1. Raising the Arms;
2. Opening the Chest;
3. Painting a Rainbow;
4. Separating the Clouds;
5. Rolling the Arms in a Horse-riding Stance;
6. Rowing a Boat in the Middle of a Lake;
7. Carry Ball in Front of the Shoulders;
8. Looking at the Moon;
9. Pushing with the Palms;
10. Cloud Hands in a Horse-riding Stance
Now that the summer is here, I’ve hung up the badminton racket and picked up the tennis. I’ve rejoined rustlings lawn tennis club which is just behind the Nursery Tavern on Ecclesall Road.
I’ve played a few games now and am hitting the ball better than I ever have before. There are some kindly members of the club who’ve been nice enough to point out some areas that I could change, and given me some tips. I’m now developing a backhand that, rather than being a weakness to be targetted, is becoming a bit a weapon. 
I recently bought a house in Sheffield. It rocks. The following are good things about it:
The following are bad things about it:
This past weekend I went to a festival in Cumbria. With Cat, Tom and Harry, I enjoyed some great weather, some very hot saunas and a lot of good music. There were two musical highlights for me. The first was the Levellers, who had a a Bez-like bekilted crazy didgeridoo playing guest band member who leaped and flying kicked his way across the stage whilst engaging the band members in faux sword fights – them using their various instruments as weapons. Awesome!
The second was Eat Static. These guys played some really great trance-techno, which brought me back a few years. On Saturday night I found myself dancing underneath the largest sombrero you have ever seen, supping Jamesons from a hip flask and meeting some lovely folk.
Most of the Festivals I’ve attended in the past have been in the south – down in the Somerset region – and so have been primarily frequented by southern folk. It was interesting to feel in the linguistic minority in terms of accent. Ordinarily I would pick people up when mispronouncing grass, or dance. However, this helpful advice seemed to fall on deaf ears and even provoke some hostile reactions – do these people not want to be improved? 
I will upload a few photos in the next few days.
I often begin the day feeling a little low on energy – and find relatively simple challenges insurmountable. One method of kick-starting my day that I have found useful is the The Velten Mood induction procedure. This consists of reading a series of statements which express a neutral outlook and get progressively more and more positive (there is a list that also gets more and more negative should you find yourself feeling too happy and motivated!). Check out idiolect for Tom’s write up.
After reading through a series of statements in the positive Velten, I leap into projects energetically that moments before seemed daunting.
I find it interesting how easy it is to manage one’s attitude and outlook. My mind, it seems, is most malleable! Does it work for you?
I changed the layout to incorporate the photo header at the top. It’s an image that Cat found on the internet. The photo is taken from the top of Meersbrook Park and looks over Sheffield.
For those Sheffieldites, there are a few landmarks that can be clearly spotted such as the arts tower and the Hallamshire hospital. The new(ish) mosque in Sharrow can be seen easily just right of centre.
What strikes me most about the area in the picture is how green this side of Sheffield is.
This is a nice (if a little cheesy) story a friend sent me to remind me to make the most of every moment in life. I hope you enjoy it!
A little girl had been shopping with her Mum in Checkers. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckled face picture of innocence. It was pouring outside, the kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the ground it has no time to flow down the spout.
We all stood there, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried lives. I am always mesmerised by rainfall. I got lost in the sight and sound of the heavens washing away the dust and dirt of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of the day.
The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in. “Mum, let’s run through the rain.” she said.
“What ? ” Mum asked“Let’s run through the rain! ” she repeated
“No, honey we’ll wait till it eases down a bit.” Mum replied
The little girl waited for a minute and then repeated “Please, let’s run through the rain. “
“We’ll get soaked. ” Mum said
“No we won’t Mum, that’s what you said this morning. ” the young girl said as she tugged at her Mum’s arm.
“This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet ?”
“Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer you said if God can get us through this he can get us through anything.”The entire crowd dropped dead silent, all you could hear was the rain. We all stood silently, no one came or left for a few minutes.
Mum paused and thought what she should say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so it will bloom into faith.
“Honey, you are absolutely right. Let’s run through the rain, if God lets us get wet then maybe we need washing! ” Mum said.
Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and, yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked but were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children as they ran to their cars.
And yes, I did. I ran, I needed washing.
With only 4 days to go before smoking in enclosed public places becomes illegal, I have decided to join the ranks of the non-smokers. In order to successfully mount a serious campaign against the wily wants my tobacco addiction, I have succumbed to the following -
Unfortunately, I have damaged the above muscles in my neck area. Dr Hugh (a housemate) has diagnosed my injury as such. Having this injury means that I cannot move my head. Not being able to move a Steve’s head has serious consequences on a Steve’s day (some good, some bad)-
To help me through this bed-bound period, I also chose to watch one of Hugh’s ultra violent martial arts films. Ong-Bak did not disappoint. As well as being very entertaining, there was also a certain pleasure I took from watching people suffering worse neck injuries than mine!
