Interesting....

....difference of opinion on Radio 2 the other day, which quickly descended into an all-out row, over the naming of a 16-year old boy who posted on a facebook page: 'Letz have a riot...' during the recent spate of riots.  You will have to forgive my version of this - I think I probably skim-listen like I skim-read, so this is my gist:  On one side was the Editor of the newspaper which applied for the boy's anonymity to be waived, and on the other some Liberal, he who cannot be named. (because I was not listening properly when they said who he was.  I was driving at the time, in my defence...)  Mr Editor was foaming at the mouth about incitement to riot and the irresponsibility of the Youth of Today, and Mr Liberal was bleating on about the boy's reputation being ruined by some 'stupid comments' on Facebook.  It seems that the boy's parents are concerned that the loss of anonymity and the pending court case could threaten an apprenticeship he has been offered.  Evidently they have little concern that their son thinks it's a good idea to attempt a little incitement to riot.... I digress.

So, I was yelling at the radio in the car at this point at Mr Liberal, since I have a personal hatred towards the power of Facebook and a fear and loathing of the apparent careless attitude towards violence in our society, and Mr Editor was stammering and spitting (I imagine) in reply when they both started yelling louder and louder.  Tres bizarre.  So Mr Radio DJ (think it was Jeremy Vine, but don't quote me on that) cuts in with 'let's have a bit of Elton John'.  So the melodious strains of 'it's a little bit funny....' fill the car. Well, I've decided by now that the Boy deserves all he gets, the parents should be in court too, and bring back the death penalty, when JV comes back on to give us a few more views from listeners (who are presumably listening properly).  One listener quoted John Betjeman and his Slough poem, likening that to this scenario, and said that 'we cannot accept the written word as equivalent to the deed.'  I though this was a very smart statement, actually, and stepped off of my mental soap box momentarily.  One lady (of my age) came on to say that 16 year olds now are quite different to when we were 16 (no kidding) and that they exist in a virtual word.  Their thought process is synonomous with putting it out there on the internet (ie, one assumes she means it is much like opening your mouth before engaging brain).  That makes sense too.  And lastly, one other thing that stuck in my mind was that they (the Youth of Today) need to appreciate that things they say on the internet have the potential to damage the very fabric of our society.   Hear hear.

There it is.  Is there defence against accountability?

Thanks Kathi!!

And thanks to the most simplest of instructions from Kathi, my Cornish scrapbook pal and fellow blogger, I am now able to comment on blogs!  Too long I have been muzzled.....

Following on from last weekends barny over Match Of The Day, I have started to make some accomodating adjustments....

First the barny:  Football, per se.  I find it an incredibly tedious and objectionable sport to follow, given that the players behave appallingly, the fans behave appallingly, there is neither respect nor discipline on or off the field and they are paid disgustingly disgraceful amounts of money to play and still behave like boorish louts.  That aside, I have no 'objection' to Mark watching and enjoying it other than it starts in August and runs until next May and that MOTD is televised Saturday night, Sunday night and then there are the incidental matches, the International matches and the Cup matches.  So, last Saturday, the first day of the Premiership (that's the First Division in old money), I exploded into a tirade of how unfair and unreasonable it was taking over the TV in such a way for 10 months of the year.  I won't bore you with the finer points, but needless to say, it is all my fault for getting rid of the TV and sofa in the 'back room' whereupon said crap football could be enjoyed in peace and isolation.  This TV weighed about as much as me, was wider than me and consequently needed the ugliest corner unit in the world to house its giant-ness (I also got rid of that).

So.  I have moved Oliver (home eddy stuff) into the 'craft room' my craft room, in which I no longer do any crafting.

I will move the computer from it's little corner in the back room onto Oliver's old desk (on the other side of the back room where there are no electric points (worry about that afterwards) and in the resultant spaces from moving the computer will go a comfy armchair (worry about buying one of them afterwards) and a flat screen TV onto the bookcase in the space where Oliver's home eddy stuff lived.  Simples.  MOTD squabbles sorted.  Footballers are still massively overpaid tossers though. 

Oliver made a spell book by crafting a clay tile and attaching it to a hardcover book.  It's very cool. 

And work continues on the Big Blanket. 

I am technically half way on my stripey one, although I reckon it will need to be a bit longer for that real snuggle effect. 

And I still cannot leave comments on blogs.  Apparently it's something to do with 'cookies'.  I really don't even know what computer cookies are, much less know how to sort the problem.  I might end up starting again with a new blogger profile.....

WiPs and Summer so far

No apologies offered for the month long lapse in blogging - those moaning at me for NOT blogging (ahem) see me on a regular basis and I have already bored the tits off you with tales of my life.  Serves you right for logging on for another dose then ha ha.

At the end of the last school term, Oliver was unexpectedly awarded 'Cub Champion' (at Cubs, obviously) which meant he got a medal

and a prize (belt torch - not pictured) and gets to wear this gigantic woggle for the whole of next term.

That should slow him up a bit til he gets used to the extra weight tee hee.  I wasn't there when he was awarded it, but apparently it is awarded at the end of every term to the Cub who has excelled in behaviour, etiquette, kindness and helpfulness.  I am ridiculously proud of him, and for any 'normal' parent - this equates to a fantastic school report.  It is another indication that we have chosen the right path for him thus far, and that we are doing OK with him - unhappy kids do not excel at kindness and helpfulness. 

Oliver went off to the beach with his friend (and mother and her friend who I don't know - 6 kids in all) on Monday.  This meant I had a day to myself, which should be a good thing, but I am finding that the time I am apart from Oliver I spend in a state of tense anxiety imagining all sorts of horrible things happening to him.  I now seem to have reached the stage where I have some warped belief that my irrational and barely controlled panic will somehow keep him safe.  What a twat.  You'd think that all this worry would cause me to be thin, but no.  I actually joined the gym on Monday to tackle some of the ever growing layers of blubber.  I had an induction with a little boy called Chris, who seemed to be labouring under the mistaken belief that an hour of 'cardio' followed by a weights session was a suitable workout for a 43 year old has-been.  In my head I was already replacing said '60 minutes' with '5 minutes' followed by a quick sprint round the weights..... I am optimistic that I will be more muscle-y at the end of my 6 week stint.  Thinking of participating in some of the classes too, although I am a bit scared I might throw up, I am that unfit now.

The three of us went off to Bicton a couple of weeks ago to see 'The Bohemians', a Queen tribute band.  It was all very civilised, and the music was pretty darned good. Here followeth some pics;

See this flower bed -

See that squashed section?  That was Oliver that was.....

We are the Champions.....

And so to crochet.  Crochet, crochet, crochet.  How I love thee.  I have stumbled upon a craft that I can actually do, and is actually useful.  I am working on  a couple of blankets (WiPs - works in progress for you non-crafty types), a granny stripe, inspired by this post on  the Attic24 blog.

So excited by my progress with this, you wouldn't believe.  It actually covers the width of our king size bed quite comfortably, although this is to be the one which hangs around the living room. Or on Oliver's bed in the winter.

And these are my squares so far inspired by this blanket, which is the one I want for our bed.

Bought 4 lovely 'new' bowls on a charity stall yesterday for £1, which sit happily alongside everthing else in my crockery cupboard which doesn't match, just how I like it. 

Aren't they pretty?  And that is not a bowl of pretentiousness - it really is Oliver's breakfast.
Mark and Oliver have joined the Model Boat Club with the idea of  doing something together.  Think Oliver is not as 'into' it as Mark, as Mark is very hands on and good at anything he puts his mind to, but I am hopeful Oliver will be swept up in the enthusiasm of it all.  In any case, it can't be a bad thing for him to trot off with his Dad for a couple of hours and be socialising together and with other people. 

Eduaction-wise - Oliver does not get the summer 'off' as a lot of home-ed kids do (since our timetable and routine is sooooo flexible and varied during 'term' time anyway), but I just want to tick over with some back to basics with reading (library summer reading scheme) and spelling, (phonics stuff) and the odd maths session.  Last night I was told about 'First News', the weekly newspaper for kids, (Thanks Corinna - sorry, don't know how to spell your name!), so dashed off to Sainsburys where I got a copy, and  - lo!  This is Oliver, voluntarily reading the newspaper.

Incroyable.