Category Archives: Uncategorized

21 May 2007

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Extremely busy few days has just come to an end. Weather has turned rainy again, but over the weekend it was sunny and warm, which was excellent for two reasons. One, it was my son’s 35th birthday on Friday, and he and his family came up over the weekend. This meant the children could play outside, especially on the Sunday afternoon, when Oliver was having a lot of fun on his tractor on the pavement. Amy unfortunately was a little under the weather, but she hung on in there bravely.

The second reason was that it was the InPrint Open Studios private view on Sunday. This meant that I was spending all day Thursday and Friday at Bally, doing all kinds of moderately heavy work, including moving around the most crazily designed screens I’ve ever come across. Also of course hanging the artwork. Brought Bronwen up from Beccles on the Friday morning, and we hung her superb photographic piece, Unable to Find North. Tricky, because three heavy long and thin pieces had to match up. Dot brought me up some sandwiches and took Bronwen home after we’d hung her other pieces. I remained at Bally to help Mike hang his and Annette’s pictures, which was OK after we got a rhythm going! In the evening Dot and I went to hear Jacqui Dankworth at the Playhouse. Excellent seats for watching the musicians in action, which was fascinating. Not my sort of songs, really, but they were just an excuse to show off the musicians’ – and the singer’s – virtuosity. Most enjoyable. Dot accosted Jacqui afterwards because they’d met at a headteachers’ conference.

On the Saturday I had to write, design and laminate some notices, then rush them up to Bally before the family arrived just before noon. Then on Sunday, after I delivered some boxes of wine and juice to Bally at 8.45, we played music at Finnan’s dedication at church before I had to rush back to Bally for the private view. Meanwhile Dot was preparing lunch for the family, who had been to see one of Vicky’s bridesmaids at Easton. Then they all came down to hear the poetry reading just after 2pm.

That went pretty well – about 30-40 people. The picture above is of the four of us about to set off, with Caroline in pole position and Bronwen’s piece-de-resistance behind us. Over 100 people came to our studios altogether.

Today has been a little calmer, though I did pop up to Bally with some more notices, filled the car up with petrol and took a film in for processing. Speaking of films, Rupert filmed the poetry reading, which should be interesting. I’m going to play DH at chess this evening, which probably won’t be relaxing.

15 May 2007

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This is my cousin Pat and her husband Brian, on the London Eye. We’ll get there one day.

I’m writing this at home because I have a stomach upset: I should be at our Tuesday gathering, tonight hosted by Ed at his place. I got there, but then had rather unpleasant pains, so came home. It’s better, but still complaining. Shouldn’t last long. I hope.

Been quite cold today. Went to Joyce’s funeral this morning: lovely service in the old church – read Psalm 23. Tea in the hall afterwards. Everyone had good things to say about her.

Back at home wrote my column for next Monday and revised some liturgy for NYFC. Dot arrived home from her inspection in Suffolk at about 3.40pm.

14 May 2007

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Weather has been pretty unpleasant – lots of rain, although fairly warm. Finished off my last trainee (could be better phrased, I guess) – this was E at Dereham, who I had taken over when her assessor became ill.

Had the Greens and the Higbees round on Friday evening – good time, though I was feeling under the weather, as I have been for several days: head and stomach not right. I had been thinking of driving to Coventry today, but decided against it. Instead went to Bally to use the long-arm stapler on my new book, but couldn’t get through the second set of doors. Got as far as the picture, which is the selling floor, but no further. Must be a trick to it. No-one else there, so no good trying to attract their attention.

Dot is away tonight, in the middle of an inspection at Cavendish, on the Suffolk-Essex border. I had been intending to go with her, but Joyce’s funeral is scheduled for tomorrow, and one of us had to go to that. Indeed, one of us wanted to. More precisely, both of us wanted to, but you can’t really postpone school inspections. I am reading Psalm 24.

Dot has just rung to say she loves the school and the B & B, so I may not see her again. She is lying on the bed, relaxing. I am cooking a lamb chop and wondering whether to go the chess club.

9 May 2007

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Yes, it was four last night, but we had a really good discussion: well worth while, and it may well affect the way we do things on Tuesday evenings.

Today has been really exciting, and I’m still in a bit of a daze. I opened my e-mails to discover that I have won the 2007 Fish International Poetry Prize with my poem, The Island Grows on Me. Totally unexpected. Maybe I really am a poet after all. Quite a large cash prize – and I have to go to Ireland to collect it in July.

I celebrated by having my hair cut (as already arranged), followed by a meal with Dot at Cafe Rouge. Champagne and steak frites: you can’t beat that, can you? Even better, it didn’t start raining till I got home.

8 May 2007

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Very quiet bank holiday weekend, during which the weather changed, becoming wet after a month of rainlessness. Monday itself was very wet indeed, and we stayed in. During the two days I put together a poetry booklet containing 14 poems, designed to go with the Open Studios exhibition coming up later this month. The book is called Off the Map and has been put together entirely on my computer, using Word. So not exactly professional, but I think it looks pretty good, considering.

Today I installed my new BT Home Hub, giving faster Broadband speeds. Went surprisingly easily, but I encountered a problem trying to link Dot’s computer to it and wasted an hour of David’s time trying to sort it out. In the end I stumbled by chance on what was wrong.

L came round to discuss how to lead a service (her first time on Sunday), arriving at the same time as Dot arrived back from a day’s work – first inspecting a school at Mildenhall and then at a training session. We’re now awaiting the arrival of this evening’s guests, who I suspect will be down from 12 last week to about four. And that includes us.

6 May 2007

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Sneak preview of a small part of one of the exhibits at the upcoming Open Studios in Norwich – a combined work incorporating my poem, Unable to Find North. Or it may not be a part. The artist, Bronwen Edwards, took a very large number of pictures, of which fewer than 30 will be used, I believe.

Meanwhile Rupert, Lisa and I have installed the Poetry Vending Machine in St Giles Church for the Open Stuidios “taster” exhibition. It looks very good and was quite a hit at the private view on Friday, but it still has operating problems. We can’t rely on it to work if we leave it. Rupert is popping in with some WD40 and a screwdriver tomorrow, hoping to sort it out. Rupert is incurably optimistic.

Dot has been at Caddington having fun with Amy, but she came back earlier than expected, so we went to a poetry reading at Wells together on Saturday evening. Also superb sausage and chips. Wells seafront was idyllic: no wind, dying light. Poetry reading by Alan Brownjohn, who was witty in a very low-key way. Poems not terribly poetic but very amusing and designed for performance. Sarah Law was not really a performer: she appeared not to enjoy it, despite AB’s attempts to jolly her along, particularly in the questions and answers. Some interesting poems, though – many with a mystical bent – but the best were about her father’s death.

Church lunch today: nice community feeling to it. Nice to be among so many friends. Discovered I’d missed the deadline for the TLS poetry competition, but I don’t suppose meeting it would have affected anything. Should I have a go at the play-writing contest? I’ll believe it when I see it.

Apart from Wells seafront, the weather has been quite chilly over the last few days, and we are supposed to have rain tomorrow. Is summer over?

2 May 2007

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A typical Norfolk loke, this one is not far from Felmingham, on the troad to Antingham. There is a possibility that it’s the famous Bunny’s Loke, down which I cycled with Dot many years ago and which features in my story Realm, about a missing girl. However, Dot is not at all sure about this: she wasn’t with me when I took the picture.

It was a chilly day, and I was assessing a trainee in Cromer who has now completed her NVQ portfolio. My visit on Monday this week – quite a different sort of day, sunny and quite warm, but with a brisk NE wind – was my last, and I “celebrated” by finding a part of the town I didn’t know existed. Intending to have a game of putting, I discovered it was shut, so I continued up the cliff path and found a beautiful walk up to the lighthouse and the golf course. Masses of bluebells, and great views across the stormy sea and back to the town, where the church tower dwarfed everything else. I returned back through some woods. Very refreshing.

Dot was spending a day at Salhouse school delivering Philosophy for Children with Barbara – returned quite tired and went to sleep while I played in the John Swan rapidplay tournament at my chess club. I scored 3/5 and was equal fourth out of 14. Lost my first game, then won two and drew two.

Yesterday a guy came round from the estate agent’s to value the house – not that we necessarily want to move, but just to see what it’s worth in case we do. Discovered that our next door neighbour is trying to sell. The B & B market has taken a big hit with new Travelodges in Norwich. We haven’t got a value yet, but will no doubt hear from him in due course. She was given £275,000 but doesn’t believe it. Nor do I.

Last weekend was busy. On the Friday night we had two couples round for a meal – excellent time, but got to bed very late. Then on Saturday we went to South-East London to visit the Hendersons, who we had only seen briefly for a couple of years. In the evening we were their guests at a choral concert (Stravinsky and Haydn) at Blackheath Halls, which I enjoyed a lot and got a poem out of! The school chair of governors and his wife came back for coffee. He was tall, and she wasn’t.

We had a relaxing Sunday, just talking and (briefly) walking, catching up on news. The journey back through the Blackwall Tunnel was surprisingly easy, despite the ludicrous speed cameras and equally ludicrous speed limits. I can’t see any excuse for a prolonged 40mph limit on a three-lane dual carriageway with no pedestrian access. What actually happened was that I tried hard to keep to the limit, because I knew about the cameras, whereas the locals who knew where the cameras where came hurtling up behind me, overtaking on both sides, and then braking sharply for the cameras. I was the hazard, getting in everyone’s way because I was sticking to the limit.

The unrealistic limits actually lead to people driving faster where they can get away with it. A sensible 50 or even 60 would command a lot more respect and compliance, and would certainly be safer. I really don’t know why people can’t see that. Is it just dogma?

Today is pleasant – sunny and warm. We are in the middle of a spell of very nice weather which I suppose I should be making the most of instead of writing a blog. So later Dot and I will go into the city and have lunch, probably at Cafe Italia.

26 April 2007

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Yes, that was a long break. I’ve been plagued by this minor virus which keeps coming and going and sapping my energy. Not that you’d notice, since my energy is pretty low anyway, even on a good day. This picture is of my lovely grand-daughter Amy, who I baby-sat on Monday while Daddy tried to work upstairs. We had a lot of fun – quite tiring fun, but fun. Both children are thriving – Oliver shows signs of being a competent horse-rider after a ride on a pony recently.

I seem to have been going to hundreds of meetings recently. If it’s not the district church council, it’s the parochial one, and if it’s not the chess club, it’s Archant. The last one scores extremely heavily because of the excellent buffet, plus the opportunity to meet old friends and acquaintances. This year saw an attendance by a number of yompers. Following this, Dot and I wandered over to the Forum to look at a terrific outdoor exhibition of photographs of various parts of the world from the air. Also a giant map of the world that you could walk on. I was so disorientated by this that I allowed Dot to persuade me to buy a new jacket from Jarrolds.

What else? My NVQ trainee Kate did really well in the London Marathon, finishing in just over four hours; and sadly our friend Joyce died of oesophagal cancer – she had been in some distress over the last week. Lovely lady: she was always upbeat and self-effacing.

Last Saturday went to a session about the Enneagram, which would have been better without the questions-cum-conversation from the usual suspects, which disrupted the structure. However, I think I’m a 5 on the personality scale (this is not a score). Of course I may not be…

The skies have been largely blue, though the temperature has been a bit erratic: yesterday was very warm, but today there’s a chilly wind – even some rain at breakfast time. On Monday when I was in Caddington it was cloudy with quite a bit of light rain, but apparently in Norwich it was fine and warm.

14 April 2007

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This is Dot with Oliver and Amy at Stockwood Park, taken last week on a lovely warm day. It’s even warmer now, and Dot and I are shortly going to Dunston Hall for a carvery meal. Some time since we’ve been out for a meal, after all the excess of Florida.

My cough is a lot better, but my throat is now just sore enough to be annoying, and I don’t feel particularly good despite a longish sleep last night. The Green Party called this morning – Rupert Read and a couple of henchwomen – and failed to convince me that their transport policy was anything short of silly. They think there’s a 50% chance of my voting for them, but in fact it’s much lower than that. There’s not much chance of my voting at all.

Dot had a bone density scan this afternoon, and came out as superwoman. Of course I knew that anyway. Well above 100 per cent, whatever that means.

I’ve finished writing my sermon on the persecuted church: not St Augustine’s – the other 200 million. I’ve just discovered that we only have four weekends free till August.

11 April 2007

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This is a drawing by my grandson Oliver, aged four and a half, of a calculator. Remarkable attention to detail. Since the last blog entry, Dot and I went down to Caddington and looked after the children for three days while their parents worked. Dot was just getting over a virus which had made her cough really badly. She was just about OK for Caddington, and I was fine, but now I’ve got it. Very unusual – during the day it’s hardly noticeable, except that it makes you very tired, but in the late evening and during the night, coughing is very severe – stemming, I think, from mucus coming down from the sinuses. No real nasal problem, though my eyes get sore in the evening. No sore throat, either. I’m not grumbling.

At Caddington we took the children to Woodside Farm on the second day: it was very cold, and we eventually repaired to the Play Barn, where the two of them occupied themselves for almost two hours in the Toddler section. The next day must have been about ten degrees warmer, and we went to Stockwood Park, where there was a lot of running around. Amazing place: some beautiful gardens and a very acceptable cafe. Amy had go to the loo two or three times, but mainly to look at herself in the full-length mirror.

The Ambient Wonder Easter event went quite well, despite my worrying about how it was actually going to work. About 40 people visited 12 Stations of the Cross, and I managed to rig up a loop on a combination of IPhoto, ITunes and Garageband – with a monologue I had written for Simon of Cyrene.

The rest of the Easter Weekend was quite quiet: I was feeling a bit rough, so Dot did the relative rounds. Incidentally, Aunt E bought Oliver a radio for Easter that was an immense hit. Yesterday Barbara V came round to brush up on philosophy plans. I did a new front page for the leaflet which went down quite well, but Microsoft Word is very hard to handle for that kind of thing. It won’t do the simple things, like divide an A4 landscape into three even columns plus margins. Or at least, it probably will, but I don’t know how to.

Today I went up to Bally to meet Bronwen and plan the positioning of our joint piece using her photos and my poem, Unable to find North. She then came back here and we selected the images we thought we’d use. She has now returned to Beccles. The weather is very warm for the time of the year, and I’ve had my hair cut. Bit traumatic – L is moving salons after about 20 years.

David has finished the InPrint website, which everyone seems really pleased with.