... and all through the house I was running around like an idiot. I am utterly incapable of relaxing so took it upon myself to bake up a storm. As you are aware, dear reader, I enjoy cooking in particular baking. I am sure that there are shops where from one can procure baked goods but I'll be buggered to seek them out. To make life even more interesting I decided to attempt two new skills with varying degrees of success. Why oh why did I feel the need to play with sugar paste?
A tray of brownies now cools and the workings of a Yule Log are in the oven and food processor respectively. Yule Log is wheat free so I will wrestle a small child to the ground to retrieve the last morsel from a clenched hand!
I have yet to shower but have cleaned up a friend's cats, delivered keys to next person on list and trashed a pie I bought for a friend. I bought the pie as requested then put it in my bag the wrong and it looks most unappealing but she has assured me it is edible. Her dog trod on some Christmas cookies so I do not feel quite so bad. 'Tis the season for madness.
There is a very loud musical accompaniment as I write- Victor Hely-Hutchinson's Carol Symphony- the third movement if you must know. This incredible piece was used as the title music for an adaptation of John Masefield's "Box of Delights" back in the 80s. It is incredibly emotive. It is also the way my parents, my brother and I celebrate Christmas when we cannot be together. We love it that much. I do not cry as a rule but should you want to see me howl like a baby- play this piece as it just screams missing family. I do have a heart under the tough slightly squishy exterior!
The pizzicato harp announces a new theme and under it there is the Coventry Carol in eerie tones by the strings. The First Noel follows in a brighter major key while the harp continues. When all the strings come in the swell is immense and if you do not feel the love that we should at Yuletide there is no hope. I just listened to the link below to make sure it was the right piece and every inch of my skin went all goose bumpy. Enjoy and Merry Christmas. Have a Gud Jul.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BxxdE9GvZc
Friday, December 24, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
2nd day of holiday
.....a mammoth 8 hour play date. I hosted.
What the hell was I thinking?
OK it was a good friend and her daughters and another little girl but it felt like a daycare. May have to ban play dates here as the mess is too awful.
Need to retire to bed early and watch crap TV. (Man v Food- stylized gluttony. It is all very voyeuristic not that dissimilar from the web "feeding" fetish).
Stomach ache once again and have not deviated from what I can eat.
What the hell was I thinking?
OK it was a good friend and her daughters and another little girl but it felt like a daycare. May have to ban play dates here as the mess is too awful.
Need to retire to bed early and watch crap TV. (Man v Food- stylized gluttony. It is all very voyeuristic not that dissimilar from the web "feeding" fetish).
Stomach ache once again and have not deviated from what I can eat.
Monday, December 20, 2010
1st day of school holiday
... kids drove me nuts. Only 2 more weeks to go!
Made me realize that lion taming or dog training would have stood me in better stead to be a parent than teaching. At this stage it is whip and chair work. One day I will have the fine headdress and sequined outfit until then it is more sweating it out.
Can't see the lunar eclipse as it is too cloudy here. Bugger. Someone will have taken fabulous photos I can enjoy. Thank you whoever you are.
Made me realize that lion taming or dog training would have stood me in better stead to be a parent than teaching. At this stage it is whip and chair work. One day I will have the fine headdress and sequined outfit until then it is more sweating it out.
Can't see the lunar eclipse as it is too cloudy here. Bugger. Someone will have taken fabulous photos I can enjoy. Thank you whoever you are.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Let's try that again
"The King's Speech"
Had a fabulous day with the hubby day and was fortunate enough to see one of the best films I have ever seen. I do not say that lightly.
"The King's Speech" tells the tale of George VI's stammering, his speech therapist and his changing role from prince to king. The story is so beautifully crafted. The acting is sublime. All wondrous things have been said by other reviewers so what I have to say will be unable to compete.
What struck me about the film was an era of courage that we no longer have. Yes courage and bravery exist in all walks of life but the monarchy are no longer expected to be so royal for want of a better phrase.
George VI and the Royal family were portrayed as being unlike commoners. They are. We cannot expect them to be otherwise. We also cannot expect to understand how they live or the pressure placed on them purely being born of royal lineage.
The notion of public speaking was taken to frightening heights and the courage with which this fear was dealt was breath-taking. We saw a vulnerable, scared and tongue-tied monarch.
This was a time when a nation listened to what the monarch had to say and cared about the content. This was an era when the use of radio as communication between royalty and subjects was novel.
Royalists or anti-Royalists can marvel at this performance.
We take so much for granted in a time of constant access that we can tune in and out as we see fit. We do not always listen to the message or bother to find the time to concentrate on what is being said.
Please see this fantastic film. I hope it is showered with awards.
Here is a far more eloquent review:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/8078247/The-Kings-Speech-London-Film-Festival-review.html
Had a fabulous day with the hubby day and was fortunate enough to see one of the best films I have ever seen. I do not say that lightly.
"The King's Speech" tells the tale of George VI's stammering, his speech therapist and his changing role from prince to king. The story is so beautifully crafted. The acting is sublime. All wondrous things have been said by other reviewers so what I have to say will be unable to compete.
What struck me about the film was an era of courage that we no longer have. Yes courage and bravery exist in all walks of life but the monarchy are no longer expected to be so royal for want of a better phrase.
George VI and the Royal family were portrayed as being unlike commoners. They are. We cannot expect them to be otherwise. We also cannot expect to understand how they live or the pressure placed on them purely being born of royal lineage.
The notion of public speaking was taken to frightening heights and the courage with which this fear was dealt was breath-taking. We saw a vulnerable, scared and tongue-tied monarch.
This was a time when a nation listened to what the monarch had to say and cared about the content. This was an era when the use of radio as communication between royalty and subjects was novel.
Royalists or anti-Royalists can marvel at this performance.
We take so much for granted in a time of constant access that we can tune in and out as we see fit. We do not always listen to the message or bother to find the time to concentrate on what is being said.
Please see this fantastic film. I hope it is showered with awards.
Here is a far more eloquent review:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/8078247/The-Kings-Speech-London-Film-Festival-review.html
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wrapped up in myself
Come on woman, where have you been?
I think I have had a little too much time for mental masturbation of late and have forgotten that there are others out there who do not have time to indulge in such fripperies.
Having returned from a trip- Belgium and England- I found myself relaxed, refreshed and blissfully unaware that the festive season was here. I was caught up in me. I suppose a blog is not the best place to lament being self-indulgent when a blog is basically a diary for the digital age but where there is an audience.
I have been very selfish recently which is not a trait I like in anyone least of all myself. I have always prided myself on being capable of thinking of others and being accommodating. I think this was perhaps delusional.
Friends are going through tough times and I am thinking about baking or learning a diminished scale. What am I like? Must get back to being who and what I am. The airheadedness must be attributed to something but can't think what. Can I call it culture shock returning here after being in Europe? Trust me some mental adjustment was needed upon my return.
Must remove my head from my arse and get back to basics.
I think I have had a little too much time for mental masturbation of late and have forgotten that there are others out there who do not have time to indulge in such fripperies.
Having returned from a trip- Belgium and England- I found myself relaxed, refreshed and blissfully unaware that the festive season was here. I was caught up in me. I suppose a blog is not the best place to lament being self-indulgent when a blog is basically a diary for the digital age but where there is an audience.
I have been very selfish recently which is not a trait I like in anyone least of all myself. I have always prided myself on being capable of thinking of others and being accommodating. I think this was perhaps delusional.
Friends are going through tough times and I am thinking about baking or learning a diminished scale. What am I like? Must get back to being who and what I am. The airheadedness must be attributed to something but can't think what. Can I call it culture shock returning here after being in Europe? Trust me some mental adjustment was needed upon my return.
Must remove my head from my arse and get back to basics.
I am a Hypocrite
I have realised that I am showing my daughter that being a hypocrite is acceptable.
I am a parent and as such am allowed to indulge.
If my elder daughter were not to do her homework I would be annoyed. I would explain that homework is practice and a learning experience. She would have an outburst and I would have to calm her down.
Each time we do homework we understand a problem better and better have the ability to apply the new skills it gives us to other situations. Homework is a necessary evil and as a teacher I enjoy setting it and watching how students grow.
If my daughter knew that I was not doing my own homework (blog) she would be angry with me but I would doubtlessly brush it off with excuses of being tired, busy or lacking subject matter. I would not be allowed to have a tantrum and would have to suffer her wrath as she labored the point that she was doing as she was told but I was not. See, told you I was a hypocrite.
I am now having to follow my daughter's and buckle down. I can't find excuses just a brief moment to write. I have a list of topics to address and a brief description of my trip to Europe and reunion, for example. The dress was fabulous, btw.
Time to get busy and not find excuses.
I am a parent and as such am allowed to indulge.
If my elder daughter were not to do her homework I would be annoyed. I would explain that homework is practice and a learning experience. She would have an outburst and I would have to calm her down.
Each time we do homework we understand a problem better and better have the ability to apply the new skills it gives us to other situations. Homework is a necessary evil and as a teacher I enjoy setting it and watching how students grow.
If my daughter knew that I was not doing my own homework (blog) she would be angry with me but I would doubtlessly brush it off with excuses of being tired, busy or lacking subject matter. I would not be allowed to have a tantrum and would have to suffer her wrath as she labored the point that she was doing as she was told but I was not. See, told you I was a hypocrite.
I am now having to follow my daughter's and buckle down. I can't find excuses just a brief moment to write. I have a list of topics to address and a brief description of my trip to Europe and reunion, for example. The dress was fabulous, btw.
Time to get busy and not find excuses.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Tummy Ache
OK I have a wheat sensitivity that is getting worse and how did I manage it today? Badly.
I suppose the raspberry and almond tart and apple pie, though tasty, did not help. Don't get me wrong they were not large pieces just tastes but now I am so bloated you could tie a string to my feet and use me as a balloon.
I know I have no will power but must now learn that this is so uncomfortable and ultimately not worth feeling and looking like the Michelin blimp.
Think I will watch some crap TV as hubby is away on business and so unable to pass judgment on my viewing. I may also revel in a little light self-pity.
Rusty Robot chum I will have to be better and maybe be a little more mature about how I eat as right now I am in a lot of pain!
I suppose the raspberry and almond tart and apple pie, though tasty, did not help. Don't get me wrong they were not large pieces just tastes but now I am so bloated you could tie a string to my feet and use me as a balloon.
I know I have no will power but must now learn that this is so uncomfortable and ultimately not worth feeling and looking like the Michelin blimp.
Think I will watch some crap TV as hubby is away on business and so unable to pass judgment on my viewing. I may also revel in a little light self-pity.
Rusty Robot chum I will have to be better and maybe be a little more mature about how I eat as right now I am in a lot of pain!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Some sad news
Just got one of those dreaded phone calls to tell me that someone has died. This person was my husband's cousin; she was 40 and left a 10-year old daughter. She was taken by the most unforgiving disease of them all - Cancer.
"It's just that Cancer is such a total bastard. It is not like other diseases. It doesn't obey the doctorly rules. It cheats." Robert McLiam Wilson's "Ripley Bogle" p.134.
McLiam Wilson's character talks of the inequities of this disease and how it likes to play and toy with people and the victims are just playthings.
It will be unbelievably hard for a mother to survive a child and for a child to be without a mother. Life goes on but not in the same way for these folks.
"It's just that Cancer is such a total bastard. It is not like other diseases. It doesn't obey the doctorly rules. It cheats." Robert McLiam Wilson's "Ripley Bogle" p.134.
McLiam Wilson's character talks of the inequities of this disease and how it likes to play and toy with people and the victims are just playthings.
It will be unbelievably hard for a mother to survive a child and for a child to be without a mother. Life goes on but not in the same way for these folks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)