tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-198798742024-03-07T10:21:32.695-08:00MeditationsObscure rantings with no particular focus.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.comBlogger1521125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-66986831018310843572015-01-20T16:54:00.004-08:002015-01-20T16:54:55.650-08:00The Ego of the Idiots.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXzf_0lNUZWKAAiMPDPJi2_21JWbYk1fc_wav0rsEc6qOcH0KChhvD8H-nO2Br24x_spZ0fmzdcHJhzb4eW8AvQ8blMTXy84FldRg40RiQWNTLTxjsRgHq7TYEMeqtm68J2XQ/s1600/2014-11-19+13.32.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXzf_0lNUZWKAAiMPDPJi2_21JWbYk1fc_wav0rsEc6qOcH0KChhvD8H-nO2Br24x_spZ0fmzdcHJhzb4eW8AvQ8blMTXy84FldRg40RiQWNTLTxjsRgHq7TYEMeqtm68J2XQ/s1600/2014-11-19+13.32.56.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>I'm constantly thrown off balance by people's self-absorption. Last week, I thought it odd that there had been absolutely no post for four days. That's not impossible, but it is unlikely, considering there had been no junk mail either. I asked someone else whether they'd received any post. No. There were some workers in the post room and I asked them whether they'd seen Canada Post deliver. No.<br />
It just happened that Kevin had a meeting of the complex's council in the room that evening, so he asked and one woman<br />
assured him she had indeed received mail that day, thus derailing the whole thing. Instead of questionning herself, which I would have done, she had to be contrary, even though as it transpired, she couldn't possibly have had mail.<br />
The next day, no post, no junk, so I went down to the sorting office, who had been keeping our post back for no reason they could see, all week.<br />
<br />
On the way back, I was coming to an intersection and could hear an emergency vehicle. Although I had a green light, I stopped, as did everyone else on the road except one person, who came barrelling up the lane beside me, shooting across the intersection as the lights turned to red, like a car in a chase in the old fashioned TV shows. The fire engine, that was coming across with lights flashing at that moment, almost cut the car in two, which some may well think is what the driver deserved, except for the fact that the fire engine would then have been delayed getting to the emergency. Considering that here, the fire brigade are first responders and attend emergencies an ambulance might, that delay could have been a matter of life or death.<br />
Beggars belief.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-88407490991378693722015-01-13T16:00:00.000-08:002015-01-13T16:00:09.245-08:00The Addiction<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuRnzsViGs_ajLKeF7tv23oKtqdIxSTp9lHHv12Cf2fHGhinW90jT6NZ7tMsRj7DhUATlBFT6MKpri2sYpJZv36XlhXAKAuJXrIw_p7qblYzX_teAmpJl9jPsXRfJQXKqvA7Q/s1600/2015-01-13+15.48.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuRnzsViGs_ajLKeF7tv23oKtqdIxSTp9lHHv12Cf2fHGhinW90jT6NZ7tMsRj7DhUATlBFT6MKpri2sYpJZv36XlhXAKAuJXrIw_p7qblYzX_teAmpJl9jPsXRfJQXKqvA7Q/s1600/2015-01-13+15.48.28.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>I really don't know where this came from, it seems like it struck out of the blue, but another thing that<br />
has become a truly addictive pastime for me, is Sudoku. From time to time, I've eyed it speculatively on the last page of The Week, but then I actually filled one in and that was it. I think it has saved me from madness over Christmas, in the sense that, I feel once I've done one, my mind has been straightened out. On the other hand, I didn't have any space for another activity in my schedule, and yet, I have managed to fall into something that requires all my attention until I've finished it. I don't understand why it draws me, or why it's so fascinating. The only time I ever fear boredom, is when I'm flying, but I think a few Sudoku puzzles might defeat that.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-49502908890071576352015-01-06T14:11:00.001-08:002015-01-06T14:11:58.096-08:00The Waiting List<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSM0WrLhRiJxjxxGPn1basb11rhJdXMoqvCkmtrhndPco2aT-Sf1I5nvWLph0bYKkuYmpGoxzUKwXDtoqALi1oOkn4eDZIYPahEA5S583oQzbINriMkLQ-DaIURDMvI2OWHY7/s1600/2015-01-06+14.06.10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSM0WrLhRiJxjxxGPn1basb11rhJdXMoqvCkmtrhndPco2aT-Sf1I5nvWLph0bYKkuYmpGoxzUKwXDtoqALi1oOkn4eDZIYPahEA5S583oQzbINriMkLQ-DaIURDMvI2OWHY7/s1600/2015-01-06+14.06.10.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Sometimes, the crashingly obvious stumbles around beside me, making all sorts of noise, which I don't notice.<br />
<br />
In the autumn or late summer, our local bookshop closed. It was a nice shop, with helpful, intelligent staff - more or less as you'd expect in a bookshop.<br />
I do miss WHSmith though, waiting to sell you a paperback, often two for the price of three, on every corner or at every railway station or airport.<br />
<br />
Where was I? Ah yes, Chapters closed. Parking wasn't easy there, it must be said, it was a popular little plaza. Anyway, it closed, which meant that you either had to go to the town centre one, a minuscule jumble of a place, or get on skytrain and go downtown.<br />
And then I discovered the library. I should say, 'discovered'. Alex uses it frequently whenever she's over, as does Laurence. I realised that I hadn't used the library for borrowing fiction since I was a child. My father used to take us to the library in Cosham I think. But since then, I have only used the university libraries when studying - of course my studies were long before you could just get access to everything by internet.<br />
<br />
When I was teaching, I would take the classes to what was now a Learning Resource Centre, point out the useful books and places where you could study, even use the computers. Oh, libraries above all else, have evolved, responding to the changing times.<br />
<br />
But best of all in our, I have discovered, better than the lovely seating area and the use of magazines <br />
and newspapers, is the waiting list. This pleases me so much. I go online, search for and add the books I want to read. I can be experimental, put books on my waiting list I wouldn't have bought because I'm not sure about them.<br />
I can check in with the waiting list - see where I am in line. And when something is ready to be picked up - I get an e-mail. The only flaw in this is me. I have been so excited about the waiting list, I now have a pile of books to read in a limited time.<br />
<br />
It's extraordinary how much this whole library thing fits in with my mindset. I don't have to store them afterwards, just take them back. I don't have to keep a paper list, the library does it for me. I can check out the books for myself, so it takes me less than two minutes to go in to the holding section, run the thing under the scanner and make my escape.<br />
<br />
If only they'd invented libraries sooner. And if only they had more paperbacks.<br />
<br />Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-18317143970832082732015-01-05T15:20:00.000-08:002015-01-05T15:21:07.711-08:00A Newish Year<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlX7qBFZyr_Huc7ZrVA8nd-ufayWLDsic6uyo8OSfx9sQo2NholUv_EPAzE05czbF551armp7qs57Ds5w9fg4Yi5t1Nju-_bf98ltsIPQET66GavHFa8BldhvvM2rVIoyWJrwK/s1600/2015-01-05+15.07.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlX7qBFZyr_Huc7ZrVA8nd-ufayWLDsic6uyo8OSfx9sQo2NholUv_EPAzE05czbF551armp7qs57Ds5w9fg4Yi5t1Nju-_bf98ltsIPQET66GavHFa8BldhvvM2rVIoyWJrwK/s1600/2015-01-05+15.07.31.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>The beginning of a new year, Christmas specials watched and decorations down and packed away. Mince pies almost all eaten.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, we'd been promised a winter storm. Turns out a winter storm can come in many forms - ours was belting rain that came at us for hours on end. The roads here are badly lit, the lines on the roads are painted in some kind of substandard non-luminous paint that doesn't stand out much in the dark in the best of weather, but given the inclemency visited upon us from above, they become almost invisible. That and the severe lack of cats' eyes, and yesterday's weather was a treachery too far.<br />
<br />
The year ended for me with a visit to the doctor's. She'd received the results of my blood tests, and numbers were going in the wrong direction, so I have to focus on health - diet and exercise of course, but also a referral to an endocrinologist.<br />
<br />
News from England of two deaths of former colleagues - friends, or in one case the shocking and unexpected death of a former colleague's wife. The Fates sometimes visit cruel devastation on lives, robbing us of the ability to make meaning.<br />
<br />
Over the Christmas period, both Laurence and Whisky were ill, hacking coughs and runny noses in both cases. Nothing too serious, but always worrying, particularly when it drags on.<br />
We had some clear blue skies and crisp, frosty days, and on one of these, I spotted a female Anna's hummingbird shuttling between a cedar and a bare, ornamental oak tree in front of our house. The hummingbird feeder had been cleaned and put away in mid-August when the Rufous hummingbirds had migrated south. Now it's been filled with sugar solution and re-hung from the balcony's overhang, just beyond the bird feeding house where we get finches and sparrows and on the balcony itself, Towhees scavenging what has been dropped.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-60328405252172952062014-11-02T16:15:00.000-08:002014-11-02T16:15:10.722-08:00Violets and Daisies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GknxTK5rPIoiD3FXH6nyni7yEEgmJpz2jjLRG_-pZHnfpjr2ISvfaCXJCYzfRzAPPs6r4h_uUQzl14_YE-gqxInTfxD4xttMU1V6c-LP1g6DUShb9LCfiZpjdABVGHN0Inb2/s1600/2014-11-02+11.48.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GknxTK5rPIoiD3FXH6nyni7yEEgmJpz2jjLRG_-pZHnfpjr2ISvfaCXJCYzfRzAPPs6r4h_uUQzl14_YE-gqxInTfxD4xttMU1V6c-LP1g6DUShb9LCfiZpjdABVGHN0Inb2/s1600/2014-11-02+11.48.57.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
It's been so long, I've forgotten how to do this. In any case, I found it hard to log in.<br />
<br />
It's 2nd November, an important date. My father died 14 years ago. It's also the second day of National Novel Writing Month. Neither of these is why I suddenly decided to return to the blog. Although.....maybe the second one is.<br />
<br />
I've created a writing diary for November, <a href="http://doucementdaisy.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">The Daisy Diaries</a>. This is because this novel I'm writing as Daisy Davis. It's quite different from my Horse-sur-mer novels, so I thought a different person should write it.<br />
<br />
The picture made me do it. I took the picture of one of our planters down in Birch Bay, this morning. A friend on Facebook had tagged me to post a picture of flowers and I'd been given violets. I'm not very good at the whole posting things on Facebook. I wanted to post a picture of my violets, and although they're not in flower, they still have beautiful leaves - shape, colour, even fragrance. I also liberated the original root from someone else's garden. They seem to be happily liberated.<br />
<br />
I had 'write a blog post' on my list for over a year now. My friend, Di, had mentioned that she used to keep up with my news when she e-mailed to wish me Happy Birthday. Last year.<br />
<br />
So...uninspiring post, but post it is. Rock and Roll.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-3790886268651358332012-08-08T20:39:00.003-07:002012-08-08T20:41:14.460-07:00Mistresses of Mystery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgl-40gP4dXD0R-survp2yw80MwgwHqeCJSy8Js0gFuW65lmq7dO8QVqWx4m8gzw8c3gcDapZQSmcFxI8DYBVW3d7hhyT4UgBFaTqvHVrJJ-6uL-CZaJcvNEy2IdakcwejFPVS/s1600/100_3018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgl-40gP4dXD0R-survp2yw80MwgwHqeCJSy8Js0gFuW65lmq7dO8QVqWx4m8gzw8c3gcDapZQSmcFxI8DYBVW3d7hhyT4UgBFaTqvHVrJJ-6uL-CZaJcvNEy2IdakcwejFPVS/s320/100_3018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Last year</b>, I was introduced to the most amazing British mystery writer, <b>Ariana Franklin</b>. Her first novel in the Mistress of the Art of Death series was called, not surprisingly, '<b>Mistress of the Art of Death'</b>. These books are historical detective stories, much in the way of the wonderful <b>Murdoch Mysteries</b> by <b>Maureen Jennings</b>. The writing is flawless, the historical research impeccable and the plots skilfully woven. The author's speculation about what might have been possible in the way of forensics, gives a very satisfying dimension to the works.<br />
<br />
Sadly, Ariana Franklin died last year, so this addiction needed to be replaced.<br />
<br />
My next find - quite by chance, in the book shop at Heathrow, was another Brit, Scottish crime writer <a href="http://denisemina.co.uk/" target="_blank"><b>Denise Mina</b></a>. I read <b>'The End of the Wasp Season'</b>. Mina's detective novels are set in Glasgow and are as gritty as you would expect. But her characters are nonetheless sympathetic. Her detective, Alex Morrow has baggage, is flawed, but she is good at her job, dogged, determined. And all of this makes for compelling reading.<br />
<br />
My most recent addiction is Canadian Author <b><a href="http://www.louisepenny.com/" target="_blank">Louise Penny</a>.</b> And good gracious am I addicted. I was strangely drawn to the first of her Three Pines series <b>'Still Life'</b>, whilst standing at the checkout in Save-on Foods supermarket. I didn't read it straight away, but when I did, I was almost instantly drawn in. Her characters and imaginary village are so well portrayed that I felt as though I'd been there and knew the people. Her plots are also page-turningly intricate, like a carefully stitched appliqué.<br />
<br />
In many ways, Louise Penny has replaced two well-loved authors for me. Her work also has the 'snuggle under the duvet with a bar of chocolate and a damned good read' factor that <b>Maeve Binchy's</b> writing had for me. Sadly, Maeve died in the past few days.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-60556933375802104472012-08-06T20:44:00.000-07:002012-08-06T20:44:07.538-07:00Three Fine Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three books that I have read and loved this year all
have a backdrop of extremes of temperature. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hilary Mantel’s
‘Eight Months on Gazzah Street’</b> is based on the author’s own experience of
living in Saudi Arabia. As the situation and the institutionalised misogyny
entrap her more deeply, the feeling of powerlessness is heightened by the
constant and inescapable heat, until like her, we are not sure what is real and
what is imagined and we welcome the news that she and her husband have
permission to return to England.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heat and powerlessness haunt the women in </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> Dipiki Rai’s ‘Someone Else’s Garden’</b>.
Probably one of the most beautiful books I’ve read, it takes us on a journey
from the most abject poverty of the Indian countryside and a community where inhumanity towards women is just accepted, to a different impoverishment
as one of the protagonists reaches the sprawling city. Yet here she finds a
freedom and personal growth she’d never experienced. Throughout the book, she
is supported by her spirituality, which gives the book a feeling of intimacy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By contrast, in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">‘The
Seige’, by Helen Dunmore</b>, it is the cold that creeps up on us and stalks us.
I found Dunmore’s writing compelling. Life in Leningrad in the summer of 1941
seems harsh by modern standards, yet far worse than we can possibly imagine is
to come. Somehow Dunmore gives us a taste of the harshness of it. She makes us
glimpse shadows out of the corner of our eye, yet still it seems sudden when
war is upon us. And the siege isn’t just the army of one formidable nation
besieging the people of another, it is also the winter which pushes them to the
limits of their endurance. They never lose their belief that the Red Army will
break through, that the siege will end, and that the soul of their nation is
shared in its greatest writing. </div>Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-87272356949258144892012-07-31T21:53:00.000-07:002012-07-31T21:53:20.365-07:00All's Well that Ends Well<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last day of July - where did the month go?<br />
<br />
My schedule changed in July - I've been working Monday to Friday as I will throughout August, and my day starts and ends earlier.<br />
<br />
Tonight, in Superstore, I used my bolshie Brit powers for the greater good. At least it turned out that way.<br />
<br />
I came up to the queue at the self service checkout and a woman was
arguing with three members of staff and an Asian man was just
standing quietly by one of the checkouts.<br />
<br />
'Oho,' thought I,
'entertainment!' but then I quickly realised it was annoying because
they were blocking the checkout and it wasn't being used. So I
struck up some comradely small talk with the two people in front of
me. 'What's occurring?' I asked. <br />
'Woman, grumble grumble, argument, grumble, grumble,' they vaguely
said. So I went up to the member of staff nearest to us and said,<br />
'Can these people use this checkout?' <br />
'There's an argument.' she said,<br />
'Yes, but the checkout's not being used, can these people use it?'<br />
'The man is there,'<br />
'But he's not using it.' So she shuffled around a bit and I went
over to the man who was at the checkout but not using it. <br />
'Scan your stuff,' I said. He just looked at me. 'Start scanning,' I
said, 'scan your shopping,' so he did and the arguing woman moved
away and the staff dispersed. I went back to the queue and the woman
in front of me said,<br />
'Good job, why didn't we do that?' <br />
'Because you're not as bossy and unpleasant as me,'<br />
'But you did it so nicely!' she said, with no detectable sarcasm,<br />
'Really?' said I, 'I thought I was quite rude.' <br />
<br />
<br />
Oh well, all's well that ends well as it were. <br />Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-32561253527449109682012-07-18T21:22:00.004-07:002012-07-18T21:22:48.778-07:00And Nasturtiums<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh dear. The Olympics approach. And just as we were without snow when we had ours, Britain seems to be about to float away. What fun.<br />
<br />
Here in Canada, things seem to be too hot, particularly on the east coast, and causing people to do atrocious things. There have been two shootings in Ontario recently, and yesterday on the news we witnessed the raw sorrow of the parents whose son was murdered on videocam, which was then broadcast on YouTube, and then chopped up and his bits and pieces sent across the country. The accused had pleaded not guilty, natch. Nauseating. <br />
<br />
At the Schloss, all is not well. We have discovered mould growing in Laurence's flat, due to piss poor installation of the shower by previous owners. At present, walls, floor and shower have been ripped down, up and out. Decontamination continues and it's fortunate indeed that even on the west coast, we are currently suffering under the unrelenting sun.<br />
<br />
We have two tomatoes on our plants. Not much I agree. Looks as though we might get some spuds this year. And nasturtiums.<br />
<br />Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-52704757482754278172012-07-11T21:48:00.001-07:002012-07-11T21:48:31.892-07:00Mid-July<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_DCje_96Rw5IXAh0yrqcdVEL1l1yijAdMvqUEyf85BwY5SwAyENNY7lutxEdbNtN3UT6o-GI772CkAAnRHzg5g3HhpELrjxZCfIp6HLol0SMknFep8kkWs_KN3K18Y6qnfIf/s1600/100_2973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_DCje_96Rw5IXAh0yrqcdVEL1l1yijAdMvqUEyf85BwY5SwAyENNY7lutxEdbNtN3UT6o-GI772CkAAnRHzg5g3HhpELrjxZCfIp6HLol0SMknFep8kkWs_KN3K18Y6qnfIf/s320/100_2973.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Mid-July. July seems to be going so quickly. My schedule has changed for the summer and I'm working Monday to Friday instead of Tuesday to Saturday, and I'm starting earlier in the day. The days are hot now, after a June of rain, heat and sunshine, and trouble sleeping because of it.<br />
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Funny that we have these long evenings and no TV - but it makes it feel as though you can get something done after work, instead of just vegging. <br />
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Kevin has done a lot of work at the Static. He has made new steps to replace the old, rotten ones. We've reclaimed some space in the garden and Kevin has built a fence to define it. He's built a bedframe to replace the old-fashioned and much too high, divan set, made new bedside tables and he has laid new flooring.<br />
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Now, we discover new challenges in the house. The basement has problems and we are looking at how to approach it. <br />
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The pace of life hasn't altered.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-82879977563937394162012-06-13T21:44:00.000-07:002012-06-13T21:44:46.381-07:00This and That<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How time flies. I've just had a three-day weekend, after which I felt quite rested, whereas now, after one overly warm night and little sleep, I feel entirely bleugh. Tant pis.<br />
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I feel as though I'm running just to stand still. I'm not complaining, this time last year I had no job, and was getting precisely nowhere finding one.<br />
Nil desperandum, new series of True Blood. That'll get us through the summer.<br />
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Alex has gone back. I'm missing her, but it's good to know that she's helping out with Austen and Sue's kids and in September she'll start teacher training. <br />
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And the rain is back, very up and down at the moment -which should be great for the tomatoes, and yet isn't so much, they seem to be huddling. Spuds, on t'other hand, are looking lusty.<br />
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<br />Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-43185414340863947122012-05-16T20:43:00.001-07:002012-05-16T20:43:48.400-07:00Mid-MayIt's hot, well, at least, it has been sunny for about ten days now, two weekends, and the temperature is rising, has risen and is now holding steady. Ish.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRCLRP8Z9irsLoOg197D72D5R-WA-qvQGLDVbHPdt8NpSyaLhq5zNTUnvE9y1UFbb8cjwybEvXWZSun_C_al234sr5J4I3JZ-XZZzW4-xoth-Rl87rBl4Mbh4GSn772N1ajcP/s1600/100_2928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRCLRP8Z9irsLoOg197D72D5R-WA-qvQGLDVbHPdt8NpSyaLhq5zNTUnvE9y1UFbb8cjwybEvXWZSun_C_al234sr5J4I3JZ-XZZzW4-xoth-Rl87rBl4Mbh4GSn772N1ajcP/s320/100_2928.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
Last weekend we took the kayaks out and I also went swimming - the outdoor pools were all open at the Static's park, which was a delight. Lovely. When the sun is out, the weekends seem more relaxing, we can sit in the patch of garden and drink Margaritas. We can eat outside. And we can eat just salads and be happy about it.<br />
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And TV is coming to an end for the summer. Yes, that time yet again, just like the days getting shorter or longer, it happens (here) every year and yet I never see it coming. Thank goodness for Scandinavia is all I can say, they seem to be producing some good police drama.<br />
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This coming weekend will be a long weekend for us, I'm looking forward to having an extra day off. But it's also going to mark a year since my friend Anne died. I still can't believe she's not coming back.<br />
Bitter-sweet.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-91173444477894201602012-05-02T21:29:00.001-07:002012-05-02T21:29:04.462-07:00Quantum Theories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-WXGndVz5lvHl4nntW__ZE45WeBRAm2k5Ha1ygd7Y4xCpAe3HA3SgDRkJkM4lDwDCNURRHlYKmZIztOrMJ2RB8uxXaVpj9N9kKO0Db7ocr-BGi77e5qHG3qwd36rRHhBgItd/s1600/100_2880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-WXGndVz5lvHl4nntW__ZE45WeBRAm2k5Ha1ygd7Y4xCpAe3HA3SgDRkJkM4lDwDCNURRHlYKmZIztOrMJ2RB8uxXaVpj9N9kKO0Db7ocr-BGi77e5qHG3qwd36rRHhBgItd/s320/100_2880.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I love <a href="http://inversesquare.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/5489/" target="_blank">the theory of Quantum Politics. </a>I also like the terms 'Romniverse' and Romneomics'.<br />
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I'm also loving <a href="http://htwins.net/scale2/scale2.swf?bordercolor=white&fb_source=message" target="_blank">the scale of the universe </a>- hours of mind-boggling fun. <br />
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In local news, a woman fell to her death while supposedly strapped to a hang-gliding instructor. The <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/05/02/bc-hang-glider-pilot-bail.html" target="_blank">instructor is currently being held by the police for obstructing the course of justice</a> - he has allegedly swallowed the memory card that was in the video cam attached to the hang-glider. I can't begin to imagine the fear that woman must have felt as she knew she was falling out of the sky.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-1225207940316349222012-04-26T20:27:00.000-07:002012-04-26T20:27:14.314-07:00The Eve<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCvSFExomH4Mzj6wIKkmhyphenhyphenKiCrzU7oVrunIASf6bKxxCeQHXDOxJX1UOkG0VjzG9rdfbY_s57myL0fOG4LX5uFDsGtUjICBW0a8Nqo4vqA5jRrNShnk_RG85LmWcDbDlWAkJh/s1600/100_2862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCvSFExomH4Mzj6wIKkmhyphenhyphenKiCrzU7oVrunIASf6bKxxCeQHXDOxJX1UOkG0VjzG9rdfbY_s57myL0fOG4LX5uFDsGtUjICBW0a8Nqo4vqA5jRrNShnk_RG85LmWcDbDlWAkJh/s320/100_2862.jpg" width="320" /></a>I have tomorrow off work, as does Kevin. He and Alex are cycling down to Birch Bay, I will be driving down with Whisky - the dog that is, not the drink. Although when we all get there, there will be drink involved, tomorrow being Kev's birthday. Alex has been planning, I have been ignoring more or less. I'm not much of a party-person myself, so it doesn't occur to me that other people like them - and of course, as I knew really, this is not the case.<br />
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April has been a whirlwind, what a contrast with last year, and yet there have been moments when I was reminded of visiting my friend Anne in the retirement home. I think it's the cherry blossom as much as anything.<br />
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I haven't done the things I had planned this month, yet I have done a lot, and having Alex here makes it all meaningful in any case. She never seems to stop, she has so many friends to see. My baby girl. Such a Gemini.<br />
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Because I've stopped listening to the crap eighties music channel on the radio and instead am tuning in to CBC, I seem to have more of a handle on what's actually happening in the country. Getting The Week, also gives me a handle on what's going on in Britain, and what Britain thinks is going on the rest of the world, so I'm pretty well informed.<br />
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The interesting thing in Canada this week has been the election in Alberta. Now this sounds utterly butterly dull. The Progressive Conservative party has been in power for 41 years, but all the polls were predicting a win for the Wild Rose party (Alberta's symbol), and to the extent that journos had not only written, but already published articles dissecting the crushing defeat of the Tories. And then the Tories won, by a significant margin. So this week, every journo and every pollster and every Albertan politician, has had to be on the radio eating crow or answering questions about how the crow tasted, or explaining why their party won or lost.<br />
Interesting times.<br />
And for once, even in Alberta.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-4907376586262997992012-04-15T20:30:00.002-07:002012-04-15T20:30:55.322-07:00The Big Events<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDofDZjvG4w6H37ovmQIosuNmSAwST1d6PibQYmd7VH68nFs9Y5g_pnVc7uyUbKbXjW_3-yN-nKZ8XgzsexiQiV1L2xQi_8W5kmtGBVhtDG2eyxxRypXW2JMNkGBjyAH3KkyC/s1600/100_2859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDofDZjvG4w6H37ovmQIosuNmSAwST1d6PibQYmd7VH68nFs9Y5g_pnVc7uyUbKbXjW_3-yN-nKZ8XgzsexiQiV1L2xQi_8W5kmtGBVhtDG2eyxxRypXW2JMNkGBjyAH3KkyC/s200/100_2859.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
Sometimes, I forget to mention the big things because they are so much part of my daily life that I don't realise I haven't mentioned them - like Alex being here for a couple of months, well, almost two months. I collected her from YVR just over a week ago. We both had some tears. She's been out and about, visiting friends, old haunts, shops and places, and it's great to have her here. I'd re-painted her bedroom, made it comfier. It's the only room she has that is just hers right now.<br />
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When I left work yesterday, as often happens on a Saturday, I went down to the Static in the States. The border guard looked at my visa waiver and told me to have a nice day,<br />
'And become Canadian,' he shouted after me.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-46502831192959097292012-04-12T20:29:00.001-07:002012-04-12T20:29:33.346-07:00Small Print<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGfxhC_8I4vIUIQb-eEnNG9YXRUxWLuJ-tjYPSRv-XKi4NQ6qnbTp-i0D7vvBhFbm8VxbIQrrU9x8WWSGej3BWvQYsT7Y_nQBIlweiQpmNo61XsKgUwjWVv5-7Th1Odus0OUI/s1600/100_2864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGfxhC_8I4vIUIQb-eEnNG9YXRUxWLuJ-tjYPSRv-XKi4NQ6qnbTp-i0D7vvBhFbm8VxbIQrrU9x8WWSGej3BWvQYsT7Y_nQBIlweiQpmNo61XsKgUwjWVv5-7Th1Odus0OUI/s320/100_2864.jpg" width="320" /></a>At the end of this morning's field trip, I asked if there were any questions. One boy put his hand up and said, 'Why is there an ice-rink here?'<br />
'Because we're in Canada,' said I. <br />
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Research in the British consumer magazine Which? has found that terms and conditions on some shopping websites are longer than Shakespeare's longest play. PayPal's are 36, 275 words, whilst Hamlet only runs to 30, 066. Hmmm...<br />
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A huge faux pas by Kuwait who accidentally played the spoof Kazakh national anthem from the film Borat when the Kazakh winner of a shooting event was standing on the podium. She had to listen to her country being described as having the cleanest prostitutes in the region. Not good - but accidental. Here in Canada, our athletes have to stand on the podium and listen to our ACTUAL national anthem call for true patriot love from all her sons. Officially sanctioned misogyny from a country that is constitutionally committed to gender equality.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-59622735818638850892012-04-11T20:46:00.001-07:002012-04-11T20:46:09.924-07:00Season of Mellow Blogfulness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Cripes, where do the time go?<br />
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The Easter weekend was exceedingly pleasant, four days off in a row. I painted Laurence's kitchen and I planted lots of plants in window and patio boxes. The weather was sunny and warm. The downside to that was that there were people actually playing tennis on the tennis courts, which meant I couldn't take the little dog in there and let him off his lead. Well, I probably could have done, but there would have been screaming and possibly blood.<br />
In the dog park, there were off-lead children, so again, no doggie playfulness. Tears and screams.<br />
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Sunday was a day full of chocolate, which is of course, in keeping with the true meaning of Easter.<br />
Today, I was outside, and for the time I was out, it was once more, sunny and warm. The skunk cabbage filled the air with the delicate fragrance of skunkiness, contrasting greatly with the delicate fragrance of the spring smell of Cottonwood. The frogs were croaking like good 'uns out in the bog. And then the rain came. It stopped the traffic, well, that and the fact that the Canucks had a hockey game, a home game. The slip roads onto the main roads into Vancouver were all choked.<br />
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But right now, whether it doth rain or shine, the Lower Mainland of BC is luminous with cherry blossom. Makes the heart soar. This is in stark contrast to things I have seen recently where people have described something as an 'eye-soar'. Yes. No meaning there then. <br />
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<br />Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-70239227479258693582012-03-29T22:58:00.000-07:002012-03-29T22:58:09.294-07:00Til Death<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSoI07IlTME3cqFuC42yptzuaeltML7fD2hi3avu1jqqYy1IJzFdOeR62XM4jYz_qlyOe_N6XuYs7ATcdopql_0csFyUpTqw47XlH8rYSq0sKAHi0aMGZBiEextp1afdPX9i8/s1600/Til.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSoI07IlTME3cqFuC42yptzuaeltML7fD2hi3avu1jqqYy1IJzFdOeR62XM4jYz_qlyOe_N6XuYs7ATcdopql_0csFyUpTqw47XlH8rYSq0sKAHi0aMGZBiEextp1afdPX9i8/s1600/Til.jpg" /></a>I'm tired, but right now, good tired. I've had three field trips this week, that bit of my job is brilliant. But I can't believe it's nearly the end of March. It went so quickly, although as a money month, it seemed overly long.<br />
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French top banana Gerard Dépardieu is going to be playing Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a forthcoming docu-drama type film. He's doing this because he thinks DSK is a bit of a knob, well don't we all? GD however, thinks that his countryfolk in general are all a bunch of arrogant frogs.<br />
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Over in Deutschland, a bunny with no ears, Til, was going to make it big on showbiz. Sadly, its acting career was cut short at the press launch, when a camera op stepped on it and killed it.<br />
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And Deutschland may well have been less than happy with China. On FB this week, a picture of some product from China, had a display of several countries' flags on the packaging. Germany's flag had a swastika. Ouch.<br />
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Globally, 15% of drug users admit to having taken a mystery white powder without knowing what it was. Of those, a third said they had got said white powder from a stranger. <br />
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Outside, it continues to rain.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-79280270504804269572012-03-26T18:29:00.000-07:002012-03-26T18:29:01.845-07:00Moon, Venus, JupiterThe weekend was two lengthening days of sun and beauty. Even the night sky was a sight to behold. A sliver of crescent moon, Jupiter and Venus to one side. The sun came with enough of a rise in temperature to allow the tomato seeds to germinate and the buds on the flowering cherry to threaten to open.<br />
Today we have rain again, but the garden is glad of it. Next month's April showers will bring forth May flowers, although here, it could be May before March's flowers get their grin on.<br />
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I have discovered the real and original use of a weblog. I had to fill in a form listing all the dates I was out of the country. It took some research, but the blog gave up its un-secrets.<br />
It is a diary, so that's its purpose.<br />
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<br />Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-23233898714552896242012-03-22T20:06:00.000-07:002012-03-22T20:06:01.391-07:00Mini-JobsStill delightfully cold. Presumably it can't last. Also, my tomatoes are germinating very, very slowly. Mountains look divine though.<br />
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March's dark moon is the seed moon. Perhaps I should only just have planted.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVOagAJZn9fZ-r1UzzoRmPeZ1FNlDQOv0zm_merU4Ni5c3UIVhYJYiOYrZXQhvpOun7WC87SxqbZwbqeeaq6KYbojrfZZiL-eyVTId_8RbLQ931AiKgIAGWD__RuU6dZxGgED/s1600/100_2843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAVOagAJZn9fZ-r1UzzoRmPeZ1FNlDQOv0zm_merU4Ni5c3UIVhYJYiOYrZXQhvpOun7WC87SxqbZwbqeeaq6KYbojrfZZiL-eyVTId_8RbLQ931AiKgIAGWD__RuU6dZxGgED/s320/100_2843.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'm loving having 'The Week' again. I was reading about Germany's 'mini-jobs'. Seemed like a good idea at the time, and solved their unemployment problem, but has now created an underclass living on subsistence level incomes and benefits. In some ways, there is a similar situation here, caused by the strength of the unions. The law itself gives little protection and only basic rights, while people in so-called 'union jobs' get several times the same rate of pay as other workers, and benefits which are often misused. The system needs a shake-up, but then that's what Angela Merkel is finding in Germany. She is having to consider introducing a minimum wage, something Germany has held out against. <br />
Another problem it is experiencing, as are many western countries, is the low birth rate. Measures are being put into place to encourage families to have more children, but no-one can forget that so did the Nazis.<br />
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Since I've had this netbook, it has seemed slow and lumbering. This past week, we have discovered that the old 'you get what you pay for' adage, sometimes overlaps with 'be careful what you wish for'. Early on, I upgraded my AVAST anti-virus, and bought a version which was going to give me super-duper security. And it did. By scanning everything all the time and THAT is why everything I did on the computer was so slow. Now I have the slimmed down version and the whole thing is less frustrating.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-3557771349766006152012-03-20T19:39:00.002-07:002012-03-20T19:39:36.094-07:00Mothers and Dogs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sunday was Mothering Sunday, but it had not registered on my radar, so I was surprised to hear the doorbell ring at nine o'clock. Whisky rushed downstairs barking madly. By the time I reached the door, there was no-one there, and Whisky slipped past me, bolted down the steps and trapped a woman who was trying to deliver an Azalea in a basket. She was shaking and trembling, and kept repeating how sorry she was, but that she was scared.<br />
I'm appalled at how amused I was.<br />
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Monday morning we awoke to a hard frost, but it was sunny. Within the hour, the sky was covered with dark grey clouds, followed by hail and then sleet. Strange, but true.<br />
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The snowdrops are from our trip to England, here, there is just one tiny squill in the garden, the rest of the bulbs are just peeking a bit of foliage out of the ground, waiting for some sign that it's safe to come out.<br />
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The ignition mechanism on our furnace has given up. Naturally this isn't a piece you can just buy from Home Depot. Fortunately, we have a portable oil heater that keeps the whole house as warm as we like it, when set to half. I still wonder at people whose first reaction to feeling cold isn't to put on a jumper, it's to turn the heat up.<br />
It's attitudes that sink us, and attitudes that raise us up.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-83475665195776458242012-03-18T22:07:00.000-07:002012-03-18T22:30:55.104-07:00The Knee, the Snow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The past week at the Schloss has been dominated by two things. Laurence's knee and the weather.<br />
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Whilst still in Birch Bay last Sunday, Laurence rang to say he'd been in hospital. He had been to the cinema on Saturday, early evening. He'd gone to the toilet and slipped. As he fell, his kneecap was displaced and he was in great pain. The security people called an ambulance and then he was taken to the hospital where they popped his kneecap back in and gave him painkillers. Then they turned him out into the night to find his own way back home - which, to his credit, he did.<br />
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He was told to stay off work for the week, but he won't get paid. That's the way it works around here. There's a two-tier system and a hell of a lot of people are left to spin in the wind if something like this happens.<br />
I contacted the cinema and they contacted their liability insurance. We'll see what happens.<br />
On Friday he went to the medical clinic and saw my doctor. She told him he needed to be off for another week and that he would need physio. Whilst the swelling on the knee looks as though it has gone down, she could feel it still. <br />
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On Tuesday, it snowed. It snowed hard in that magical way that snow does. It stuck, and the parking lot of my work was transformed - in that magical way that snow transforms the world. By the end of the day it had gone, but the memory lingers. As magical memories do.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-44702038724330070452012-03-08T22:21:00.002-08:002012-03-08T22:21:48.741-08:00Circles in the Sand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now where was I?<br />
We came back, Kevin was ill, very ill, influenza ill. Unable to stand, feverish, aching, the whole shebang. And although he's now out of bed, he's still suffering.<br />
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While we were away, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/world/europe/france-drops-mademoiselle-from-official-use.html?_r=1" target="_blank">France dropped the title, 'Mademoiselle'</a> because it is sexist and discriminates against women - fantastically done France!<br />
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Today, the New Statesman ran an article that stupidly asked the question, 'Is God Sexist?' and then didn't answer it, because the real question was, 'Is Religion Sexist?' because of course it is. A well-written article though. <br />
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Last night's full moon was astounding, it hung huge and gold in the sky. Couldn't get a good picture of it though. March's full moon - plough moon. You could have tilled a field by it. <br />
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Still pleasantly cold, it has been struggling to snow, at times cold and sunny. Frosty times.Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-23286369671886056872012-02-27T20:54:00.004-08:002012-02-27T20:54:50.552-08:00This is England 2012<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d78z3iCFeFZwv7SpVEzqtKozXflTw7fFm_kA_eRp4MjOuQmOIvtW-Ws-8gCFHYG34P2HjzO33WJAr7qXuDVz7MC8T44kmjonEJgrKaCJ8AblTfHoFeWCKh-wbpHc2YVwRhzJ/s1600/100_2799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d78z3iCFeFZwv7SpVEzqtKozXflTw7fFm_kA_eRp4MjOuQmOIvtW-Ws-8gCFHYG34P2HjzO33WJAr7qXuDVz7MC8T44kmjonEJgrKaCJ8AblTfHoFeWCKh-wbpHc2YVwRhzJ/s320/100_2799.jpg" width="240" /></a>So that was England 2012. Alex says that ex-pats call it the thousand dollar cure. You think you want to go home. You go back for a couple of weeks and that cures you.<br />
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I must say, both of us were very taken by West Sussex. It is beautiful and it undulates.<br />
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The driving went well. I was surprised at how little trouble I had getting back into it, I was also surprised at how fast we drive over there. But we certainly needed a car, a little car, a little car with a ready-made dent in it.<br />
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We found new TV shows - not bad since we didn't watch much.<br />
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On the train on the way home, we watched 'Anonymous', a fictional account of Shakespeare's life. Vanessa Redgrave as the older Queen Elizabeth was an inspired choice, especially since her daughter was able to play the younger queen.<br />
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Back at YVR, we sat on the tarmac as the auxiliary power which pushes you to the gate, failed to come on. As soon as you're on the ground, it gets hot. People got up and stood in the aisles, in spite of being told not to. They made it hotter. When we did get off, we had to wait for an hour for our luggage, all pretty tiring. But oh well, we're back.<br />
Work tomorrow. <br />
No sweat. <br />
<br />Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19879874.post-36113244132062707522012-02-18T08:01:00.000-08:002012-02-18T08:01:10.910-08:00Red Letter DayYesterday (Thursday) was an all-systems go, start to finish day. First thing we went to the Register Office in Portsmouth for our friends' wedding. The perfect wedding, since they had been married for some time, but needed the legalities done. So this was what it was, no rings or vows exchanged, just papers signed in front of witnesses. <br />
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The brides treated us to an amazing lunch at a very high end restaurant, my goodness are those waiting staff polite without being obsequious. Food - out of this world.<br />
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In the evening, fate had accorded us a rare treat - Ben's band were playing in Pompey. And my god were they amazing! just phenomenal, of course I'd seen them on YouTube, but live - just awesome.<br />
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Back to Pulborough for a rest, seeing a friend locally tomorrow:)Schneewittchenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11500446025276876475noreply@blogger.com0