Gratitude Attitude

To Madeleine with love...

Thank you for being there when I need you most...

Thank you for putting up with the adverse situation we are in...

Thank you for being patient and not giving up...

Thank you for staying strong while isolated from friends and relatives...

Thank you for putting up with me...

Thank you for your love and companionship...

Eternally gratefully yours...J

money money money

Money is a tool, like all other tools, designed to facilitate and enhance our lives. It is the most desirable tool of all ! Money is not a commodity that will run out eventually, for as long as someone somewhere is selling a product or service, new money will be made. Like the universe, it is infinite...there is enough for everyone and the more people have it the more others will benefit from it. It can't buy everything, of course, as not everything is for sale - but when it is not available it leaves a void in our lives that seems almost impossible to fill.

Almost impossible...unless we concentrate on the most precious things we have, like family, friends, our ability to walk, to see the wonderful sights around us, to smell the morning dew in springtime, to meet a friend for a drink and chat, to wake up in a warm sunny morning...and to think that all these things are FREE...

Life is truly wonderful :)

human rights...and wrongs - Part II

On my blog entry of 11/05/2010, "human rights and wrongs",I wrote about the subject of "gay adoption" and mentioned my concerns for the children involved. I urged caution and a fostering system first, followed by assessments, before allowing full adoption. After watching the TV documentary "My Weird & Wonderful Family", aired a few nights ago, about 2 gay men (millionaires) from Essex, who have, by means of surrogate parenting, "obtained" 5 children, I am more concerned than ever!

I say "obtained" for obvious reasons. They had to travel to California, for legal reasons, to choose a surrogate mum. Once chosen and the $50,000 fee paid, the woman's ova were fertilized by the "daddy's" sperm. End result= 5 babies bought by 2 wealthy gay men!

Dad and Daddy seem like a nice couple, devoted to their children, but,.. sadly missing the point. The daughter is being brought up by two dads and surrounded by four brothers. She is obese and to me,looks bewildered. She has asked to meet her biological mother but that request has been declined by the "mum", who has since sold countless other babies .

What must this girl think of women? Will she grow up to think women are "unnecessary" , a "commodity" who sometimes have babies only so as to sell them on?

Her "mother" created her for money and now refuses to see her!!! Tragic situation as far as I am concerned.

If "Dad and Daddy" felt such desire to have children, why not try to adopt the ones already here who need a home? Why create new ones, who, by no fault of their own, will never meet their real mums?

Almost all of the people I have ever met through life , be they boys or girls, feel a stronger affinity to their mums than they do their dads. Most of society, including the judiciary system, realises that young children are better off with their mothers. It's a shame "dad and daddy" from Essex don't seem to agree and instead seem to believe that money can buy them whatever they want.

I hope it all turns out OK for the children...but I have my doubts... only time will tell

Estate Agents v Osama Bin Laden

...who is public enemy number 1 ?

...who is the bigger danger to society ?

That's a hard call, I know. I have had the displeasure of, once again, dealing with estate agents. This time, to try and find an apartment for M and I in an area we both like. Easy??? You would have thought so, but NO, not at all! It's turning into a nightmare! Estate agents advertise heavily on their web sites and local media. That's all ok but the trouble starts with their mis-information based advertising. Most (if not all) of the properties advertised have long gone! They cherry-pick the content on display in order to get you to contact them. They "scatter the bait" to get you "hooked". Once you make contact, they simply say "the apartment has just gone..,but we have others. Please come in and register...blah blah".

I am convinced there is a law against misleading advertising, I'll have to look into that.

Another injustice is their common practice of "I'll put your offer to the landlord", only to phone later and say the landlord is considering a higher offer and would I consider raising the offer also.!! The bare-faced cheek!

It's no wonder recent surveys place estate agents as the 'least liked professionals in the land'.

Bin Laden destroys lives...estate agents destroy souls... close call, you decide...

Postcard from Sweden

Back in the UK after 8 days in Sweden!! What a beautiful place!! Sweden is the last known "wilderness" in Europe, a vast country of some 450,000 Km2 (twice the size of UK) , scarcely populated with 9.3 million people, draped in lakes that resemble small oceans and where every other car is a Volvo...

I already knew a fair bit about Sweden, it's politics, quality of life, etc. but still, I was amazed at it's calmness, it's law-abiding motorists, it's fresh unpolluted air despite the fact that Sweden is a heavily industrialized nation, and last but not least, it's coffee. Yes, coffee!!

Never mind the meatballs and lingonberry jam, the great cakes and cookies, the reindeer meat, the beautiful girls and the vast fairy-tale forests, it's the coffee that impressed me most ...(...hummm!?!)

The Swedish people are the world's biggest consumers of coffee and now I know why. I tried dozens of coffees, in cafes, petrol stations, home and restaurants and failed to get a bad cup! Even machine coffee is wonderful !! How do they do it?? Coffee doesn't even grow in Sweden!!!

The day trip to Stockholm was another highlight. I loved this great uncluttered city, bathed by the sea and soaked knee-deep in history. Culture and tradition pours out of every ancient but proudly elegant building in the Old Town, mingling with the unforgettable aroma of fresh pastries and coffee. Tree-lined promenades, parks, bridges,lakes,canals,14 main islands (and 24,000 smaller isles) and the absence of sky-scrapers makes Stockholm the most beautiful city I have seen.

A return visit is a must as there is so much more to see.

Hejda, vackert land... det var ett noje att traffa Madeleine's familj. Ett sarskilt tack till Mormor och Soren ... Kramar till alla.