Change

The older you get
the harder it becomes to deal with change
the harder it becomes to face up to change 
to accept change
to roll with it
to ride it
and so...

And so as you age
as you travel through life
and you experience lifes changes
and life changes you
you try to bend with it
you try to change to fit in with it
and so you bend
you change
and bend
you change
and bend
you change
and bend
you try to change along with life
until...

change finally breaks you!

the modern car

The modern car requires no key to start it - it starts by magic
with a loud chant of "STARTIO!"
Once started, everything works with magic spells!
The magic spells you'll need to control your vehicle will all be listed in the user manual supplied with the vehicle
You will need to learn the verbal part of the spell
and the finger movements to go along with it.
Initial attempts at spells can produce hilarious results 
not providing you with the outcome you expected!
To check you have made the correct combination whilst attempting a spell
the modern vehicle is provided with a screen on the dashboard
full with options
and using a magical flick and spell
you can run through the options
selecting the one you need with another; magical finger flick and the spell "Selecto!"
Refer to the user manual if you get stuck.
Once you have mastered a few spells you find that everything is controlled simply by using magic
the gears
wipers
headlights
the windows
the ejector-seat and so on.
An example might be you need to ask the car if it might go a little faster
if the car is in a good mood and you have located the correct spell
it will let you go faster
lifting it's speed limiter function a little - but it might not as it might be in a bad mood!
Either way it will "bing bong" at you -  you will find that it will "bing bong"at you a lot!
Some issues are due to the fact that deep within the modern vehicle there is lives a wizard.
This wizzard interprets your commands but does have a wicked sense of humour 
for instance if you need to go somewhere you've never been before
you can ask the wizzard the route to take 
this is done by simply chanting the spell, 
"Directo!"
waving your fingers and thinking hard of where it is you want to go to.
The wizzard will "bing bong" it's approval
and will magically show you a map of the route on the screen
but it will laugh at you if you go the wrong way!
A chant of "too lazyo!" and a magical flick of your fingers can also open or close the tail-gate of your vehicle - because getting out of the car and walking round to the back of it is such a faff!
The vehicle is also supplied with magical tray which will charge your mobile phone using invisible waves of magic energy
Other magical waves allow you to link your mobile phone to the sound system within the vehicle
but only if the wizard approves of your tunes will it play them for you - he won't if they are naff!

In the back of the modern vehicle
and available only to the rear passengers
there is a coffee machine
and a toasted sandwich maker...

 ...OK - I made that last bit up!


Forgotten Fitbit

If I forget to put my "fitbit" on
and then I walk a lot round Oxford
but my "fitbit" wasn't there to count my steps
do my steps count?

Six Year Olds

Six year olds with knives 
Six year olds knowing about knife culture
Six year olds feeling they must carry a knife
Six year olds being exposed to the consequences of having a knife 
Six year olds being able to get their hands on a knife in the first place
Six year olds involved with knife crime
Six year olds fighting in the streets
Six year olds out with street gangs 
Six year olds with knives out shop-lifting
Six year olds out with their mates
Six year olds out riding their bikes
Six year olds playing footy in the street
Six year olds kicking footballs against your front door
Six year olds knocking on doors and running away
Six year olds climbing trees and making dens
Six year olds having mates round to play
Six year olds having a mate round for tea 
Six year olds laying on their fronts in the lounge with their chins in their hands watching the telly
Six year olds playing in the garden
having a bath 
having a sensible bedtime because it's school tomorrow 
having a story read to them tucked up in bed

A six year old carrying a knife?
At what point did this story change?



One of these two

There's this woman.
She's thin
black bags under her eyes
a sallow complexion 
wearing what I always see her wear
jeans and a blue jumper.
A young woman 
looks like she's from a chaotic upbringing 
living a chaotic existence 
who's seen too much of the worst of life
lives in a council house
next door gardens piled high with junk 
an existence on the edge
three kids from two fathers
a pillar to post life-style
a regular at the food-bank
she only has money when he gives her some
a debit card that often declines
drives a run-down twenty year old car
five pounds for petrol 
five pounds for something unhealthy to keep the kids quiet - for now
her mother was a drug taker
had no time for her - always chasing the next fix
and died from an overdose 
leaving her with her kids
and the small-time drug dealer she lives with
in a drug related environment 
deals at the front door
drug paraphernalia on the streets outside
I'm pretty sure she dabbles in it
it looks like she's heading down the same route as her mother.

...or

She's a hard working young mum
working to pay the rent and feed the kids
The black bags under her eyes are from dashing between 3 part-time jobs
kids and their school
after-school-clubs 
and parent evenings.
The twenty year old car runs well
her Dad bought it for her and looks after it as he is a mechanic 
The kids are fed properly
it's a priority of hers
that's why she only puts a fiver a time in the fuel tank.
She is caring and has a kind heart
She wanted to be a nurse 
but got pregnant in her late teens.
Being a single parent 
she's always rushing round
no time for herself
no time for her own clothes
her appearance 
the correct food for herself - it's the kids first
she wants to go back to college to resurrect her dreams
but Dad's not capable of looking after the kids because of his job
so who will?
She's had to put those dreams on hold for now.

One these two 
is what I think her situation is. 

Change

Change: Define
To make someone or something
different.
To replace something with          something else, 
especially something newer 
or better.
An act or process through which something becomes different.
Loose change - the coins in your pocket.

Change.
Something to be frightend of!