Party

I have just had my Oxford Christmas drinks party and it was a great success. Everyone came and they had a great time. and so did I which is what really matters. Tomorrow I clean up and then go down to the farm to spend the evening and night with the Gee's. We will watch the X factor final and I will get up early to go to the bus to go to Heathrow for the flight to America. I'm looking forward to seeing Daniel and Jane and families and also Darcy and Joe who are my mainstays. I will also see Malcolm but given our recent interactions that might be tricky. I will see and report.

This is the lattice fence as mentioned below.

A lousy week

I'm now at the end of the week I was writing about in the last post. Well, things only got worse. My cold carried on for a few more days. I had to leave the class on Monday evening half way through. Then on Tuesday I found out that Malcolm is bringing his girlfriend to England in January to meet his daughters and their families. I know I shouldn't mind but I do. They are coming on the weekend that I was planning a family get together to celebrate a late Christmas since I will be away during Christmas proper. So typical. Then, to top things off, I got my first graded essay back yesterday and I got a C. I'm so disappointed. I was hoping for a B so that I could feel good about this new endeavour of mine. I'll have the tutorial to talk about it on Monday and that should be helpful. I've been finding the course extremely difficult and this grade certainly proves it. I'm sitting here in a real funk. I've lost my husband and it looks as though I'm not going to be able to replace him with academics.

OK - enough moaning. The bright side is that I am having a party on Friday for my neighbours and close friends and I'm leaving for LA tomorrow week where I will have another party and see my American friends and family. I'll also be seeing Darcy and Joe which is a real treat. Another positive thing is that my garden is coming along beautifully. I've hired a wonderful person called Judith who lives nearby. She is an actress but she does gardens on the side, actressing being an iffy occupation. I'm very lucky to have found her because her taste in, and approach to gardens is exactly like mine. I've been trying for thirty years or more to have a proper English garden and now I will. At the moment it doesn't look like much because it is middle of winter but I have had a lattice fence put in and I will find picture of it to post.

Cold, wet and dreary

The title describes the weather, not me. It has been hovering around 0 (that's centigrade). I have a v. bad fluey cold which has kept me indoor for the past three days. The upside of that is that I have not ignored my essay, the title of which is: "How successful were Marxist Socialists in winning support amongst the European working classes". It is not due until 12 Jan but I want to have it mostly done before I go away for Christmas. I started Christmas shopping yesterday from the comfort of my chair in front of the computer. I think everyone should have a wish list on Amazon. It makes life so much easier. The tree men are here removing some branches from the huge trees in my back garden. It will give me more light for growing things.

I'm going to the Mall. Can I borrow your credit card? I'll take good care of it.

A Lovely Weekend

I had a dinner party on Friday which was very successful then Alison, Sian and Harry turned up on Saturday for the weekend. Alison dropped Sian and Harry off with me and then went to the farm to get Rosie. Charlie was having his birthday party (23 guests from 3 different schools) and it seemed advisable to get Rosie out from under. She and Harry played together. Actually I think it is called parallel play. It's like an old married couple, each doing her own thing but in the same room. They had tea together (I have two highchairs) and then they had a bath. Rosie walks now but Harry is still at the crawling stage. Alison took Rosie home and the three of us crashed in front of X Factor. The girls were glad to see Daniel voted off but I would have liked to lose JLS. On Sunday everyone came to me for lunch. We had Ikea meatballs and they were a great success. I was going to serve them on Friday evening but Rachel said I would be hounded out of the neighbourhood club so I desisted. Everyone left after lunch and I fell asleep. On Monday I finished my second essay so I'm feeling pretty good except when I think about having to start immediately on the next one so that it will be done before I come to LA next month.

The grind goes on

I had my tutorial this afternoon and it was disappointing. Not because she said anything bad. It was just rather flat although I did get a few hints for the next essay which will be useful. The amount of work I am having to do for this course is quite overpowering. I used to hang out in coffee shops and M&S; now I hang out in libraries. I have to keep reminding myself that it's all good and something that I wanted to do. I have a stack of books on bloody Napoleon and his effect on Spain and Austria (next essay subject) which I have to read and turn into a lucid argument. Ha Ha. I have to stop myself from writing things like, "then he took troops to Spain where another 4 or 5 thousand young men died in a muddy field." Maybe I should have done Sociology. Military history sucks. We don't get out of Europe and back into England until February and then it's the Tudors who shed a fair amount of blood. Why can't we study a nice king like Edward II who was a sweet, gay boy. He did die a horrible death at the command of his homophobic mother and her boyfriend but his son had revenge on his behalf.

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water............

It has been almost three weeks since I have updated this. You all know that I am 'back at school'(American)'have started my course'(BR) It is hard work; fortunately, very interesting. I'm reading about Napoleon and the French Revolution. It seems that there were about 39 different countries in need of subduing. Some were no bigger than Oxford and were eventually incorporated into the larger ones but in the meantime, they all have kings and they fight constantly. And I'm supposed to know what they are and who is in charge. My next essay is due in about three weeks and this one counts. I have my first tutorial on Tuesday to talk about the first essay. By Tue evening I will be either very pleased or ready to quit. I will let you know.

Oh dear!!

(this is a copy of my post on the GoalsRUs blog)
I slipped up on Friday evening. I had some people round for a meal and by the time I had cooked it, it just seemed too cruel to deny my self a glass of Sancerre. Strangely enough, that lead to another and another. On the plus side, it was an excellent evening. I'm back on the wagon again. I was looking after Rosie and Adam on Saturday and driving Chloe back and forth to Bicester for her ballet. Had it not been for those tasks, I would have spent a good deal of the day resting up. Rachel had a birthday drinks party for herself last night. Depending on your point of view, it was a great success because the last people didn't leave until 2am. Adam and I went home at 9:30 so we would be able to get up for the Star Wars movie this morning. Now I have to get back to work. I'm going over to have a meal with Nancy tonight and I will drive so there is no chance of my being tempted by a glass of anything.

At the beach

I'm in Brighton and having a relaxing time. Little Harry continues to be the most wonderful baby. I looked after him on Friday so Alison could go to work (he had the week off creche due to a slight illness). You can plan your day with a child like Harry because he is on a schedule. We all went in to town on Saturday, dodging rain showers but, nevertheless, having a good time. I love shopping in Brighton. I found a beautiful chest of drawers for my bedroom. This, after buying some Ikea junk the week before which is considerably cheaper and considerably uglier. Now I have to convince myself that I can afford it given the dodgy financial climate. I'll be happy to hear from anyone who wants to assure me that it is okay to spend 800 pounds instead of 250. Now I'm off back to Oxford to continue reading history. Until I got involved in a British academic course, I thought it was pretentious to say, "I'm reading history." Now I understand it.

H1

Ian Hacking came to town on Saturday to visit his child and grandchildren. I put him up at my house and I cooked a big Sunday lunch for everyone on Sunday. He went off to London to attend a conference on Monday and Tuesday. I went up to meet him yesterday when the conference finished. I arrived just in time for the drinks party and then we had a meal and then I went home. It was an interesting visit. It is the first time I have spent more that about 10 minutes with him in 40years. We did a bit of catching up. He doesn't have any corneas but otherwise he's in good health.

The boys and the kids

Darcy and Joe

I dropped the boys off at Heathrow this morning at 7. We had three excellent days. They took me out for a meal at a nice restaurant on Saturday and Rachel made Sunday lunch for us. She does a killer leg of lamb and it was delicious. Charlie showed D&J his camp in the woods and demonstrated starting a fire with a flint. Darcy captured it and much else on his digital video camera (new toy). On Monday we went to Buckingham Palace. Talk about bling. Everything glittered and shone. The state dining room was quite magnificent. I got tearful because it reminded me of the wonderful dinners I used to go to in Washington. I wouldn't like to live that way but it is great fun to get dressed up and go to a grand dinner every so often. We came back from London at 7pm and went straight to the fish and chip shop for a down-to-earth supper. The boys are off to Africa tomorrow and will doubtless have lots of movies of them snuggling up to gorillas.

Change of Plan

It wasn't just Nancy shooting me down; I had a couple of serious talks with other people who know what I was about to attempt. Also, and more importantly, I was becoming very stressed and anxious about trying to apply to Oxford in less than a month. Ergo, I have decided to change from the one year full time history course to the two year part time course. This will give me a full year to get some history 'under my belt' and to see if I really want to be a serious student for the next umpty dump years. I still start on the 29th but at Rewley House instead of Ruskin. I feel much calmer and I'm looking forward to a visit with Darcy and Joe who are coming to Oxford tomorrow.

Reality

Nancy came for coffee this morning and burst my bubble. I have been fantasizing about applying to Oxford and being accepted. She calmly asked me which Universities I would be putting on my application. Of course, I said, "Oxford". She looked at me like I had lost my mind and said that I had to name four different places and that my chances of being accepted at Oxford are nil to 1%. I know she's right but I didn't like hearing it. I'm going to go ahead anyway. I start my course at Ruskin this week. I have also been accepted to do a foundation course at OUDCE but I will stick with Ruskin because they got to me first and theirs is a one year, full time course. The other one is two years part time. Now I have to start preparing my UCAS application and practising for the HAT (history aptitude test). I shall soldier on and hope for the best.

Perioral Dermatitis

I have been developing an unsightly rash around my mouth so I went to see the doctor on Friday. I thought he would tell me to go away and to stop wasting his time. He's so sweet, he took it seriously and diagnosed Perioral Dermatitis. Of course the cause is unknown and there is really no cure. I have to stop using make-up, face creams of any sort, and I can't wash my face with soap, only plain water. I think I will get used to it but my face feels like sandpaper today. I'm so used to a bevy of creams and lotions to moisturise myself.

Away from home

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I’m in Brighton with the girls and the Fox. I love being here. It is restful and fun. The baby continues to be a real charmer and his Mums continue to be devoted to him in a sensible way. We went into town this morning. We had lunch then we came home. I realize it doesn’t sound very exciting but it is exactly what I need. I go home tomorrow and I have various events to get ready for. Nothing too strenuous but, nevertheless, plans to be made and jobs to be done. I’m having the Saturday morning Coffee Soiree at my house next week so I have to do something about the state of my patio. It is covered in weeds and moss and crud. I left the table out for weeks (in the rain) and it is disintegrating which isn’t attractive. It started life as an indoor wooden table so it’s not surprising.ere hhhhhhh

Writing

I gave my serious piece of writing to Nigel last evening and he returned comments today. Lovely, lovely man thought it was just fine and that I would do okay in my new career as student. Zoe, Nancy, Nigel and I went to dinner last night at Gee's restaurant. It was my way of saying thank you to Nancy and Nigel for writing references that helped me into Ruskin. I was thanking Zoe for putting me up for a week when the children were here. I like having a bolt hole in a listed house.

Something to do with my new life

Nigel rang me up last week to suggest that there is no time like the present to start learning to write in a serious, academic way. My inner hedonist said, "Uh, oh" but the new me agreed with him so he set me a little task. I'm finding that it is quite different trying to write seriously with book based evidence than just churning out a blog or a story. I've been reading about Anglo-Saxons so he suggested writing a short piece about them and relating it in some way to the present day. It has taken days but I'm finally finished and I shall give it to him today. I'm still waiting to hear from Ruskin as to whether I will have to pay fees for my course in the autumn.

We are suffering the final days of August. It has been wet and cold. The cold I don't mind but the rain is only good for keeping me out of the garden by necessity rather than choice. The new border that Judith planted is coming along very well. Because it is a herbaceous border, it won't come into its own until next year. I did manage to mow half the lawn but it grew back again before I could get to the second half. I have finally got a date for the fence - 8th Sept. I'm going down to Brighton on Thursday to see Harry. Oh, Alison and Sian as well.

Family Reunion

Here we are, the happy fifteen. Starting at the top from L to R we have - Charlie Gee, Jane Hacking, Alison Pike, Harry, Sian Williams, Rachel Gee, Catherine Foglesong, Queen Mother holding Rosie, Chloe Gee, Michelle Hacking, Charlie Gee (the younger) Sam Foglesong, Adam Gee and Daniel Hacking holding Olivia.

It was a wonderful week. Sometimes these things have lots of hiccups and bumps but we rubbed along pretty well. This picture was taken by a photographer whom I hired to take good family pictures and it was worth it. We celebrated Sam's birthday that day. He was 12. On the Friday we hired a minibus and driver to take us out for the day. It could have been a complete disaster because it happened to be the day that 150,000 people were converging on Blenheim Palace for a game show. Our driver picked up the Headington contingent at 9:30 at the Black Boy and an hour and a half later we arrived at the farm for the others (usually a 20 minute journey). Then we tried to head off for Stratford. Fortunately, Phillip, the driver, new the back roads but it hardly helped because so did everyone else. It was 11:45 and we were no where near Stratford so we stopped in Bourton-on-the-Water for our picnic lunch. We let the kids go wild for half an hour then reboarded. It was clear that our time was running short so we dumped Stratford and headed straight for Warwick Castle. This was smart because it is an excellent place for children. It's kind of like Walt Disney meets Simon de Montfort (sorry, I couldn't resist that). They fired off the final trebuchet (look it up) at 5:30 and we collected ourselves and climbed back on the bus. We left Warwick just before 6 and got home 2 hours later. Daniel figured out that the amount of time we were on the bus, we could have flown to New York. You might think that everyone would have been feeling miserable and rotten but not a bit of it. There were no fights and no crying babies. We all decided after the event that it was a great day that we would always remember because of its quirkiness. We came home and gobbled up a takeaway and fell into bed. Alison and Sian left the next day and Daniel and Michelle a few days later. I had Jane's company for the rest of the week - a big plus. She was able to come to Nigel's and to the Book Club.

Outcome

Whatever I did on Monday it seems to have worked. I had a letter from Ruskin on Thursday accepting me for their one year access course for a history degree. I don't know whether it was the outfit, my babbling about Anglo Saxons or my overall air of intelligence and determination but they are having me. Needless to say, I am tickled pink. It was nice that all the children were here because we settled down with family and a few friends and we celebrated. I owe a lot to Nancy and Nigel both of whom wrote references for me which I'm sure played a big part in the acceptance. The only possible hitch now is finances. If I can tell them I have been resident for three years, I pay very little. If I can't say or prove that, it will cost a great deal for this first year. I don't know how much but when I asked the people who were interviewing me for a ballpark figure, all they would say was, "It's prohibitive."

Interview

I have been invited for a second interview. This one is on Monday afternoon so very little time to be nervous and anxious. I'm still counting on the Anglo Saxons which I'm reading and very happily. Now I just have to worry about what to wear. Zoe suggests a JoJo outfit but I'm afraid it might be too colourful and flamboyant. On the other hand, I don't want to look like some blue stocking frump or some older woman trying too hard. Any suggestions gratefully received.

P.S. I am serious about the course but one has only one chance to make a first impression!

Branching Out

I've been going along now for two years living as a single person. It has been quite rough at times but I'm doing pretty well. However, my activities fall into the niche of older retired woman; taking things quite easy and doing many things outside the house that I've always done. Lovely though it is, I had begun to realize that it wasn't enough. I need to try something that will take up all of my time and energy and clog up my mind. So guess what I'm trying to do? A proper first degree at University. It turns out that in order to be considered, I have to do an Access/Foundation Course. I haven't been a student for about a hundred years and I need to get back in the groove and prove to the College that I'm serious and that I can do it. I have applied for a few different preliminary courses and I'm waiting to hear if any of them will have me. I have actually got one interview for a history access course on 4th September. Apparently I have to be ready to discuss the period of history in which I'm most interested and books that I have read. Oh Oh! I knew there was going to be a catch. Never mind. I started last night reading a book on AngloSaxons and I have historian friends who will help me with vocabulary. I had coffee this morning with some of them and already they suggest that I start learning Old English. This is a precursor to Middle English and then Modern English. It is like a totally foreign language so I had better get busy. When I start writing this blog in Old English you will know that I have succeeded.

Enter, The Fox

I spent three days in Brighton last weekend looking after The Fox while his parents went away overnight for a much needed break. It was Sian's birthday. I was slightly nervous but I needn't have been. He slept all through the night and woke up happy in the morning. They had put him to bed the night before so having me appear beside the crib was a surprise. I was treated to a big smile. We breakfasted together and then he went back to bed. His Mummies came home at lunchtime. Everyone was glad to see everyone else.

Here he is smiling, pursing and looking like a stud.

Mummy Ali and me

My Mummy reads me a story every time I put my head down for a nap or a good night's sleep. I'm getting the hang of it and pretty soon I'll be able to read to her. Oh! I forgot. I can't talk yet.

On the Upswing

I appear to have recovered from my last bout of flu. At least I'm up and about and doing things. It was my birthday on Sunday. I was 67!!! I don't feel a day over 65. On Friday evening I went out for a meal with Diana, Zoe, Nancy and Amanda. We went to the Black Boy and I enjoyed a large plate of fish and chips. Nancy insisted on drawing the attention of the staff and other patrons to the event taking place "a la table moi" so they put a tea lite in the middle of a bowl of strawberries and sang Happy Birthday. I pretended to be embarrassed but I was secretly pleased.

On Sunday (actual birthday) I went down to the farm for a Birthday Tea. The children had made a cake and decorated it with strawberries and cream and candles. Once again, we sang, we blew, and we ate. Adam was a considerable help with all three. I had a lovely birthday. Thank you everyone.

I had my final photography class last evening. It was an excellent series, pitched at just the right level. I feel much more competent now with Photoshop but I still need hours of practice. I rushed from the class to a meeting of the Book Club. We read "Readings in the Dark" by Seamus Deane. Set in Northern Ireland in the 50's, it is an excellent book. It is interesting how, no matter where I go, there are always a few people with a Catholic background.

I'm going to Brighton on Thursday to have my first overnight session with the Fox (without his parents). I was thinking of taking him to Revenge. That's the gay nightclub in Brighton that I love and I haven't been there since 2002 when we were all super groovy! I had better be careful since his parents might be going there and I don't want me and the Fox to have our style cramped by a couple of middle aged ladies.

Sick Again

I seem to be plagued by illness. I spent last Thursday with Rosie who had a streaming cold. I find it impossible not to pick her up and be close so, of course, I came down with same streaming cold. I can cope with a cold and this was fortunate because I had booked myself into an open day at Harris Manchester on Friday. I snuffled through the event and then drove to Brighton to spend the weekend with Alison and Harry. As luck would have it, Harry had diarrhea and vomiting. Once again, couldn't resist holding and cuddling. We were afraid I would give him the cold but instead, he gave me what he had. I woke up on Monday morning (back in Oxford) with all three complaints in full force. It would appear that my immune system is not at its best. I know I blogged recently about joining the gym and I did feel good. Oh well. Nowhere to go but up.

The Gym

Here is a perfect example of how lazy I am. I joined a gym at the beginning of the month and promised myself that I would go at least every other day, aiming for four times a week. Today was meant to be a gym day and there is even a class that I like on Sunday evening. Am I there stretching and puffing? Of course not. I'm sitting in front of my computer pretending to be doing something worthwhile. My gym interactions have been interesting. You have to be induced (induction) by one of the little gym rats before you are allowed loose on the machines. My little chap is called Dave and he wanted me to list my problem areas. Where to begin? How honest should I be? I decide to be truthful so I write down things like, "pain in my legs, pain in my joints, shortness of breath on walking upstairs, dizziness, headaches." He looks at the list and says, "Have you seen your GP lately?" I assure him that it is just age and inactivity and nothing to worry about. He's not having it so I have to promise to go and bore my GP for ten minutes. I do this and GP does his thing and declares me fit and well. He says that the only help for my symptoms is exercise!! So there, Dave! I go back to the gym and Dave shows me things to do. Very simple, very elementary. I've done a lot of gym stuff in the past so, the next time I go, I ignore Dave's mamby pamby routine and really go for it. This followed a two mile walk with Rosie so I was feeling pretty chuffed and pleased with myself until I woke up the next morning. Oh dear. I'm telling myself that that is why I didn't go today but the real reason is that I went to a lunchtime party and had a couple of glasses of wine so exercise was off the agenda. I spoke later to my allotment partner who had also been at the lunch. She had just come back from a run down to the allotment to check on the beans, etc. She was running, I was napping. We each do what the Lord put us on earth for.

Because I'm such a lazy sod, I seem to have to start every blog with an apology for not keeping up. In future take my apologies as a given.

Yesterday morning I went to Nigel's for an extra special soiree. He was reading a lead-in poem for his epic and the first chapter of same. It was excellent; especially the poem. I've read his stuff before and sometimes it's hard going - replete with lots of gods and goddesses and I can't even put a function or talent to the well known ones, my classical Greek education being nonexistent. We were the usual group with a few omissions but, instead of just coffee and biscuits, he had laid on wine, bread and cheese, tomatoes and chutneys. It was not only a feast for the ears and stomach but also for the eyes. Nigel was dressed in a floral patterned, silk brocade jacket with a similar waistcoat underneath plus a floppy scarf which figured in the procuction. He carried a sword as well and waved it about from time to time to make a point. The epic is based on goings on in Whitehall so lots of in jokes. Hunting figured in it as well. The thing I regret was not taking my camera. It would have made a wonderful picture. Maybe I can get him to dress up again for a photoshoot.

Thank God for Grandsons

Charlie and Adam have provided me with two wonderful cinematic experiences. Charlie and I went to see "Indiana Jones" yesterday. It was a full on date with dinner after the film. I let him choose the restaurant and he picked Cafe Noir because it is French and trendy and suitable for a sophisticated 11 year old. We spent the rest of our evening watching Medieval shows on telly and then he had a sleep over.

Today was Adam's turn. We went to see "Speed Racer" followed by luncheon out. Again, it was his choice. I assumed it would be MacDonald's but he threw me a curve by suggesting Burger King. I went from smoked salmon with Charlie to chicken bites and fries with Adam. It is nice to have eclectic taste. Both films were excellent, especially "Indiana Jones". I was afraid Harrison Ford might look very old and very face-lifted but not a bit of it. In fact he was so hot that I rushed out today and joined an upscale gym for six months. The boy who showed me around the gym expressed surprise when I told him I am 66. So I said, "You don't have to flatter me; I'm going to join." And he said, "No, really, you look good. My mother is only 61 and she looks like she's just about to fall off her perch." I shall have my induction session tomorrow and then set to work on the flab ab and crummy tummy.

Allotment Goddess

I think I mentioned before that I have an allotment with my friend, Zoe. Here she is being wonderful with weeds. She did 90% of the ground preparation and most of the planting of our potatoes, courgettes and parsnips. Another friend has extra runner beans which we will put in after he has started them in his green house. I like runner beans because you can have those cute wig wammy looking things made from bamboo poles. We haven't yet set a date for our harvest festival supper. Probably better wait until we get a shed where we can store the wine. Someone on one of our allotments is growing hops so we will definitely invite him to the festival and he can bring the beer.

Rosie and her Grandad

Rosie thought she might have to call the fire department when Grandad proceeded to blow out his 73 candles.

The caption for the top picture is: "My Dad grows the best asparagus in Oxford."

My Spring Garden

My garden is at its best in spring. I have a profusion of bluebells, Queen Anne's Lace, cowslips, forget-me-nots, alkanet, tulips, comfrey and stinging nettles. The leaves have begun to come on the trees which means more shade but they are beautiful trees.

After Pictures

We were right to plaster. Colin did a wonderful job. The room is very light. I've started sleeping in it even though the new carpet won't arrive for a couple of weeks.

Before - New Bedroom Pictures

As promised, here are a couple of pictures of the bedroom when the ceiling had been removed. The original plan was to keep the beams and to make it "olde worlde". When we discovered that everything was mismatched including the bark on the trees, it seemed a good idea to plaster over.

A Week Later

I'm still nursing the last stages of flu which is a bloody nuisance. I was better last week for a few days while Rachel had her turn at being sick and bedridden. I took Rosie on walks into town. She and I have a favourite coffee shop on Walton Street. I have a croissant and a cappacino and she has the froth on the top of the cup. It works well for us. Also she encouraged me to buy a digital SLR camera during one of our trips. It was pouring rain on Wed. so I put her in her pram and covered it with a big plastic wrap and I in a hooded raincoat. We dripped into the photo shop where I announced that I was in need of a camera. He took one look at us and made his way toward the point and shoots. I said, "I don't think this is what I'm looking for. I want one of the ones that has lenses." "Oh, well they're over here." "I think I want a Canon" I said. "Oh well, they're on the top shelf." Over we go. They're quite expensive" he says. "Are you sure that's what you want?" "Couldn't be surer," says I. "I'm old and I'm rich and I want a Canon DSLR." Message received. It is not pure self indulgence that I have this camera. I have signed up for a four week course on how to use it and I think I will have a great time with it. I love taking pictures and this will be just the thing especially with spring in full bloom. When Sian got hers, it was so obvious that her pictures were better than mine and I have to keep up with Sian otherwise they won't let me take pictures of Harry and that would be a tragedy.

This stupid flu has rendered me useless on the allotment. Poor Zoe has been doing all the heavy lifting. I'm planning to be well for our first harvest supper. She has been so kind assuring me that she doesn't mind being the labour force but I'll bet she is grinding her teeth as I slink out the door blowing my nose. I spoke to JF last evening who requests pictures of the new bedroom. I shall oblige in the next post.

Weekend

I was feeling better on Friday but not better enough to drive to Brighton so Alison and Harry came here overnight on Saturday. It was lovely to have the company. If you look at Alison's blog you will see that we had a fine mother/daughter evening with burgers and telly. Also, I slept in the new bedroom for the first time and it was lovely. It's not finished yet because I don't have the carpeting down. I'm agonizing over which carpet to have. The first quote seemed a bit high so I went to a second shop yesterday for more samples. They are coming this week to quote and then I will be forced to make a decision. A friend was around last evening and I was extolling the virtues of cheap carpeting which I could change often. She pointed out that it is a major job having carpet fitted because of all the furniture moving and upheaval. This has caused me to swerve back toward the higher priced option. What I'm really hoping is that the next quote is no better than the first one.

The weather is good today but I have to tidy the house in preparation for the cleaners who will start tomorrow. Tidying is essential but I am forcing myself not to pre-clean.

Bored and Fed Up

I'm going crazy with boredom today because I have been sick since Tuesday. I woke up on Tuesday morning with a stomach bug and feeling weak and miserable. I had to cancel my dinner party and stay in bed. Wednesday was worse. I obviously have a virus because I ache in my limbs and joints and I'm even more prone to tears. I feel a bit better today and the sun is shining so I walked to the shops for medication and fluids and then came home and back to bed. As you can see, I'm feeling very sorry for myself. Then I remember how lucky I am that I'm not working and I don't have young children to look after. I can go off the radar and it is just fine. I was supposed to go to Brighton tomorrow for the weekend but I know I won't be up to the drive. Alison might be able to come here instead.


I've chosen the new carpet for the front of the house. The new back room looks wonderful. I can't wait to get it finished and move into it. It's nice to have a project that is going well.

Knife Skills

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I went up to London to meet Alison and go to a knife skills class. She had organized this for me as my Christmas present. She and Sian came up from Brighton with Harry and we all met at Starbucks down the street from Divertimenti. This is a "to-die-for" kitchen shop where they have a teaching area on the bottom level. Sian was the star of the day because she looked after Harry between 11 and 3 while we were in the class. He had to come to London because of the breast feeding which happened immediately before the class and immediately after. In the interim Sian wheeled him around and shopped on Marylebone High Street which is a shoppers paradise. So much so that I bought a trendy cardy on my way to the class. That was because when I looked closely at the one I was wearing, it had dirt from the allotment on the sleeve and baby sick down the front. My wardrobe management these days seems to go from the sublime to the ridiculous. The class itself was excellent. She showed us how to keep an edge on the knife, then how to joint a chicken then we turned our attention to vegetables and finally fruit. One of the really super aspects was the lady who came around constantly to clear our work areas and wash our cutting boards. In between these activities, she assembled and cooked the food we were chopping into a wonderful meal which we ate at the end. Obviously these knife skills will require practice so I'm going out today to buy a lot of onions and carrots and I am going to recreate the meal on Tuesday when I have friends coming for dinner.

Three Little Gees

We went to Kenilworth yesterday to see the castle and visit my friend, Rona. We all loved the castle except Rosie who didn't seem to care one way or the other. I sat on a rampart with her and fed her baby mush while Rachel and the boys climbed to the top of the ruin. I wanted to see it as well so Adam agreed to lead me up there as long as we could have a race to the top. I have no problem letting him win. I would be hard pressed to keep up with him. We went to have lunch at Rona's and she gave us pasta and icecream and cake. As Charlie said on the way home, "I know she likes children because she had all the best food." We had a lovely day.

Little Cousins

Here is a picture of Rosie and Harry putting up with each other. Alison was here with him for a few days last week. We had a grand time but we always do.

My garden a few days later...

Snow had been forcast for Sunday but I didn't believe it until I woke up and pulled up the window shade. This is what I saw. In the early AM it was very beautiful with the sun shining and no footprints or mess. By lunch time that had changed and I even had to brush snow off my windscreen before I could drive to the farm. Fortunately, Zoe and I had done some allotment digging on Saturday. To be more accurate, Zoe did a lot of digging and I messed around with a pitchfork alternating between telling her that she is wonderful and telling her that she was giving me a pain where I didn't have a window. I left after an hour and a half digging but she stayed on (showoff!) I had to leave because I had an appointment with the facial reflexologist. Don't laugh. I'm quite serious. I lay down for an hour and she made her way round my face with her fingertips, checking the meridians. I had a lovely time except when she she pressed on my eye sockets. Later she explained that I am holding my stress in my kidneys and bladder and it shows up around the eyeballs. Who knew?? She then invited me to look in the mirror and tell her if I thought my eyebrows looked higher. Call me crazy but I decided that they were higher. We were both happy and I went home. I'm going back in a couple of weeks and she is going to do my feet.

These are pictures of my garden. It is at its best now and for the next two months. The magnolia is looking superb.

Pictures

My Will and my hearing and my ceiling

Okay, family members. I started the process yesterday of making my will. I went up to London and sat with a solicitor for an hour discussing what to do with my wealth! My suggestion was to change the will on a six monthly basis depending on who's nice to me. That includes you grandchildren as well so look lively. The babies are off the hook but the rest of you need to pay attention.

Next thing is that Colin turned up yesterday with his 'boys' to remove the ceiling in the back bedroom. I was off to London so I missed most of the noise and mess. When I got home at 6, I hurried upstairs and there it was - a lofty room. It really does feel larger with the low ceiling gone. He was going to be all clever and rustic with the roof beams but it turns out that they are made of a combination of wood which still has bark on it and old bits of lumber that look like they were left over from another job. So we (he) will plaster over them to make a vaulted but smooth ceiling. I was hoping for a little round window in the back wall to let in the morning light but there is a chimney breast in the way.

Today I had my hearing tested because I have trouble hearing in a group. She went through it all and announced that I don't need a hearing aid. I have to position myself for the best effect when I am in a room with a lot of people and I have to get a better telephone. No more news on the wardrobe front. I'm waiting for next week when Alison is here so I can have her advice on improving my 'look'.

Getting to Grips with Stuff

I decided that I could no longer go on with my haphazard system of filing and business affairs so I got out the book I like called, "Getting Things Done". It leads you through a system of organization which starts with gathering everything that relates to the task at hand. This is referred to as the "in" box. Here is a picture of my "in" box. I decided to see how long this process would take me so I set a clock. So far I have spent 2 hours collecting and 1 hour sorting. There are only three choices allowed; 1. action required 2. keep for reference 3. trash. Everything has to be taken from the "in" box in order, so as to avoid only doing the bits that you already know what to do with. If an action is required and it can be done in 2 minutes, do it. If it's going to take longer, put it in the action pile with an action note attached. It is not acceptable to write on the note, "this must be done sometime". I'm thinking that I will be at this all the weekend. Fortunately, Zoe is coming round in about half an hour. I can have a much needed drink. I also had my hair cut and coloured today so the self image repair job is progressing as well. After the haircut, I went over to see JoJo so she could approve my "look". I was wearing some of my new clothes so I got the thumbs up except for not having worn my belt. I haven't worn a belt in about 20 years so it's going to take some getting used to.

New Clothes

Sure enough, I let JoJo have a free hand (up to a point) and she has me decked out in layers, scarves, chunky necklaces, cami tops, dangly earrings and a belt. She showed me how to wear a belt slung low under my waist so it doesn't accentuate the thickness therein. Colour abounds in this collection although I did get her to agree to a pair of black trousers. After all, it's a wardrobe basic and these ones are linen so not my usual drawstring waist effort made of velour. As Alison asked in her comment, the large array of velour in my wardrobe has been culled. I still don't understand what's wrong with velour. It's cozy, that's all. Anyway, I'm bowing to the superior taste of my daughters and JoJo. The picture above shows a few of my new things.

Easter Sunday

I went down to the farm at about eleven in my good clothes and took Rosie for a walk so Rachel could do the lunch. We went to the railway station for a coffee(for me) and a biscotti(for Rosie). It was cold and windy on Port Meadow but we survived and brought home good appetites. Sunday lunch is Rachel’s tour de force and this was no exception. The leg of lamb was very tender and cooked to perfection along with roast potatoes, mucho vegetables and Yorkshire Pudding. I know it’s not traditional with lamb but we all love it so she makes it anyway. Then she had a typical British bread and butter pudding with cream and custard which was yummy. It being Easter, there was a profusion of chocolate to finish off with. We heaved ourselves up from the table and got ready for the Easter egg hunt. Charlie had hidden eggs for each child and wrote a clue for the hiding place for each egg. I helped Adam because he can’t read yet. After the eggs were found, we went inside and collapsed in the sitting room to watch TV and snooze. It was a wonderful Easter. I have a great family.

Another day with JoJo

As you can see, I really meant it that my wardrobe is almost empty. I was looking for something under the bed yesterday and I found a container with clothes, my clothes, that I had put away for the winter. I fell upon them like a woman reprieved. I’m not going to tell JoJo when I see her today. I’m going to keep them for special. She and I are going shopping this afternoon and I think it probably is a good thing. I wore my one outfit that she helped me with for Sunday (Easter) lunch at the farm and even Charlie(big) said it looked good.

Wardrobe Saga

JoJo, the wardrobe advisor, came to my house at 9:30 this morning to look at my clothes. She left at 11:30 with three black bin bags full of almost everything I own(ed). She was ruthless to the extent that I now have three pairs of trousers, one top and a few odds and ends. So, when I say "I have nothing to wear" I mean, "I have nothing to wear." She and I are going shopping on Tuesday to get me started on a new look. She favours clothes of the sort that I never wear but I'm going to have a go. I'm also having a facial and new hair colour. All of this after just having my passport renewed and my plan is to look nothing like the picture in the pp. Easter is almost upon us. We will be at the farm for lunch and Easter egg hunting.

Time flies

Time does fly when you are depressed and I have been for several weeks. Fortunately, I began to come out of it a couple of days ago and I am crossing my fingers that it lasts. I've gained weight atrociously over the past year but have just found a new diet which I shall try. It's called the "No Diet, Diet" and the beauty of it is that it makes no mention of food, calories, carbs. Nor does it talk about exercise. This is my kind of diet book. It's all about doing things differently which is supposed to lead to weight loss. I have my doubts but why not give it a try. It's a 28 day program and I am going to start tomorrow so I will post re my progress. Rachel just rang to suggest that we meet in town tomorrow so she can help me to buy some new clothes. My girls are always at me to get rid of my cheap wardrobe but it's depressing to buy clothes when you are fat. Still, we will have a nice lunch. I finished my writing course today. It was very good but I'm glad it's over. I was tired of the homework and it interfered with my blogging. So now I have no excuse for not keeping this up to date.

Leap Year

The last day of February. This is Rosie's 6 month birthday. She was born on 31 August which is awkward because several months do not have 31 days. It's raining today so my plans for working on the allotment had to be postponed (what a pity). I ended up having lunch at John's house which is very near the allotment. It was more fun than pulling weeds and humping bits of metal trash up and down the path. We are having an allotment work day tomorrow. This means that we all show up and do general tidying up around the entire site. Zoe and I are just about ready to lay black plastic which will kill the weeds and make the plot ready for our vegetable growing efforts. Come the summer, we will have marrows and turnips and other delightful crops. If you are very kind to me, we might share.

My computer is back and working well thanks to Peter, the greatest Geek in the world. I would love to stop and blog now but I have homework to do for Wed morning and tonight is the Book Club. We are reading "Oliver VII".

Computer malfunction

My computer has been giving trouble so yesterday I rang a Geek and he came to my house to have a look at it. It seems to be somewhat infected with virus and he also fears the really bad one that tracks passwords. He is coming back tomorrow to take it away for a major deep cleaning. This means no blog or e-mail until I get it back.
I'm off to London today for a talk by Shirley Williams (Labour politician) and a look at the Camden Town painters exhibition at the Tate.

My back garden

Today I spent a wonderful afternoon in my garden. This is the first time in many many months that I have enjoyed messing about back there. Whenever I tried to do things before, it would make me very sad and I would quickly scurry back indoors. I'm not sure why this is. It is not as though Malcolm ever had anything much to do with the garden or anything else for that matter. I think perhaps I still have strong memories of his 70th birthday party. Lots of friends were there. The weather was beautiful. There were two cakes and lots to drink. A grand day. It has been suggested to me that I should have a garden party this year. I don't know if I have the courage to do that. Anyway, back to the present and my double shedded garden. When I bought this house, it came complete with an outdoor room at the back of the garden. It is a good size and it is electrified. When Nancy lived here, it was her study. I used it as a shed and a place to store my personal possessions when I was back in California and the house was rented out. Since I have been living here permanently, it has become crammed with everything that I want but don't want in the house. I would like to use it as an art studio (how pretentious is that?) but I could hardly get in the door. Last week I had a bloke around to put up a second shed; this one much smaller but perfect for the non artistic items like lawnmowers, etc. I spent the afternoon filling it up. How very satisfying. I also inherited lots of bulbs which have started to appear. The trees are bare of leaves but there is colour on the ground from the crocuses, snow drops and early daffodils. In the pictures below, the green shed is shed #1 and the brown is shed #2.

A few pictures

These pictures represent 1. my lactating daughters plus Adam who is completely pissed off at not being the center of attention. 2. Harry and Rosie in Rosie's pram. Harry says, "Get me out of this frill ridden pink nightmare." Rosie says, "Who is this gross, redheaded boy person contaminating my beautiful pram." 3. Harry at his sweetest.

Passport saga

Guess what turned up in my letter box two days ago? All the passport renewal information that I had slaved over the week before. The faulty item was my birth certificate. I've had to send to Nova Scotia for the real thing. When that comes, I start all over again. I'm cutting it fine for getting the new passport before the old one runs out. Once again it is no one's fault but my own. I should have been doing this at the beginning of January. I just hope no out of country emergency occurs before I'm sorted.

Catching up

It has been pointed out to me that I have fallen behind in my blog posting activities. It's pure laziness. Alison and Harry were here last week while the house move from Eastbourne to Brighton was taking place. I had a great week. It was a treat for me to have someone in the house and Harry is a super little baby. We went to Brighton on Saturday having given Sian and her Mum plenty of time to unpack and get the house ready for us to walk in, sit down, and have a cup of tea. The house is a spacious Victorian terrace with lots of light. It is well placed for shops and parks. They plan to be in it for about twenty years. Harry has his own room with his own bed.

Passport Application

I finally sent the thing off today but not without the usual mishaps. The way I'm operating, I should be a blonde. I have doubts about some of the essential bits that went in but mostly I'm worried that I might have sent it to the wrong address! Time will tell and for now I'm putting it out of my mind. Two friends came to lunch today. A very civilized lady's gathering. I do like seeing my friends and appreciate it when one of them is prepared to make the drive from Kenilworth. The girls and the fox arrive tomorrow. I'm pretty thrilled and excited. Unfortunately, the forecast is for very cold weather with the possibility of snow. I want to take that little fellow out in the pram and show him off to my neighbours. I thought we could go to Nigel's coffee morning on Saturday and the local elders could admire his red headed cuteness. I get to babysit on Saturday evening when the girls go out for a meal and a break. He sleeps very well now after 7pm so I won't be able to get him up to play with him. Or will I? They won't know. I could say he woke up on his own.

I hate paperwork

It is so easy to postpone the paperwork until it piles up to a point where you have no choice but to get on with it. That is my situation with regard to my Passport renewal. You would think it was fairly straightforward. Not so. First of all, Canada requires renewal every five years and the pictures they want seem to involve a million little stupid specifications. The plus side of that is that you rapidly stop moaning about how god awful you look as you desperately try to work out how many millimeters your chin is from the top of your head. Then you need your Birth Certificate. After much searching, you find it but it looks dodgy. Never mind, it will have to do. They also want my Marriage License. That's fine. I guess I don't need it any more! Then there is the guarantor and the witnesses. When I finally get the new passport, it won't have my British Right of Abode stamp in it so I may well run into trouble "aboding" in the UK. Life was easier when I had a secretary.

The second big problem is one of which I am very ashamed. I find myself whining and complaining about the hard work involved in managing money. Just think of it. I am so lucky to have money to moan about but I guess everything is relative. I spent most of last week opening and closing accounts all over the place. This involved many telephone calls and e-mails. I'm finally getting there but only after taking Alison's advice to hire some help. As she is fond of saying, "Mum, you have money but you don't have time. You need staff." So I'm meeting tomorrow with My Financial Advisor. He is going to cost me a fortune but he makes house calls and I like him. I never realized how hopeless I was at looking after my own affairs. I can do a dinner party for 12 without breaking a sweat but start talking to me about stocks and shares and I'm a wreck.

Fortunately, Alison, Sian and The Fox are coming to Oxford at the weekend. It will be Harry's first look at the dreaming spires. The whole family is coming for lunch on Sunday including Vanessa. Chloe is going to spend Saturday night so that she will be here on Sunday morning to help with the preparations. She is a very good cook and a dab hand with a corkscrew.

Back in the Bucket

My Mummies will insist on the bath in the bucket routine. When they are old and decrepid, I'm going to buy a large bucket and make them bathe in it!!
My Grandma was here last weekend. She did nice things like give me a bottle, praise me when I burped and take me for refreshing walks in my new pram. I can tell she loves me.

Writing Class

My homework for tomorrow is to outline two plots for novels. Here they are.
15 January 2008

Mrs. Edwards Sorts the Family

Introduction: a happily married couple of 35 years. Having breakfast. Reading the paper and commenting on some of their children in relation to newspaper items. Husband retired. Wife still working part time as a speech therapist.

Rising Action: husband goes off to buy airconditioning unit for his study. He has a car accident. What is the outcome of this? He ends up in hospital severely injured. Wife goes to visit him. Son turns up. Children living away are notified and they turn up. Wife is going about in a daze. Children are worried about her. Everyone’s back story gets told through flashbacks in deathbed scenes with Dad. Dad dies after five days.

Crisis: All four children worried about what to do with mother. Mother announces after the cremation that she will be spending three months with each of her children in turn. Children are knocked sideways but feel that they can’t refuse. She makes it clear that she will not be with any one of them for more than their allotted three months. She says that they will all meet up back at the family home in one year’s time.

Falling Action: She starts her visits within a week and the next section of the book is about these three month visits. Each one could have its own crisis. Each little family has its own problems which she attempts to set right. This leads to conflict and the realization that you cannot fix other people and they cannot fix you. She comes away knowing herself much better.

Conclusion: A year later, the family meets up and the mother presents each one with a small jar with some of Dad’s ashes. They are each to scatter them according to how they think best. She saves a larger share for herself and announces that she will be taking them to her husbands homeland, South Africa, where she will scatter them.




Raising Annie

Introduction: A woman in her early 30’s is complaining to her husband about her lousy upbringing. She itemizes all the things her parents did and didn’t do to make her childhood a bad one. These are not instances of abuse or neglect, just the run of the mill criticism and lots of moaning. Her husband seems to agree with her. They are a childless couple.

Rising Action: The woman finds out that she could be a subject in a cloning experiment. She looks into it and agrees to do it as long as she can have the child that is produced. A baby is created which is an exact clone and she is given permission to raise it as her own. This is her dream come true. She can raise herself and undo all the mistakes her own parents made.

Crisis: Many incidents can be recounted during the ‘bringing up’ years. It leads in the end to the husband taking the child’s side against the mother to try to save the child from the influences of this woman who has gone bonkers. Can he do this without telling the child that she is a clone?

Falling Action: Many changes have to be made for this child to grow up in any kind of natural way. The parents, especially Mum, must rethink their lives and their choices.

Conclusion: Haven’t worked that out yet. Child grows up well and they live happily ever after? Child runs away? Parents live a life of regret?

I'm not sure which of the two to settle on. The first one would be easier because it is autobiographical, sort of. I know all the characters. The second one would be more interesting in a way but I would have to find out about cloning. I know you can't clone humans yet but I could pretend. Any comments are welcome.

Harry and his Mummies

Harry again

This is Harry in his bucket. It is a trendy baby bath about which he seems just a trifle unsure.

Harry Malcolm Williams

This is Harry the rugby player

This is Harry the intellectual