November Music

I spent some time last night trawling through iTunes looking for seasonal music. Even though we are already half way through November, I'm posting a list for the month. That way I will be able to find it again next year! Some of the music I know or own already, the rest sounds promising from 30 second samples but I haven't downloaded any yet.

• Handel - Music for the Royal Fireworks
  
• Durufle - Requiem: Pie Jesu
  
• Britten - Sinfonia da Requiem
• Karl Jenkins - In Paradisum: Requiem
• De Victoria - Missa pro Defunctis
• Faure - Requiem: In Paradisum
• Mozart - Requiem
• Elgar - Elegy (Opus 58)
• Celtic Requiem (Mary McLaughlin)
• Purcell - Ode for St. Cecilia's Day
• Britten - Hymn to St. Cecilia
• Herbert Howells - A Hymn for St. Cecilia
  

Google Trends

I just discovered Google Trends where you can see graphs of the popularity of search terms. This site should only be visited by trivia loving geeks with time to waste. It seems I fall into this category.

The joy of these is not just to spot trends, but also patterns. This one for snow is entirely predictable but rather pretty. My favourite summer drink, Pimms, peaks in the summer, but the height of the peak varies according to the weather - colder summer, less hits.

You can find lots of economic trivia. Both Tesco and Waitrose (UK supermarket chains) have rising search numbers; both show peaks before Christmas, but Waitrose spikes much higher. Unsurprisingly, recession has jumped out of flat-lined nowhere to violent peaks and fluctuations in 2008.

7 Quick Takes Friday

I love this idea from Jennifer at Conversion Diary of posting seven quick takes ... snippets and half-thoughts that don't quite merit a fully formed post of their own. Check out Jennifer's quick takes for today and links to other contributors here. And if you also have half-formed thoughts and half-baked posts lurking at the back of your mind, add your own.

-- 1 --

I have been watching various BBC programmes on World War I broadcast for the ninetieth anniversary of Armistice Day. While I knew about the Spanish Flu epidemic after the war, I had no idea it started in an army camp and was rife among the soldiers on both sides. Many soldiers died right at the end of the war. Imagine how it must have felt to know your son or husband had survived the war and was due to return home imminently, only to hear a few days later that he had died of flu. Beyond poignant. Also, did you know that the Spanish Flu was a bird flu virus? H1N1, rather than the H5N1 bird flu that has been in the news over the last year or two.

-- 2 --

Moving swiftly on to something more cheerful ...I ordered new Crocs for Little Cherub for next summer as I wanted to take advantage of a 40% off sale. I was intrigued to see that this pair were made in Bosnia, unlike the last pair (and both mine) which came from China. If any UK readers are Crocs fans and want a discounted pair, I can recommend Sweetfeet Shoes - good selection, good service and good prices.

-- 3 --

I have been placing some online orders and have realised that I am a thematic Christmas present buyer. Which is another way of saying that once I have a good idea I'm inclined to run with it and buy variations of the same gift for more than one person. This year is, apparently, the year of the clock, the radio, and the toasty warm bed. And yes, there is a clock-radio in there for good measure. I'm not quite in the same league as my dad, who was a one stop Christmas shopper. At least he varied the shop he visited from year to year, though the book shop and Marks and Spencer tended to feature quite regularly.

-- 4 --

I have declared war on our gas usage (natural gas for heating / hot water) since the gas company insisted we need to increase our monthly payments by 50%. It is probably poetic justice that I can't get the central heating to work this afternoon.

-- 5 --

Lesson learned yesterday. Do not give a sticker to a toddler who is about to go to bed. You will have to hunt for the sticker before you can get the toddler upstairs. You will then be summoned to search for the missing sticker two minutes after you put the toddler down to sleep. The sticker will turn up in her bed only after you have mollified her with an alternative sticker. Two minutes later both stickers will have disappeared again. At that point, you need an older sister to calm her down by giving her a stuffed penguin to cuddle.

-- 6 --

Why, when Star has known for over a week that today would be a non-uniform day at school, was it still a major crisis this morning to decide what to wear?

-- 7 --

I'm sleepy. Little Cherub has had a run of waking early (6.00am or soon after). This morning she woke at five. She went back to sleep. I didn't. Why am I blogging when I should be taking a nap?

One Shelf at a Time - Shelf 9

The bottom shelf of my children's history collection (non-fiction - historical fiction is somewhere else entirely) ... an eclectic mix here. There are various books picked up in library sales, ranging from a book on Medieval People to (blush) a history of toilets; a few historical picture books; Diane Stanley biographies (Cleopatra, Peter the Great, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci); picture histories of Scotland and Ireland and other miscellaneous oddments. Then there are some adult level books: assorted chronicle-style books, ranging from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle to Russia, and several historical atlases.

Three favourites from this shelf ...

How Children Lived by Chris and Melanie Rice ... similar in style to DK's Children Just Like Me. Each double page spread focuses on an imaginary child from a different era, beginning with the ancient Egyptians and ending with 1920s America.

The Boy Pharaoh: Tutankhamen by Noel Streatfeild ... although she is better known for her fiction (Ballet Shoes, White Boots and so on), Noel Streatfeild also wrote several history books for children. This one was written to accompany the Tutankhamen exhibition when it was shown in London in the early 1970s.

The Book of Greek Myths Pop-Up Board Games by Brian Lee ... does exactly what it says on the cover. Four pop-up board games, each themed on a different Greek myth, with everything you need to play them in a little pocket. Very unusual, and we have had a lot of fun with this one over the years.

Counting Cherub Style

Little Cherub likes to count. She has got the idea of one-to-one correspondence and can count quite accurately except for one problem. She has decided she doesn't like the numbers four, five, six and seven.

"Cherub, how many fingers do you have?"

She holds out her hand and counts earnestly ...
"One ... two ... three ... eight ... nine"

If she is in a particularly mellow mood and I ask her what comes after three, she will answer four ... but more often she simply looks mutinous. The sort of look that says "you can call it four if you like, but I know better and I am going to count my way!"

Isn't she going to be fun to home educate!

Simple Woman's Daybook: 10th November

For Monday 10th November

Outside My Window ... trees and houses silhouetted against a sky that is just beginning to lighten.

I am thinking ... how can it be the middle of November already? This term is flying past.

From the learning rooms ... art. I'm very impressed with Angel's art course this term. The theme is "myself", so there is lots of self-portrait work, but it is very varied and creative. The first half term they worked in monochrome, and now they are moving on to colour. One project example: trace an outline from a picture of herself, and then stick on tiny pieces of newspaper in a kind of mosaic to create the dark and light shading. Very effective.

I am thankful for ... my voice. It came back.

From the kitchen ... planning to bake Victoria sponge and lemon cakes this morning; dinner is shipwreck stew.

I am wearing ... the same warm blue pyjamas as last week.

I am creating ... nothing, but I'm determined I will pick up my knitting again this week. The mess that is my knitting box keeps putting me off.

I am going ... to have a nice quiet, routine sort of week.

I am reading ... Since Records Began: the Highs and Lows of British Weather by Paul Simons. Tevye says it is turning me into an anorak and a bore. "Did you know that Rickmansworth is one of the coldest places in Britain?" ... "No! And I didn't want to!"

I am hoping ... for a productive and organised week. Last week I struggled to get back to normal after half term disrupted my routine.

I am hearing ... thuds from upstairs as Angel and Star get dressed.

Around the house ... clothes drying, more waiting to be ironed, beds to be changed, floors to be washed.

One of my favorite things ... Monday mornings. Writing my daybook; thinking about the week ahead; organising my Toodledo list; enjoying the quiet.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ... sort that knitting box (yes, I know that was on my list last week!); declutter toys; go to the gym; an evening out with Tevye.

Here is picture thought I am sharing ... for Remembrance Day

Check out The Simple Woman for links to other Daybooks and instructions if you want to add your own.

Lest We Forget

Today is Remembrance Sunday - the nearest Sunday to November 11th (Armistice Day, when the First World War ended) and the day on which Britain remembers its war dead. Every city, town and village in the country has its war memorial, listing the names of those who died in the First and Second World Wars. The lists of names are long, particularly for the First World War. Today wreaths of poppies were laid at them all, and a two minute silence kept.


My father and all his family came from the village of Stewkley, Buckinghamshire. Courtesy of the Roll of Honour website, here are the names of those from the village who lost their lives. The population in the early 20th century was a little over 1,000. In the First World War thirty young men were killed, and a further six in the Second. Heartbreaking.

First World War

• Albert Ashpool, killed in action May 1915 (aged 21)
• Arthur Beasley, killed in action November 1917
• W.J.Beasley (no information)
• George Russell Cannings, killed in action September 1916 (aged 30)
• Fred E. Cheshire, died of wounds December 1917
  
• William John Cheshire, killed in action June 1917 (aged 35)
• Harry Dickens, died in United Kingdom January 1915 (aged 18)
• Albert Richard Hall, died 14 November 1918 - three days after Armistice (aged 38)
• William Hogston, died in United Kingdom September 1917 (aged 20)
• Claude Cressy Horsley, died of wounds November 1917 (aged 35)
• William George Illing, killed in action July 1916 (aged 21)
• Leonard Keen, killed in action November 1914 (aged 31)
• Sidney Keen, killed in action July 1916
• Chester Winterbon Kilby, killed in action March 1918 (aged 35)
• Henry Knight, killed in action August 1915
  
• Arthur William Mead, died September 1916 (aged 20)
• Bertram Frederick Mead, killed in action August 1917 (aged 21)
• John Mead, killed in action April 1918 (aged 26)
• Albert Edward Moxon, killed in action February 1918 (aged 19)
• Frederick Pitkin, died in South Africa, November 1916
• George Roadknight, killed in action, October 1915
• J. Smith (no information)
• Bruce Swinton Smith-Masters M.C., killed in action July 1916 (aged 24)
• George Arthur Smith-Masters, killed in action, August 1915 (aged 20) - brother of Bruce
• Frederick Thomas Stonhill, killed in action, March 1917 (aged 29)
• George Syrett, died July 1919 (aged 24)
• William Syrett, died September 1918
• William H.Syrett, died June 1920 (aged 27)
• Percy William Tofield, killed in action August 1916 (aged 24)
• John Henry Willis, killed in action April 1918

Second World War

• Raymond Ivor Brewer, died September 1940 (aged 25)
• Theodore Frederick Faulkner, died March 1943 (aged 42)
• Edward James Jones, died July 1944 (aged 22)
• Leonard James Mead, died June 1943 (aged 23)
• Eric Ernest Robinson, died October 1944 (aged 23)
• F.A.Wilson (no information)

Three of the First World War casualties died after the end of the war. George and William Syrett, who died in 1919 an 1920, both originally served in the Royal Army Service Corps and subsequently transferred to the Northumberland Fusiliers. I wonder why and where they died?

For The Fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Laurence Binyon

'Tis The Season

... to let off fireworks in honour of the failure of Guy Fawkes' dastardly plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605. Should Catholics celebrate Bonfire Night, given that Guy Fawkes was acting in the cause of Catholicism? Given that the leading English Catholics of his time thought he was a foolish maverick, and feared a terrible backlash would have resulted if he succeeded, I think I can live with it. And it gives me an opportunity to mention our Catholic history and remind the girls that our religious freedom is something to be appreciated. (Though given that Star had somehow managed to forget entirely who Guy Fawkes was, I'm obviously not making a good job of it.)

We usually celebrate on Bonfire Night itself (November 5th), by watching a firework display at a village school with friends, then going back to their house for drinks and snacks afterwards. This year our friends' son was sick and the weather was dismal, so we didn't make it. In the end we went to a firework display tonight at another local school. Good fireworks, but very, very loud. Little Cherub was seriously not impressed, though she did manage to hang in there - literally, hanging round my neck which she decided was the only safe place.

'Tis also the season to prepare for Advent, albeit accidentally. I spotted this wooden Advent calendar in John Lewis yesterday and loved it. It has little drawers just big enough to hold three sweets or chocolates, a tiny gift, or a note. I love that it includes a nativity scene. I just know that if I looked for something like this, I would never find it ... so I bought it while I had the chance.

Election Night

I'm an election night enthusiast. I don't usually make it all through the night, but for UK elections I always stay up until the early hours, and I couldn't resist watching last night's US election results. All that punditry, and David Dimbleby gravitas, and clever interactive maps turning blue and red ... irresistible!

As I watched I was fascinated by the differences between US and UK election nights. Here are a few random comparisons ...

In the US Republicans are red and Democrats blue; here Conservatives are blue and Labour red. Very confusing.

American results seem to be announced by the TV networks before they actually happen. Did I get that right? Here all the candidates for a parliamentary seat are gathered on a platform while the returning officer announces the result. This means we get to see their face at the moment of victory or defeat - in comparison, the American election coverage was, literally, faceless. Often a number of fringe candidates stand alongside the main parties in parliamentary elections. Sometimes they look like this:

This adds some entertaining eccentricity to the announcement of results. I suspect there is something peculiarly British about a returning officer solemnly intoning "Screaming Lord Sutch, Monster Raving Loony Party, 51 votes; Gordon Brown, Labour, 35,000 votes ...".

Results - or accurately predicted results - come through much quicker in America. It was quite a surprise to see some called virtually the instant the polls closed. Here polls close at 10pm, and the results don't get beyond a trickle until about 1am. Then they come through thick and fast for a couple of hours, with the TV coverage zooming frantically from one vital count to another.

America has 50 states; the UK has over 600 parliamentary constituencies. Whereas the US has only a handful of important marginal states, there are many more marginal constituencies here ... and keeping track of the flurry of results is harder. The US results are simpler and clearer to watch.

The time zone effect surprised me. It was odd to realise that the overall election result was already obvious before voting had finished in some states.

Exams, Exams ... And More Exams

For anyone curious as to how the British education system works in the "high school" years, or how it has changed since they were at school ...

Young people in British schools sit two sets of examinations at ages 16 and 18 (except in Scotland, which also has an exam system but one that works rather differently and which I know next to nothing about!). The original exams taken until the 1940s were known as School Certificate, and pupils had to achieve pass marks across a range of subjects to gain an overall pass, first at ordinary level and then at higher level. In the early 1950s the School Certificate was replaced by subject specific GCE (General Certificate of Education) 'O' (Ordinary) and 'A' (Advanced) Levels. O Levels were intended for more academic pupils, and an easier qualification, the CSE (Certificate of Secondary Education) was brought in as an alternative for the less academic. A Grade 1 pass in a CSE was considered the equivalent of an O Level pass.

Typically an academic track pupil would take eight to ten O levels. They would then select just three subjects to study for A Level. This focus on a limited number of subjects in depth, rather than a broader range in depth, is the big difference between the British and American education systems. The same applies at university level, where British students typically take a single subject degree, with little or no study of any other subject during their three year university course.

In 1988 O Levels were replaced by GCSEs. This change was intended to make the system fairer for all, and stop CSE students feeling second class or being discriminated against by would-be employers. GCSEs have a broad range of "pass" grades, from A* to G, and an "Unclassified" failing grade. (The A* was introduced several years ago to identify the best performing candidates, as too many were getting an A.) This is good in theory, but in fact only grades A* to C count as equivalent to an O Level, and therefore as a true pass. Students can be entered for papers in which the top grade possible is a D, meaning in effect that they are guaranteed to fail - unlike the old CSEs where they could achieve an O Level equivalent grade. The A Level system was left in place, but in the 1990s an additional AS Level, intermediate between GCSE and A Level was introduced, in an attempt to encourage pupils to take an additional subject after age 16. To gain an A Level you now have to sit both the AS exam at 17 and an A2 exam at 18.

The other big difference between O Levels and GCSEs is that O Levels were entirely exam based, whereas GCSEs have a coursework component. This means that from 14 to 18 young people are pretty much continuously assessed, either by coursework or exams. Coursework has become increasingly problematic as it is difficult to tell whether the work is genuinely the student's own - particularly since the advent of widespread internet use has made plagiarism accessible to all. From next year coursework is being largely replaced by "controlled assessments", except for subjects where practical work is an integral part of the course. So far as I can see, controlled assessment is essentially supervised coursework.

Every year, the number of passes and top grades in both GCSE and A Level rise, and every year there are accusations that the exams are being dumbed down - which the government strenuously but not very convincingly denies. Just last week I read a newspaper article comparing sample GCSE science questions with O Level questions from the 1960s. The gulf was - predictably - enormous. They had clearly picked the simplest and most ludicrous GCSE questions they could find. Comparing the harder questions answered by the more able GCSE candidates would be a fairer test. Apparently students who achieved A grade GCSEs were given an old O Level paper and scored an average of 16% - but then, they presumably hadn't been taught the O Level course or prepared for that style of paper, so again, not a fair test. My mother has marked religious studies papers for over thirty years, and has marked O Level, CSE and GCSE papers for several different regional exam boards. She has no doubt that there has been a dumbing down. I suspect she is right, but it is hard to prove.

Simple Woman's Daybook: 3rd November

For Monday 3rd November

Outside My Window ... the grey of early dawn.

I am thinking ... about yesterday's Brazilian Grand Prix. Oh. My. Goodness. I'm not normally a fan of Formula 1 and big racing cars that go vrooom, but that race had us hooked. Lewis Hamilton overtaking on the final bend to become the youngest ever world champion. Finishes don't come more nailbiting than that.

From the learning rooms ... discussions about Angel's GCSE choices. She has to pick four options alongside the compulsory subjects (maths, English, science and RE). Currently she is thinking PE, geography, textiles (designing and making clothes and fabrics) and possibly graphic products, which seems to be a mix of technical drawing with product and packaging design. This combination should suit my practical, active daughter.

I am thankful for ... my new warm and comfy winter coat.

From the kitchen ... no time to cook today. Fish and chip takeaway tonight.

I am wearing ... warm blue pyjamas.

I am creating ... ballet shoes. Not the shoes themselves, but sewing on ribbons and darning the toes. Not my favourite job.

I am going ... to take Star and Cherub to London Zoo. There is an extra teacher training day tacked onto the half-term break so we are taking advantage of it.

I am reading ... English Catholic Heroes edited by John Jolliffe and The Magical Maze: Seeing the World Through Mathematical Eyes by Ian Stewart.

I am hoping ... my lost voice will return quickly, and my sore throat and cough will not trigger my asthma.

I am hearing ... oh dear! Little Cherub complaining about something!

Around the house ... lots of flowers. White carnations and yellow and orange roses from a visiting friend.

One of my favorite things ... Starbuck's coffee mocha with whipped cream.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ... declutter and reorganise my knitting box; a meeting to plan the next few First Communion classes; a visit to the doctor if my voice doesn't come back.

Here is picture thought I am sharing ...

Check out The Simple Woman for links to other Daybooks and instructions if you want to add your own.

All Saints and All Souls

This is a confusing year. Normally the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls fall on November 1st and 2nd respectively. However, in England and Wales if a Holy Day of Obligation (like All Saints) falls on a Saturday or a Monday it is transferred to a Sunday. That makes today - which should be All Souls - All Saints, and All Souls has been transferred to tomorrow so that it doesn't get missed out of the calendar altogether.

On All Saints Day we celebrate the Church Triumphant - all those individuals who are already enjoying eternal life in heaven. Some have been officially canonised, that is, their holiness has been recognised as so evident that we can be sure they have reached their ultimate destiniation (in most cases this is confirmed by miraculous healings associated with the intercession of the saint). Most importantly, though, this day is an opportunity to celebrate the multitude of unknown and unsung saints, those who will never be canonised.

On All Souls Day we pray for the Church Suffering - those who have died but whose souls have not yet reached the state of perfection which will allow them to enjoy the vision of God in heaven. I find the Catholic doctrine of purgatory a tremendously consoling one. I know that my sins are forgiven by virtue of Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross, but also that I remain weak and imperfect. Simplistically, I think of purgatory as an opportunity for God to spring-clean my soul after death, clearing out all the dust and debris left behind by my failings.

Traditionally the whole of November is a time during which Catholics remember and pray for the dead, that they will reach the end of this process and enjoy their eternal reward more quickly. As we here on earth - the Church Militant - join our prayers to those of the Saints in Heaven on behalf of the Holy Souls we are reminded that we are all part of the Body of Christ. The curtain that divides heaven and earth seems thinner, and it is no coincidence that at this time of year Death and its minions are mocked - Hallowe'en, or "All Hallows Eve", marks the beginning of this time when we focus on the triumph of Life over Death.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord,
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
By the mercy of God, rest in peace.

All the Saints of God, pray for us!

One Shelf at a Time - Shelf 8

Lots more narrative history for children here. Most of my H.E.Marshall collection: Our Island Story, Our Empire Story, Scotland's Story, History of France, History of Germany and English Literature for Boys and Girls. Then there are Mary McGregor's histories of Rome and France, Van Loon's Lives and Story of Mankind, a collection of biographical sketches called These Were Europeans, and several volumes by R.J.Unstead, who wrote a number of popular books on British history in the mid-20th century. Three favourites from this shelf ...

People in History by R.J.Unstead. Along with Looking at History this was a popular text book in junior schools (ages 7 to 11) in the 1960s and 70s. It was even included in the PNEU curriculum. It is a collection of four short volumes of biographies of famous Britons, all of them lively and readable.

English Literature for Boys and Girls by H.E.Marshall, is a history of English literature and the men who wrote it, from the earliest days and ending with Tennyson. (Yes, men ... no Jane Austen or Elizabeth Gaskell!). I'm not aware of any other comparable book that covers this huge subject in such detail for children, and H.E.Marshall is always readable.

The Story of France by Eleanor Doorly. This one was a lucky find a few years ago. Another very readable and well written book, and much shorter than the narrative histories by H.E.Marshall and Mary McGregor. It isn't short on content though. The author manages to link together both the history and geography of France, giving a sense of how the two overlap.

One of Those Days

It has been one of those toddler days. Little Cherub has been in assertive almost two and a half year old mood ...

She came downstairs this morning at the same time as Star, and complained that she wanted Star to stay upstairs. I pointed out that it was Star's house as well as hers and Star was perfectly within her rights to come downstairs if she wanted to. Cherub's indignant response: "Is not Star's house. Is Cherub's house!"

I threw some leftover popcorn in the bin. Cherub had a meltdown when I wouldn't let her fish it out of the bin to eat. After a while it went quiet ... until I heard the click of the bin lid from the kitchen and got there just in time to see her with a mouthful of popcorn.

We went out for a pizza lunch with Grandma and Star. Cherub noticed balloons on the way in. Part way through the meal she managed to bite her own finger as well as her pizza and announced sorrowfully "balloon will make me better". Sorrow turned rapidly to indignation until a helpful waiter supplied her with a balloon. A blue balloon.

We went into a clothes store where Star tried on a dress. The changing room had a curtain instead of a door - a curtain slightly smaller than the doorway (why???), so I had to stand holding it closed. That meant letting go of Cherub and leaving Grandma in charge. Cherub is considerably faster than Grandma who is 81 and has limited mobility. Cherub ran laps around a display rack, went walk-about behind the tills, and discovered a stand full of beads and bracelets. Fortunately I managed to get to her before she created havoc with them. Just.

It didn't get any better after we got home. Overall, today outdid Wednesday. That was the day that started with Cherub insisting she wanted to wear a swimsuit to go to the dentist's ...

The Toymaker

I know what I shall be doing today - making toys with The Toymaker.

I wonder how many girls will decide to join me, and what, if anything, will survive the attentions of my littlest helper.

HT: Dorothy, who has been making beautiful things

Historical Ponderings

I have been pondering the attraction of history ... more specifically, the attraction certain aspects of history hold for individuals. Why does one person obsess on Egyptology, or become fascinated by the American Civil War, or spend their weekends living as an Anglo-Saxon, or read everything they can about the French Revolution? Why that time and place and not another? I took a sample of two: myself and Tevye.

I love history. There are few aspects of history - any time or place - that I wouldn't find at least somewhat interesting, but there are two that particularly catch my imagination: the middle ages (specifically the twelfth and thirteenth centuries), and the early twentieth century (Edwardian England and the First World War). I spent ten years as a student and teacher of medieval history. Why? Initially my interest was piqued by an inspirational history teacher when I was a teenager. She taught an A-level course on the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but began with a lively survey of medieval England to give us some background. I remember enjoying visits to medieval castles and cathedrals. I read historical fiction set in the period, and gradually the interest crystalised. When I had the opportunity to go to university in my late twenties I chose a history course that allowed me to concentrate almost entirely on the middle ages. The British university system goes for depth rather than breadth, and most students study a single subject for their entire three years at university - I took this to an extreme. As I learned more, I focused on the twelth and thirteenth centuries, the "high middle ages". I love the way this period combines both familiarity and difference to someone looking back from our modern perspective. The roots of parliament, universities and our legal system are all found in the high middle ages, and was a sense of religious, intellectual and social confidence. In the fourteenth century everything went bad. Wars, famines, pestilence (the Black Death and further outbreaks of plague wiped out a third or more of the population of Europe), economic collapse ... it had the lot. I'm a natural optimist, so the optimistic, expansive centuries before interest me more.

The interest in the Edwardians and the First World War is a more recent one, though again the initial trigger came in my teens when I watched a TV dramatisation of Vera Brittain's autobiography, Testament of Youth. I read the book, and have re-read it a couple of times since. Although it is more distant, in some ways the First World War is more "real" to me than the Second, because it is more connected to my family history. My parents were lucky enough to be just the wrong age for World War II - they were only seventeen when the war finished, so not old enough to fight. My paternal grandfather fought in the trenches of World War I and was gassed; I also have a great-great-uncle's war issue New Testament, dated 1916. Perhaps surprisingly for an optimist the pathos of the war grips me, all the more so since becoming a mother ... all those young men lost. In every village and town there is a war memorial as a visible reminder, with lists of names - far more from the First War than the Second, often with several sharing the same surname. There is the sense of an innocence lost and the ending of era ... which is where I go back to the Edwardians, fascinated by that last flowering of another self-confident society, before it collapsed in the mud and blood if the trenches.

Tevye is a different matter. History really is not his thing. Yet even he found an aspect of history that caught his imagination: Martin Luther King and the American Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. In his case a couple of things gelled together: snippets he picked up on a coast-to-coast trip across the States in his early twenties, and his personal experience of apartheid when visiting relatives in South Africa. "Whites only" beaches and waiting rooms horrified him, and he was also touched by his father's anger and frustration after witnessing a Rosa Parkes type incident on a bus in Cape Town.

I'd be very interested to learn what times and places touch you, and why. If you want to share, please leave a comment, or better still a blog post!

If I Was ...

If I was a month, I would be... October

If I was a day of the week I would be... Monday

If I was a number I would be... 5

If I was a planet I would be... Earth

If I was a direction I would be... North

If I was furniture I would be... bookshelves

If I was a liquid I would be... red wine

If I was a sin I would be... undisciplined

If I was a mineral I would be... diamond

If I was a metal I would be .. silver

If I was a tree I would be... oak

If I was a fruit I would be .. apple

If I was a flower I would be... daffodil

If I was the weather I would be .. wind

If I was a musical instrument I would be... oboe

If I was one of the elements I would be... earth

If I was a color I would be... yellow

If I was an animal I would be... squirrel

If I was a sound I would be... laughter

If I was a song lyric I would be... "don't worry ... be happy"

If I was a song I would be... Puff the Magic Dragon

If I was a music genre I would be... classical

If I was a perfume I would be... White Linen

If I was a feeling I would be... joy

If I was a book I would be… The Hobbit

If I was food I would be… fresh, crusty bread

If I was a place I would be ... Narnia

If I was a taste I would be... salt

If I was a scent I would be… coffee

If I was a word I would be… flexible

If I was a verb I would be… singing

If I was an object I would be… a candle

If I was a clothing item I would be… Crocs

If I was a body part I would be… hands

If I was an expression I would be… cheerful

If I was a cartoon character I would be… Dory (Finding Nemo)

If I was a movie I would be… The Lord of the Rings

If I was a shape I would be… a hexagon

If I was a season I would be… autumn

If I was a quote I would be… "If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly." (G.K.Chesterton)

HT: Diary of a Stay At Home Mom

Simple Woman's Daybook: 27th October

For Monday 27th October

Outside My Window ... wet ground, blue sky, a nip in the air.

I am thinking ... how nice it is to have my big girls home from school for their half-term break.

From the learning rooms ... half-term holiday!

I am thankful for ... an extra hour's sleep at the weekend when the clocks went back, and that Cherub also slept that extra hour after we kept her up late. (Shame she didn't sleep the extra hour this morning!)

From the kitchen ... pancakes for breakfast; shepherd's pie and sauteed cabbage for dinner; more apples to cook.

I am wearing ... cosy pink pyjamas. A child talked me into them. I look like an over-sized, over-sweet pink lollipop.

I am creating ... Christmas lists. Am I the only person who loves shopping for Christmas and likes to start early?

I am going ... to have a lazy, chilled-out day.

I am reading ... English Catholic Heroes edited by John Jolliffe.

I am hoping ... the girls have a good week and recharge their batteries.

I am hearing ... an advert for Playmobil. We love Playmobil!

Around the house ... early morning inertia. A sleeping teenager and two other children watching TV. (Note: Little Cherub does not spend all her time watching TV, I just tend to take advantage of TV time to write my daybook!)

One of my favorite things ... crisp, clear autumn days.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week ... a drive to Northampton to buy Angel new pointe shoes, followed by a mother and daughter lunch; dental checks for the girls; Guide camp for Star; a couple of sleepovers; a trip to Borders for Starbuck's hot chocolate and a browse - I browse the books, Star and her friend browse Paperchase (they are on a stationery kick).

Here is picture thought I am sharing ...

Check out The Simple Woman for links to other Daybooks and instructions if you want to add your own.

Book Finds

A couple of nice out of print books I picked up on Thursday ...

Beatrix Potter's Countryside Book ... a nice little nature study guide. There are suggested activities for each season, accompanied by Beatrix Potter's illustrations - some from her books, others from her own nature studies.

The Radium Woman by Eleanor Doorly ... a biography of Marie Curie for children. I have seen this (and her other two scientific biographies, The Insect Man and The Microbe Man) before, but not at an affordable price. I have a history of France by the same author which is a gem - more on that in my next bookshelf post.

When I went to pay, it turned out that Oxfam were having a "five for five pounds" sale on children's books, so for an extra pound I added Lambs' Tales from Shakespeare" (which I have a sneaky feeling I may already have!), Monkey Puzzle for Little Cherub, and a children's cookbook.

Welsh Menu

For a couple of years we have shared more-or-less regular meals with two sets of neighbours. Each meal has an international theme, we rotate houses, and we each bring one course. It is great fun, and pushes us all out of our cookery comfort zones by making us try out new recipes Last night we hosted a Welsh dinner (we have just started working round the British Isles), and it was our turn to be responsible for the main course.

This was the menu:

Starter: Salmon fish cakes and green salad

Main course: Oen Cymreig melog (honeyed Welsh lamb), stwns (mashed potato and swede mixture) and roasted leeks

Dessert: Honey cake with meringue topping, strawberries and raspberries

The lamb was the nicest I have ever cooked, with delicious honey and cider gravy. I posted the recipe on my neglected cookery blog.

Our themed meals are adults only (no juggling picky appetites, toddler bedtimes, and busy teenagers!), but we also add in a couple of whole family evenings - an American BBQ for the Fourth of July and a Christmas buffet in December. Next up on the British Isles tour is a Scottish meal for Burns Night in January.