When Ella was Asleep...

We had a very 'gentle' Christmas break this year - not too much rushing around, eating and drinking, and staying up late, but lots of quality time with family and friends. 

On Boxing Day we went to Worcester Cathedral Cloisters to see the annual display of charity trees.  The low winter sun was shining through the glass and it gave an extra 'glow' to the whole event.

 

 

Mum managed very well with her walker - she's at the front in the photo below.

(Standing and reading is incredibly difficult for people with HD.. but my Mum is always super-determined in these sorts of situations.)

 

I'm always in awe of the creativity in these displays.  This tree was provided by a vintage clothing shop in the town.  It's been inspired by a fairy from a 1950s tree.  The neckline is made of baubles and the sash is made of tinsel and beads.  So pretty!

 

 

I totally fell for the romance of this tree.  It was created by the local Operatic Society and has a 'Marriage of Figaro' theme.

 

Close up it's even more gorgeous.  I'd have a tree like this in my living room if I could.

 

Wouldn't it look amazing at a winter wedding?

 

I saw these 'parcel's at the bottom of the tree created by a local mental health charity.

They'd worked with a snow-flake theme ... "Everyone's different and equally beautiful".

 

On 27th December me plodded across the snow-fields of the East Midlands to see Mark's Mum.  She lives in Sleaford (south of Lincoln) which is an awkward return journey for us to do in one day from Worcester.  Nevertheless, with her health problems, it's easier to devote one day of the holiday to a lot of driving rather than trying to deal with both Mums at this end (I hope that doesn't sound harsh..)

 

Then... for a couple of days I was laid low with the nasty bug that's going round.  Mark was delighted because it gave him chance to do some jobs in the garage on his current project.

 

Yesterday we joined some friends at the local model engineering club for their members New Year's Day event.  Here's Mark (in the hat) learning how to drive the track...

 

 

I was still feeling pretty rough but I still drove a bit and rode behind my friend...

(No pictures of me - I looked seriously ''full of a cold'!)

 

And younger niece I. joined us for a few circuits in the afternoon...

 

 

Today Mark went back to work.  Ella was unimpressed by the early alarm clock.  I don't think Mark was that pleased about it either.  I managed to sleep through the whole thing.... which didn't impress either of them!!!!!!

Jx

Mark's Project at the NEC

Good grief... is it Thursday already?

Anyway, here's a few photos from our weekend as part of the Classic and Restoration Show at the NEC Birmingham.  The Disco 5 hire car did a great job of towing the Marcos on the trailer round the west midlands motorways and in through the doors of Hall 11...

 

 

It always seems a bit strange to be driving around these large halls on set up day...

 

It took a few hours on Thursday to clean up the Marcos (she'd collected plenty of water when we drove through several showers on the way).  We also had to off-load the display boards and carpets from the club van, and set up the whole display.  By the time we left on Thursday we were already pretty tired...

 

The weekend was fun but exhausting... three more very early mornings and long days.

By the Sunday morning Mark just wanted as much sugar as he could reasonably eat on one iced bun!

 

Younger niece I. joined us for Saturday and Sunday.  She's been working with Mark for the last two years on the project and is very enthusiastic about the cars.  However, this was the first time that she'd got the chance to come a show.  She enjoyed the chance to sit in the other cars on the stand and generally assess the engineering and design that's needed to finish our project.

 

We also put her to good work at the end of the show when everything had to be pulled apart again..

 

When Mark went to get the Disco and trailer, I sat down to eat in the middle of all the chaos.

(At events like this it's important to take every advantage for 'fine dining'... haha!!)

 

In the end it was easier to push the Marcos out of the hall than try to get the car and trailer in through the doors.  As the lightest member of our team, niece I. got the chance to steer while we pushed.  You can see that she can't wait for the day when she gets the chance to drive this car for real!!!

 

Fortunately the daylight just about held until we got home.  I think we did a 14 hour day on Sunday.  Mark took the day off on Monday so we all had chance to relax and recover..

 

Since the weekend we've been trying to resolve the issue of the damaged Disco 2.

On Monday afternoon Mark and I went to look at 4 cars that are similar or lower spec/mileage than ours, at several different garages.  All of them were more money than the insurance company has offered - so Mark is spending a lot of time having very irritable conversations with them to try and bring about a resolution.  Bearing in mind that we are completely 'blame free' in this whole episode AND we have a 'like for like replacement' policy... we are starting to feel  extremely annoyed about the whole thing.

 

There's lots of other stuff going on... but I'm running out of time today so it will all have to wait for the next post.

Jx

The Time Travelling Wife..

We bought this lovely little desk for the hall in around 2003.

At first we used it properly - keeping diaries, important paperwork, address books, envelopes and stamps in the various drawers and cubby holes.  As the world of communication moved on, it just became 'a nice vintage feature' in the hall..

 

 

Yesterday I had to clear it out as part of our grand tidy up for the new carpets.

I realised - with something of a shock - that I genuinely didn't know what was in there!

Most of the drawers I hadn't opened for the best part of a decade.

 

So I started at the bottom and worked upwards..

In the bottom drawer I was amazed to find a couple of work diaries from 2003 and 2004.

(Goodness knows what they were doing there. I can only assume that they also had some useful contact numbers or birthdays that I hadn't had time to transfer across to the post 2005 diaries.)

 

If you ever needed an illustration of how my job had expanded and become unmanageable - here's the first week of October for a Head of Music in 2003...

 

...and this double page spread is the same week in October 2014

(my last October in the job)

 

I also found a sheet of paper that reminded me that 2003 - 2007 was actually an extremely difficult period in our lives.  In the summer of 2003 Mark was very ill with Meningitis.  It took him years to get back to somewhere near full health.  The sheet was a report from his final (and successful) structured return to work in 2006/7.

 

It's funny how this collision of a few sheets of paper has got me thinking..

- I remembered that the man who wrote the report died two weeks later while he was on holiday.  He took a shower in his holiday apartment and the water was contaminated with Legionnaire's.

- I've been thinking about the coping mechanisms that we've put in place to help Mark deal with the fact that he hasn't got much in the way of a medium term memory.

- I've been thinking about our paper free world and wondering what there'll be for the family historian in the future..

 

But mostly I've been hit by the hard evidence of how teaching really has become so challenging.

Jx

More Good Things...

It's been another weekend of celebrations here in Worcester..

On Sunday we drove down to Oxford to take my Father in Law out for his birthday.

He was delighted with a 'Jan Original' patchwork cushion

(in colours to match his conservatory furniture...)

 

 

Mark and his Dad share a passion for sweets and puddings - especially ice-cream sundaes.

 

Yesterday I took my parents out to celebrate BOTH their birthdays

(Dad is exactly four years older than Mum)

We went to Upton House - the lovely National Trust Property near Banbury.

After days of gloom and dampness, we were so lucky with the weather...

 

The gardens looked fabulous, with just a hint of early Autumn colour..

 

My parents love gardens and enjoyed exploring each of the terraces..

 

The borders were really pretty..

 

After lunch we went into the house.

Normally it's presented with a '1930s House Party Theme'.

This year it's been completely transformed to tell the story of it's life during WW2.

The owners were a rich banking family and they decided to move the bank from London to their home pretty much as war broke out.  The rooms now capture the bizarre combination of beautiful art and functional wartime food, furniture and crockery.  It's really well done...

 

 

Everything is designed to prompt memories...

Internal mail envelopes have a drab 1940s colour and

children are encouraged to use the type-writers to create memos..

 

 

One of the upstairs bedrooms is given over to a display about Ladies fashions and 'Make Do and Mend'.  Then the next room is presented as the Ladies dormitory, with everything from this little Singer sewing machine to reproduction 1940s WC roll.

 

All the clothes in the wardrobe were made from war time patterns by the volunteers.

 

It's clear that everyone involved in the house has put an immense amount of energy into this wartime project.  It's been carried out with a tremendous eye for detail and I'd really recommend a visit to anyone who's in the area.

 

Today things are a bit more 'normal' again...

Walking, harp, housework and preparation for our approaching holiday...

I'm popping round to help Mum with Facebook this afternoon..

We're out with friends from the car club this evening..

Can't think how I managed to find time to work!!!

Jx

Something of a Facebook 'Photo Shock'...

While I was a teacher I completely avoided Facebook.  I've had an account for a long time, but it was completely dormant - largely because I thought that it was more professional to keep my private life 'private'.  When I left school at the beginning of the summer I promised my older pupils (who were struggling with the idea that I was moving on) that I would be slightly more active on Facebook.  I told them that I wouldn't accept any friend requests... but I would keep my account completely open so that they could 'stalk' me.  Whatever I post on my Facebook page is always written with the thought that a few teenagers may still be 'keeping tabs on me', but I'm pretty sure that they've moved on now.

 

As it happens, most of the Marcos car club on-line activity has also moved from a 'chat page/forum' to Facebook this summer.  Mark doesn't do on-line social media at all so I am responsible for posting about his garage projects etc.

 

All of this means that I seem to have collected the usual random collection of Facebook 'friends'.... close family and Worcester friends (why???! what's wrong with the phone???!); real friends and relatives that live at a distance; ex-pupils from decades ago who have looked me up at some point and still appear on my news feed; current and ex-colleagues;  Marcos owners all over the world and a small group of people that I went to school with (we were a close circle of friends in 1984 but, since my family moved away from Oxford completely in 1989, I doubt I recognise them in the street now.)

 

It's far to say that, in the words of L P Hartley my "past is a different country"..

 

Anyway, earlier this week I became 'friends' with G.  G. and I sat in class together for 5 years and stayed at the school for A Levels.  We went on the same language exchanges, took part in the same school plays, went to the same sixth form parties and have a lot of shared memories.  He hasn't moved away from the area so he still spends time with 'the old school gang'.  He clearly takes Facebook quite seriously and made a point of messaging me to say 'Hi'.  He explained that the last 12 months have been difficult because he lost his wife to cancer - but he has two children that are doing well, and that he's spending a lot of time on his motorcycle.  He told me that he'd posted a lot of photos from our school days in his albums.  (I'd forgotten that he was also a keen member of the school photography club).

 

So I clicked on the album 'Matthew Arnold 1984' and prepared to 'time travel'....

It was a set of photos of the 'Great Three Legged Football Match'.  Insanely, I remembered the lunchtime clearly... On the far right, S. and C.  (S. was madly in love with C.  She wasn't interested but humoured him by being his partner that afternoon.)  On the left, my best friend S.  (She was the female half of the only couple to stay up-right because she was delightfully bossy, terribly competitive and planned all their moves..)

 

 

S. again.....

 

And then - the 12th picture was completely different.

What a shock....!

The first photo I've seen in 31 years of my first serious boyfriend, J.

(Dressed in black from top to toe, cowboy boots and his racing bike - just as I remember him.)

 

 

J. and I were a couple for 8 months in 1984.  It was WAY too serious so the relationship didn't really do either of us any favours.  The break up was epically messy.

(Mark was still dealing with the 'fall out' when we started dating in 1985.  J. got pretty obsessional, wouldn't let go and all sorts of really silly - and upsetting - stuff happened.)

 

It's hard to explain how this unexpected image has 'rattled' me - I really didn't expect my 17 year old self to re-surface and that I'd be quite so bothered by 30 year old memories.

 

Have you had any similar experiences with unexpected photos?

Jx

Happy Times..

At 12.00 on Saturday 18th August 1990 Mark and I got married at St Lawrence's Church, North Hinksey, Oxford.  Last Sunday the whole family got together and we all took a joint trip down memory lane to celebrate our Silver Wedding.  St Lawrence's is a tiny medieval church that is normally locked, so I organised with the vicar that we could pop in at the end of the morning service.

 

Mark and I re-enacted the 'Standing in the Church Doorway' photos..

 

Hmmmm - Here's the original..

(I definitely wasn't going to recreate the 1990s perm for the event!!)

 

 

Then we all walked a hundred metres or so down the lane to the pub (The Fishes at North Hinksey).  This was where Mark and I, and my sister and her friends, did most of our socialising in the late-80s.  It's become very popular again recently because it has a large, informal, river-side garden with lots of deck-chairs and traditional garden games.  They provide picnic hampers for groups who want to continue the informal theme... but we were lucky enough to be given a table on the veranda.

The weather was perfect for eating outside on Sunday afternoon - warm enough to be comfortable but not too hot for those people with their backs to the sun.

 

In this photo you can see (from L to R)

- younger niece (I), older niece (H), Mark and I, and Mark's brother (P).

 

 

In this photo you can see (L to R)

- P's partner's son, Mark's Dad, P's partner, my Dad and Mum, and my Sister's Husband

 

I decided months ago that I didn't want a big party for our Silver Wedding and this family lunch worked out perfectly.  My family and Mark's family haven't really met socially since my family moved away from Oxford shortly after our wedding - so everyone was on their 'best behaviour' and made the most of the time to catch up.

 

This evening Mark and I are going to have a quiet meal together.  I've splashed out and bought us some steak (which we never cook at home normally) and we'll have it with some herby new potatoes and salad.  I've also sorted chocolate mouse with fresh rasberries for pudding.  Mark's brother gave us a bottle of champagne at the weekend which I think we'll open too.

 

It's Mark's 49th Birthday tomorrow too - so he may well open his presents from me this evening.  It will be a lot more chilled than trying to do anything at 6.00 in the morning and we have more family and friends coming round tomorrow night.  (Celebrations are a little bit like buses in our household... you have to wait ages for them then loads come along at once.  Yesterday was a close friends birthday, Saturday will be another friends 35th wedding anniversary, then we have both my parents' and Mark's Dad's birthdays over two days at the beginning of September)

 

Other news... my older niece (H) got two As and a B at A level last week.  We are all very proud- because the last 18 months have been a bit of a disaster for her in several ways.  She wasn't in a position to apply to uni last year, so she's going to take a year out then apply for a nursing degree.  She hopes to work for 8 months then travel to South Africa to see relative's on her father's side of the family.

 

It also occurred to me that you may wish to hear a little about my continued progress through 'Great Escape', as 'phony retirement' (aka Six Weeks paid Summer Holidays) ends and real life outside the classroom starts on September 1st!  This probably deserves a post of it's own in the next couple of days..

Silver Wedding Anniversary Plans and Memories

On the 18th August Mark and I will have been married for 25 Years.

We decided earlier in the year that we didn't want a big party... this is an celebration that we would prefer to spend with our closest family.  So next weekend my parents; my sister, brother-in-law and their girls; Mark's Dad, brother and his partner are going to join us for 'a trip down memory lane'..

 

When Mark and I met, my family lived on the edge of Oxford and his family lived about 14 miles to the north in a small village.  Our first date was at 'The Trout' - a beautiful pub by the river Thames.  We are going to start the day with coffee at the pub.  To prompt more memories I'm going to create some 'Souvenir Programmes' for everyone the day.... including photos of the early days, our engagement party, the wedding, these up-to-date images that I took when I went to collect Gordon last week, and the menu for our celebration lunch.

 

 

This river-side terrace has featured on lots of TV programmes over the years.. especially Inspector Morse.  In 1985 this was the main route into the pub (and it was a cold, dark January night!)

 

 

In the mid-eighties this was the bar area.  We sat by an enormous open fire and Mark talked about Banger Car Racing.  (I drank Pernod and lemonade, and tried to nod intelligently at the right moments!)

 

This is the tiny Medieval church where we were married at 12.00 on 18th August 1990.

(I went to the little village school and had really special memories of services here, so we chose this church rather than the larger 1950s one at the other end of the parish when it came to our special day)

 

The footpath between the school and the church is still there...just as I remember it!

 

These buildings were the old Victorian school and school-masters cottage.  The year that I started Infants the school finally moved into the 'new build' a little further along the lane.  The cottage was let to the family of one of my friends so I have strong memories of playing in the tiny rooms.  The school was converted into a larger house.

 

..And here's the pub where my sister and I did most of our socialising through Sixth Form and University.  It's just round the corner from the church (we even went for a drink there after the wedding rehearsal).  It also has a huge, shady river-side garden and a good reputation for food - so it's going to be the venue for our family meal next week.

 

I couldn't resist a wander through the village to see what's changed... or not!

(North Hinksey is actually right next to Oxford's Southern Bypass - but these photos make it look as if it's in the middle of nowhere...)

 

This was the entrance to the home of my best friend from Secondary School.

(Her family were much 'posher' than the rest of us but they thought that the daughters should have a comprehensive education and 'mix with the world'.  Of-course our paths never crossed once she left the local comp. for a private Sixth Form education.  Nevertheless, I have great memories of meals with her family and exploring this enormous and quirky old house..)

 

And finally I couldn't resist a trip back to the 'Rec' near our old house in Botley.

There's an immense view to the North and 'the swings of dreams' (where I spent most of my free time from 14 - 20, rocking back and forth with my friends and plotting our futures...)

 

It's a strange feeling to go back after so many years...

- 48 years old and just 'retired'

- planning a silver wedding celebration

Kind of 'grown up but not'....!

Jx