100 words week 86

It has been a LONG  time since I blogged last- since Grandad died actually.

I still feel sad that he died just as we finished his memoirs and have had a bit of a writing block since.

So, I am going to have  a try with this week’s 100wcgu and see if I can get back into the swing of it.

I have been reading through my nanowrimo and am finding it incredibly hard to edit as some parts just annoy me as they don’t say things the way I want them to. I suppose I just need to persevere.

If I feel brave enough I might post a few extracts on here but not til I have done some more editing.

In the mean time here is my effort with the prompt, …the queue was so long…

Read all about it at Julia’s place http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups-week86/

Aaarrgghhh!

“Come on!” Jess hissed under her breath, checking her watch for the umpteenth time and going nowhere fast. She was running late, as usual, and nobody was moving.

Who were they trying to kid with those ridiculous queue barriers?

Such a waste of time.

 It was far more fun in the old days when you used to try to second guess which queue would move first.

 

What fun was there in this system? The queue was so long that it actually went out onto the street.

 

When the alarms went off Jess just knew that it was going to be one of those days...

 

Read the rest over at http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=193739&type=basic&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Thanks for taking the time to read. I will endeavour to resume blogging on a more regular basis!!

100 words week 74

This week’s prompt was... “the extreme weather meant” Read the details here at http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups-week74/

I tried to include it in a travel bulletin but that didn’t work so I have used it as the prompt rather than included in the text. ( That’s allowed isn’t it?!)

As I sit here this afternoon the snow has started again and it makes a very pretty sight. Snowflakes really are exquisite. I took some photos in the snow at the weekend but wished I had remembered my tripod to capture the true beauty of the snow. I don’t think any jewel can compete with a snowflake. I’ve never seen one to do so. Their beauty is partly in their transient nature I feel. 

I have recently changed my car to a little sporty number and as the snow is now falling rather more heavily am feeling a little anxious about driiving to collect my lad from after school sports. I think it will be a rather slow journey (and definitely no roof down!)

Anyway, here is this week's effort.

I am so so pleased to have finished my Grandad's memoirs with him. I have been reading them and listening to his recordings . How lucky to always have those memories .

I'll have a read of the others later; find them at http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=181279&type=basic

Here's mine

..the extreme weather meant...

Shifting into gear Mike cursed loudly as he caught sight of the time. An hour of his life wasted in a meeting that hadn’t gone anywhere and, to top it all off, the relentless rain had turned to a swirling blizzard.

The BMW’s rear wheels span uselessly and he switched off the engine. He pressed his forehead against the wheel and tried to clear his mind. He knew exactly what Veronica would say, how she would look at him.

And how guilty he would feel.

Again.

The phone buzzed angrily and Veronica’s face lit up the screen ,her cold eyes staring. He gently traced the curve of her face before pressing, “END.”

Grandad

I'm writing this as the sad  news of my Grandfather's passing hasn't yet fully sunk in.

I'm sad of course, but like to think that he is with his beloved wife again and it gladdens my heart to imagine them together.

The project we began to write his memoirs was completed shortly before Christmas and for that I can take some comfort. We will always have the record of his life to remember him by. He did so many things that he had not really spoken of.

Here are a few extracts:



"I don’t know anyone on active service who wasn’t scared stiff when they had to go into battle or face the foe, no matter what anyone said.  We are not all heroes, no one is really. You do what you have to do and that is that."   
 This was written about his service in WW2. To imagine what it must have been like for those young men.. To me, they were all heroes to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude and without whom I probably wouldn't be writing this! 

"We had physical training by a warrant officer called Matt Busby. All PT instructors were given the rank of warrant officer and most of them were former footballers. Matt Busby became manager of Manchester United and was eventually knighted. He was a delight to know and a good PT instructor."

Grandad was an incredibly modest man. He never bragged about things he had done, places he had been or people he had met over the years. This is just one example of what a fascinating life he led.

"People meet up in all sorts of circumstances and it was quite fortuitous really; we had both been invited to the same function and perchance we met. When we met I found she was a very intelligent girl, up for a bit of fun... I knew then that I had met somebody special"

This was about his beloved wife, my Gran. 

"She has been much missed by all the family and she was well loved by them and loved them all. There is not a day goes by that I do not think of her as I was so fortunate to have such a loving wife and mother of my children."

RIP dearest Grandad.

Much loved and will never be forgotten

xxx

Happy new year and return to 100WCGU

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It's been a while since I last blogged. 

I have completed my Grandad's memoirs- hurrah. He was delighted with them so I am very pleased to have achieved what I set out to do. It has been wonderful finding out so much about him and his time in the war and his working life. I hope the rest of the family enjoy it.

Term starts for me tomorrow and I have just about got the planning finished. I never plan too far ahead as it changes on  a daily basis depending on the needs of the children; but it still takes what seems like an age.

I am now going to edit my nanowrimo in earnest and see if I can manage to get a few more of these 100wcgu completed now. 

I also must get the decorating done. My lovely hubby and son worked out that if I keep on the present rate it will take me nine years to finish so I need to hurry up a bit!! Will do some after lunch...

Anyway, enough prevarication.

This week's prompt from Julia is

 ... you said you’d do WHAT?….

 Read all about it at http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups-week72/ 

Here is my effort. One of my aims this year is to tell less to the reader! I will try. 

Feedback is always welcomed- (comments are moderated to avoid spam) If you don't like it please tell me why!!

Read the rest over at http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=179012&type=basic

WEEK 72

Clouds of smoke swirled as Big Jake exhaled. He stared penetratingly at Mickey.

“You said you’d do what?”

“Well, uh, I sorta thought it would help the guys.”

“You did, did ya?”

“Jonny said he’d help. ”

 “Hell no, it’s the first I’ve heard of it Boss. We gotta cut him loose, know what I mean?”

“Now c’mon guys, it’ll be cool. We’ll be outta there before you know it. All I need is...”

Big Jake leant forward and blew a cloud of cigar smoke in Mickey’s face. “All you need kid is to go back and tell them you’re not gonna do it.”

Internet safety and our children

Since reading this article  posted by a fellow tweecher earlier in the week, I have been unable to stop thinking about the importance of education  regarding internet safety.

.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2234956/Internet-porn-rape-suspects-aged-TEN.html

Along with the majority ( I think)  of teachers , I am a "digital immigrant" having been born and educated at a time pre social networking and internet access . Today's school children and students could be described as " digital natives" having been immersed in the super technological world we live in today.

Don't get me wrong; I am certainly not against social networking,  blogging (I would be somewhat hypocritical if I was!) and the use of the internet in schools. I am looking forward to a time in school when ICT is fully integrated into every aspect of my teaching. ( As it already is in many schools)

The article highlighted the dilemma we face in schools: to filter, or not to filter?

There are plenty who say not to filter because it is our role, as educators, to ensure that children are taught how to use the internet appropriately.http://ianaddison.net/flexible-filtering-in-school/ and http://www.josepicardo.com/2012/05/why-schools-must-teach-social-networking/    are most interesting reads and present a case for not filtering and embracing the use of social networking.

On the other hand there are those who say that we must act to protect the children we teach , so must block/filter web sites. http://www.esafety-adviser.com/blog/2012/08/31/a-pragmatic-view-of-internet-filtering-from-the-perspective-of-school-and-la/


I agree with both sides of the argument.
HOWEVER  I see the issue as a far wider one than we can deal with in schools. Yes, we can run parent workshops, we can send home guides, invite police and CEOP in...but that only works for the 'worried well' and certainly not everyone.

Children are accessing the internet from earlier and earlier ages ,http://www.childwise.co.uk/media/CHILDWISE%20MONITOR%202011-12%20press%20release.pdf

and are often more knowledgeable about the internet than their parents,  http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/security/3283597/uk-kids-spend-42-hours-a-week-social-networking/



So, how DO we protect our children?

In my opinion we should be teaching children how to use social media safely, yes in primary schools too- children are using facebook and other social networking sites and not talking about it isn't going to stop it.

What is as (if not more) important is that  parents need to be taught how to help their children to be safe online and how they are responsible to monitor what their children are accessing.



This is a bigger issue than we as teachers can deal with.

In my opinion, this is something that needs to be tackled by the media which is accessed by the vast majority of the population. Nadine Dorries was mistaken in thinking that her time on , "I'm a celebrity" would get her message across . It is widely known that most of what goes on in "reality shows" never makes it past the editing room floor. However, she did have a point in so far as more people vote on these shows than in elections...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20441840

Viewing figures for soaps are at similarly high levels- is there a reason why they cannot do a public service and demonstrate safe and appropriate internet use as part of the "day to day life" they show. Not in wall to wall shock tactic storylines, but in a way that shows parents having open discussions with their children,

I am not suggesting that this will suddenly turn the situation around, but surely it would be a step in the right direction? As a primary school teacher I worry about the internet content that children can access. Have my hands tied about what I can and cannot teach them in schools.

I know that many schools and LAs have relaxed their filters and that this has worked well for them. How we can address the issue of what children are accessing at home I am not sure. I shall continue to follow developments through the news, twitter and education forums and remain optimistic that internet safety will be given a higher priority both within and beyond the education system.

100 words for grown ups week 67

I can't quite believe that there are only 5 school weeks until we finish for Christmas!! I have been trying to do a multitude of things; some better than others and had intended to do some decorating today. However, a cricked neck has put paid to that so thought I would have  a go at this week's challenge . (Julia's page at http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/100-words-for-grown-ups-week67/  )

When I read the prompt ," I really tried not to laugh" it made me think of all those different types of laughter that you can have.  A good belly laugh with a mate, a stifled giggle when you should be terribly serious, a nervous laugh when things are not going to plan, a wry laugh at yourself for not seeing what was going on, laughing til you cry... the list goes on and on. 

Here's my effort for the challenge. Read the rest at http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=172612&type=basic

Life, love and laughter

I really tried not to laugh:

When I opened the exam paper

            

                                               to see I couldn't answer any questions,

When I failed my driving test

                                                                      for the third time :/

When my friends told me it wouldn't last;

                                                                        and when it didn't.

When I looked in the mirror

                                                        to see the woman I had become.

BUT...

I really DID laugh:

When I had the strength to walk away

                                                                     and never look back,

When my precious son smiled at me

                                         

                                                                  and melted my heart.

When I met the love of my life

                                                                   who gave me wings.

When I look in the mirror 

      

                                                    and see the woman I have become.

                                           *    *   *

Thank you for reading .

100 words for grown ups

This week the challenge was a picture:
All the details can be found over on Julia's blog at http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups-week65/

At first I thought I might do something to do with the Ash dieback disease, but I couldn't possibly make light of what is such a potentially serious situation.
So instead I have used the picture to inspire some serious "Girl Power."

I have parent evenings coming up over the next three weeks so will be pretty busy with those and not sure how much time I will have to do the next couple of prompts. I recently sent the synopsis and first part of my nanowrimo to have some feedback from a publisher who were running a charity event .
(Further details here http://www.justgiving.com/MeetandCritiqueVintageBooks ) so am looking forward to hearing back from them with some pointers for improvement.

Other than that, my Grandfather has pretty much got up to the present day with recording his memoirs and I am busy typing up and getting into order. After parent evenings I am going to print out a draft for him to go through, then to get some copies bound. (I have never had anything made into a book - well only my dissertation a long time ago and I don't think that counts! Will be picking people's brains about how to go about getting A4 pages put into book size for binding...

Enough prevarication.
Here is my piece for the challenge.
You can read the rest at http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=170427&type=basic


Comments/critiques welcomed.

Orange Spot

Muriel scrubbed her hands. “That’ll show them, bloomin 

beaurocrats !”  

The letter had  clattered through the letterbox  the previous morning.

“sustainable forestry... carefully selected.... replanting programme...”

 “Yaddayaddayadda.” She  tossed it into the stove. “I won’t let them, I’ll show’em!”

All her life she’d lived there, surrounded by  the trees she’d come to regard as friends.  They’d grown old together.

 Family gone, schoolmates  forgotten: each  tree held a secret from her past. Stolen kisses, sips of beer, engraved letters, the first time... she hugged her knees closer and laughed out loud.

 The truck rolled into view and she sat back to watch...