Static Child

stat·ic

  /ˈstætɪk/ Show Spelled[stat-ik] 

adjective

1.

pertaining to or characterized by a fixed or stationary condition.

2.

showing little or no change

3.

lacking movement, development, or vitality

 

"I'm thirsty"

"get I drink then"

"I can't be bothered, I'll go in the next ad-break"

....

"thought you were thirsty"

"I am"

"go get a drink then"

"in a bit"

"if you don't drink you'll be ill"

"I'm getting one"

"do you plan on moving to do that?"

"yeah...soon"

Give me strength to get through the next few years.

Read more...

Photography in the Wake of Postmodernism

No, I've not suddenly gone all clever on you, read on.

The Victoria and Albert have a photography exhibition on at the moment which we stood and looked at for some time. I looked and I mused.  I look again, really hard this time, but I really don't get a lot of the modern artistry.  Actually, I do get it, and I really like it but what I don't get is why some make it big and others don't.

Go look at the 3rd Photo down in this blog post.  That picture is better than the majority of the V&A exhibition.

There was a very clever photo of some tweezers, but what made it clever was the description attached to it.  And this, my dear friends, appears to be the difference between a heralded artist in the art world and the rest.

You see I would write "look at the size of the blummin' caterpillar I saw on m'walk - how hairy is that?!"

Whereas our arty type would say "Entitled Lost Fertility.  Here she portrays the lone mass of sexual hirsutism sat in a now barren land. Wrinkles of age in the land. Only weeds can show where flowers of youth once blossomed."  and it'd be on the wall as quick as you can say

"bugger me, that's one hell of a caterpillar you saw on your walk there girl"

Read more...

The Teenager and Gin Combo

COG is now officially teen

I  have learnt a lot from people I have met (internetedly) whilst blogging.

Bless Auntie Gwen for her staunch advice on the benefits of gin.  And Nota Bene for the cheery teen antics.  (This weekend the children were mainly burning the house down)

 I, as you know, am at one with mother nature.

It would seem insalubrious not to take nature's bounty and use it as best we know how. 

Purely medicinal - Obviously.

Read more...

Winter of my Life

This week's Gallery is Faces.  I spotted these people making the most of the winter sun at Walsingham.
That is how content I want to be in the winter of my life.

Read more...

Big Steps, Little Steps

I sat watching the runners on the South Bank, near the London Eye.  Sometimes I think it might be quite exciting to run somewhere cool and vibrant.  Not so 'boring country cousin'.

But the reality seems to be big steps, little steps.

Today (at home) I went on a 10k walk and I saw 10 people, admittedly it was a busy day on a nice afternoon!

Walking from Westminster to the Eye I saw (and dodged) 100s.

I think I would continue to find this exciting for at least 48 hours before I was sick of the people and simply wanted to be back in an area where I could stride out evenly and I only needed to worry about flashers of the pervert varity rather than a couple of hundred tourists needing to capture just one more image of London for posterity.

I did at least manage to find one place where the people (mostly) weren't.

Read more...

Middle Class Chavery

Aren't the balls in the middle supposed to be shared between the 2 lanes? 

Why would you let your child sit guarding their favoured ball on their knee (especially when it was one I went to fetch!).

So I smiled and went and fetched another, and their other child sat with it.

They looked like a nice family, well dressed, seemed to speak nicely but they lived in 'Me' land.

When they left, they left the floor covered in chips and sauce packets (obviously, as people are paid to clean up, they feel it doesn't matter if they leave a mess).  They also left behind a jumper.  As they didn't seem to want to share their world with other people I felt it best not to mention it to them. 

They gave me a dirty look when they came back to fetch it some time later.

Read more...

Feeling Vunerable - Personal Alarms

I told you that there is a flasher in my walking/running area, well PR moves quickly these days* I have been sent 2 personal alarms by The HandPicked Collection to try.

Flashers aren't really the harmless raincoated dirty old man laughing matter we imagine.  This is a quote I found the the American Department of Justice:  "...rapists average seven victims before their first arrest, and most flashers (exhibitionists) and window-peepers are (or eventually become) rapists."

Generally advice is to get away as quickly as possible without reacting at all.  If the flasher approaches then you should "scream for help and run toward safety".  Now I don't think I can really scream and run fast at the same time. Which is why this Ila Dusk Personal Alarm is absolutely fantastic, it does the screaming for you for up to 8 minutes.  It is seriously loud. 

It's really convenient the way it clips and hangs but on top of that the ila people obviously thought about it because they look nice too.  I took this out with me today and I plan to never go into the woods again without it.

The second alarm is a Sports Pedometer Alarm. This is the more traditional shrill sound.  The pedometer does the expected calorie counting, step counting, distance measuring with the added advantage of being a personal alarm too. This isn't going to do as much as a running app if you are seriously into your stats but for someone embarking on a weight watchers type program where steps matter for your free points this would be perfect.  It is also one of the best designed pedometers I've come across in terms of shape, weight and general quality feel.

Because I use my iPhone to log my distances and times and because I think people in the country would respond better to screams than alarms I'm sold on the Ila Dusk Personal Alarm. 

I think it's time to start taking personal safety A bit more seriously instead of the "I'll be fine approach". 

The Hand Picked Collection also includes a Key attached alarm and a door wedge alarm.  I think both of these would make excellent Christmas stocking fillers for student girls.

Stay Safe.

*Black Adder Goes Forth Corporal Punishment  "God acts very quickly these days"

Read more...

It's a bit spoilt really

It was a grey dull sort of day and as I walk on further I wondered how sensible I was being.

I sometimes walk some lonely paths and enjoy the peace and tranquility.  Today it felt frightening and oppressive.

The wind was strong, it threatened rain and at every corner I expected someone to be there, watching.

I even stopped and took some video to see later if it caught that strange feeling.

As I got up to the top of a quiet single track lane, a lady was trying to turn her Range Rover round on a tuppence because someone had fly tipped and blocked her normal exit.  As I had to wait for room to go around her I asked if she was ok, she said "I'm fine, you do know there is a flasher down here at the minute don't you".  Her friend had been approached whilst she was waiting in the lane to meet up with her for a horse ride. 

I really like it up there, it is quiet, it has been there for centuries.  I normally run it, but of course, am walking right now.  I always wonder about the centuries of people that have walked it, the clothes they would have been wearing, the houses they were returning too.

Well now it's all a bit spoilt really.  I'm a bit put out that the police haven't made it known that there is a 'problem' in the area and I think I am lucky I bumped into the local farmer who was ready for a chat but I shan't be going that way alone again for sometime.  Another 'route rethink' required but I think running on the roads is more dangerous than running in the fields (the council don't do pavements around here!).

Read more...

A Guider's Saturday night

Working Mum on the Verge has had some problems with her daughter's brownie pack which has prompted a flurry of blogging Guiders to offer her some words of support.

Strictly posted about what parents should expect of Brownies and what Guiders would like to expect from parents.

I wanted to share how many Guiders spend their free time...

...sticking ping pong balls on top of pine cones (for obvious reasons*)

And no family member is safe from the "whilst you are sat there watching TV, just cut me up 24 strips of ribbon" instruction.

I'm sure every husband of a Guider groans as she says "I've got a bit of craft to prepare".

*of course it's obvious

Read more...

Shouldn't that be hurting or bleeding?

Do you know that moment when time stands still as you look at your hand and think:

"there's a knife in there, shouldn't that be hurting or bleeding"

Top Tips:

When cutting the outside off a pumpkin whilst talking to child with the largest, sharpest knife you have....look at the knife not the child.

At the point when the blood starts to spurt....move hand away from cooking

Do not under any circumstances use the most versatile word in the English language to describe to child the pain....I'm just relieved she didn't respond with use number 22.

You cannot open a plaster tin with only one hand.  You cannot cut steri-strips with one hand.  You cannot peel a plaster with one hand...You can look a complete idiot trying to do all 3.

Alcohol relieves pain better than calpol...but don't tell the child.

Read more...

They Don't Grow Up Really

I had a delivery during the day.  She came home from school and immediately played with the box, not at all interested in the delivery!

Read more...

A fair wage for a fair day

This week's Gallery is Inspirational People.

I first learnt about Mary Macarthur at the Black Country Working Museum.  Mary Macarthur was fighting for women's rights at the time of the suffragettes.  She led the 1910 chainmakers’ 10 week strike in Cradley Heath that won a battle to establish the right to a fair wage.

Mary Macarthur fought for our rights by founding, supporting and  spending her life in the cause of Trade Unions.  She was a tireless worker that fought hard against the system of the day and it is very much because of her that I can go to work today and have a right to stand side by side with the men.

But before we completely sit back on our laurels and thank our lucky stars that she fought so hard for us, here's a statistic for you:

Women work 2/3 of the world's working hours but earn only 10% of the world's income

(GuidingUK Winter 2010)

Just ponder it for a moment.  It's a statistic that needs a little thinking about for the reality of what it means to hit home.

And before you think "that's abroad", in the UK:

Women on average earned 16% less than men, widening to 27% for women aged 40.
(Economic and Labour Market Review )

Maybe it's because women work part time jobs, the lower end of the pay scale I hear you say? No, it's not and if you want to know a little more about it, have a look at one of my earlier posts.

So there is a way to go, but I would still love to meet Mary Macarthur and tell her I am proud of what she fought for and in awe of her great inner strength and tenacity.

Read more...

A Stretch Further

It's been a while since I managed to make it down to this village, I did a 10k round walk today .  It was a lovely day, too nice to turn back sooner so I bravely marched on.

This gateway on a cottage with rambling roses amused me.  The first is a 'welcome' sign, the second is 'beware of the dog, enter at your own risk'.  Not quite my definition of Welcome!

It's always a bit of a 'moment' when you enter a field and you have no idea where the next post is to walk to.

I have always turned right at this aqua-duct but the sun on the other side was inviting so I carried on through it.

To a whole new world to me.  It was lovely.  Unfortunately after a while I realised I had no chance of getting home on this path without adding another 3k to my already long walk and there was going to be a huge hill to boot.  I turned back.

I was happy to see this familar sight as I came up to the water and ready for the trudge home.

I was sad to see flowers in memoriam by the canal side, the grumpy old fella that always grumbled at the black dog I walked because it chased the swans had died.  Turns out his name was Grahame and he had many friends by the water side.  I had mixed feelings, he always made me feel uncomfortable when I walked passed but that was a familiar part of my lonely wanders, a known unknown. 

Read more...

Coffee, Trains and a Six Pack

The announcement on the train was:

"East Midlands Trains apologise to anyone who had a reserved seat in Coach B. There is no Coach B on this train. The coaches on this train are A,C,D,E,F.  The quiet coach can be found at....."

Hmmmm, interesting, Coach B obviously slipped away there...but hang on there's more...

"East Midlands Trains apologise that there is no buffet cart on this train"

ahhhh, presumably that was in Coach B then.....sigh

....and how I wish that the smug arse guy with his carry on coffee would spill it down him right now...but I'm not bitter...

I was just hoping he might do this!

Read more...

Child Murderer Murderer

In February I posted about the murder by a fellow prisoner of Colin Hatch.  I felt no sorrow.

In fact I said "I wonder if they could put the same prisoner next to Ian Huntley's cell".  Someone had a damn good go at him once too."   Well it turns out it was the same guy.

The BBC report says "Prosecutors described how Fowkes, who the court heard showed "strong psychopathic traits", chased Huntley around the healthcare unit at the jail, brandishing a weapon."

I'm sure he does have psychopathic traits but to be perfectly honest I think I could chase Huntley around brandishing a weapon.

Let's not forget this was said about Hatch:

"Det Supt Duncan Macrae, who led the murder inquiry, described Hatch at the time as a frighteningly cunning criminal. He had pulled the wool over the eyes of the authorities and would kill again if he was ever released, Mr Macrae said." 

So again I weep no tears but what strikes me as most odd is having tried to kill Huntley, why was Fowkes put within striking distance of another target.  Why did they put an attempted child murderer murderer with another child murderer. 

But then perhaps the very nature of many of the criminals in the high security prisons means that there are very high risks for those most despised for the very worst of crimes.  This week Mitchell Harrison was found dead and disemboweled in another prison here. He was only serving 4½ years for raping a 13 year old girl.

There truly are some dreadful people in this world.  Abusers, murderers and vigilantes all.

Read more...

Death and my Pleasure

This week's Gallery is 'Colour' - I've chosen Pearl

We went back to the almost waterless water and pottered about the edge. 

It was a sorry sight with many dead freshwater mussels lying where the water has left them behind.



We started picking up the shells and realised some of them were still alive.

We spent an hour putting live ones back into the water and brought the empty shells home to be cleaned up.






Death for my viewing pleasure.

Read more...

Back in the Valley of Vung

 Yesterday I was feeling a bit like this.  I really appreciate all your concern and comments.

Whilst reading one of the comments I heard the voice on my shoulder say "I'm a Donkey on the Edge" and at that point I knew it had passed.  My sense of the ridiculous has returned and I am able to face life standing up again.

Although, as I looked at life it pretty much left me feeling like this.

Thank you for all your kind and empathic words, they lifted me over hump.  And whilst I feel a little like I've been on the road the Solla Sollew, I know I'm better off in the Valley of Vung.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about you really should read more Dr Seuss!

Read more...

Enough

I'm finding my work really hard right now.  I'm having to do a lot of things I'm not trained to do at short notice with unforgiving management.  This week got progressively harder with a weekend implementation looming of something I wasn't 100% confident with on a mission critical system.  Stress is my work life.

By the time I left on Friday I was having palpitations and kept bursting into tears on my drive home.  I am sorry to say that at one point I frightened myself by considering death as a way out of not having to work the weekend.  Neither COG or HWMBO seemed to matter, nothing mattered except how the hell to get through this weekend with a system and my dignity intact.

The only thing that kept me here was a little voice on my shoulder saying "this too shall pass".  I so desperately wanted to be here, Sunday evening with a running service.

I have had no sleep, a pounding chest, I've been sick, unable to eat...when is it time to shout STOP. 

I tried to tell HWMBO how dreadful I felt, how even suicide is an option.  I'm not sure he completely heard me, it's been an important weekend for him in the footy world...so I soldiered on. 

Like a robot I worked Saturday evening, lay awake most of the night and got up at 5:30am on Sunday to start again.  With the first system crash at 7:30 my hands were shaking.

Only a few years back I was responsible for a service significantly more important than this one, it transacted billions of pounds nightly.  I was never this stressed about them.  The difference : supportive management and an interested ear at home.  Now I'm very much on my own in all things.

So here I am Sunday evening, it's over, but I'm still only just coming down.  The worst thing that could of happened is that it all failed horrendously, it would have been the hardest work ever to put it back together, I could have tendered my resignation, but a job shouldn't feel this stressful should it, not when it's something I actually like doing.

Maybe I'm too old a dog now to learn new tricks, maybe the working environment I'm in stinks, maybe HWMBO just doesn't care the way he used to.

Ack, I'm just moaning...this too shall pass.

Read more...

Oh Deer

 I love the lines in this field,  great shapes.

The shadows are growing longer and longer.

In my walks I have stumbled upon snakes, badgers, buzzards, often rabbits, rats and sometimes this little deer.  But I've never had my camera out quick enough to capture it before.

But this time we stood and looked at each other for quite sometime.  It was a lovely quiet moment.

It's a little Muntjac deer. Apparently they aren't very welcome but they are very cute. 

Read more...

Water, water....nowhere

You see the picture at the top of my blog?  That's a water close to my home.  Where they are stood in that photo is about where COG is stood in this one. 

I took this picture in 2006. I thought the water was a long way down then with the trees then on the water's edge having exposed roots.
 The tree, whilst it has had a chance to grow, is now 100 yards away from the water.  It's no wonder the wildlife are struggling.

I love this picture taken on that day in 2006.  We went to the water after work to watch the sun go down.  Happy husband, happy child chattering away to each other.

Not quite the same feeling of oneness today!

There are water restrictions on the canals, the reservoirs like this one are struggling.  I am hoping for a very wet winter ahead.

Read more...