An answer for Steve

The books I have which are waiting to be read are these:

The Old Testament in the Message translation my lovely sister-in-law bought me for the 50th birthday (I've read the New)

The Games people play and The Jesus I never knew

I'm just finishing "Disappointment with God" which is very readable

I bought copies of The Spiritual Brain and How God changes your brain but the second of these is heavy going.

For light relief I need to finish Modern Britain [the 'Have I got News for you' book]

Half Term

TS is now on a welcome half term break.

I need to:

• Sort out some music printing
• Do my Tax return
• Family History
• See mother
• Learn some accompaniments (piano)
• Learn some accompaniments (organ)
• Try to play croquet at least once to justify the annual fee
• Buy shoes
• Read books

It will be interesting to see what I actually do!

Wood

This is a photo of me, taken in about 1964 on a box brownie with 620 roll film, by my father.

I often used to saw up bits of wood using my upturned toy wheelbarrow as a bench. I had my own hand saw (not a tenon saw) although - as I recall - it wasn't particularly sharp.

I still saw wood now and again in my role as carpentry 'teacher' at school.

Ah, the circle of life.

Arms

In a comment to the previous post, it has been suggested that Mrs TS could let my arms out. This reminded me of this comedy routine.

Two inches makes a difference

Not long ago I bought some new white shirts from Marks & Spencer. I only wanted ordinary shirts for work but there was a packet of 3 for some bargain price which attracted me. I did notice that they were advertised as 2 inches longer in the sleeve and the body. It didn't cross my mind that these shirts were made for large people or local gibbons.

I simply imagined somebody somewhere had said, "Hey guys, we can produce a better quality shirt if we make them 2" longer!

I have worn two and felt they were really too long. Today I proved it whilst trying to play the organ in church; I'd put on the 3rd one this morning. The blasted cuffs kept sticking out of my jacket sleeves and impeding my playing by covering my hands. Mrs TS took this snap for you all to see.

Anyway, I hope it is short sleeve weather soon.

Come on!

8.15
I'm here at the PC in my dressing gown. Have had pills and Cod Liver Oil capsules. Have checked e-mail and visited forums and Facebook.

I need to get dressed. I need to sellotape some music together. I should print off an invoice and put some music (I've sold) into an envelope.

I need a push.

At 12.00 I have to be 30 miles away from here to play organ for a Baptism; this is loosely connected with school and it's on the way to mum's place so today is an official visit.

To be honest I want to stay at home. Mrs TS and daughter #2 went with me to Cambridge to see daughter #1 yesterday as she was 21 last week and we could not get over then. I had left school at 1.00 (as it is a Leave Out weekend) and driven some distance to take some music (it's a bit of a theme isn't it) to a pupil which I'd accidentally taken away and not posted back. I arrived home at 2.15 and had a sandwich. This was a late lunch for me and I was not really ready for birthday cake at 4.30 nor for Caffe Uno at 6.30. This is unusual so I guess I'm off colour.

Anyway, rather than a long restful weekend I am going to be all over the place. I had to go back to school last night after Cambridge to get something I'd forgotten and then organise my music for the baptism. They want 4 hymns (including 'Jerusalem') as well as an anthem which one of my choristers is singing - which is why I'm involved.

I shall leave here between 9.00 and 9.30 to arrive and try the organ, have a rehearsal at 11.00 with the lad. So why am I not moving my arse? (It's now 8.25)

Before I do so I must tell you that daughter #1 mentioned that it is 'Naked Compline' at Clare College soon. This means that once a year the choir are starkers under their cassocks - she does not intend to participate, well not in the nakedness anyway.

Well I'd better go. I'll check or typos later. There are alwasy a feew of thrm ib whateverb I put on tnbis- blosg.

Better

I have been feeling much better for the last 2 days. In fact today I have been going some!

Yesterday I taught most of the day, took choir practice, prep and carpentry; I left school at 8pm. Once home I checked email and had a shower. The rest of the evening was spent preparing my talk for 'Prayers' (a.k.a. Assembly in pagan schools) which was about Philip Henry Gosse who I had discovered on my trip to Torquay.

You may know how it is. One understands a topic but [a] how do you put it across to others (history not being my subject) and [b] how do you do so briefly? Anyway, it all went well; as usual I missed out a few details but I didn't dry up and I felt quite confident.

I taught piano all morning and most of the afternoon, ending with a class, prep, supper (which it's my turn to supervise on Tuesdays) and then more carpentry. At 3pm when it was games (cricket) I had started a wall display - we have Ofsted in next week - and I went back up to my room after carpentry to finish it.

I left school at 8.30 and drove to Tesco to buy cakes; it's my Cake Day on Thursday and I will not be in until mid-morning because I need to see somebody with Mrs TS about daughter #2. So I'll leave the cakes where my mate can find them.

Home at 9.15pm

For the last 2 days I have had quite a clear head and my new spiritual life seems to be working for me.

I wrote a reply to the email I mentioned in my previous post and have backing of the Head; so I need not have worried.

Thanks to Steve and Kevin for their kind words.

Down

I didn't want to go to work this morning (yes Sunday) and would have much preferred staying in bed but it was OK when I got there and I left at 12.45 to come home for lunch. After my sandwich and cake I checked emails, including those on my work address.

I found one saying I have disappointed somebody and I may find they withdraw from an activity as a result of a decision I have made.

In short I have 6 boys who could take up positions of responsibility, but only 2 at a time. 2 have done it, I've appointed 2 this term and 2 will take over next term. I think that is fair. In each case, of the 2, one has to be 'Captain' and the other 'Vice'. There is slightly more to the situation which I will not bother you with. I was, perhaps, foolish to try to avoid disappointment on the part of boy 4 by sharing my reasoning with him asking him to keep it confidential. He didn't.

Why does everybody have to 'have a go' anyway?

I am now going over this again and again in my mind.
It has spoilt my afternoon which was looking pretty grim anyway.

Jobs to do.
Plan how to teach 'Variations' to Form 1
Print some documents
Do 100 on-line assessments
Sort out my daughter's Student Loan (on the blasted SLC website)
Mark some work
Plan a concert (not that the last one was long ago)
Arrange a piece of music
Tidy up the type-setting of some piano trios.

So, no time to sort out any family history, play croquet, or go to a local Election Hustings event.

Bum, bum, bum.

Depression sucks; it saps all one's "get up and go". Now I am more depressed because somebody thinks badly of me because I made a decision which I know is the right one, although I can see that one lad will be upset too.