See You Soon

Just to let you all know that I am taking a break from my journal for a while.  I have some health issues at the moment and I need to get myself right.  I just cannot put my mind to writing or commenting right now.  I know you will all understand.

Alteration to Previous Entry

Apparently nominations are not open as yet.  See my previous entry to find out exactly what is happening right now and what you need to do.  Thank you.

Start Recommending Now

If you are taking part in the Vivi Awards, now is the time to start recommending journals that you feel are worthy of an award.  They are taking recommendations so that they can draw up a nominee list.

Here is the site to go to:-

2006 VIVI AWARD JOURNAL

 

 

Him Outdoors! Video Entry.

 

P.S. Answer to some comments.  Yes, I know Mike was riddling and not "shaking" but it was the first time I had spoken on video for you all and I had no script. You always think of things afterwards and also other things you could have said.

Swan Lake? - No this is a Swan river!

We had the most spectacular storm the night before last.  The sky was continually lit up with the lightning but we only had three ten minute bursts of rain.  It reminded me so much of the electrical storms I first saw in Spain when I was nineteen.  Jack has never experienced a storm since we have had him but he was totally unconcerned unlike Jesse who was a nervous wreck and we both thought of Pip and how bad he used to get.  Hopefully Jack will not mind fireworks because next month they will all start prior to Bonfire Night and continue for several weeks. How I wish they would ban the sale of them until a few days before and completely after that night is over.

We looked after Daniel this morning whilst Nathan went swimming.  Nathan did so well at nursery school yesterday that Becky was able to leave him for an hour. So, he now starts twice a week.

Daniel's eye appears to have improved so much we are hoping that surgery will not be necessary.  The specialist said it might but Becky can leave it until a week before his hospital date to make sure before she cancels.   Fingers crossed on this one.

I watched a very good documentary last night about the Aberfan disaster and how the villagers had to fight to get the coal tips removed and they even had to pay something towards the cost but these brave people took on the might of the government and won.  I remember watching the t.v. on the night of the disaster all those years ago and how heartbreaking it was.  Now the children that survived are middle-aged but their memories remain so strong.  You cannot imagine a whole generation of children practically wiped out from one village but that is what happened, 116 children and 28 adults perished that day.

That is about all my news really. So, I have another video I am going to post for you today.  This river is not far from us and very close to Becky.  She often takes the boys there to feed the swans.

I am sorry the film is somewhat dark.  It was a very humid day, it was misty and the sun was behind the clouds. It is jumpy in one part where Mike slipped whilst turning around. You will see that this is a tidal river and the tide was either going out or coming in.  Being midweek it was very quiet. At the weekends it is a different story with all the weekend sailors and the river gets very busy.  There are some lovely houses for sale overlooking the water.  Oh, if only the lottery would come up. I would love to look out of my window and watch the river in its many changing moods.  Anyway, sit back and relax for a few minutes, let the music wash over you and enjoy the beauty of the swans and ducks.

I hope that made you feel more relaxed.

The last shot of the swans reminds me so very much of the ballet. What graceful and elegant birds they are.

Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful weekend.

Warm Wednesday

It is so humid today, almost unbearable although Nathan and Daniel did not seem to mind.  They have recently left after having spent the morning with us.

Lightning lit up the sky last night but never actually came to a storm and we could desperately use some rain.  We have begun taking the summer bedding out now.  The front garden is already done and winter pansies are in place. We still have the back to do but the plants are so expensive this year due to the heatwave summer, so we will have to purchase them a few at a time. That way it will also be easier than trying to plant them all in one day.

I noticed this year that we had  no greenfinches or goldfinches come to the garden.  Last year our feeders were covered with them.  Then I read in the paper this morning that a disease is wiping them out en masse.  Nothing to do with bird flu and not contagious but it is decimating these little birds.  So sad.

Talking of sad, it was heartbreaking to read some of the tributes that were posted on Monday.  Nobody could possibly read them all but the ones I read brought tears to my eyes.  The one that affected me the most was one mentioned in a posting by Guido on his journal.  He has now deleted the link.  To watch the video and hear the very last words of this man just tore me apart.  It is something I will not forget for a very long time.  It was wonderful how the journalling community came together in this way but, of course, there were journals offering to do a tribute that did not exist and others might have just backed out.  People are even now volunteering to still do a tribute to any victim that was missed.  So heartwarming.

Here is the latest picture of the boys taken about an hour ago:

Well, I suppose I had better get the washing up done and then take something for my headache (due to the weather). Plenty of washing up. Where Nathan puts his food I just do not know because he seems to haveno waist and his trousers are constantly falling down!  He scoffed two bowls of macaroni cheese, some tomato and cucumber, half a banana and some ice cream.  But he is like a whirlwind, always on the go and has limitless energy.  Wish I was the same.

Hope you are all having a good week.

2.996 - A Man, Not Just A Number

Today I write of Abner Morales. We never met, we could never have met. Separated by thousands of miles, ethnic backgrounds and age group it was something that could never happen. Yet, we shared a common bond - being part of the human race.

What would have been going through his mind as he travelled to work on that bright sunny morning? Was he thinking of the daily tasks that lay ahead? Was he thinking of his wife, Norma and children Kathleen Yvette and little Michael Alexander? Perhaps he was thinking of his birthday in ten days time. It was to be his 38th birthday and a small family celebration was being arranged. Maybe he was thinking of the planned trip to Disneyland the following month and how happy and excited the children would be. He may have been more than a little sad because his own father, in an ironic twist of fate, had died exactly one year ago to the day.

Whatever he was thinking it is certain that one thought could never have crossed his mind. No idea so terrible could ever have crept into his consciousness. The thought that this would be his very last day. Abner Morales was never going to see the sunshine again, never going to return to his home and beloved family.

Abner Morales was a victim of 9/11

Abner was born on September 21st 1963 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, the son of Hilda and Felix Morales. He was educated in New York City and studied extensively in the field of computer programming. He was a loving and devoted husband and father. He and Norma had been together for twenty years and married for seventeen of them. He loved to draw and spend hours listening to music. He was an avid Yankees fan.

He was also a dedicated and conscientious worker for Fiduciary Trust Company where he had been employed for eleven years. His office was on the 97th floor. By a twist of fate, Abner had already been involved in one scare at the World Trade Center. He was working in the lower levels of that building when a terrorist bomb exploded in the basement in 1993. Afterwards he began having anxiety attacks but he was a strong person and soon got them under control. His company re-established itself in New Jersey and Abner’s life went on much as it had done before.

The company then decided to move back to the Trade Center. Whether Abner was apprehensive about this cannot be known but having his colleagues and friends around him probably mitigated any fears he had. He treated his colleagues as extended family. He enjoyed his work as assistant vice president of computer programming and he was also head of evacuation for his department.

Nobody can possibly imagine the feelings of these people when the north tower was struck by a hijacked plane. Before the south tower was also stricken, Abner’s best friend in the company spoke to him as Abner began ushering a number of his colleagues, including this friend, into an elevator. The friend urged Abner to get into the elevator with him. Abner replied that he would do so and make his escape when he was sure that he had got everybody out. That was the last anybody ever saw of him. He died trying to save others.

His body has never been found.

2,996. That is the number of victims who perished that day. 2,996 and Abner was just one of those. But he was more than a number, more than a statistic, he was a man, a loving, caring, hard-working human being adored by his family and his friends.

Today I have written about him.  The other 2,995 victims will each be remembered individually by journallers who have volunteered for the 2,996 Project.  Each one will be written about, each one will be honoured. I am privileged to have been assigned Abner Morales.

As I said, we could never have met. It is impossible for me to know all the details of his life but I know he was deeply loved by his wife, his children and all of his family members and respected by his co-workers. I have told you something about this man. At almost 38 years of age his life was extinguished in a brutal and senseless fashion. May he rest in peace and may his family find solace in the memories they hold of this gentle person.

The ancient Eyptians had a saying “only speak my name and I shall live again”. Today I have spoken the name of Abner Morales. Through my journal today he lives again, he lives for all of you who read my words. He becomes not just a number but flesh and blood. A person who had all the same hopes, dreams, desires, worries and frustrations that we all do. A person who showed great courage in trying to save the lives of others and laid down his own in so doing.

Join me in remembering not only Abner but all those innocent victims who perished that dreadful day and the families who are left to grieve for a lifetime.

The following video is dedicated to all the victims of terrorism throughout the globe. Let us unite together and pray for peace in a better world.

 

 

Here is the link for the 2,996 Project - List Of Participants      where you will be able to find all of the journals paying  their own tribute to each victim.