Posts Tagged ‘People’
Posted by Shirley Anne on May 27, 2012
List of mills owned by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation Limited (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
On Thursday I had a couple of jobs to do for an old lady but she had requested that I should arrive no earlier than 11 o’clock. For me that is usually a bit of a pain as I would have to sit around doing nothing for a couple of hours unless I was fortunate to have a small job locally to kill the time. People don’t realise the inconvenience that can cause. I could have been earning instead of sitting around but as it turned out I didn’t have any other work scheduled for the day. I had to return to a job I had done on Wednesday to receive payment as the client had been away from home whilst I was working there. Following that I had to get fuel for my vehicle and then visit my supplier to purchase some materials so that left me with a half hour to kill before I could go to the job. When I arrived I was greeted at the front door and then it started. She talked continuously until she realised that I needed to get on with the jobs. Even then she found it difficult not to speak but I found her little talks quite interesting nevertheless. I managed to do three of the four jobs for her but needed to purchase a replacement bathroom heater. I invited her to come along with me and she could select one of her choice and pay for it at the same time. We returned home and I had the new heater fitted in fifteen minutes. I ended up leaving the house after four and a half hours but the actual work only took me about two! All she wanted was somebody to talk to but I didn’t mind too much. I learned a lot about herself, her family and the history of the local area, a subject I am particularly interested in. Whilst driving to and from the supplier I was given the run down of almost every building along the route, what used to be there, who lived there and what businesses were in operation when she was younger. She was 82 years of age so she was describing what life was like in the area in the 1930′s. She could certainly talk a glass eye to sleep or talk the hind legs off a donkey as the sayings go! She was an accomplished keyboard player and had an electric organ at home, she was also an accomplished artist and many of her pictures were dotted around the walls. She also had an old wooden spinning machine on which she spun yarn for her embroidery, knitting and tat work. What was interesting is that she had spun a lot of yarn using dog hair!
Despite her reluctance to refrain from telling me every detail of her life I found her very engaging but by the time I wanted to go home I needed to go home! I took the rest of the afternoon off and went to the pub. I treated myself to a hearty meal and stayed there for the quiz later in the evening.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Enjoyment, History, People, Socialising, Work | Tagged: Lifestyle, People, Work | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on May 20, 2012
Unusual Thursday (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
On Thursday morning I had to keep an appointment with a lady who lives a couple of miles from me. She needed some electrical work doing and she had telephoned me a couple of days previously apologising for the state of her house in advance. Now I work in all sorts of places and have seen almost every situation you could imagine when doing my job. There was only ever one time whereby I refused to work in a house. The house had been let into apartments and the task was to completely rewire the whole house. At that time, around 45 years ago, I was working for the local electricity supply authority. I visited the premises and immediately left to telephone the depot that I was refusing to work in the house. The house was an absolute mess, it stank of stale urine in most of the rooms, there was evidence of cockroaches and mice dotted about and how anyone could have lived there was beyond me. My supervisor came to see what the problem was and agreed with me that I shouldn’t have to work in such conditions and the job was cancelled. There has only been one other incident that came anywhere near that one and that was when I visited an old lady a year or two back to do some small jobs for her. I wrote about it on here. She had a house full of cats that were left to come and go as they pleased and left a mess everywhere, and I mean a mess! Her house was filthy and neglected too just as she was. I felt sorry for that old lady because she had a mental problem, no-one to help her and she refused any help she might otherwise have received from the authorities, although I blame them for not being more forceful in seeing that she got the help she required. So two very dirty households, the former being by far the worse. The owners of the first house were just being lazy and were quite capable of getting the property habitable whereas the old lady was not really responsible due to her mental condition. When I went to do the job on Thursday I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but as it turned out the house just needed cleaning out properly and some money being spend on redecoration. Her situation, having been divorced some years back, had left her financially at a loss with two sons to rear. Her sons were now young adults, one with a good job but the other suffering with Asperger Syndrome, never leaving his room. This I could see was a burden to her and the reason she found herself in such a predicament. She was struggling to get things done simply because she was short of cash. She expected my fee to be much more than I actually charged her and I guess that came as a relief. I took her with me to the electrical supplier to purchase a couple of items we needed to complete the job and we chatted much along the way. She kept telling me that it was so good to be able to chat with a woman for a change. I assumed from that remark that she had no access to female company in her daily life and was finding it difficult. I had wondered why she followed my every move around the house but then I realised that she was simply seeking some company. I finished my work there and returned home for lunch. No sooner had I finished eating I received another request from a woman seeking help with her faulty lights, two of them were not working. I had planned on spending the afternoon at the pub but I went to the house and had the problems sorted out within the hour. It was around 3.30 before I finally set out for my walk to the pub. However, my next-door neighbour was out in her front garden and I found myself chatting with her for the next fifty minutes or so before finally setting off again. When I did arrive at the pub there were only a few people there. I bought my drinks and sat at a table facing the bar. I spent a couple of hours just sitting there watching people going to and fro. As people came in I was acknowledged by most of them as most people who go there know me either by sight or personally. I ended up chatting with many of them and then later in the evening we had the weekly pub quiz. I sat with some friends during that time but just before it was time to count the points to find out who had won I put on my coat, wished everyone goodnight and left! ‘I’ve had enough’, I said, ‘I’m going home’! Although I’d had a lovely afternoon, well late afternoon, and a lovely evening too, I just got bored with it all and had to leave. This is the sort of thing that happens to me sometimes and the reason why I lose interest and cannot be bothered at times as I have written about a day or so back. Occasionally, as the saying goes, my get up and go has got up and left!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Behaviour, Life, Mood | Tagged: Asperger Syndrome, Behaviour, Mood, People, Public house | 4 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on May 12, 2012
The Blessed Effects of Gas Lights or a new method of Lighting as practised in Great Peter Street, London, published by S W Fores (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The other day I went to investigate a supposed fault on a lighting circuit. The lady who owns the house which is let into apartments had told me on Friday about the problem, saying that five lights were not working. I immediately thought the problem was due to perhaps a loose wire in one of the lights breaking the supply to the remaining lights. I offered to call around there and then but it was fairly late in the evening and was asked if I could come some other time. Naturally I suggested Saturday morning but was told that there wouldn’t be anyone there until Tuesday. It was Tuesday therefore when I arrived. As it turned out there had been someone at the premises over the weekend. As I arrived I was met by the lady who owns the house and she accompanied me into the main entrance where she introduced me to one of her tenants who was so pleased that the lighting problem was going to be sorted out. We were standing in the main hallway or lobby area which was fitted with two sets of wall lights, no ceiling lights had been fitted anywhere in the premises. I saw the wall switch which controlled the lights and simply switched it on. One of the wall lights came on and when I replaced the two lamps in the other wall light they came on too! I asked what the problem was supposed to be and was told that the main RCD unit had tripped. When I inspected the main board I found nothing wrong and all circuits were in operation. It appeared that the lady had switched on the lights and one of the lamps ‘popped’ causing the RCD unit to trip. She replaced the lamp and reset the RCD but failed to try the lighting circuit to see if all was alright! There was no real fault at all and the tenant had remained without the main lighting for over three days unnecessarily! The house itself had been completely rewired by another local professional electrical company about three years ago and hadn’t been fitted with ceiling lights at the original client’s request but they had wired several 5amp power points in each of the rooms which could be switched by the door to those rooms. This meant that portable lights such as table light and floor-standing lights could be switched on from one position. It is a system I have installed in my own house, although I do have ceiling and wall lights in the rooms too! Unfortunately it appears that the tenants had not been made aware of this facility and were plugging their light fittings into the general 13amp power points instead. Nothing wrong in that but it meant they had to be switched individually at the power point. Of course the plugs themselves will need to be changed so that they will fit into the 5amp points and I am assuming they will do that themselves. I wasn’t approached about that but no doubt it will occur to them at some point. I did get called out that same Friday evening after receiving that first call but this time the householders had lost all power to the house! I soon found the problem, the main fuse had blown, a 60amp cartridge fuse but I was forced to fit a temporary fuse wire as I did not have a replacement cartridge fuse. These fuses are not usually held in stock in my van as they seldom blow. Normally a quick visit to the supplier is all that is required and really speaking these mains fuses are the responsibility of the electrical supplier to the house and are normally fitted with seals to prevent unauthorised access. I informed the householders about this and told them to telephone their supplier explaining that they had to call out an electrician to effect an emergency repair and that the main fuse needed replacing. The cause of the fault? One of the elements on the cooker was faulty and had blown the main fuse before its own circuit fuse could cut off the supply. This may not have happened had the distribution board been a modern one fitted with circuit breakers and RCDs. The other thing I should say is that the householder knew about the faulty cooker but hadn’t had it repaired! I was asked about the cost of installing a new distribution board and could possibly end up going back to fit one soon. The cooker it seems is going to be replaced rather than be repaired.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Electrical, People | Tagged: Distribution board, Electrical, fuse, Light, People, Residual-current device | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on April 27, 2012
Devoid (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’m too busy right now to see you,
I’ve too much to do today,
If only each day had more hours,
I might have some time left to play.
How is it that each precious moment
Is filled with our own selfish things
Not wishing to spend time with others,
Pursuing our own empty dreams?
For what is a life that is lonely
Bereft of companions and friends?
A schedule whose pages are empty,
Devoid of all meaning, it ends.
So make time and space for each other,
Defer things that stand in your way,
Live life to the fullest and savour,
Those friendships before it’s too late!
Copyright Shirley Anne 4 Dec 2002 Poem listed in My Poems 5 above
It isn’t my attitude to life but it does seem to be for others I know. Living in a community, amongst family and friends, if we have any, can be difficult at times. Everyone has an agenda or an excuse. Sometimes we don’t see the need others might have for us or maybe we think they get in the way of our plans. I mean what plans are so important that we don’t have time for others? Scripture tells us and we are told only too often by others that we should love our neighbour. That doesn’t just mean those living next-door but everyone else on this planet is our neighbour, anyone we come across in life is our neighbour. If we have no time for anyone else what are we living for? There are matters to which we must attend to obviously but they don’t take up our complete life do they? Take time for one another, bear each other’s burdens if we can. I speak as a Christian but the truth of the matter remains the same for everyone.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Humanity, Life, Love, People, Philosophy, Religion | Tagged: Bereft, Faceless, Intronaut, Love, Neighbourhood, People, Philosophy, Time | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on April 2, 2012
Screenshot from "A Thousand Fibers Connect Us — Wikipedia's Global Reach", winning entry of the WikiViz 2011 Data Visualization Challenge. Lines represent readership of different Wikipedia language versions (lower half) from countries (top half) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I love statistics. I am one of those people who eat information. I like to see the hard facts, in fact that trait was instrumental in my becoming an electrician, showing an interest in astronomy and the sciences, even in my quest to know God! I like facts and from time to time I roam around this blogs statistics to see where my readership comes from. I can see at a glance how many people have visited and from which country. Relax, I still don’t know who is visiting, just how many but in some instances I have a good idea who the person might be. I would never press the issue but at the same time I welcome people to reveal themselves through their comments. I welcome and thank all those who take the time and effort to even visit my blog(s). Just for fun I list here all the countries from which my visitors have come in the last month….
United Kingdom
United States
Germany
Portugal
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
South Korea
Philippines
Qatar
Russia
Iceland
Chile
Ukraine
Oman
France
Ireland
India
Serbia
Italy
Malaysia
Jordan
Mexico
Japan
Thailand
Austria
Hungary
Finland
Sweden
Greece
Egypt
Lebanon
Switzerland
Spain
Trinidad and Tobago
Czech Republic
Hong Kong
Belgium
Kuwait
Denmark
Indonesia
United Arab Emirates
Netherlands
Romania
Tunisia
South Africa
Quite a varied list, I am impressed
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Blogs, People | Tagged: Caribbean, Czech Republic, Middle East, People, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, United States | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on March 31, 2012
A thatched pub, the Williams Arms at Wrafton, near Braunton, North Devon, England. Taken by Adrian Pingstone in July 2004 and released to the public domain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
These last two years I haven’t been out as often as before, to the pub that is. Today, Wednesday I decided to break the habit and I went along to the pub, my local pub, to enjoy a drink or two and hopefully meet some friends and acquaintances there. It was such a pleasant day so after doing a couple of small jobs in the morning, returning home and eating my lunch, I changed my clothes and took a walk in the warm sunshine, ending up at the pub. It wasn’t long before I was engaged in conversation with people there, most of them new to me. Later I met with a couple of friends and chatted with them too. I didn’t wish to stay the whole evening as I’d drunk enough and as they say, enough is enough! I am trying my best to be a good girl by placing a limit on my drinking habits when out and about. Apart from the obvious health issues it is good for my purse too! I do enjoy good company and I will speak with anyone who has the time to respond to my contact with them. I have said it before but reiterate, people seem to like me! When I returned home E was already eating her evening meal (she doesn’t like the idea of pub life as much as I) so I had to prepare something for myself. We had an uncooked chicken in the fridge which needed to be cooked that day so I popped it in the oven and resigned myself to waiting the hour and a quarter for it to cook. I spent the time online catching up on emails and blog visits and by 8.30 I was able to sit down with my chicken and vegetables. I don’t know when I shall visit the pub again but I know that whenever I do I will be assured of a good time with great company. Life is what we make of it and I try my best to make it worth living.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Drink, Enjoyment, Friendship, Happiness, Lifestyle, People | Tagged: Bar (establishment), Drink, Friendship, People, pub, Public house, Restaurants and Bars | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on March 5, 2012
Statistics: views, favorites, comments (Photo credit: musescore)
Each day when I sign into my blog I am presented with my dashboard, just as everyone is. I glance at the statistics to see which posts have been viewed or which links have been clicked which give me an idea on which items are of interest to my readers. I never know who is reading what of course and I don’t really want to know that information, it is personal to the reader. However my statistics also show some sources from which people have linked to my blog, other blogs for instance. Again, I have no idea who is linking to my blog from these others, just that some people are visiting my blog through links on another. Quite normal. The statistics also give me a list of search terms that people have used or have clicked on which have brought them to my blog because those terms or phrases are written somewhere in one of my posts or pages. This is the way search engines work and without them many of the visitors I get wouldn’t know I was here. If we use the Internet and place information about ourselves on blogs and social media sites we must expect that information , whatever it is, will be available to everyone. This is why it is important not to place sensitive information about ourselves online. I only place information online that I am happy with. Anyhow, these search terms bring new people to my blog. I know that most of them are new readers because of the content that is being read, for instance older readers won’t be reading about me very often if at all. They will have done that when they first visited my blog. Another tell-tale sign is that the number of visitors increases from the daily averages. It would be nice if new readers would make themselves known, even if they never return. I try to do that whenever I’ve visited someone else’s blog. I suppose some people prefer the anonymity.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Blogs, People | Tagged: Blog, People | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on February 16, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
‘Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit’, is a line quoted from Desiderata, a work written anonymously. I have always admired that work as being a cross between advice and common sense. Loosely it is religious in nature but is advisory for those seeking a quiet and peaceful existence. I come across many different people during my days away from home but of all the types of people there are I think those who are loud and aggressive are the most disturbing to my peace. Some people shout because they are hard of hearing and some shout because they are insecure. Others simply shout because they are aggressive and too outspoken, they elevate themselves above others if allowed to do so and make a fuss to get their own way. They are usually the confrontational amongst us, ready to shout others down without regard for their feelings. Most of us if we are honest, prefer the quiet life and only make a fuss when it seems necessary. I have been in places whereby my morning or afternoon has been somewhat spoiled by the actions of others. There are limits to what behaviour is acceptable when we are aggrieved or when we conduct ourselves in society but I see this unwritten code ignored by many. Whenever I am confronted by a loud and aggressive person I first try to calm down the situation but will exit from their presence if their bad behaviour persists. Life is too short to have to deal with loudmouths. Why should I get upset because of the insensitivity and loudness of another? My past has been dotted with such people over the years and at times I have been left crying after the actions of loud and aggressive people. It didn’t help that I was timid and shy, in fact that made the encounters even worse. These days I stand my ground but I would still rather avoid this type of person altogether.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Behaviour, Peace, Philosophy | Tagged: Behaviour, Desiderata, Peace, People | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 30, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
Sounds easy doesn’t it? I want to challenge my readers to make someone happy this week, someone who perhaps isn’t close to you or someone who comes into your life for whatever reason. Some of my readers will be doing this already and probably without thinking about it, others may find it a challenge. Not everybody appreciates what we do for them I know but it shouldn’t stop us trying should it? I personally do not like surprises but I do like being treated well, that is respectably. Sometimes in my working day I get unexpected rewards, for example a bottle of wine over and above my fee. Little gestures like that are pleasant to receive and they do make me happy. It is nice to know that we are appreciated now and then. Making someone happy doesn’t have to be a well thought out event, indeed it is far better when we are spontaneous for then it is likely to be more sincere I feel. Small things go a long way. Be kind and considerate when out in the world and always be ready to help those in difficulty. A lot of people live out their lives aggressively and are often selfish with it too. Some never wish to ‘get involved’ in situations and others are quick to jump in and help. Having the right attitude to life and indeed to others makes for a better person in my estimation. I will go out into the world today and forget what I’ve written here but then I know I do not need to be reminded to be nice to others because it is in my nature to be that way. I know in my heart that I will be ready to make someone happy if the opportunity arises because it makes me feel better too! I am not suggesting to my readers that they are anything else but nice people. I only suggest they might remind themselves that they are. I hope all my readers have a happy and wonderful week and along the way make someone else feel happy too.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Happiness, People, Philosophy | Tagged: Happiness, Inspirational, Love, People, Philosophy | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on January 2, 2012
Image via Wikipedia
It was with great trepidation that I started this blog a couple of years ago, well almost three years ago now and at first I drew little attention. As I developed the blog and gained confidence in writing I have been blessed by an ever-increasing readership for which I am so grateful. Not all of my readers make comment but I am happy that they read my pages in the first place. I have tried to vary my content as much as possible and no subject is taboo, for we all must have an opinion on things in the world whether they affect us directly or not. I write spontaneously, that is as I think of a subject I will write about it as I see it. The news has an influence on what I write about as do the subjects of other people’s blogs or situations I might find myself in. Having said that, or should I write, written that, I find that in most situations people are interested in my personal life more than anything else. That to me is most gratifying and I welcome such interest for I have the same attitude to other people, I am interested in them as people more than what they write about other things. I can safely say that I have a good readership, not just in numbers, which is continually growing, but in who responds to me through this media. I hope I do the same when I comment on other blogs, make the recipients happy that I respond to them. The Internet is a wonderful tool for bring people together but it must be used wisely. It is so easy to offend people for as it is written, the pen is mightier than the sword. I hope that as each of us connects in this way that we shall be careful in what we say. I hope this year will prove fruitful in the building of relationships whether in we agree on things or not for we are all different. May I take this opportunity to thank all my readers for the fact they read my meanderings and especially when they comment and thereby make contact with me. Bless you all. I hope I can continue to keep you interested and entertained this coming year. Added to this I do have another, more specialised blog which is solely based upon the Christian faith for those who may be interested. The relevant link is over on the right. There is a further Minkyweasel presence on YouTube and again, the link is over on the right.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Communication, Community, Friendship, People | Tagged: Blog, Community, People, Website, Writing | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on December 27, 2011
Image via Wikipedia
Another year is almost over and many will be looking back to see where they went wrong or where they succeeded in life. Perhaps they will be thinking why they didn’t really get to grips with last years resolutions with perhaps making a better attempt this time round. It is really about a mind struggle, overcoming one’s self, being determined but also being disciplined. Nothing was ever completed without effort. So what are the things which are most important to you? Is it a real desire to finally lose weight and more importantly keep it down? Perhaps you want to finally give up the weed? Is it a determined effort to make more of your life? Is your desire to help others more, pay more attention to your family, get those jobs finished, or even started, you know, the ones your wife has been asking you to do for years? Do you think that whatever plans and resolutions you make will succeed? Well they won’t, not unless you make the effort. So you have the next twelve months to make those dreams come true or at least make every effort to make them so. This time next year you may be finding how pleased you are with all that you’ve promised to do and succeeded or you may find yourself making more promises that you cannot keep. I do not make new year resolutions, not because I am afraid that I might fail, not because there may not be any to make, for I know that my life is far from being perfect, it is because I won’t make promises that I might not be able to fulfill. Any decisions I make will be on the spur of the moment, when I see a need and out of love. I won’t wish you all the best for the new year as the ‘new year’ means nothing to me but what I will wish is that your life will change for the better from this day forth and without the need to make resolutions, unless you absolutely swear by them!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Happiness, Life, Philosophy, Values | Tagged: Happiness, Life, New Year, New Year Resolution, People, Philosophy | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on December 7, 2011
Image by *Psycho Delia* via Flickr
It always seems to happen that I get calls to install or change outdoor light fittings in the winter months. The most frequently asked request is to install security lighting. The reason for that of course us that the dark evenings are with us at this time of year and the risk of burglary is thought to be higher. Although most burglaries occur during daylight hours and many of those are opportunistic people fear that the darkness is an invitation for burglars. It is true that some burglaries happen during the dark hours so security lighting is a deterrent. Why don’t people think about such things when the daylight hours are longer in the summer months? The weather will always dictate whether outside installation takes place of course, no-one wants to be working outside when it is wet and windy or cold and icy, apart from the fact that it could be dangerous. This week I have had a few such requests for outside lighting, some of which I have completed. I remember one year when I was asked to install lighting in wood decking in a garden. It was February, it was very cold and frosty and the job took me four times longer than it should have done but my client insisted I did it no matter what the cost. I had to wear gloves but that made it difficult to handle the components. I had to keep coming back indoors to get warm too. I vowed I would never repeat such a stupid method of working again and I have kept that promise. My motto now is I’m sorry but if the weather is bad the job has to wait else get someone else to do it. I do my best for people but some try it on with me! I don’t get many problems with strange requests at work, I just get some strange people to work for now and then! Speaking of which there was a guy call me on Monday who had a problem with a three light chandelier, one of the holders was loose. Thinking and wondering why he couldn’t have tightened it up himself I realised who it was calling me. He is an elderly Jewish gentleman whose wife is suffering with various health problems and I have done many jobs for them in the past. When I got to their apartment he was standing there with his arms wide open to greet me, something he has taken upon himself to do for my last few visits. I get a hug and a kiss but I would prefer he wasn’t so amorous. I try to keep a professional head upon my shoulders so my response is passive. He is sincere but presumptuous. The offending light fitting was over his wife’s bed and she was still in it! This has happened a few times but they are not bothered about me being there, it’s as though I have become part of the family as it were. The job itself wasn’t that easy to fix, well beyond his capability but I managed in the end. I even fixed a problem with a radiator valve that they had in the bathroom. Whilst I was there I met with a woman who does their house chores and now have the prospect of more work in the future. Earlier in the morning I’d been to another job ostensibly to install a power outlet for an electric fire and to fit the same into the opening in the fireplace which was surrounded by reconstituted granite slabs. Now this guy didn’t even bother to unpack the new fire and see how to fit it. It was designed to either screw straight onto a wall or fit into an opening. It had a flexible cable and plug already fitted as is the norm so all that was required was to fit it in the hole. He could have done that himself, it didn’t require any tools, his three-year old daughter could have done it, except for one thing, the opening, although wide enough, was six millimetres too short in height. He will get someone to grind off the excess. Had he looked at the fire in the first place he would not have needed my services. I fixed a couple of external lights simply by replacing the bulbs! Why don’t people think before they act? It cost him for his omission. I didn’t mind, it made my day a bit easier anyhow and still got paid!
Shirley Anne
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Posted in People, Work | Tagged: People, Weather, Work | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on December 4, 2011
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It was around this time ten years ago that I decided to go for full transition. I had been out for three years to all my new friends and some others but not to my family although by this time they were aware of my dressing. I started the ball rolling by making an appointment with a laser clinic in Liverpool and the first session I think was on 19th December that year, 2001. I had much more to do and to make decisions about and all of that is recorded in one of my pages above so I won’t go into detail here. As soon as the Christmas and New year celebrations were over I set about doing what I had to do and I then had the daunting task of telling my wife and family. That too is detailed in my page above. I am in my tenth year now as a fully transitioned female and although many things have changed about me I remain just the same inside. The real me, my spirit, the person writing down all of this is the same one that used to play in the street with other children sixty years ago, who went to school, who was bullied, who made something of a life, got married had children, got divorced and is still plodding along as best she can. Yes, nothing has changed inside for me over the last ten years or even over the last sixty-six years but the outside has changed dramatically. I live my life differently in some respects than I did ten years ago but the basics remain the same. I sit here reflecting on what has happened in my life and I wonder if I could have made a difference to the way things turned out. Probably yes, I could have but would it have made any real difference to me, the person inside? To the outside world we change, we fit in or we adjust so that we are happy with life. With me, ten years ago I had to make another of those changes so that I could remain happy. In doing that though made changes to other things, not least of all relationships. Not my marriage, that had died five or six years earlier and for other reasons but relationships with others did change in some cases. I never had many friends throughout my life. When I was young I had one friend but I moved house and we lost contact. He tried to re-establish that friendship some seven years or so later but I wasn’t interested, I had become very anti-social. From that point onward I never had friends by my own choice until I got married when we both shared the new friends we had made during the previous two years. Again, we moved on and lost those friends due to the pressures of life. When we divorced I had no friends apart from the one girl I had met in Spring of 1999 whilst out socialising as Shirley Anne. We have remained friends ever since but we don’t see much of each other now. Other friends either live too far away or have dropped off the radar. My family is dispersed and for the most part out of contact. I wrote a letter to one of my sisters some weeks ago but she couldn’t be bothered to write back. My children have flown the nest and I get to see them quite often but fleetingly. Basically I have nobody at all except my ex who for the moment is not very close at all. Am I better off now than when I was ten years ago? In some ways absolutely! In other ways no! That’s life and try as I may to change things it doesn’t always mean that it will improve. A happy and sad Shirley Anne at the same time.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Family, Friendship, Life, Philosophy, Relationships, Time, Transsexual, Values | Tagged: Christmas, Family, Holiday, Liverpool, New Year, People, Relationships | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on November 25, 2011
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I used to be a person who despised watching soap operas on television but in more recent times I find myself watching one or two of them. The most striking thing I notice in these programs is the way they portray how people deal with each other, more specifically how they treat each other. They say that soap operas are not true to life but in fact they are very much true to life. Admittedly much is crammed into the episodes and much is going on between the characters but when we analyse it all we can see that the things that go on are the same things that most of us experience or have experienced in our own lives. I wonder why people treat other people the way they do. Some people get along with almost anyone, others find it difficult to get along with anyone at all. People can be horrible toward some and yet at the same time be nice to others. Why are people horrible toward others and what pleasure do they get out of putting another down? As human beings we can be both nasty and kind, selfish and unselfish and we are selective in which is dealt to whom. What makes us hate one person and like another, be kind to one person and leave another out of it? If we analyse our behaviour we might find that we treat others in a way which is dependent on what we might gain from it. If someone is different from us we are often cautious in dealing with them but all the time we are looking to see what effect they will have upon us, whether beneficial or otherwise. We may not think about these things, they just come naturally. So when I look at soap operas do I see aspects of my own personality being portrayed or do I feel that I act in a completely different way? Do we think we have faults that should be worked upon or do we feel we are not behaving badly? Do we really treat our neighbours as we would have them treat us? Do we really love as we ought or do we select whom we should treat preferentially?
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Behaviour, Love, Nature, People, Philosophy, Sociology | Tagged: Behaviour, Love, People, Philosophy, Soap opera, Sociology | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Shirley Anne on November 12, 2011
Someone is interested in me. No, I mean interested in who I am, what I am all about, or at least curious, all of which are great things and I am very flattered that anyone should take such an interest. Truthfully I am. I was looking at my blog’s statistics, as I do quite regularly and discovered just what folk are browsing on this site. I was surprised to see that many are looking at my history, my journey into womanhood and who I am. 
What is more, folk are also looking at old posts I have posted these last two years, which is even better because there are many interesting things there that I have written about and any forthcoming comments would be very welcome indeed. One thing I do not know is who is looking and what they are specifically looking at. Yes, I know what is being viewed but I don’t know who is looking at what. The statistics might be good but they are not that good! I thank those who wish to remain anonymous for taking such an interest even though I would like it more that they should be open with me. That isn’t important. What is more important is that they are looking. We only have one stab at this life (although I do believe in an after-life) so we should be making the most of it. Reaching out to others has got to be the best way to do that and to live our lives but remember those we reach out to would most probably wish to know of our interest and more about us too. This sounds like a personal request but it isn’t. I simply point out something that we should all be aware of. What is life if lived in isolation? For me that would be a waste of my life. If anyone takes an interest in me I reciprocate. If I take an interest in someone I expect them to reciprocate, one way or another. I just think that is a natural response. I am interested in people and I am glad to see some of them are interested in me! Just in case anyone wants to get in touch, there is an email address over on the left. Let your mouse wander over my avatar and it will be revealed.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Communication, Information, People | Tagged: Communication, People, Relationships | 2 Comments »
