19/03/2008 by Aileen.

It’s 12.15 am and I’m still on the computer. Went shopping with John today and we bought our lighting. When we came home I fell asleep and woke up too late for the Scripture group at Hessle.

Disappointed today as my 2x convertor arrived but it didn’t fit my camera. Warehouse express said to return it - no problem.

I’ve got the itch to buy something for my camera though. Think I’ll see what e-bay has to offer.

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18/03/2008 by Aileen.

Forgot to post yesterday. For the record, housework in the morning, study in the afternoon, photo club in the evening.

Extra info: meditated twice, cycled for 25 minutes, ordered a 2x teleconvertor for my Nikon.

Off shopping with John today to buy lighting for hall/dining area, other hall  (!) sunlounge and utility room. 11 lights altogether.

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16/03/2008 by Aileen.

I’ve found a wonderful (time-wasting) site.

http://www.texthunter.co.uk/

I discovered it in my NUT magazine. It’s really used for sussing out plagiarism, but I used it for finding texts of half-remembered poems etc.

I entered, ‘Cluck, cluck’, said the hen, ‘don’t ask me again! which was from a play I did at school at 5 (or maybe 6 or 7, but definitely no older) and lo and behold, I got the full text. I’m just off to find the words of another play I did at secondary school. I played Mary Magdalen, and although I say it myself I think I played quite a lead role. (And played it well. I was a good actress.)

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15/03/2008 by Aileen.

Great time at Leeds OU Day School. Have decided to write about Wide Sargasso Sea and Pygmalion (or Medea!!??!!) Came home and remembered what I had to do for tomorrow (and should be doing now) I offered to wash (and that means iron (!) ) a cotta (white surplice type thing) for John Hall, and I haven’t prepared anything for the kids yet. Oh well. Salmon steaks are baking (and it’s 8.30) and cotta is washed. Just hope I stay sober as I’m drinking on an empty stomache. Bye bye blog. I have some ironing to do while food cooks itself.

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14/03/2008 by Aileen.

Little Shannon Matthews has been found alive and (hopefully) well. Thank God. Heaven knows how it will affect her, her family and neighbours in the future. The awful thing is - in a few years I will have forgotten who she is, and will remember inconsequential things that happened to me today.

As it was the last session this term the Creative Writing group had a pub lunch. Our numbers were depleted as there seems to be a lot of sickness about, but those of us there had a good time. The writing beforehand was up to its usual high standard. At the beginning of the session Stella asked us to write a haiku, and if it was appropriate we would add them to a Get Well card for Pauline, who is not at all well. I wrote

Easter is coming.
Daffodils are blowing gold.
Hope is in the air.

All of a sudden I feel very tired. I have an OU day school at Leeds tomorrow and have not got as far on with my study as I had hoped. I also have the Children’s Liturgy on Sunday, and as it is Palm Sunday it will be an extra long session. I hope to organise a kind of Stations of the Cross for the kids, starting in the main room, acting a bit about the Last Supper in Fr Éamonn’s dining room, going into the kitchen for Gethsemane, and all the way back to a little chapel room for Calvary. I just need to get together lots of props. (And clear it with Éamonn as it’s his house!)

Off to do an omelette now.Then, hopefully, on with Don Juan.

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13/03/2008 by Aileen.

A wonderfully empty day ahead that I can fill exactly as I like. Sun is shining and I lost half a pound at Slimming World last night. Not much but it is 9 and a half lbs in 9 weeks.

Will make some soup this morning. Will start studying Stauss’s Don Juan this afternoon as I’ve finished Medea. (Or she finished me more accurately)

Will do my creative writing homework this evening.

I might do some gardening, but am more likely to try de-cluttering my desk a lá Zen Habits…

http://unclutterer.com/2008/03/12/creating-a-minimalist-workspace/

Rest of the time will just disappear. Chatting with John, surfing web, generally being my disorganised self. I love being retired.

Yesterday was good. Birding wasn’t cancelled despite high winds and we saw quite a lot at Far Ings, Lincs. See Michael’s blog on

http://eybirdwatching.blogspot.com/

I was actually the first person to see the red throated diver, not Michael G., but I thought it was a pale greater crested grebe and didn’t say anything. My photos weren’t up to much either. Might take some garden photos today for my website.

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12/03/2008 by Aileen.

I said I would write every day,

But I find I have nothing to say.

Try as I might

I have nothing to write,

So I’ll just go to bed if I may.

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11/03/2008 by Aileen.

Looking at my log statistics I see that 80 people read my blog yesterday. One from Japan, three from Israel, two (I think) from Germany and the rest, I suppose, from the UK.

So I’ve been racking my brains wondering what to write to make it interesting. I could lie I suppose. Of course, it doesn’t mean they like what they read. I follow some-one’s blog because I can’t believe anyone can be so supercilious and snidy and objectionable. I’m drawn to it like …… never mind.

Anyway, John is much better and having tea, toast and jam in bed as I type. He’s getting up today.

Now….. here’s my attempt at ‘interesting’.

What I am most ashamed of at Primary School…

When I had a row with my best friend I told other friends that she was so poor they couldn’t afford a clock. They may have been poor - I don’t know - her father died during that time. But they didn’t need a clock as they had a good view of Big Ben from their window.

What I was most ashamed of at Secondary School…

When a teenager I once told my dad I hated him. That’s probably normal, but I couldn’t bring myself to apologise, and I always felt we both remembered it. I regret that I never told my parents I loved them. We did all love one another very much, but I was too introverted to express it.

What I was most ashamed of at college…

Not ashamed, but scared. We set up a ouija board in my room once. We spun a knife so no one could cheat. I asked if I was goig to heaven or hell and it spelt out H…. E…. At that stage I ran from the room scared out of my life and had to sleep in someone else’s room that night.

What I’m most ashamed of this year…

I don’t do shame now, but put guilt on each morning with my moisturiser. Mostly about green issues. My worst guilt trip is having the heating on too high for too long. It must counteract all the recycling, home baking, local shopping etc. that I do.

And that’s enough for now, fair readers. See ya.

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10/03/2008 by Aileen.

John is finally on the mend I think. After catching VD (no, that’s vomiting and diarrhoea, and yes, I had to look up the spelling) on Friday he’s been lying in bed asleep most of the time. I’ve had to check his breathing a few times in case he was dead! We got the fan on him yesterday as he still had a temperature, and last night he actually had a boiled egg. Today he’s sitting up and cracking jokes, so back to his normal annoying self. I’m going to take a urine sample to the doctors soon as he could probably do with some anti-biotics.

Today I do my Flylady routine -

www.flylady.org

I don’t do it properly - it’s too sexist and anally retentive, but I have taken some things from the site. (May have written this before) I just whizz round the house dusting, hoovering and mopping on a Monday morning, and spend the rest of the week doing odds and ends.

One of the best things I’ve taken it from the site is ‘You can do anything for 15 minutes.’ It’s quite motivating.

Chatting to brother Don on Skype last night. He’s a bit put out that Niall has a whole page on my web because he’s dead, while he has to share with the family. (Joke!) I said I could always bump him off. (Another joke)

I have to write ‘joke’ as I’ve got into trouble in the past when people haven’t realised I’m joking.

Oh well, ostrich feather duster, here I come.

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09/03/2008 by Aileen.

When I said I wa at a loose end yesterday I had already done a bit. I had been to the dentist for a checkup. I got there 10 minutes early and was seen 20 minutes late. I then had to hang around while my payment details were sent via intranet to the reception, and eventually I was asked to fill in a new health details form. I was there for nearly 45 minutes, though the check up must have lasted less then 5. They have the cheek to say that if you are more than 5 minutes late for an appt. you may not be seen. I think they should enter into a reciprocal contract and endeavour to see patients within 10 minutes. Oh well. At least my teeth are fine. Not American white you know, but not in need of treatment.

After the dentist I went to South Cave Farmers’ Market and bought a chicken, some veg. and 6 spicy tuna fish cakes!

After blogging Martin and Fiona skyped me so we had a chat. It was Fiona’s birthday and they were going out for a meal in the evening to a place called The Jam Factory! Apparently it’s where Robertsons used to make marmalade, which sounds even funnier. Then Ali skyped me so there was more chat. Kieran is fascinated by Skype. It gives him an opportunity to see our three cats, as when visitors come two of them, Sugar and Spice, disappear.

The rest of the day was spent in studying.

Poor old John is not at all well. He thinks it’s a urine infection. He only ate a few biscuits all day and has been drinking cranberry juice and water. He asked me to sleep in the guest room last night as he wanted to toss and turn. I was just dropping off to sleep when he called me. He had spilt his glass of cranberry juice and there was juice and glass everywhere! I was not a happy bunny. When I got up this morning about 7am I discovered I had left his main light on all night. He hadn’t noticed it at first, and didn’t like to wake me again. What an ogre I must be! Or how thoughtful he must be!!

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