FordeFables
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    • Strictly for Adults Novels >
      • Rebecca's Revenge
      • Come Back Peter
    • Tales from Portlaw >
      • No Need to Look for Love
      • 'The Love Quartet' >
        • The Tannery Wager
        • 'Fini and Archie'
        • 'The Love Bridge'
        • 'Forgotten Love'
      • The Priest's Calling Card >
        • Chapter One - The Irish Custom
        • Chapter Two - Patrick Duffy's Family Background
        • Chapter Three - Patrick Duffy Junior's Vocation to Priesthood
        • Chapter Four - The first years of the priesthood
        • Chapter Five - Father Patrick Duffy in Seattle
        • Chapter Six - Father Patrick Duffy, Portlaw Priest
        • Chapter Seven - Patrick Duffy Priest Power
        • Chapter Eight - Patrick Duffy Groundless Gossip
        • Chapter Nine - Monsignor Duffy of Portlaw
        • Chapter Ten - The Portlaw Inheritance of Patrick Duffy
      • Bigger and Better >
        • Chapter One - The Portlaw Runt
        • Chapter Two - Tony Arrives in California
        • Chapter Three - Tony's Life in San Francisco
        • Chapter Four - Tony and Mary
        • Chapter Five - The Portlaw Secret
      • The Oldest Woman in the World >
        • Chapter One - The Early Life of Sean Thornton
        • Chapter Two - Reporter to Investigator
        • Chapter Three - Search for the Oldest Person Alive
        • Chapter Four - Sean Thornton marries Sheila
        • Chapter Five - Discoveries of Widow Friggs' Past
        • Chapter Six - Facts and Truth are Not Always the Same
      • Sean and Sarah >
        • Chapter 1 - 'Return of the Prodigal Son'
        • Chapter 2 - 'The early years of sweet innocence in Portlaw'
        • Chapter 3 - 'The Separation'
        • Chapter 4 - 'Separation and Betrayal'
        • Chapter 5 - 'Portlaw to Manchester'
        • Chapter 6 - 'Salford Choices'
        • Chapter 7 - 'Life inside Prison'
        • Chapter 8 - 'The Aylesbury Pilgrimage'
        • Chapter 9 - Sean's interest in stone masonary'
        • Chapter 10 - 'Sean's and Tony's Partnership'
        • Chapter 11 - 'Return of the Prodigal Son'
      • The Alternative Christmas Party >
        • Chapter One
        • Chapter Two
        • Chapter Three
        • Chapter Four
        • Chapter Five
        • Chapter Six
        • Chapter Seven
        • Chapter Eight
      • The Life of Liam Lafferty >
        • Chapter One: ' Liam Lafferty is born'
        • Chapter Two : 'The Baptism of Liam Lafferty'
        • Chapter Three: 'The early years of Liam Lafferty'
        • Chapter Four : Early Manhood
        • Chapter Five : Ned's Secret Past
        • Chapter Six : Courtship and Marriage
        • Chapter Seven : Liam and Trish marry
        • Chapter Eight : Farley meets Ned
        • Chapter Nine : 'Ned comes clean to Farley'
        • Chapter Ten : Tragedy hits the family
        • Chapter Eleven : The future is brighter
      • The life and times of Joe Walsh >
        • Chapter One : 'The marriage of Margaret Mawd and Thomas Walsh’
        • Chapter Two 'The birth of Joe Walsh'
        • Chapter Three 'Marriage breakup and betrayal'
        • Chapter Four: ' The Walsh family breakup'
        • Chapter Five : ' Liverpool Lodgings'
        • Chapter Six: ' Settled times are established and tested'
        • Chapter Seven : 'Haworth is heaven is a place on earth'
        • Chapter Eight: 'Coming out'
        • Chapter Nine: Portlaw revenge
        • Chapter Ten: ' The murder trial of Paddy Groggy'
        • Chapter Eleven: 'New beginnings'
      • The Woman Who Hated Christmas >
        • Chapter One: 'The Christmas Enigma'
        • Chapter Two: ' The Breakup of Beth's Family''
        • Chapter Three: From Teenager to Adulthood.'
        • Chapter Four: 'The Mills of West Yorkshire.'
        • Chapter Five: 'Harrison Garner Showdown.'
        • Chapter Six : 'The Christmas Dance'
        • Chapter Seven : 'The ballot for Shop Steward.'
        • Chapter Eight: ' Leaving the Mill'
        • Chapter Ten: ' Beth buries her Ghosts'
        • Chapter Eleven: Beth and Dermot start off married life in Galway.
        • Chapter Twelve: The Twin Tragedy of Christmas, 1992.'
        • Chapter Thirteen: 'The Christmas star returns'
        • Chapter Fourteen: ' Beth's future in Portlaw'
      • The Last Dance >
        • Chapter One - ‘Nancy Swales becomes the Widow Swales’
        • Chapter Two ‘The secret night life of Widow Swales’
        • Chapter Three ‘Meeting Richard again’
        • Chapter Four ‘Clancy’s Ballroom: March 1961’
        • Chapter Five ‘The All Ireland Dancing Rounds’
        • Chapter Six ‘James Mountford’
        • Chapter Seven ‘The All Ireland Ballroom Latin American Dance Final.’
        • Chapter Eight ‘The Final Arrives’
        • Chapter Nine: 'Beth in Manchester.'
      • 'Two Sisters' >
        • Chapter One
        • Chapter Two
        • Chapter Three
        • Chapter Four
        • Chapter Five
        • Chapter Six
        • Chapter Seven
        • Chapter Eight
        • Chapter Nine
        • Chapter Ten
        • Chapter Eleven
        • Chapter Twelve
        • Chapter Thirteen
        • Chapter Fourteen
        • Chapter Fifteen
        • Chapter Sixteen
        • Chapter Seventeen
      • Fourteen Days >
        • Chapter One
        • Chapter Two
        • Chapter Three
        • Chapter Four
        • Chapter Five
        • Chapter Six
        • Chapter Seven
        • Chapter Eight
        • Chapter Nine
        • Chapter Ten
        • Chapter Eleven
        • Chapter Twelve
        • Chapter Thirteen
        • Chapter Fourteen
      • ‘The Postman Always Knocks Twice’ >
        • Author's Foreword
        • Contents
        • Chapter One
        • Chapter Two
        • Chapter Three
        • Chapter Four
        • Chapter Five
        • Chapter Six
        • Chapter Seven
        • Chapter Eight
        • Chapter Nine
        • Chapter Ten
        • Chapter Eleven
        • Chapter Twelve
        • Chapter Thirteen
        • Chapter Fourteen
        • Chapter Fifteen
        • Chapter Sixteen
        • Chapter Seventeen
        • Chapter Eighteen
        • Chapter Nineteen
        • Chapter Twenty
        • Chapter Twenty-One
        • Chapter Twenty-Two
  • Celebrity Contacts
    • Contacts with Celebrities >
      • Journey to the Stars
      • Number 46
      • Shining Stars
      • Sweet Serendipity
      • There's Nowt Stranger Than Folk
      • Caught Short
      • A Day with Hannah Hauxwell
    • More Contacts with Celebrities >
      • Judgement Day
      • The One That Got Away
      • Two Women of Substance
      • The Outcasts
      • Cars for Stars
      • Going That Extra Mile
      • Lady in Red
      • Television Presenters
  • Thoughts and Musings
    • Bereavement >
      • Time to clear the Fallen Leaves
      • Eulogy for Uncle Johnnie
    • Nature >
      • Why do birds sing
    • Bill's Personal Development >
      • What I'd like to be remembered for
      • Second Chances
      • Roots
      • Holidays of Old
      • Memorable Moments of Mine
      • Cleckheaton Consecration
      • Canadian Loves
      • Mum's Wisdom
      • 'Early life at my Grandparents'
      • Family Holidays
      • 'Mother /Child Bond'
      • Childhood Pain
      • The Death of Lady
      • 'Soldiering On'
      • 'Romantic Holidays'
      • 'On the roof'
      • Always wear clean shoes
      • 'Family Tree'
      • The importance of poise
      • 'Growing up with grandparents'
    • Love & Romance >
      • Dancing Partner
      • The Greatest
      • Arthur & Guinevere
      • Hands That Touch
    • Christian Thoughts, Acts and Words >
      • Reuben's Naming Ceremony
      • Love makes the World go round
      • Walks along the Mirfield canal
  • My Wedding
  • Audio Downloads
    • Audio Stories >
      • Douglas the Dragon
      • Sleezy the Fox
      • Maw
      • Midnight Fighter
      • Action Annie
      • Songs & Music >
        • Douglas the Dragon Play >
          • Our World
          • You On My Mind
        • The Ballad of Sleezy the Fox
        • Be My Life
    • 'Relaxation Rationale' >
      • Relax with Bill
    • The Role of a Step-Father
  • My Singing Videos
    • Christmas Songs & Carols
  • Bill's Blog
    • Song For Today
    • Thought For Today
    • Poems
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    • Miscellaneous Muses
  • Contact Me

May 31st, 2015.

31/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"There is nothing better children like laughing at than silly adults slipping on the proverbial banana skin. Likewise, teenagers derive the greatest of smug satisfaction 'getting one over' on their elders who think they are their betters.

I grew up in a household with a strict father and when it came to a matter of dispute with any of his children there was but one rule; you were wrong and he was right! If you asked him why that was so, he'd simply reply, 'Because I'm the adult and you're my child.' While he'd discuss many things with you, he would rarely brook argument and never tolerate the practice of you giving him cheek.

There is a bit of wickedness even in the best of us and nowhere better is this seen than when a teenager manages to tango an adult and they don't even realise they've been had! It is tantamount to committing the perfect crime; the one whose commission isn't noticed by the victim and one which you'll never have to answer for. 

I recall at the age of fourteen having an argument once with my father that turned into a heated dispute. When he eventually closed down the argument by essentially telling me he was right and I was wrong and that was an end to it, I left the room angry and was bent on revenge. 

I got a stiff piece of card and a soft pencil and went into the lavatory where I proceeded to carefully unroll about two foot of toilet paper in length.  Then placing the toilet paper on the stiff card to prevent piercing it, I lightly wrote on the reverse of each sheet the words, 'My dad is a fathead who knows nothing.' I then rolled the toilet paper back onto the roll. This prank gave me a good few secret laughs when I saw dad go to the lavatory.

On another occasion when he angered me I put a dead wasp in the middle of his sandwich that my mother had prepared for his snap box which he took to work. I knew that when lunchtime arrived he'd be so hungry that he'd eat it without ever knowing the full extent of what I'd made him swallow.

A particular favourite of mine was to puncture his rigid practice of 'always being on time.' Being an orderly and efficient man, he hated being late especially when it involved entering church as he always sat near the front. Being a relative poor man with only one good pair of shoes which he wore as best on Sundays, he would put on his polished shoes two minutes before leaving the house to avoid the risk of scuffing if he put them on earlier. Whenever I could get away with it, I would sometimes hide one, delay his orderly progress and make him late attending Sunday Mass.

None of these pranks, I might add, did I carry out on dad because he was a bad man or an unjust or overstrict parent, but simply because he'd dared to cross me with impunity. Nobody crosses Billy Forde and gets away with it! William Forde: May 31st, 2015.

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May 30th, 2015.

30/5/2015

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Thought for today:
'To do is but the final stage of thought with feeling inbetween' by William Forde.


'When in mind it is conceived, it can easily be believed.
If nought can change to thought and stark emotion feed,
then thought can turn to feeling and feeling turn to deed.
Therefore think it so, and it shall be so.'



Copyright William Forde: May 30th, 2015.
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May 29th, 2015

29/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"One of the prerequisites of true friendship is that you are always prepared to give your friend 'time' when they want to talk to you. Genuine conversation is perhaps the best way of letting them know that they are important in your life. Time is the stuff that life is made from and is our most precious of gifts we can bestow upon another.

When I was training to be a Probation Officer up in Newcastle in 1970, I shared a rented house with three other trainee probation officers on the course. One was called Fred. Fred was an ex-miner and the oldest among us. He left school at the age of 15 years without any qualifications and had worked down the pit for 34 years before being accepted to be a trainee probation officer at the age of 53. Being non-academic, he naturally found studying harder than the rest of us and having no educational qualifications and certificates he was always amazed and extremely proud to have been accepted on the course. I had my student practice placement in the same Probation Office as Fred in Jarrow and being students in a large overcrowded office, we worked from two desks that was set up in the tea and coffee rest room.

Whenever other officers took a tea break they naturally had to walk by our working desks and would want to talk to us for five minutes while they drank their coffee. This went on most of the day and interruptions to our work was constant. Being studious and eager to get out there as a qualified Probation Officer and change the world, I would not to engage in all the chit chat and would try to get on with my work as politely as I could. Fred however, was only too willing to listen to the 'passers through' and engage in conversation with them for as long as they wished. Over the four months we worked from the Jarrow office, other officers seemed to confide in Fred on a daily basis, telling him personal things that they would tell no other.

I once asked him why he did this, especially as it was so disruptive to his daily tasks and studying and he replied in words I'll never forget: 'People need to talk, Bill, and some folk need to talk more than others. When people stop to talk to me, the greatest respect I can give them is to listen and engage with them. I found out long ago that when you don't talk, there's a lot of things that end up not getting said. My dad died without ever telling me that he loved me. When I worked down the pit and came home tired at the end of a hard shift, my children would be asking me 'Daddy this and daddy that' and being physically shattered I'd often tell them to ask me later. One day my 7-year-old son got knocked down and killed outside our house by a lorry and that experience eventually changed my life. At the time, all I could think about were questions he'd asked me the previous night which I'd been too tired to answer and which I'd put him off with an 'Ask later, son.' Then I realised that there would be no later and that they'd always remain unanswered. That experience told me that the first duty of love, especially to one's children, is to listen. Ever since then I have listened to my heart and have learned from the death of my boy. If I pass this course I'll be glad, as will my wife, Brenda and family, and the rest of the street will probably throw us a big party. But if I fail, I'll fail knowing that I always listened and that is important to me and the folk I listen to.'  

Fred sadly never finished the Probation Officer's Training Course at Newcastle. Three months before the course completion and final exams, while driving home by car from Newcastle to Redcar one Friday night, he incurred a heart attack and died instantly at the wheel, before crashing it into the side of the road.

His funeral made me both sadder and happier than I'd ever been in his presence. I cried to know that I'd never see Fred again and it was heartbreaking to see the tears of his bereaved wife and children. I also cried with happiness however to see nearly two hundred neighbours, friends and family who'd attended to pay their last respect. Rarely have I come across a man so loved; a man who never gave less than was needed and more of himself than was asked for. Each spoke lovingly and highly of Fred and almost everyone who voiced their praises said, 'He always made time to listen. He was a true friend.' 

The operative lesson which I learned from Fred and which I have tried to incorporate into practice ever since has been the distinction between 'having' time to talk and listen and 'making' time. Fred taught me that people are worth making time for. God bless you, Fred. You were a truly good person and would have been a great Probation Officer, and I believe that knowing you, made me a better one!" William Forde: May 29th, 2015.


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May 28th, 2015

28/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"Loving friends heal more quickly than any medicine one could ever spoon." William Forde: May 28th, 2015.

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May 28th, 2015.

28/5/2015

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May 27th, 2015.

27/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"I would rather be a little someone than a big bully any day of the week! In my time as a Probation Officer, I had to deal with the huge consequences of hundreds of adults either being bullied or being a bully and was shocked by the grave effects it has had on their lives thereafter.

I have worked with adults past their forties who were bullied at school thirty and more years ago. Despite the passage of the years, they still suffered the consequences of their bullying into adult life. Such adults became so non-assertive in their behaviour and so fearful in their expectations that they literally dare not say, 'Boo to a goose.' They were unable to socialise, formulate friendships or sustain relationships. Or indeed, live the independent lives that most of us do and take for granted. Some of the males who were bullied as boys go on to become bullies and wife beaters in their adult lives and many of the girls bullied at school, often find themselves as women who become victims in abusive relationships with their partners.

In today's progressive age of smart phones and laptops, much bullying occurs on the phone or internet. Being unable to take the bullying and humiliation any longer, many young victims go to the extreme lengths of killing themselves. Bullying is not a 'male issue' either as it affects both girls and boys in equal measure. Never underestimate the evil things that some girls are capable of doing today when it comes to their dealings with other girls whom they either dislike or pick on.

Bullying has a vicious cycle if left unattended. The bullied victim either grows up to become a bully themselves in adult life or sadly remains a victim of past circumstances. For society at large, I would say there is no more devastating gesture we can make that encourages bullying to continue than to condone it through silence. We collectively do this by either watching it occur, ignore it happening or turning our backs on its presence by doing nothing at all to stop it!


Between 1990-2005, I held over 2,000 assemblies in Yorkshire Primary Schools. In every assembly, I assumed that some degree of bullying took place whatever the head said and consequently, I always gave the assembled children the following advice to stamp it out:


(1) In order for bullying to exist, it requires three participants: the bully, the person being bullied and the audience.
(2) If you are the person being bullied, tell an adult in authority that you trust. Do not stay silent. If you stay silent, the bullying will continue and will most likely get worse!
(3) If the bully has no audience or knows that any audience will disapprove and intervene to stop the bullying, the bully will not operate in that arena. All bullies need an audience to feed from. It is the audience of the bully that encourages the bullying to continue, by either watching, ignoring it, refusing to do something to stop it and walking away from it as though it doesn't concern you.
(4) I would like you all to know that anyone in this school who is a bully is also a victim. They were almost certainly bullied by someone else before they bullied you; often a family member. Deep down they are wanting someone to 'tell on them' so that they can be stopped and receive help too. The longer a person is a bully, you see, the harder it is for them to stop. That is why they also need your help by telling someone in authority.
(5) So if you want no bullies in this school or boys and girls being bullied, tell someone if/when it is happening. Do not encourage it to happen by watching it, ignoring it or turning your back on it and walking away as if it doesn't concern you. It does! Bullying concerns everyone!

If you were going to do something bad to another person like calling them nasty names or break their leg, did you know that it is kinder to break their leg? Bones will mend in a month or two, but the effects of name calling can still be there fifty years later!

Because the subject of 'Bullying' was such a big issue when I was visiting schools regularly, I wrote two children's books for the 7-11 year old reader. The first book is called, 'Tales of Bernard'; about a homeless dog who is bullied by a pack of strays who bully the town. This book was praised by the actor Christopher Timothy who starred as the veterinary film character, James Herriot in the tv series 'All Creatures Great and Small.' The second book is called, 'Fighter,' which is about a boy who is extremely small in size and is bullied at school. That book was praised by the late Roy Castle. Both books are available in e-book format from www.smashwords.com or in hard copy from amazon and www.lulu.com All profits from book sales go to charity to add to the £200,000 book profits already given to charity from the sales of my books between 1990-2005. William Forde: May 27th, 2015."



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May 26th, 2015.

26/5/2015

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Thought for today:
'There is a Place' by William Forde
"There is a place above the clouds where heaven rests supreme,
where grass still grows and flowers bloom within the confines of God's room.
Where time is plentiful and never spent and spare
 rooms cost no extra rent. There is a place."
Copyright: William Forde: May 26th, 2015.



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May 25th, 2015

25/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"There is a time to resist and a time to surrender and it is knowing the distinction between the two that will save you much vital energy and result in less heartbreak.


The most appropriate time to resist is when another is pressurising you to be unjust or to do wrong. There are also occasions when it is best to surrender and to give way. We sometimes give way to the reasoning and will of another when we know that a particular outcome is more desirous to them than it is to us. There are times in our lives when one may be called upon to recognise the inevitability of a loved one's imminent death and when that time comes, we need to allow them to let go of life when it is right for them to do so. Even the most independent among us with wills of steel and the strength of giants survive longer when they learn to bend to the forces of Nature. 


There was once a pair of mighty oaks which stood side by side for centuries. Over their years of togetherness, they grew happier and more magnificent than any couple ever grew. In time they grew so close to one another that they forever held hands beneath the sky and became inseparable. One day an earthquake came and wrenched their lives asunder. After the earthquake had passed, one of the trees was left so battered and bruised that when it looked towards the place where its lifelong partner had stood alongside them for centuries, it saw its mighty mate had been felled and uprooted for all time.

For months after this disaster of Nature, the remaining Oak remained stricken in its feelings of loss. It became acutely depressed and started to wilt and die itself, until it remembered what was to be surrendered to and what should be resisted. It finally surrendered to the process of bereavement and resisted the temptation to lay down and die alongside its mate. In the years to come, it learned that no longer being crowded at its root base, it could use the additional soil nutrients which its mate no longer required and spread its roots ever wider than previously. In time, the very experience which had initially produced such sadness for the remaining Oak, paradoxically resulted in it growing stronger and ever more magnificent.

If I possessed a magic wand, I would wave it over the entire world and bid it to resist the forces of all that is evil and surrender to the force of love. For those of you who might like to read my book called, 'The Valley of the Two Tall Oaks' it can be purchased from www.smashwords.com  in e-book format or from amazon and www.lulu.com in hard copy. All profits go to charity. This is the African story from which the above synopsis is taken. It is the story that the late Nelson Mandela phoned me and praised as being 'a wonderful story.' It is suitable for both young person or adult." William Forde: May 25th, 2015. 

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May 24th, 2015.

25/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"There is no point being around flowers and not giving oneself time to smell them and inhale their intoxicating nectar anymore than there is purpose to being alive and not living the dream.


When I think back on all the best occasions in my life, I have never felt more alive than during those times when love has been the strongest emotion in my heart. Whether it has been times when I've been passionately in love with a woman, seeing the birth of my children, during my wedding day with Sheila, observing the selfless deeds of another person or simply enjoying the splendour of Nature itself: all of these life events have been filled with love for me.


Therefore, to me 'feeling alive' is synonimous with 'feeling love' for all manner of people and life's events and without the emotion of love being available to you and your experiences, there can be no life worthy of living." William Forde: May 24th, 2015.

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May 23rd, 2015.

23/5/2015

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"Thought for today:
"I recently came across this photograph of Zozo, along with an account of the dog's devotion for the master it dearly loved. Just over one year ago, its owner died and every day since without fail, the dog has reportedly visited his grave and has mourned above until it has been forced to leave. In cold, wet, wintry, warm or sunny weather, it has never once failed to make its pilgrimage to the sacred spot. 


I doubt there is any human who would visit the graveside of their loved one to mourn daily unless they happened to be buried in the back garden, however much they missed their presence. It is only through the unqualified love of a dumb creature that eternal devotion and lifelong love speaks the loudest." William Forde: May 23rd, 2015.



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May 22nd, 2015.

22/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"Only when the last tree has been felled,
the last river has been fished dry,
the last breath of air polluted,
the last clump of soil poisoned, 
only then shall mankind come to realise that we cannot eat, breathe and live money!" William Forde:
May 22nd, 2015.
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May 21st, 2015.

21/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"If I've to wait any longer for Daddy coming home from work with my sweets, it'll be too late to enjoy them before Mummy puts me to bed. Where are you, you jolly old stinker? A joke's a joke, but begger a pantomine!" William Forde: May 21st, 2015.



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May 20th, 2015.

20/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"Of all the pleasures that cannot be surpassed whether you be young or old, being snuggly tucked up in bed under the sheets on a cold night of the year takes some beating.


Going to bed is not enough for some folk though as bed can represent both pain and pleasure, happiness and regret. Couples who have spent a happy life together can often never get used to sleeping alone after their partner has died, whereas I am led to understand that couples who have separated after their relationship has turned sour often sleep well for the first time in many years when they sleep alone. Marriages going through a bad patch where physical contact between the couple is either non-existent or is greatly resented when it does take place often find their marital bed to be like a prison cell and the light of morning, 'freedom once more.'


Then there are those folk, whom for a vast variety of reasons find themselves unable to get off to sleep, sleep uninterrupted or sleep throughout the night and wake up refreshed the next morning. Once their bad sleeping practices/experiences have been in existence for some considerable time, it can be extremely difficult to break.


Thirty years ago I found myself in hospital for a week of cancer tests. At the time, I was a 40 year old professional with a reputation for being one of the country's most experienced Relaxation Trainers. I thought at the time that had I died then, I would have died without leaving the type of relaxation benefit to the world that I was capable of leaving.


Upon leaving hospital, after getting the medical 'all clear', I invested £2000 and hired a recording studio for a week where I made a special 'Relaxation Tape' that was primarily designed to help people establish a good sleeping pattern. What makes this relaxation tape different is that it helps the trainee establish the type of breathing pattern and brain wave pattern that induces sleep and keeps one sleeping soundly. The tape also uses the benefits of 'auto suggestion', along with specific body postures that help lower blood pressure and increase sensations of body warmth and heaviness in the tummy, hands and feet. All these sensations exist in all sleeping people.


The Relaxation Tape entitled, 'Relax with Bill' was produced to 'give away' and not sell. Over the years, between 5,000 and 10,000 people have received free copies of the tape. It has never been sold, nor will it be. The relaxation tape is part of my legacy to the world for others to freely benefit from. It is available on my website to freely download for use. It takes around a month's daily practice to establish a good sleeping habit. If you burn a copy onto disc and play it nightly for the next four weeks, I feel sure it will be of benefit to you. Please pass on this information to other bad sleepers who could benefit.


Contra-indications for the use of this tape include pregnant women, anyone with a brain abnormality or anyone whose blood pressure levels are consistently lower than average. The tape should never be played whenever driving a car or performing any task which requires full alertness for one's safety. For immediate access to the tape click on the link below."William Forde: May 20th, 2015.
http://www.fordefables.co.uk/relax-with-bill.html


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May 19th, 2015

19/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"While love always comes to those of us who are prepared to wait for it, we sometimes need to reach out to prevent it passing us by    
                                                                                                                                        In my life, I know that I have truly loved many times, but I also know that there will have been too many occasions when a new love has passed me by. The next time you walk down your street, keep your mind open to all possibilities and then, when you get home, take a cold shower!" William Forde: May 19th, 2015.


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May 18th, 2015.

18/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"We all need a hug from time to time to help us get our head around the vicissitudes of life. A hug is one of the easiest things to give that requires the accompaniment of  no words to know its meaning. The mere act of one creature embracing another is symbolic of saying no less than, 'I'm here for you, I feel your pain and I share your feelings.'


I send hugs to all those loved ones both past and present and in particular to Carole Handley whose husband Jack died a few days ago. Carole and Jack had been married 47 years. May she and her family find themselves able to focus upon the happy times in the past whenever they think of Jack and all of the puddles he jumped into on his journey through life.


One of the very first things we experience upon being born is to be hugged by the comforting embrace of our mother and if we are fortunate to find our soul mate, one of our last experiences in this life will be to be hugged by them. We therefore associate hugging as an act of nourishment.It is  at its primary source; the most loving way of saying 'hello' and 'goodbye.' It is even said that tree trunks grow much rounder specimens because of the human embraces they receive. I guess that explains the roly poly shape of myself, as my dear late mother never stopped hugging me, nor does my wife and soul mate, Sheila!" William Forde: May 18th, 2015.

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May 17th, 2015.

17/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"Don't ever grow too old to contemplate splashing in puddles for no other reason than the sheer hell of it. The older and more worldly wise we become, the farther we tend to leave the child in us behind. Paradoxically, it is only when we approach the end of our life and the waves of senility softly beach upon our shores that the most common memory we find again and the most visited of places our feeble mind wanders to, is back to our days of childhood and the carefree splashing in the puddles of our youth." William Forde: May 17th, 2015.

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May 16th, 2015.

16/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"While I do not consider myself to be racist in the slightest nor believe that my track record over the years would contradict this assertion, I do think that we'd serve all new immigrants to this country much better if we allowed them to cross our borders in a manner that facilitates easier assimilation to the British way of life, as well as assuaging some fears of the indigenous population that are realistically held.

In the mid 1940s, my parents and their three eldest children emigrated from Ireland to West Yorkshire. During our earlier years in England we were discriminated against until the day came when 'we fitted in' with our surrounding neighbours and their ways. Let me say now that England is a super country and gave all the Forde family a good education, new council house accommodation, full employment and a standard of living that we would never have received in Ireland at that time, and while I remain proud to be an Irish citizen until the day I die, there is no other country in the world of which I am more proud of than England to which my family owes everything.

While Great Britain has been one of the countries which has welcomed immigrants more than others during the past century, and in particular asylum seekers, to deny that allowing over three hundred thousand new immigrants from mostly Europe into this country annually does not place an enormous strain upon our already depleted housing stock, our overstretched National Health Service and our school places is simply to ignore the facts and to bury our heads in the sand.

The simple truth is that there are much better and fairer ways of managing our immigration situation and of helping these people who are patently in greater need than most of the people already living in Great Britain. We frequently view the problem of space like the overcrowded Indian trains. Namely, if there is possibly any room to squeeze in another, then jump on board. However, even crowded trains, although highly dangerous to ride, don't sink and lose all passengers in the process. 

In more accurate analogous terms, our present immigration situation in Great Britain is like a lifeboat that is full to the brim in a sea of drowning people. To add to the lifeboat's burden by taking on more 'than can be safely accommodated' is tantamount to sinking the boat and drowning all aboard it!

Isn't it far better as a nation who cares for all (and by all I mean the indigenous population as well as the immigrant), to increase our overseas aid budget and to ensure that the monies we give to foreign lands goes to helping their needy people and not the greedy and corrupt leaders of some countries? We often boast about the fact that our National Health Service would not survive without the overseas staff that we recruit to manage our health clinics and hospital wards. If that is the case, which I'm sure it is, then more shame on us as a country for using our material wealth too bribe and steal the human assets of a poorer place. Who are we as a nation to take away from developing countries, the cream of their academic crop, especially when their need is greater than ours? 

I'm afraid that at the heart of mass migration is mankind's need to perpetually improve one's standard of living. Please note that I am not talking about refugees from abroad whose lives are placed at risk daily and who naturally and rightly seek asylum. There should always be a place in or alongside our life boat for such people. I refer to the economic migrant who isn't starving in their own country, but whose standard of living is less than they desire and infinitely less than ours in Great Britain. I don't blame them from coming here with their families, but I do blame the political and economic system that encourages it or refuses to manage it.

As a young man in my early twenties I recall a wizen looking old man called Malcolm Muggeridge who was a British journalist, author, media personality and satirist. He frequently pontificated on our television screens about the evils of 'consumerism.' While beginning life as a soldier, spy and left wing sympathiser, in later life Malcolm Muggeridge became a forceful anti-communist and a stimulating debater of Catholic theology as well as a religious and moral campaigner. His  overriding message at the time (and here we are talking over fifty years ago), was to advocate that we in the prosperous western hemisphere should all learn to live on much less of the earth's resources than we currently do in order that those in the eastern hemisphere do not starve! He said that only in this way could the west enable the distribution of resources in the whole world to be more equitable. He implied that through our overindulgence in the west, we were effectively ensuring that half of the developing world would never have enough to survive.

At the time, I thought old Muggeridge to be bonkers, but now admit that I have come round full circle to hold the view he then expounded. It is 'over consumerism' which is the evil of the west and which eventually leads to mass immigration!" William Forde: May 16th, 2015. 




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May 15th, 2015.

15/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"One of the most sensitive subjects that men fear to experience, but more so to talk about, is the inability to have or maintain an erection in the marital bedroom. With males experiencing heart attacks, diabetes, prostrate cancer and strokes more often, this sadly is a condition which is more prevalent in today's society.


Twelve years ago, I experienced two severe heart attacks within the space of one week and was prescribed life long tablets ever since, like all people who have had a heart attack. One of these medications is known to leave the recipient unable to maintain erections and because it is incompatible and dangerous to take alongside viagra, full intercourse becomes extremely difficult in the conventional manner (ie The missionary position). Also heart attack sufferers are advised to 'take things easy and not to overenergise oneself.' This is an almost impossible task I might add at the height of sexual activity. I recall that the singer Adam Faith died while making vigorous love.

Now though I am no sexual therapist, I am well aquainted with many of their methods used due to my previous years as a marital guidance counsellor in earlier life. The most important thing to understand is that 'love' is not 'sex' and although it is important for the complete person to experience both, having full sexual intercourse is not a necessity to a happy marriage and a non frustrated state of being!


There are so many ways to both give and receive sexual pleasure, but without holding hands, cuddling and kissing one's partner, you may as well forget about all the rest. Without investing emotion, trust, concern and sensitivity into one's relationship, then no relationship worthy of calling one, truly exists.


So think not that you may be on your own when dealing with such sensitive matters. And if needs must and nothing less than the 'full works' will satisfy and suffice, then 'man up', swallow your pride and looking straight into the eyes of your sexually aroused partner simply say,"You know that I cannot energise myself enough to please you, sweetheart, but if you really want to make mad passionate love to me tonight then 'go for it, woman.' I'll just lay back here and think of England!" William Forde: May 15th, 2015.
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May 14th, 2015.

15/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"Your love boat sails when the hand of destiny blows the wind in its direction. Until destiny calls, it remains moored within its harbour, awaiting the soul mate that will accompany you to lands new and places hitherto untravelled. Your love boat's launching cannot be rushed and it will set sail only when the smallest shred of doubt no longer exists in both your minds. No rigging is necessary to blow the craft in the right direction other than the sails of sincerity along with the invisible mast of truth and trust. Place your love in the hand of destiny and you shall feel happiness and contentment in still waters for the rest of your days." William Forde: May 14th, 2015.  
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May 13th, 2015.

13/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"Keep open your mind and reason will not desert you. Keep open your heart and love will never pass you by." William Forde: May 13th, 2015.

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May 12th, 2015.

12/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"Shut your eyes to the world if you must and close your ears to all manner of reason, but rest assured that there is no mistaking majesty when it walks in your midst. For when majesty approaches, no blindness or deafness will be able to disguise its presence. There lies within all majestic creatures, a savage beauty that nature has unleashed into the world, which once observed can never be forgotten or ignored. Such majesty can fill one with fear, but will never be forgotten as it is absorbed into the secret recesses of one's inner sanctum to stir all emotions when sleep is broken and retreat is no longer needed." William Forde: May 12th, 2015. 

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May 11th, 2015.

11/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"Whatever age you are, you can never be too old to take up new activities or make new friends. The greatest fun that is ever to be had, is the fun that comes when least expected. The best friend there is to be made is the person who is always there to hold your hand in your most uncertain of moments when a fall is imminent. So get up off your backside, switch off that television and pick up your skateboard as there is yet much life remaining in you and your travelling days are not yet done. You'll most certainly regret not doing such things when you've neither legs to stand on nor energy to move your frail body from the rocking chair of resignation in years to come." William Forde : May 11th, 2015.

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May 10th, 2015.

10/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"Cosmetic surgery is in my view one of the most costly and pointless procedures of the vainglorious. Not only is it dangerous, but with the possible exception of achieving a one-off positive affect of removing a few crow lines with botox, most people look worse after cosmetic surgery than before it. Don't people realise that implants and old age don't mix and never shall? There is nothing nice about false boobs that do not grow old with you and look as young as they day they were implanted!" William Forde: May 10th, 2015.
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May 9th, 2015.

9/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"When I was young and dreamt of my future as an adult, there was no restriction to my vision. Anything was considered to be possible and the world was within my reach, providing I was prepared to work for what I wanted. I grew up as a teenager and young man in the late 50s and early 60s and given what I've seen during the years since, my years of youth were indeed much happier times than the young person experiences today.

I recall that even the expectation of poor families was that their offspring would have a much richer lifestyle than their parents had. This was a time when 'aspiration' and upward mobility remained realistic.

Whether you worked with your brain or your hands, your skill or your labour, when a young man started courting and made plans to marry, they knew that if they did what was expected of them anything was achievable and they could make their dream come true.

Instead of continuing to knock back the drink with one's friends in the pub nightly and smoke twenty cigs daily, they would knuckle down for a couple of years and do all of the overtime they could get at work and generally save all they could for their bottom drawer. Their parents would help by allowing them to pay their board (a fraction of tipping up one's wage packet weekly), to assist with their future. 

Two years later, they'd have enough to put down a deposit on a small terrace house in which they would start married life and a family. Their 'aspiration' wouldn't stop there however. Once wed and parenthood arrived, their added responsibility would be taken on board as a matter of course and plans to seek promotion in one's job and improvement in one's house automatically set in.

Educational advancement would be encouraged in most households and even those children who might not be suited to go to grammar school or university would be strongly encouraged by their parents to seek an apprenticeship in some trade when they left school.

With the start of marriage came the age of 'Do it yourself'. I remember that I hadn't changed an electric plug before marriage, but soon I was decorating my own property, rewiring, laying tiles and doing all manner of tasks my father before me had never done. Before too many years and mistakes had been and gone, a married man had become a 'Jack of all trades and master of none' where home improvements were concerned. Indeed, I can even recall  the custom of having friends over in the evenings for drinks and snacks in the 70s; not to play games, but to show off the new wallpaper me and my wife had managed to get and put up ourselves, or some other gadget we'd acquired! 

In those days, as one's mum or dad became too old and frail to care for themselves, they automatically came to live with you in the spare room that would have been made by some of the children doubling up. Such a response to parental need seemed to be the natural thing to do, instead of placing them in a nursing home and visiting out of duty occasionally.

As the New Millennium neared, the nuclear family had fragmented. No longer did parents and children sit down at the family table at the end of the day to eat and all conversation between adult and child became rare at best and more usually, non-existent.  The world seemed to have turned topsy turvy and greed set in to a level that effectively wrecked family and community values of the previous fifty years or more. As a Probation Officer at the time, I witnessed offenders and victims getting both younger and older as each group at opposite ends of the age spectrum seemed more prepared to do ghastly things which were hithertoo unimaginable in an earlier time.

By 2008, the wold's global economy had spiralled downwards and all manner of financial institutions collapsed like a house of cards; bringing with it the promise of a decade of austerity that was comparable to those years before I was born. Houses stopped being built and those that were built were thrown into negative equity as their owners were thrown out onto the streets when they could no longer meet their monthly mortgage repayments. Mass redundancies became commonplace in the work force, unemployment rapidly increased, and even those fortunate few in work were obliged to work harder for less wages. The only businesses and organizations on the increase were  pawn brokers, food banks and credit companies who were prepared to offer loans to the poor for exhorbitant rates of profit which ensured that their loan could never be repaid.

Thanks to the meddling and war mongering of our Government in foreign lands over the past twenty years, the world is more unstable today than it ever was in my lifetime. Instead of making the world a safer place for our children, politicians have made it a more dangerous time to live with the growing tide of extreme radicalism spreading itself across the world.

Oh what I wouldn't give for England to return to the country it was in my days of youth, a time when the whole world was within the grasp of every aspiring citizen. Progress, I hear you say. Well for my part you can keep your progress and leave me with my nostalgia." William Forde: May 9th, 2015. 

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May 8th, 2015.

8/5/2015

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Thought for today:
"Having spent the past few months being inundated with politicians promising 'this' and 'that' if the electorate votes them into government and threatening 'this' and 'that' were the other side to win, what a relief it is that all the electioneering is over until the next General Election in five year's time.


In spite of the austerity measures we have had to endure over the past five years, I'm afraid that as a country, we have still not broken free from the economic straight jacket we found ourselves in at the time of the last General Election. While much progress has been made to reduce the country's deficit, our National Debt has doubled during the past five years and as far as financial pain is concerned, I'm afraid that 'we aint seen nothing yet!'

While Defence, the National Health Service, Education, Welfare, Transport, Crime, Housing and Emigration etc are all aspects worthy of the country's continuous attention, the most important thing as a Nation we should concern ourselves with is the wholesome development of our future. I refer of course to our children's welfare and overall health and happiness. 


How many parents would think of buying their young child a plant or a pet as a present? And yet, children introduced to both plant and pet at an early stage in their lives are known to learn best about the nutrients of all life and the bond of friendship and loyalty that can be formed between two creatures who start off life as strangers.


I'm not saying that the child ought to be deprived of its lego and other toys of interest, but I am saying that the true building blocks of life are more readily found in things that live and breathe and that the corner stone to happiness and contentment rests in the nature and nourishment of our thoughts, feelings and actions of our hearts and soul.


It's ironic, but the future of our country is probably best served by introducing our children to the beauty, joy and educational value of plants and pets at their earliest opportunity!" William Forde: May 8th, 2015.

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