Remembrance Sunday

Today is Remembrance Sunday.

Aren't we supposed to have a minute's silence while we remember those who died at war? But what do you think of during that silence? What do you remember? People?

I used to feel sad that people in the previous generations to me had lost loved ones, like my aunty's husband. Uncle Myles died in World War two as he lead his troop of soldiers along a ditch at the side of a road. There was another troop on the other side of the road too, but having a working radio, they were warned to turn back because there was a sniper ahead. Unfortunately

1. Uncle Myles' radio equipment wasn't working so
   
2. they didn't turn back and
   
3. the sniper got him.
   

I didn't know Uncle Myles, so remembering him wasn't too easy, but remembering his widow and son brought sadness. What could we do to avoid future deaths?

We could remember what went wrong and make sure it doesn't happen again.

Do we remember? No, because British troops still don't have working equipment. See this for example. So for me, there's little point in Remembrance Sunday until we learn from our memories.

Handel's Halleluiah

I quite like Handel's Halleluiah anyhow, but this is such fun. I hope the 'monks' had fun rehearsing it too.

Nephew's restaurant

When I was a teenager, I expressed an interest in learning to cook, so my parents gave me a cookery book, inscribed:

"Waiting hopefully for the results."

Good results didn't appear that quickly, so I was intrigued to find in today's Financial Times an article on an 18 year-old Canadian chef who has his own restaurant. It must be good if he's made it into the British FT. See the restaurant web site here.

Of more importance is my nephew who is training as a chef in the States. Perhaps he'll learn to cook more quickly than I did. I couldn't run a restaurant - I get stressed when I have to cook for more than a few friends and family. Will nephew make it into the FT when he gets his own restaurant? And will he get his own restaurant? I hope so, and then maybe I'll go and try it out. So now I'm waiting hopefully for the results of his training.

Lost Madeleine

This little English girl disappeared when she was nearly four, and is still missing more than two years later, but her parents keep looking. When they heard of that American girl that was found after 18 years, they argued that their child could still be alive somewhere, so produced this video in the hopes that someone knows where their Madeleine is.

Old friends, new places

I met an old friend today, at work, a friend I haven't seen for perhaps ten years, someone who's son is around the same age as mine. We used to live near each other, but lost face to face contact when I moved here. But she's now a full-time post grad student at the OU studying for a doctorate too. So we met over lunch and chatted for an hour, and could have talked longer, but I had to get on and do stuff. (See Frustrating Day).

A colleague commented that it was weird that we'd both ended up here, but it's not really weird. We've got similar children, we have a similar approach to learning, a similar view of life and what's important - that's why we got on ten years ago. And that's why we're doing similar things now.

Making the grade in English

That 1 in 4 pupils fail to make the grade in English (see Telegraph) is not surprising if the evidence from one Buckinghamshire primary school is anything to go by. For some weeks now, displayed in the assembly hall, as if the school were proud of it, is the grocer's apostrophe in a verb. A painted poster proclaims:

"Africa need's money".

With teaching like this at primary level, we shouldn't expect improvements in English any time soon.

Working families

I don't support the recommendation that MPs' spouses don't work for them. It's normal and natural for families to work together, whether they be spouses or children. Watching the farmer's son helping on his market stall this week in the Aylesbury Farmers' market, the child was both learning, and contributing to his family's business, and to society in general. He could be proud of his contribution. I know that some MPs have abused the system, but bad cases make bad law, and this recommendation is one that ought to go, not be implemented. Let the spouses work.

Younger wives

Husband has just discovered here that having a wife younger than himself is good for him.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8325579.stm

Half term

It's half term so I'm nipping out this afternoon to watch the newly released film of the Fantastic Mr Fox. It's had some good reviews so I shall enjoy the treat with two young relatives.

Waving or drowning

Remember last week the news about the balloon boy family? For those of you who dismissed the family with the child not in a helium balloon as a trivial episode, Mike Todd found this cartoon to pull us up short:

http://miketodd.typepad.com/waving_or_drowning/2009/10/hello.html