our eyes and awareness to see the world as one of relatedness, of interconnections, and not as individuality, as separate thingness.

        

Last year whilst visiting Bukit Mertajam, my home in Malaysia, I found and lost a friend, not a close one, we never talked or had physical contact, but I felt a friend. read

After a bad nights sleep, the heat and the high humidity is sometimes too much for me but not for the rest of the family who live permanently in Malaysia, I walked around my garden in the early morning sun.

I then met my friend, or was it another. They all look the same to me.

What a loverly looking face, kind, warm and loving, it seems to be smiling at me as it watches me, watching it, watching me.


Malaysian Lizard, smiling at me in Bukit Mertajam
I cannot find a proper name for the species, so please inform me if you know, until then I will call it "My Friend John".


Malaysian Lizard, My Friend John

        

Whilst sitting in one of the many Waiting Rooms of the X-ray and Imaging Department of the Penang Adventist Hospital, watching the various patients coming and going having different procedures done, a woman has brought out of the MRI scan room in a very phobic state.

Sitting in a wheelchair, her legs were shaking, her hands were shaking and un-coordinated as she tried to stay calm. Her eyes were wide open, flitting from one place to another, one person to another looking for support. She was hyperventilating, her speech was broken and at times unintelligible.

The other patients sitting waiting their turn for their procedures looked on, frozen, perhaps thinking "will that be me?".

The staff offered the woman water, bless their hearts, as they tried to calm her. She was told to take deep breaths and relax, but she still was agitated and shaking.

I decided to go up to her and smiled, getting into her full visual picture, and asked her if she wanted to get rid of that feeling.

She nodded and started to explain she was frightened, phobic of being inside the machine, and telling me what was happening to her. As I listened, knowing already what I was going do, what I was to work on, just getting her into a state of rapport with me, trust in me, to a state of compliance to my instructions, to follow me, I did my work.

Within seconds her breathing slowed down, she stopped shaking, her eyes stopped flitting about, she visibly relaxed, her fears had disappeared and she smiled at me.

I asked her where the phobic fear feelings were, and she could not find them.

I asked her to imagine going into the machine, and she just smiled back at me.

My work was done in a matter of a few minutes the woman was changed.

She looked around at the nurses and smiled in a calm way, and just kept saying it is a miracle.

As she was wheeled away, she turned and with a big smile, thanked me.

I will never see that woman again, but I hope I have given her a new hope a new way in life.

I have helped in one small way to change the world.

I love my work.

Contact Phillip Holt in Malaysia :- 006174491309
Read more on Phobias - CLICK

        

Today I feel like a real man, a man who is meant to be what a man is to do.

For over ten years we have lived in a flat in Kingston upon Thames in the UK, and for ten years we have owned a house in Bukit Mertajam in Malaysia.

For over ten years my tools, my hammers, my screwdrivers, my power drills, my pliers, my wrenches, have sat locked away in a storage cupboard, there has been nothing for me to work on, to repair, to build.

Last year, we shipped many of our things, our possessions from the UK to Malaysia as Mee Len wanted to move "home". Along with the goods, I shipped many of my tools, acquired over a lifetime, my favourite hammer, my do-it-all screwdriver, my wire cutters et al.

On arrival to BM, (Bukit Mertajam, the Malaysians use initials to name towns, BM ='s Bukit Mertajam, KL ='s Kuala Lumpur, JB ='s Jahor Baru, SP ='s Sungai Petani.), late Christmas Day, it was obvious that my one year absence had left some repairs to be undertaken. A window frame which was rotting, etc. Now was the time for me to use my tools, to do what a man should do.


I installed bathroom fittings in our three bathrooms, got hot water to two of the shower units, got the internet phone working again, increased the speed of the internet, installed a new internet network system so the family next door can share our access.

                    
Bathroom fittings, toothbrush holders, mirrors, cabinets, shower units, towel rails
Oh the joy of being able to do what a man is supposed to do, I wish I could do more. Any jobs need doing?

        

It had been a long morning, a drive across Penang, Malaysia, to the Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital to pick-up my sister-in-law half way through her chemotherapy treatment, to bring her home in Bukit Mertajam, and it was long past lunch time.

We stopped at a local "hawker" restaurant, where the food is cooked before your very eyes, and is so cheap, and in the right frame of mind, people undergoing chemotherapy do not loose their appetite, as my sister-in-law added a fish to her chosen food.

Within minutes it was as if the cartoon characters, Tom and Jerry had been at the table, because there in the center, laying on a plate, was all that remained of that fish.

Tom and Jerry fishbones after a meal in Malaysia

        

Where is the food I know? Pizza, kebab, fish-n-chips.

Eating food in Malaysia is an adventure, I never know what is going to come next, what I am eating, what will it taste like, will I like it or hate it.

Fish and sea food is a big part of the dietary culture of South East Asia, especially in the coastal regions, and unfortunately, it is not a food high on my "like list", in fact, I avoid fish and marine food as much as possible. My avoidance of fish does not usually present problems, as most fish restaurants will have a meat dish, and grass dishes, sorry vegetables.

I will try anything, and that includes food, but fish, no thank you, unless it comes in batter, traditionally served in the British fish-n-chips meal.

I think my dislike of fish came from when I was a small boy at primary school, when we were told to eat everything on our plate, as just think of all those starving people who had nothing to eat. Being a trusting and loving young boy I did eat everything, including the bones, and now feeling a fish bone in my mouth makes me want to vomit.

I could never understand why my offer of the unwanted food on my plate I did not want to eat was always refused to be sent out to the starving people.

I must be typically British, only liking bland food, but.in some cultures, the stronger the taste and smell of the fish the better people like it. Here in Malaysia and in the flat below mine in Norbiton Hall in the UK, the stronger the smell that can be produced whilst cooking the fish, the better is the presupposition, or belief is, that the better the food will taste. Oh Poo Poo literally.

So, a small party of the family, staying in our home here in Bukit Mertajam, decided that it was time to go to a small fishing village, to eat at one of the fish restaurants.

I emptied my mine of any idea of having to eat fish, crab, lobster, squid, prawn, whatever, at least there would be rice.

The first dish to arrive was a Horseshoe Crab. Certainly something I had never eaten before, in fact something I had never seen before, only in pictures or on the TV, or its' shell being used as a helmet by Manny the Mammoth in the film Ice Age 3. 

The shell of the Horseshoe crab, also being held by the sword like tail
This strange creature is not a crab at all, but is closely related to spiders, ticks, and scorpions. It is said to be a "living fossil", as evidence exists in fossil remains dating back to the Triassic period some 230 million years ago, and similar fossils from the Devoian period some 400 million years ago. 

The Horseshoe Crab, or as it is also known in Malaysia and surrounding region as the King Crab, has three main parts to its body, the head, the helmet shaped part, the abdominal part and the tail or as it is known the telson, each hard shell like structures.

The crustacean was served up-side-down, and I had no idea what to eat, or how to eat it.


The Horseshoe Crab ready to eat
All I saw was the hard sword like tail pointing towards me, the helmet part filled with vegetables and roe, eggs. The roe or eggs were brown leather coloured, and upon eating them, they were like leather in texture and having no strong taste. But, there was no meat, only eggs. I was told that the only the female Horseshoe Crab is used, and then only the eggs.

Later upon leaving the restaurant, you have to walk past the tanks, buckets and boxes of sea life, waiting to be put to the pot, and then I spied a bucket of Horseshoe Crabs, the top one being upside down. It was then I understood why there is no meat. The body is very small.


A bucket of Horseshoe Crabs ready for the pot
In the next photograph, the underside of the Horseshoe crab can be seen.


The appendages of the Horseshoe Crab

In the lower half of the picture are six appendages, the first pair, the chelicera are the genital pores, whilst the remaining five pairs are the inedible lungs or book gills, which allows the Horseshoe Crab to breath out of water, as long as the lungs are kept wet. As the female lays her eggs on the beaches in sand, and I believe mating occurs at this time, breathing out of water is desirable.

In the upper half of the picture can be seen the "legs" or another six pairs of appendages, each having a distinct purpose and shape. the first are used to pass food into its' mouth. The second pair are used for walking, with the remaining four pairs used as pushers for movement.

So now I can add the Horseshoe Crab to the list of many strange things I have eaten, I have tried this food, and it was not that bad.

        

A HAPPY NEW YEAR
To all my regular readers, to you who have been part of my life, to those who have been in my courses,my training around the world, to you I have yet to meet, a very Happy New Year, and may all your wishes come to fruitions, and may 2010 may be as a great person who has seen my future told me, be a Golden Year for us all.

Apart from the great build-up to the festive season for me, the actual Christmas Day and New Year Day held no real celebrations, as I was flying all Christmas Day from England to Malaysia, and I fell asleep at 11pm New Years Eve, missing the change from the "Noughties" to the "Tennies", (2009 - 2010).

Celebrations were held on New Year's Day here in Bukit Mertajam, not to celebrate the coming of the new year, as in the Chinese culture, the Chinese New Year (14th February 2010), marks a bigger time, the most significant part or festive time of their calendar.

It was the 70th birthday of my sister-in-law, still undergoing treatment for cancer, still requiring attention and constant support.

Perhaps, you like me had time to reflect on the past year, being able to review like my blog here, some of the past year's events that had some significants to us.

During the year, I had lost relatives, friends, acquaintances, maybe through death, maybe because we had different views, maybe because we had found new directions for our lives, our businesses, our work, our downtime, our playtime, maybe because we had found new friends, formed new relationships which conflict with existing relationships, found new things to take our attention and time.

During the year, I had been used, my eagerness to help, to give, had been abused by others many times for their own short time gain.

During the year, I had seen many changes in the world, with new issues facing us including the big Global Warming issue. I had seen town centers changing, with major retail outlets closing down, and new business's with new names and products taking over.

During the year, I had seen many relationships change, new partners, divorces.

During the year, I had been upset by the losses the changes that had taken place.

During the year, I have met many new people, kind, open people, formed new relationships, as I visited many countries around the world.

During the year, I have witnessed people form new relationships with success where others had failed.

During the year, I have seen and helped people make changes to their lives for the better.

During the year, I have seen children bloom and blossom, where once there was failure now is success.

During the year, I have seen new lives been born into our world, human, animal and plants, and watched them grow.

During the year, I have made new relationships in my personal, business and family life.

During the year, I have made old and existing relationships stronger.

During the year, I have given my time and effort willingly and freely, to put back into the world, the community, what it has given me. I joined Rotary Club.

During the year, I have learned many new ideas, subjects and things, and realised that I do not know everything, and that each and every one of us has a different cat on the mat, different belief systems, be those for culture, politics, religion or nationalistic reasons, and no-one is right, no-one is correct, no-one has the whole answer.

During the year, I have realised that I should dwell on the good things that have happened, the good intention each of us have, and the good which will come.

Now in 2010 I hope I have learned from my mistakes that have gone and been finished with, and to look to the future in a POSITIVE way, to give more than I take, to be more tolerant, and not hold a grudge against others who do me wrong or take a different route in business or life to the journey I am on.

There is a Susan Boyle in us all, all we have to do is Dream the Dream of Dreams..

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL 

        

Being Santa Claus is so tiring, flying all Christmas, starting Christmas Eve, through the early hours and the whole of Christmas Day, and with all the preparation for the journey, made me very tired.

Doing all the duties that fall upon being Santa really took its' toll on me.

The whole journey, flying across many countries at over 35,000ft, I never saw another Santa, so it is true, there must be only one Santa, and he did deliver all those presents.

And I only had one mince pie, after all, I must watch my diet and weight.

        

Merry Christmas to all no matter where you are.

Although I have not put up any Christmas decorations, nor erected up a Christmas tree, it has been a period of time where I have entered the Christmas Spirit.

I have been to Christmas meals, where people of many faiths and beliefs celebrated this special time.

I have sent Christmas cards, wishing people my best for Xmas and the coming New Year.

I have enjoyed the Christmas street lights. (See Getting the festive spirit )

I have toured the shops, but tried not to buy anything.

But, for me the best part has been being Santa Claus.

Wearing the big red cloak, with its' hood trimmed in white, keeping my head warm in the freezing weather, the fur trimmed wellingtons or gum boots, and having the big white beard, I entered into a different character.


As other Rotary members turned out to help collect money for local charities around the Christmas Tree outside the Bental's Center, they had no idea as to who was below theSanta Claus outfit. They had no idea it was me, I had to tell them who I was.

It was this realisation that me, Phillip Holt, was no longer existing to the outer world, plus I think my natural acting or getting into character tendencies I have in my training courses, and memories of my childhood and my short time with my daughter Vanessa, that I became Father Christmas, Santa Claus.

And that is when the magic happened.

Standing there in the middle of Kingston upon Thames, ringing my hand bell, kindly given to me by Leila and Philip Edwards whilst I was in Bahrain, I could see the young children with their parents walking between the shops, and it only took a wave from me to instantly to get a reaction, a wave back, a sparkle in the eyes, a smile on the face, and a tug on their parents arm telling them that Santa was there.

Their parents brought the young children to Santa, and they stood there with complete trust in this strange character, in the belief that Santa will deliver the presents they desire, the bikes, the PS3's, the WII's, the dolls, and I entered into their world of belief.

I asked the children what their name was so that our little conversation would become personal, and what they wanted for Christmas, and I listened and fed back what they asked for. (NLPer's note)Of course, children have to be good, to have and will behave, if not Santa will not leave the presents, and they have to go to bed early.

 

I ask them if they will leave Santa a mince pie, a traditional small pie filled with mincemeat, a mixture of chopped dried fruit, often alcohol and spices, and sometimes beef suet, as Santa Claus will be very hungry.

I then ask if they could leave Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer a carrot and there would always be a willing yes.

Sometimes if dad was in earshot, he would ask if a glass of port of whiskey be left too, and again a yes would be given.

Christmas morning, the mince pie will have been eaten, the carrot will be gone, and the glass will be empty, all adding to the belief, but I wonder who drank the whiskey.

The small encounter with Santa Claus will end with a sweet being given, and a found farewell and wave, helping the spirit of Christmas continue for another year.

For me, I will be flying with Santa Claus, for tonight, Christmas Eve I will catch the 22:00 hour flight from London to Malaysia, flying all Christmas Day, with perhaps as an acknowledgment to this special day Malaysian Airlines giving a mince pie, arriving in Penang at 22:00 Christmas Day night.

Well I have booked a window seat, to see if I can spot my fellow Santa Claus delivering all the children's presents

        

It's over.

Last night, it was an honour and privilege to be in the BBC Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House, London, to be part of and to say a fond but sad farewell to Richard Bacon's Special Half Hour (SHH).

Instead of half an hour, we had a whole hour, all very special to the SHH'ers.

The only thing I could say, was, at the funeral as we sang Jerusalem, there was a tear and a smile on many a face.


Richard Bacon,Te last SHH (Special Half Hour).
Goodbye Special Half Hour'ers, where-ever you may be.

See other articles on the SHH (click)

        

Christmas in the UK is a very important part of the year, disregarding any religious meanings, it is a time of friendship, a time for giving and relieving, a time to be with the family, it is a special time for children, it has become highly commercialised. (see Getting the festive spirit ).

I have joined Rotary Club in Kingston upon Thames for the fellowship and also to give back to the community through service.

At this time of the year, the club erects a Christmas tree outside the Bentall’s Shopping Center, with its’ lights and Santa’s hut from which is played carols to attract the passing shoppers and to give an atmosphere.

Club members collect money for local charities, each member, where possible, taking turns to stand with a collecting bucket for any donations over just short of two weeks, devoting their time for free.

I was able to devote some of my time to this annual project, and some of this time was to be Father Christmas, Santa Claus, wearing his red cloak and having a long white beard.

It has not been the first time I have been Santa Claus, but by far this experience is proving to be the most rewarding.

Standing there being very conspicuous, many people just walk by in a dream, yet others, knowing the great work Rotary members undertake, placing a few coins into my bucket, sometimes even large bank notes.

But the best reward is to watch the children’s faces as they see me, or should I say Santa Claus.

Young children, and even old ones like me, believe that when we go to sleep on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus attach's his reindeer to his sleigh, which is full of presents for every child in the world, and during the night he delivers each and every present to each sleeping child, often climbing down the chimney, leaving them at the foot of the bed or the base of the Christmas Tree. Santa also leaves little gifts, sweets, an orange, in a sock which should hang from the fire mantelpiece.

But, Santa needs to know what to bring, so often mommies and daddies will take the children to see Santa so he can ask what they want and then prepare the presents for delivery. 

I keep my eyes open for approaching families with young children and wave to them and when the young children see Santa, their eyes light up, their faces beam, there is excitement. They often are brought up to Santa, and then they tell me what they want for Christmas.

        
When they have told Santa Claus, I then ask them if they will be good, to go to sleep early on Christmas Eve, and to leave Santa a mince pie, because "I will be very hungry delivering all the presents".

Often the father will ask Santa if he would like a whiskey left too? Um, I wonder who for really?

Pure magic.

One young boy had written a letter to Santa detailing his list of presents he wanted. He addressed it as:-

Father Christmas,
29 Reindeer Road,
Christmas Lane,
UBS432,
Lapland.
He asked for a range of 15 presents and snow on Christmas Day.

Now I am getting the Christmas Spirit.

So happiness and goodwill to you all.

        

To all who follow my blog, who are linked to me by Facebook, who come across me by chance, my I wish you the very best of the Season, and may all your wishes come true.

If you have asked Father Christmas for your wishes, believe in him like the small children, and you never know, he may visit you, Christmas morning.

        

Santa Claus wears the Richard Bacon, BBC Radio 5 Live, Special Half Hour (SHH) badge in Knigston upon Thames.

As part of the annual charity collection by the Rotary Club of Kingston upon Thames, members raise a Christmas Tree and dress-up as Father Christmas.

It was my time as Father Christmas today, and it was an honour and privilege to wear the SHH badge to bring joy and happiness to the shoppers and children.


Rotary Club's, Kingston upon Thames, Father Christmas wears the SHH badge

Rotary Club of Kingston upon Thames
Even more on the Special Half Hour Club of BBC Radio 5 Live 
Special Half Hour, Radio 5 Live
More on the Special Half Hour badge of Radio Five Live
All Entries

        

One door closes another door opens article can give us the principal that an opportunity may become closed or unavailable to us, but more often or not, if we allow or we stay aware, new opportunities will show themselves. See Being Aware, Awakening.

It is the onus of ourselves to take advantage of these chances or opportunities, as there could be a limited time period of time, or a Window of Opportunity. Miss this window of opportunity, and it may be gone forever.

Often we may find that a window or door of opportunity has been offered us, but when we go to enter we find that the door has been closed on us again, but we have been offered a set of keys.

Which key is the one to open the opportunity? That is the question.

I have worked with many people who have had problems, and they continue to live with those problems, they fail to leave those problems behind they, to look for other ways to solve their ways of doing things, living their lives. They fail to leave, and close the door and windows, and lock them afterwards.

Then there are those that leave the one door that has been closed behind them, see that new door or window of opportunity, only to be presented with a set of keys to unlock them.

They try the first key, but that fails to unlock the door or window. They try the second and that fails, The third and fourth, and so on, each failing.
 
Just like Pavlov and his conditioning of dogs, by ringing a bell each time they were fed, the dogs would link food and the ringing of a bell resulting in salivation, and when just the bell was rung, the dogs would salivate, so is the same with the trying of the keys failing to open the door or window of opportunity, people often give up.

Even though they have only tried one or two keys and have failed and there are many more keys left to try, they are conditioned to failure and give up trying.

Perhaps we give up to this conditioning too early, the next key could have opened the treasure chest.

Perhaps we failed to notice that the keys we tried were too small or too big for the keyhole, we failed to sort the keys into the most likely ones that would lead to success.

We should be more aware of our actions and choices to take advantage of opportunities, take action, and keep trying. As Charles C. Manz said, "Most failures are not really failures – they are simply challenges in progress".

But we should also be aware that we are being "sold a pup", being "led up the garden path" by the person offering the keys, the fact is that perhaps there is not a key to open the door or window.

Shops, businesses often advertise special offers, keys, to get shoppers into their store, but when we get there, the offer has already gone, has many conditions attached to it, or the product or service is poor quality. Low cost airlines advertise very cheap flights, but fail to tell prospective travelers that there are limited seats available, or that there will be a booking fee, a baggage charge, extra taxi fares to pay because of the distances to travel from far away airports  etc, which when added-up will cost more than a scheduled airline.

Sometimes we are drawn into doing something when there is nothing for us in the beginning.

        

For a number of years now, I have been providing training in many countries around the world, where there are different cultures, beliefs, and religions.

Being born a Christian, the Muslim country of Saudi Arabia was an especially interesting experience, which taught me to be tolerant to other peoples beliefs, as in the 1980's when I spent over five years in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
 
In the Kingdom, any religion other than Islam was not tolerated, and any non Muslim holiday was banned along with any trappings that went with that "festival". Thus Christmas cards were never seen on shop shelves, no Christmas trees or pictures of Father Christmas could be seen, and certainly I was not allowed a day off on 25th December, Christmas Day, to celebrate, although I did sneak off at lunchtime I remember, to go and join others sitting on the beach to enjoy Christmas dinner.

So it has been for a number of years since the 1980's. I have found myself in non Christian countries during the month of December.

For my non British readers I better explain.

The holiday period of Christmas held every year in December, is in the UK the most important holiday of the year. It is a time when families and friends get together for love and friendship, not withstanding the religious aspects, but as this period is celebrated by many non Christians I will leave this aspect out.

Gifts are exchanged on Christmas Day, and of course, children go to bed on Christmas Eve (24^th) knowing that during the night Father Christmas visit every child, coming down the chimney to deliver and leave their presents.  

The two main days of Christmas are the 25^th December, Christmas Day, and 26^th December being Boxing Day.

Boxing Day, also known as St. Stephen’s Day, is believed to have got its’ name by the practice of the upper classes who had exchanged their gifts on Christmas day (25^th), allowing the lower classes or servants to have the next day off (26^th), and giving and distributing gifts of money, clothes, food to those less fortunate often in boxes for easy transportation.

In the UK, nothing moves on Christmas Day except those people traveling to visit friends and families. Schools, offices and factories are closed. No buses run, no trains race up and down the railway tracks, often the last train to leave is at 10pm on Christmas Eve. No shops are open, no theaters or cinemas open their doors. No restaurants serve food. It is a special day where everything is closed.

Boxing Day is nearly as bad, as the country slowly awakens, some buses and trains run, but on a limited timetable. Some shops open to start the Sales of heavily marked down priced goods. Very few restaurants open as everybody has over eaten the day before and have loads of turkey meat and Christmas pudding left over to eat.

This festive period is started over a month before Christmas Day, with shops selling all the paraphernalia that goes with Christmas, the cards we send to each other, the decorations we put up in our homes and in the streets, the gifts we exchange (often unwanted), the seasonal food we only buy for that period, and the children becoming excited at the prospect of Father Christmas visiting.

 
Christmas lights in Kingston upon Thames late at night

The spirit of Christmas is built up day by day, and people get more and more excited, being conditioned to expect and want the special festive season.

But for me, working in countries during the month of December,  where Christmas does not exist in their culture or belief system, I miss this build up, this conditioning, and as I have got older the festive season has lost its allure, I have not entered into the spirit of the season.

This year, due to the postponement of courses I had been asked to give, I find myself in the UK, and I am beginning to enter into the spirit of the season, and perhaps if you indulge me, I will report on some of my up and coming experiences.

See other articles:-    Being Santa Claus in Kingston upon Thames 
                                      Santa joins the SHH (Special half Hour) Club

        

There is an English saying that says, "as one door closes another opens".

In the town center or market square in Kingston upon Thames there are many shops, some small and some large.

One of these shops is Borders, and as in the articles Relationships change - Borders and Yes it is true, they are lost to me, I wrote that the company is closing much to my displeasure.


Borders bookshop Kingston upon Thames to close
Only one year ago the shop next door to Borders, a very old established shopping chain, (99 years), once found in many British high streets, called Woolworths also failed and went out of business, and for a year the large shop in Kingston stayed empty.

Today an established Swedish outlet opened a new shop in the old Woolworth's premises. Clas Ohlson's hardware shop is called usefulshopp. The new Clas Ohlson stores sell useful items, from electrical and multi-media products, hard-to-find kitchen and bathroom accessories, to tools and gardening equipment, or to me gadgets, my wonderland.


Clas Ohlson usefulshopp, Kingston upon Thames
I spent a happy few hours wondering around the shop eyeing many products I am sure in the near future will find their way back to my home.

So as Border's doors must surely soon close, I wonder who, what or when will the company be to take over the premises, and if what they sell will be attractive to me as te open their doors.

Border's shop, with its' historic 300 year old stairs, has occupied the premises for only a few years, yet they have found a place in my heart, but like most things in our life, nothing lasts forever, and something else will take its place. Every week it seems a shop closes in the every town, sometimes a new shop takes up residence, and sometimes the old retailer reopens its' doors revamped and better, renewing perhaps a stronger relationship in the partnership of retailer and shopper.

        

Yes it is true, my "local" favorite bookshop will be closing.

Braving the rather rare English inclement weather today, I again faced the cold darkness of the heavy clouds, and walked down to the town center of Kingston upon Thames to get my exercise. Even though it was just after lunch, the cars had their lights on, as the skies darkened, and I had to dance around the puddles of water from the previous downpour.


A cold wet walk into Kingston upon Thames along Old London Road
I still cannot believe my "local" favorite bookshop, Borders,will be closing, but it is. The shop windows are empty of any merchandise, just signs declaring the closure. I will miss you.


Borders bookshop closing Kingston upon Thames

        

The weather here in the UK today is a mixture of sunshine, showers and heavy rainstorms with claps of thunder. The high winds are driving the weather fronts quickly over Norbiton Hall, like moods we often find ourselves in, sometimes up, and sometimes down, sometimes in a dark period sometimes in a more enlighten period.

It was whilst communicating with a great friend over the internet that a very dark cloud swept over, so dark that I could not see the keyboard even though it was mid day. The rain came down from the skies leaving the road outside like a river. (click to see video).

Soon the cloud passed over, but the rain still fell in the bright sunshine, and the beauty appeared, a wonderful rainbow over the roofs of Norbiton Hall.

Life goes on, and somewhere there will be a rainbow for us all if only we are aware and look for it.


A rainbow over the roofs of Nobiton Hall

        

It is said "nothing lasts forever".

I have had a long relationship, which is going to come to an end I fear.

When the relationship finally comes to an end, I will have a period of time when I will feel lost, empty, longing for the days when I go and visit for my pleasure.

The book shops own by Borders here in the UK, has gone into administration, that is to say that the company could soon cease trading, that they are trading at a loss.

I love researching for information, reading books, more books and more books, and Borders was my favorites book shop. Their selection of books was wide a varied, their staff always willing to talk and impart knowledge.

As with friendships, business relationship, associations, circumstances change, and sometimes the circumstances are out of our control, and the relationship must come to an end.

Sorry to loose you as you are coming to an end Borders, I will sadly miss you, Now I will have to find a replacement for you.