tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58051442012-02-14T05:47:01.373ZWhere am I this weekend? Thoughts and memories related while traveling, or simply sitting at home. With a little bit of youth work thrown in for good measure.Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.comBlogger2231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-53288049103521979792009-11-24T21:53:00.002Z2009-11-24T21:55:23.472Z

Please sign this petition:Further to recent announcements concerning the potential sell-off of properties owned by British Waterways by the Treasury, we petition the Prime Minister to give assuarnces that our canals will be protected and recent levels of investement, a credit to Labour, is maintained.Our canals are great source of pleasure for many people in the country, providing a source of

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-53896955555439076752009-06-05T15:50:00.004+01:002009-06-05T16:04:05.966+01:00

London only has one remaining rape crisis centre. During the run-up to his election Boris Johnson promised, with much PR fanfare, to pay for three new rape crisis centres and to fund the one existing centre for at least 4 years. There is now serious doubt that he will fulfill this promise.Please help us to keep this centre alive and make Boris keep his promise. There is currently a consultation

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-3687894268405057282009-05-01T16:25:00.003+01:002009-05-01T16:38:28.156+01:00

CONGRATULATIONS to Carol Ann Duffy who has just been made poet laureate. She held her first interview after the announcement on Woman's Hour this morning (go here to listen).She is one of my favourite poets (thank you to S for introducing me to her work) and based on the interview with her this morning she is also a thoroughly nice person who is giving back to the poetry community by

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-14975380608956287022009-01-28T17:32:00.001Z2009-01-28T17:33:22.322Z

On Sunday I did something I don’t do on a regular basis. I went and bought shoes. This odd situation was precipitated by the amount of rain we’ve had recently – my old shoes were leaking quite badly and I couldn’t put it off any more. I always buy walking shoes for everyday wear – they’re the most comfortable and, since I don’t drive I spend quite a lot of my time either a) on foot or b) on a

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-53926511913387622752009-01-19T17:46:00.004Z2009-01-19T18:31:28.321Z

In a bored moment when I couldn't focus on any of my work I went searching on the web and found these:Joined up writing: a writers thoughtsWrite to doneMy blogroll has significantly shrunk - I'm following quite a few blogs but many of the ones in the list weren't actually included. I've had a quick look and shrunk my blogroll to the select few I still follow. More will be added when I can be

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-19604961366317115012009-01-19T15:48:00.002Z2009-01-19T15:56:37.262Z

One of the things I struggle with the most is attempting to find a way of condensing my life into a few words without making the whole lot seem a little pointless... Having been required to do this fairly recently I went searching for some guidance.Having found the most useful information on One Night Stanzas last time I tried looking there again. They came up trumps with this informative

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-33511164320816504012009-01-02T18:19:00.002Z2009-01-02T18:39:46.743Z

The story of how coffee was discovered is rendered in a variety of ways about the only thing that is consistent is that it happened in Ethiopia, was the fault of the goats and that the goatherd was called Kaldi.One day Kaldi was minding his goats when he noticed that they were no longer quietly eating their way accross the mountainside and were instead dancing around. He watched the goats

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-14137978115904454912008-12-31T17:52:00.002Z2008-12-31T18:06:03.165Z

Just in case you have been living in a hole for the last 24 hours... Terry Pratchett has been knighted - what else could you do with a fantasy author? I heard him on the news this morning telling the world that he would be getting himself a horse and a sword (I don't think it was quite in those words - I was half asleep at the time).The BBC News story about the New Years Honours is here. There

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-87990897317056309372008-12-22T19:08:00.003Z2008-12-22T19:10:55.597Z

I don't know about you but I generally don't go around picking tube stations up - so which way round to put them down is generally a non issue - this was taken in Baker Street Station:

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-50389953917488868972008-12-22T18:20:00.003Z2008-12-22T18:27:27.511Z

Ok, so this is not so much daily as when I remember to do it...Today sit in front of a mirror and look closely at your own face. Start to describe it focusing on things such as hair and ears rather than just eyes. Remember we don't want to just hear a description of a face we want to be able to actually see it and the stories behind the face. Our faces are our public persona but there are

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-28571806517678690522008-12-19T19:09:00.001Z2008-12-22T18:20:15.791Z

Lets shake it up a bit, the Christian church does not only have a list of seven deadly sins it also has a list of seven virtues. These are less well known but are worth thinking about. Again respond to one or all of them in either a piece or a series of pieces:The seven virtues:PrudenceJusticeTemperanceFortitudeFaithHopeCharity(These are from this wikipedia article.)As usual if you want to post

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-54425620631397495352008-12-12T18:59:00.001Z2008-12-22T18:20:00.296Z

This is one I came up with a while ago:The Seven Deadly Sins are well known and have inspired some great works look at each of the sins and interpret them in your own way, focus on one or include all of them in a work or series of works. As ever if you want to put your response in a comment I'll upload it to the blog as soon as I'm back online.In case you don't remember the whole list (it

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-21398317052187326802008-12-11T18:57:00.001Z2008-12-11T18:58:18.775Z

It's been a while but here's the next one:Write about a breakdown in communication.

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-3217512098187136612008-12-11T18:42:00.002Z2008-12-11T18:54:16.862Z

I did a scary thing today - I wrote my first cover letter for a poetry submission (I'll let you know how it gets on). While I was searching for advise online I came across a lot of American sites before I found this article on the One Night Stanzas a site which describes itself as less than a blog more of a community. The article itself is probably the most helpful for a UK writer that I found

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-85361052767606685832008-11-28T22:14:00.008Z2008-11-28T22:54:48.432Z

The official ArtAngel site is hereI came upon this art exhibition by accident finding out about it only after it had been extended (it closes on 30th November) and just had to go and see it. I'm not sure personally whether I count this as art but it was something fantastic to go and see. Mr Hiorns filled two rooms of a due to be demolished flat in Elephant and Castle with copper sulphate

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-16429095885250966042008-11-28T20:50:00.001Z2008-11-28T20:52:04.081Z

Write about finding a golf-ball. If you feel like sharing the results post it as a reply.

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-85991826356835129652008-11-25T18:07:00.006Z2008-11-25T18:13:38.122Z

The other night I found myself remembering sweets that I had eaten as a child but had not bought for years. This made me wonder where you could go with the disappointment caused by finding a sweet that you loved as a child and discovering that they were nothing like you remembered them.So the exercise bit of this: pick something that you or your character remember from when they were a child and

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-33246439860235622182008-11-25T17:06:00.002Z2008-11-25T17:17:01.537Z

Some places I have found on my hunt for the year that they introduced the modern KX100 phone boxes into the UK (there's a reason for my search I promise I'm just not going to share):telephones uk: a pictorial history of telephones in the UK - I think they cover most phones not just the kiosk variety but I was only looking for the change over date so I didn't stay very long.redphonebox.info A

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-87095005577182460162008-11-21T18:10:00.003Z2008-11-21T18:50:38.843Z

When I first started drinking coffee in large quantities at around 14 the best you could hope for was filter coffee - if you were really lucky you might get a "cappuccino" from one of those automatic coffee machines which are now so ubiquitous. As a child, with little idea of what coffee should taste like this was heaven. I have stood in many a cold sports hall cradling a floppy plastic cup

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-43944544387893591082008-11-19T22:10:00.002Z2008-11-19T22:48:54.664Z

My online ramblings led me to this site which contains a beautiful description of one womans search for the perfect stitch marker. Sadly it doesn't actually appear to have been updated since 2005 but there are some wonderful things on there as well as the stitch markers.I may try the technique described for making the loops - she doesn't mention weither or not they actually passed the knitting

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-12705603565007122672008-11-19T20:54:00.004Z2008-11-19T21:24:05.127Z

Are you bored with the never ending stream of 'reality television' programs being pumped into your home? For a truly mesmerising experience why not spend a few minutes watching the Giant Panda Cam at The National Zoo Washington, USA or even this one at San Diego Zoo (which works really slowly through my mobile internet). If you don't fancy any of these try a quick search to find others

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-68168337682659223782008-11-19T20:52:00.001Z2008-11-19T20:54:54.061Z

For those of you who haven't seen Fight club it is a very good film about the seting up of a 'fight club' - I can't really tell you more than that without having to give a spoiler warning. In Fight Club, there are only two rules:Do not talk about fight clubDO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUBAt this point you know all you need to to enjoy the comedy linked to below:http://www.mustardweb.org/03/

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-21806562184139653762008-11-13T22:09:00.002Z2008-11-13T22:13:38.461Z

Mathematicians have solved the problem of whether the chicken or the egg came first... unfortunately their solution only works for spherical chickens in a vacuum.Heard on Channel 4's Big Bang Theory a while ago.

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-78326181805914001202008-11-13T19:45:00.003Z2008-11-13T22:09:47.334Z

According to Pete Lunn's article in New Scientist the basic assumption of neoclassical or orthodox economic theory is that people and companies are rational, selfish and independent economic agents. Er... What??? Why are they basing economic theory on something so obviously untrue? The answer probably is that it makes the maths easier, but that really isn't an excuse. Human beings are not

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-809982541219207292008-11-13T18:29:00.002Z2008-11-13T19:23:22.254Z

A quick search of Amazon reveals the variety of electronic readers on the market now. They cost in general around £200 pounds and come in a variety of subtly similar shapes, all are about the size of a narrow paperback and can hold a number of books. I have to admit I am torn. In one sense this is the ultimate in space saving technology (I live on a boat, anything which limits the amount of

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-82450721861324416292008-11-11T16:49:00.002Z2008-11-11T17:06:35.905Z

Quite a while ago now I went to The Roundhouse in Camden to see something which can only really be described as cabaret (without resorting to words already used anyway). This one however was not what you would expect at all... there was naked pole dancing (by men!) courtesy of Spymonkey, some amazing areal work from a variety of artists, folk music from Lady Carol of the Moon, Lucifire played

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-8775085675762106272008-11-11T16:28:00.003Z2008-11-11T16:44:36.701Z

All hail Tom Wrigglesworth a stand-up comedian who stood up (sorry that pun was in the original Evening Standard article) to Virgin Train Crew over a £115 fair being charged to an elderly lady who had been advised to get onto the train even though it wasn't the one she was booked onto. Mr Wrigglesworth attempted to intervene and was told to mind his own business by staff. He was then threatened

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-58464296103819111892008-11-09T17:03:00.002Z2008-11-09T17:06:30.640Z

I caught a little bit of a Radio 4 program the other day in which the following was quoted. Sorry I can't remember who the quote is from or which program it was quoted on, but it's too much fun to keep to myself:Surprise is when a bomb goes off.Suspense is when two people are sitting at a table talking and the shot tracks down to a bomb.Mystery is when two people are sitting at a table talking

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-42023978290728470322008-10-27T14:47:00.005Z2008-11-19T22:13:04.031Z

The web addresses I was trying to post are as follows:The AnticraftdomiKNITrixI've checked them and they work now.

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1349823375513049432008-10-11T18:12:00.000+01:002008-10-30T18:16:56.885Z

Pick a place you know or knew well. Start describing it in detail to someone who's never been there. You want them to be able to picture the place, see what it means to you. Because of the kind of detail involved in this description you will want to pick somewhere fairly small, a room in a house, a garden (a normal garden not the whole of a country house's grounds), a shed, your office at work

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-4768075364386565762008-10-05T15:27:00.002+01:002008-10-05T15:39:42.775+01:00

Thank you Golumn. No matter how it's phrased it's a good question. What a person habitually carries around with them, whether in their pockets or in a bag says a lot about who they are and their influences. So, the writing exercise part: think about what your character caries around with them on a regular basis and how they transport them. Do they carry a bag, or do they habitually put things

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-62011594330005801722008-09-25T16:10:00.003+01:002008-09-25T16:30:09.253+01:00

The process of updating this is taking some time. All the links on the right are now, to the best of my knowledge valid (I lost a lot of information when my laptop was stolen and it's taken me a while to get it back).As you've probably noticed by now I have updated the design of the blog as well and I would appreciate comments.Comment moderation is, however, remaining in place. Although I hope

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-28041162918625732622008-09-14T23:26:00.003+01:002008-09-14T23:29:53.967+01:00

While perusing poetry websites (I know, I know) I came across this little gem... go on tell me you've never felt this way: Jonathan Pinnock would like to complain. This is one that will definitely make it into my recipe book!

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-74717756368331254162008-07-15T13:28:00.001+01:002008-07-15T13:31:27.081+01:00

I really must update what's going on over there ->I haven't really been reading the same books for over a year I just haven't got round to doing anything with this blog for a while - as you can see some three weeks after I said I would try to rant once a week I have in fact only managed to publish one - it's not that I'm ranting any less about the stupidity of so many things it's just that I'm

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-87684955425519624542008-07-15T13:24:00.000+01:002008-07-15T13:26:30.355+01:00

Ever since Americans started suing tobacco companies for not warning them that smoking could cause disease and later the words “smoking ban” entered our collective consciousness the amount of anti-smoking advertising has increased exponentially. Almost every company you can think of (other than those actually selling tobacco) has brought out a product ‘guaranteed’ to aid you on your quest to

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-55438609446904532482008-06-23T13:18:00.002+01:002008-06-23T13:36:37.815+01:00

There are so many things that I spend my time ranting about. Mostly it's my friends and family which suffer from the ranting so now, to give them all a bit of a break I'm going to write them up here instead. This way they can still suffer me ranting but at least they can choose whether or not their interested in the issue that is currently irritating me. I'm going to try to write one topical

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-88992848953051233562008-04-23T12:08:00.000+01:002008-05-07T12:28:53.633+01:00

This is a really simple writing exercise. Write the "Sentence when I think of I think of..." and fill it in. Be as specific as possible and try to evoke all of the senses. If you decide to join me in this exercise then here are some of my thoughts in order to get you started. Remember you can, if you are using this as an unblocking exercise, finish the statement from the pov of one of your

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-68876916840886382032007-11-05T12:29:00.000Z2007-11-05T12:47:16.930Z

Things I wrote which didn't make it to the application form: Waterstones.What is it about bookselling that interests you?As something of a litterary whore and an aspiring writer I relish the idea of being able to reoccmend books that readers may enjoy as well as assisting them to find the books they came in for.orHaving spent most of my life reading voraciously with little regard for the

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-72789051743530538932007-05-28T22:13:00.000+01:002007-05-28T22:23:26.455+01:00

I hate spammers!A few random words that I came across - they're apparently from a Radio 4 program entitled "Word of Mouth"...Ecocrit - a person who preaches environmental friendliness while simultaneously owning and utilising a 4x4Peddlarian - a cyclist who rides on the pavement (a pet peeve of mine but this is not really the place to go into rant mode)Dotsom - abandoned web content.This is not

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1166014854091743732006-12-13T12:57:00.000Z2007-02-22T15:40:54.646Z

I've been ignoring this but I will start updating again soon. Life on the water is good and you eventually get used to the privations such as getting up in the cold, walking two miles to the shop/surgery/library, not having internet. Tomorrow I have an interview and on Friday I have to go and get some more gas, Saturday and Sunday I am working so I should, hopefully, be able to post again next

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1163520300758257602006-11-14T15:59:00.000Z2006-11-14T16:05:00.773Z

Yesterday I was actually in when some people came round to look at my flat. This in itself is odd as I have pretty much moved to Reading now so that I can be in the locality for job searching. The first viewing (there were three in total) was at 0930. Now I'm not very good at mornings, in fact, I don't actually think that mornings should exist at all, but I put on my brightest smile and went

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1163418121621346682006-11-13T11:31:00.000Z2006-11-13T18:36:49.720Z

I have a confession to make. I bought a magazine. We're not talking my usual reading material here, The Ecologist is delivered on a monthly basis and I more often buy The Independent than anything else. This time however in a moment of desperation (I was about to get on a train to Windsor and Eton Central and had forgotten to bring a book with me) I was tempted by a glossy promising

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1159952576308583832006-10-01T10:01:00.000+01:002006-10-04T10:02:56.320+01:00

vini, vidi, visawe came, we saw, we shoppedneed I say more?

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1159737691517612232006-09-09T20:33:00.000+01:002006-10-01T22:21:31.613+01:00

Environmentally friendly travel meant that I arrived at the venu (the armadillo)40 minutes early and feeling a little stupid that I had so badly overestimated the time it would take me to get there. With my vehicle parked and all valuables removed I still had 35 minutes to wait so I parked my arse on a nearby bench and rolled a cigarette. One cigarette and a couple of texts later (or about five

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1157212311775493482006-09-02T16:46:00.000+01:002006-09-02T16:51:51.790+01:00

I remember singing this when I was in primary school as part of our music lessons... All this decorating reminded me of it.Our parlor wanted papering, and Pa says it was wasteTo call a paperhanger in, and so he made some paste.He bought some rolls of paper, got a ladder and a brushAnd with my mummy's nightgown on, at it he made a rush.CHO: When Father papered the parlour You

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1156376215337078742006-08-24T00:14:00.000+01:002006-08-24T00:36:55.353+01:00

I am moving. More specifically I am moving from a small but perfectly formed 2 bedroom flat to a 40 foot narrowboat. Those who know me well will know that living aboard such a boat has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember and certainly as long as they can. What moving to a boat does do for you however, especially if you are something of a green freak like me anyway, is remind you

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1154562792970797622006-08-03T00:48:00.000+01:002006-08-03T00:53:13.003+01:00

I hoped this was a joke... I have to say though that I don't think it is. My issue with this is not that of piercing people under the age of majority (I think that as children grow up at different rates the child in questions parents should make the decision whether or not they can make an informed choice) but with the fact that the children peirced by this particular firm are subject to the

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1153508854273357252006-07-21T19:59:00.000+01:002006-07-23T21:16:25.596+01:00

I walked into the computer suite at work tonight and was confronted by the sight of the majority of the young people who were accessing the centre sitting in a boiling hot, cupboard like, artificially lit room with the blinds drawn against the sun each focused on and blinkered by their own individual tft screen. There were some 10 young boys present boys who should have been running round in

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1152279632154582412006-07-07T14:39:00.000+01:002006-07-07T14:40:32.156+01:00

for all those who were killed and injured in the July 7th bombings in London last year, their families and those who since the blasts have been persecuited without cause for their religious beliefs or the colour of their skin.

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1152108546111923502006-07-05T15:03:00.000+01:002006-07-07T14:38:45.466+01:00

The online marketplace ebay has today anounced that 29 is the peak of your spending power. At this point apparently you have the most disposible cash and the most ability to be a consumer, but what exactly does this mean to those of us who fall into the twenty something group? On You and Yours today one of the guests (Shally Roady sp?) remembered crying on her 21st birthday because suddenly she

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1151339931441216062006-06-26T17:11:00.000+01:002006-06-26T23:39:59.983+01:00

Words are, as someone once noted but a pale imitation of reality. If you don't have a word for a concept can you know what that thing is? It is a question which has bothered philosophers and psychologists for a very long time, it's also a question which on occasion bothers me. Richard Lederer points out that the average English speaker knows around 10000 to 20000 words but uses only a fraction

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1151277401524183332006-06-26T00:12:00.000+01:002006-06-26T00:18:36.903+01:00

See what your rating is!Created by Bart KingHave a few issues with the quiz but it kept me occupied for a few minutes anyway. Thank you Bill Sticker for my five minutes of diversion - honest I am going to bed now...

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1151064516966915842006-06-23T13:06:00.000+01:002006-06-26T20:03:42.013+01:00

I have added a blog I have been following for a while Pub Philosopher because of his recent post about parking fines, I don't always agree with him, but I am usually as cynical as he is about people. So he deserves to be there. Have fun :)By the way, I will be back to posting as normal soon.

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1150926634470634442006-06-21T22:32:00.000+01:002006-06-22T21:55:03.440+01:00

Over on Random Acts of Reality Reynolds has been talking about those chronic homeless alcoholics whom he picks up on a regular basis. He also has a link to this article in the New Yorker about the cost of chronic homelessness to the health care system, the talk of 'drunk tanks' where alcohol soaked individuals are sent to sobre up reminded me of an article in The Independent that I came accross

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1150852473177841292006-06-21T02:10:00.000+01:002006-06-21T02:14:33.230+01:00

Excite Image Search: Sister's Bra - comes up on p. 2 with the "Brain's Bra" picture which languishes somewhere in the archives of my blog. There have also been refers from Google for people looking for "nipple peircing" I will keep an eye and note the more bizar ones in future... ;)

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1150849909759762482006-06-21T01:28:00.000+01:002006-06-21T01:31:49.770+01:00

Two photoblogs have just been added to the side bar...Life in Still Mode rarely disappoints with beautiful photography throughout - I'm afraid I tend to look at the photo's and ignore the comments however, even as an amiture photographer I'm really not that interested in how they were taken :/Jim's World often has good photo's on it though some I admit I enjoy stairing at more for the knowledge

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1150846933334214852006-06-21T00:39:00.000+01:002006-06-25T00:15:29.776+01:00

Sadly this actually does describe my relationship with the stuff...You Are a Soy LatteYeah, you've got a bit of that healthy hippie thing going onBut you're more Kate Hudson urban bohemian than Phish groupieYou're worldly and well traveled.. and you know where to get the best coffee in town.All your experience makes you a compassionate person - and a caring girlfriend.What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1150846701169262362006-06-21T00:35:00.000+01:002006-07-06T05:19:35.693+01:00

but this takes the biscuit:Your Style is 1960sBold dresses, funky boots, bright patterns. You have an eye for fashion - and make trends timeless!What Decade Matches Your Style?blame merys

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1150841895212993252006-06-20T23:02:00.000+01:002006-06-20T23:18:15.273+01:00

No that isn't a miss-spelling. Ok, actually it is a miss-spelling, but it's a deliberate one. Argos has, in my house at least, been known as agros for a long time. I generally try to avoid the place but, for reasons which escape me I decided on Saturday that this would be the best place to buy a large quantity of plastic boxes from.Argos is one of those places that in turns scares me and

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1149850191706156802006-06-09T11:48:00.000+01:002006-06-09T11:49:51.720+01:00

(with apologies to Mr. Barthes)Mine was, in many ways, a literary childhood. Indeed, I was the kind of child who knew how to create a comma splice before I actually knew what one was. It's a sad reflection on the state of British Education in fact that I only learnt what a comma splice was while I was doing my first degree. Gripes about education aside (that's a whole different post) listening

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1148162252232753162006-05-20T22:40:00.000+01:002006-05-20T22:57:32.256+01:00

I haven't posted recently as I've been rather busy with assignments - but I thought I'd introduce you to a game I've just invented. It starts with the creation of an account on Foyles Story Code site you then 'code' a book, any book. I started with Chocolat by Joanne Harris. When you complete the coding excersize it will come up with a list of recomended books for you. Read through this list

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1144340343787241532006-04-06T17:08:00.000+01:002006-05-08T01:46:19.773+01:00

I got up this today wishing that I didn't have to. My head feels like it's going to explode. Having got to the stage where I could actually listen to the radio I turned on Radio 4 and listened rather blankly to the news (has the avian flu strain H5N1 arrived in the UK and should we be scared? Well, no, according to the news, at the moment there is little chance of it infecting anyone - unlike

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1143396894978759172006-03-18T19:03:00.000Z2006-03-26T21:15:14.606+01:00

Due to the sheer number of us, we decided not to scare the bejeesus out of the local publican by decending on them en mass and ordering 45 pints of ale, 3 pints of cider and assorted soft drinks (some of which no doubt would be laced with alchol of the drinkers choice) and instead settled down in our accomodation (the youth centre attached to the local high school) with a couple of polypins of

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1143389120203214222006-03-16T16:55:00.000Z2006-03-26T18:42:23.280+01:00

I didn't really go via Beachy Head but I did temporarily entertain the idea of going via London and catching the London WRG bus from Paddington. Somewhere along the way however I realised that that was a silly idea so I packed my bags, picked up my bike and left. Shortly afterwards I discovered that my tires had gone down through lack of use, my gears were grouching about changing and my brakes

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1142136357882754852006-03-12T03:51:00.000Z2006-03-12T04:05:57.926Z

I am generally against muscling in on the political decisions of another country simply because it tends to have unforseen effects. I feel I have to comment on The South Dekota Abortion Ban however after reading through the pbs article about it. I almost cant believe this was said, let alone said by a representative of the state to give you a bit of context I have included the paragraph before

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1142134741901802032006-03-12T03:36:00.000Z2006-03-12T03:39:01.916Z

In the few moments when I am not asleep, at work, doing assignments or contemplating my TBR (To Be Read) pile with dismay I peruse such esteemed publications as New Consumer, The Ecologist, New Statesman, The Economist, The Independent, The Guardian and The Observer. Sadly my choice of reading matter does little for my 'street cred' with the Daily Mail, The South Wales Echo and Cosmo being more

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1142026540049808592006-03-10T21:25:00.000Z2006-03-10T21:35:40.080Z

I cant sort everyone else's life out for them. I do not have a magic wand that I can wave and make all the bad things go away. No matter how hard I try, I cannot make people good at their jobs overnight. I do not need to make the whole centre work. I just need to make sure that what I am doing is the best I can do, that my portfolio is gleaming and that there is evidence coming out of my ears.

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1141863274505725752006-03-08T23:59:00.000Z2006-03-09T00:14:34.516Z

I promiced TrainingManager that I would arrive for the course at 9am even though it didn't start until 9.30 - I didn't quite manage it, I arrived at 9.15 instead. There are positives and negatives to having training sessions in your place of work. My usual introduction: "I'm NotQuiteHere* and I work here" never fails to get a laugh, and I do know my way around the building. The negative side

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1141862386635612992006-03-08T23:27:00.000Z2006-03-08T23:59:46.693Z

Did the university administration have their heads up their arses when they worked out the deadlines for our assignments? Admitedly I shot myself in the food by suggesting 28th Feb was "as good a date as any" for our Management Module Portfolio's to be handed in, however it was only after I got home that I discovered that 1st March was the deadline for my community profile and that 2nd March was

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1141179586645877972006-03-01T02:06:00.000Z2006-03-01T02:19:46.753Z

A group of first years at Dippy's university have been handed an eviction notice by their university halls. In retaliation they are causing complete havoc for the full 28 days of the notice. So far they have: broken into one of the 8th floor kitchens, removed a window pane and thrown out the fridge... they are also responcible for random egging incidents (which include kicking the shower doors

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1141047915066246662006-02-27T13:28:00.000Z2006-03-01T01:59:13.033Z

How many of you remember this nursery rhyme?Nobody likes me,everyone hates me,Think I'll go and eat worms,Big fat jucy ones,Long thin skiny ones,See how they squiggles and squirms,Bite their heads off,Suck their juices,Throw the skins away,Nobody knows how much I grows,On three meals of worms a dayLast week my worms arrived. This caused no end of confusion to my friends and family, and not least

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1140383927159956102006-02-19T20:40:00.000Z2006-03-05T14:01:05.663Z

Every Sunday, between 10am and 2pm there is a farmers market on the banks of the Taff. Before I discovered this, I didn't even know that 10am on a Sunday actually existed, but that may be beside the point. When it first started it used to be every other Sunday and I'd spend so long trying to work out if it was this Sunday that I'd get bored and give up before I even got there. Fortunatly for

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1140287874866397192006-02-18T18:31:00.000Z2006-02-18T18:37:54.876Z

I am a car free zone. I have been a car free zone for the whole of my life. I am so much a car free zone that I don't even have a driving licence (though that may have to change soon if I want to get a job as most of them seem to require a full driving licence). As I am a car free zone, and am expecting my very nice mother (who does have a car) to move out at some point in the near future, I

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1140220614419524032006-02-17T23:12:00.000Z2006-02-18T18:58:11.106Z

I dont have a lot to say this week. I've spent the entire week trying to get my management portfolio up to speed. This means that I have words such as salient and phrases like psychological contract, psychological distance, organisational culture and leadership style wandering around in my head. It doesn't exactly make for thrilling blogging. There is some interesting stuff about group work

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1139618618049110702006-02-11T00:28:00.000Z2006-02-11T00:43:39.773Z

Copyright Jennie Breedon at The Devil's PantiesI was late again today, I don't think this week is going my way somehow. The consequence of my oversleeping today was that I missed the first half of my Education and Learning lecture. As far as I can tell I didn't miss much though, the discussion focussed around class and educational achievement. The second half of the session however focused on

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1139532756215270562006-02-10T00:36:00.000Z2006-02-10T00:52:39.376Z

I have in the past been walked accross Clapham by a man considerably more pissed than me simply because I'm a girl. I have been offered lifts home by male members of staff on nights when it's "kicked off" in the centre because it "might be dangerous for me to walk to the bus stop on my own". These are just two examples of slightly misplaced civalry that I have been exposed to. I have navigated

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1139505941632841112006-02-09T16:48:00.000Z2006-02-10T00:27:05.843Z

I missed the first hour of my Personal and Professional Development lecture today - I'm glad it wasn't the session on time keeping! Instead we spent the session trying to work out which of our values, beliefs and ethical opinions constitute our value base. It is, on occasion, a little like walking through treacle. How far do our values inform our work? How far should we let them. At what point do

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1139331329168091892006-02-07T16:51:00.000Z2006-02-08T00:12:47.496Z

Parent Pay is an idea currently under discussion in a variety of countries, the most advanced on this front is probably Sweden which, uses some of it's tax revenue to pay for the following: Parental leave after a birth or adoption is a full 480 days (about 16 months), 390 of them at about 80 percent salary (up to a limit). Two months is earmarked for fathers. Child care is not free, but well

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1139276910097510202006-02-07T01:45:00.000Z2006-02-07T13:57:25.646Z

How many [insert role from list below] does it take to change a light-bulb?Youth Workers (better start with my own profession).We are not here to change light-bulbs we are here to facilitate the changing of light-bulbs by young people.WitchesDepends what you want the light-bulb changed into.PsychiatristsWe do not force the light-bulb to change, when it is ready to move on it will change

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1139195904846487782006-02-06T03:15:00.000Z2006-02-06T22:43:24.570Z

... the answer does not lie in designing better reform strategies. No amount of sophistication in strategizing for particular innovations or policies will ever work. It is simply unrealistic to expect that introducing reforms one by one, even major ones, in a situation which is basically not organised to engage in change will do anything but give reform a bad name. You cannot have an

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1139187244574143402006-02-06T00:50:00.000Z2006-02-06T10:46:44.116Z

Half of my assignment for this module is a presentation, the other half is this:"Which is this ma"ny words...I think 3500 might be more likely.

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1139019647103079762006-02-04T01:55:00.000Z2006-02-04T02:20:47.186Z

and other popular misconceptions about contraceptionWhat Bebeursa's lovely friend actually said was: "It is no longer embarrassing for a man to carry a condom" - didn't know it had been for years.Other sex-ed misconceptions/misdemeanours which amused me include: the young lady who, having been given a demonstration of condom use using a banana thought that keeping a condom on a banana next to

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138973742089604672006-02-03T13:06:00.000Z2006-02-03T18:10:02.316Z

This university has all mod cons, broadband internet access, a well stocked library, fair-trade coffee in the cafeteria, hot food, a shop selling useful stuff. There's only one problem - we seem to be a little lacking in the heating department. The buildings are 1960's tower-blocks (the university I'm studying at used to be a polytechnic) with thin walls and huge ill fitting single skin windows

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138954574155000792006-02-02T22:13:00.000Z2006-02-05T18:33:13.430Z

Today was my first full day in university, no messing around, no cancelled lectures, the business. It was also a day of almost complete pointlessness:Lecture One: Personal and Professional DevelopmentAlso included – pointless exercise assessing our “Study Skills” (we have a separate lecture covering those) and an interesting debate sparked by the Channel 4 documentary Extraordinary Breastfeeding

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138765344373168902006-02-01T03:35:00.000Z2006-02-01T12:58:32.996Z

This post was originally going to be titled “Who nicked reality?” I've thought about it a bit more since then other possible titles include: Reality is a construct: discuss and Who needs reality anyway?. I was, as you might have guessed, a little bored while walking home from town today and started working out post titles. Anyway, back to reality:This is the real world, the really real

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138763053476453392006-02-01T02:38:00.000Z2006-02-01T03:04:13.566Z

I have just wandered over to wikipedia in the hopes of adding a link to the bottom of my peice about community to explain what I mean by the "three" criteria for defining community. It's a bit of a mess over there, so I'll have a go at being a little more succinct here.The three criteria that I mention are: Systems Relationships Locality Naturally not all 'communities' will be bound by all

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138761091600506432006-02-01T02:27:00.000Z2006-02-01T02:31:31.610Z

This photograph was taken between 6.30 and 7.00 on a Monday morning. You would think at that time of day there would be very few people around. There were. Sort of, as I was taking the photo(s - yes I took more than one) someone walked past. They didn't half give me an odd look... well I was lying on the ground pointing a camera at a blue tree!

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138722718577820402006-01-31T15:49:00.000Z2006-01-31T15:51:58.603Z

I wrote this during my professional qualification in youth and community work course. The group I was working with came to the conclusion that community was not necessarily bound by place I spotted this quote while re-reading Jenny Diski's (2002) Stranger On A Train and it just grew from there:The misfits and miscreants of the train, obviously in the real world a complete range of society, were

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138720283906268822006-01-31T15:00:00.000Z2006-01-31T15:11:23.990Z

Last night I had a bit of a shock. I work in an atmosphere of barely controlled chaos which see's me ricocheting from one issue to another, while trying to ensure that there is always a member of staff or volunteer keeping an eye on urm... everyone. I rarely get to deliver a whole activity as I'm generally trying to problem solve for everyone else while doing so. This is probably the most

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138540962281267772006-01-29T13:21:00.000Z2006-01-29T17:43:39.896Z

Activism Seems that Greenpeace are appealing to our parental side in this advert. Perhaps not without cause though:Research has shown that kids with even slightly activist parents are more mentally healthy, have amore positive view of the world and the future and do more about it. (Biddulph (2003) p26)I'm not quite sure what research Biddulph is talking about in this quote as he doesn't site it.

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138409086151957562006-01-28T00:01:00.000Z2006-01-28T11:31:52.760Z

Why Good Youth Work doesn't have to be high tech.Some of the best tools we have available to us in a youth work setting are also some of the cheepest. It is possible (though perhaps not practical) to run a youth centre without any of the high tech equipment most centre's seem to feel is essential today. For example we don't actually need any of the following: A Games Console Computers and

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138383152072912872006-01-27T17:23:00.000Z2006-01-29T22:21:57.146Z

As oppose to the thinking police or the blogging police.Brian of Brian's Brief Encounters has been put on gardening leave due to his blog - read his story and express support here please.PC Copperfield of The Coppers Blog was also very nearly exposed - this time by the daily mail. More on that (including the article about his blog) hereAll of this makes me a little nervous of carrying on posting

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138323854342631562006-01-27T00:33:00.000Z2006-01-27T01:04:14.566Z

Today's local paper is rather full of death... on the front cover is a piece about a 14 year old male who walked into the path of the Cardiff to Milford Haven train, p2 carries a 'short' about a man who hanged himself in Victoria Park, Cardiff (I used to live less than five minutes walk from there), p3 covers the death of a 20 year old with diabetes who succumed to a combination of depression and

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138316499904261442006-01-26T22:59:00.000Z2006-01-26T23:01:39.920Z

Why I should have worn a bra this eveningCo-worker: “nothing, like you do on a Friday night.”Me: (mildly incensed) “I do more than you”Co-worker: “yeah right.”Me: “ok then, what did you do last Friday?”Co-worker: “I looked after the computer room and the pool area while you were drawing on the walls with the kids.”Me: “Drawing on the walls?”Co-worker: “Yes.”What I was actually doing was a

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138238354691533322006-01-26T01:08:00.000Z2006-01-26T01:19:14.703Z

Technically, we have no food - with the exception of a few morose looking eggs and the odd fennel root. I also have no clean underwear, my room has vanished under the detritus caused by my frantic searches through as yet unpacked bags from my last couple of trips away for items that I actually need. My bathroom needs cleaning. My cats have forgotten who I am. I have two assignments which I

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138156511797459582006-01-25T01:12:00.000Z2006-01-26T01:04:54.973Z

Childcare was invented for the convenience of adults, not the needs or wishes of children. Those were an afterthought. (Biddulph (2003) p220Stay at home mummy/daddy or work-a-holic? These are the two different types of parent that were prominent in the papers last year as the 'experts' went head-to-head over whether hired childcare was good for children or not. Certainly the use of childcare

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138098221775767322006-01-24T10:19:00.000Z2006-01-24T10:23:41.786Z

This has been added to the sidebar as it made me laugh. Thank you to Cat from The Borderline Teacher blog. Also, incase she notices: Congratulations on becoming Teacher Cat. I look forward to the day when I'm a Youth Worker rather than a Youth Worker with mental health issues.

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138074173044010772006-01-23T13:45:00.000Z2006-01-24T03:46:25.130Z

On Saturday I got a crowded train out of London to visit a friend. Mostly getting on a crowded train, especially one in or arround London, means siting staring blankly into space trying not to make eye contact with anyone around you, hiding yourself in a book or personal stereo equipment or anoying everyone by taking up far too much carridge space trying to read a newspaper.We often hear words

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138071317314592712006-01-22T18:16:00.000Z2006-01-24T03:12:53.793Z

On my way down yesterday I started getting properly into Steve Biddulph's The Complete Secrets of Happy Children. This is another book that I picked up during an impulsive moment in Neils Yard. At the time I glanced through it, thought, that could be useful as an introduction parenting techniques and bought it. Writen by an Austrailian psychologist it is a book laced with humour, good advice and

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5805144.post-1138068893929917642006-01-21T05:55:00.000Z2006-01-24T02:20:43.343Z

I'm sure I used to have a system for mornings. I'm pretty sure that system didn't involve me running round in a mad panic. Though of course I could always be looking at the world through Rose Tinted Specticles. There was a time, a few years ago, when I was, if not good at mornings, at least capable of them. I'm pretty sure, however, that my ability to 'do' mornings was directly related to the

Tamariskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02438994526126233873noreply@blogger.com0