Views from Westley Piddle – WEEK #7

What fires up our imaginations to write and draw stories for this dog blog? Everything and anything, really. Read on…

A break from the ordinary this week – looking at inspirational people.  Well, inspirational for Zozo&Jools, anyways.  As a multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-generational team (Multi-witts!) we are strongly motivated by people who break the mold and stand up for what they passionately believe in.  Kicking off the new stream:

Lewis Hamilton (6 times Formula 1 World Champion)

A young man of mixed race from a council estate in England.  A passion for motorsports from the age of 5yrs.  Thirty years later the most successful sportsman in his field since the great Jim Clark. To reach the pinnacle of this most demanding motor racing formula is a huge achievement.  But to achieve it in a universe dominated by rich, privileged, white males is taking said achievement to a way more important level altogether.  I have followed Lewis since the early 2000s, but my own (fetish) for the sport dates back to the mid-70s when I used to sneak over the railings at Silverstone in the middle of the night to hide at the trackside for the race the following day – coz I was a young and totally skint (penniless) teenager who couldn’t afford the entrance fee.  In the early 80s I found myself in the same wine bar as James Hunt – we were the only two there.  He graciously invited me to his table and we polished off a couple of bottles of pain thinner together. A real gentleman and not at all like he’s been portrayed.  In them days James was my hero.  But today it is Lewis, this impressive young man who is providing everyone with a Masterclass on how to win and behave as a gentleman Champion.

Consider the fact that he is a man of colour in a white-washed sport – so I understand to a small degree his fight against racism and how he has firmly buried it by winning, winning, and winning again.  You see, I was a left-handed, red-headed oik with a dyslexia and speech impediment until age 12.  So, I understand all about being spurned by my peers and considered less than them thru no fault of my own.  But I overcame it all – and I respect Lewis all the more for how he came to overcome many years of being spurned (because of colour FFS!) until he had nothing left to prove.

So, Lewis you are a total legend, and we luvs yu yer muttwit.  Hope we can bump snoutz one day.  Snifz Yu!

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Spend good time

Although it is summer time, people can still have stressful or bad days. This week I really wanted to write about something productive but I just couldn’t concentrate on anything. So, I wanted to share what helps me through such days.

Don’t Starve Together – Video game by Klei Entertainment

This is a video game I have been playing for almost three years now. What’s special about it is that this game has helped me through very stressful and hard times since it really keeps my mind busy. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to give video games a try and to not be too committed to one.

The game is developed by Klei Entertainment and is available for a fairly good price on Steam. You can play it on your own or together with friends online (which has been very enjoyable for us during quarantine). I love that it requires thinking, logic and attention, I love the graphics and the controls are pretty easy to adapt to. The idea is to survive in the wild world they call the “Constant” and you can build many materials and tools from things that you collect. Gather, fight, build and most importantly, DON’T STARVE!

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