Greetings! Its big bang day today; an event widely publicised in Britain and which our household is following with rapt interest. The First Post carried a series of stunning photos of the LHC at CERN yesterday at http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/45338,features,large-hadron-collider-back-with-a-big-bang. If you fancy a chuckle, though, The Daily Mash has a satirical take on the event at http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1242&Itemid=59.
The Mash's article about Sarah Palin parodies those more tactfully expressed veiled concerns of the mainstream British media - http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/ama-gonna-git-me-a-niggra%2c-says-palin-200809041227/. A colourful character deeply involved an event whose consequences the world will live with.
Recently I started listening more to Radio 4. It started off as an early morning escape from Phil's grizzling about Terry Wogan's intonation on Radio 2's morning slot. I'd previously dismissed the station as overly serious and listened only to the occasional reading of Book of the Week in the car, Woman's Hour and Desert Island Discs. I was too hasty. Where else could one hear a whole program about Oliver Cromwell's head? After his death. The unfortunate body part took on a whole life of its own. You'll be relieved to know its now at rest. I'm a willing convert to the station's topical and sometimes eccentric subject matter. Unlike Radio 2 which is easy to "zone out", Radio 4 is somewhat more demanding of its listeners, so I have to practice discipline to remain productive as I go about my daily business. Just as well the broadcast signal in our home is poor, so its currently only available in our bedroom, one bathroom & the kitchen. On occasion I've caught myself lingering in these rooms ...
Since my last email there has been more than a little reconstruction of our property. Some routine work needed done to the house, and some was of a more transformative nature. With muscular help and artisanal expertise from Tom, a resourceful local builder-cum-miracleworker-cum-handyguy, part of the garage has been converted to accommodate furrynuff, my new dog grooming venture. Doggie clients have been relieved of half of themselves since the beginning of the month. Our two haven't escaped every tool in my armoury either. They've been groomed to within a millimetre of their coats. I'm ready to take on the role of the furminator of Stow. My official designation is still groomer-in-training; I'll sit the final exams within the next couple of months. Credits to both Phil & Callan for their creative help with the leaflet and their unflagging, supportive enthusiasm. Gushing indulged, I've attached a few more pics of the furrynuff project. Jodie is the next door neighbours bichon frise, and one of my first models. Dizzy & Lady are our mutts.
In addition to furrynuff, this week I accepted the offer of a 6 hours per week position as a playworker at the Stow Kids Club, starting in October. Its the after school club for the village primary school two blocks from home. This role will be more hands-on than the free play and chitter chatter at youth club, from where I know most of the children already.
The ATG Oxford seasonal job wraps up until next spring at the end of September. 22 walking parties have travailed the Tweed Valley route this season. I've thoroughly enjoyed the meet-greet-'n-luggage-hauler role (with the grand title of Route Manager) and will continue with it next year. It has significant development potential, although I have to limit the amount of time & energy I can allocate to it. I'm hoping in coming months however, to prick the interest of a village based acquaintance in the hope that we may jointly develop the area for ATG. Its been a wonderful opportunity to meet very interesting and well travelled people.
The Open Uni degree I had planned on starting in October was kaiboshed in June. There were a few frustrating weeks communicating back & forth with Unisa, the accreditor of my original qualification. The regime changes in South African education have rendered them unable to locate the necessary academic records to qualify for the exemption credits I had factored into the study period. I couldn't see my attention being held for 6 years to do the degree course from scratch, so made the decision not to pursue the registration any further. You may be asking where's the link between science degree and dog grooming course? You can't tell? Nor can I... but I'm loving it! And I can still curl up with a science book of an evening, even if I'm covered in dog hair.
Last month we availed ourselves of some culture in Edinburgh during the festival season. Phil & I went to see Christopher Hitchens debate Prof John Lennox at the Usher Hall. It was billed as New Europe should prefer the New Atheism, although I thought the title poorly reflected the content. In my view it was only narrowly prevented from descending into an atheism vs. religion debate, as Lennox was unable to defend any religious viewpoint other than Christianity. It kind of missed the point, although it was a joy to hear Hitchens speak on secularism in the eloquent and erudite way one would expect of a widely read critical thinker with a rational worldview steeped in provisional ethics.
We saw Jimmy Carr's new comedy routine Joke Technician. His ability to produce wit and humour through observation of life's banality is masterful. His experience was successfully exercised in tempering a persistently obnoxious drunken heckler throughout the performance. Richard Herring was our choice of comedy at the Fringe festival, held in a small venue in one of the vaults in underground Edinburgh's Old Town. His continuing midlife crisis was this year played out under the title of The Headmaster's Son. Right funny, he was, too.
Other weekends in August were occupied with fresh comedy and drama at a newer upstart rebel of the original "alternative (but now outrageously expensive and mainstream)" Fringe Festival - the attractively named Free Festival. I find the notion of revolting against the revolter is mildly amusing. Who's the most revolting now? Okay, I'll stop there.
A steady stream of guests have dropped by in recent months, including:
my mum for most of June
some of Phil's family and friends from Up North Down South
Callan's usual coterie of teenhood (our very own assortment of near resident idles)
and couchsurfers:
a Finnish high school art teacher, who taught us much about Sami culture and was a wonderful conversationalist
an English charity cyclist en-route between Edinburgh & Cornwall
a Canadian father & son European roadtrip duo, the more senior of whom gleefully volunteered for one of Phil's walks. He was revived at the end by a few lagers & a cream scone.
We're anticipating a repeat US couchie visit sometime in October.
We relish our visitors company and their tales make for charming, stimulating conversation.
Callan recently started her final year of high school. Having done very well in her standard grades she has taken five Higher Grades this year with the aim of completing in June 2009. She will be too young to proceed to university - one of her choices - until October 2010 at the earliest. Her options are to either stay on for an additional year to do some Advanced Highers (unlikely unless she doesn't get the target grade in any Highers), find paid work (which she'll be "actively encouraged" to do part time next year regardless), take a gap year & fill the time constructively, or undertake some other short term study. We have to stay focussed in the medium term however, and GET THOSE HIGHERS. Once that's under the belt we'll navigate to the next hurdle.
British Summer 2008 has been a non-event. I can confidently report that as a consequence of all the rain our lovely green isle is even lovelier and greener, in an abundantly more lush and verdant way than it was 6 months ago. The rain has been relentless and we awoke last Sunday to extensive flooding in our area. The wade back from the paper shop was almost bracing and their leads prevented the dogs from being swept away. Fortunately our street wasn't affected, although many homes in the area were. The level of Gala Water was the highest this year that I have seen in the 5 years we've been in this house. The road our cul-de-sac leads off was flooded just a few hundred metres away; the river burst its banks onto the ajoining field, flowed across the road and into the bowling club and playing fields.
That's probably more news than you've the patience to digest.
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
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