Tuesday, June 30, 2009





I have a red spot
at the end of my nose.

I don't have a spot anywhere else -
promise.
But, I have one
at the end of my nose.

Hello again.
I feel I have not blogged for ages.
I have, but not the sort of blog
which free-flows and is as personal as I aim to be.

Lots of things are happening around the
Leaning Towers of pipwilson.com.

Every period of life is strange/unique.
Every day is a fresh start for us all.
In our soul, if not our habits.
'Let us go across to the other side'.

I/me/we are on a journey.
The line between faith and stupidity
is a thin one.
'And leaving the crowd behind'.

Some one say that the way we have lived our lives is stupid.
Some would say that living a life of faith is courageous.
Many have said the former, few the latter.
It seems to me that if you choose the latter,
you still fumble and stumble into the former.
As try as humans can and do,
we are human after all.
'Why are you afraid?'

I don't do afraid much.
I don't scare easily.
And, if you chose to step away from the crowd, the stream,
you expect to feel alone sometimes ..............
'Have you still no faith?'


When I became a Christian at the age of 21
my overriding preoccupation was
'how could God accept someone as thick and stupid as me?'
I knew I wasn't clever.
Never passed an exam at school
(they didn't even tell me when they were happening)
I felt ugly
I was fat
I had a foul mouth - I think I was disgusted with myself.
but I had chosen to get down on my knees and talk to God.
I was determined, not to try this new thing, but commit myself totally and completely.

Things have happened through life - I grew up late. I tell people that I became an adult when I was about forty years old. That is when I accepted ME - myself. I had, for years, believed that God accepted me, I had worked that through, but this 40 thing was when I believed, in all my ugliness - stupidity -miss-education - inarticulateness da de da, I was beautiful.

That is why I tell others they are beautiful.
I believe they are.
AND 99% don't know it and certainly don't FEEL it.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
We have shed a few tears in Wilson Mansions recently.
Beautiful tears.
We are downsizing our home to fit into Mini-Mansions.
We are coming across photos from the expanse of our lives together - and before.
Joan found a letter today from her Grandmother, fondly called 'Mo-Nana', because our kids when they wee little couldn't say 'another Nana'. The letter had been written to Joan on the birth of our first child. Tears flowed down. Beautiful tears ..........

More tears when we are gifted by beautiful humans. We know we would not be able to move on without the help of others and that comes in waves....... tears like waves. Beautiful tears.

We have signed on the dotted line.
It looks like it will be::
Keys to a new door in three weeks time.
Move in to a small flat before Greenbelt.

We consider it to be a
'long now decision'.
We will be able to afford to live there on a pension - eventually.

We will be moving out of London
It will be near where our daughter Joy lives.
It is a small flat in a block of twelve,
ground floor, no garden, council tax a third less,
and 14 minutes walk to a station
so I can continue working and meeting up with you.

We have resided in a place called uncertainty
during the past four months.
Faith is thin line between stupidity and we have stepped into both zones.
Joan and me walk on
with some significant help from others.
We are as appreciate as can possibly be.

All this is personal. I believe in being/becoming as much as able.
That is what 'Level Five' Communication' is all about.
Believe it - live it.

I am moist now - so I will end ....... and it is nothing at all to do with the red spot!

At the very end of my first book
'Gutter Feelings',
I quoted this Bible verse::
'Seek the Shalom of the city
where I have sent you,
because in it's Shalom
you will find your own Shalom'

Sunday, June 28, 2009






TRIPOD QUESTION


Pillars which give me balance in my life.
Stops me falling over - completly.
These are significan because all are needed
yesterdy
today
(and I am certain) -
tomorrow.

1... Belonging
2... Faith
3... Vulnerability.



1... Belonging to groups including family. Giving to. Receiving from. Being open in there. Dynamically learning. Becoming.

2... Faith. A developing faith in a divine creator who is with me and is a developing, changing - up and down relationship, which feeds my soul - inner me and a life lived.
Not being static and refusing to change. Not being safe. Edgy.

3... Vulnerability - is an ability. A skill which can only follow increasing awareness. I want to be in that place. I reside there now. Right now.
Being open and honest about my experiences, ups and downs, and striving to share them alongside my delights in life.



Life is a TRIPOD.

Which three humans have been significant in your life?
Providing balance when needed - or at certain periods of time?








Me
1 Clive Rimmer
2 Jim Punton
3 Martin Wroe.



....... and you?
(Click to enlarge the pic)
and say which pic describes you at this moment?

Friday, June 26, 2009

NO SUN DRIED TEARS


Every summer holiday
I take an iPod or two with me.
Before that a case load of CD's
before that a case load of cassettes!

Always always
I listen to one Opera.
I have two versions of it.
I listen and know every
beat
every
heartbeat.
Every note
every climax
ever sob
knock on the door
every melody.
I always listen to Puccini's Madame Butterfly.

This year we are not holiday-ing.
No beached whale with headphones.
No sun bleached beach cafes to practice Juliet Bravo.
No rooftop tavernas overlooking a Greek harbour.
No Puccini in the sun.
No weeping as the Opera unfolds.
No sun dried tears.

For my birthday Joan made
a dream of mine come true.
We went to see Madame Butterfly
at the London Coliseum Theatre.

I knew every note.
I loved every solo.
I loved every spoken/sung lyric.
(for the first time ever!
I heard an English version)
and it was magnificent.

What surprised me was the production.
What touched my inner and outer
was the colour scope.
Not just the costumes
but the lighting and stage rig.
It brought extra dimensions into my brain.
And I shed a tear at the end.

If you ever have the chance ............













Thinking about Zig our cat.

I wonder how he feels ....
This big Giant of a human holding him in his arms every night, consistent,
always the same,
held gently on his back,
always carried slowly,
always a kiss to his furry cheek,
always placed gently down next to his food ......

.... do you feel like that .......


Thursday, June 25, 2009


A Blessing for Leaders
May the gift of leadership
Awaken in you as a vocation,
And keep you mindful of the providence
That calls you to serve.
As High over the mountain the eagle spreads its wings,
May your perspective be larger than the view from the foothills.
When the way is flat and dull in times of grey endurance,
May your imagination continue to evoke horizons.
May you have the wisdom to read time clearly
And know when the seed of change will flourish.
In your heart may there be a sanctuary
For the stillness where clarity is born.
May your work be infused with passion and creativity
And have the wisdom to balance compassion and challenge.
May your soul find the graciousness
To rise above the fester of small mediocrities.
May your power never become a shell
Wherein your heart will silently atrophy.
May you welcome your own vulnerability
As the ground where healing and truth join.
May integrity of soul be your first ideal,
The source that will guide and bless your work.

John O’ Donohue

Wednesday, June 24, 2009


Today me and Joan went to a funeral.
A very special
beautiful human.

Joyce Mealand died last week.
The King of the Coffee Bar at the Mayflower.
We worked together for 10 years.
I knew all her family.
Our kids grew older alongside their kids.

Today we entered into the East End culture again.
So sweet. Sweet as a nut.
We drove down streets I knew the names of::
Barking Road
(past Rathbone Market)
Kerry Close
Hermit Road
Butchers Road
Freemasons Road

and I didn't know where I was.
Years have changed so much.
That white Cockney manor is now multi-racial
beautifully mixed with colour and dress style.
Foods to make your mouth water.
Shops have changes
roads have changed
but the cemetery has not.
It is still the same place I came to to bury so many young humans
dead before their time.

Beautiful to meet so many humans I have not seen for years.
They all seem older now - other than me!
It has been 24 years since we left behind that community.
The Canning Town community
I love it love it.

It was a powerful experience.
Left us drained emotionally.
Remembering Joyce
weeping tears.
being with so many
sharing their grief.

Jim, Joyce's husband, was using a wheelchair.
Rather frail but keen to talk, bright and full of his usual wit.
He grabbed my arm as I kneeled by his wheelchair
directly in front of the open grave.
He had been so pleased
to receive a card from Bishop Roger who worked with us.
"Portishead" he said, "that is where I was evacuated to in the war -
can you tell Roger that I was there" He described the place to me.

I have images in my head -
Images of little children
with their name written on cardboard held by string around their necks
being evacuated from London Docklands to avoid Hitler's bombs.
I never knew this about Jim.

So we walked a journey
We drove through only partly familiar streets
but we loved the meeting with others
the remembering of Joyce and all she has meant.
....... and there is so much more ........









It was 28th November.
I sat down for a one-on-one..
A student, a student at the
George Williams YMCA College
Youth Work student.
I took some notes
as always.

His name was Dave Mitchell
from Northern Ireland.
A beautiful human.
He told me about himself.
I took notes - 'recordings' we call them in the biz.

The year was 1980
I found the notes this week.
Part of the Wilson Mansions downsizing.

I found a file full of supervision notes.
I was leading a large youth work project
in the East End of London UK.
This week I shredded them all -
but one.

Last night I met Dave in Da Mario,
favourite family run Italian in Covent Garden.
This had been arranged to coincide with his visit
from NI. He was at a conference today.
And I found the notes this week -
and I gave them to him last night.
Nearly 30 years later.

We talked for hours.
Catching up on 29 years apart.
it was a beautiful human experience.
Here is a Pipturesque.

He is running a programme in Lisburn.
One as a result of the Good Friday agreement there.
All about community well-being,
relationships between humans who are different.
Sometimes humans who are different avoid each other!
(In your community? - are you one of them?)

Where he lives there has not been a history of that =
avoiding!
It has been
more like warring -
more like killing.
Thank God for all Peace agreements
all Peace lovers
and better still -
all Peace MAKERS.



Grace strikes us
when we walk
through the dark valley
of an empty
and meaningless life…

when, year after year,
the longed for perfection
does not appear,
when the old compulsions rage within us as they have for decades,
when despair destroys all joy and courage.

Sometimes at that moment a ray of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying,

‘ You are accepted.
You are accepted,
accepted by that which is greater than you,
and the name of which you do not know.

Do not ask for the name now;
perhaps you will find it later.
Do not do anything now;
perhaps later you will do much.
Do not seek anything,
do not perform anything,
do not intend anything.
Simply accept the fact that you are accepted.’

If that happens to us,
we experience grace.


paul tillich

Tuesday, June 23, 2009




For and in remembrance of Neda Soltani RIP

Article 1.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

"You and me become aware
when we share our feelings
and thoughts with others.
It is always there -
churning around in
the cement mixer in our head
but
it only becomes
-real
-formulated
-concrete
when we pour it out
in the presence of others."




"Love with every passion blending"

I am catching Big Brother late night from the Hard Disc recording system.
I note that some of the humans annoy me.
THEY don't annoy me - it is their behaviour.
(in fact it is not them - these are my feelings - they are not making me do/feel/think anything - these feelings are all mine. Their behaviour is triggering ME)

I transpose my feelings
my reflections
to humans I meet every day.
It makes me think ......
How my feelings can direct my behaviour and
my attitudes.
I am trying to learn from Big Brother.

When I am working with groups
I don't recall feeling annoyed with
real humans in the flesh.
I am tuned in to accept anything in terms of behaviour -
and language. (I don't mean violence or abusing people).

I think, when I am watching BB, I am more switched off.
More apart.
More in learning mode.

I always want to be deep
not superficial.
Sometimes I am give up and be conservative.
I am glad it is not too often .......

I am thinking of you now.
How do you react to humans on TV or in flesh?
The inner reactions
The behaviour, outer, reactions.
Do you sometimes feel you mess up?
Do you regret?

Whatever the above - you are still beautiful.
Behaviour does not stop you being loved
100%
Precious
Special
Unique
A beautiful human person -
loved with every passion blending ..............

Monday, June 22, 2009


PIPTURESQUE

Some great pix coming out of the U2 'get in' in Barcelona.

From St Helens Rugby League in their rampaging through the Super League - come on the Saints!

And some wondrous ones out of Germany from Volker and Uli - ever faithful friends.

Thursday we see the solicitor regarding a home on the horizon

Still not fixed but approaching hope.
Maybe Wilson Mansions will be no more soon?
Maybe small flat Mansions is close ?


Sunday, June 21, 2009

Blob Tree Tools- we can facilitate workshops/produce a Blob Tool for your group too!

The Blob Tree



  • BLOB TREE TOOLS
GREAT TOOLS TO GET HUMANS
communicating.........
It uses primary language - non verbal communication, facial recognition - understood by all humans of any language. Ideal for 1 on 1, research, team work and::
Ideal for Group Work.
Used worldwide in education, Emotional Literacy education, education psychologists, counseling, human development and more.

Giant Blob Feelings Poster
By Pip Wilson & Ian Long

Giant Blob Feelings Poster

Click to enlarge

UK Price: £9.95 + VAT
Format: Poster
Pages: 1
Series: Blobs
Published: 11/07/2008
ISBN:
Order Code: 0035518W
Status: Available & in print

Add To Basket

<<>

Over 50 individual blobs on one giant poster! With so many blob pictures on one poster you will never run out of ideas for discussion. Includes notes for guidance. All ages.

Contents:
1 A1-sized poster (84 x 59.4xcm), laminated


Other titles by this author:
Big Book of Blob Feelings
Big Book of Blob Trees
Big Book of Blobs
Blob Ball
Blob Posters
Blob Tree Posters
Blobtastic Sticker Book
Emotions Blob Cards
Family Blob Cards
Feelings Blob Cards
Mini Blob Posters
Mini Blob Tree Posters
SET: Big Blob Books Set of 2
SET: Blob and Mini Blob Poster Set
SET: Blob Collection
SET: Giant Blob Feelings Posters (4)
Teenage Life Blob Cards