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My friend Tony died on Tuesday 25th January 2010. He was 80 years old and one of the most decent human beings I have ever met. Tony saw only good in everyone. He was a Quaker.He worked hard all his life in a variety of jobs ranging from plastering to social care and (latterly) collecting supermarket trolleys (though he stopped that a couple of years ago).Tony knew some wonderful songs and I had the pleasure of accompanying him on guitar a few times.I'll miss you Tony, lots of people will.
I was really looking forward to the Paxton concert in Birmingham tomorrow -- it's been cancelled because Tom's wife is, apparently, seriously ill.I'm disappointed with missing the concert, but (of course) that's not really important in the real scheme. Best wishes for a quick recovery, Midge.
I acquired a hare this week. You don't see many these days. Tonight we had the back legs braised in red wine with some ceps and dauphinoise potatoes.Not bad!
Who commented on my life at University.There is no God!
I read quite a few blogs - they're often from the US or Canada and they're usually quite cynical. Frequently, they tell stories of their day-to-day life: sometimes this is funny, sometimes sad, sometimes pathetic (or even bathetic).I was trying to decide whether it was ethical for me to write about the issues my students bring to me ...(Maybe it is, maybe it isn't)I think I'm probably quite approachable as academics go -- I LIKE students and I'm (almost always) willing to give them my time [actually, this is selfish -- the best feeling in the world is seeing someone suddenly understand something: watching that metaphorical light-bulb come on over their head].
So, without going into any personal details, these are some of the issues that my students brought to me in 2009:
- I'm pregnant - what should I do?
- I'm going to leave my husband ...
- I'm gay - I haven't told anyone else.
- I've just been diagnosed with breast cancer.
- I can't pay my credit card bill.
- My husband's left me.
- My daughter has anorexia.
- My house has been burgled: I've lost everything.
- I've got cancer.
You know what's missing? Anything happy.You know how much training I got to deal with this? None.Happy New Year.
It really feels like 2010 now, since work has started again!Over the Xmas break I moved my 'study' from the big spare bedroom to the small one at the front of the house (partly to get away from the noise of my neighbour's lawn-mowing - from March to October he mows every day that he can and NOW he's got a ride-on mower!). During the move I came across these scary pics:
This first one dates from 1989 and is of me singing at a folk concert in Redditch - the same bill as Carthy and Swarbrick, no less!
This (more bizarre, I think) picture is taken on my fortieth birthday on the narrowboat that we then owned (the toque was my present). I remember this day really well. I still worked for the local electricity supply company and we'd just spent the afternoon cruising through a thunderstorm, watching the lightning destroying the power lines - and there were no mobile phones, so they couldn't get in touch with me!
