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
  • My Funeral
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        • Douglas the Dragon Play >
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        • The Ballad of Sleezy the Fox
        • Be My Life
    • 'Relaxation Rationale' >
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    • The Role of a Step-Father
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September 30th, 2014.

30/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"There will never be a dispute between animal lovers and other humans as to who makes the best parents; cuddly chimps or malevalent mums? All will readily agree in this instance that the chimps win hands down.

But what would your answer be when you consider the question, 'Who best prepares their young to stand upon their own two feet?' 

While I haven't lost my faith in the human capacity to be good and responsible parents towards their young, I also believe that we fall flat so many times by allowing our protective instincts to prevent our young making mistakes and experimenting with 'who' and 'what' and 'where' they would want to one day be as adults.

I believe that humans, for right or wrong, tend to be ruled by the heart instead of the head and by emotion and design as opposed to reason and necessity.

I believe that we 'hold on' to our young far longer than they would often like to be held on to and that unlike the animal species, we ill-prepare them to meet the many perils and dangers that they will face in their future lives as adults. There are so many things that I refer to here that it would be impossible to cite them all, but four major areas will surfice for the purpose of illustration.

I think parents ought to have more regard to the physical, emotional, moral and humanistic aspects of living and being. If I was starting again as a parent, I would not let my children grow up without acquainting them with the importance of the food chain and the consequences of eating habits. I would inform them fully about the necessity of taking regular exercise, avoiding all addictive substances and always expessing feelings honestly and appropriately. I would also make them aware of the essential need of remaining sincere, charitable, accepting and non-discriminatory in their dealings with others; of familiarising themselves with the major religions of the world and the political systems that govern it and shape themelves. Chief among these would be learning the history of one's country and culture, along with familiarising oneself with the ancestry of one's family tree. Folk who have no idea of where they come from can never know where they are going! 

I would always advise that they marry for love and wherever possible within their own social and cultural grouping, but that they equally recognise that because very few humans change at the same rate and develop in the same direction throughout their lives, that all relationships have a time limit on them. For the lucky ones, it is the death of one partner that severs the partnership, but for the majority of couples in a union, it is at the point of separation and a parting of the ways that its 'shelf life' has been reached.

Finally, always teach your children by example the importance of having fun. Just as the apes advocate the the best means of 'having fun' along the way is to occasionally swing from trees, I feel humans would be better advised also to remove the parental constraints and instead to encourage their young to jump in puddles occasionally and to sometimes do things for no other reason then the sheer fun of doing it!" William Forde: September 30th, 2014.

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September 29th, 2014.

29/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Whoever said dogs are dumb doesn't know a bean about animal intelligence. When an owner throws their pet dog a stick, the Pavlovian hound has been conditioned to run after it, fetch it back and place it at its owner's feet and sits there drooling, awaiting their owner's smile and pat of approval before repeating the exercise upon cue. This type of dog is not the cleverest of its species and is more commonly found south of Haworth. 

No, the clever dog realises that the owner probably needs the exercise more than they do and thereby curtails their owner's wishes. This dog runs to fetch the stick and after carrying it half way back to its owner's hands, drops it on the ground and provides a vacant look which says, 'Your turn now, Buster, to pick up the batton and run with it!' 

Just in case you are wondering, the dog sitting by the sign post is the Pavlovian hound, whereas the one who wrote the sign, well he's the clever dog! Now then, who's taking who for a ride?" William Forde: September 29th, 2014.

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September 28th,2014

28/9/2014

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Thought for today:


"My daughter Rebecca has recently taken up driving lessons and her mother is teaching her. More fool mum is what I say!

I love my children, but having attempted to teach my first wife and my brother Patrick (both of whom nearly ended my life before the age of thirty years), I would never attempt to teach a relative again. Indeed; even with the dual-control system of a driving instructor's car, I would quickly rename it 'duel-control' in the ongoing road battle it faced.

My brother Patrick had this irrating and highly dangerous practice of allowing the steering wheel to move round within his hands as he turned it. He would rigidly hold the wheel and as he turned it full circle to avoid an oncoming ten-ton truck, his hands would remain permanently crossed as though I'd placed him in a straight-jacket before asking him to drive my car.

And as to my first wife's driving, well that was simply impossible! She just couldn't steer and was dangerous every time a car came in the opposite direction. We were engaged at the time and in the space of one year's tuition, I threw away the 'L-Plates' over a wall three times. It's a great pity that I didn't pick up the warning signs until it was too late and threw her over also before she'd got me down the aisle. 

After eighteen months practice on the roads, £300 driving-instructor fees and half a dozen bumps and car accidents, (forty years ago), she did what all the women of her day did who possessed shapely legs and a fulsome figure; she donned a mini skirt on the morning of her driving exmination and passed her driving test at the first attempt, while it took me three attempts in my bell-bottom trousers and gammy leg to  pass. It would seem that the driving examiner ignored the cat she killed when reversing up onto the pavement in her seven-point turn as he obviously had his eyes elsewhere at the time. All I know is that when it came to driving ability, she would never pass the mustard if it came to maintaining a regular heart rhythm in the passenger seat.

Now being a pensioner and still at the wheel (note my avoidance of the term 'in charge of the wheel'), I pity the poor dog who drives around with her today!" William Forde: September 28th, 2014.

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September 27th, 2014

27/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"We must dig for happiness in the recall of our experiences in order to taste time anew. 

Time is like a river's flow in the passage of one's travels; once passed, it can never be re-captured in precise form though it mat revisit familiar ground. That is why it is wise to live for the moment from whence the greatest enjoyment has always sprung.

Do not get yourself so busy making a living that you finish up not having a life to live or in the pursuit and acquisition of amassing more meaningless things around you, that in your engagement of 'having all' you finish up with nothing at all of significant worth. If it's constancy and unqualified love that you most need in your life right now, then such can be found in the presence of any domesticated animal and comforting pet. If it's sheer beauty that your eyes crave for, then look no farther than what nature has to offer and feast your eyes on her spectacular array of seasonal colour, texture and living change. If it's wealth you seek, then better look to your continued good health and respectful daily attitude for the world and its creatures.

Ask not what is possible to have; instead ask what you are capable of giving. Profound happiness is most unlikely to fall at your feet through the mere wishing or asking for it. You will need to go out into your daily life and the life of others and dig for it!" William Forde: September 27th, 2014.

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September 26th, 2014

26/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Given the will, one will usually find the way. Life is too short a time to spend with a head full of troubled thoughts and a heart lacking the courage. One must move on from past regrets and emotional baggage!

So as Mark Twain wrote in 'The American Claimant',' Drag your thoughta away from your troubles, by the ears, by the heels or by any other way so that you can manage it; it's the healthiest thing a body can do.' 

During my many years of running groups in Probation Offices, Prisons, Hostels, hospitals, Psychiatric Units, Schools, Educational Establishments and Community Halls, I invariably had some programme content which dealt with effective ways of problem solving. Without going into the many techniques and methods one can usefully employ, I would place the distancing of oneself from the original thoughts and emotions that surrounded 'the' problem to be essential in resolving it. Note that this doesn't imply running away from it, but simply taking a breather by putting sufficient time and space between your old thoughts that got you in trouble in the first place and the kind of thought that will get you out!


I'm with you, Mark; upwards and onwards!" William Forde:  September 26th, 2014.

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September 25th, 2014.

25/9/2014

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Thought for today:
'A family are we' : Copyright William Forde: July 2014.

"Sometimes I think the time is now, but it's really then;
and the place is really here, not over there and where is when.
Sometimes I open my mouth and my mother comes pouring out.
Then when I reply, it is my father's voice I hear from way on high.

I often walk in my father's footsteps without knowing how I got there.
I am never alone in my world; how could I be, as long as my family remains a part of me, 
they influence every thought, word and deed of what I am, all I do and all I'll ever be.

My happiness was always wholesome, but without my parents, brothers, sisters, wife and children, would have proved entirely loathsome.

I am one and I am me, I am also you, I am many, we are we. 
We were always meant to be a family of love and passion oft divided,
a hot house of emotion and contention that ne'er subsided:
a perfect fusion of past and present, desire and endless possibility,
a beacon of never-ending hope and filial durability.
A family are we." 
William Forde: September 25th, 2014.

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Setember 24th, 2014.

24/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Nature forged, Nature crafted and Nature real; all three aspects of Nature can astound and make one marvel, but remains wonderful in whatever form it is presented.

The top LH corner shows the Tunnel Falls in Oregon along the Eagle Creek Trail. It is an epic 13-mile one-way trail; one way because passing is imposible coming from opposite directions.

In the top RH corner we can see the decorative and collage work created by the world famous body painter, Johannes Stotter where five women models are made to look like one amphibian.

The bottom image is a stunning valley of flowers from northern India's state of Uttarakhand which borders the Nepal and Tibet.

Despite all the wonders of the world, created through time, art or effort, none can ever match the sheer bravery and beauty of a butterfly as it happily soars through its life oblivious to the mere knowledge that behind that next wall can lie a person hell bent on capturing it and breaking its wings apart: yet knowing the risk it takes, it still flies towards the next wall. Those who have been hurt through giving love unreturned take heart and heed from the butterfly." William Forde: September 24th, 2014. 

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September 23rd,2014.

23/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Sometimes the road seems empty and filled with nothing but desolation and despair. Then there are times when there are too many rules and restrictions to observe in order to sample life more leisurely or at an easier pace.


Invariably we find when one is often at their lowest ebb, the sun comes out and breaks through the clouds and suddenly the road ahead seems much more pleasant to travel, albeit on horse, by foot, any other mode of transport or even on the back of a rainbow!

Never move too far away from the light in one's life and you will never get lost for such a length of time that your future passage is blacked out forever. Your shining light can come from your Maker, the energy of the heavens, from your favourite place, a much loved activity or a special person in your life. All you need to do is to be, to let this energy pour forth from its natural source and allow your light to shine out and follow your destiny all the way towards your goal." William Forde: September 23rd, 2014.

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September 22nd, 2014.

22/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"For all to be content for a fair measure of one's life, the finding of peace is essential. Here is a brief poem of mine:


'Perfect Peace' : Copyright William Forde, September 2014.


Perfect peace can never cease while serenity lies still,
but revenge sought from broken hearts cannot make 'goodness' ill.


For goodness has a strenth unknown to negativity and doubt;
it thrives in all things open and will always let truth out.

So rest now-sleep now-let all go, it's easy when you trust,
in self, in love, in life, in God,
in all things peace's a must."


William Forde: September 22nd, 2014.

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September 21st, 2014

21/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Whoever you are
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Thought for today:
"Whoever you are, whatever misfortunes befall you in life, you will always succeed as long as you can bring happiness into your day. To do that requires something so simple to do that its overall effects far outweigh any other treasure you have to bestow. Never underestimate the importance of a smile in your day. It does you the power of good and makes so many others who meet you feel good also. 

A smile is the most disarming of weapons in one's armoury whenever signs of trouble looms. It is also the most infectious of all human actions. A mum and dad who teach their children to laugh out loud teaches them the best lesson of all, and the more often a smile arrives on one's face the less likely it is ever to depart it. If you don't believe me, let me introduce you to my Facebook friend, Heather Bates, who hasn't stopped smiling since the age of 4 years old and her happiness is still infectious." William Forde: September 21st, 2014.


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September 20th, 2014.

20/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Thanks to Lynnette Skelton Birch for the above picture of the George Hotel, Cleckheaton she posted on facebook. It brought back fond memories of my younger and wilder days.


When I was 21 years, I came into £2,000 compensation. For a working class chap from a large family in 1963, this represented a considerable sum of money and is equivalent to over £40,000 today.

Looking up the price comparison sites, I recall that a house could be bought for £1,000, a new mini cost £500 and one could get four gallons of petrol for less than £1 and a loaf of bread for a shilling. The average weekly wage for a working man was £18 tops and a packet of cigarettes cost pennies.

Because my compensation had been awarded as the result of a traffic accident when I was 11 years and couldn't walk for a further three years, my 21st birthday really did give me the key of the door. I wanted it to go off with a bang, especially as I'd planned to sail for Canada to work and travel there in the New Year of 1964.

So after giving my parents one third of my money, I spent £200 on a 21st birthday bash where the Rock and Roll group had been paid double their usual rate to put on a longer turn. The agreement was that they would perform until I told them to take a break from starting at 8pm and concluding by midnight. I recall needing to get a special licence of extention hours from the Magistrates Court. Being a bit of an inverted snob at the time, I wanted to show the upper classes how the working classes partied when they pushed out the boat.

On the night in question the party started and as each guest came in they naturally sent over a drink (I drank whisky then) for the birthday boy. The rock and roll group went on stage at 8pm. Having drank so much whisky too quickly, by 9.30pm I was drunk and at home in my bed in Windybank Estate snoring my head off. By 10.30pm as I slept soundly, everything was kicking off at my party. The group was knackered having not sat down for a break until I gave them the sign (which not being there, I obviously couldn't) and then a chap called Georgie Minute couldn't wait another second to punch a chap who'd danced with his first and only girl friend he was ever known to have.

Fighting broke out, bread roles and sandwiches were thrown across the floor and the band continued to play on. These were the days when a fight may well have been a fight, but a gentleman's agreement wasn't broken between commissioner and band. By midnight, eighteen young men and women were arrested and were kept in the police stations at Cleckheaton, Bradford and Batley overnight and when they looked for Georgie Minute who'd started the bother, they found him at the back of the George. He'd been literally hung on a washing line in his canary yellow teddy boy's suit and black suede shoes.

When I heard the news the day after and visited the landlord at the George Hotel, being a gentleman I settled up with him and paid for the damage of £78. I later heard that the rock and roll group split up shortly after and when I returned from Canada two years later, I dare not enter the George Hotel for some time after. It was over five years and two changes of landlord before I dared show my face in the George Hotel again.

Still it had been a good party by all accounts until that stupid guy danced with Georgie Minute's girlfriend. Wish I could have been there!" William Forde September 20th, 20014.


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September 19th, 2014.

19/9/2014

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Thought for today:


'A Place to Dream'
Copyright William Forde.


"There is in the heart of lovers a woodland stream,
a place of soft serenity, a place to dream 
upon the days since we first met,
of dare devil moments of no regret.



There were times you said you loved me and me alone,
when you gave me shelter within your home,

within your heart, your soul, your very being,
a time when secret love remained unseen
by those who doubt the very words your mouth first spoke
when you said, 'I love you lad; you're my bloke.'


'Aye lass' said I, 'I'm thine and thou art mine,
now let's be off home its already way past nine 
and tha's clothes to wash before tha' goes to bed 

and a house to clean and three bairns not fed.' 

'I love thee lass, tha knows it's true, there's nowt I wouldn't do for you.'"
William Forde: September 19th, 2014.

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Setember 18th, 2014

18/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Today I go into hospital again to get another Cat Scan. This will reveal how successful this course of chemo therapy has been in countering the cancer nodes in my body. My natural hope is that they will have been either greatly reduced or removed; thereby providing me with an unknown period of respite before they next return.

This past month (the sixth and last treatment month in this six-month-course of chemo therapy), has been without doubt both best and worse month I have ever experienced. Upon three occasions since the age of twelve years I have faced the prospect of death on the horizon, and yet each time I have emerged the stronger in faith, spirit and belief for having had and endured the experience.

There have been occasions during the past month, when I couldn’t eat or drink for six successive days and yet I would ‘sick up’ daily more than I had consumed in the previous fortnight. There have been times when the discomfit and feeling of unwellness was harder to physically bear than when I lay in a hospital bed at the age of twelve for six months with a damaged spine, twenty two of my twenty four ribs broken, a lung puncture, two crushed legs, a broken arm and a collar bone.

‘How can this be’ I hear you ask with a certain amount of incredulity? True that as a boy, I encountered multiple injuries caused by a traffic accident and after nearly dying was faced with the medical prognosis that I would never walk again. Yet, such injuries to my body were so extensive that after the first two months, most of the pain had numbed and proved to be containable and physically endurable.

This past month however, has been harder to physically endure in discomfort and containable terms; not because of my age, but more due to my bones being diseased as opposed to broken and my blood having been poisoned and decreased in its white and red blood cell count. While laid up in hospital as a boy, at least I was able to stomach food and drink, whether through a straw or not.

And yet, I have endured it and know that I've emerged all the stronger for it. I have always held the belief that when the mind tells the body ‘I can’t stand it’, not only is it telling an untruth, but it is instructing the body ’not to stand it.’ How do we know that to be so. Consider for one moment. One can yell, kick, scream and shout ‘I can’t stand it’ at the top of one’s voice all day long, yet through all our protest what are we doing? We are in short, ‘standing it!’  We can stay anchored to the rational belief of not wanting it, liking it, finding it a pain in the butt, but we cannot deny our capacity for ‘standing it.’ We can stand anything until we are dead and then arguably, it’s our corpse that is standing it, not us!

Despite the trial of the past month, I have discovered so many more positives in my life than I could ever have previously believed existed within the field of physical adversity. I have made more new friends in the past six months than I have ever made during any previous year, along with discovering a greater love and appreciation of things that have always surrounded me in my everyday such as partner, family, neighbours, fellow church members, reading, writing, music and nature.

Having no immune system, I have been obliged to spend most of the past six months under virtual ‘house arrest’; being able to go for no more than five minute walks when I did step outside the house and only being able to entertain visitors in their twos and threes after receiving their assurances that they brought no bugs or carried any cold germs with them. Had I not been accompanied for the most part by my cell mate and love of my life Sheila, my condition would have been a hundred times harder to withstand.

During my five minute daily outings, I have rediscovered the true wonder of Nature simply by being able to literally taste the freshness of the breeze on my face and the warmth of the sun. To hear the sound of the birds and real people going about their daily business and to see the gradual movement of the seasons from spring, through summer and into a late autumn through my watering of the plants outside my house and watching the nearby trees and hedgerow has been the most wondrous of sight and sound.

I have taken this enforced opportunity to write a couple of new books and despite having had sixty one previous books published, I have found a freshness in my words allied to discovering a courage and fearlessness of expression that hitherto didn’t exist. I have never previously gone out to offend another and have on many occasions drawn back from what I would have dearly felt the urge to say.

The past six months has however reinforced in me a conviction of purpose that not to express love, hope, sincerity, appreciation and charity of thing and thought is a great loss to the totality of humanity. Also, wherever necessary, I have learned anew that to express apology for past wrong whenever the opportunity presents itself not only clenses the soul, but rejuvenates the spirit. I have discovered that it is no less than a wasteless folly to deny the true worth of life that is within the grasp of all who dare to live it to the full. Have a good day. I love you all.” William Forde: September 18th, 2014.


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September 17th, 2014.

17/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Whether you're a hugger of rabbits, trees or stars in the sky, the younger you start the wiser and more compassionate you will become.

One of the greatest losses today as opposed to yesteryear is that childhood innocence is unfortunately snatched away from their little hands and minds long before they have had the chance to enjoy their world; the world of wizards and fairies that no adult can ever gain entrance to.

We make our young grow up too soon at our peril, for it is during those precious years of innocent dreams that the development of one's long-term imagination finds full growth and flowers at its finest." William Forde: September 17th, 2014. 

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September 16th, 2014.

16/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"My dear old mother used to say,'Billy, you don't get anything in this life without looking after what you've got and never taking on board what you don't want.'

My father was an unschooled man who was working full time by the age of thirteen years. He had a strict moral code and paid great respect to the community rules which governed the neighbourhood. 


He used to provide me with advice on keeping my self respect. His main tips were, (1) Never hit a woman. (2) Never fail to help a widow or orphan if the opportunity arises. (3) Always leave an employer properly so that you can always go back if things don't work out for you in your new job. (4) However high or low your job is, always do it to the best of your ability. (5) Never watch a woman being assaulted without intervening. (6) What you can't do with your fists in a fight, don't disgrace yourself by doing it at all.

It was his advice in this latter aspect of only using one's fists in a fight that recently came to mind after reading about some poor chap who'd died after being trampled on, kicked and stabbed after a brutal and senseless attack by a gang of drunken yobs.

When I was at my first school, the rules about fighting in the playground were that you shouldn't, but if you did and were caught doing so, woe betide the boy or girl who didn't fight fairly. The unwritten but understood rules were, girls could push to the ground, tussle and roll on the ground, scratch and pull hair, but never resort to punching. The boys on the other hands were allowed to punch their opponent, but never pull hair, bite or kick. Any transgressors of these rules would be caned by the head as well as being booed out of the playground by one's peers.

Our games teacher, Mr. Paddy MacNamara, would never tolerate any use of the feet unless it was for athlethic, sport or gymnastic purpose. Any boys he caught kicking an opponent in a fight would be publicly shamed by having to enter the sack race at the end of term. It wasn't a race that a boy wanted to win, but rather one they'd never have to compete in. My dad always approved of Mr MacNamara's choice of punishment and being shamed into behavioural change was an aspect that I was to later take on board in my work as a Probation Officer working with violent offenders." William Forde: September 16th, 2014.

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September 15th, 2014.

15/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"How many young boys and girls going out for 'a night on the town' finish up with a night on the floor of some backstreet dive or in the Accident and Emergency Department of their local hospital after having had their drinks spiked by some 'friend' who was out for a laugh or some chap who was out for more? What makes a young boy or girl behave so badly within public view?


The incidents of young men and women drinking far too much for their blood stream to absorb are growing alarmingly; especially in our poorer areas where one night a week out is often the only treat a young person in a low paid job can afford to look forward to these days. It is such absence of hope for a better future that is the true impoverishment of this new century which leads to the increase in self debasement." William Forde: September 15th, 2014.

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September 14th, 2014.

14/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"The great Albert Einstein was of the view that everyone was a genius in their own way and that it was all a matter of perspective and interpretation when it comes to assessing intelligence, for example living in a stable doesn't necessarily make one a horse. If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree or a monkey by how long its lungs will continue to breathe under water, both fish and monkey will probably go through life believing that they are stupid and inadequate. So often, many people believe this lie and therefore live it. Every person in the world and every creature is both teacher and student to those of receptive and open mind!" William Forde: September 14th, 2014.

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September 13th,2014.

13/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Even Skunks are able to smell love in the air. If a male needs to treat a mate, I have usually found that either chocolates or flowers is the way to her heart. If its the flowers she prefers, she  is usually  displaying all the hallmarks of a good mistress, if its chocolates then she is solid wifely material. However if its both, get rid and don't hang about as she will definitely turn out to be a high maintenance bunny burner, whom after once sampling the goods will just cry out for more and more and more. Take it from me that life is too short to start getting used to strange smells outside your range of expectations." William Forde: September 13th, 2014. 

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September 12th, 2014.

12/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"It has often been said that love and devilment often walk hand in hand between Haworth and Hell.

Who is wise enough to ever know the true thoughts of another or the unconscious intentions of a person betrayed? Whom among us can gaze into the face of a clown to see beyond the smile that is warm outside and cold within?

There is so much unanswered and so much unknown about the depths of mankind's twisted mind, that to unravel its source would require a lifetime's intricate unpicking of weave by an army of spiders working around the clock. There are so many questions which have more than than one meaningful answer.

So the next time your wife or partner asks you to tell her the time, answer not 'where? why?' or 'when?' but instead give her the answer she wants to hear; the only answer she'll ever accept. The next time your five-year-old angelic daughter looks at a pregnant woman's tummy, pokes it in marvelment and asks, 'But how did the baby get in there, Daddy?' simply put on your devilish smile and supply her with the good old-fashioned Haworth answer,'The same way it will get out!'

There is no point making life any more complicated than it is, so keep it simple and smile the smile of a clown." William Forde: September 12th, 2014.

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September 11th, 2014

11/9/2014

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Thought for today:

‘The Value of a Moment’ by William Forde: Copyright August 2014.


"The value of a moment is never truly known until the time has passed and it becomes a memory of instant recall.


The heart of a gentle breeze cannot be sensed until it crosses one’s face in a whispered embrace of touching grace.

The cry of a silent tear is never shed without a suffering soul to stifle its outlet of despair.

The laugh of forced happiness will not deceive the truly content nor gather forth anew folk who are not superficial shells of fake friendship echoing false tones of praise designed to please.

The value of life can be seen within all pearls of wisdom that the fishermen threw back into the sea. It can be tasted in the sweetness of honey and felt within the breast of an expectant mother’s stomach longing to bring forth tomorrow’s crop from once fallowed ground. 

The value of a moment is soon gone the more precious it is; the longer it remains, the greater the pain inflicted upon the sufferer when it eventually departs. The full worth of life is no more than the value of one's best moment." 


 William Forde : September 11th, 2014.

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Setember 10th, 2014.

10/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Today is my son Matthew's 40th birthday. In the picture of me and my children and grandchildren at my wedding to Sheila, Matthew is the one on the extreme left wearing spactacles. To be precise he is my step son, but as he grew up with me and his mother from the age of three years I have always regarded him as a son. I suppose that the best way to look at Matthew is to consider that he has two dads; both of whom are good men who love him dearly. 

I know that he took the divorce of me and his mother harder than he let on after our 28-year-long marriage ended, but I am so pleased that we still regard each other as 'father and son'. My children have always considered Matthew as their brother which pleases me greatly.

I once recall the only 'step family' hiccup we were to experience during the early years of my marriage to his mother when one of my other sons described Matthew as being their 'half brother'. I quickly stomped that suggestion out when I told them that I would allow no division of the Forde family unit by the use of fractions and that terms such as 'step' and 'half' were not recognised by me as repesenting heathy descriptions with which to foster brotherly love and good family reationships.

From all my children, Matthew was the only one not to receive a university education. He has always been a slow to steady learner at best and someone who was always destined to hold down a labourer's or semi skilled person's job. Nevertheless, he has in the main always been in work since he left school. For the past fifteen years he has lived a wholly independent life style and has his own mortgaged terraced property in Mirfield. Not content to live off the State like many a person who is more accademically qualified or physically able than he is, for the past two years after having being made redundant, Matthew has travelled 25 miles daily on his bike to and from his place of employment in Barnsley. His industriousness and gentle ways in all things will always ensure that he holds a place in my heart and the hearts of anyone who stands close to him. Of all my children, he generates the greatest parental pride in me. 

Matthew is one of the most likeable persons that one could hope to meet and is also one of the most generous of humans. He is so compassionate that he would give a tramp his last pound before buying food for himslf if need be. Some consider him to be somewhat gullible to the demands of others, but I know him as the gentle giant with a big heart of gold who cannot bear to see another in want or pain. Never once since the age of three has he forgotten to send me a card or seek me out on birthdays, Father's day and Christmas. He is the very best of sons that one could ever have and I love him dearly. Happy 40th birthday Matthew". Dad Forde: September 10th, 2014. 


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September 9th. 2014

9/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"When I think of you my day lights up and all the world is a lovely place to be. Your love radiates my very being and stirs my passions to indecency. Why could you not have come home my darling? I miss you so much and so do our two children. 

I still remember that first time we met when you chided me for having cut across your path without looking where I was going. Had I not had my mind engaged elsewhere that day, I would never have been blinded to your presence.

After I'd accidently knocked you to the ground my immediate instinct was to panic and run for it. I remain ever thankful that I didn't and instead I stayed to face the music when you got to your feet. I waited for your reproach, but I waited in vain for a lesser man to respond. Instead of being angry, you voiced immediate concern for me; 'Did I feel okay? Had I had a dizzy spell? Please let me buy you a coffee,' were your only responses.

Two days later we were dating. I was was so proud to see you in your Army uniform as we walked hand in hand down the highstreet together. Even then, so early in our relationship, exchanged glances of unmistakable love would pass between our reciprocated smiles.Three dates went by before I let you kiss me and it wasn't until you placed the engagement ring on my finger six months later that we truly loved as one.

A church wedding followed and over the next four years you continued to serve out your army time. I stayed at home in Wharfedale with our two daughters as we planned for that time two years away when your seven years army service would be complete and married life in a rural family setting could resume. We even spoke about the possibility of trying for a son, but you said that three ladies in your life were more than enough.


Three weeks before your army service was due to expire, our hearts were broken with the news of the bomb explosion which had killed two thirds of your regiment. At first I hoped against hope that you were one of the surviving third and that another had been killed in your place; if possible a single man. Then I quickly told myself that I wanted you back with or without limbs rather than not have you back home again where you belong. Better to have half a man than no man at all, I foolishly thought.

In my grief-stricken selfishness my total care and concern fell at your door and not at the doors of those other brave soldiers with whom you had galliantly fought as brothers to protect the values you stood for. I know that they too have families and loved ones who will miss them every bit as much as we now miss you.

Wherever you are my sweetheart, please know that me and our daughters Lucy and Heather are here with you in thought and prayer. I miss you so much my love that at times my heart wants to burst in an explosion of pain that will not relent, but then I look at Lucy and Heather and know that you are still with us. Oh I'm so glad that I knocked you off your feet when we first met and that you instantly fell for me." William Forde: September 9th, 2014.








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September 8th, 2014.

9/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Today I return into hospital for a six-hour blood transfusion which will hopefully leave me feeling less washed out than I've felt during the past month. 


While having cancer is not a condition to be desired by anyone with an ounce of sanity, it does provide the person experiencing it and their loved ones with the opportunity to display and use all of the wisdom and strength that they have built up during their lifetimes. Such wisdom is capable of making one a 'cancer patient' instead of a 'cancer sufferer.' 

Anyone who has ever been close to death or who has had the opportunity to touch the rim of eternal salvation will know the tremendous relief which can be produced simply by 'having a good day' during hard times. Were I able to leave but one thing behind when the time comes to take up my place at the other side of the green sod, it would be to convey the certain knowledge to the whole of mankind that 'Days are what we make them. We make our own days either good or bad by simply believing them so.' Have a good day." William Forde: September 8th, 2014.

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September 7th, 2014

7/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Today is my son Adam's 38th birthday. Having been born the second son, like many second sons born into families across the land, he will often have often run the risk of feeling 'second best' or that of having been obliged to live in the shadow of his older brother.

He lived the first four years of his life with his full family, but after me and his mother split up, he lived the next nine years in the custody of his mother along with his older brother. During those years, his acess to me was frequently denied by his mother and when it did resume, it was invariably frustrated at every opportunity. After having run away from his mother's house on three occasions to live with me, I applied for and got his custody. However, having lived in an emotionally repressive environment for his formative years after his parents' divorce, he has paid a heavy personal price ever since.

The state of all unhappy marriages is akin to the detonation of an atomic bomb. First comes the awe and shock of parental separation and no sooner than the children have bodily absorbed that blast, the residual effects of the 'fall out' continues to adversely affect their lives long after the maritial union has been dissolved. Whatever the subsequent benefits felt by the parents following their separation, divorce in family units always places a heavier burden upon the shoulders of the children to that marriage in their later lives. The precise nature of their parents' attitudes, mannerisms, beliefs and behaviour (whether good or bad), always find themselves endorsed or strongly reacted to in the behaviour of the growing child within the relationships that they go on to form with their own partners and children.

Since leaving university, Adam has always put his family, community and social conscience above that of material advancement and career prospects. He has always worked in caring positions within the community, at the work face or in a managerial and supervising capacity.

On this day of your birthday son, I just want to tell you that I love you and am proud of you. I am well pleased with all that you have achieved and the caring man you have turned out to be. Of all of my character traits, the one that I am most pleased that you have adopted is being able and unafraid to express your true feelings at the moment of their birth, as being able to express the way one truly feels is the key to emotional stability. Over the past few years you have had your own difficulties in a failing marriage to contend with, but you now seem to have turned the corner again after your divorce. I am also extremely pleased that you seem to have made your peace with your mother during later years.


Karl Marx once described his relationship with one of his daughters as 'Tussy is me'. For good or bad son, this is how I have often thought of our relationship; 'Adam is me'. Have a lovely birthday and don't forget to phone your mum as she loves you also. Love Dad x" William Forde: September 7th, 2014.






 




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September 6th, 2014

6/9/2014

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Thought for today:
"Have you ever thought what Queen Elizabeth would look like if she lives on to the grand old age of 110 as she's likely to; especially if she can manage to stop putting butter on her crackers and give up the fags and the booze?" William Forde: September 6th,2014.
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