This Week: 10th October

The weather ... Indian summer over and into autumn, although this week the forecast is for warmer than usual temperatures again - nothing like the scorching heat of a couple of weeks ago though, and with a fair amount of cloud and wind.

I am wearing ... dark grey trousers, pink sweater, black boots, beige coat.

I am reading .... almost finished Selling Sprarrows.

I am creating ... the second sleeve of a Revival sweater - stocking stitch with an unusual top down construction - which had been hibernating for a couple of months. The skew socks are still on the go for knitting on the train, and I finished my Jordan vest yesterday. I liked the idea of a lace vest but wasn't at all sure about the construction (basically a tube with two rectangles sewn on to make the bodice and sleeves) or whether the finished product would be something I would wear. Finishing it was one of those ta-da moments when it all miraculously came together into something I really like, though I'll have to wait until next summer to wear it.

I am listening ... to nothing in particular over the last few days.

I am watching ... all caught up on Downton Abbey. I discovered recently that Maggie Smith (the dowager Duchess of Grantham and Professor McGonigall in the Harry Potter films, among many illustrious roles) is a former pupil of my old school. A bit before my time though!

I am enjoying ... fresh figs. They have been on offer at the supermarket recently. I hadn't eaten fresh figs on years and quite forgot I liked them until I bought some on impulse.

I am planning ... Christmas shopping. I like to shop well ahead so that I don't lose December to a last minute rush.

Learning notes ... Meeting Cherub's teachers tomorrow to hear how she is settling into Year 1. She is happy so I am not expecting any issues.

Cherub ... is definitely the most introverted of the three girls. From what she says she seems to like to spend quite a bit of her playtime at school on her own, just watching what is going on. She will join in with the others when she is in the mood, but likes her space.

On the menu ...
Monday: chicken pie, mashed potato, veg
Tuesday: steak or chicken, butternut squash wedges, green veg
Wednesday: burgers, sweet orn
Thursday: lazy chicken
Friday: fish, chips, peas
Saturday: leek and potato soup
Sunday: roast chicken

On the calendar ...
Tuesday: parent teacher meeting for Cherub, hairdresser for Star
Thursday: eye hospital appointment for Tevye
Friday: Angel on a field trip here for a photography workshop
Sunday: playing with the brass band in a nearby village

A picture from last week ... last week's weather - sunshine, rain and rainbows

RIP Steve Jobs

I am writing this on my iPhone on the train, thanks to Apple. Smartphones existed before iPhone, but it was iPhone that made everyone (ok Tevye, almost everyone!) want one. Same with tablets - iPad turned tablet computers from a tiny niche market to a mainstream product. The iPod changed the way we listen to music forever. iMacs made computers a thing of beauty. Steve Jobs, quite literally, changed the world. Whether or not you own an Apple product, you almost certainly communicate and use computers differently because of the technology that Apple developed or popularised.

I am a huge fan of Apple. Partly because their product design is so immaculate; partly because everything "just works". Who would have thought a decade or so ago when Microsoft appeared to be taking over the computing world that Apple computers would ever become more than a niche product, if the company managed to survive at all? Reenter Steve Jobs for his second stint as head of Apple. And today Apple is ... what? ... the second largest company in the world? (I don't have time to check!). I also heard on the radio the other day that a survey reckoned it the second most iconic brand in the world. Quite some combination that!

So RIP Steve Jobs. Your legacy lives on.

Things That Make Me Smile

Finding a stuffed animal takeover on the stairs when I got home from work

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Meeting a blogging friend for lunch at Ikea and turning into real life friends. Thank you Linds! And do read this post where she talks about the importance of friendship far more eloquently than I could.

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The prospect of iCloud being available from next week, which (I think!) will mean that I can take photos like the one above on my iPhone and they will be effortlessly synced with my laptop and iPhone.

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This thought which turned up on my Facebook feed yesterday.

This Week: 3rd October 2011

The weather ... The last day of a six day heatwave of glorious, hot Indian summer weather, including the highest October temperature ever recorded in England on Saturday. The weather may be all tipsy turvey, but it has made for a wonderful morale boosting bonus between the coldest summer in 18 years and the short, cold and (typically) wet days of late autumn and winter.

I am wearing ... summer clothes. Black linen trousers, monochrome butterfly print top, black cardigan (still a bit cool while waiting for the train at 7.40am) and black sandals.

I am reading ... still Selling Sparrows by Judy Wright

I am creating ... Jordan vest (almost finished) and the second of my third pair of Skew Socks. The Dangerous Socks for Boys are finished.

I am listening ... Billy Connolly's Welly Boot Song (see learning notes below - this started a train of association in my head).

I am watching ... after two busy weekends I am getting behind on Downton Abbey. Hoping to catch up this week.

I am enjoying ... the weather!

I am planning ... nothing new that I can think of.

Learning notes ... Cherub has "Welly Week" at school - they are going to be doing welly themed activities based on a poem about - you guessed it - wellies. (Wellies = Wellington boots = rubber rain boots.)

Cherub ... has gone into a drawing frenzy, mainly creating detailed pictures of birthday parties.

On the calendar ... Tuesday: lunch with Linds; a meeting at Star's school in the evening about her trip to France later this month; Thursday: orthodontist's appointment for Star; Saturday: band concert

On the menu ...
Monday: sesame beef stir fry
Tuesday: salmon fishcakes and salad
Wednesday: baked potatoes, upside down chicken kiev, and stir fried leeks
Thursday: shipwreck stew and corn on the cob
Friday: chicken pie, mashed potatoes and carrots
Saturday: fried fish
Sunday: roast beef

A picture from last week ... our next-door-but-one neighbours' new kitten - a four month old silver tabby

Heart Quilt

Linds at Rocking Chair Reflections held a giveaway ... and I won!

Look what arrived in the post yesterday:

Isn't it beautiful! It looks even better in real life then in the photo. Linds is a very talented lady. And look how well it goes with my red curtains:




Cherub is also very taken with the quilt and has found her own use for it. Magic carpet. The blur is Cherub in flight.




And the icing on the cake is that Linds and I are going to meet for lunch next week.

Changing Seasons

I am trying to record the changing seasons by taking a picture of the same patch of countryside each month - one of my Day Zero Project ideas. Here are three months of a cornfield (wheat) I pass on the train, all taken on sunny days.

July

August



September

This Week: 26th September

The weather ... the forecast is for an autumn heateave this week so I made the mistake of wearing sandals and not bothering with a coat this morning. It rained and I now have wet toes.

I am wearing ... dark grey trousers, purple t-shirt, purple cardigan and black sandals.

I am reading ... Selling Sparrows by Judy Wright, a local history book I picked up in the library on Saturday. Utterly fascinating as it puts flesh on the bones of the type of records I see at work everyday - it is an account of the prosecution of three local men in 1849 for poaching and wounding a police constable, which became something of a cause celebre at the time, and their subsequent transportation to Australia. Very thoroughly researched, with lots of background detail.

I am creating ... still the Dangerous Socks for Boys (almost done) and Jordan vest.

I am listening ... to Breakfast at Tiffanys by Deep Blue Something (which I discovered through Shazam - clever iPhone app that "tags" music playing in the vicinity and identifies it for you), and The Firebird Suite by Stravinsky which I am trying to get head round musically as it is on the programme for my next orchestra concert.

I am watching ... Downtown Abbey, Who Do You Think You Are, Dragon's Den, Outnumbered. Have got behind with Doctor Who

I am enjoying ... eating more healthily. I have cut right down on sugar and refined starches, and bumped the amount of fruit and veg I eat right up.

I am planning ...study schedules to fit all my coursework in for this term.

Learning notes ... Angel seems to be handling the adjustment to the significantly heavier workload for Sixth Form well so far. She had to give a PowerPoint presentation on art deco this morning as part of her product design coursework, which took a lot of preparation over the weekend.

Cherub ... Is into doing autumny things. See picture below.

On the calendar ... Tuesday: grade 4 ballet exam for Star; Thursday: Jewish New Year;Saturday: going out for dinner to celebrate our next door but one neighbours' thirtieth wedding anniversary; Sunday: a three hour band practice (yikes!), and various neighbours are coming for tea to welcome our new next door but one neighbours (the other side!). I love that we live in such a friendly road.

On the menu ...
Monday: honey mustard chicken and pasta
Tuesday: grilled lamb steaks with roasted root veggies
Wednesday: mince and sweet potato pie
Thursday: crockpot BBQ chicken with rice and green veg
Friday: fish??
Saturday: eating out. Probably pizza for the girls
Sunday: roast chicken

A picture from last week ... An autumn picture created by Cherub and my brother yesterday. A bit difficult to display with the weight of all those conkers!

7 Quick Takes: September 23rd

1. I think I have a solution to my want to blog / not much time to blog dilemna - blogging on the train using Blogpress. It's a nice app which does what it says on the tin - let's you post quickly and easily from a phone or iPad to a Blogger blog.

2. The new routine is working out. Everyone manages to be in the right place at the right time. One minor hiccup is that due to a timetabling glitch Angel can't get the bus home from school on alternate Thursdays so one of us has to drive over and collect her.

3. Angel loves the independence of Sixth Form. So long as they are there for lessons, they can come and go as they please - not that it makes much difference to her as she relies on the bus so can't arrive late or leave early, but she likes knowing that she is allowed the extra freedom. She also likes being able to wander out to the local shop in her free time (most days she has at least one free hour on her timetable).

4. Another thing I like about Blogpress is that it lets me save drafts either offline or online, so when I don't finish a post on the train I can pick it up again on the laptop later. Or in this case, the next day.

5. Facebook. Lots and lots of kerfuffle on Facebook about all the changes. My view so far is that I don't like Facebook deciding on "top stories" for me - why would it think that I want to see myself wishing a friend a happy birthday as my top story for the next few hours? - but Lissa taught me how to detopstorify, along with coining a new word. I found seeing everything my friends liked or commented on in my feed a bit overwhelming, but with a bit of judicious editing of settings I think I have that fixed. The ticker that has been getting people excited hasn't appeared on my Facebook page yet. So far I can live with the changes. I was happy with the way things were before and can see nothing in the new order than benefits me, but after a bit of initial inconvenience I don't think it will bother me much.

6. Cherub was hugely excited this afternoon to discover that all she had to do to move text on the iMac screen up and down was stroke her fingers along the mouse in the direction she wanted it to go. Love technology!

7.  I have a cold. It has spent the entire week morphing from a sore throat with a slight cough to a nasty cough with a slight sore throat. It is getting irritating.

School Reunion

On Sunday I went to a school reunion, the first in thirty three years. I went to a selective, highly academic girls' school, which in those days was funded under the direct grant system - somewhere between a private and a state school, in that the fees payable were based on income, with about 10-15% having their places fully paid by the government. These days it is a fully fee paying school, still selective and geared to high academic achievement.

About half the members of our year made it to the reunion, and it was fascinating hearing what people had done since they left school. Two things particularly struck us. Firstly, that most of us had changed direction one or more times, with varied careers that often bore little relation to what we set out to do when we left school - careers which included motherhood for the great majority of us, for which our schooling gave us no preparation whatsoever. Secondly, it brought home to us how academically snobbish the school was (and I imagine still is) and how many people had their self esteem severely knocked by being judged as "not university material". I think all of these had subsequently proved the school wrong by acquiring degrees and discovering they were far more capable than the school had given them credit for, but there was clearly far too much pigeonholing of girls by the school's perception of ability (often inaccurate). I think for a number of people the reunion was an opportunity to confront and put to bed some not too happy memories.

Something else I realised was how narrow our social circles tended to be. Only one of my close friends was at the reunion, and I found myself having interesting conversations with people I don't remember ever speaking to in seven years at that school. With hindsight I am surprised I didn't have more contact with people outside my immediate friendship group. I get the impression that Angel and Star have much wider social circles than we did.

Overall the reunion brought back a mixed set of memories and made me glad that Angel and Star are at a very different type of school - one that aims to help its students achieve the very best they can, whatever their ability, rather than one that sets an extremely high bar and then dismisses as failures those who don't reach it.

This Week: 19th September

The weather ... average September weather. Not too hot, not too cold. Some sun, some rain.

I am wearing ... work clothes. Grey trousers, purple top, purple cardigan, black and silver flower necklace (bought for £2 in Boots), black boots (new for this autumn / winter, bought for rather more than £2 in Marks and Spencer - good buy though, as
they are super comfy and will get lots of wear), and a lightweight beige coat.

I am reading ... No Such Thing as Society by Andy McSmith, about Britain in the 1980s. I am on a modern history kick at the moment.

I am creating ... half way through my second Dangerous Sock, and almost done with the Jordan vest top (which I won't be likely to wear until next summer anyway). Next I need to get focused on finishing two cardigans and a sweater that are all three-quarters done but have been hibernating for some time. Mistress of the art of the almost-finished project, I am.

I am hearing ... school kids chattering on the train.

I am watching ... Downtown Abbey. The new series started on Sunday.

I am enjoying ... the new term time routine.

I am planning ... a short trip to the south coast at half term.

Learning notes ... my latest archive course module started yesterday. This is on sources and skills for local and family history. This is much more familiar territory for me than the first two modules, and I am looking forward to it.

Cherub ... is loving her new class at school. It is a bit more structured than last year's Reception Class, and the balance of structured activities and play seems just right for her so far.

On the calendar ... extra pre-exam dance classes for Star (she has a ballet exam next week and modern and tap exams in October); an information evening at Star's school tonight (Tuesday) which we may not be able to make due to a ballet class; a trip out for a family meal to celebrate my mother's 84th birthday tomorrow; going to London with Tevye to visit his parents' grave on Sunday - paying respects to the dead around the time of the New Year is a Jewish tradition - which we will combine with dropping in to see an old friend.

On the menu ...
Tuesday: burgers and corn on the cob
Wednesday: eating out
Thursday: beef stew with crusty bread
Friday: fish of some sort
Saturday: vegetable soup
Sunday: roast chicken

A picture from last week ... (actually from Dundee the week before)

This Week: 12th September 2011

The weather... high winds as the remnants of Hurricane Katia hits the UK. Not a hurricane any more, but enough to bring down a large tree branch in the office car park this morning.

I am wearing... black jeans, pink v-neck sweater

I am reading... back to finishing off The Forever Young Diet and Lifestyle by James and Joan O'Keefe, after reading The Tale of Applebeck Orchard by Susan Witteg Albert on the train to and from Dundee last week.

I am creating... skew socks, light green Jordan vest top, and dangerous socks for boys for my brother's birthday. I am kind of irritated with myself for finishing one skew sock and then starting a completely different pair instead of knitting the second.

I am hearing... Dragons Den on TV.

I am watching... Who Do You Think You Are?, Doctor Who, Outnumbered and Dragons Den. I am not a big TV watcher and it is unusual for me to be watching so many series.

I am enjoying ... 74% cocoa chocolate and red wine. As recommended by The Forever Young Diet and Lifestyle. Those are the sort of recommendations I am happy to follow. I am also generally managing to eat a healthier diet, so I am not just cherry picking the best bits.

I am planning ... I think I have the new routines more or less sorted, but still have a bit more menu planning to finish.

Learning notes ... happiness all round. I loved the study school last week and am looking forward to starting my next archives module next week (with just a little trepidation about work load!). All three girls are very happy with their new schools and classes. Angel is delighted with her A level choices so far, even though she had to spend 12 hours yesterday finishing her summer task for product design ready to hand in today (a 1500 word essay on the Bauhaus movement and two design tasks requiring 3 A3 design sheets for each). Star has settled in quickly at her new school, and Cherub is loving Year One.

Cherub ... came home today thrilled that she did SCIENCE (experimenting to see whether things dissolved in water or not) and LITERACY ("weading" and "witing" - apparently Cherub does the 3 Ws not the 3 Rs!). The capitals represent the importance with which she announced this.

On the calendar ... a normal week! Usual work / school / dancing / swimming / music rehearsals. Busy, but good. I hope. We may have a cousin of Tevye's from South Africa visiting later in the week, and on Sunday I am going to London for a school reunion, the first for my year since we left school 33 years ago.

On the menu...
Monday - baked potatoes and chilli
Tuesday - lime and thyme chicken with sweet potatoes and green veg
Wednesday - burgers, corn on the cob and vegetable kebabs
Thursday - lazy chicken and potatoes, green veg
Friday - tuna fish cakes, salad
Saturday - leek and potato soup
Sunday - roast beef

A picture from last week...

Tarragona

Some pictures of Tarragona in Spain - originally the Roman port of Tarraco, with Roman remains designated a world heritage site.

The cathedral - undergoing restoration so we couldn't go inside

Part of the medieval market place





The Roman forum





Typical street in the old city





Roman city wall





Statue of a human tower (a famous feature of the fiesta in Tarragona)





Being given a little help by Tevye

This Week: 5th September 2011

The weather... Ugh. After two glorious late summer days last week it is now wet, grey and miserable.

I am wearing... jeans, blue floral tunic top and navy cardigan.

I am reading... The Forever Young Diet and Lifestyle by James and Joan O'Keefe. A free Kindle download (mentioned some time ago by Willa, I think?) that I am hoping will inspire me to eat more healthily and exercise regularly. September and January are always my optimistic, new start months.

I am creating... skew socks (my third pair - I love this pattern!) and a light green Jordan vest top.

I am hearing... Tevye watching TV and Angel tapping on the keyboard.

I am watching... Who Do You Think You Are?, Doctor Who and Outnumbered. And there is a new series of Downtown Abbey to look forward to, starting on September 18th.

I am enjoying ... watermelon and peanut butter. Not together.

I am planning ... menus, study time, new routines.

Learning notes ... back to school this week. Angel and Star start tomorrow and Cherub on Wednesday. I am going to Dundee for part two of the study school I attended in January (leaving Wednesday, back Saturday) and will start the third module of my course on September 19th.

Cherub ... is besotted with the Rainbow Magic books. We are on book nine - Abigail the Breeze Fairy  - while also taking a simultaneous detour to book sixty as Cherub found her namesake Naomi the Netball Fairy in the library.

On the calendar ... school, dance classes for Star, swimming lesson and a birthday party for Cherub, study school for me, dance school prizegiving on Sunday. Eek.

On the menu... muddling through!

A picture from last week...  Minnie Mouse meets Roman wall

7 Quick Takes: 2nd September 2011

1. I haven't been a lazy blogger, I have been away - we got back on Tuesday from two weeks enjoying the sun in Spain. Apparently the UK has had its coldest summer for eighteen years, which means it hasn't felt as though we have had a summer at all. That two weeks of warmth will carry me through to next summer (if we get one next year, that is!). Photos to come later.

2. Ironically we have come back to a spell of gorgeous late summer weather. High 70s predicted today!

3. I hit the ground running when we got home as I went back to work on Wednesday. My brain had switched itself off to the extent that I struggled to remember the key code for the office door and entered a batch of reference numbers wrong before I managed to get back into gear.

4. The laundry is caught up. Most suitcases are emptied. Phew!

5. Cherub fell in love with the water while we were away thanks to the confidence building properties of an inflatable ring, and with immaculately good timing she had a first swimming lesson yesterday. She was a bit nervous beforehand (as she always is with anything new), but absolutely loved it. A friend from school was in the same class, along with two girls she knew from playgroup, so all was good.

6. The girls go back to school next week - Angel and Star on Tuesday (though Angel doesn't actually start classes until Thursday) and Cherub on Wednesday. Much excited anticipation as they are looking forward to starting their new schools and classes.

7. Last but not least, Angel got her GCSE exam results while we are away. (If you don't know the English exam system but are a Harry Potter enthusiast, think OWLS without the magic.)  One A*, five As, two Bs and three Cs, which we are all happy with (C and above are effectively pass grades) - perhaps the best achievements were the B for biology and Cs for physics and chemistry, given that the science teaching she has had over the past three years has been almost entirely poor or non-existent, and she taught herself half the course from revision guides.

Read more quick takes at Conversion Diary

Facebook Snippets

Some Facebook status updates from July and August, for the benefit of those of you not on Facebook and for my online archiving:

• Snippets of my morning ... "Look! I drew a centipede with its makeup" ... "Don't put the bag on the dead moth!" ... "I wish I hadn't let Star use my toothbrush, it's all icky now" ... "I'd feel safer if you put your unicorn down while we are in the car".
• Now I know why we got a large screen computer. It was so that one daughter can watch CBeebies on one side of the screen while another uses Facebook on the other.
• Girls playing a game which starts "Repeat after me: I went to the graveyard ...". Cherub's variation, "I went to the gravy farm ..."
• Went to IKEA this morning with Cherub, who wanted to go on the "skater thingies". Skater thingies? Turned out to be escalators.
• Have discovered predictive text thinks marmite and nutella should be marmots and nigella.
• Now knows how to get an entire cup of chocolate milk out of a carpet. White vinegar, hot water and bicarbonate of soda.
• Woken up at twenty past five this morning by Cherub complaining that Star kept pushing her out of bed. Pointed out that if she had stayed in her own bed in the first place this would not be a problem! Beginning to fantasise about how wonderful it would be to have an undisturbed night and sleep until I woke naturally in the morning.
• Did not pick the best day for a BBQ at Wendover Woods. At least the torrential rain has stopped, and the emergency gazebo we bought for £13.50 at Argos on the way here helped (despite being missing a couple of bits). If I stand by the BBQ for long enough, will my jeans dry?
• Cannot believe that I have got home freezing cold and sopping wet from Wendover to find that here (15 or so miles away?) it is a lovely sunny afternoon with not a drop of rain in sight and several degrees warmer. What????
• According to Cherub "Mummies don't play, Mummies work and knit and shop"!
• Last night's absent minded parenting fail - told Cherub "go and do your Facebook" when I meant "go and do your teeth". Oops!
• Have just identified strange burning smell in the bathroom as fried moth. Seems it got a little too close to the light.
• Revenge of the moths - was relaxing peacefully in bed yesterday when a giant moth dive bombed my iPad and then thwacked me on the head. Not my fault his friend / relative came to a sizzling end.

Virtual Montessori

I mentioned the other day that Cherub is having a lot of fun with Montessori iPad apps. I love the idea of Montessori education for young children, but have never quite been able to justify the expense of buying the classic Montessori materials. Looking for apps that Cherub might enjoy I stumbled across a Montessori style hundred board - designed to look like the real thing, but you touch the numbers to move them to the board instead of picking them up. From the hundred board we moved onto geography - continents, countries of the United Kingdom, and now (big hit!) flags.

All the apps we have tried so far come from one developer, Rantek, which turns out to be a family business led by an experienced Montessori teacher. Their website, Mobile Montessori, explains their thinking about translating the tactile Montessori material into touchscreen apps:

At first, the idea of using a digital device to reproduce the Montessori concepts seemed like a conflict of interest! After all, without the concrete experiences of touching and holding the various Montessori materials, could children really learn from these activities? Our concensus was, these iPad and iPhone applications could never become replacements of the physical materials, however, for children enrolled in the Montessori curriculum, they could provide a supplement to their education, and for children who do not have the opportunity to attend Montessori school, a partial introduction and exposure to this time tested method of educating. Activities, such as the Hundred Board, helping children with their counting from 1 to 100, seemed like perfect activities to translate into applications for the iPad. Our goal was to create exact replicas of the physical materials in the app itself. We were very pleased with the final product and, to our pleasant surprise, so were our customers!

And yes, pleased customer here. Montessori translates to iPad better than I would have expected, I think because it is still tactile in its own way. It also retains the independent exploration, with its own built in control (touch the wrong thing and it won't work!). I can't see a way to rotate this screen shot on the iPad but it gives the idea - touch the red button to hear the country name, and the green button to be shown the location. Once the child is familiar with the flags and countries they move on to placing them on the map themselves - Cherub is a long way off that, but seems fascinated by the flags.




Next up I think we will be exploring the moveable alphabet and the geometric cabinet. I have also downloaded another Montessori app from a different developer, Montessori Place Value from Montessori Tech, but haven't shown it to Cherub yet.

This Week

The weather... variable! A nice bright morning today, but on Sunday we went for a BBQ in the woods and got soaked by torrential rain, despite stopping on the way to buy a cheap emergency gazebo to protect us from the forecast showers. Showers? If those were showers, what do they count as rain? At home - maybe 15 miles away? - it was bright and sunny until late afternoon, and several degrees warmer.

I am wearing... black and white pyjamas. (It is beginning to sound as though I live in pyjamas! In reality, I just tend to blog first thing in the morning before I get up.

I am reading... finally on the last chapter of When the Lights Went Out, which despite ploughing through it so slowly I have enjoyed. It has given me a much better understanding of the first decade I remember politically (I first voted in 1979 when Margaret Thatcher was elected).

I am creating... self striping socks and a Jordan vest top with some bargain yarn (ten balls of discontinued Jaeger Trinity for about £12).

I am hearing... Cherub playing with the iPad

I am watching... a new series of Who Do You Think You Are? starts this week. Right up my street! And a wonderful advert for genealogy - over the past few years the programme has dramatically increased the number of people using archives and genealogy websites.

I am enjoying ... an unlimited data plan and iPad / iPhone tethering on the train (which is where I am writing this blog post).

I am planning ... time! Juggling work and school holidays - it is working out fine, but I have to plan ahead who is where when and who is in charge of Cherub.

Learning notes ... Cherub is having fun playing with Montessori iPad apps.

Cherub ... is such a very girly little girl - will only wear dresses or skirts, and loves fairies, princesses and anything pink and sparkly. Makes for variety as neither of the others were like this. In fact Star was the opposite - liked dinosaurs and Horrid Henry and refused to wear anything with even the tiniest bit of frill.

On the calendar ... a quieter week this week. I am hoping to meet up with an old school friend on Wednesday (must phone her!) and it is Star's thirteenth birthday on Saturday.

On the menu... summer holiday season has kicked in and my menu planning attempts have fallen by the wayside. Happens every summer. I will get back on track in September.

A picture from last week... summer BBQ British style. We stuck it out for about 3 hours - and it did stop raining for an hour in the middle - but in the end we had to concede defeat.

Madness

... is buying not just one Rainbow Fairy book for Cherub, not just one set of seven, but forty two of the things.

The Book People are selling the entire collection for £20, and given Cherub's prediliction for fairies and fairy books I succumbed. Now I am stuck reading them to her - hopefully she will be reading them to herself well before book forty two! Not that they are terrible books, just easy readers with rather limited vocabulary and plot. I remember Star loving them at around six, but at that time there was just the original Rainbow Fairies set of seven books.
Since then they have multiplied, with Jewel Fairies, Weather Fairies, and all sorts of other fairies. Can I stand the suspense of having to wait until tomorrow to find out how the rainbow fairies get colour back to fairyland after being banished by Jack Frost? Somehow I think I just might!

Another fairy book new to our collection is The Dolls House Fairy by Jane Ray, one of my favourite picture book illustrators. I love her chirpy, crisp eating fairy Thistle, and a Dad who is prepared to believe in fairies. Very high up on Cherub's favourite books list, this one.

Canal Festival

A few pictures from the the local canal festival Tevye, Cherub and I went to on Saturday.

Morris dancers

Clog dancers

And a rather impressive drummer

Rural crafts

And narrow boats

I took a couple of short videos of the folk dance group, English Miscellany - the camera on my phone was doing battle with the sun, so the lighting isn't great. This first clip of the morris dancing was cut short by Star phoning me to say she had a stomach ache and felt sick. Fortunately that was as bad as it got!

This second clip was of the finale, with both men and women dancers.

This Week: 1st August 2011

A day late this week ...

The weather ... hot and sunny, then hot and sticky, now damp and sticky.

I am wearing ... cropped summer pyjama bottoms and a grey vest top.

I am reading ... back to the book about politics in the 1970s. Some streak of stubbornness insists that I finish it before starting something else.

I am creating ... started a new pair of socks which wasn't going well so ripped out the half a sock I had done. Now starting another pair with self-striping yarn.

I am hearing ... Tevye talking to Cherub; voices and traffic outside.

I am watching ... a new series of Dragons Den. How do people manage to come up with such strange business ideas?

I am enjoying ... work!

I am planning ... packing lists for our holiday in Spain later in August. The older girls and Tevye sort themselves, but I end up being responsible for all the communal bits and bobs as well as my own and Cherub's stuff.

Learning notes ... Angel is procrastinating over the summer tasks she is supposed to complete before starting her A level courses in September. I suspect she will end up cramming them into the week between getting back from holiday and going back to school.

Cherub ... is suddenly being very "five". Definitely a bit more sure of herself and confident than when she was four.

On the calendar ...
Monday - went with all three girls to the local Pick Your Own farm and came home with raspberries and peas in the pod. Used some of the raspberries to make this raspberry cake.
Thursday - taking Star to buy some new pointe shoes. Family tradition is that we go out afterwards for a mother-daughter meal.
Sunday - meeting Tevye's sister and her family for a BBQ in the woods (another family summer tradition).

On the menu ...
Monday - turkey stir fry
Tuesday - picnic from the supermarket salad bar
Wednesday - chunky haddock fingers, potato wedges and peas
Thursday - Star and I eating out, not sure about the rest of the family yet!
Friday - sun-dried tomato and olive chicken
Saturday - ???
Sunday - BBQ

A picture from last week ... Cherub waiting patiently to feed the bears at the zoo. (Minnie Mouse stayed rather longer than intended and is waiting to be collected from lost property!)

And Some More Old Fossils

To add to my Old Fossil post the other day, I thought I would collate the suggestions in the comments and add a few more things that came to mind. So ... things my daughters have never known, part two:

• Reel to reel tape players
• Super 8 movie cameras and players
• Elevator / lift operators
• Electronics with vacuum tubes
• Yugoslavia
• Czechoslovakia
• Rotary phones
• Trim phones
• Elvis
• The Beatles
• Library card catalogues
• Floppy disks
• Half day closing (shops)
• No shops open on Sundays
• Chimney sweeps (except in Mary Poppins!)
• Reliant Robins
• Pre-decimal money

Pamela - I still use paper maps. Even Google can't quite match Ordnance Survey. No footpaths or bridlepaths on Google maps!

PixieMum - using Yorkshire leaf tea doesn't make you a fossil, it just shows you have good taste!

Ellie - we still have public telephone booths, though less of them and they only take pre-paid cards rather than coins. I think they will be around for some time to come, at least in places that attract tourists, as it can be expensive to use cellphones internationally.  Also, manual (stick shift) cars are still the norm here. According to Mr Google only 18% of cars on British roads are automatic. Personally I don't like driving automatic cars as I don't feel as though I have so much control. 

Missus Wookie - two out of three daughters remember video cassettes and players, so they don't quite make the list!

This Week: 25th July 2011

The weather ... summer! No rain all weekend, sun and temperatures into the 70s. Can it last for a whole week?

I am wearing ... black and white pyjamas.

I am reading ... still archive stuff. I have been doing background reading for an essay.

I am creating ... nearly finished the first sleeve of my winter sweater, and have started a new pair of socks.

I am hearing ... Cherub looking at photos on the iPad and telling me all about them. This is an improvement on playing tunes on an electronic keyboard, which is what she was doing at 6.15am.

I am watching ... the last few episodes of Upstairs Downstairs.

I am enjoying ... Pinterest. Oh my! If you are a creative and / or visual person, you must check out Pinterest. If you would like me to send you an invite, leave a note in the comments. Just make sure you have several hours to spare before you start!

I am planning ... summer holidays. Working in the mornings means I can still do holiday stuff with the girls in the afternoons, which is good - mostly with Cherub these days, but I have some one-on-one time with Angel and Star planned too.

Learning notes ... school is finally finished for the summer.

Cherub ... has suddenly developed a burning desire to learn to swim, but was hugely disgruntled to discover she can't start swimming lessons until September at the earliest (depending on the length of the waiting list).

On the calendar ...
Today: Star is going shopping with a friend; I am planning to take Cherub swimming this afternoon.
Tuesday: maybe going out for a meal with Tevye in the evening (or maybe we will go on Thursday, depending on how I get on with my essay)
Thursday: Angel is meeting me after work, then we are going for lunch and a shopping trip
Saturday: canal festival in town, so may go to that if the weather is reasonable
Sunday: visiting an old friend of Tevye's in London

On the menu ...
Today: Baked potatoes and cauliflower cheese
Tuesday: Pasta bake
Wednesday: Beefburgers
Thursday: Chilli beef kebabs
Friday: Inside out chicken kiev
Saturday: ??
Sunday: Roast lamb?

A picture from last week ... Star ready for her middle school prom. J-Next-Door, who has just started an apprenticeship as a hairdresser, did her hair (curls like that are way beyond my limited hair arranging skills!)

An Old Fossil Moment

Tevye had a conversation with Cherub this morning during which he tried to explain the Berlin Wall to her (not sure how far they got!). It got me thinking about how many things that were a constant during my childhood and young adulthood are nothing but history to my daughters, ranging from the state of the world to domestic items. For example:

• the Iron Curtain
• the Cold War
• Apartheid
• Margaret Thatcher
• miners' strikes
• coal fires
• typewriters
• leaf tea
• manual chokes in cars
• refundable deposits on pop bottles
• petrol pump attendants
• black and white TVs
• record players
• telegrams
• inkwells in school desks
• British Rail

I am beginning to feel like an old fossil!

What have I missed?

This Week: 18th July 2011

The weather ...ugh! I spent a significant chunk of the weekend playing the trombone in the rain. Enough said.

I am wearing ... pyjamas and snuggly blue dressing gown.

I am reading ... only archive related reading at the moment.

I am creating ... my winter sweater - the body and neckline are done and I am just starting the sleeves. I also need a pair of socks to knit on the train.

I am hearing ... a collared dove calling and distant traffic.

I am watching watched ... the last Harry Potter movie on Friday. I started reading the first book to Angel ten year ago. After seven books and eight movies our Harry Potter years are over.

I am enjoying ... work!

I am planning ... not so much planning, as trying to put plans into operation and adjust to new routines.

Learning notes ... I have set aside this week to work on one of my final assignments. My first (a report) is already drafted, and if I can get the second (an essay) drafted next weekend I will be rolling gently to the finish line for this module over the following three weeks.

Cherub ... is tired. Now she is into the last couple of weeks of her first term of full time school her energy is flagging. Adding a run of birthday parties at weekends hasn't helped. What she needs now is lots of summer holiday downtime.

On the calendar ...
Monday: Year 1 transition meeting at Cherub's school (for parents of children moving up from Reception to Year 1)
Thursday: Jungle themed picnic for Cherub's class (parents invited); Year 8 leavers's party for Star
Friday: Last day for school for Star and Cherub
Sunday: Cherub has yet another birthday party on the calendar; Star may be going to a car boot sale with my brother.

On the menu ...
Mon: Baked potatoes and chilli
Tue: Spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs
Wed: Honey mustard chicken and penne
Thu: Chicken steaks in breadcrumbs and chips
Fri: Garlic and herb chicken thighs with roasted vegetables
Sat: Pizza
Sun: Roast chicken

On my to-do list ... not much this week (so far!)

A picture from last week ...  the only pictures I took were the train photos I have already posted.

From the Train Window

And therefore a bit blurry due to movement and marks on the window. Also taken on my phone trying not avoid pointing towards the sun.

My station. Two tiny platforms, one on either side of a road.

A house at the end of a platform. Anyone want to buy it? Only two trains an hour, none at night or on Sundays.

One of several level crossings (British for a train track crossing a road)

Green countryside

Flat Bedfordshire wheat fields

A disused brickworks (this is only a small part of it)

A major road, about to link into the M1 motorway (the main north-south arterial road). Lots of lorries!

And part of a gigantic distribution centre - the headquarters of Amazon UK. I couldn't get a picture of the Amazon.co.uk sign as it was partially hidden behind trees.

1. So this has been my first full week at work. I am doing well with fitting work into my life, just not there with working and blogging yet!


2. First impressions? Very good indeed. I have a lovely job share partner, a great boss, and everyone seems very friendly. Getting to grips with the documents I will be cataloguing is interesting, and I think they will turn out to be more varied than I expected. I am clambering up a steep learning curve this week, but I think it will start to get easier within another week or two. 


3. I love my little train. I haven't quite adjusted to how small the trains are (sometimes a single carriage) and how quiet the line is - very much a railway backwater. It makes "rush hour" relaxing though! 


4. Combining a short drive with the train is working beautifully. I can get from home to the platform in 15 minutes or less, there is a short, easy walk at the other end, and 30 minutes relaxing on the train in the middle. Overall it is taking me about an hour door to door. Driving would take 45 minutes, but be much more tiring and stressful. 


5. Cherub went to breakfast club at school for the first time on Wednesday. After looking forward to it for weeks, she had a last minute wobble and panic at the prospect of doing something new. I dropped off a crestfallen, sad little person - then when I picked her up after school she said it was great fun and when could she go again! Phew! Nerves overcome.


6. & 7. I am out of time. I have a train to catch!

Read more quick takes at Conversion Diary

7 Quick Takes: 8th July 2011

1. Yesterday was my last day at the archive where I have been volunteering for the last year. I am going to miss it. The people were lovely - very encouraging and always willing to answer my random selection of questions. I am looking forward to getting started on my new job, though. I went on Wednesday to meet my job share partner and go through all the general introductory stuff. Today I am going back for a workshop on cleaning paper and mending small tears, and to meet some of the volunteers who are helping with the project. Then on Monday get properly started on cataloguing.

2. Cherub came home with her first ever school report yesterday. Clearly it has been apparent just how much she has enjoyed this year - they described her as a little ray of sunshine, busy and enthusiastic. I hope next year will be as good for her. She spent Wednesday morning in her new class and was very happy with it.

3. Jennifer at Conversion Diary asked yesterday for birth story haikus.  I apologise in advance for the lack of poetic merit in these, but I am never one to turn down a bizarre challenge:

Angel
First time excitement
Grinds to a halt. Dazed. Confused.
Birth plan? What birth plan!

4. Star
Waters break, slow start
Birthing pool, gas and air, then
Wow! Three hour labour

5. Cherub
Baby in distress
Emergency! C-section
Tiny little girl

6. This week's minor drama ...




Star's fingers after a close encounter with the hair straighteners and a visit to the minor injuries clinic at A and E. The dressings came off yesterday and the fingers are doing well - a couple of nasty blisters, but not sore any more.

7. And this was Cherub's artistic impression of Star's fingers on the iPad

Read more quick takes at Conversion Diary

This Week: 4th July 2011

The weather ... all over the place. We have had a two day heatwave, thunderstorms, cool dampness, and warm hazy sun over the last week. This week is supposed to start warm and go downhill.

I am wearing ... black and white pyjama bottoms with grey vest top.

I am reading ... still reading When the Lights Went Out, which is interesting enough to hang in with, but not gripping enough to read quickly. Also not much time for reading due to studying so progress is sloooowwwww.

I am creating ... an unseasonally warm sweater as I had yarn stashed and wanted some mindless knitting to do while I study. I finished my cotton socks, and have just put the finishing touches to a cotton cardigan.

I am hearing ... Cherub rattling plastic play food and CBeebies on the TV. Star has already left for school, Tevye is at work and Angel is still asleep, so the rest of the house is quiet.

I am watching ... well into the final series of Upstairs, Downstairs now, and caught up with The Apprentice.

I am enjoying ... Google Plus. Could it become bigger than Facebook? I am not sure whether you need an invite to join, or whether it just gives you priority. If you want me to invite you, please leave a note in the comments.

I am planning ... a revised study plan for the rest of the summer. I decided it would be better to tackle the final assignments for this module sooner rather than later as I have already done the relevant sections of the course.

Learning notes ... Angel absolutely loved her Sixth Form induction days last week and can't wait to get started properly. So far she is very happy with her subject choices (English language, media studies, product design and photography).  Star has a taster day at her new school for September on Wednesday.

Cherub ... was busy making paper flower jewelry yesterday so that she could dress up as a "flaminco" dancer (inspired by a picture in a children's magazine)

On the calendar ...
Tuesday: Meeting for First Communion catechists in the evening
Wednesday: Star's taster day at upper school
Thursday: No orchestra - finished for the summer after last Saturday's concert
Friday: Sitting in on a workshop for volunteers at the archive (the new one, where I will be working once all the paperwork gets sorted out!)
Sunday: Cherub's social whirl continues with yet another birthday party, and Star is dancing at a festival in the evening

On the menu ...
Mon: *Asparagus, egg and new potato salad
Tue: *Chicken and egg fried rice
Wed: *Sun-dried tomato and olive chicken
Thu: *Sausage and lentils
Fri: *Chunky haddock fingers, wedges and mushy peas
Sat: French bread / baked potatoes
Sun: Roast chicken   
(* from Spoonfed Suppers)

On my to-do list ... send off my old mobile phone (I am selling it on one of the used phone sites for exactly the amount I had to pay up front for my iPhone!); organise a visit to a different archive (have to do this as part of my course)

A picture from last week ...  Angel ready for her prom (I couldn't get the lighting right due to low bright sun and impatient daughter!)