A TRULY AMAZING REVELATION

I am not a religious person but I was amazed at a story the great actor Brian Blessed related to interviewer Fern Cotton on BBC1 this morning (18 December). Blessed told of a private meeting he had with the Dalai Lama who told by him that he knew his brother was very ill and was to ‘pass on’ very soon. His Holiness explained to Blessed not to worry because he would be taken care of and he would be re-incarnated and be reborn at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Blessed visited the address that the Dalai Lama had given him in Canada some time later and was surprised to meet a young boy who, he  recognised as his brother as he knew him when he was a young lad in looks and mannerisms.

This is a fantastic story but because it was being told in Brian Blessed’s particular way, there is absolutely no reason to doubt his belief in the authenticity of the tale.

Facebook by Jan Todd

I was sitting at my computer, as usual, checking emails and playing games, with friends, Words, that’s my favourite at moment, it’s like scrabble but it takes up so much time, great chunks of the day can pass before you realise it.

You can easily get sidetracked too, one minute your playing a game, then up pops an ad and off you go, just now one popped up for ‘Mohammed- An Arab Rug Trader’, apparently he’s having a closing down sale somewhere in Perth and you can buy one, get one free! Before you know it you are measuring your hallway and looking at colours to blend in with your existing decor.

Then there is all the ‘chat’, one friend always likes to use a lot of those ‘emoticons’, little symbols like smiley faces to express how she is feeling, sometimes it’s a sad face but lately she’s been using a lot of ’squint’ symbols or is it a ‘wink’? With my eyesight I ‘should have gone to specsavers’!

Now I am looking online for a Christmas gift for my Mother-in-law, she’s 80 but said she “would like one of those gold ankle bracelets “of all things! She said she didn’t want me sending flowers by interflora to the UK as usual but says that an ankle bracelet will be nice and light to post. I am not sure if she is aware of the connotations of an ankle bracelet? But at 80 I am sure she must be but still I think she will be safe enough!

I detect a whiff of ‘Old Spice’ aftershave…my husband is entering the room, I must remember to buy him something more alluring for Christmas, ‘Au Savauge’ or ‘  Hugo Boss’. I glance up from the keyboard guiltily. Once again I am back online shopping and before I know it I have ordered and paid for:

3 Aah Bras, extra large.

1 Bottle of ‘Hugo Boss”

1 Bottle of ‘Paris,’ for myself!

1 Gold ankle bracelet.

1 Pink wheelbarrow, for one of my granddaughters.

1 Rocking Horse, for another.

1 Metal detector for my Son in Law.

I look at the time, 3 o’clock and I haven’t even been to the shops yet to get something for dinner.

I’ll just finish this game of Words then I’ll close down and go out. But what’s this? My friend in Canada has sent me a message. She can’t sleep, so would I like a game of “Texas Hold- em Poker!’ I’ve never played before but hey I can learn!

 

 

THE SILENT KILLER BEHIND THE WHEEL

If you are finding it difficult to stay awake during daylight hours you could be suffering from a common, & potentially dangerous, sleep disorder, but this can be cured by a simple treatment.

The following article in a slightly revised form was written for The Mover – the independent voice of the global moving industry

Although British truck drivers are regarded to be amongst the safest on the road there have been several fatal accidents involving heavy goods vehicles that have been attributed to drivers falling asleep at the wheel . In July 2006 a family of four were killed on the A34 near Bicester when a 30-tonne truck ran into a line of stationary traffic during the afternoon rush hour. The driver of the truck had been awake since 0430 and had started driving at 0700. He was found guilty of four counts of causing death by dangerous driving and sent to prison for three years and nine months. During his trial he told the court “something catastrophic” had occurred but he did not know what. Without knowing it, this driver had momentarily fallen asleep.

A few months later, a young car driver was killed on the M62 near Liverpool caused by another HGV driver who had fallen asleep. The victim’s family discovered a year later that there had been four other similar accidents in a period of four months from October 2007 involving HGV drivers that had resulted in the deaths of nine people.  After coming to terms with the dreadful events that had left the young man dead, during August 2008 the driver responsible, Colin Wrighton, began campaigning to raise awareness of the condition that had caused him to fall asleep.  On 25 July 2011 Mr Wrighton bravely spoke of his concern on the BBC Radio 2 ‘Jeremy Vine Show’.

The causes of these two major accidents could easily have been avoided had they been diagnosed correctly and were attributed to a condition known as obstructive sleep apnoea. This is a significant disorder that affects more than one in 50 adults, but is more prevalent in middle-aged men who are obese. In 2005 the BBC Real Story programme suggested that 41 per cent of HGV drivers have a sleep disorder of some form with one in six of them requiring urgent treatment for sleep apnoea, although most are unaware of that they are sufferers. The condition is characterised by heavy snoring that leads to acute sleep disturbances that causes fatigue and sleepiness during the day. The British Sleep Foundation (BSF) considers lorry drivers to be particularly at risk because they are often overweight because of the their sedentary working conditions, have unhealthy high-fat diets and work unsocial hours.  One survey showed that 38 per cent of lorry drivers had a body mass index of between 25 and 30 and more than 50 per cent were regarded as obese with a body mass index over 30. Experts estimated that 80,000 of a workforce of half a million truck drivers may be suffering from sleep apnoea without knowing it. This is a frightening thought but HGV drivers are not alone and sleep apnoea also affects train drivers, airline pilots and motorists who are equally putting their lives and the lives of others at serious risk.

How a Meccano Set Became the Mother of Invention

“Achievement is more important than qualifications.”

Bob Bluffield meets the inventor Trevor Baylis

The most obscure things can often shape our futures and for Trevor Baylis it was the fortuitous discovery of a deluxe box of Meccano on a rubbish tip while foraging for scrap metal as a young boy in wartime west London. By adding the wide range of pieces to the cherished basic set his father had bought him presented him with the opportunity to extend his creativity. By his own admission, Trevor was not in the least bit academic. He considers that “achievement is more important than qualifications” – a policy he has adhered to throughout his long career without causing himself any undue harm, even though he couldn’t have thought this when he and his mates took every opportunity to bunk off junior school. Instead of class work they preferred to pursue more boyish adventures and during the Blitz there was plenty of opportunity to do just that. They collected shrapnel from the enemy raids of the previous night and bits of scrap that could be sold for smelting to aid the war effort. When they weren’t scavenging, Trevor and his friends were preoccupied with swimming even though this was in the foul smelling effluent water of the nearby Grand Union Canal. After discovering he had a natural ability to float, Trevor became a first class swimmer and by the age of fifteen represented Great Britain, but became disappointed when he missed out on a place in the 1958 Olympics.  When the time came to leave school, Trevor claims he could barely read and write but was offered a job at a soil mechanics laboratory where he had the opportunity to study mechanical and structural engineering on part-time day release.

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Kai Tak Remembered

Hong Kong International Airport at Kai Tak closed for business on July 6 1998 to be replaced by the superb new facility built on reclaimed land at Chek Lap Kok on Lantau Island.

The two airports are like chalk and cheese; one futuristic, the other was long past its sell by date; but there are still plenty who mourn the demise of the old place. Many are pilots who readily recall the adrenalin rush as they guided their aircraft along the instrument guidance system (IGS) just a few hundred feet above densely populated Kowloon tenements towards the infamous orange and white-painted chequer board. When this was in view and the aircraft correctly aligned at a height of just 675 feet (206 metres), a sharp 47 degree turn was required that took the aircraft through a sweeping curve before leveling out 150 feet (46 metres) from the runway threshold.

Is Your Garden Plagued by Slugs?

While wandering around the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (the worlds largest) last week I met Mr and Mrs Messina a charming couple who had invented a simple, yet highly effective, device known as the Slug Bell. This is a cheap, low-cost and attractively colourful little gadget that is used to ‘feed’ slugs with deadly pellets to rid them from your garden.

The Slug Bell was designed as a safe, environmentally friendly and efficient way of keeping toxic slug pellets out of reach of animals and children and was devised after Mike Messina had become ill after eating part of a slug pellet that had remained on a lettuce that had been thoroughly washed several times.

With prices ranging from £8.49 to £9.99 the all-metal Slug Bell represents excellent value for money. The product consists of a simple spike that is placed into the ground that contains a small mesh feeder partway up the spike that is used to bait the slugs. Pellets are placed in the bowl and the hungry slugs, attracted by the odour given off from the pellets, have no trouble climbing the spike to devour the bait. A small bell-shaped hood, available in an array of patterns and colours to blend in with your garden, is then placed on top of the spike to hide the slug pellets from prying pets and children and to provide protection from the rain.

Slug Bells are already in use in the gardens at Highgrove and Mike Messina proudly showed me a letter sent to him by a member of HRH Prince Charles’s staff praising the value of the products. Mike has also been interviewed by researchers from the ‘Dragon’s Den‘ programme.

The Slug Bell is available on line at the company’s official website.

Is Traditional Photography Making a Revival?

According to today’s Daily Telegraph Harman Technology, the company that bought Ilford, has reported a substantial increase in the sale of 35mm and 120 roll film. Harman has said that there has been about an 8% increase in the sale of film over the last year. This comes as great news to traditional photographers of the ‘old school’ who believe that the overall quality of film is superior to that of digital capture.

Many young photographers, according to Steven Brierley, sales manager at Harman, see using film as ‘something cool’. He said ‘they want to do something different than point their mobile camera and take a picture’.

The London firm West End Cameras has also reported an increase in film processing and printing of between 10 and 15 per cent over the last year. What is more encouraging is that the business has said that prints from traditional film are outstripping prints from digital by 25 to one.

Personal Memories of Seve

Along with other sports lovers I have been saddened by the loss of Severiano Ballesteros after he died from a brain tumour diagnosed three years ago, aged just 54. He was a terrific golfer, a professional’s professional, and a great character. His passing will be a huge loss to golf and sport in general.

I have my own fond memories of Seve. From 1986-1994 I was the official photographer for Dunhill at the British Masters Golf tournament held at Woburn Golf & Country Club. I met him for the first time in 1986 in the tent  assigned to my team on the 1st tee at the ProAm event that preceded the main tournament. Seve had been teamed with a rather nervous Tim Brooke-Taylor, the former Goodie, who was concerned about how his golf might stand up to scrutiny playing in the same foursome as the great master. Tim had cut his hand while searching for a ball while warming up on the practice ground, and as my wife applied first-aid to his injury, they were filmed by TV cameras which only caused Tim further trepidation. Seve won the Masters that year and returned to play in the tournament several times more, winning again in 1991.

Tim Brooke-Taylor need not have worried; accordingly he told me later that Seve had been amazing and had been a calm influence on him and the other team members throughout the 18 holes by giving them all a great deal of encouragement that boosted their confidence.

I had taken a photograph of Tim with Seve (seen here) before they teed-off and I was privileged when Tim asked if he could use this to illustrate the back cover of his book Tim Brooke-Taylor’s Golf Bag. When the book was published in 1989, to mark the occasion I invited Tim to my studio after the ProAm event where I presented him with a framed canvas bonded print of the photograph. I was thrilled when he took the trouble to write to say the photograph took pride of place above the fireplace at his Berkshire home.

Over the years Seve’s command of English that seemed at first limited appeared to improve – sufficiently in fact to tick me off on one occasion for unthinkingly placing myself in his eye line as he was about to make a putt. I got the rough end of his tongue but he was suitably gracious to exchange some pleasant banter about he had finished playing for the day. Despite a tiring round that had not completely gone his way he willingly gave his time before returning to his hotel to be photographed by me with various competition winners that had won tickets for the Masters. He didn’t have to do this; and while others on the golf circuit may have refused, Seve had time for his fans.

As a photographer I worked with Seve on four or five occasions. I always found him to be easy going, polite and ready to share a joke when off the course – but during the tournament, when concentrating, he could sometimes be feisty. But Seve Ballesteros was always thoroughly professional and gained everybody’s respect and was extremely well liked.  His passing marks the end of a legend.

Fallowfields sets news standard in fine dining

Fallowfields Hotel and Restaurant has always had an excellent reputation for food and hospitality.

They have just announced the arrival of Shaun Dickens as Head Chef. Shaun’s sparkling career has taken him to a Who’s Who of Michelin starred restaurants; with three years at Oxfordshire’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons (two Michelin stars), two years at Per Se in New York (3 Michelin stars) and L’Ortolan (1 Michelin star) where he worked with Alan Murchison for the last two years. Additionally, he spent short periods with Gordon Ramsay in London and New York, Michelle Roux Junior at the Gavroche and Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniels. In 2009 Shaun was a finalist of the Young Chef of the Year Competition, and in 2010 won the title for the South West Region and came 3rd overall nationally.

The world of Michelin seems open for Shaun, almost wherever he has chosen to go. So, why did he choose Fallowfields? “I am at a point in my career where I needed a project”, says Shaun – “and Fallowfields, with its farm, orchards and kitchen garden, is a chef’s dream turned true. So when I saw Fallowfields was looking, I just knew this was the job for me”. There was a sense of passion about Fallowfields that struck me when I first came, that matched my own – you could feel it – and with the passion that I as chef will bring, the future of Fallowfields is unlimited. The journey starts here, today the 26th April.

Anthony Lloyd, owner of Fallowfields commented: “This is an unparalleled opportunity for a good business to become a great business. We are food led and Shaun’s arrival has been anticipated with much excitement in the last few weeks. Right from the days when my wife Peta cooked in the kitchen on an Aga and we planted our vegetable garden and orchards and then starting the farm three years ago, Fallowfields has almost been sitting waiting for a talent like Shaun to come along to make it come alive”.

330 Days – The Uncensored War in Iraq

A Photo Documentary
Christopher Durante & Julian Van Bellinghen
Published by: World Audience Publishers – New York
258 pages – A4 format – paperback
ISBN: 978-1-935444-43-5

Book Reviewed by: Robert Bluffield

This is essentially a picture book that documents the coalition’s involvement in Iraq from the US soldier’s viewpoint. It is certainly not for the faint hearted as it contains some extremely poignant, but necessary, images of dismembered bomb victims and those caught in street fighting and ambushes. The only text contained in the book is short and forms only the captions that explain each of the photographs, but there is little need for words because the images, in the main, speak volumes about the total barbarity of war. The book is hard hitting, harsh and concerning and clearly will shock but they show some of the real dangers the coalition troops were exposed to in Iraq and now in Afghanistan.

330 days (presumably the period one of the authors served in Iraq) sets out to put the viewer on the front line by attempting to show the realities of a country that will probably never recover from the devastation caused by a dreadful regime and a tyrant leader that was devised to release the Iraqi people. It has failed of course and while there are the infighting between the Ba’ath, Sunni and Shia continues there will never be peace. The images, taken by active soldiers with ordinary inexpensive cameras, as the co-authors state, are of a kind that any newspaper would never dare publish, and they are right. The nature of many of the photographs will, no doubt, also cause embarrassment for the US Government who dislikes the true horrors of the conflict being exposed to the electorate.
The authors are clearly making a statement by publishing this book but it does leave me wondering who will buy it? As a documentary of what US military personnel have experienced on the streets of Baghdad it works well but I am not quite sure where, because of the gruesome images contained in the book, will fit into most buyers’ bookcases. The cover should, in any event carry a public warning because some people who open the book will be disturbed by many of the photographs that show blown off body parts and entrails that are the result of a violent explosion of shooting. Nevertheless, there is bound to be an audience for a book that holds back no punches to reveal reasons why so many coalition troops have been psychologically damaged by their experiences in this war.