Despite the Warmth

Autumn is reaching out her tendrils and changing the leaves from green to glorious shades from gold to red... it never ceases to amaze me that something so simple can give so much pleasure.

The nights are drawing in, and are cooler but the days currently are warmer than we have experienced throughout the so called summer leading to more people enjoying a late summer holiday on the beaches of our country.

All to soon this brief glimpse will be eclipsed, but I for one will remember its warmth to keep me going in the all too long winter.

Saturday Satire : Who wants to be a millionaire?

A Blonde Goes On Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

Tarrant: "Barbara, you've done very well so far - £500,000 and one lifeline left -- phone a friend.

The next question will give you the top prize of One Million pounds if you get it right ... but if you get it wrong you will drop back to £32,000 -- are you ready?"

Barbara: "Sure, I'll have a go!"

Tarrant: "Which of the following birds does not build it's own nest?

Is it........

A-Robin

B-Sparrow

C-Cuckoo

D-Thrush

Remember Barbara its worth 1 Million dollars."

"I think I know who it..but I'm not 100%...

No, I haven't got a clue. I'd like to phone a friend Regis, just to be sure.

Tarrant: "Yes, who, Barbara, do you want to phone?

Barbara: "I'll phone my friend Maggie back home in Birmingham."

(ringing)

Maggie (also a blonde): "Hello..."

Tarrant: "Hello Maggie, its Tarrant here from Who Wants to be a Millionaire-I have Barbara here and she is doing really well on £500,000, but needs your help to be a Million.

The next voice you hear will be Barbara's and she'll read you the question.

There are 4 possible answers and 1 correct answer and you have 30 seconds to answer -- fire away Barbara."

Barbara: "Maggie, which of the following birds does not build it's own nest? Is it:

A-Robin

B-Sparrow

C-Cuckoo

D-Thrush"

Maggie: "Oh Gees, Barbara that's simple.....It's a Cuckoo."

Barbara: "You think?"

Maggie: "I'm sure."

Barbara: " Thanks Maggie." (hangs up)

Tarrant: "Well, do you want to stick on £500,000 or play on for the Million, Barbara?"

Barbara: "I want to play, I'll go with C-Cuckoo"

Tarrant: "Is that your final answer?"

Barbara: "It is."

Tarrant: "Are you confident?"

Barbara: "Yes fairly, Maggie's a sound bet."

Regis: "Barbara.....you had £500,000 and you said C-Cuckoo ...you're right! - You have just won ONE MILLION POUNDS.

Here is your checque. You have been a great contestant and a real gambler. Audience please put your hands together for Barbara."

(clapping)

That night Barbara calls round to Maggie and brings her down to a local bar for a celebration drink and, as they are sipping their Champagne, Barbara turns to Maggie and asks "Tell me Maggie, How in God's name did you know that it was the Cuckoo that does not build its own nest?

Maggie: "Listen Barbara, everybody knows that a Cuckoo lives in a clock."

The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I;
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Something about this piece of writing

that tugs at my heart, 

I am not sure why, 

perhaps it is the road that I am travelling by

Nothing seems too smooth but the view is fine,

The path underfoot seems sure and flat

Even behind doesn't seem to be looking back.

Boys first visit to the vets

Today the boys had their boosters, or were supposed to, Poor Murphy has had to start his injections from scratch not much fun for him.

We had him in June and assumed incorrectly that he was protected until this June, Jasper in the meanwhile was due in November but it makes more sense to take them together so Jasper was going early and Murphy a bit later. Only when the vet went through his card, he hadn't had any jabs since his first ones in September 2009 so the poor lad has to start again. His second jabs are on the 5th of next month.

Both of them were good and as a result are now enjoying a rawhide ring to chew on which they are tucking into as I write this.

Saturday Nights alright... ;-)

One of the delights of Saturday night, well not every Saturday, is a meal from our favourite chinese the Hong Sing in Redruth.

We can order online, and pay on delivery which is excellent as after a hard day watching the football (well actually I sat in the car with a good book) and SOH was busy running up and down the pitch keepign the little blighters in line making various threats comments like Yellow or Red card?

Saturday night we tried a special chow mein, the last time we had a really good one was in Derby but hadn't had much success since then.. then we had some at Stithians show which was lovely and apparently the trick is to ask for it to be dry fried... bingo the chow mein was stunningly gorgeous and was scoffed immediately.

Needless to say, it is going to be on the regular list from now on and possibly replacing the fried rice.

So if you live in the locality or visiting from afar, I can definitely recommend a meal from the Hong Sing; I just wish they had a restaurent.. but you never know what will happen in future.

Saturday Satire : A really bad day

There was this guy at a bar, just looking at his drink. He stays like that for half of an hour.

Then, this big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him, takes the drink from the guy, and just drinks it all down. The poor man starts crying. The truck driver says, "Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I'll buy you another drink. I just can't stand to see a man cry."

"No, it's not that. This day is the worst of my life. First, I fall asleep, and I go late to my office. My boss, outrageous, fires me. When I leave the building, to my car, I found out it was stolen. The police said that they can do nothing. I get a taxi to return home, and when I leave it, I remember I left my wallet and credit cards there. The Taxi driver just drives away."

"I go home, and when I get there, I find my wife in bed with the gardener. I leave home, and come to this bar. And just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison."

What happened?

I took the boys this morning over the fields in search of my autumnal harvest of blackberries but it was a very poor selection.

Last year, Murphy and I came home regularly with plump dark blackberries by the kilo. This year they are small, stunted and look dried out before I have had a chance to dehyrdrate them.

I really wanted a good batch to put in the mincemeat this year as an additional flavour but at this rate it doesn't look as though it is going to be possible.

Tunisia here we go

After a long talk with the travel agent, we decided on a holiday to Tunisia.

It is somewhere that we have not visited before, and had to choose between a week in Turkey or Tunisia but the latter won because of the closeness of the beach.

Apparently it is 25 degs average for when we are going, whatever it is you can bet that the weather here will pick up as soon as that plane goes up so no I am not telling you the precise date we leave.. instead I will let you guess... ;-)

Being a Student Again - PGCE Part II

A minor hiccup saw me having to redo an essay on the role of educational theorists views on a complex issue. I was sure I understood the problem, but apparently I drifted off into the abyss of student blindness to the real question. Anyway, it was redone and successfully this time by a wide margin which was a relief as it was a barrier to the second year stage.

So now, I am on year two. Back to being a student on a monday evening again, but this time it is only up until October as we are expected to be selfmanaging our learning time hmmm I forsee problems with that so plan to build time into my days when free from work.

Unlike last year, when we had to submit two pieces of work at the end of the module, this year they have built in at the midway point the first submission point. Which is the 8th November with the second being early January so a little more pressure this year and requires a bit more dedication - please note self I said a little more dedication ;-)

Saturday Satire : Arthritis

A drunk man who smelled of beer sat down on a subway next to a priest. The man's tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half-empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading. After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, 'Say Father, what causes arthritis?' 

The priest replies, 'My Son, it's caused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol, contempt for your fellow man,! sleeping around with prostitutes and lack of a bath.' 

The drunk muttered in response, 'Well, I'll be damned,' Then returned to his paper.
 
The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man and apologized. 'I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?'

The drunk answered, 'I don't have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does.'







MORAL: Make sure you understand the question before offering the answer.

Hmmm

I've heard this before, but it still makes me think twice when I hear someone being criticized.

“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes.”

Jack Handey

A Dark and Stormy Night

Whew.. glad that night is over and done with. The winds howled around Tre Agan relentlessly from about midnight last night.... this morning, the rain threw itself down on me and the boys as we took our morning walk around the streets of Redruth, I tried to avoid the areas with trees as much as possible as a lot of debris was still falling.

Then a trip to see a student on the North Coast, by which time the winds had dropped to a steady blow and the rain eased... by the timeI got home it was drying up but feeling chilly. Nothing like a slow introduction to the delights of winter.. now where was Summer?