and other delights from Hampstead Heath this afternoon! I can't see Peppa Pig tho'!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Week 4 - beginning 25th Jan.
At church; Sundayschool went well enough. This week I had 5 children, 2 of whom were visitors staying with the remaining girl. They had been involved in some sleepover. From their zombie like state, it had been a wakenover. Eventually I left them to doze and concentrated on the two boys. Having read Heather's intentional parenting blog, I decided to curb their constant chattery giggly interruptions in an intentional way. It worked very well and we had a good lesson with some intelligent answers.
This week I managed to get to my homegroup. The Monday evening to Wednesday afternoon slot had been filling up with other calls on my time. We were studying 1Corinthians 5 about various 'stituations'that might arise in the church, and how they should be dealt with. Needless to say we had a spirited discussion!
Hippo Club. This week I was asked to shadow the person who registers the carers and the children, so that I could do it in her absence next week. I had been told that it was a complicated computer programme. Thankfully it turned out to be the same as one I set up in the classroom 10 years ago. While I filled in the official legal register, the children went to the classroom computer, found their name and filled in their mark, using Excel which is a very useful facility.
At the hospital. This week I spent time chatting to 2 patients I have seen before, and 2 new ones, both of whom were Irish, from lovely places such as Galway Bay.
On the bus going up to the hospital, and elderly lady got on with her trolley. At first she refused someone else's offer of a seat(I was on one of these high ones). In the ensuing conversation with people behind me it transpired that she was about to be 100 years old in May!!
People I have seen. On the way home from the hospital, I called in at Waitrose to by some flowers, grapes and 2 luscious cakes. I said to the man at the checkout 'You can tell I'm going to visit an invalid!' Although Philippa has had an operation on her foot, she is hardly an invalid!!
As always we had an interesting chat and ended up having a photography session. A publisher has asked for high resolution photos of family heirlooms for a book about one particular family.
That evening I found out how many pixels are required for HD photos. I have enough but felt I could have done better with the photos.
News. Our previous vicar PMA has had a nasty fall and is to have his arm operated on. It involves broken and splintered bones above the elbow and in the shoulder. Also nerve damage.
On TV. On Channel 4 on Sunday evening there was an excellent programme about the history on Christianity in Britain. This episode got as far as The Synod of Whitby in 664 when King Oswiu decided to opt for the Roman date for Easter rather than the Celtic, thus setting the future direction for the church in Britain.
The History of Scotland is becoming a tad boring with endless scenes of Edinburgh and Stirling castles and Linlithgow Palace. Also, every time there is fighting or somebody killed (which is often!)we are treated to views of blood dripping from an unspecified source onto the ground. However I will still watch it for the bits of history in it.
The weather. It has been mild and damp this week. The Scottish weather forecaster on Breakfast TV called 'it murky and dreich'. She wasn't wrong!
This blog will be published early before the weekend to leave the computer free for Evie when she returns on Friday pm. so
I am looking forward to seeing Moggie on Thursday morning, going to meet MarionJ at Cheshunt and the PCC Awayday at St Mark's Church on Saturday.
This week I managed to get to my homegroup. The Monday evening to Wednesday afternoon slot had been filling up with other calls on my time. We were studying 1Corinthians 5 about various 'stituations'that might arise in the church, and how they should be dealt with. Needless to say we had a spirited discussion!
Hippo Club. This week I was asked to shadow the person who registers the carers and the children, so that I could do it in her absence next week. I had been told that it was a complicated computer programme. Thankfully it turned out to be the same as one I set up in the classroom 10 years ago. While I filled in the official legal register, the children went to the classroom computer, found their name and filled in their mark, using Excel which is a very useful facility.
At the hospital. This week I spent time chatting to 2 patients I have seen before, and 2 new ones, both of whom were Irish, from lovely places such as Galway Bay.
On the bus going up to the hospital, and elderly lady got on with her trolley. At first she refused someone else's offer of a seat(I was on one of these high ones). In the ensuing conversation with people behind me it transpired that she was about to be 100 years old in May!!
People I have seen. On the way home from the hospital, I called in at Waitrose to by some flowers, grapes and 2 luscious cakes. I said to the man at the checkout 'You can tell I'm going to visit an invalid!' Although Philippa has had an operation on her foot, she is hardly an invalid!!
As always we had an interesting chat and ended up having a photography session. A publisher has asked for high resolution photos of family heirlooms for a book about one particular family.
That evening I found out how many pixels are required for HD photos. I have enough but felt I could have done better with the photos.
News. Our previous vicar PMA has had a nasty fall and is to have his arm operated on. It involves broken and splintered bones above the elbow and in the shoulder. Also nerve damage.
On TV. On Channel 4 on Sunday evening there was an excellent programme about the history on Christianity in Britain. This episode got as far as The Synod of Whitby in 664 when King Oswiu decided to opt for the Roman date for Easter rather than the Celtic, thus setting the future direction for the church in Britain.
The History of Scotland is becoming a tad boring with endless scenes of Edinburgh and Stirling castles and Linlithgow Palace. Also, every time there is fighting or somebody killed (which is often!)we are treated to views of blood dripping from an unspecified source onto the ground. However I will still watch it for the bits of history in it.
The weather. It has been mild and damp this week. The Scottish weather forecaster on Breakfast TV called 'it murky and dreich'. She wasn't wrong!
This blog will be published early before the weekend to leave the computer free for Evie when she returns on Friday pm. so
I am looking forward to seeing Moggie on Thursday morning, going to meet MarionJ at Cheshunt and the PCC Awayday at St Mark's Church on Saturday.
Guess who's coming to lunch!
Robert Burns.
Robert Burns was born at Alloway, Ayrshire on the 25th January 1759. We could always remember this at school because one of his poems read 'Our monarch's hindmost year but ane was five-and-twenty days begun,T'was then a blast of Januar win' blew handsel in on Robin.'
A hansel is a new year gift.
So this year was his 250th anniversary
He was a large part of my growing up years being only16miles from Alloway. My father was a member of some Burns Clubs and he was often asked to do one of the speeches at the Burns' Supper.
There are some set speeches such as The Immortal Memory - detailing what a wonderful poet and representative of the working classes, Burns was. Then there was The Lasses - reminding us of how wonderful the womenfolk are. Burns appreciated pretty girls and here is one of his love songs.
My love is like a red red rose
thats newly sprung in June,
My love is like a melody
thats sweetly played in tune.
So fair art thou my pretty lass
So deep in love am I.
And I will love thee still my lass
While the sands o' life shall run.
So fare thee weel my only love
and fare thee weel a while,
And I will come again my lass
Though t'were ten thousand mile.
As well as the traditional speeches, a Burns Supper consists of a traditional menu. The first course always consists of a haggis, accompanied by neeps (mashed swede- the yellow one) and mashed potatoes. The haggis is always 'piped' in by the bagpipes, then someone recites Burns' poem To a Haggis.
Because I was out on Sunday, we had out haggis on Monday, cooked by Romeo and enjoyed by me and the Dunadan.
Week 4 - beginning 25th Jan.
I was very happy last weekend to see cousinJ and his mother. Unfortunately their train tickets (ordered on the internet) hadn't arrived. They set off with the receipt and other proof of purchase and got as far as Ipswich. The station staff there didn't really believe her and phoned Bombay (!). 'Oh we posted them to your local station'. 'But its an unmanned station, so who did you think would be there to receive them?'
Eventually they were persuaded to let them travel with no further cost.
I was even happier, on Saturday, when my DDIL gave me a lesson in Photoshop Elements on how to merge two halves of the same photo. IYSIM.
Eventually they were persuaded to let them travel with no further cost.
I was even happier, on Saturday, when my DDIL gave me a lesson in Photoshop Elements on how to merge two halves of the same photo. IYSIM.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Week 3 - scenes from around the house.
The Christmas cards have come down, but we rather liked the pattern made by the strings and little gold pegs which attached them. The bottom string now has 2 calenders on it - one from Canada, and one from the London City Mission. Very Useful.
About 6 pm on Friday the doorbell rang. Romeo went but soon called me. For a split second I thought it was Bertie (!). Turned out it was a delivery from Interflora with the flowers on the left. Roses, tulips, narcissus of some kind, and freezia. Wish you could smell them! They are a thank you present from the friend whose husband I visited while she was away on Family Business. See week 1 if you've forgotten.The flowers on the left are alstroemeria - a thank you for helping Romeo to persevere in looking for the camera receipt - or something!
A couple of other things this week. On Saturday nights there is presently an excellent programme on The History of Scotland. It is presented by the wonderful Neil Oliver of 'Coast' fame. It has driven me to start reading Magnus Magnusson's 'Scotland' Now, counting the new book on Photoshop, I have 4 books on the go!
I have started researching the family tree of cousinJ. Its especially interesting on his maternal paternal side as there is an archbishop 3 or 4 hundred years ago.
Looking forward; Tomorrow at church is 'Guess who's coming to lunch'. Oh I hope I don't get put with anyone who just has sandwiches for Sunday lunch!Tomorrow is Burns Night - but in this house we will celebrate on Monday.
Watch this space!!
week 3 -Hamstead Heath
On Thursday Romeo and I went to Hampstead to a camera shop with a question about batteries. Afterwards we had a nice lunch in a nearbye tearoom (as opposed to a cafe, but it had no tablecloths!) called Louis Patisserie. The array of cakes was very tempting but to support Evie in her sugar free days, I just had a sausage roll. Which was delicious. its a Hungarian/Eastern European sort of place.
From there we proceeded down Hampstead High Street and Downshire Road to reach the Heath itself. The bottom photo was taken from the first pond we came too. While I was taking it Romeo was able to help some people who were looking for Kenwood House. I don't think you could get further away from it anywhere on the Heath, and thats where they had parked their car!
The top photos are looking south from the top of Parliament Hill and the middle ones are looking east from the same spot.
Home from Gospel Oak station.
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