Logan's Touch

Some years ago, in fact many years ago now, I was in hospital in a place called Santa Rosa, California. Now, you must be wondering where this is going, but bear with me, please.
It was one of those occasions that we now call 'life changing'. I was in the cardiac unit, a place to avoided at all costs. I was puzzled. For most of my life I had been very fit, I had served in the Royal Marines and done the commando course at a place called Lymstone in Devon England. (I mention this in my book Logan's Touch') I had also been a teacher of physical education in England...could run 20 miles without effort. But heart disease is insidious. However, thanks to three brilliant doctors to whom whom I shall be eternally grateful, Dr Greg Gullow, my GP in Sonoma, CA. Dr Stan  Mogelson, a cardiologist, and Dr  Keith Korver, surgeon. Without their intervention I would not be here. No kidding!
   And one more and I reach the point of my blog, but he wasn't a doctor. He was a cartoonist by the name of Charles Shultz. Okay he's famous. But he visted the cardiac unit regularly where he had had by pass-surgery. He encouraged patients, (like Henry V before the battle of Agincourt)...in Shakespeare, 'For forth he goes and visits all his hosts, bids then good morrow with a modest smile and calls them friend, brother'....I digress. he was a great hospital visitor, and in the unit, there were cartoons on the walls....a great guy, sadly no longer with us.
   I looked forward to his visits after my surgery, (I had a triple-by-pass)...we talked about Europe, Germany where he obviously had a connection....and he was interested in my past. Being in the field of child protection was close to his heart.... no pun intended. I had worked the streets of Liverpool, England, and later as a social worker ( this part part of my life will be published in Zen and the Art of Social Work later this year, 2012.).
   It was Charles who encouraged me to write. and here we are, some twenty years later, four books on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com  with two others published in the USA, and two 'on the stocks' and a third being planned which involves yet another visit to Berlin. (This is a city, for some very odd reason I find fascinating. Everywhere I go I feel I have been there before. I cannot explain it...maybe on my return I will find the answer.
    I had a similar experience when visiting Stuttgart for my book, The Ghosts of KG40....In my book the old grammar school Eberhardt Ludwigs Gymnasium is featured, (a 15th century school, where two of the students were involved in the plot to assasinate Adolph Hitler, (also see previous blogs re Hitler family)  Graf Claus von Staufenberg and his brother Berthold. Coincidntly I picked up  the school's Blue Book, and Charles Shultz's name is in it....another book, Fred Uhlman's 'Reunion' is a brillant book about the school before the Nazis came to power. Persecuted by the Nazis Fred later left Germany for the USA, where he had a career in writing..
    So, the circle is nearly complete. it remains to be see where I go from here...maybe that archaeological dig in Leicestershire at the site of Richard the third and Bosworth, The battle of Bosworth....(the real site is a mile up the road by the way!) or Azicourt, my favourite (Agincourt to every Englisman) ;We Few, we Happy Few. We band of brothers'. I think Bill Shakespeare got it right, don't you!

leslunt.com       tweet  @leslunt.     vantagebooks@rocketmail.com

A wonderful day out in England

Birdwatching...Yes, true, I went to Topsham in Devon, and as a member of the RSPB I found Bowling Green Marsh...a 'hide' where we could watch many waders of all kinds..(it is here that I show my ignorance as I am fairly new at the is game in England). But there were Snipes and Avocets, a gent standing next to saw a Kingfisher, but there were many many more.
  In Spain I belong to the Costa Blanca Birdwatchers......and the birds are as one might except, quite different. Saw a Golden eagle and Buzzards feeding up in the mountains around Xativa, and many many more.
  Getting back to Devon, it is no secret that CTCRM is just along the River Exe, to the left of the hide. Now that brings back many memories! A mud-run (just for fun) said the corporal Marine. It was a long time ago and I am sure commando training has changed, but I must point out, I was only a Reservist...Ah, as someone pointed out, there are Reservists in Afghanistan....I take my hat off to those lads. Again, CTCRM is mentioned in my book, 'Logan's Touch.'..Major Harry Kewell....meets Wes Van-den-Heuval in the Mess....
  Which brings me to the end of a five mile walk (all around Topsham) with coffee in a great coffee house (I don't know the name)....it's on the left as you head out of town...But before I leave I must point out the Globe Hotel. (This is a 16th century old coaching inn....They have Doombar beer...to the uninitated, it's in the league of Spitfire, or Tribute..even Otter beer, which reminds me of a second book..A Hurricane's Tale. Flying along the Otter Valley....magic!
What a wonderful day, the estuary bathed in sunlight...easy enough now to forget the mountains around Xativa, and bask in the beauty of the River Exe.

All of a sudden people are noticing that Ed Milliband is not the Leader some people (exclude me from this) expected him to be (is this a case of mistaken identity with brother David?) So much for the wonderful leadership election process Labour has. Brother Dave stood by astonished that something like this could happen to him!
Somewhere in the deep recesses of Cafe 102 (my local watering place) I heard a voice say that we should bring back Tony Blair.....Whoa..Whoa. One cotton picking minute I said...Wait...just maybe she was right...Just maybe...
Okay, Okay, before we resurrect Blair, perhaps we ought test it in court. I know people say he should be before the International Criminal Court at the Hague, But so too should others. Thatcher for example...remember the Belgrano...my, my.....We have some of the greatest legal brains in the world living in the U.K, so why is it so difficult to bring these parties to court? Anyway, back to the business of resurrecting Blair...(or not)
The Spanish judge, Baltasar Garzon, who nailed the little ex-facist dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet(Pinochet is another who suffered an exterme rapid loss of memory), or one of his just and upright colleagues, should look again at Blair. Test it in court. If Blair is innocent of the charge let him stand for re-election of the leadereship... unless of course being a multi-millionaire he's too damn busy making der dosh to save the country...
So, where are we? Cameron is riding high in the polls. We are being shafted over the NHS (45% of hospital admissions can be private patients)...Give way you poor NHS patients for those bring der dosh into the 'business'.
And as for Blair...can anyone tell me how he can sleep at night? Perhaps he's reading Logan's Touch. (on Kindle I expect) that book caused a storm of protest in the USA when it was published where most Americand thought Ireland was a place just to play golf, the people were very short with funny hats and drank something very dark and quite unpronouncable...The the crap hit the fan on 911, and people remembered Logan's Touch and the IRA...suddenly it dawned on a few that terrorism is connected to the IRA..Wow a revelation! and all that dosh collected at the local Fire House in New York which went to Noraid....there was  a connection...and quietly, oh so quietly the collecting tins were removed...
But, let's get back to the leadership of the Labour Party..by the way is it still New Labour? Anway, forgive me for pointing it out yet again...Labour should be riding high, and we haven't got an effecttive leader...Yet!.
www.LesLunt.com
@leslunt    Tweet
vantagebooks@rocketmail.com

A little known fact about Adolf Hitler

In my book, The Ghosts of KG40 I had one of my characters say that Adolf Hitler was thought to have attended the art school in Liverpool sometime around 1912. When I attended the art school, (it was called Liverpool College of Art by then) there were still rumours that Hitler had at one time attended.
I have in my posession, a copy of the birth certificate of William Patrick Hitler who lived in Upper Stanhope St, Liverpool. showing he was born to Alois and Bridget Hitler, Alois was the half brother of Adolf.

Is it too much to surmise that Adolf came to Liverpool to see his brother, and his new nephew, and Bridget.?
The Ghosts of KG40 is not so much about ghosts but th elives of some of the bravest men whoever served to defeat Hitler. I mention a ghost at the art school in Liverpool in the main text. It was well known fact that the main lift in the old building was haunted. During the war, men and women firewatchers were based in the building to ensure that if any incendary bombs landed they would be quickly dealt with. Often they were disturbed by the lift moving up and down...with no one in it. It was always checked for electrical faults, none were ever found.
The Ghosts of KG40 mentions a pub favoured by the art students, Ye Cracke is just around the corner in street, it's a great pub..I even mention the fact that some say the ghost of John lennon is has beeb seen here. It's very likely I suppose for he often went there. (I can vouch for this as I was often there as well)!
How strange that on most mornings travelling to the art school, I would travel from Speke (Western Avenue) on the same bus as George Harrison whom I knew fairly well as I had bought my first motor bike off George's brother Harry. I also went to the the same primary school as Paul McCartney. Not that I knew him well, he lived a stones throw from myhouse in Goldfince Farm.
So, a little hsitory. Students should look deeper into the early life of one of the world's greatest tyrants, and if so, go liverpool, so much history is there waiting to be uncovered.
www.leslunt.com

The St Pauls Protest

Watching the the European Imbroglio this week, one can't but wonder where the Labout Party is? The first question I ask myself is who is the Labour Party? Surely they are mortally wounded by Tony Blair, and a few of his cohorts, Mandelson for one. Now Lord Mandelson. Now I had a university education, not quite Ivy League, but I did work for a living, for 20 years in the field of child protection. So I can speak as a 'worker'...I even acknowledge John Prescott's contribution, working on ships as a steward, but his betrayal, like that of Mandelon is in my opinion, Treasonable to the working people of great Britain.
Lord Mandelson and his property deals make the average worker spew with anger. Prescott cavorting in lavish hotels and spending cash like it was Monoopoly money. A retired miner I know who is suffeirng the effects of working beneath the Yorkshire Dales, for what is really a pittance in terms of compensation. We learn of Executives getting 49% pay rises. It's enough to make you riot on the streets. Don't. The only people allowed to effectively take money out of your pocket is the Bankers and the city. Our Tax system (remember the very top companies who's bosses have received 49% pay rises, don't pay tax. They are off shore, check out Jersey. Or rather don't because you will be on the streets or at least at St Pauls Cathedral.
So, I condem the members of the Labour partry who with their Cambridge and Oxford degrees, (who incidently have't done a days tap in their lives) we the ordinary guy in the street don't want you...Sir Martin Sorrel claims a £1,000,000 is not a lot of salaryand described it as 'very low. (That is his base salary).
Are ordinary folk in England totally and utterly frightened to protest and say, enough is enough Thatcher, by the way has claimed £500, 000 'expenses') Sort of 'benefit'. She is in every way a benefits claimant, 'cept of cours she's already mega rich.
So our 'shadow prime Minister is weak, (Cambridge University) and never done a days tap in his life. His brother who I actually like is no different, not a days tap..More than likely never 'clocked on', wore dirty ovweralls, or taken kids into care whose parents had sexually abused them... A very nice man, and more likely to take over from his brother Ed, but David is clever by far, and is very ambitious...The name Milliband will, in my opinion join his fellow well educated 'Labour' men. Our biggest mistake was to listen to the well educated, oily (Blair) and who have never worked for a living, in favour of men who have experienced 'life', that's why Paddy Asdown is always listened to, he's been there, a very popular man, so too the Beast of Bolsover...and Tony Benn. , a bomber pilot during the war....nuff said.

Beatles?

I think I mentioned in previous blogs my association with the Beatles. It began when I worked with Harry Harrison, the brother of George Harrison. I bought Harry's motor bike, a Cotton, 250 cc Indian. One day Harry came to me and asked if I would varnish his younger brother's guitar...'sure' I said....24 hours later he took it back to George. I hope it looked better, for certain it looked a million dollars better, and no doubt sounded better!
I later sold my motor bike to my pal Ted, I had damaged the gear box....Ted didn't mind as he pushed it all the way to Old Swan in Liverpool.
My dad was a pal of George Harrison's father, also named Harry. Harry as the world knows was a bus driver. He could never pass me in the street driving his bus...without offering me lift...rather like a taxi! I travelled on his bus often and free!
Working with Harry Harrison (George's brother) was short lived. Harry left our place of work to live 'over the water' in Ellesmere Port...I lost track of him after that.
George and I go back a long way. On my way to art school...(the same art school where John Lennon studied art)..he and Paul McCartney would get the number 80, or 82 bus, in Western Avenue, to Liverpool. The 80 went by Penny Lane..where often the conductor would shout out 'Penny Lane'...I often sat next to George because we both smoked cigarettes then...Paul I knew as he lived in Western avenue. We had attended the same Primary School.
A friend of my father, Tommy Jordan suggested to Harry Harrison that as an artist, (although working with my dad as a painter) that I might wish to paint a portrait of George. Harry did eventually approach me and I subsequently painted George's portrait...a nice commission, I do believe I was the only artist to be paid by George's parents for a painting his portrait. I had recently placed two pictures in the Royal Academy summer exhibition.....I was handsomely paid by Harry Harrison....but rejected by the academy! You can't win 'em all!

Hello All!