Newcastle Council are in big trouble as the ire of the Geordie Nation has been aroused. They have dared to suggest that using the words pet or hinny (the latter is thought to be a diminutive of honey from the 18th century) to refer to women is derogatory and offensive.
They ruled that staff shouldn't use these horrible words but the outrage has been so severe (even from southerners!) that they are backtracking faster than an italian tank in WWII (a historical and faintly racist joke!). If you want to read the original Times article click on the title of this blog.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Academic success
Well we all cheated, by going on the UCAS website Ruth confirmed she has got a place at Newcastle to study English Lit before we have actually got her results! So she must have got an A at least!!
So we go off to France today with happier hearts as she can now rack up her £33,000 debt which is the average for a three year degree these days!! We are all delighted.
She has also had some of her artwork chosen to be displayed in the Corporate office of Corus, so we are doubly pleased in our arty talented daughter.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
La France profonde d` Edward Cummings
Well we`re off to Normandy on thursday to carry on developing our little piece of La France profonde as the parisians call our area. Apparently it is not deep France, so much as "backward france" according to the sophisticates of the capital.
I`ve just discovered that the american poet and painter Edward Estlin Cummings (1894-1962) was interned in our little town of La Ferte-Mace during the end of WWI. He also died in the year of my birth which continues the sensitive and artistic link to Normandy very neatly I think! He published an account of his imprisonment in 1922 called the Enormous Room.
So suitably enlightened (if you want more you can click on the blog title above!) we are very excited about our trip - we are gradually getting more amd more done. This time we have some lights to put up (chandeliery things), floor varnish for the stripped floors, radiator paint, sanders, rugs, a Lloyd Loom bedside table, a Parker Knowle chair and footstool all courtesy of a good trailer.
We are also living the rock star life where you get an entire wardrobe established in one`s second home doncha know - this will be very helpful should we choose to fly from Teesside to Paris for £30 return without any luggage which will be our future mode of transport for quick trips.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Mooncups and how to use them
Well my my, look away all men as a new feminine hygiene product is making news! The MoonCup!! I enclose details of the official website - just click on the title of this blog entry as it is linked!
The picture will let your imagination do the rest. We have discussed it over our Summer Berry Compote as a family and would be interested in your feelings as to whether you are tempted, particularly if in public conveniences!
You`ve waited oh so patiently! Here is the news!
Or should it be here are the news?? Any way there has been a bit of a delay as well as being busy (oh so busy) I had a trojan downloader virus on the laptop which after I installed some Norton Spyware completely froze the computer due to the Spyware being so rubbish.
So onto the news - re NE1 - Anne reports that over 1000 christian teenagers came to do community projects, staying on campsite at Herrington Country park near Sunderland and unlike all the other similar events e.g. Soul in the City where they had to have a campsite project to cater for the stragglers and refusers who stayed in their tents - there were no drop outs at NE1!
Despite there being no drinking water on site in the middle of a heatwave all went well - one of the bus drivers who transported the teams to their projects around the region was so impressed by the whole event and the teenagers themselves, that He became a christian. At the end of the week every sponsoring church that was running a project took groups of teens to the final BigTop concert event which was fabulous. We had 30 come from Saltburn and 18 responded to the evangelistic appeal.
Meanwhile there was New Wine North where I did one seminar shared with Michele Guinness called The Genesis Curse:The Origin of Gender Wars, then in the evening we did a 2 hour fringe event with strolling players, poems , stories, jokes , music and a film clip all intending to challenge our prejudices further about the opposite sex. At one point I apparently morphed into Jack Dee and improvised stories from our honeymoon!
My second seminar was interesting as I had to do it from the main stage with one of those radio mikes round my ear and a bank of lights shining in my face - I`m glad I didn`t know it was apparently on the radio as well. It was reported as going well but I was strangely dissatisfied, it was also the anniversary of my Dad`s death and the newspapers had headlines "In the name of the father" as Tiger Woods had just won the Open Golf and dedicated the win to his deceased father. I am feeling a challenge to reveal God`s glory not just wisdom and am meditating on what that means and how to co-operate with it!!
Anway no pictures as Jonny had our camera all the time in America and we still haven`t seen the pics - he has now gone off to Soul Survivor and we are about to go to France for a well earned break in Normandy leaving Ruth home alone to get her Exam results on Thursday re University!!
So onto the news - re NE1 - Anne reports that over 1000 christian teenagers came to do community projects, staying on campsite at Herrington Country park near Sunderland and unlike all the other similar events e.g. Soul in the City where they had to have a campsite project to cater for the stragglers and refusers who stayed in their tents - there were no drop outs at NE1!
Despite there being no drinking water on site in the middle of a heatwave all went well - one of the bus drivers who transported the teams to their projects around the region was so impressed by the whole event and the teenagers themselves, that He became a christian. At the end of the week every sponsoring church that was running a project took groups of teens to the final BigTop concert event which was fabulous. We had 30 come from Saltburn and 18 responded to the evangelistic appeal.
Meanwhile there was New Wine North where I did one seminar shared with Michele Guinness called The Genesis Curse:The Origin of Gender Wars, then in the evening we did a 2 hour fringe event with strolling players, poems , stories, jokes , music and a film clip all intending to challenge our prejudices further about the opposite sex. At one point I apparently morphed into Jack Dee and improvised stories from our honeymoon!
My second seminar was interesting as I had to do it from the main stage with one of those radio mikes round my ear and a bank of lights shining in my face - I`m glad I didn`t know it was apparently on the radio as well. It was reported as going well but I was strangely dissatisfied, it was also the anniversary of my Dad`s death and the newspapers had headlines "In the name of the father" as Tiger Woods had just won the Open Golf and dedicated the win to his deceased father. I am feeling a challenge to reveal God`s glory not just wisdom and am meditating on what that means and how to co-operate with it!!
Anway no pictures as Jonny had our camera all the time in America and we still haven`t seen the pics - he has now gone off to Soul Survivor and we are about to go to France for a well earned break in Normandy leaving Ruth home alone to get her Exam results on Thursday re University!!
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