The role is 3 days per week which means, should I be successful, and should I want the job, I could give up one or two other commitments. I am also going to be doing some copywriting for a friend’s business (and her clients), and this is something I did whilst in Australia (part-time / remotely) and I enjoyed it.
However, having said all of this, I have been thinking of trying to move away from employment within education as – basically – I think it has been bringing me down. The kids are fine… it’s the parents [sense of entitlement and general ignorance] and politics [Gloucestershire Education Department needs a good shake-up, as does the national set-up] and ridiculous paperwork [bureaucracy, lack of funding]. I mentioned that I needed to get out and “do something mindless” to my best-friend but she said that would drive me mad too! So, the solution must be to…. win the lottery!?* Talking of employment and bureaucracy – you will be pleased to know that after approximately 3 months of dipping in and out of the Government’s HMRC Gateway and filling in numerous forms, contacting various on-line helpdesks, receiving both digital and paper copies of instructions, this week I eventually managed to get access to be able to submit my self-employed income ‘self-assessment’. Good grief… I am trying to be honest and do the right thing and give them money, but what a palaver. I have until October 31st to submit this information on-line. I will obviously start that process soon because no doubt it will take weeks… On the more fun side of life, it has been a mixture of events both done and dusted and on the horizon:
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However, the RHS website – in one of 718 results when searching “pruning roses” - does say that to renovate shrubs or roses with too many stems that have finished flowering after year two and for shrubs with flowers that bloom April – July, then it is okay to take out half the old stems that remain from pruning and prune back the other stems... Deep breath!
"Should I weed the lawn or say it is a garden?"
Anon
It is noticeable that over recent days it has been very quiet during the daytime but as the sun dips lower the wildlife emerges from the hedgerows and trees, and our local squirrel, pigeons, blackbirds and robin, plus numerous chiffchaffs, wrens and sparrows become very chit-chatty and entertaining. Enjoying the cooler temperature at dusk also means we have seen some bats swooping through the trees. Over this week, the almost-full moon has been low on the horizon – a hanging heavily yellow orb, it is almost as if one could walk over the hill and step onto it!
Again, it makes me appreciate that we are very fortunate to live where we do – it is a beautiful part of the world. **Funnily enough, the August edition of [the posh] magazine Gardens Illustrated has a lead article entitled “Abutilon – add a touch of the exotic”. Get me – ahead of the game!! We are actually rather unimpressed by the current travel situation in the UK (flights being cancelled, motorways as carparks) and madness at airports, so have pretty much decided we won't be doing a 'proper' summer holiday in 2022. Boo! However, I have almost firmed up a sunny beach holiday for a year hence – just waiting for the flight days / times to be confirmed. I don’t think we will have ever been so organised - well, especially for an “ordinary” event. Does that just smack of desperation?*!
As it is, trying to organise to do anything together lately has been impossible. Again, a case of “all or nothing”. Paul has various theatre or event contracts and those can be l-o-n-g days (up to 14 hours), six days a week and, for example, he has been in London (four days) and will be in Sheffield for ten days later this month. He has also been asked about doing something in Manchester for the whole of September but there are a few questions and practicalities around that; after all, theatre is not exactly a well-paid gig anyway and there’s certainly no point if accommodation and subsistence costs aren’t realistically covered by the theatre contractor / production company. Hmm… So, therefore, I have been / am left to my own devices and hope to have a few day trips or nights away visiting friends during August. Last week I met up with some Australian friends in Bath and it was good to catch-up whilst admiring the Georgian architecture and dodging the swathe of students in mortar boards and gowns as they graduated from university. So that’s why it was a nightmare to park….! Otherwise, I am determined NOT to fall into the trap of doing any of my various school / clerk jobs, reminding myself that I am paid (a pittance) to work term-time-only and – as has been proven – loyalty is usually a one-way street. Naturally I fell at the first hurdle and spent some time last week getting things in order for the next academic year telling myself that it’ll save time and stress in the longer-term (yeah – right). I wish I could turn my brain off as it is adept at making mountains out of molehills more than ever, and that has been getting me down. However, another reason for my lack-lustre and general apathy has come to light in blood-test results received yesterday – B12 levels are very low and require medication. The annual diabetic checks are currently underway (hence the blood test) so I will get more information later this week. Still, in some ways it’s good to know that there is a definitive reason behind months of [not] “bovvered”!? However, on that note, I am definitely sick and tired of computers and on-line work and Cloud(s) and portals and social media and not-so-social-media and all the flim-flam and gubbins and therefore have decided that it’s time for a case of “step away from the key-board, Ma’am”. Therefore, here’s to the beginning of a short summer intermission! ENJOY!!
A Year 1 (5 years old) boy's family found out that I wouldn't be on site for the last day of term and his father visited me at lunchtime with a handmade card and box of chocolates that his son had created - apparently without prompting! Isn't that sweet?
I have a few strategies for coping with the heat from our time in Adelaide and Sydney - but it is definitely a bit of a shock to encounter 38 degrees in the Cotswolds!? As it is, I found myself lying on the sun-lounger in the garden at 5.00am this morning having woken up with the dawn chorus (blasted birds!) and finding the bedroom (in the eaves) a tad toasty! However, lounging in the garden was quite refreshing - dozing as the day woke itself up, with a soft breeze and accompanied by chirruping chiff-chaffs, blackbirds and song-thrushes. Nice.
Then, it was rude awakening into reality as I hauled myself into school at 8am... but thankfully it is the end of term tomorrow! More of that another time - maybe - unless I erase it from my consciousness and conveniently forget about it? Probably preferable for all involved.
We have tried to sell / give-away the concert tickets but – at the time of writing – they are still available. We have two nights in a hotel booked and paid for and train travel booked and paid for, as well. However, due in some part to my trepidation about tooth pain and so on, but more seriously considering major complications and stresses in my friend’s family’s current situation, and the re-emergence of covid infections ramping up, we thought it was sensible to stay at home.
This was a pretty difficult decision as we have been hard-core Duranies since attending our first “pop concert” in 1983 at the age of 14 years! We have seen them on numerous occasions but it’s always good to add another to the list. Oh well. So, I’m consoling and distracting myself by planning not very much for the following sunny days of predicted temperatures of 26 and more degrees! Hmm… Where are my sun-glasses? Where’s the sun-screen? Where’s my book? Nice! Truly.
It was good to put some faces to names too. Obviously, I have had fairly regular contact with individuals linked to Winchcombe Open Gardens and Friends of St Peter’s but have only met a handful of people – because of Covid rules and the fact that many are older and therefore shielded more than most. However, a few things made me laugh! Whilst chatting to my Zip Wire colleague and making small-talk I mentioned that as children [and teenagers] me, Kate and Ali were the bellringers at our local village church, as well as being stalwart members of the choir. The choir comprised a raggedy bunch of kids, but we did our best! My sisters and I rang the bells for at least six years – but it was just a peel of three bells- and even then it might sound very temperamental and just a cacophony of clanging! Anyway, literally less than fifteen minutes after mentioning this background information, another woman turned up at the table to see if I would like to join the bell-ringing team?*! I don’t know about Zip-wires but the speed at which this news spread was phenomenal! Needless to say, I have not committed myself to this venture but have said that I will go to a Wednesday rehearsal one evening to see what and who is involved. Another thing that made me smile was the enthusiasm of the kids to have their stuffed toys lurch into space from the height of 90ft, from the top of the church tower. One small child surprised his mother when buying a ticket for the event suddenly produced three toys from his rucksack! Needless to say, Mum paid one pound for one bear, but the small boy had to use two pounds of his saved pocket-money for the others – which he was very happy to do! Bless. I also had interesting conversations with a whole range of people – volunteers and visitors alike. The majority of people were local but there was a smattering of tourists too – from Italy, Portugal and America. Of course, it all happens at a Cotswolds Church Fete… I found myself deep in conversation with a chap who was (or used to be) the sound engineer for The Who / Pete Townsend, and amongst other things, an award-winning photographer for books /images associated with The Lost Gardens Of Heligan (by Tim Smit). A tenuous gardening link for this Liability-Brown Blog! It was interesting...different…unusual! ** BTW - "Endless Wire" is a song by The Who (although I don't know it - I just Googled their song list). Zip Wire Teddies (link with Tower Tours)
So, that’s told me. Should be fun!!
After all the recent hot weather and then a downpouring of rain there has been a spurt of new growth. Photos taken on 24th June 2022.
“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” Al Bernstein - (b 1950 - American sportscaster, writer, stage performer, and speaker. I took these photos fairly early yesterday morning (11th June). It may be boring for some, but I find it endlessly fascinating how it has developed over the past month. I 'survey the grounds' at least twice a day and I think the neighbours - if they can hear me - must think I have the saddest life ever when I wax lyrical about what my lupins are up to, or how the rose petals are blooming!
A number of people have warned me that an extraction can be really painful, and it was also a bit alarming for the dentist to ask whether I would have to go into work – as ‘it’s best not to raise one’s blood pressure…” after the anaesthetic and painkillers. Oh?! So, I’ve warned this particular Friday employer (a school) that I might have to swap my day and go in on Monday instead!
Hey ho. On the upside, I’ve been making a few plans of “things to look forward to”. One of which is through one of those ‘internet deal’ links (like Hotdeals / Groupon / Wowcher) I've booked a dinner, B&B at Marco Pierre White's hotel (near Bath) for the autumn. Have a look at Hotels in Corsham - Marco Pierre White's Rudloe Arms. Our friend Frank (who trained with the Roux brothers at Le Gavroche, and who did our wedding supper – now sadly deceased) always raved about M-P White and when we have seen him on TV he seems like a cool guy - if a bit scary too!. Anyway, I have “saved” at least £200 on the deal, and we are booked for a weekend in October. It is only an hour or so to drive there so should be a decent short break away. The hotel is set in “14 acres of stunning landscape [which] makes the grounds at the Rudloe the ideal place to unwind and enjoy nature”. As I say, it is something to look forward to as we've decided not to go on a beach holiday this year (boo!). There are far too many idiot people, airlines are being ridiculous, and prices are all over the place! Therefore, I'm currently in touch with our go-to place in Kefalonia to get in early for next May or June. I am also looking at highly recommended places in Portugal – one as a Lisbon city break, and another on an island near to Madeira. With regard to summer 2022 – and as Paul never knows from one week to the next what work he will be doing - we thought we'd go to places in the UK that we talk about but have never visited. Well, that's the plan (and we’re good at those). Any further recommendations would be gladly received! An enjoyable family lunch - diminished numbers because of relocating the venue due to the weather. The plan is to have another picnic at No.6 later in the summer when the forecast is decent.
Of course, there was plenty of food and noise - as usual!
Believe it or not, there are lots of poems about artichokes! Here is one that seems relevant to my experience:
Artichoke - by Richard Foerster (From The Burning of Troy by Richard Foerster. Copyright © 2006) For all the bother, it's the peeling away we savoured, the slow striptease toward a tender heart-- how each petal dipped in the buttery sauce was raked across our lower teeth, its residue less redolent of desire than sweet restraint, a mere foretaste of passion, but the scaly plates piled up like potsherds in a kitchen midden, a history in what's now useless, discarded-- so we strained after less and less as the barbs perhaps drew a little blood and we cut our way into the core to rid us of the fibre that would stifle every ut- terance between us. In our quest for that morsel, how we risked silence, risked even love. |
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