Miriam leaves the UK and Astrid comes back, Miriam and Debs turn up at same graduation ceremony

Well Astrid, I am not a great fan of city centre drinking at the weekend [I predict a riot], but it was Miriam's leaving do and needs must. However when we got to the Liquorist it was just too loud.   

 

Cutting a long story, we ended in Gusto where Mig was that evening. Morgan may well be regretting telling me he was in Leeds this particular Friday. In fact at one point he was suggesting we were too loud. Moi! Jamais! In the end we were me, Miriam, Tim and Buster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's another daughter/granddaughter somewhere in here!

 

 

 

 

Just as Miriam is deserting the devastating effects of academisation [education privatisation without educational philosophy] in the UK, here you are back with us, Astrid.  Yippee on both accounts.

 

 

It's the right start for Miriam and the right return for you.

 

Anyway, before Miriam hits Egypt [and I am not sure Egypt really knows what's coming!] Miriam has to collect her post-post-grad research thingy. I go as her significant adult [!], but when we get first person we meet is Debs [also driven abroad by academisation] collecting her Masters. Debs is with Charles and her mum [Margaret] and Miriam has me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debs taking the stage

 

 

Grimesdyke on the big screen

 

Debs and Miriam at Beckett Park

 

Miriam taking the stage

 

Debs and Family and another family

 

 

 

 

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.