Thankyou

Just back from the bank where I lodged £428.80 into the Macmillan Cancer Care account, proceeds from our part of the World's Biggest Coffee Morning.

Ask me anything about:

run flat tyres
automatic transition
iPhone docking
anti-theft devices
GPS Sat Nav
stolen vehicle tracking system

Guess who's had a Technology project to do?

Cheers!

What a morning, photoblogged here. Thanks to Cosmo for supplying the delicious coffee and to lots of friends and neighbours for calling in on what was a horrendously miserable wet morning for a coffee, a chat and to donate.

Delighted to announce the grand total of £319 raised for Macmillan Cancer, who do a sterling job supporting cancer patients and their families.

I am extremely proud of my son

who yesterday after school was walking down to our usual meeting point when he spotted £5 in loose change sitting on top of a bin outside a shop on the Stranmillis Road, and took it in and handed it over to the shop assistant.

Special Deliveries

Last night we were able to watch my littlest niece and nephew being delivered by caesarian section, eight months after the actual event, courtesy of the BBCNI documentary series 'Special Deliveries'.

It can also be seen here, but to avoid the screamers, and I strongly suggest you avoid the screamers, fast forward to the main event at approximately 12 minutes 50 seconds in.

Jingle Bells

But not quite as you'd recognise it.

Plus another one I don't know with six flats. Who writes music with six flats? More to the point, what am I doing singing it??

Four sharps, three flats and no practice CD

I was invited to join a singing chorale. Ohhhh yes!

So I went along last week and created a bit of a stir because they thought they had a new soprano. Ohhhh no!

The chorale are preparing for the Christmas season when they have a concert lined up in a local stately home which my mother and her friend thought they would turn up at, until I told them the tickets were £25 each. I had then to administer the Heimlich manoeuver as they choked on their respective coffees.

Anyway, I attended the first practice last week and they learnt five, thats five, new pieces. Of which I had previous knowledge of none, that's not a one of them. To which my mother said when I told her 'don't be silly Alison...' (cross, use of full title) '...you sang in choirs at Christmas for years, how can you not know any of them??'

Well. There you go, it's my own personal sort of nightmare at Christmas, which just gets worse when you consider: no practice CD! So tonight, in preparation for tomorrow nights rehearsal, I was doing my best Les Dawson impersonation banging out my harmony line on the piano whilst negotiating four sharps, then three flats and no less than five key changes.

Please God, let there be something tomorrow night that I at least recognise the tune of.

I was wondering

if, when the Pope flies back to Rome from Birmingham after his papal visit next week, they will make him go through the naked scanner?

Settling in

It seems like forever ago since son first donned the tie with Maltese cross and started 'big school'. In fact, its only been two weeks.

Tempus fugit.

So far he seems to be making a much better go of it than I ever did. Amusingly, he has two teachers who taught me during my time at the alma mater. OK, they maybe didn't actually teach me, but I was in their classes. One of them is a traditional professor type who, according to my son, 'is really intelligent- he can explain a black hole in just 30 minutes!!' And apparently, he did. Twice. Though what exactly that has to do with first year maths...

I'm considering writing a note to the Latin teacher to explain that when I was my sons age I scored the grand total of 32% in my Latin exam, and please to treat his homework with appropriate understanding to his plight. She'll understand; her big sister was my best friend at school and she scored 31%. Yes, we obviously copied, and yes, we ended up in the Latin for dummies 'Ecce Romani' class. It's a wonder we went on to make anything of ourselves at all. Oh, hold on, we're both teachers.....

Crassus agricola est.

Son has decided he wants to join the school orchestra. He realises this might be a bit tricky as his current instrument is piano, but has a plan. He wants to learn percussion, primarily because you don't have to blow (don't ask me, I only gave birth to him) and it's easier than violin. However, he was also very quick to point out that with instrumental tuition being £13 a lesson, it was a lot of money to pay just to learn the triangle and the cymbals.

Apart from music, the school is a little bit renowned for rugby. He had his rugby try out last week but unfortunately, didn't make it onto the 'New Zealand' squad. And, if you don't make it onto the 'New Zealand' squad, nobody really cares which country you play for. Currently I think he plays for Romania. Fifths. But he scored six individual tries last week, so watch out for Romania at the next world cup.

Deus nobiscum.

News in brief

Back to work. The month I was contracted to work, doing two and a half days a week, has now been extended until possibly Christmas. Nice. Then full time after that until June. French again, does that allow for another field trip to Stade Francais?

New rugby season starts tonight with the Ulstermen playing the Ospreys in the Magners League. Sadly no French vistors to Ravenhill this season, but three visits by Italian sides. Every cloud...

The daily rosacea question 'is my face red?' was met with a 'yes' one day this week. 'Where?' I enquired. 'Just below your nose and above your moustache' came the much too honest answer. Kids. eh??!

Ryanair have given me all my money back and I have successfully, and somewhat expensively, rebooked all flights with SleazyJet. The King is dead, long live the King!

I think I have another wee project lined up for next year......