Making it up

Oh that was fun.

Bought the calendar in the end from an amazon seller as opposed to amazon - the delivery times on Amazon were just unbearable

And left out the dinosaurs - maybe next time. But chucked in Stitch ‘n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker (Stich ‘n Bitch Crochet) after agonising over One Skein - tipped away from it in the end as I couldn’t tell how many projects were actually crochet - much as I’d like to be stash busting (and much as I need to be stash busting :oops:) I’m not doing it by knitting. Or I’d rather not. It takes too long If there’s anyone out there that’s got this and can tell me how many crochet projects there are, and whether they are worthwhile or just fillers, I’d be ever so grateful

Must get on, have beading to do

and I’m thinking of getting Crochet Pattern-a-day Calendar

and maybe Walking With Dinosaurs [1999] ‘cos I think Small would like it.

And to round it off, Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast because I like the title. Oh, and she’s one of my favourite authors too

Hm, not sure if that takes me up to the right amount. Might have to window shop some more

eta - can I resist?

Bat Out of Hell Vol.3: the Monster Is Loose

edited again - how come the price of my calendar has doubled in the last two days?

will sky go on calling trying to get me to sign up again?

That is the third call since I cancelled the account. No, I won’t go through your security rigmarole, I don’t want to discuss the old account, I’m not going to sign up again and PLEASE stop calling now!

I am not going through that again.

My business earns barely enough to pay for itself - mainly because I’m so unremittingly poor at actually invoicing anyone! Must grab some time over the next few weeks to sort out the accounts into a proper state, so that for next year I can file very very very early and then never have to think about it again.

Right, I have to find a cheque book and the floor, and then pile up a few bits that I located while doing this to sort out, and maybe, just maybe, I can actually have a quiet evening beading.

Which would be good, as the week ahead looks hectic.

Feels very peculiar reading about all the ppl going to Melrose, and not going myself. We’ve been three times I think, which might be from the first time we could? I know we missed the one before that wasn’t Melrose - I was still working, and ended up cancelling my leave to do my boss a favour in the run up to maternity. But Small was at melrose as a not even crawling blob, and this will be our first year of missing it.

But we don’t actually home ed full time, we flexi-school. And when I asked Big about Melrose, she said she didn’t want to miss school.

I can hear cries from the back, she’s completely institutionalised now, but nothing could be further from the truth. I know that there are ppl out there to whom school is nothing but a dirty word, but the place the children are, three days a week, is a whole world away from that. For starters, I’m not even sure it’s legally obliged to be called a school - it doesn’t provide full time education for 5 or more children over mandatory education age. Instead there are a number of school age children (see how easy that is to type? Please read it as saying mandatory education age. Thank you.) who attend for a variety of different lengths of time per week. I think Big might be there most at 3 days, although obviously I’m not entirely sure.

Then there are no whole class lessons. That just isn’t the montessori way. The educational experience is intimately tailored for each child - I know that Ailsa spends a huge amount of time deciding what resources should be offered when - I suspect it’s viewed as a failing to offer something that is completely above the abilities of the child concerned, and yet it’s probably equally poor not to be offering things to draw them on. Accordingly both my children have been offered things out of the targetted age range at various times - Small was doing children’s house material long before his third birthday, and Big was having stuff brought down from elementary before her seventh.

The children are all encouraged to develop independence. They help to set up and clear the table, and do their own washing up. There never seems to be anyone in a rush there - except when I’m running in 5 minutes late to pick them up! The atmosphere is calm and restful - which isn’t to say there isn’t childish exuberance about the place, there most definitely is. Plenty of time to play outside and run and jump and scream no doubt, although as it’s usually dark when I’m there atm, I don’t see much of it.

I wish there had been a montessori nursery when I was rushing to get back to work and hand off the small screamy being that was Big all those years ago. I don’ t think that her nursery at that point was particularly bad for her, but I’m fairly sure it wasn’t as good as it could have been. And I’m very pleased that this is Small’s first encounter with an educational setting - I don’t think it can get much better.

I’m sure there are home educating parents out there who are always on hand to answer questions, who never are short tempered, or ill, who always have every resource and can explore every interest. I’m not sure I’ve met them though and I’m very sure I’m not one of them. Is flexi-schooling a cop out? Possibly. But where this school is concerned, I think it’s a pretty acceptable one, and very possibly better than I could ever have provided on my own.

And that wandered a long way from the starting point of a tax return didn’t it?

which is supposed to be an internet service, should not require you to fax them, post anything to them, or for them to post anything to you before you can use it.

If it does, then it isn’t an online service, and should not be allowed to describe itself as such!

Grr.

There will be more rants later, I’m in that kind of mood.

I don’t have anything nearly as exciting to do as pack for Melrose (I’d say it’s going to be quiet round the blogring, but since the near death experience of my laptop, I don’t get to refresh sage 27 times an hour, so I’m not going to feel it nearly so badly ) - instead the activity I’m strenuously avoiding is my tax return.

Don’t get me started on the farce that was last years dance with the inland revenue - they *still* don’t seem inclined to notice that they have £675 of my money that they aren’t entitled too This year however, I’m determined to get the paperwork sorted, so that is this weekend’s task. Right after I’ve had a lie in, sorted out an extra load of washing, washed up, rung my sister (!), investigated bikes, done a bit of overtime…..

you get the picture. I’ve got to get on with it though, and as a side effect, I should process a couple of piles in the living room. Wish me luck - it’s been nice knowing you all.

Small had his first proper haircut today. Previously, Jax and I have both had attempts at it, neither with terrific success. Jax’s effort failed, mainly because he agreed to have it cut because it was hanging in his eyes, and Jax was foolish enough to cut the front first….. at which point Small reckoned he could see again, so she must be finished. My effort was a little more successful, in that I got round most of it, but the result was, um, a bit ragged.

So, I took him to the hairdresser based at the hotel in the village and the very nice lady there, who has a two year old, talked to him about Thomas and Mr Potato Head and removed vast amounts of hair. I don’t think he is totally convinced by the result and Jax looked a bit upset when he presented himself, but once it is combed and he has been through the bath I think it will look just fine.

Yet another of those days at work. I’m not sure there are any other kinds of day in a support department though.

On the way home, someone tried to run into us at a junction, then calmly swerved between the car that had emergency stopped to let him out and my car, to accelerate off down the motorway. I was annoyed enough to blast my horn and pull out behind him flashing my lights.

Just as I’d calmed down after that, Big said “Mummy, have you got over being sick from when your baby died?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to try again?”
“Probably.”
“When?”
“Well, this isn’t one of those things that you can just have happen to order….”
“Yes, but when are you going to have sex?”
“!!”

She didn’t seem very impressed when I told her that was private, and I wouldn’t be letting her know

Nearly home, and suddenly the cars ahead of us had hazard lights on. Ahead of that was a moving red flashing light - as if there were some kind of rolling roadblock in place. We followed that for a while, then suddenly it had disappeared and our traffic was slowly accelerating. As we passed a sliproad, the red lights were to our left, and automatically I glanced across.

What I thought I saw was a man on the floor with a policeman either bending over him or perhaps even kneeling on him. It was a split second glance.

Big, who was not driving and therefore didn’t have to look back at the road immediately, may have seen more. She thinks she saw a man who was killed (in her own words) and she’s afraid of having bad dreams tonight

Puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?

yesterday:
40 mph speed limit as I joined the motorway
100 mins to work
10.50 breakfast
2.50 lunch (both when I mutinied and stopped working for a minute to eat)
at home
1 plastic box resorted
2 bags of rubbish disposed of
3 rows of beaded wrap done.

Today:
no speed limit (other than the usual one on the motorway).
120 minutes to work This despite us managing to leave earlier than ever before - the motorway was clear, but every road at the other end of it was blocked! And I did make the mistake of saying, we’re nice and early, we’ll pop and get some petrol. Cost us about 40 minutes I think.
Breakfast was at 9.30
Lunch at 12.19.
Turned around 3 calls - this is a good thing.
Home in decent time, now wondering what to do next.

Happening of the day - Big telling Tim and me what something is - some kind of fruit I’d never heard of that they had at school today. Coo, that’s the beginning of the end then.

Edited to add: another three rows, dropped the bowl of beads (twice!) and I’ve finished the first ball of yarn. Time for another row or two

The Jew’s Free School “is Europe’s largest and most successful Jewish secondary school. It was established in 1732 as the Talmud Torah of the Great Synagogue of London, serving orphans of the community.

In 1822 the School was relocated to Bell Lane in the heart of the East End where, throughout the 19th century, it absorbed thousands of immigrant children. At one time JFS had 4,000 children on roll and was the largest school in the world.

In the inter war period, children often came straight from the Kindertransport to JFS. During World War II students were evacuated to East anglia and Cornwall and the School was destroyed by enemy action. It re-opened in 1958 in Camden Town where its location remained central to the London Jewish community of the late 1950s.”

I must say that I am proud that my country, England has had the tolerance and sense to accept Jews living their lives among us and alongside us for so long. Many English Jews have chosen to integrate and intermarry, many, like the Hassidim, have chosen to preserve a distinctively different way of life. We have been enriched by their presence, whichever path they have chosen.

So I must admit that I find it surprising that England after so many centuries of tolerance has now arrived at a point where Sir Cyril Taylor, who heads the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is reported as saying “We have a huge number of children in this country in schools which are, in effect, segregated. Hopefully, most people agree that that is not a good thing……. In some part of the country where, for example, children only speak Bangla at home and do not mix with other communities at school, it has become a real strategic security problem.”

I know very little about Islam, much less than I know about Judaism and Christianity. I know of no reason why Muslims should not be treated with the same tolerance and respect and be made welcome here, because it quite clearly is Muslims who are being targeted.

We didn’t do this to the Jews at the time of the King David Hotel bombing, nor to Irish while Irish terrorists were murdering people in Warrington, Birmingham and Brighton.

There is no justification whatever for New Labour’s persecution of the Muslim community. It is racist, it is wrong.

On a number of occasions, I have tried to explain to Big about things like radio waves, radiant heat and so on.

Me: “It is like light but you can’t see it.”
Big (blank, puzzled, Daddy is taking the **** again look): “?”

We have talked about rainbows and splitting light up into different colours, that is fine, you can kind of see that and I think she has caught on to the idea that light can be bent.

Anyway, although I have had wondered about doing some digiscoping with our telescope, I had never considered whether digital cameras were any good at infra red. Well, it turns out that they are, in fact so good that the manufacturers have to go to great lengths to filter it out.

So if you want to prove the point, that there is light (emr) that you can’t see, try pointing a tv remote at a digital camera, or take a photo of the front of a Thinkpad like this one here (sorry, blurry, no tripod, no cable release, must buy myself a Gorillapod).

Big asked me, “how big is a virus?”. I found the answer here at Cells Alive, represented rather better than I could have done on my own, I fancy.

It is trying to snow outside, time to wrap up warm… …Jax says we need a tea cosy.

We are now the proud owners of a Brown Betty Teapot made by Price and Kensington. I purchased it from Wilkinson’s emporium at Crystal Peaks, Sheffield, £2.99. They also had a very nice spotty pot, but I did think that could be disorienting early in the morning.

Later, I saw a lovely white teapot at Sainsbury’s for £2.49, but that is life.

Thinking about the warming of pots, it does occur to me that the problem with a stoneware pot may well be that the very high thermal capacity of the pot is double edged. A seasoned tannophile, like Chris Bean, will know that the pot must be warmed through thoroughly, while impatient Philistines, like Sarah and Clare will rush the process, in which case the pot will have the effect of chilling the tea.

Also, I bought a strainer and some loose leaf tea. Now after all that, we will doubtless shortly get the email from the Beans to say they have had a better offer of hospitality, and will not be honouring us.

Apparently I don’t know the tao as well as I know the bible (88%), but here you go anyway:

Thanks in a roundabout way to Helen

Saturday night, I feel the air
Is getting hot
Like you baby
I’ll make you mine you know
I’ll take you to the top
I’ll drive you crazy
Saturday night, dance, I like
The way you move
Pretty baby
It’s party time and not one
Minute we can lose
Be my baby

Da ba da dan dee dee dee da
Nee na na na - be my baby
Da ba da dan dee dee dee da
Nee na na na - Pretty baby

She says she is charging them four hours overtime tonight. Shouldn’t that be eight if she is using two laptops?

Chatsford 6-cup Teapot Brown. I came across this in a page called “In praise of good design”.

I think this has all the attributes we want. It looks like a teapot. It is not ludicrously expensive. BONUS: It has a built in strainer - no fishing for leaves or bags. It (allegedly) doesn’t drip (believe that when I see it). It is available in BROWN, although I must admit I fancy a blue one.

It does strike me someone has really thought about this product.

…without the word fairy in the title!

I’m thrilled! Obviously

It’s Pippi in the South Seas, although it obviously wasn’t all that good as she didn’t take it upstairs with her Instead she was reading Curious George, which does seem to be popular.

It’s been a lovely day today. I got a lie in and breakfast in bed, and then this afternoon we were all in the living room throughout - including Tim doing some programming. Lots of conversations about all sorts of wide ranging things - Big found a game on our Pinocchio [1940] DVD that was about moral choices, sparking of all sorts of discussions.

I almost managed to persuade Small to try knitting again, but I missed the moment and then the dvd was put back on

They both played lots of castle games, and I managed quite a bit more beaded wrap

I like weekends like this. I’m working this evening, but I didn’t start til the offspring went up for a bath - I can cope with that.

During the birthday weekend visit of the Beans it became apparent that we are deficient in a most Unbritish (is Unbritish a proper noun?) way.

It will shock you, dear reader, to learn that we are without a teapot. It is hard to impart the character of the expressions of politely restrained horror and dismay on the faces of the Big Beans when they learned of our shortcoming.

In mitigation, I would point out that I don’t drink tea, except when coffee is not on offer. I make a point of not going places where coffee is not on offer. So the real culprit is Jax. As usual.

Anyway, faced with the imminently threatened return of the Beans, we are moved to rectify this most severe social shortcoming by the purchase of a teapot.

The thing is, what should we buy? I quite fancied one of these , but Jax said “No”, in a tone suggesting the matter was not open for discussion.

How big should one’s pot be? 2 cups, 4 cups or more? What are the best pots? Should we get silver? Or glass? Or china? Or plain ordinary pottery? Would one of these fit the bill? Or one of these?

Or, in the certain knowledge of the target audience’s (Beans) tastes, should we splash out and get one of these?

Didn’t actually mean to be away for two nights, but as has been noted in many places, it was a bit windy yesterday. Around mid afternoon, someone suggested we take a look at the travel sites, and it became rapidly apparent that if I wanted to go home, setting off much earlier would have been better Accordingly, we went back off the path, where we’d been the night before.

This means that I’ve started another crochet project, as I didn’t want to take the beaded wrap with me (partly because of the beads, and partly because of the cats ). I now have on the hook a shrug type thing as well, in very chunky yarn. Worry not, though Kirsty, I’ve added another 3% to my beaded total tonight

Lovely to unexpectedly spend an extra evening with J & J - we had a takeout and a beer, and chats and so on. Some of them were a bit disrupted by a very unhappy small j, who was itchy. Journey home this morning was still slower than it could have been, but bearable. I’ve got rather a lot of work to do this weekend though, so my previous attempts at keeping the laptop off Sat/Sun are likely to be shot down.

And now I must go get fish and chips