Friday, June 30, 2006






.... STILL IN ENGLAND AND IT IS FOOTBALL TALK .....
HOT HOT HOT.


The expectation is to win.
The supporters are wishing it.
The team prepared.

I am working at getting away to Grece on Sunday ........ one job done was to get my monthly eNewsletter out last night.
(Monthly - I don't think so - sorry)

If you have not got one in you little
inb
ox - email me and I will fwd a copy to you ........
but please subscribe free by clicking here .............


I will be blogging during the holidays as I relax and churn and yearn too.

bhp

.

Thursday, June 29, 2006








I speak two languages ::
Body and English









.... these are photos of the Sheilas - a few years ago.
Note the one of Ann in her pram in Monte Carlo and our Camper Van in the background.......

Juliebensonjuliebenson
asked me this terrible question ::

Pip-

What are two of the most beautiful songs you know?

Me?

Otis Reading- I've been loving you
Cat Stevens Trouble
Jeff Buclkey- Hallelujah


So her goes ......
(the answer really is

all the new stuff which is outoftheboxness)

But here goes ::

I have had to do it
the toughest of questions

Don't Say Nuthin (Instrumental) The Roots
Try Sidsel Endresen, Bugge Wesseltoft
One U2







Dance like no-one is watching
Sing like no-one is listening
and
Love like you have never been hurt


.

"Alienation is often a function of not knowing another human being.

I have good relations with almost all the other bishops,
those who agree and those who don't agree with me.

I will bend over backwards to build good relations with those who don't agree with me."






- Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori,
newly-elected presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US.
She is the first woman church head in the worldwide Anglican Communion



.

WW .......

....... has been lighting up the South Bank of London Town - wee bit.

Missed the toast by the side of the river last night.

Here is a blog relateing to WW.
Dave - see the link below does some great stuff about Greenbelt past. He also brought a dog to Greenbelt one year. We spent ages watching it do tricks for us when sipping cool stuff in the bar at the end of the day.
Unusual?
It was a Sony dog - woof woof ............

Dave clicks this bit ::
I found all my old photo albums and slide collection which covers numerous concerts as well as Greenbelt from about 1979.

Seeing all those old faces brought the memories back. Days at college, youth group weekends away, sharing a flat with Trish in Brixton (probably the worse dive I've ever lived in), various trips around Europe, and my life at Greenbelt.

It is quite fitting that most of the concert pictures I have of Greenbelt are Steve Farnie & Bev Sage in their different bands. Farnie was a huge influence on me at the tender age of 17 when I first turned up at Greenbelt. I'd never realised Christians could be so normal, and abnormal, all at the same time. It was the early days of punk (although Saturday Night Fever was all the rage) and Fish Co, as they were then, took main stage (the only stage in those days) by storm. I rushed out and spent all my food money on Beneath the Laughter. Probably out of date when you listen to the songs and compare them to the band live, but still today an excellent album. I've always likened it to Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits which came out about the same time. When I first heard Dire Straits on the radio I thought it was Fish Co.

Sadly Steve Farnie died over a decade ago now - his influence on others was shown by the turn out to his funeral - over a thousand people turned up. I hadn't realised how wide this influence had gone - the closing lines of the Zoo TV show were "I have a vision... television", borrowed from Farnie.

In the funeral book of condolense Bono wrote
"You have the vision, I just had the television".
I discovered this recently in an interview given by Willie Williams who started out life on the road with Fish Co, Famous Names, Writz..... It's a great article and I really recommend you spend time reading it - you can see just how much Steve Farnie influenced Willie Williams, especially in the world of art. When Willie's on tour with U2 his first port of call seems to be the nearest art gallery - something that seems to stem back to the many hours spent with Farnie, who taught him the relationship between art movements and music movements.

You can find the link here to Farnie
http://emmoworld.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, June 28, 2006


"Blob Tree"
"Blob Tree Mini-Posters"
"Blob Tree A3 Posters"

..... what more could you wish for in terms of tools for the Toolbox of Life?

Well - maybe one of the two new books coming out in time for Grenbelt - or maybe you will want both?

"If all ou have in your toolbox
is a hammer

you will see everything as a nail."

It is so sad to meet so many humans who don't consider that it is worth searching for more tools.
It is like giving up!

Come on - Jump the stinking groove!!!!


‘In times of change
the learners
will inherit the earth,
while the knowers
will find themselves
beautifully equipped
to deal with a world
that no longer exists’
Eric Hoffer


.
Dead Ringers

I am fascinated by the pod-cast I was listening to - how we can dispose of Mobile Phones because they could be made biodegradable.

Two best ideas I liked ::

The circuit board made out of a sheet of pasta. When the chips are removed and re-cycled, the pasta can be dug into the garden to decompose in it's own time.

The back cover is biodegradable and a small seed is stuck inside the mobile phone. When it is past it's age of usefulness - it is planted in the garden and the back cover disintegrates and the seed grows into a flower - good eh?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have no pressure now.
No big gigs before the holidays.
Things to do.
Big clear-up needed.
Prep for post-holiday gigs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not tired.
Gym today and not tired there - even.
Busy - but relaxed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
55555555 WORDS TO DESCRIBE MY LIFE AT THE MOMENT 55555555

A deeper sense of me - that above is all just stinking surface ::
:: OTHERS ::
Mix of Joy and Sad
War
Beauty
acid-indigestion-bitter-full
Life and love goes on in conflict
(They are not really words - but feelings)

:: SELF ::
Positive
Eager
low-key-summer-excited
Loved
RefreshRefreshRefresh


......... and you?







.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Group-Work starting off by Dunking Donuts .................




I was about to run a session called 'Donut' where we start the session with eating donuts and dipping them in a fondue filled with warm chocolate .....

The night before two turned up for Donut.
I am working in a Hostel and the aim is to build a sense of belonging amongst special humans with special needs.
Sometimes I am on my own.
Sometimes overcrowded.
Now .............
it was 10 minutes past starting time and I only had two turn up.


Then came ::

Tony
Mickey
Mike
Karl
Mandy
Caroline

Here I was with a strange climate to conduct group work.
- new ones were sitting with arms folded.
- It is difficult to eat donuts, strawberries and chocolate with your arms folded.

We realxed as we dunked together and had a cup of tea ......
Then I did an exercise I had never done before.
I used a big box of matches.
I used a line of matches – I will walk through what I did and you can see the photo here.

1 the first match was placed down in full red headedness - an unused match.

2 the second I stuck and blew out immediately.

3 the third I let burn half way before extinguishing.

4 the fifth was burned out completely.

5 the sixth was simply kept redheaded but broken almost in two

6 this one I split down the middle with my thumb nail.


Then I asked all to my question - ”which match is you?”
I started first.
I believe I must start with self revelation - otherwise it is unfair to ask them to do something which may open up their vulnerability.
I started sharing how I had been battered in life, the half burned one was me, and yet that was a quality because I had been hurt and damaged by life – and have learned from the burning – the dark side of me.

All did it.
Each took their turn.
Even though a number were first timers.
And - there was a fantastic climate of 'listening'.
Fertile soil.

Tony said something special.
He said he was two matches.
One the used and blown out, and the other because he feels sometimes/often – broken.
Remarkable honesty.
Good for him to ‘own’ that – and great for others who were not finding it that easy to reach out and touch their reality.

All was going well when ……..
Big Brian and Big Jeff stumbled in and joined us around the circle of comfy chairs.
Tattoos and all.
The vibe changed.
(Afterwards a few said they felt scared - they are big men).


They came in when I was conducting the next phase.
I gave everyone a new match and asked everyone to say how they wanted their match to be in the future.
I said to Big Brian, as I threw him a match, “You can do what you want with it as long as you don’t burn the Hostel down”
He scowled and asked did I know his 'previous'. (previous convictions)
A tense moment***.

Some deep and powerful answers then flowed as humans made flowers from their matches.
Bent and twisted their match - formed a smile with it.
Big Jeff fell asleep. Alcohol does that to you sometimes.
Imagination was rife – with a struggle.

Big Brian said, as he removed the red bit from his match,
”this is a cornerstone”.
This is the cornerstone for the future.
He then asked (directed us in real terms!) to all to stay as he left the room…………………….

He returned in a few minutes with a most beautiful hand crafted picture frame with a photograph of his daughter in it.
Looking closer – it was compiled completely out of many matches.
Lightly varnished.
Beautiful.
He had made this work of art and beauty in Prison.
An object of no real value but valuable beyond measure to him........... and to me with a depth of emotion.

The group stilled.

Time and Donut Group was finished.
The group lingered on and talked more - on and on.
Others came and hung out.
Two more regulars strolled in late as usual.
And ........
Big Brian started trying to organise a class for eager humans. To be creative with matches.
He wanted to be the corner stone for them.
He wanted to help with his skill.
He wanted to be, not just a Community Taker, but a COMMUNITY MAKER.



It was well gone midnight and we were still playing music and drifting in and out of significant conversations.
Fertile soil.
Community.
Being and becoming.




Reflecting on this ::
It had been a poor start - few in number.
It had grown and become a wondrous developmental climate.
The group, having formed, was disrupted by outsiders - big and aggressive.
I had been threatened in it.
I had felt the aggression.
I had never ever done this match group exercise before.
Big Brian had never ever been to the group before.
That evening he came to the Donut Group – and we used used the matches exercise on that very evening.
Big Brian and me recon it was God doing his stuff.
A miracle of small or large proportions – depending on your inclinations.
A positive step for individuals.
A positive step in terms of group,community, understanding, development, belonging and experiential extreme.



**Big Brian, in passing, told me afterwards that he had once burned his former school down - that is why he became threatening when I mentioned burning down the Hostel!



.

IN MY BAND





.... in my Band of Friends


Here* is my Bono











*Martin

Monday, June 26, 2006




"I slashed my arm to the bone"
"I have just come out of mental hospital"

Words said to me as
'first ever words' .. .. .. .. ..


I feel pleased because that human person has just said their first words to me EVER .. ... .. .... .. ... . ... up 'till now there has been avoidance.
So I am pleased.

Accepting people as they are is always the right thing
but not always the easy thing.

I want to tell you who I am because I believe that
vulnerability is a strength not a weakness .....

but it still feels vulnerable .....
The inner me feels that .....

I hate to say this but,
I sometimes have an inner 'cringe' at the disaster of a life lived.
Someone with massive issues
Outside my own 'first hand' experience.
Outside ........
the 'on show me' ........ is a sensitive and loving me,
not shocked,
not cringing away
never
......and that is real.
But I feel some considerable pain when I stand or sit or get in close to a human in pain .....

I have the deepest of feelings for the damaged souls.
It comes down to the soul.
It is not just body damage,
not just mental damage,
not just a lifetime of rejection ........
........................................ it is soul damage.
Damaged by a collection of the above and sometimes more,
and other life-stuff we will never will know about.

The damage it can do to my soul .............
it is draining and the need and skill and awareness to stay positive
and loving
loving humans
is a drain.

That is why I need you.
Need my friends.
Need people who love me and accept me.
(or just accept me - that is fine)
That is soul food.
That is the thing I live for.
Giving till it hurts and receiving - like the thirsty human that
........ I am!

So I do these things.
I write and reflect and learn.
I need to write because,
that too,
is soul food.


"Whenever I am particularly evil,
I'm extra nice to strangers for at least two years.
I've spent so much money on beggars.
I'm handing out £50 notes.
Beggars are so godly, they always run after me:
'Miss, you've given me too much.'
That's the spirit of Jesus"

Julie Burchil


.





.






True drops of love



We must not think that our love has to be extraordinary.
But we do need to love without getting tired.
How does a lamp burn?
Through the continuous input of small drops of oil.
These drops are the small things of daily life:
faithfulness,
small words of kindness,
a thought for others,
our way of being quiet,
of looking,
of speaking,
and of acting.
They are the true drops of love
that keep our lives
and relationships
burning like a lively flame.


- Mother Teresa




.


Four Brothers

..... one of them is me ...... can you tell ....... which one?

My Dad worked the Coal Mines and his great plan was - we all became a Tradesman.
One became a Bricklayer
another an Electrician
a Painter and Decorator
an Engineer.

Education at a Higher level was not considered.
Was not what was done in working class families in those days.
===================

Feel much more relaxed now.
Had a day of Church and relax.
Feel the pressure is off.
No big gigs and then away for two weeks come Sunday.
Busy week ahead - catch up stuff.
Invoices out
files sorted
Games bags sorted
Instead of being spread all over two beds!
Docs/mtgs/mailbox/hol prep/gym/
In fact - I will do my strategy tomorrow.
=============================

Joy back from Barcelona today
have missed her
will not see her for at least three weeks.
============================

Watched a football match today
In parts
not the whole
restless
but the England games start to interest a wee bit now
Soon I will be watching the final stages in Greece!
Great amongst a group of internationals
=============================
Whatever happens to us
is not as important as
what happens in us.

I have been churning these thoughts over the last days
Beyond self is a world of wonder
journey
a road less travelled
Thought and pondered in Church this morning
so much to discover out there
spiritual things and grooves and swings
are all happening
but
also the interior
me
you
===========================

Up this morning
eyes hardly opening
Church heavy
tired - sleepy
guess my frame knows that holidays loom
Right eye leaking
hardly see through it
will not read for me
all the time
leaking
also the swinging blanket in there
blocking vision.

Church takes me
NO - opens for me
Doors to reflection
into realms beyond myself
self is a dangerous place
there is so much about the journey inwards
and much outside
the exterior ....................
=================

I will being conducting a review of my life
in Greece
as usual
always helps
....................... thanx for being here ..........



...... If I am anything as a beautiful human, it is what I .................

feel
think
value
esteem
weep
respect
observe
believe
my relationships
skills
awareness
and love


Terrible Teens

I am fed up of him
Sleeps all day
then stays out all night
bad habits
you worry you know






This beautiful
non-human
I love him
Zig-d-Cat
Resident at the Wilson Mansions


.

Saturday, June 24, 2006




A Man Walks into a Bar ......






A jumper cable walks into a bar.
The bartender says,
“I’ll serve you, but don’t start anything.”







A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says:
“A beer please, and one for the road.”







A dyslexic man walks into a bra.



.


Cool Beer
fan in face
westwood/hip hop in the radio
Naz the new one
Joan watching the round ball
round world cup
me clicking you
downloading pix
from the week
about 50 a day
friday 95
fantastic moments/seconds
of faces
always humans
never scenes
drink in the memory
interactions
transactions
I am on drugs
transaction drugs
I yearn to be with these human
drink in their lives
sip from their cup
of experience
ask questions
always questions
slow with opinions
full on feelings
loveitloveitloveit
cannot tell you
lots of
confidential
thinking about things shared
like
"My father always made me know I was fat.
I could never make
him love me.

I decided nobody would love me unless I was perfect.
I felt ugly,
as if I was falling
down a dark hole."

jane Fonda
Guardian
and I believe in
beautiful imperfection
of self
of others
governments too
they are humans
even journalists
so I pour my life
out
never oppressive
I trust
liberating
I trust
always learning
always residing
in
a place
called

uncomfortable
so grow
and thinking of you and your beauty
(must buy the album
BEAUTY ROOM)
but you and your beauty
do you feel like a bud?
of a flower?
or are you fully open
at
potential?
thinking
we need to lean towards the light
the sun
the son
the source of beauty
and
become .......................




.









Hi - I am aware that I was so tired last night that I just dribbled something on the keys and .............

I want to push some photos at you here below and above ......... humans part of my life this week ........ beautiful humans .....

On Thursday Joan and me met Ann Sheila in our favourite Greek Cafe in Camden Town - London Town ......... fab food and a great man is Sami the owner and Chef Special .... ........... and then I was off the keyboard planet for the Friday ............... mixing with some of these who you see on your computer screen ............ hmmmmm

Today I have been at the last Trustee meeting before the most wondrous Greenbelt Festival ............. there will be another two Management Meetings before the great event ............ but ever so close now.

If you have a moment between two deep breaths .......... can you consider coming and joining us? May even see you among the 20 Thousand humans who are about life and living - outoftheboxness and wanting to have fun and drink at the Greenbelt well ........ Consider?

Church in the morning and a phone call with Richard in India - d Sunday Papers - Lunch in the Sun - I trust ....... and a chilling strategy as we head for the last six days before our annual trek away on holiday hey hey.

I have a book full of little notes to reflect on ........ and I like doing that here ............ with you alongside me ......... I want life to be experiential and learn from it by reflection and being and becoming ...........

will be back over the w/e ........... lovetoloveyoubaby

.

Friday, June 23, 2006








...... HI
..... BIT OF A DAY OFF YESTERDAY ........

went to Blue water Shopping Centre which I think is great.
Spent a chunk of time in the Apple shop getting a Mac issue dealt with.
Spent chunk 2 in the Opticians getting another eye test for d Doc
and never saw Bluewater
stink

I want to see the eye Surgeon at the Eye Hospital in January and have just received the date for my eye-op
17th October
cool
I can now keep that week gig-free
I guess I will look like a black eyed pea!

At a Greenbelt Trustees mtg. all day in the morning.
Was up at 5 this am and home at gone 7.
Need to stop.
Will blog proper tomorrow.
You are beautiful

.




Five Photos to describe my life at the moment .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Wednesday, June 21, 2006





Question::

Does Your brain improve by exercising it?

Answer: ::
To have denser nerve connections and more blood vessels, a balancing task is necessary.
The mental demands of making the muscles work leads to a ‘pumped up’ brain.
Therefore a ‘fit’ brain may help people stay mentally alert as they age.







........ and ............ A long lingering kiss exercises 29 facial muscles.!


.

....... walk with me .. .. .. .. ......

..... I am working a conference
about growing .... leaders/participants/involvement/confidence/leadership
a task is given to all the groups of 6/5 beautiful humans
some move from social loafing to engagement
pressure to present before their peers is enough
the hierarchical leaders are not permitted to present to the plenary
team work
sharing the roles out
and they start to pump out the task
and then I stop them in full speed
I ask them to stop and look at me
that means
listening
some don't
at first
task is more important than
listening
then I ask for feelings
quietness
no offers
I press
contacting our feelings is hard anytime
for some
but
during a task it is .......
then the feelings roll out
resentment/anger/frustration/agitation/irritation
all being honest
all at aimed at me
I have stopped them in mid flow
then the message breaks through the dam
our task can be the greatest hindrance to our primary product
humans!
human development.
In our every day work
we get so 'task' that our awareness slips the frame.
I loved the impact and learning in all that
particularly when I stopped the task
the feelings present
yet so many not being able to contact them
articulate them
the whole issue
we can be so 'task'
and not be sensitive to our main product
human development/involvement/participation
We must do the tasks but always a duel job
humans developing.
The journey into awareness
is
eternal.
there is so much we do not know
some did and bubbled about it afterwards.


unconsciously incompetent
consciously incompetent
consciously competent
unconsciously competent


I have used this methodology several times with groups ............ very powerful
it leaves me with some special experience
and us all .............


.





Beautiful
Humans


...... I am feeling a bit bad because I have been neglecting authentic communication to you via these keys and in other ways if you have been trying to get through to the Wilson Mansions ......... I have been working away and away and I am in catch up .... as always I have the most fab photos but have not been here to post them BUBUTBUT keep your eyes on your little glass screen with the pipdotcom at the top and you will see some great pix - always humans .........

5555555555555555555555555
Just five words to describe my life at the moment
feelingbadasabove
bit-dead-headed
temp-tired
eager-4holidays
stimulated like mad - from the past four days hey hey

I am ok
I feel good under the tired bit
and I will be catching my breath tomorrow and
working on my imperfection again.

I feel such a deep sense of love for the humans I have been with ........... love ......
....... I cannot think of other words to describe the feelings .....
... it is like a yearning for them
not that I want them to do anything
become anything
be or become
but I feel I want to know them more
their interior
their journey
their beautiful lives and thoughts and feelings and words expressed about this thing called
the road less traveled ...........

....... same to you too
even though we cannot catch eye to eye right now
somehow we touch finger tips ......... now ........
that is intimate ......
and I feel good about it as I go now and lie on my bed for a few moments ....
and then go to a place which is called 'sleep' but .....


.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006


Uli and Volker my friends ....... they support Germany you know .....

...... understandable - they live there ...

Monday, June 19, 2006


..... Pip Dot Com is away at Training Conference - just a couple of days. Will post a few pix because wi-fi is humming around my ears. Bit tired as I was away over the w/e and dids not have the time to connect with my soul in terms of prep-propa!! It is always stimulating being here or anywhere with humans who are opening up like flowers to the sun ..... loveitloveit loveit

.







.... Blog-pip-man-

Sunday, June 18, 2006






Well well ....... just had my laptop keyboard up-d-creek for a day ....
..... just got it going ......

Was worried because I am on a two day training gig Mon/Tues and all my brains are downloaded here.
More important - the sense and creativity from a great number of friends and wondrous mac humans ......



Now I am away in Tonbridge Wells on our L5 w/e.
It is something special to be with humans who have been together over 26 years. We never have to explain anything from the past. The stories now, often with references backwards, all make sense with continuity.

You may find it strange to sit in a room and each human around you having an hour to talk about their life. With lots of questions of course. Always liberating questions. Always beautiful.
It is always a pressure to come away at the end of a busy week. Yet it is the most beautiful experience - to LEVEL FIVE.

"One of the most pervasive emotions in the atmosphere around us is fear.
People are afraid – afraid of inner feelings,
afraid of other people,
and also afraid of the future.
And fearful people have a hard time waiting."
Henri Nouwen

I find I tap some inner depths when I talk - get deep and moved about some aspect of my stumble through life - other elements bring enthusiasm up through my throat. I bubble. I tap a sharing energy - some of that because of the thirsty ears around me.

Hope you are ok and others around you are ok?
(I'm ok - you are ok)

Hope this text does not make you sick?
Hope it may ask you to consider starting a Level Five group.
It can be done.
Just needs a step outside the comfort zone.
It is beautiful ....
You are beautiful ..............

"By the way, the hardest part of unconditional Love is accepting wherever we are at in the moment no matter how uncomfortable.
The hardest part of acceptance is not the difficulty of allowing others their process (although Lord knows that can be very hard); it is allowing ourselves our own process without shame and judgment.
I can do that now most of the time.
I know now that when it feels like crap it is not punishment, it is not because I am bad or wrong or defective. . .
What I know now is that when it feels like shit that means that I am being fertilized to help me grow."

~Robert Burney