Goodness not far off a year since I last wrote on this blog. Still keeping with the idea of this blog, it is not my diary but how I look at what is happening now for people to read as history in the future.
I am a woman of nearly 81 living in a small town on the south coast of England. My outlook on life is via Television, Internet and occasionally Newspapers. If I do read newspapers they are more than likely to be digital.
EU
But my subject here is the European Union much under discussion because we as a people are going to be given a choice of staying in or leaving this Union. My one vote may seem very small and could easily be wiped out if my husband decides to vote the opposite way. I am not saying he will because I don't think either of us have made up our minds which way to vote, we vacillate either way many times a day. I did have a short conversation with my 55 year old son. As he has longer to live with the result I wanted to know what he thought about it. It is mentioned in social circles but not really discussed.
We are now bombarded by sound bites for IN and OUT. A cabal of people from different political views have got together and stand for the OUT. At the moment it only seems to be the govenment led by Cameron that stand for the OUT. But even within the different political parties they have some for in and some for out, possibly contary the the party's offical stance on the subject. So how is an old lady in the depths of the country supposed to work out what to vote. The trouble is in Great Britain, United Kingdom, England, we don't really feel Europeon. I would think that people viewing that from USA or China etc. would find that very funny. They might say but look how close you are. In my younger days I had a relation that thought ....... (A word I can't use) started at Calais. Very introverted, island culture.
The trouble is nobody will say what will happen to us if we leave, the OUTS just shout about losing our sovereignty. The INs seem to be using the fear card. Terrible things would happen if we leave. Better the devil you know. So at this time I can't say which way I think, it would take a person far cleverer than me to understand all. What did my son think? He felt that larger unions were the way for the world to go, breaking down into smaller units was wrong at this time. He maybe right, after all perhaps that is the way to get futuristic World Governments. Has it happened 2525? I will try to write more on this from now to referendum in the summer months.
Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Thursday, 11 June 2015
Post Election
This is just my view of the country in the last few weeks. I seem to be harping on abput the EU.
Then he made a bigger blunder by appearing to say that if those in govenment were not with him they were againt him and staying in the Union and they would be pushed out. Later he said the journalists had 'misunderstood' him. They would stay in cabinet and govenment. Now the strange bit to me is that before the election Cameron had said he would try to re- negotiate our standing with the EU and then offer a referendum on the outcome to the public. He didn't say, to my mind, I want us to stay in whatever changes are offered. But now that is what he seems to say.
Will our being in or out of the EU make any difference to little pensioners like me? I doubt it. I remember voting to go into the Common Market which seemed a good idea, at the time. In 1975 I believe. Only five or six counties in it then but now it is a mega sized union with countries in different economic states from dirt poor to quite rich. All I can say is I am thankful we didn't go into the single currency of the Euro.
I think everyone is going to be sick to death of hearing about this referendum and wish we could just get on with it. We have had a bit of a rest from it for a few days.
Friday, 22 May 2015
The EU and me
There is so much history going on I really don't know where to start. History in the sense that it will be available for you to read, such things as our Prime Minester Cameron, is today talking to the leaders of Europe. He is going to try to negotiate new terms for Britain before we are to have a referendum of the 'In or Out' type for being in the Europeopn Union.
From my veiw point it does not make much difference as long as the govenment still pays our pension. Its all we have to live on. Can't say such a disaster could never happen because it has in Greece. But Greece is a mess economically and at this time we are not in such a bad state. And I count us lucky because there are many in this country on hard times. It seems to be single mothers that suffer the most but some families, even though they are working, find life very difficult. And I am personally very glad we never joined the Euro. If they moot that I will vote OUT.
Would we be any better outside of the Europeon Union? I have a very stong feeling that we would be out in the cold trading wise, and much better to be inside. Yet countries seem to be wanting independence and breaking down into smaller and smaller units. Take our own Scotland. It only just voted to remain British. Now towns and areas in England want autonomy. Cornwall, Manchester, Newcastle etc. when all we really need is an English government that sits say, in Birmingham. Then having the same powers as N Ireland, Wales and Scotland we could all be happy to leave such things as Defence, dealing with the EU and international affairs and trade to The Westminster Government.
Well that my view anyway, all done with a better voting system than First Past the Post.
Nothing much in my immediate neighbourhood. Went shopping in the local Sainsbury's Supermarket. With special coupons we managed to knock £10.00 off our bill because of a shopping card called Nectar. £10.00 can buy almost two meals for us. Then this afternoon a watched a video for the second time about water colour painting in an experimental style. Had a go but it didn't look anything like what she did in the video. I must keep trying.
Got to re-find out how to put pictures up here. It won't let me go to my camera roll. Got to use Pisca and haven't done that for years.
From my veiw point it does not make much difference as long as the govenment still pays our pension. Its all we have to live on. Can't say such a disaster could never happen because it has in Greece. But Greece is a mess economically and at this time we are not in such a bad state. And I count us lucky because there are many in this country on hard times. It seems to be single mothers that suffer the most but some families, even though they are working, find life very difficult. And I am personally very glad we never joined the Euro. If they moot that I will vote OUT.
Would we be any better outside of the Europeon Union? I have a very stong feeling that we would be out in the cold trading wise, and much better to be inside. Yet countries seem to be wanting independence and breaking down into smaller and smaller units. Take our own Scotland. It only just voted to remain British. Now towns and areas in England want autonomy. Cornwall, Manchester, Newcastle etc. when all we really need is an English government that sits say, in Birmingham. Then having the same powers as N Ireland, Wales and Scotland we could all be happy to leave such things as Defence, dealing with the EU and international affairs and trade to The Westminster Government.
Well that my view anyway, all done with a better voting system than First Past the Post.
Nothing much in my immediate neighbourhood. Went shopping in the local Sainsbury's Supermarket. With special coupons we managed to knock £10.00 off our bill because of a shopping card called Nectar. £10.00 can buy almost two meals for us. Then this afternoon a watched a video for the second time about water colour painting in an experimental style. Had a go but it didn't look anything like what she did in the video. I must keep trying.
Got to re-find out how to put pictures up here. It won't let me go to my camera roll. Got to use Pisca and haven't done that for years.
Monday, 18 May 2015
History Buffs of the Future
History Buffs of the Future, and readers in the present, greetings again. I realised this blog, and my other Blog, was a good idea if only to give me something to write about. I remind you, people of 2525, this is the view of the world of a very ordinary person, living a retired life in a small town in South West England, UK. Dont expect grand vistas.
I now work on an Apple iPad which is much better than my Android pads. I wonder how you write, probably not at all but just speak. We can do that but in company I prefer to type it in. Many other things have changed for me. My husband has now retired and is home all day with me, I start my 9th decade next Wednesday, and I do everything I can to keep my brain working hard. We are constantly told to use it or lose it, so I use my iPad and the internet to stay up with the world and its happenings.
I also use it to study. If technonogy had been around in my youth I might have had a very different life. The only trouble is that it changes again and again so quickly that it is difficult for older people to keep up. Today in the supermarket, my husband said, you could have swiped your card there. Oh for goodness sake, I've only just got used to it as it is now with a pin number.
Many older people have completely ignored the digital age, as its being called. Now they are being left behind as increasingly everything is worked by computer power. I have a friend who at 75 has just bought a laptop and a tablet but to be honest does not know one end from the other. I worry that if she starts doing her banking online she could be open to dire things happening. Its bad enough that crooks phone up the elderly and con them into giving them their bank details. Thousand stolen from them because they do not understand the digital age. Bastards! The govenment is trying to get these people to get with computers but how successful they will be I don't know. I was lucky to get a job on a hospital computer in the 1970s and been computer literate ever since, writing two published books on them and doing digital Art.
Nice to be back, thanks for reading this.
I now work on an Apple iPad which is much better than my Android pads. I wonder how you write, probably not at all but just speak. We can do that but in company I prefer to type it in. Many other things have changed for me. My husband has now retired and is home all day with me, I start my 9th decade next Wednesday, and I do everything I can to keep my brain working hard. We are constantly told to use it or lose it, so I use my iPad and the internet to stay up with the world and its happenings.
I also use it to study. If technonogy had been around in my youth I might have had a very different life. The only trouble is that it changes again and again so quickly that it is difficult for older people to keep up. Today in the supermarket, my husband said, you could have swiped your card there. Oh for goodness sake, I've only just got used to it as it is now with a pin number.
Many older people have completely ignored the digital age, as its being called. Now they are being left behind as increasingly everything is worked by computer power. I have a friend who at 75 has just bought a laptop and a tablet but to be honest does not know one end from the other. I worry that if she starts doing her banking online she could be open to dire things happening. Its bad enough that crooks phone up the elderly and con them into giving them their bank details. Thousand stolen from them because they do not understand the digital age. Bastards! The govenment is trying to get these people to get with computers but how successful they will be I don't know. I was lucky to get a job on a hospital computer in the 1970s and been computer literate ever since, writing two published books on them and doing digital Art.
Nice to be back, thanks for reading this.
Sunday, 17 May 2015
Back Again
I see I have not written anything since 2013! That is terrible and a shame. So much has happened since them. I am going to be 80 in three days time. We have just seen the 70th anniversary of VE day, the end of WWII. I now work on an Apple iPad and an iMac. Gone are Micrsoft Windows. And I am doing actual painting rather than virtual and this weekendI won a first prize for drawing. I am going to put this up on my other blog and then try to resume them - because they are worth it.
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
trying once more
Can geta draft over but not publish from tablet
Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.2
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Screens, Screens, and Screams!
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
Just looked at my other blogs and realised I hadn’t put anything up since July! Too taken up with my digital painting I guess. (See new blog http://juliegale-digitalart.blogspot.com/ ) But this one is supposed to leave behind a history for the future about life here and now. So most of it seems to be taken up with looking at a computer screen of one sort or another. The main home computer screen, my note book computer, my husbands new tablet computer and an array of different smart phones and PDAs. One of them peeps, rings bells or some other noise and we both say which one was that? Sometimes it turns out to be the microwave announcing it finished. What a world.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
Just looked at my other blogs and realised I hadn’t put anything up since July! Too taken up with my digital painting I guess. (See new blog http://juliegale-digitalart.blogspot.com/ ) But this one is supposed to leave behind a history for the future about life here and now. So most of it seems to be taken up with looking at a computer screen of one sort or another. The main home computer screen, my note book computer, my husbands new tablet computer and an array of different smart phones and PDAs. One of them peeps, rings bells or some other noise and we both say which one was that? Sometimes it turns out to be the microwave announcing it finished. What a world.
When out in the wide world it isn’t much better. You are on a bus or waiting for one and somebody’s phone rings – everybody looks at theirs! Yet we know what tone we have put on our own phone but still – we look. Daft lot that we are.
Communication they call it and I forgot to add the three TV screens in the house. I have just had a look at the latest thing. Radio on the computer screen. Yes, you can SEE radio. Long gone are the days of the bodiless voice. On BBC FiveLive you can watch them in the studio in real time. See the news reader and the weather girl creep in to do their spots and creep out again. I feel sorry for the radio presenter as he or she now has to behave and not pull rude faces at the phone-in twits. Strange world.
!!!!! The damned thing has just crashed on me!!!! Back up now and running but I cannot understand why it does that now and then. It’s not a very old computer but do more than 2 things on it and it gets its knickers in a twist and freezes.
Friday, 15 July 2011
Flickr and Making Friends Worldwide
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
I am supposed to be recording what life is like in 2011 well mine the last couple of days has been quite international. No I have not been travelling except by e-mail but have been in touch with places truly across the world and time zones. This has been through my interaction on the photo and picture site called Flickr.
At first I just was putting up my artwork with no particular thought in mind that anybody would look at it, rather like this blog. I met somebody in a local town who owned a café and we got talking computer digital art. She mentioned she was on Flickr too and I went to check her out. I saw she was on Groups which I hadn’t realised were there, I’m a bit slow in catching on with Internet sites sometimes. Still trying to understand Twitter and don’t have young people around to help me so have to work it out on my own.
I joined one group and suddenly somebody emailed me and ask me to put up my work on the group they ran. Wow! Somebody looked at my pictures. Now nothing is so good for an artist, amateur or professional, as somebody expressing interest in your work. I joined the group and looked for others that had a similar outlook or interest. Two or three others came in and again asked me to put up on their group. Wow again! One is called The Gallery of Fine Photos. Fine photos, Moi?
Now I started to get people making comments and sometimes I sent back e-mails of thanks. The upshot of this isI seem to have made several new e-mail friends right round the world, New Zealand, USA, Canada and some at home in the UK. When I started talking to them, by e-mail, I had to think, goodness he is just going to bed and she is in the middle of her night and here I am in the middle of my day. I know, millions and millions of people have done this before me but this is what I am doing now. I have had contact world wide before but this is all connected with a subject dear to me, digital art.
World News.
The scandal of the moment is the News of the World newspaper phone hacking scandal. Now the News of the World was, in my younger day, considered a scurrilous scandal rag. My parents would not have been seen dead with it. So when this scandal broke I was not really very surprised. Today the CE of the group, Rebecca Brooks, resigned and I can only hope she was nice to the people on the way up as she might meet or need them on the way down. The paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, is being shot at from every direction, I understand they are looking into his papers in the USA now. That should be interesting. I think with him it could be ‘How the mighty have fallen’. Who knows, he is a very rich.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
I am supposed to be recording what life is like in 2011 well mine the last couple of days has been quite international. No I have not been travelling except by e-mail but have been in touch with places truly across the world and time zones. This has been through my interaction on the photo and picture site called Flickr.
At first I just was putting up my artwork with no particular thought in mind that anybody would look at it, rather like this blog. I met somebody in a local town who owned a café and we got talking computer digital art. She mentioned she was on Flickr too and I went to check her out. I saw she was on Groups which I hadn’t realised were there, I’m a bit slow in catching on with Internet sites sometimes. Still trying to understand Twitter and don’t have young people around to help me so have to work it out on my own.
I joined one group and suddenly somebody emailed me and ask me to put up my work on the group they ran. Wow! Somebody looked at my pictures. Now nothing is so good for an artist, amateur or professional, as somebody expressing interest in your work. I joined the group and looked for others that had a similar outlook or interest. Two or three others came in and again asked me to put up on their group. Wow again! One is called The Gallery of Fine Photos. Fine photos, Moi?
Now I started to get people making comments and sometimes I sent back e-mails of thanks. The upshot of this isI seem to have made several new e-mail friends right round the world, New Zealand, USA, Canada and some at home in the UK. When I started talking to them, by e-mail, I had to think, goodness he is just going to bed and she is in the middle of her night and here I am in the middle of my day. I know, millions and millions of people have done this before me but this is what I am doing now. I have had contact world wide before but this is all connected with a subject dear to me, digital art.
World News.
The scandal of the moment is the News of the World newspaper phone hacking scandal. Now the News of the World was, in my younger day, considered a scurrilous scandal rag. My parents would not have been seen dead with it. So when this scandal broke I was not really very surprised. Today the CE of the group, Rebecca Brooks, resigned and I can only hope she was nice to the people on the way up as she might meet or need them on the way down. The paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, is being shot at from every direction, I understand they are looking into his papers in the USA now. That should be interesting. I think with him it could be ‘How the mighty have fallen’. Who knows, he is a very rich.
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Obesity Problem Everwhere
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
I have to address this obesity problem in Britain and in many other parts of the world such as the USA. You may know from previous blogs I fight fat all the time or it goes back on at an alarmingly fast rate. I have lost about 4 stone in the past. Today my husband and I walked into Teignmouth with the dog and stopped to have a cool drink, Yes it's sunny now my holiday is over. Sitting outside a café I looked at the people walking by and had to say there was never a moment when there wasn’t a fat person passing by. What is more many were obese. They strolled by eating ice creams, sat in cafes eating high calorie foods and drinking canned sweet drinks. Don’t get me wrong I am not innocent in all this over eating. I am just as bad as the next although I think I have addressed it a bit more than most of them.
Today there is a news item that 500,000 children are at risk of liver disease due to being overweight. Many will die young from this and things like stroke and diabetes. But also they could get cirrhosis of the liver without alcohol being implicated. Wrong food, no exercise and sitting around with computers and sedentary games is the cause. There does not seem to be any answer to it. The poorer people are the more they eat cheap bad food and the less they exercise.
I wish I could help more but if people are not willing or even interested to listen then there is nothing one can do, only look after self and close loved ones as well as possible.
***
Going to have another go at learning my new graphics tablet later but a rest first. Well… I am 76 and I have walked to Teignmouth (about 3 miles).
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
Today there is a news item that 500,000 children are at risk of liver disease due to being overweight. Many will die young from this and things like stroke and diabetes. But also they could get cirrhosis of the liver without alcohol being implicated. Wrong food, no exercise and sitting around with computers and sedentary games is the cause. There does not seem to be any answer to it. The poorer people are the more they eat cheap bad food and the less they exercise.
I wish I could help more but if people are not willing or even interested to listen then there is nothing one can do, only look after self and close loved ones as well as possible.
***
Going to have another go at learning my new graphics tablet later but a rest first. Well… I am 76 and I have walked to Teignmouth (about 3 miles).
Friday, 1 July 2011
Radio in my Pillow, Graphics Tablet
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
Most nights, or even every night, I listen to my radio via ear phones under my pillow. You can buy a pillow already set up with loud speakers in it but I started to make my own some years ago. Mostly I listen to BBC Five Live, radio Four, Radio Four Extra and World Service. I learn so much from the last one on that list, it makes me realise how lucky we – I – am in this country. On Radio Four Extra they have a lot of programs from the past, comedies, plays and so on. Listening to a 1980s show a character said something like ‘Dogs used to be man’s best friend, now it seems to be computers’. I laughed, I had been watching my husband sitting in his armchair with his new tablet computer on his lap and a very disconsolate dog eyeing him with a baleful look as if to say ‘that lap is where I should be!’. Best friend be blowed!
Another month of the year gone, it’s the 1st of July today. I woke up to a beautiful bright morning at 6.00 am but soon went back to sleep again. The rest of the day has been a bit more cloudy. I walked to Dawlish again so that’s four times this week. Dog went swimming in the brook in the grounds of the Manor but was frightened by a large German Shepherd dog which was actually a big softy.
Last night I splashed out and have bought a Wacom Graphics pad for my art work on computer. It is an A4 size and something I have wanted for a long time. It is coming in the morning and all I have to do now is learn how to use it.
The pound and a half I put on over my holiday week has gone again. It has been hard to eat very small portions for a while. I need to lose at least half a stone by September ready to wear something nice for my Ruby anniversary.
Yesterday the public workers went on strike and a lot of schools closed. It is a row over pensions. They should be so lucky. My husband is going to have to go on working past retirement age and I have less that half a pension.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
Most nights, or even every night, I listen to my radio via ear phones under my pillow. You can buy a pillow already set up with loud speakers in it but I started to make my own some years ago. Mostly I listen to BBC Five Live, radio Four, Radio Four Extra and World Service. I learn so much from the last one on that list, it makes me realise how lucky we – I – am in this country. On Radio Four Extra they have a lot of programs from the past, comedies, plays and so on. Listening to a 1980s show a character said something like ‘Dogs used to be man’s best friend, now it seems to be computers’. I laughed, I had been watching my husband sitting in his armchair with his new tablet computer on his lap and a very disconsolate dog eyeing him with a baleful look as if to say ‘that lap is where I should be!’. Best friend be blowed!
Another month of the year gone, it’s the 1st of July today. I woke up to a beautiful bright morning at 6.00 am but soon went back to sleep again. The rest of the day has been a bit more cloudy. I walked to Dawlish again so that’s four times this week. Dog went swimming in the brook in the grounds of the Manor but was frightened by a large German Shepherd dog which was actually a big softy.
Last night I splashed out and have bought a Wacom Graphics pad for my art work on computer. It is an A4 size and something I have wanted for a long time. It is coming in the morning and all I have to do now is learn how to use it.
The pound and a half I put on over my holiday week has gone again. It has been hard to eat very small portions for a while. I need to lose at least half a stone by September ready to wear something nice for my Ruby anniversary.
Yesterday the public workers went on strike and a lot of schools closed. It is a row over pensions. They should be so lucky. My husband is going to have to go on working past retirement age and I have less that half a pension.
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