Sue gets older at the West Indian Centre

Sue and I have both celebrated birthdays at the West Indian Centre. This one was a trip down Memory Lane. Here are some photos, by no means everybody:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RIP Clippy and then Mittens and Dibble move in

don't normally allow cats on the table . . .

Our beloved Clippy died last winter and we have been wandering helplessly for months through a cat-free world. Till today!

Clippy in a basket

Clippy on a laminator

Clippy in a plant pot

Clippy in a box of wood

Clippy watching the world go by

I phoned Harrogate RSPCA; they have One Direction just 8 weeks old, Liam and Niall are left, yes I would like them, she needs to check over the house. We live on a main-ish road, will it pass the test. Nicola arrived, carrying a cat basket into the house. "Please don't bring them in, if it's not a yes" I said and burst into surprising tears.

 

 

 

Well an hour later Mittens [the polydactyl] and Dibble have moved in.

 

 

 

 

Anyway, that's it. A cat is a cat, I guess. We had Clippy from Lisa Clipstone [one of Foxwood students the day that Foxwood closed]. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She had two sets of kittens and after the kitten-bearing days were over she just slept in any container she could find, or perched on narrow radiators, off which she would regularly slip. Still miss her, but Dibble and Mittens will fill the hole left by her absence I guess.

 

 

See Mittens' polydactyl paw to explain her name

 

 

 

Moreton-in-the Marsh Charlbury Southwark

as nice as it looked

It's the Easter holiday, Foxwood have played Maddie and Liam's wedding, and now it is time for a day in a country hotel in the Cotswolds and then a whole day talking about music teaching. Yay.

Is it a bed or is it my study?

nice car

loving the car

I stayed in Moreton-in-the-Marsh, wrote a great deal, walked a bit, next day took the train to Charlbury to meet Fran and Richard. Here we did indeed discuss music education for one whole day [heaven]  and then Richard gave me a lift to Bicester Station in his car. 

 

 

 

 

And this was not any car! I would have gone anywhere! See car!

nice London brickwork

From Bicester I travelled into London Marylebone Station, and then down to the lovely Hour Glass Hotel in Southwark, which turned out also to be a pub, and on this warn evening, well open door, onto little street tabled area. In the evening, sat in the bar, football on and ending up talking this and that with other drinkers. Then up to room on eye level with concrete footbridge up to the big blocks of flats opposite.

Marylebone Station

 

Next day it was over to MU meeting (not for holiday blog) a quick drink in Clapham and back up to Leeds.

 

 

In the Fentiman

 

That car again

 

That car again

 

In the Fentiman

 

 

 

Boi Boi and Romeo and Juliet and the Theory of Everything

Playhouse

This is a weekend for the Arts. On Friday, I was just passing out on the sofa when Sue phones to remind me I was due at the Playhouse for Boi Boi is Dead. This was okay but ultimately somewhat depressing - the story that is.

The Grand

Saturday I have secured myself a ticket for Prokofiev ballet Swan Lake at the Leeds Grand. This was immense. I loved it. And That theme has always been one of top classical favourites. I bumped into Jan who agreed it was her turn to call me. I am still waiting!





Sunday I take the mother to the Theory of Everything. Where we disagree on how good it is. Not enough theory for my liking and too much love life and home life.

Stella and Lola get Older and Tim and I fell a tree

It's half-term and I have booked a surprise lesson for Stella's 13th birthday party. Nobody knows it is a pool lesson at the Northern Snooker Club. Walt brings her over somewhat nervously.

 

Ian is a great teacher. Back at home, we still don't let on, and Stella challenges Walt to a game of pool. With some success!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then on Wednesday Tim and I take on the twig that I stuck in the ground in my allotment 20 years ago and is now sucking all the rain out of the ground underneath it as fast as it falls. I let Tim do the exciting bit.

On Thursday Charlotte sang some tunes with Mike at the Chemic. [no idea where the pic is]

 

 

 

On Saturday Lola had a birthday tea-party to be 8  at our house. We had sandwiches, buns and played Statues, Pass the Parcel and Musical Bumps. They all ended in tears. It was lucky we had extra prizes for not having won a prize in the last ten minutes!

 

Half term holiday! No way!

Danielle comes back from Dublin to be 21

Kings Cross in October

Marquis in December

Well Astrid, no sooner than I had created the letter to Carriacou for Debs, then she moved to Abu Dabi, and then no sooner than I create Letter to Singapore for you then you up sticks and are coming back to Yorkshire! Yo!

 

NAS leader at Stand Up for Ed conference

So'anyway my next event/holiday trip is Friday 5 to Saturday 6 February for a Stand Up for Education Conference in London, followed immediately by helping Danielle get older in the Royally.

 

[Whenever I am not staying with Grafton or Charlotte I can be found in some "interesting" hotel in Victoria. [I use "interesting" here as you might use "emotional" to mean very drunk!]]

 

However on this occasion I have booked the hotel for the 5 March, not February. Hmm. It's 9.30pm. I am homeless. I call at the hotel next door, pay up immediately that they have a free room. "Don't you want to see the room first? Nope!

I have adopted the Marquis on the corner of Belgrave and Warwick. It's a pint and a quick Wifi moment for me, then back for some "interesting" tele.

 

 

 

 

 

Meeting next day was great, then back on the train for the Royal Park, and the room upstairs where I spent most of the 80s watching bands and sometimes playing myself with Sheehee or the Wirrits or Open to Offers.

 

Danielle is already investigating how many shots she can put away and still stand. I find Amy, Bex and Sophie as well as Danielle from Foxwood and also their friend Julie [ex-student from City] who, in the coming months is to see rather more of me than she or I expected! But in a good way.

 

They danced the Macarena [no idea how to spell] and then hit Leeds nightlife. Yo.