Deja Vu and reset II

A lot has happened across the year as I noted on the other blog part of which has followed how much I have moved into being LB/ASB since both discovering Tumblr and ASB in both dot org and the current dot net forms.

Lockdown thanks if that indeed is the right turn of phrase has brought forward a number changes to both because of necessity of restrictions on what way may do have of being under direct authority which for me always was the case at boarding school apart from what we all had at infant and juniors plus parental rules.

That whole situation is a reversal for most which is why some struggle with it but for me a direct return to imposed rules that align strongly with being an adult child and the extent to which even adult males have stepped in as authority figures to help me conform as if I was their son.

That has positioned me in the community very much as that Boy which is both a relief for being subject to guidance, told what to do and has lead to my shorts being taken up to the same coverage I had as junior which has coincided with being taken back a very much junior role.

Yet another element of lockdown has been dealing with the impact of restrictions which have changed sometimes in just a few weeks, the continuing deluge of statistics announcements and fears.

While as you know I have been having a regular footie magazine, tending to buy anything else as and when I felt like it, this has become more difficult as stores have reduced stocks due to reduced demand and also restrictions on what they can sell which is essential.

You may find some comics and magazines at a newsagents which are allowed open, the stationery shops and comic shops have not.

Comics as I think I remarked a couple of years back have changed because everything around them and their readers have with very few of those I grew up with available.

The Beano is one that is and in this form was how I read it in the nineteen seventies and eighties every week helping to deal with the impact of adult matters on our lives such as terrorism and economic and social conflict.

Reading it and talking about what we read helped us imagine other worlds and lose ourselves to a world of fun that we needed.

I have to be honest and say I am finding lockdown hard going so it is the case that I feel I badly need the same sort of thing as I did then.

The modern comic is different, society is different, pc ideas have changed likely script endings from that of my era and their are new cartoon strips and some old ones have gone but I have decided to take out a subscription to the one comic of my childhood that's still around every week.

Back then I did have another comic that was very jam packed with action, adventure and war stories that caused a revolution in weekly British comic publishing called Warlord which was very much a boys comic.

That folded a good while back but one that has a longish history still exists and is published by D C Thomson, who publish the Beano and did publish the Dandy called Commando.

It tends to have a single long story in comic strip form in each weekly issue with stories based upon the past rather like in their shorter forms Warlord did including stories from both World Wars that were the mainstays of the war based games we played as boys back then.

This is an example of the artwork, high quality but fairly old school making it easy to follow and one the things I realized through being on Tumblr was the extent to which I just loved these boys stories not that today a mainstream publisher would call them that but in reality they are.

Old school boys war comic are so me, stuff I identify with strongly and so I also took a subscription out to Commando. This boy needs it.

As I said the comic world has changed and new comics have come out but as I may of written about here and I know I tackled it elsewhere, cover mounts today festoon comics often to the detriment of the content but a few years ago a all new subscription only comic came out.

Phoenix was its name and as the name would suggest out of ashes of older comics came new ideas with the same quality, positioned to relate better to today's children (although adults do read it too) aimed more at the Juniors and Prep School age groups so it's not childish but is for older children.

It has different stories each week that give you new things to look forward to plus some other content that helps develop reading abilities which is something I do struggle with

Modern looking and colourful it bridges the gap between traditional comics and comic books that are produced for teens and young adults.

I saw a sample online and felt It was worth getting a subscription from the same people as the footie magazine is supplied by because it would immerse me in a fantasy world free from much of the adult world especially in the news. 

In Twenty Twenty then not only does this boy go back to being a boy in short short trousers with adults guiding him, keeping me in the straight and narrow, he also while looking at news headlines only as needed, will be reading comics much more connecting with his boyishness.

This I feel can only be a good thing given the struggles I had before and especially during this current covid crisis in keeping my mental strength as good as it can, making sure I switch off from unnecessary adult stuff and better able to just do what I am told.

Deja Vu and reset

This Saturday wasn't like most others which for me usually involves things like keeping up with the footie results, possibly watching a live game if it's on BT Sports or the BBC as well as the Rugby and that but after a unauthorized disclosure of a meetings discussion our Prime Minister announced that parliament vote permitting, we were to stay at home outside of work unless it cannot be done from home or your at school, college or university and "non essential" shops and services like Barbers and Gyms were to shut. 

I avoid politics on this blog for a good reason but sufficient to say at least this time the Parks will be open which was  problem before.

As we can go out for fresh air and exercise, I've decided I'm going to be staying outside in my grey school shorts and uniform and just enjoy this as long as it runs for- probably about a month -  as time to be the boy I am and follow what the grown ups tell me  which was pretty much what happened in March and as hard as it's been, that's been better for me than attempting anything remotely adult.

You may remember from last September how I talked about the termination of Kickaround, the quality Monthly children's soccer magazine and how I had a subscription to Kick! instead.

That was up for renewal so I have decided to get Match of the Day magazine instead as it does have more content, quizzes and facts acting as a football supplement outside of the daily news on the likes of the BBC .

Originally it was a weekly but thanks to Covid it's become fortnightly which I think is a good balance between having enough material to entertain while keeping that element of something to look forward to.

It was Guy Fawkes Night yesterday although the official displays were cancelled.

This was one of themes of last nights Blue Peter where they had a bonfire upon which toasted marshmallows were made and a fireworks display.

They also talked about keeping safe not just for children and grown ups but also pets as many people were having as in this district we did our own in back gardens.

This weekend, specifically Sunday is Remembrance Sunday here in the UK where we remember the sacrifice of those who gave their life four our freedom and where many scouts and scout leaders played important roles in both World Wars both at home and in gaining our victory at great cost.

Sadly thanks to Covid today won't be the same as it normally would due to social distancing rules but many will be out their front doors marking it, as we should.

Halloween time

It's that time of the year boys, we have but a week of it but it is super fun.

It's halloween weekend and with a whole load of other unwanted stuff this year it's a good excuse as any to put on a bit of show and enjoy something that will take our minds off of things and let us relive our childhood likes.

These three will be on my door at least in part for my entertainment as much as that of the neighbourhood's boys and girls this year as well as a broom stick and candy will be left in bags for picking up while we look out and wave through the windows as they play trick and treat in costumes.

Even Snoopy gets in on the act!

Autumn delights while about

This week, it has been a bit all over the place with the weather so sometimes it's been more a case of grabbing hat and shoes when the opportunity arose to venture out  exploring or taking pictures.

This could be me, that schoolboy in his grey shorts and socks holding a few hundred or so's worth of camera gear while out taking pictures and I'll add at least on his Nikon DSLR the input wheel for setting modes and semi automatic auto exposure settings on the front in the right hand grip ala Canon style unlike my D3500 which for some reason puts it at the rear where when hand held it's obscured by your face!

When it all comes together, a great camera, brilliant lighting and autumnal colour it's just magical

A somethings extra autumn post

 I was thinking back to all those Hanna-Barbera shows many of us loved the other day and I thought I'd post these reference drawings showing each character.

Sometimes you see a trade mark illustrators style - take Fumbles for instance.

We all know a dog in a certain show like that, don't we?

That's so early 70's!

A trio of less well remembered shows

Move over Yogi, there's a different bear family in town complete with Afro.

I'm not sure I caught this show but someone must have.

I just loved all the different teams in Wacky Races didn't you?

I remember the Space Kiddettes

Secret Squirrel and Atom Ant were favourites of mine.

We're restricted here when it comes to who can personally visit following Monday's announcement so I can't see myself going anywhere to send time indoors with anyone this side of 2020.

I'm just gonna stay little boy me throughout this thing.

Talking of which it's the same as it ever was feeling very much all of ten seeing that reflection in the windows coming home in his coat shortened grey shorts and turn over socks confident in himself.

It may be 6 degrees c at the moment but I'm out there!

Staying above it all

This hasn't been the best of weeks not least with a combination of bad weather and being very unwell for a few days so in a lot of respects I'm catching up which hasn't been helped by having to use the trackball on this computer as my mouse has died.

Unfortunately I just don't have the co-ordination and dexterity to use the trackball, struggling to make the curser go where I want it too, frequently getting the 'wrong' action or find it's stuck.

One thing I do swear by is the importance of getting out for at least an hour a day for exercise and adventure not just for physical well being but also for maintaining alertness and actually having an adventure.

Some elements of modern especially grown up life seem to forget the very things we understood as boys, the reason we'd rush off when our mates came for us because we felt so much better in mind and spirit for that time we spent together outdoors.

We felt very much alive in our bodies that no amount of virtual reality can truly replace.

I have also found it helps with being healthy tending to have much less infections  and a more clearer positive mental state meaning I am better able to deal with those things I need to.

I suspect by around Monday I'll be listen to my radio as further announcements are made regarding restrictions due to Covid-19.

I'm not a strong television or social media news feeds sort of person being happier to listen to shows like The News at One on BBC Radio Four for what I need to know.

Learning to do your best and move on

 This week as it's been a bit cooler my mind is rather set on achievements and rewards.

As Winnie the Pooh correctly identified, in order to achieve we need to get past where we are at this moment which is something that some people do struggle with because while there is nothing wrong with being where you are, you can't grow unless you move.

We can develop a strongly rooted attachment to that position that we feel discomfort in the very idea of leaving it and that can hold us back.

It's like the arm bands we all started out with when we learned to swim: They gave us buoyancy, keeping us floating in the water as we learned to stay afloat and move around but when it was suggested we took them off , you may recall that "Will I be okay? "What if I can't float" feeling. 

Sometimes achievement comes within the everyday activities such as passing a test in a subject and gaining a awarded result such as in an examination which might be academic or like with me gaining my ASA Swimming awards at a swimming club.

You may be issued with a certificate and a trophy with a particular title that at the end of a year you hand back for the next years winners to have  a shield put on it baring their name.

Some awards are not just for personal excellence, reaching certain levels of proficiency but my come from entering competitions of which at my Junior School there were many both for a set topic within your year or collectively for your House.

One we competed for was the Victor Ludorum in sporting achievement and it was issued with the other awards at the annual Prize Giving which we all attended and our parents were invited to attend.

You're not too young to win the Victor Ludorum as this Thorpe House prep school boy shows proudly his.

One thing I do feel strongly over is that the entry especially the competing for awards, badges and trophies do help motivate people not least boys to get past that "armband" stage and work toward moving on, becoming more self confident prepared and able to take on challenges, mastering them.

There has been a tendency to see competition as a bad thing, even to the point every child has to win a prize regardless of effort - which if exceptional for personal circumstances can be rewarded in its own right  - and achievement and this doesn't just fail to prepare people for the real world where we do have to compete for jobs, getting our projects accepted and taken forward but also demotivates.

Lots of research shows boys do better in competitive situations, striving to be their best selves, putting in effort and being self disciplined.

Let's hear it for that's that motivate us, taking us out our comfort zones and move us on.

* Inspired by an original TSB blog post of 2019 that was sadly lost in the great account removal on Wordpress and Tumblr.