Family stuff. French chaos. More books banned. A 100 year old bear.

 It’s another fine bright autumn day. 

The family seem to be coming to dinner for a change; lately our daughter has been too busy with her new post as assistant head of a local primary school to have time to bring everyone over for dinner. Depending on what time people arrive we might even manage a family walk. That could be last late afternoon walk of the year without torches as the clocks change next weekend and we gain an hour in bed but lose an hour in the afternoon. The nights are drawing in. Winter is coming!

In France what began as lycée student protests have progressed to general protests against the rising cost of living and poor public services. In French fashion this is not done in a half-hearted way; buildings are being attacked, vehicles are being set alight, chaos has ensued! It is to be hopes that nobody wants to copy these actions here in the UK. In France more than 1,800 protestors have been arrested. Protestors are still being arrested here but most of them are peaceful and many of them rather old. Mind you, I did see a headline about defence buildings being attacked! 

I have already commented about Sally Rooney’s books being withdrawn from sale in the UK. Yesterday I found this posted by someone called Anya Darr on Facebook:

“FF this is getting very serious now. All manner of books now being banned or side-lined. We WILL find ways around it. I suggest everyone buys one for Christmas at least...why not treat the whole family! Some good titles in the link below.

This story is bigger than a book simply being cancelled. 

Penguin Random House pulled Alana Hadid and Jenan Matari’s book about the Palestinian experience after clashing with them over how to tell Palestine’s story.

Apparently, even a children’s book about Palestine needs a disclaimer making sure everyone knows October 7 was illegal, while the Nakba, occupation and decades of dispossession are up for editorial debate.

 Alana and Jenin eventually walked away rather than publish a version they couldn’t stand behind. 

Imagine having to fight a publisher just to tell your own people’s story. 

Thankfully, Palestinian-owned Interlink Books will publish it in 2027.”

It’s never good to see books being banned one way or another. 

Meanwhile, I read that European diplomats visiting lands belonging to the Christian town of Taybeh on the West Bank along with the French consul general in Jerusalem, his wife and other diplomats, and the Belgian and Polish consuls have come under attack from settlers determined to prevent the olive harvest. And so it goes on!

On a more cheerful note, we should be wishing Winnie the Pooh a happy birthday. It seems he is now 100 years old. The Royal Mail has issued special stamps in commemoration.

I have read though that A.A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin Milne were not happy about the success of the Pooh stories. The author felt that the success rather overshadowed the more serious career he wanted to pursue as a playwright. And poor Christopher Robin felt thatvhis childhood had been stolen from him. 

Sometimes life is hard! 

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

First frost. Taking people’s names in vain. Work-out wear. Respecting women. Food crisis.

When I went to catch a bus into Uppermill to take some stuff to the charity shop and to go to the GP’s surgery for a routine blood test, my phone told me it was 4°. It wasn’t even all that early, already going on for 10.00. On the bus I met a friend who told me that when she walked her dog at around 8.00 there was frost on the grass. The nurse who took my blood confirmed that she had had to scrape frost off her car to get to work. The first frost of the season! 

I read this article this morning about a writer called Linda Geddes, author of scientific works, which I why I have to admit to never having heard of her before. It’s all about how someone used her name to have scientific articles published in magazines and the like.  She’s not the only one., as she discovered when she did a bit of a dive into how this was happening. I was struck by how easy it seems to be for fraudsters of this kind to have material published. Does nobody do any kind of identity checks in such cases? After all, whenever I receive notification of a message from my GP I have to jump through a range of hoops to prove that I am me! Different levelsi of security! 

When I used to go to aerobics classes, many years ago now, I was always amazed at the fashion show element. You would hear cries of, “What a lovely leotard!” And “Where did you get that outfit ”. As for me, I just wore basic black tights and leotard, not having much money to spend on the rainbow-hued sportswear that suddenly was available. According to Emma Beddington in this article, some of that is still continuing. Indeed,  a comedian, male of course, has apparently been making bad jokes about what women wear or don’t wear to go to the gym. Emma Beddington defends women’s right to wear whatever they like when they exercise and their right to be able to look into the mirror at the gym and think, ‘Yes, this exercise stuff is working and I’m looking good!” Quite so!

I suppose that kind of joking is another aspect of men trying to control women one way or another. Here’s a cartoon from social media by someone who calls himself Naked Pastor on Facebook,”

He explains: “This is my cartoon print Women and the Resurrection. If you read the gospels with open eyes, you can see that the women in Jesus' life played a major role, including being the first to witness his resurrection and report it. So why don’t women get the credit and limelight they deserve?”

After I had finished giving my blood sample this morning, I walked on from Uppermill to the Tesco store in Greenfield. Even though this a relatively small supermarket, I managed to find everything I needed.Maybe I am fortunate or maybe I am quite undemanding. All sorts of ‘experts’ keep warning us of the need to stock up on long-lasting tinned good and bottles of water, for the food crisis which they say is looming. Between the problems caused by the warmongers, making the importing of foods more difficult and expensive, and the risk of hackers turning up the temperatures in supermarket fridges, as happened in France last weekend, leading to frozen goods going to waste, feeding the family is likely to be a problem.

Maybe we need to get back a simpler mindset, one that doesn’t expect all foodstuffs to be available all year-round and accepts that food can be seasonal, maybe making life more interesting!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

Golden weather. Numeracy, literacy and oracy. And the manosphere.

 At 8.30 the morning was positively golden as I jogged past the millpond. 

Cloud has come and gone since then. In fact just after I had hung washing to dry in the garden, out of an almost cloudless sky came a shower of rain. I decided to leave the washing out there. And besides the shower didn’t last long.

It was very quiet out and about. The usual dog walkers must have been out very early or were waiting until later. And there was no interesting wildlife today, not even the odd squirrel. So it goes.

In today’s Guardian Simon Jenkins has been saying that we teach our children maths they will never use when we should really be teaching them to speak more fluently. Hmm! Yes and no. There’s a bit of me that says we need to introduce pupils to seemingly useless maths because some of them will find it fascinating (yes, they will - I have had students in A-Level French or Spanish classes who also studied A-Level Maths and did indeed find it fascinating and fun, rather as I have always found the vagaries of grammar fascinating, especially comparing grammar from one language to another) and they will perhaps become the great mathematicians of the future. As regards speaking, well, yes, we need to make sure our young people can express themselves clearly and coherently. In his article he tells us that people use fewer words than they used to and, more worryingly, young people don’t seem to talk to each other. Instead they text each other and in groups they shout at each other.

I was under the impression that speaking skills were assessed as part of GCSE English Language but it’s a long time since I taught it and maybe things have changed. Oracy is hard to assess and nowadays a good deal of importance is given to assessment. Everything has to be measurable! 

Concern about oracy is not new. This is what Wikipedia tells us: “Oracy is articulating ideas, developing understanding and engaging with others through speaking, listening and communication. The term was coined by Andrew M. Wilkinson, a British researcher and educator, in 1965. The purpose is to draw attention to the neglect o speech and listening in education.l”

So that was back in 1965 when my grammar school had us holding formal debates in some English lessons, teaching us the formal rules of proper debating, maybe just in case any of us girls might end up in Parliament. And we had a public speaking competition. Granted we competitors only spoke to the assembled girls but, hey, you have to start somewhere!

And now they’re more worried than ever.

Something that nobody talked about in 1965 was the manosphere. Goodness! We were only just getting round to stronger ideas about women’s liberation. Anyway, Jess Harwood has made a cartoon about the manosphere and what it should be about.

Her final frame tells us: “Generally, I wish the manosphere taught men it’s Ok to be vulnerable and that women need to be safe, respected and heard.” 

Here’s a link to the whole thing. It’s worth a look.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

Early morning stuff.The cost of things. Banning books. Not paying writers.

 We had a plumber due to arrive at 9.00 this morning. It’s a good job I didn’t snooze my alarm or I might have been in the shower when he arrived at 8.30! Yes, 8.30! He had miscalculated how long it would take him to get here from his home in Marsden, which is only about 5 miles up the road from here. Ten minutes max I would have said but clearly he was expecting roadworks or something - tractors? sheep ln the road? 

Anyway we now have shiny new taps in the bathroom, taps which work and which do not judder noisily and then cut off when you’re halfway through washing your hands. So there it is. Having paid our plumber, I walked into the village to the cash machine in the coop store as I had used up all my cash. Many years ago I used to give private French lessons to our local chemist. On one occasion he huffed and puffed about the cost, saying that he, a chemist, did not earn as much per hour as I was charging for French lessons. I pointed out that I spent time finding and preparing materials for the lesson. I didn’t quibble over the implied suggestion that a chemist was better qualified than a linguist! I wonder what he would say to plumbers’ and electricians’ and builders’ charges these days.

The writer Sally Rooney has found out that she cannot sell her books in the UK. When Palestine Action was declared a proscribed terrorist organisation last year (was it only last year?) she declared that she would give proceeds from sales of her book to Palestine Action. In September she did not travel to the UK to collect a literary award as she could perhaps have been arrested. Her books have been dramatised for television. This was before the ban on Palestine Action but the independent producers of the series have advised her (that’s an odd term - they didn’t just tell her) that any payment for these series would be a breach of terrorism laws if they knew that planned the use the royalties to fund Palestine Action! What happens to the payment now? 

Banning books, withholding payment, denying people access to their own bank accounts! Whatever next?

It seems that Section 15 of the Terrorism Act makes it an offence if a person “provides money or other property, and knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that it will or may be used for the purposes of terrorism”. It carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Wow! 

Her UK and Ireland publisher, Faber, said: “Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work. To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher.

“As such, and in full agreement with Sally, we have taken the decision that we can no longer supply her works in the UK in any format. We remain the proud publisher of her remarkable body of work, which we will continue to sell in other territories.”

A friend of mine has suggested that maybe we’ll see an influx of smuggles copies of her books from the Republic of Ireland.

I seem to remember hearing a suggestion when the Ukraine war started that we should not listen to music by Russian composers. I don’t think anyone said we should not read Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky though. 

It’s all part of the interconnectedness of everything. Here is an example of that interconnectedness (and possible interference):

And here’s a little something on possible elections: 

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

The shrinking local market. Early release. Presidential comments. Theatre etiquette.

 I was out just after 8.30 this morning: 8°, blue sky and sunshine. It was a beautiful day to be out and about quite early. In what used to be the market in Uppermill the square was not even closed off to cars and the fish-man, the only remaining vendor,, had difficulty finding a place to park his van and set up stall. It’s a much reduced service. I’ll continue to buy fish on a Wednesday morning in the hope that the fish-man does not give up as well. There is an excellent fish stall on Oldham’s central market but that’s further away and, besides, I like to encourage local facilities.

I had an appointment with our GP Practice physiotherapist in the midmorning and so I was hanging around in Uppermill rather longer than usual. This meant that I had time to return my library books and select some replacements. One of the librarians and I exchanged compliments: she admired my beret (we’ve moved into beret-wearing season again) and I admired her elegant outfit. Somehow she always looks like a Victorian lady from an old-fashioned book.

By the time I was waiting for the bus home at the end of the morning, the cloud was moving in. October days!

Here’s a cartoon about the early release from prison scheme and other )jdisturbing stuff going on in the world.

The world is full of odd events, like case of the mentally disturbed man who jumped into the tiger enclosure at a zoo in South Yorkshire. Even odder is the fact that the president of the USA posted footage of the event, with the comment: “Don’t ever mess with nature! President DJT.” And odder still is that same president having posted an AI video of himslef wrestling with that same tiger! 

Here’s something else about America, a link to an short article by Arwa  Mahdawi about Americans being made to work standing up: supermarket cashiers, airport security workers and passport control people. Apparently it looks more efficient! But Aldi, which is increasing its presence in the USA, still provides seats for its  cashiers. Their research tells them seated cashiers work more efficiently. There you go!

Finally, here’s something about eating in the theatre, a prqctice ai fail tomunderstand, and other bad theatre etiquette, leading to actors getting cross!

Kristin Scott Thomas slams theatregoer eating a ready meal during live performance

• Slow Horses actor Kristin Scott Thomas has highlighted poor theatre etiquette, revealing that the worst behaviour she has witnessed was a front-row audience member eating a ready meal during a performance. 
• The 66-year-old actor expressed her strong preference for live theatre over screen work, describing camera acting as extremely lonely compared to the invigorating experience of working with a stage company. 
• Scott Thomas is returning to London's Harold Pinter Theatre this month to play aristocratic landowner Lyubov Ranevskaya in Anton Chekhov's final play, Cherry Orchard. 
• She stars alongside Stephen Mangan, who plays businessman Yermolay Lopakhin and recently admitted to kicking a theatregoer's feet off the stage, warning that actors can easily see and hear audience disruptions. 
• Her remarks contribute to an ongoing debate over West End audience etiquette, following recent disruptions including Rosamund Pike calling out a texting viewer and the Royal Shakespeare Company asking a mother with a crying baby to leave

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!

Rain, running and Russians. Drinking on trains.

 I woke up this morning shortly before 8.00, which is when my alarm was due to ring. It was pouring with rain. Maybe it was the rain hammering on the roof that woke me. When the alarm rang, I snoozed it. It was still raining so there seemed little point in leaping out of bed to go for a run. Some time later, a couple of “snoozes” later, In realised it had stopped raining. My weather app said “mostly cloudy” so I got up and ran. it didn’t rain on me but I had to balance on a wooden fence support to get past the largest muddy puddle, holding onto the wire mesh fencing to prevent myself from falling backwards to sit in the puddle. 

The day has only improved since then! 

Debate seems to be going on about whether or not Prime Minister Burnham wants to have us rejoin the European Union, while Brexit is still being blamed for all our woes. 

Also Mr Burnham tells us that he has proof that the Russians interfered with the Brexit vote. So really it’s the Russians who are to blame for all our woes, even ones that took place a decade ago! Curious times! 

Here’s a link to a short article by Zoe Williams about drinking on trains. She seems to have found herself, quite by chance, on trains where people were beginning celebrations of one kind or another fairly early in the day. I think it is still possible to do an “ale trail’ train journey from Manchester to Huddersfield, stopping off at Stalybridge’s rather fine station buffet and at Greenfield, where you need to cross the road to The Railway pub, and ending up at Huddersfield where there is another fine station buffet. On reflection though, there has been so much disruption on that particular stretch of line that it may no longer be a thing determined drinkers can do.

Granddaughter Number Two and I have been trying to plan an excursion to York  and are now hoping there will be no problems on that line next Monday.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well everyone!

The benefits of early rising. Appreciating autumn. Crazy football fans.

 As I got home from my run round the village this morning, it started to drizzle. Just think, had I given in to my propensity to snooze my alarm a couple more times the drizzle, which quickly turned to steady rain, would have got me quite wet. And lately I have given in to that propensity far too often. Bed is far more comfortable and sleep is easier to fall into when it’s time to get up. Not that as a rule I have a pressing need to get up early but there is something in my nature that feels that you get more done and the day is more productive if you make an early start. Maybe it’s my Methodist upbringing!

Oddly enough, Granddaughter Number Two, the 23-year-old student, seems to feel the same way. I was astounded when I shared a bedroom with her on a visit to the Southern branch of the family to discover that she regularly sets her alarm for 7.00 or earlier. This is fine on the days when she works, usually from home, or when she gets on the train to York where she has university classes two days a week. But she also does it on her ‘days off’, even if it only means that she goes to get a cup of coffee and then heads back to bed with a book.

Another of Granddaughter Number Two’s little quirks is her dislike of hot weather, or even fairly warm weather for that matter. The crisp, sunny but still chilly days we have had recently have filled her with delight. It means she can get out her big jumpers and warm boots. She is less enthusiastic about the damp days like today. Anyway, here is a link to an article where Emma Beddington expresses much the same sentiments.

I can’t say I am a football fan. The most excited I have ever got about it was when Spain won the European Cup in 2010. We watched it on television in the flat we were renting in Vigo. Every time Spain got near to scoring a goal the entire block of flats erupted into cheers and then groans. When they finally scored the winning goal the explosion of noise was amazing and, what is more, it moved outside. Looking out of the window we could see Spanish fans cheering while running victory laps round the gardens of the flats and then leaping into the swimming pool. Crazy football fans!

Anyway, I usually sit through Match of the Day on Saturday and Sunday evenings, reading or doing a sudoku puzzle as Phil comments on the game on the small screen. Last night Manchester City played Liverpool and were booed as they went onto the Anfield stadium pitch. I’ve never sen that before. I don’t know the details of City’s transgressions against football but feelings are running high.

Photos in today’s papers show City fans waving bananas. 

Why? Well, I investigated snd found that “it originated from a bet between Manchester City fan Frank Newton and his friend Allen Busby. During a visit to Busby’s house, Newton spotted an inflatable banana and asked if he could “borrow” it. Allen replied: “Only if you take it to a City match.” The reply came: “That was exactly what I intended to do anyway,” so the deal was sealed. He recalled some amusement amongst the supporters around him at City’s match against Plymouth. “Being the type of person I am, if I start doing something, I’ll continue doing it,” Newton told me, “and it took on a life of its own after that.”

Another friend – Mike Clare – penned a face on the banana, adding a bobble hat and a City shirt for good measure. Then came the incident that made the whole fad literally go viral. With City fans chanting for the introduction of substitute striker Imre Varadi, Newton hoisted his banana aloft. The chant changed from “Imre Varadi” to “Imre Banana”. “The whole thing was totally spontaneous,” Newton said. “I never originally brought the inflatable along in homage to Imre, contrary to what’s often been written.” Soon, there were bunches of inflatables proliferating across Maine Road and at their away matches.”

There you go.

Life goes (strangely) on. Stay safe and well, everyone!