Sheep

"Harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away

Only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air

You better watch out, there may be dogs about

I've looked over Jordan and I have seen, things are not what they seem.

What do you get for pretending the danger's not real

Meek and obedient you follow the leader, down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel

What a surprise!

A look of terminal shock in your eyes

Now things are really what they seem

No, this is no bad dream."

(Painting inspired by the Pink Floyd song 'Sheep'. Words by Roger Waters)

Details from 'Do You Wanna Be A Spaceman'

People who achieve their dream always say the same thing, that anyone can do it. I have always doubted this. Luck, whether it's in the form of a chance meeting or a happening, falls at your lap from nowhere, that's why it is called luck, I don't believe you can make your own luck, you either get it or you don't. You can work hard at something but whether you ever achieve your goal will more than likely depend on who you meet on your way.

Your upbringing also has a huge bearing on whether you can follow that dream or not. Encouraging parents is quite possibly the most important factor for any young kid. In the last couple of weeks, my step son has been saying he wants to be a super hero, why should I turn round and say he can't? why should I take that dream away? He gets my full support and encouragement. As he gets older, his dreams and aspirations will obviously become more serious.

I try to get him involved in anything he is interested in.....thankfully that hasn't been anything too expensive yet :) This will hopefully help him find out what he is good at and where he wants to go in the future. I always felt encouragement and direction was lacking during my childhood, so I aim to give my 2 step kids as much as I am capable of.

What would the likes of Tiger Woods or Lewis Hamilton be doing if they didn't have that encouragement and direction? Yet they must of had that dream themselves or they would of just lost interest.

Kid For Today (Commission)

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Do You Wanna Be A Spaceman

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What do you hear kids say they want to be when they grow up? The answers are always interesting to hear....and somewhat quite unachievable you might think. A Cowboy, a Spaceman, a Power Ranger or Superhero of some kind!

Clearly though, a handful of these dreams are fulfilled, as there are these Astronauts, Racing Drivers and Cowboys out there.

This is to those 6 year olds that will one day live their childhood dream day in day out. Though I’m not suggesting there is a real life Batman!!

Slow This Bird Down

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Our children seem to be growing up quicker all the time. Just think back to what you were doing and what you had at different stages of your childhood. I imagine it differs greatly.

Kids seem to get to a point where they just want to be older. Yet it will happen all too quickly and before they know it they will be forever chasing their youth.

I don’t want my kids to turn around in 30 years and say to me “I was so concerned about growing up faster; I wish there was a way I could of slowed it down.”

I’m sure there are ways of helping that. I think we should understand the need for an orderly progression through childhood. In the past there were important cultural “markers” that determined the ages at which certain behaviours and belongings were appropriate. Those markers seem to have disappeared, or they’ve certainly been moved downward.

At best, you’re only a kid for about 12 years, with another 70 taken up by adulthood. Surely someone in the beginning didn’t think that ratio through properly!

Street Children

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The term 'Street Children' is used to refer to children who live on the streets who are deprived of family and protection. There are young children across the globe, in all major cities and especially in the developing countries of South America and Eastern Europe, who are homeless and live on the street – those that live in containers, underground pipes or cardboard boxes. When I see these little kids, it makes me wish I had a house with a million rooms. It would certainly have to be one hell of a house! Unfortunately, the number of global street children is nearer 150 million!

Happy Cycling

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Kids love their wheels and everyone surely remembers their first bike or trike with its gleaming paint job (mine was purple with white wheels!). It’s a fundamental part of childhood to ride a bike, and kids are always eager to ride around on their beloved machine, lost in their own adventurous world. It introduces them also to their wider surroundings, they learn about the areas where they live, they meet up with friends, they go places…..albeit just to end of the street and back!

Kid For Today

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There is a myth that doing nothing is wasting time, when it's actually extremely productive and essential. During empty hours, kids explore the world at their own pace, develop their own unique set of interests and indulge in the sort of fantasy play that will help them figure out how to create their own happiness. When they are watching television, even if there is nothing particularly on, you just know they are sitting there lost in their own imagination. However, always the inquisitive, a kid will stop and stare at something that they feel is far more interesting!