Early Risers.

[Shedman5]

Afternoon All, Didn't post yesterday due to internet problems, all resolved now but at least I had two rugby matches to watch. Grey and wet here the opposite of yesterday.

 

Noticed it was still light yesterday around 5pm, think its seven weeks till we change the clocks? Roll on in my opinion!

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all

 

My daughter moved into her 'own place' this weekend.

My first reaction when she told us she was going was 'get the champagne out'.

Now that the time has come though, I'm feeling quite the opposite. Daddy's little princess has gone.

 

Blimey, that's enough of that, I must be getting soft in my old age.

I'm not sure if our daughter will ever do that - unless she's ever successful in getting a job in academia far from home.  And it'll be a right bind if she does go as I'll then have to mix my own concrete and clean the mixer as well.

[NGT6 1315]

One of my colleagues calls some of my teaching techniques 'tough love'. Don't care, it gets results. They hate me when I'm doing it but the look in their faces when they get the results is good. All I say is "See, I told you you could do it".

 

I guess finding a good balance between "tough" and "love" will be one of the major challenges still ahead of me. On one hand, I certainly did not enjoy marking down some of the students for their exams in my geography course last year, but wrong or incomplete answers do remain wrong or incomplete without some kind of magical intervention, don't they? I but did my best to find a good balance of easier and more difficult questions, and checked back with two geography teachers from our staff. I also included what you could call a "creative" assignment where they needed to name certain locations (cities, rivers, bodies of water) on a map which they had marked even more extensively as part of a homework several weeks prior. Several submissions for this homework had quite impressed me in their love to detail, so I thought that giving a similar kind of assignment in the exam might serve as a relief of sorts.

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

I'm almost caught up now - wow what a lot has happened - much of it iffy - some of it encouraging, all of it interesting, and a typical ER mix, which goes to show what a diverse, friendly, interesting bunch we are - noted comments about Stafford being Debs-free, and since then nothing here from her either - hope all's ok at Collie Towers.

 

Dreich here today - chilly and rainy/showery and the main sound here today has been of the boiler running, as the damp cold seems to be penetrating the house - so the stove's been lit early.

 

On the domestic appliance front, both the kettle and toaster decided to pack up this morning, and I was rummaging in the dining room for something in a cupboard, and found two boxes, one a new kettle and the other a new toaster, which we must have bought some time ago, pugged away and forgotten about - we've probably had them so long that the receipts have disappeared, and they're already out of guarantee before they even get used!

 

Madam Lilypops is nine months tomorrow and here's the picture of innocence after she was caught running round the living room with a flower pot in her mouth.

I'm off for a look round.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

Edited February 3, 2013 by 45156

[DDolfelin]

It seems to be my day for unwanted callers.

Four this morning.

I need one of these to put out during the Rugby:

 

[Debs.]

.........noted comments about Stafford being Debs-free, and since then nothing here from her either - hope all's ok at Collie Towers.

 

Hiya, we`re here......but I`m not there!

[New Haven Neil]

Dreich - you must have Scots blood to use that word, 45156!

 

grey and damp here too, although oddly warm (9c) after last night.  Mrs NHN off with her best pal walking collies Doona and Ffinlo, Debs will be pleased to know!

[Tony_S]

Stewart,

Lily running around with a flower pot? Running around with plastic bottles and plant pots is certainly something that Robbie does. He kills the flowerpot quite thoroughly and looks very pleased with himself.

[45156]

Dreich - you must have Scots blood to use that word, 45156!

Ayrshire born and bred - left there in 1972 and never back thereafter except to visit - but at those RMWebbers who have met me will verify, the accent's as thick as ever - also explains the webname - 45156 was a Black 5 that I only saw occasionally as it spent most of its later days in the Liverpool and Manchester area - but its class and name reflected both my heritage, and my favourite loco class - the indomitable Hikers

[Oldddudders]

Toiugh love for me means saying:

 

"If you don't work at it you will fail"

 

And not - as it now traditional to say

 

"If you don't work at it you're not likely to pass"

 

To my mind the former is a statement of fact, the latter a statement of "not hurting their feelings"

 

I get results.

 

[EDIT] and I use RED pen to mark - not green. Red is seen a confrontational - I want them to see what I put. And red is for good comments and not just bad.

I think your tough stance is very helpful in preparing the student for his/her eventual release into the wild. Particularly at present, I cannot imagine there are very many work environments that are as warm and cuddly as they once were, so having been steeled to be results-led must be good. My years at Silverlink Trains were coloured by the rather soppy attitude to management and results, which seemed to me to be at odds with the nature of a privatised railway and its shareholders. That all changed after Hatfield, when the whole industry suddenly found itself on the brink of collapse.

[45156]

Stewart,

Lily running around with a flower pot? Running around with plastic bottles and plant pots is certainly something that Robbie does. He kills the flowerpot quite thoroughly and looks very pleased with himself.

Spaniels really do seem to like plastic, Tony - we're forever retrieving plastic items from her, and our Sussex Spaniel friends all say the same

[Coombe Barton]

Spaniels really do seem to like plastic, Tony - we're forever retrieving plastic items from her, ...

 

And collie crosses as well!

 

No photo of the deed - when we catch her she's usually shredded the evidence.

 

However she does manage to look suitable guilty when caught with a muddy nose, having been excavating her swimming pool/dog biscuit bush/tennis ball tree

 

[Debs.]

 

And collie crosses as well!

 

No photo of the deed - when we catch her she's usually shredded the evidence.

 

However she does manage to look suitable guilty when caught with a muddy nose, having been excavating her swimming pool/dog biscuit bush/tennis ball tree

 

muddynose.JPG

 

That is surely a mouth in which "butter wouldn`t melt"

[Coombe Barton]

That is surely a mouth in which "butter wouldn`t melt"

 

Butter mlets. OK. If it's given a chance to stay there long enough!

 

Anyway, marking interrupted - a chorus of little "Woof"s and some pointed exhalations of breath** means that I'm late in taking them out - so off to a muddy park we jolly well go.

 

The towels are ready for their readmission to civilised society - well, as civilised as it gets round here.

 

** Equates round here to a dog expressing displeasure at being kept waiting.

Edited February 3, 2013 by Coombe Barton

[New Haven Neil]

Ayrshire born and bred - left there in 1972 and never back thereafter except to visit - but at those RMWebbers who have met me will verify, the accent's as thick as ever - also explains the webname - 45156 was a Black 5 that I only saw occasionally as it spent most of its later days in the Liverpool and Manchester area - but its class and name reflected both my heritage, and my favourite loco class - the indomitable Hikers

 

Thought so!  I'm a Scots/Manx cross....born in Geordieland though!

[NGT6 1315]

I think I'll try to catch a nap as I've been feeling flaky since about noon and like last night, kept dropping things when I wanted to clear out the dishwasher and tidy things up some (though nothing broke at least). Wonder if it might be a migraine coming on, actually, so perhaps I should also take a painkiller for prevention...

[southern42]

Hiya, we`re here......but I`m not there!

 

 

 

 

 

Hiya, Debs......that explains the mystery... 

 

Hope everyone has a good week in case my presence is scanty for a while - lots going on.

Oh no! Not the 'M' word?  Exhibition looming...sawing, sanding, glueing...

I'll stick to making the teas and coffees - until it's time to get the paints out...     

 

Polly&Ray

[DDolfelin]

We like scanty.

 

Perhaps the best Six Nations Tournament I've seen - so far at least.

[BoD]

Only caught the last ten minutes of Italy v France. That was exciting enough. A thoroughly entertaining weekend.

 

I've just worked out that FEB wasn't referring to the time of year. The mention of bacon, sausage egg etc should have been a clue. D'oh.

[Coombe Barton]

Attention Debs' collies

 

From Coombe Barton's Celtic Terrors

 

See https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151264987273803&set=o.6366026879&type=1&theaterhttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151264987273803&set=o.6366026879&type=1&theater

 

P.S. Don't let them know we've nicked his computer

[Debs.]

Attention Debs' collies

 

From Coombe Barton's Celtic Terrors

 

They resemble all that! ...........A Celtic-Cyber-Collie alliance is surely on the cards!

[AndyB]

Evening all,

 

Just a brief post to say that we've back from Aberdeenshire, having clocked up about 1400 miles this week.

I wasn't able to get online since about Wednesday as there were so many other guests at the site with mobile phones/ipads/laptops that it basically maxed out the bandwidth of the resort. They cater for about 2 devices per lodge and some had about 6 per lodge - hence the problem. 

Result: couldn't even get online to check the weather forecast. This was a bit of a problem as on Friday evening it started to snow and on Saturday morning we had to get a small snow plough out to help shift the car. 

 

Looking forward to reading what you lot have been up to since my enforced absence! There seem to be quite a few pages. LOL. 

 

Hope all is well with each and every one of you. 

Andy

[Tony_S]

I made myself useful at MiLs today as she needs to keep all the disability aids she needs for getting in and out of her car and for going shopping near her car.  She has two parking spaces but only one car in the secure car park under her flat. None of her visitors can use her other spot as another tenant has put his garden storage units there. .He rents out his other car park space. So while I was measuring up he comes over and starts giving me all kinds of advice about how if MiL has visitors she can get him to move the stuff. I played along for a while then said I had a much better idea.

[sixoh8sixoh]

Evening all!  Been a busy day, swimming and soft play with Jamie and a few shops visited too.  Amused at the pool by 4 year old who can't follow instructions...  Told Jamie to take off vest and Pants, and put swimming costume on.  Turned around to get my own on, turned back, she had hers on.  Off we popped, into the showers.  Jamie then decides - before we go into the pool - that she needs the loo first.  Takes down costume in the loos to display that she's still wearing (sopping wet) pants.  I couldn't be cross with her, it was too funny.  Ended up having to take her to Boots after the pool to get some dry pants!

 

Yes, BoD, I did watch the cricket, all day, and thus did not watch the 6 Nations math which I usually follow.

Incredible game so far. We have just beaten New Zealand in the 5 day foirmat  comprehensively (they won the 1day series), We expected to face a sterner opposition from Pakistan but we got the all out in heir first innings for 49!

 

Day three today! so still glued to the TV.

Steyn's bowling spell was amazing in Pakistan's first innings.  I read the ball-by-ball scoreline: . . . . . . 2 . . . .W 2 W . . . . . W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 . W . . . . W . . . . . W - that 4 really spoiled his bowling figures!

 

We like scanty.

 

Perhaps the best Six Nations Tournament I've seen - so far at least.

I saw both of yesterday's games but not much of today's.  Jamie and I were just going into the swimming pool and we saw that the rugby was on and Italy were 5-0 up.  Jamie insisted to sit down and watch for a few minutes while Italy converted that try.  As we came out of the changing rooms after the swim, we just caught the final whistle and were amazed that Italy had won. 

[Donw]

DD sorry to hear of MiL's problems, we had a lot of problems with MiL which led to us taking them into our home. Some were reasonably benign like failing to switch the oven on so that she would prepare a dinner with boiled potatoes and veg only to find the pie in the oven was stone cold. But it was more serious when she left FiL ( who walked with a wheelie) to pop across the road to pay their council tax and just carry on walking. Dad couldn't go after her and she came back later with no idea where she had been. As Mike says it is little domestic things that can be dangerous. Dad discovered a large iron shaped scorch mark on his shirt Mum hadn't noticed.

Don