Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[RED-DOG]

Great post tom.

You can do me if you like

Hmm... 

This is a dangerous game.

[nirvana]

This could be the end of a beautiful friendship.

Glen. (AKA nirvana)  I think that's the only thing I know about him for sure. I have him down as being born to upper middle class parents so I'm guessing that he has a second name and that it's something straightforward like Andrew or Trevor. Surname, again no idea but again something typically English. I'm going for Cartwright.

Working class Scots father who escaped Methil, coal mining and fishing to join the RAF and live the rest of his days in the South and a fair bit of the rest of the world. Mother born in Poona during WW11, daughter of an Army and RAF man who was stationed in India and took the unusual  step of marrying  a local Anglo Indian (Portuguese and Indian parents). Our institutions were just racist enough back then to deny them the normal 'Married Quarters' that servicemen & their families lived in. Utterly working class and Henderson from the clan 'Sola Virtus Nobilitat'.


I have met Glen so I should be able to take a decent stab at his age. He looks in decent nick to me, lived in face, bit of snow on the roof etc, I'm going for late (very late) 50's.

He writes well and has a good vocabulary. He has strong opinions on a wide range of subjects and doesn't mind if they are at odds with those of the majority. He can be very forthright with his arguments but seems to find it amusing rather than annoying when people disagree. He can be stubborn though,  cutting off his nose to spite his face even when he knows it's - life ev.


About right :-)

I think he had a really good state school education and graduated uni.


First intake without an 11 plus to end up in a comprehensive school in Abingdon and within a few months moved to another comp in Wootton Bassett. It was good, as good as I needed anyway. Left there to go to Swindon college for A levels and moved to London half way through so left school at 17 with O levels and went to work. By 24 I'd taken 2 qualifications at night school (HND Bus & Finance, DMS (Distinction) ) at the now grandly named University of Westminster.

At some point there was probably a drink / drugs stage phase, and perhaps a brush with the law.

Drugs never been a thing - tried smoking a couple of times but prefer alcohol.. very very moderate drinker, once a week, a few beers a few glasses of wine but prone to typical laddish binge drinking at weekends when young. Actually was arrested in Paddington when 19 and charged and convicted with an offence I'm naturally quite embarrassed about - resulted in a fine and I blame the film Scum for how that sock ended up in my pocket. Other than that, completely clean guv.

It's fairly obvious that music has played a big part in his life and continues to do so. I'm almost sure he was in a band at one stage, I want to say he played bass guitar but I'm going to plump for keyboard/backing vocals. I think he has a vast collection of vinyl records that he never plays but can't bring himself to part with. His fave genre is rock or punk. I have this image of him with orange spiky hair and a prominent safety pin.

Ha, me and some guys from the mean streets of Wootton Bassett formed the Oppressed.. pretty sure none of us could recognisably 'play'. Definitely a punk, although a little bit late to the scene, moving to London at 17 in 1979 was an incredible stroke of luck really. 100 club Tuesdays, Lyceum or some such on weekends., Arsenal on Saturday afternoon. I thought the 70s were incredibly bleak but I loved that first year or two in London. From being a west country boy it just seemed too glam. Sad fact, a house fire around 15 years ago destroyed my whole vinyl collection as well as all photographs I had up to that point - a massive shame. Can tick the orange hair, the result of trying to dye very dark hair blonde - suffice today, played the part in punk uniform for a couple of years.



I don't know where he lives but it has to be somewhere within striking distance of Luton. I'm guessing somewhere further south, perhaps on the outskirts of London.

Hemel on and off for years since moving out of London at around 24

I can't decide if he owns his own house or not, I'm sure he could afford to if he wanted (I think he's loaded) but I'm not sure he would choose to. I'm half tempted to say he rents a flat just for the sake of convenience. I don't think he is a gardener or a pet owner.

House of course - big extended family. I can mow and I wouldn't choose to have pets but 2 cats seem to live with us

Work. A well paid white collar job, maybe in the insurance or finance industry.

Yep, I think that's fair to say, although, apart from 5 years with my own business I've always been in manufacturing - Smiths Group, Tyco, McDonnell Douglas - was an Ops Director till a few years ago where circs made me back pedal a bit. Now only work 4 days a week and seems like a perfect work/life thing

If Glen were a sweet he would be a chocolate lime. He cultivates a hard outer shell but it's very thin and everyone knows that there is a soft gooey centre just millimeters below the surface. That said, if it really mattered I think he would step up to the plate.

About right I think although I am pretty thick skinned now. Comes from being a super sensitive child

I have him down as one of life's true romantics. I don't know if there is a Mrs Glen. I seem to think there was once but for some reason it went pear shaped and now they are no longer together.

30th Anniversary in May this year. To my eternal regret/shame I messed up at one point and we lived apart for 7 years ..until just over a year ago. Very happy that things have turned out this way - she's an absolute rock as well as being fun and just a good good person.

I'm guessing he has at least one grown up child.

2 kids- daughter 29 and son 26. One of the greatest joys in my life is that post having the LVAD implanted in 2011  I got to see my daughter get married and deliver us 2 Grandchildren (I think of them more as my grandchildren rather than her kids. Hard to articulate the sheer pleasure involved in spending time with grandchildren.. too special.


I think Glen has always thought of himself as a bit of a misfit. He is prone to push the boundaries, not perhaps to test other people, but more to test himself.

Definitely a fair bit of this - particularly manifests itself at work where although I am happy to show deference when it's necessary, I've never been concerned about expressing an honestly held view, popular or not


He spent a lifetime trying to work out what it all means, then I think he got ill and had a close encounter with the grim reaper which changed his outlook completely.

This is very true, when you are nearly dead, it's not at all frightening - there's just a deep feeling of sadness about the things you'll miss - imagine the feeling if instead of shuffling off you instead get to carry on enjoying the things you always did and more. For me, this hasn't resulted in some kind of massive bucket list and instead revolves around mainly basic family things.

I think he gets it now. He seems to have found that elusive balance between seizing the day and stopping to smell the roses.

I like this a lot and do feel genuinely happy - an ongoing sense of wellbeing, largely unaffected by external factors

Haven't spent time this introspectively for ages - it's my favourite subject so quite enjoyed it. Thanks Tom and have a good day.

[tikay]

^^^^

That's simply wonderful, especially as to the rapprochement (wrong word?) with Mrs H.

I never knew, or had maybe forgotten, you had Wootton Bassett connections. Ever visit Wootton Rivers, & the Kennet & Avon Canal?

Spent some childhood years there, though not perhaps happily, as Aunty Winnie, later to die horribly when her bicycle ended up under the wheels of a bus due to diabetes, made us Onion Soup every day. Ugh.

[RED-DOG]

This could be the end of a beautiful friendship.

Glen. (AKA nirvana)  I think that's the only thing I know about him for sure. I have him down as being born to upper middle class parents so I'm guessing that he has a second name and that it's something straightforward like Andrew or Trevor. Surname, again no idea but again something typically English. I'm going for Cartwright.

Working class Scots father who escaped Methil, coal mining and fishing to join the RAF and live the rest of his days in the South and a fair bit of the rest of the world. Mother born in Poona during WW11, daughter of an Army and RAF man who was stationed in India and took the unusual  step of marrying  a local Anglo Indian (Portuguese and Indian parents). Our institutions were just racist enough back then to deny them the normal 'Married Quarters' that servicemen & their families lived in. Utterly working class and Henderson from the clan 'Sola Virtus Nobilitat'.


I have met Glen so I should be able to take a decent stab at his age. He looks in decent nick to me, lived in face, bit of snow on the roof etc, I'm going for late (very late) 50's.

He writes well and has a good vocabulary. He has strong opinions on a wide range of subjects and doesn't mind if they are at odds with those of the majority. He can be very forthright with his arguments but seems to find it amusing rather than annoying when people disagree. He can be stubborn though,  cutting off his nose to spite his face even when he knows it's - life ev.


About right :-)

I think he had a really good state school education and graduated uni.


First intake without an 11 plus to end up in a comprehensive school in Abingdon and within a few months moved to another comp in Wootton Bassett. It was good, as good as I needed anyway. Left there to go to Swindon college for A levels and moved to London half way through so left school at 17 with O levels and went to work. By 24 I'd taken 2 qualifications at night school (HND Bus & Finance, DMS (Distinction) ) at the now grandly named University of Westminster.

At some point there was probably a drink / drugs stage phase, and perhaps a brush with the law.

Drugs never been a thing - tried smoking a couple of times but prefer alcohol.. very very moderate drinker, once a week, a few beers a few glasses of wine but prone to typical laddish binge drinking at weekends when young. Actually was arrested in Paddington when 19 and charged and convicted with an offence I'm naturally quite embarrassed about - resulted in a fine and I blame the film Scum for how that sock ended up in my pocket. Other than that, completely clean guv.

It's fairly obvious that music has played a big part in his life and continues to do so. I'm almost sure he was in a band at one stage, I want to say he played bass guitar but I'm going to plump for keyboard/backing vocals. I think he has a vast collection of vinyl records that he never plays but can't bring himself to part with. His fave genre is rock or punk. I have this image of him with orange spiky hair and a prominent safety pin.

Ha, me and some guys from the mean streets of Wootton Bassett formed the Oppressed.. pretty sure none of us could recognisably 'play'. Definitely a punk, although a little bit late to the scene, moving to London at 17 in 1979 was an incredible stroke of luck really. 100 club Tuesdays, Lyceum or some such on weekends., Arsenal on Saturday afternoon. I thought the 70s were incredibly bleak but I loved that first year or two in London. From being a west country boy it just seemed too glam. Sad fact, a house fire around 15 years ago destroyed my whole vinyl collection as well as all photographs I had up to that point - a massive shame. Can tick the orange hair, the result of trying to dye very dark hair blonde - suffice today, played the part in punk uniform for a couple of years.



I don't know where he lives but it has to be somewhere within striking distance of Luton. I'm guessing somewhere further south, perhaps on the outskirts of London.

Hemel on and off for years since moving out of London at around 24

I can't decide if he owns his own house or not, I'm sure he could afford to if he wanted (I think he's loaded) but I'm not sure he would choose to. I'm half tempted to say he rents a flat just for the sake of convenience. I don't think he is a gardener or a pet owner.

House of course - big extended family. I can mow and I wouldn't choose to have pets but 2 cats seem to live with us

Work. A well paid white collar job, maybe in the insurance or finance industry.

Yep, I think that's fair to say, although, apart from 5 years with my own business I've always been in manufacturing - Smiths Group, Tyco, McDonnell Douglas - was an Ops Director till a few years ago where circs made me back pedal a bit. Now only work 4 days a week and seems like a perfect work/life thing

If Glen were a sweet he would be a chocolate lime. He cultivates a hard outer shell but it's very thin and everyone knows that there is a soft gooey centre just millimeters below the surface. That said, if it really mattered I think he would step up to the plate.

About right I think although I am pretty thick skinned now. Comes from being a super sensitive child

I have him down as one of life's true romantics. I don't know if there is a Mrs Glen. I seem to think there was once but for some reason it went pear shaped and now they are no longer together.

30th Anniversary in May this year. To my eternal regret/shame I messed up at one point and we lived apart for 7 years ..until just over a year ago. Very happy that things have turned out this way - she's an absolute rock as well as being fun and just a good good person.

I'm guessing he has at least one grown up child.

2 kids- daughter 29 and son 26. One of the greatest joys in my life is that post having the LVAD implanted in 2011  I got to see my daughter get married and deliver us 2 Grandchildren (I think of them more as my grandchildren rather than her kids. Hard to articulate the sheer pleasure involved in spending time with grandchildren.. too special.


I think Glen has always thought of himself as a bit of a misfit. He is prone to push the boundaries, not perhaps to test other people, but more to test himself.

Definitely a fair bit of this - particularly manifests itself at work where although I am happy to show deference when it's necessary, I've never been concerned about expressing an honestly held view, popular or not


He spent a lifetime trying to work out what it all means, then I think he got ill and had a close encounter with the grim reaper which changed his outlook completely.

This is very true, when you are nearly dead, it's not at all frightening - there's just a deep feeling of sadness about the things you'll miss - imagine the feeling if instead of shuffling off you instead get to carry on enjoying the things you always did and more. For me, this hasn't resulted in some kind of massive bucket list and instead revolves around mainly basic family things.

I think he gets it now. He seems to have found that elusive balance between seizing the day and stopping to smell the roses.

I like this a lot and do feel genuinely happy - an ongoing sense of wellbeing, largely unaffected by external factors

Haven't spent time this introspectively for ages - it's my favourite subject so quite enjoyed it. Thanks Tom and have a good day.

Thanks for the great reply Glen. I loved hearing the real story, although it is a case of the more I find out, the more I want to know. For instance, I was fascinated to hear about your mam and dad. I bet that's a story in itself.

I Googled the Henderson clan.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Henderson and now I'm going to let you in to a secret, but you must swear to never tell a soul...

This came into my possession recently. It's a picture of a painting of my Great Great Grandfather John McCready Born 1829 in Scotland.

Click to see full-size image.

  









I had to Google LVAD too. Wow! What a thing that is. (Even Tony can't begrudge me that exclamation mark). Tell me more about this if you feel able.

I was really glad to be wrong about some of the stuff BTW, I'm especially happy that you and your undoubtedly better half are together again.


I was so scared to do this but it seems to have worked out OK. I needed someone who was comfortable enough in their own skin to take the rough with the smooth and you were an ideal victim.

I'm sorely tempted to do Vinny now.

[tikay]

Ha, we think alike - I had to google "LVAD" too. Felt such a fool when I realised.

[RED-DOG]

This, believe it or not is an actual current advert, presumably aimed at adults.





Do any of you responsible borrowers out there fancy buying a motor caravany broom broom? Give me strength!

[TightEnd]

that exchange is a really interesting read

hope it is is helping you to recover your mojo

p.s don't do me

[david3103]

This, believe it or not is an actual current advert, presumably aimed at adults.





Do any of you responsible borrowers out there fancy buying a motor caravany broom broom? Give me strength!

Given the interest rate they could get away with far worse adverts than that.

[tikay]

This, believe it or not is an actual current advert, presumably aimed at adults.





Do any of you responsible borrowers out there fancy buying a motor caravany broom broom? Give me strength!

Deep Joy.
 
He appears to be a modern day reincarnation of "Professor" Stanley Unwin.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Unwin_(comedian)

[RED-DOG]

I've always been totally fascinated by the events of WWII, and I've spent a lifetime reading stories and watching TV programmes about it.

One day as an aside in a post, Tony happened to mention that WWII was a part of history that had somehow just passed him by. It was, he said, just something that never piqued his interest and I thought, how can that be? How could such an epic story not register on your 'Things I must find out about' radar?

Well until today, until this very hour in fact, I had no interest in the history of British royalty. I could never answer a quiz question about who succeed who, abdicated, died in battle, married etc.. It all just left me cold.

Then, today whilst staring through the window with the telly on in the background, I heard the incredible story of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII and I was hooked.

What a story, and what a bloke that Henry was. I can't wait to find out more.

[RED-DOG]

Up in the eves of the the great hall at Hampton Court palace are these little figures that look down on the people below.

Henry had them put there to remind those who might conspire against him that there was always a chance that they would be overheard.

The figures were known as eavesdroppers.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

 

[The_nun]

Henry Vlll, now we are talking. I was amazed to discover he stood a 6'2. For years I imangined him as a short portly geezer.

[Simon Galloway]

Probably the worst monarch we've ever had.

[RED-DOG]

Probably the worst monarch we've ever had.

Well I don't know much about the others yet but he was very naughty.

[Tal]

Probably the worst monarch we've ever had.

Now there's a thread!

Certainly a case for that. However...

Effectively built the Royal Navy, established the English monarch's constitutional position and allowed the translation of the Bible into English.