Several years ago if you'd asked me if I had any hobbies, I'd probably have said "shopping" and "socialising". Actually I also knitted and cross-stitched fairly frequently, but they sounded too spinsterish to admit to as "hobbies" for a young single independent woman. At about the same time that I got married, I stopped full time work, so there was actually a need for me to find an absorbing occupation.
It was a few years before I had time for hobbies other than taking care of children and watching TV but at some oint I decided to take up painting. I painted like mad for about three years and then stopped as abruptly as I started. That led to photography - both for inspiration and to post my work online. That in turn led to me setting up my own website and messing about with page and designs. The art led to me trying to "paint'' in fabric, using colours and textures - I started a piece a year or so ago and it's still not finished because I'm looking for the right fabric to finish it off.
I enjoy photographing the wildlife I see outside my house, as well as street scenes and famous landmarks, but in the latter case I try to find less common aspects.
Occasionally I photograph something around the house, like this marble game.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Losing Touch
Among the many thoughts that have meandered through my mind recently was a feeling of being tired of being in America and surrounded by Americans. I even said it aloud, which was unfortunate because I have an all-American family and many American friends. Such statements are usually at the tip of an iceberg of thoughts that swim in and out of being and gather together in a hidden mass. I'm not so much tired of being here, as being separated from British culture - of being 'in' with the current slang and trends, for example.
British people enjoy wordplay, like to mimic accents and create clever catchphrases. They find humour in almost everything and once a saying or phrase has taken hold, you hear it everywhere. Sometimes it will be a direct lift from a television programme; sometimes it will be a pun-loaded headline from a tabloid newspaper, or it might be an unfortunate quote from a politician or celebrity. Everyday slang has its own evolving vocabulary which, with technology, is spreading globally, yet each country retains its own distinctive flavour. There are so many words which have entered everyday speech in Britain since I left sixteen years ago that I now sometimes have to ask for a translation.
I used to laugh a lot. There was always someone with a humorous comment and I was often quick to respond in the same vein. I'm not a comedienne but like some comedians, I need a 'feed' in order to make my own witty comeback, and join the banter. I so enjoy my visits from old friends and relatives and I despair of the lack of humour in my own family so much that I sometimes feel like an alien in my own home. I gave up making jokes many years ago when I got no response or a puzzled silence and funny looks. It truly depressed me. I know I would have returned to England back then if I hadn't been married with children.
What is it that prevents people from finding something to laugh and smile about when things aren't going well? I grew up in a home where the old wartime sentiments still had a place. Put on a happy face. Smile and the world smiles with you. Mustn't grumble. Even when we were at our saddest we found something to smile at. Some feelings were suppressed for the good of the family and community. Have things changed all that much? I think so. I thought we were all supposed to do what we could to make life better for other people by smiling, being cheerful, helping people and being considerate. Who changed the rules? We now live in a "self first" culture which is teaching children that they don't have to do something if they don't want to and that makes them selfish and a parent's work all the harder.
I miss being British in Britain. I'm taking the two youngest children with me to England but I don't want to deal with their fussy eating and their disinterest in seeing and experiencing new things. I find myself issuing daily warnings about how they ought not to behave when we go for our visit and I promise them that we will visit some places they would like to see. I don't think they know much about other countries and cultures (except what they've learned from us). At their ages I had a list of places I wanted to visit in the world, but they have the internet. What's the point of going all that way to see something they can "experience" in the living room? This is what I hear: 'Do they have cable?', 'Do they have internet?', 'Are we taking the laptop?', 'Can we take both laptops so we can have one each?' 'How can I charge my iPod?' 'Don't forget the DS charger.' 'I don't want to go on a plane.' 'I don't know what I want to do.' To be fair, I've also heard cheers at the prospect of meeting their cousins for the first time and a trip on the London Eye. They will absolutely enjoy the visit if they keep an open mind and get their heads out of the electronics!
We plan to spend a few days in London and that will include the London Eye and the Tower of London. I'd like to add the V&A and a river trip to Hampton Court Palace. I want to let them see the horseguards, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace and Madame Tussauds. I love London and this is an opportunity we won't have again for a few more years. I'm lucky that we can do this and I'm excited to be able to go!
British people enjoy wordplay, like to mimic accents and create clever catchphrases. They find humour in almost everything and once a saying or phrase has taken hold, you hear it everywhere. Sometimes it will be a direct lift from a television programme; sometimes it will be a pun-loaded headline from a tabloid newspaper, or it might be an unfortunate quote from a politician or celebrity. Everyday slang has its own evolving vocabulary which, with technology, is spreading globally, yet each country retains its own distinctive flavour. There are so many words which have entered everyday speech in Britain since I left sixteen years ago that I now sometimes have to ask for a translation.
I used to laugh a lot. There was always someone with a humorous comment and I was often quick to respond in the same vein. I'm not a comedienne but like some comedians, I need a 'feed' in order to make my own witty comeback, and join the banter. I so enjoy my visits from old friends and relatives and I despair of the lack of humour in my own family so much that I sometimes feel like an alien in my own home. I gave up making jokes many years ago when I got no response or a puzzled silence and funny looks. It truly depressed me. I know I would have returned to England back then if I hadn't been married with children.
What is it that prevents people from finding something to laugh and smile about when things aren't going well? I grew up in a home where the old wartime sentiments still had a place. Put on a happy face. Smile and the world smiles with you. Mustn't grumble. Even when we were at our saddest we found something to smile at. Some feelings were suppressed for the good of the family and community. Have things changed all that much? I think so. I thought we were all supposed to do what we could to make life better for other people by smiling, being cheerful, helping people and being considerate. Who changed the rules? We now live in a "self first" culture which is teaching children that they don't have to do something if they don't want to and that makes them selfish and a parent's work all the harder.
I miss being British in Britain. I'm taking the two youngest children with me to England but I don't want to deal with their fussy eating and their disinterest in seeing and experiencing new things. I find myself issuing daily warnings about how they ought not to behave when we go for our visit and I promise them that we will visit some places they would like to see. I don't think they know much about other countries and cultures (except what they've learned from us). At their ages I had a list of places I wanted to visit in the world, but they have the internet. What's the point of going all that way to see something they can "experience" in the living room? This is what I hear: 'Do they have cable?', 'Do they have internet?', 'Are we taking the laptop?', 'Can we take both laptops so we can have one each?' 'How can I charge my iPod?' 'Don't forget the DS charger.' 'I don't want to go on a plane.' 'I don't know what I want to do.' To be fair, I've also heard cheers at the prospect of meeting their cousins for the first time and a trip on the London Eye. They will absolutely enjoy the visit if they keep an open mind and get their heads out of the electronics!
We plan to spend a few days in London and that will include the London Eye and the Tower of London. I'd like to add the V&A and a river trip to Hampton Court Palace. I want to let them see the horseguards, Downing Street, Buckingham Palace and Madame Tussauds. I love London and this is an opportunity we won't have again for a few more years. I'm lucky that we can do this and I'm excited to be able to go!
Friday, January 30, 2009
A story of jewellery
I make no apology for the British spelling of 'jewellery', even though the American spell-checker has put a little red line under it. I do hate spell-checkers.
A few months ago I thought I'd like to enjoy my mum's and grandma's diamond rings which have been languishing in a jewellery box these 15 to 20 years. One is far too small, but it's pretty, the other is worn and thin. Since both are of 18ct gold, and the six diamonds are of similar size, I considered the possibility of combining the two rings to create a single ring with a cluster of diamonds. With this in mind I carried the rings with me as I visited three reputable shops which I knew had jewellers on the premises. I avoided the mall, and the chain stores because I wanted to consult with someone who knew what they were doing.
In the first shop I was reassured that I had six genuine diamonds, one of a lower quality than the others (probably the one which mum had bought to replace a lost one). I was then shown a catalogue of ring designs - mostly claw-set, showing the stones in a row. I wasn't so very impressed with those - they seemed so ordinary to me. I was quoted about $350 to have the diamonds put in one of those standard 14kt settings. They weren't interested in reusing the existing English 18ct gold. Not discouraged, because this was the first shop I had visited, I moved on.
The second shop is a bigger, flashier jeweller, which is always busy and attracts people who want to 'upgrade' their diamonds for bigger and flashier ones, and which, we have found, has tended to give a better price to their female customers than to the men. Because I knew they did their work on the premises I decided to give them a try. On the initial visit, I 'consulted' with a young lady who opened up the very same catalogue that I was shown at Joy-Den, but she showed me different designs - mostly of so-called 'right-hand rings'. Those would be diamond rings designed for the independent woman to purchase for herself, thereby negating the need to wait for a man to buy diamonds for her. (Imagine a lot of eye-rolling from me at the premise behind that last sentence.) I actually found a setting I quite liked in the catalogue this time. I like British 'gypsy' settings and the modern equivalent, which in America are called 'bezel' settings, so this was a ring that caught my eye and would fit my six diamonds.
I asked (innocently) how much it would cost to use that setting and was told that it would be about $800 because a new setting would have to be made to fit my diamonds and, no, my 18ct gold could not be used 'because we can't guarantee the purity of the gold' (do they know nothing about English hall-marks??). I was told that for a cost of $50 they could generate the design on their computer and give me an accurate price for a ring that would fit my diamonds. I agreed to this, and offered to leave the rings with them so they could measure the diamonds.
A week later, I received a phone call saying that my design was ready for my approval, so I duly took time out of my Christmas shopping to see what they had come up with. The design was a three-dimensional image, exactly like the catalog design. I couldn't fault it at all, and it was very nice. Then I was handed a little plastic bag containing the two rings and six little diamonds. I was shocked to see that the diamonds had been removed from the rings in order to measure them! No-one had told me that this would be necessary so I wasn't best pleased to see them all mixed up in a bag, especially since I had not committed to having a new ring made. I was then told that the young lady I had spoken to previously was not on the premises that day and no-one else could give me a price.
I left with my little plastic bag and returned the next day. The young lady told me that the cost would be closer to $650, in 14kt white gold, and $35 would be given to me in exchange for the gold and platinum of the original rings. At that point I was thinking the cost was too high, the two original rings were ruined, and (if what she said was to be believed) the diamonds couldn't be reset in them either because the claw settings in the older ring had now been weakened. Of course, I actually said nothing. I didn't tell her I was annoyed that the stones had been removed without permission and I didn't ask if I could have them put back in - I simply asked if three garnets could be put in grandma's ring in place of the diamonds, and how much that would cost. She said since that was a fairly new, rarely worn ring, it would cost $30. (A nice gift for Jamie's 16th birthday next year, I thought.)
In the end I said I'd think about it and left the store.
I visited the third shop between visits to the second, where I was told that a new ring could be made, a design could be discussed and drawn out, a new wax mould would be manufactured to make the ring exactly to my specifications and the 18ct gold could be used to make the new ring. All for a cost of $750 - $850. Sounds easy. Sounds more expensive, too.
Finally, a couple of weeks before Christmas, I decided to end the stress this escapade was causing me and put my little plastic bag containing two former rings back into my jewellery box to forget it for a while. That's as far as the story goes for now. Do I go back to Sachs and ask them to restore the rings to their former glory? And what do I do if they say no? Do I take them to England to seek out a trustworthy jeweller there who understands the hallmarks? Do I even have time to do that and can I afford it?
So there we have it. I'm frustrated with myself for having started the whole business and I'm annoyed that I'm worse off than I was. I should have left well alone. I should have warned Sachs not to do anything to spoil the rings I left with them. I should go back and demand restitution. I should make a decision that I can afford. I'm not even that excited with the design I chose in the end. Ah well. We live and learn by our mistakes and hope our mistakes aren't so bad they can't be overcome.
A few months ago I thought I'd like to enjoy my mum's and grandma's diamond rings which have been languishing in a jewellery box these 15 to 20 years. One is far too small, but it's pretty, the other is worn and thin. Since both are of 18ct gold, and the six diamonds are of similar size, I considered the possibility of combining the two rings to create a single ring with a cluster of diamonds. With this in mind I carried the rings with me as I visited three reputable shops which I knew had jewellers on the premises. I avoided the mall, and the chain stores because I wanted to consult with someone who knew what they were doing.
In the first shop I was reassured that I had six genuine diamonds, one of a lower quality than the others (probably the one which mum had bought to replace a lost one). I was then shown a catalogue of ring designs - mostly claw-set, showing the stones in a row. I wasn't so very impressed with those - they seemed so ordinary to me. I was quoted about $350 to have the diamonds put in one of those standard 14kt settings. They weren't interested in reusing the existing English 18ct gold. Not discouraged, because this was the first shop I had visited, I moved on.
The second shop is a bigger, flashier jeweller, which is always busy and attracts people who want to 'upgrade' their diamonds for bigger and flashier ones, and which, we have found, has tended to give a better price to their female customers than to the men. Because I knew they did their work on the premises I decided to give them a try. On the initial visit, I 'consulted' with a young lady who opened up the very same catalogue that I was shown at Joy-Den, but she showed me different designs - mostly of so-called 'right-hand rings'. Those would be diamond rings designed for the independent woman to purchase for herself, thereby negating the need to wait for a man to buy diamonds for her. (Imagine a lot of eye-rolling from me at the premise behind that last sentence.) I actually found a setting I quite liked in the catalogue this time. I like British 'gypsy' settings and the modern equivalent, which in America are called 'bezel' settings, so this was a ring that caught my eye and would fit my six diamonds.
I asked (innocently) how much it would cost to use that setting and was told that it would be about $800 because a new setting would have to be made to fit my diamonds and, no, my 18ct gold could not be used 'because we can't guarantee the purity of the gold' (do they know nothing about English hall-marks??). I was told that for a cost of $50 they could generate the design on their computer and give me an accurate price for a ring that would fit my diamonds. I agreed to this, and offered to leave the rings with them so they could measure the diamonds.A week later, I received a phone call saying that my design was ready for my approval, so I duly took time out of my Christmas shopping to see what they had come up with. The design was a three-dimensional image, exactly like the catalog design. I couldn't fault it at all, and it was very nice. Then I was handed a little plastic bag containing the two rings and six little diamonds. I was shocked to see that the diamonds had been removed from the rings in order to measure them! No-one had told me that this would be necessary so I wasn't best pleased to see them all mixed up in a bag, especially since I had not committed to having a new ring made. I was then told that the young lady I had spoken to previously was not on the premises that day and no-one else could give me a price.
I left with my little plastic bag and returned the next day. The young lady told me that the cost would be closer to $650, in 14kt white gold, and $35 would be given to me in exchange for the gold and platinum of the original rings. At that point I was thinking the cost was too high, the two original rings were ruined, and (if what she said was to be believed) the diamonds couldn't be reset in them either because the claw settings in the older ring had now been weakened. Of course, I actually said nothing. I didn't tell her I was annoyed that the stones had been removed without permission and I didn't ask if I could have them put back in - I simply asked if three garnets could be put in grandma's ring in place of the diamonds, and how much that would cost. She said since that was a fairly new, rarely worn ring, it would cost $30. (A nice gift for Jamie's 16th birthday next year, I thought.)
In the end I said I'd think about it and left the store.
I visited the third shop between visits to the second, where I was told that a new ring could be made, a design could be discussed and drawn out, a new wax mould would be manufactured to make the ring exactly to my specifications and the 18ct gold could be used to make the new ring. All for a cost of $750 - $850. Sounds easy. Sounds more expensive, too.
Finally, a couple of weeks before Christmas, I decided to end the stress this escapade was causing me and put my little plastic bag containing two former rings back into my jewellery box to forget it for a while. That's as far as the story goes for now. Do I go back to Sachs and ask them to restore the rings to their former glory? And what do I do if they say no? Do I take them to England to seek out a trustworthy jeweller there who understands the hallmarks? Do I even have time to do that and can I afford it?
So there we have it. I'm frustrated with myself for having started the whole business and I'm annoyed that I'm worse off than I was. I should have left well alone. I should have warned Sachs not to do anything to spoil the rings I left with them. I should go back and demand restitution. I should make a decision that I can afford. I'm not even that excited with the design I chose in the end. Ah well. We live and learn by our mistakes and hope our mistakes aren't so bad they can't be overcome.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Snow Day!
It's Wednesday evening and I've been on my feet all day working on a project. It wasn't the kind of project that results in any actual cleaning or laundry done, but it was quite satisfying nonetheless and I am fairly pleased with the result.
Today was, as predicted, a Snow Day. The early morning email announcing school closure for the day was read on the iPod from the comfort of my bed. I lay there for half an hour trying to recapture the interesting dream I was having when the alarm went off, but I was already too much awake. When I realised that I had a Britney Spears song running through my head, I knew there was no hope. So I got up, made coffee and got busy.
The children emerged from their rooms one by one between 8 and 9:30 and the snow fell steadily all morning. Jess and Andrew went sledding a couple of times, but as the snow gradulally turned to sleet, it was becoming too wet to sled.
I honestly can't say that anything else worthy of note occurred today.DD1 spent a couple of hours singing this afternoon - she is audtioning for the role of Sandy in the school production of "Grease" tomorrow. She forgets it's her sister's birthday tomorrow and believes her parents to be unsupportive when they aren't tripping over themselves to drive all over whenever she wants them to.
Today was, as predicted, a Snow Day. The early morning email announcing school closure for the day was read on the iPod from the comfort of my bed. I lay there for half an hour trying to recapture the interesting dream I was having when the alarm went off, but I was already too much awake. When I realised that I had a Britney Spears song running through my head, I knew there was no hope. So I got up, made coffee and got busy.
The children emerged from their rooms one by one between 8 and 9:30 and the snow fell steadily all morning. Jess and Andrew went sledding a couple of times, but as the snow gradulally turned to sleet, it was becoming too wet to sled.
I honestly can't say that anything else worthy of note occurred today.DD1 spent a couple of hours singing this afternoon - she is audtioning for the role of Sandy in the school production of "Grease" tomorrow. She forgets it's her sister's birthday tomorrow and believes her parents to be unsupportive when they aren't tripping over themselves to drive all over whenever she wants them to.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
UPS and Downs
It's F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G here today, again. Well below, actually. The sort of weather that makes you wish you had gloves on after 20 seconds and then after a minute makes you realise that you have two hours of hand-warming ahead of you. I've just had a very filling lunch in my kitchen and have caught up on various blogs, so now I've got a few minutes to add to my own while I wait in hope that UPS will deliver while I'm home. They phoned yesterday to say a signature would be required, so I hope they catch me in.
The day started, as many days in this house do, with my alarm clock waking me out of a deep sleep. This morning it was deeper than usual, having been awake for a little while at 3.30. Since Christmas I have found two things to be especially grateful for in the cold dark morning hours: firstly the alarm clock hubby got for Christmas (thanks G!) which shines the time on the ceiling, nicely in focus for the myopic and perfectly place to be read with half an eye open; secondly, my wonderful iPod (thanks Hub!) which, once I have opened the other eye and found my glasses, allows me to check my email from the cosy comfort of my bed. You might be wondering why that is actually useful, so I'm going to tell you.
Last year our town acquired an emergency communications system which enables them to phone every household and every cellphone in the whole town as well as send out emails to everyone, all at the same time. More or less. Because this system was expensive and thankfully there are few really dire emergencies, it is also used to notify families of school closings or delayed openings in the event of extreme weather conditions. In other words, Snow Days. We used to simply turn on the TV in the morning to see if our school district was listed among the closings for the area, but since they got their new communication system, we get early morning phone calls and emails (in our case that would be three telephone numbers and two email addresses). The High School opens at 7am so the calls usually come by 5:30am - nearly an hour before my alarm goes off. Now, because of my lovely iPod, before going to bed we turn off the house phones, silence the cellphones and when I wake up at 6:20 and look at the numbers on the ceiling, I can check my email without getting up, and if there is a snow day, I can snuggle back down knowing I don't have to get up to wake the kids! We're probably going to have another snow storm on Wednesday so perhaps I can look forward to a lie-in.
So, back to today. The only one happy to hear me say "good morning" was Lucy the Beagle who is always happy to see anybody, especially when she's hungry. The two girls grunted and the little boy groaned. No sandwiches needed to be made today, except for DD1. DD2 and DS, having seen the menu, had decided to buy lunch today ($3 for J and $2.75 for A).DD2 nearly missed the bus again, but made it, DD1 left in a foul temper (without her sandwiches) because she had a test for which she felt ill-prepared, and Andrew just didn't wnat to go to school, and left me emailing his teacher to set up a conference. Hubby suggested again that we take Jamie out of her school without delay and have her go to the local High School immediately, and perhaps that is what she will do. That's for another day though.
After a couple of emails and a phone call with one of the car-pool parents, I went to Staples to buy paper for the church. I think paper has got more expensive recently. I ended up spending nearly $100 on it. The morning's work went well, but I will have to go in again on Thursday for an hour to finish up.
Oh good - the UPS truck just arrived. I'm expecting a parcel containing the girls' birthday presents which I ordered a little too late for DD1's birthday.......
I'm glad he came before I went out. Unfortunately I did a foolish thing... I ordered two of DD2's present, and now that I've opened it, I don't think DD1 is going to be happy with her present unfortunately. I will need to talk to her about it and offer her some options. But that's for later.
Well it's now 2:10 and if it's going to be worth my while popping into Target, I'd better go now. Bye!
The day started, as many days in this house do, with my alarm clock waking me out of a deep sleep. This morning it was deeper than usual, having been awake for a little while at 3.30. Since Christmas I have found two things to be especially grateful for in the cold dark morning hours: firstly the alarm clock hubby got for Christmas (thanks G!) which shines the time on the ceiling, nicely in focus for the myopic and perfectly place to be read with half an eye open; secondly, my wonderful iPod (thanks Hub!) which, once I have opened the other eye and found my glasses, allows me to check my email from the cosy comfort of my bed. You might be wondering why that is actually useful, so I'm going to tell you.
Last year our town acquired an emergency communications system which enables them to phone every household and every cellphone in the whole town as well as send out emails to everyone, all at the same time. More or less. Because this system was expensive and thankfully there are few really dire emergencies, it is also used to notify families of school closings or delayed openings in the event of extreme weather conditions. In other words, Snow Days. We used to simply turn on the TV in the morning to see if our school district was listed among the closings for the area, but since they got their new communication system, we get early morning phone calls and emails (in our case that would be three telephone numbers and two email addresses). The High School opens at 7am so the calls usually come by 5:30am - nearly an hour before my alarm goes off. Now, because of my lovely iPod, before going to bed we turn off the house phones, silence the cellphones and when I wake up at 6:20 and look at the numbers on the ceiling, I can check my email without getting up, and if there is a snow day, I can snuggle back down knowing I don't have to get up to wake the kids! We're probably going to have another snow storm on Wednesday so perhaps I can look forward to a lie-in.
So, back to today. The only one happy to hear me say "good morning" was Lucy the Beagle who is always happy to see anybody, especially when she's hungry. The two girls grunted and the little boy groaned. No sandwiches needed to be made today, except for DD1. DD2 and DS, having seen the menu, had decided to buy lunch today ($3 for J and $2.75 for A).DD2 nearly missed the bus again, but made it, DD1 left in a foul temper (without her sandwiches) because she had a test for which she felt ill-prepared, and Andrew just didn't wnat to go to school, and left me emailing his teacher to set up a conference. Hubby suggested again that we take Jamie out of her school without delay and have her go to the local High School immediately, and perhaps that is what she will do. That's for another day though.
After a couple of emails and a phone call with one of the car-pool parents, I went to Staples to buy paper for the church. I think paper has got more expensive recently. I ended up spending nearly $100 on it. The morning's work went well, but I will have to go in again on Thursday for an hour to finish up.
Oh good - the UPS truck just arrived. I'm expecting a parcel containing the girls' birthday presents which I ordered a little too late for DD1's birthday.......
I'm glad he came before I went out. Unfortunately I did a foolish thing... I ordered two of DD2's present, and now that I've opened it, I don't think DD1 is going to be happy with her present unfortunately. I will need to talk to her about it and offer her some options. But that's for later.
Well it's now 2:10 and if it's going to be worth my while popping into Target, I'd better go now. Bye!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Evening Chorus
This evening has been a little busy. DD2 and DS both completed their homework in time to get 45minutes of sledding in before it was too dark. We have a hill behind our our house, and since we had the addition built we have a rather steep slope coverd with rocks. We've had so much snow this year that the rocks are covere with firmly packed snow and DS and friend have made a super sledding slide out of it. They had to build a couple of snowbanks near the bottom to stop themselves slamming into the trees, but they've been having a great time out there. We're due more snow on Wednesday (6-12 inches are forecast) so it will add to the fun, I am sure.
After dinner, DD2 had to return to school to participate in the 6th grade concert. The first half of the program was presented by the 6th Grade Band, which were amazingly good for 11/12 year olds. The second half was a selection of songs sung by the 6th Grade Chorus, which is comprised of virtually every student who doesn't play an instrument. There are about 200 kids in the chorus but they performed very well. I was quite impressed.
I have now acquired a web page which I'm going to put together soon, and hopefully I'll be able to free up some disk space on my laptop. It's funny how it starts to 'feel' heavy and sluggish when it's got too much data on it. Anyway, I'll keep you posted about that.
I have a lot to do this week - suddenly I know a lot of people who have birthdays at this time of year so I have gifts to buy. cards to send and people to call. I've just heard that UPS is going to deliver DD1's (belated) present tomorrow, but that they need a signature. All they can say is that they will deliver between 7am and 7pm! Not very helpful at all. Ah well.
All for now!
After dinner, DD2 had to return to school to participate in the 6th grade concert. The first half of the program was presented by the 6th Grade Band, which were amazingly good for 11/12 year olds. The second half was a selection of songs sung by the 6th Grade Chorus, which is comprised of virtually every student who doesn't play an instrument. There are about 200 kids in the chorus but they performed very well. I was quite impressed.
I have now acquired a web page which I'm going to put together soon, and hopefully I'll be able to free up some disk space on my laptop. It's funny how it starts to 'feel' heavy and sluggish when it's got too much data on it. Anyway, I'll keep you posted about that.
I have a lot to do this week - suddenly I know a lot of people who have birthdays at this time of year so I have gifts to buy. cards to send and people to call. I've just heard that UPS is going to deliver DD1's (belated) present tomorrow, but that they need a signature. All they can say is that they will deliver between 7am and 7pm! Not very helpful at all. Ah well.
All for now!
Monday Morning Blues
Good morning world, it's a brand new day. It's 5 degrees (F), the sun is shining, another major snowfall is on the way and each of my three wonderful children is on his or her happy way to school. Ok well the first bit was true - the kids were not happy, each for their own reasons, but I hope that the rigours of the school day will bring them home less grumpy than when they left.
I've got a busy week to plan and am sending memos to myself so I don't forget anything. I've also become addicted to my ipod. I do everything with it and it goes everywhere I go, sitting in my bag or pocket with my cellphone. No I do not have an iPhone because we use T-Mobile and not AT&T (which is the US carrier for the iPhone). However, the iPod enables me to check my email from the comfort of my bed, play video games, listen to my music and listen to random music on Pandora.
DD2 will be 12 on Thursday and we've planned a last-minute roller-skating party for Saturday morning. Of course this means I now have to come up with some party favours. DD1 had her 15th birthday last week and is planning a boy-girl sleepover. Now I know there are many parents out there who would be appalled at such a thing, and they are welcome to keep their kids at home. I expect the kids to conduct themselves appropriately, and we will be home, if not sitting in the room all night with them. We are definitely not taking any responsibility for any unwanted pregnancies.
I've got a busy week to plan and am sending memos to myself so I don't forget anything. I've also become addicted to my ipod. I do everything with it and it goes everywhere I go, sitting in my bag or pocket with my cellphone. No I do not have an iPhone because we use T-Mobile and not AT&T (which is the US carrier for the iPhone). However, the iPod enables me to check my email from the comfort of my bed, play video games, listen to my music and listen to random music on Pandora.
DD2 will be 12 on Thursday and we've planned a last-minute roller-skating party for Saturday morning. Of course this means I now have to come up with some party favours. DD1 had her 15th birthday last week and is planning a boy-girl sleepover. Now I know there are many parents out there who would be appalled at such a thing, and they are welcome to keep their kids at home. I expect the kids to conduct themselves appropriately, and we will be home, if not sitting in the room all night with them. We are definitely not taking any responsibility for any unwanted pregnancies.
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