Robin Redmile-Gordon

Waking thoughts: Live and let live. Be nice. If you can’t be nice, at least do no harm. Love yourself, first and then you can love your family and friends. Help others when you feel you can. Protect others, if you can but don’t be in a hurry to rescue. Think first. Speak your own truth. Listen to others. Recognise a wrongun and don’t be afraid to say so. There is only one human race, there is no racism. There is prejudice and there is bigotry, and they are different. Human beings are tribal and we need to learn to be good neighbours. Cultures are just what some people are used to, we never stop learning but some have more learning to do. People in authority are there because no one else wanted the job - as much as them. Ask yourself why. They’re just people with a job. Pay your way, nobody owes you anything. Don’t ask what your government can do for you, they’re not your friend. Demand excellence in return for pay. Bring children into this world, there has never been a better time. Teach, love and protect them, they are YOUR children. If you want to keep a secret, don’t tell anyone. Trust in yourself, everyone else must earn it. Value truth, honesty and loyalty above all else. Even if you don’t like it. If you’re seeking truth, keep looking. People who’ve been doing something for a very long time are not necessarily experts, they may just lack imagination. Expertise is a demonstrable skill. What can’t be done, is merely another challenge, not a roadblock. You can carry on, because that’s what we do. Control is fleeting and illusory. Relax. No fear, no guilt, no regrets, look forward. If you feel you need faith, put faith in yourself and ask your friends to help. Do not fear death. Plan for it, because nobody gets out of this, alive.

@mad_as_chickens 🙏😘

@WhatNowDoc It’s a beautiful tree and a wonderful charity, thank you so much x

So at the end of a long but very lovely day, I’m reflecting on our NGS open day. As always, the visitors were all lovely, complimentary and just happy to be here. It makes what we do actually worth something. Of course there’s no relation to the struggle we have to help things to grow in this inhospitable ground, to keep them alive through this interminable drought but it is genuinely the reward that I think most of us strive for. The notion that we’ve made other people happy. For me, it’s tinged with a very palpable sense that this is the last one for me. It’s been a pleasure and an honour and I’ve made arrangements to make sure that it carries on in the future regardless my own situation. My dearest, most grateful thanks has to go to Becky, who took on the entire responsibility for organising today’s event as she does so well. Serendipty brought us together through the wonderful WRAGS scheme. I couldn’t possibly have known what a gem she was nor did I know what my fate was going to be. As it turns out, I feel confident that everything I’ve strived so hard to create will continue to be loved and cherished for a very long time yet. Thanks to everybody that came and visited today, mostly just for being here, for responding to what you’ve heard from others and for supporting this incredible charity the NGS. A very special thanks to everybody who bought one of the books or who generously offered such wonderful compliments. Thank you all and thanks to anybody and everybody that supports the national garden scheme. I wanted to end with this single beautiful clip, a wonderful plant, Albizia julibrissin ’Evy’s Pride’ with its incredible deep red blooms and its wonderful movement. It sums up the grace I feel today. ♥️

@A6FVC 🙏😘

@WhatNowDoc Beautiful words, it was a privilege to come to your amazing garden today, thank you.

@denny_robert Thank you, Robert. Thank you.

@WhatNowDoc You are unbelievably lucky to be leaving something so beautiful that you have created in the hands of such wonderful people. Great gardens have a habit of outliving their owners!

Thank you so much for your enduring support, Suzanne. ♥️

@VonBarkenTwins @RanTeeThree How can any mother be so embittered/disconnected as to inflict that on their own son, for life?

@WhatNowDoc @RanTeeThree Aye. Similar conversation with my mum on the stairs, when I was 7. “Your father’s dead. That means he’s never, ever, ever coming back.” I can still “hear” her saying it.

Well my mum just died

@artinore Delighted beyond words, Sarah. 😘

@WhatNowDoc Love the photo. That holiday has obviously done some good. As for airports- well they seem to have got the upper hand over everyone haven’t they! You will be pleased to be reunited with Ichicoo and the view!!

The whole crew including our 24 y/o native Ibicencan skipper, Jimmy. Now the inevitable come down. I will never, ever traverse another airport so long as I live. Okay, that’s not long but it’s my entire life and tonight is going to feel longer. So hot and bothered after a very full day in this heat, the car rental company tries to screw me over. They might win, they might not but I’m not having an argument in a car park with a gopher. Into the airport, through all the usual shit, get into the departure lounge, check the board….so our 11pm departure is now estimated at 01:10. I think they just picked the first binary number that sprang to mind. Sit in a cafe to get a drink, a bite and regroup. Been sat five minutes, stuff all over the table, politely asked to bugger off because they’re closing up…. I’m now sitting in what’s euphemistically called the VIP lounge, courtesy of American Express. It’s better but apparently Spain are playing Belgium and it’s all rather loud. Never, ever again. Never. Ever. 😔

@yardbird88 It’s cooling a little 😰

@yardbird88 Ooh! A Ford GT40 replica. I know that because I asked Grok for expert help. 😉 I’m well, my lovely friend. Amazing considering 😂

@ThatFloWoman It was a lot of fun, Flo and, most importantly, no emergency episodes for me. 😰 We all understand things can go wrong but that’s an opportunity to show your customers how much you appreciate them, not abandon them to fate. 🤷🏻‍♂️

@WhatNowDoc Travelling is horrible these days Robin. However, that’s a superb photo, and your trip sounded tremendous.

@yardbird88 Wonderful ruddy news!! 👏🥂😘

@FlavellG 3am and of course, the house had been shut up all day…..😰 Up and coming to rapidly now, work to do! 😉

@WhatNowDoc Air travel is just a nightmare these days…must have felt good to get home finally 🙏

@Skidoo @RanTeeThree It is what it is. 🤷🏻‍♂️

@WhatNowDoc @RanTeeThree That’s rotten.

@Laurasangels7 Back from, Laura. We were in Ibiza and took a very fast boat out to Formentera, around the south west coast from San Antonio, for a late lunch.

@WhatNowDoc Great photo Robin! Where are you off to?

@Lorrain84654826 50+ years ago it took me 13 hours on the ferry from Alicante. That was after a three day drive. On Monday I got here in two hours from Gatwick. You can see the attraction. 🤨

@WhatNowDoc It's taken the shine off what was a lovely wedding. The bad will fade once back home. Brother in law drove to Ibiza in the 60 s in an old ambulance last leg on the ferry it might be a quicker .

As one very special man said on the subject, 30 years ago: if privacy wasn’t important to people they’d all write on postcards. More importantly, he coined the immortal phrase: If privacy is outlawed only outlaws will have privacy. He invented modern day encryption and was placed under house arrest for two years by the FBI before all charges were dropped. His name is Phil Zimmerman.

We seal envelopes not because the letter contains a conspiracy, but because the contents belong exclusively to the sender and the receiver. The "nothing to hide" argument is pure corporate/state propaganda. Privacy isn't about hiding a crime; it's about deciding who gets access to your life. It’s a boundary of power, not a shield for guilt.

😉 instagram.com/reel/DaN5LssoM…

Brilliant engineering.