I've been a Beaver now for three weeks. I have the uniform and they've been letting me try archery. It's fun. I can't wait till I make my promise, so I can get a necktie and woggle like my best friend Fraser.
Phyl's Blog
All the nonsense that passes through my brain on a daily basis - beware!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Big Brother
Two young women (twin American Barbie dolls) and an older (perhaps 30 year old) Nicola somebody have been discussing plastic surgery and Botox the twice I have been present. They talk about it in such a nonchalant fashion, you'd think they were talking about the most natural thing in the world for girls that age - like going out clothes shopping or the likes. One was suggesting which cup size the other should get next time, swapping their current implants in the way I would have talked about swapping a dress that didn't fit me at that age. Maybe I'm an old fool but what kind of message is this giving young women? You need plastic boobs and Botox before 30? I am completely appalled.
I hope I will somehow, despite the media, manage to instil in my daughters a self-belief that will allow them at twenty to look in the mirror and see that they are truly beautiful, the way I made them.
Schooling
Thomas has been out delivering fliers all over Crookfur recently (at the request of a local politician). His findings are very interesting from a schooling point of view.
He's chosen mainly to do it between 1 and 2 pm, given that is when Amaia takes her nap, so it's easiest to leave me home working and jog around. He says many of the houses he visits seem to contain two pensioners in their early to mid 70s watching TV. This, of course, stands to reason - these houses and the local school were built around 1970 so many couples with kids moved here and didn't get round to leaving once the kids left home... my own parents are in that category (though a little younger).
Presumably some time in the next fifteen years many of these houses will become empty and retired couples will not be snapping up the overpriced (because of the catchment) housing. Families will move in because of that. I wonder if capacity has been built into Crookfur, St Cadocs and Mearns primaries for a sudden explosion of 30% in the next decade.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Having the Barbapapas to tea
Have I been moaning too much about the economy recently?!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
What are the chances?
My old uni friend was helping out at an animal shelter in Vienna last week (she lives there), when someone brought in two lemmings asking for them to be rehoused. Taking down their details, she was told their names were Leon and Lots! Unable to believe the coincidence (I'd seen her just the week before), she decided it was fate, so took them home herself! She describes them as little fighting machines, rarely being gentle with each other! Although my own Léon and Lots do know how to wind each other up like all siblings, they are also inseparable, so lets hope Leon and Lots turn out to be the same. The only question remaining is when Linda is nipping back to the shelter to pick up Marcel, Bits and Bopster? ;-)
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Another issue with never going to Denmark!
Today I noticed another issue. Any non-Dane who visits Denmark a lot notices their obsession with flags. They have them in their gardens, on their wrapping paper, birthday cards, and stuck to little cocktail sticks so you can stick them in cakes or whatever takes your fancy. Thomas's cousin even had dummies for his babies with flags on. The equivalent of ASDA sells 10 metre tall flag poles for your garden flag and they don't just fly them on special occasions, they have them up all year round. Therefore, anyone who spends more than ten minutes in Denmark knows the Danish flag!
Today I saw wrapping paper that was red with a big white cross on it. Oh look Léon, I said, That looks just like a flag, doesn't it? Do you remember which flag looks like that? I was 100% sure he'd instantly reply Denmark - he speaks Danish half the day after all! His reply... It's the birthday cake flag, mummy!





