Alan Gandy

Archive for the ‘Ramblings’ Category

It will probably make me sound like some kind of Scrooge character – but, apart from my kids (and my dad this year who’s staying with us) generally I don’t buy Christmas presents. It seems like a total waste of money to me – and I’m more that a little tired of all the Christmas marketing that seems to start earlier and earlier each year. I tell people not to buy for me but some still do – but I insist if they must that they don’t spend much money.

Christmas has  just become so over-commercialized it’s beyond belief. It seems that people all over the world get themselves into financial difficulties because of the intense pressure to spend placed on them by stores and their own family as they feel the need to equal the spend of better off family members.

I also don’t buy into the ‘good will to all men thing’, why the hell can’t we be nice to each other all the time…? And just avoid the people we don’t get on with Christmas holidays or not… The religious aspect is meaningless to me – I’m an atheist – so do not feel the need to celebrate the birth of a fictional historical character. I loved Christmas when my kids were young, but now they are teenagers it’s lost it’s charm!

To tell you the truth I’m not sure what it means to me any more – perhaps all it is to me is a great meal, an excuse to close business down for a few days and take a break, and a bit of time to spend with family (the ones I like), and friends.

As I write this, people the world over buying things they can’t afford for people that in many cases neither need or want their gifts – getting themselves into financial difficulty – whilst elsewhere other people starve.

Christmas! What a load of crap…!!!!

Why not use the money to help people less fortunate than you instead…

Recently, I wrote a bit about Geoff Holt the quadriplegic sailor preparing to set out to be the first quadriplegic to sail the Atlantic unassisted. Well this morning he set out at 10am local time to do just that – and plans to arrive in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands in 17 days time. As well as the challenge of the expedition, this is a bit of an emotional journey for Geoff as it was in Tortola that Geoff had the accident that caused his disability in 1984.

We only met Geoff a couple of weeks ago – he’s a fantastic guy, great sense of humour, and has a warmth to him that leaves you feeling like you’ve known him for years…

Suffice it is to say that we wish Geoff and his team (personal assistant Susana and cameraman Digby) the best of luck and a safe journey across the pond!

If you’d like to know more about Geoff you can read his story in his book Walking on Water

Each British generation has it’s wars that affect our lives. For my Grandfather it was WWI and WWII, for my father it would be WWII onwards through Northern Ireland to the present, for my generation the Falklands onwards through Bosnia, the Gulf and others – and for the current generation it is now Afghanistan and Iraq (again)…

Whatever you may feel about the politics of current situations – we should never forget those young men and women who have and still are willing to put their lives on the line for your freedom, your safety, and your right to free speech.

Come home safe boys and girls!

In peace the sons bury their fathers, but in war the fathers bury their sons

I went to Thorpe Park recently with a friend and two of my kids. Nice day out – with all the usual things you’d expect from a trip to a theme park – expensive, long queues, screaming kids, and any excuse taken to get a little more money from you… We expect that – so nobody is surprised or disappointed by these things….

However, there was one thing I took exception to. On entering the park there is quite heavy security – understandable in this day and age – where guests are selected for additional checks and have to go through a metal de. Read the rest of this entry »

Every now and then I stumble on a real gem – today’s was Kiva. A site distributing micro-finance to mostly third world countries.

If you don’t know what micro-finance is – very simply, it’s a small loan – usually from a number of investors to small business owners. Its a way to help people and get most of your money back… It doesn’t get much more sustainable than that.

From just US$25 and make a real and lasting difference to someone who needs your help!

Visit the Kiva website and see how easy it is.

I recently watched the Channel 4 programme “How the other half live”. I have to say – it was a fantastic show. Reality TV at it’s best.

I think when people moan about reality TV they forget that some reality TV is enlightening for the viewers, and in this case especially the participants.

Mention reality TV and we think of the likes of…

• Big Brother – stick a bunch of weirdos in a house until they go nuts
• I’m a Celebrity – which should be called “I used to be a celebrity, please revive my career”
• Celebrity Love Island – place a load of wannabes and has beens and an island in the hope they shag each other..

Reality TV at its best like this  show can be fascinating…. Can’t wait to see the rest of the series. Well done Channel 4!

I have to say – there are times I am ashamed to be British. The results of the recent European elections are most certainly one of them… The very notion that the British National Party (BNP) have not one, but two, elected members I find abhorent.

What the hell has happened to my country that these racist scum can get a politicl foothold. It’s frightening…

Next time you vote – think carefully – this is the thin end of the wedge – I promise you!

As a child, my granddad (Thomas Gandy) was my idol. I remember him as a little old man, apparently frail and ‘bow legged’, but if you looked further the man had the strength of an ox. If he rolled his sleeves up he had muscles like Popeye on a spinach high! I idolised him he used to sit me on his knee and tell me great stories about his travels in Canada – so spectacular to a child that you wondered whether he was making them up at times…. Cows and cowsheds being lifted by winds, travelling under the rails of trains – stories you might expect to read in Jack Kerouak than to hear off your own grandfather.

To put you in the picture of the type of man he was, he was very gentle with us. I remember him most of the time sitting quietly in his chair as my grandmother would talk constantly. Boy could she talk – well, when she got the chance between bringing us constant supplies of cakes and ginger beer made and bought in specially for our regular visits. He was quiet – but you always knew who wore the trousers in that house!

I recall one time – as a child does – asking “Why do you have such big ears”? At which point (socially acceptable in those days) my mothers hand came from nowhere around the back of my head. He said calmly, but authoritatively, and with a suppressed anger I’m sure – “What was that for? The boy asked a perfectly reasonable question. I DO have big ears”. He took his eyes away from my mother, looked at my tearful eyes and answered the question as though nothing had happened. That was the kind of man he was.

I’ve told this story many times as I was told it by my dad – to the best of my recollection – over the years… But after writing recently about my uncle Fred passing away thought it was time to write it down.

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I was recently persuaded to watch a ‘movie’ about the Law of Attraction called ‘The Secret’. I won’t mention any names – you know who you are – I know you’ll read this!

What a load of crap! A bunch of people described as meta-physicians (new age types), and ‘entrepreneurs`(of course it didn’t mention how they made their supposed millions) rattling on about how you can have or achieve anything you want pretty much simply by visualizing it.All this interspersed with mysterious pictures of great people who supposedly used their system – ancient Egyptians (though obviously not the ones who must have visualized being slaves and building pyramids), Isaac Newton, Einstein and others.

With there being no mention of how exactly they made their cash, bought the fast cars, and everything else they claimed to have – and, as you’d expect, almost to a man (and woman) telling rags to riches stories. I can only imagine that they have made their fortunes peddling crap like this to gullible people – as many have over the decades via spam, classified sites, and small ads for millions of spurious business opportunities.

It also struck me that this seems almost ‘religious’ in the way it claims to be the path to enlightenment… It looks from outside a lot like a multi-level marketing version of the Church of Christian Science.

Read the rest of this entry »

This makes it sound like I’ve died… But, it’s hard not to be touched – both pleased, and saddened – by this little gem I found on my son’s Bebo page. Life has it’s ups and downs, not all is constant – but my kids over the years have been the one thing that is – they´ve kept me going through the bad times and the good. Every moment I have with them, every line I exchange with them on Messenger I treasure – even if the conversation on Messenger is usually limited to words like ‘ye’, ‘cool’. ‘borin’ and ‘nothin’…

Joe, if you´re reading this – don’t you ever forget that I love and miss you (and your brothers) every minute of every day. thanks for making my day!