If

" IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! "





Absolute bollocks day at work but as is always the case, good things come along to remind you to that loveliness is always there, just some days it takes a little longer to reveal itself

The Nice Things:
1: One of my bosses came in with a birthday present for me ( yes THAT birthday of mine is still going on a month later) very amusing card and some lovely girly stuff - I never buy girly for myself, I waste my money on beer and gig tickets so it was quite quite lovely.

2: Someone came knocking on the door tonight, I rarely answer my door- I am not antisocial, it's just.... well actually maybe I am anti social. The girls peered through the window in their own inimitable subtle manner ( heads pressed to the glass, shouting " Mum, it's one of those green people ). Asssuming that they meant that it was The Green Party and not that alien life form had landed I decided to go for being mildly sociable. ( I will only ever entertain politicians and Dave Grohl on my doorstep) . It wasn't a politician it was a guy from MacMillan Cancer Support who was seeking people to sign up for regular donations. He was so lovely and we had such a good banter that how could I say no? I could never turn down any charity to do with Cancer Care and as he was such a cheeky chappy it was easy work for him. I forgot I was not at work and I managed to also turn the conversation round to sexual health , offered him my number ( works number not personal) for a check up and sent him away with a beer in his backpack for later. I almost gave him twelve condoms and then remembered that I really wasn't at work and any rumours that the lady at no 50 gives out condoms would probably not increase my standing in the neighbourhood

I admire anyone who can do charity work and his altruism completely turned my day around .

Good Man

That's it. I am talking more bollocks than ever before. I still haven't had my tea, I still haven't caught up on all your journals, I still haven't deigned to wear anything more dignified than my daughter's pink teddy bear dressing gown tonight but hey ho life goes on regardless. This photo is a print on my wall from a local artsist that I have run through Kaleidoscope, I love the woman in this, she is very striking and this look reminds me of how I felt this morning with so much on my mind at work.

Please bear with me with commenting on yours. I am getting there I am just so in awe of the fab blips going on in all your journals that I am taking a back seat as I am going through a " bleurgh" blip stage.

I shall leave you with this, and thanks to the lovely charity man it is now a Not so Blue Monday