Trains, boats, ducks and geese

My daughter and her family sold their London flat before Christmas and moved to a village just a few miles from Oxford. My husband (the MM) and I took granddaughter Millie into Oxford one day last week. The train journey was an exciting experience for each of us in different ways: Millie was thrilled when the engine driver waved to her and then entertained all our fellow passengers with her commentary on everything that she could see from the window on the 7 minute journey into the city. It ran something like this: "Bye bye tree; bye bye ubber tree; bye bye ubber tree; bye bye horse; bye bye ubber horse; bye bye dog; bye bye ubber tree ....." There are many trees alongside the track!

The exciting elements of the journey for Grumpy and Grandma included negotiating 4 flights of steps and a bridge with a pushchair and toddler; discovering that nappy-changing facilities at Oxford station are in the LOCKED disabled toilet and the man who has the key is well-hidden from the public; finding that many people, especially young men, were helpful when they saw obviously inept grandparents struggling with doors etc.

First familiar sight in Oxford - not a dreaming spire but....

We didn't think that Millie would be very interested in the colleges but here's a glimpse of a spire, just to prove that these really are Oxford bicycles

 I did say a glimpse

Of course, what Millie really wanted to see was the Oxford canal with its narrow boats.

 

Some have interesting names such as this one, named after Frideswide, the 7th century Abbess of Oxford and patron saint of the city. Many are decorated with pots of flowers and herbs and most have bicycles tied up alongside, ready for the last minute dash to seminars.

If only this were a real lock, we might go sailing up to Coventry!

Although I have had a boating holiday on the Thames and spent many a pleasant hour punting on the Isis, I have never been on board a narrow boat. I have always considered them as attractive and rather romantic vessels but I am currently reading Terry Darlington's Narrow Dog to Carcassonne and my views are being seriously challenged.

The boats share the canal with ducks and Canada geese

Millie was delighted with these but puzzled by this headless creature:

The purpose of our visit was to buy a present for Baby Benjamin so we had, reluctantly, to leave the canal and walk along to Cornmarket Street, where it is advisable to look up to see the splendid architecture above the modern shop fronts:

This beautiful Tudor house is also a mobile phone shop and sandwich bar!

At this point the heavens opened and we ran for shelter and the camera was put away for another day.

Home

I arrived home yesterday after my thirty-three day visit to Oxfordshire. It is good to be back but leaving the little family was very difficult. Benjamin is settling in well and Millie is treating him with the combination of fascinated interest and total indifference that only a two-year old can perfect.

All this 'stuff' for such a little thing! But the Moses basket makes a good boat for Millie and her dog

My strained wrist is still troubling me so, although I am now back at my trusty PC, I will be doing short posts for a little while. It is still quite difficult to type and absolutely impossible for me to do any cooking or housework!

A grandson!

A strained wrist has kept me off the keyboard but the birth of Benjamin Patrick James two hours ago has made everything else pale into insignificance.

More news and photos to follow, in the meantime, here are a few pictures from Millie's birthday. She doesn't yet know that she has a baby brother and I won't be waking her to tell her tonight!

Millie helps Grandma decorate the cakes for her party

Some of the presents

Thank you for all the kind messages. I will be here for another week and then back home, where I'll be able to catch up with everyone.

Millie draws a winner

Rabbit and Lottie help Millie to pick a name out of the box

 

I think this is the right one, says Millie

 

Can you read it, Rabbit?

It's a bit tricky

 

Grandma can sort that out while we have a game with the other papers

I 

As you can see, Millie was a great help in drawing out the winner of the Jane Austen Sewing Box. It will be on its way to Belgium in the next few days. Congratulations to Breussell, and thanks to everyone who entered the draw.

All is going well here in Oxfordshire. We are just hoping that Baby#2 waits until after Millie's birthday on 10th March before putting in an appearance.

Don't forget the book draw

An almost-two-year-old who never naps in the day keeps a grandma busy and well away from the keyboard. I am sure that I'll get around to writing something one of these days but, in the meantime, don't forget that Millie and I will be drawing the winning name for the Jane Austen Sewing Box on Sunday. If you haven't entered the draw yet then do leave a comment here or on the original post. Good luck.
Back soon, I hope!

Off I go again

I have hardly had time to unpack my case and do the laundry from my Lancashire trip before packing it again for my next spell of visiting. On Wednesday I leave for an indefinite period in Oxfordshire, visiting my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter - the lovely Millie.

Millie, (Amelia Catherine) looked like this in March 2008:

 

Look at her now......

 

 March 10th will be Millie's second birthday.

I'll be there in good time to help to prepare the birthday celebrations and to look after her about a week later when mummy goes into hospital to produce Millie's baby brother or sister. That's the exciting news I've been keeping to myself for a long time.

The sewing machine and knitting needles have been very busy in recent weeks and three grandchildren will probably ensure they are fully employed for years to come. A neighbour who called in a few days ago and found me surrounded by little quilts, nappy stackers, baby and toddler knits and doll's clothes, suggested that I should make some to sell. My hysterical laughter brought her to her senses. I haven't even had time to take photos of the latest projects.

I'm going to be away from home for about 6 weeks but I will have my laptop and I hope to find opportunities to switch it on. Don't forget to let me know if you want to enter the book draw, I am sure that Millie will enjoy picking out the winning name.

Four years of distractions

I started writing Random Distractions in February 2006, although I see from the archives that I didn't actually push the Publish button until 3 March. I just couldn't imagine who might want to read it, a thought that recurs at regular intervals.

That first post, Discoveries of the week, probably sums up my interests pretty well: a love of literature and language, picking out some of the absurdities and pretensions of modern life and observing the ways that people think and behave.  The last is not meant in a judgemental way, I just love people and really want to know what makes them tick. One of the greatest pleasures of becoming a blogger has been the contact with people all round the world, I have learned a great deal and some very precious friendships have developed.

To mark Random Distractions' fourth birthday I have chosen a book that I think is a perfect representation of the blog:

 

Jane Austen was a great observer of people and their behaviour and this book is full of beautiful illustrations of  the clothes, manners and pastimes mentioned in her novels. If you want to make a bonnet as worn by the ladies of Mansfield Park or that "pulled about" by Lydia in Pride and Prejudice, full instructions are included.

  

or  you might be off to the Assembly Rooms.........

 

...... and need to know how to tie or recognise the latest fashionable knot for a cravat:

It is a great companion to Jane Austen's novels with illustrations and instructions for  paper flowers, transparencies, reticules, a huswife, knitted rugs, muffs, tippets and many  more period pieces. I haven't been tempted to make anything as Jane's young ladies were far more skilled than I am,  but I love looking at the book.

If you would like to enter your name in a draw for this book, leave a comment here, whether you are a regular reader or you've stumbled here by chance. I will make the draw at the end of the month.

A piercing question

I have an embarrassing admission to make: I have never worn earrings. Having had rather troublesome ears since early childhood, involving me in lots of unpleasant treatments and several operations, I would never willingly undergo any procedure that would inflict unnecessary pain upon the tender lobes.

But........ I've just received a really pretty ruby pendant........

and I would love to buy some earrings to match. What do you think?

Recent peregrinations

I am home after a most enjoyable period of visiting family and friends. I travelled by train, something that I really enjoy when it goes well and I'm pleased to report that this trip was pretty good. The seat reservation system and the heating on a couple of Virgin trains failed but Cross Country service was excellent and all trains ran on time.

 

England is a green and pleasant land for most of the year and this picture, taken in Lancashire, could have been taken in any of the counties I passed through. Just hours after I took it, those fields were covered in snow but English weather is very changeable and it was clear again a day later.

The green line marks my journey from Devon to Lancashire. I spent a week there, visiting lots of family members within the blue triangle. Family visits are only of interest to those taking part so I will only mention one that had an interesting outcome: a visit to my niece who recently moved to a tiny village in the stunning valley of the West Pennine Moors. While admiring the views from her windows and the oak beams and stone floors in her 300 year old cottage, I mentioned Random Distractions and, as a result, she has started her own blog called Lassy in Lancashire. I hope you'll go over and offer some encouragement.

After my all too brief time in Lancashire, I took the train to Bristol and had an even shorter visit with my son and his wife and my lovely granddaughter, Charlotte.

 

 We all went to Oxfordshire on Saturday to see Millie and her Mum and Dad. The two little cousins had a good time but we saw glimpses of mischief to come! My son has posted some photos and video on Charlotte's blog so those of you who can access it will see  just what I mean.

Now I'm back in Devon, catching up with the housework and working my way through all the blog posts I've missed while away. I will be thinking of some way of marking the fourth birthday of Random Distractions later in the week so watch this space.

Baking Cakes in Kigali

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin
Published by Atlantic Books


Kigali, capital of Rwanda, scene of the horrific genocide of 1994, and cakes, symbols of comfort and celebration; the surprising juxtaposition is oddly reassuring, like an invitation to listen to Grimm's fairy tales from the safety of a parent's lap. Stories of the harsh realities of life in Rwanda are made bearable because we hear them while drinking warm milky tea, flavoured with cardamom, and eating brightly coloured cupcakes in the lounge of Angel Tungaraza.


Angel lives with her husband, Pius, and their five orphaned grandchildren in an apartment block in Kigali, built especially for aid and development workers in the aftermath of the genocide. Some are employed by the UN, some are voluntary aid workers and others, like Pius, have been contracted to run the university and other establishments until local people are able to take responsibility for them. They come from different countries, for different reasons: some to be of service, some to make money. These differences add to the complexity of the new society in Rwanda.

Angel makes special cakes for special occasions.  In order to design the perfect cake for each client, she needs to know and understand the story behind their celebration. Like us, she is an outsider, and she takes on the role of everywoman, asking the questions that we would ask about local customs and traditions and the experience of recent events. Although she is not from Rwanda, she is African and so we benefit from her insight into some of the situations and attitudes that we find difficult to comprehend.

She is a good listener, knowing how to set her guests at ease, when to question or comment and when to simply let their stories unfold. Through her we hear accounts of violence and of reconciliation; corruption and generosity; poverty and enterprise; suffering and endurance. Each of the fourteen chapters is about one story and the magnificent cake that Angel produces to represent the main elements of that story. She does not offer solutions, but she helps her clients to see things more clearly.

I loved this book, it made me laugh and cry and I feel that I now understand some of the complex problems of Africa a little better. It is a beautifully written book with wonderfully drawn characters and the opening sentence is worthy of a place in the list of best first lines:

In the same way that a bucket of water reduces a cooking fire to ashes - a few splutters of shocked disbelief, a hiss of anger, and then a chill all the more penetrating for having so abruptly supplanted intense heat - in just that way, the photograph that she now surveyed extinguished all her excitement.

This would be an excellent choice for a book club. I would love to discuss each chapter in detail but I won't spoil it for you.  I am really grateful to dear friend D for introducing me to it, a Christmas present to treasure. I'm sure you will all be rushing to get a copy to find out what was so shocking in that photograph! Perhaps we can then start our own online discussion.

(Off on family visits for the next week or two, without my laptop!)

Simple arithmetic

A neighbour asked my husband if he would help his 10 year old daughter who was struggling with maths, in particular with subtraction. After a brief lesson, she was able to tackle her homework with confidence but yesterday she came back to ask for more help. Her teacher had refused to give her a mark for the homework because the answers were correct but she had not used his "correct" method to arrive at them.

My husband uses the same method that I was taught in school in the 1950s - equal addition. He asked the little girl to use that method on this question 8157 - 379. It took her 25 seconds to produce the correct answer:

She then attempted the same question using the school's method. She took 7 minutes to arrive at an answer, which turned out to be incorrect.

Here is the recommended method; it goes through a number of stages, each with the potential to mystify and confuse:

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

The little girl could not do the addition in her head so she had to write out the numbers

 The question hanging around chez Random Distractions all weekend is WHY?

 

How does your garden grow?

The new header picture shows the camellia Little Bit, flowering in my garden in January 2009. At that time, there was a glorious display of camellias, hellebores and snowdrops but today I found a great deal of depressing devastation. Winters here are normally very mild and plants that people in other parts of the UK would dig up or protect survive and flourish with no special attention. How I wish I had heeded my country neighbours who told me that the abundance of berries warned of harsh weather to come, instead of believing the predictions from the Met Office.

Most of the snow has gone, leaving the ground saturated and the plants bent and broken and still harbouring some ice crystals.

I walked around, feeling quite overwhelmed by the destruction and wondering if I could face replanting the whole garden, then I saw a few signs of life. The camellias, which would normally be in full bloom by now, still have their buds:

The magnolia buds look rather forlorn but perhaps they will open:

and the lilacs promise to fill the garden with colour and scent, even if nothing else has survived

I hope the Big Freeze is not leaving you with the effects of a Terrible Thaw.

Four and twenty blackbirds

Well, perhaps not quite so many but I certainly counted ten this morning, along with a pied wagtail, several chaffinches, a robin, a song thrush and even a tiny wren. Unfortunately, I never have the camera to hand when I need it.

This chap seems to be the playground bully, he perches on the wall and swoops down to chase off the competition.

 

Here he spots a few remaining berries

 

and polishes them off before

heading down for the choicest bits from my offerings

Winter woollies

The snow has provided the best excuse for sitting on the sofa and knitting. I am having a great time producing little knits for our two granddaughters.

For Millie, a sweater based on a Rowan pattern, teamed with a Sirdar retro bonnet:

and for Charlotte, a lacy lavender cardigan

and a ballet wrap in Sirdar Sublime.  I know 5 months is rather young for ballet but l couldn't resist it.