Monthly Archives: April 2012

Retirement

Posted on 30 April, 2012 by

It used to be back then there was space for me in your life. But new and different routines and considerations gently edged me out. A passing daily thought is all I merit now you have more time.

Posted in life, musings, poetry, thoughts, writing | Tagged | 32 Comments

Dog eat dog

Posted on 28 April, 2012 by

Journalism was a tough world out there. Apparently so much so that we ate each other. Dog eat dog was regularly applied to my trade/craft/profession. But that’s metaphorical. This isn’t. This is literal – I’ve deleted the photos as I … Continue reading →

Posted in abandoned dogs, animal rights, animals, death, dogs, life, musings, nature, news, rescue dogs, writing | Tagged , | 21 Comments

Falling off the end

Posted on 26 April, 2012 by

Sometimes it is easier that way. Although it isn’t always even intentional. People just do fall off the end however, perhaps even moreso in our increasingly busy computerised lives. Some years ago I received a card from a former work … Continue reading →

Posted in animal rights, blogging, dogs, friendships, life, musings, thoughts, work, writing | Tagged , , , | 31 Comments

Journalism (7) – public relations

Posted on 24 April, 2012 by

But the lure of the newsroom and reporting called again. Or perhaps the politics of the government circuit in the 80s wasn’t for me. Or maybe we just wanted to escape from the south-east with our property boom money before … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, health, journalism, life, media, money, musings, public relations, work, writing | 14 Comments

Journalism (6) – the press office

Posted on 23 April, 2012 by

‘Welcome to the Press Office.’ A tall James Coburn clone walked towards me down the huge office with his hand outstretched. What a seriously nice way to be greeted on your first day in a new job. The first thing … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, health, journalism, life, media, musings, politics, thoughts, work, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments

Journalism (5) – career moves

Posted on 22 April, 2012 by

One day, a colleague took me aside and confided that she was applying for a new job. In PR. ‘In PR!’ I said, horrified. ‘Whatever for? Don’t you like being a journalist?’I asked, thinking that was all anyone would ever … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, life, media, public relations, thoughts, travel, work, writing | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Journalism (4) – politics and Thatcher

Posted on 21 April, 2012 by

Ah. Margaret. How many lives did she influence back then? Or even end? But let’s start at the beginning. Sitting in chemistry class at my private all-girls school. We adored our teacher. Slim, attractive, slick dyed hair, make-up, smart suits, … Continue reading →

Posted in childhood, feminism, history, journalism, life, media, musings, politics, thoughts, War, work | Tagged , , , , | 23 Comments

Journalism (3) – the paper chase

Posted on 20 April, 2012 by

The biggest moment in those early days for any apprentice is signing your indentures. Without that, you aren’t going anywhere. By signing those indentures, your employer is bound to keep you, put you through college, abide by all the terms … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, life, media, musings, thoughts, work, writing | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

Journalism (2) – give us a clue?

Posted on 19 April, 2012 by

So, having secured your prized job as a tea maker and trainee journalist, what does the training involve? In the UK, you could (at the time) enter journalism through a number of routes: direct entry onto a newspaper with, usually, … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, life, media, musings, work, writing | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

On journalism (1) – it’s all in the name

Posted on 18 April, 2012 by

Journalism, as everyone knows, is the most exciting, well-paid and rewarding job any ambitious graduate who thinks they can write, can aspire to. Including those who end their sentences with prepositions. And start them with conjunctions. But back in olden … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, internet, journalism, life, media, musings, social media, thoughts, work, writing | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Compromises?

Posted on 17 April, 2012 by

What do you do when faced with a dilemma involving your principles? Choose one principle above another? Or try and find that compromise in the middle, that isn’t one or the other? Life is made up of compromises of so … Continue reading →

Posted in animal rights, animals, consumerism, death, environment, environmentalism, europe, feminism, gibraltar, health, life, media, musings, nature, news, public relations, shopping, social media, spain, vegan, vegetarian, vegetarianism, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 28 Comments

Your daily shot of inspiration

Posted on 12 April, 2012 by

I read some shit on WordPress – The Daily Post – but really, they are plumbing the depths. After starting to write a blog post, the temptations of the internet can easily distract us from the task at hand. You’re … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, journalism, life, media, musings, social media, writing | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Oh those ragged trousers!

Posted on 11 April, 2012 by

Will they ever go away? Doubt it somehow. It is more than 100 years since Robert Noonan Tressell died (1911), and nearly 100 since his famous book was published in 1914. The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists is a unique book. And sadly … Continue reading →

Posted in consumerism, environment, environmentalism, health, life, money, musings, politics, poverty, work, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Consumerism (7) – it doesn’t matter to me

Posted on 10 April, 2012 by

The much-heralded post and the final one in the series. Perhaps the most important one too. Oh. Why? Because it is the one where you can make a difference. I was going to insert a terribly clever digression here to … Continue reading →

Posted in animal rights, animals, blogging, consumerism, dogs, drugs, environment, environmentalism, europe, feminism, food, life, music, news, politics, poverty, shopping, travel, vegan, vegetarian, vegetarianism, War | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

What not to post on your blog….

Posted on 2 April, 2012 by

Being a nice sort of person, I would never dream of telling any of my cherished readers what I don’t like about their blogs. In fact, I did find the constructive comments on my roughseas poll very helpful. And I … Continue reading →

Posted in blogging, journalism, life, media, musings, public relations, writing | Tagged , , | 27 Comments