Fans are rediscovering a format that was gathering dust back in the day—my day, the 50s and 60s when records created magic, and I could control the way the music played by lifting the needle and placing it onto the groove.

In 2007, album sales had fallen to just 200,000 a year, but this year 10 times as many records are expected be sold.

The funny thing is that the sales of other physical formats like CDs are falling.

And yet, an increasing number of musicians are putting their work on record.

According to a representative of the UK recorded music industry, having a vinyl gives you a more tangible relationship with the actual recording that digital can't.

The whole throwback vintage stuff is becoming cool again. Young people recognise the benefits and quality of vinyl and want to hear the best sound for their records.

 At the age of fourteen, my father introduced me to rock 'n roll by presenting me with the record of Bill Hayley and his Commets 'Rock Around The Clock'. The sound took over the imagination of every young teenager.

When I was sixteen, I landed my first job and had money of my own. My Uncle Pete, who worked as a photographer, was my favourite person in the world. He rigged the house with speakers in the living room and the kitchen, and we could set up a record to replay on my new purchase of a portable pink plastic record player from my bedroom. I nearly wore the grooves out of Elvis Presley's rendition of, 'Wear My Ring Around Your Neck' and 'Teddy Bear'.

Many years later, my husband and I acquired a beautiful old free-standing radiogram, Art Deco style timber gleaming with full sized speakers on each side. From the step down study, the wonderful sound quality of each record seemed like perfection as the music echoed through the lower rooms and drifted up to the rest of the house. Tubular Bells if I recall.

Ah, the memories of vinyl records.

Do you have any to share?

 The Who have postponed all the dates on the US leg of their 50th anniversary tour, after Roger Daltrey was diagnosed with viral Meningitis.

They said they had hoped The Who Hits 50! tour would go ahead when Daltrey's condition improved. The dates are now being rescheduled for Spring 2016.

They said Daltrey had been especially disappointed to miss the Teen Cancer America benefit in Los Angeles, a charity he and the band have supported in every way they can.

 "We are very sorry to disappoint our fans in this way," said Daltrey, who headlined Glastonbury and British Summertime in Hyde Park earlier this year.

Pete Townshend also apologised to fans who have supported them in the last 50 years. He said they will come back stronger than ever to give the best show yet.

Just imagine doing the same thing for 50 years. Okay, they haven't been sweating over a sewing machine in the heat of Mumbai, or cooking over a wok in the streets of Chinatown. Their work is held by many as the ideal life-style, adored by fans and living in luxury. But still, they've stuck it out, whereas many bands have folded.

Don't know who The Who are?

The Who are an English rock band that formed in 1964. Their classic line-up consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon.

Remember the songs: My Generation (1965) Shaking All Over (1970) Won't Get Fooled Again (1971) & Who Are You [Themes of CSI television series] and Summertime Blues to name a few.

It's funny how certain songs from the past remain fixed in your memory.

What do you recall about The Who's music?

 'Forgive them for they know not what they do'. This could apply to the first travelers on ships who started smoking and transported tobacco around the globe.

Rather than blaming Sir Walter Raleigh, Spanish and Portuguese sailors smoked tobacco for many years and it is likely that the habit of pipe smoking had been adopted by British sailors around the year 1565.

However, when Raleigh arrived back in England in 1586, he brought with him colonists from the settlement on the Roanoke Island, situated in Dare County on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, United States. It was named after the historical Roanoke Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English exploration. These colonists brought with them tobacco, maize and potatoes.

Whereas potatoes were viewed with great suspicion on England's shores, tobacco was thought to be good for your health. The use of tobacco by this time was well known on the Continent. The book, translated from Spanish called, ‘Of the Tabaco and of His Greate Vertues’, recommended its use for the relief of toothache, falling fingernails, worms, halitosis, lockjaw and even cancer.

How little they knew.

Colonists puffing away on their pipes started a craze at Court. Two years later, Sir Walter Raleigh tempted Queen Elizabeth I to try smoking. This was copied by the population as a whole and by the early 1660s the habit was commonplace and starting to cause concern.

In 1604, King James I wrote ‘A Counterblaste to Tobacco’, in which he described smoking as a ‘custome lothesome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black and stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the horrible stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless’. He imposed an import tax on the leaf, which in 1604 was 6 shillings 10 pence to the pound. The Catholic Church even tried to discourage the use of tobacco by declaring its use to be sinful and banning it from holy places.

Despite these warnings, the use of tobacco grew. In 1610 Sir Francis Bacon, philosopher, statesman and jurist, noted the rise in tobacco use and that it was a difficult habit to quit.

At Jamestown in Virginia in 1609, colonist John Rolfe became the first settler to successfully grow tobacco on a commercial scale. Jamestown sent the first shipment of tobacco to England in 1614.

From Paris, the trend of taking snuff became the aristocracy’s favourite way of enjoying tobacco.

Then smoking was recommended as a defence against bad air during the Great Plague of 1665.

Tobacco imports continued throughout the 17th and 18th centuries as the demand for tobacco increased, and the practice of smoking became widely accepted in Britain. Source: Historic UK.

I must admit, I tried a cigarette as a young teen. I didn't like it. But what makes some people want to carry on smoking despite the unpleasant effect?

Could the reason be the countless generations before them who have been addicted to tobacco? I'm inclined to think so, believing in reincarnation as I do. Perhaps they need to make a strong stand and deny the craving so they can prevent being drawn into a future life as an addict. But, that's just my theory, and that of the renown psychic healer Edgar Cayce, who died before I was born.

My husband has smoked since he was a boy—60 years. He cannot give up, try as he might. And he's tried everything so far invented. He wants to continue, no matter the harm it's doing both him and me because he insists on smoking inside our home. He needs the comfort of his habit, the feel of a cigarette in his hand, now that he's suffering with cancer—unrelated to smoking, I might add.

Smoking takes money, effort and time, covers surfaces with ash, and burns your clothes. Smoking removes a person's self-respect.

Don't start youngsters.

How has smoking affected you?

 I woke this morning with a determination to send a simple blessing to all the people in the world who are seeking refuge through this blog. Thousands of refugees are fleeing tyranny and war in their own country, especially those from Syria.

What is happening when they reach borders of other countries saddens me. Surely humanity can stand together and offer aid.

In BBC's news today, the UN Secretary General said he is "shocked" after Hungarian police fired tear gas and water cannon to force migrants back from its border after clashes beside a razor-wire fence. The official said such treatment of asylum seekers was "unacceptable".

Hungary defended its action, saying that 20 police officers were injured as migrants tried to break through a gate, and a spokesman accused migrants of using children as human shields.

Elsewhere, more than 5,000 migrants have entered Croatia so far, avoiding Hungary, and another 7,266 entered Germany on Wednesday.

 Germany is the final goal of many migrants, as the European Union remains divided over how to deal with the crisis.

My tiny, overcrowded island of England will take 20,000 refugees over the next five years from inside their borders, thereby avoiding exploitation from uncaring people smugglers who often tip their passengers into the sea before reaching their goal. The Royal Navy ship HMS Richmond will be deployed to help tackle people smugglers. With winter approaching and temperatures dropping, they must take urgent action to stop more refugees risking dangerous voyages by boat to Europe.

The warship will be deployed for two months to board and seize vessels off the coast of Libya.

Every morning, I've been offering prayerful meditation for all the people who have given up their country, their home, their way of life, and their safety to make the perilous trip to a distant land.

There's not much you or I can do. Let's unite in our good wishes.

 The loss of species worldwide is even worse than previously thought, the London Zoological Society reports in its new Living Planet Index. The index tracked more than 10,000 vertebrate species populations from 1970 to 2010. It reveals a continued decline in species populations, and the global trend is not slowing down.

New methodology highlights more alarming results than in a report two years ago.

Compiling a global average of the decline in species involves tricky statistics, often comparing disparate data sets. Although the zoological team say they've improved their methodology, the results, two years later, are even more alarming.

Populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have declined by an average of 52% since 1970.

The authors analysed more than 1,200 species of marine creatures in the past 45 years.

Some species that people rely on for food are declining faster. They noted 74% drop in the populations of tuna and mackerel.

Some critics say the analysis is not statistically valid.

'The society's report, in conjunction with the pressure group WWF, says humans are cutting down trees more quickly than they can re-grow, harvesting more fish than the oceans can re-stock, pumping water from rivers and aquifers faster than rainfall can replenish them, and emitting more carbon than oceans and forests can absorb.' (WWF protects endangered wildlife and environments, tackles climate change and promotes sustainable use of resources.)

In addition to human activity such as overfishing, the report also says climate change is having an impact. Source: BBC.

 We know this is going on although the latest analysis of figures is worrying. But what can we do about it? Does the human race care about the other creatures who share our planet? It's a case of equality. Humans versus animals, fish, and birds.

If I asked my husband, he'd say he cares about animals, but he's too busy trying to survive himself. I think he speaks for many people.

But, unless we pay attention to what's going on around us, we'll run out of food. I remember China's policy which began in the 70s. They limited each family to one child, and halved their population in a generation. Perhaps it's time we gave some thought to the ever expanding numbers of humans occupying the planet.

That's all very well for me to say—I'm old, I've had my children.

How would you solve the problem?

 Vegetarians abhor eating animals of any kind. They claim to have moved on from the caveman. However, nowadays, many westerners eat sheep, cow and chicken. Besides flavor, is there any difference in the type of meat we eat?

Would you eat a creature who is revered as a pet? Could you entertain the thought of eating a feline or a canine companion?

Countries develop different customs. In the Western countries, dogs are so beloved they have even become fashion accessories, peeking from glitzy bags in shopping areas of the rich and famous.

 But, eating dog is ingrained in Korean culture, particularly at the height of summer. Following an ancient tradition, Koreans designate three days for special festivals when thousands of spiced dishes made from dog meat are served. Eating dog has traditionally been associated with virility, so fathers often used to take sons to eat it as part of the ritual of growing up.

Westerners find this practice of eating dog one of the most difficult things to accept about living in South Korea, and some other Asian countries.


And many Koreans believe Westerners shouldn't tell them how to live their lives.

Nobody knows how many dog farms there are in Korea. Closing them would be a big task.

But one group of campaigners from Humane Society International and the Change For Animals Foundation is working on a way of breaking the deadlock.

This week, opponents have come to an amicable agreement. They have listened to each other and found a way forward.

A farmer will free more than 100 of his dogs in return for cash and a business plan for a different kind of business. The vaccinated dogs will be flown out to new homes in California this week, starting on Tuesday.

Since signing a legally binding contract, the farmer's activities will be monitored to ensure he doesn't return to the dog industry, or any other business that involves the slaughter of animals for meat.

He has also agreed to encourage other dog farmers to make the change.

Meanwhile, due to customers' swing in preferences, dog restaurants are closing. Seoul once had 1,500 serving dog, now that figure has fallen to about 700. Source: BBC.  

This is an ongoing project. In mid March, nearly 60 South Korean dogs raised for slaughter arrived in Northern California to begin new lives as human companions instead of dinner.

The same Society rescued canines ranging from beagles, poodles and Korean Jindos to mastiff-like Tosas from a dog-meat farm outside Seoul, whose owner agreed to get out of the business and grow chili peppers instead.

I've loved many dogs over the 70 year span of my life. I often link with them in my mind, and I hope to find them waiting for me when I enter the pearly gates. I could no more eat a dog than devour one of my own babies. In fact, I don't eat any animal by option, although my husband and I eat chicken.

By attempting to influence other cultures in their diet, the human race are acting with one consciousness. 'All for one, and one for all.'

Would you choose to eat dog?

 Even more remnants of a past Egyptian civilization are turning up, this time from ancient cities found at the bottom of the Mediterranean sea, called Thonis, Heracleion and Canopus.

I'm fascinated by the Egyptian civilization and have included references to it in my novels. The Moonstone series takes place in the present, and the co-written Higher Ground series (with the green background on the sidebar) features a future time after the Great Flood. One click on a cover will let you see more about the book.

 Many of the recovered artefacts are believed to be tributes to the ancient Egyptian god Osiris. One of the biggest discoveries is the 30-foot statue of a pharaoh, which the archeologists believe stood at the entrance to a temple now underwater.

According to archaeologists, the cities ended up at the bottom of the sea after years of natural disasters, earthquakes, landslides and such.


After seven years of underwater excavation, divers retrieved 250 artefacts, from a 40 square mile area of the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria, Egypt. Covered in sediment, and partially protected by the sea, the objects date back 2,800 years.


The artefacts have philosophical and artistic value, and also point out a continuity in Egyptian beliefs from the ancient pharaoh civilization and to Greek and Roman times. For instance, Osiris became Dionysus in Greece and then Bacchus in Roman times.

The recovered items have gone on display at an exhibition in Paris. The Paris exhibit at the Arab World Institute will last till the end of January, and then travel to the British Museum in London.

Chuckle. The British Museum features in my books as well. At the end of the futuristic series, some of the lovable characters dive into the flooded city to find what they're after in the museum.

I'll hold my breath while I wait for the London exhibit. It's been many years since I went to the city, but it's only half an hour away by train.

Do you find past civilizations fascinating?

 #Edith Louisa Cavell (1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and in helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during the First World War. Arrested and court-martialled, she was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. Despite international pressure for mercy, she was shot by a German firing squad. Her execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage.# 
Source: Wikipedia. 

A Dame and former director-general of MI5, has made a startling claim on the centenary of Cavell's death. Namely: Cavell's network was indeed smuggling intelligence back to the Allies. The former director-general delved into the military archives in Belgium, where she found evidence overlooked by historians to show the dual nature of Cavell's organisation.

Along with the public condemnation for her death, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote: "Everybody must feel disgusted at the barbarous actions of the German soldiery in murdering this great and glorious specimen of womanhood."

The German military governor of Belgium who signed the warrant for Cavell's execution maintained that she had knowledge of the espionage operation.

According to the official who produced the BBC documentary, circumstantial evidence points to Cavell being aware of the espionage, even if not directly involved. "Cavell was certainly not a naive woman - her shrewd testimony before her German interrogators proved that. As so many leading members of the network were involved in espionage, it would have been truly extraordinary for her to have been completely unaware of the intelligence-gathering.

"The story we have always been led to believe – of a simple nurse just doing her duty helping soldiers – turns out to have been a lot more complicated, nuanced, and dangerous than we had ever previously thought."

And there you have it. An innocent heroine, held up by all as unjustly condemned, knew of the espionage going on around her.

People are such complicated creatures. We judge the circumstances, and then decide what to do, be it turn a blind eye or take action.

I'm guilty of the same thing in my everyday life. My friend and I used to walk beside a paddock every day where a shaggy, neglected old horse roamed. We even took him carrots. Then, one day he wasn't there. Later, we found out he'd died. The people who owned the stables had left him unaided because of his owner's non-payment of fees. I, along with everyone else walking by, should have reported the horse's condition to an animal welfare establishment.

Let the person who has not been guilty of any misdeed or omission cast the first stone.

Do you find decisions that will affect others hard to make?

 A network of UK researchers will compose a message to aliens, but they are divided about whether to actually send it into space.

The task: to create a digital missive that represents human civilisation.

You might think that the composition is pointless if it is never used. Well, maybe.

The researchers entering the Breakthrough Message contest, will compete for a $1m prize accompanied by a further effort to accelerate the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence.

And here's the rub: Experts say it might not be wise to broadcast into space. Trying to contact aliens raises myriad concerns about what happens when cultures collide.

UK Seti Research Network members will thrash out the basics of how their message might be composed and what it might contain. For example, using pictures, or using more abstract content such as language or mathematics.

Whoever wins the prize, Breakthrough Initiatives have pledged not to transmit the message until they have discussed the risks and rewards. Source: BBC.

 Maybe they should leave things as they stand. Many people claim to have sighted flying saucers, and others say aliens have captured them and performed experiments on their body and mind. I don't know if they are right, but each contact seems to be more harmful than good—apart from little ET in the children's movie.

But, just what would we want to say to beings from another planet? Tell them about all we have achieved? If they're watching, they probably know. Offer peace? How could that be upheld? Crazy people are intent on fighting, and destroying life and property, all over the world at the moment.

Or maybe the research team just want to reach out.

If I could send a message, I'd say, “Steer clear until we sort out our inequalities and hostilities.”

What would you like to convey to aliens?

 My husband chooses the same three or four shirts day after day. You might find a similar thing occurs. I often wonder why he leaves perfectly good shirts in his wardrobe unworn and favors others. New research in the UK offers a reason.

The company Thread, which is a virtual stylist service that matches buyers to outfits according to their tastes, commissioned a study of 1,094 British adults. The results showed men spend almost one tenth more on clothes than women despite only wearing a small proportion of them regularly.

Wow! That's surprising. How could men buy more clothing? We don't know how the participants were selected. Maybe they all come from a higher income bracket.  

 The other claim is that men only wear 13 per cent of their clothes because women pester them into buying garments they don't want. Apparently, men prefer comfort and the security of knowing that items fit like a pair of old shoes, rather than wearing new clothes that could be more flattering.

One of the most challenging things about dressing, is to work out how to link tops, trousers, socks and shoes. 

They might need suggestions of how a new item can work with clothes they already own. Source: The Telegraph. 

Men's brains work a different way than women's. Men are from Mars whereas women are from Venus. Oh, no. That's wrong.

Recent studies highlight a long-held suspicion about the brains of males and females. They're not the same. To find out how the brain of a female is differently from a male's brain, scientists study four primary areas of differences which include processing, chemistry, structure, and activity.

Male brains utilize nearly seven times more gray matter for activity while female brains utilize nearly ten times more white matter.

Gray matter areas of the brain are localized. They are specific information- and action-processing centers of the brain. This can translate to a kind of tunnel vision when they are doing something. Once they are deeply engaged in a task or activity, they may not demonstrate much sensitivity to other people or their surroundings.

White matter is the networking grid that connects the brain’s gray matter and other processing centers with one another. This profound brain-processing difference is probably one reason you may have noticed that girls tend to more quickly adjust between tasks.

The gray-white matter difference may explain why, in adulthood, females are great multi-taskers, while men excel in highly task-focused projects. In other words, they want to get on with the important stuff like paying bills and grab their most comfortable shirt to wear while doing so.

I could lay out different outfits on the bed to show my husband how a shirt would look with a pair of trousers. But, I bet he would forget that little piece of artistry by the next day.

What are your thoughts on the subject of men's outfits?