Wicked step mother

Who would choose to be a wicked step mother? They always come to a deserved sticky end, even if it's only being booed off the pantomime stage! Becoming step mother to three beautiful step daughters and a handsome step son was never going to be a career move. But it brings joy including emails like this:
Dear Nana,

I was reading a poem book to Mummy and I found a poem about a stepmother. Mummy thought you might like it because you are a stepmother yourself. It is very funny in some parts so I hope you will enjoy it.

The Wicked Stepmother

I expected her to wear hobnail boots
Beneath a stiff brown skirt.
I expected her to screech
Like a throttled parrot:
“No you can’t go to the ball,
the ball”
Or
“Scrub that floor again!”

I just knew she would offer me
Shiny poisoned apples;
Hide all my party invitations;
Spend hours asking the mirror
Leading questions
Then take me into a forest
And leave me there.

I pictured her waiting
For the postman
To deliver a parcel
Containing my torn-out heart

I thought I would have to
Grow my hair
Until it was long enough
To hang out of high windows

I imagined pinning all my hopes
On a mountaineering prince
Armed with a chainsaw
And a first aid manual.
Or the kindness of seven
Short men.

So imagine my surprise
When an ordinary-looking person arrived
Who likes fairy tales too.


Lindsay Macrae

Blood and glass

A pool of blood on the steps outside today was evidence of a fracas in the street at around 2 o'clock this morning. Step daughter #3 called the police when she heard a drunken woman shouting, "I'll pay for it. Please let me go!" She'd broken a window, yet another pane of glass broken in our street, and the house occupant was awake and having a real go at her. However, this culprit had also cut herself, and was bleeding badly. There are drips all the way down the street, a splash on the new paving stones, and a pool of blood that hadn't dried by 11 o'clock. SD#3 says that the police used tracker dogs to look for her. If she was bleeding that badly, and was drunk, then she needed help.

I wonder if they found her.

Ill Austrian

One of our little Austrian visitors wasn't very well yesterday, with a tummy ache and feeling sick. Her teacher came round and gave her herbal drops, and prescribed coca-cola. Certainly it seemed to work, for both girls were happy and smiling and eating at breakfast this morning. I was impressed too that the whole conversation was conducted in English, despite their youth. They've been learning English for only two years, yet responded with understanding and sensibly if somewhat shyly.

It was also an opportunity to get a photo of this wonderful flamboyant teacher. See it on the family web site.

Austrian girls

Our two young visitors slept and ate okay, and we got them off on the coach to visit Bath and Salisbury today. Their flamboyant teacher was dressing in a mini dress of pale yellow, with the usual high heeled shows and pink net socks, but her eye makeup was wonderful in a rainbow of metallic colours to match her dress.

Austrian visitors

We are expecting two twelve year old girls from Austria to come tomorrow and stay with us for 13 days while they explore England and English. We had similar visitors last year, along with their wonderfully flamboyant teacher.

This WFT brings a class over every year - see Visitors from Austria last year.

Visitors from states

Husband and I went to Waddesdon Manor with Brother and sister-in-law for a fine wine & cheese tasting in the aviary. They'd flown in with my nephew for a 10 day visit. We tasted red wine, a sauvignon and a sauternes.

Then we came home and tasted some more wine with our pizzas. Some of us stayed up past midnight.

In the morning, over a leisurely breakfast (very leisurely as teenagers had scoffed all the bread so we had to nip out to bakers) of rolls and cheese and garlic sausage we had time for slightly more chat before they left for Lancashire.

Norcap and space

Our open secret gardens earned £1000 for our chosen local charities. On Friday two young local residents who had been helping with refreshments presented cheques to Norcap and Space.

Another ceremony

Step daughter #3 today had her degree award ceremony, well deserved. And her supervisor told us that he wants and is accepting her on to the MSc course starting in September. Well done SD#3!

See family site for photo.

Taekwon Do grading results

I passed the grading and the subum (teacher) presented me with my new certificate and blue belt. I am now officially at an intermediate grade.

The subum was very complimentary as he gave me my belt, because I've been doing the extra classes and sparring, and am 'of an age .. ' He didn't say my age, though it's obvious I'm the oldest in the class. The kids were great afterwards, congratulating me, and asking my age and even a couple of really energetic teenage lads saying I was better than them, which I'm not and they've got the potential that I haven't. But it was nice to have the praise.

I just hope I don't get beaten up in the tournament on Sunday.

Highgrove house

Some residents of the old town visited Highgrove House today to look round the gardens. I love the hosts of hostas and the reuse of wood or objets trouves. The Duke of Cornwall (aka Prince Charles) also has loads of plants that we have in our garden, and things that I had in my old garden, like his flower meadow - I attempted to grow wild flowers at the bottom of my old garden.

It was a nice way to spend our eighth wedding anniversary (bronze). We've ended the day sharing a bottle of Godbillon-Pointillart champagne.

Taekwon Do grading

I went in for my blue belt grading, which is scary. I had to do several patterns, 3 and two step sparring, pad work with a black belt. And then free sparring with three different partners of the same grade. I find sparring exhausting. I got a tiny bruise over one eye when I didn't block fast enough.

Flower show

Husband and I have spent today at the RHS Hampton Court flower show admiring the blooms and the other goodies, like sculptures, hats for gardening, jewel-coloured clothes (cost same as jewels) and bags, olive bread, truckles of cheese, garden furniture, garden lighting, handy gadgets for holding your handbag,sausages, fig trees, olive trees, citrus trees. And stuff,at prices cheaper than normal. We bought a fold-up box to trundle our purchases in (fig tree and olive tree and solar garden lights), and that was only two thirds the web site price.

I got a lovely new blue hat with a silver leather flower.

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Aylesbury Vale Youth Theatre are putting on Thoroughly Modern Millie at Pendley Court Theatre in August. It's run by young people who put together rehearse and produce a play just in the university holidays, so done under time constraints. It's a great idea because it brings together local young people who are away at college or uni and can only meet in the breaks, but this is a profitable meeting.

Get your tickets through the AVYT site. Last year's production was good, so worth going again.

Young man

One of the joys of parenting older children is getting to know their young adult friends. Yesterday evening son came home around 10 with three friends. I left them chatting and sharing his malt whiskey. I hadn't known he was going out, where he was going, who he was going with until it happened, but was pleased to see his friends. I've met them before.

At seven o'clock this morning I bleary eyed wandered into the visitor's bed room to use the bathroom while husband was shaving in the other. But there's a lump in one of the beds! I think son has brought home a superfine specimen of young manhood. I guess he wasn't going to go home late to wherever he's come from, and fair enough son has given him a spare bed.

Might be a good idea if son warns me.

Dishwasher duty is demeaning

Washing dishes, putting them in the dishwasher, unloading the dishwasher, being pointed in the direction of dishwasher is "demeaning" retorts twenty-year-old son. Affronted parent is now grumpy.

Demeaning? Oh yeah? Get on with it, or parental unit won't be demeaning itself to serve him meals this university break.

Lovely husband

"He's so lovely, your husband! He bought you a cup of tea."

My Indian friend praised him at 7.30 this morning as we met for a long day at work. I had to get up at 6.30 in order to be at MK in time. He offered last night to bring me a cup of tea. He did. At ten past five.

Kathleen Ollerenshaw

Yesterday I thanked Kathleen Ollerenshaw again for the lift she gave me in 1973. I haven't seen her since. Then I didn't know she was a mathematician but yesterday in the reception before Robin Wilson's inaugural maths lecture, I noticed this old lady sitting alone and asked if she was a mathematician. She said "Oh yes. Very much so!" It was only after the lecture that someone told me her name. She is very old and has a stick, but just as pleasant as she was then.

I knew of her when I was at school, as having something to do with the education committee in Manchester. The education authorities said that they wouldn't pay for someone like me in the sixth form of a direct grant school and my parents mentioned her name when explaining why I might choose to leave and go to an FE college

She's got an Erdős number of five, which means that she coauthored a paper with someone who co authored a paper ... an Erdős number of one is someone who coauthored a paper directly with Erdős. My mathematically inclined daughter is well impressed.

Big Burly Black Belt Bloke bit me!

I got my finger bitten this evening at taekwondo.

Big burly black belt bloke and I got paired up to play tag. You have to tag your partner on the knee, or shoulder or elbow, depending on the rule of the day. I raised my left arm to block BBBBB from touching my head, while I ducked to tag his knee. I must have had my fingers out, instead of clenching my fist, because I felt his teeth round one finger!

He didn't really bit - he was just as surprised as me. He went home laughing about it!