I’ve not got the greatest sense of smell which might be a drawback in cooking which I love.
A smell that does give me a madeleine moment is that of bracken. I couldn’t describe the smell but it is unmistakable. This is the smell of a lot the Scottish countryside in summer. As well as more recent memories of walking through bracken I am reminded of playing in the woods as a child, chopping through the jungle And building shelters from the stalks and fronds of bracken.
Tag: blogvember
Blogvember 11 Childhood
The children In my class, 8 through 11 year olds, are at least 50 years younger than me. My childhood was so very different. Our lives and games were soaked in war. Our parents and grandparents were survivors. Everything seemed simpler, easier to grasp. Our milk came from nearby farms, pasteurised in a local dairy. Our history books shorter with line drawings of cavemen and kings. And so on. Sometimes my pupils seem like a different species or inhabitants of a different planet. Then again, when they are fascinated by a spider or delighted by a bounce time shrinks.
#Blogvember 10 Book
Over the years the time I spend reading books has decreased. I only regularly read for 20-30 minutes before sleep. I also read when I wake in the night before trying for sleep again. This usually works but with a great book can have the opposite effect.
#blogvember 9 – Television 📺
#blogvember 9 – Television
Finished watching Succession one of my favourite shows. Full of unlikable characters doing horrible morally reprehensible things. Can’t put it down.
Waiting for the new series of The Crown, about another institution that I disapprove of, but extremely watchable, great cast so far, I doubt very much it bears much resemblance to reality.
Just watched episode one of series two of Britannia. the plot of series one was so mixed up I can’t really remember what went on. The theme tune has changed from Hurdy Gurdy Man to Season of the Witch, but a fairly daft mix of gore and mad ancient britons on hallucinogenic drugs continues in an enjoyable fashion.
#blogvember 8 Technology
Somedays computing technology seems like a collection of very fine threads with a lot depending on them. I don’t suppose there ever was a time where ordinary folk could really understand much. But when I started using macs around system 7.1 I was under the illusion that it might be something I could grasp if not master. I now feel like I am at one end of a multitude of dependencies, with no change of a glimpse of the root of any.
#blogvember 7 – Work – Product Owner for Glow Blogs
I am very pleased that I’ll be continuing my part time role as product owner for Glow Blogs. When my recent contract finished in June the job was opened for applications. I was successful and am just sorting out the paper work. I do this work over an above my class teacher role. I would have been gutted if I didn’t get the job.
This post was inspired by Andrew Canion’s Blogvember Prompt List. This arrived in micro.blog at he same time as #mbnov, microblogvember.
#blogvember 6 – Family I don’t blog about my family. Not a big deal, I just don’t. I might have name checked my wife half a dozen times and my daughter a couple, but only to mention they were on a walk I’ve described. Blogvember Prompt List.
#Blogvember 5 Nature
I’ve always been interested in natural history. Recently I’ve been more aware of the effect of nature on me.
When I was in my twenties I worked in a zoo and alway presumed I continue to work outside and with nature somehow.
That didn’t really happen.
As I get towards the other end of my working life I find I am bringing nature into my classroom and talking my pupils out a lot more. The push for outdoor learning is helping as is the school I am currently working in.
I am also spending more of my weekends outside after a couple of decades of ‘spare’ time in front of a computer.
I notice a shift in my interest and attention, I now see things l must have passed many times in my youth, flora, small creatures and signs of their passing. I was always on the looked for these, but in the last couple of years I seem to be getting better at it.
I’ve seen half a dozen lizards this year in places I’ve been visiting for years without a sighting. I sometimes am aware of the depth of space around me as insects come in and out of focus. Colours, clouds and landscapes take on not much meaning but better a definition of sorts.
#Blogvember 4 inauthentic ribollita
Inauthentic ribollita, no stale bread involved. Tasty.
This post was inspired by Andrew Canion’s Blogvember Prompt List. This arrived in micro.blog at he same time as #mbnov, microblogvember.
Failure – #Blogvember 3
What a topic for a lazy Sunday.
The temptation to delve deep would lead to a failure to finish this post. After a short while my thoughts become jumbled and apprehensive.
Then there is the education and business cliche of learning from failure and the Dylan koen. On the education side I am ambivalent about the idea. #nowrongpath, although many folk I admire take part, makes me feel a little uneasy. I think I’ll skip these too.
Or I could go meta and look at my failure to meet on line challenges like this one, photo a day and a variety of voluntary courses. This might loop back to the personal and get messy too.
So I think I’ll continue my successful 3 day streak with blogvember by failing to get to grips with failure and hit publish.
This post was inspired by Andrew Canion’s Blogvember Prompt List. This arrived in micro.blog at he same time as #mbnov, microblogvember.