John Peters

The Radio always has played a large part in my life from childhood listening often when I was unwell, following chart countdowns in the days of Paul Burnett on Radio One at lunch times, specialist shows in the evenings like the Friday Night Rock Show with Tommy Vance and the like.

Music is something that can take back so in the 80's as radio stations themselves became a bit more specialist I started listening to GEM AM a network of oldies stations in the East Midlands, just a stones throw away away for the memories and yes a bit of regression.

John Peters was one of the presenters on there as he'd joined Radio Trent in Notts as as the government started to object to stations having the same shows on AM (Medium Wave) and FM (Vhf) after a stint at the United Biscuits network for its employees.

He was one of the first presenters to join Boom Radio, the Dab+ and Internet oldies station presenting three shows of one one, the Vintage Chart Show was a favourite of mine on Sunday afternoon which he did with style, professionalism and above all a sense of fun.

On Sunday as the program was going to air, it was announced he'd died Saturday night aged 75.

R.I.P John.

Righting wrongs

 I'm not feeling to great today so,this will be a short post as we cool down after last weeks super hot period and I get a bit of rest in.

Bad relationships with my younger brother go back a very long time, certainly to the time he turned around ten and started getting more manipulating from playing around the year or games under the bed clothes in the early hours of the morning, hopefully not attracting the attention of Dad and and his slipper.

While much he moved into has been talked about before and how that left me an out of the blue phone call last Friday when did was out made for an interesting conversation as he wanted to talk about past events, not least how Dad treated him - being physically abusive whenever he was unwell and mum also was,accusing him of various things and how a chunk of the wider family just will not accept he has this side to him not to negate the other and good side of his nature that often seem like odd bed fellows.

I did take advantage of that to confirm my understand of what had gone on, my own views being similar to his and he was understood and perhaps more importantly his mum understood it too as indeed as I well recall she said as much in her later years.

While none of that takes away how he treated me, I do feel some progress has been made in at least getting an understanding his issues from that are accepted and paving a bit more of a way towards better relationships going forward.

My schoolwork

Golly gosh it's already a warm start to the day as I type up this blog early on Tuesday morning having just about cracked the failure to get to sleep thing by leaving all the electrics downstairs overnight often charging up.

Everybody learns differently some more chalk and talk, others by actually doing the task although as many of recall school seldom showed any inclination to adjust teaching methods to suit what is known about learning preferring to do things as its always been done.

Chalk and talk with copius note taking just never works with me really not least I can't remember more than a few words at time and am rubbish at spelling not least for being dyslexic.

The odd time I took part in any kind of a school recreation with actual lessons, having to dress in uniform and that just undelined to me what was wrong about the education I had as it just wasn't the case they took any consideration of my innate limitations and preferred to see as naughty inattentive boy who need a sharp reminder rather than saving anything like that to pure laziness or bad manners.

Sometimes you wonder if those who run things have really moved on some forty or so years in our understanding of peoples disabilities?

Being little

I am a little.

I love blanket forts and stuffed animals.

I love the sunshine and the smell of warm things.

I love the feeling of being protected.

I love the smell of crayons.

I love being able to call someone ‘Mommy or Daddy’.

I love watching children’s shows.

I love being able to find comfort in my thumb, Scruffy, Blanky and Mommy or Daddy.

I love coloring and picture books.

I love being a little.

Most importantly, I love being myself.