Monthly Archives: September 2026

#HeadlineTherapy Spain proposes ban on evictions as ousted 87-year old accepts offer to return home.

Thank you to Reuters and NBC News for the Headline.

Pleased to say that Spain’s coalition government are working together to stop “Vulture” funds ie. private funds that buys housing for speculation. At the moment the definition only applies to large funds, however , as Urbagestión is a relative small player in the field that it may prove difficult to get an agreement, as many property owners will fall into the small player category.

However, we all know that charging someone double the rent or indeed outpricing property in the local area just to remove a tennant of long standing and good reputation is wrong. So hopefully common sense will prevail and perhaps the tennants circumstances should be considered.

Senora Maricarmen Abascal , I hope returns to her ‘home’ and perhaps the Government will acknowledge the role of a proper ‘home’ in people’s lives,

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

Madrid skyline with historic buildings and people walking at sunset
AI Generated Image

Leave a comment

Filed under Short Stories

I used to be a member of an expensive gym

Daily writing prompt
What are five simple exercises to do at home?

I used to be a member of an expensive gym ,

No longer and I know now how to keep trim,

Two plastic containers full of sand,

Swinging them around my head one in each hand

Tones my arms and burns calories,

You can send that gym subscription to hell to freeze,

The rest are stretches of which there are many,

To tone up that belly fat if you have any,

Finally I often repeat,

Stepping on the stairs with my feet,

And finally just to give me balance,

Around the kitchen I will dance,

And there you have it my AI curious friend,

The Battle of the Bulge is at an end.

Woman exercising barefoot while carrying a yellow container labeled 2KG SAND
AI Generated Image

Leave a comment

Filed under Short Stories

#HeadlineTherapy Evicted Spanish pensioner can move back home,lawyer says

Thanks to Victoria Bourne and BBC Online News for the Headline

Maricarmen Escabel  87 ,was carried out on a stretcher from her home of 70 years after being evicted by an investment Company Urbagestión who had bought the apartment building she had lived in all her life and insisted that she paid double the rent for which of course she did not have the money for.

Thankfully her Lawyer in negotiations with Urbagestión have successfully gained their agreement to let her stay at the rent that she was paying and could afford out of her pension.

However Senora Escabel is in hospital and is not well enough to hear the good news, largely due to being traumatised by the process of the eviction. I hope she recovers and is able to move back to her apartment with the confidence that she can live her final years in her “home”.

Who ever owns the investment Company Urbagestión should be ashamed of themselves. The name suggests Urban Management, and I would dearly love to know the owners behind this facade who thought it appropriate to hound a woman out of her home of 70 years.

It’s by no mean definite that Maricarmen will be able to move back to her apartment as she has suffered so much. However, I wish her well and think that she should get some reparation from Urbagestión for their harsh actions, lack of understanding and greed.

Balance scale with legal papers before illuminated skyscrapers at sunset
AI Generated Image

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

Leave a comment

Filed under Short Stories

#HeadlineTherapy Princess Charlene Exercises the Privilége du Blanc During Pope Leo Meeting

Thanks to Rachel King and Town and Country Magazine Online for the Headline.

Apparently wearing white is not just for brides or first Communion celebrants, but also it is an exclusive privilege for Princesses and Queens from Catholic Countries to wear white when meeting the pope. Fewer than ten women in the World hold this privilege.

This was a surprise to me as how do you define a Catholic Country for one thing? There must be less than ten as only ten women can officially greet the pope in white at present.

The meeting took place in Metz in northeastern France near the borders of Germany and Luxembourg. President Macron and First Lady Macron hosted the meeting , the First Lady not being Royalty was dressed in black as is the required etiquette for a commoner.

What came to mind with this for me was a joke by the late great comedian and raconteur Dave Allen, who talked about a wedding dress for a bride which was white , but with little blue spots.

I’m pretty sure the Pope didn’t care what anyone was wearing, but seriously wanted to get the message across that war and famine was causing inevitable migration of populations and that understanding was needed on the fate of these unfortunate people.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

White fabric draped across a sunlit stone interior with arched openings
AI Generated Image

Leave a comment

Filed under #HeadlineTherapy

My relationship with the World

Daily writing prompt
Which relationship has taught you the most about yourself?

My relationship with the World teaches me every day,

So much to learn yet so little to say,

Laughter smiles, they play a role,

Also sadness will take its’ toll,

A walk in the park or a poorly lit street,

Joy or fear about whom we’ll meet,

So where does it end this beautiful planet,

In the pointless bashing of the head of a gannet?

Cruelty and Progress hand in hand,

Or a child counting grains of sand,

There is no doubt in my mind,

The mystery is there for us to find.

Young child in blue sweater playing with sand and shells on beach
AI Generated Image

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

Leave a comment

Filed under Short Stories

#HeadlineTherapy Badenoch registers gift of £8177 for Murdoch meeting in Greece

Thanks to Kate Whannel and BBC Online News for the Headline.

I just don’t understand how any politician, Senior or Not so Senior can justify gifts from external sources. I mean have we forgotten that there is no such thing as a “free lunch”. In the real world it just doesn’t happen that anyone gives anything away for free.

So why are we satisfied that everything is above board , just because MP’s list what perks they have been given by a deadline decided by Parliament. It’s meaningless when trying to understand whether Politicians are being bought by Corporations like News Corp. What can they possibly be discussing. Kemi’s plans for the Country, surely it’s us and her Party she should be telling not News Corp and why Greece for Heaven’s sake? Did Boris Johnson drop by?

Apparently it’s OK as long as the figures are published in the latest register of members financial interests , in which MP’s must report gifts worth more than £300 within 28 days of receipt.

This is just blatant nonsense , I don’t care if Andy Burnham is a keen football supporter, his job does not require him to attend football matches . As he did for Everton’s first game of the season in the director’s lounge no less, listing on the register a gift of £677.34.

No, Mr Burnham that was not necessary or deserved. You should have paid for yourself and then we could all be sure that the Football Leagues are not benefitting from some “understanding” between Politicians and Football business dealings. We are all aware that Football is big business.

The register is just a record kept by administrators, in truth there should be more questioning of the why and wherefore of these “gifts”. The damage probably is already done and a list does nothing to prevent it.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading. 🙏

Magnifying glass over handwritten letters in an arched archive corridor
Archived Lists

Leave a comment

Filed under #HeadlineTherapy

What the World needs now?

Daily writing prompt
If you could start a new business right now, what would it be?

A business that would solve the confusion,

A magic formula to create cohesion,

A chance to air your differences and choices,

And listen to each other’s voices,

Perhaps it would print a teeshirt or two,

One that says “I’m not that different from you”,

A book that says your colour is true,

And that life is best with a different hue,

I suppose it’s not so magic really,

I call it #HeadlineTherapy,

And each day I pick a new Headline,

And hope that someone somewhere has the time,

To read , digest and understand,

And find a filament or a common strand,

Or even argue that it just isn’t right,

And really all we can do is fight,

That point is valid I suppose,

But it’s not what the World wants to propose,

For fighting is messy and a drain,

For many it causes a lot of pain,

Let’s look beyond the analog,

And cure the World of it’s brain fog,

Find things we can celebrate,

Like solving problems and not berate,

There’s a lot happening from day to day,

And people need a chance to have their say.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

Watercolor cityscape flowing into pastel coastal landscapes with winding golden paths
#HeadlineTherapy

Leave a comment

Filed under Short Stories

#HeadlineTherapy Pensioner arrested during Wiltshire drugs raid near town

Thanks to Taine Lardner and the Gazette and Herald Online for the Headline

The arrest by Wiltshire Police of a 70year old pensioner at a property in  the sleepy village of Broham near Chippenham with a population of less than 2000 will have caused a stir no doubt.

The pensioner was in possession of cannabis clippings that were deemed for sale and a quantity of fake cigarettes.

The pensioner has been kept in custody , which indicates the serious nature of the offence. Fake cigarettes are generally brought in from abroad and may contain harmful additives or ingredients which can cause very serious health issues.

Sad to think why someone who is 70 years old would persist in supplying those less fortunate than himself with drugs and cigarettes, considering the average house price in Broham is £400,000.

Still well done Wiltshire Police, one more source of illegal drugs taken off the street.

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

Sealed bags of dried plant material, scale, scissors, pen, and notebook

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

Leave a comment

Filed under Short Stories

On food and what not to eat.

What are your best healthy eating habits?

I would like to tell everyone what I think,

On food and what not to eat ,

The only problem is I think it would cause quite a stink,

You see the real problem is hard to beat,

You see nothing is really bad for you if you eat a small portion,

Eggs, Potatoes and Healthy Veg,

Are all OK just one word of caution,

Too much of any of it and you’ll end up dead.

(The same applies to too little but that’s a whole different subject)

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

View all responses
Watercolor illustration of salmon, rice, greens, asparagus, and vegetables on a plate

Leave a comment

Filed under Short Stories

#HeadlineTherapy East German town bans future Holocaust memorial plaques

Thanks to Emmanuele Berro and Friederike Heine and Reuters News for the Headline.

It is always a worry to me lest we try and reduce the horror of the Nazi Holocaust and as one of the AfD(Alternative For Germany) party founders once said that the Nazi Period was ‘bird shit’ whatever he meant by that.

The” Stolperstiene “are brass plaques placed in cobbled streets  remembering victims of the Holocaust.

The ruling party of the Council of Heidenau ( a town near Dresden) is CDU (Christian Democratic Union)has had to align itself with the AfD to pass this legislation,which is unusual as there is a policy called ‘Brandmauer’ which discourages  National Parties from cooperating with the  AfD.

With the  prospect of German National Elections ,this trend is worrying, and the policy that the Council of Heidenau has reached is that any future Holocaust memorials will be concentrated at a site in a Cemetery in the North of the Town.

Remembrance will  still be acknowledged perhaps encapsulating  the view that some local people felt the “Stolperstiene ” disrespectful,because they could be walked on.

The fact remains that the AfD got their way,perhaps not for the same reasons as the CDU .

Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏

Leave a comment

Filed under Short Stories