Monday, May 31, 2010

New blog exchange

We’re proud to announce the birth of a new blog exchange being launched tomorrow (Tuesday 1st June). If you’re looking for a blog exchange that has an admin team with real powers to deal with problems and cares for its members look no further than ExploseYourBlog!

BlogExplosion users will probably recognise some of the names behind the scenes. We hope that we can look after you properly from now on. We’re not completely decorated as we would like but the basics are there and we’re looking forward to hearing from you in the forums if you have ideas on what you expect from a blog exchange.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Where the children go

I think that we can say that Dom has left home for good now. Even when she stops studying in the summer, she’ll be off to Chicago meeting other psychologists and then she’s going off to the UK so that everyone can meet J-M and see how wonderful he is…

A couple of weekends ago they came home for a visit and I heard her say that it seems like she lived here in another life. It got me thinking:

Our children exist. Every moment of their lives still exist. We as children exist somewhere. What happens as they grow up is that they are replaced by an older model. I can prove it. Babies , of course are replaced more rapidly, they have “growth spurts” when they are replaced. If you are a parent do you remember wondering where toys had got to when your children were growing? They took them with them. The replacement didn’t need those toys. Just think about the socks, t-shirts, jeans, pyjamas which suddenly vanished into thin air. Another example is homework – it explains a lot, doesn’t it? Have a think now. What about the beloved teddy bear or soft toy? Where is it? See what I mean.

Next time you hear a mother bemoaning that her son seems to have gown centimetres overnight you’ll know why: He’s been replaced by a bigger one.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

I found it!!!

I put this on my other Still Learning blog years ago and I've been looking for it ever since. The Rights of the Reader by Daniel Pennac. The teacher who taught Christian and Dom to read put the rules up on the school notice board. A very sensible woman.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Seven Black Roses

A long time ago I used to have a guitar. This is the kind of tune I would have liked to have played....

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Goodbye and see you soon

This evening amongst hugs and goodbyes
Miss yous and love yous,
Waving until the car has gone out of site.
I was suddenly taken back through the years to
the last time.

A peck of a cheek
“Take care of mum for me”
Never a thought that it would be
The last time.

Monday, May 3, 2010

George and fork

On Saturday evening I watched the first half of a television film about George Sand. It was beautifully done, filmed on location, costumes, Chopin’s music (she lived with him for 10 years) and all the best from a costume drama. It is about George bringing a peasant girl into the house and teaching her to read and write (something that she did do in real life was teach local children to read). Poor George, she had so much to cope with, a nasty daughter , a dreadful money grabbing son-in-law, Chopin, who was pathetic and childish and then bad tempered servants. I don’t know where she found the time to write. I must confess that I was having difficulty with the name of the peasant girl. I though that her name was Fourchette (fork) but in fact it was Fanchette. I haven’t been able to find out if she really existed as searches on Google just bring information about trhe TV Film – and a picture. The first part ended with George dressed as a man dragging Fanchette off to Paris away from the temptation of her son