The difference in age (of a different age) Nov. 7, 2009

Now that 5am has become 4am I wake bolt up at 5 to 4, without fail. Some body clock mine. Fires are still burning from peoples excitements the night before. I’m like the milkman – remember him? Its Rememberance Sunday and given the hour I am one of the first to be remembering it. We all of us die but so many died by some useless command – GO OVER THE TOP! A footballer (Da Silva Eduardo) much mailigned for diving in a football match (he was only just back from a broken leg) scoring a goal yesterday pulled up his shirt to reveal another one-white proclaiming ‘its time for peace’ ... (not through this incident but in general :) don’t let anyone ever convince you the game is all about money.

My daughter Ava could have been called “Poppy”. She was borne on the Eleventh of the Eleventh of the Eleventh. She’s just 4 this week. Although I haven’t seen that much of her – her mother has been with her every single day for four years – I get on so well with her. How is this possible with such an age difference? I’m impressed by the clever things she does and says. Her increasing vocabulary – perhaps it was always there just waiting to come out. And by the way she touches. Ok, sometimes she’s too rough. Her sense of humour is developing and she looks like she can dance. I think of all the times I might say to her, both smiling the smile : would you care for this dance? Has she a wisdom predating this life… my sister says she has an old soul. Is the age difference thing really so important? Getting on is the thing. It’s surely what you bring to the table. Or the dancefloor. I recommend ceilidh dances once a week – where everyone of all ages and cool get together and go through all sort of mating and general etiquettes, whilst dancing and hugging.

I think of those young men barely seen anything going to War (particularly that First one), wet, cold, dead, never to return with stories or to the dance. People who sent them or managed them were mostly older and there could be some blame attached. If we are in a war with Afghan right now then surely we should have a War Cabinet really looking at things. We cant just blame the Prime Minister or faceless civil servants. Everyone now is beginning to say they never wanted it. The backstabbing face-slapping double-dealing newspapers such as the Daily Mail, The Sun, The Express would probably criticise the likes of me for being liberal, for being all nicey-nicey about all sorts of people who might not deserve it. As if I have no clear view. I do : I want such newspapers to die a hideous death. And I want beach football to be reinstated once it has died (from December 1st the authorities in Rio are banning all beach football because of the chaos it brings. Denying young men, and women – and not just young men and women – the times of their lives).