Sad to hear yesterday of Gerry Rafferty leaving us, but we do have his songs to remember him by.
City to City got me safely home on many a dark night and I wore out three cassette copies before I finally got a car with a CD player. These days it’s on my ipod and is one of the few albums that I look forward to listening to in one go.
Someone who made music that truly touched people and I for one will treasure his songs.
RIP
Filed under Music, obituaries
As 2010 draws to a close I have been looking back at my Jottings over the last 12 months to see what was popular and what wasn’t so much.
The two clear winners for John’s Jottings are the one on Natural Disasters (Acts of God) and Am I a LibDem, both of which have also had a bit of a resurgence in interest lately, albeit that they were both a bit more topical with regard to the general election. If you missed them first time round please click on the links to have a look.
Anyway, thanks for reading these, and other posts around my blogs. I hope that you all have a peaceful and prosperous 2011.
I was sad to read that Ralph Coates had passed on. I can remember him from his Burnley days, but mostly from his time at Tottenham where he was a nifty winger and dangerous in the box to boot. To see him taunting a full back or flashing down the line with that comb over streaming behind him he always seemed to be giving his all and he was one of those players that the other teams always seemed to respect.
Sad news to hear that he has gone, and at no age really, but I doubt that I’m the only one with fond memories of his playing days.
Oh for a time when footballers wore proper shorts and played for pleasure rather than the next endorsement deal.
RIP Ralph, and thanks for the memories.
Filed under obituaries
When and Where
Thursday 10 March 2011
0900 to 1700
Village Hotel Swindon
Shaw Ridge Leisure Park
Whitehill Way,
SN5 7DW Swindon
United Kingdom
Why you should attend
You will discover why:
You will learn how you can:
Who should attend?
If you are an adviser, accountant, board member, SME business owner, consultant, educator, entrepreneur, executive, intrapreneur, lawyer, leaders, manager, not-for-profit leaders, practice leader, politician, though leader, social entrepreneur, speaker, team leader or trainer – you will gain massively from being part of a networlding group.
Click on the link below for more details and to book your place. Early booking discounts are available.
For SME business owners, non-profit organisations, the WHO is always the final challenge when it comes to finding key influencers and customer groups (or fund givers for non-profits). Limited marketing budget is the reason many SMEs choose to attending networking events in the hope of chancing on a sale. Why rely on chance? As a community of Networlders, we create a Thoughtful Social Networking experience, both in person and online, to help you to build:
Networlding helps you to cultivate advocates for your brand
Networlding is a proven methodology that helps you to grow your network relationships and identify connections and key influencers that matter.
Assuming you are clear about the WHAT, WHY, WHEN and HOW of your goals … you should have a list of WHO’S WHO that you feel can help you (your primary connections). We are not talking about who you would pay to help you. We are talking about advocates that will tell others how remarkable you are.
What they say about Networlding
“I have always found myself frustrated with business networking over the years and never really sure why. I have give of myself and done my best. Often coming away with massive numbers of contacts, but this has rarely turned into solid business. Today I think I found out why. With Networlding you learn from the ground up how to present yourself according to your values and most importantly how to find and keep hold of those precious contacts that suit those values; the ones who will bring you real and valuable future relationships. The ones who care about you not just crash and burn business. In short how to find the other ones like you! What a revelation. Kwai certainly know his stuff and can demonstrate this with personal success too.
And it was obvious I was not alone when the revelation came. Every single person in that room was not only convinced but was by the end of a single day passionate about making each other’s lives better. I have never seen that in any networking group of any kind and I have done them all. So if you are frustrated with the vapidity of the 50 people in one room but need more than meeting the same six to twenty people over and over again. Can I suggest you consider changing your approach entirely. Don’t be a networker, be a networlder. Take the training day, like I did and work out just where you might have been wrong all these years!” – Jeremy Cobb, Owner of want2change and hypnoslim
“Like all other sectors, charities can benefit from thoughtful social networking. Kwai’s networlding masterclass is a lovely way of beginning to get your head around the potential for your charity and how you might move forward in good company. I am thinking through how best we can develop from it. Thank you.” – Dr Rhetta Moran, Matron, RAPAR
“Superb day! Much of it very different to what I do now. I see it will enable me to reach so many more people. Many thanks.” – Roger Jackson. Business For Breakfast Knutsford.
“A must do. Very thought-provoking.” – Ken Lee. BusinessLink Northwest Skills Advisor
“Very interesting and well presented event which promoted great exchanges.” – Eileen Coldrick. Owner at http://www.worksmartvpa.com
Filed under business life
Sad news this morning. I was always a fan from the Forbidden Planet days, but feel that his Airplane role defined a whole new genre.
I got a lot of pleasure from his films and TV work and am sad to hear he has departed this life.
RIP
Filed under america, obituaries
I have been reading of Rebecca Harris MP (Conservative, Castle Point) and her private member’s bill proposal to have the UK switch to Central European Time, or Berlin Time as some folks would have it, presumably to raise the spectre of Johnny Foreigner, here in the form of the Hun, taking over the country.
Xenophobia aside, for me this is plainly ridiculous and I see no point in it whatsoever. Yes it just shifts the day, but I go to work in the dark for a lot of the year anyway; I’m an early riser. Lighter evenings would result and that would be pleasant and no more, but the hard facts that are being touted are largely untrue: Last time we tried this road deaths went up, not down.
Ms Harris may be sincere, but I believe that she is misguided. Surely she could have found something more sensible to spend a private members bill on? Or has she just picked something controversial to make a name for herself?
Join me in lobbying against this daft idea. There are plenty of websites and polls opposing it.
Filed under business life, random rants
“Police helipcopter to move” screams the headline on the placard!
Goodness gracious! What could this mean? Has it been on static display outside Police HQ all of these years? Have they finally found the budget for enough fuel to fly it? Are they going to take it away on a truck?
The thing has been in regular movement since they got it. It has been flying around where I live for years, so has the local rag only just got wind of this or could it be another example of sloppy standards in journalism?
The latter of course. Yes, I know roughly what they mean in that there are ongoing issues about the shared service with Wiltshire NHS, but why should I have to interpret a simple headline? Surely accuracy would be better? “New base for Police helicopter”, for example, says it all.
Please stop dumbing down. We need better standards if we are to get this country back on its feet. The media are in the front line along with teachers and, first and foremost, parents.
Filed under cars planes and trains, fun stuff, random rants
If he wants to spend about fifty pence of his new wages can I recommend that he potters off to a second hand book or charity shop and finds himself a copy of Nobby Stiles’ autobiography?
Read it and learn Wayne. Other times, other ways maybe, but you could use a lesson in humility. If you want to see your club ambitious for trophies, then show some leadership and do your bit instead of behaving the way you have recently.
If you want trophies then they will come from the team playing as a team, not because of you alone. You have a huge talent, so get fit , say sorry and get out there and play for your mates.
Filed under random rants
The day started dull, but the sun came out for a while around 0900 for me to walk over to the newsagent and enquire where our paper had gone (school holidays – delivery tends to get a bit erratic).
Samantha Squirrell was round again for breakfast and is hopefully snug back in her drey now. The sparrows were fairly swarming. Whatever the decline may be we are certainly not seeing it in our garden. There are usually at least 9, and sometimes 12+ (it gets hard to be sure becuase by the time you’ve counted to 12 they’re all on the move again). The starlings have also be in with the juveniles starting to get their adult plumage.
All of the birds seem to be on their second broods of the season and this new batch are just about staring to feed themselves. The magpies are also doing well again and there were well into double figures around by the footbridge as I walked to the shop. Not being supersticious I don’t salute them (or count them too closely).
My efforts at thwarting the pigeons seem to have worked for now and they are spending a lot of time sat in the cherry tree trying to work out how to get at the bird food. They’ll have to make do, like Samantha does, with what falls on the floor. At least I’ve given the smaller birds a better chance at getting their fair share.
We’ve not had a fox in residence for the second year running after being on the Good Earth guide for about 5 years. In their absence it rather looks as though the bees have taken up residence under the deck, so maybe I can reclaim the compost bin. I’ll have to cut the honeysuckle back to find it, so that can go on the autumn job list.
Anyway, that’s it for now as the sky has got a bit lighter and I can see what I’m doing with the decorating again. Time to go back to work.
Filed under wildlife encounters
Great drive Mark Webber! Did what you had to and good call by the team when the SC came out.
Renault vs Force India – Ooops. An accident waiting to happen. Maybe F1 needs to look at NASCAR on pitting under SC conditions (not that get it right every time, but they do have a pit for every car on the track, and they have 43 in a race. OK, the pits would stretch half way round the lap at Monaco, but you get my point.
What were you thinking Michael? That was just plain stupid, and good job Rubens for not backing out.
SV will grow up one day, and we can maybe put up with the tantrums as they aren’t hurting anyone else. The kid is bloody quick, but maturity is one of the reasons why his team mate has won 4 races this year.
Well done Williams and Sauber, and also to the Ruskie Kid.
So, tight at the top going into the Summer break. Who’s your money on?
Filed under auto racing and motor sport, cars planes and trains, F1
The Voice of the Bloke at the Back 