31 October 2011

Under African Skies

This was the view from our room, out over to the beach and the small swimming pool where we spent our days.


The hotel was brilliant, full of marble and the staff were excellent - couldn't do enough for you. If you wanted a mattress for a seat by the pool they would bring it to you.

The beach most days was quiet, but that was because if you ventured on there the salesmen would be after you constantly pestering you to buy their 'not-so'honest branded goods.

Failing that the camel vendors would try and get you to ride a camel...shame really because I would have liked to have got a bit closer.




The star member of staff was a lady called Bassma who created this swan for us on the first day and then surprised us with the heart on our last day..even including Barncoose the bear as part of her design... such talent and a very sweet person.

29 October 2011

Saturday Satire : The Nun and the Priest

A nun and a priest were crossing the Sahara desert on a camel.  
On the third day out the camel suddenly dropped dead without warning.  
After dusting themselves off, the nun and the priest surveyed their 
situation.  After a long period of silence, the priest spoke.
  "Well sister, this looks pretty grim."
  "I know, father."
  "In fact, I don't think it likely that we can survive more than 
a day or two."
  "I agree."
  "Sister, since we are unlikely to make it out of here alive, would 
you do something for me?"
  "Anything father."
  "I have never seen a woman's breasts and I was wondering if I might 
see yours."
  "Well, under the circumstances I don't see that it would do any harm."
  The nun opened her habit and the priest enjoyed the sight of her shapely 
breasts, commenting frequently on their beauty.
  "Sister would you mind if I touched them?"
  She consented and he fondled them for several minutes.
  "Father, could I ask something of you?"
  "Yes sister?"
  "I have never seen a man's penis.  Could I see yours?"
  "I supposed that would be OK," the priest replied lifting his robe.
  "Oh father, may I touch it?"
  This time the priest consented and after a few minutes of fondling 
he was sporting a huge erection.
 "Sister, you know that if I insert my penis in the right place, it 
can give life."
  "Is that true father?"
  "Yes it is, sister."
  "Then why don't you stick it up that camel's ass and lets get 
the hell out of here."

28 October 2011

Today, catching up with the news I heard that a fellow blogger has lost her battle for life... Jo McGowran of Life in Windermere


Jo was one of my earliest followers, and we had some great bloggy conversations, she faced her cancer, like she did life, with courage and fighting spirit. The world seems a darker place now to have come home and heard the news.


Her funeral is on Monday, and I would have loved to have gone, but time, distance and commitments will keep me in Cornwall but in her memory I shall wear something yellow as I think of her family left behind.

27 October 2011

Arriving Back from Africa

We arrived back from Africa (or more precisely Tunisia) this morning, in the wee small hours. I will post something about the holiday when we have recovered from the trip, some 4.5 hours on a plane and having had lovely sunny days, with the odd rain shower and then coming back to the cold and chilly weather... brrrrh

The Pond Boys have been to stay at a local pet hotel (actually just a posh name for kennels) and will be relieved to have us back again.. I would love to take them abroad at some point into the future but we will have to see.

The Sex Life of the Camel

The sex life of the camel
Is not as dull as one thinks
For in moments of animal passion,
He makes crude attempts at the Sphinx.
But the Sphinx's posterior passage
Is clogged with the sands of the Nile,
Which accounts for the hump on the camel,
And the Sphinx's inscrutable smile.

25 October 2011

African Sunshine

When you read this, I will have been sunning myself in the African Sunshine inTunisia which at the last look just before leaving chilly England was a nice comfortable 27 deg C or 80 deg F... nice

An MP3 full of audio books, songs and an e-reader full of books to read and a fully inclusive holiday means we should have been able to relax and recuperate before the onset of Winter...

See you all in a few days..

24 October 2011

Lanner in the Mist

Lanner is a beautiful village near us in Cornwall, and this is a beautiful picture which represents the best of Autumn and all this land offers us.



22 October 2011

Saturday Satire : The Blonde Painter

A blonde, wanting to earn some money, decided to hire herself out as a handyman-type and started canvassing a wealthy neighborhood. She went to the front door of the first house and asked the owner if he had any jobs for her to do.

"Well, you can paint my porch. How much will you charge?"

The blonde said, "How about 50 dollars?" The man agreed and told her that the paint and ladders that she might need were in the garage. The man's wife, inside the house, heard the conversation and said to her husband, "Does she realize that the porch goes all the way around the house?"

The man replied, "She should. She was standing on the porch."

A short time later, the blonde came to the door to collect her money.

"You're finished already?" he asked. "Yes," the blonde answered, "and I had paint left over, so I gave it two coats. "Impressed, the man reached in his pocket for the $50. "And by the way," the blonde added, "that's not a Porch, it's a Ferrari."

21 October 2011

20 October 2011

Can you spot it?






Please don't put in the comments what the mistake is, only that you found it.. thanks to Dan for providing me with this one.

19 October 2011

Autumn Fires

In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!

Robert Louis Stevenson

18 October 2011

Beach Walk

The boys enjoyed a sunny walk on Gwithian dunes this afternoon. The sun is warm during the day but colder at nights but then again it is nearly November; this time last year it was cold and we had unforseen snow and ice for a few days.

The forecast is for cooler temperatures, with temperatures down to just above freezing... something to think about - when to put the heating on!

17 October 2011

Before and After

The grand unveiling lol

This was the before shot. It was crinkly because in order to keep it tidy (and out of my way) it spent most of its time in a plait and when you undo it this is what it looked like.

I am lucky in where I work we have a training salon, and the student who cut my hair is a level 3 student who had a great sense of humour. We agreed a length and style although I did warn her that my hair has a mind of its own and it is not always guaranteed to obey.

After a splendid hour of pampering the results are shown here. It looks lovely but also having been straightened looks lovely and sleek; it won't be like that for very long.

The best bit about it was the cost.. a magnificant £4.00 - I will be going back there again when it needs a trim.

15 October 2011

Saturday Satire : Drs' Smith & Jones


Best friends graduated from medical school at the same time and decided that, in spite of two different specialties, they would open a practice together to share office space and personnel.

Dr. Smith was the psychiatrist and Dr. Jones was the proctologist; they put up a sign reading: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones: Hysterias and Posteriors". 


The council was livid and insisted they change it. So, the docs changed it to read: "Schizoids and Hemorrhoids". 

This was also not acceptable, so they again changed the sign. "Catatonics and High Colonics" - No go. 

Next, they tried "Manic Depressives and Anal Retentives" - thumbs down again.. 

Then came "Minds and Behinds" - still no good. 

Another attempt resulted in "Lost Souls and Butt Holes" - unacceptable again! 

So they tried "Analysis and Anal Cysts" - not a chance, 

"Nuts and Butts" - no way, 

"Freaks and Cheeks" - still no good, 

"Loons and Moons" - forget it. 

Almost at their wit's end, the docs finally came up with: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones - Specializing in Odds and Ends". 

Everyone loved it.

12 October 2011

Roles of a Professional Teacher

I had to come up with a presentation on the roles of  a professional teacher and I started with one of my favourite quotes - who can't help think of Socrates as influencing modern day thinking..
 
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think. Socrates (Ancient Greek Philosopher, 470 BC-399 BC)

Then I gave them what a teacher is
  • Coach
  • Mentor
  • Guide
  • Entertainer
  • Authoritative
  • Assessor
  • Friend
  • Negotiator
  • Manager
  • Time Keeper
Before finishing with what characteristics/skills a teacher needs
  • Patience
  • Strength
  • Knowledge
  • Respect
  • Boundaries
  • Support
  • Discipline
  • Management/Admin Skills
  • Sense of Humour
  • Understanding
 
Before summing up with a metaphor of a teacher
 

10 October 2011

October Dawns

The dawns are happening later and later, the nights are drawing in and the mists are more frequent. I don't mind, the side benefit is the glorious golds and reds in the fields and trees. Saturday saw me go with SOH over to HMS Seahawk (or Culdrose to the uninitiated) to watch him referee the navy boys against a local village.

It is nice over there as their clubhouse is open, so I was warm, dry and comfortable and had the space to lay out my paperwork and crack on with some college work. Culdrose drew 1 all with the other team, but were not the politest team on the pitch.

Me, I enjoyed a cup of coffee, while watching from afar (which suits me) I prefer rugby and hope to see some more local teams playing this season. When we got home, we watched the very disappointing England's performance (or lack of it) against France, and enjoyed a chinese take-away for tea.

A good day, was had by all... shame then that Sunday the Sun didn't make an appearance we had misty weather pretty much all day, but I was busy downloading audio books onto many mp3 players ready for holiday which is fast approaching.

We have finally taken the cage down, which has been Jasper's home since day one. He now has a plastic dogbed with his quilt in it and he accepts it as his new bed, although he would prefer to sleep upstairs with the rest of us.. Sadly for him, as he can't stay still for more than 5 mins... can a dog suffer from adhd? .... he gets to sleep downstairs in his posh new pad but finally I could hoover up all the loose dog hair hiding behind the cage. We are now in the process of selling the cage which has done us proud over the past year and a half.

08 October 2011

Saturday Satire : The Wolf Man

The Wolf Man comes home one day from a long day at the office. "How was work, dear?" his wife asks.

"Listen! I don't want to talk about work!" he shouts.

"Okay. Would you like to sit down and eat a nice home cooked meal?" she asks nicely.

"Listen!" he shouts again. "I'm not hungry! I don't wanna eat! All right! Is that all right with you? Can I come home from work and just do my own thing without you forcing food down my throat? Huh?"

At this moment, the wolf man started growling, and throwing things around the apartment in a mad rage.

Looking out the window, his wife sees a full moon and says to herself, "Well, I guess it's that time of the month."

05 October 2011

Wet Wednesday

Today, two weeks to go and we said hello to the wet weather yesterday. No more blue skies, sunshine and warm autumnal weather and hello to the after effects of hurricane ophelia; lots of wind, rain and gloomy outlook.

The boys had their last jabs today, ready for a stay in kennels. I don't like the idea of leaving them in kennels, I have never been a fan of them, but luckily Murphy is used to it and it means Jasper will have some company.

A trip to Halfords saw a replacement bulb for the car, the second one that has blown since last year - mind you I cant remember whether it was the same side or not so that doesn't help, but it is now 10 years old and showing her age a bit.

Brunch was a McDonalds, though too cold for a milk shake so a hot chocolate accompanied a very plain burger in a bun but even that was too much for me; I really only have one to remind me why I don't eat them more frequently.


FASCINATING AIDA - It Isn't Too Late To Be Famous

03 October 2011

The Time Has Come...

My hair has been growing now for nearly 18 months with nigh a trim... but now with the holiday fast approaching I have been planning it's demise.

It is the longest length I have had it since I was about 30, but it increasingly gets in my way at night, during the day and on the bike. It has had bits chopped off the length by me (directed at SOH) but nowhere near hairdresser style.

It is badly in need of a trim, I grew it to get rid of an unwanted fringe, but never found the time to have a cut and blow dry professionally.

Change is good, change is positive and the benefits will be good; though I will miss my built in fly deterrent (pony tail)

02 October 2011

A visit from my Uncle Peter

Yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting my Uncle Peter, who moved to Australia when I was but a nipper and before my Dad was posted to Malaya.

I remember some of the family visiting us when we lived in the back of beyond, about 30 years ago but gradually as the years went by we lost contact with the Australian side of the family.

The about 18 months ago, just before the move to the Edge of the World I had an email contact from Uncle Peter as we were both researching information on the same branch of the family.

They are over here visiting, Peter with his new wife Julie whose family have branches in and around Cornwall (St Agnes, St Kevern, Penryn etc) and last night we met up with them and had a meal at the countryman.

I keep the family history box, which I inherited from my Mum and Dad who inherited it from Nan and Pops who were also Peter's Mum and Dad and when we went through it yesterday evening we were pleased to be able to give Peter some personal memento's of his early life including the telegram he sent from the Festival of Britain in 1951, the second telegram confirming he and his first wife Pat had made it to Tasmania and also some photos of him as well as his baptismal certificate. The other article we passed over was his wartime ration book.

We have some others that we need to get copied, but we agreed to scan these in as well and email them across.

I  certainly learnt some interesting facts about my grandparents, not all good, but all the same it was good to be able to share information about our own memories and also update each other on what we have been doing in the meantime. They have kindly invited us out to Australia on a holiday, which we would love to do at some point in the near future; just might need to win the lottery first!

01 October 2011

Saturday Satire : My Night Out!

Went out with a lady tonight, after a (ahem) rather energetic goodnight, she told me she used to be a hooker. 

I said I was'nt bothered, and in truth, it could only be a benefit.
 

She then said "I'm not sure you understand,....my name was Brian, and I played for Wigan"