I have not been blogging for a little while, so glad the boards are up and running. I am so appreciative that they came back, I thought perhaps it was something I wrote! The new format is stunning, and I love the colour scheme. I marvel at the technology and thus the people who can make all of this possible. From Oprah and her back up team, to the designers of this forum, to the incredible IT specialists, engineers and the concept they dreamed of and made possible, it is all so amazing and I feel humbled to be able to put in my little bit at the end. My little cat makes a perfect avator, as she loves to sit on my lap when I blog away, and when she was a little bit smaller she would sit on top of the screen for warmth and look down at me. What must go through her mind whenever I sit here, she tries to distract me with her antics, and usually does a good job of this too!

I have been watching a whole rerun of James Bond movies and we are at the 1997 spot with Tomorrow Never Comes. I usually battle to keep up with the long twists and turns, the gadgetry he is given and the latest technology that keeps the movies fast paced and action packed. The earlier JB movies however are now terribly dated, no computers, satellite communications, internet nor cell phones. When I was young we marvelled at the inventions such as concealed listening devices, hidden weapons and his sports cars and of course the beautiful girls. James Bond has changed over the years, each movie more daring and action packed than before, as his persona improves with the ease of microchips that are making the world a smaller place. Now he uses smartcards, wristwatch computers, tracking devices that can plot our every move and of course weapons that can be timed to a millisecond with laser precision. All well and good, but as is with our humanness, the films still require the very human element, as the end product is still about mere mortals with almost invincible qualities, the good versus bad. We stumble out of the movie house after a couple of hours of extreme escapism, feeling guilty that we witnessed the unadulterated battle of wits of clever sociopaths against a white knight who is intent on saving the world. He does it so well, with a dashing flair and a wink of his eye, leaving us swooning at his bravery and also amused by his dallying flirtation with danger. It is entertainment at it's best, so cleverly mastermined by the producers and crafted to leave a lasting impression about life in the fast lane.

My children believe that anything pre the year 2000 is incredibly dated and thus the reruns are beyond the pale. They do not know a life without computers, internet and cell phones. Fortunately being a part of this incredible leap in the past few years in terms of the techno- revolution meant that I have to learn quickly and also stay ahead career wise. In the Bond movies the actors are of all ages and they too had to learn a lot whilst acting their part. I take my hat off to anyone who takes the time out to keep up with this fast paced world of ours, because it certainly has turned the world into a global village where hiding is almost impossible. But never completely so, we have still not mastered the art of mind reading.....

We have been studying cars the past week with a view to upgrading our almost ten year old. She does not have an onboard computer, parking alert, climatic controls and cannot talk to us. All of these options are now available, at a huge price of course. We have been thinking about purchasing a year old, but that has its problems too. All the new vehicles have sealed engines and it is not possible for the amateur mechanics to tweak the inners to prevent a warning light from malfunctioning. How many frustrated machanics there must be in the world. Most of my growing years centered around cars that required last minute repairs before a long road trip. The men would saunter in past midnight with a weary smile that we could finally pack the car for the early morning departure. It was their pride to have greasy hands and overalls and a sense of pride in their skills at mastering the mechanics inside the bonnet. These days the car is taken to a workshop not unlike a clinic, and all the problems are diagnosed on one computer read-out. This is great, but now we are no longer in control of the outcome, expensive repairs and labour costs, no more DIY. Both good and bad and sad. What do men do for hobbies these days now they cannot tinker in their cars. I presume they rebuild the older models. Which is almost going full circle again. As much as technology takes away, it gives back more time to examine our past, where everything took a lot longer to achieve, and records were hand written and often lost in translation.

My children do not know a world without designer cars and instant communication. Fortunately they have enquiring minds and a education to cope with today's challenges. They have access to the most amazing television documentaries and to their credit they have a good general knowledge of how these inventions came about. They have so much information at their fingertips and for myself as the older generation I have no worries about their futures because they are masters at retrieving all they ever need to know with the flick of a switch.

We have observed documentaries studying the geological findings in Egypt and ancient Rome, travelled in old galleons carefully reconstructed by historians using computers to calculate the dimensions and designs, flown aeroplanes that barely lifted off the ground but gave the original inventors the will to carry on, watched explorers discovering unknown tribes in hidden islands. Most of the secrets of the past are completely examined under a microscope and divulged via the internet to enquiring minds. It is a fantastic time to be alive. Each person who participates in the dissecting of information through to presenting it in the visual form we are able to enjoy and assimilate are at the top of their game and I am privileged to be on the receiving end.

One aspect of all this information era that is flawed of course is that somehow people never learn from their mistakes. Wars are still happening because of the baseness of human nature, greed. There is no excuse these days in the first world to be uneducated, because with satellite tracking and modern travel, most corners of the world are fully mapped out and accessible. But unlike the cars we buy, we cannot know what is in the mind of the person standing next to us, unless attached to a computer that hasn't yet been invented to read our thoughts.

With James Bond predicting the future, even that will be possible one day. Will we be able to prevent suffering through greed and malice? Hopefully we are conquering our human failings. It all starts with communication. History has all the answers, technology is spreading the message.

We live in amazing times and it is a privilege to write about it. I am grateful to be here. This is sharing at its best.

Love from Eve

Well, the winter is definitely here to stay for a while. Stormy, wet ,wet, wet, wild and windy and huge seas resulting in waves fit for wacky surfers seeking the perfect monsters to ride and conquer. Which goes to prove that there is a season for everyone. We had a most incredible weather forecast this evening predicting one after another cold fronts with 80% rain and accompanied by snow falls. We have not seen the sun since last Wednesday and the ground is becoming waterlogged. There will not be much improvement this week either. Folks on low lying land are experiencing severe flooding and the health factors of bone chilling cold without shelter are taking their toll. Emergency services are working full time to bale out disaster areas. In our own neighbourhood an elderly person sadly succumbed last night to a gas explosion and the entire house was razed to the ground following the fire that ensued. I am jittery about our gas heater but the men in the family reassure me it is quite safe.

I refuse to call this a phenomenon of global warming as every year when we watch Wimbledon on telly it somehow coincides with the real onset of the cold weather. I was fortunate enough to spend time in Britain during a Wimbledon final many years ago and every year since then I wish I could be back in the sun when I see the spectators enjoying their strawberries and cream in the hot sunshine. Instead we sit and snuggle under blankets and enjoy the excuse to relax for a change. When I saw Bjorn Borg there yesterday with his silver hair that gave me a pang as I remember watching him play all his Wimbledon finals with my heart in my throat, and at the time it was as if I was there. He really made the girls swoon and he has kept his looks. There is hope for us all! As for the two champions playing, such wonderful talent and sportmanship made me feel quite warm inside afterwards. Chivalry and good manners still exist, in fact seem to be improving, as there was no histrionics or bad-mouthing, just two people intent on doing their job well. It was an excellent match and well-worth watching, thanks guys!

As for the "W" game in winter, beside the wacky surfers and Wimbledon, there is also the "waiting" game. No matter what time of the year, it is almost as if we spend a lot of our time waiting for something. When one writes an examination, there is that waiting period for results. All the big occasions in life occur after a long period of waiting. Just as we are waiting for better weather, and my daughter has lodged her application for University and is waiting... There are some who are waiting for a holiday (well, me, there's not much on the cards right now!), waiting for a significant birthday, a visit from someone special, waiting for a new baby, a new year, an operation, a pay rise, and as the saying goes, waiting to exhale! It is actually best not to hold one's breath for anything, in fact it is best not to wait too long for anything. Life is not a rehearsal.

Thus we went on a mini holiday this weekend. It is our habit to take a winter holiday in July because the summer holidays are never available due to pressure of work. This year pressure of finances has also made a winter holiday impossible. Fortunately as I mentioned in my previous blog, we are only five minutes away from the countryside and we spent an afternoon at the farm. We were greeted by the three happy dogs, two horses, guinea-fowls and various other farm birds. The air was bracing and the river alongside the farm was in full flow. Wellington boots weather, with slippery slushy ground underfoot, the very weather to collect tadpoles in a jar and take the dogs on long walks. A few hours away from the home routine was a tonic. My father treated us to an evening meal at a nearby restaurant with a log fire and all the atmosphere of a huge farmhouse. We toasted the end of a long wait for my son who is completing his college studies at the end of this week, and my daughter who has stolidly and determinedly kept up her studies throughout her challenges. It was wonderful to sit together in a warm and cosy environment and celebrate "Christmas in July". It was as if we have all the gifts we needed, just being together and anticipating a promising future. All the hard work will be worthwhile after all. Not much longer now......... take care, love from Eve