Saturday 23 December 2017

The failed gundog

Yesterday David and I arrived in England for our first Christmas back home since 2013.  Of course, we are super happy to be home to celebrate Christmas with our family but above all, we are overjoyed to be reunited with our amazing dog daughter, Wonder Winnie.  For anyone who doesn’t know Winnie, she is our much loved black Spaniel/Labrador cross, who, despite being very beautiful and clever, has failed to deliver on David’s ultimate ambition for her - to be his very own world-class gun dog.
Wonder Winnie in her favourite spot

When we selected our little black bundle of joy, David was mentally gearing up to purchase a flat cap, tweeds and a shotgun, to join the shooting brigade with his trusty new gun dog by his side.  However, after a series of gun dog training sessions it became blatantly apparent that Winnie’s gun dog capabilities were severely flawed.  While Winnie was an exemplary retriever, impressing the trainer with the speed at which she mastered the concept of collecting the dummy dead bird, she was an extremely deficient deliverer.  Winnie is undoubtedly a smart and manipulative little dog and she immediately discovered that it was far more fun to taunt David than to deliver the retrieved item back to him.  So, while all the other hounds in the gun dog class were obediently following their owner’s instructions, Winnie was not.  The class witnessed her teasing her master with the retrieved stuffed pheasant dangling from her jaw and every time he desperately attempted to pounce on her to get it back, she adeptly side stepped him, like an All Black winger, while he got more and more irate before combusting into a tirade of expletives.

Besides this, Winnie is also terrified of the sound of gunshot.  It soon became clear that our dog had ultra sensitive hearing, picking up the sound of guns three counties away.  The impact being that she would be reduced to a trembling, cowering wreck, incapable of moving.  Time and time again, David could be seen carrying his quivering retriever, clinging to him like a koala on a eucalyptus tree, across Hampshire fields, back home from her walks, as she had detected distant gunfire somewhere in the region of Scotland and refused to take another step.  This was definitely not the image David had been looking to project with his little gun dog.

Nevertheless, despite failing to meet her master’s lofty aspirations for her, we love and miss her very much.  And, without a doubt, the best thing about coming home is the ebullient welcome our Winnie unfailingly delivers.  No one else gives us quite such an enthusiastic, affectionate and borderline deranged greeting as our gorgeous little dog. 


Wednesday 20 December 2017

Is there a glimmer of hope on the horizon?

Since finishing my studies, I have enjoyed having free time again and I’ve spent many hours hiking in Hong Kong, reflecting on the previous twelve months and looking at the goals I want to aim for in the coming year.  For me personally, 2017 has been about applying myself 100% to studying and expanding my knowledge as an English teacher.  It has awakened a desire to learn more and to continue on this journey into academia.  It has also ignited a general thirst for increasing my overall knowledge of the world and encouraged me to learn about and investigate many different areas besides second language acquisition. This year, I have also been reminded about the importance of not taking family and friends for granted, as they are the ones who will help pick you up during the tougher times.  David, in particular, has been incredibly patient and supportive throughout the year, and without his encouragement and love, I would have found it far harder to achieve the results I did.

Looking at 2017 more broadly, the world has seemed a pretty dark place at times.  With wars raging, terrorist attacks proliferating, nuclear annihilation threatening, the destruction of the planet persisting, right wing extremism rising and the gap between the haves and have nots increasing, it is hard not to feel fearful, despairing and powerless.  However, there are some glimmers of hope. 
Hope on the horizon?

For example, while Brexit has polarised the UK, it has also awoken many of us who were previously apathetic or ambivalent towards politics.  I have never read or listened to so much political debate as I have done over the past 12 months. While I certainly don’t profess to being an expert or to have any answers, there is a consensus that Capitalism is in its death throes and Brexit, Trump and the rise of the far right are protests against globalisation, the status quo or cries for help.  There has to be an alternative to a world where we are driven to be ever-more productive, to work longer hours, to compete against each other - so that we can have more of the latest ‘stuff’ (that we don’t really need), to make corporations (who do not pay sufficient taxes) dangerously powerful, while systematically destroying our planet, breaking down communities and compromising on our quality of life. 

The glimmer of hope is that while the solutions haven’t necessarily been fully- formed yet, the tide is turning and people are beginning to realise that we can’t continue as we have been, we can’t return to the ‘good old days’ and therefore we need to create an alternative future.  There are many conversations, debates and investigations looking into alternatives – many of which could be achievable with sufficient momentum. While nothing is going to change overnight, these difficult times are our wake-up call to think big and join together to create a better sustainable world for future generations to enjoy.

So, while I know I cannot change the world single-handedly, my resolutions for 2018 are to contribute in a small way to improving the world we live in and start to alleviate my feelings of despair and impotence.  So, here they are:
  1. Reduce the amount of stuff I buy – particularly ‘disposable’ clothes
  2. Buy food and products with reusable or recyclable packaging
  3. Reduce my meat consumption to two days per week
  4. Volunteer my time to give something back to my community e.g. teach under-privileged children or adults
  5. Remain politically awake and get behind campaigns/movements that aim to change this world into a kinder, fairer, peaceful  and more tolerant place

I know it's not much and I'm sure some of you are doing all of the above already.  However, if everyone were to commit to making little adjustments, we could slowly start to change the world into a better place for everyone.  Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy 2018!