Memories

There wasn’t a blog last night. I was working through until quite late and fell asleep.

Yesterday, working, today, shopping for myself and son of the broken ankle and daughter in law. For anyone seeing the shopping trolley, no, I haven’t gone rampant veggie, just that the rabbits and guinea pigs eat a lot of kale. Treated myself to the weekly loaf, and that was lunch, and more for tomorrow. Trying to cut down on carbs as the trouser belt is starting to complain, so supper was carb free, but indulgent and tasty. And it’s the strawberry season. Somehow some found their way into the trolley, as did the traditional Cornish accompaniment. Succumbed tonight.

Work has been trying to pick up students’ panics. What part of “Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part” don’t they get after three years? An “Urgent” text at 23:35 last night is an example. It wasn’t answered until this morning, and ten via email. Apart from that, preparing for next year by rolling things forward, and waiting for systems to spit results back at me.

And then I think we’re receiving signals from another planet. The news is reporting that, according to the Huffington Post headline, “David Blunkett Lambasts Teaching Unions Over Opposition To Schools Reopening.” In the article it is reported that he is comparing supermarkets with schools in their social distancing.

This guy is really, really, out of touch. With supermarkets you’re dealing with a moving population of adults who are there for a short time. With children you’re dealing with, well, children, who will he there all day and who have been used to no social distancing for close on three months because they’re been at home.

Let’s have people with teaching experience making these decisions, shall we? Which planet do these people inhabit? I wonder what stance Kier Starmer is taking?

Tomorrow, more making sure I’ve dotted all the Ts and crossed all the Is.

At the end of shopping today I picked up some flowers for my daughter in law. It was only when I got home and got the phone call of thanks that I realised that these were the first flowers I’d bought since the last ones I bought for Sandy when she was in the hospice, seven months ago. It was quite a time before I could continue with anything else. These were the flowers for Sandy.

Music:

One of the emergent sopranos from the Sixteen is Elin Manahan Thomas. I notice that she uses minimal vibrato. This lack of wobble is very suited to the Renaissance and Baroque repertoire.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera, RV 630, Elin Manahan Thomas, Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment, director Harry Christophers

George Frideric Handel (1685-1749), Eternal Source of Light Divine, Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano), Crispian Steele-Perkins (trumpet), Armonico Consort, conductor Christopher Monks

<- Prev | Next ->