tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154725292012-01-27T11:00:34.817ZThe diary of an oldie who refuses to go quietlyJudithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.comBlogger4031100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-52850094000167664182012-01-13T15:10:00.009Z2012-01-13T16:09:01.855Z

On Wednesday the 11th January the House of Lords was debating the Welfare Reform Bill. They won the vote, by considerable margins, on three major amendments which they had tabled, in an attempt to mitigate some of the severest effects that the cuts will have on sick and disabled people.Here are two articles appearing afterwards, in two newspapers at the opposite ends of the political scale.Sonia

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-47607598171335531052012-01-09T16:41:00.006Z2012-01-09T19:29:31.631Z

This report into Disability Allowance Reform has been written, researched and funded by disabled people, who see their basic but essential support benefits under serious threat by government reforms. I am very concerned by its findings and the misrepresentation of disabled people that it exposes. Here is an extract from the press release that accompanied its publication:"A report published today

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-54198015453034991302011-12-02T16:06:00.006Z2011-12-02T17:23:39.063Z

~I am lucky enough to receive the Winter Fuel Payment, which I do not actually need. There is stuff in my life that I could easily do without, before I would have to think of doing without heat. But the numbers we read of old people like myself, who die each winter of cold, are dreadful - and it seems that they are likely to be worse this winter than ever before.So I am donating my Winter Fuel

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-36972497259232479072011-11-29T08:37:00.003Z2011-11-30T13:26:50.514Z

~This is my seasonal greeting to all my blog friends, just to show that I am still here and, incidentally, turning 84 today.I think this is a lovely song, and the children perform it beautifully and with such confidence. (That must be some music teacher they have in St Saviour's!) I shall probably listen to it every morning till Christmas, as it really brightens my day.A pacemaker implant in June

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-64148185549726318872011-10-19T20:09:00.001+01:002011-10-19T20:13:03.186+01:00

~

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-35118058480686953402011-10-17T18:06:00.000+01:002011-10-17T18:07:25.523+01:00

~Read Yellow Bird Lyricshere.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-68128108486134486592010-12-04T19:29:00.009Z2010-12-05T09:10:44.631Z

~Another granny and I took our teddies to a concert today. It was rather sad really, because I had invited two grandchildren and their parents to come with me, as it was a special children's concert. But then they realised that my granddaughter's school concert was the same day, and as she had a part to play, she needed her family there to support her, obviously. So I set about trying to find

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-44752525923121651602010-12-02T11:01:00.002Z2010-12-03T09:12:57.240Z

Wishing all my readers a Happy Advent and a Joyful Christmas.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-43435312537046988362010-10-15T16:37:00.005+01:002010-10-15T17:09:54.823+01:00

A friend who knows how I am feeling today has just come by with this enchanting little posy: a rosebud, a fuschia bud and a primrose, with a fern, some rose leaves, two kinds of herbaceous leaf and two browny sort of palmate ones - I'm no good at botany.The little cream jug, of green Denby pottery, is barely three and a quarter centimetres high.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-55871844151393126722010-10-15T16:09:00.009+01:002010-11-08T18:17:32.835Z

I am finding it so difficult to get back into the way of blogging regularly. The truth is I write best when I am well, happy and confident, but not too busy; or, on certain occasions, when I am greatly moved even by unhappy emotions. But if I am depressed, or bored, or not feeling fit, then inspiration simply does not come to me. I am sure I am not alone in this.Unfortunately I have not been

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-17839554109904834382010-09-14T17:19:00.006+01:002010-10-15T15:38:34.644+01:00

Marge, Mary & Doris I wonder if any of my readers have come across this act in their wanderings. Granny Turismo claim that they are the world's first and only formation shopping trolley dance team, and they are to be seen in the streets and squares and malls of our cities, at theme parks and at festivals, in fact anywhere where people are gathering for relaxation and diversion at holiday times.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-49928269857913425242010-07-27T18:10:00.004+01:002010-10-15T15:58:26.169+01:00

~I have just found the perfect answer to my compulsion to nibble throughout the day.I accidentally ordered fresh peas instead of frozen with my online groceries order yesterday, and my delight at rediscovering the forgotten art of shelling peas knows no bounds. Fresh, uncooked peas are almost as nice as frozen ones, and I have been slitting, popping and guzzling all day. I am sure I shall have

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-38042739510807353042010-07-07T13:39:00.006+01:002010-07-07T17:42:28.179+01:00

~This is my father on his 1923 Model 16H Norton motorbike. As it happens I have not posted this picture before, even though a year or two ago I did a feature on my father's 'wheels' - that is to say his motorbikes and cars. Today some of those pictures have found a place on a website which celebrates the Norton motorcycle. John, the website owner, has managed to improve the quality of this

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-19165681542616134592010-05-11T20:00:00.019+01:002010-10-15T15:58:01.789+01:00

~Not long ago I bought myself a new printer, changing my loyalty of many years from Epson to HP. A different way of operating, and some all singing all dancing features I haven't mastered yet. It wasn't long before I had to get to grips with a paper jam, however. I read the instructions carefully, and found that I had to turn the printer round and open up the back, then proceed to remove the

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-46773981247138420102010-05-11T16:12:00.005+01:002010-05-11T16:44:48.140+01:00

I wrote here a while ago about setting up a new website for my women's network Growing Old Disgracefully. When I set out on that journey, I thought that once the website was live I would be able to withdraw and leave it to the team of colleagues who had expressed an interest in looking after it. That was before we opted for a content management system (CMS). One of the two design companies we

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-26884355470257572462010-04-11T16:09:00.002+01:002010-04-11T16:13:29.305+01:00

This is a friendly greeting, believe it or not!

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-18106267130547249992010-04-04T12:45:00.005+01:002010-10-15T15:59:33.406+01:00

.I had my new Yellow Pages delivered last week.First thing I noticed, it now covers a third area, along with the previous two.Second thing I noticed, the book is only two thirds as thick as the previous book.How did they do it, I asked myself?Third thing I noticed, the print is now so small that it hurts my eyes to read, even with my bifocals on.They may as well stop delivering it to me, for all

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-62392523883773321302010-03-07T12:53:00.003Z2010-03-07T13:01:58.973Z

.I've at last fallen for the temptation of the 'Link Within' widget. But hey, what's going on here. The previous posts that it is choosing to offer at the end of each blogpost seem to have no relevance to what is in the new post. I have got the idea for this widget from Lee who writes 'The Curate's Egg', and associated blogs. Now all his thumbnails of previous programmes seem to come up with

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-80112210963267558872010-03-07T09:21:00.010Z2010-03-11T08:01:56.469Z

.Because I have been ...I have written quite often here about growing old disgracefully, a network for older women to which I belong. About a year ago I was asked if I would lead a small working group to look into the practicability and cost of commissioning a professional website, with an interactive members’ section, for our organisation. The small group boiled down to two in the end, and

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-58535336454848291232010-02-13T08:20:00.005Z2010-02-13T08:33:54.756Z

....back in action soon. This is a 50-year-old colour slide taken by my husband in the garden of our first home. A friend converted it to a digital picture for me, with his special scanning device. So lovely to see it again. At the time I called it "Son and shade"!

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-21105892044885378692009-12-24T12:10:00.003Z2009-12-24T12:22:51.708Z

When you are feeling sated and dull-witted after eating your Christmas dinner, try this little test to wake up your brain cells. Save the picture and print it (preferably on card). Then cut the image up into its four separate rectangles, and follow the instructions given.Best of luck!

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-1863194534752759082009-12-24T08:47:00.004Z2009-12-24T08:59:41.166Z

... to all my readers. No time this year to create a special Christmas message, I'm sorry to say, so here are a couple of seasonal pictures from my biographical collection. In the first one I am the one kneeling, and the picture was taken at Oberlech in Austria in March 1955. The second was was taken at Megeve in France in March 1954. It's sad to relate that I never learned to ski - I was too

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-38063099141243085862009-12-04T09:04:00.011Z2009-12-04T17:50:31.288Z

.Martha Lane Fox, Government Champion for Digital Inclusion, is quoted today as saying that the government should make its services such as Council Tax payments, TV licensing and so on, only available on line, to force people to use the internet. The argument is that it would save millions of pounds if these transactions could all be conducted on line.I read this in the Digital Unite blog as I

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-7478400691746549302009-12-02T13:25:00.004Z2009-12-02T13:42:02.737Z

.When I agreed to lead a group to set up a new website, I set up a special mailbox in which I keep all email correspondence about the website. At this very moment I have noticed that, since the first mail in January asking me if I would take it on, there have been 1000 emails passing into and out of my computer on this topic. Did I say busy?!

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-37010100065197992252009-12-02T09:01:00.008Z2009-12-02T10:24:05.262Z

.Somebody else must be writing my blog. I have absolutely no recollection of actually writing the last three. I remember thinking about them - thinking that I must get on and write them before they get out of date....... Oh well, at least that makes it easier for me to pick up now, since I don't have to start at the beginning again.First, an up-date on scones. By about the fourth attempt I had

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-67282994544193391412009-10-15T08:32:00.008+01:002009-10-16T08:53:47.867+01:00

. Today is Blog Action Day. Apparently this happens every year on October 15th, when bloggers are encouraged to blog in unison on some important issue which we feel is not getting the creative attention it needs. I have not done this before, but now that I know about it I think it is worth doing. This year it is about CLIMATE CHANGE.I have no special angle on climate change. Like most people, I

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-4803272619653742372009-10-15T07:47:00.007+01:002009-10-15T08:31:12.124+01:00

.From The Aga Recipe Book for 2 oven Aga Cookers [no publication date but purchased in 1960]SCONESRecipe8 ozs. plain flour1/2-1 oz. butter1/4 pt. milk (sour if possible)1 teaspoon cream of tartar(1/2 teaspoon if sour milk used)1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda1/2 teaspoon salt.METHODSift together the dry ingredients. Rub in the butter and mix quickly with the liquid. Turn on to a floured board.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-77768011263659706612009-10-14T18:05:00.006+01:002009-10-14T20:02:03.182+01:00

~I baked some scones on Sunday. Now that might not seem like anything special to you, Gentle Readers, but those who know me well will be in wonderment at such an event. I do not bake - indeed, these days, I scarcely even cook. I did succeed in feeding my family reasonably well when they were at home, but I never did any baking. I was enabled to take this stance, on arrival in our first home, by

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-22277672941425118892009-10-02T21:19:00.006+01:002009-10-02T21:35:43.670+01:00

.Strange what bits of information will strike you in the course of listening to the news. A few days ago in one bulletin, I learned that I am six years older than the London Lost Property Office, and eight years older than Pinewood Studios.I only managed to get 354 days start on Mickey Mouse, however, who was created by Walt Disney in 1928, and whose birthday is celebrated on the 18th November,

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-64996924682502134622009-10-02T20:42:00.009+01:002009-12-04T10:01:02.368Z

I have just discovered this draft in my edits, dating from the beginning of October, so I have finished it off and published.I was so absorbed in what I was doing on the computer today, that I nearly made a cup of 'tea' out of a sachet of laxative powder, instead of a teabag! Oh my! what on earth could I have been doing that would distract me to that pitch? Well, I have been playing with

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-60101802247601941322009-09-12T20:02:00.005+01:002009-09-13T17:42:51.163+01:00

~I promised to write here about what had been keeping me away from blogging for a good while before I went away. I write often about Growing Old Disgracefully, the network for older women to which I belong, and it is working on a job for them that has kept me busy.We used to have a website for a number of years, a simple brochure on line set up by one of our members, but we ran into problems and

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-88868498903357270802009-09-12T19:54:00.006+01:002009-09-12T20:02:33.621+01:00

~Ah yes, "talking of beautiful young men...."In Betty's one of the waiters was an exquisite child of no more than 14 or 15 I would say; straight and supple and blond and perfect of feature, he seemed to carry himself like a ballet dancer -calm, poised, never ruffled. I could not stop watching him.Indeed, I could almost have wished to be Oscar Wilde.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-22919677607097743282009-09-09T14:14:00.006+01:002009-09-12T19:54:27.503+01:00

~Talking of beautiful young men ..... but I'd better begin at the beginning.The reason I have not jumped into print here immediately on my return from Harrogate, is that I managed to do something so perversely idiotic that I was pretty much prostrate for nearly a week after getting home.Our Growing Old Disgracefully annual get-togethers are so arranged as to give us at least one free afternoon

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-9440381497910497162009-09-06T09:14:00.003+01:002009-09-06T11:53:09.088+01:00

I watched 'The Beatles: on Record' last night (BBC2). Oh my god! how they turned my heart over. I think they were the first pop group I took any real notice of. I had three sons under 5 when they made their first album in 1963, so I didn't have much attention to spare for such things, except when washing or ironing in the kitchen with the wireless on (or was it already called 'the radio' in those

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-67601950277072687992009-08-23T19:51:00.004+01:002009-08-23T20:09:32.892+01:00

..... and now I'm just about to go away. Leaving tomorrow, Monday 24th August, for four days in Harrogate. It is the annual get-together of the disgraceful dames of the Growing Old Disgracefully Network. When I get back I will write about what's been keeping me away from blogging for a while. Who amongst my readers is old enough to remember polyphotos? They were taken by a live photographer

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-38814880006063728622009-07-24T16:26:00.013+01:002009-07-28T20:57:22.752+01:00

Are you one of those people who always seems to miss the really funny moment, or the moment when someone gets egg on their face, and you wish you had been there? I always reckon that I am one of those, but today I caught the moment on my PC screen.Last November I wrote about Christmas catalogue shopping, and posted this picture of actor Sacha Baron Cohen, not so much in admiration as in

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-82109509239525494972009-07-21T15:18:00.001+01:002009-07-21T15:18:07.415+01:00

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-32358305198308944942009-07-21T15:08:00.009+01:002010-02-13T08:32:32.096Z

I'm in the doldrums again. The winds of inspiration are not filling the sails of my mind, and I am creatively becalmed. I was looking through MyPictures for a shot worth sharing to get me started again, but I could find nothing worthwhile that I've not used before. Then a friend sent me the link to the One & Other live cam transmission of this crazy English expression of 'live art' on the empty

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-71979368258410639872009-07-04T17:41:00.008+01:002009-07-06T08:46:53.570+01:00

~... they sap my energy, fuddle my wits and make my feet hurt. My policy is to stay indoors, close curtains and shutters, open windows and doors, put on all of my three fans, and drink lots and lots of water. And it goes without saying ..... DO NOTHING!The media don't help with their constant warnings to those who are most at risk: the elderly - ME; those with chronic health problems - ME; those

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-57234889390095998672009-06-18T06:49:00.010+01:002009-06-18T07:16:45.851+01:00

I am trying out three different translators at the moment.No 1, Yahoo's Babelfish, has a drop-down list and seems efficient, but only has 12 languages. This one is available with flags as an alternative.No 2, by Google Translate, has flags and 24 languages, and also seems efficient. And it has the advantage of offering a floater (or whatever they are called) with the original text, to read

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-10149273057176455542009-06-05T08:44:00.008+01:002009-06-05T11:40:26.344+01:00

A year or two ago my lovely son who keeps me and my computer living happily together, did some additional sorting out for me, and transferred my energy and telephone accounts to companies who would charge me less. At the same time I opted for on-line billing, because it seemed a good idea to save some paper, and for paying by direct debit.I don't think this has been altogether a good thing. The

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-39367432589995543902009-06-03T18:11:00.004+01:002009-06-03T19:20:04.011+01:00

~Governor representatives in my Education Authority had a very long-running lobby for improving the clerking arrangements for governing bodies, beginning in 1988 as part of an Education Committee review of the clerking service. They campaigned not only for individual clerks for individual governing bodies, but also for their proper training and support. As so often happens when those fighting

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-71244060406043738912009-06-03T10:00:00.009+01:002009-06-03T18:08:27.905+01:00

~Back in 1991, the secondary school of which I was a governor gave a concert, called 'Music Galore', performed by staff, parents and ex-students. Some talented person adorned the programme with this lively cartoon - it was not, however, captioned in the original.When I got it home the temptation proved too much for me, and I set about identifying each of the characters performing before the

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-81665273019130504462009-05-20T18:55:00.011+01:002009-05-21T08:25:00.215+01:00

~It happens more and more as I get older. I don't know whether it is increasing age or living alone that brings it on, or a combination of both, but I do it all the time at home. It's nice to have the sound of a voice, and sometimes I need to encourage, or possibly discourage myself in what I am doing, or even ask myself what the hell it is I think I am doing!On the whole I try not to do it when

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-20780634202712040062009-05-17T11:46:00.004+01:002009-05-17T12:14:09.307+01:00

~Ten years ago, at one of our Growing Old Disgracefully gatherings, we did a writing workshop. We were asked - or rather challenged - to write a poem to someone we know well, and to liken that person to:a coloura kind of weathera time of day or yeara sounda form of transporta kitchen implementsomething eatablean animala speed We were given about 15 minutes to complete the task. In such

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-50839993958740640292009-05-16T09:11:00.002+01:002009-06-04T12:17:46.792+01:00

.So what other delights came my way during my northerly tour?Firstly ~ daffodils :: drifts and swathes and gusts of daffodils everywhere - hardly a stretch of road without them it seemed, in gardens, in fields and on roadsides. My Australian family were particularly delighted with these. Secondly ~ lambs :: I had not seen any before we left, but they seemed to be in almost every field as we drove

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-874953193073971172009-05-10T08:33:00.019+01:002009-05-19T11:54:01.332+01:00

.We visited two castles in the ten days I was on Deeside, and I almost made it to a third.Balmoral CastleHere you can only go in to the old ballroom, where there is an exhibition, but there are extensive grounds to be visited, including The Queen's kitchen gardens in season, and more exhibitions in the stabling behind the gatehouse, not to mention a substantial cafe and gift shop. The Queen also

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-43920930421182672932009-05-09T15:15:00.009+01:002009-05-19T11:54:01.332+01:00

.On the first day after our arrival we - and that is three grandparents, two and a half couples, five children and a baby - took a picnic to this lovely private estate not far from Aboyne. After eating we set off to walk across the fields to a small chapel just seen in the distance. This is the Chapel of St Lesmo, who lived in 731. The Chapel, which is tiny, was built in 1872 with a thatched roof

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-4708615026360404512009-05-08T09:31:00.001+01:002009-05-22T11:46:36.440+01:00

.Tigh na Geald - or House on the Hill - is a traditional Victorian house overlooking the village green in the centre of Aboyne on Royal Deeside. The front porch is supported by Scots pine trunks roughly trimmed of their branches, a traditional way of building in Scotland I am told, and the inside of the house is richly and solidly finished with doors, window frames, banister rails, and kitchen

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-28546307378973181632009-05-07T18:27:00.009+01:002009-05-19T11:54:01.333+01:00

.We are in Scotland at last. I have only been here twice before. Once in 1963, with three small children, to attend the wedding of a friend; and once in 2002 when our Growing Old Disgracefully Annual Gathering was held in Glasgow University. On neither occasion did I depart from the event I was attending to do any sightseeing. Sadly the day was dull and damp - (don't the Scots call that a 'soft'

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-74872723846537382012009-05-05T15:47:00.009+01:002009-05-10T09:46:36.224+01:00

.So, leaving Ric at work on his Granny props, we set off northwards again, with no fixed plan as to where we might spend the night. We would see where we got to. Ric had shown Matthew a route that would take us across the Yorkshire Dales on an unfenced road, via Wharfedale and Langstrothdale. We were blessed with a brilliantly sunny day and the scenery was quite spectacular. I kept wanting to

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-74536984639144401312009-05-05T15:16:00.004+01:002009-05-06T09:34:25.592+01:00

.Pictures are coming in as I write of a new 'electroglide' act by the group Larkin' About, whom I have shown previously on my blog performing as Gliding Angels. When we left Ric to continue on our travels, he was busy making props for the act for the Falkirk Festival in Scotland on 2nd and 3rd May. The new Act is called ''Go Granny Go!" - a touch of ageist stereotyping there, I fear, but I have

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-81869933092778170432009-05-05T08:49:00.008+01:002009-05-10T09:46:36.224+01:00

Ric had fed us on a superb fish pie on the night we arrived, and my daughter-in-law Elizabeth had cookd fresh tuna steaks for us on the second night. After our visit to The Mill, we gathered with some of Ric's friends for dinner at the Rim Nam Thai Restaurant in Hebden Bridge. It is built in an old warehouse right on the edge of the canal, a superb setting, as it has big french windows at one end

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-78127502092674539482009-05-04T08:00:00.010+01:002009-05-10T09:46:36.225+01:00

.Ric is a street theatre performer, working sometimes on his own and sometimes in a group. For this he needs to have rehearsal space, and he has rented the whole first floor of a disused mill near his home. He also makes the space available to other performing groups, and this is apparently much appreciated: one member of this group came up to be introduced, and asked "Are you Ric's Mum?" "Yes" I

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-79266203614054135122009-05-04T07:52:00.003+01:002009-05-05T07:30:03.392+01:00

I have been confusing my readers over the dates of my holiday, because I made an error in the first 'holiday journal' post. My Australian family arrived at the beginning of APRIL, not May, and this is now all in the past. I have altered my headings (for the second time!) to try to make this clearer. Sorry!

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-24838416983026664542009-05-03T12:33:00.017+01:002009-05-11T18:30:53.417+01:00

.After we had dug ourselves out of the crack in the road map, we made good progress and arrived eventually at Pecket Well, Hebden Bridge. Ric recently bought his first house here, although he has been living in rented accommodation just down the road for a number of years. He lives in one of a small terrace of houses built of stone, with their backs up against the road, and facing down the valley

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-66773879163534468042009-05-03T08:36:00.008+01:002009-05-10T09:51:17.139+01:00

Matthew had said right from the start that arrangements for this trip would be fluid and variable and must above anything have the laid-back quality of a relaxing holiday. That suited me fine on the road, but I did find it a bit disconcerting when a departure day was suddenly brought forward, and I was caught with my packing not yet done! However, on Monday morning I managed to be ready in time

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-52278655724884686622009-05-02T14:25:00.008+01:002009-05-10T09:51:17.139+01:00

.My Australian family was due on Friday 3rd April; the Thursday was quietish, with most things I wanted to get done already sorted, and time to cool it a bit. They had taken flight from Sydney at about 5 a.m. our time and were on their way. At 3 p.m. I got an email from my daughter-in-law sent from her BlackBerry while they were on a stopover in Hong Kong. That's a new benefit of technology since

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-59999279658751845972009-04-03T08:13:00.014+01:002009-05-03T12:11:21.576+01:00

.My month-long holiday is over and I am home again, to bask in the memories, and endeavour to get some of them down here on my blog. It has been exciting, emotional and exhausting - three characteristics that are guaranteed to make it memorable!I thought for a few days that I had totally blown the holiday plan: I did something stupid and the inevitable happened. I know that I should not stand on

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-6978317923298326432009-03-30T09:58:00.005+01:002009-05-03T09:36:46.944+01:00

.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-41472783588133623772009-03-29T19:06:00.019+01:002009-04-02T08:17:14.042+01:00

~Oh dear! My friends are beginning to worry again. I am perfectly well, but nearly distracted with excitement, and an endless round of preparations for a visit from my eldest son Matthew, who lives in Sydney with his wife and 9-year-old son Peter. They only get over here about every three years, and usually have only about 10 days, to divide between Matthew's family and his wife's. But this year

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-45412885222076783982009-03-17T18:58:00.002Z2009-03-17T19:05:40.447Z

.I've dipped into my file of drafts again, as I don't have time for a decent post at present.The first picture was taken by my friend David Harris in November 2002. Just for a lark he decided to 'open' my eyes for me. Unfortunately he got the colour wrong, as you can see if you check with the third picture, taken more recently. I think he has made me look rather predatory. Clever work, though!

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-9502186122512716062009-03-10T07:55:00.018Z2009-07-19T09:48:16.119+01:00

.It cannot be given to many people to know what their grandfather bought in the way of clothes for his trousseau; grandmother, possibly, since women are more inclined to value and to keep records of the things which are important to them. But I had a grandfather who was a very precise and careful man: his hobby was entomology, or the collection and study of insects, and by the time of his death

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-8159184360841281862009-03-09T11:31:00.003Z2009-03-09T12:11:00.853Z

.The BBC has been running a series called Natural World over the past 15 weeks. I have only caught the last two episodes: A Farm for the Future, and the one named in my title. Both of those have been excellent, and all of them are still available to view on the BBC's iPlayer, though only for those in the UK I fear. They will not be there for long, as the series finished on Friday, but it is

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-50337651230674233192009-02-28T09:23:00.009Z2009-02-28T12:22:25.011Z

."We are in need of magicI fill a picture until it is full with magic, as one fills up a glass with waterEverything is so infinitely simple, so infinitely beautiful."..I have made a discovery this morning, over my bowl of cereal, which I always eat while I open my emails and my blog comments. There was a message from someone who has recently become one of my followers: 'Kissedaprincegotafrog'. I

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-27514812431703216882009-02-27T13:39:00.005Z2009-02-27T14:30:11.802Z

.I must say I am very annoyed with Blogger for adding this networking function to the Followers widget in the sidebar. It seems to have added something like 3.5 centimetres to the height of the box that contains the 'heads', and in doing so has made it messy looking and wasteful of space. What is more, the new top and bottom bars contain two links in each, and 3 of the 4 all take you to the same

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-11849945400240558222009-02-26T08:45:00.012Z2009-02-26T10:07:35.438Z

~Firstly, I must say 'thankyou' to those of you who have recently signed up as my followers. My shameless touting for acknowledged readers was only thinly disguised as an explanation of how to make following easier for yourselves, but I attempted to place my tongue firmly in my cheek, when I named my Followers widget in my sidebar the "Trophy Room"! I think the blank faces which come up if the

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-10189353291835058742009-02-22T17:12:00.009Z2009-03-01T11:39:42.544Z

~Not what you might think - not at my time of life. No, it's like this: I've been looking through a couple of volumes of my grandmother's journal, written in 1889 and 1890, when she was 21-22, before she was married to my grandfather. Stuck into the back of one of them with stamp paper - (no sellotape in those days) - was a piece of paper headed 'Triplets', with this list:Three things to love -

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-20143385323130763862009-02-21T09:42:00.009Z2009-03-17T18:53:44.137Z

~'Alone'I found this poem the other day when I was looking through old papers - I don't remember when I wrote it.Who am I when I'm alone,when I am not being a daughter,doing as her mother taught her -who am I when I'm alone?Who am I when I'm alone,when my brother needs no keeping, and our rivalry is sleeping -who am I when I'm alone?Who am I when I'm alone,when I have no lord and master,husband,

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-2205056660994865302009-02-21T08:11:00.013Z2009-07-24T16:18:11.496+01:00

~Do you ever find that your days seem to be focussed on nothing but waiting - for goods to arrive, for things to happen, for people to get in touch, for appointments at hospitals etc?In the past few weeks I have been waiting for:Some goods I ordered on line which didn't arrive, and when I contacted the firm they said they were posting a second lot and those haven't arrived either, and it's now

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-84405745052176179892009-02-17T09:08:00.004Z2009-02-26T10:05:49.654Z

~When I acquired my first 'follower' I had not caught up with the widgetry, and it took me some time to get round to it. When I did, I saw it as something of a vanity item - (but no worse than a hit counter, I suppose) - to have this little collection of heads in the sidebar to show how many reader-followers you have. And as by that time I still only had two, it didn't seem worth declaring that

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-39091493031063775632009-02-14T20:56:00.008Z2009-02-15T08:59:16.445Z

~Sue has left a comment on my Christmas slideshow, saying she is worried at seeing no new posts, and hoping that I am well. I have left a comment there for her but am posting here too, in case I am worrying anyone else. It is a great privilege, but also something of a burden, albeit a loving one, to know that people notice when you fail to blog for a while, and worry on your behalf.I have in fact

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-34818311363115292272009-02-02T20:42:00.023Z2009-02-22T08:27:05.942Z

These charming articles, of compelling collectability, are something of which I have only recently become aware. However, I rather think that all my pictures are of examples which are in museums, so it would probably be a fruitless undertaking for me to start yet another collection. But they are so beautiful, and I covet them so much, that I cannot resist writing about them at least, and sharing

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-46445197523346337842009-02-02T09:13:00.001Z2009-02-02T13:20:41.179Z

~My hands have become a little shaky now for taking good sharp photographs, and I am getting discouraged. But I pulled these three shots of trees out of my files, as I find them all pleasing regardless of quality. They will do to put up here while my hibernating brain tries to wake up enough to write an interesting post.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-85101161049969063292009-01-20T18:22:00.009Z2009-01-21T12:11:59.696Z

~One of the things we fear most as we grow old is the decline of our cognitive faculties, and the possible slide into some form of dementia. In the email group of elder women to which I belong, we sometimes share stories of our 'senior moments', of our failure to do joined-up thinking and the stupid situations in which we find ourselves as a result. We share the stories and we share the laughter,

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-66686971924411903152009-01-15T07:24:00.010Z2009-01-15T08:30:36.012Z

~I started off the year by having cavity wall insulation done on my house. Here in the UK (well England, anyway) the Government pays grants to the over 70s so they can get it done free. The money goes to the company who does it, not direct to the customer. You can also get loft insulation done too, including having it topped up if it does not reach today's recommended level.I was having the

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-37677905534220228392009-01-13T18:07:00.008Z2009-02-22T08:30:04.248Z

~... this lovely delicate little bookmark, obviously made lovingly for my grandmother Ellen Dora, known as Nell or Nellie. The book, which I was about to dispose of, is The Poetical Works of Longfellow, and it was inscribed Nellie D Bragge, Oct 15/91 - that's 1891 of course, when she was 24 and still unmarried. The giver has also inscribed his or her initials, which sadly, I am unable to

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-49494859757659948432009-01-12T18:40:00.004Z2009-01-13T09:00:19.194Z

Well, having got over that hurdle, I can now do my New Year review of hit counters.I have three in my sidebar: a simple number counter, which does not differentiate between my own visits and those of others (currently not appearing for some reason); a Sitemeter, which does distinguish, (and also gives lots of other interesting information), and a Neocounter, the one with all the pretty flags

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-42710772148649603122009-01-12T16:07:00.013Z2009-01-12T18:07:38.324Z

~I think it is probably a mistake to take a break from blogging - if you lose the momentum, you may find it difficult to get going again. That's what has happened to me anyway. "Back after Christmas" I said, and here we are 10th of January already. Every day I sit at my computer and deal with emails, or surf other people's blogs; I may leave a comment or two but that's it. When I say to myself "

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-21430281805943422322009-01-05T18:49:00.002Z2009-01-05T18:59:07.518Z

Yes, this is a frozen bubble, picture copyright by JAlbum & Chameleon For their brilliant series of pictures go here.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-48037456426711026912009-01-03T21:25:00.005Z2009-01-04T07:32:03.793Z

Wishing everyone a wonderful year 2009![Note: there is a fabulous collection of photographs here of a similar ice storm in Geneva which happened in 2005. The pictures are understandably a lot better. They were taken by Jean-Pierre Scherrer.]

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-86751062304312685892008-12-11T08:38:00.001Z2008-12-11T08:38:27.646Z

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-27692346994872118402008-12-08T12:25:00.024Z2009-02-12T12:26:21.216Z

~ There is something I would like to write about before the year is out. November 2008 saw the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I - The Great War as it was known, or "the war to end all wars"! British television has been full of commemorative programmes, documentaries, reconstructions of battlefields and photographs of war cemeteries in Europe. These have drawn my thoughts once more to

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-14607932210229336002008-12-07T17:30:00.001Z2008-12-10T08:02:15.555Z

I have had about 100 visits from French speaking countries in the past 10 weeks, so I am going to take a chance on posting something in French (sort of). I found this in a folder of souvenirs which I keep at the back of my filing cabinet (real not virtual). I probably put it together when I was in France as an au pair in the 1940s. I have found one mistake in the French which I have put right, I

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-61766667906943226382008-12-07T15:38:00.007Z2009-05-05T13:09:18.977+01:00

.Christmas seems to be the right time to be talking about angels. I was searching the web for 'gliding angels' the other day, because my son Richard, the one who is a street theatre performer, has recently joined a group called Larkin' About, and one of their acts consists of gliding angels. I have never seen my son perform with this group, so I was glad to find a video on YouTube taken in 2005

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-75734119667131827392008-11-30T08:39:00.008Z2008-11-30T17:20:06.526Z

.When I began creating the slideshow, it was intended to be a Christmas greeting to post a bit later on, but the seasonal templates offered by the host company did not work for me, and the Celebration one caught my fancy. Suddenly it struck me: here I was sitting at my computer late in the evening, at the end of a damp, dark, depressing day in November, typical of my birthdays, and wishing it to

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-50165947253100923572008-11-29T19:58:00.004Z2008-12-11T05:18:34.431Z

... and I am celebrating the many faces of woman - of this one, anyway.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-7991710932676009612008-11-25T20:49:00.013Z2010-04-10T07:42:48.366+01:00

."Have you heard about the new high speed Stanna Stair Lift? It's guaranteed to get you there before you forget what you went up for. "A friend heard this on the radio this morning and passed it on to my Growing Old Disgracefully email group. Another member responded with the following animation, suggesting that it is more appropriate to our organisation than the joke on the radio. I have to

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-11447959722493243922008-11-21T20:45:00.017Z2008-11-22T12:34:57.611Z

Would you want to walk amongst the band of thugs below? Probably not. Nor do I, to be honest, well not in public, although I have to tell you that all three are pictures of my much loved eldest son who lives in Sydney, Australia.For the past two years he has grown a 'mo' or moustache in November in aid of charity, and thinks to encourage me to donate by sending me these pictures, which have been

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-63258221960158843752008-11-16T16:30:00.007Z2009-01-18T08:25:21.537Z

. Do you love anyone - or possibly hate them - enough to buy them one of these for Christmas? The catalogue description reads:Borat MankiniIs nice!Jagshemash! Please to be making sexy time with fully-licensed one piece bathing suit I use to cover my khram in hit movie-film. Make funny ha-ha joke for all occasion. One size fit all even if you like big can of Pepsi. I like, you like. High five!

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-14677905589411515292008-11-15T18:26:00.010Z2008-11-16T16:33:52.782Z

.For episodes 1, 2 and 3 read here, here and here.For the first time this weekend I have been able to try getting into my son's van with the folding stool I sent for some months ago. I was not very optimistic, but - wonder of wonders - it works !!!Previously, with only the built-in step of the van to help me, I had found it impossible to make the push up from the ground and the simultaneous twist

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-36085617420508947072008-11-10T10:22:00.012Z2008-11-16T16:34:47.223Z

.British people are familiar with sight of the London Cenotaph in Whitehall, the focus of the annual ceremony to remember those who were killed serving their country. For a brief moment yesterday I was watching the ceremony on TV, when suddenly the camera focussed in close on the words engraved on the side, below the stone wreath. If I had been asked, I don't believe I would have known what they

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-69456685265278456942008-11-09T15:45:00.004Z2008-11-22T12:36:17.772Z

.I recently went with friends to an exhibition of photographs with the above title. We were intrigued by the concept of 'clothes for dying', and wanted to find out more. The photographer was Margareta Kern, a young woman from Bosnia-Herzegovina, who now lives and works in London. On a return visit to see her mother, she learns for the first time of the relatively unknown and rather private custom

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-47088689629454551762008-11-03T11:40:00.002Z2008-11-08T13:24:36.405Z

My radio interview finally went out on this morning's news bulletins. Fortunately I had not been glued to the radio all weekend, as I had not expected them to keep the item over the weekend. I should have had faith. There was an email from the station this morning advising me to start listening again, a courtesy which I appreciate.Well, there is no more publicity in the pipeline just now, and

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-13664056288207352352008-11-02T13:37:00.015Z2008-11-08T13:24:36.405Z

Everybody was taking videos of everybody at the event, and in the end there were no less than three videos of me, two taken by Gill Adams, Digital Unite's 'information person', as she describes herself, and one by Simbo Ogunyemi, one of the other runners up. I am posting them here for those who are interested. It seems a bit vainglorious, (and they are a bit too much 'in your face' for my taste),

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-9359426609709736942008-11-02T08:51:00.006Z2008-11-02T12:04:08.874Z

.Oh dear! it's another one of those days. The snow has finally disappeared here in my part of Hertfordshire, but ...Dark and drear, dark and drear,Will the sun never reappear?Murk and muck, murk and muck,That's the weather with which we're stuck.Ghastly gloom, ghastly gloom,Leaves us all with a sense of doom!.

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-18559416634364590432008-11-01T11:50:00.004Z2008-11-08T13:24:36.406Z

.My Silver Surfer Award brought me another interview in addition to the one for TV. This was a phone interview with a local Hertfordshire radio station, and I did it on Wednesday afternoon following the showing of the TV programme, so that was quite an exciting day for me.Getting wise, I had prepared a prompt sheet for myself, with the answers I wanted to give to the most likely questions I would

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-31693056706783816882008-11-01T11:47:00.011Z2008-11-02T13:21:02.748Z

.I wrote here about my garden clearance, and how it had revealed a strange plant in my neighbour's garden, which I have since tentatively identified as an echium pininana...The weight of the sudden and unexpected snowfall which we experienced last Tuesday seems to have been too much for the poor thing, which now droops it's head in shame or sorrow, or perhaps mere weakness...Another candidate for

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-67015004549407662112008-10-31T19:45:00.006Z2008-11-08T13:24:36.407Z

Portcullis House, where the Silver Surfer Awards ceremony was held, is the relatively new building on the Parliament Campus where the Members of Parliament have their offices. It is connected to the Houses of Parliament by an underground tunnel. There is plenty about it on the web if you are interested, and this website in particular will give you information about its design. ..From the outside

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15472529.post-39957894671613383552008-10-29T06:50:00.006Z2008-11-08T13:24:36.408Z

Jenny and Hume from BBC2 Working Lunch, who interviewed and filmed me for Wednesday's programme.Here's something which might work for my readers outside the UK. You will need to work out for yourselves what time 13.30 hours in the UK is going to be where you are. If you can catch the programme, put the following link into your search engine: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/ That will take you to a

Judithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07056868850692279739noreply@blogger.com15