Fatigue

The United States through Laurence's eyes; the doughnuts are bigger, the tax on goods is less. Canada through Laurence's eyes, everyone smokes dope all the time.
'Well we don't Laurence.'
'No, but across the road in the park, people do all the time.' Ok.

Laurence had difficulties at school. Now difficulties are just that, they make things more difficult, not impossible. When he was at school, a modern foreign language was compulsory for all unless there were special reasons for disapplication. Laurence was disapplied. Any language teacher will tell you that people who aren't language teachers are always squinnying on endlessly that lower ability children who have difficulty with reading and writing shouldn't be learning another language.
Well, the thing is, that unless the child can't actually speak, learning another language can reinforce first language because when we teach it, we teach more of the same. So numbers, nouns, present tense verbs. We probably don't get as far as the pluperfect and subordinate clauses, but that doesn't negate what they can learn. The problem is that everyone undermines that and the children assume they can't do it. That coupled with the fact that language learning is the most difficult subject they have to do makes for poor motivation.

At the moment, I feel that idea is made more certain. Laurence goes to Karate every Tuesday and he has been learning his numbers in Japanese. It's tough for him, not easy at all, but he is so highly motivated.

America for me means apple-pie beds. Well, ok, not really. At the RV the bed there just had sheets and a thin blanket. I had remembered the discomfort of simply not having a duvet, but I hadn't remembered this point. When you have a top sheet and a blanket, it gets tucked in all the way round so that you get in and feel completely restricted and uncomfortable, then have to spend five minutes kicking it all out. The apple-pie bed is one prank you really can't play with a duvet.

Today I had three helpers at work and the school that was due in at 9.30 rang up and cancelled at nine. Not for any good and unforeseeable reason, because they hadn't organised drivers and booster seats. The four of us ran through the programme anyway. The Catholic school with two disabled children who came in the afternoon were much better fun anyway.

Someone told me today that a new scientific report had shown that caffeine can in some way lower the amount of calcium in the bones, but only in women. I know there's someone I can take this inequity up with, but it seems impolite challenging God on her/his design.

Obituaries. Now last week I was reading the obituary for Avenger Gareth Hunt, who died at only 65. It was an interesting read, but the delicate subject of what he died of was avoided. And when I thought about it - that was what I was reading to find out, but I guess that's private. Well, if I can read about your life in a public forum, I want to be able to read about your death too, because, like many, I'm nosy.

Stephen Fry has had a part in the last few episodes of Bones and I'm thinking maybe I can't be arsed with his character. He is of course entitled to a part in a big old American series just like former comedy partner Hugh Laurie, but, I'm a bit sick of him just playing the part of every English person that everyone hates.

I'm tired. Can you tell?