just fine and dandy

Forest School training day

2010-03-21T16:31:00.002Z

I had another visit to the Green Light Trust this week to take part in the Level 1 Forest Schools training day. It was great and wonderful to see tutors Hana and Rich delivering so expertly. I just feel so good about it all, I hope I can live up to their expectations and that the job can live up to mine!

new job

2010-03-17T07:45:00.002Z

On Friday I went for an interview.
They wanted me, which surprised me.
I pondered the offer and went back on Sunday for a chat and a walk around their woodland.
I then started feeling this was something I should be doing.
More and more I was thinking of ways that I could be involved even if I wasn't working there.
And then I realised that it was all a sign that I should be saying 'yes'.
So I did.
Another surprise is that it feels right.
Or as Christians would say 'I have a peace about it'.
What is this job you ask?
Well here are the details:
I shall be working full time for the Green Light Trust based at Lawshall, Bury St Edmunds.
I can work flexibly so be in the office twice a week, on the road once a week, at home for 2 days.
My job title will be Education Development Manager.
I will probably be starting 4th May and for those of you who know about these things, I will be managing the Forest Schools work that the GLT do.

I wonder whether they'll keep reading this blog now they know me and have offered me the job? :)

365 words

2010-03-12T16:47:00.002Z

OK- I'm now on Day 27 of my new blog experiment. Basically it just takes a word, a phrase, an idea or a Tweet to build up a picture of my life and my writing. You can visit it here.
It's not as impact-ful as the photography project that I saw at the Arts Centre but it's Ok for where I am at the moment.
Follow me...

Beach Party

2010-03-08T07:22:00.002Z

I had a very interesting time at the Beach Party on Saturday.
The temperature at Hemsby was -2 before wind chill and believe me, the wind chill was significant.
But there were several God moments.
Standing listening to James East, it felt like he was born to stand in the freezing wind preaching about Jesus under the most huge array of stars I have ever seen in my life to over 150 students. It also felt perfectly right that I should be there listening to him. It was a precious and treasured moment.
An even bigger blessing is that it wasn't just a personal blessing- several of the NCBC students said it was a fabulous, well run event and that they had been blown away by it.
I hope those that came along feel similarly touched and feel close to God this week.

If we don't tell them, how will they know?

2010-03-06T08:13:00.003Z

Interesting article here from Frank Skinner about being a Catholic and aspects of living in a secular society.
I personally find The Great Commission difficult and growing up as a Catholic, it never featured. We were quite happy in our little club and didn't expect anyone else to sign up to it. Becoming a born again Christian in an evangelical tradition changed all that. It is now my duty to 'spread the Word' and I have been through a mission called 'Who Cares?' and now "Passion for Life'.
I am very happy to share my story. I am very happy to talk about a spiritual journey. I am very happy to offer practical help at a mission but I think relationship and living a life that honours God is the most important thing.
I neither feel like an evangelist or like I evangelise. I'm hoping that what I do is enough for God.

365 experiment

2010-02-14T08:56:00.002Z

I went to see Laura Solon at the Arts Centre on Wednesday night which I enjoyed very much. Those of you that know me know that venturing out at 8.30 on a cold, February, midweek evening goes against my hibernating instincts which are very strong at this time of year. Still, I made the effort and was rewarded with a good show and a not-too-late finish. I have to push myself to not be a boring old fart (especially at this time of year)- this is why I have Julian who wants to drag me to everything bless him.
While I was at the Arts Centre, I had a good look at the photography exhibition there called Project 365 to document a year in 365 photographs.
As ever I thought 'That's a good idea! Maybe I could do something similar with words.'
So maybe I will...

worth a watch

2009-12-26T13:47:00.000Z

A guide to Christian worship for novice churchgoers

2009-12-25T22:22:00.002Z

Excellent article here about church going at Christmas for those who don't normally go (12 million considering it compared with 3 million that go regularly)
I did wonder today how many extra people were there who don't normally come.
I also thought it was a great sermon on John 1 v1.
I wonder what the non-regular people thought?

24th December- All I want for Christmas is you!

2009-12-24T22:01:00.002Z

Merry Christmas everyone!

23rd December- Homeless at Christmas

2009-12-23T21:42:00.004Z

The chief executive of charity Crisis said today:
"In a country of 242,000 millionaires, nothing highlights the stark contrast more than the homeless people we will welcome to our centres this Christmas. This recession has hit the poorest hardest and the British public is not prepared for them to bear the brunt of any public spending cuts."

Prayer
Thank you Lord for the wealth we have been born into
And the homes that give us warmth and shelter
Thank you that are not an aloof God
That you were born into a homeless situation
You know our pain, our struggle.
Please Lord open doors of shelter to those who are cold and without a place to go tonight.
Bless charities such as Crisis, YMCA and Salvation Army who do so much good work with the homeless
Please bring reconciliation, healing and peace this Christmas.
In Jesus. name,
Amen

22nd December- Robin

2009-12-22T06:56:00.004Z

From one Robin to another :)

Modern day Robin Hood

2009-12-22T06:29:00.003Z

Or maybe just a controversial priest. Either way, I like his style. Read the story here The fact that he protested about the Playboy brand being marketed at children was very canny too. Be interested to know more about him...

21st December- My favourite day of the year!

2009-12-21T08:43:00.003Z

It's the shortest day of the year meaning the least amount of light but it also heralds the very slow death of winter for me. Ironic because I look out of the window and see all the snow and ice but I know inside that tomorrow will be about a minute and a half lighter and the next day and the next. It will soon be spring! Yippee!

20th December- What's in a name?

2009-12-20T08:24:00.003Z

Winterval- an amalgam of 'winter' and 'festival', keeps people of all faiths happy, apparently.

Midwinter Celebration- see above

Xmas- a contraction of Christmas is just a sloppy shortening of the word (and no justification for actually saying 'xmas')

It would appear that people like the trappings of the season but not the name. It's my faith's festival- I think I'll just call it Christmas.

19th December- Real or artificial tree?

2009-12-19T08:13:00.001Z

I like the smell and I like the thought but I don't like the needles everywhere for the next 6 months. Also, there's no denying that the 'green' credentials of a fake tree are sparse but what are the credentials of having a lot of poor soil inducing trees grown and then harvested year upon year? We've had our fake tree for 21 years. It's served us well. I think when we retire it, I may opt for a non-traditional twig/branch type item to hang things on. But it's a tough old thing and will outlast us all. (It hasn't ever been and probably won't ever be as well coordinated as the tree in the picture though!)

18th December- Christmas Cards

2009-12-18T20:08:00.002Z

I'm wondering whether it's just an age of more environmentally friendly people or whether I know fewer people who give out Christmas cards. Whichever it is I'm pleased! Although maybe I'm just a little bit paranoid too! :)

17th December- Christmas number ones

2009-12-17T21:38:00.006Z

1969 Rolf Harris "Two Little Boys"
1970 Dave Edmunds "I Hear You Knocking"
1971 Benny Hill "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)"
1972 Little Jimmy Osmond "Long Haired Lover From Liverpool"
1973 Slade "Merry Xmas Everybody"
1974 Mud "Lonely This Christmas"
1975 Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody"
1976 Johnny Mathis "When A Child Is Born (Soleado)"
1977 Wings "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School"
1978 Boney M "Mary's Boy Child" / "Oh My Lord"
1979 Pink Floyd "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)"
1980 St Winifred's School Choir "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma"
1981 The Human League "Don't You Want Me"
1982 Renée and Renato "Save Your Love"
1983 The Flying Pickets "Only You"
1984 Band Aid "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
1985 Shakin' Stevens "Merry Christmas Everyone"
1986 Jackie Wilson "Reet Petite"
1987 Pet Shop Boys "Always on My Mind"
1988 Cliff Richard "Mistletoe and Wine"
1989 Band Aid II "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
1990 Cliff Richard "Saviour's Day"
1991 Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody" / "These Are the Days of Our Lives"
1992 Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You"
1993 Mr Blobby "Mr Blobby"
1994 East 17 "Stay Another Day"
1995 Michael Jackson "Earth Song"
1996 Spice Girls "2 Become 1"
1997 Spice Girls "Too Much"
1998 Spice Girls "Goodbye"
1999 Westlife "I Have A Dream" / "Seasons in the Sun"
2000 Bob The Builder "Can We Fix It?"
2001 Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman "Somethin' Stupid"
2002 Girls Aloud "Sound of the Underground"
2003 Michael Andrews & Gary Jules "Mad World"
2004 Band Aid 20 "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
2005 Shayne Ward "That's My Goal"
2006 Leona Lewis "A Moment Like This"
2007 Leon Jackson "When You Believe"
2008 Alexandra Burke "Hallelujah"

This is the list of Christmas number one's during my lifetime. CNO's are an important landmark in the music industry as it represents huge sales- very prestigious as well as lucrative. For the last few years it's been an instant hit for whoever has just won a TV talent contest. Cynically some people think that the whole show is just an extended advert for a puppet artist and some extremely rich execs to become even richer.
For 2009, a Facebook group was set up to promote Rage Against the Machine to get to number one instead. I don't much rate the song but it is a huge antidote to the sugary tat that we're normally offered and is offering genuine competition to hapless but probably lovely Joe McElderry. However I still feel completely manipulated. Maybe this whole thing just proves the complete irrelevance of the pop music chart as it stands at the moment.
Meanwhile the picture might give you an idea which is my favourite CNO.

16th December- Cracker Jokes

2009-12-16T07:31:00.003Z

Q. What does an auctioneer excel in?
A. Lots.

Q. What do you call a deer with no eyes?
A. No idea.

Q. Why was the ghost sad before the disco?
A. Because he had no body to go with.

Q. What disease can you catch from putting up too many decorations?
A. Tinsilitis.

Q. Why is 6 afraid of 7?
A. Because 7 ate 9.

An invisible man marries an invisible woman.
Their kids were nothing to look at either.

BBC news site Top Ten sent in cracker jokes of which number 10 and 4 are my favourites :)

15th December- Christmas biscuits

2009-12-15T23:09:00.002Z

Ingredients

200g self-raising flour
100g butter, in cubes
100g light, soft brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1 egg, lightly beaten
12 clear boiled sweets
Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Pulse the flour and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and spices, then pulse again.
Tip into a bowl and add the egg, stirring until a dough comes together. Knead gently till smooth. Tip onto a lightly floured work surface and roll to the thickness of a £1 coin – about 3–4mm. Cut into stars with a cutter. Lift the stars carefully with a palette knife and place, spacing them evenly, on baking sheets lined with baking parchment. (To create a glassy centre in the biscuits, cut out a shape in the centre of half of the stars and fill with a clear boiled sweet.) Make a hole in the top of each biscuit with a chopstick.
Bake for 10–12 minutes till golden. Push the chopstick back into each of the holes while the biscuits are still soft. Leave to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack. When cool, you can decorate the biscuits with a simple icing made from icing sugar and water; add balls or colour, and thread with ribbon to hang on the tree.

Looking forward to Secret Santa time tomorrow! :)

14th December- Ice Hotel

2009-12-14T11:06:00.000Z

For very many years I have set my sights on going to the Ice Hotel in Sweden (after an internet search I discovered that although the Swedish hotel was the original one and is celebrating it's 20th anniversary this season, there are now similar hotels in Canada and Norway.) The whole structure is made of ice including the bed and furniture, with a 'balmy' temperature of -5 degrees! (the outdoor temperature can reach -70) It really looks incredibly beautiful and would be a magical experience. It obviously comes at a cost and I will have to save around £1000 per person before I can start thinking about going. Maybe next year!

13th December- Christmas decorations

2009-12-13T20:00:00.000Z

You may have gathered I'm Mrs Bah Humbug when it comes to Christmas and I usually have strict guidelines about when it's OK to do things regarding Christmas. For example, Christmas can be thought about, planned for and mentioned from 1st December only. I usually like to delay getting the tree and decorating to the weekend before Christmas day. It makes it more Christmassy that way! I think I may well get the Christmas things out of the loft today so maybe I'm changing- who knows!

12th December- Secret Santa

2009-12-12T07:56:00.002Z

At work we have a mini Secret Santa going on and I need to have mine by Wednesday next week. Trouble is we have a price maximum of 2.50. I thought I should maybe make some edible tree decorations. Certainly I think something edible would be appreciated by the person involved I think. I might have to have a trial run today. Practice makes perfect. :)

11th December- Advent Calendars

2009-12-11T07:40:00.001Z

When I was a child I always had an advent calendar but we didn't have chocolate ones. In some ways I'm a purist and think that the whole point of advent is getting yourself ready for Christmas so just longing for the next chocolate isn't what it's about! Although I haven't got one this year, I now buy advent candles which I like although hard for us to find a visible safe surface to leave it burning!
This year my advent prep is all down to this blog. :D

10th December- What would Jesus buy?

2009-12-10T13:34:00.003Z

9th December- Magi

2009-12-09T22:17:00.001Z

In Persia is the city called Saveh, from which the three Magi set out when they came to worship Jesus Christ. Here, too, they lie buried in three sepulchres of great size and beauty. Above each sepulchre is a square building with a domed roof of very fine workmanship. The one is just beside the other. Their bodies are still whole, and they have hair and beards. One was named Beltasar, the second Gaspar, and the third Melchior.

Marco asked several of the inhabitants who these Magi were; but no one could tell him anything except that they were three kings who were buried there in days gone by.

Three days farther on, he found a town called Kala Atashparastan, that is to say Town of the Fire-worshippers. The inhabitants declared that in days gone by three kings of this country went to worship a new-born prophet and took with them three offerings -gold, frankincense, and myrrh - so as to discover whether this prophet was a god, or an earthly king or a healer. For they said : 'If he takes gold, he is an earthly king; if frankincense, a god; if myrrh, a healer.'

When they had come to the place where the prophet was born, the youngest of the three kings went in all alone to see the child. He found that he was like himself, for he seemed to be of his own age and appearance. And he came out, full of wonder. Then in went the second, who was a man of middle age. And to him also the child seemed, as it had seemed to the other, to be of his own age and appearance. And he came out quite dumbfounded. Then in went the third, who was of riper years; and to him also it happened as it had to the other two. And he came out deep in thought. When the three kings were all together, each told the others what he had seen. And they were much amazed and resolved that they would all go in together.

So, in they went, all three together, and came before the child and saw him in his real likeness and of his real age; for he was only thirteen days old. Then they worshipped him and offered him the gold, the frankincense, and the myrrh. The child took all three offerings and then gave them a closed casket. And the three kings set out to return to their own country.

After they had ridden for some days, they resolved to see what the child had given them. They opened the casket and found inside it a stone. They wondered greatly what this could be. The child had given it to them to signify that they should be firm as stone in the faith that they had adopted. For, when the three kings saw that the child had taken all three offerings, they concluded that he was at once a god, and an earthly king, and a healer. And, since the child knew that the three kings believed this, he gave them the stone to signify that they should be firm and constant in their belief.

The three kings, not knowing why the stone had been given to them, took it and threw it into a well. No sooner had it fallen in than there descended from heaven a burning fire, which came straight to the well into which it had been thrown. When the three kings saw this miracle, they were taken aback and repented of their throwing away the stone; for they saw clearly that its significance was great and good. They immediately took some of this fire and carried it to their country and put it in one of their churches, a very fine and splendid building.

They keep it perpetually burning and worship it as a god. And every sacrifice and burnt offering which they make is roasted with this fire. If it ever happens that the fire goes out, they go round to others who hold the same faith and worship fire also and are given some of the fire that burns in their church. This they bring back to rekindle their own fire. They never rekindle it except with this fire of which I have spoken. To procure this fire, they often make a journey of ten days.

8th December- Fuss Free Christmas

2009-12-08T07:28:00.001Z

Fuss Free Christmas and also Buy Nothing Christmas (which I have previously blogged on) are schemes to stem the consumerist tide that sweeps our Western nations at this time of year. Under the mis-guided and media endorsed assumption that to have a happy Christmas one needs many expensive presents, Christmas cards and decorations and a table, fridge and pantry groaning with more food than you could ever possibly need.
I suggested that this year we try 'Hand Made Christmas' but this wasn't a popular idea with several members of the family. But even though I won't make all of my presents, there will still be quite a lot of home produced things.
Apparently a 15 year old friend of Poppy's is getting Christmas presents totalling the value of £250. I don't know what that will be. Poppy quite rightly concluded that she won't be getting any where near that. She said 'It'll be nearer £60.' I didn't seek to further correct her.
We as a family really want for nothing. On Christmas day we'll have bits and pieces in stockings, nice food, church, family and festive TV. WHat else could we wish for? :D

7th December- A White Christmas

2009-12-07T07:30:00.003Z

The UN summit on climate change is opening today in Copenhagen with 15,000 delegates representing 192 countries. We will all be watching and waiting to see if they can come up with anything revolutionary to stem the increasing global temperatures. In the meantime, it becomes less and less likely that we will have a Christmas that looks anything like the picture above. And though it's great to point the finger at industry and heavy energy consumers, the best way to make an impact is through small, individual changes. Just a thought but the number one way to make an impact on global warming as an individual is by not having children. The second biggest impact is by not eating meat. For those that would find that impossible you could always try Meat Free Mondays as a step in the right direction.

6th December- Chocolate Assortment Box

2009-12-06T07:06:00.000Z

One tradition at Christmas is to have a large tin of chocolates with an assortment of centres to hand. Roses, Quality Street, Heroes, Celebration- what's your choice? These brands aren't Fairtrade yet and if you want a cheap and cheerful assortment of chocs, you're not going to be able to find them. Yet. With the news this year that Cadbury's Dairy Milk was Fairtrade from Summer 09, it shouldn't take too long before the whole brand converts. Maybe in the meantime I'll buy a big slab of Dairy Milk and wrap each chunk in foil and put them in a sweet tin we already have. We won't have a variety of centres but it might feel a bit more festive.

5th December- Family news letter

2009-12-05T09:16:00.000Z

One Christmas tradition is writing a long and extensive newsletter to update friends and family on what has happened over the course of the year. I've never written one more likely due to lack of time than anything else. Some people find them boastful and tedious. If you were really a friend, surely they would have drip fed the information to you over the course of the year. For some it's a handy way to keep in touch even through the busy times. I don't know where I stand about it. I do know however that letter writing is an art that's dying out. Maybe we should be prepared to write letters and give information in this 'old fashioned' way. It's great to keep in touch- meaningfully.

4th December- Scroogenomics

2009-12-04T06:07:00.003Z

A book called Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays sounds like my sound of book, with my take on Christmas. I don't think I'm a spoil sport but I hate the tat that surrounds Christmas and can't help thinking how wasteful it is. Although I am buying stocking type presents, I'm planning to make the majority of other presents. Well that's the plan anyway!

3rd December- Spending time with friends

2009-12-03T09:13:00.000Z

As usual, I have certain days that are crazy with everything happening at once. Yesterday was one of those days. I caught up with friends from my UEA writing course in the late afternoon and then went for a meal to Pulse with friends from the Youth Service.
I like Christmas from the point of view that it means everyone makes an effort to make contact and get together. I just wonder why it's so difficult at any other time of year?

2nd December- Peace on Earth

2009-12-02T09:10:00.005Z

Father, you are creator and sustainer of our world, mighty and Lord of all. We ask that you will bring peace in our time. As a Christmas present to those who grieve, to those sending off a child to conflict and those who tremble and quake at night, Lord bring your total and effective peace.
Amen

1st December- Stollen

2009-12-01T20:36:00.004Z

Many years ago I decided to make a fruited, yeasty Christmas bread called stollen. Probably because it features a strip of marzipan in the centre- how I love marzipan! It was a great success! I think it makes a lighter, nicer version of Christmas Cake.
Anyway I have decided to make it this year and extra to give away as presents. The versions in the shops are not pleasant so I would recommend making your own. Will post a link to a reasonable recipe later.

Advent Gimmick

2009-11-30T22:41:00.004Z

I was looking back over my 2006 blog Advent calendar which was pretty darned cool. I thought it might be nice to celebrate the season by another such gimmick but not sure what that should be. So I will do something but I'm not quite sure what it'll be.
In the meantime,I'm not sure it'll be this:
One Hundred Days to Make me a Better Person
Maybe you'll be making the pledge?

50,000 words in a month

2009-11-29T21:53:00.003Z

Such a shame that I didn't see this earlier.
NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

I think I'd like to try this in another month. March maybe. Or if I really have to, wait until next November. I think it's a cracking idea!

Blogging

2009-11-29T20:18:00.001Z

I've just noticed I've been doing this blog for 4 years, which is incredible!
I've also noticed that I've been blogging a lot more of late. I wonder why that is?

'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels'

2009-11-21T08:42:00.003Z

Mild uproar ensued this week after Kate Moss said the statement above in an interview although she continued that it 'You try and remember but it never works.' It seems harsh to me to criticise a woman who has made her fortune through her skinny frame for a comment that is as widely known as 'you can never be too rich or too thin.'
With appearance meaning so much in our society and such value put on being skinny, every mouthful counts. Would it have been better if Kate lied? Most super-skinny women say they eat loads but never seem to gain weight. Is that any more comfort for larger people or will they then be in search for the missing magic thing in their diet that will speed up their metabolism?
In my mind it is better to equate food in as energy out and any over-intake means fat deposits. It's just striking the balance of how important it is in the great scheme of things.
(Trying hard to resist the almond croissant in the bread bin!)

Poem

2009-11-15T19:52:00.001Z

Thought I might share with you a poem I've written. Let me know what you think...

Adam's lament

When the wildcats roamed,
ferns canopied the stars,
heavy mist kissed naked
flesh, the mocking screams rang
hitting trees and changing course
in the dense forestation.

When predators stalked, the
beat of a thousand jeweled wings
cracked the custard air. Eyes
glittered in the swamp
and the gas stench
threatened to intoxicate.

When the apes stood to beat their chests
and bare their fangs, the steady
drip from sodden sky to leather leaf to fertile floor
drummed the pulse of death.

When hissing death
crackled through the dust,
when acid amphibians
bellowed, when electricity ripped
open a hole in the heavens
and showers daggered and drenched.
As prey became sustenance, the sound of bones
cracked and flesh ripped.
That's when I waited for you.

Helen Bouttell
November 2009

View Point

2009-11-10T07:17:00.002Z

I was chairing a meeting yesterday and at the end I invited any other business (as you do in these sorts of meetings). A woman sitting next to me was very eager and leapt in quickly to say yes. She announced very breathlessly and dramatically, 'A local school has been judged to have discriminated against a disabled child.' She continued to say which school it was and how awful it was and how as a body of people we should write a strongly worded letter to the school to say how we condemn it for it's actions 'in this day and age'.
I knew that YMCA work in this school which put me in a compromising position and someone else attending the meeting said, 'I couldn't sign a letter to that effect because I've worked with the boy in question and I agree with the school.' Apparently I steered the meeting well through this item and requested that any agency that wanted to write could do so individually.
Further details about the case revealed that the boy in question's disability is ADHD and was excluded for violent behaviour.
I'm pretty sure based on the passions of the family and the lady who was at the meeting, that this will become a local news item.
It is good to have both sides of the story though...
I was also thinking about something else this morning. About someone, angry and grieving insisting that she has been insulted through a 'sloppily' written letter. Looked at another way, she's insulting the handwriting of a man with a disability.

Taking Responsibility

2009-11-08T09:09:00.002Z

I was thinking about an article on the BBC news site this morning about why it seems to be OK to abuse fat people. It's a good, thought provoking article and I agree that our society is completely negative about people who weigh more 'than perhaps they ought' (because that's debatable too).
I was thinking about sin and taking responsibility this morning and I linked it with this article. Fat people scare 'us'- is this because they have no-one but themselves to 'blame' for their obesity? Think about it- the whole concept of sin is alien to our culture. Sin means owning up, saying 'I did wrong' but this is counter culture because no-one likes to take responsibility these days. 'It wasn't my fault', 'It wasn't me'. You can't say that if you're obese. Well actually you can try with 'I had a difficult childhood', 'My parents fed me all sorts of unhealthy things', 'It's the food manufacturers fault because of hidden sugars and aggressive advertising'. You can try to pass the buck but ultimately we are all responsible for what we put in our mouths and if that results in us being fat, then woe betide us. Every mouthful that's eaten is monitored and scorned, every shopping trolley scrutinised. Society can elevate themselves as superior at the expense of overweight people.
Does this remind anyone else of the Judaic pharisees? I was listening to an HTB podcast of the woman caught in adultery and thought this seems to me a direct parallel. There is no escaping the 'guilt'- the woman was caught in the act, the obese person carries their evidence with them daily. The analogy doesn't follow through as there is no Jesus figure in the modern day version but I think the hostility and venom that overweight people are shown is similar to the righteous anger of the mob in Biblical times.
I'm not quite sure what the answer is but I think weight-ism is the new barrier to oppressive overcome. Hopefully recognition of this will help.

The Great Salad Debate

2009-10-20T06:55:00.002+01:00

OK just to be a complete contrast to the post below, comes this:
Lettuce by itself does not make a salad.
I based a lunch choice on the fact that whatever it was came with salad. The salad item was important to me because it raises my number of fruit and vegetable portions for the day. When it came, it was lettuce leaves. Not varied leaves just ample frissee lettuce. The food was lovely but I was disappointed with my salad and thought that if they'd have described it as 'leaves' I would have been expecting the right thing.
It's not a huge thing to be disappointed in but little things can build up!

My take on 'the problem with society'

2009-10-15T15:50:00.006+01:00

OK this may be a long and rambling post so forgive me but I have been thinking quite a lot about 'what's wrong with the world and how do we fix it?' And when I say 'the world' I mean, England in 2009. This may well be the basis for a clearer and more well crafted document that I may present at a 'higher' level at some stage. I'd certainly like to think it could be. In the meantime let me know what you think.

I work in a service that cares for people. We provide services for young people who are broken and struggling. We hope that by caring in this way, they will heal and face the future positively and be well equipped. We're lucky because we have by and large a society that cares. People don't want knife crime because people get injured. They don't want people to become hooked on drugs because then they and their families get dragged down a dark path. We could be cynical but on the whole we're not just looking out for our own interests in hoping to rid society of knife crime or addicts but because we acknowledge everyone deserves the chance to fulfill their potential.
Yet we live in a society where kids carry knives to school and people feel so hopeless that they turn to substances to fill the gap. However wealthy our society, we have what seems like more issues and certainly more pressing issues than ever before. Programmes to tackle 'drugs problems' and 'knife crime' are actually quite in abundance and there seems to be a lot of money available to throw at them. I am part of just one service that provides programmes to help the sort of people that need helping.
And yet the problem never seems to get any better. WHy is that? However much money is thrown at 'the problem' (whatever that is), it never seems to get any better or go away.
I've heard that the slate is to be wiped clean for a lot of the funding that supports my department which is a scary prospect. But it's also good because I believe we should start from scratch and start designing services differently. But will we be designing things differently or just commission more of the same? I suppose I'll be able to tell you by February 2010!
My answer will probably not be popular and it certainly isn't innovative. Sorry about that!
It consists of three elements: relationship, holistic, time.
Let's take the issues of substance misuse, teenage pregnancy, knife crime.
Q. Why do these things happen? A. For all sorts of reasons.
Q. Could you narrow it down a bit so we can start fixing the problem? A. OK poverty tends to be involved
Q. So why are people poor? A. Well because their families are. Or their parents don't have a job maybe due to alcoholism, or lack of skills, or they can't mentally see themselves in a different environment.
Q. So family is important? A. Why yes of course!
Q. Are well that will be why so much money has been poured into parenting over the last couple of years? A. Yes but it's not the only answer.
Q. What do you mean? A. Well parenting could be just another black hole that absorbs money like drugs, sexual health, etc.
I'll start making a point now because I'm boring even myself! Every issue that young people face has a unique context. The only way that a young person can face that issue is with someone. 'Is it alright to do this?' The answer from a parent might be 'No, doing that will harm you.' If the parent is otherwise engaged the answer might be 'Do what the Hell you like. I really don't care.' If the parent isn't there then the peer might say, 'Do it and I'll do it with you.'
The answer in my eyes is a role model someone to give the answer when it's needed whether that's 'Should I carry a knife?' "Should I sleep with that girl?' or "There's no harm in smoking weed is there?'.
Easy. And to some extent we have that. But life isn't simple and the most complex young people will have multiple varying questions at varying times. A Tier 2 drugs worker may well give the facts about weed but he may not have been there to answer the question about why life is so shit. A sexual health worker may well ascertain that their young person can put on a condom but if they're so slaughtered when it comes to using one that they can't put it on, it won't keep them safe from unwanted pregnancy or disease. We have almost come up with the solution but are still a long way from getting it.
The answer lies in relationship. If you know someone and confide in them, you may well have the head knowledge you need to get by. If they remember your situation and ask how you are, you'll feel loved and special. If they are there in good and bad times, it's not just about crisis management. It sounds like a relationship.
If that person could work in different ways to help you recognising that not one package fits all, that might help too. If that person is always there (well pretty much for the duration if possible) it stops a feeling of 'everyone deserts me' which is the problem with multiple professionals coming in and out of a disconnected young person's life.
It stops being about drugs, or sex or violence. It becomes about the whole person.
It's far too simple isn't it? Too basic. It couldn't possibly work.
Well I don't see why not. Every child and young person should have access to someone whose entire reason for being in a school is to talk to them and to befriend them for their whole school journey. Not to talk to them about careers, or to stop them becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) or to teach them how to put a condom on, or what the long term effects of cannabis use are or how physical scars from knifings are only the visible scars.
It should be about being a role model, a leader, a person to inspire, a listener, a parent. This is what says, I care, you're important.
My method is not a quick fix. It doesn't fit neatly into any of the funding boxes that I will be faced with which is why I guarantee that none of the projects and schemes proposed will work. I'm sure they'll be very good but they will be short term and non-relational.
People want relationship in a disconnected world. As Christians we know this means connecting with Christ too but I'm starting small! Simple.

(please for those of you who work with me or know people who work with me, don't discuss this anyone other than me. It takes time to work out next steps and I don't want people to feel in a vulnerable place. Thanks!)

Latitude

2009-07-25T13:19:00.002+01:00

Had a great time at Latitude festival last weekend, my first ever festival. The weather was mixed but I survived the whole camping lark. I did not however enjoy the toilets: pretty rank.

Here's a list of what/who I saw:
Music
Flashguns
The Mummers
The Brownies
Bishi
We Have Band
Little Boots
Doves
Grace Jones
Mika
Thom Yorke
Editors
Literary
Mark Steel
Luke Wright
Jackie Kay
Joe Hakim
Joe Duggan
David Van Cauter
Baba Brinkman
Comedy
John Gordillo
Dave Gorman
Theatre
English Touring Theatre and the young Vic: Been so Long

I really enjoyed the poetry tent where I spent the majority of Sunday. Jackie Kay was a highlight as she was entertaining, witty and talented. Thom Yorke was great as expected and unsigned band We Have Band were most enjoyable on the Lake Stage which was always worth pausing by.
All in all I had a great time and would love to go again. The only downside was the number of people there on the Saturday and Sunday when obviously people came on day tickets. Friday was pretty much perfect though.

the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 2

2009-05-28T15:26:00.003+01:00

‘I expect you’re as unhappy about this new arrangement as I am,’ said Bruno
I don’t think a nine year old would have said this

‘Well, I don’t think you can have been very good at your job if it means we all have to move away from a very nice home and our friends and come to a horrible place like this. I think you must have done something wrong and you should go and apologise to the Fury and maybe that will be an end to it. Maybe he’ll forgive you if you’re very sincere about it.’
I doubt he would have had the guts to say this to his father as everyone including Bruno was scared of him and would a nine year old have phrased it that way?

‘Bringing us all the way out here, to the middle of nowhere, you mean? Is that taking care of us?’
Again, clumsy sentence structure, unrealistic dialogue.

‘It could be worse than it seems.’
‘It’s not,’ said Pavel, who barely seemed to be listening to what Bruno was saying, the carrots were taking up so much of his attention.
‘Well, how do you know?’ asked Bruno quickly, growing irritable now despite the fact t
hat this was the same man who had come out to pick him up off the ground and brought him in and taken care of him. ‘You’re not a doctor.’
Pavel stopped peeling the carrots for a moment and looked across the table at Bruno, his head held low, his eyes looking up, as if he were wondering what to say to such a thing. He sighed and seemed to consider it for quite a long time before saying, ‘Yes I am.’
Bruno stared at him in surprise. This didn’t make any sense to him. ‘But you’re a waiter,’ he said slowly. ‘And you peel the vegetables for dinner. How can you be a doctor too?’
This exchange typifies how slow on the uptake Bruno is and how we have to have his laboured thoughts spoken out loud really unrealistically. He’s either dim witted or not particularly nice. If he’s dim witted, I think the author has failed to make him believable. If he’s not supposed to be very nice then I don’t care about what happens to him in the end. Either way, he’s a poorly written character which makes me cross because this is a published novel and he’s making money from people like me when he really shouldn’t be.
These are just random examples taken as I flicked through the book. They're not comprehensive example. If Id've opened the book elsewhere I could have any number of other examples.
Wikipedia says that John Boyne wrote this in 2.5 days solid. I can believe this. It reads like he should have worked on it a lot longer and revised it drastically.
I love children's and young adults literature but this was very poor. Holes by Louis Sachar is a good example of a story written really well without compromise in language.
I'm sorry that my opinions may be controversial so please do tell me why I'm wrong and why it is well written if you think it is.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

2009-05-28T09:09:00.002+01:00

This was quite a short book and easy to read but I do not recommend it. I first heard about it in the Autumn at my creative writing class. Apparently it is written by someone who studied creative writing at UEA. The woman who had read it really recommended it as a good read. Reading the first chapter I knew it was a poorly written, unbelievable book. Unfortunately. Unfortunately because the subject matter is what has pushed this book to fame, and rightly so. In theory, given the author's writing credentials and the fact that he's tackling in a book for children such a gritty story line it deserves to have the level of success that it has/will have when the motion picture is out. The truth is that the hero of the story is Bruno and he is written in such a clumsy and patronising manner that nothing could redeem it. The author in his bid to write simplistically and naively from the point of view of a nine year old has underestimated the powerful imagination of childhood. At most points he treats his hero Bruno as though he were an imbecile or have the cognitive powers of a five year old. At some points he has the child make observations or say things completely out of character for a boy his age, befitting an adult.
The end is harrowing (and good). I don't have complaints about the storyline. I'm sure this is the sort of book that will make it's way onto school reading lists and curricula. For it's story content, this is fine although I would love to talk to a child who has read it to see if they related to Bruno or thought he was a realistic character.
In case I haven't stressed it enough, this really is a terrible book. I would like to get my money back. Really.

Books and diets

2009-05-17T07:43:00.003+01:00

Thursday
I got a book yesterday from the library called Neris and India’s Idiot-Proof Diet. It’s a humorous and honest look at the food we eat, why we eat it and how to correct it. It’s a good easy read and much of it is what I know already written in an engaging way but it is too prescriptive. They are saying you have to do this or that, saying nothing will change unless you sort this out.
Saturday
I have finished the Neris and India book and have thought quite a lot about it and other diet schemes. First of all Neris and India advocate an Atkins style low carbohydrate diet. Their commitment and weight loss as outlined by the book is impressive. I felt with such a massive boost to weight loss so early on, it's a scheme that is pretty hard to ignore. However, all the key components of Phase 1 for this plan are things I could live without pretty much- meat, cream and butter. Fruit is very cautiously held at arm's length and I'm not a great fruit fan but I know the benefits of eating it. Potentially on this style of eating plan I could never eat a banana, apple or drink orange juice again. Alarm bells started ringing in the first stage of the plan when I was told I would need to buy several versions of multi-vitamins and supplements. Hang on, surely a balanced diet doesn't need these things? No a balanced diet doesn't but this isn't a balanced diet. Your diet would never be the same again on this scheme. This is for life. Similarly, vegetables are recommended so long as they are the right vegetables. It could be a permanent farewell to peas, sweetcorn and carrots. And my heart really sinks that you have to phase legumes and pulses in cautiously, again with the proviso that if you start gaining weight once they're introduced, you must stop eating them immediately and never re-introduce them.
Basically although there's science to back up that wonderful things are going on in your body, it's a diet that ultimately limits food choice which in turn reduces the number of calories take in. It's a calorie controlled diet with strict rules. OK well put that way, it loses even more appeal, just a variation on a theme.
If I were to select a diet that met my needs as a consumer, it would be one that encourages the person to eat as many fruit and vegetable portions a day. I would also like high protein intake via vegetarian choices, pulses, dairy, nuts and tofu. I would aim to limit refined wheat products and eat smaller amounts of potatoes, rice and pasta. I would want to use olive oil but not want to indulge too much in fatty foods, so lower fat. So far to me it sounds like a Mediteranean diet. I could do without the fish but I will eat it weekly as I know it's good for me.
Another diet that looked as though it could be up my street would be a macrobiotic one. I know for sure that Atkins would not suit me. It suits some but not me.
The book though is light hearted and amusing. If you're considering a low carb diet this book would do a good job of motivating you and encouraging you.

The Time Traveller's Wife

2009-05-09T11:55:00.002+01:00

I have just finished The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.
I really enjoyed it and wondered if any of you have read it? The story is about Henry who has a genetic predisposition to travelling in time, jumping forwards and backwards to visit significant events, places and people from his life. He travels with nothing including clothes and so there are funny and dangerous situations arising. He also disappears completely leaving a pile of clothes in the present time.
I felt that the characters were likeable, believable and the story was compelling. For all of the author's intelligence however, I felt the plot was a bit lightweight and if you were not so engaged in the characters you may never have finished the book because there was compulsion to. I also felt that two lesser characters Clarisse and Gomez were well formed but then poorly used. The whole "best friend's husband madly in love with you throughout his life" is a little lame. Having read some other reviews on Amazon I also agree with one that had issues with the use of language especially Colloquial Sexual language. It did seem incongruent.
But taken as an interesting take on a love story, it's one I thoroughly recommend.

New words

2009-04-29T08:05:00.001+01:00

Airline pulp - airline food
Cutties - formal Indian term for ladies' underwear
Noob - neophyte in computer gaming
Truthiness - having the ring of truth though false
Add your own meanings to these:
Obamamania
Bankster
Bloggerati

SH5- resources

2009-04-18T08:35:00.002+01:00

As in other years, I got seduced by the number and promise of fresh resources at Spring Harvest. Unlike other years where they seem so appealing on the shelf at the conference and then sit on the shelf at home, I am determined to fully utilise (and pass on) the things I bought. Here is a list of the resources:
Urban Monk- A Day With God: Phil Collins DVD
Apprentice- Steve Chalke
Spring Harvest Learning Guide
The Door(worship from China)- Mark Tedder DVD
Julian's resources:
Red Moon Rising- The Story of 24-7 Prayer Audiobook
Spring Harvest Praise 09 music book
Perfect Sacrifice CD
CompassionArt CD
Happy Day- Tim Hughes CD

SH4- Cafechurch

2009-04-16T07:30:00.004+01:00

I went to a seminar led by Cid Latty (Geraldine's brother) about Cafechurch. Basically the idea is that they set up a church in Costa Coffee which proved so successful that the regional manager of Costa asked could they get this in every Costa in his Region. They then took it to the nationwide head quarters and polled all Costa managers. None were against the idea, some were really keen and some were indifferent. Basically it could be possible to open a church in every Costa across the country. It could be run in any coffee shop, you attend a day's training which teaches you "how to" and they provide resources. I think that they tend to hold the sessions monthly and either close the store for exclusive cafechurch use or not. The church then underwrites the shop sales for the hour and a half they're in there so they have guaranteed takings. Some pay for the first drink of participants.
I'm really interested in this as a fresh expression of church and would have really liked to have seen the sort of material they use (didn't get to a cafechurch session as it clashed with the Big Top celebration event). Basically meeting people where they are at means that people who would never step in a church still get to talk about spiritual matters. The downsides for me are that it's still an expression of middle class spirituality.
I'd still like to give it a go.
(There's one in Northallerton if any of my friends in the North wanted to pop along and try it out for me!)

SH3- Session List

2009-04-15T21:37:00.002+01:00

Day 1:
Big Top Celebration (Steve Chalke)

Day 2:
The Big Start(Rachael Orrell)
Bible reading (Dotha Blackwood)
Yellow Zone: Pragmatist (Steve Chalke and Jill Rowe)
PM Seminar: New songs (Mark Tedder and band)
Big Top Celebration (Rachael Orrell)

Day 3:
The Big Start (Rachael Orrell)
Red Zone: Activist (Roger Sutton and Rachel Gardner)
Green Zone: Reflector (Krish Kandiah and Judy Moore)
PM Seminar: Audio Visual in worship (Brian Hillson)
Big Top Celebration (Ruth Valerio)

Day 4:
The Big Start(Rachael Orrell)
Red Zone: Activist (Roger Sutton and Rachel Gardner)
PM Seminar: Learning to Pray- What do you pray for? (Rachael Orrell)
PM Seminar: Cafe Church Theology (Cid Latty)
Big Top Celebration (Jason Gardner)
After Hours: Worship Hour (Prayerhouse)

Day 5:
The Big Start(Rachael Orrell)
Red Zone: Activist (Roger Sutton and Rachel Gardner)
Yellow Zone: Pragmatist (Steve Chalke and Jill Rowe)
Big Top Celebration (Roger Sutton)
After Hours: Shell Perris

SH 2- Learning styles

2009-04-15T07:55:00.005+01:00

The four learning styles are: Pragmatic, Theorist, Activist and Reflector.

Activist: You flourish in an environment where you are given the opportunity to generate a lot of ideas. You like to think on your feet and have the chance to initiate. You like to have a go, try things out and participate. You are primarily interested in the here and now. You are open minded and enthusiastic about new ideas, but tend to be bored by the details of implementation. You often act first and consider the implications afterwards. You love bouncing ideas off other people and solving problems as part of a team, but you also enjoy a bit of the limelight.

You learn best when you are involved in new experiences, problems and opportunities; working with others; being thrown in the deep end with a difficult task.

You learn less when listening to lectures or long explanations, reading or writing, absorbing and understanding data, following precise instructions to the letter, or being asked to think on your own.

Reflector: You like to think about things in detail before taking action. You prefer to take a thoughtful approach. You enjoy the opportunity for thorough preparation and to research and evaluate. You are prepared to read and re-read, and you welcome the opportunity to re-think and reflect on what you have learned. You like to stand back and look at a situation from different perspectives. You enjoy collecting data and having the opportunity to think about it carefully before coming to any conclusions. You enjoy observing others and like to listen to their views before offering your own.

You learn best when you can review what has happened and think about what you have been taught; where you are given the opportunity to mull things over, assess issues and complete tasks without tight deadlines.

You learn less when you are asked to act as a leader, do things with no time to prepare, are thrown in at the deep end, or are rushed or worried by deadlines.

Theorist: You are logical and objective. You prefer a sequential approach to problems. You are analytical, pay great attention to dettail, and tend to be a perfectionist. You are good at adapting and integrating observations into complex and logically sound theories. You enjoy thinking problems through step by step. You like to fit things into a rational scheme with good structure and clear objectives. You are pleased to be detached and analytical, rather than subjective or emotional in your thinking. You like to see how things fit into an overall pattern. You like to feel intellectually stretched.

You learn best in complex situations where you must use your skills and knowledge, in structured situations with a clear purpose, in situations that offer interesting ideas or concepts even though they are not immediately relevant, and when you have the chance to question and probe the ideas behind things.

You learn less in situations that emphasise emotion and feelings, when the activity is unstructured or briefing is poor, or you have to act without knowing the principles or concepts involved.

Pragmatist: You like to see how things work. You enjoy experimenting. You are practical, down to earth and like to solve problems. You appreciate the opportunity to try out what you have learned or are learning. You want concepts you can apply to your job. You tend to get impatient with lengthy conceptual discussions, which you regard as impractical as well as a waste of time and energy. You like to see the relevance of your work and gain practical advantage from learning. You need activities to be real.

You learn best when there is an obvious link between a topic and a job, when you can try out ideas with feedback, when you see obvious advantages (eg saving time or money) or when you are shown a model you can copy (eg a proven technique or a credible role model)

You learn less when there is no obvious or immediate benefit that you can recognise, there are no clear "how to" guidelines for putting an idea into practice, there is no apparent payback to the learning (eg shorter meetings) or the event or learning is "all theory".

Obviously we all learn through a mixture of styles and it's quite difficult to separate learning styles from personality types. It's quite nice to be "given permission" to learn and do things that suit my activist style. It also explains why traditional Sunday church services don't necessarily help my learning because they are theorist/reflector in style.

Spring Harvest 09

2009-04-14T18:14:00.002+01:00

I'm back!
Spring Harvest was good.
There was Steve Chalke, Mark Tedder and many others.
The worship was good, fun, mighty, ponderous and connecting.
I learnt that I'm mainly an Activist in learning style.
I learnt other things and I'm wondering at this stage how/if I write it all up. I'd like to.
But for now, my 4th load of washing is calling me so I'd better do that and blog later.

Save our words!

2009-03-02T09:46:00.001Z

According to this article, the words dirty, stick and guts are on their way out. Verbs also for the chop could include stab, push, turn and wipe. What they have in common is that they are all "rapidly" changing (over hundreds of years I suppose) and they are not then gone just forever changed.
I quite like all those words so maybe we ought to be using them more?

Alexander Lebedev

2009-03-01T09:34:00.001Z

Just seen an interesting interview with Alexander Lebedev, the new owner of the London Evening Standard.
What came across was how intelligent, modest and cultured he was. An interesting character (an ex- KGB agent in the 80's) and maybe one to watch for the future.

Kids in Care

2009-01-25T09:27:00.003Z

Barnardo's are at a very interesting point at the moment. They seem to be (visibly) less and less about asking for money and more and more about campaigning and being controversial. This is interesting to me because in my newish role for YMCA, I would like to do exactly the same.
Martin Narey, head of Barnardo's says in the Sunday Telegraph

social workers should remove more children from their parents if they were believed to be in danger.

Original article here.
Thinking of my letter to Charles Clarke (to which I have only just received an acknowledgement not even a reply) to be found in December's blogs, if we could only improve the outcomes of kids in care then social workers wouldn't be so hesitant to leave them in home situations that are less than ideal.

Self Definition (in the style of Litany by Billy Collins)

2008-12-15T22:43:00.001Z

I am the wild applause of the crowd
And the debris to be cleared when the festival finishes
I am the vibrations when the bass is loud
And the “leave me alone” of a petulant teen

I am the double chocolate mousse
Eaten slowly with a teaspoon
I am the restless insomniac hour
Wide awake at 3.32. am.

I am not the eye of the storm, the pink fluffy dice
Or the solid straight line.
I am however the silken feel of the well loved cat
And the heady scent of summer dusk.

I am the universe’s power
Charging through the void
But also the swirling motes that catch a
Lazy beam of noonday sun.

I am not the 3 hour exam but I could well be
The forgotten side of the paper
Containing 7 marks if only you’d turn the page and see.

I am not the cartwheel neatly spun
Or the dainty dancer with tightly scrapped bun
But at a push, I could be
The joyful spontaneous pirouette
Of the larger lady who has found true love.

I am the smile on a strangers face,
I am the frilled edge tulip,
I am soft, warm rain.
I am the valiant effort, second prize

I am not the chemo patient
In their relentless battle to defy renegade cells.
I’m not their Iron Man contest,
Their extreme marathon or
Their ultimate mountain peak climb.
I am their glimpse of what could be.
I am the pinnacle and the depths.
I am me.

Big Moon

2008-12-13T10:35:00.004Z

How we love you,
Big Moon.
Your orbit is closer,
Dancing an oval path
In the sky.
You are close,
Almost enough to touch.

Richard Serra

2008-12-12T08:38:00.002Z

I have been enjoying the Alan Yentob series Imagine (since I discovered it a few weeks ago). This week's offering was about American artist Richard Serra who is renown for his massive steel sculptures. I enjoyed how he described his childhood and seemed to imply that because a primary school teacher displayed lots of his pictures around the classroom and encouraged his mother that he was talented and to make sure she took him to lots of museums, that that made him become an artist. It would be great to base an educational establishment on that kind of principle. Anyway, in the meatime this is an example of Serra's work and you can see more in London's Gagosian Gallery in King's Cross until 20th December.

Letter to Charles Clarke

2008-12-07T22:05:00.001Z

Dear Charles Clarke,

It is with sadness that I have been reading the details surrounding the case of Baby P (as have we all). I wanted to write to you to strongly petition Ed Balls about financing social work and fostering/care arrangements in the UK to alleviate tragedies of this nature ever happening again.

I have also been reading today on the BBC website that Ed Balls has been talking about funding additional training for social workers. Unfortunately I don’t believe that this is the main issue that needs tackling. I believe that Children’s Services are seriously under-funded and under valued in this county and I do not believe that we are the only county in this situation. I also believe that just financing the training of social workers does not go far enough to tackle the problems in social work.

I work for YMCA Norfolk and via John Drake, I believe you are aware of a lot of the work that we do for children and young people in the county many of whom live chaotic lives. Recently you attended a PAYP/The Right Direction award ceremony held at The Garage. I am responsible for the team delivering preventative work as represented at those awards. Frequently during line management and clinical supervision sessions, workers mention that they have troubling children and young people on their caseload. We have exemplary systems in place for them to report disclosures and suspicions as is required by law. However once these are reported, many workers report doubts about the processes worked through by Children’s Services. This may well be to do with a whole series of action taking place that is hidden to a worker on the ground but often there is a communicated reluctance to get involved especially if the young person in question is 14 or older. Our workers and the children they work with indicate that social workers are stretched and thin on the ground and obviously with that they feel harassed and subsequently de-motivated.

Also if the alternatives to living with parents who are struggling to cope for whatever reasons are going to improve the outcomes for the child, then a social worker would feel confident in removing that child and placing them in that alternative care. I personally believe that the outcomes for a child placed in care are or can be significantly worse than leaving them in their home. This surely has got to be rectified. We cannot be considering which is the better of two evils when thinking about the care of vulnerable children. I believe that in the case of Baby P, had the alternatives to keeping the child with his mother been better, he would have been removed and would have been still alive today. Again the pressures on care homes, care workers and foster carers are as stretched, harassed and de-motivated as that of social workers.

I would also like to suggest (with another hat on as I used to be a youth worker for Norfolk County Council) that funds aren’t just removed from preventative or generalised services for children and young people in order to fund improvements in safeguarding. Generalised statutory youth work which also has a documented history of under-funding in this county (Ofsted report 2006) is vital. In an ideal world, with unlimited money general, preventative and safeguarding work would be awash with funds. This will never be the case especially in today’s economic climate but if Ed Balls is serious about funding improvements, we need to really hold on to this and make sure that we are funding something significant rather than just a knee-jerk reaction that appeases the popular press.

I would be interested to hear your views on this as well as communicating my points to Mr Balls.

Yours sincerely,

Helen Bouttell

Spending will save us all

2008-11-25T14:24:00.003Z

Interesting quotes from this BBC article on the pros and cons of spending include:

"A splurge at M&S's one-day sale is the socially responsible thing to do, like buying bonds in the war."
"And it's worth remembering that we used to enjoy a buy nothing day every week of the year. It was called Sundays."

Neil Boorman, author of Bonfire of the Brands

"I am fundamentally libertarian. I will never be able to afford a yacht but I like to live in a world where some people have yachts."

Lucia van der Post, founder of the Financial Times' glossy magazine How To Spend It

"Every time you shop, ask yourself, 'Does this purchase support or negate the type of change I want to see in the world? Is this purchase life-affirming or soul-draining.'"

Amanda Ford, author of Retail Therapy: Life Lessons Learned While Shopping

"You see families at shopping centres - it's like an outing."

Michael Gutteridge, a business and social psychologist

"It's a bit like a drug. If you suddenly come off a drug you have cold turkey. You have to wean people off after many years."

Prof John Sloman, director of the Economics Network based at the University of Bristol.

Barnardo's Campaign

2008-11-19T10:29:00.003Z

I was really shocked when I received the link to this video via a round robin email yesterday. Infact I'm still in shock. To quote Homer J- "I blame society".
Further information from Barnardo's here.

Squashes

2008-11-01T11:17:00.003Z

Yesterday was Halloween and many people carve a face into a pumpkin at this time of year to create a Jack-o-Lantern. It didn't surprise me much to read that about 90% of pumpkins are grown for decorative use as opposed to being eaten.
Having said that, it's been a really bad year (as was last year) for growing squashes of any kind. This was sad for me as it was the first year I had grown butternut squash plants from seed. The seeds and subsequent seedlings were really healthy and so I looked forward to abundant squashes however "the dull, wet weather we experienced this summer made it a bad year for growing butternut squashes," says Gardening Which magazine. "They really didn't like these conditions and most varieties performed very poorly. Many fruits didn't ripen fully: the skins remained greenish and the flesh was pale-coloured and very poor tasting."
This is exactly what I found. Of the three plants that were planted out, each plant produced one smallish fruit. The last of these I made into a curry last night. The flavour wasn't up to much but it's not put me off growing them. The seed I used is called Hunter which apparently should be able to cope with our climate and came out top in Which's Best Buy trials. I'll try again next year and see if I can do any better.

Short Shorts VII

2008-10-28T10:24:00.002Z

We decide to have our own fireworks this year. Living in the basement, we have no access to explosives but we'll make do with what we have.
With thunderous bangs and crashes coming from outside, we turn off the lights.
We unroll the sticky tape and gasp in amazement at the sparks that fly.

Evaluation

2008-10-27T09:13:00.003Z

I've now had a week of writing micro fiction which I've really enjoyed but I've come to the conclusion that it's like eating sweets which taste good but make you feel sick after a while. I can only conclude that everything in moderation is best and I may well continue to write these as they get me focused not only on producing ideas and writing them down but actually finishing them which is very good for me.

I'm aware that not many people are blogging or reading blogs these days but I would be interested in hearing your constructive comments on my attempts at short shorts: what did you like, what didn't you like? It would be very helpful to me.

I shall sign this off with an example we were given from our course from what I presume is a "professional": Barry Yourgrau from "A Man Jumps out of an Aeroplane Wearing Dad's Head"

Woodsmen

Men are working in the woods. I take a seat on the pine needles and watch the movements through the trees. I hear sounds of their talking. I lie back in the coolness and shadows, covering my eyes with my arm, and let myself be lulled into a doze by the distant voices, the blurred echoes. In my dream, they're working beside me. They chat with me pleasantly as they carve from wood the roots, the boughs, the blossoms, the detailed leaves. "And soon we'll do you," they promise.

Short Shorts VI

2008-10-27T07:42:00.001Z

Toby

At some point in that alcohol infused evening, someone asked me to describe Toby. This was my area of excellence especially after several pints. “He was a small man,” I started. It generated a warm trickle of laughter. “Not a man of fine physical perfection such as myself”, I patted my round belly to another chuckle. “Small in size and stature- I often wondered what the beautiful Sarah saw in him.” A sigh and a wry smile this time, echoed around the table. “But he was a fine man,” I continued, “A good friend, reliable, trustworthy and would always buy a pint. I shall miss him greatly.” Luckily the lighting in the pub was subdued as we nodded, raised our glasses and toasted our departed friend. “To Toby!”

.

Short Shorts V

2008-10-26T07:35:00.001Z

Forget the story, use the words. Force them together and hear the crunch. Push them to their limits. Twist the boundaries, make it hurt, scream the difference, screw convention, be tenacious. Don’t fall into the gentle trap and sway with eyes half closed. Feel your eyes stretched wide not able to blink, water building up.
Go past the limits. Put pairs together even though they cry and beg for separation. These babies have to share a cot. Get used to it. Squirm as you type, be bugged going away thinking should I have done it. Yes you should, leave it be.

Short Shorts IV

2008-10-25T07:18:00.001+01:00

I'm not so sure about this one. See what you think...

Under the skin

They all tried to discourage me.
“It’s not what you think.”
“It’s a vocation, not a job.”
“You have to be really sure.”
What else can I do? Writing is either in you or it’s not. Ultimately there isn’t a choice.
I take my inspiration from the great writers. They really understood how you had to suffer for your art.
Changes are happening to my body- growth spurt, course dark hair, oily skin, angry pustules. Today I feel like a man, tall and hirsute. I check out the reflection and nod. Twisting slightly, I can see in particular one red spot in a field of pretenders, mere pimples in comparison. It looks promising, throbbing slightly and ready to burst. With a mixture of pride and revulsion, I attack the place using my bitten down nails. It’s not as easy as I thought it might be. One day I’ll be good at this, discovering the treasure beneath, allowing the contents to spill. But today I’m not so good. I make the spot more painful and the raised head seems to shrink back into my skin. I pick and pick and there is no relief.
And then it happens. The surface of the skin breaks and out spill words, undamaged by the whole scratching process. Like the birth of a corn snake they coil and pulse, seeming slippery and fresh. I have paper ready to place them and I urge them on, fingertips showing more delicacy this time. They unravel slowly and settle onto their new home. Fresh words, hatched from me! My career as a writer has begun! I smooth them down as their glossiness fades and they are indistinguishable from the paper home I have given them. I read the sentence just six words long. It’s a start.
My attention turns to the small lesion which is still leaking fluid. It is a good start but still quite small. How big must the boils be when whole stories erupt? I know now why this isn’t a path that you can walk without preparedness. But I’m on that path now! I’ve proved all those doubters wrong. It’s within me, always has been.

.

Short Shorts III

2008-10-24T07:17:00.000+01:00

Death Row or Death Valley

Come through the gap- I’ll let you through.
It’s time to escape!
No need to collect your stuff, precious things.
Leave them. Leave them and flee!
He asks, “Why are you doing this?”
To feel the blistering sun, smell the baked clay, to hear the dust screaming through the valley.
“I’m safe here,” he says. “I’ll take my chances.”

.

Short Shorts II

2008-10-23T08:11:00.003+01:00

Nightmare City. It’s not the place to think of before you sleep. I tried to recite familiar rhymes but they turned into “Nightmare City, it ain’t so pretty!” I thought of my beloved starlight poster but the mocking winking City Mascot began to form from the random arrangement of stars. His voice called me, “There’s no escape! Come right now!”
Switching on the lamp, the sound of laughter, and the menacing shadows and the idea of a bad time-bed time place leapt away. I sipped hard bursts of sharp, cold water left there by Mama. I knew I was warm, remembered how loved I was and drifted off to a gentle sleep. Mascots winked their starry eyes. “We knew you’d come.”

.
.

Short Shorts

2008-10-22T08:50:00.001+01:00

We talked about Short Shorts (also known as micro fiction, flash fiction and other things) at my Creative Writing class this week. I love them!
Here is my first one to read before I tell you any more.

Snow, Horse, Tree

In my quest, I have travelled for almost a thousand years. My companion shakes her chestnut head and whinnies. Jets of steam rise from her nostrils as I tether her to the ancient pine. I try to suppress a sense of building excitement; I haven’t succeeded yet!
An impatient stamp from behind urges me forward. She knows the time has come.
Fresh snow is falling whirling and dancing around me. This really must be it!
All I need to return home are two flakes the same.
And this time, I’ll do it.

.
.

Sunday prayer

2008-08-31T08:10:00.001+01:00

Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom, lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home, lead thou me on!

John Henry Cardinal Newman

Sunday Prayer

2008-08-24T20:14:00.000+01:00

Psalm 8
A psalm of David.

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honour.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Modern day pentathlon

2008-08-23T09:23:00.003+01:00

Interesting blog here about the modern pentathlon. Apart from the fact that it seems like a lot of hard work, I've nothing to add. I wondered however how the event should be truly updated to make it modern. I thought that perhaps this would be the event order:
1. Internet event: Facebook checking, includes updating your status and reading messages, checking emails on hotmail account (or equivalent), writing a reply email and deleting spam messages and finally writing a blog entry.
2. Gym: burning as many calories as possible in a 45 minute period using as many machines as possible in the gym.
3. Shopping: visiting and purchasing an item from as many high street stores as possible in a one hour period. Extra points added for a bargain snaffled.
4. Texting: ten messages to be sent and obviously all that matters is speed
5. Pub crawl: points accrued from the events above give you time advantage in this event which requires competitors to run from pub to pub, purchase an alcoholic drink and down in one before heading off to another pub. The gold medal would be awarded to the person who had got the furthest and drank the most.
That's probably a more accurate depiction of life these days!

Olympic Success

2008-08-21T10:42:00.002+01:00

It's been an interesting time of learning for me as I have been watching (and enjoying!) a variety of sports in the Beijing Olympics. Most fascinating must surely have been The Madison race comprising 200 laps of the velodrome with sprints at intervals. Completely mad and almost unfathomable but hugely entertaining!
I think most people seem to be in polite shock that Team GB are doing so well. It makes a nice change from the normal cynicism and pessimism. It is really inspiring and makes you think "What could I have excelled in had I only got into it?" So that's the question for you- what appeals? The BBC site will give you an idea of what's on offer) I think that handball might be an area for growth as it's relatively unknown and could be due for expansion. Don't think they do weightlifting for women so I think I might go for javelin or hammer. Dream on!

Planning/organising

2008-07-28T08:12:00.002+01:00

Working for a schools department, people always ask do I get the schools holidays off work. I don't but the summer is a quieter period and I get to do a lot of catching up and it's giving me a chance to do some well needed preparation. Sometimes I just wander into things without thinking about them first- not just at work. Church things, home things. The next few weeks will give me the opportunity to give things some thought and maybe by the time September comes, I'll be all geared up.

News of interest

2008-06-22T07:44:00.003+01:00

Throughout the week I've seen news articles and thought "Oh I must blog about that!" but of course I haven't!

How about death to grey squirrels? Over 17,000 culled and more could be for the chop in order to increase the chances of the red squirrel. Could be a cheap alternative to the traditional roast served up on Sunday? (No really!)

Smokers in the poorest areas of Dundee are being offered £150 worth of groceries by the health service if they are able to give up cigarettes. Surely it will save the NHS much more than that if they take it up and quit?

Eating about half the days calorie intake at breakfast can assist in weight loss. Much more is lost and kept off in comparison to the control group who were using a low carb diet.

Nurse writes a book on out of body experiences for those at the brink of death.

I am taking a personal interest in the "national challenge" scheme whereby schools have to get 30% of their students getting 5 "good" A-C passes at GCSE. Any schools falling below this (there are 638 of them) are facing severe scrutiny and will be/are threatened with closure. This has led to the ridiculous situation that some schools can be graded both "good" and "bad" by the government. Some are Ofsted graded good or even outstanding but can still be in danger of closure because they fall short of the magic 30%.

It looks as though 17 girls who have all become pregnant at a US high school have made a "pregnancy pact".

The British Medical Journal discovered that 1 in 10 people have a piercing somewhere other than an earlobe.

That's all for now...

Eurovision

2008-06-07T07:05:00.003+01:00

It's been some time since Eurovision was on our screens but I have been thinking about it and wanted to do a blog about it. A couple of years ago I was organised and allocated countries to everyone in the family and we supported them and judged how well they would do. It was an entertaining evening complete with unhealthy snacks- Eurovision at it's tacky but compulsive best. I didn't do that this year, partly because it's just so long and waiting for the results is so tedious. But 2 of us did keep track of our top ten songs and looked the following morning to see how they had done. Neither of us had scored the winning song in our own top ten. What had happened? Well, the usual Eurovision craziness during voting, that's what.
The winners, Russia, had submitted their own equivalent of Robbie Williams (Dima Bilan) into the competition and his appeal stretches beyond Russia. It also doesn't escape notice that Russia's many neighbours gave him maximum points. And this is the current day bone of contention- political and partisan voting. For countries such as the UK who have no or few bordering countries, their days of Eurovision success are numbered.
And every year we grumble about it but it's not going to get any better. We're convinced that it's not about the music any more but how can songs realistically be judged one against another?
Also as the UK is one of four countries who pay the most towards the competition (which guarantees us a place in the final) is the time right for us to back away?
Or is that just a little conceited? Haven't we had our time in the sun?
I think we ought to relax a little more and focus on a song that we can be proud of, one that we wouldn't mind seeing in the chart. And then maybe, our chance will come again. Boom bang-a-bang!

Is culture becoming devalued?

2008-06-06T11:26:00.000+01:00

I enjoyed this article about how artists are giving away their works free with newspapers and other promotional material and looking at how this is argued to "devalue" their work. I certainly think it challenges us to see how we place value on something. What do you think?

Reading

2008-06-03T09:18:00.003+01:00

One of the joys of not studying has been the time and inclination to read for pleasure. I have read three books that I can remember:
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
I think this was the best of the three. I liked the characterisation and I learnt a lot about the oppression of the Ukrainian people during the reign of Stalin. However I thought the ending was a little weak and understated. If you build up your novel in a comic and bold way, subtle isn't the way to draw your conclusions. It made me think and was an entertaining tale however. 6.5/10
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
This was a brilliant premise and it didn't stray much further from that. It was funny and the characters were very well fleshed out but as that was all that held this book together, they needed to be. Again the end was lame. 6/10
Last Things by ?
I thought this looked interesting and looked an easy read. It was but again was a single premise book. I found the eccentric mother an interesting study. Particularly interesting was how this impacted her daughter. This should have been explored better. I liked the way we saw the impact of the behaviour of a bullying cousin in her behaviour. We should have had a more dramatic parallel with the mother. The ending again was confusing. 5/10

2 things...

2008-05-24T11:50:00.002+01:00

One is urgent- I need ideas for an auction of promises. Deadline tomorrow. What can I offer?

The other is, what can I do with satsuma peel? I can't compost it as it's too acidic and we're eating so many, I really don't want to bin it. Do you have any ideas?
I have heard previously that dried citrus peel makes really good firelighters but as we don't have an open fire, that isn't much use to us.

EHS

2008-05-17T21:33:00.002+01:00

I am possibly about to become a governor at Earlham High School (I will know more on Monday) and today underwent my first day of training. I came away thinking, "Why have I not done this before?" as I feel I have a lot to offer. Not in a conceited way, but I just recognised that I have built up a good bank of knowledge about schools over the years. It's nice to have finished studying and feel able to devote the time to something else and boy does Earlham need some support and guidance at the moment. I'm sure I'll update you as I go along.

Cake

2008-05-16T22:07:00.002+01:00

Sometimes I make it and it isn't a hit,
Not because of the taste or the look,
Just because people don't fancy it.
I made one yesterday and took it to work:
And it was sorely missed here.
Sometimes I make cake and everyone wants a piece.
If I could guarantee that reaction everytime,
I'd make it more frequently.

Tango

2008-04-30T09:29:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I experienced my first (and probably last) Tango lesson. It was thought up by the people I work with as a way of celebrating my new found freedom from study and apparently there have been a series of free lessons over the last couple of weeks.
I enjoy dance and movement and from that point of view I enjoyed the lesson. I had in my mind the thought that lots of older women would have been there so I wasn't prepared for the fact that men out numbered the women and several women had a partner. So that meant dancing with single men- it made me feel like I was "on the pull". So that was an uncomfortable feeling. Then you had to dance together obviously. It was nice but took me out of my comfort zone- not used to having my personal space invaded by a strange man.
I can certainly see that dance like this is a really good way to potentially meet someone if you're single. It's certainly a very social and active way of spending an evening. Unfortunately, the tango lessons proper are on a Monday night and I have football then. I'd prefer to get hacked down by Chrissy and break my fingers in goal anytime- so it looks like that's it for me and tango for the time being. :D

It's done!

2008-04-24T21:38:00.002+01:00

Well I printed off 53 pages and duly sent them to Brunel University today. I missed the final collection by 10 minutes but I'm past caring. Hopefully they'll allow a little leeway and won't penalise me for it getting there late. It's finished and that's the end of 5 years of study! Hooray!

Time to have a big clear out, a spring clean and a celebrate. Not necessarily in that order...

Spring Harvest

2008-04-06T07:36:00.003+01:00

Well both Sweet Pete and StevieG have done a post Spring Harvest blog so I felt I ought to too! Peer pressure? Yup!
Initially I thought I'd take notes at the end of every day there and record what happened to bring back to you here- but I didn't do that. I also didn't do the planned hour of study every day that I timetabled. This is why I'm not going to tell you about what happened and my journey at SH. I have to crack on as the clocks are ticking. This is a good and a bad thing. I work well to a rapidly approaching deadline but I'm also worried that I won't be able to complete in time.

So to give you the very potted version of SH: It was good.
I met with God, He spoke to me clearly. The things he said weren't a surprise on the whole.
The music was celebratory and I loved the skill of Geraldine to be able to lead people into worship.
Chick Yuill was intellectual but accessible. I was annoyed that I missed one of his bible sessions but Julian has the set on CDs so I look forward (after April 25th) to listening to the whole thing again.
I liked that reluctant young people seemed to blossom and enjoy themselves.
I like the chance to chat to folk.

Really on balance, I liked all the normal stuff that I normally like.
That's it for now. I'll check back in later in the month.
Pray for me!

Spring Harvest

2008-03-31T07:24:00.003+01:00

Today we go to Spring Harvest- I'm assuming everyone who reads this blog knows what that is.
But don't fear, I will endeavour to report back on what happens when I get back.
In the meantime, a prayer:

Lord, I pray that as people set out with expectant hearts today, you will grant them a smooth journey to Skegness.
I ask Lord that you will anoint the speakers and those who you have charged with leading us.
Grant them peace in their hearts I pray.
I ask that you will meet each person of our church group and tell the things they need to hear.
I pray that strong friendships will be formed and current friendships strengthened.
In Jesus name,
Amen

Things at the moment...

2008-03-19T06:28:00.003Z

Here I am blogging at 6.30 on Wednesday morning.
I'm tired.
I have a cat who might be ill and has been in for a couple of nights
And he likes to make his presence known.
I have a lot to do at work
Meetings with visionaries
Nice but tiring
A meeting with the full team
Some want to be there others don't
I have important stuff to tell them either way
Still trying to get my head around the JAR (Joint Area Review).
Some contracts are renewed some are not.
Interviews taking place-
Feeling the pressure of trying to find the Right Person.
A very messy desk to clear
And something that should have been sorted out in September still lurking.
At home, a house full of daughters-
I tend to find there's a lot to be done as I walk through the door at 5.30,
Unload the dishwasher,
Clear plates, salad cream and dirty tissues from living room,
Trying to Unhear the arguments "she did this", "my turn for the TV",
Make something quick and nutritious for tea,
Replace essentials at a very close shop.
Then it could well be an evening where 2/3's of my offspring go out so
I might be on driver duty.
And I really should go out to a youth club in Earlham tonight in order to talk to some young people about their aspirations.
And there's no point in doing that unless I'm going to write it up
And really I should be getting a real move on in writing it up
Because time is running out
But then it's running out in whatever I'm doing.
Sigh.
My seedlings aren't very demanding however.
They sit on my window sill and grow very slowly.
I give them water every day and they grow.
Very rewarding.
And if I make it through to August
I could well have some strawberries and peppers to show for my patience.
Even if I don't my seedling represent peace in my hectic world,
For which I'm grateful.

Ethical dilemma

2008-03-10T17:35:00.003Z

Would be interested to know what Carl thinks of this. The story is of a deaf couple who if they opt to have a child by IVF will be forced to have a child that is hearing if the selection of embryos on offer has one that is hearing. They say they would rather have a deaf child.

Julian Savulescu, director of the Oxford Centre of Applied Ethics says
"Given that we are looking at such at a very small number of people, I think we can afford to be quite liberal about this. Deafness is a disability, but it is not one that stops people having a life that's worth living - and if there are a handful of people out there who want a deaf child, they can find a doctor who will help them, and they are prepared to pay for it, then so be it."

Hmm, I'm not sure I agree. What do you think?

Shannon vs Maddy

2008-03-10T10:46:00.002Z

Oh dear. A 9 year old working class girl has been missing for two weeks. The Sun has put up a £20, 000 reward and this has been added to by local man Winston Bedford. At £500, it's all he can afford.
This is in contrast to a pretty little girl who went missing in the summer. I can't quite remember how much was offered as a reward but it was in the millions (£2.6?).
And the difference in the cases?

Looks- Maddy wins hands down
Middle class parents- complete with media skills
Location- Praia da Luz so much nicer than Dewsbury Moor
Foreigners- they're just so inept
Mundane situation- holiday vs walking home from school in a drab area

Comparison article

E-Day

2008-03-06T07:21:00.002Z

Apparently 27-28th February was E-Day- a day for people and businesses to go out of their way to cut consumption of electricity. I knew nothing about this.
It would appear that not very many people knew about it either as consumption went up by 0.1% that day instead of down. What a shame!
Let's hope that Earth Hour 2008 has more publicity and a bigger impact.

Childhood is over at 11?

2008-03-03T09:39:00.002Z

It must be study time because here's another blog!

Children's author Jacqueline Wilson is quoted as saying

"I think children act like adults at an alarmingly early age. It's good that we want the best for our children nowadays, but perhaps we should remember they are only children and need a little loving guidance."

in this BBC report. This is response to her publisher's survey which garnered these responses:

71% of parents allow their children to drink alcohol at home before they turn 18

45% of parents let their 16-year-old children sleep the night at a boyfriend or girlfriend's house

53% of children aged 16 and under are permitted to stay out past 11pm

35% of parents have allowed their under-12s to pierce their ears

71% of parents admit that their children have little regard for their authority

55% think that childhood is over by the time their children start secondary school at 11

72% of parents confess to giving their children a much easier ride than they received when they were the same age

67% of parents are worried about the company their children keep.

As a parent and as a student who likes to critically analyse information like this, I find this really interesting. Apparently 65% of parents haven't allowed their children to get their ears pierced under 12. I wonder how many French parents "have allowed" their under 18's the opportunity to drink alcohol before the age of 18? And it surprises me greatly that only 67% of parents are worried about the company their children keep- doesn't every parent have worries like these at some stage?

Interesting stuff. What do you think?

Tesco Unthank Road II

2008-03-01T07:07:00.003Z

The saga rumbles on about the proposed Tesco Express to be built on Unthank Road.
Residents don't want it, councillors don't want it, Green party officials don't want it but looks like we're going to get it. An independent report declares that the recent refusal for planning permission was wrong and that Tesco have grounds for "significant costs".

In all four submissions have been made and refused. Each time costs Tesco nothing and costs Norwich people a substantial amount. Now we could be liable to pay Tesco significant costs for refusing to have their shop.

Tescopoly have a great site outlining their objections to the big store but also all the big supermarkets who wield an alarming amount of power. This page outlines the case against Tesco Metro in high streets and this is a Friends of the Earth paper outlining the way supermarkets get their own way in planning decisions. From that paper:

The evidence gathered indicates that decisions made by local councils to accept new supermarket stores are in many cases not made on the grounds of retail need, but because the weak planning system and the power imbalance on a local level makes it increasingly difficult for them to refuse.

I'm thinking about picketing the store once it has been built and has opened.

The end of blogging?

2008-02-25T09:47:00.003Z

http://justfineanddandy.blogspot.com
is worth:

Appraisal by
YourWebsiteValue.com

Just for fun I went on the "Your Website Value" website that looks at the traffic your website gets and calculates a monetary value. You can see the result above which surprised me (and pleased me too seeing as the NCBC website is worth $32!) My high figure is due to the fact that I have so many bookmarks- so thank you to you all and I hope you still read even though I don't blog so often these days.

And thinking of not blogging so much- why is that? Was blogging just a fad? Has it's time been and gone? I notice a lot of the pages I link to on the right have stopped updating. If blogging has had it's moment in the sun, what has replaced it? Meanwhile if there were going to be Oscars given out to services in reliable and thought provoking blogging, then that award would be going to Carl. Well done!

The Descent into Madness

2008-02-07T09:00:00.000Z

The watch of celebrities spiraling into their own hand made version of Hell enthralls us all. I'm guessing that it's this age's form of freak show. And we can guarantee that celebrities will do it for us every time. James Dean dies young and becomes a legend. Marilyn Monroe gained a far higher status than her talent deserved but her story was one of tragedy. Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, Heath Ledger. We love their talent and what they can give but we love the fact that fame is a poison chalice even more. The higher they climb, the more is at stake. So Brigette Bardot shunning fame and aging as women tend to do isn't gripping but Tom Cruise jumping on a sofa is. One is normal, the other is not.

The freak show unfortunately doesn't end. We could even debate whether the media has latched onto it for their own ends (Princess Diana anyone?) but they would only trot out the lame old line "Well if people didn't buy it, we wouldn't print it". It's with sadness (and to my shame, glee) that I've read about Britney Spears' descent into madness- literal madness. What a tragedy: a young mum of two, divorced from a man she must have loved very much, falling into erratic behaviour and substance use. Take away the millions, the record contract and the looks and we could be talking about Tracey on the Larkman estate. But it's precisely those things that escalate the whole sorry affair.

In many ways, I'm please for Britney because people have noticed and she is getting the help she needs (well according to this news report maybe not). My mind takes me to Michael Jackson however who definitely has been pushed to the extremes that Britney has but is still "at large". In the meantime, who wants to be famous for their breakdowns and not their talent? Maybe if you could engineer the two, you would be onto a very lucrative earner and be laughing (without straight jacket) all the way to the bank.

Just for fun!

2008-01-21T12:57:00.000Z

Another time waster to enjoy.
Stuck for a cool name for your band, here is the Band Name Maker. It either generates a name from scratch or you can enter a key word to include in the band name.
Have fun!

Child Protection

2008-01-19T09:07:00.000Z

I had an update on my Child Protection training on Wednesday. It's a necessary part of the job but is a subject I feel passionate about.
This isn't really about what I learnt or the training but the trainer himself. He explained his background which was quite high up in the local police force until retirement which helped to explain his approach and delivery style in many respects.
He asked us if we knew how many convicted paedophiles there are in the country. We guessed various incorrect figures- the answer was about 100,000.
He said that was just ones with cautions or convictions. He estimated that the figure was much closer to 1 million.
He then broke down that there are 60 million people in this country, half will be female (and therefore unlikely to be paedohiles), take off another 5 million children and you are left with potentially 25 million men. If 1 million are peadophiles then this means that 1 in 25 men are peadophiles.
I was quite alarmed but maybe not for the reasons I was supposed to be. I guess the upshot was as people working with children, we need to be aware of the potential threat to them in order to protect them.
I think what I'm trying to say is yes, abuse, especially sexual abuse is a concern and we must protect children from it but scaremongering or limiting experiences due to fear is an abuse in itself.

Essential 100- Your Way into the Heart of the Bible

2008-01-15T14:34:00.000Z

This has been the book chosen to be followed by our church and housegroups for the lead up to Easter. I started it last night and was surprised.
1. It's a very poor quality book. The paper quality is close to that of Izal
2. In my head it was a book of the "top 100" bible quotes. Something you could dip into and learn off by heart. It's not that. It's a book telling you to read certain parts of the bible and then analysing very basically what you've just read.
3. It's in chronological order. I'm starting with what seems like a lot of Genesis. This is fine but I don't have the attention span to be methodical. And if I did, I'd read the bible in a year in preference.
4. It reminds me very much of daily reading notes.
It'll be interesting to see how it instigates sermons and housegroup debate.

The first time in a long time

2008-01-05T15:27:00.000Z

Today I went for a walk and fed the ducks. It's been a long time, several years I'd have thought and I loved every minute of it! Not sure however whether stale bread is very good for ducks but they did seem to be enjoying it!

Scroobius Pip

2008-01-03T22:13:00.000Z

I thought that this was pretty cool. Check out the MySpace page...

Letter from God to Man (Scroobius Pip)

Hey there.
How's it going?
Long
Time
No
See.
I know I haven't been around much but it didn't seem like you wanted me to be.

the last time I sent down a message, you nailed it to a cross.
So I figured I'd just leave you to it and be your own boss.

But I've been keeping an eye on you, I have. And it's amazing how you've grown.
All your technological advances and the problems you've overthrown.

All the beautiful art you've created with such grace and such finesse.
But I must admit there are a few things that, I'm afraid, Have impressed me less.

So I'm writing to apologise for all the horrors committed in my name.
Although it was never what I intended I feel I should take my share of the blame.

A lot of the good I tried to do was corrupted when organised religion got into full swing.
What I thought were quite clear messages were taken to unusual extremes.

My teachings were taken out of context to meet the agenda of others.
Interpretations were taken in many different ways and hidden meanings 'discovered.'

Religion became a tool for the weak to control the strong.
With all these new morals and ethics survival of the fittest was gone.

No longer could the biggest man simply take what ever he needed,
Because damnation was the price if certain rules were not heeded.

Some of the deeds committed in my name just make me wonder where I went wrong.
Back at the start when I 'created' all of this, the foundations seemed so strong.

See all the elements wee already here long before I began.
I just kind of put them all together. I didn't really think out a long term plan.

I made the sun an appropriate distance and laid the starts across the sky,
So you could navigate this globe or simply experience a sunrise.

I covered the earth with plants and fruits, some for sustenance and some for beauty.
And made the sun shine and clouds rain so that maintenance wasn't your duty.

I tried to give each creature its own attributes. But without making them enveloped.
I gave you all space to grow and, in your own way, space to develop.

I didn't know that such development would cause rifts and jealousy.
Cause you to war against each other and leave marks on this planet indelibly.

You see, I wasn't the creator, more the curator of nature.
And I want to set things straight with homosexuals right now; I DON'T hate ya.

I was a simple being that happened to be the first to yield such powers.
But I just laid the ground. It was you that built the towers.

It was you that invented bombs and fear that comes with them.
It was you that invented money, and corrupt economic systems.

You invented terms like 'just wars' and terms like 'friendly fire,'
And it was you that didn't know when to stop digging deeper and when to stop building higher.

It was you that exhausted the resources I carefully laid out on this earth,
And it was you that even saw these problems coming but accredited them little worth.

It was you that used my teachings for your own personal gain
And it was you that committed such tragedies, even if they were in my name.

So i apologise for any mistakes I made and for when my words were misconstrued,
But this apology is to Mother Nature because I created you.