This Week: 26th August 2013

Yes, I am still here!

The weather ... beautiful late summer weather, warm and mostly sunny. Perfect as we are spending the week in a caravan on the Dorset coast at Weymouth

I am wearing ... pyjamas. Enjoying being lazy.

I am reading ... It's a Don's Life, the book of a blog by Cambridge classicist Mary Beard. Easy to dip into, but also teaching me snippets about the classics and the ancient world as I read.

I am creating ... a light green sweater, knitting in the round top down. I can't remember the pattern name offhand. I wanted mindless knitting and non-taxing reading this week.

I am listening ... to noises from outside the caravan and Rose watching something on the iPad. Helen and A (who has joined us for a few days and really needs a blog name) are about to take Rose to the soft play area. Marie is not with us this week as she has gone back to Bulgaria to work with the gypsy community again. This time they are painting a school, helping to set up a pig farm, and running children's activities.

I am watching ... not much. I'm coming to the conclusion that TV and I mostly don't get along. Watching TV is so far at the bottom of my pecking order of things to do that I rarely bother, and the less I watch the harder I find it to focus even on things I really want to see.

I am enjoying ... rest. Catching up on sleep. Time to read, walk, swim and just be.

From the learning rooms ... I finished my course! The whole thing! I submitted my two final assignments on Friday and should now be a qualified archivist and records manager. The last three months have been tough going, trying to combine full time work, family, music and studying something I really didn't enjoy - the rest of the course has been fine, but records management is just not me. The last effort on the final assignments was a constant battle not to lose focus. The last few weeks have left me feeling overtired both physically and mentally and dragging through everything. I badly needed this break and an opportunity to recharge my batteries.

On the menu ... whatever we feel like that takes minimal effort. Quite a bit of eating out and takeaways.

On the calendar ... nothing!

A picture from yesterday ...

This Week: 5th August 2013

The weather ... Wet and miserable today, which is a shame as I was not working and had planned to take Rose to the zoo. We went swimming instead.

I am wearing ... Dark pink trousers, sleeveless navy top, navy cardigan.

I am reading ... Not much. I have downloaded a few Kindle books intending to read them. Dos that count?

I am creating ... Coursework assignments. I spent a long day on Saturday writing an essay which is one of two final assignments for the final module of my archive course. The end really is in sight!

I am listening ... Usually I fix on classical for a while or rock / pop for a while. At the moment I'm mixing it up and listening to a very random mix of music.

I am watching watched ... Now You See Me at the cinema with Tevye last week. We both enjoyed it, as did Helen when she saw it the week before. A kind of magical / sleight of hand thriller. Not the most believable plot, but very watchable.

I am enjoying ... Having extra time at home over the summer, thanks to a mix of taking odd days of my holiday allowance and flexi days (days off in lieu of extra hours worked)

From the learning rooms ... Records management, records management, and more records management - but only for another two and a half weeks and then I'm DONE!

On the menu ... Menu planning in the holidays just doesn't work. I don't think I stuck to last week's plan for more than a day or two. Everything is out of routine and I never know much in advance how many people I need to feed.

On the calendar ...
Monday: day off work. Took Rose swimming. Marie is spending Monday to Friday this week babysitting for a friend. Well, not babies exactly - 11 and 8 year olds. Teenagers can be very useful!
Tuesday: back to work for me. Dental appointment for Tevye. Rose has a friend coming to play in the afternoon.
Wednesday: helping to run an archive related activity day at the library, band orCtice.
Thursday: going to look round a newly refurbished museum. This is work. Did I mention I love my job? Tevye has a routine hospital appointment.
Friday: nothing out of the ordinary
Saturday: more work on the wretched records management.
Sunday: playing a "Proms in the Park" concert with the band in the evening. Should be fun. Tevye and Rose are coming to listen and we will take a picnic (so long ad the weather is ok!)

A picture from last week ... Today's healthy lunch. Wholemeal bagel with eggs microwaved in a mug (easiest eggs ever!), mushrooms, sliced tomatoes and baby spinach

This Week: 29th July 2013

The weather ... has been very warm and humid. We had heavy rain on Saturday evening which has left it cooler and less sticky. We are lucky in that our house is a cool one - if we open the right doors and windows we get a nice cross draught. Nobody in the UK has air conditioning as really hot weather is so rare. This is the first heatwave for seven years. Personally I like the heat and feeling as though it is a proper summer, particularly after last year's which was miserably cold and wet.

I am wearing ... black linen trousers, black and white print t-shirt and sandals.

I am reading ... magazines! I have discovered I can download some free from our library through the Zinio app. I am still ploughing through my records management course which doesn't leave much time or brain space for reading, so I'm enjoying having magazines I can dip in and out of.

I am creating ... nothing. I am a cold weather knitter. I never seem to do much that is creative when it is hot.

I am listening ... just dipping in and out of a mix of classical and rock / pop as it takes my fancy. Nothing is particularly grabbing me at the moment.

I am watching ... a new series of Who Do You Think You Are.

I am enjoying ... summer!

From the learning rooms ... Marie and Rose have finally finished school for the summer.

On the menu ...
Monday: Spaghetti bolognese (Tevye cooking as I will be late home)
Tuesday: Chicken and chips
Wednesday: Burgers, mushrooms and sweetcorn
Thursday: Salmon with veggies
Friday: Vegetarian chilli?
Saturday: ??
Sunday: Roast chicken

On the calendar ...
Monday: Back to work for me (after taking Thursday and Friday off last week) with a ten hour day - I sometimes have to work until 7 on Mondays as it is our late opening night
Tuesday: Rose is starting a tennis course which runs for three consecutive mornings. She brought a leaflet home from school and rather to my surprise was enthusiastic about the idea.
Wednesday: More tennis for Rose. Another day off work for me, so will do something else with her in the afternoon.
Thursday: Final day of tennis for Rose. Back to work for me.
Friday: Small piece of records management coursework due.
Saturday: Hoping to get a draft of a records management essay done (one of two final assignments for the course)
Sunday: My neighbours' daughter and her friend are holding a pamper evening to raise funds for the girls' trip to Bulgaria. Rose and I have tickets. Rose tells me she wants a drink ("but not wine, mummy"!!) and a back massage, but does not want nail varnish, thank you!

A picture from last week ... The view from my bed!

Life in Pictures

Sometimes this seems to be the only way I can blog. Time is at a premium at the moment as I slog through this last module of my course. Records management doesn't interest me so it is a case of gritting my teeth and ploughing through it. Only six and a half weeks and the whole course will be finished. I am so ready to be done!

The weather for our guided walk was beautiful, as you can see from this picture of the lake in the country park we walked through. The heat, combined with the fact that much of the walk was uphill, made it very tiring. It took a week for my legs to recover. Slightly overdoing it with exercise the day before didn't help.

Our archive is right by the river and a pond which may be intended to be decorative (if so, fail!) or as an overflow outlet. in the summer algae covers it with an unattractive green scum. A moorhen has built its nest in an abandoned traffic cone in the scummiest part, carefully incorporated discarded litter in the structure. Full marks for creativity, zero for aesthetic sense.


The weather forecast for the last few days. Summer! It is upposed to last through this weekend too. Utter bliss.


Rose petting a shetland pony at her school fair last Saturday.


Later on Saturday we went for a picnic at a local country park where they have added some wood sculpture intended to sark kids' imagination. I tried our the giant's chair for size.

This Week: 24th June

The weather ... where is summer? I'm tired of being cold. When the sun comes out it is nice enough, but as soon as it disappears it gets chilly again. Really it feels more like early May than late June. I took the two younger girls to a nearby kids farm yesterday. I wore a long sleeved t-shirt, a thin sweater and a weatherproof coat. And I was shivering.

I am wearing ... black jeans, long sleeved burgundy t-shirt, long cream cardigan, black studded ballerina shoes, black and silver heart-shaped glass bead pendant

I am reading ... just finished The Reluctant Yogi (I'm on a yoga kick!). Not sure what to start next.

I am creating ... still the same pair of socks. I never knit much in the summer.

I am listening ... to silence! Can hear birds and traffic faintly outside the window.

I am watching ... really I just don't watch much of anything. I have downloaded the first episode of The White Queen (historical drama series about Elizabeth Woodville, the wife of King Edward IV) but haven't watched it yet.

I am enjoying ... pink toenails. Even if it is too cold to want to wear sandals.

From the learning rooms ... Rose went on her first ever school trip last week, to the Roald Dahl Museum at Great Missenden. She was very anxious beforehand as she was worried she would somehow get lost. I eventually realised she was picturing somewhere gigantic like the Science Museum in London. The Roald Dahl Museum is rather smaller scale! In the event she had a good time and - surprise, surprise - did NOT get lost!

On the menu ...
Monday: whatever Tevye can find in the freezer as I have to work late
Tuesday: fish and chips
Wednesday: mango and lime chicken kebabs
Thursday: pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs
Friday: savoury bean pot (beans cooked with apple and carrot)
Saturday: ???
Sunday: roast chicken

On the calendar ... a pretty quiet week with not much out of the ordinary. Unusually I have to work on Sunday, leading a guided walk around three villages (the walk my colleague tested out a few weeks ago)

A picture from last week ... Rose at the farm

And So To Work!

Helen has been offered a job! Or more accurately, an apprenticeship. In the UK most 18 year olds with the right qualifications move on to university, but faced with the prospect of repaying student loans for the next 30 years a growing number are choosing to go straight into work. In Helen's case the financial considerations were only a part of her decision not to go to uni. She prefers working to studying and is ready to get started on a career now.

The UK has a system of apprenticeships which allow companies to take on an apprentice at a (usually) nominal salary in return for providing training. Initially I think apprenticeships tended to be in more practical fields and geared to youngsters leaving school at 16. Now there seem to be a growing number of advanced apprenticeships and apprenticeships intended to lead into professional careers. The government has also put some money into promoting the provision of apprenticeships in areas where they think there are likely to be skill shortages.

The apprenticeship Helen has been offered is in digital marketing and is part of one of these schemes. A large technology firm has its own apprenticeship and training arm which has expanded to provide a number of digital marketing apprenticeships in partnership with other companies. The training organisation selects the apprentices, gives them initial training, and then places them in a partner company for a year. The apprentice is employed during that year by the partner, but is supported and mentored by the training company and spends one day a week there to study for a digital marketing qualification. The expectation is that at the end of their training apprentices will either be offered a job by their employer, or will be helped to find a suitable permanent job (or even to set up their own business) by the training company.

Getting a place on the scheme wasn't easy. They get a lot of applicants and Helen had to get through a phone interview and a three hour assessment which included group exercises, an individual interview and a demonstration of digital / media related work she has done. She loved the set up, said the people were all really nice - interviewers, existing apprentices and other applicants - and came home very much hoping they would take her, so she is hugely excited to have been offered the opportunity. The next step is to meet with prospective employers and get her work placement arranged. The aim is to match apprentices with companies that will be a good match for their particular skills. She has been told that she will get interviews with two or three, and that the process will be as much about deciding if they are right for her as the other way round. She will be working in London, and because she has to travel in from outside London they will try to put her with a company that is conveniently located for commuting

So all in all, VERY exciting times! We are very hopeful that it will be a good choice for her and that she will enjoy working in a fast paced, cutting edge media-techie field. I have to admit though, that the prospect of seeing my daughter heading off to commute to an office in London makes me feel very old!

I promised some pictures from Rose's birthday, then realised that I can't post most of them as they show other people's children! She chose to go to Build-a-Bear with five school friends (the minimum number for their parties), then come home for a teddy bears' picnic - though in fact none of them chose bears and it was a monkey / dog / rabbit picnic!

Contemplating her options in Claires (she had a voucher to spend)

"I promise to look after my bear (or monkey) ..."


Monkey boxed and ready to go


Picnic time


Birthday cake - baked by me, decorated by Marie

Location:Rose's Birthday

This Week: 10th June

The weather ... Lovely when the sun comes out, chilly when it doesn't. Feels more like early May than June.

I am wearing ... black and white pyjamas.

I am reading ... nothing at the moment. I have lots stacked up to read when I come out he other end of studying records management (groan)

I am creating ... still the same pair of socks, slowly

I am listening ... a CD called Music of the Crusades, recommended by a friend. I'm on a medieval kick at the moment (generally, not just musically).

I am watching ... a short BBC series about imperial women of Rome (wives, daughters and sisters of emperors). Fascinating.

I am enjoying ... feeling well again after shaking off the after effects f the chest infection. Still coughing a bit but otherwise feeling good.

From the learning rooms ... Helen's exams are done and she has officially finished school. Marie has finished science exams but a maths tomorrow and Friday.

On the menu ...
Monday: chicken, mashed sweet potato, braised leeks
Tuesday: fish and chips
Wednesday: chicken thighs and veggies
Thursday: stir fry (assuming Helen us home as it is a favourite of hers)
Friday: vegetarian chilli
Saturday: wait and see! Maybe burgers?
Sunday: roast lamb

On the calendar ...
Tuesday: spending most of the day at an education and culture xhibition, promoting the archive's educational services; Helen has a job interview in London; maths exam for Marie
Friday: maths exam for Marie
Saturday: playing at a village fete with the band
Sunday: band again, playing at the band stand in the park in town

A picture from last week ... It was Rose's 7th birthday last Saturday, but I think I'll put pictures into another post. This one was taken by Tevye when I got jumped on by daughters last week.

7 Quick Takes: Picture Edition

1. The view from my Kindle at the lakeside park on Monday.

2. The moment before a certain daughter realised her tongue had frozen to the ice lolly.


3. On the inflatable slide


4. Landing!


5. Two bookworms


6. The kitchen on Tuesday morning. Wall colour very pale green (I named this paint colour "anaemic willow", though I'm sure Dulux had a more appealing name when we chose it!)


7. The kitchen on Wednesday afternoon. Wall colour "vanilla sundae".

North Bedfordshire

Last week my job share partner and myself spent a day walking through the North Bedfordshire countryside in the name of research - we are trying to put together a guided walk themed around some of the criminal cases we have catalogued. The walk gave us a chance to explore a new-to-us and rather lovely area, which often reminded us of the Cotswolds. It was also rather longer than we anticipated as we wandered through various villages trying to identify particular sites. We estimated we walked about 12 or 13 miles in total.

Here are a few highlights, mostly from later in the day when the weather brightened up ...

Thatched country cottages

Church on a hill overlooking the surrounding countryside. In the middle ages this village was the centre of a small barony.


We fortified ourselves for the second (and longest) stage of our walk with a pub lunch here


View from a country park


Village green


Village lock-up. This was a highlight for us as we have various records concerning the lock-up and its prisoners. It wasn't a prison as such, just a holding cell for the local police before offenders were taken to the gaol in Bedford, and also a place where they could put drunks to sober up!


An old court house (now just a house!)


Another village church


In the 19th century this bridge was often the subject of complaints that it wasn't being kept in good repair.


Unusual brickwork on the side of Tudor house


This cottage was once a pub. I loved the little statuettes near the door.

This Week: 27th May 2013

The weather ... lovely May weather both yesterday and today, with sunshine and blue skies with some puffy white clouds. When the sun goes behind the cloud the wind is a little chilly, but for a holiday weekend I'll settle happily for this! Tomorrow's forecast is for cooler temperatures and rain, but at least today gave us a chance to get outdoors.

I am wearing ... black jeans, cream t-shirt with black floral pattern, black cardigan, black and white spotty socks. Very monochrome!

I am reading ... The Reluctant Yogi: a Quirky Guide to the Practice That Can Change Your Life by Carla Mackay.

I am creating ... still knitting socks. I'm not feeling very crafty at the moment. I always tend to find that I am a seasonal knitter and do very little in the summer.

I am listening ... Vivaldi streaming on Spotify, but it keeps blipping out on me.

I am watching ... not much!

I am enjoying ... feeling better. I caught a cold from Marie and Rose last week and after a long tiring couple of days on Wednesday and Thursday it turned into a chest infection. The combination of chest infection and asthma isn't a happy one. Fortunately I was able to get a doctor's appointment quickly on Friday and thanks to a combination of steroids and antibiotics was able to move and speak without getting breathless by Saturday evening. Yesterday I still felt pretty limp, but today has been much better. Hopefully I'll be almost back to normal by tomorrow.

From the learning rooms ... half term break this week. Rose has a long half term and doesn't go back to school until Wednesday next week. Helen and Marie both go back to public exams. Helen has her two A level exams on Monday and Tuesday, then she is done with school! Marie has biology, chemistry and maths GCSE papers over the first couple of weeks after half term. She takes core science and maths this year, then the rest of her GCSEs next year. (GCSEs and A levels are national exams which are essential for access to universities, further education courses and many careers, taken at 16 and 18 respectively)

On the menu ...
Monday: picnic lunch (salad); mackerel fillets / fish fingers, mushrooms, courgettes, sweetcorn, potato rosti
Tuesday: chicken and chips, green beans
Wednesday: lamb steaks, sweet potato, mushrooms
Thursday: [eating out]
Friday: savoury bean pot
Saturday: ??
Sunday: roast chicken

On the calendar ...
Monday: went on a family trip to a nearby city lake (all of us except Helen, who was working and in any case mostly does her own thing these days). We took a picnic lunch, then Rose enjoyed the play area and went for a walk with Marie while Tevye and I sat on the grass and relaxed. Although I'm feeling better I don't have the energy for much walking yet.
Tuesday: Repainting the kitchen
Wednesday: More repainting the kitchen
Thursday: I am going on a trip to London to visit two large archives (arranged as part of my course), and Tevye has a business meeting in London. The timings work out so that we can travel in together. He will get back earlier than me though, in time to take Marie and Rose to optician's appointments. Rose is hoping she may not need her glasses any more; Marie, who doesn't currently have any, suspects she is going to need them as she says she is struggling to see the board at school. In the evening Tevye and I are going to dinner with friends from band.
Friday: Tevye needs to go into work, so I shall probably take Rose (and maybe Marie?) out somewhere
Saturday: Nothing on the calendar yet.
Sunday: Taking Marie and A-next-door to another car boot sale for some more fund raising.

A picture from last week ... our annual visitors to our front garden are back. Every year they turn up, wander around the grass in front of the houses at our end of the road for a week or two, then disappear again until next year.

This Week: 20th May

The weather ... At times last week felt more like February than May, sometimes wet, sometimes cold and grey. Yesterday was sunny and quite warm, but there is more rain forecast for today.

I am wearing ... navy chinos, butterfly print t shirt, navy cardigan

I am reading ... about records management. Dull.

I am creating ... still the same pair of socks.

I am listening ... to Danzon No.2 by Arturo Marquez and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade.

I watched ... Minority Report at the weekend. It was set as a task for my course as a jumping off point for thinking about various records management issues.

I am not enjoying ... Level 147 of Candy Crush. Think I may be stuck for ever. Serves me right for getting hooked on a time-sucking game.

From the learning rooms ... this will be Helen's last week of school. Ever. Yikes!

On the menu ... this week the plan is that I have no plan!

On the calendar ...
Tuesday: Helen has an interview for a photography and video production apprenticeship
Thursday: Fund raising quiz night at work. Should be fun.
Sunday: Another car boot sale for Marie and her friend. I think my brother may be taking them this time.

A picture from last week ... a horse and cart spotted on our walk on Thursday. More playing with Instagram filters!

A Medieval Week.

Two things I have been doing this week:

(1) Medieval stuff
(2) Playing with picture apps

On Thursday Tevye and I went for a walk in a village a few miles away where there is a castle site. I didn't even know it was there until a few months ago and had never been. Not much is known about the castle, except that it existed in the twelfth century and was probably a simple wooden keep and palisade that was never replaced with stone. The remaining earthworks show it was a classic motte and bailey castle. A small one!

The picture below was done with an iphone collage app called Moldiv, which I stumbled across when looking for something else. I mixed up shots of the castle with the surrounding countryside.

This picture is a collage of three panoramic views taken from the top of the motte. The white stone thing in the bottom picture is an Ordnance Survey triangulation point.


Today I was looking after an archive display in an adjacent town which had a weekend event focusing on its medieval history. This town was founded by King Henry I at the beginning of the 12th century and was the site of an important priory for the next 400 years. After the priory was dissolved in 1540 most of the buildings were destroyed, but the nave remained as the parish church. Imagine how imposing the original church must have been when it was complete.


There were a lot of middle ages re-enactors there, with booths demonstrating different aspects of medieval life and a recreation of a minor skirmish which took place in the town during the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century. I particularly liked the minstrel, who had an intriguing collection of early instruments. I now want a bowed psaltery. Or a lyre. Or both. As you can see from this picture I have also been playing with Instagram filters.


This panoramic view shows part of the encampment, with soldiers mustering ready or battle.


More Instagram filters on these pictures, trying to compensate for slightly fuzzy cropped distance shots. This Yorkist soldier was taking a breather between bouts of fighting.


And here the battle was raging.


I have also been working on some of these at work, so all in all a very medieval week.

This Week: 13 May 2013

The weather ... Brrr! Changeable and definitely not feeling as though summer is round the corner.

I am wearing ... pyjamas.

I am reading ... blogs and Facebook and not much else.

I am creating ... socks

I am listening ... to Shostakovitch Jazz Suites

I am watching ... Harry Potter movies with Marie.

I am enjoying ... my electric blanket. So glad I didn't switch the winter duvet for a lightweight summer one when it was warm last week.

From the learning rooms ... I looked at the records management module I will be studying for the next three months tonight. The first section is horribly intense. It's not a subject that interests me, but it has to be done.

On the menu ...
Monday: salmon, sweet potato, sauteed leeks and cabbage
Tuesday: chicken and chips with sweetcorn and peas
Wednesday: pasta with either bolognese sauce or chicken
Thursday: out for lunch with Tevye as we are both taking the day off work
Friday: savoury bean pot
Saturday: wait and see!
Sunday: roast beef, roast potatoes and veggies

On the calendar ...
Tuesday: orthodontist appointment for Marie
Wednesday: band AGM and practice
Thursday: a day off from work as I have to work on Sunday (unusual); Fiddle Fiesta for Rose
Saturday: playing at a village fete with the band
Sunday: looking after a display at a medieval history festival in a nearby town

A picture from last week ... Marie and A-next-door at Sunday's car boot sale, raising money to fund another trip to Bulgaria.

Working Full Time

It is almost a done deal (as in 99% certain, just waiting for paperwork) that from the beginning of June I will be working full time as an archivist instead of switching back to part time in July. A colleague is leaving and I was offered a permanent increase in hours which I decided to accept.

So, how have I got to this? And how is working full time panning out? When I started down this path I had no intention of working full time. I wasn't even actively looking for a part time job. When I first decided to train as an archivist I felt that doors were opening providentially, and that has been my experience throughout the three years since. At no point have I actively looked for a job, or for an increase in hours. First an unusual, incredibly interesting, and manageable part time job came up which gave me a toe in the door of the archive profession. Then the part time archivist post fell into my lap, and my part time job grew into a temporary full time one which was too good an opportunity to turn down. This time, within minutes of my colleague resigning I was asked if I would like to stay on full time. Just a couple of weeks before, as the end of my original temporary contract got closer, I had realised that - contrary to expectation - I was enjoying working full time and that the benefits were outweighing the disadvantages, and Tevye and I had discussed the possibility of my looking for a second part time archivist job for one or two days a week to run alongside the current one. Really, saying yes to the full time post was a no brainer. Providence again.

Given that I hadn't planned to work full time, I have been very pleasantly surprised at how well it has worked out. I found the jump to daily part time work much harder to adjust to than the increase in hours. Having to get out of the house at an early hour every morning was the toughest part to acclimatise to, followed by the daily commute. Having got used to those aspects of working, staying at the office for longer hours didn't make much difference from my point of view, and I haven't found working full time significantly more tiring than working part time. When I increased my hours I switched from taking the train to driving to work, as I needed to be more flexible and it saved time, cutting probably half an hour off my daily commute. I have also now started car sharing with a colleague who leaves nearby, after we realised we were working very similar hours. We have a flexitime system, and some people choose to get in early and leave early, others prefer to work later - we both fall into the early bird category and were often virtually tailing each other down the road. Sharing means less petrol, less driving and company, all of which ease the commute.

I am very lucky in that I have a lot of practical help from both Tevye and the older girls. Tevye has picked up a lot of the domestic slack, which he is able to do as he works from home a couple of days a week and has very flexible working patterns. Helen and Marie get Rose ready for school three days a week and drop her at the school early birds club, and Marie collects her from after school club when necessary. My flexible working hours and understanding managers mean that I can juggle work fairly easily to fit round family needs and I can occasionally work from home. A generous holiday allowance (26 days plus public holidays) and "flexi days" when I can take time off in lieu of extra hours worked mean I can be at home for large chunks of the school holidays. There are some very hectic days but mostly we have a very manageable routine. The downsides really do seem to be outweighed by the positives - a fascinating, varied job that I love and a regular salary to supplement Tevye's which is less predictable because he is self employed.

7 Quick Takes: 10 May 2013

1. I have the most fascinating and varied job imaginable! A quick summary of my working day: researching a 19th century murder; tracking down a grant of land from 1334 and checking the text for the context of a particular Latin phrase; providing someone with a copy of the 19th century trust deed for his church; giving a talk with my job share partner about our cataloguing project; cataloguing documents about thefts of potatoes, a smock and a coat; and helping to identify a specific 15th century manor court roll sewn into a bundle with a pile of others.

2. My office is by the side of a river. Since the weather has improved over the past couple of weeks the river has come to life - pairs of swans, ducks, a heron, and a lot of rowers (hard working eights, not pleasure boats!).

3. A couple of friends have posted links on Facebook to this French project to build a castle using only thirteenth century tools and techniques. More about it on the BBC website here. I would love to see this, but can't see any prospect of getting to Burgundy in the near future.

4. I have come to the conclusion that part of the reason we have too much stuff is that we have lived in this house too long. If we had needed to move it would have forced us to have a proper clear out. As it is we have spent twenty years accumulating clutter without ever confronting it. Unfortunately I have a conclusion, but no solution.

5. Marie is going through a healthy lifestyle stage, and is trying to both eat well and exercise regularly. She has inspired me to want to get back to exercising and I have managed to do some yoga (DVD, not a class) over the last couple of weeks. I haven't managed to get into any sort of routine though, and I suspect I won't until I finish my course.

6. I'm writing this while watching a BBC documentary about the recreation of the Netherfield Ball in Pride and Prejudice. Fascinating stuff!

7. Candy Crush. I should probably never have started playing because it is a time sucker. Now I have got stuck on Level 147 which is driving me nuts. Grrr!

This Week: 6 May 2013

(Oops! Where did the last month go?)

The weather ... a beautiful May day, mostly warm and sunny, with a little cloud. The first Monday of May is a bank (public) holiday here and our town holds a May Fayre which is a big fundraiser for local groups and charities. The brass band plays for an hour in the morning, and we always seem either to get cooked or drenched. Last year was a wet one. Overheating a bit this morning was a pleasant change.

I am wearing ... navy skinny jeans, pink and navy leaf pattern tunic top, bare feet.

I am reading ... dipping a toe into a book about interesting aspects of physics. It is one of those short snippets type books and isn't really holding my attention.

I am creating ... soft socks for a very old friend who is very ill and has just had major surgery.

I am listening ... Rose is watching something on the iPad, otherwise everything is quiet.

I am watching ... not much. TV seems to be in the doldrums. I did get talked into watching Big Bang Theory recently and have been catching up on earlier series. Geek humour.

I am enjoying ... the long weekend. The next few months is going to be busy so I'm enjoying the break while I can.

From the learning rooms ... Rose is hugely excited that she gets to take part in a Fiddle Fiesta (string orchestra for small people) in a couple of weeks. I'm not sure which is the most exciting aspect - that she will be spending the afternoon at Helen and Marie's school, or that she gets to take a packed tea. I think the music part is a distant third in terms of anticipation!

On the menu ...
Monday: BBQ in the garden (yay! the weather forecast that this would be the best day of the long weekend was right!). We had burgers, chicken, sausages, mushrooms and salad, washed down with watermelon
Tuesday: Chicken stir fry
Wednesday: Salmon baked with leeks and mushrooms
Thursday: Pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs
Friday: Courgette, bean and tomato casserole
Saturday: I'm finding planning food in advance for Saturday doesn't work as I never know who is going to be where when. We usually just keep it simple - soup, sandwiches, baked potatoes, eggs, that sort of thing.
Sunday: Roast beef and veggies

On the calendar ...
Monday: No work or school, except for Helen who is at work this evening. Played with the band in the morning.
Tuesday: Ballet lesson for Rose. Tevye has a meeting in London.
Wednesday: Band practice.
Thursday: Giving a talk on 19th century crime in the county to a group interested in local heritage in the morning (my work includes sometimes giving talks or attending events).
Friday: Another talk, this time given jointly with my job-share partner about the project we have been working on, to a smaller audience at the archive.
Saturday: Band concert in the evening.
Sunday: May be taking Marie and her friend to a car boot sale to raise funds for another trip to Bulgaria.

A picture from last week ... Rose enjoying herself at a woodland playground yesterday.

Another Picture Round Up

A few things that have been going on over the last couple of weeks ...

It snowed. Again. This has been the longest winter I can remember. March was ridiculously cold and April has started the same way. There were even snow flurries again yesterday. I am so ready for it to feel like spring. Easter in winter just feels all wrong!

Rose played her violin in a school concert. (Please note that this is not an indication of precocious musical talent. She is very much at the beginner stage!)


Various major things have been going on at work. This year is our centenary and there are a number of related events throughout the year, including exhibitions in local museums. The first opened in a town in the south of the county a couple of weeks ago. There are also going to be a number of staff changes and it looks as though I will be continuing to work full time instead of going back to part time in July as I anticipated.


We managed to get outside for a while at the weekend despite the weather, though we weren't out for long before Rose's insistence that she didn't need a winter coat drove us back to the car with a frozen small person.


Otherwise, life carries on as normal with work and school. Helen will be done with school completely in a couple of months and is job hunting - she is looking for a media based apprenticeship in London. She finished her photography A level last week with an exam piece involving technical wizardry way out of my league - time lapse photography edited into 3D images. Apparently even her teacher didn't think it could be done! Marie is ploughing through GCSE coursework and controlled assessments. Rose has decided numeracy (maths) is her favourite subject at school. I am ploughing on with my archive course, which I now just want to get finished. I start the final module in May and will be done in September.

Happy Easter

The Easter Bunny wishes you a very hoppy Easter!