What’s a personal mantra or philosophy you live by?
I get by each day. with my Mantra,
That and a sneaky can of Fanta,
I know it’s got sugar and really bad things,
But sadly for me, my bell it rings,
It fits neatly in with what I know,
That we all get by with the seeds we sew
Learn to understand and forgive,
And most importantly remember to live and let
live.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to James Rodger and Birmingham Live for the Headline
Absentee landlords and Property that is sitting empty because it’s part of an investment portfolio for someone who most likely has little or no connection with the location of the property.
The plan is to give Council’s more powers to commandeer these properties and turn them over to the Council for much needed accommodation .Unfortunately, this means the Council’s themselves will have to bear the cost of bringing them up to standard if they have deteriorated.
I do think it’s a good idea for houses that are sitting empty and that could be used for Social Housing requirements should be put to good use.
However, the counter argument from the Conservatives is that Labour is stealing the right to property ownership from those who own the property. Surely it is the owners right to do what they want with the property. If they decide to leave it empty then it’s their choice.
I think it’s going to prove tricky and expensive to commandeer property, however, owning property and possibly renting it out to others should come with responsibilities which need to be monitored and recognised by the Law. Empty , neglected properties are unsightly in any area and can reduce the quality of life for those living near them, particularly when there is a local need for housing.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading 🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Obviously you have to be aware,
That there’s those of whom you must beware,
But on foot and in the dark at first,
Should satisfy your wanderlust thirst,
A little rain is all the better,
It doesn’t matter if all you have is your sweater,
Those glistening pavements will make your
eyes glisten,
And for the dawn chorus you begin to listen,
Suddenly a large Church appears,
So beautiful it almost brings you to tears,
It’s getting light now and the City begins to stir,
Behind a railing you hear a cat purr,
Perhaps you’ll browse the travel guide at breakfast,
Noting sites as you enjoy your repast,
But for a moment the City is yours,
Not for you the busy bus tours
Filed under Short Stories
Thanks to Sarah Booker-Lewis and Cash Murphy and BBC Online News for the Headline
Sad to see that despite evidence to the contrary not being made available to the decision makers ( or did they just not want to know?) that Wellington House in Brighton which offers care to 21 people is going to be shut with an estimated saving of £336,000 a year.
Although the facility will not close until all of the 21 people affected “have a been transitioned to an alternative service”. Their words.
Some Councillors argued that Evidence should have been made available to the Cabinet meeting of Council prior to them making their decision from Leaders in special schools in the area, who know the numbers who will require Wellington House in the future.
One estimate of costs relating to the needs of these adults currently using Wellington House is £250,000/year for each adult. So for a saving of £336,000 , the Council may end up spending over £5 million/year. Yes I’m scratching my head too.
Not to mention the loss of social cohesion and community that the people of Wellington House currently have. I’d be interested to know what plans the Council have for the real estate Wellington House is part of.
Although this is in Brighton , to be honest decision making like this can be anywhere in the UK or the World for that matter.
Namaste and Thank you for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
Actually feeling “truly alive” in this context of an AI prompt,
Reflects the values of the avaricial swamp,
There’ll be endless responses about winning ,
And how it is actually quite fun sinning,
In this I’m afraid life is defined,
But this poem is just to remind,
From the spark of our conception,
To our inevitable passing with no exception,
Our lives are miracles of their own,
Alive is a currency and the seeds are sewn,
So celebrate every moment,
You are alive so you better get on with it!
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
A man appeared in my room,
I thought him the harbinger of some doom,
I really hadn’t noticed what he was wearing,
That bare chest and turban were really quite daring,
The gold bangles on his arm,
Reassured me that he meant me no harm,
” You can have a wish” he abruptly said.
” World Peace ” I said and all went quiet,
The television screen went quite blank,
For it had been showing a picture of an army tank,
Some books exploded the newspapers began to ignite,
I doused them out with my water pitcher alright,
Outside as the day began to break; I knew,
That what the genie had done was true.
For everything was calm and quiet,
And what was happening well you couldn’t buy it.
It took some magic from a Genie’s spell,
To take us out of this man made hell.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
When I was young,
Things seemed quite hum-drum,
And it just seemed to pique my curiosity,
To see if I could make some extra money,
At first I tried the old recycling game,
But the plastic bottle introduction drove me insane,
Glass jars and Bottles made a penny for my till,
But plastic only went to land fill,
That idea was quite passé,
So I thought I’d have a go on e-bay,
Selling things that didn’t seem useful to me,
Like my brother’s retro jet-ski,
I made a packet on that at first,
The punters lined up with rabid thirst,
It seemed to be such a bargain,
I never understood all that seller’s jargon,
About ownership and despatching on time,
Perhaps stealing stuff was a nasty crime,
It was only my brother for heaven’s sake,
But they all accused me of being on the make,
So there my hustling came to an end,
And knitting became my timely godsend,
That is really hustle free,
As a jumper takes an eternity.
Filed under Short Stories
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.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
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.
Filed under Short Stories
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.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading.🙏
Filed under Short Stories
