Support your local library...

One of my earliest experiences of reading is being taken to our local library when I was just a kid.

I was always a voracious reader, even in my younger years, so being introduced to somewhere where you could pick up any number of books to read for free, albeit for a limited time, from a massively huge selection, felt like a dream come true.

There were restrictions - you could only pick, in those days, three or four books to check out, could only have them for two weeks and then, could only renew them if no-one else had asked for them in the meantime; not to mention there were certain books the librarian wouldn't let you have unless a parent or guardian was there to give their consent (I remember in particular one discussion where the librarian thought it perfectly acceptable to let me read The Hobbit, but not The Lord of the rings because it was 'too grown up') - but being able to pick from such a wide selection of reading material for free was almost like being given the keys to a sweet shop for someone who read as much as I.

Now, as a parent myself, I've tried to keep up that tradition and, whenever I can, often try to take my daughter down the library so she can experience the same joy I did at her age - though, unlike me at her age, she tends to stick to the same books, Tom Gates, Diary of a wimpy kid etc and is more reluctant to try anything new.

But there's nothing wrong with that.

She gets to choose what she wants to read and at the end of the day if those are the books she likes, so be it.

At least she's reading.

In this day and age, times have changed. 

Kids don't read like they used to.

They have iPads, and tablets, and god knows what else whist we (I'm 44 btw) had none of that, not like they do now, and so are less inclined to read, but we should be encouraging them.

I know sp many people who tell me they 'don't read' and that is such a shame.

When you pick up a book, instantly you are transported - sometimes to a different country, sometimes to a different world, and all of the author's choosing. It is a magical experience and one that simply cannot be compared to watching a movie on the screen or playing a game.

Reading is like the ultimate virtual reality, because when you pick up a really good book and start getting really into it, it is almost as if you are there with the characters - or at least, that is if the author is   good enough. 

It is a form of escape, and one you can take with you wherever you go - even more easily now ever since the creation of kindles and e-readers.

Libraries have had to move with the times; now they offer video games, Blurays and DVDs, C.D's and movie soundtracks along with the books that were all they ever used to have, back in the old days, but here's the thing - they won't be around forever, not if you don't support them. 

No end of local libraries have been closed in recent years as the government attempts to cut spending, and that is a shame because in doing so, it's robbing people of the opportunity to discover new authors that maybe they wouldn't have taken a chance on if they actually had to buy the book themselves. 

And it's robbing our children of the chance to experience the same wonder and excitement some of us all felt, the first time WE walked into a library. 

But YOU can help change that, just by paying your local library a visit and maybe checking out a couple of books.

I had a good experience the other day, a nice start to the year.

A little while ago, just before Christmas, I posted about my latest book on my local community Facebook page and one of the women who worked at my local library told me that to help support me as a local author, she was going to put in a buying request for the Norfolk Library Service to buy copies of my book so my book would be available for people to check out.

The request was declined, but here's the thing - this librarian has used some of the local library's donated funding to buy a copy of my book anyway so that my local branch will have its own copy.

For me, it's almost like my life has gone full circle.

When I was younger, I would eagerly go down to the library to check out new books by my favourite authors and now, in my local branch at least even if nowhere else, people can go in and check out a copy of my own book.

This is important, because it means people will now be able to read it for free and this, in turn, might hopefully make them more inclined to ask the library about my other books, or maybe even go out and buy copies for themselves.

For me, writing is not about the money.

I might never be rich - I might never be able to reach the dizzying heights of success of the likes of J. K.Rowling or Stephen King, and don't really expect to - but if people pick up and enjoy my book then that's all I really care about, and my book being in the library helps make it more accessible.

The local librarian did not have to do this.

She could have just decided I was not worth the bother, but instead, went above and beyond to secure a copy of my book for the local library, and you know what? 

I really appreciate that.

So this is my official author thank you to Birgit Haebe, and this is me - asking you to support your local library. If you don't use it, you're likely to lose it and that round be a crying shame - not just for the next generation, our children and our children's children, but also for the struggling authors out there like myself who don't care about the money, or the fame, but just care about getting our books out there for people like you to read.

A is for anxiety....

As part of a new 26 week challenge, I am undertaking to write a new Blog post every week each featuring a successive letter of the alphabet. Sometimes, as in this week, I might even write more than one based around the same letter.

As this is week 1 of 26, of course the letter is A and today my Blog post is all about anxiety.

It is no secret on here that I have experienced such feelings before, but now I am experiencing them again for wholly different reasons. I am about to make some big changes in my life and the truth is, that scares me just a bit.

I have decided to try and go and work offshore. Still cheffing, just in a very different environment, and part of that involves doing an in-depth sea survival course.   

Now I can swim, but I am not overly confident in the water so this is a small bit of a worry. One of the things I have to do is get myself out of an upside down, submerged helicopter simulator so that I can prove I would know what to do in a crash.

I'm not afraid to admit that scares me a bit. I have watched a couple of videos and it doesn't look that pleasant. What is more, doing the courses I need is expensive so it is imperative I pass and get my certificates - no pressure then!

Why am I doing this? 

Well apart from better money, when I am home I will see more of my family. It means being away from them for up to three or four weeks at a time, but when I come back I will see them for the same amount of time or very close to it.

It tears me up missing so much of my daughter's life at the moment. It almost feels like she is growing up without me at times. This way, I get to see more of her and spend more time with her and Mrs.Sparky won't need to work at doing the bloody silly job she does now where she ends up working from home almost as often as she is in the office.

I start the course on Monday 2nd February and the courses I am doing last all week. I am trying to prepare myself mentally for what I have to do, but a big part of me is bricking it too. Thankfully the helicopter bit is just a small part of the course. 

I just have to remind myself that I need to do this to help change my life. I need to stay calm and focused - something that is hard to do when your brain is screaming at you 'What have you done?'

The thing is I can't keep doing what I'm doing now.

My life needs to change.

And only I can make that change.

Change is scary, but sometimes change is also good. That doesn't stop me feeling anxious though....wish me luck!

This is the kind of thing that I will be doing, just in case you're interested...


*gulp*
 

A brief recap of what's been going on.....

Well, I promised you a quick update of what's been going on in my life since last we spoke properly and so far I haven't delivered, so here's a brief summary of recent events....

Tonight I attended a Focus Group at The Forum in Norwich which regular visitors to the City will know is the building that is host to The Millenium Library. The Group was organised by a Consumer Research Company on behalf of Norfolk's Big 3 ~ namely Africa Alive, Banham Zoo and The Dinosaur Park. Mrs.Sparky got an invite because she is on their Mailing List and I went on her behalf after qualifying through a short survey. The main focus was on them learning what kinds of effective advertising works best, why we chose the Attractions we do to visit and what could be done to improve local Attractions in general not just the Big 3. All very interesting but I must admit the big draw was that everyone got £30 cash for attending. Ka-ching!

At The Hotel, Bon Jovi Roy has just left following the appointment of Junior-Sous Alan who is under me. He is okay one supposes but nowhere near as good as his own publicity and is making a good sized job of pissing off many of the Front-Of-House staff so we will see how long he lasts. We also have a new Menu called 89 (the address of The Hotel) which we have been doing since New Year and which consists of lots of various home-made burgers served different ways, chicken dishes, fish dishes and various sides. It is quite extensive and took some getting used to (Saturday nights are now absolutely rammed) but everyone seems to be getting into the swing of it now which is good!

As far as recent Kindle books go, I have read a few since I last Blogged but will get on to some of them next time.....

Until then....laters 'taters! More updates soon!

The Last Supper.....

So, last night I had to attend this Company do to say thank-you to some of the staff for all our hard work at The Hotel this last year. All the upper and lower echelons of management were invited which meant that Heads Of Department and their Number Twos got to go ~ hence my invite. The gathering took place at our Sister Hotel in Norwich and consisted of a three course meal with Champagne and Canapes to begin. Sounds alright doesn't it? Actually it was one of the most boring nights of my life!

I don't mean to sound ungrateful but the thought of spending time with the majority of the people I work with in an environment outside of work REALLY does not enthrall me at all at the best of times, let alone at something as formal as a sit down meal!

It didn't exactly help that I was pretty much informed by H.C (Head Chef) that I had to attend! Those of you who know me will know that I am not particularly keen in conforming and if you tell me I have to do something then it makes me less inclined to do it!

Basically what happened is this: I walked in to work the other Friday and there was an envelope waiting for me with my invite enclosed. I opened it, looked at it and thought "What a nice gesture, that's actually quite nice of them for a change....first I get a small pay rise, now this!" Then I considered who else would be going!

Thinking about the people I might have to sit next to filled me with dread. Out of all of them, there were very few people that I actually wanted to be near. I mean sitting in a room with Fingers (nicknamed that behind his back because he is missing a couple of digits), Miss Piggy (with whom I have a bit of a shady working  relationship with at the best of times) or our Function Un-co-ordinator let alone my immediate boss, H.C, really did not appeal. Still I thought maybe it wouldn't be sooo bad.....

Then H.C comes out with a little comment about how it was the kind of thing that you couldn't really say no to, assuming I am going to turn down the invitation before I have even made my mind up, and tells Richard The Manager that he has told me I have to go! To be honest, one of the things that swayed it for me was when Richard turned around and said he was surprised I was going to go as I didn't normally do these sort of things. This kinda made me want to go so I could stick two fingers up and say "Naaah ~ see I did turn up!" Also, I was curious at seeing the other Hotel and having a swanky meal cooked for me!

The best thing about the evening was the food! After Canapes we were treated to an Amuse-Bouche of a pea and mint soup and cheese straw then given a small choice of starters and mains. I had Cajun Beef Skewers which were very tasty and a Rib-Eye steak, Medium-Rare, with Bearnaise Sauce and it was all cooked to perfection. Finally we were given a pre-dessert, a refreshing Sorbet with some Strawberries on the side, and again a small choice of desserts from which I chose Poached Pear with Ginger Ice-Cream which was simply sublime!

The food was the dogs bollocks and looked amazing and tasted really good but service was sooo slow! We sat down a little after 8 PM to eat and sweets went on the table about 10.30 PM-ish. Which was fine except I spent most of the evening bored off my tits. Not just because I wasn't drinking but also because I just found conversation with the people I work with extremely tiresome and there was only a few sparse moments where I felt relaxed and actually enjoyed myself.

I guess I went because I didn't want to look ungrateful and wanted to show I did appreciate The Company taking time out to show how grateful they were for our efforts especially as my job can often be a thankless task at times but they were still going at around 11 PM and by then, I really had had enough! It was all I could do to stop myself from just going to the toilet and making an escape without looking back! In essence, it was four hours of my life that I just lost that I could have spent sitting with my wife and daughter!

I know how this makes me look ~ it makes me seem ungrateful, selfish and a bit spoilt but you know what, who gives a Frak! This is my life, I get one chance to live it how I choose to and why should I spend it doing something I really don't enjoy? I think I summed the whole evening up aptly twice ~ first when I texted Mrs.Sparky to tell her it was "Food off of MasterChef but with the company of CrimeWatch" and then later at home when I told her I would rather put my nuts in a blender than sit through all that again!

There is a reason I don't socialise with people from work, or rather THOSE people, and last night proved it! There were exceptions, I did get on with a few of the people I spoke to there but as a whole I really could have done without all that and don't think I would do it again if I was invited. Or maybe I would because the food was pretty much top notch but I had a chance to escape a bit earlier when Mrs.Sparky's colleague Sarah made her excuses and left and I thought I would stay a bit longer so that I didn't look rude. Big error and one of two schoolboy mistakes I made last night! (The other was trying to gauge where to sit and ending up at the top of the table right next to the two Directors, only one of whom I enjoyed talking to ~ the other being his usual self, a bit of a prig!)

Needless to say, I will not be posting this Blog Post on Facebook! I don't particularly want the wrong people reading this after all and taking it the wrong way and I cannot be arsed to frak about with the Privacy settings just so only the select elite few get to read it! If you can't come on here to read this then that's your let-out and really you're not missing much by not reading this....But I do think I should add that the evening was a very nice gesture but too much about brown-nosing, networking and earning a few precious Brownie points for my liking!

I really am NOT a people person and last night kind of proved that to me! Like I tried to explain to Richard last night I do do eating out, I am just selective about the company I keep. And last night, the company really wasn't to my liking....

This is Sparky signing out and asking:  Do You wanna die young or would You rather have fun? I know what my answer would be!

Parenthood....

Sometimes we don't always appreciate our parents. This week, I had cause once again to appreciate mine.

Tuesday night is my weekly shopping night. Wednesdays are the start of my two and a half days off and I cannot be doing with going with Emilie so I go late after work, around half past ten.

This week as I got out the car, my alarm was bleeping to tell me something was amiss. I figured it was just the indicator, which doesn't always click off when I turn into a parking space, so flicked that up, shut the door and flashed the central locking. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I did not hear the alarm still bleeping and so went off to do my shopping; unaware I had left my lights on!

When I returned, you can guess what had happened! Yes....flat battery! I do have jumper cables but, at that time of night, there was very few people about. And I knew if I phoned my Breakdown people, (not the AA but a cheaper company), they could take ages to come out as I would probably be classed as a low priority!

Luckily, my parents live only about ten miles or so from the Supermarket I use on my way home so I decided to give them a call to see if they would mind just popping out to bail me out. I DID point out that they were under no obligation but still they agreed and came to my rescue! We had a few problems in the dim light of the parking lot because on the battery of a Corsa, you don't get a red and black wire but a brown and red but fortunately there was an AA van parked just up the ways and he shined his headlights on my car so we could better see what was what. Oh....and my jumper cables were too short because Dad's battery is at the front of the engine and mine is at the back so we had to use Dad's cables to start me up!What's more ~ I tried to offer them a fiver for coming out so late and helping me but they wouldn't even hear of it!

Anyway, the long and short of this post is that we don't always appreciate our parents and can be guilty occasionally of taking them for granted! I just wanted to say sometime in the next few days, take a moment and think about all the ways your parents might have bailed you out or given you assistance in a time of need and take time out to show you appreciate them! They won't be around forever and you will miss their guiding hand when they are gone so make sure you treasure them while they are still here!

And if you are a parent, like me, think about that the next time your little one drives you mad, gets you exasperated or makes you want to scream! Just think ~ there were plenty of moments when you too were like that growing up and your parents are still always there for you now!

Maybe if we were all a bit more appreciative of each other, there would be less hate in this world!

And that's Sparky's thought for the day!

Ciao xxxxx