Emotions recollected in tranquillity and context is all

I have been reduced to sobs by the kind comments here on my blog - I cannot thank you enough for being so sweet and lovely.  I find it very moving that people would bother to spend precious time writing here and I thank you all kindly.


Of course I have had no reply from Pinterest - why would they.  Of course other people have since pinned the photos that clearly state 'DO NOT PIN' in the title - thank you Linda Maus (sounding like the Father Ted caravan sketch now.....)  for spoiling this morning for that. And thanks also to Becky Schultea who long ago took photos of mine from Flickr without asking.  I am being reduced to a petulant child stamping her foot in the playground (because Michael Finnigan would not share his juggling balls with me.....I remember that to this day - how that poor lad was teased....) and of course the onus becomes mine  to sort it out because a big business could not care less (thank you to the person who emailed me and suggested that I should get a life and if I didn't want my photos to be pinned I should not have a blog...I dare not name them in case they live around the corner!).   I will ask my brother (who lives in Angola) if anyone has ever  heard of Pinterest there - the assumption seems to be that I should have known about it and that I should have protected myself from it.  I only found out about my photos by chance - someone else told me.  The world does not revolve around big enterprises 

I will take this opportunity to state (once again..oh mum do you have to go on and on...)  the following:

I think that it is great that people find pinterest great - good for you, super, smashing, lovely - I just did not want my photos being used there. Making a link on Pinterest back to my blog does not make it ok for me.

I LOVE people having ideas and making things similar to what I make and do - we all share in that way.  I have ideas and thoughts by reading your blogs too.

I do not pretend to have a monopoly on ideas - please do make your own things and then show pictures on your blog too,  I love to see that.

I do not sell anything through this blog (you will find no link to ebay/shmeebay/etsy/bestsy/folksy/dokesy - even though I am  there....shops sadly empty).  This blog is not about promoting a business  - I may have rashly mentioned a little stall at Chichester next Saturday - does that count? At the last stall that I had last year I made £30 (takings =  £65 - less £25 petrol (!!!!) and shared £30  cost of table with my sister - not taking into account cost of actual things I made.....maybe a bit less if I deduct tea purchases)

I am not attempting to curry favour with anyone by sending things now and again (thank you Polly - your comment made me sob a little more....)

Context is everything - I sobbed again (eyes getting puffier every day) when I read a very moving blog yesterday - a woman who had posted a picture of herself with her baby - her son later died when still a child.  The story was extremely moving and sad - the lovely photo of her with her son had been pinned on Pinterest with headings such as : 'so cute' underneath.  Stripped of all content and context.  There are many people who do not want their photos on Pinterest.  It should be an opting in thing not that I have to opt out....(for me that also smacks of the arrogance of bully business tactics)......enough said.

I do not recall ever stating that people who pin are 'bad' in anyway - but I can only assume that those who have used my photos have not bothered to read the blog. - because of that in part I do not find it flattering in the slightest.

I am not a photographer - until I got my new glasses I could not see which buttons I had to twiddle - my camera was second hand.  I do not own a fancy camera and I do not know what  the settings are for - I often have it on 'night vision' mode in broad daylight and vice versa.

I do not make a living by a) my photographs b) the things that I make

I have changed jobs (out of choice not due to sackage!!) and careers many times

I like to learn new things very much indeed

I worry an awful lot

I have been up since 04.15  - not unusual....(to be loved my anyone (something for Rachel - ho ho) - this is being fuelled by mighty cups of tea

I listen to 'Farming Today' (and Radio 4 generally)

I have lots of marking to do.and work is piling up...

I have made a 'mirror' blog and fiddling around with that to see what I can alter but I am completely bamboozled by it all.

 If I make this blog invitation only how do I invite you round?...

I do not park on double yellow lines,

I do not use my mobile 'phone when driving (I do not have a mobile 'phone),

I pick up other people's litter

I do not clear up other peoples dog poo,

I check on elderly neighbours (two nights ago there was no reply - I drove in the rain to his daughter's house .worried to death...he had gone to the pub...)

I have tackled a mugger (just the once mind!)

I have rung the Home Office in the middle of the night and raised civil servants from their beds in order to fulfil the last wishes of a patient (done that more than once)

 I have rung the Coroner for South London at 02.00 for the same reasons as above....more than once (Sir Monty was very nice about it and we had an interesting chat with me trying to fulfil the wishes of someone who had been tragically murdered )

I have always  asked bereaved relatives what they would wish their relative to be dressed in (please don't put me in a shroud when my time comes) - one gentleman returned with the wedding dress his wife had worn many years before.  It was very difficult to get it on her but we did it (and her make up too) - even though I knew that the mortuary staff would have to take it all off again.  I would always try my very, very best to makes final requests happen.... favourite pyjamas for children...old rags that were childhood comforters. I would do anything I could to make it happen not only because of what they were doing for others but just because.  I reduce myself to tears thinking of all those families and their sad stories.

I have a  very, very strong sense of  fair play

I have sponsored a child in Thailand for years

I love India

I shout at the children (gasps from the crowd...)...sometimes

I let cars out of junctions

I open the door for people (young and old)

I realise how lucky I am

I have been on live telly and live radio (Radio 4 indeed) several times

I have written a chapter in a published book

I should write my own book

I have written numerous articles and presented at national conferences

I like talking

I like typing - years ago I qualified as a shorthand/typist

Are you really still reading this?

I sometimes break into song when teaching anatomy and physiology

I sometimes dance when teaching anatomy and physiology

I am very fond of the Krebs cycle

I am fond of memorising poetry - Keats, Shelley, Wordsworth (see what I did there - ho ho , something for the Wordsworthians!),  Plath,  Zephania  - all sorts

I love the brevity of poetry (even the long ones!!)

I am fond of memorising Shakespeare

I have strung out bunting across the interactive white board in the classroom

My students would be shocked if they knew about this blog

My students nominated me for a teaching award

I am studying for yet another masters degree

I should move on to a Ph.D.

I very much wished this blog just to be about nice old things and stuff I have made...this was my nice space, a refuge from the woes of the world - near and far

I have only written all this clap trap to show that I like to think of myself as reasonable and that I hope (most of the time) I treat people with great respect and kindness (Dom sometimes does not agree...). Also to show that this blog  is not the be all and end all of/to me but it was important

A fine state of affairs I must say.....

Still trying to figure out what to do

Sad there are no photos today.............

If you have stuck to the end reading this then I applaud you indeed!!!

I appreciate very much indeed that our lives spin on a sixpence

I am now going to listen to 'Marching Strings' to cheer myself up...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbxcy5enNIU   Please dance along....

PS We are all very proud of our big sister (a summary from her local paper)  - she is someone who really is a good soul:


CONGRATULATIONS SUE!
Many congratulations to Sue D------ whose fortyfive years (and counting) of nursing in the
community was recognised by an invitation to a
Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on 22
May. The sun shone on the day and all those villagers 
whom Sue has helped over the years will join with
us in hoping that Sue - and husband Bob - had a
really great time.