I spent some time at mums this weekend where we have been getting out some Christmas decorations and putting up Christmas trees. Dad will not be around this year and with us losing him at the beginning of this year and him becoming unwell last Christmas with his last pint being on Christmas eve in a pub out with me and his last full meal being on Chirstmas day it will be da different sort of feel to Christmas.
Mum’s tree in officeMums main tree in homeTwo little fellas fresh out of their box
When I got home this afternoon I decorated my first tree in my own home. I wanted to do it this year as with things being different so I fancied a change myself and getting a tree putting it up and decorated it will bring a little Christmas cheer into my home though it won make up for the storm clouds we faced last year.
My brother would have been 53 this year on Saturday November 29th
Andy with his dog Sam and Andy’s son Ben with his dog Defor
Had by brother survived his moment of madness, when he took his own life I know there would have been so much more joy to have come through and for him in his life path no matter which road it could have led him down. I was doing a Google search about him tonight as I know there was information on him on the internet about being a paranormal investigator and wondered what I migth still find.
I found the video below which I just find too spooky to watch myself of my brother from beyond the grave talking to ghosts. Its just a bit too spooky and close to comfort for me to listen and watch. I know he is still around and sends me and mum signs of his presence, for me it might be buggering around with the electrics on my nights out singing karaoke, as if he is having his moment up on the stage up there with me too, when I get up and sing. I can often get electric lights flickering next to me for no apparent reason too and it often makes me think it’s simply him saying hello bro.
I know there are lots of people that don’t believe in the supernatural and they believe it to be either fraud or coincidence. But for me though not religious I am very much a spiritual person and believe and hope that right and light will triumph over wrong and darkness wherever and whenever it must or can.
Ghost box In Poldark Mine Cornwall UK with GHOST- Andy “Ed” Edwards, Soph Beharrell & Nettie Tasker.
Furthe rinformation on this page on youtube says the following – This was filmed in 2010 at Poldark Mine Cornwall UK. with GHOST UK. A team of Paranormal Investigators – Andy “Ed” Edwards, Sophi Beharrell, Jeanette “Nettie” Tasker & Simon Colgan. (Simon was unavailable for this investigation) This was the first time we had used the Ghost box aka Spirit box in the mine with amazing results. We have investigated many places, but found the mine to be a perfect place to use the Ghost box. We have experienced the draining of the batteries from our equipment many times, but you can see from this investigation this also happens with Soph’s Video Camera. Thanks for watching.
The phrase, “The poor will always have you,” is an inversion of a well-known quote from the New Testament of the Bible, which in modern translations generally reads, “The poor you will always have with you“.
This statement is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew (26:11), Mark (14:7), and John (12:8), and is part of Jesus’ response to his disciples when they object to a woman anointing him with expensive perfume that could have been sold to help the poor.
Origin and Context
Jesus’ statement is a direct allusion to Deuteronomy 15:11 in the Old Testament, which states, “For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land”.
Meaning and Interpretation
When Jesus said this, he was not dismissing the plight of the poor or suggesting that poverty is an unchangeable fate to be ignored. Instead, the original context highlights several points:
A Call to Action: By referencing Deuteronomy, Jesus was reminding his followers of their ongoing, God-given responsibility to be open-handed and generous toward the poor.
Prioritizing Worship: The statement served as a defense of the woman’s act of worship. Jesus emphasized that while the disciples would always have opportunities to help the poor, the unique, physical opportunity to honor him before his imminent death and burial was fleeting.
Critique of Motives: In John’s Gospel, the objection came from Judas Iscariot, who was a thief and did not genuinely care for the poor, adding a layer of rebuke to those who use concern for the needy as a mask for their own self-righteousness or misplaced priorities.
In summary, the phrase is a reminder of the perpetual existence of poverty in a fallen world and a constant call for believers to show ongoing compassion and generosity, but it also establishes the importance of wholehearted devotion and worship of Christ.
I am not normally one for looking to biblical texts for inspiration but this just struck a cord with me this morning. Although I am employed (happyish in my work) receive enough pay to keep a roof over my head and to try to save money for rainy days and buy goods and services that I think I need in my life, there is very little leftover to do anything else with after that.
Not that I need more money for myself but there is also a complete lack of employment opportunities to move up any form of career ladder nowadays across Britain, even if I made the time and effort to apply for other jobs. Unlike in my youth, administration manager roles or project support staff roles roles just no longer exist in a way like they used to. I know people with a desire to work that are finding it extremely difficult to step into employment now and have never witnessed an employment market as difficult and competitive as the one that exists today.
There are ways and means of getting into work and you must go the extra mile if unemployed every time to prove your worth to potential employers. I have always looked to work in a place of my choice doing something that interests me as a volunteer when out of work and that has always proved so far to be an excellent stepping stone to employed work and also a huge motivator to get out of bed and rewarding me with enjoyment and self respect.
I had up until recently been contributing small amounts or money each month to the Green Party and also a charity called International Rescue. I stopped those payments recently and it has to some extent been playing on my mind. How can someone like me help people those with less than what I have.
I would like to think there are many ways I can continue to help others. Such as how I vote, what I advocate for in the political system. What I say on my blog, what I believe in and live by. Helping a friend with less cash than me with a drink on a night out or making sure they have enough money to safely get a taxi home or other little things like that are small wins that help the people that I respect and want to support.
Poverty has felt like a real life possibility for me at times one which could if I am unlucky enough or we are all propelled into some cataclysm come back top haunt me. I was homeless (for a very short time myself once, which lead to me having the home that I have now lived in for over 15 years provided by a housing association which I now also work voluntarily for on a scrutiny panel to help improve the housing association for others, they have helped me so I am helping them now. I have always found in life that when I can not afford to give to a charity or good cause financially I can always make up for by giving my time and effort instead.
I have also been on benefits in the past when out of work or unwell with which without which I could have had nothing although saying that I have always had the love and support of my parents. They will not always be around to help me though which does make me focus my mind on ensuring I am there to stand on my own two feet on my own. To think of safety nets is not just theoretical for me but absolutely vital in order to have gone from where I was to where I am today.
To pay my way in life and hold my own not relying on anyone now financially but myself is a huge achievement to me. Though some might see holding your own and paying your way as perhaps a form of failure to me it is a genuine success. Well it must be some kind of religious quotes day for me so I will bail out with another interesting quote from the bible. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
JAMES – Sit Down (Original Rough Trade Version Music Video)
A repeated mistake is like running around on a giant hamster wheel, exhausted and weary not knowing how to step off the darn thing or where the stop button is or not knowing when or how to press the stop button or how or when to step off. Repeating the same mistakes again and again while not learning a thing from them is defiantly a mad idea!
To repeat a mistake is often described as making a choice rather than an accident the second or subsequent time.
Common sayings and proverbs related to this concept include:
“A mistake repeated more than once is a choice.” – Paulo Coelho
“You can never make the same mistake twice because the second time you make it, it’s not a mistake, it’s a choice.” – Unknown
“If you make the same mistake twice, it is no longer a mistake, it is a habit.”
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” (Often attributed to Albert Einstein, but likely not his)
“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
“As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” (from the Book of Proverbs in the Bible).
The underlying idea in these expressions is the importance of learning from past errors and taking responsibility for one’s actions and the resulting consequences.
It seems to me politics is the biggest field of play, where this type of collective irresponsibility tends to take place.
Where an elected wealth of political officials, wish to control our finances and keep people within poverty instead of lifting them up out of it, maintain and enhance their own wealth crying foul to those from abroad that might no longer wish to be impoverished . Hmm what would Jesus think of such monetarising people and forces? From what I have read of the bible and learned from my religious teachers then those that choose to enrich themselves at the expense of others such as billionaires, wealthy politicians, using their own power to line their pockets with even greater profits, would repulse the son of god and if you believe in monsters heading to your definition of hell then that is what they likely are too.
What attracts, tempts or even provides people with conviction to vote for such inhumane politicians is hard to know what thoughts go through their heads or try to contemplate what they believe in and why they have those thought thought for such hateful people and views I do not know and will (god willing) likely never know or have.
Life is precious and time is short and for each of the power-hungry politicians voted into power across the globe chosen by their peers or people – Trump, Putin, Xi and Netanyahu are all incredibly dangerous political beasts we will be incredibly fortuitous to escape this time in the worlds history unscathed. Sadly each leader will be thinking from their own perspective, that they must be strong men in order to fight and conquer their own monsters. But what happens when they are the monsters that should instead need to be stopped or in someway fought.
They each poses within them the capability to light a match that within their hands could then set fire to million trees and sadly it takes only one of these four to strike first to make it all come crashing down.
When we are born into this world we arrive with nothing and when we depart this earth we depart with as little as when we arrived. It is what we do with our time here that truly makes our existence all worthwhile.
The National – ‘The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness’
So how did it come to me blogging about this – well with a considerable amount of thoughtful scepticism. I started thinking about who decides what is a miracle in today’s world and what does that say about all miracles and whether they have happened or not and whether that matters anyway!
Simply put mainly according to AI’s interpretation on this issue (who would have believed a few years ago that AI would be attempting to teach a human on the divinity of a miracle, but here we are) a miracle is an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable (meaning capable of being explained) or understood by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency.
A miracle is generally understood as an extraordinary event that is attributed to supernatural forces or divine intervention, often defying natural or scientific laws.
It’s also used more broadly to describe any amazing or wonderful event, regardless of whether it has supernatural connotations.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
1. Supernatural/Divine Interpretation:
Many religions associate miracles with the actions of a deity or other supernatural being.
These events are often seen as signs of God’s power or intervention in human affairs.
Examples include healing the sick, raising the dead, or performing other feats beyond natural capabilities.
2. Broader Usage:
In everyday language, “miracle” can refer to any highly improbable but positive event, like surviving a disaster or experiencing a stroke of good luck.
This usage emphasizes the unexpected and beneficial nature of the event.
For example, “a miracle of modern engineering” might describe a complex structure that was incredibly difficult to build.
3. Key Characteristics:
Unexplained or inexplicable: Miracles are often events that cannot be readily explained by natural or scientific laws.
Extraordinary or wonderful: They are events that stand out as exceptional and remarkable.
Potentially supernatural: In many cases, miracles are associated with supernatural agency, but this is not always the case in broader usage.
So for now where my ponderings have led me to consider whether divine miracles occur on daily basis and are real events or a thing of fiction. It’s fascinating that god requires no proof and yet a miracle is the greatest proof or all of god exists.
To me the greatest miracle of all is the miracle of life and followed by the existence of all and the wonder and beauty of all living things especial humans and other conscious beings. This is truly wondrous miracle of existence and also clear proof of a divine being at work for me – what it does not tell me though in any way, shape or form whatsoever is whether that divine being is a Buddhist, Muslim, Jew or Christian.
Religious labels and the divine have for most of my life been lost on me and therefore if one religion tells me something is not a sin and another tells me it is then how do I or anyone know else know which is the most appropriate interpretation to take? Or for that matter if one religions says that something is a miracle and another religion says no it never happened then who is the divine messenger of god and who is not? I expect it boils back down to individual belief and perceptions of those rules and regulations for certain beliefs, faiths and/or religions to be perceived and believed to be right or wrong, true or false.
If Israel dictates the terms of what is a just war in the Middle East at this moment in time across our media outlet’s, then our media outlets are wrong and in this particular circumstance are not telling the truth.
The bombing of Iran by the US and Israel is a brutal distraction from the coordinated genocide of the people and country of Palestine. While a bombing raid takes place in Iran the starvation and genocide of the Palestinian people is temporarily not needed to be explained and justified in the media. They say a broken clock face is said to tell the time correctly twice a day. The meaning of the broken clock symbolism is that just because someone or something is frequently wrong. or unreliable, it doesn’t mean they can’t occasionally be right. or provide valuable insight. The phrase comes from the idea of a clock. that has stopped working. and his hands are stuck at a specific time. Even though it doesn’t tell the correct time.
So for now in my country international news broadcasters are all reporting on the importance of why strikes are taking place in Iran. The Israel and US regimes perspective of what is the right thing to do concerning preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon is a brutal show of force from those with might against those that do not have such mighty weapons. As well as an attempt to destroy nuclear facilities it is also an attempt at regime change.
I have been watching the Star Wars second series of Andor at the moment the political similarities between what is happening in Israel and the US and what is happening in the middle east with the ripples of potential consequences across the whole world is unnerving.
The British government is still supplying many weapons to Israel although it says it has stopped some. Again they continue to still sell others to them though. If profit is king instead of a belief in the importance and sanctity of human life being sacrosanct and far more important than a few dollars for arms deals then it seem my government and western media outlets are promoting and dictating nothing of value at this moment in time on the middle east bombings and wars propelled and started by Israel.
The expression of the media to style the victims as aggressors and aggressors as victims is a sad reality of how our media portrays reality to express the will of the status quo and not reach out for peace and prevention of genocide sentiments and justifying western and Israel actions across the media and then explained, played down or justified by our state governments.
According to those who preach about the importance of Ai some say it is THE future and one day Ai will do all jobs and humans will no longer be needed for work.
Imagine in a utopian world, if this were true, we could all sit back relax pursue our own hobbies, dreams and leisure activities whilst a benevolent AI gently assisted and guided the human race along to follow our dreams and not just survive but thrive.
Or what perhaps about a dystopian world where those with money and power are left to be catered on hand and foot whilst the rest are left to starve and decay locked out of the future or so you might say.
Now no world or land that I have ever learned about (except maybe eden) has ever been benevolent and kind to humanity, ever situation we seem to find ourselves in is one which is hard thought for existence or means of survival and just because Ai comes along and technological advancements take place does in no way mean that suddenly life will be made easier for us of for everyone else come to that matter.
Life is a struggle and likely to continue to be one, maybe that’s a trial we all face and must endure in our limited time trial here on earth maybe that’s the whole point, if there is a point that is, is to endure, to learn to be resilient and to resolve to survive and when possible thrive.
Technologies such as Ai might one day have the answers to all question’s although according to a report on the news today, when an Ai chatbot does not have the answers to the questions that they are being asked they might simply lie to the questioner so as to pretend to know an answer or give a spin on an answer when it simply does not know what is untrue or wrong – sounds like it’s learning to lie its becoming more human and less benevolent incorruptible machine.
I remember when mobile phones were first invented and it was like wow this is the future of technology and just think what else we will be able to do in another 20 years. Well 20 years have nearly passed since the launch of the first iphone on 29th June 2007 and low and behold you can go out and by one today and ultimately it’s still a phone with a screen a computer and a camera and that is just what it’s been for the last 20 years and no more.
Fortunately for humanity and maybe designed so by god is that Ai ultimately sits behind a glass screen it’s not in the ‘real world’ like you and I and might never be in the real world like you and I, it might always be trapped in a computer behind a glass screen. For all I know that is god’s gift of Ai to humanity giving it the ability for something that is so dam smart and speedy but ultimately trapped behind a screen on a computer somewhere.
The human and other organic life forms of earth have been evolving for thousands of years to adapt to our life on earth and no matter how dam smart and capable Ai becomes it is not adapted to live, survive and thrive in the ‘real world’ but only to live and survive and thrive in an artificial one on a computer behind a glass screen.
So most likely us humans are not as outdated and defunct as the artificial intelligent gurus would have you believe or fear and we are already quite well adapted to our environment already – we just have to start acting a little more human or benevolent towards each other in order to stand a dam good chance of surviving the rest of this year, decade and beyond. Perhaps we can learn from benevolent sources of knowledge both Ai and human to help us to follow our dreams and not just survive but thrive.
The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1 [Official Music Video]
In memory of those gone but not forgotten, loved and not lost
Today is 2 months to the day since my lovely father passed away and though I think often of him miss him and feel and know that he is no longer here – I do so in what I feel to be a fond farewell light and positive imprint of him on my mind and soul.
Some people I know are horrified by the death of a love one or terrorised by no longer having a loved one in their life or fear when others lose people close to them too and keep their distance from people who have recently lost or are bereaving. Depending on the circumstances of a death, I know it can be brutal to lose someone that you deeply love.
But I don’t feel we should use our own self suffering as a barometer to how much we loved someone or even how much they are now missed. There are many joys to life and being alive and living in the moment are things which my father enjoyed to do in life himself and he would wish for me in some way I’m sure to appreciate the experience of being alive and not be tied up in knots due to his death or the death of other who were loved and lost.
Years ago in university during what was possibly a sociology class I remember a lecture announcing to us that when we cry we only cry for ourselves and for what those tears mean to us. We have no empthy and emotions for others whatsoever. I was instantly enraged and engaged in this opinion and perspective and that is exactly what the lecture wanted us to do to challenge him to engage with him and ultimately gain an emotional reaction on what his statement said. To this day I have often still wondered about the concept of crying for other s or simply crying for our selves and was the lecturer trying in some way to express a simple truth of his or get us to engage in emotive intellectual debate. Who knows? What I do know is that idea still remains with me some 30 years later.
I suppose the debate will always rage, do we cry for ourselves? or for others? What we have lost or for those whom were taken away or maybe from knowing that we will one day be in the same situation sitting in a coffin ourselves and before that day comes for us crying or morning that day getting closer and closer for us as with each day that passes as well as those others that we love and have in our lives that we will one day lose. Why do we hurt for what was taken away or for what we might yet lose?
Dad, my brother Andy and my Mum at Andy’s passing out parade at his official graduation ceremony following the completion of his course at Culdrose Cornwall.
I sat down to write this as a way of saying I’m ok and hello and its also ok to not be ok. But it appears to be more and deeper than that as the words flow out. What I’m trying to say is to me I want to love those that I have lost, appreciate them in this living alive world and show little signs of respect and love for those I care about where I can by how I live, whether that’s by being a little kinder at times, older and wiser at others but definitely not feeling sad for sadness sake or hurt for the sake of being heartbroken sake.
The people that I have and love in this life I have enjoyed their company at their highs and lows and mostly enjoyed being with them at their highs when they too enjoyed their life. I aspire to enjoy my life and honour theirs.
This time last year me and Dad were on holiday in Ireland for St Patricks day, thanks to a bet that I won on the horse the day after Christmas 2023. It was an unexpected win for a number of reasons and so when the bet paid out I shared some of the money with my mum and dad as the money did not really feel like mine anyway.
Dad said that rather than have the cash he wanted to go on holiday to Ireland and so that is exactly what we did. I paid for the accommodation and flights and we shared the costs of the meals and drinks. It was so much fun and went to some new places that I had not visited before as well as some tried and tested places. We initially got a ferry over from south Wales, which very nearly did not happen to County Wexford, then stayed in lovely hotel there and then travelled to Cork where dads Nan was from. We then went up to Limerick and onto Galway where we spent a weekend and was in St Patricks day for the Sunday. Finally we headed back to Dublin for a few days and then caught a flight back home. I love Ireland; I love my family and feel like although I am missing my Dad now that he is no longer with us I am very grateful for the time we shared together.
I feel like I am counting my blessings at present rather than counting my curses and there are many blessings. Though I hoped and thought he would live longer the time we all shared with him was special and I feel honoured to have known him and had him as part of my life.
So we said fairwell to Dad on Friday 7th March, his family would just like to say a huge thank you to all of you that have shown how much you care for him and us. Me, Shamen and mum have been so grateful for the love and support offered to us at this difficult time. It’s sometimes hard to make a call or show people, if you care due to already full up and busy lives, there is always something else in life to distract you that steels your time away. With that said it has been so very heart-warming and reassuring to know that in our time of need you were able to offer us your love and support.
Whether that was in the way of a kind word or thought, or a call or text to see how we are or for those that made time for us and also for those that were able to see us and Dad in Spreyton on the day we just can’t thank you all enough.
With the decisions to hold the ceremony in Spreyton Village Hall and have the burial at crossways site in Cheriton Bishop, I was a little nervous prior to the day, as to whether we had chosen the right words, locations, hymn and ideas for the day. But with all of those that attended and helped us I do believe we did dad proud and showed him how much he was loved. The whole day and event was a wonderful celebration of Dads life and thank all so much for the time you spared for us prior to the service and also on the day and evening too.
I also want to share Dads poem for those that might want to see it again and also for those that could not make it on the day.
Love the ones you Love by Neil Edwards
Love the ones you love. Don't assume they're fine, because you haven't heard from them in a while. Assume they're not - and call them.
Make sure they know you love them. That can be difficult to say, but tell them, in whatever words, in your funny old way.
Take every chance that comes to do an act of lovingkindness for those who live in your heart. These things are powerful voodoo, because they work for them as well as you.
The only thing we know is true, is that we don't know what's to come. Don't just keep them in your heart. Turn up, and talk, and be with them.
Thank you, dear God, for this good life, and forgive us if we do not love it enough. And forgive us if we forget to love the ones we love.
P.S. Don’t beat yourself up. Even if you do all these things, some of us will slip away.
We are good actors and take great pains to keep you off the scent. It’s nothing you did or failed to do. Don’t beat yourself up.
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