I feel a new cap coming on ...

-- Post From My iPhone

West Africa food crisis appeal — we urgently need to raise £500,000
Dear friend,

As you may have heard in the news, ten million people across west Africa are facing severe food shortages. Caused by a combination of cyclical drought, irregular harvests and high food prices, the crisis has been building for some time, but it is now escalating across the region.

Niger is among the worst-hit countries, with as many as 400,000 children at risk of starvation, but the impact of the crisis is also being felt in parts of Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad and Nigeria.

We urgently need to help people affected by this crisis to avoid a catastrophe. Please give what you can

Please donate whatever you can today.

I have received another question
Someone different.
I love questions.

"I am wondering about you - what you yearn for still ?
what is the spark - a burning ember you will always have in your heart -
but what ignites it further,
what makes those sparks fly
it will be something to do with people for you won't it ?

something about moving on one more step
something about resurrection
one step at a time
and sometimes you have to wait to take the next one?"

That is the question
I find questions a challenge
and I like a stretch
so - spill Wilson spill Wilson spill

What do I yearn for - still?
My Juke Box is broken.
I need to give some time to it, and,
if not fixable
call the repair man in!

I yearn to be able to type.
I yearn to publish stuff I have written.
I yearn, a little, to be able to spell
(do you think I give up?)

I yearn for my Saints Rugby League team ...
that the inconsistent season ends.

I don't yearn for much materially.
We have a car.
We have a flat and always always
feel grateful for that.
I never though we would ever have our own home.
I had accepted temporary rented places.

Of course, the question pitcher,
knows that I have inner yearnings STILL!

I yearn for a number of BHPs I know personally
ILL/sick/fragile/struggling.
Some dysfunctional - deep stuff.
Some behind bars/locked away physically
and struggling not to be locked
spiritually
mentally
educationally
I yearn because I feel a rotting away of my soul -
wanting to avoid feeling helpless towards them.

I yearn to be a developing and growing
Father
Partner
Grandfather
Friend
Helping Friend
Divine follower
Contributor to Greenness/not BROWN.

My mission ..........
(I have never considered CAREER)
still holds.
I want to be and become a beautiful Lover.
Lover of humans
Lover of society
Lover of the least
Lover of the cosmos
Lover of the Divine
Lover of Humankind.

I am aware I am getting older.
No one will to employ me now.
I left, via redundancy,
my last place of employment
April 30th 2009.

But I do get great satisfaction
as a work independently
free bird, doing what I love to do
yearn to do .......

Only yesterday I was talking with Ann Sheila,
and later at home, Joan.
We talked about the impact on our lives,
individually and family-wise,
of living and closely belonging to a community
for thirty seven years.

Both Joan and Ann were reflecting on this.
The beautifulness in this.
The learning/the stretch/the hurts/the multiplicity/the multiple humans.

But I consider that I still miss 'community'.
Not in ant distraught way -
but in terms of
it always
fed me
stretched
challenged
and I belonged to a greater/larger/and more intimate
than a club/church/friendship group da de da.

I feel that belonging, as describe above,
has made our family even more stronger
closer/levelling/loving ..........

I feel I have accepted that this has gone.
Family remains all the time and I
love it love it.
But I still miss the belonging to a community.
Maybe leading one too?

As I click these words
I have funny feelings because
I am treading into new snow.
I am digging a hole into my deeper self.
Looking for the seams, the fault lines, layers
into
the deeper 'why'.

I don't yearn for the past.
I don't yearn for miracles
I don't yearn for Lotto wins
I don't yearn for recognition
I don't yearn for praise
I don't yearn to reside in a place called comfortable.

I do yearn for
my own development
the development of others.
Humans.

Especially humans
who don't know where the handles are in life.
Who don't know they are loved.
Who don't feel they are loved.
Who don't know love.

So what sparks me
So what ignites me ...........

It is when I am doing my thing with young humans.
(Which I can't sustain for days-on-end like used to)
When can see their eyes begin to fill with hope
When I begin to see the skin on their faces
become less taught
become alive,
become more beautiful
because they feel more beautiful.
because they believe they are beautiful ............

These are the peak of times
when the sparks ignite my soul ....


Pip Wilson
www.pipwilson.com

Following the announcement that Gil Scott Heron will be headlining this year's festival, this month's podcast is an interview with the godfather of rap himself. For fans of Gil, the podcast will give you an added insight into his work. For those who are not so familiar, it'll be a good introduction.

The Greenbelt Festival podcast with Gil Scott-Heron - download it from iTunes

OR CLICK THE AUDIO BUTTON BELOW

I'm New Here, Gil's latest album is available on CD via Amazon or for download via iTunes. Newbies might also want to check out Gil's back catalogue (Amazon | iTunes).

** If you want to see Gil at this year's festival, you'll need to buy a ticket. If you haven't done so yet, be sure to invest before the end of the month, to save 10% on onsite prices**

Credits

• Interviewee – Gil Scott Heron
• Interviewer – Gawain Hewitt
• Mixed and Edited – bigJohn Noble
• Editing and introduction – Paul Northup

July 2010 Podcast: Gil Scott Heron in Conversation [15:41m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download (59)

If you haven’t seen any of the clips on YouTube of very young kids playing with iPads then have a look, they’re pretty amazing. Kids are unbelievably comfortable with the touchscreen interface and as a result, there are already loads of apps out there geared to child education and plenty of great kids books like these.

This next generation of digital users are going to drive market demand for touch screen interfaces in the future across a range of digital touchpoints as a result of using them from a very early age. ‘Stupid’, non-touch screens could well be deemed obsolete to them as touchscreen will be this new generation’s ‘default’. It’s also likely that they’ll find many new ways to use these interfaces as they become inherent to their way of life.

Remember setting the video recorder or setting up the computer for your technophobe parents? Prepare to be taught a few digital lessons by future generations…

From http://blog.skive.co.uk/

if you want to keep up to date with the fast moving world .....

Conniepops with Granddad.

We met yesterday in the heart of London with her Mum.
So close to Kings Cross but in a restaurant next to the London Canal with barges and ducks and nice food.
She is 6 months old already.

We had not hung out for ages and Connie is a bit wary of me with my cap on!
We need to get to know each other BUT - they are coming to us for three nights soon.

It was so beautiful to chat with Sheila 1on1 and feed Constance, walk her around, meeting people, touching new textures, looking into her eyes and seeing her ready smile.

She is Miss Magnetic.
Everyone seems to be enchanted by her spirit.
She smiles and kicks her glee legs and conversations ensue .....

She did make sure that I received some of her sick.
All down my Apple earbuds, shorts, shirt but ........... who cares!

Romford YMCA on the WORLD STAGE in Hong Kong ...............

Greenbelt Festival

Volunteer

Without a team of around 1600 volunteers who join together over the weekend - and some throughout the year - Greenbelt couldn't exist. The festival is 'handmade' by volunteers who give their time, energy, talents, creativity, skills and experience for free.

Greenbelt has many opportunities for you - from children's and youth work, stewarding, visual arts, emergency services, making tea, driving a taxi, media capture, serving in the shop or box office, managing a venue, behind the scenes administration - the list goes on.

Festival Volunteers make new friends, develop new skills and gain a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement from being involved in making the festival happen. Click here to find out more.

Buy your tickets in the next 11 days and save 10%

,

Packed Rammo
The Greenbelt Festival
Here is the crowds in The Very Stinking Late Show