Blog Archives - FordeFables

July 28th, 2014.

28/7/2014

Thought for today:
"One hundred years ago to the day, World War 1 broke out and the entire globe was eventually placed into conflict. The war was mostly fought by soldiers in muddy trenches exchanging thousands of lives for the benefit of gaining a few yards of ground which was later subequently lost to the other side. It was supposed to be a war to end all future wars and despite the futility of it, patriotism had never been greater in Great Britain.

Unlike the Second World War whose objectives seemed far less jingoistic from the outset, more than nine million combatants were killed and a casualty rate exacerbated by the German's technical and industrial sophistication produced a tactical stalemate for most of the four years it was fought on the western front.

The First World War could be said to have destabalised the world for decades to come after its conclusion on the 11th, November, 1918 as it paved the way for major political changes which included revolutions in many of the nations involved.The war drew in all the world's great powers which assembled themselves in opposing war alliances; the Allies (based upon the Triple Entente of Great Britain, France and the Russian Empire) and the Central Powers of Germany and Austria Hungary.

These alliances were reorganised and expanded as more nations entered the war which had started in Europe. Japan and the United States joined the Allies and the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers. Ultimately, more than seventy million military personel including sixty million Europeans were mobilised into one of the greatest wars in history.

To my reasoning and a long established interest in British history, I would rate one of the few things to have come out of this bloody conflict apart from some great war poets who wrote about their experiences, as a move towards giving women the franchise and while it took a number of years longer to properly achieve on a par with the men, it nevertheless was responsible along with the suffragettes for having obtained it." William Forde: July 28th, 2014.

July 27th, 2014

28/7/2014

Thought for today:
'Vulnerable Beauty' : Copyright William Forde.

"There is no vision so vulnerable; no sight or sensation so sensuousness than that of a beautiful woman at the mercy of a wild beast.

For when such beauty surrenders to her innermost desires, a fusion of man and beast is facilitated and love and lust are blended in wanton harmony and abandonment of all restraint.

Awake to the growl of your heart, give vent to the sacrifice of your soul and your body shall know eternal bliss for one moment in time." Copyright William Forde: July 27th, 2014.

July 26th, 2014.

26/7/2014

Thought for today:
"When I was a small boy, I grew up with a mother who was tone deaf when it came to holding a tune, but one who loved to sing all day long. It was mum who first taught me that even singers of poor voice have the right to sing their morning song. She then asked me if I knew why birds sung and when I couldn't tell her she replied, 'It's no big secret Billy. Birds sing because they have a song to sing. I also have a song to sing, so please get out of my way and let me get on with my work!'

Much to the consternation of my sisters and wife, I invariably sing around the house and in the bathroom at both the start and end of every day, whatever the time, place or occasion. The very first song I remember my mother singing and undoubtly her favourite was 'Faraway places' by Bing Crosby. If I close my eyes and imagine her before me now, I can hear the song as though I was a seven year old boy all over again. I love you Mum. I miss you. x." William Forde: July 26th, 2014. http://youtu.be/ylK1DiyV4zc

July 25th,2014

26/7/2014

Thought for today;
"An old friend of mine recently passed away aged 91 years. Born in Southport, Lancashire she was one of the few ladies who wore the wrong colour of rose (Born on the wrong side of the Pennines) who stole my heart with her impish and childlike personality and oodles of charm. Her name was Dora Bryan, actress of the 1962 film, 'A taste of honey.'

Between 1990 and 2005, I had been able to persuade over 800 celebrities to visit West Yorkshire and to read from my books to assemblies of schoolchildren, which raised over £200,000 for charity from book sales. Ironically, getting the celebrity reader was often easier than getting suitable transport to take them to their appointed venues and return afterwards.

While some of these famous readers may have been working within 50 miles of the school venue on the day of their reading, many travelled hundreds of miles at their own expense, simply to undertake my reading invitation to a West Yorkshire school.

Consequently, it would have been churlish of me to have expected them to travel the last miles to their school venue by bus or even taxi, given the amount of trouble and expense they’d already put themselves to on my behalf. To have collected them in my own old banger just wouldn’t have been ‘the done thing!’

Having vowed always to keep my charity fund-raising ventures ‘self-financing,’ anyone who helped me throughout the years, did so for love and no money. I knew that I’d have to come up with many different solutions to fund any necessary project expenses and that private sponsorship and public cash appeals might not always prove sufficient in themselves to keep the projects on the road.

One particular week I needed to collect the film star and actress Dora Bryan from her lodgings that was about 25 miles away from the school in Bradford where she was reading from one of my books. Unable to get the type of car I would ideally have liked to have picked her up in, I cleaned my car up the best I could and decided to escort her personally.

Dora was a really down-to-earth person with no airs and graces. Much of her acting career had witnessed much hardship and personal suffering. She bonded so easily with everyone she met and proved to be an instant success with the children she read to. A couple of hours in her company automatically left one feeling better than if they’d actually fell in the jar and ‘tasted the honey.’ On the way back to where she was lodging, I explained the problem I frequently had pertaining to the acquisition of suitable cars to convey my celebrity readers around in. Within minutes, Dora had supplied me with the answer. She said, “I’ve invariably found Bill, that the best way to get a nice car is to get a nice man to go with it.”

While Dora may have been talking ‘tongue in cheek’ what she said provided me with the germ of a good idea that I was to successfully use over 500 times during the years ahead.

I needed to find the man as well as the car!’ After a number of inquiries, I quickly learned of a many people who would willingly provide me with a constant stream of vintage cars, Rolls Royces or indeed anything that was ever motorised, at no monetary charge. Their fee would be a straight swap. In exchange for their car and services for the day, I would simply allow them to act as the celebrity’s chauffeur and to have their own photograph taken with the star at some point during the day's proceedings.

I found this solution to be a perfect answer to my problem and the stars who were escorted in style didn’t seem to mind having an additional photograph taken alongside 'their chauffeur for the day.' Within no time at all, I’d amassed a surfeit celebrity car-pool of vintage vehicles to draw from. Other people with such cars also wanted in on the act and started initiating contact with me; requesting that I include them and their cars in the celebrity car-pool also!

Through such means, I was able to have many of the celebrities who read for me chauffeur-driven to their reading venue in cars fit for a star. I recollect having Diana Rigg escorted to her school in the very same colour, model and year of car she had on screen when she starred in ‘The Avengers’ television series during the 80s. I secured a chauffeur, dressed in 1939 clothes to collect Timothy West when he did one of his many readings for me at Mirfield High School. The type of car used for that occasion was the very type, year and colour used by Winston Churchill when he was PM (Timothy had been playing Winston on our television screens at the time). His wife Prunella had more up-market tastes and liked to be chaufeurred around in a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. Similarly, when Christopher Timothy first read for me, he arrived at the school in a car straight out of the world of James Herriot. The first man to travel to both the North and South Poles, Robert Swann was chaufeurred in a unique Italian car that cost over £2million.

Thanks to Dora's suggestion the first time I met her, my celebrities thereafter were never stuck for a ride. RIP Dora. The full story can be found on my website." July 25th, 2014. http://www.fordefables.co.uk/cars-for-stars.html

July 24th, 2014

24/7/2014

Thought for today:
Suffice to say that we consider ourselves as a fair race, but the battle for equality between the sexes is far from having been won in 2014. In the home, the workplace, the financial markets, the community, church and parliament, discrimination between men and women still exists. It took almost 600 years to arrive at the advancements women have made today, so are we looking towards another half millennium before we can say, 'Fair is fair!'

As a consequence of the 'First World War,' the Government was persuaded to expand the right to vote, not only for the many men who fought in the war yet remained disenfranchised, but also for the women who'd helped in the factories and elsewhere as part of the war effort. The Representation of the People Act was enacted in 1918. All men aged 21 and over were given the right to vote. Property restrictions for voting were lifted for men. Votes were given to 40% of women, but.....'with property restrictions' and 'limited to 30 years of age and over.'

Is it any wonder that women across the world, but particularly in Great Britain have felt so discriminated against for so long? The right for women to vote had been granted in New Zealand, Sweden, Finland and some of the American States during the late 19th Century. While Australia introduced it in 1902, it kept restrictions against aboringinal women until 1962 when all restrictions were removed.

It took the trials, lives and endeavours of Women Suffragists, along with the 'First World War' for Great Britain to grant women over the age of thirty the vote (who met minimum property qualifications). It then took a further ten years to extend the voting francise to all women over the age of twenty one years.

I remember as a Probation Officer going into mining communities in Emley, Skelmanthorpe and Denby Dale in the Huddersfield area during the bitter times of the miner's one-year strike between 1984-85 when I often had to prepare reports for the Court after someone had been prosecuted for having committed an offence. Even as late as the 1980's, a woman's role in the house of most miners was clearly defined and was in no way considered as being equal to the man of the house.

Between 1990 and 2002, I visited over two thousand Yorkshire schools and saw for myself, the discrimination that the girls experienced in the classroom; not just from the boys but also from their teachers. Even the school curriculum discriminated between the sexes; particularly in the area of sports and gymnastics. My numerous years in the Yorkshire textile mills as a labourer, shop steward and mill manager witnessed women getting paid less than men for doing virtually the same work. Women were also the first to be made redundant or placed on short time hours when trade was slack and staff cuts needed to be made.

This situation disgusted me and I believe that it also demeaned all of the men in society who allowed it to happen. In response, I wrote a dozen stories for the 5-9 year old about a girl who is as bright, crafty, confident and courageous as is any boy and I called her 'Annie.' The late Dame Catherine Cookson and her husband Tom (as a special gesture to mark one of their wedding anniversaries) funded the publication of a 500 book print called 'Action Annie' and we allowed all the money to go to Mencap. The Chief Inspector for Schools and Ofsted at the time (Chris Woodhead) read from the 'Action Annie Omnibus' at Littletown Junior School in Liversedge. He later went on to describe the book to the press as 'High quality Literature.'

These 'Action Annie' books are available from all reputable e-book providers. Book one can be obtained free, books two to twelve cost $1 each and the complete omnibus edition costs $3. All monies go to charity. Brigit Forsyth (of 'The Likely Lad's' fame) recorded all twelve stories to be used for radio transmission. Unfortunately, the company who was negotiating this contract went bust and some of the tapes were lost. However I still have tapes for four of the stories which I intend to put up on my website for free audio access in due course.

Equality between man and woman is far more than a concept. It is not only a human right, it is a necessity for humanity! Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as upright men and women. It is not something that half the world's population should have to strive for or have granted to them by well-meaning men. It is no less than a prerequisite for human balance, a more peaceful and prosperous country and world harmony." William Forde: June 24th, 2014.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/129476

July 23rd,2014.

24/7/2014

"Thought for today:
"My thought for today is sadly true, but ironic at its heart. There is a wicked side to the inner thoughts of mankind which all sense of propriety and the ever-vigilant presence of profound sensitivity and goodness will ensure remains forever unvoiced in polite society.

For most, a constant restraint exercised between what they think and say will ensure that they are never called 'sexist' or 'racist' or could ever be viewed as a person who might discriminate against another.

In this regard, their words spoken to and about the disabled person, the old, the rich, the poor,the obese, the gay, the foreigner or indeed any section of society will remain outwardly sensitive and seemingly respectful.

However, never voicing such negative thoughts one thinks doesn't make one any less 'descriminatory' in attitude or practice. Indeed I would argue that the mere holding of the thought will ensure that one's spoken word is untruthful and that one's action is no more than mere conformity to the social conventions and expectations of the time. It is in short, (however admirable or otherwise), representative of a repression of true self.

Were such a person ever to find themselves badly treated by any one of these stereo-typed groups mentioned, they would be at greater likelihood of voicing their inner discrimination in automatic protest when they 'let loose' their angry tongue upon the offender.

Let me present you with a few uncomfortable yet indisputable facts of life that we all know exist, but generally never speak about for fear of offending or being branded a bigot by society at large. Such suppression of one's true feelings and action does not diminish the presence of its existence in our lives one little bit.

Until recently, most Brits held the view that Britain allowed too many immigrants to settle on its shores in too easy and unqualified a manner, but dare not voice their thoughts for fear of being branded a 'racist.' That was until a few brave politicians seemed to give them permission to speak out. It was as though the British nation had been graciously granted the approval of its politicians to voice this year, that which would have been considered racist to speak of last year.

Also, do not think for one moment that of all 'widows' who were ever made so through the deaths of their husbands in war, industrial accident, sickness or old age, inwardly grieved their partner's passing, despite their outer tears and overt expressions of loss.

While I genuinely feel for the many thousands of families who grieved the loss of a loved one in the twin towers tragedy of September 11th, 2001 or any other great national disaster, I know that each tragic loss will have been met by a dissimilar degree of grief by all the widows involved. The hard fact is that in the midst of such death and destruction and carnage of the human mind, irony still lives on.

Hand on heart now as you consider this unpalatable truth which becomes harder to digest the more one thinks on it. Do you find it truly inconceivable that from among the thousands of deaths recorded and from all of the husbands who didn't return home from work on the day of the plane attack of 9/11, that upon receiving a cheque for $2 million compensation one year later, that at least one widow in the USA being paid out wasn't a little merry?" William Forde: July 23rd, 2014.

July 21st, 2014.

22/7/2014

Thought for today:
"My thought for today rests with a young man who I once knew and who died in a tragic traffic accident while travelling around Europe on July 21st, 2008. He was aged 25 years at the time of his death, yet had he lived to the grand old age of a hundred, he would, I strongly suspect always have remained young at heart and wild in spirit. He was born in California named John Jacob Burns, lived much of his life known as 'J.J' and died under the name of Brock which he changed to at the age of 21 years.

At his death, Brock left a father called John, a step-father called Craig, a mom called Cindy, his older brother Randal and two younger siblings, Craig and Kelsey to mourn his loss.

Two famous people who were also born on his birthday, the 3rd April, could have literally endowed Brock with his most prominent characteristics which they shared with him and which he displayed from childhood. First there was Eddie Murphy and his infectious smile which was a constant feature of Brock's face, and then there was Marlon Brando who shared his wildness along with a streak of lifelong rebellion, dashing good looks and sheer bravado; especially with the ladies.

His mother Cindy always saw his smile as being somewhat 'impish' whereas others may have sometimes viewed it as being 'devilish'; particularly when he was enjoying a secret joke at someone else's expense or pursuing the fairer sex.

I met Brock and his travelling companion Blake around 2005/6 when they were backpacking across Europe. My son William, who had met the couple on his backpacking travels around Australia and America had told them if they ever made it to England to look us up. For around three months we daily fed the travelling duo at tea time and then spent an hour watching Noel Edmonds' television programme 'Deal or No Deal' in which Brock and Blake loved the element of 'chance.' They liked the notion of either finishing up rich or broke. 'So long as one 'went for it,' whatever the outcome, better to have tried and lost out than to have regretted never doing it' appeared to be their philosophy.

If you can hear this, I am so glad that your mom Cindy asked me to say a few words about you on the anniversary of your death today Brock. I am especially privileged to have shared a small part of your life and to have had you and Blake as a part of my family for such a short time. RIP Brock. God Bless you and your family in America from all the Forde family in West Yorkshire, England. xx" William Forde: July 21st, 2014.

July 20th, 2014

20/7/2014

Thought for today:
"‘Quick to wed and slow to repent’’ By William Forde

'Be still my roaming heart,
stay put and pant no more.
Take gentle breaths and fall in love with life again,
fold sands upon the shore.

For man was meant to love and woman too.
Sun was made to shine and rain to fall,
and while teardrops soaked into parched ground below
in small attempt to make bitter sweet the sad sense of it all.

All women were designed to wear the dress of wedding white.
All men’s design was ever made to take it off before the night.
Where vows were made and broken with same breath,
and where apologies remain unspoken until death,
that is where I’ll be.

Be strong oh wavering thoughts of doubtful passage and immediacy,
take tender hold and make me thine for all eternity.
For she is there if thou dare but ask in cries of ecstasy and passion wild,
unloose the reins of pleasured urgency and make love, make haste, make marriage, then make child.

Copyright William Forde: June 9th, 2014.

July 19th,2014

20/7/2014

Thought for today:
"Like Pinnochio, before the age of twenty, I could tell a whopper with the best of them and get away with it most of the time. I recall that whenever the young men from the estate went out dancing, we always went with pockets filled with more than coins of the realm; eager to please and have a good night. I would always seek out the best looking dancer on the floor and during the traditional small-talk chat-up phase of the dance they would always ask what job I did. Naturally if the lass was considered posh, highly educated or looked well-to-do, I might conveniently forget to tell her that I was a humble textile operative and instead pretend to be the son of a surgeon or Chief Constable who was just filling in job-wise for pocket money until I went off to university to take my Masters. Well...I mean if one's going to lie about studying for a degree, then much better a Masters than a plain B.A. I say. I have long since learned to be proud of my past and to never complain or lie about what one had or hadn't, did or didn't.

After I returned from a two-year break in Canada during the 1960s, I immediately resumed going out to the Mecca on a Saturday night in Bradford. One night, me and a divorced friend went out to the dance with two main aims; to dance and 'to pull.' We travelled there in our own vehicles so that if either of us managed to get the last dance with some lucky girl we fancied, we would have the comfort and convenience of the car to travel home in.

As luck would have it, we both hit it off with two good-looking women and went our own ways at the end of the night upon leaving the Mecca Ballroom. My date was a very nice girl, who although highly fetching was very talkative. In retrospect, I concluded that as we cuddled and talked in the car, we each had on our mind upon more urgent and pressing matters of a different nature. I continued to get my wicked way with my ride home while she continued to talk about personal matters in her life. Before she went back inside her parents' house we spoke in the car for a good hour, during which a great deal of emotional stuff was obviously going on in her household. We never did meet or see each other again, but that night's overall experience led to me making a big change in my life that I have never since regretted.

When I awoke the following morning and thought about the night before, I felt thoroughly ashamed of myself; not because of something I'd done, but rather something I hadn't! I concluded on close reflection that while I'd had my mind on one predominant thing she'd had her mind on other pressing matters and wanted/needed to talk. All I had to do to make her night was to suppress my immediate need and supply hers by lending a listening ear. I was obliged to conclude that although I had in no way forced my attentions on the young woman, I nevertheless had done her a great wrong through my selfishness and disregard for her overall needs at the time.

That very morning, I vowed never again to tell a deliberate lie to any man, woman or child, whatever the circumstances or the consequences. To the best of my knowledge, I have never since broken that pledge. There have been consequences regarding this behavioural change of mine, but overall they have been good ones and certainly consequences that I can happily live with.

I cannot tell you what a burden is lifted from one's chains of polite discourse once one decides to tell it as it is. To live this life is to find no subject taboo or too embarrassing to discuss; no truth too hard to conceal. It isn't and hasn't always been appreciated by others and it certainly hasn't been easy to remain constant with, but once it becomes a natural part of one's automatic response pattern, it becomes acceptable as 'being part of you.'

Surely this is what Laertes was advised to do by his father Polonius's last piece of advice in the Shakespearian play 'Hamlet' when Polonius counselled:
'This above all: to thine own self be true
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.'" William Forde: July 19th, 2014.

July 18th, 2014.

18/7/2014

Thought for today:
"Having pets and not exercising them enough is no different to parenting children and allowing them to become overweight, unhealthy and die sooner; except in one major respect.

From the moment of birth an infant is dependent on their mother for food, shelter, nurture and protection and remains so until that bond is healthily weakened and separated in adulthood.

But a pet's dependency upon its mother is infinitely shorter and is quickly transferred to its owner, where it remains for the rest of its life.

Thus in the general scale of things, our pets need us and depend upon us far more than our children ever can as their dependency is total, because unknowingly their owners wish it that way.You see we cannot own children; merely hold them in care until they become adult and then release them into the world to make their own way.

The next time you see a human seemingly treating a pet like a child and silently believe them to be behaving foolishly, please have regard for the facts I've just outlined. We uncharitably believe such attentive owners of their pets to be acting as substitute mothers who ought to spend their time on their spouse more than on their pet, especially if they are childless.

And yet in the midst of our lack of charitable thought we are in essense 'bang on' in a major part of our assessment of them. They are behaving like substitute mothers because that is what they are; a life-long substitute mother! Long ago their pet transferred their dependency from their mother to their owner and faced with this onerous task, the responsible pet owner will discharge this responsibility as prime carer until the day their pet dies. And when their pet dies, that is why the depth of the owner's immediate sadness and loss is just as great as is present, even in the death of a human child.

Is such heartache worth the close relationship between owner and pet? Of course it is; for there is no other relationship where the love which comes back to every pet owner remains unqualified for the whole of that relationship's existence! And when the pet has died, like all our loved ones who are part of our family tree, they leave not this world behind without the scent of their trace remaining with us. We never forget those precious walks we shared at the start and end of every day.

Fortunately, both me and Sheila love animals. Indeed; I'd go so far as to say that if she hadn't, we wouldn't be together today, even though I had no pet when we first met, though she did. Sheila is a responsible dog owner and our rough collie's wonderful temprement (Lady) and overall health and coat reflects this. Each morning around five thirty am, Sheila removes her body closeness and affection from our matrimonial bed and instantly transfers it to her baby. Lady is taken out on the Haworth Moors come rain or shine for a three mile walk and her daily exercise. By the time Sheila returns home around 7am i am just getting up and suddenly a strange thing happens in our household. After Sheila gives Lady her breakfast and a kiss, she transforms herself from mother to wife and in the process transfers her primary love and attention back to me until the next morning between 5.30am and 7am. Thus she sees to her Lady and then for the rest of the day becomes mine.

I know that in the early stages of our relationship, Sheila may have momentarily felt that I might have been a teeny bit jealous of the attention and time she devoted to Lady daily, but let me assure you Sheila, I never was and loved you all the more for it! Now I have two ladies in my life and couldn't be happier.What a dog's life. Yippee!" William Forde: July 18th, 2014.