« September 2006 | Main | November 2006 »
October 25, 2006
Carboniferous
So I've been slaving on the wheel of learning for almost two years now. But we're nearing the end, the proverbial light is a dim flicker at the end of a very long tunnel. Right now we're doing our group assignment. The "class" has been split into four groups of what the academics like to call learning support groups and we have to do a group assignment....
,,,, but that's not the point.
One of the group is the manager of an intermediate care centre. It's a council run facility where older people leaving hospital receive the care they need between hospital and home... wherever home may be. The client group is therefore (obviously) older people. It's a very convenient place for us to hold our group meetings and so that's just what we did the other day.
We were gathered around a laptop in what is normally the clients' dining room/lounge when I espied a flip chart. Just one word was written on the flip chart.... carboniferous. Yes, just that, carboniferous.
I turned to the centre's manager and asked him
"Does carboniferous come up a lot in conversation around here then?"
"Oh yes" says he "we talk about it all the time"
"Um, OK"
Posted by lilliebet at 11:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 18, 2006
about:blank
Certain people who will remain nameless (Bill!) have drawn attention to the gaping hole that is my blog of late. But there are reasons! Mostly one reason actually but it's a good one....
The Engage Super League Grand Final
A few years ago an auntie and uncle we'd lost touch with re-appeared on the scene and brought rugby league into our lives, specifically St Helens RLFC. My daughter was first to succumb, then another auntie jumped on board and her partner, even my mum. I went to a few games but because Saints play mostly on Friday nights, I couldn't get to very many. Work can be a bind like that. But last Christmas that all changed, Mike and Maureen moved from Wigan to Waterloo, which meant I had a lift to the game every week and that's when I fell completely under the spell.
It doesn't take many matches to get hooked and I fell in love with the game very quickly. It got so I was wishing my life away waiting anxiously for the next match. Of the 35 league and cup games this season, I missed only four - away to London, away to Perpignan (twice) - both understandable - and the Challenge Cup semi final against Hull KR. I was gutted at missing that one, I even had my ticket, but my friends were getting married and for some strange reason wanted me to be there (of course, he's a footie fan!) :P
Anyway, last Saturday was the Grand Final at Old Trafford and I've been a nervous wreck since the season proper ended and the play offs began. It was an unbelievable day, I can't begin to describe the atmosphere. Unlike football, the rivalry in rugby league is friendly and there's no threat of violence so it's a great sport for families to watch. So we had a great afternoon in the Gorse Hill in Trafford Park, I was hoarse from singing before I even got to the ground. And what a ground it is, much as I loathe Man Utd, you've got to hand it to them. 72,582 rugby fans packed into a stadium make an awesome spectacle - and more than a little noise. The feeling of being part of it is one you don't forget.
So, to the game. Saints were as good as they've been all season but Hull played brilliantly and I was never confident that we'd hang on to our half time lead. But of course we did, in the second half they just kept getting better and better but Hull battled right up to the hooter. The 26-4 scoreline doesn't reflect just how close a game it really was but that's how a final should be.
Saints have had the most amazing season: losing only four league games to top the table by 8 points and take the League Leaders Shield; winning the Challenge Cup and now the Grand Final. Sean Long won the Lance Todd trophy, Paul Wellens won the Harry Sunderland Trophy and was named Super League Man of Steel; Daniel Anderson won Coach of the Year and James Graham won Young Player of the Year. Not a bad haul.
Of course the season's ended now and I'm gutted. But we have the Tri-Nations (vs Austalia and New Zealand) taking us into November. Then Christmas and New Year will keep me occupied for a few weeks. I just have to suffer through January and February until the World Club Challenge and the start of the new season. Ah well.
So what else has been happening?
No 1 daughter, as I'm sure I've mentioned, has started sixth form. She's taking Maths, Physics, Chemistry and English Lit at A Level... must be a chip off the old block. In their wisdom the Government decided to pay kids who stay on at school the princely sum of £30 a week as an incentive to encourage them to attend etc etc etc. No 1 daughter is now loaded and the money has been burning a hole in her bank account. So she decided to buy this....
That'll go down well with the neighbours. She's been taking lessons for a year or so, so at least the excessive noise will have a bit of rhythm to it. Actually she tells me that, because they're electric, you can turn the noise off. Seems pretty daft to me.
Other than that, I've been off work for two days with a cold that has sent me a bit screwy. I was a raving lunatic last night apparently but can't remember a thing. Maybe it's not a cold, maybe it's lurgy! And maybe I'll go wrap myself up in my quilt now. Night night.
Posted by lilliebet at 10:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack