Lance Greenfield's Blog, page 88
April 10, 2015
Friday
This is a beautiful piece by Mello-Elo. It is so exactly in line with my own thoughts, beliefs and feelings. I really wish that I had written it myself, but I could not possibly have put it so well.
Originally posted on Thoughts by Mello-Elo:
Hello Friday! I welcome the day with open arms and an open heart, relishing the possibilities of the day. Heat envelops my mind and soul as I count my blessings and think of those without a home, a family, loving friends to turn to in an hour of need. I am very lucky.
When I was younger, I would spend my time in the garden plotting revenge against my brother for some infraction or other. When the anger passed, a deep sense of peace resonated through me. I would sit on my own for hours, basking in the sun, listening to the steady drone of the bumble bees, drunk on nectar. The earth stood still and the smell of red soil under my fingernails, staining my skinny little legs and bare feet overpowered the heady scent of the rose bushes close to me. I could feel a surge of energy…
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April 9, 2015
Review: Incendiary
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Original, entertaining, authentic and believable
An East End [of London:] woman decides to write a letter to Osama bin Laden after a team of his suicide bombers wreck her life by indiscriminately blowing up the crowd at a football match, killing both her husband and her four-and-a-quarter year-old son, along with over a thousand other football fans.
The letter is written, mainly in the authentic language of an East End gal, but with snippets of people from other worlds. The grammar and punctuation is appaling, but it is totally in context. She relates, to Osama, all of the events and all of her feelings from immediately before the atrocity to many months afterwards.
There is a lot of humour interspersed throughout the tragedy. One of the funniest passages that I have read recently will not spoil your enjoyment of this book.
It didn’t smell posh in Harvey Nichols it smelled of all the different perfumes in the world very strong and mixed up together. It felt like having your throat scraped. I took my boy into John Lewis once and it smelled just like that in the perfume section. Yuk Mummy he said. It smells nice and nasty all at once. It smells of angels’ feet.
Hilarious!
I can understand why some people do not like this style of writing and cannot get into the book at all. This is a book that you will either love or hate. It is either one star or five stars plus plus. I cannot tell what it will be like for you, but I would recommend that you give it a chance. For me, it was one of the best books that I read in 2009.
April 6, 2015
UK Southern African Empowerment & Cultural Workshop
On 14th March, I had a wonderful time at the UK Southern African Empowerment & Cultural workshop in Grays, Essex. I reported on that day at the time (see this blog post and this one from Eloise), but here are the videos that were recorded on that day.
They are superbly introduced by rookie presenter, Katrinah Phenyo, and they are well worth watching. Believe me!
April 4, 2015
Toute personne pour un bon café à Paris?
As I looked around the table in Brasserie 1901 Courbevoie during a business dinner in Paris on Wednesday evening, I imagined my colleagues morphing into some of my blogging friends. What fun we would have had! I’m not saying that the actual evening wasn’t fun, but it would have been so much more fun it you guys had been there to keep me company.
There were workmates from France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Holland. I was the only British representative.
Naturally, being in France, our host, Gilbert, quickly changed, fairly drastically, into Dominique.
My Italian friend, Gianluca, had turned out early that morning to watch me run off up the hill to enjoy my regular Paris 5 km route. He wasn’t brave enough to accompany me. When I’d returned to the hotel around 25 minutes later, Gianluca had been joined by Vashti Quiroz-Vega. They both promised to bring their running shoes to the next quarterly meeting, which may take place in Frankfurt.
Enjoying the good food and wine with me, and some coffee to finish off the evening, were many others, including Sheila, Jane, Olga, Ajoobacats, Hugh, Shruti, Diana and Eloise.
I reflected upon my week. Monday in the office in Staines. Enough said. Tuesday travelling from Andover to Paris by train, followed by an afternoon of meetings when I arrived in our La Défense office. I later found myself in Le Brantome with a couple of Dutchmen. Wednesday started off with my run, a shower, a mediocre breakfast and a whole day of very stimulating meetings. The dinner, I have already described. Thursday started with a repeat of that wonderful run. It is lovely to be running down towards l’Arc de Triomphe and then back up and around La Grande Arche as the skies lighten. A few more great meetings, and then onto the RER Metro, Eurostar, London Underground and SW trains to arrive home late on Thursday evening, tired and ready for the long weekend Easter break.
So please tell me what you all did this week? Was it as good for you as it was for me?
Organised by Diana (Part Time Monster)
#weekendcoffeeshare
April 1, 2015
I love Paris in the Spring Time!
How wonderful to be running around La Défense area of Paris early in an April morning.
I paused to take a few snaps to share with you along with a satellite view of my route.
And here’s a bonus for you: Doris Day singing “I love Paris”
March 31, 2015
WATCH ZAIN ASHER’S INSPIRING TALK – TRUST YOUR STRUGGLES
You can dream about it. And, if you believe in your dream, and you work hard, you can do it!
Watch this.
Originally posted on Womeninspired:
This is very inspiring. I learnt a lot from the CNN International Correspondent Zain Asher in TEDxEuston Event. She talked about her background and the hurdles she had to jump over to get to her ‘dream job’. It’s a
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Are good doctors also good actors and should doctoress be a word?
I love the way that Lucie thinks, and then the way that she shares her thoughts with us all.
Originally posted on Lucie Muses:
As always Victo Dolore with her Behind the White Coat blog is a great inspiration for my blog posts.
She blogged in her own serious manner about the pain doctors feel when their patients die or suffer.
In my reply, I compared my job to a job of an actress ( I know the politically correct thing might be to say actor like doctor, but I am old fashioned and I would prefer calling myself a “ doctoress” if there was such word). That way people would know I am a woman!
I remember watching a concert of a famous Czech chansonniere Hana Hegerova. She sung either Czech translations of songs by Gilbert Becaud, Jacque Brel or Edit Piaf, but mainly original Czech songs. Every song was a small theatre performance and a story. There were little accidental bits in the concert- her tripping over or supressing a chuckle, spontaneous charming…
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March 30, 2015
THE VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD – goes to Lance Greenfield
What can I say?
I am amazed and honoured, and even excited, to have received this award after being nominated by PeaceCrafting, who has a wonderful blog which I encourage you to visit.
My blog started out after I was encouraged by a fellow author, Eloise de Sousa, to put myself about a bit. The original objective was, and still is, to raise visibility of my debut novel, Eleven Miles, and any subsequent novels that might publish.
That was back in December 2014. At that time, I never imagined what fun I would be having. Again, with Eloise’s encouragement, I joined Blogging 101 in January. What a hoot! And I learned so much and did so much with my blog as I worked through the assignments. I would really encourage anyone who hasn’t already followed Blogging 101 to do so next time it comes up. It is very worthwhile and it is a lot of fun.
As you can see, if you take the time to explore my blog, there is quite a variety of content here. Apart from telling you about my two books, Eleven Miles and When Pleasure Blooms, you’ll find much to amuse you under the Titbits tab. I post lots of book reviews on here, which are linked to my Goodreads profile.
My posts which followers seem to enjoy most are my Coach Tours. The latest was number 4. The idea behind these is to socialise with fellow bloggers in a slightly different way to the coffee mornings, to which I love being invited. Lance’s Coach Tours are not just any old day trips. I am lucky enough to own a time-travelling bus, which takes me and my passengers back in time to visit characters who have influenced the history of mankind. Needless to say, as all good tour operators should, I have reconnoitered the routes, and am already well acquainted with the characters whom we visit, and their periods. Having these famous people already awaiting our arrival makes the tours even more enjoyable. Take a look at Coach Tour #4. If you like it, you might follow the links to the previous three.
I hope you enjoy exploring my blog and that you will give me plenty of feedback.
I am very happy to accept this award. Thank you PeaceCrafting!
My nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award
Now I would like to nominate the following marvelous blogs that I have been following with interest for some time.
Thoughts by Mello-Elo (I don’t mind admitting that this is my personal favourite)
S.C. Skillman’s Blog (Fellow author)
Lucie Muses (Another fellow author)
Silver Threading (A good writer, but doing so much more with her retirement)
Ordinary life of an ordinary wife (hilarious, but maybe not be for all)
Flavored Lemons (Nice variety of flavors from Down Under)
Kneal1 (Krissy’s) Poetry (Loving these poems)
Perelincolors (Good photography with a monthly tech challenge)
Refractory Ramblings from the Dark Side (if you skip the rest, please read CC’s accounts of living with DID and Fibromyalgia)
Vashti Quiroz-Vega’s Blog (writing, poetry, travel and so much more)
Seafarrwide (More interesting writing from Down Under. Fun! Love the dancing!)
The Mission to Mars (Follow your dreams. She fits exactly to my heroine in Eleven Miles)
Part Time Monster (Already twice nominated, but worth a third! Join her #weekendcoffeeshare)
Hugh’s Views and News (A star blogger, if ever there was one)
There are so many more blogs that I have enjoyed over the past four months that I have been blogging, but I am limiting my nominations to just fifteen. Just click on some of the Blogs I Follow to the right of this post, and enjoy yourself.
Finally, to fulfill the conditions of my award, and these are the conditions that all recipients must follow, so please do so if you have been nominated by me, I must state the rules of the award and list seven things about myself that you may not know.
The Seven things about myself that you may not know
1. I went to a Naval School, HMS Conway, on Anglesey in North Wales.
2. I have been lucky enough to visit around 80 countries in my life. I always learn a little of the language, and love to immerse myself in the local cultures and cuisines.
3. I have three step-children, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. They keep me young!
4. I keep myself fit by playing [field] hockey, since the age of seven, and running.
5. My favourite cities are Barcelona, Hong Kong, New Orleans and San Francisco.
6. There are so many different things to love about the countries that I have visited, but one of my favourites is Ecuador. What more could one ask for than The Andes, The Amazonian rain forest, the coastal plain (comes fourth on this list) and the Galapagos Islands (top of the list!)?
7. My favourite reading genres are historical fiction, but it has to be good, and time-travel.
The Award Rules
Thank the person who gave you this award.
Include a link to their blog.
Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you follow.
Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.
Finally, tell 7 things about yourself.
Full details of the award can be found on the VBA website through this link.
Thanks for visiting. Come back soon!
March 27, 2015
Review: One Month to Live
One Month to Live by Eloise De Sousa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked this strange little story. It is told in the first person by the ghost of a woman who has pre-deceased her mother. She knows that her mother’s time has come, but wants to make her last days more comfortable than the Grim Reaper has in his mind. She does her best to persuade him to be gentle.
More than that I cannot say, as this is a short story and I am already in danger of telling it all. I haven’t given away more than you’ll find in the first couple of pages though.
It is an imaginative piece of writing, with a very faint flavor of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak about it. You’ll see what I mean if you read both.
It is slightly spoiled by the number of typos and tiny errors, which are a distraction, but I would recommend it as a quick read to any of my friends.
Review: The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is THE book that will improve your business
I have lost count of the number of people to whom I have recommended this book. Whatever area of management you find yourself in, and at every level from business studies student to CEO and CFO, you are bound to pick up something useful from “The Goal.”
The story follows the complex life of Alex Rogo as he works at one problem after another. With the help of his old friend, Jonah, he identifies and solves problem after problem, on the road to saving his manufacturing plant, his own job and those of his colleagues, and his marriage. Each problem is broken down into its simplest components so that the real priorities are easily identified and dealt with.
Satisfying the senior management of his company and the accountants that he has turned around the fortunes of his plant proves difficult, but he supports his arguments with solid evidence.
Managers will recognise many of the problems that Alex encounters as, although part of this fiction, they belong to the real world rather than the theoretical text books that they may be used to reading. The story is far from dull and is easy to read and to understand.
What particularly appealed to me, as a practitioner of process modelling and simulation, was the way that these techniques were used to bring about significant business improvements. The power and value of such techniques was ably demonstrated and should encourage many more companies to put them into practice.
Eli Goldratt has succeeded where many have failed, to put these concepts into language that everyone can understand and therefore benefit.
The only negative comment that I have about this book is that I felt that the background story became a little bit tedious towards the end, but the value gained from reading the rest far out-weighed this minor moan.
