A Man Is Not A Man.....

Well, I've been looking through some of those old note books, mentioned in my last post.

They certainly make fascinating reading, as they go back quite a few years. I can see some themes among the many jottings and notes within the pages and some very interesting thoughts and ideas too. I've no doubt I'll be using at least some of them here, over time.

There was one note that jumped out at me though and it was one that I'd completely forgotten about too. It was a comment on an old YouTube video of mine, which I'd made a note of. I have no idea which video it was, but the comment said, "A man is not a man until his father dies".

I've just Googled that quote to see if it may have been an old saying, but I can't find any suggestion of it being so. It does sound like an old quotation doesn't it and the kind of thing you'd find in a book?

I'm guessing that the comment was on a video I may have made when my own father died, back in January 2010. I may just have to go back and check.
I'm not sure that I would agree with the comment particularly, but I can certainly understand the meaning behind it.

I was already in my early 50's when my father died, when he was 92, so whether his death had any major impact on my life I'm not that sure, that's apart from the obvious grief and emotional impact that is.

One thing I would say though, is that that event was just the start of a pretty momentous year for me and one that has changed and influenced my life ever since. The whole year was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.

As mentioned my father died in January 2010. My mother-in-law then died suddenly, just over a month later. My father's death was not a shock, due to his age and the fact that he'd not been well for a while. But my mother-in-laws death certainly was, so you can probably imagine the impact that had on the extended family, especially the grandchildren, to whom she was very close.

One aside from this is that, at my fathers funeral service, I gave a speech about his life and one that was very well received as it happens. Strangely enough, I didn't find that anywhere near as hard as I thought I would.
This was one area where my past experience of vlogging and talking into a video camera was a help. I treated the speech as a kind of vlog and, in an ironic twist of fate, the person I concentrated on most of the time during that speech was my mother-in-law. I have no idea why, but her's was the face that I found myself using as a form of video camera lens (I hope that makes some kind of sense?)

Part three of my annus horribilis was losing my job and being made redundant in June of 2010. Once again this was a shock, as although I knew changes were afoot, nobody expected staff members to lose their jobs, least of all me. I wasn't the only one by the way.

Naturally, this had a huge impact on my life both then and since. I was lucky in that I came out the other side in a fairly good state and am happier doing what I do now, than I ever was at work back then.
I was also lucky in that I had other interests and potential projects to fall back on, some of which were in the pages of those old note books.
So, in many ways, I am better off now than then, although not financially. But, I have learned that money isn't everything.
One possible regret though, is that I've never had the chance to go back and thank them for getting rid of me.

In September of 2010 my younger sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully that was detected early and the subsequent treatment has meant that she is now back to full health. But, once again, this was another of those episodes that makes you stop and think about life, the universe and everything.

Since that year, my life has changed in many ways and it has also been a lot less traumatic too, thankfully. But it has changed my whole outlook on life, work, pleasure and passions. I've made many changes and I suspect there will be more to come.
I'm looking forward to it.

Change may not always come in the ways that you want it to, or would like it to. It can creep up on you when you least expect it and often there's nothing you can do about it.

Sometimes, it's not the changes themselves that affect your life, it's how you react to them. I've always tried to have a 'glass half full' mentality and I think that helped me through that year and beyond.

So, although I'm not sure that the death of my father was quite the event that made me a man, that whole year may well have been, at least, part of the reason that I am now the man I am?

PS: I've checked and I made a whole series of videos about my father's illness and subsequent death.
This is the first one: A Matter of Life and Death the 2nd is: Life is a Rollercoaster and then are a few more on the Rollercoaster theme, if you're interested. As to why I made and shared those videos? Well, maybe that's a topic for another post?

The DNA Test - The Results.

Yes, i know that this is a long video, but i wanted to give the full story.

Original DNA Test video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4gj95HYvUA

The Genographic Project:
https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html

As mentioned, i am a member of haplogroup R1a1, M17 (Subclade R1a1a, M198).
If you've done this test yourself & know your own group, please let me know

Having found all this out, i'd now love to retrace my ancestors journey & visit those countries myself. Can't see that happening though.

AudioBoo: The Knock At The Door.

listen to ‘The Knock At The Door.’ on Audioboo

Saturday was an interesting and eventful day.

The DNA Test.

I've signed up to a project to trace my deep ancestry. In this video i explain about the project & take a DNA test.

The Genographic Project:
https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/index.html

Ken's Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npbaSRjQfP0&

I'll do a video os the results that i get when i receive them.
Thanks to Ken & Marc.

The Work Family

Another video inspired by a Twitter conversation.
How on earth did we ever manage before?

In case you didn't see it, here's a link to the video i mentioned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO5AAkSUDjg

Census Or NonCensus?

Has the Census run it's course & do we really need it in these days of Social Networking?

A beach vlog.

Breach Of Trust?

AudioBoo - WW2 And All That.

That Was The Year That Was.

A look back at what has been a very momentous year for myself & my family.
Even though this video is 17 minutes long, i still missed out some events & people!

Vloggers Caravan Road Trip video playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/user/andymoose...

"Not The End Of The Pier" CD website:
http://nottheend.co.uk

AudioBoo - http://audioboo.fm/andymooseman

A beach vlog.

So, This Is Christmas....

A yule vlog.

AudioBoo - Dividing Line.

It's a thin line between snow & rain.

I Want My DNA.

Any offers to profile my own DNA?

A Spanish Holiday - Part 4.

I've just answered a comment, on my last holiday blog post, by Ken. He noticed that i wasn't sure what day it was when i wrote that post & he's right. I did have to think about it. As i've replied to him. That is what this type of holiday is all about really and exactly what we were looking for.
Especially, after the year that we've had so far.

Although, there is no regime to the holiday and that is one of the best things about being somewhere familiar and having no real plans for your time. It is amazing how quickly you start to slip into a kind of pattern and one that is so different to what you are used to.

For me, the day usually starts around 8am, when i get up and go and have a nice swim in the pool. I do this for a couple of reasons. One, because i think that's the best time of the day for a swim. Mainly because, as the sun is not yet made much of an impression, the water feels at it's warmest. The is not so much of a difference between the outside temperature and the temperature of the water.
I also swim, very badly as it happens, for the exercise aspect of it. It's a great way to wake you up in the morning and really gets you going.

But, even this, is a change to home life. Obviously, we don't have a nice handy pool at home. If only we did. But, when at home, my wife is always the first person to get up in the mornings. Whatever day of the week. And yet, when we're on holiday, it's always me that's up first.
So, why is this?

Well, after writing that last paragraph, i had a discussion about just that point, with my wife.
She agreed with what i'd written and said that, when on holiday, she has nothing to think about and therefore, nothing to really get up for. She feels more relaxed on holiday, because of this and consequently, she sleeps longer.
I do understand exactly what she's saying there. When you're at home, there is usually something that needs to be done. Whether that be work, or family related. That tends to keep your mind more acrtive and because of this, you don't tend to fully relax. And, subsequently, you don't sleep as well. Your mind is always, subconsciously, telling you that you should be awake and dealing with "stuff".

I can relate to this in a work context as well. Ok, so i'm not in work at the moment. But, when i was, i never felt particularly stressed and never felt that my work affected me at all. But, when i look back, i realise that it did. I've certainly felt better and more relaxed since i've stopped working and i know that i'm not alone in noticing that effect.
So, even if we don't realise it, our "real" life does have an effect on us and, as i said before, coming on a holiday like this is the perfect remedy for it.

The only trouble is, reality is only a short airplane ride away and it's only a matter of time before we board that flight.
Having said that. For me at least and for the first time ever, that is not the case.
And that will be the topic for a future blog post.

4 Years And Counting.

Today is the 4th anniversary of opening my YouTube account.

I actually posted my first video on 25th August 2006:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSKnhJ...

Is it time for a re-boot?

A woodland vlog.

Renting A Cherry Tree.

(Can i first just say that this blog post is not an advert and i have not been paid to talk about this. It is just a blog from a satisfied customer)

For those of you who may follow me on some other social networking sites. You may have noticed me mentioning the fact that i've been out picking cherries from my cherry tree.
Now, i do not own this tree, i merely rent it.
Renting a tree?, i hear you ask, how on earth does that work? Well, i'm glad you asked, because i'm going to tell you.

Up until a couple of years ago, i had never heard of anyone renting a fruit tree and apart from the scheme that i'm involved with, i still haven't.
It's all very simple really. I pay a yearly rental fee for a particular cherry tree. For that fee i get to pick and keep, all of the fruit from that tree. It is in effect, my tree. I even have a certificate, with my name on it, telling me exactly which tree is mine. As long as i pay my rental fee every year, the tree remains mine.
And that is it.
The farmer does all the work and looks after the tree for me. He even sends me regular emailed newsletters, telling me about the state of the trees, the likely optimum picking dates and how good the crop is likely to be. All i do is pay my money and then turn up and pick the cherries. I can then do with those cherries what i wish. I could even sell them if i wanted to.

As you can see from this photo, the trees can carry a lot of fruit.

Whilst i don't know if this scheme is unique and i certainly hope it isn't. I think that this is a really good idea.
Here in the UK, we have seen a number of farmers "grubbing out" their fruit trees, because they are not really financially viable any more. This has certainly been the case with apple orchards, where many have disappeared over the past few years. Fruit farming, in the UK, seems to have taken a big hit recently.
So, this renting scheme seems like a really clever and inventive way of preventing this happening. It helps to preserve the fruit trees for future generations and it also helps to keep the farms in business.
I'd love to see it extended to other farms and farmers. But, also to other types of fruit. Apples for example. I would certainly be very interested in renting an eating apple tree as well. So, if anybody, local, knows of one, please let me know.

Another added attractions of the renting scheme, is the family aspect of it all.
As i said before, the tree effectively becomes yours and this has an effect on the way that you and your family start to feel aboutt that tree. For example, when you are picking the fruit, you make sure that you don't harm the tree in the process. After all, this might harm the crop for next year.
When i went to pick my first batch of cherries this year, with my son as it happens. There were family groups there, making a day out of the whole picking process. They had brought along a picnic and were sitting down, next to their tree, eating their lunch. What a nice way for a family to spend a day together.
I went back today, to pick the remaining fruit and this time i went with my father-in-law. As i said, it becomes a family affair.

So, all in all, i am one very satisfied customer and i can recommend this scheme and any others like it. It's a great way of keeping the fruit trees in the orchards and the fruit farmers in business. And you can have some family days out, picking your own fruit, in the great British countryside into the bargain.

Now all i need to do is figure out what i'm going to do with all of these cherries?

The Rollercoaster Rides Again

Life moves in mysterious ways.

Just Sayin'

That was the week that was. More adventures on the rollercoaster of life.

Family, Friends & Reunions.

YouTube video.
Talking about more recent experiences.

The Rollercoaster Slows Down.

New YouTube video & hopefully, the final part of a series of videos about my Father.



Funerals, Fathers & finality.