WhatYouWill

Spring!

2007-03-13T14:12:00.000Z

The sun is shining and it seems as though Spring has arrived. This morning I saw two male greenfinches hopping around with nesting material in their beaks, trying to attract the female who was also in the area. Blackbird cocks are posturing and mock fighting, and my camellias are almost bursting out (yes I know that 'down south' they've been out for ages!).

And on my regular walks with the dog the verges and trees are liberally strewn with ... not daisies or leaves ... litter. Beer cans, chip cartons, dog bags, tatty plastic, etc. etc. etc.

I'm with Paxo on this one. We have become a dirty, uncaring, selfish nation when it comes to disposing of our rubbish.

When we moved into Beverley nearly 13 years ago (gulp), we marvelled at how litter-free it was compared to our previous place in the city. Now there's hardly anything to separate us - in fact, since Hull City Council make quite strenuous efforts to keep on top of litter, with teams out nearly every day - it could even be said that Beverley is now more littered than Hull.

I seem to be incapable of dropping litter - if a bit blows out of the car door when it opens I go scuttling after it, feeling really guilty if I can't recover it. Am I mad? Are we the only people on our road who pick up rubbish from in front of our house - even if we haven't dropped it? Are we mad? What has happened to seemingly sensible people that they don't teach their kids that littering is not an option?

Sometimes, I despair. But then I put on my selective glasses again, and try to ignore it, until the next time!

I just turned away from the keyboard for a moment ...

2006-12-14T22:02:00.000Z

... and all of a sudden its nearly Christmas!

Where have the last 3 months gone? Passed in an absolute blur, thats where. Life seems to be speeding out of control as the years pass.

Do you remember when you were a kid? Each day seemed endless; a week, a month, a whole year impossible to comprehend. Hot summer days went on for ever; cosy cold winter days seemed not much shorter.

What has changed?

Life, that's what. I go to Yoga every week, and our instructor is always saying 'don't be thinking of what is to come - be in the moment, keep what you have experienced'. She is so right. I seem to spend my entire life thinking of the thing I will be doing next, before I've even finished what I'm doing. There is so much 'ordinary' stuff that needs to be accomplished, that doesn't take thought, that seems, to be blunt, to be totally unrewarding. Days filled with that pass in a flash.

And so the days pass. I do try - walking the dog I listen to the birds, check the sky for our local sparrowhawk, and at night marvel at the stars (I saw two shooting stars tonight while I was out - thats 2 wishes). I try to be 'in the moment'.

Life is short, life is precious, life is to be lived. I am trying. Honest!

And school finishes tomorrow. Yay!

What a summer! Part One.

2006-09-09T11:21:00.000+01:00

Well, its been all quiet on the blog front for far too long. I plead extreme laziness and an inability to get on either of our two computers for long enough!

Its been a lovely summer. We started by getting on holiday straight away, and enjoyed two lovely weeks on mainland Greece near Kalamata. We've always said that we would never go to the Med in the summer as its too hot, but friends were going, and we got a great deal, so off we went. It was hot. But due to an onshore breeze each and every day it was bearable (in the shade). Walking anywhere reduced us to dripping wrecks.

The resort had loads of water sports for free, with free taster tuition, so after a VERY lazy start (I haven't spent so long on a sun lounger ever!) we took advantage of this. I learned to sail - and capsize - a one-person boat, and I learned the basics of sea kayaking. This last was exhilarating (but exhausting). Luckily the onshore breeze meant that you could stop paddling and still get back to shore!!!

We couldn't go to Greece without seeing something of the area, so we hired a car and took the kids to Olympia - the site of the original games. They still light the flame there every four years. Although the site itself is basically ruins, there was a lovely museum nearby which houses a wide selection of the finds from the site, which was wonderful - all the more so because it was air-conditioned.

Apart from a tour of the local peninsula on another day, that was all we did as it was really too hot for comfortable sightseeing AND the Greek drivers are mad!!!!! Talk about stressful driving. We nearly came to blows over who was going to drive.

All in all it was a great holiday, with everyone doing a bit of what they wanted to do and no pressure. What a way to start 6 weeks off!!

The joy of buying a car

2006-05-01T15:16:00.000+01:00

From the moment I got the verdict back on the old Citroen - "alive, but only just", I knew we could put off the inevitable no longer. We would have to bite the bullet. Buy the classifieds. Pore over Parkers Online. Survive the sharks on the car showroom forecourts. Part with our hard-won pennies. All the time with a feeling of dread and worry that we would be taken for a ride. Again.

Round One
Saturday afternoon. Hull West. I would rather be back home baking biscuits and buns. Here we are at Dixons: Dixons Nissan, Dixons Citroen and Dixons Renault. The three sides of a square industrial estate nicely finished of with (hallelujia) Network Q Vauxhall. Battle plan: Start in one corner and finish in the same. Balloons everywhere. Ah yes. Bank Holiday weekend. Trying to pull the family punters in. Car? Finance? Balloon? One or two possibilities, but why do we get the feeling that each salesperson is telling us what they think we want to hear? Does what they say bear any relationship to reality?

Round Two
Later Saturday afternoon. Hull Central. Not much here, but a very nice man tells us he has the full resources of the group - 40 garages!! - to draw from. We have but to let him know what we want, how much for, and he can 'get his hands on one for us to try'. It all sounds as if it is going to take far too long. Old Citroen is going to STOP very soon now. Probably in the middle of the bypass road. We need something now.

Round Three
Even later Saturday afternoon. Hull East. A small forecourt. Cars squished in so much you wonder how they ever move any of them! But no-one bothers us. We open doors and boots and have a good old puggle. Still no-one comes. There are three or four here that are very good possibilities. Shall we? Yes, lets. Hello? Anyone there? We are shown the papers for the two we are most interested in. Both 'one lady owner' cars. In fact half the stock seems to be this. 9000 miles only? Too good to be true? No, all above board. It was her 'second car' - trips to the golf club and hairdressers only!! Looking better by the minute.

By this time, David and the salesman had worked out that they both know the same people from Hull City Police days (30 years or more ago) and are getting along swimmingly. Can we test drive it? Yes - and off we go on our own, with no minder and nothing as 'bail'. Being an ex-policeman has its perks! Do we like it? Yes. Shall we buy it? Yes. He offers us £200 for our old banger, unseen !!!!!! We feel rather guilty at this, they are such nice people. No deposit needed. Deal done. Whew!

Yay. A nearly new, shiny black Polo, 1 careful lady owner, 9200 miles. Pick it up on Friday.

(We don't have to do that again until the Galaxy needs replacing, so 18 months to recover.)

Memories

2006-03-24T11:37:00.000Z

So, we decided that we really must start clearing out all the old boxes in the garage. At present they are stored in a huge Edwardian mahogany wardrobe that we had in our previous house, but which did not fit into this one. Into the garage it went, 'just in case someone may want it later' ... 12 years later we have decided that we need the garage space more! Over those years it has filled up with box upon box. Mine, his, and the girl's.

It was just like Christmas! Box down, open the flap. Wham Posters? That must be Louise's. Saxaphone music - Elizabeth's. Crockery - old stuff of ours that we kept 'just in case'.

And then I hit gold. My boxes! Essays from university (did I really write those?!), english crit essays from A levels, Needlework folder from O levels (darning, anyone?), and finally exercise books from the early 1970's. What a trip down memory lane.

It got better. A whole plastic bag full of my earliest photographic attempts. I knew I was missing large chunks of these. Eagerly I took them indoors, and promptly lost 2 hours going through them. They brought back so many memories, and Mike and Ellie could not believe some of the sights they were seeing (Grandad with a beard was a particular favourite).

But worryingly, there were loads of people in them that I could not for the life of me put names to. They obviously were good friends at the time, but at most for some of them I could dredge up a first name, and some of them left me thinking 'who the heck was that'. I was left feeling that I must have sleep-walked through certain periods of my life! David often says to me 'Do you remember the time ....' and my answer is invariably 'No'.

My next find helped me out - a bit. Another plastic bag, this time full of letters. Remember them? Paper, pen, an envelope and a stamp. It seems that for a certain period of time I and my friends were prolific letter writers. During this time I lived in France, Switzerland, Surrey and Hull. As I opened each letter their addresses brought back strong memories of place. And as I read through them names cropped up that I could put to faces. It was weird. The tone and content of each letter was so personal, showed that the writer and I had shared experiences that led to friendships. And yet, I am in touch with none of them now. I still can't remember surnames. But reading them again I remember the feeling of anticipation when I was far from home and one of them arrived on the door mat. Pre-mobile, pre internet it was the only way to communicate regularly and cheaply. I so enjoyed receiving them, and writing back.

It is ironic that as communication has become simpler, we seem to do less of it.

The Hills Were Alive

2006-03-07T19:31:00.000Z

With the sound of laughter. Conrad, our ever patient instructor had just repeated, for the n'th time: "put the weight on the lower ski", when two of our party (no names, no pack drill) did a graceful fall into each other, resulting in a rather compromising tangle on the piste (sorry, no pictures dammit). Realising he would get no joy from us for the next 10 minutes, Conrad gave up trying and joined in.

Just one of a treasury of memories we now have to brighten our days back in cold, gloomy Blighty. We all survived - all 15 of us - with no injuries. Which is more than can be said for 6 other fellow travellers on the coach back to the airport.

Despite the rather sad circumstances just before we left for our holiday, we managed to have a good time - time out, if you like. The kids skied up hill and down dale (well, chair-lift up), while us old folks got to grips with the start of parallel turns - almost had it when we had to come home. Ah well, reason enough to go again.

Pictures on flikr soon.

In Memory

2006-02-17T15:55:00.000Z

Edna Metcalf. November 1920 to February 2006. Much loved Mum, Nana and mother-in-law. Lived a long, eventful life, which ended peacefully with family around.

Lugano

2006-02-12T14:54:00.000Z

What, asks brother, about Lugano?

Ah me.

I think I've blocked out a lot of my time in Lugano. Why? Most of my memories of my time out there makes my blood run cold when I review them. So young, so much responsibility, so little care.

We were invincible. Dorm duty - spent gathered in someone's room playing Murder and downing a not inconsiderable amount of beer. Driving minibuses full of other peoples kids up to the Alpine pastures for overnight camping - no one made sure we were good drivers.

What were we thinking. So many accidents waiting to happen, but did we care? Not one jot. When you are young nothing will happen to you.

Its only as you grow older that the 'what if's' creep in, cramp your style and limit your options. Are we better for being cautious? Or should we still be out there, going for it?

Four Things

2006-02-03T12:47:00.000Z

Got this from Jane's post (thanks Jane) - a great idea for the clueless amongst us who stare vacantly at the screen thinking 'what can I write about' ...

JOBS I'VE HAD
Checkout girl (sorry, operative), Caters, Chelmsford. By the bridge, now a MaccyD's. Dateline 1975-78 it paid the princely sum of £4 for a Saturday. Riches.
Au pair, near Chartres, France. In charge of two fairly unruly jeunes hommes and one particularly viscious Bassett Hound who went around killing chickens. Character building!
Accounts Dept, Foyles Bookshop. Tottenham Court Road, London. What a place. Still run at that stage by Christina Foyle. Archaic. As a temporary worker I was paid more than the poor lady who had worked full time in the office for 5 years. She was not amused.
Headmaster's secretary, Thorpe, Surrey. An American school full of bright, keen privileged kids getting an educational experience a million miles away from any that I had.

MOVIES I WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN
Persuasion: Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. Heaving bossoms and muddy skirts. And Ciaran Hinds.
Mean Girls: because Ellie makes me.
Face Off: can't beat a good bit of escapism.
Gladiator: No, not for Russell. I just love the look of the whole thing.

PLACES I'VE LIVED
Chelmsford - formative years. Hey, I'm an Essex girl!
Gallardon - first time away from the family.
Egham - what can I say?
Hull - came here in 1981 for university, and never really got away. Well, 13 miles away to Beverley.

NON-BLOGGER SITES I VISIT REGULARLY
Oh dear, two of these are work-related ones - how boring of me.
Working lunch - I love people who write my lessons for me (see Lunch Lessons)
Bized - ditto
Aunty Beeb - Its like an iceberg - so much going on under the surface. Like a piece of music heard in the background of a show? Visit the site and find out that it is from an obscure 1950's singer of latin american origins with a singing range of 4 octaves.
Amazon - Buy same.

I think that's enough for now. Must save something for the next time.

Christmas thoughts

2005-12-31T18:45:00.000Z

Its the most, wonderful time of the year. Oh no it isn't. Oh yes it is. We've been walking in a winter wonderland, with the snow deep and crisp and even. Sleigh bells have rung (courtesy of the Beverley Lions). We decked the halls - and doors and stairs. Mummy kissed Santa Claus. Figgy pudding was brought, and eaten. And now, look out, its behind you!!!

The front room echoes as you walk in. Something is missing.

The tree, stripped of its finery, shorn of its branches, sits folorn and rejected outside the front door, awaiting the journey to its final resting place, courtesy of the Council.

The boxes wait meekly on the landing, waiting for their return to their natural habitat, the loft.

The remains of the cake sit, temptingly, on the kitchen worktop. Eat me, eat me, it cries. But like Alice, I need to find the antidote before indulging.

The sherry bottle calls like a siren: finish me, finish me. But I am strong.

The credit card lands on the mat with a thud. Pay me, pay me!

Happy New Year, one and all.

ps Darrel, a park ranger from West Virginia, found my blog 'quite inquisitive'. Does he mean I am nosey? Is it all these questions? I will have to investigate.

At Last

2005-12-09T15:49:00.000Z

So, what's been keeping me occupied this last three weeks? Apart from not having a private moment to post (one does like a little bit of privacy sometimes), I've been disappearing to a large (huge) shed somewhere along the M62, pulling on warm clothes, strapping long planks to very heavy boots ... and learning to ski! Dedicated readers will remember that we took the kids skiing last Easter, and David and I took the easy option (ok, we chickened out). Once back, our 'gang' of three other families all decided that skiing was a good idea, so we booked as a huge group next Feb.

I still wasn't going to ski - been there, done that. Abiding memory of tiredness and a constant state of fear (I hate heights). No way again. But all the other ladies were trying, and eventually I felt that I was being a bit of a wimp. At least have a go, and reconfirm my absolute inability to participate.

Guess what. It was cool. Sorry. I managed very respectably. So, onwards to Level 2 - snowplough turning. Again, I managed it with very little strain on knees or back. So, to Level 3 this week. The BIG slope. But only half way up. Didn't disgrace myself on the button lift, and managed not to cause a pile up on the piste. A bit disconcerting with snowboarders (why do they do that??) and good skiers whizzing by one's ear, especially when your sights are fixed firmly on the skis in front of you and your brain is saying: go left, weight on right, go right, weight on left, whoops, slow downnnnnnnnn. But, the girl done good, as they say, so its Austria here I come and I will be skiing. So long as its not too cold. And we don't go too high. And the slopes aren't too busy. Otherwise you will find me in the spa, spending the money in a much more sensible way!

Where Am I?

2005-12-07T22:00:00.000Z

Here, over here, in the corner. Honest. Waving and drowning! Can't get on the computer for the kids!

Thanksgiving

2005-11-24T19:28:00.000Z

A happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers out there!!!

Wot, No Yoof!

2005-11-05T16:22:00.000Z

Youth Hostels. The very name conjures up a certain picture and associated smells. That slight eau de damp, rounded out by dubbin (remember it?) and one-pan chillie. Dormitories for all. Morning chores. Large canvas rucksacks. Peter Storm waterproofs. Earnest young people 'doing' the big walks. Curfews.

The reality today is rather different. Forget youth. Families are the new target demographic (probably those same earnest young people now grown up). We stayed at Malham Y H this half term, and boy, has it changed. It was warm. There was lashing of hot water. You can get breakfast, pack-up and a three course evening meal - or cater for yourself in the guest kitchen. No curfews - just an admonition to 'respect other people's rest' if coming in late. Most of the rooms are smaller, some with sinks! It was full of families, in all their modern guises. Not a 'yoof' in sight - maybe we frightened them off!

Anything the same? Still that slight lingering smell of other people's food, and those awful sheet sleeping bags (duvets are provided, but you must use the sleeping bag liner). Absolute hell for those with achey (sp???) or hot feet who like to keep them outside the bed! And bunkbeds. And other people snoring.

Happy days.

More Good News

2005-10-20T23:13:00.000+01:00

Good News 4: We won the quiz tonight - and without David! £10 towards drinks next time as well.

And did I mention its Half-term?

Night.

Good News!

2005-10-20T18:59:00.000+01:00

Good News 1: I finished my first Kakuro - you know, Sudoku, but harder for those of us who totally failed to 'get' maths (you have to add up, in your head!)

Good News 2: School's out for half-term. Yay!!!

Good News 3: After nearly a week of dismal days, the sun shone this afternoon as I drove home across the Westwood. Very bucolic it looked too.

Surprise!!

2005-10-10T21:23:00.000+01:00

Have just spent an enjoyable weekend with the aged ones. It was someone's birthday, and I decided it would be nice to surprise her on the day. So I duly set the alarm (on a Saturday, unheard of) and was on the road bright and early. It was nearly like driving on the motorways in France. So little traffic to start with, so I cranked up the CD and put my foot down (always with one eye on the mirror and the other on the side of the road looking for those little yellow boxes that have sprung up).

Debated leaving the car down the road and sidling up to the door so the surprise would be total, but I needn't have worried. Noone saw me as I parked and then rang the bell. The door opened and there stood one gobsmacked parent, who nearly dropped her coffee! Much laughter all round. And lots of appreciation. Its the little things in life that we do that seem to mean the most, isn't it. So glad I did it.

Even though I'm propping my eyelids up at the moment trying to finish a super duper worksheet on Stakeholders for the little Year 9 darlings tomorrow. Do you think they will appreciate it?

Fun

2005-09-21T22:16:00.000+01:00

Teacher to student: Why aren't you working. Do you understand the task?
Student to teacher: Yes.
Teacher to student: Please get on with your work.
Student to teacher: Its boring, this is. Learning should be fun.
T to S: (quietly) I'm trying to make it relevant to you, using lots of different examples that you would know.
S to T: But its boring. You should be making it fun.
T to S: (with restraint) OK, So, tell me what kind of learning you like to do. What can I do to help make it more interesting for you?
S to T: Well ... we should be allowed to sit with our friends and talk, then it'd be fun.
T to S: (still restrained) I have already let you work with your friend, and not much work got done. How else can I make it more interesting?
S to T: Its boring, this.
T to S: I KNOW ITS BLOODY BORING GIRL, BUT MOST OF LIFE IS. GET OVER IT.

So intellectually stimulating, education.

ps. I didn't really say that.

pps. she's a blond and an only and probably mum and dad's little princess, who can't put a foot wrong. She was also excluded for two days last week for fighting in the corridor. It took two male members of staff to subdue her. Life on the edge, heh?

Back to School

2005-09-07T14:36:00.000+01:00

Well, I've broken my duck for this new academic year. After two days in school being cajoled and exhorted to deliver PACE! EXCITEMENT! CHALLENGE! in my lessons I finally got my chance to put it all into practice today.

Exciting lesson? Check.
Variety of tasks? Check.
Meaningful tasks? Check.

I was ready to knock their socks off. I have even rewritten my tried and trusted lesson plans (honed over 18 years of delivery) to include the best and most up-to-date resource material that money can buy (or various freebies at least!).

Therein lies the problem. The technology can't cope. One disk (vital resource to delivery) will only play on my laptop (the IT technicians have only had it 8 weeks to put it on the network!!). Another resource (ditto vital) is only installed on the network machine. The network itself was cloggier than the cloggiest M25. I spent a goodly portion of the lesson ducking under the desk to reroute the projector cable between laptop and desktop. No-one could give me a refresher course in which cable to move to make the whiteboard interactive. If I had been a new teacher I think I would have sunk without trace.

But I'm not. Luckily. A bright, breezy manner, a touch of the old Dunkirk spirit and I just about managed to keep 23 14/15 yr olds engaged using guess what? That right. Good old pens, paper and handouts. I'm keeping textbooks in reserve for the really desperate times!

Ain't technology (and technological systems) grand?

PS. I actually went into school during the summer holidays this year. I NEVER go in during the holidays usually. I think I've been doing this too long.

How hard can it be?

2005-08-20T19:40:00.000+01:00

Wash your minds out! Flower arranging, I mean. (See previous posts). Well, it's giving me sleepless nights at the moment.

Get a life, I hear you cry. Well, I'm on holiday, so no work to stress over, so might as well stress over something else.

I volunteered to 'help out' our Flower Club as they decorate Sledmere House for charity this August bank holiday. By helping out, I meant grunt work: passing secateurs, trimming foliage, showing appreciation, that sort of thing.

Then I get the letter - "Thank you for offering to help. Your task (and you can't refuse it) is 2 arrangements, quite tall (I'll get on to that later), green and white, flanking the main staircase. Budget £45." OMG.

"Don't worry" I was told by our 'designer', "you have some good ideas". Well, thanks. But she's basing that on my being able to copy what she does, and arrange some items, pre-chosen by someone else, into a vaguely interesting arrangement, approximating what she has already done. When you have no direction, other than "quite tall, contemporary", its quite daunting. Like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory. Where to begin? Flying Saucers? Black Jacks?

So, how hard can it be? 6 days and counting. 10 trial runs so far. The flowers are the easy bit - you can't get much for £45 these days. The mechanics are harder (thats how you get it all to stay together, for the uninitiated). My mechanics include: 2 x 3' rectangular stand, 4 x cardboard tubes 2' high, painted black, 2 x piece garden mesh, bent into semi-circle, black grasses, bright green sizal, white twigs. Sounds good, eh?

More later. Somehow I don't think I will be giving up the day job.

We won!

2005-08-13T22:51:00.000+01:00

The pub quiz, that is. We go every other week, with another couple, and frequently end up the bridesmaids, hardly ever the bride. Actually, winning is only part of it. Once you've won it, you still have the tricky question of which whisky tube to choose from the three on offer. Contents: £10 free drinks, 1 bottle of wine, 1 packet of crisps of your choice. But this week we triumphed on all counts, including a tie-break. So, most points, nearest answer in the tie-break AND the top prize. Lovely Jerry, the owner, even endorsed the docket so that we can redeem in a fortnight, our next scheduled outing. Whoopee!

In true, fun-loving, non-stressful competitive style, the quiz is actually very egalitarian. We won a prize on our first visit, over a year ago, even though we didn't actually win. If you get my drift. To make it clearer - top scoring team gets to choose a tube first, then second-to-last team chooses, and then a random, out-of-the-hat team gets whats left. Which could be first prize. Or last. So you could win, and not win. You could be second-to-last (nice touch that) and win. You could just waltz in for a beer, answer a few questions and be pulled out of the hat. We like the randomness of it. But we always want to win!

Its a lovely pub. You must visit sometime. We feel like locals. We get recognised when we go in, even though it's at two-weekly intervals. Now, thats good bar-keeping!

The tie-breaker? How long can a beaver hold its breath? Answer later.

Bored!!!

2005-08-01T22:12:00.000+01:00

1 week down, 5 to go. The kids are bored already. Having to prise them off the computer and referee endless arguments about who's turn it is next. I think I want to go back to school. Oh, that's right, I am, tomorrow. We're having a revamp in our main teaching room, and guess who gets to do all the heavy lifting of filing cabinets, bookcases etc? That's right. Well, if you want a job doing right at school do it yourself. This will be the first time I have ever gone into school in the holidays in my teaching career. Committed, hey?

P.S.

2005-07-22T10:30:00.000+01:00

Right. That's decided. Where can I get £2000?

Clothes maketh Man (and Woman)

2005-07-19T22:04:00.000+01:00

Have just spent the last hour in the company of Trinnie and Susannah, watching them bully and cajole two ordinary 'Janes' into their idea of 'what to wear'.

It seems to be such a shallow thing - give a woman £2000, tell her what suits, and hey presto! Life improves.

The cynic in me says "clothes are not that important, its whats inside that counts". But having watched many a transformation it seems that what you put on the outside does have a huge impact on how you act.

T and S never seem to choose easy subjects - this evening one of their candidates looked like an Eastern European shot putter, and dressed like a man. Any trace of femininity hidden from view - even from her husband. The transformation was amazing - she went from someone who avoided social situations like the plague (unless the pub in jeans, baggy T and baseball cap) to someone who was able to look strangers in the eye and talk to them - even to that nice man from the Venice programs. It really was ugly duckling to swan time.

What these programs have made me realise is that there are so many women out there (and probably men as well) who don't bother for some reason, and in the not bothering end up feeling less and less confident. It becomes a viscious circle.

Clothes shouldn't matter, but they do. Ask that chap with the olive green moleskin suit!

I'm lost for words ...

2005-07-08T15:32:00.000+01:00

but Shades of Grey isn't, and writes eloquently about yesterday's events.

Your very first ....

2005-07-06T22:12:00.000+01:00

Concert? Took eldest to his first yesterday. We saw REM, supported by the Zutons. Open air at the KC Stadium - in the pouring rain! Not just rain - torrential rain. Zutons really good and pathetically grateful that we were prepared to stand there in the rain and watch them. REM did a very good 2 hour set. I was glad we were standing not sitting - I don't think the atmosphere was quite so good in the seats - its a huge stadium and must be hard to feel totally involved way up at the back.

Despite everything, he enjoyed his first time - although amazed at the amount of alcohol being consumed by all and sundry (except us) even in those inclement conditions. Can't we Brits do anything now without consuming vast amounts of booze?? Or am I just boring? (My tipple was a flask of peppermint tea - well, it was raining!!!)

A Perfect Summer's Day?

2005-07-03T14:08:00.000+01:00

Tea and papers in bed.

Last episode of 24. Jack rocks (says Ellie).

Sun.

Strawberry picking to the hum of bees, chirp of birds and buzz of fellow pickers.

Windows and doors open, with gentle breezes stirring the curtains.

The prospect of a great tennis final.

What better sums up a great British summer's day?

Wimbledon

2005-06-26T15:41:00.000+01:00

Since I am not marking exam scripts this summer, I can settle down and watch a WHOLE MATCH from time to time (rugby and cricket allowing!). Watched the 'Young Pretender' yesterday against Nalbandian, and thought he did well. It put me in mind of that old saying "you should never hurry a Murray" - let's give him time to mature and develop, and hope for good things to come.

Its sunny up here - again. Hurray!

Are you a joiner? Part Two.

2005-06-21T21:15:00.000+01:00

So, I am a serial joiner. Somethings last, and others fall by the wayside. Is there a theme? All creative-ish, all guided by someone who knows what they are doing! I like to have my hand held, obviously. All rather self-indulgent, as well. Why not something more altruistic. Hmm.

Why do I join? To be part of something different, to connect, to share. To do something else with my life other than home/work. This is, after all, the only time we will pass this way. Important to do something with it - albeit on a small scale. I like the feeling of being a part of something - and yes, I know, I do have family, but sometimes it's nice not to be mum/wife, but just ME.

Son has joined something. After months/years of us saying 'why don't you find something else to do' everytime we saw him sitting at the computer, he came home one day and said "I'm going to Army Cadets tonight". Rather ambivalent about it. Trying to look on the bright side - all that teambuidling and personal development stuff. All other half could think of was Deepcut. He was not a happy bunny. Moral: be careful what you wish for - it could come back and bite you!!

Are you a joiner? Part One.

2005-06-14T18:52:00.000+01:00

I think I am. No, not the sort that works with wood. I seem to have an urge to join things. Participate in some way. Things I have joined include:

Brownies and Guides (pushed, obviously)

of my own volition:

evening classes - family french (not bad); decoupage (omg. What was I thinking. Well, it passed a few pleasant hours in a friend's company, and helped provide 'individual' christmas pressies)

afternoon classes - step by step watercolour (amazingly, 20 people can copy someones work in 20 completely different ways!). Again, good source of pressies for long-suffering folks.

a choir (Ladies) we were competitive, average aged 60+, and really not very good

a flower club - relaxing. We don't do, you see, we watch someone else do. Then hope to win the arrangements in the raffle! You haven't lived until you have gone to a flower dem (as we call them). An absolutely priceless mix of people DO THIS FOR A LIVING. They come along and regale us with their tales of being invited to Brazil to do a Masterclass, or competing in the World Flower Show in Tokyo. Admittedly, they are the top tier. But what a job. Where do I sign up?

yoga - my favourite. I especially like the bits at the beginning and the end.

swimfit - does what it says on the tin.

So, what do YOU join?

Dog days

2005-06-08T19:05:00.000+01:00

Did I use the term correctly?

Webster defines “dog days” as...

1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere

2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity

I guess No. 2 is what I was aiming at.

...he's my brother

2005-06-08T19:02:00.000+01:00

Mutual admiration society, hey? Check him out (link left - its obvious which one!).

Oh, and don't forget to take the time to appreciate the green moleskin suit.

While the cat's away ...

2005-06-08T17:35:00.000+01:00

... Year 13 gone, Year 11 gone, Year 10 on 2 weeks' work experience (and no Lower School classes) ... The diligent teacher: (choose one)

a) creates stunning new learning materials that acknowledge the differing educational needs of gender/race/ability while showing a keen grasp of subject syllabus and exam requirements
b) tidies her desk
c)surfs the net

Wrong, correct answer B. Can't access blog from school (Access denied, this site may contravene the blah blah blah ...), and really can't be bothered to create said learning materials. Maybe later on.

These truly are the dog days of teaching for us non-NC (thats National Curriculum to you) teachers. Even better when the sun shines - even here, north of the Humber.

Time Out

2005-06-06T11:40:00.000+01:00

An away (3) day. No husband, no kids. Bliss. Regression to role of daughter instead of wife/mum. No decisions to be made - well, nearly. Female parent decided it might be nice to cross London by bus, rather than underground. She'd done her research - No 9 bus from Liverpool Street all the way to Harrods for brunch.

So, out of Liverpool Street we went. Bus stops scattered liberally around. No No 9, and worryingly no sign of a bus that might go all the way. After wandering up and down a few streets we decided an injection of coffee (strong) might help. While sitting, I asked - how up to date is that map? Not very old, sayeth she. I looked. 1986/87!!!!!

I reminded her that bus routes may well change rather radically after nearly 20 years - its not like a Christmas pudding that you can put away, forget about, find and cook years later and find it not any different! So back on the underground we went.

Had a great day though, and finally found out how the buses work (slowly and tediously). Oxford Street was a zoo. Smoked salmon and scrambled egg and freshly squeezed orange juice was fine, although Harrods 'finest' tea blend lacked the Yorkshire punch. Queens Gallery manageable, but only one Vermeer.

And I saw the resident urban fox as well. Trotting bold as you like down the garden, round to the front of the house and off up the street. The same time both days.

They've gone!

2005-05-25T19:51:00.000+01:00

Who? Year 11, that's who. That maddening, worrying group of proto-adults in whose hands my performance management targets rest. What will I do without them? Certainly not stop worrying like some loco-parentis mother hen. Study leave is all very well and good, but how many of them will actually study. Before the exam. I'd rather have them in front of me for another knock-about session of 'the weakest link'. I even resorted to business bingo last week. Lo how the mighty have fallen.

Found It!

2005-05-21T16:28:00.000+01:00

Been such a long time since I entered anything on this that I lost the details. Typical. I really should get some system of recording sign-ins, passwords etc for sites I use on the internet - other than the handiest piece of paper in front of me at the time. Said piece of paper usually contains cheats for the latest computer game son is playing at the time, which eventually gets recycled.

Our computer desk is a veritable archeologists dream - excavations on a monthly basis usually yield a wealth of finds! At the moment it is bare - yes totally clear - well almost: from left to right: one floppy disk box with disks inside; one box of cd-r discs; one webcam (these three all stacked up - needed to get the right height for the cam!); three odd floppies; 1 pair speakers; 2 empty glasses; one tube E45; one calculator; one mobile phone; one hairbrush; one jamjar with assorted writing implements; one hole puncher; one dice (die?) and one Hobgoblin beer mat.

Daughter's phone keeps going off on the desk. No money left on it and I refuse to top it up until next month. Conversation overheard in town the other week: Mother (to young son) as her mobile went off - "I can't get a minutes peace - this phone hasn't stopped ringing all morning". She then proceeded to walk off down the street chatting away on the phone and completely ingnoring her boy. I felt strongly tempted to tap her on the shoulder and give her the solution - TURN IT OFF!

Blue Moon

2004-11-02T11:45:00.000Z

Well, I obviously don't have as much free time as I thought I did. But its a suitably rainy day and displacement activity is called for, so time for an update.

Browsing from my provider's home page I found this article on blue moons, which might be of interest:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/watchtheskies/07jul_bluemoon.html

Have just been out for a walk with the dog on the Westwood, and saw so many types of funghi - none of which look edible, but some of which might be magic! I can't remember ever seeing so many of them at the same time - bright red, bright orange, pearly white and boring grey. Must get a reliable field guide - I'm sure you can eat some of them, but wouldn't want to risk it.

Got my mind wandering to living from the land and all the countless generations of skills that have been lost - only 400 years ago we would have known what was good and useful. Now, most of us are totally divorced from our surroundings. Given a Triffid situation, we would surely be back in the dark ages - if not further. In one of Ray Mears recent programs, he was teaching an Amazonian tribe how to start fire with the friction method - they had lost that skill in the recent past and now relied upon cheap lighters which they had to get from a village about 2 weeks journey away. The men he taught it to then spent the next few days passing it on to all the others in the community, kids and all.

And finally, look here to see the winning pics in the Country File photograph competition - including my favourite (as seen in yesterday's Guardian) the three sleeping dormice! Cute eh?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/environment/programmes/countryfile/photocomp_2004.shtml

Moving it on

2004-09-24T23:42:00.000+01:00

Going to see if I can get this to work: putting some links to sites that tie in with my favourites mentioned above. Lets see.... hit this one...hmmm. Why did it put it up there? I wanted it here:

http://www.dorothydunnett.co.uk That's better. This is a good source of info on DD and her books. Go on, try one. Great historical content, travel far flung lands, and the best heroes ever.

What else? One for cooking and food for free:

http://forum.rivercottage.net/index.php The forum for people interested in all things self-sufficiency, a la Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's 'River Cottage' series (originally C4, repeated on Sky channels).

Lets post this and see if it works.

First steps

2004-09-24T06:27:00.000+01:00

OK. Kids in bed, dog asleep, partner out. What better time? This blank page is rather daunting, so how about a list of things that interest me?

Reading (rather do it than clean!). Lots of tripe, and a few trollopes along the way. Mainly crime fiction, but my favourite author of all time is the late, great Dorothy Dunnett. She wrote the best two historical series: The Lymond Chronicles and the Niccolo series. No one else writes like she did.

Cooking (except evening meals). My local baker seems to be closing, so am dusting off my cookbooks and trying to make my own. Once you have tasted real bread (not Chorleywood Process) the rest doesn't cut the mustard.

Food for free. Blasted squirrels got to the cobnuts before I could pick them. Blackberry bushes hereabouts stripped and jam made, and a new venture - sloe gin - if we can identify the right fruit!

Must find out how to add links to this page.