I have spent today offering up prayers of thanks and gratitude for my dear friend J A who underwent surgery earlier in the week and who I went to visit this morning. I couldn’t believe how well she looked considering all that she’s been through and that she’s still in pain. We are very close, I love her to bits and I was just so, so thankful that she’s come through it, and with her biting sense of humour in tact. And, of course, there’s a bit of me that offered up the gratitude that I am in good health. Okay, so my blood pressure’s a bit high, but my nice new GP and I are controlling that with medication and by cutting out sugar I brought my weight down a bit and with it my blood glucose levels so that they are now at the higher end of normal and I am no longer considered diabetic. Good, eh? But I am truly, truly grateful that I have known no serious illness or ops – apart from my hand, of course – which is much more than so many people can say. Keep on getting better, J! xxxx
I my last blog I told you about my little Valentine’s Day gift to you all, in the form of a novella (posh speak for short story) Weak at the Knees. I hope you are enjoying it. It does make me smile, though. I’ve just read a review of it, in which the ‘reviewer’ says the best thing about it is ‘that it doesn’t go on’. Me neither. With the advent of the Internet everyone’s a politician, an expert on the NHS, a literary critic. And if you put your work out there, you must accept that you’ve laid yourself open to criticism, even though you might want to shout out ‘DON’T LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH’ 🙂
And I’m going on to be a critic and give opinions myself now.
I am beyond dismayed that Fifty Shades of Grey, a film that deals with a man’s domination, abuse and manipulation of a woman is being launched for Valentine’s Day and passed off as a romance. What is romantic about it?? What message is being sent by doing this?? The refuges and cemeteries are full of women who met their own Christian Grey. It is nothing short of ABUSE, people. There is NOTHING ROMANTIC, about being controlled by a man who ignores your will. And the sad thing is that millions of young men are picking up a message from this film that this is really how women want to be treated; that ‘NO’ really does mean ‘YES’ and that women are on Earth just to be physically and mentally ill-treated by men, and that it’s what they really do want. And millions of young women are picking up the message that being subjected to abuse, controlled and dominated is what women should put up with. What a sorry situation.
Am I jealous that E L James earned £60,000,000 from her trilogy – of course I am! Especially as it’s so poorly written. As I read somewhere today, ‘it’s been written by someone who hasn’t been spanked since she was in the nursery,’ but subject matter aside, the grammar, syntax and style are appalling. So her success offends me on both accounts.
Whatever you do, have a great Valentine’s Day. Spend it with someone who loves, respects and appreciates you. And love, respect and appreciation are demonstrated by the way we are treated on a daily basis. Not by giving someone a bunch of flowers because it’s the done thing.
