Community response to Lockdown

The Ballad of Connaught Avenue

In Shoreham town there is a road
It’s great to be a member of
Where friendship dwells in each abode
In Connaught Ave there’s so much love

This lockdown thing has brought much grief
And things there are no stockpiles of
But human contact brings relief
For Connaught Ave has so much love

We formed a WhatsApp group right quick
‘Twas started off by Sas n Dav
To give support with just a click
There’s so much love in Connaught Ave

It helps us all to borrow or beg
Or give what we have too much of
To swap a plant, or lend an egg
For Connaught Ave has so much love

This social distance thing’s a pain
But metres gap’s the thing to have
While social closeness is our aim
There’s so much love in Connaught Ave

It’s great to live in Connaught Ave
They treat you like a sis or bruv
They range in type from posh to chav
Yes, Connaught Ave has so much love

If life’s to you a bitter cup
And hopelessness is all you have
The friendship here will lift you up
There’s so much love in Connaught Ave

And after all this lockdown’s gone
The thing that we’re all thinking of
Is: stay connected, carry on
With Connaught Avenue’s Big Love!

The transformative principles of Buddhism

The powerful transformative principles of Buddhism, for life, work, happiness, fulfilment and success

“Do not pursue the past; Do not idly hold out hopes for the future. The past is already discarded And the future has not yet arrived. Thoroughly discern the nature of the present, in the midst of reality. Simply set your heart on doing What must be done today”
– Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha

People think that Buddhism is all about giving things up, and sitting still all day, meditating – but that’s not necessarily the case. Many people also think that it’s about humble pennilessness and austerity – it isn’t. Continue reading “The transformative principles of Buddhism”

New Age parody

Astral Sex – Zen Teabags, an illustrated New Age spoofapedia comes out in Europe in March and in US in June, so here to celebrate are a few of my favourite bits.

It’s a tongue-in-cheek dictionary of all things new-agey – designed to amuse, whether you love it or whether you hate it.  Comments welcome……

Affirmations
Things which people repeat ad nauseam about what they would like to have happen in their lives, instead of actually doing something about it.

Archetype
Nobody actually knows what this word means, but it is now so widely used that no-one can afford to admit that. Other terms which no-one will admit to not know the meaning of but use a lot to pretend they do: paradigm, process, gestalt.

Assertiveness
Pretentious term for being rude

Beaverweaver
Male who poses as a shaman purely in order to pull women.

Continue reading “New Age parody”

learning from comedians: dealing with fear

dealing with fear, part 1

“A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me; I’m afraid of widths” –  stand-up comedian Stephen Wright

Perhaps the single most commonly admired attribute of stand-up comedians is their  demonstration of courage and management of fear – preparedness to stand alone in front of an unknown, potentially hostile, and sometimes huge audience – risking failure: not amusing them, not being liked, being heckled or boo-ed off. This is a visceral and quite fundamental fear, which feels like it’s about one’s very survival. Not for nothing is a bad comedy experience on stage termed ‘dying on your *ss’. Continue reading “learning from comedians: dealing with fear”

Learning from comedians: creative comedy thinking

gerry stand-up small
“I once had a leather jacket that got ruined in the rain. Why does moisture ruin leather? Aren’t cows outside a lot of the time? When it’s raining, do cows go up to the farmhouse, calling out ‘Let us in! We’re all wearing leather! Open the door! We’re going to ruin the whole outfit here!'”– Jerry Seinfeld

 

One of the chief reasons we appreciate comedians – and one of the major reasons that they can exert influence on us, is that they continually make us think about things in ways we have never thought about them before: everyday things, trivial things, important things, life-and-death things, all kinds of things. Continue reading “Learning from comedians: creative comedy thinking”