There S Never A Dull Moment

Following on from In Spite of Everything ... Book 2 of the Trilogy takes you through this part of Pat Coppard's life detailing his army experiences leading to his entry into one of the world's toughest and most charismatic infantry units. This was followed by years of violence and crime amongst the South-East London gangster fraternity, only to be rescued from this downhill spiral by a young, beautiful and highly-intelligent girl. Read as our Author channels his energies into creating a legitimate career, whilst at the same time helping to improve the lives of his wider family. Corporate rules are bent double in order to achieve his goal, sometimes in an amusing way! Pat Coppard (Pat.C) ...& what they said about In Spite Of Everything Coppard's references to the the tragedies experienced during his early years are powerful and touching. Clarion. As an oral record of mean street dialogue, the memoir shines. Kirkus. This jaunty, vivid tale comes alive because Coppard injects it with animated dialogue. Blue-Ink. (Should you have any diffi culty understanding any of the Cockney phrases, an index has been supplied & can be found at the back of the book!)

George Plawski was born in Gdynia, Poland, in 1934. His father, Eugene, was a senior naval officer who fought in both World Wars in the capacities of pilot, and as the commander of surface ships as well as submarines. Before the war, he lived with his wife Maria in Warsaw. Never a Dull Moment lives up to its title as George takes us back to his youth under the Nazis in WW2, describes his and his mother's separate escapes from Communist occupied Poland to join his father who spent the war years in the Polish Navy in England, and their subsequent immigration to Canada in 1948. This colorful memoir traces the family's unusual history, and recalls the severe hardships which faced his parents in starting their lives anew in this beautiful and free, yet in the in the immediate post-war years, a thoroughly challenging land. In a series of humorously recalled anecdotes, the author portrays the process leading to his commission in the Royal Canadian Navy, to obtaining his wings, and to becoming a pilot flying off the aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure. After leaving the service in 1964, Plawski returned to UBC to finish his BA, then completed three years of post-graduate studies in theatre, specialising in directing, which was funded by his summer job flying air tankers on forest fires. The book continues with suspenseful accounts of Plawski's founding of Vancouver's City Stage, the thrilling saga of the often hair-raising pioneering days of firebombing in California and in Canada, and of the hilarious aerial circus of budworm spraying in New Brunswick. This story is embellished with a telling of his meeting with a beautiful and cultured girl from Paris whose name is Rita; of their unconventional romance, their travels around the world, of her loving and essential collaboration in the author's idiosyncratic lifestyle, and of their eventual marriage which is happily doomed to continue to the end of this grand adventure....

The basis for the new hit documentary 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything, now streaming on Apple TV+. A rollicking look at 1971 - the busiest, most innovative and resonant year of the 70s, defined by the musical arrival of such stars as David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Joni Mitchell On New Year's Eve, 1970, Paul McCartney told his lawyers to issue the writ at the High Court in London, effectively ending The Beatles. You might say this was the last day of the pop era. The following day, which was a Friday, was 1971. You might say this was the first day of the rock era. And within the remaining 364 days of this monumental year, the world would hear Don McLean's "American Pie," The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar," The Who's "Baba O'Riley," Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," Rod Stewart's "Maggie May," Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," and more. David Hepworth, an ardent music fan and well regarded critic, was twenty-one in '71, the same age as many of the legendary artists who arrived on the scene. Taking us on a tour of the major moments, the events and songs of this remarkable year, he shows how musicians came together to form the perfect storm of rock and roll greatness, starting a musical era that would last longer than anyone predicted. Those who joined bands to escape things that lasted found themselves in a new age, its colossal start being part of the genre's staying power. Never a Dull Moment is more than a love song to the music of 1971. It's also an homage to the things that inspired art and artists alike. From Soul Train to The Godfather, hot pants to table tennis, Hepworth explores both the music and its landscapes, culminating in an epic story of rock and roll's best year.

Mary is the seventh born child of a small-town California family with a household of colorful characters and their stories. She reflects on her journey from her 1960s upbringing to forming her own family and sense of self with humor.

Extraordinary people lead extraordinary lives and, from the beginning, even before he had any control over his life, John Meigs’ life was extraordinary: kidnapped by his father, never to see his mother again. Once on his own, he tried his hand as a reporter in Los Angeles in 1936, and then in Honolulu, where he got drawn into the art world, becoming one of the original designers of the Hawaiian aloha shirts. Those pursuits were interrupted with the onset of World War II and John’s enlistment in the Navy. After a serendipitous escape of death and military duty in Florida, John returned to Hawaii, where he met New Mexico artist Peter Hurd. That encounter led John to New Mexico and to interactions with a wide variety of notable people, including painters Andrew Wyeth and Georgia O’Keeffe, poet Witter Bynner, oilman and cattleman Robert O. Anderson, and actor Vincent Price. With the notable artist Rolf Armstrong, of “pin-up girl” calendar fame, John traveled to Paris in 1952 where his off-beat nature led him to Alice B. Toklas. After returning to New Mexico, numerous opportunities knocked on John’s door, beckoning him in different directions all at the same time. In 1979, his travels led to a particularly significant development in John’s life when he picked up a hitchhiker, who became a complicated fixture in his life as both a sidekick and a love object. Meig’s fascinating life continued to unfold, garnering attention and impacting those close to him. As can happen, though, even with the most accomplished and creative, eventually, a sad, slow mental decline set in.

No one likes to be bored. Two leading psychologists explain what causes boredom and how to listen to what it is telling you, so you can live a more engaged life. We avoid boredom at all costs. It makes us feel restless and agitated. Desperate for something to do, we play games on our phones, retie our shoes, or even count ceiling tiles. And if we escape it this time, eventually it will strike again. But what if we listened to boredom instead of banishing it? Psychologists James Danckert and John Eastwood contend that boredom isn’t bad for us. It’s just that we do a bad job of heeding its guidance. When we’re bored, our minds are telling us that whatever we are doing isn’t working—we’re failing to satisfy our basic psychological need to be engaged and effective. Too many of us respond poorly. We become prone to accidents, risky activities, loneliness, and ennui, and we waste ever more time on technological distractions. But, Danckert and Eastwood argue, we can let boredom have the opposite effect, motivating the change we need. The latest research suggests that an adaptive approach to boredom will help us avoid its troubling effects and, through its reminder to become aware and involved, might lead us to live fuller lives. Out of My Skull combines scientific findings with everyday observations to explain an experience we’d like to ignore, but from which we have a lot to learn. Boredom evolved to help us. It’s time we gave it a chance.

The prequel to The Crown: the first truly candid portrait of George V and Mary, the Queen's grandparents and creators of the modern monarchy Shortlisted for the Elizabeth Longford Historical Biography prize and the History Reclaimed Book of the Year prize The lasting reputation of George V is for dullness. However throughout his reign, the monarch navigated a constitutional crisis, the First World War, the fall of thirteen European monarchies and the rise of Bolshevism. The suffragette Emily Davison threw herself under his horse at the Derby, he refused asylum to his cousin the Tsar Nicholas II and he facilitated the first Labour government. How this supposedly limited man steered the Crown through so many perils is a gripping tale. With unprecedented access to the Royal archives, Jane Ridley has been able to reassess the many myths associated with this dramatic period for the first time. 'Wonderful... Never a dull paragraph' Ysenda Maxtone Graham, The Times 'Magnificent... An evocative and touching portrait of a surprisingly impressive man' Philip Hensher, Spectator 'A big, beautiful beast of a book. Fair, thorough and unexpectedly funny' Lucy Worsley

In 1976 the Big Thompson River flood in Colorado took 150 lives, including those of seven women on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ International. Deeply grieved by the loss, survivor Ney Bailey embraced a journey of faith that led her to a life-changing truth: No matter how things look and no matter how we feel, God is in control. In Faith is Not a Feeling, Ney reveals how life’s tragedies and challenges lead each of us to an important decision about how we will relate to God. Building on a foundation of experiences all believers can relate to, this well-loved speaker and teacher shows how you can take advantage of the endless opportunities life provided to deepen your trust in the Lord. Faith is Not a Feeling has taught hundreds of thousands of people how to choose to believe God’s promises over their own personal feelings. Now you, too, can discover the secrets that will allow you to face painful experiences with a measure of objectivity, use your feelings to take you to God, and experience true peace in the midst of failure and trials. Best of all, you will learn how to obediently and confidently take God at His word as you never have before.