My nephew died suddenly in June at the early age of 49 from heart disease and obviously it was a great shock to all his family, relatives and friends. My son, who was due to run the Robin Hood Marathon in Nottingham where he lives, decided he would make it a charity run in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

Todate he has raised just over £1000 and with a contribution from his company this should make a final total of around £1200 – £1300, a  fine addition to the charity’s funds.

After 19 months blogging I have finally reached post number 100. Having retired 3 years ago and realising that sitting in a chair all day was a path to an early grave, and that I had the need to be involved in something to occupy my time, I started a course on information marketing. The intention was to write ebooks on real world business opportunities, I had no desire to write about ‘how to succeed at internet marketing’, ‘PLR’, ‘list building’, ‘traffic’, ‘SEO’ or ‘how to build an eBay business’ etc, etc. I felt too many people were already doing this and the established experts and so called ‘gurus’ would be taking all the cake with their followers mopping up the crumbs. Is this a negative attitude? I prefer to think it’s a realistic attitude and you are of course entitled to your own opinion but that’s my take on the situation.

Is this statement true? Yes definitely, this country has been broken for many years in my view. It all started around forty five years ago when the do-gooders began to influence the justice system and it’s been going fast downhill ever since. Ineffectual polititicians who don’t live in the real world and have introduced legislation for softer sentences have added to the countries demise. Lack of discipline in the home and at schools has produced many who have no respect for anything not even themselves.

Madeira, The Mountains

The Summit Of Pico Grande

Pico Grande at 1654 metres/5426 ft above sea level is not the highest peak on Madeira but I think it’s the one that gives the most panoramic view of the mountain ridges and best view of Curral das Freiras, the village nestled in the valley below. The summit is reached by pulling yourself up on a chain fixed to the sloping east side of the mountain top.

The link below is to a copyright photograph which cannot be reproduced but it’s a stunning view of the peak shown on the top left shrouded in cloud and the village below. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilumb/158323007/

Madeira, The Flora

The ‘Garden Of The Atlantic’ is one of the most colourful islands you will ever see, for flower and plant lovers this place is paradise. The indigenous Laurisilva that once covered the whole island is now mainly restricted to the northern slopes of the island where it is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. A common site at UK airport carousels are boxes of flowers that people have purchased in Madeira and brought home.

The Queen Mary 2 in Funchal Harbour.

Funchal, The Islands Capital

Every year my wife and I spend at least two weeks in the Portuguese Atlantic island of Madeira. It is known as the ‘Garden Of The Atlantic’ and is well named as any lover of flowers and plants will testify. It also offers superb walking  and this is the main reason we keep returning.

Buddy Rich (1917-1987) drummer and bandleader was born in Brooklyn, New York. He could be an abrasive character and was definitely his own man with strong opinions and caustic humour. He played in most of the big bands during their heydays in the 30′s and 40′s. He started with Bunny Berigan and then proceeded to play in the great bands of Harry James, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey and then his own before the decliine of the big bands started in 1945.

He grasped me firmly, but gently, just above my elbow and guided me into a room, his room. Then he quietly shut the door and we were alone. He approached me soundlessly, from behind, and spoke in a low, reassuring voice close to my ear, “just relax.”

Without warning, he reached down and I felt his strong, calloused hands start at my ankles, gently probing, and moving upward along my calves, slowly but steadily. My breath caught in my throat. I knew I should be afraid, but somehow I didn’t care. His touch was so experienced, so sure. When his hands moved up onto my thighs, I gave a slight shudder, and partly closed my eyes. My pulse was pounding. I felt his knowing fingers caress my abdomen, my ribcage. And then, as he cupped my firm, full breasts in his hands, I inhaled sharply.

This is a follow up to my June post on lifes changing priorities where I received some very interesting comments from my blogging friends.

The Bucket List, a phrase taken from the 2008 film of the same name starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman is a wish list of a person’s ‘things they must do’ before they ‘kick the bucket’ or die. The two stars of the film are terminally ill with lung cancer (although it turns out Nicholson eventually ends up in remission). Without giving away all the plot in this comedy/drama, I recommend you watch it next time it’s on TV.

Whether you have any interest in golf or not, have a look at this newspaper report and I can guarantee it will make you smile. I can just imagine how this guy must have annoyed the pompous officials of the Royal and Ancient.