Can geta draft over but not publish from tablet
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Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Screens, Screens, and Screams!
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
Just looked at my other blogs and realised I hadn’t put anything up since July! Too taken up with my digital painting I guess. (See new blog http://juliegale-digitalart.blogspot.com/ ) But this one is supposed to leave behind a history for the future about life here and now. So most of it seems to be taken up with looking at a computer screen of one sort or another. The main home computer screen, my note book computer, my husbands new tablet computer and an array of different smart phones and PDAs. One of them peeps, rings bells or some other noise and we both say which one was that? Sometimes it turns out to be the microwave announcing it finished. What a world.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
Just looked at my other blogs and realised I hadn’t put anything up since July! Too taken up with my digital painting I guess. (See new blog http://juliegale-digitalart.blogspot.com/ ) But this one is supposed to leave behind a history for the future about life here and now. So most of it seems to be taken up with looking at a computer screen of one sort or another. The main home computer screen, my note book computer, my husbands new tablet computer and an array of different smart phones and PDAs. One of them peeps, rings bells or some other noise and we both say which one was that? Sometimes it turns out to be the microwave announcing it finished. What a world.
When out in the wide world it isn’t much better. You are on a bus or waiting for one and somebody’s phone rings – everybody looks at theirs! Yet we know what tone we have put on our own phone but still – we look. Daft lot that we are.
Communication they call it and I forgot to add the three TV screens in the house. I have just had a look at the latest thing. Radio on the computer screen. Yes, you can SEE radio. Long gone are the days of the bodiless voice. On BBC FiveLive you can watch them in the studio in real time. See the news reader and the weather girl creep in to do their spots and creep out again. I feel sorry for the radio presenter as he or she now has to behave and not pull rude faces at the phone-in twits. Strange world.
!!!!! The damned thing has just crashed on me!!!! Back up now and running but I cannot understand why it does that now and then. It’s not a very old computer but do more than 2 things on it and it gets its knickers in a twist and freezes.
Friday, 15 July 2011
Flickr and Making Friends Worldwide
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
I am supposed to be recording what life is like in 2011 well mine the last couple of days has been quite international. No I have not been travelling except by e-mail but have been in touch with places truly across the world and time zones. This has been through my interaction on the photo and picture site called Flickr.
At first I just was putting up my artwork with no particular thought in mind that anybody would look at it, rather like this blog. I met somebody in a local town who owned a café and we got talking computer digital art. She mentioned she was on Flickr too and I went to check her out. I saw she was on Groups which I hadn’t realised were there, I’m a bit slow in catching on with Internet sites sometimes. Still trying to understand Twitter and don’t have young people around to help me so have to work it out on my own.
I joined one group and suddenly somebody emailed me and ask me to put up my work on the group they ran. Wow! Somebody looked at my pictures. Now nothing is so good for an artist, amateur or professional, as somebody expressing interest in your work. I joined the group and looked for others that had a similar outlook or interest. Two or three others came in and again asked me to put up on their group. Wow again! One is called The Gallery of Fine Photos. Fine photos, Moi?
Now I started to get people making comments and sometimes I sent back e-mails of thanks. The upshot of this isI seem to have made several new e-mail friends right round the world, New Zealand, USA, Canada and some at home in the UK. When I started talking to them, by e-mail, I had to think, goodness he is just going to bed and she is in the middle of her night and here I am in the middle of my day. I know, millions and millions of people have done this before me but this is what I am doing now. I have had contact world wide before but this is all connected with a subject dear to me, digital art.
World News.
The scandal of the moment is the News of the World newspaper phone hacking scandal. Now the News of the World was, in my younger day, considered a scurrilous scandal rag. My parents would not have been seen dead with it. So when this scandal broke I was not really very surprised. Today the CE of the group, Rebecca Brooks, resigned and I can only hope she was nice to the people on the way up as she might meet or need them on the way down. The paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, is being shot at from every direction, I understand they are looking into his papers in the USA now. That should be interesting. I think with him it could be ‘How the mighty have fallen’. Who knows, he is a very rich.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
I am supposed to be recording what life is like in 2011 well mine the last couple of days has been quite international. No I have not been travelling except by e-mail but have been in touch with places truly across the world and time zones. This has been through my interaction on the photo and picture site called Flickr.
At first I just was putting up my artwork with no particular thought in mind that anybody would look at it, rather like this blog. I met somebody in a local town who owned a café and we got talking computer digital art. She mentioned she was on Flickr too and I went to check her out. I saw she was on Groups which I hadn’t realised were there, I’m a bit slow in catching on with Internet sites sometimes. Still trying to understand Twitter and don’t have young people around to help me so have to work it out on my own.
I joined one group and suddenly somebody emailed me and ask me to put up my work on the group they ran. Wow! Somebody looked at my pictures. Now nothing is so good for an artist, amateur or professional, as somebody expressing interest in your work. I joined the group and looked for others that had a similar outlook or interest. Two or three others came in and again asked me to put up on their group. Wow again! One is called The Gallery of Fine Photos. Fine photos, Moi?
Now I started to get people making comments and sometimes I sent back e-mails of thanks. The upshot of this isI seem to have made several new e-mail friends right round the world, New Zealand, USA, Canada and some at home in the UK. When I started talking to them, by e-mail, I had to think, goodness he is just going to bed and she is in the middle of her night and here I am in the middle of my day. I know, millions and millions of people have done this before me but this is what I am doing now. I have had contact world wide before but this is all connected with a subject dear to me, digital art.
World News.
The scandal of the moment is the News of the World newspaper phone hacking scandal. Now the News of the World was, in my younger day, considered a scurrilous scandal rag. My parents would not have been seen dead with it. So when this scandal broke I was not really very surprised. Today the CE of the group, Rebecca Brooks, resigned and I can only hope she was nice to the people on the way up as she might meet or need them on the way down. The paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, is being shot at from every direction, I understand they are looking into his papers in the USA now. That should be interesting. I think with him it could be ‘How the mighty have fallen’. Who knows, he is a very rich.
Sunday, 3 July 2011
Obesity Problem Everwhere
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
I have to address this obesity problem in Britain and in many other parts of the world such as the USA. You may know from previous blogs I fight fat all the time or it goes back on at an alarmingly fast rate. I have lost about 4 stone in the past. Today my husband and I walked into Teignmouth with the dog and stopped to have a cool drink, Yes it's sunny now my holiday is over. Sitting outside a café I looked at the people walking by and had to say there was never a moment when there wasn’t a fat person passing by. What is more many were obese. They strolled by eating ice creams, sat in cafes eating high calorie foods and drinking canned sweet drinks. Don’t get me wrong I am not innocent in all this over eating. I am just as bad as the next although I think I have addressed it a bit more than most of them.
Today there is a news item that 500,000 children are at risk of liver disease due to being overweight. Many will die young from this and things like stroke and diabetes. But also they could get cirrhosis of the liver without alcohol being implicated. Wrong food, no exercise and sitting around with computers and sedentary games is the cause. There does not seem to be any answer to it. The poorer people are the more they eat cheap bad food and the less they exercise.
I wish I could help more but if people are not willing or even interested to listen then there is nothing one can do, only look after self and close loved ones as well as possible.
***
Going to have another go at learning my new graphics tablet later but a rest first. Well… I am 76 and I have walked to Teignmouth (about 3 miles).
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
Today there is a news item that 500,000 children are at risk of liver disease due to being overweight. Many will die young from this and things like stroke and diabetes. But also they could get cirrhosis of the liver without alcohol being implicated. Wrong food, no exercise and sitting around with computers and sedentary games is the cause. There does not seem to be any answer to it. The poorer people are the more they eat cheap bad food and the less they exercise.
I wish I could help more but if people are not willing or even interested to listen then there is nothing one can do, only look after self and close loved ones as well as possible.
***
Going to have another go at learning my new graphics tablet later but a rest first. Well… I am 76 and I have walked to Teignmouth (about 3 miles).
Friday, 1 July 2011
Radio in my Pillow, Graphics Tablet
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
Most nights, or even every night, I listen to my radio via ear phones under my pillow. You can buy a pillow already set up with loud speakers in it but I started to make my own some years ago. Mostly I listen to BBC Five Live, radio Four, Radio Four Extra and World Service. I learn so much from the last one on that list, it makes me realise how lucky we – I – am in this country. On Radio Four Extra they have a lot of programs from the past, comedies, plays and so on. Listening to a 1980s show a character said something like ‘Dogs used to be man’s best friend, now it seems to be computers’. I laughed, I had been watching my husband sitting in his armchair with his new tablet computer on his lap and a very disconsolate dog eyeing him with a baleful look as if to say ‘that lap is where I should be!’. Best friend be blowed!
Another month of the year gone, it’s the 1st of July today. I woke up to a beautiful bright morning at 6.00 am but soon went back to sleep again. The rest of the day has been a bit more cloudy. I walked to Dawlish again so that’s four times this week. Dog went swimming in the brook in the grounds of the Manor but was frightened by a large German Shepherd dog which was actually a big softy.
Last night I splashed out and have bought a Wacom Graphics pad for my art work on computer. It is an A4 size and something I have wanted for a long time. It is coming in the morning and all I have to do now is learn how to use it.
The pound and a half I put on over my holiday week has gone again. It has been hard to eat very small portions for a while. I need to lose at least half a stone by September ready to wear something nice for my Ruby anniversary.
Yesterday the public workers went on strike and a lot of schools closed. It is a row over pensions. They should be so lucky. My husband is going to have to go on working past retirement age and I have less that half a pension.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
Most nights, or even every night, I listen to my radio via ear phones under my pillow. You can buy a pillow already set up with loud speakers in it but I started to make my own some years ago. Mostly I listen to BBC Five Live, radio Four, Radio Four Extra and World Service. I learn so much from the last one on that list, it makes me realise how lucky we – I – am in this country. On Radio Four Extra they have a lot of programs from the past, comedies, plays and so on. Listening to a 1980s show a character said something like ‘Dogs used to be man’s best friend, now it seems to be computers’. I laughed, I had been watching my husband sitting in his armchair with his new tablet computer on his lap and a very disconsolate dog eyeing him with a baleful look as if to say ‘that lap is where I should be!’. Best friend be blowed!
Another month of the year gone, it’s the 1st of July today. I woke up to a beautiful bright morning at 6.00 am but soon went back to sleep again. The rest of the day has been a bit more cloudy. I walked to Dawlish again so that’s four times this week. Dog went swimming in the brook in the grounds of the Manor but was frightened by a large German Shepherd dog which was actually a big softy.
Last night I splashed out and have bought a Wacom Graphics pad for my art work on computer. It is an A4 size and something I have wanted for a long time. It is coming in the morning and all I have to do now is learn how to use it.
The pound and a half I put on over my holiday week has gone again. It has been hard to eat very small portions for a while. I need to lose at least half a stone by September ready to wear something nice for my Ruby anniversary.
Yesterday the public workers went on strike and a lot of schools closed. It is a row over pensions. They should be so lucky. My husband is going to have to go on working past retirement age and I have less that half a pension.
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Ram Raid and Strikes
Holiday at home has been over for two days now and I still feel exhausted. Not what you are supposed to feel after a restful holiday. Caught up with the washing and now have a large pile of ironing for tomorrow. But tonight I have to go and face fat club with something like 3 extra pounds on my body. Ugh! I now have two and half months before my Ruby anniversary to get it off and fit into some decent clothing. I have walked to town and back with the dog yesterday and today. Hope that helps.
There has been a ram raid on a little Post Office the other side of Dawlish. I am not surprised. They said on the news that crime was creeping up due to the bad economic conditions. There are no jobs, something like 80 people or more going for every job. A friend’s husband applies but does not even get answers.
Public workers are going on strike tomorrow, mostly school teachers but others are joining in. Schools are closing and airports are in trouble as the immigration department are closing. I am not surprised. They want them to work an extra 8 years before retirement, pay more than now and get less! I don’t think they will win any reprieve as there is no money in the national kitty.
There has been a ram raid on a little Post Office the other side of Dawlish. I am not surprised. They said on the news that crime was creeping up due to the bad economic conditions. There are no jobs, something like 80 people or more going for every job. A friend’s husband applies but does not even get answers.
Public workers are going on strike tomorrow, mostly school teachers but others are joining in. Schools are closing and airports are in trouble as the immigration department are closing. I am not surprised. They want them to work an extra 8 years before retirement, pay more than now and get less! I don’t think they will win any reprieve as there is no money in the national kitty.
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Twittering, Grand Prix weekend, Diabetes 2 cure?
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
I am becoming quite a good social twitt – er. I have been collecting followers lately who seem mostly to be reacting to the fact I have put ‘writer’ in my profile. Now in the shape of things five followers is so minimal as to be almost the same as none. When I go on these ‘followers’ sites they have thousands of followers and follow thousands more. I think they will be most disappointed in me. Still it a bit of fun in my quiet life. I am maybug76 on Twitter.
It’s a Grand Prix weekend so cars squeal across my room today and tomorrow. I can stand it for about half an hour then I disappear upstairs to my bedroom, the only other room I can go to in our small house. Even dog knows not to bother my husband on GP days. Oh yes, it means I have to get the food ready without any help at all, surprised he can find his mouth to eat it! I get so bored with it – yak,yak, yak from the presenters. Still, I suppose it is a male thing - cars.
Had a problem with Google Chrome browser in the Cloud Printing. Tried to start it but it would not work and I got left with an error message that still won’t go away after many tries to reset. Think It won’t work from anything but tablets and phones yet and I shouldn’t have tried it. Have to take it to my IT fellow to mend it.
My weight saga. Not having much to do this week of holiday due to the bad weather I have stuffed myself with goodies. The scales this morning groaned and I screamed. Oh dear, right back were I was a months ago. Weeks ahead on ‘The Plan’ which is supposed not to leave you hungry – BUT DOES.
Interesting news yesterday re Diabetes 2 cure. Due to so many obese people having gastric operations which cut down drastically what they eat, they have found if they had diabetes 2 it went away. So they now think if you starve at about 600 calories a day for about 6 to 8 weeks (Boy, you’d really be hungry) it kick starts the pancreas producing insulin again. The fat around the pancreas had stopped it and eventually causes the illness. It would be great if something as simple as cutting down calories was a cure. For years they have said don’t eat this or that but this is just the amount you eat. I haven’t had this problem myself but might have had I stayed at the 4 stone heavier that I was. I am now only need to lose half to one stone but have been in this no man’s land for some time now. Must try harder so I am at my best for my Ruby Wedding anniversary in September.
Anniversaries mean a lot to us in 2011 and I would not be surprised if they still do in 2525. It seems to be a very human thing.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
I am becoming quite a good social twitt – er. I have been collecting followers lately who seem mostly to be reacting to the fact I have put ‘writer’ in my profile. Now in the shape of things five followers is so minimal as to be almost the same as none. When I go on these ‘followers’ sites they have thousands of followers and follow thousands more. I think they will be most disappointed in me. Still it a bit of fun in my quiet life. I am maybug76 on Twitter.
It’s a Grand Prix weekend so cars squeal across my room today and tomorrow. I can stand it for about half an hour then I disappear upstairs to my bedroom, the only other room I can go to in our small house. Even dog knows not to bother my husband on GP days. Oh yes, it means I have to get the food ready without any help at all, surprised he can find his mouth to eat it! I get so bored with it – yak,yak, yak from the presenters. Still, I suppose it is a male thing - cars.
Had a problem with Google Chrome browser in the Cloud Printing. Tried to start it but it would not work and I got left with an error message that still won’t go away after many tries to reset. Think It won’t work from anything but tablets and phones yet and I shouldn’t have tried it. Have to take it to my IT fellow to mend it.
My weight saga. Not having much to do this week of holiday due to the bad weather I have stuffed myself with goodies. The scales this morning groaned and I screamed. Oh dear, right back were I was a months ago. Weeks ahead on ‘The Plan’ which is supposed not to leave you hungry – BUT DOES.
Interesting news yesterday re Diabetes 2 cure. Due to so many obese people having gastric operations which cut down drastically what they eat, they have found if they had diabetes 2 it went away. So they now think if you starve at about 600 calories a day for about 6 to 8 weeks (Boy, you’d really be hungry) it kick starts the pancreas producing insulin again. The fat around the pancreas had stopped it and eventually causes the illness. It would be great if something as simple as cutting down calories was a cure. For years they have said don’t eat this or that but this is just the amount you eat. I haven’t had this problem myself but might have had I stayed at the 4 stone heavier that I was. I am now only need to lose half to one stone but have been in this no man’s land for some time now. Must try harder so I am at my best for my Ruby Wedding anniversary in September.
Anniversaries mean a lot to us in 2011 and I would not be surprised if they still do in 2525. It seems to be a very human thing.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
The drama of the new tablet computer
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
I am supposed to be telling you what it is – sorry it was – like in 2011. It is my premise for this blog. I liked the idea because I have no one that will be interested enough to read my doings and happenings so I can make up for it by addressing people in the far future of 2525 and beyond. The good thing is they can’t answer back or criticise. So Here is what we are interested in 2011. Gadgets. Particularly computer type gadgets. Though I like others like my new halogen oven and my electric cheese grater.
I mentioned before that we have exchanged our holiday going out places from home, eating nice meals out and visiting places for – a new tablet computer for my husband. Well….. it’s been raining all week and it is not supposed to get better until next Sunday so …
From the moment that the button was pushed and the tablet computer – an Acer Iconia tab A500 with Android Honeycomb OS – was ordered it’s been - looking up the delivery times, yes it’s been sent, yes its coming tomorrow, I had a voice mail. ‘Jule, it could be here anytime from 8’. ‘I’m taking the dog out don’t have your bath yet.’ ( As it was raining again I had decided to have a long morning soaking in a bubble bath and reading this month Digital Photo mag.).
The morning went by and no delivery van. ‘He’s got lost’. Then my husband went up stairs to the loo. That did it. ‘Jule quick, quick, answer the door, there’s a big green and yellow van outside’. Thank goodness for that. The parcel was soon opened and the tablet put on charge. The rest of the day has been ‘Look at this Jule – come and see this – you must see this, its really great’ only to be presented with a picture of a woman that gradually lost her muscles, blood system and on down to her bones – Oh yes, she revolved as well. ‘Lovely dear’. (OMG)
As I write this at half eleven he is still trying to work it all out as there were absolutely no real instructions at all. I belive you can down load a manual online but that would indubitably be too easy!
Me, I had a short walk with the dog, read my new downloaded book (very sexy) and have been very lazy. I have continued to eat nice holiday things and drink white wine. The latter two thing are usually not allowed as I put on weight very easily. Tomorrow is another day.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
I am supposed to be telling you what it is – sorry it was – like in 2011. It is my premise for this blog. I liked the idea because I have no one that will be interested enough to read my doings and happenings so I can make up for it by addressing people in the far future of 2525 and beyond. The good thing is they can’t answer back or criticise. So Here is what we are interested in 2011. Gadgets. Particularly computer type gadgets. Though I like others like my new halogen oven and my electric cheese grater.
I mentioned before that we have exchanged our holiday going out places from home, eating nice meals out and visiting places for – a new tablet computer for my husband. Well….. it’s been raining all week and it is not supposed to get better until next Sunday so …
From the moment that the button was pushed and the tablet computer – an Acer Iconia tab A500 with Android Honeycomb OS – was ordered it’s been - looking up the delivery times, yes it’s been sent, yes its coming tomorrow, I had a voice mail. ‘Jule, it could be here anytime from 8’. ‘I’m taking the dog out don’t have your bath yet.’ ( As it was raining again I had decided to have a long morning soaking in a bubble bath and reading this month Digital Photo mag.).
The morning went by and no delivery van. ‘He’s got lost’. Then my husband went up stairs to the loo. That did it. ‘Jule quick, quick, answer the door, there’s a big green and yellow van outside’. Thank goodness for that. The parcel was soon opened and the tablet put on charge. The rest of the day has been ‘Look at this Jule – come and see this – you must see this, its really great’ only to be presented with a picture of a woman that gradually lost her muscles, blood system and on down to her bones – Oh yes, she revolved as well. ‘Lovely dear’. (OMG)
As I write this at half eleven he is still trying to work it all out as there were absolutely no real instructions at all. I belive you can down load a manual online but that would indubitably be too easy!
Me, I had a short walk with the dog, read my new downloaded book (very sexy) and have been very lazy. I have continued to eat nice holiday things and drink white wine. The latter two thing are usually not allowed as I put on weight very easily. Tomorrow is another day.
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Rainy day on our so called holiday at home
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
It has rained and rained all day. We did get as far as PC World/Currys big store in the outskirts of Torquay when the heavens opened. We looked at fridges and then tablet computers. This led to a disaster in the evening of buying a tablet computer for my husband online, one he had seen in the store but cheaper by £50.00. Well I can see this week is going to be wet, wet, wet so the money might just as well go on something tangible and what he wants (We would have to buy it sometime anyway and the money is available now). So I hope the fridge will work OK for a while longer.
Then we went and looked at a big pet store and bought the dog a new water dish that holds a litre of water in an upside down bottle and lets it out gradually and a food mat. Next door is a household store and we bought a glass oven dish to go in our new Halogen Oven. That’s like a big glass bowl with the heater in the roof. We are hoping that it will save on power. So far it seems quite good. I had wanted to go into Torquay proper but by now the rain was, to quote an old saying, stair rodding down so we went back via Newton Abbot stopping at Asda’s to pick up some nice food to cheer us up, pizza and nice bread. I bought a Bra and Phil bought some socks and then – we went home where it rained and rained and as far as I know is still raining.
Dog was not very sure about the new water bowl as she thought the feet on it were toys that she couldn’t get at. She spent the rest of the day barking at it but later did drink from it.
In the evening there was nothing on TV so we watched a silly film on a DVD we bought some years ago and never watched. What was good about it as far as I was concerned was it had George Clooney in it.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
It has rained and rained all day. We did get as far as PC World/Currys big store in the outskirts of Torquay when the heavens opened. We looked at fridges and then tablet computers. This led to a disaster in the evening of buying a tablet computer for my husband online, one he had seen in the store but cheaper by £50.00. Well I can see this week is going to be wet, wet, wet so the money might just as well go on something tangible and what he wants (We would have to buy it sometime anyway and the money is available now). So I hope the fridge will work OK for a while longer.
Then we went and looked at a big pet store and bought the dog a new water dish that holds a litre of water in an upside down bottle and lets it out gradually and a food mat. Next door is a household store and we bought a glass oven dish to go in our new Halogen Oven. That’s like a big glass bowl with the heater in the roof. We are hoping that it will save on power. So far it seems quite good. I had wanted to go into Torquay proper but by now the rain was, to quote an old saying, stair rodding down so we went back via Newton Abbot stopping at Asda’s to pick up some nice food to cheer us up, pizza and nice bread. I bought a Bra and Phil bought some socks and then – we went home where it rained and rained and as far as I know is still raining.
Dog was not very sure about the new water bowl as she thought the feet on it were toys that she couldn’t get at. She spent the rest of the day barking at it but later did drink from it.
In the evening there was nothing on TV so we watched a silly film on a DVD we bought some years ago and never watched. What was good about it as far as I was concerned was it had George Clooney in it.
Monday, 20 June 2011
Apologies for not writing this blog
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
I have not done too well with this blog for posterity, half a year gone and mostly I have not posted anything even as short as a Tweet! Do you still have Twitter? It is writing a short blog on a web site called – Twitter. You can follow other Tweeters and lately I have followed the presenters of a TV Programme called Spring Watch, about wild life in Britain. Most people have actual friends who follow each other and keep in touch with what’s happening to them. I haven’t got anybody that as daft as me to tweet, well not in my age group of friends. Most of them can hardly use a mobile phone yet. Then my few followers are hoping for some kind of pecuniary happening i.e. to sell me something. I have no idea how they find me but I expect there is a program that if a particular thing is mentioned they latch onto it. But it has gone on to greater things and is part of the worlds happening, particularly in the Middle East revolts along with Facebook, more bloggy. Oh, I am maybug76 on Twitter
So this is not a Tweet, it’s a blog and I people don’t get to hear of a little old lady writing in a small town in southern Britain and I have not kept up with my idea to tell the future about life in 2011. I have brought down my notebook computer from my bedroom as I realised that my downstairs computer is often monopolised by my husband. Today we are technically on holiday but have not gone away. We are supposed to be going out for days but the weather is very rainy and cold for June and so far we have stayed in. Hence not being able to get to the downstairs computer. I am determined to go out for a little bit of retail therapy today, whatever, so have sent husband and dog out for a longer than usual walk and then we can leave her to go to Torquay Shopping or at least window shopping. Torquay is a famous holiday resort and is only just over a couple of hills from home. So I can pretend I have gone away. Actually going to look at refrigerators as we have just discovered ours has a bad cracked casing.
Will try hard to keep in touch from now on even if it only as short as a Tweet
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
I have not done too well with this blog for posterity, half a year gone and mostly I have not posted anything even as short as a Tweet! Do you still have Twitter? It is writing a short blog on a web site called – Twitter. You can follow other Tweeters and lately I have followed the presenters of a TV Programme called Spring Watch, about wild life in Britain. Most people have actual friends who follow each other and keep in touch with what’s happening to them. I haven’t got anybody that as daft as me to tweet, well not in my age group of friends. Most of them can hardly use a mobile phone yet. Then my few followers are hoping for some kind of pecuniary happening i.e. to sell me something. I have no idea how they find me but I expect there is a program that if a particular thing is mentioned they latch onto it. But it has gone on to greater things and is part of the worlds happening, particularly in the Middle East revolts along with Facebook, more bloggy. Oh, I am maybug76 on Twitter
So this is not a Tweet, it’s a blog and I people don’t get to hear of a little old lady writing in a small town in southern Britain and I have not kept up with my idea to tell the future about life in 2011. I have brought down my notebook computer from my bedroom as I realised that my downstairs computer is often monopolised by my husband. Today we are technically on holiday but have not gone away. We are supposed to be going out for days but the weather is very rainy and cold for June and so far we have stayed in. Hence not being able to get to the downstairs computer. I am determined to go out for a little bit of retail therapy today, whatever, so have sent husband and dog out for a longer than usual walk and then we can leave her to go to Torquay Shopping or at least window shopping. Torquay is a famous holiday resort and is only just over a couple of hills from home. So I can pretend I have gone away. Actually going to look at refrigerators as we have just discovered ours has a bad cracked casing.
Will try hard to keep in touch from now on even if it only as short as a Tweet
Monday, 2 May 2011
Saint & Sinner
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
Wow! Two days in a row. Well something pretty momentous happened in the early hours of this morning – well early in Britain.
First I must explain, probably again, that I have my radio on with earphones under my pillow all night long. When I can’t sleep a droning voice sends me back into dreamland. I usually awake several times in the night as I am now nearly 76 and need the bathroom during the night. I awoke this morning about 4.15 a.m. to hear men talking about Osama Bin Laden. Couldn’t make out for a while why it was as not much has been heard of him for some years. Then it was said that the President of the USA was to speak. He made a stunning speech announcing that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. I woke up and took notice.
I turned on my new bedroom TV and sure enough citizens of Washington were already outside the White House shrieking their delight at the news. ( I have to remark that people everywhere look the same when they are demonstrating something, Yells, chants, shaking arms in the air, waving flags and jumping up and down in rhythm.) Anyway they all seemed very happy. To them it was justice for the tragedy of the Twin Towers on 7/11, just under ten years ago. It has taken that long to smoke out the perpetrator.
Today the news broadcasts are full of it but I have been doing other things. (Buying paint.) Do I think it will make any difference to the terrorism in the world? No, not really. As mentioned nothing has been heard of this bogy man for sometime and he was almost forgotten. Obviously not by President Obama which I think was a good thing. Now they say he has been buried at sea so as not to make a martyrs grave to be visited. This latter has not been confirmed at this time of writing. I think it would be a good place for him, the deepest trench they can find! But I expect an upsurge of attacks.
One interesting fact is that he was found in Pakistan not Afghanistan. Something not quite right there.
Other news. Pope John Paul the II was ‘Beatified’ in Rome yesterday. On the road to sainthood – very fast tracked! Not going to give an opinion as I am not a Catholic. However I do understand what the principle is as I attended a convent school in my youth.
I don't want a picture of either saint or sinner so I will give you my latest photo painting called
Meconnopsis
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
First I must explain, probably again, that I have my radio on with earphones under my pillow all night long. When I can’t sleep a droning voice sends me back into dreamland. I usually awake several times in the night as I am now nearly 76 and need the bathroom during the night. I awoke this morning about 4.15 a.m. to hear men talking about Osama Bin Laden. Couldn’t make out for a while why it was as not much has been heard of him for some years. Then it was said that the President of the USA was to speak. He made a stunning speech announcing that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. I woke up and took notice.
I turned on my new bedroom TV and sure enough citizens of Washington were already outside the White House shrieking their delight at the news. ( I have to remark that people everywhere look the same when they are demonstrating something, Yells, chants, shaking arms in the air, waving flags and jumping up and down in rhythm.) Anyway they all seemed very happy. To them it was justice for the tragedy of the Twin Towers on 7/11, just under ten years ago. It has taken that long to smoke out the perpetrator.
Today the news broadcasts are full of it but I have been doing other things. (Buying paint.) Do I think it will make any difference to the terrorism in the world? No, not really. As mentioned nothing has been heard of this bogy man for sometime and he was almost forgotten. Obviously not by President Obama which I think was a good thing. Now they say he has been buried at sea so as not to make a martyrs grave to be visited. This latter has not been confirmed at this time of writing. I think it would be a good place for him, the deepest trench they can find! But I expect an upsurge of attacks.
One interesting fact is that he was found in Pakistan not Afghanistan. Something not quite right there.
Other news. Pope John Paul the II was ‘Beatified’ in Rome yesterday. On the road to sainthood – very fast tracked! Not going to give an opinion as I am not a Catholic. However I do understand what the principle is as I attended a convent school in my youth.
I don't want a picture of either saint or sinner so I will give you my latest photo painting called
Meconnopsis
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Royal Wedding - Middle East wars - Garden makeover
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
It will not come as a surprise to anybody that this is my first blog in something like two and a half months, it won’t be a surprise as nobody reads my blog and therefore can’t be missing it! Why have I not been blogging? Partly me and my health which has been a bit on the down side but mostly because everything has been so sad, bad and horrid that I didn’t feel like commenting on it.
I finished on the Arab uprisings which have steadily turned into full blown wars. They don’t call them wars but that is what they are. Deaths and misery in so many places. Libya is the worst and no more than I expected. Syria is not far behind. Some of the other countries do seem to be putting governments together and may come out of it OK but, as I anticipated, the whole of northern Africa on the Mediterranean coast is a powder keg. Last night the ‘no fly zone’ in Libya became a ‘get Gaddafi zone’ They missed him but killed his youngest son and three of his grandchildren. Bad! But how many children and grandchildren have his men killed? Hundreds. They say he was there but they missed him, as we used to say in the war ‘his number was not on it’. As I said it is all to evil and terrible to want to write about it.
USA is suffering from terrible tornadoes that have torn up Alabama and six other states. The President has visited and promised help.
So this weekend we in Britain shared with the whole world something lovely, charming and beautiful. The wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton. It was really gorgeously done. Everything went so well which seem to make most of the country and even the world a happier place – just for one day. They are now to be known as Prince and Princess William of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Plus a couple of other titles. The only thing that seems to have gone wrong is getting off on their honeymoon. Never mind I am sure they will get plenty of lovely holidays in their life time. I wish them happiness and all the support they will undoubtedly need.
At home we have given our little garden a make over. The decking needed a deep clean after the terrible winter and we have taken down some bushes and so on to make life easier. I have given our gold fish away and filled in the pond to make a raised flower bed. I had a new fence built for privacy and we went out and bought a lot of plants. It cost more than I care to mention but now looks very colourful and pretty.
Really not done much else. Easter has come and gone and so probably has our summer. April has been wonderful sunny weather but now the clouds are back. Actually we need rain. Last year we had a brilliant spring and a lousy summer. Hope its not repeated this year!
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
I finished on the Arab uprisings which have steadily turned into full blown wars. They don’t call them wars but that is what they are. Deaths and misery in so many places. Libya is the worst and no more than I expected. Syria is not far behind. Some of the other countries do seem to be putting governments together and may come out of it OK but, as I anticipated, the whole of northern Africa on the Mediterranean coast is a powder keg. Last night the ‘no fly zone’ in Libya became a ‘get Gaddafi zone’ They missed him but killed his youngest son and three of his grandchildren. Bad! But how many children and grandchildren have his men killed? Hundreds. They say he was there but they missed him, as we used to say in the war ‘his number was not on it’. As I said it is all to evil and terrible to want to write about it.
USA is suffering from terrible tornadoes that have torn up Alabama and six other states. The President has visited and promised help.
So this weekend we in Britain shared with the whole world something lovely, charming and beautiful. The wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton. It was really gorgeously done. Everything went so well which seem to make most of the country and even the world a happier place – just for one day. They are now to be known as Prince and Princess William of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Plus a couple of other titles. The only thing that seems to have gone wrong is getting off on their honeymoon. Never mind I am sure they will get plenty of lovely holidays in their life time. I wish them happiness and all the support they will undoubtedly need.
At home we have given our little garden a make over. The decking needed a deep clean after the terrible winter and we have taken down some bushes and so on to make life easier. I have given our gold fish away and filled in the pond to make a raised flower bed. I had a new fence built for privacy and we went out and bought a lot of plants. It cost more than I care to mention but now looks very colourful and pretty.
Really not done much else. Easter has come and gone and so probably has our summer. April has been wonderful sunny weather but now the clouds are back. Actually we need rain. Last year we had a brilliant spring and a lousy summer. Hope its not repeated this year!
Sunday, 20 February 2011
Protests in Arab Countries, Referendum, Shopping
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
‘My Window on the World’ of 4th Feb 2011 seems to be spot on. The protests in the Middle East have spread to many more countries and I don’t think the growth has ended yet. Two countries have managed to get rid of the top man but others are not finding it so easy. Libya for one has a leader who does not care one jot for his people and is shooting and killing them to try to stop the protests. Last night I listened live to a doctor telling his story with a background of machine gun and other fire rattling away just around the corner. He was there to try to give first aid to the wounded and reported 20 dead that day and over 40 injured that he had seen. He himself risked being shot as the troops or police had no compunction as to who they would shoot.
What frightens me is that the protestants are mostly young because the average age in the Moslem and Arab world is young. These are the very people who will not have the experience to resist the fundamentalists who will seize the chance to convert the masses to their distorted way of Islamic thinking. So we will have country after country learning to hate the western way of life – although they will grab what they want to have of it like technology and weaponry – and we, we will have a real war on our hands, not just a war on terrorism.
Far fetched. No, we of the West are in for a rough ride for if it is not the Islamic fraction then look to China. They are out to conquer us by ‘Trade’. We did it to them once. What goes around comes around as they say. Only you in 2525 will know the answer as to who survives either creeping threat. This is my opinion and as I am just an observer with only the radio, computer and TV to get my information – I may be wrong but I am an old observer and have studied history a bit.
In this country we are heading for a Referendum on the method of voting i.e. first past the post or alternative voting, I don’t think it makes much difference, the people attracted to politics will still be the same sort of people.
The cuts are beginning to bite and this week the government has to climb down on one of them. They wanted to sell of all our publicly owned forests and there was such an outcry they did a U turn and we keep our forests, thanks be. We won’t win so easily on the other cuts because there is just not the money in the kitty to pay for them.
Personal. I am getting back to health in some ways. I have started to loose weight again and have also begun to exercise each day using my tread mill and exercise mat.
I had an interesting outing last week. A friend, who is some 30 years younger than me and has two young teen girls, took me shopping in the local Tescos supermarket. We had a coffee in the Coasta Lot coffee shop and then, wheeling the giant basket around, we set off around the store. Now when I shop I know what I need or don’t need. Often I look down aisles and say to myself ‘there’s nothing I need down there’. So my shop, when I don’t order on the internet and have it delivered, is done in about half to three quarters of an hour. But my friend went down every aisle and I followed fascinated to see the things she chose, so different to my shopping. I mean two aisles I never visit for instance are the fizzy drinks and crisp shelves. I didn’t know there were so many to choose from. Now I mean no criticism of my friend but I can understand why their shopping costs so much. Well, by the end of the shop, some hour to hour and a half, I realised I was an old lady and was exhausted. Thank goodness for the internet and delivery.
There are definite signs of Spring being around the corner, daffodils and crocuses out and buds on the trees. Today they say the government want to start putting the clocks forward two hours in summertime rather than one. I remember that as a child in World War II.
We booked the dates for our summer holiday today, Roll on.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
What frightens me is that the protestants are mostly young because the average age in the Moslem and Arab world is young. These are the very people who will not have the experience to resist the fundamentalists who will seize the chance to convert the masses to their distorted way of Islamic thinking. So we will have country after country learning to hate the western way of life – although they will grab what they want to have of it like technology and weaponry – and we, we will have a real war on our hands, not just a war on terrorism.
Far fetched. No, we of the West are in for a rough ride for if it is not the Islamic fraction then look to China. They are out to conquer us by ‘Trade’. We did it to them once. What goes around comes around as they say. Only you in 2525 will know the answer as to who survives either creeping threat. This is my opinion and as I am just an observer with only the radio, computer and TV to get my information – I may be wrong but I am an old observer and have studied history a bit.
In this country we are heading for a Referendum on the method of voting i.e. first past the post or alternative voting, I don’t think it makes much difference, the people attracted to politics will still be the same sort of people.
The cuts are beginning to bite and this week the government has to climb down on one of them. They wanted to sell of all our publicly owned forests and there was such an outcry they did a U turn and we keep our forests, thanks be. We won’t win so easily on the other cuts because there is just not the money in the kitty to pay for them.
Personal. I am getting back to health in some ways. I have started to loose weight again and have also begun to exercise each day using my tread mill and exercise mat.
I had an interesting outing last week. A friend, who is some 30 years younger than me and has two young teen girls, took me shopping in the local Tescos supermarket. We had a coffee in the Coasta Lot coffee shop and then, wheeling the giant basket around, we set off around the store. Now when I shop I know what I need or don’t need. Often I look down aisles and say to myself ‘there’s nothing I need down there’. So my shop, when I don’t order on the internet and have it delivered, is done in about half to three quarters of an hour. But my friend went down every aisle and I followed fascinated to see the things she chose, so different to my shopping. I mean two aisles I never visit for instance are the fizzy drinks and crisp shelves. I didn’t know there were so many to choose from. Now I mean no criticism of my friend but I can understand why their shopping costs so much. Well, by the end of the shop, some hour to hour and a half, I realised I was an old lady and was exhausted. Thank goodness for the internet and delivery.
Thanks to http://www.freephotos.com/
There are definite signs of Spring being around the corner, daffodils and crocuses out and buds on the trees. Today they say the government want to start putting the clocks forward two hours in summertime rather than one. I remember that as a child in World War II.
We booked the dates for our summer holiday today, Roll on.
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Michael Evans - Funerals in 2011
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
As I mentioned in the last blog, my good friend Michael Evans passed on and last week. I went to his funeral and wake. Michael Evans was a prominent person in Exeter, a teacher, and I belive a head master, and a Justice of the Peace. Interested in people and the environment Michael was a renowned Spiritualist and leader at his church. He corresponded with people all over the world about his ideas into his nineties. He treated everybody as if they were his true friend and I noticed that everyone had the feeling they were the one who received his special attention – including me. He never failed to listen to troubles or happenings with rapped attention and an exclamation of ‘No – really, how interesting – or sad’ as the case may be. Yet one never heard him complain about anything except to say he was ‘so busy’. I understand he just slipped away quietly sitting in a chair, which is as I would expect for Michael. His belief in a another world waiting beyond was unshakeable and he helped many who were grieving and bereft after a death. I wish him a wonderful time in his new life and look forward to seeing him there sometime to renew our friendship.
I thought I would take this opportunity to write about death and funerals in 2011. I am of an age when attending funerals are more likely than invitations to wedding. Friends particularly seem to be leaving with monotonous regularity. Three have gone within the year, two of whose funerals I have attended.
There is a peculiar sanitation of death and funerals today. When I was young it was all about ‘respects’ being paid and sombre faces and clothes. It was a panic, if you were poor, to find black clothes. People were hushed and only came back to life when plied with a sherry or beer at the wake, which in itself is a name that is now not used. You are invited back either to the home or a hotel, as was the case this week, for something to eat. I guess that goes back to the time when travelling to a funeral meant a long cold journey and it was polite to offer food before returning. We English have never had the lively wakes of the Celts in recent times.
Most funerals are at crematoria these days and even if the service is in a church the body is still taken to be cremated rather than buried. Indeed I have only ever been to one interment. So one congregates outside a chapel at one door while the people at the last funeral are shown out by another door on the other side. Most crematoria these day are so busy each funeral is given scant time for the service. The service itself can be of any religion or none that is wanted or asked for by the deceased. I have been at everything from Jerhove Witness to Michael’s which was Spiritualist. The mourners enter and sit down and then the coffin is brought in by the funeral directors black coated men either carrying the deceased or as with Michael, pushed on a foldable trolley.
As an aside, the funeral directors are the last people in the country one sees in Victorian style ‘frock coats’ and top hats. The bearers are possibly in modern suits but they are very severe and a bit old fashion in cut. In winter they wear black overcoats.
Followed by the relations, the coffin is taken down the aisle and placed on a platform of some kind. The service begins and usually consists of two hymns, prayers and eulogies by friends and relations or a resume of the deceased life by the spoken by the priest, parson, or leader of a church. This is where I often find out things about the person I never knew.
Finally some kind of farewell is spoken and the coffin is taken from view. In crematoria I have seen them disappear downwards, forward though opening doors, slide sideways or have curtains drawn round them. In a church they will be taken back down the aisle by the black coated men and everyone goes to the interment if there is one or the body is taken to the local crematoria. In the chapels everyone leaves by the other door to give way to the next funeral, gives a donation if that is what has been requested, Michael asked for it to go to ‘Wateraid’ which I was quite happy to do, or one looks at the floral tributes which are placed outside. After a word with the family its off to have a sandwich and a cup of tea of coffee. Michael did us proud at a lovely hotel and it was lovely to have a chat with everyone.
So ends each life these days and one has to return quickly to one’s ordinary life. Very little chance is given to feel grief or sadness and one is expected to ‘get on with it’. Often the near family is rather left to on their own as people are not sure how to deal with them. Other parts of the world seem to have ways of dealing with this time but here we are not good at it. We leave it to priests and parsons and societies that specialise in it and train counsellors. Families rarely live near any more and the bereaved are forgotten. Very sad. We don’t do it well at all.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
As I mentioned in the last blog, my good friend Michael Evans passed on and last week. I went to his funeral and wake. Michael Evans was a prominent person in Exeter, a teacher, and I belive a head master, and a Justice of the Peace. Interested in people and the environment Michael was a renowned Spiritualist and leader at his church. He corresponded with people all over the world about his ideas into his nineties. He treated everybody as if they were his true friend and I noticed that everyone had the feeling they were the one who received his special attention – including me. He never failed to listen to troubles or happenings with rapped attention and an exclamation of ‘No – really, how interesting – or sad’ as the case may be. Yet one never heard him complain about anything except to say he was ‘so busy’. I understand he just slipped away quietly sitting in a chair, which is as I would expect for Michael. His belief in a another world waiting beyond was unshakeable and he helped many who were grieving and bereft after a death. I wish him a wonderful time in his new life and look forward to seeing him there sometime to renew our friendship.
I thought I would take this opportunity to write about death and funerals in 2011. I am of an age when attending funerals are more likely than invitations to wedding. Friends particularly seem to be leaving with monotonous regularity. Three have gone within the year, two of whose funerals I have attended.
There is a peculiar sanitation of death and funerals today. When I was young it was all about ‘respects’ being paid and sombre faces and clothes. It was a panic, if you were poor, to find black clothes. People were hushed and only came back to life when plied with a sherry or beer at the wake, which in itself is a name that is now not used. You are invited back either to the home or a hotel, as was the case this week, for something to eat. I guess that goes back to the time when travelling to a funeral meant a long cold journey and it was polite to offer food before returning. We English have never had the lively wakes of the Celts in recent times.
Most funerals are at crematoria these days and even if the service is in a church the body is still taken to be cremated rather than buried. Indeed I have only ever been to one interment. So one congregates outside a chapel at one door while the people at the last funeral are shown out by another door on the other side. Most crematoria these day are so busy each funeral is given scant time for the service. The service itself can be of any religion or none that is wanted or asked for by the deceased. I have been at everything from Jerhove Witness to Michael’s which was Spiritualist. The mourners enter and sit down and then the coffin is brought in by the funeral directors black coated men either carrying the deceased or as with Michael, pushed on a foldable trolley.
As an aside, the funeral directors are the last people in the country one sees in Victorian style ‘frock coats’ and top hats. The bearers are possibly in modern suits but they are very severe and a bit old fashion in cut. In winter they wear black overcoats.
Followed by the relations, the coffin is taken down the aisle and placed on a platform of some kind. The service begins and usually consists of two hymns, prayers and eulogies by friends and relations or a resume of the deceased life by the spoken by the priest, parson, or leader of a church. This is where I often find out things about the person I never knew.
Finally some kind of farewell is spoken and the coffin is taken from view. In crematoria I have seen them disappear downwards, forward though opening doors, slide sideways or have curtains drawn round them. In a church they will be taken back down the aisle by the black coated men and everyone goes to the interment if there is one or the body is taken to the local crematoria. In the chapels everyone leaves by the other door to give way to the next funeral, gives a donation if that is what has been requested, Michael asked for it to go to ‘Wateraid’ which I was quite happy to do, or one looks at the floral tributes which are placed outside. After a word with the family its off to have a sandwich and a cup of tea of coffee. Michael did us proud at a lovely hotel and it was lovely to have a chat with everyone.
So ends each life these days and one has to return quickly to one’s ordinary life. Very little chance is given to feel grief or sadness and one is expected to ‘get on with it’. Often the near family is rather left to on their own as people are not sure how to deal with them. Other parts of the world seem to have ways of dealing with this time but here we are not good at it. We leave it to priests and parsons and societies that specialise in it and train counsellors. Families rarely live near any more and the bereaved are forgotten. Very sad. We don’t do it well at all.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Memory for Michael Evans - Mitts for a friend
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
Tomorrow is going to be a sad day for me as I have to go to the funeral of a very dear, old friend of mine. He was the kindest, most generous man I ever met and although not rich, came to the rescue of myself and other friends not once but several times. He always offered his help before one asked, Over Ninety, he was much into computers in his latter years and often turned to me for help when he was learning. As I went up in computers specs so he bought my older, unwanted computer which helped to finance my new ones. I will miss his bright ‘Hello Julie’ when he answered the phone and his warm interest in my happenings. Yes, I will miss Michael very much.
Still a very quiet life for me. The weather has been windy, chilly, grey and damp. I have not felt like walking out so have been very lazy although I have knitted a pair of mitts for my friend who suffers the cold in her hands with arthritis. Not a good picture but gives an idea.
I went to ‘fat club’ tonight and managed to lose half a pound, not much but at least it is something. I have been really good and kept a diary of everything I ate. I am better when I get my exercise and usually lose more, so must try harder next week.
The world is still going slowly to hell in a hand cart. Egypt is still protesting but getting nowhere. Our government thinks it has sorted out the banking industry and Nick Clegg got a pasting from a group of students about fees. Food prices are rising precipitously and fuel prices the same. More people are out of work than for a long time. Yet day to day life for me seems to be about the same. I guess it will all hit me personally soon.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
Tomorrow is going to be a sad day for me as I have to go to the funeral of a very dear, old friend of mine. He was the kindest, most generous man I ever met and although not rich, came to the rescue of myself and other friends not once but several times. He always offered his help before one asked, Over Ninety, he was much into computers in his latter years and often turned to me for help when he was learning. As I went up in computers specs so he bought my older, unwanted computer which helped to finance my new ones. I will miss his bright ‘Hello Julie’ when he answered the phone and his warm interest in my happenings. Yes, I will miss Michael very much.
Still a very quiet life for me. The weather has been windy, chilly, grey and damp. I have not felt like walking out so have been very lazy although I have knitted a pair of mitts for my friend who suffers the cold in her hands with arthritis. Not a good picture but gives an idea.
I went to ‘fat club’ tonight and managed to lose half a pound, not much but at least it is something. I have been really good and kept a diary of everything I ate. I am better when I get my exercise and usually lose more, so must try harder next week.
The world is still going slowly to hell in a hand cart. Egypt is still protesting but getting nowhere. Our government thinks it has sorted out the banking industry and Nick Clegg got a pasting from a group of students about fees. Food prices are rising precipitously and fuel prices the same. More people are out of work than for a long time. Yet day to day life for me seems to be about the same. I guess it will all hit me personally soon.
Friday, 4 February 2011
Egypt Protests & Deaths - Home life
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
My last blog was talking about Tunisia but now Egypt is far more serious. The Egyptians have come out on the streets with a vengeance. They wanted to get rid of their President of 30 years who it appears is a despot of the worst kind, but kept in power by the money from USA and the backing of many world wide governments. I suppose the trouble is its proximity to Israel and Palestine. I called it a powder keg last time and that it surely is for it might fall into the hands of extremists and spreads in a crescent of countries round the Mediterranean coast of Africa, Just look at the map and then notice the line of countries that lie below them. Not a secure or happy area.
The Egyptians have suffered many deaths and injuries during the protests and still they have not got what they wanted. If they do I am not sure the President, who has offered to stand down at the next election, is right when he says standing down right away will cause a vacuum that will be filled with the wrong sort. I can understand the popular idea that they want him out and things will be OK, too simplistic I fear.
Well David is watching the England Vs Wales Rugby match downstairs and I have come up to my bedroom to write this and watch something else, if there is anything worth watching. I stayed for the best bit – the Welsh singing. Life has gone on much the same except I have not felt too well, nothing I can put my finger on just not right. So have rested and, yes, knitted. I did go to my ‘Fat Club’ but had not lost an ounce. Think something has change since having my gallbladder out, can’t seem to lose even on the plan which usually works very well. Did a bit of research and found some others had the same problem. Must look into it a bit more. I did go out for a walk with the dog today but the wind was awful.
I experienced an allergic reaction to some mascara eye make-up which was most uncomfortable and my eyes are still red. Luckily it was bought from Avon at the door and they take back anything and refund, I have used Avon since the 1960s, sold it myself twice, and never had a bad reaction to anything of theirs. It was a water proof mascara so perhaps it had something different in it. I ask for it to be reported.
Made up a new recipe tonight. I used Turkey mince, which is cheap and low fat, three bits of bacon, egg yoke, herbs and pepper. I cooked and chopped the bacon up into small bits, mixed it all together. I made thin burgers of the mix, rolled them in home made bread crumbs and fried in sprayed oil, Don’t forget I am trying to loose weight. Anyway they tasted very good and I shall make them again sometime.
A pop up has just said my son is on line but I shan’t bother him tonight.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
The Egyptians have suffered many deaths and injuries during the protests and still they have not got what they wanted. If they do I am not sure the President, who has offered to stand down at the next election, is right when he says standing down right away will cause a vacuum that will be filled with the wrong sort. I can understand the popular idea that they want him out and things will be OK, too simplistic I fear.
Well David is watching the England Vs Wales Rugby match downstairs and I have come up to my bedroom to write this and watch something else, if there is anything worth watching. I stayed for the best bit – the Welsh singing. Life has gone on much the same except I have not felt too well, nothing I can put my finger on just not right. So have rested and, yes, knitted. I did go to my ‘Fat Club’ but had not lost an ounce. Think something has change since having my gallbladder out, can’t seem to lose even on the plan which usually works very well. Did a bit of research and found some others had the same problem. Must look into it a bit more. I did go out for a walk with the dog today but the wind was awful.
I experienced an allergic reaction to some mascara eye make-up which was most uncomfortable and my eyes are still red. Luckily it was bought from Avon at the door and they take back anything and refund, I have used Avon since the 1960s, sold it myself twice, and never had a bad reaction to anything of theirs. It was a water proof mascara so perhaps it had something different in it. I ask for it to be reported.
Made up a new recipe tonight. I used Turkey mince, which is cheap and low fat, three bits of bacon, egg yoke, herbs and pepper. I cooked and chopped the bacon up into small bits, mixed it all together. I made thin burgers of the mix, rolled them in home made bread crumbs and fried in sprayed oil, Don’t forget I am trying to loose weight. Anyway they tasted very good and I shall make them again sometime.
A pop up has just said my son is on line but I shan’t bother him tonight.
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Home life & Tunisia and Egypt Riots
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
I have been hard put to write about anything cheerful in my Windows on the World. So first of all I’ll say something about my personal life not that much has happened there. But this is supposed to be for social history and needs everyday details of life even if they are repeated, which in the way of things have always been.
It may be recalled that I knitted two hats for my friend's young girls and finished two scarves to match. They, with their mother called in to collect the scarves the day before yesterday. They were well behaved on the visit although I know they can be a handful at other times. At first they were fascinated my the multitude of birds in my back garden eating me out of house and home on the winter cold day. Indeed today I spotted all at one time six blackbirds, a robin, five blue tits, a blackcap and a pigeon resting on our fence all puffed up to keep warm. Bad pic taken on my phone. He comes and sits there most days.
They appeared to love the scarves and I heard later one of them wanted to wear it to bed. We chatted on what they wanted to do in life, one a physical education teacher and the other a doctor but they are young yet, plenty of time to change their minds. One liked art so had a look at my computer art. I don’t know if I did right but I took the opportunity to warn them that difficult times were around the corner and they would not be able to have everything they wanted, I tried to make it clear it was not the fault of their mum and dad whom I know are going though difficult times, job loss and so on. I felt it might help if it came from somebody outside of the family. I gained some amazed looks when I told them I had lived through the second world war and knew what it was like to live in austere times. Heavens, I must have looked like something out of the arc to them.
Oh yes, I went back to Slimming Club last Wednesday and had put on more than 8 pounds since before Christmas. Not surprised as I had my operation to contend with, then bitter cold weather and then CHRISTMAS. No chance to stay slim. Now back on ‘The Plan’ and trying to lose it again.
Other than that visit life has been quiet and going along as usual. Lots of knitting, I finished the first glove I have ever knitted. I thought it would be difficult so have never tried to knit them. It seems to have come out OK. Had shopping delivered from Tescos via the Internet and today David took me to Teignmouth for things I had forgotten to order or can’t get from Tescos. Watched a bit of TV and listened to the Radio.
Heard a good play on radio this afternoon about the pope in the war time failing to condemn the Germans for the killing of the Jews. It was in 1942 and I had no idea that we knew so much about what was happening that early in the war. Somehow I have always felt some guilt for the Holocaust even though I was only a child and not on that side during the war. Silly I know but perhaps it was because during the war we were close friend of a Jewess who had escaped pre war with her mother. Later I remember finding a book with pictures of Belsen and the piles of bodies. The shock has stayed with me and I could not say anything to my parents as I knew I was not supposed to look at the book and they had been careless and left it out.
Window on the World
First riots Tunisia and now Egypt which all the pundits say is more important to the stability of the Middle East. Which North African state next? Will they go down like dominoes? A powder keg and no mistake.
A British tennis player has reached the finals of the Australian Grad Slam. He is Scottish if he does not win and British if he does! So far he has never won a grand slam poor boy.
More horrific was a newsreel about a man and woman being stoned to death for adultery in Taliban held territory in Afghanistan. The worst was not shown but enough to know why such extremism is a terrible thing. It upset me. I’ll say no more.
So the Russian Airport bomber where many were injured and killed was a man not a woman. He was from the North Caucasus which is what I expected in Russia.
The weekend is here and they say there will be some bright sunshine although it will be cold, that is before the rain and wind comes in from the Atlantic. Oh yes they say we didn’t get enough rain in 2010 and there may be drought conditions- does it ever end? Don't know if I can walk as the cold has brought on arthritis badly in my ankle and also in my shoulder. Agony last night , had to take some pain killers.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
I have been hard put to write about anything cheerful in my Windows on the World. So first of all I’ll say something about my personal life not that much has happened there. But this is supposed to be for social history and needs everyday details of life even if they are repeated, which in the way of things have always been.
It may be recalled that I knitted two hats for my friend's young girls and finished two scarves to match. They, with their mother called in to collect the scarves the day before yesterday. They were well behaved on the visit although I know they can be a handful at other times. At first they were fascinated my the multitude of birds in my back garden eating me out of house and home on the winter cold day. Indeed today I spotted all at one time six blackbirds, a robin, five blue tits, a blackcap and a pigeon resting on our fence all puffed up to keep warm. Bad pic taken on my phone. He comes and sits there most days.
They appeared to love the scarves and I heard later one of them wanted to wear it to bed. We chatted on what they wanted to do in life, one a physical education teacher and the other a doctor but they are young yet, plenty of time to change their minds. One liked art so had a look at my computer art. I don’t know if I did right but I took the opportunity to warn them that difficult times were around the corner and they would not be able to have everything they wanted, I tried to make it clear it was not the fault of their mum and dad whom I know are going though difficult times, job loss and so on. I felt it might help if it came from somebody outside of the family. I gained some amazed looks when I told them I had lived through the second world war and knew what it was like to live in austere times. Heavens, I must have looked like something out of the arc to them.
Oh yes, I went back to Slimming Club last Wednesday and had put on more than 8 pounds since before Christmas. Not surprised as I had my operation to contend with, then bitter cold weather and then CHRISTMAS. No chance to stay slim. Now back on ‘The Plan’ and trying to lose it again.
Other than that visit life has been quiet and going along as usual. Lots of knitting, I finished the first glove I have ever knitted. I thought it would be difficult so have never tried to knit them. It seems to have come out OK. Had shopping delivered from Tescos via the Internet and today David took me to Teignmouth for things I had forgotten to order or can’t get from Tescos. Watched a bit of TV and listened to the Radio.
Heard a good play on radio this afternoon about the pope in the war time failing to condemn the Germans for the killing of the Jews. It was in 1942 and I had no idea that we knew so much about what was happening that early in the war. Somehow I have always felt some guilt for the Holocaust even though I was only a child and not on that side during the war. Silly I know but perhaps it was because during the war we were close friend of a Jewess who had escaped pre war with her mother. Later I remember finding a book with pictures of Belsen and the piles of bodies. The shock has stayed with me and I could not say anything to my parents as I knew I was not supposed to look at the book and they had been careless and left it out.
Window on the World
First riots Tunisia and now Egypt which all the pundits say is more important to the stability of the Middle East. Which North African state next? Will they go down like dominoes? A powder keg and no mistake.
A British tennis player has reached the finals of the Australian Grad Slam. He is Scottish if he does not win and British if he does! So far he has never won a grand slam poor boy.
More horrific was a newsreel about a man and woman being stoned to death for adultery in Taliban held territory in Afghanistan. The worst was not shown but enough to know why such extremism is a terrible thing. It upset me. I’ll say no more.
So the Russian Airport bomber where many were injured and killed was a man not a woman. He was from the North Caucasus which is what I expected in Russia.
The weekend is here and they say there will be some bright sunshine although it will be cold, that is before the rain and wind comes in from the Atlantic. Oh yes they say we didn’t get enough rain in 2010 and there may be drought conditions- does it ever end? Don't know if I can walk as the cold has brought on arthritis badly in my ankle and also in my shoulder. Agony last night , had to take some pain killers.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Bad News on the Doorstep
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
My windows on the world seem all doom and gloom but then what’s new? Media doesn’t find much change in giving good news. Our new coalition government is trying to get our national debt put right but cutting anything and everything – very quickly. The opposition want to go on borrowing and cut later – or at least that was what was in their manifesto in the last election – which they lost. They want us, the people, to go out and spend yet have cut jobs by the tens of thousands and say there are more to go, and taxed us to the hilt. Nobody feels safe enough to spend any money they have in case they will need it in the next few years. Today figures were down on what was expected, whoops from the opposition and lots of ‘I told you so's’. Fuel is the highest price ever known and so all travel in cars is limited. It means all goods that have to be transported will have to go up in price to pay for it and we the people will be screwed down pretty tight.
Our food production is even in question apparently. They say by 2050 there will be 9 billion people in the world – luckily I will not be one of them. I heard it said on the radio we in this country are only nine meals away from starvation because of the way our shops are now supplied every day by road. Well I lived through days when we very nearly starved. My childhood was filled with always being hungry. (World War 2) Perhaps that is why I find it hard not to eat food now. But we survived even on minimum food rations that were so small a family would probably eat it in one meal in developed countries today. And half the world goes to bed hungry. Always makes me feel guilty.
There has been another suicide bomber in Moscow Airport, they say it’s a woman and probably one of the Caucasus region Black Widows, women who have had a relation killed. I cannot imagine walking to ones death like that and taking so many with you. I am not sure the type of war we have these days isn’t worse than the one I lived through. I cannot see how you can ‘fight it’. Yet we must or the whole world will live in constant fear.
I bought a news paper last week that was advetised as new and relatively cheap. Turned out it was an old newspaper with a new name. I really didn't find anything interesting in it or that I hadn't heard on my radio or seen on TV. Shan't buy another, not worth it.
So as I said news is not good. Personally things are not too bad. I finished two scarves on my new knitting board for my friends two young girls. I have now to concentrate on David’s sweater which is very complicated and drives me mad. I got my tread mill out and did an exercise walk on it. Can't run as Doctor said it won’t do my new knee joints any good. Also walked the dog so got some exercise. David was out all day but is home tomorrow.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
My windows on the world seem all doom and gloom but then what’s new? Media doesn’t find much change in giving good news. Our new coalition government is trying to get our national debt put right but cutting anything and everything – very quickly. The opposition want to go on borrowing and cut later – or at least that was what was in their manifesto in the last election – which they lost. They want us, the people, to go out and spend yet have cut jobs by the tens of thousands and say there are more to go, and taxed us to the hilt. Nobody feels safe enough to spend any money they have in case they will need it in the next few years. Today figures were down on what was expected, whoops from the opposition and lots of ‘I told you so's’. Fuel is the highest price ever known and so all travel in cars is limited. It means all goods that have to be transported will have to go up in price to pay for it and we the people will be screwed down pretty tight.
Our food production is even in question apparently. They say by 2050 there will be 9 billion people in the world – luckily I will not be one of them. I heard it said on the radio we in this country are only nine meals away from starvation because of the way our shops are now supplied every day by road. Well I lived through days when we very nearly starved. My childhood was filled with always being hungry. (World War 2) Perhaps that is why I find it hard not to eat food now. But we survived even on minimum food rations that were so small a family would probably eat it in one meal in developed countries today. And half the world goes to bed hungry. Always makes me feel guilty.
There has been another suicide bomber in Moscow Airport, they say it’s a woman and probably one of the Caucasus region Black Widows, women who have had a relation killed. I cannot imagine walking to ones death like that and taking so many with you. I am not sure the type of war we have these days isn’t worse than the one I lived through. I cannot see how you can ‘fight it’. Yet we must or the whole world will live in constant fear.
I bought a news paper last week that was advetised as new and relatively cheap. Turned out it was an old newspaper with a new name. I really didn't find anything interesting in it or that I hadn't heard on my radio or seen on TV. Shan't buy another, not worth it.
So as I said news is not good. Personally things are not too bad. I finished two scarves on my new knitting board for my friends two young girls. I have now to concentrate on David’s sweater which is very complicated and drives me mad. I got my tread mill out and did an exercise walk on it. Can't run as Doctor said it won’t do my new knee joints any good. Also walked the dog so got some exercise. David was out all day but is home tomorrow.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Re-joining Twitter and my fight with Dyslexia
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
Just about to write my blog and you might guess it – David has just come in and wants his lunch. Until later.
----------
It’s now later and David will be off again in a while. As mentioned elsewhere he works on a Saturday and our weekend is Sunday – Monday.
David mentioned that he wanted to join Twitter so he could follow his favourite Grand Prix racing drivers. I used to be on Twitter but got fed up with it and closed it down. It is a social network site where you are supposed to put up what you are doing supposedly all the time. Hmm. I don’t think so. It is the same with Facebook but the trouble is now lots of programmes on TV and radio say go to ‘My Twitter or Facebook page’.
So I recently joined Facebook and last night I rejoined Twitter under a slightly different name. If I bothered with them all the time I would have even less time to do anything else constructive which might have tangible results. However I did go back to follow Stephen Fry and even sent a tweet reply on his last tweet. Brave!
I often think of something that would be interesting to write about and when I sit down I can’t remember what it is. I put it down to the dreaded old age creeping on but the other day I caught up with a programme I had recorded featuring Kara Tointon and her Dyslexia. Now this young lady has just won a series called ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ in which she was truly wonderful. She examined all sides of her problem particularly re reading and maths, and her troubles when young of being thought stupid.
Well she taught this old dog some new tricks I can tell you. I suffered agonies when young from school teachers and my father. Maths still pass right over my head in anything save simple arithmetic and spelling eludes me (God bless the person who invented the spell check!) Like Kara I was good at anything arty or physical. My mother had taught me to read very early in life and by four I could read almost anything. BUT she had taught me by the shape of the word and not dealt with the spelling. I can read at almost speed reading speed but I still cannot spell certain words. One of those is ‘school’ I still put scool. Did it just now.
I have tried to improve during my life and since the invention of home computers I definitely have got better. Even to the point of having two books published one by a top publisher. Of course it was after my dad had died so I never got to say ‘not completely stupid dad’.
But there were other things Kara taught me. Like her, I was unremittingly untidy in my younger days and in the Air Force it got me into all sorts of trouble. I, again like her was good at all things physical and to do with arts and crafts. In fact after a year at Art School I became a Physical Training Instructess in the WRAF. Arts and crafts have been my hobbies all my life. But there is a certain destructive element in my character that makes me chop and change. I am doing this at one time and something else pretty soon after. I have tried to stick to one thing but it never works and I think, according to this program, my dyslexia is something to do with it. Problems also with short term memory.
To make matters worse dyslexia can be inherited and my son did just that. Luckily, like Kara, he found some coloured glasses that help him and he now has lots of letters after his name and I am very proud of him. Me, I have had to fight though on my own and am proud of my abilities with computers and crafts. I love writing and don’t think I am too bad at it. I hope by 2525 children will never suffer as kids still do today being thought stupid and even ostracised for it my their school mates and bullied.
One thing my dear old dad did give me was a full vocabulary but he never understood why I could not spell it. He would send me back my spelling mistakes in letters I had sent hime at the age of forty! I think he was able because he had been taught Latin and Greek. I had a terrible education which started just as the second world war broke out. Between bombs and poor teachers I learnt nothing. Thank goodness mother had taught me to read.
Some of my Computer Art photo taken at Exeter Musuem and artwork done on Photoshop. Have acually sold a hard copy of this.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
Just about to write my blog and you might guess it – David has just come in and wants his lunch. Until later.
----------
It’s now later and David will be off again in a while. As mentioned elsewhere he works on a Saturday and our weekend is Sunday – Monday.
David mentioned that he wanted to join Twitter so he could follow his favourite Grand Prix racing drivers. I used to be on Twitter but got fed up with it and closed it down. It is a social network site where you are supposed to put up what you are doing supposedly all the time. Hmm. I don’t think so. It is the same with Facebook but the trouble is now lots of programmes on TV and radio say go to ‘My Twitter or Facebook page’.
So I recently joined Facebook and last night I rejoined Twitter under a slightly different name. If I bothered with them all the time I would have even less time to do anything else constructive which might have tangible results. However I did go back to follow Stephen Fry and even sent a tweet reply on his last tweet. Brave!
I often think of something that would be interesting to write about and when I sit down I can’t remember what it is. I put it down to the dreaded old age creeping on but the other day I caught up with a programme I had recorded featuring Kara Tointon and her Dyslexia. Now this young lady has just won a series called ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ in which she was truly wonderful. She examined all sides of her problem particularly re reading and maths, and her troubles when young of being thought stupid.
Well she taught this old dog some new tricks I can tell you. I suffered agonies when young from school teachers and my father. Maths still pass right over my head in anything save simple arithmetic and spelling eludes me (God bless the person who invented the spell check!) Like Kara I was good at anything arty or physical. My mother had taught me to read very early in life and by four I could read almost anything. BUT she had taught me by the shape of the word and not dealt with the spelling. I can read at almost speed reading speed but I still cannot spell certain words. One of those is ‘school’ I still put scool. Did it just now.
I have tried to improve during my life and since the invention of home computers I definitely have got better. Even to the point of having two books published one by a top publisher. Of course it was after my dad had died so I never got to say ‘not completely stupid dad’.
But there were other things Kara taught me. Like her, I was unremittingly untidy in my younger days and in the Air Force it got me into all sorts of trouble. I, again like her was good at all things physical and to do with arts and crafts. In fact after a year at Art School I became a Physical Training Instructess in the WRAF. Arts and crafts have been my hobbies all my life. But there is a certain destructive element in my character that makes me chop and change. I am doing this at one time and something else pretty soon after. I have tried to stick to one thing but it never works and I think, according to this program, my dyslexia is something to do with it. Problems also with short term memory.
To make matters worse dyslexia can be inherited and my son did just that. Luckily, like Kara, he found some coloured glasses that help him and he now has lots of letters after his name and I am very proud of him. Me, I have had to fight though on my own and am proud of my abilities with computers and crafts. I love writing and don’t think I am too bad at it. I hope by 2525 children will never suffer as kids still do today being thought stupid and even ostracised for it my their school mates and bullied.
One thing my dear old dad did give me was a full vocabulary but he never understood why I could not spell it. He would send me back my spelling mistakes in letters I had sent hime at the age of forty! I think he was able because he had been taught Latin and Greek. I had a terrible education which started just as the second world war broke out. Between bombs and poor teachers I learnt nothing. Thank goodness mother had taught me to read.
Some of my Computer Art photo taken at Exeter Musuem and artwork done on Photoshop. Have acually sold a hard copy of this.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
A Bright Blue Day
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
The sea wall looking toward Teignmouth. A bit washed out as I was taking itinto the sun and only on my phone camera.
We got back in time to have a little sit down and then after lunch David when off to work and didn’t get back till after seven O’clock. I sat and tried to get to grips with a cable jersey I had decided to knit for David. It is more complicated than I thought it would be and I have undone it several times having gone wrong with the twisting pattern. Yesterday I made up a grid on paper to write down every row which has helped a bit but I still went wrong. Poor David is going to wait rather a long time for his new Jersey I think.
My Computer repair man was due to come at four but like all computer repair men, I have found, he was an hour late. His previous jobs always seem to over run and if you are at the end of his list he is late. Not too much wrong with our main computer, he cleaned it up and put in an extension wire for our wireless keyboard and mouse that had been jumping all over the place. Apparently it had been crossing with something else. Personally I can deal with using computers and software quite well but it mechanics are completely beyond me so hence the computer repair man. Actually Sam it great and very clever with computers in fact we bought our main computer from him and so far it has been great.
Poor Pakistan – what karma does it have? An earthquake, a flood and now another earthquake. I feel very sorry for them. I am a great supporter of Shelterbox partly because the help is quick and direct to the people who need it, secondly all money donated goes to the work. It started here in the West Country by a man in Cornwall. I wish I was nearer so I could offer my services when there is a disaster going on. Another thing is that even if you only send a small donation they write back a thanks telling you where you money has been used, With all the disasters lately it is a charity that is needed.
Prices on everything are rising astronomically particularly car fuel. Everything else is going up as well. Belt tightening time is here.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
We woke up this morning and there was a clear blue sky. As David didn’t have any work until the afternoon we quickly had our breakfast, checked that the tide was low and set off to walk along the Teignmouth sea wall. I took a flask of hot chocolate drink with us and biscuits for the dog. It was chilly but so lovely and bright. Beginning to get SAD disease with so little sunshine in the past few weeks. If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
The sea wall looking toward Teignmouth. A bit washed out as I was taking itinto the sun and only on my phone camera.
We got back in time to have a little sit down and then after lunch David when off to work and didn’t get back till after seven O’clock. I sat and tried to get to grips with a cable jersey I had decided to knit for David. It is more complicated than I thought it would be and I have undone it several times having gone wrong with the twisting pattern. Yesterday I made up a grid on paper to write down every row which has helped a bit but I still went wrong. Poor David is going to wait rather a long time for his new Jersey I think.
My Computer repair man was due to come at four but like all computer repair men, I have found, he was an hour late. His previous jobs always seem to over run and if you are at the end of his list he is late. Not too much wrong with our main computer, he cleaned it up and put in an extension wire for our wireless keyboard and mouse that had been jumping all over the place. Apparently it had been crossing with something else. Personally I can deal with using computers and software quite well but it mechanics are completely beyond me so hence the computer repair man. Actually Sam it great and very clever with computers in fact we bought our main computer from him and so far it has been great.
Poor Pakistan – what karma does it have? An earthquake, a flood and now another earthquake. I feel very sorry for them. I am a great supporter of Shelterbox partly because the help is quick and direct to the people who need it, secondly all money donated goes to the work. It started here in the West Country by a man in Cornwall. I wish I was nearer so I could offer my services when there is a disaster going on. Another thing is that even if you only send a small donation they write back a thanks telling you where you money has been used, With all the disasters lately it is a charity that is needed.
Prices on everything are rising astronomically particularly car fuel. Everything else is going up as well. Belt tightening time is here.
Sunday, 16 January 2011
How will the future view us?
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
I was ironing and watching a programme I had recorded where some people were acting out living on an Edwardian farm down here in Devon at Morwelham Quay, Living History I think they call it. I was particular interested as it was in our own county. Some time before the same three people had lived a year on a ‘Victorian Farm’ in Shropshire and that had been equally as fascinating. One difference though. Some of the things they used in this one were still around when I was a girl in the nineteen forties.
Set me thinking how you in years to come will reconstruct our lives in the early 2000s. How will you think of our flat screens that we think so good when you possibly have holographs acting out a play in the corner of your room? How will you look at our clothes that we have to wash and iron when you either have clothes that self clean and or throw away clothes and have new ones every day made by a computer or robot. Will you think all our housework to keep our houses clean a great laugh? Will you think our attempts at communication hilarious.
I often quote an experiment I read about at Duke University in USA. A Professor and some of his students were rigged up with a computer and had a connection to all the others built into a head set. It was viewed in one side of a pair of glasses worn all the time. The group built up a rapport that was as close to them as breathing. When the experiment ended they were almost bereft of their intimate connection with their class mates.
This was some years ago but I can now see it happening particularly to the young via their mobile phones and even older folk as well. They always want to be in contact with their groups in some form, text, phone, email, video and so on. If you see someone with their hand close to their ear you immediately think they are on their mobile.
So will you future people have it plumbed into your brain soon after birth and have to be ‘In Contact’ all your lives? The outcome could be mankind will change and become telepathic if not in reality then by being hot wired.
So here I am tapping in this writing on a keyboard and seeing it on a screen. Even I have moved beyond a hard copy on paper. We you in a hundred years time reconstruct my sort of life and watch it on your ……what ever you watch it on.
Of course you may be back in the dark ages and just find our detritus puzzling.
The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland, a wonerdful bit on 21st century engineering. It lift whole canal boats to a higher level or brings them back down. It was pouring with rain the day we went there.
.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
15/1/2011 If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
I was ironing and watching a programme I had recorded where some people were acting out living on an Edwardian farm down here in Devon at Morwelham Quay, Living History I think they call it. I was particular interested as it was in our own county. Some time before the same three people had lived a year on a ‘Victorian Farm’ in Shropshire and that had been equally as fascinating. One difference though. Some of the things they used in this one were still around when I was a girl in the nineteen forties.
Set me thinking how you in years to come will reconstruct our lives in the early 2000s. How will you think of our flat screens that we think so good when you possibly have holographs acting out a play in the corner of your room? How will you look at our clothes that we have to wash and iron when you either have clothes that self clean and or throw away clothes and have new ones every day made by a computer or robot. Will you think all our housework to keep our houses clean a great laugh? Will you think our attempts at communication hilarious.
I often quote an experiment I read about at Duke University in USA. A Professor and some of his students were rigged up with a computer and had a connection to all the others built into a head set. It was viewed in one side of a pair of glasses worn all the time. The group built up a rapport that was as close to them as breathing. When the experiment ended they were almost bereft of their intimate connection with their class mates.
This was some years ago but I can now see it happening particularly to the young via their mobile phones and even older folk as well. They always want to be in contact with their groups in some form, text, phone, email, video and so on. If you see someone with their hand close to their ear you immediately think they are on their mobile.
So will you future people have it plumbed into your brain soon after birth and have to be ‘In Contact’ all your lives? The outcome could be mankind will change and become telepathic if not in reality then by being hot wired.
So here I am tapping in this writing on a keyboard and seeing it on a screen. Even I have moved beyond a hard copy on paper. We you in a hundred years time reconstruct my sort of life and watch it on your ……what ever you watch it on.
Of course you may be back in the dark ages and just find our detritus puzzling.
The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland, a wonerdful bit on 21st century engineering. It lift whole canal boats to a higher level or brings them back down. It was pouring with rain the day we went there.
.
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Hairdressers
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
A morning at home doing the usual sorts of things. David had appointment so was out of the way. He came home for lunch, After lunch he drove me to Teignmouth for my hair dressers appointment. Had a wander around as I was early and after getting money out of a hole in the wall machine I went to have a coffee only to find my favourite coffee house had closed down. I found another which I didn’t like too much and the coffee although cheaper was muck.
After a nice visit to the hair dresser I called David who was home by then to come and fetch me home. We met in the Co-op store after I had bought a few bit and pieces.
About five O’clock we had a cook up. We made a soup with root vegetables and the last of the Roast chicken plus lentils and condiments. At the same time we made up a spaghetti bolognese with a tin of tomatoes and mince beef. I had bought. Had it with pasta, very nice.
World News
The floods in Australia are getting worse and a friend reminded me that a mutual friend was in the middle of it visiting relations. Hope she is OK. It has moved down to Brisbane and was like Boscastle only 8 times worse. Cars floating off down the river torrents. Here at home we are in for more and more rain ourselves. 60 cm forecast by this time tomorrow. Thank goodness we live on a hilltop. For me it makes my joints ache so I shall stay in and keep warm.
Art work of mine from a photo of a summer steam train that ocmes thugh our town on Sundays.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
12/1/2011If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
A morning at home doing the usual sorts of things. David had appointment so was out of the way. He came home for lunch, After lunch he drove me to Teignmouth for my hair dressers appointment. Had a wander around as I was early and after getting money out of a hole in the wall machine I went to have a coffee only to find my favourite coffee house had closed down. I found another which I didn’t like too much and the coffee although cheaper was muck.
After a nice visit to the hair dresser I called David who was home by then to come and fetch me home. We met in the Co-op store after I had bought a few bit and pieces.
About five O’clock we had a cook up. We made a soup with root vegetables and the last of the Roast chicken plus lentils and condiments. At the same time we made up a spaghetti bolognese with a tin of tomatoes and mince beef. I had bought. Had it with pasta, very nice.
World News
The floods in Australia are getting worse and a friend reminded me that a mutual friend was in the middle of it visiting relations. Hope she is OK. It has moved down to Brisbane and was like Boscastle only 8 times worse. Cars floating off down the river torrents. Here at home we are in for more and more rain ourselves. 60 cm forecast by this time tomorrow. Thank goodness we live on a hilltop. For me it makes my joints ache so I shall stay in and keep warm.
Art work of mine from a photo of a summer steam train that ocmes thugh our town on Sundays.
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Weekend walks and being lazy. Shooting in USA
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
11/1/2011
After spending up on Saturday we had a quiet Sunday. The weather suddenly had one of those beautiful winter days we get here in Devon. It was still with a calm sea and there was blue sky and sunshine. When that happens here we take a walk with the dog along the sea wall to Teignmouth. You gradually undo winter coats and strip off hats and scarves as you get too warm on one side but still feel the chilled on the other. When we get to Teignmouth there is a kiosk we always patronise for a the best hot chocolate drink in town which we take off to sit on a bench and drink.
I enjoyed our walk but found I became a little dizzy and felt sick. I think it was too much exercise after being very sedentary for several weeks. Got home OK but was glad to get in and sit down. We cooked a roast chicken dinner in the evening and watched the new ‘Dancing on Ice’ programme of the celebrities making chumps of themselves. Two got pushed out and we thought they were the right ones.
David works on Saturdays which tends to make Sunday Saturday and Monday, which he takes off, our Sunday, if you see what I mean. We woke up to a totally different day, Grey, fast moving clouds and rain. At lunch time we noticed a break in the clouds and went out for a quick walk to blow the cobwebs away. Nearby we have a small park with an avenue of old trees set closed to each other with a path in between. As we started down it the wind was blowing in from the sea and bending the trees in an alarming way. Several have come down in the past but we went to the bottom of the park, looked at the foaming white horses out to sea and turned round to come home. What a change from Sunday’s calm sea. This is typical of British weather and particularly down here in South Devon. Good job we went when we did as it rained hard for the rest of the day and all night. Below avenu of trees and path in spring time, yes, and that dog.
Didn’t do much else other than I have been knitting on my new board like mad. I have finished a scarf for my friend’s little girl to match the hat I made her. Now I have to make one for the other sister. But I am going to tryout my new thicker wool first. Had a go at the pattern for David’s new sweater – I think I have bitten off more that I can chew – it’s a cable stitch and quite difficult. Going to have to do it now I have spent out for the wool!
Now Tuesday and David has gone off to work. The weather has improved today. I am having a lazy morning and have bought my breakfast upstairs and gone back to bed and am now writing this blog. I have an appointment for the hairdressers this afternoon and have to collect my prescription pills from the chemist. I have low thyroid trouble and have been on pills for it for some years now. Thank goodness for modern medicine or I would be miserable most of the time with a temperament that fluctuated.
World news is mainly the shooting of a congress woman in the USA. She was holding some sort of meeting outside of a Safeway’s store for her constituents to meet her and a young man started shooting at her. He wounded her in the head but she is surviving at present. But he killed six bystanders including a little girl of nine and a Judge. As he was trying to reload some brave people pulled the gun away from him and detained him so this time he couldn’t kill himself and he will stand trial. It is very hard for us in the UK to understand the way the US citizens have the ‘Right to bear Arms’ . I heard a pundit on the radio saying that it was something laid down in the seventeen hundreds and perhaps it was not really relevant to modern times. Another USA man said it kept America ‘Safe’. Hmm. I am glad we don’t have guns for everybody here is all I can say. We have had enough mass shootings here anyway.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
11/1/2011
After spending up on Saturday we had a quiet Sunday. The weather suddenly had one of those beautiful winter days we get here in Devon. It was still with a calm sea and there was blue sky and sunshine. When that happens here we take a walk with the dog along the sea wall to Teignmouth. You gradually undo winter coats and strip off hats and scarves as you get too warm on one side but still feel the chilled on the other. When we get to Teignmouth there is a kiosk we always patronise for a the best hot chocolate drink in town which we take off to sit on a bench and drink.
I enjoyed our walk but found I became a little dizzy and felt sick. I think it was too much exercise after being very sedentary for several weeks. Got home OK but was glad to get in and sit down. We cooked a roast chicken dinner in the evening and watched the new ‘Dancing on Ice’ programme of the celebrities making chumps of themselves. Two got pushed out and we thought they were the right ones.
David works on Saturdays which tends to make Sunday Saturday and Monday, which he takes off, our Sunday, if you see what I mean. We woke up to a totally different day, Grey, fast moving clouds and rain. At lunch time we noticed a break in the clouds and went out for a quick walk to blow the cobwebs away. Nearby we have a small park with an avenue of old trees set closed to each other with a path in between. As we started down it the wind was blowing in from the sea and bending the trees in an alarming way. Several have come down in the past but we went to the bottom of the park, looked at the foaming white horses out to sea and turned round to come home. What a change from Sunday’s calm sea. This is typical of British weather and particularly down here in South Devon. Good job we went when we did as it rained hard for the rest of the day and all night. Below avenu of trees and path in spring time, yes, and that dog.
Didn’t do much else other than I have been knitting on my new board like mad. I have finished a scarf for my friend’s little girl to match the hat I made her. Now I have to make one for the other sister. But I am going to tryout my new thicker wool first. Had a go at the pattern for David’s new sweater – I think I have bitten off more that I can chew – it’s a cable stitch and quite difficult. Going to have to do it now I have spent out for the wool!
Now Tuesday and David has gone off to work. The weather has improved today. I am having a lazy morning and have bought my breakfast upstairs and gone back to bed and am now writing this blog. I have an appointment for the hairdressers this afternoon and have to collect my prescription pills from the chemist. I have low thyroid trouble and have been on pills for it for some years now. Thank goodness for modern medicine or I would be miserable most of the time with a temperament that fluctuated.
World news is mainly the shooting of a congress woman in the USA. She was holding some sort of meeting outside of a Safeway’s store for her constituents to meet her and a young man started shooting at her. He wounded her in the head but she is surviving at present. But he killed six bystanders including a little girl of nine and a Judge. As he was trying to reload some brave people pulled the gun away from him and detained him so this time he couldn’t kill himself and he will stand trial. It is very hard for us in the UK to understand the way the US citizens have the ‘Right to bear Arms’ . I heard a pundit on the radio saying that it was something laid down in the seventeen hundreds and perhaps it was not really relevant to modern times. Another USA man said it kept America ‘Safe’. Hmm. I am glad we don’t have guns for everybody here is all I can say. We have had enough mass shootings here anyway.
Sunday, 9 January 2011
A Day out Shopping
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
8/1/2011
Went Saturday shopping just like I did in my younger days. I went to our little market town of Newton Abbot and it was market day. Not the animal market, That’s on Wednesdays, but the market square was full of traders.
David had to go on an appointment in a town nearby so he dropped me off. I wanted to go to the only decent knitting wool shop in the district. Really got the knitting board bug now and I wanted some thicker wool which is supposed to be the right wool for it, not the thinner one I am using. Had a lovely time choosing wools and patterns and talking with the owner. She had never heard of my knitting board and I think I quite interested her. I must have spent nearly an hour in there and over £20,00!
From there I had a quick call into the craft shop which was only two doors away and got some white card for making my handmade cards, only £1.20 here. David was due to come back and meet me for lunch so I wandered around the indoor market hall and the outdoor market where I saw some reasonably priced dog walking shoes for David, his had just got a hole in them this morning. Shoes cannot be mended these days at least not the moulded trainer type.
I phoned David on my mobile to see if he was going to be long but got no answer. Decided he must be driving and it is illegal to use the mobile while driving. While waiting to try again I found a kiosk jewellers shop that sold reasonably priced watches. One had lovely dark thick black hands which I knew I could see even without my glasses, I have astigmatism. Bought it for £4,50 and am well pleased as I am rough on watches and its not worth me paying more.
David phoned to say he had arrived and was parking the car, soon he joined me. I showed him the shoes and he bought a pair for £20.00 Then we went to a very nice pizza café which was very busy but we were lucky and found a table. We had the snack sized pizzas, David had sea food on his and I had pineapple and extra cheese, not good for my weight loss but….. The meal cost around £14. During the meal I chatted about my wool purchases and showed David a pattern I had bought for a mans pullover in cable stitch Arran wool. He liked it so much we went back to the wool shop and bought some lovely wine coloured wool, that was another £20, so now I have a long job on my hands. I told him it would have to be for next winter! This one is on ordinary knitting needles not on my new board.
I said ‘home James’ before we spent any more money but I had enjoyed myself, it not often I get to do some fun shopping. Got home and David had another appointment to go to and I had to walk the dog, at least the sun was out which was lovely after all the grey weather. Below my dog, she is ten this year but still like a puppy.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
8/1/2011
Went Saturday shopping just like I did in my younger days. I went to our little market town of Newton Abbot and it was market day. Not the animal market, That’s on Wednesdays, but the market square was full of traders.
David had to go on an appointment in a town nearby so he dropped me off. I wanted to go to the only decent knitting wool shop in the district. Really got the knitting board bug now and I wanted some thicker wool which is supposed to be the right wool for it, not the thinner one I am using. Had a lovely time choosing wools and patterns and talking with the owner. She had never heard of my knitting board and I think I quite interested her. I must have spent nearly an hour in there and over £20,00!
From there I had a quick call into the craft shop which was only two doors away and got some white card for making my handmade cards, only £1.20 here. David was due to come back and meet me for lunch so I wandered around the indoor market hall and the outdoor market where I saw some reasonably priced dog walking shoes for David, his had just got a hole in them this morning. Shoes cannot be mended these days at least not the moulded trainer type.
I phoned David on my mobile to see if he was going to be long but got no answer. Decided he must be driving and it is illegal to use the mobile while driving. While waiting to try again I found a kiosk jewellers shop that sold reasonably priced watches. One had lovely dark thick black hands which I knew I could see even without my glasses, I have astigmatism. Bought it for £4,50 and am well pleased as I am rough on watches and its not worth me paying more.
David phoned to say he had arrived and was parking the car, soon he joined me. I showed him the shoes and he bought a pair for £20.00 Then we went to a very nice pizza café which was very busy but we were lucky and found a table. We had the snack sized pizzas, David had sea food on his and I had pineapple and extra cheese, not good for my weight loss but….. The meal cost around £14. During the meal I chatted about my wool purchases and showed David a pattern I had bought for a mans pullover in cable stitch Arran wool. He liked it so much we went back to the wool shop and bought some lovely wine coloured wool, that was another £20, so now I have a long job on my hands. I told him it would have to be for next winter! This one is on ordinary knitting needles not on my new board.
I said ‘home James’ before we spent any more money but I had enjoyed myself, it not often I get to do some fun shopping. Got home and David had another appointment to go to and I had to walk the dog, at least the sun was out which was lovely after all the grey weather. Below my dog, she is ten this year but still like a puppy.
Friday, 7 January 2011
Lazy January Days
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
These January days have been short, dark and wet and I have not felt like doing much. The radio and television are full of ‘are you keeping up your new year resolutions?’ I didn’t really make one because I always put on weight at Christmas and have to get back on my eating plan in the first days of the year anyway. It is not really so surprising that for most people the resolution is to lose weight as they have just announced that a quarter of the people in this country are obese or at least over weight. With half the world starving the other half can’t stop eating something is wrong somewhere.
I myself have spent the last two to three years losing 4 stone in weight. As some of the programmes have been saying, it is not hard to lose weight – what is hard is keeping it off. I have watched and listen to advice, belong to a ‘Fat Club’ called Slimming World, (Which is very good by the way) but along comes the Christmas or summer holidays and on goes half a stone just like that. I hope one day that they find some way of keeping weight off yet allowing one to enjoy some of the pleasures of food.
One of my hobbies is knitting and I finished off two hats with hearts moffits for my friend’s two young girls which they picked up today. I think they liked them and I hope they weren’t just being polite. But yesterday I started a new kind of knitting for me called ‘knitting board knitting. It is a series of nails in a board that you wind the wool around and loop stitches over the nails to make double sided knitting, My first go was not so good but I think I have the way of it now. I am making scarves to match the hats, well that is all the wool I have in stock. You can see what I mean on www.knittingboard.com This is my first go on the knitting board.
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
These January days have been short, dark and wet and I have not felt like doing much. The radio and television are full of ‘are you keeping up your new year resolutions?’ I didn’t really make one because I always put on weight at Christmas and have to get back on my eating plan in the first days of the year anyway. It is not really so surprising that for most people the resolution is to lose weight as they have just announced that a quarter of the people in this country are obese or at least over weight. With half the world starving the other half can’t stop eating something is wrong somewhere.
I myself have spent the last two to three years losing 4 stone in weight. As some of the programmes have been saying, it is not hard to lose weight – what is hard is keeping it off. I have watched and listen to advice, belong to a ‘Fat Club’ called Slimming World, (Which is very good by the way) but along comes the Christmas or summer holidays and on goes half a stone just like that. I hope one day that they find some way of keeping weight off yet allowing one to enjoy some of the pleasures of food.
One of my hobbies is knitting and I finished off two hats with hearts moffits for my friend’s two young girls which they picked up today. I think they liked them and I hope they weren’t just being polite. But yesterday I started a new kind of knitting for me called ‘knitting board knitting. It is a series of nails in a board that you wind the wool around and loop stitches over the nails to make double sided knitting, My first go was not so good but I think I have the way of it now. I am making scarves to match the hats, well that is all the wool I have in stock. You can see what I mean on www.knittingboard.com This is my first go on the knitting board.
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Vat up to 20%
3/1/20011
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
News that does affect me and mine tonight is that the VAT tax is going up by two and a half percent to 20%. That is the highest as far as I can remember It affects us mostly on car fuel and our electricity and gas bills. Well of course all our bills come to that. I will have to keep a sharp eye on our out goings for a while. This is all because we, as a country, are in terrible debt and the VAT hike is supposed to help pay it off. I’ll bet it doesn’t go down again unless there are more riots and that’s a possibility. Thank God I am too old for any protesting now.
The floods in Australia are getting worse and the peek is expected today or tomorrow. I suppose it is their tomorrow by now.
Another quiet day for me. David went out on one appointment but the weather didn’t entice me at all, Still wet and cold. No sun now for five days. Indeed more snow on Dartmoor above us and in Scotland. I tried to finish the second hat with hearts on but went wrong on the last line of pattern and had to undo most of it. (Swear word). Tomorrow I shall try to go on the local bus to Dawlish to get a bit of food shopping. I am all over the place with the food shop because of the Christmas holiday. I usually either get it on line at Tescos and delivered or David takes me to Teignmouth. We more or less shop for a week and store it in the fridge or freezer.
I am back to trying to eat to a plan as I have put on weight eating too much this Christmas. I heard a text on a radio show today. A lady said
‘I have three sizes of clothes in my wardrobe, one fat, one medium and one small. I have manage to only get the medium clothes after out this Christmas.’
Oh I know how she feels, some of my clothes are a little more than tight this year. I will be going back to ‘Fat Club’ as soon as the weather is better. I need help. I’ll write more on this subject of the Fat Club later.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
New Years Day 2011
PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings about ordinary life and is intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,
2/1/2011
The weather yesterday, New Years Day, was grey and horrible. I stayed in and was lazy. My husband, David, had some appointments for his work to do but I only did was some washing and a bit of cooking. Later I sat watching the television (TV) and did some knitting. I have taken to doing quite a lot of knitting this winter to keep my fingers moving, I have arthritis. I made a hat for my friend’s little girl and now have to make a second for the sister, They have hearts going round the crown which the youngsters today seem to love,
The TV was not that good, it never is on these holidays. Mostly films which I am not interested in. They are nearly all old ones of second or even third rate. I cannot guess how many times they have shown The Towering Inferno. Later we did wallow in several programmes about the comedians Morcambe and Wise including a play about their youth. I miss their humour which was clever and clean. You could watch it with your grandmother as the saying goes. Indeed I did watch it with my aged father one year at Christmas and we laughed ourselves silly. Have decided to buy a DVD of their Christmas shows.
I know there will be many places to find world or local news in the future but here this is as it appears to me from my sources, you could say what impinges on me from my windows on the world.
World news is short at holidays on TV so I got most of it from the radio which I have on quietly under my pillow at night. After having had a long drought there is a terrible flood in Queensland, Australia which they say covers land the size of France and Germany put together. Many towns are inundated and now a woman has been found dead. The people are warned in going back to their homes to be careful of snakes, spiders and crocodiles!
Here in the UK we have had a riot at an open prison in Sussex. The prisoners set fire to the prison and had to be subdued by riot forces. Apparently 500 of them were only guarded at night by two prison warders. The prisoners go out and buy alcohol which is now being blamed for the violence and riot. I cannot think that open prisons were different in the past. I remember being told by somebody who had been an inmate in such a prison that they walked out over the fields behind the prison to meet and have sex with girl friends and wives. Julie
Later 23.40
Doing the washing in 2011
When ever I see or read the social history of any period there are always descriptions of how day to day things were done such as preparing food, doing washing, clothes worn, shopping etc. So I shall start with how I in 2011 keep my clothes and linen clean.
David and I throw our dirty clothes in a laundry box as we take them off. From there I take them to a front loading washing machine in my kitchen which has various wash, rinse and spin cycles. It holds fairly large load that takes about an hour and 20 minutes to two hours to wash depending on which cycle I choose. During the week I usually do one load a day. This is mainly because in the winter I have to dry my clothes on an airier at the top of the stairs where there is an electric heater. In the summer I take it out to the garden where I have a rotary washing line and I can save on electric heat. I wash our sheets, duvet covers and towels etc. once a week. Many people have tumble dryers either as part of the washing machine or a separate machine. I am not so lucky.
Using my electric iron I try to do my ironing once a week which often takes me a whole morning. This may be partly because I am getting older and I have some pains plus I am slower than I used to be, but I get it done. I use a washing powder which gets biological stains out which I know is not so good for the environment but I do use a lower heat setting on the machine, I also use a softener in the last rinse.
What a difference to the past even in my own life time. I don’t quite go back to the copper and washing dolly but I boiled all my whites and such things as my baby’s nappies in a bucket. I didn’t even have a mangle until someone gave me an old Edwardian mangle with large woodern rollers. You couldn’t put anything through that had buttons on as it broke them, only flat linens but at least it was a help. I moved up to a top loader and electric mangle after a few years. In my very early life we didn’t wash everything like we do now mainly because we didn’t have so many things. The rule was ‘On on, one off and one in the wash. My school blouse was worn for a week as was my underwear, At one time in my younger days I used a Victorian flat iron which was heated on the gas ring!
I still dislike doing washing and ironing but after 70 years have become accustomed to it. It is really so much easier now. Julie
In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..
The weather yesterday, New Years Day, was grey and horrible. I stayed in and was lazy. My husband, David, had some appointments for his work to do but I only did was some washing and a bit of cooking. Later I sat watching the television (TV) and did some knitting. I have taken to doing quite a lot of knitting this winter to keep my fingers moving, I have arthritis. I made a hat for my friend’s little girl and now have to make a second for the sister, They have hearts going round the crown which the youngsters today seem to love,
The TV was not that good, it never is on these holidays. Mostly films which I am not interested in. They are nearly all old ones of second or even third rate. I cannot guess how many times they have shown The Towering Inferno. Later we did wallow in several programmes about the comedians Morcambe and Wise including a play about their youth. I miss their humour which was clever and clean. You could watch it with your grandmother as the saying goes. Indeed I did watch it with my aged father one year at Christmas and we laughed ourselves silly. Have decided to buy a DVD of their Christmas shows.
I know there will be many places to find world or local news in the future but here this is as it appears to me from my sources, you could say what impinges on me from my windows on the world.
World news is short at holidays on TV so I got most of it from the radio which I have on quietly under my pillow at night. After having had a long drought there is a terrible flood in Queensland, Australia which they say covers land the size of France and Germany put together. Many towns are inundated and now a woman has been found dead. The people are warned in going back to their homes to be careful of snakes, spiders and crocodiles!
Here in the UK we have had a riot at an open prison in Sussex. The prisoners set fire to the prison and had to be subdued by riot forces. Apparently 500 of them were only guarded at night by two prison warders. The prisoners go out and buy alcohol which is now being blamed for the violence and riot. I cannot think that open prisons were different in the past. I remember being told by somebody who had been an inmate in such a prison that they walked out over the fields behind the prison to meet and have sex with girl friends and wives. Julie
Later 23.40
Doing the washing in 2011
When ever I see or read the social history of any period there are always descriptions of how day to day things were done such as preparing food, doing washing, clothes worn, shopping etc. So I shall start with how I in 2011 keep my clothes and linen clean.
David and I throw our dirty clothes in a laundry box as we take them off. From there I take them to a front loading washing machine in my kitchen which has various wash, rinse and spin cycles. It holds fairly large load that takes about an hour and 20 minutes to two hours to wash depending on which cycle I choose. During the week I usually do one load a day. This is mainly because in the winter I have to dry my clothes on an airier at the top of the stairs where there is an electric heater. In the summer I take it out to the garden where I have a rotary washing line and I can save on electric heat. I wash our sheets, duvet covers and towels etc. once a week. Many people have tumble dryers either as part of the washing machine or a separate machine. I am not so lucky.
Using my electric iron I try to do my ironing once a week which often takes me a whole morning. This may be partly because I am getting older and I have some pains plus I am slower than I used to be, but I get it done. I use a washing powder which gets biological stains out which I know is not so good for the environment but I do use a lower heat setting on the machine, I also use a softener in the last rinse.
What a difference to the past even in my own life time. I don’t quite go back to the copper and washing dolly but I boiled all my whites and such things as my baby’s nappies in a bucket. I didn’t even have a mangle until someone gave me an old Edwardian mangle with large woodern rollers. You couldn’t put anything through that had buttons on as it broke them, only flat linens but at least it was a help. I moved up to a top loader and electric mangle after a few years. In my very early life we didn’t wash everything like we do now mainly because we didn’t have so many things. The rule was ‘On on, one off and one in the wash. My school blouse was worn for a week as was my underwear, At one time in my younger days I used a Victorian flat iron which was heated on the gas ring!
I still dislike doing washing and ironing but after 70 years have become accustomed to it. It is really so much easier now. Julie
Saturday, 1 January 2011
History for the Future - Mission Statement
I am a magpie for all things historical. I love to know why something is like it is or how a phrase came into use. It set me wondering about how people of the future would look at our plethora of information. No finding of hard copy diaries or writings, all electronic. Perhaps I should try to leave something electronic behind which might throw light on how an ordinary person lived in 2011. I am not talking about people in 50 or even a hundred years time but 500 years or more when my house may only be a mark under the ground showing up on an archaeological machine.
But how to save it? People leave time capsules buried for future historians to find because the artefacts may survive. Written words have survived thousands of years. But will they in the future have any machines left that will read our electronic words of today: and they say CD discs etc. will deteriorate. Yet they say that writings of the time are more useful than artefacts. Of course they will have photos and movies or at least some of them may survive. Yet I can see already how wrong the young historians are getting the history of the second world war from looking at films.
So how to leave it and where? I have been writings this ‘History for the Future’ for some months now and storing it on line as a file. If I don’t go to the files for a certain length of time I am told they will be wiped so what good is that? (If anyone has any ideas about this problem please contact me) Meanwhile I have decided to start this as a blog and write it for a year. Here I am on the 1st of January 2011 starting just that. I understand blogs stay on line as long as the place where you put the blog is still in existence. Later I may publish the blog on Lulu.com so there is a hard copy as well.
I am a 75 year of woman living a very quiet life in Devon with my husband. I am retired and he still works as he is younger than myself. I intend to write about life today as I see it, sometimes very close personal stuff and sometimes what is happening though my windows on the world, those being television, radio and internet. I don’t bother much with newspapers these days and only see the local give away and an occasional magazine. I do not set myself up as an expert of any kind but just like to write about – things.
I may bring in some personal memories as a matter of interest or to show how things have changed in my lifetime but my other blog -–New Thoughts-Old Memories tends to cover this more – if I can find the time to write it. I am still a busy housewife and have to look after my husband.
I see from trying to set up this blog I am not the first one to think of a project like this however I shall still have a go at it. Maybe I shall write something for today later on. For now - A Very Happy New Year to one and all.
But how to save it? People leave time capsules buried for future historians to find because the artefacts may survive. Written words have survived thousands of years. But will they in the future have any machines left that will read our electronic words of today: and they say CD discs etc. will deteriorate. Yet they say that writings of the time are more useful than artefacts. Of course they will have photos and movies or at least some of them may survive. Yet I can see already how wrong the young historians are getting the history of the second world war from looking at films.
So how to leave it and where? I have been writings this ‘History for the Future’ for some months now and storing it on line as a file. If I don’t go to the files for a certain length of time I am told they will be wiped so what good is that? (If anyone has any ideas about this problem please contact me) Meanwhile I have decided to start this as a blog and write it for a year. Here I am on the 1st of January 2011 starting just that. I understand blogs stay on line as long as the place where you put the blog is still in existence. Later I may publish the blog on Lulu.com so there is a hard copy as well.
I am a 75 year of woman living a very quiet life in Devon with my husband. I am retired and he still works as he is younger than myself. I intend to write about life today as I see it, sometimes very close personal stuff and sometimes what is happening though my windows on the world, those being television, radio and internet. I don’t bother much with newspapers these days and only see the local give away and an occasional magazine. I do not set myself up as an expert of any kind but just like to write about – things.
I may bring in some personal memories as a matter of interest or to show how things have changed in my lifetime but my other blog -–New Thoughts-Old Memories tends to cover this more – if I can find the time to write it. I am still a busy housewife and have to look after my husband.
I see from trying to set up this blog I am not the first one to think of a project like this however I shall still have a go at it. Maybe I shall write something for today later on. For now - A Very Happy New Year to one and all.
Below my first photo for this project of migrating Fieldfare in the rowen tree by my home. We love to bird watch.
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