36 days

A man is being remembered by friends and colleagues around the world holding daily vigils and prayer meetings.

Alan Johnson was kidnapped on the 12 March in Gaza and has not been seen since. Claims have been made that he has been murdered.

The parents of BBC Gaza reporter Alan Johnston have said they are desperately worried after Palestinian militants claimed to have killed their son.
In a statement, the BBC said it could not confirm the claims by the Tawhid and Jihad brigades, describing the story as a rumour without verification.
In a separate statement, Graham and Margaret Johnston appealed for anyone with information to make contact.
Journalists rallied in Beirut, Brussels and at BBC premises to show support.
In Beirut dozens of demonstrators held portraits of the journalist, who was seized at gunpoint in Gaza City on 12 March.
Others gathered outside the European Commission building in Brussels.
The corporation's Director General Mark Thompson said the BBC was still seeking clarification of the reporter's condition.
He praised Mr Johnston's family, calling the wait for news "agonising" for them.
On Sunday the Tawhid and Jihad brigades (The Brigades of Holy War and Unity), a previously unheard of group, said it had killed Mr Johnston, linking his purported killing to the plight of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
A spokesman for UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said the government was investigating the reports.
"We are working closely with the Palestinian Authority and are urgently seeking information from them and other sources," he said.
In the latest of almost daily demonstrations in the wake of Mr Johnston's abduction, journalists gathered outside the Lebanese Press Syndicate building in Beirut to press for his release.
"We would like to appeal today to whoever is holding [Alan Johnston] to release him today unharmed," the BBC's Beirut correspondent, Kim Ghattas, told media.
Our correspondent said Mr Johnston had continued to do his job professionally, despite the risks.
But, more than a month since his abduction, there was concern about Mr Johnston's mental health and physical state, she said.
Another demonstrator, Lebanese TV reporter Diana Moukalled, said it was very important "to show our solidarity with any colleague that's harmed because of his job.
"Because we, ourselves, have suffered a lot in Lebanon, we have a long history of targeting journalists, some of them were killed, others kidnapped, some of them were tortured.
"It's unfortunate for journalists to be targeted just because they are doing their job."
Parents' plea
Earlier, Mr Johnston's parents Graham and Margaret Johnston issued a statement, saying it was a "desperately worrying time".
They added: "We make a heartfelt appeal to anyone who may have knowledge of Alan's situation and well-being to contact the authorities in Gaza.
"Our son has lived and worked among the people of Gaza for the last three years to bring their story to the outside world and we ask every one of them to help end this ordeal."
Mr Johnston, from Scotland, joined the BBC World Service in 1991 and has spent eight of the last 16 years as a correspondent, including periods in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
He has lived and worked in Gaza for three years and was the only Western reporter permanently based in the often violent and lawless territory.
His posting in Gaza had been due to end in late March.
Story from BBC NEWS: here Published: 2007/04/16 13:23:24 GMT© BBC MMVII

I join my voice to theirs - let him go......or let him have a proper farewell.

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Lest We Forget

While remembering the people stolen from us in the current political climate - let us not forget those who died in previous generations because of Man's inhumanity to Man in pursuit of power.....

Today is the anniversary of the relief of Belsen by British troops in 1945.

When the British advanced near the camp in 1945, the German army negotiated an exclusion zone around it to prevent the spread of typhus. Hungarian and regular German troops guarding the camp returned to German lines after the engagement. Some SS guards also fled the camp; however, a number remained wearing white armbands as a sign of surrender.
When British and Canadian troops liberated the camp on April 15, 1945, they found thousands of bodies unburied, and forced the remaining SS personnel to bury them. The surviving prisoners were moved to a nearby German Panzer army camp. Bergen-Belsen was then burned to the ground by flamethrowers because of a typhus epidemic and louse infestation. Subsequent accounts of Belsen after this time refer to events at the nearby army camp.
In spite of great efforts to help the survivors, about another 9,000 died in April. By the end of June of 1945 another 4,000 had died. The total number of deaths at Bergen-Belsen from 1943 to June 1945 was about 50,000.
Although the camp was burned to the ground, the site is today open to the public, featuring a visitors' center, a monument to the dead, and a "House of Silence" for reflection.
On 15 April 2005 there was a commemorative ceremony there and many ex-prisoners and ex-liberating troops went there.

-from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belsen

"Israel and the world shall remember thirty thousand Jews exterminated in the concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen at the hands of the murderous Nazis.

EARTH CONCEAL NOT THE BLOOD SHED ON THEE!

First anniversary of Liberation 15th April 1946 "

(from the monument)

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100 Signs that you're a Re-enactor - Part I

(Picture of Mrs Aginoth, LMB & LMD by Aginoth)

1 - 50...

1. You and your mates stand on a street corner on the route of a historical procession, and people ask you if you're part of said procession.
2. You and your friends have wandered down the road and into the pub, only to be asked if you're invading, which brand of mead you'd prefer, and if you could you mind where you're putting those spears, please.
3. When a lecturer fails to show up, and somebody grabs the long board pointer to use as a spear, your mate takes it off him, and proceeds to demonstrate a typical advance with a spear - only to meet you coming at him with the short board pointer wielded like a langseax. And the rest of the lecture hall swear that the two of you look better at this than they do in the films.
4. You can't pass the scrap skip outside the local sheet metal shop without raiding it for raw materials
5. Your "first car" is a transit van.
6. You can work out, accurately, how many crossbow bolts, arrows, etc. you need for a weekend, but believe that a tin of Ravioli will feed you for three days
7. You close every curtain in your house before getting changed, but will happily undress to get into kit in the middle of a public carpark.
8. You use a scramseax as a door wedge.
9. You use a Moniac Mead bottle to prop open your window.
10. You buy reproduction 14th Cheamware pots and use them as normal everyday coffee cups.
11. You use the phrase "Bugger this for a game of soldiers" other than metaphorically.
12. You can sleep through drunken singing, gaming and three part harmony snoring echoing off castle walls.
13. You recognise people in battle scenes in TV programmes and films.
14. You have weapons stacked in the living room.
15. After getting back from an event you pop out of the house to post a letter and are halfway down the road before you realise you're still barefoot.
16. You get completely confused when packing for a camping trip that isn't a reenactment event and have this nagging suspicion all weekend that you've forgotten something.
17. You can't sing without a drink in your hand.
18. You drive by some open land and think "What a great place for a battle!"
19. Your idea of a fun weekend is sleeping outside in the rain.
20. You can spot 100% wool at 30 yards.
21. You have a whole room of your house given over as an armoury.
22. You've ever said the words "only X more days 'til (some event)!".
23. You've received cuts, burns, pulled out thorns, got poison ivy, and still look forward to camping at events.
24. Your dinner guests see your kit and ask if you're in a play.
25. In the middle of summer, you dread wearing a short sleeved shirt in your air conditioned office, but you can't wait to get to the next event, where you can dress in three layers of wool and sit round a campfire.
26. You've worn wool when the temperature tops 100 degrees Fahrenheit, repeatedly.
27. People greet you on Monday morning with "So did you kill anyone this weekend?".
28. You can't use your dining table because it's covered in half finished mail.
29. You have a table specifically for making mail so it doesn't take up your dining table.
30. You suffer from post-battle depression.
31. You know every line in Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail by heart.
32. You've stopped watching Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail because you know every line by heart.
33. Bad fighting and/or costuming has ruined an otherwise decent movie for you.
34. You're a burly guy who looks like a Hell's Angel, but you do embroidery in public.
35. At a formal dinner party, you politely grab your sleeve to keep it from dropping in the food, only to realize you're wearing a suit.
36. You can eat equally well with a dagger or a fork.
37. You've decorated a cake in Celtic knotwork.
38. You return to work after a weekend event, only to find you left all your money in your belt pouch.
39. After a party you ask yourself "Hm. Now where are my clothes?" and you're stone sober and fully dressed.
40. You can and do curse in Gaelic, but you aren't Scottish
41. You have more kit than clothes and the kit is in better condition.
42. You visit a period castle, notice the draperies and bedspreads, and think of what lovely clothing they would make.
43. Your immediate family consists of only two rather small, thin people, but you justify your purchase of a full-sized van/pickup truck saying "We'll need the extra space for events!"
44. Your reference section on your field of interest is better than the equivalent section in the local library.
45. Your idea of a packed lunch is mince-meat pie, cold mulled cider and wafers left over from the feast the week-end before.
46. Your hobby takes more of your time than your job.
47. You name your pets after obscure historical figures.
48. You name your children after obscure historical figures.
49. People assume that you're an exchange student/recent immigrant because they hear people calling you by the most outlandish names.
50. You take a medieval history course in college, and find out you already own the textbooks.

More in Part Two!

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Insomnia Means...

..visiting my entire blogroll.........

[phew]

and it's still only 4.40am!!

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Moneyer and a Giggle

The final tally for the coin die over the weekend was £168 for two days, so that means that I hammered 336 coins (give or take the dozen or so Jonno hammered).

Quite a target for me to better at Caerphilly Castle next month.....

Meanwhile, a bit of fun.......:

go to this link

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps

Click on 'Get Directions'

Enter 'New York'

to 'Paris, France'

then click on 'Get Directions'

Then check out serial 23....

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Money Maker

I am sore and aching, with a fuzzy head........but I had a good weekend!

The castle arrangement was strange, as we weren't allowed to camp inside the castle, but pitched our tents outside and lugged everything into the castle through the entrance - which meant up the lane, through the car park, through the gift shop and then up here (follow the pink lines) up a pretty sheer incline:

Doesn't sound the end of the world - but a complete medieval market is an awful lot of heavy wood and canvas.

I helped set up on Sunday morning and then debated what I was going to do for the day...Mr and Mrs A had lots of helpers with Mistress Vic and the three children so I was free to learn a new trade.

I watched Jonno hammer out a coin and thought 'I could do that!'. Boy, could I ever! That was a real money maker (we don't usually sell things at these events) literally (I know, cool pun!). I had a stream of children and adults at my mint wanting my 'pretty silver pennies'. The secret to hammering coins is firstly to make it look good, and secondly to make the coin with a single hit. It was a double edged die - which meant you put the blank between two moulds and hit it firmly once with a heavy hammer, impressing the mould on both sides of the coin at once. More than one hit runs the risk of double imprinting, which explains the faulty coins sometimes dug up by archeologists. The children loved the silver pennies and the theatrics, the adults were intrigued by the process and the poverty-stricken individual desperately trying to earn enough to pay for some shoes.

I could even flash my black toenail (got elsewhere!) and say sorrowfully 'I dropped the die on my foot yesterday'....they lapped it up.......several came back for more talk and more silver pennies.

The sergeant at arms made a point of spending time looking over my shoulder to ensure I wasn't forging or diddling our Lordship out of money.....that added to the appeal for the public.

The money flowed in. One child would inch shyly over and offer his money saying 'can I have a silver penny please?', so I would beckon them over and begin showing them the die and the blank coins - by then Mum and Dad would be listening attentively. One strike of my mallet and the parents would be asking for coins for the whole family!

I got used to hearing (in a strong Liverpudlian accent) 'Mum! Mum! This lady's making MONEY!'

(example of a period coin from the Web)

Sunday was hot and sunny and I made £91 - so at 50p a coin I hammered 182 coins....Monday was rainy and cold but I was still hammering coins all day, I think I pulled in another £40 or so - I left Vintner to count the money as I was cold and poorly by 3.30.....

The company are taking the coin die to Caerphilly next month, so I'm off to research Edward III silver pennies so I can sound more knowledgeable.

cq

Happy Easter

Today I am travelling back to 1370.
Actually, today we are going here:


This is Conwy Castle in North Wales and will be my home for the next couple of days.


I have my kit (see here) all ready and two loaves of fresh hand made bread. We will be camping just outside the castle in our reproduction 14C tents (no plastic groundsheets here!) and will be spending our days inside the castle being watched and filmed by several thousand holiday makers.
Two days with no spectacles and no shoes - such freedom.......

This is a couple of firsts for me - my first re-enactment as a signed up member of The Company of Chivary, my first Easter away from home and MB.

I will be back on Tuesday. Wish me luck!!

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Blog Fodder #16

Blog Fodder ~ fighting blogger's block one post at a time!

This week, we're going all the way to Canada to visit Chrysalis!
Hi Chrysalis!
Let’s see who can get the most people to participate! Is there a prize, d'you think??
Ready, set, go!

What are your top 10 reasons to blog?

1. I want to......

2. I have stuff I really want to say.

3. It helps me to see my own life more clearly.

4. I like to brag, but only a little bit.

5. There are such nice people out in t'internet land.

6. It's a great way to unwind.

7. I see it kinda like a diary.

8. 'cos it's public I am not able to blog (and therefore talk) about work - which is good!

9. It's a (mostly) family-free environment, which is good too.....

10. 'Blogito, ergo sum' - I blog, therefore I am...... :-)

What about you? What are your ten reasons to blog? Go on [smiles encouragingly] have a go.......oh and don't forget to drop in on Blog Fodder Hub and say hello! :-)

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Race for Life 2007

[follow the links in bold for the full picture!]
[This will remain at the top of my bloggie for a couple of weeks - read on down for newer stuff!]

I have made a big decision and, thanks to talking to my blogsistah last night, I have worked out how to include all myblogbuddies.....

I have registered to do the Race For Life this year, although I admit it will probably be a Walk For Life given my physical condition!! So far, I am one of 324,189 entrants!

What is Race For Life?

Since it started in 1994, Race for Life has grown to become the UK’s biggest women-only fundraising event. All the money raised by our participants helps fund the crucial work of Cancer Research UK – the world’s leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research.
So far, over two million women of all ages have run, walked or jogged to raise over £140 million in sponsorship for the charity. This year we hope to raise £60 million for our life-saving work by bringing an amazing 800,000 women together to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

My inspiration to do this event is Minerva over at Womanly Parts. Her brave battle with cancer has encouraged me to do my little bit to help out.

I will be walking the race on the 16th June at Lydiard Park, Swindon. Or I might be gently jogging by then :-)

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology you can sponsor me online (if you wish). Click here if you want to help out. I have been modest in my forecast of sponsorship - I would love to exceed it!

Update: as the sponsorship has started to roll in from generous bloggers, I have increased my target!

I have a little bit of a persuader -

the blogger who sponsors the most money will have their blog URL emblazoned across the chest of my t'shirt on the big day. All the other bloggers who donate will also have their blognames written on my t'shirt - but smaller :-)

Friends who donate will also get a mention somewhere on my clothing.....

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Can You Smell It?

Bread.

2nd attempt.

Straight from the oven..........

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'Our Friend' Jim

I am sad.



I have only just heard that Jim Cronin MBE died a couple of weeks ago in his home New York after losing a battle with liver cancer.

20yrs ago Jim and and his beloved wife Alison opened Monkey World in Dorset here in the UK on an abandoned pig farm.

Their first monkey was chimpanzee Charlie, who has become the epitome of Monkey World's ethos and Jim's devotion to his animals. Charlie was a beach chimp who, when rescued, was hooked on drugs, suffered terrible injuries (including a serious head injury and having all his teeth but three removed) and didn't know how to behave like a chimp.

For 20yrs Jim and Alison have travelled the world, rescuing apes from horrific conditions and giving them homes at Monkey World. They have battled against bureaucracy and highlighted the evils of the international live animal trade.Wherever possible they have brought the animals to a world of peace and caring, where they all learn to be apes again. Chimps, Orangs, Woolly monkeys, Ugly monkeys, Lemurs, Capuchins - you name it. Watching that process on the TV programme 'Monkey Business' was an honour.
Jim - you are and always will be a King amongst men and will never be forgotten. And I will be adding another name to my Race For Life - Jim Cronin.

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The Queen Speaks

OK, so to kill two birds with one stone - here's my kitcheck for re-enactment next weekend, with a short narrative........

David, you don't have to walk 500 miles to hear a British accent - here it is.....



[and before the Aginoths jump all over me, it's a cloak, not a cape - slip of the tongue]
To those who know me - is that really what I sound like?? [wrinkles nose] - bobkat says yes, it is my serious voice.........

Update: My handmade bread is now proving in the airing cupboard....hope it works......

woo hoo!! The bread worked! (If a little overdone, but that's the oven)....who needs breadmakers!?! :-)

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Mammograms

Many women are afraid of their first mammogram, but there is no need to worry. By taking a few minutes each day for a week preceding the exam and doing the following exercises, you will be totally prepared for the test and best of all, you can do these simple exercises right in and around your home.

EXERCISE ONE:

Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast in door. Shut the door as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure. Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat again in case the first time wasn't effective enough.

EXERCISE TWO:

Visit your garage at 3AM when the temperature of the cement floor is just perfect. Take off all your clothes and lie comfortably on the floor with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car. Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until your breast is sufficiently flattened and chilled. Turn over and repeat with the other breast.

EXERCISE THREE:

Freeze two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a stranger into the room. Press the bookends against one of your breasts. Smash the bookends together as hard as you can. Set up an appointment with the stranger to meet next year and do it again.

A Friend Is Like A Good Bra...

Hard to Find

Supportive

Comfortable

Always Lifts You Up

Never Lets You Down

or Leaves You Hanging

And Is Always Close To Your Heart!!!

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These Damned Feet of Clay!!

This ol' Queen has feet of clay after all. My elation and, truth to say, pleasure in managing to run short distances this weekend has been short-lived.

There does indeed appear to still be something wrong with my back. The short bursts of jogging I did over the weekend (both Saturday and Sunday) have resulted in much back pain. The pain is centred on the base of my spine (injured when I fell on the skiing trip last year) and when particularly bad it spreads across the pelvis and up the spine.

I am now on painkillers and have been off work for a couple of days, waiting for the aggravation to recede.

It's getting better now, but I won't be running the Race for Life at this rate - my back is just too fragile.

So it's back to walking.....

I feel such a cripple, but my back has taken quite a beating over the last 40 years, often landing me in hospital, from road accidents to slips and falls. They say 'you only have one back' - how true that is!

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Song for Sunday

This week's choice of song is an international favourite folksy number, indelibly linked to the film featured in the post below.......

"Craig and Charlie Reid never expected a hit single. They certainly never thought they'd see the same song climb the pop charts twice. But the Proclaimers, a Scottish rock band fronted by a pair of spectacled, nerdy-looking brothers, has based its fame on the success of a single song.

Many people don't even know the name. But start singing the words to "I'm Gonna Be" and a lot of folks will smile and join in the refrain: "Oh, I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more, Just to be the man who walked 1,000 miles to fall down at your door."
Sound familiar? The irreverent love song, appropriately subtitled "500 Miles," hit the charts after the release of their 1988 album, Sunshine on Leith. Then, after a successful world tour, the furor died down and the Proclaimers disappeared from view. They shot back into the limelights in 1993, not because of a new recording, but because their five-year-old hit rocketed back onto the charts after appearing in the movie Benny and Joon."

This version was released this year for Comic Relief with comedians Peter Kaye and Matt Lucas. The Brits reading this should recognise most of the audience!

I love this song, and am one of those people in the article quoted above, who sing along after the first line.....

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Sunday Afternoon at the Movies

I missed my regular slot of Saturday Night at the Movies, but this is definitely an afternoon film anyway.

Anyone been wondering why I haven't been featuring JD? Well, today is the day. Creating possibly one of Johnny's most popular creations, Sam, this film pays loving homage to his favourite silent screen actor, Buster Keaton. With the dancing bread rolls, and Sam swinging from a bosun's chair, it can only be the magical wonderful and gorgeous 'Benny and Joon' (1993). Is there ANYONE who hasn't seen this masterpiece illustration of life with psychological disorders, in this case dyslexia and schitzophrenia?

The bones from imdb:

In a small town, an auto mechanic named Benny is devoted to taking care of his mentally ill sister, Joon, who can barely function alone in the real world despite being a talented artist. This relatively stable situation is shaken up when Benny is obliged in a poker game to welcome another player's relative, Sam, to his home for a few days. When Sam arrives, he quickly makes an impression with his quietly eccentric ways which emulate the antics of the great silent movie comedian, Buster Keaton. Without Benny's full knowledge, Sam and Joon finds themselves drawn to each other to the fullest degree. However when Benny finds out, it creates a rift in the siblings as they struggle to accept their relationship is profoundly changing with the presence of this odd newcomer.

But this in no way describes the impact of this film. Every moment, from Sam travelling on the train, to him struggling to write his name, to the painting lesson, to Joon defending herself, to Sam teaching her to make toasted cheese sandwiches, is a moment of charm and wonder. This film is a constant delight and opened eyes to what Johnny could do, acting-wise, supported strongly with Mary Stuart Masterson and Aiden Quinn. This is quite possibly right up there in my top ten movies of all time.

Can Sam come and stay at my house?

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Chariots of Fire - NOT!

Today I ran!

Well, I shuffled.....

[thinks]

nope, I ran!

I decided to start my training for Race for Life by walking to the store (about a mile away) and doing some light grocery shopping.

The way to the store is a little footpath lined with bushes and trees, and while I was walking I pondered whether I could still run (I have not run since I had problems with my back in my twenties).

I started with a little gentle shuffle (reminiscent of a marathon runner in the last stretch!), trying to remember what to do with two legs and two arms, my rucksack banging against my back. Then I stopped and walked for a bit. I didn't keel over, so I jogged some more - about a hundreds yards. And stopped to walk again. I did this down the path until I saw the end of the path and ran to the end. By this time I was remembering how to run (isn't it odd how you forget how to run as you get older?) and got some speed up.

Acknowledging my age and physical condition, I decided to be restrained, be content with shuffling/jogging/running 1/4 mile and live to run another day.....

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Blog Fodder #14

Blog Fodder ~ fighting blogger's block one post at a time!

This week is yet another example of a question that has so many answers. We'd like to thank Mar over at Maremagnum for submitting this topic.

Give an example of a meal that makes you happy.

There's only one answer to this - my regular girly pizza nights with Bob-Kat.

We go to Pizza Hut and I always have my favourite...garlic bread with cheese, vegetarian supreme on pan and chocolate cake to follow........
Most important thing about this meal isn't the food though, it's the time spent with my best girl-friend, my soul-sister, Bob-Kat.
Utenzi made me smile when he said on one of my earlier posts "I was looking at your sidebar and found to my surprise that Bob-Kat used to be your boss. I'd somehow not noticed that before."
Bob-Kat was indeed my line manager in my previous job, and is responsible for giving me the confidence in my own abilities to apply for promotion and therein enabled me to get to where I am now.
She's having a hard time at the moment, so it'd be nice if people would take a little trip over to her blog and say hi.

When we go for our nights out, we have such fun. Real Life gets put on the backburner and we spend the evening putting the world to rights and laughing - oh we laugh so much, it's very good for us.

So, that's the meal that makes me happy..........dinner with Bob-Kat.

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Looky, Looky!!

Look what I got!

Ain't it just a thing of beauty?

11" bollock_dagger.......blunt of course!

No words necessary.........

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A Song for Sunday

A Song for Sunday is a chance for me to find my favourite songs and post them on my blog.

This week I am inspired by a surprise delivery today. Today is Mother's Day in the UK and definitely not my favourite day. I was woken from a midday nap by MB who said 'you got flowers!'.

Aren't they pretty?


These are from Sleepypete (who can be found in my blogroll) who sends me flowers every year. He is not my biological son, in fact he is only 11 years younger than me, but he knows how difficult this time is and remembers me along with his proper mum.

And my message back to Pete is; Thank you, 'son', I love you and whatever happens - I'll be there for you........

I love this video, with the guys from Friends being silly and fun......music should be fun!

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Mother's Day in the UK

Why are you crying, a young boy asked his Mum?

"Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said.

His Mum just hugged him and said, "And you never will, but that's O.K.".......

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does Mum seem to cry for no reason?".

"All women cry for no reason," was all his Dad could say......

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God and when God got back to him, he asked "God, why do women cry so easily?" GOD answered......

"When I made woman, I decided she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet, made her arms gentle enough to give comfort...

I gave her the inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times will come even from her own children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going and take care of her family and friends, even when everyone else gives up, through sickness and fatigue without complaining....

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances. Even when her child has hurt her badly....

She has the very special power to make a child's boo-boo feel better and to quell a teenager's anxieties and fears....

I gave her strength to care for her husband, despite faults and I fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart....

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly....

For all of this hard work, I also gave her a tear to shed. It is hers to use whenever needed and it is her only weakness....

When you see her cry, tell her how much you love her, and all she does for everyone, and even though she may still cry, you will have made her heart feel good.

Happy Mother's Day to all those wonderful women..........

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Saturday Night at the Movies

Saturday Night at the Movies is my opportunity to chat about my favourite films. Fun, serious, noisy, violent, good or terrible - my tastes are most eclectic.

As it's Mother's Day in the UK tomorrow, this is my choice for a suitable 'Mum' film.


'Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans'

The magical Richard Dreyfuss puts in a stunning performance as Glenn Holland, a musician and composer who takes a teaching job to pay the rent while, in his 'spare time', he strives to achieve his true goal - compose one memorable piece of music to leave his mark on the world. As the years unfold the joy of sharing his contagious passion for music with his students becomes his new definition of success.

Mr Holland's love of music also defines his feelings for his profoundly deaf son as the boy grows to manhood.

This film is an emotional minefield. Pack plenty of hankies, and don't watch it with people who you don't want to see you cry - because you WILL cry.

This film is incredible, and builds steadily to a breath-taking climax. Be prepared.

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Saturday with the Girls....

I'm here, babysitting for the Aginoths while they go to the medieval markets. A Jr is at a friends house, and I have LMB and LMD.
LMD screamed the place down when she realised I was to be her primary carer for the day. Poor old mum having to go out listening to her baby scream.....

Of course the screaming only lasted about five minutes - but it was enough to make Mrs A feel awful.

We watched a little TV while the girls got used to me being here. Then we did some colouring and had story time - they enjoyed the story of the magic porridge pot.

We had play outside (a BIG thankyou to the man who invented garden trampolines!) These girls will bounce for hours....
Some dolly play (a delightfully instinctive 'girl' thing) with their 'babies' and prams - well, it lasted until LMB wanted LMD's dolly buggy and threw a major screamer. She was horrified when I walked away......but she'll learn :-)

Lunch went down well - no child in my experience has ever turned down Alphabetti Sketti :-)

It's turned cold outside, so we are indoors with the radio on. The girls playing and fighting in the toy room. OK, playfighting turned into fighting, so they are now in the front room with me playing with the box of trains.

A Jr is home from his friend's house bravely sporting a plaster on one finger [grin], so I treated them all to a DVD of his choice......apparently his friends were throwing lego (shock horror). It was so amazing, I could hear him and his friend from half way up the street! :-)

I confess to a little bit of clearing up, putting the dishwasher on etc etc.......[hangs head in shame]

cq

I hate this week.....

It's the week on the run-up to Mother's Day. My least favourite time of the year.

This one day a year that reminds me, without fail every year, that I am not, nor ever will be a Mother/mum/mummy..or even a mom or a mommy.....

I have mentioned this before, and you have all been so unstintingly supportive, sympathetic and encouraging.

But that doesn't make this particular personal demon go away, no matter how much bloglove is shared around - and every year it comes back, as raw and unforgiving as ever.

by the by, I think I should make an appointment with my doctor; constant headaches, stomach aches, complete weariness, short temper, weepy, insomnia and dermatitis - all sounds like stress to me. I put it down to cold turkey - nicotene and prozac in one fell swoop.

Update: OK, been to see sympathetic (but not patronising) female locum (female GP was a three week wait!). I am 'severely depressed' (it must be right - I did a questionnaire!!), withdrawal and have unrelated dermatitis. The pains in my knees are the result of the weight I have put on since giving up smoking. She actually made the connection between surgery, no children and depression - so rarely do doctors dare verbalise that connection!

I have a prescription for steroidal cream for the dermatitis.

[holds up hands] And I will finally fill my 4 month old prescription for prozac.

Oh, and she wishes me the best of luck for the re-enactment season :-)

cq

Blog Fodder #13

Blog Fodder ~ fighting blogger's block one post at a time!

The Fodder question #13 is brought to us by none other than the talented writer/photographer and my blogbuddy, Carmi.

Where do you go to be alone?

I feel a fraud answering this one. I think this blog fodder question is definitely aimed at parents. I can have time alone any time I want.

But if it's desperately needed, I hide upstairs with a book........

Doncha just hate me now?? :-)

cq

A Song for Sunday

A Song for Sunday is a chance for me to find my favourite songs and post them on my blog.

When I was a young teen I went to Summer School. It was a Quaker Summer School run at the country's oldest and most famous Quaker boarding school, Friends School Saffron Walden.
I loved my time there so much that I actually asked my mum if I could go to proper school there. The answer was no, surprisingly!

Like Quaker Camp, previously mentioned on this blog, Summer School was a fantastic chance to holiday with people the same age and with the same interests. I even had a boyfriend, Andreas, and I had girlfriends to chatter and giggle with.

At the end of the fortnight, there was a disco and every year a Disco King and Queen were crowned.

I had always loved dancing. As a child I had dressed up and danced for my parents, and as a teen I had studied all the latest moves from Pan's People to make sure I was the coolest Disco Queen. At regular school discos I was far too nervous to dance in front of my peers, but I did love dancing.

I won! Not only did I win, but the school heart throb was crowned King. So I got to dance with the hottest boy in Summer School...to this......

Just for one night - I was a Queen.....a Dancing Queen.....

ps - awwwwwww - wasn't Benny just the CUTEST???

cq

Saturday Night at the Movies

Saturday Night at the Movies is my opportunity to chat about my favourite films. Fun, serious, noisy, violent, good or terrible - my tastes are most eclectic.

This week is my chance to simper over the current (in my opinion) Queen of cinema.......Drew. She's done....well.....everything.....


Josie Geller is a struggling young copywriter who goes back to school undercover to do a story. Her school memories are horrific, her nickname was Josie Grossie - but with age and experience, she finds she is now popular.......especially with teacher!

This is the one film absolutely guaranteed to make me cry at the beginning.....and again at the end. Those electric five minutes being ticked off on the baseball field clock, with Josie waiting with her hands twisting......will he, won't he.....? ah, time to fish out a tissue.

This film has the added attraction of the divine Michael Vartan, the sublime David Arquette and the adorable Leelee Sobieski.

Break out the beer and popcorn, send out hubby and call the girls over......

cq

My name is CQ and I own a Dell

I have been a bit quiet this week. There is a good reason for this. I have suffered Dellitus.

Dell has a terrible reputation, but MB organised the purchasing of my laptop, so I didn't worry too much about it. My laptop is lovely, and I love it.

Then I suffered the common ailment of Dell users, my drive packed up. I have a combi drive which plays (or should play) both CDs and DVDs.

Surprise, surprise, I played a DVD the other week and then, when I went to use the CD drive it didn't work. This is a highly advertised issue with Dell users. One of the lasers has failed in the drive.

Two big problems with this.

One was that the CD I wanted to use was my new Security Suite - protection is *so* important! Of course, as per the instructions I had removed the old outdated protection, so my laptop was totally vulnerable.

Secondly, my Dell cover lasted 90 days (3 months) and the drive failed at four months......a bit suspicious how often that happens reading the forums.

MB has spent all week poring over my laptop and the full size computer trying to fix the problem and has offered to pay for the new drive my laptop needs.

In the meantime he has scanned for problems and installed some basic protection so I can surf the net again.

So I'm back!

And to entertain my readers - the Honda advert that blew us away....we didn't buy a Honda, but we were all very impressed and still speak of this commercial in hushed tones of awe....

cq

Would you Work for this Company?

I can only assume this is field work to improve the service they deliver...

29 have been accused of spouse abuse

7 have been arrested for fraud

9 have been accused of writing bad cheques

17 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses

3 have done time for assault

71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

14 have been arrested on drug-related charges

8 have been arrested for shoplifting

21 are currently defendants in lawsuits

84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last year

Which organisation is this?

It's the 635 members of the House of Commons, the same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.

God help us all.......

cq

A Song for Sunday

A Song for Sunday is a chance for me to find my favourite songs and post them on my blog.

Songs and music, possibly more than anything else, sculpt the people we grow to be. I grew up in an almost wholly classical music environment until my dad gave me a radio and a set of headphones when I was about 13 so I could listen to music in my room. He was also the first person to give me a 'pop' album - to my mother's horror - and persuaded my mother to let me have a record player in my bedroom.
This resulted in my taste veering all the way across the spectrum from Chopin to AC/DC, with stops at Cliff Richard (that first album), Elvis and Abba.

When I visit my mother and dad now, it is still a wholly classical environment. Without my own room and stuff I find I am straining at the invisible leash by the end of the day. When I am there I stay in a local B&B and every evening I stroll back along the beach. I plug in my CD player and crank the volume waaaaay up...........

SO cleansing.......

cq

Saturday Night at the Movies

Ooh, another Saturday night, another favourite movie.
Saturday Night at the Movies is my opportunity to chat about my favourite films. Fun, serious, noisy, violent, good or terrible - my tastes are most eclectic.

This is a film from this man.......




Yep, of course you all recognise Adam Sandler, one of the most prolific young film-makers today. I love most of his films; Wedding Singer, Waterboy, The Longest Yard, Spanglish and today's spotlighted film.




I love this film, because it is genuinely funny albeit terribly juvenile! I liked the Wedding Singer with the magical pairing of Sandler and Barrymore, but this film just has the edge. Admittedly, a rein should be put on Rob Schneider, but he is funny - if outrageous. Add to Sandler's natural off-beat humour the beautiful and incredibly funny Drew Barrymore (I adore this woman!!) and this was a winner of a film.

Love means never having to say, "Who the hell are you?" Marine biologist Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) finds the perfect woman, Lucy Whitmore (Drew Barrymore) and falls head over heels for her. But when he sees her the following day, she hasn’t a clue as to who he is. Lucy suffers from a rare brain disorder that wipes her memory clean every night. Now, with the help of his friend Ula (Rob Schneider), he has to concoct new and increasingly clever ways to meet her and get her to fall for him every single day. 50 First Dates reunites the successful team of Sandler and Barrymore from The Wedding Singer. (DVD description)

The secret to this film? The one scene that reduces me to floods of tears and gales of laughter simultaneously - have you ever laughed and cried at the same time? You eventually run out of oxygen and it hurts!! But it's a good hurt, a real good hurt. This is the music this painful (literally!) scene is set to. I love this - it's the original video of the song. Put it on, turn up the volume and let rip!!

cq

Welcome Back

Bloggers always return to the fold!

I notice from some bloghopping that Mommy Ba is back online after a bit of a hard time.

And woohoo!! The Wonderful Wendy Wings, our very own Emmy reporter, is back with her Casting Call, so go on over and have a virtual cookie and say hi.

Go on - the cookies are delicious!!

cq

Reason to Live

Just when I was losing the will to live - one of my favourite shows returns to British TV for season two......

CRIMINAL MINDS revolves around an elite team of FBI profilers who analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. Special Agent Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin) is the FBI's top behavioral analyst, working with the Behavioral Analysis Unit lead by Special Agent Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), a family man who is able to gain people's trust and unlock their secrets. Also on the team are Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster), the daughter of high-powered diplomats who recently joined the team and must prove her worth to Gideon and Hotchner; Special Agent Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), an expert on obsessional crimes; Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), a classically misunderstood genius whose social IQ is as low as his intellectual IQ is high; Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (AJ Cook), a confident young agent who acts as the unit liaison for the team, and Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), a computer wizard who helps research the cases. Each member brings his or her own area of expertise to the table as they pinpoint predators' motivations and identify their emotional triggers in the attempt to stop them.

mm - Matthew Gray Gubler........warms the cockles of this old lady's heart.....

cq

Insomnia and Commercials

Here we are, 5am........again and I have been awake most of the night.....again....

So - a little entertainment.

This came first:



Then this:



and then, of course, someone had to do this.....



Ah, the joy of well made, entertaining commercials!

cq

Oscar-itis

I would love to be able to gush over the Oscars.

It would be nice to remember my favourite scenes from all the films.

I would have loved to have stayed up all night to hear all those wonderful speeches of thanks.

But the only films I saw that won were Happy Feet (Best Animation) and Pirates (Best Visual Effects).

So, no discussion, no opinions and no memories. But you can read all about it here.......

Congratulations to Helen Mirren on her win for The Queen.

And well done to the man from South Central, Forest Whitaker, on his big win!

cq

A Song for Sunday

A Song for Sunday is a chance for me to find my favourite songs and post them on my blog.

I have always loved this man.

He was gifted, intelligent and articulate.

When he died I cried for a week........

Whenever I hear this song, I cry again.........I play this at top volume in my car and sing with tears running down my face.

This video is such a wonderful tribute to the man and his gift.

cq