Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms The Top 10 things that have influenced your life!

In this day of list obsession, I thought I might write down the top 10 things that have influenced my life (not necessarily in this order):

1. Women - first my Mother, then girlfriends and now my Wife of 35 years.
2. The I Ching or Book of Changes: for teaching my young mind about the meaning of life, our relationship to nature and the timescale of the Universe. (some judicious use of marijuana might have helped..)
3. Tai-Chi - for teaching my body how to move.. although it doesn't seem to move as well as it did.
4. Bob Dylan - because I wanted to be him when I was 18.. nothing much has changed.
5. Leonard Cohen - for saying on stage in London when he was 70: "I was last here 10 year ago - just a kid with a crazy dream." ..and making 5 decades of sublime songs..
6. JS Bach & other classical music - beyond what I can understand.
7. Edward Weston (Photographer) - his Daybooks offer inspiration to any Artist in any field..
8. Clint Eastwood - For making one of my all time favourite movies: The Outlaw Josie Wales.. A Real Man... maybe I wanted to be him and not Bob Dylan.
9. Nelson Mandela - for proving you don't have to be bitter and vengeful in the face of oppression.. and.. saving an entire country from mayhem.
10. All Writers who have "something to say" and.. say it so the rest of us understand a little more..especially if they are entertaining at the same time (no mean feat)..

So go on, let's hear the Top 10 from the Mad Members of the Morgan Forum.. Cars not allowed!

Oliver S.

1/. I remeber as a lad of 16-17 going to the cinema in the town with my best mate and my dad in his van 3 of us up stairs eating popcorn we all loved a good Eastwood western, cant see boys doing that these days .

2/.The home I lived in surounded by fields a valley and woods the beach and the cliffs , I could not wait to get outside to play.My dad smashing my air rifle in two because I was stupid with it .
dad never growing up and after the war living his lost youth through me .

3/.My staffies jumping on me to go out for a walk and returning covered in mud from head to toe then trying to catch them for a wash they thought it was a game falling asleep on the foor in front of the fire with champ No2 asleep on top of me .

4/.My mates being more crazy than me and laughing at life camping holidays with them along with trying to be the worlds best date to all the girls at a party . Then taking them home stonned .

5/.Smashing myself to bits on my bike as a child trying to do 100mph down a hill and ending up in hospital for a while .

6/.Standing up to bullies at school.

7/.My maternal grandfather ( who spoke little ) handing me a members card for his local mens club when I hit 18 out of all his grandsons , I treasure it.

8/.Buying Simon & Garfunkles I am a rock and playing it till the street got sick of it with my bedroom window wide open and my dad asking me to stop it . Buying cream flairs so tight I could not bend and going through the hippy period .

9/Saying to my mate after his girl dumped him plenty more fish in the sea I will get you a date tonight and met my wife while we where waiting our turns to go to the loo in a tiny pub


10/. The birth of my daughter more than anything.

1) A girl
2) A Woman
3) ditto
4-10) ditto

What? No beer?



Bud

__________
2003 - 4/4

1)Growing up without a father
2)Having to be self sufficient in everything incl
DIY as a kid(see 1)
3)Always Living with two women. First it was mother & grandma, then it was wife & daughter.
4)First taste of death when grandma died - I was 23.
5)Standing up to bullies at work.
6)Railways - a constant passion from an early age
7)Formula 1 from 1970. The first year I took notice.
8)Motor, Autocar, Motorsport, Autosport.
9)Devon and the West Country.
10)Wine.................

1. My Father, who fought in Subs. and survived WW2. and my Dear Mother for her continuous support, when I erred and needed direction. My Heroes, Bless them both.

2. Gaining early Life Skills from CPO Coles as a Naval Cadet, Skipper Bowmaker as a Boy Scout and with my best mate and fellow Beatnik, Barry Mac as we trawled the Jazz festivals and the Pink Flamingo in Wardour St.
3. My first Girlfriend's Father & Tax Man, Eric Lee for giving me, at age 12, the ambition to become financially self sufficient.

4. 'Banger' Budden of 'T' Square, Excalibur' fame, Smithy and his 'Bitter Blows', George Barker of hidden cane, et al at school for using the 'Rod' to drive that ambition in all of us.

5. Being introduced to Rugby Union, Team Working and Cross Country Running by a new Welsh Maths Master, when I was totally useless at all other sports.

6. Being given Lots of Luck and Heaps of Trust from the Boss's & Managers who promoted me and provided new directional opportunities throughout my career.

7. Mrs Newbury and the Youth Club Ballroom Dancing Classes, never completed, where I met my dear wife and life long mentor of 48 +5 years!

8. All of my mates over the years who lent me their time, ideas, and tools as we maintained our own Bikes, Motorcycles and Cars in times of austerity.

9. My Two Dear Children and umpteen Pets for providing the environment for love and happiness that families need to grow strong together.

10. My faith, for always being there in those times of sadness, difficulty and ill health.

1.the women. mother,auntie Hilda, girls, wife.

2. my Grandfather who was there in the absence of a womanising father

3.seeing life as a council house kid with free school meals and clothing vouchers

4.a chap called Pete who had a love of cars and worked hard for what he had.

5.Anthony and the Johnsons, nick cave, and elvis for music

6.Mike Leigh. for film and social observation.

7.England for being so beautifull

8.Vanda, our business coach for helping us build our companies

9.Richard wilkins and Liz Ivy for BC and the work they do

10.my christian faith.

1/ wife of 44 years
2/ parents now dead
3/ kids
4/ father in the motor trade - messing around with cars all my life
5/ doing a science degree at a good university
6/ ladies fashion for beer shampoo in the late 50s which meant a stash of beer in the pantry that I could get at - my parents were TT.
7/ travelling the world on business
8/ never being poor
9/ messing around in boats all my adult life
10/ never, unlike 2 of my school pals, being daft enough to be unfaithful to SWMBO and getting caught. She's the cherry on my bun.

I forgot to list MrsW. Ooops.