by Olivia | Aug 31, 2018 | Featured
In my teenage crush dating years, we all rallied against what our parents had in mind for us. A budding accountant, medic or law student who has a ‘profession’ was what they imagined for us, and instead we would go for the ‘bad’ boys, the bikers, musicians and in the case of one of my class mates, a local bouncer. Most of us wouldn’t want to be seen dead with anything less than ‘cool’ as we hung out at the local café or meeting place.
A good example is the iconic film Dirty Dancing when middle class daughter of a doctor meets holiday entertainer and falls in love. We see her being pursued by less than enigmatic son of the hotel owner in the beginning, only to become beguiled by the ‘bad boy’. It all works out in the end as the ‘bad boy’ actually turns out to be the one they can trust, so her blinkered father, (who would have preferred the ‘untrustworthy’ graduate from Harvard), comes round in the end.
It does seem scary that we had to tread the path of ‘dangerous’ so that our kids could find the way. I remember taking illicit motorbike rides with my best friend’s elder brother – on his brand new motorbike, without a crash helmet or even a hat! Way before health and safety or even sensibility kicked in, and being reported by a local gossip to my mum. She very cleverly didn’t tell me for years as she knew it would encourage me to do it more. But I would be horrified if I witness my daughter doing the same thing.
The first time I realised that things were turning around was when my teenage daughter came home with a very respectable law student, and we all silently heaved a sigh of relief as I was expecting a return of my own youth when my first ‘boyfriend’ was a pickup in a local music festival sporting a guitar and a plethora of tattoos. I didn’t mention this to her of course, as she would have been horrified at her mother’s misspent youth, but it did get me thinking.
Perhaps it is the influence of my good parenting, or the recent success of Suits and introduction of Meghan into our Royal clan, or the inclusion of ‘sensible’ into our most controversial TV programmes, but something has changed and hopefully for the better.
My daughter now spends hours on the phone to her boyfriend discussing legal disputes and solutions, and is now wanting to become a lawyer herself!
Even with the dreaded Love Island which the kids insist on watching, their star Doctor is now being given the opportunity to appear on Breakfast TV having revealed all on the beach, and I don’t just mean his fake tan.
But is this something we should welcome with open arms, or are you like me from the era when the protagonist was the penniless but heroic champion? Maybe we should save that for our own bygone fantasies, or if we see our offspring following in our footsteps, remind them as well as ourselves, that ‘Boring’ is definitely becoming the new Sexy.
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by Dee | Aug 28, 2018 | Featured, General
The first piece of advice I was given as a writer was ‘capture the audience in the first three minutes’. I have never forgotten those words of wisdom.
We see a burning house and hear screams of the people inside, we see firefighters and people being dragged from the ruins. But do we care, we feel the tension but we don’t know who these people are.
Cut back a few scenes, and we see a man drive up to the house, he gets out of the car and is greeted by his wife and two young children who are standing at the open door. We see him enter and sit down at the table with his family, and talk about their day. They are chatting about their kids’ school and the family holiday, we get to know them.
We cut to outside and see a man planting an explosive, and see the house go up in flames. Now we are engaged and we really want them to be saved.
Not all of us are aspiring writers or film makers, but more and more people are wanting to make writing part of their lives. Some don’t even know if they have the talent to write a page let alone a novel, but if you have a spark of interest or passion about writing then why don’t you explore the possibilities.
You could begin by forming your own writers group – many have started simply by inviting a few friends over with a couple bottles of wine, some basic ideas and a discussion, and before you know it you have short stories, books or screenplays in the making. Better than crying over ex boyfriends or berating the agony of a recent divorce, and definitely a way of reinventing yourself.
If you are serious about a career change and want to be a writer, then look at one of the writing courses that are around at the moment.
To refresh my own capability as a writer I recently attended a fantastic Writer’s Retreat in the Dordogne in France, The Rocaberti. It was full of enthusiastic writers at all stages of their career, from their very first shot at writing to the more experienced published writer.
The Mentors were all highly motivated, published and well known novelists, screen-writers and film writers and producers. In spite of their success, they were equally as supportive to every mentee and made sure each one had the input they needed to take the next step on their writing path.
You could also explore writers’ groups nearer to home, and there are many good ones – check out the reviews and feedback from attendees on the websites attached to the courses, and that should tell you everything you need to know.
Hope I have got you interested – and within the first three minutes. After all it only takes one minute to make a life changing decision, which could affect everything you do for the next twenty years or more. So what are you waiting for?
Checkout the writers retreat rocabertiwriters.com
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by Glotime | Aug 24, 2018 | Featured, GloWellness
The London Fire Brigade are on the lookout for more female firefighters, as they now feel that with stereotypical imagery symbolising firefighting as a predominantly male profession, it is sending out all the wrong messages for their recruitment campaigns.
Recently on Love Island, with a humungous 11m viewership, a line of male contestants dressed up as ‘firefighters’ depicted the definitive ‘sexy’ male oozing testosterone and masculinity.
We also witnessed a ‘housewife’ going weak at the knees, as she welcomed a male firefighter into her house in a recent TV commercial.
A spokesperson from the London Fire Brigade stated that they are eliminating 50 percent of their workforce by sending out these messages, and keeping women away from the profession.
They go on to say that females have many built in attributes required for the job, and physical strength is way down on the list as it is more technique that is needed to lift people out of burning buildings. But the essential qualities that are inherent in females are required for the job such as emotional empathy and the sensitivity of dealing with people in trauma.
We would like to get the message out there to any women looking to change career or if you have a daughter or granddaughter who is looking for a career that is both rewarding and pioneering. But don’t think it is a ‘cop out’ for an education, as learning and intelligence plays a big part of the job, and you will need to have your wits about you at all times.
During the First & Second World Wars many women were recruited to become firefighters through necessity, and they excelled as they battled the flames of the blitz. But since then we seem to have slipped backwards into regarding it as a ‘men only’ career.
This quote is by Gillian Wilton-Clark, who received the George medal for her services.
‘Nearly 80 years on, female firefighters are still comparatively rare and their achievements mainly overlooked by the media, which still talk about firemen rather than firefighters – something the London brigade changed 30 years ago. Our #FirefightingSexism campaign, launched last year, has got people talking about how they describe fire service staff. Things won’t change overnight, but it is a step in the right direction and something welcomed by fire and rescue services across the country. I’ve moved from my first job in Millwall fire station to becoming the brigade’s head of cultural change and talent. I can’t recommend it enough.’
All we can say here at Glotime is fantastic work and we are all proud of all of the fire & rescue services across the country.
So please consider a career in the Fire & Rescue service, why not pop along to your local service and see the rewarding career for yourself.
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