Well readers this is the story of Charlie the dachshund, who was a good friend to me & the family for many years.
We first met at Manchester dogs home, it was not long after our last dog Katie had died, so of course we were looking for another dog of a collie type or similar ideally the dog would be a female because they seemed so much better than the males.
The dogs at the home were in runs in pairs, mainly barking as people approached, but round the corner was a small dog, just sat quietly as though waiting for someone to come and collect him, we have not realise at the time that he was a male because he had such an endearing face.
I went off to get a member of staff and explained we wanted to see what the dog was like on a lead, well a lead was found so he was tried in the yard and he seemed so happy and friendly that the decision was taken to choose him.
We sorted out the paperwork and took him off to the car where he settled straight away, on the way home we collected all the necessary things that we just disposed of from our last dog, while he is just sat patiently not making a noise.
One of the big things about Charlie was that he was never a yapping dog, he would bark if someone came to the door, but generally made no noise and was happy just to be in company, I always felt that he was in fact a show dog who had got lost, because he seemed so used to being on his own, as well is enjoying being round other people and dogs, also he was used to being bathed and dried, waiting patiently while this was carried out.
He always enjoyed going for a walk whoever it was with, and did not mind other dogs cats or people that we met on the way, in the house he coexisted with a variety of cats of all shapes and temperaments, just quietly going about his own business, so long as you did not go near his food.
When we went to the vets he always seemed to enjoy going there as well, enjoying the meeting with other dogs and cats until the time he had to go to be castrated, ever after that as soon as we went anywhere near the vets he would attempt to run off in the opposite direction, but having a lovely temperament that he had he was easily coaxed back inside.
When it was time to go for a walk he would come and look at me with those lovely big eyes, so could I ever deny him, of course not and I shared many thoughts with him over the years which luckily for me he never chose to tell anybody else about, patiently waiting whilst I chatted to other dog owners who I met along the way.
This continued for many years and he was a lovely companion, but sadly as he got older he is back started to create problems, strangely enough as mine is now doing, and he started to have other medical problems linked to this and he started to slow down.
Sadly in the end the day came when he could no longer walk and because it had been agreed in the past, that if ever he reached this point the kindest thing to do would be to put him to sleep, this was what we did, I still miss Charlie for its lovely nature and gentleness as well as his patience, I don't know if ever I will have another dog, but if I do I would hope for another one such as him or his predecessor Katie.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Problems with school Uniform
Recently reading about some of the problems with school uniform that another blogger had written about, made me cast my mind back to the difficulties I had at school.
This was because when I joined the school there was no policy back in 1958 for compulsory uniforms, so the fact that I didn't have one when I went to secondary school did not seem an issue.
Unfortunately the headmaster decided that year that henceforth everybody in the school would have to wear uniform, which for most was not a problem, and quickly the majority acquired the uniform so as not to be the odd ones out or penalised by the school, others just transferred to other schools.
This left a small number of pupils in actual fact I think it was five, of which I was one, they started a long protracted battle between the various parents and the headmaster of the school bearing in mind there were approximately 1000 pupils at the school.
I was frequently sent home with notes for my father from the headmaster asking him to come in and discuss the matter, which he repeatedly refused to do, because his feeling was that this did not affect my education in any shape or form.
When I talked to my father about the issue, he explained that he had been forced to wear a uniform by the forces during the war, after being forced to fight and having to give up his prosperous business, therefore losing everything he's ever worked for. As a consequence he decided that he did not want me to have to comply with the rigid rules that there was no actual reason for.
Although in a sort of way I understood what he was saying, it did not stop me from feeling the odd one out, which was made worse by the headmaster repeatedly singling me out at school to stand outside his office door, which really was not going to have very much effect on my father who was not there, also it meant that I often missed classes in school.
Well surprise surprise eventually the headmaster managed to get the numbers down to one, guess who, now this wouldn't have been so bad, if he had been willing to transfer me to the school at the top of the cul-de-sac I lived in, where there were no problems re uniform, but my feeling after all this time, was that this was now a battle that the headmaster had to win at any cost to me.
I soldiered on finding it was a waste of time to be in the choir or the violin classes because I could not take part in any public performance, but continued in the Grammar stream of the school and maintained decent results for the first four years.
In the final year, I had become wiser and had a spare coat of the uniform that some kind person given me that I could wear when needed, although I knew better than to wear it in the class because it would have fed back to my father. I was still doing okay and actively involved as the ink monitor, assisted in setting out for assembly and was also involved in anything theatrical backstage at the school.
I had learned to keep a low profile in school, and went to great lengths to try to be friendly and obliging to everybody so I would not be picked on, which I feel is still part of the person I am today, good or bad.
Sadly towards the end of the school year just before I was due to take my mock GCEs, one of the other boys brought some alcohol in to share with others, he wasn't a very popular person, but he suddenly acquired friends, I therefore added two & two and decided to copy him, knowing that my father had alcohol in the house.
A few days later I brought some in, and offered some to my best friend, explaining that we could share this with others in our class, but then got called away, and later went to my next classroom forgetting all about the booze, shortly after I was summoned to the headmaster's office, where he explained that my friend had collapsed in classroom and had to be sent home stinking of alcohol, but before he went he had explained that it was mine.
Well this was what the headmaster had been waiting for, because I had been a model pupil for all these years, I was instantly suspended after 6 strokes of the strap & a letter sent saying I was not allowed back in school until my father went to school to sort the matter out neither would I be able to sit my exams.
I gave the letter to my father & guess what another good hiding which to me at the time seemed a little unfair, but would my father go to school no way, so I missed some of the first most important exams of the year, until finally I was allowed back in to take what was left ULCI Geography & History were all I came out with, before being expelled from school.
What difference did it make, well I missed careers advice, not sure if that was good, learnt what its like to be the odd one out, that bullying is not helpful in any way, decided to support the underdog & to do whatever I could to make it easier for my children if possible, if ever I had them, that power corrupts.
For years after I decided that one day I would go back & confront the headmaster & explain to him what he had done to me, he could so easily of transferred me to another school at the beginning, but the irony was that just when I had reached that important point, I heard that he was dead, later the school was demolished.
The positive out of all this is for several periods of my life up to the present I have worked to enable people who have problems coping with authority & supporting the underdog, maybe it wasent quite so bad an outcome after all, the other point is that I decided me and alcohol were not meant to mix in any shape or form, see future blogs about evidence to support this.
I hope you enjoyed the read
This was because when I joined the school there was no policy back in 1958 for compulsory uniforms, so the fact that I didn't have one when I went to secondary school did not seem an issue.
Unfortunately the headmaster decided that year that henceforth everybody in the school would have to wear uniform, which for most was not a problem, and quickly the majority acquired the uniform so as not to be the odd ones out or penalised by the school, others just transferred to other schools.
This left a small number of pupils in actual fact I think it was five, of which I was one, they started a long protracted battle between the various parents and the headmaster of the school bearing in mind there were approximately 1000 pupils at the school.
I was frequently sent home with notes for my father from the headmaster asking him to come in and discuss the matter, which he repeatedly refused to do, because his feeling was that this did not affect my education in any shape or form.
When I talked to my father about the issue, he explained that he had been forced to wear a uniform by the forces during the war, after being forced to fight and having to give up his prosperous business, therefore losing everything he's ever worked for. As a consequence he decided that he did not want me to have to comply with the rigid rules that there was no actual reason for.
Although in a sort of way I understood what he was saying, it did not stop me from feeling the odd one out, which was made worse by the headmaster repeatedly singling me out at school to stand outside his office door, which really was not going to have very much effect on my father who was not there, also it meant that I often missed classes in school.
Well surprise surprise eventually the headmaster managed to get the numbers down to one, guess who, now this wouldn't have been so bad, if he had been willing to transfer me to the school at the top of the cul-de-sac I lived in, where there were no problems re uniform, but my feeling after all this time, was that this was now a battle that the headmaster had to win at any cost to me.
I soldiered on finding it was a waste of time to be in the choir or the violin classes because I could not take part in any public performance, but continued in the Grammar stream of the school and maintained decent results for the first four years.
In the final year, I had become wiser and had a spare coat of the uniform that some kind person given me that I could wear when needed, although I knew better than to wear it in the class because it would have fed back to my father. I was still doing okay and actively involved as the ink monitor, assisted in setting out for assembly and was also involved in anything theatrical backstage at the school.
I had learned to keep a low profile in school, and went to great lengths to try to be friendly and obliging to everybody so I would not be picked on, which I feel is still part of the person I am today, good or bad.
Sadly towards the end of the school year just before I was due to take my mock GCEs, one of the other boys brought some alcohol in to share with others, he wasn't a very popular person, but he suddenly acquired friends, I therefore added two & two and decided to copy him, knowing that my father had alcohol in the house.
A few days later I brought some in, and offered some to my best friend, explaining that we could share this with others in our class, but then got called away, and later went to my next classroom forgetting all about the booze, shortly after I was summoned to the headmaster's office, where he explained that my friend had collapsed in classroom and had to be sent home stinking of alcohol, but before he went he had explained that it was mine.
Well this was what the headmaster had been waiting for, because I had been a model pupil for all these years, I was instantly suspended after 6 strokes of the strap & a letter sent saying I was not allowed back in school until my father went to school to sort the matter out neither would I be able to sit my exams.
I gave the letter to my father & guess what another good hiding which to me at the time seemed a little unfair, but would my father go to school no way, so I missed some of the first most important exams of the year, until finally I was allowed back in to take what was left ULCI Geography & History were all I came out with, before being expelled from school.
What difference did it make, well I missed careers advice, not sure if that was good, learnt what its like to be the odd one out, that bullying is not helpful in any way, decided to support the underdog & to do whatever I could to make it easier for my children if possible, if ever I had them, that power corrupts.
For years after I decided that one day I would go back & confront the headmaster & explain to him what he had done to me, he could so easily of transferred me to another school at the beginning, but the irony was that just when I had reached that important point, I heard that he was dead, later the school was demolished.
The positive out of all this is for several periods of my life up to the present I have worked to enable people who have problems coping with authority & supporting the underdog, maybe it wasent quite so bad an outcome after all, the other point is that I decided me and alcohol were not meant to mix in any shape or form, see future blogs about evidence to support this.
I hope you enjoyed the read
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