Heat Wave Claims

Supposedly London is in the grip of some kind of super-extreme heatwave! That normally means temperatures have skyrocketed up to the mid twenties - for English people that is far above normal. In this case the thermometers must have all exploded because we have reached the two-digit part of the scale beginning with "3" - that's 30°C!

According to news sources and people in general, it is too hot!

But according to me, it is a little on the cool side!

Yes, I only begin to enjoy myself at 30°. It's a fact. And as we are only just touching that, I would like a little bit more.

Of course I realise that it is too hot for some people and that some of those may find it difficult to get through - or even survive (in some cases). The people here are not used to it and do not know about hydration anyway. They think a cup of tea with milk in it is hydrating! Well, I don't even know what it's like to drink a cup of tea, because I have never had one. Never ever!

Now you are starting to ask if I am really English. I don't wear a bowler hat, either! I have played cricket though. A bit. It's good as long as everyone keeps quiet, not like this modern style which is a bit like baseball. The more colourful clothes and lively music are supposed to make it more popular, and I'm sure they have, however I appear to think it is still 1952 0r 1882 or something. Yes, the lemonade has been poured and the sun's on the croquet lawn. One of the servants has been made destitute as a consequence of not bowing low enough, England are 445 for 3 against the West Indies and we have just added another six countries to our portfolio of interests, or Commonwealth as we call it. That troublemaker Gandhi is nowhere to be seen and no Kaisers or Führers have yet dared to disturb Britannia's calm seas (and iron grip over them).

As you will no doubt realise, I'm not entirely in favour of our colonial habits (many of which we have lost now) though it seems I do like the idea of that England in some choice aspects. Tough luck for me that if I were alive then, I'd probably be down a mine somewhere rather than shimmying across the lawn!

Anyway, it is England in some way or another, and it is hot, and I am beginning to thrive, as I always will at this temp!

Hurrah! Jolly good show, eh what?

The Magic of Words

Words have a magic all of their own.

They can tell the truth. But you must test for yourself if it is true, because words can also twist your mind to embrace a lie.

Without words, many things would be different. Would a rose smell as sweet if it had no name? Or even sweeter perhaps?

Today I want to mention the magic of the written word. That is something important to take notice of.

There is one particular thing that written words can do that we sometimes find difficult.

Written words can remember things.

When you write a to-do list, or your list of goals, you are using the magical power of written words to change your reality.

Because the words are helping you remember and helping you direct your energies in a certain way.

They're not just words.

To-Do Lists and Goals Lists are important for this reason.

When you need to remember a goal that you want to achieve ten years from now...you can check the list every day and it will remind you even though you could forget without help. The world gets very busy and things try to deflect you from your preferred course. This is when your list could help.

If you need to remember who you were ten years ago, you can look in your diary. People change - sometimes deliberately - and if you have made any improvement, it is often difficult to see that. So it's good to have something to compare it to, a bit like the height marks on the frame of your kitchen door. When you were six, you were this tall. Now look how much you have grown!

But if you are planning to grow a certain number of inches, or the spiritual equivalent, then you need a similar kind of aid to plan your course. Memory is, of course, the thing that will do this for you. But when you are beginning, as I said, it is sometimes rather hard to remember in the face of a lot of confusion. So that's when making lists comes in useful.

Things you need to do. Things you want to do. Things you have to do. Things you wish you could do? Things you need to learn how to do. Things you have never done. Places to go, people to see, things to do. Things to say. Things to sing. Music to play. Games to play. Games to win. Battles to fight. Enemies to befriend. Friends to take care of. Flowers to grow. Children to meet. Your success is here. Plan it now, by saying one thing: I will do a little more each day, and I will do it a little better each day.

You can make a list if you want!

Strike Struck

Today (and tomorrow actually) there is a Tube strike! (That means the workers of London's underground railway service are refusing to work, translated for people who don't know what tube and strike are)

It means you have to walk to your work, or sit (actually probably stand) on your bus for 2-3 hours!

So what was different about today? All the little people crawled out of their holes, yawned several times, and squinted their eyes and said What is that in my eyes? and the answer was It is the sunlight, welcome to the world!

They couldn't sit on the train scowling with their iPod banging away in their ears - they were RELEASED!

It was exciting and quite sweet because everyone had a map - they don't know where anything is in real life! Let's see, I"m standing on some kind of "road", it seems to be, and I need to get to a sort of er "street" I think it is called, but the Tube is not working. What do I do? Can you see a taxi...?

It was just like in the Simpsons when the cartoon Itchy and Scratchy is cancelled and all the children go outside to play, to the sound of Beethoven's 'Pastoral' Symphony.

Welcome!

You were annoyed about the strike perhaps, but I was happy to see you!

For the first time!

European Elections Problem

There is a little problem. In Europe there are some elections. In the UK you can vote today. But there is some worry about voter turnout. Last time about 45% of people voted. That is taken to mean that 55% of UK people don't care about Europe.

Now the problem I have is: I haven't received any information about these elections. I don't know where to go or what to do. I don't even know what is being elected. I only know about it because a Spanish friend told me.

Is this anything to do with the low turnout that's expected?

What am I going to do? If you have the chance to vote you should use it - whether you believe in the process or not, you are at least increasing the chance that you will be happy with the result.

How many hours shall I spend on trying to locate this election?

**UPDATE** (the next day...)
I couldn't vote! It's really a shame. I was also working yesterday so I couldn't devote the whole day to this problem, but I tried the internet, I took my voter registration card out with me just in case, but there was no sign of any place to vote. So I didn't vote! It's rather a shame. One person doesn't make a difference on his own, but you still have to exercise your ability to vote. Now I wonder what it was that obstructed me this time?