23 Jun 2015 ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY; ANOTHER JOURNEY ROUND THE SUN

 

LIVING AND LAUGHING ROUND THE SUN

 Once more I go, round the sun; keep living and laughing everyone!

Life’s journey’s shorter than ye think, so dither not,

lest ye upon that final blink, discover life is done.

 ~~~  Paul Freeman 23 June 2015  ~~~

 

 

I am somewhat overwhelmed by all the birthday wishes.  It is quite humbling, really.  In this digital era there sure are many different ways to communicate. 

 

Greetings were received, through Skype, from as far away as Moscow, Russia and Shymkent, Kazakhstan as well as places in the United States.

 

A lot of birthday wishes came from friends and also my Liverpool family on Facebook.  I even got a text message from my ‘techno-grandma-mum-in-law’, Brenda. 

 

Friends, made through my profession, that are now friends on Facebook, also sent me wishes from places afar; Ecuador, Germany and Holland.  There were even greetings, by way of LinkedIn, from some of my professional colleagues. 

 

Truly remarkable the way our world is so connected in this day and age.  I am happy and humbled, indeed; and I thank everyone that cared enough to brighten my day with their (mostly) kind words!

 

My birthday started with breakfast in bed whilst unwrapping gifts and reading cards.  So what, you may ask, does one get for a guy who has been on this beautiful planet for 2.85 score years?  Fear not; a selection of Britain’s finest ales (thank you Zoe), a selection of bold dark-roast coffees (thank you Martin) and a commitment to take me golfing, which includes beer and hot dog (thank you Alex) fits the bill perfectly.  Even my lovely bride of almost 29 years got me a power tool <insert manly-man type grunt here>; it is an oscillating saw (thank you Jane).  I think that the key here is to ensure that I use this after drinking the coffee and not the beer…

 

After these early morning festivities were complete, I bade farewell to my lovely bride, Jane, as she took my 20-year old youngest daughter, Alex, to the hospital for some surgery to remove her tonsils (that’s gotta hurt!).  Zoe was the designated driver for this mission; she is my 21-year old daughter and has “been there and done that” earlier this year.

 

Once they were safely on their way, I headed for the fang-snatchers (dentist) for my 65th filling on this, my 57th birthday (maybe not quite that many… fillings that is – not birthdays).  Upon arrival I collected my mobile phone’s voice mail from my son, Martin, who got up extra early on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to wish me a happy birthday; I wasn't able to answer my phone whilst driving - it's the law!

 

For those of you that are about to celebrate your birthday, and are fortunate to still have their mother gracing this planet of ours, I would like to give you some good advice… remember to call your mum on your birthday; it’s a big day for her too.  Sadly, at 57, I do not have that option anymore.  But if you do; do it.  You won’t regret it; I promise.

 

In closing, I believe that God's greatest gift bestowed on me is the gift of life.  I have also had the very good fortune to share this most precious gift with some wonderful people; friends and family.  If you're reading this and you are in my life, I thank you for that.

AVIATION, “ANSWERS AND JUSTICE”; AND PERSPECTIVE

I’m angry. 

As a Canadian licenced Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME), aviation has been my life; from twelve years in the Royal Air Force (RAF), to being an apprentice in Canada after I emigrated from England, to my time as a licenced AME. 

In recent times we have been plagued by tragic incidents in aviation; very tragic indeed.  In light of this, I felt compelled to address what has transpired in the last seven days. 

 

Tuesday, 24 March 2015

Flight 9525 Germanwings ~ Airbus A-320

Passengers         144

Crew                     6

TOTAL                  150         all killed

RESULT                                more broken hearts than anyone could

                                              possibly imagine

 

Sunday, 29 March 2015

Flight 624 Air Canada ~ Airbus A-320

Passengers         133

Crew                     5

TOTAL                  138         all walked away alive

RESULT                                class action lawsuit to sue for ‘physical

                                              and psychological harm’

 

They walked away!  Perspective?  I’m not so sure.

 

The following is a clip from an article (Gulliver Business Travel) in The Economist...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Britta Englisch, who flew with the airline the day after the crash, posted her experience on Facebook (translated from German):

“Yesterday morning at 8:40am, I got onto a Germanwings flight from Hamburg to Cologne with mixed feelings. But then the captain not only welcomed each passenger separately, he also made a short speech before take-off. Not from the cockpit, he was standing in the cabin.

He spoke about how the accident touched him and the whole crew. About how queasy the crew feels, but that everybody from the crew is voluntarily here. And about his family, and that the crew have a family, and that he is going to do everything to be with his family again tonight. It was completely silent. And then everybody applauded. I want to thank this pilot. He understood what everybody was thinking. And he managed to give me, at least, a good feeling for this flight.”

The pilot, Frank Woiton, also volunteered to operate the Barcelona to Düsseldorf route the day after it ended in disaster.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I am sure that his late colleague, Captain Patrick Sondenheimer from flight 9525, would have been proud of Captain Frank Woiton’s approach to the passengers. 

Just wishing I could say the same for the passengers of flight 624 who have chosen to sue Air Canada for their physical and psychological harm.  Some of these passengers are, apparently, “seeking answers and justice”.  I have one answer for them; they walked away.  If you want more answers and justice, perhaps you can start by asking the bereaved relatives of flight 9525.

And that’s why I’m angry.

 

 

TIME AND TIDE; AND BIRTHDAYS AND WONDERMENT



And so it goes…

“Time and tide wait for no man” ~~~ Chaucer (but probably much before that)

Interestingly, when talking about tide, it is not the actual tide from the ocean, but as I understand it, the seasons of the year.  A shame really, I would have also liked to quote King Canute, the great Dane who commanded the oceanic tide to recede.  In fact I think I will; it went something like this…

“Go back.  Go backel.  Go blobble.  Go globblee-ooble-blebble”

I’ve been itching to write.  But so busy!  How come, at almost 57, I am busier than when I was a younger man?  I simply don’t get it.  But onwards…

Today’s a special day.  Today my eldest daughter, and middle child, has reached a milestone; twenty-one.  Twenty-one today!  Her birthday day started when she left our home to drive on highway 402 to Alvinston to go to work.  It was only last week that the highway was closed because of the snow (again); bloody winter has been a right royal pain this ‘tide’.  It’s about a forty minute drive and Zoe made it safe and sound.  Tonight Zoe will be accompanying me to a Neil Diamond concert; she’s not too keen on it but agreed to go.  Not sure what the big deal is here; I enjoyed his music when I was twenty-one.  In fact I grew up with his music.  The times have changed, I guess; but not the tides.

Last evening, her mother (that’s my lovely bride, Jane) and I were going through the “photo box” to grab some photos that I could put together with a medley and plonk it on Facebook; done.  Whilst searching, I got a brief look at my life.  Wow!  I mean WOW!  Have I really managed to come along that far?  How marvellous it was to see where that young fella that only lived for himself and his beer, beloved football (soccer), beer, music, beer, etc. has come.  A long way indeed.

Although my blog is about me, this day is really about Zoe.  I know she doesn’t want to go to the Neil Diamond concert tonight because it really isn’t her ‘thing’.  But I am grateful that she is and that she will get to see, first-hand, an artist that truly moves and inspires me with his music and words; some of his lyrics are quite profound; just listen intently to ‘I am, I said’ or ‘Stones’ or ‘Beautiful Noise’.   I have been playing his music on my stereo (yup; still got one), iTunes and guitar for ever.

So happy twenty-first birthday to my middle child and eldest daughter, Zoe Jane Freeman.  You have grown in to a wonderful young lady.  You are now a college graduate and working girl.  Who knows what awaits you in your future.  And you have to look to your future; that’s where you’re going to spend the rest of your life.  Enjoy your next trip around the sun, Zoe!

There was a time when I wasn’t so sure that my future would follow the path trod by so many others; find a partner, fall in love, get married, raise a family.  But I have done so and am proud and content with my lot.  I am still married to my lovely bride after twenty-eight years, all three of my kids are now adults; the eldest one, and only son, is in the Royal Canadian Air Force, one is a working girl with the school board and the youngest is finding her way, progressing through university.  I wonder what goes on in their heads!  I wonder if their thoughts and musings get as deep as their dear old dad.

I wonder…