Flashbacks of a fool..

My brother John has crippled me today by reminding me of this haunting melody by Roxy Music from the movie "Flashbacks of a fool" :

I can't stop playing both the full version of the song and also this clip. The lyrics of " If there is Something" remind me of my lovely wife and family and lots of things that we have lived through. It's both a beautiful and poignant song :

"Shake your hair girl with your ponytail,

Takes me right back ( when you were young) ,

Throw your precious gifts into the air,

Watch them fall down ( when you were young ),

Lift up your feet and put them on the ground,

You used to walk upon ( when you were young ),

Lift up your feet and put them on the ground,

The hills were higher ( when you were young),

Lift up your feet and put them on the ground,

The trees were taller ( when you were young ),

Lift up your feet and put them on the ground,

The grass was greener ( when you were young),

Lift up your feet and put them on the ground,

You used to walk upon ( when you were young).

We were at a police federation conference this week demonstrating the wonderful benefits of Haix footwear to their members and a number of them commented that they had all been told at college to invest in a good pair of boots as this would pay dividends for the years ahead, but being young and indestructable they didn't and were now paying the price with back pain, flat feet and , one I hadn't heard before, "Policeman's heel". How they wished they'd listened . My own little piggies bear testament to a trend for very pointy DMs when I was in my teens and now possess two little toes that are at an angle that defies gravity and logic.

I also met up in Belfast with a good friend, Jaba, and I bought him a book "Johnathan Livingstone Seagull" which I'd read when I was wearing those damn pointy toed shoes. I flicked through it before I handed it over and memories came flooding back . So much so in fact that I ended up getting another copy for myself.

But before I get consumed with nostalgia I've realised that I am going to live until I'm 100 , so I may very well look back on these days as the period

"when you were young". Dr.Tom Hill who we met last week started a whole new career at the age of 50 and another one again at 60 travelling the world inspiring people to dream big dreams.

I'll drink to that.

At the police conference one of the other exhibitors was showing various stationary products and documentation storage services that he was offering. He had his display wonderfully arranged with Recycled paper notebooks, pens, pencils and stationary sets lined up in front of his table and at one stage he was engaged is speaking to two police federation members and felt that this was a great lead. He finished up talking to them and looked around to discover that not only had all of the display disappeared but his calculator had been taken.

We explained to him that this was the very reason that we only took half pairs of shoes to the conference.

He took some comfort from the fact that the number 8 on his calculator didn't work....

Cheers,

Paul

P.S. No competition this week, I have to catch up on previous weeks prizes, but feel free to comment on what reminds you of when you were young.