Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Where were you when .........

I found this over at Dispatches from France and knowing how fond I am of a meme, particularly a stolen meme ... I stole it. But it was theft by invitation :o)

1) Where were you when Armstrong first walked on the Moon? Still a twinkle in my father's eye ... well not entirely true, more of a rather large bulge in my mother's tummy! She was in hospital waiting for me to appear. Eventually I arrived on August 14th I was 2 weeks late and she was suffering from dangerously high blood pressure. So I missed the moon walk but she saw it on the television as there was an Americna woman on the ward whose husband brought a telly in!
2) Where were you when you heard Princess Di had died?
It was a Sunday morning and I walked downstairs at about 8 o'clock, flicked on the kettle and went into the living room and turned on the TV and in that moment halfway between sleep and real wakefulness I couldn't work out what had happened. It was unreal. Martyn Lewis was making the announcements. I heard my mother coming downstairs, walked out of the living room to find her on the bottom stair and opened my mouth and couldn't speak. Nothing would come out. Total shock. I took her arm and pulled her into the living room. I remember crying ~ I thought Diana was wonderful. I had been an impressionable 10 year old during the royal courtship and had thought that this is what a real princess should be like. Had stood in the rain to wave to her as she drove through Wales after her wedding and had hated her husband for his betrayal of her.



3) Where were you on New Year’s Eve of 1999/2000? I was staying with Simon on the Isle of Man, it was my first visit there and it was cold, blustery and wet. Yet on the afternoon of the 31st the skies miraculously cleared and the sun was shining. At midnight we were sitting on the wall at the front of the house over-looking the beach watching a firework display above the water, drinking champagne cocktails! *sighs* The hangover lasted days :o(

4) Where were you on Sept.11, 2001? I was in school, sitting in the staff room at lunchtime. We were eating jam doughnuts (some body's birthday) and one of the guys I worked with had a phone call from his mother to say put the television on NOW!! The news programmes were talking about it being a devastating accident when the second plane hit. I think every one's life changed that day. And I mean every one ~ the whole world.




5) Where were you when you first heard about the big 2004 Tsunami? We were in France and suddenly the television screens were full of scenes of devastation and I remember thinking that an ex-boss of mine (who I am incredibly fond of) was there with her husband. The horror of the scenes that unfolded in front of our eyes was unbelievable and yet we were riveted to the screen that day. I watched the re-run of the Challenge Anneka ~ the Sri Lankan Challenge on Sunday evening ~ things are taking so long, too long to improve BUT the programme was wonderful.



6) Where were you when you first heard that Madonna would go on tour last year? Madonna went on tour last year? I didn't realise! I guess I was sitting here reading this. I'm sorry to say that I had more respect for Madonna when she was carousing ... I can't be doing with the whole macro-biotic, African child-adopting, children's literature writing, Kabbalah, squeaky clean version. Bring back the slut writhing in the church or with Jean Paul Gaultier tits!!




Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Yesterday afternoon

B ~ Mrs Langthorne?

Me ~ Yes B?

B ~ I've got a cock!

Me ~ *thinking not saying* Oh my God!! What did she just say?? *panic evident in the eyes*

Me ~ Pardon B? I didn't hear you?

B ~ I've got a cock!

Me ~ *looks around madly at the Nursery nurse and TA* I hope I mis-heared that! What did she say?

Kelly ~ *starting to laugh at me* She said she's got a cough Mrs Langthorne!!

Blog Fodder #9

This week’s topic was submitted by Rob, over at My Bloody Great Nutshell.

Name a sensory input(s) which trigger a mood change be it uplifting, depressing, poignancy or remind you of a past event or period in time. Examples - the smell of an aftershave or perfume, a song, a baby crying, the sound of a Vegas slot machine, the feel of clean sheets, the taste of a childhood drink.

Good question Rob ~ so many things ... the smell of my Gran's perfume, the song we all used to sing in the car on long journeys, the smell of cappucino in an Italian Cafe, home-cooked chips for a Saturday lunch-time treat.

But more than any other, the smell of vanilla ~ it always takes me back to making custard in the kitchen at home with my Nana on a Sunday afternoon. To serve with apple crumble. Or some other dessert that we'd made for tea. I spent Sunday afternoons baking with my Nan ~ Victoria sandwiches, pikelets or crumbles. Occasionally scones or rock buns. We'd all eat Sunday lunch together, she'd have a nap and then we'd hit the kitchen! Strange, it was my grandad (Dad's dad) who was the merchant navy cook, yet it was my Nana (Mum's Mum) who seems to have first interested me in cooking. Even now (25 years later) when I make a winter stew (not a casserole, that recipe is all my own) it's my Nana's method / recipe I use ~ stewing steak, onions, red lentils, parsnips and carrots, potatoes added fro the last 30 minutes of cooking to thicken the broth. Delicious!

Monday, January 29, 2007

The end of a long weekend

Busy here guys

Planning
DIY
Washing
Ironing Severe shaking and straightening as things come out of the tumble dryer
Golf widowing (you know what I mean don't you?)
Threshold application

Almost looking forward to going into school :o)

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Unconscious mutterings #208

mutteringsredanim88x33

I say ... and you think ... ?

Limit :: Credit card
Voice :: husky today, sore throat too.
Change :: coppers in my purse
Expression :: in my voice when reading stories to children.
Tailor :: Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief.
Lemonade :: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!"
Thought :: think
Phoebe :: Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan ~ Friends
Impression :: Claude Monet
Sister :: Sister Act

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Blog Fodder #8

All the way from Melonie over at The Joy of Being Melonie.

How does one handle work, home and family (or a combination thereof) without having a nervous breakdown?

Gosh! Well you see, Melonie's got quite a juggling job going on :o) She has 6 children from 11 down and has recently gone back to college ~ it makes me wonder what I should be complaining about. I have no kids, a supportive husband and a fabulous job. But sometimes the daily grind is exhausting.

I realise that Joe Bloggs on the street still thinks that teachers work from 9am until 3.15, have an hour for lunch, have weekends off and take 14 weeks holiday a year ~ this is a slightly out of date and jaded picture. Most weekdays I leave the house by 7.15 and am rarely home before 6pm. This past week I had a staff meeting on Monday (home at 6.10), a Governing Body meeting on Wednesday (home at 8.45) and an IT twilight meeting on Thursday (home at 6.30).

However, the biggest bug bear I have is the daily commute along the A2 to work. The A2 is the main road from London to Dover and originally followed a major Roman Road ~ the famous Watling Street ~ which in itself followed an ancient Celtic trackway. It's traffic problems are never mentioned on the radio in the morning because they are always there! Sometimes the 15 mile drive takes me 20 minutes ~ what a joy that is! Other mornings it takes an hour. And the longest ever was a 3 & a 1/2 hour commute ... luckily I had a book in the glove compartment and had wee'd before I left.

The journey home is similar but at least I can leave early / late and try to miss the bulk of the rush. On both journeys I listen to music to keep me going ~ Radio 2 and the woderful Terry Wogan in the morning. Not only the music but the jokes, poems and witiscms of his readers help me along the way. Whatever CD falls to hand in the evenings ~ currently a great deal of Snow Patrol, the Feeling and of course Michel Thomas ~ the Spanish king!

So that's how I do it ... the bit that could cause me a nervous breakdown, the travelling. I listen to music, try to relax, keep a book in the glove compartment, carry bottled water and ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS wee before I leave.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

A day at home?

tt cool flat
Thirteen things this Thursday morning is a list of websites I visit almost everyday!
    1. The BBC
    2. Question of the Day ~ legal nosiness!
    3. Google ~ personalised my end with the added addition of backgammon and googley eyes
    4. Radio 2 ~ catch up on the shows I miss
    5. Indigo's Daily trivia Game ~ except *gnash gnash* somedays I forget to go. And somedays I screw up the answers. But 10/10 today :o)
    6. RM ~ Our network was provided and is looked after by them.
    7. The Met Office ~ just in case of bad weather.
    8. Gmail ~ Never delete another email if you don't want to ~ do you want an invite? I have lots!
    9. Apple Film Trailers ~ I know I'm strange, but I love trailers.
    10. Hallmark e-cards ~ any excuse!
    11. Yahoo Backgammon ~ fancy a game?
    12. Flickr
    13. And this is of course where I cheat ~ my blogroll, which includes the duckster, a Kiwi or two, la Bella Stella and a somewhat mad Baggage to name but a few.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Good morning?

Poker was a complete let down ~ the lovely Tracy cleaned up! Shattered this morning as I got home at 12.30 after a 50 mile drive. It's cold and we have a sprinkling (less than an inch) of snow ~ which means that the drive to work will be hell as no-one in the SE of the UK can drive in the snow!! The BBC is forecasting more. The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning.



You know when you have that sinking feeling :o(

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Blog Fodder #7


And perhaps the author of this week’s topic is Karen, over at Write from Karen. The weather where she lives is treating her and her family and of course everyone else in her neighbourhood quite badly at the moment. Go and give her a bit of a hug will you please?
Which is more important, intelligence or common sense?
Oh wow! What a doozy of a question! It's taken me days to think about this before I even considered writing :o) And then I wrote a ream and Blogger lost it and I thought BOLLOCKS TO IT!! And I am answering this in one longish sentence, so here goes!
Common sense is more important than intelligence because without common sense you cannot act on your intelligence; but obviously a mixture of the two is best of all :o)

Sunday, January 21, 2007

My face, who's face?

Driving to Suzanne's on Saturday morning I listened to Jonathan Ross's show where he talked about a website called My Heritage and their face recognition software! What a hoot!
Go on, have a go & then come back and tell us ... which celebrity do you look like?

Unconscious mutterings #207

mutteringsredanim88x33

I say ... and you think ... ?

Audition :: piece
Urgent :: fax
Lunch :: time
Adult :: grown up
Mug :: of tea
Awful :: terrible
Comics :: The Beano
Damage :: stormy weather ~ our TV aerial (we still have one attached to the chimney even though we hat satellite TV) shuddered all night long in the wind. And there's snow forecast for Wednesday ... joy!
Kicks :: Route 66
Experience :: trying things out