Footprints In The Sand

Meme

2008-11-08T08:30:00.002Z

Stolen from Anne

Grab the nearest book.
Open the book to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST

'When love, with one another so
Interinanimates two soules,
The abler soule, which thence dith flow,
Defects of lonelinesse controules.'

Closest book with 56 pages (the closer one's being latin grammar books and dictionaries) Selected Poems of Donne, this extract is from 'The Extasie'

Because sometimes in life you need a little poetry

2008-10-19T15:36:00.000Z

I believe in faerytales
And dancing in the rain
That laughter heals the world
And spring brings life again

I believe in lasting love
And roses and romance
That someone can be everything
When in their arms you dance

I believe in freedom
And giving people choice
That staying quiet is just as bad
As taking people's voice

I believe in fun-times,
And singing whilst you cook,
that life is not worth living
When you cease to look

I believe that everything
Is there for all to see
When they finally look around
Learning to be free

A room without books...

2008-09-22T15:15:00.003Z

Having come to the conclusion that because I'm doing a-level english literature I aught to attempt to think about the books I was reading I decided to review the books I read.
Consequently I've begun another blog purely for talking about/reviewing books. I hope to update it more often than this one. As I get more practiced at reviewing books again the reviews should get better!

link is:

http://aroomwithoutbooks.blogspot.com/

Love

2008-06-17T20:13:00.002Z

I was going through sorting all the e-mail I've recieved and kept for whatever reason since I was 12, and I found this:

Love is when you can't sleep because you can't stop thinking about them
Love is when you can't talk because you're afraid you're going to say something stupid
Love is when you barely move because ' afraid you're going to do something dumb
Love is when you stare at the phone for hours hoping they'll call
Love is when the only thing that makes you feel better is their smile
Love is when people can say anything to you or about you and and you just don't care
Love is when you get on-line and you sit there for hours waiting for their annoying sound so you can finally talk to them
Love is when you find someone that you can tell everything and you're sure they wont make fun of you
Love is when you can just wake up with make-up running down your face from crying and they'll still say you're beautiful
Love is when they would do anything to see you smile
Love is when every song reminds you of them
Love is when they're dying and the last thing they want is to hear your voice for the last time

and seeing as I'm not sure of a place where it is put better...

1If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,^[b] but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

(1 Corinthians 13)

So I started writing again.....

2008-04-26T18:49:00.002Z

I used to write poems and such all the time, but I stopped, and this is the first thing I've written in a while. I figured I'd put it up here:

Close enough to touch
Yet far too far to hear
I can see you next to me
So far and yet so near

Smile, but do not wave
Pass on separate sides
A meter becomes a mile
With no one to confide

Months stretch out like years
I'm falling out of time
Quicksand pathways slow my tread,
Why is caring such a crime?

Randomness really.

Em

On Birthdays....

2008-03-23T23:04:00.002Z

Well today has been one of my best birthdays, not having to combat illness does tend to improve ones views of a day.

I got some very nice presents, the rest of series one of Heroes, various DVD's, a really nice purse, and a collection of Poetry by John Donne, so I'm all set.

I wanted to say thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes, and making it such a lovely day!

Looking at the year ahead I can see a lot of things I am looking forward to between now and my 17th, but, seeing as I am sleepy and want to go to bed I shall not expand now. I would promise a longer post, but I cannot guarentee it so...

Thanks to everyone, and a very Happy Easter to you all

Em,

Might as welll.....

2008-03-12T16:05:00.002Z

Just so I can pretend I even occasionally update this!

Seven things to do before I die

Be happy
Visit Every continent
Cycle the Tour de France
Sail across the atlantic
Updaten my blog at least once a month!
Learn to forgive
Act in The Crucible

Seven things I cannot do

Swim under water
Wait
See the end of my exams in sight
Afford to do, well, anything!
Get involved emotionally
Put myself before everyone else
Dance well enough (although 'well enough' is such a rough measure....)

Seven things that might attract me to my spouse:

Someone who likes me enough to stop me when I try to run away
Someone who'll understand when I need a hug, or when I just need someone there
Someone who reads as much as I do, and wont tease me for enjoying it
Someone who doesn't immediately fall in love with me, but when they do tells me often
Someone who will laugh with me
Someone who can dance (I know this is the same as yours Ru, but its true!!!)
Someone who understands me, and loves me anyway.

Seven things I say most often:

"sorry"
"aww"
"Ya think...."
"because"
"lol"
"hello"
"morning"

Seven books (or series) I love:

1984
Pride and Prejudice
Stardust ('cos everyone needs a faerytale based on nursery rhymes!)
The Time Travellers Wife
number9dream
Going Postal
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

Seven movies I watch over and over again (or would watch over and over if I had the time)

Stardust
Pride and Prejudice (technically a TV series but....)
Phantom of the Opera
Moulin Rouge
Ever After
The Shawshank Redemption
Finding Neverland

Seven people I want to join in, too (no pressure – if you hate this sort of thing just ignore it)

Tom
Anne
Steve
Roo (technically she already has but....)
Chi
Anyone else who wants to

Every Time

2007-11-17T19:45:00.000Z

Every few months or so I look at this and say, I really must start udating this, it would be reallygood to do something with my blog or even, I wish I wrote more. This usually prompts a couple of seconds consideration before I am distracted by my huge pile of work, a good book, a family member or a crappy T.V program that I really wish I had never watched. So as you see the updating of my blog fails before it has ever begun.

This time though, I thought, well you really have got nothing better to do, so many people who have much fuller lives than you manage to update at least semi-regulrly, and yet you manage to spend a good proportion of your time doing nothing, and yet still not achieve something as simple as updat your blog.

So here it is, for all those of you who still occasionally check whether I write anything, an update on the fabulous world of... well... me.

So, lets see, well, I have been ill for about 9 weeks now with undiagnosed stomach pain, I have been referred to paediatrics at the local hospital, and am undergoing several fun tests. I reckon that by now I'm definitely owed my cup of juice and a biscuit, they've taken at least a pint of blood for blood tests now. Lots of fun stuff.

My mocks for my GCSE's rush up with alarming speed, they begin in a week, and teachers have only just started giving us topics for revision.

And of course, inevitably I have looked round the notable sixth-forms in the area. I think my mind is made up to go to Hills Road, to study History, English Literature, Politics and Latin.

School, when I go, seems to drag by, slower than ever as I get more and more eager to move on, grow up, leave.

And life in general, well, fine, a little boring, slow, as usual, no social life, illness has put a stop to dancing, but I hope to be better soon!

Anyway, definitely long enough for a post, maybe not so long an abscence next time.

EM

Apathetic Ramblings

2007-09-18T17:03:00.000Z

I'm going through a period of apathy, nothing I do seems to matter. Nothing holds my attention for more than a few minutes. Everything seems pointless, and everything uninteresting. So here I present, a brief reflection on the instability of life.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
All that is made lost, to moths or rust.

A piece of paper with the name of a child, its brith certificate, crumples and disintegrates in the rain.

A lifetimes work, painstakingly collected samples of meaning, lost in the swift blaze that leaves naught but memories.

The memories collected over a lifetime, lost as the bearer becomes ruled by their illness.

The slightest fall changing a childs smile to a wail of pain.

The strongest house lost to the stronger storm.

The life that love created ending in dispair.

The death of an old one, with all their loved ones there.

As spring fades to summer flowers bloom and die.

Year passes to year buildings are built and destroyed.

Tress, flowers, buildings, paper, memories, happiness, life, all is fleeting.

All is fleeing away too fast for us to have a hope of catching it.

So live each day to the full, love like you've never lived, because in the end, none of it, means a damn thing.

Dumb and Dumber

2007-09-06T20:09:00.000Z

Our wonderful government has once again decided that today's children are getting too smart. Yes people, they must be dumbed down and fast or else we face the horrific pissibility that they may do something like discover a cure for cancer or devolop new ways to combat climate change.

The government solution, dumb down the courses, especially in science, we will teach them the consequences of the processes they wont be able to understand at the end of the course. Thereby ensuring that we have a generation of morally informed imbeciles who could no more run a nuclear power plant than fly to mars.

Of course there will be those few who just wont give up on learning, well, what shall we do about them. Hmm, this is a tricky one. And yet we have found the perfect solution. We will remove the old G&T provision, which catered expertly to only the brightest (top 5% in the country) and change it to a government run project which aims to provide avarage care to the top 10%. We will then let them use a website designed so anyone not clinically insane will hate it (orange and black colour scheme!) which is so convoluted in design that anyone who cannot be bothered to read the 35 page long .pdf help file will be unable to use it. By this time, anyone who was remotely considering learning will have long given up and migrated, therefore becoming someone else's problem and ensuring that our plan for dumbing down British teenagers will be almost complete.

One final thing, in order to prevent the dropping of British students in league tables we will offer them multiple choice exams, thereby testing their abilty to draw rings and tick boxes, this means that a good percentage will stil achieve those top grades that will make them employable to any top government run job.

(Background to this NAGTY - National Association for Gifted and Talented Youth, was shut down to be replaced by a government run initiative for a wider range of pupils, the site is badly designed making it hard for anyone to get around!
Oh and our nations leaders and debating about what afterschool provision we need, somehow I dont think they would listen if i suggested they do something about those of us who sit around wasting 6 hours of our day already doing nothing, before worrying about what to do to extend the time we spend avoiding preparing ourselves for our future)

Quote:
No matter who you vote for the government always gets in

Ceroc, music and meaningless kipple

2007-08-21T09:47:00.000Z

Went jive dancing last night with Ruth, exellent fun, fast, but really easy to pick up. The whole basis of it is the dance is completely lead by the guy, so i just have to follow, making it a lot easier for me! Did about four hours of pretty much continuous dancing, and the only problem this morning is blisters, which means four hours whithout problems with either my knees or my back! Those drugs actually work! (I went to the doctorsd after sidmouth about back pain and he gave me bright pink ibuprofen!! :) It was nice to know that various moves i had done before when dancing with either Steve or Tom were either the same or similar to ones i was dancing there, which meant i wasn't at a complete loss. The evening took the basic form of, beginners class where they teach a short routine, rotating the women round every few minutes as, like usual when dancing, there weren't enough guys, so different people sat out each time. Then freestyle, which was ok, didn't dance much, just sat and watched in awe, really want to be able o dance this well, it looks really good when danced well! Then either an intermediate class or begginner refresher class, which went through the same stuff as the original begginners class slower, and with more information about technique, also teaching about various signals which the guy uses to tell the girl what to do next.
Then freestyle again, danced every dance but one, and had great fun, most partners were really good about doing simpler stuff as i was a begginner, and some would teach me the moves if i got it wrong then do it again. So much fun!!

I am going again on wednesday, mum and dad have agreed to fund twice a week for a few weeks, then once a week, provided i use it for my Duke of Edinburgh, well I'm not complaining, i get to dance!!!

On music, Mum and Dad are looking for a concertina for me, that isn't £800, so if anyone has an english concertina they dont want, even if it needs restoring let me know! Theres a session on a monday that mum wants me to go along to, so during term i shall probably do that on a monday and Ceroc on wednesdays, and if i can persuade them, the university ballroom dance thing as well.... hmm, im actually going to have a life next year!

And meaningless kipple, i have been decorating my wall, mostly due to lack of funds to get it re-painted and dislike of the colour it is at the moment (lilac, i chose it 5 years ago!). I have covered it in pictures from all the animal picture magazines i have been given over the years (the daily mail did a series a while back) and am currently writing quotes up, if anybody know any nice quotes please leave a comment with them in, and who they are by, thanks! My wall tends to get more detailed each holiday as i get bored and do it some more, then have school and no time, so nothing happens until the next holiday!

Well this post is long enough so i leave you with:

Quote:
In the end we remember not the words or our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Sidmouth! (Part 3 of 3)

2007-08-12T13:58:00.000Z

Thursday:-
Concertina as usual, a little more insteresting, mostly because I was tired and so the whole thing was a little harder! I went back to the tent early due to severe back pain, and sent out a random plea for anyone who was free to come keep me company at my tent! Instructed Jen in sooking dinner on our gas cooker, and took the executive decision not to go out that evening in the hopes of being able to dance that evening. This didnt quite work out, and i ended up going to the second half of the concert at Manor Pavillion. Saw Cockersedale, who were quite good, very trad. folk, with one especially funny moment where the guy who gave them the chord on the guitar had his guitar in the wrong key, which he didn't notice for a little, and the lead singer just sort of stared at him!
Went back to the tent then despite the pain headed up to LNE, sat in the pub/food tent all evening, had a good talk with Jack about books and literature, and have come away with an even klonger reading list than before. Then tlked to Justin for a while. Ended LNE with a very slow walrz because I refused to go an entire day without dancing.
Then headed to the music/jam/talk thing in the marquee at the campsite which was great fun, started talking to Stephen Taberner ( Spooky Men's Chorale) and ended up watching the sunrise with him, steve (he cooked us breakfast earlier in the week) and cathy. Very fun, but abcolutely freezing!

Friday:-
Was good last concertina session in the morning, a little sad, but have borrowed a concertina, and can get lessons from john when hes in cambridgeshire area so will definitely continue!
Went back to the campsite in the hopes of resting my back, but ended up walking round with jack as he helped to dismantle the site (his last shift as a steward). Was good fun. Then met stephen as he was getting the bus and got invited down to town with him. So went there instead.
Wandered round sidmouth randomly, after first having found breakfast for stephen (at 2 o'clock in the afternoon! australians, honestly! :p). And went to the afternoon concert at the Ham, saw The Devils Interval and Uiscedwr, it was interesting, stephen pointed out every time they hit a not wrong! twas funny, i cant actually tell so.... ! I like Uiscedwr though they were quite good, but I had to go sit outside and read for a bit, i was so tired i was falling asleep!
After the concert Stephen taught us a clapping game/rhythm/ thing, which was great fun, if a little complicated, i think i can remember all of it though! (and the cup game!)
Then me and him wandered off down the sea front and Cathy and her friend(Cathy came to the concert too) went to get food.
I headed off back to the campsite to 'pack' and kinda lazed around, then went to the eveing concert, well the second half of it and saw Vin Garbutt, who was good, but better as a story teller than a singer! Once again, sitting next to someone who sings proffesionally was interesting!
The torchlit parade and the fireworks were brilliant as ever, and the LNE was fun, my back killed, but i was determined to dance, so did about 3 or 4 dances and the polka at the end!
Stayed up as usual and had by about 3, managed to aquire Stephens hat, Justins jumper and whisky and Jo's scarf! Twas a lot of fun, the whisky was alright, im still trying to decide whether i like the stuff, but i kept nicking justins hip flask of it and handing it round everyone, got into a conversation with someone who i cant remember the name of about how it was illegal for him to take the piss out of me because he was a teacher, so i wondered what was the policy on accepting alcohol from a minor!
Stephen headed off to bed about 3, but let me borrow the hat, as he decided i would be miserable without it (anyone who has seen spooky men will understand the importance of the hat!) I went at about 4:30 as i was ltiterlly falling asleep standing up, so justin, persuaded me to go to bed. And there ended my sidmoth proper for 2007 **sobs**

Saturday:-
Was a mixture of rushing off to say goodbye to various people and awing my family with my amazing abilty to make random friends (my family beign avid spooky fans, and me having a genuine spooky man's hat! they were even more impressed when he came to collect it, butn for some reason they all thought id nicked it, no matter how many times i pointed out how completely unlikely it was for him to go back to australia without it!)
I had a theory that if i kept wandering off i wouldn't have to do any work, almost true! So went and sat and talked to justin for a while, twasn't fair, I was gunna laugh at him for having a hangover, but he didn't have one! Went through his lines with him a little, and generally did nothing.
Then went back to the tent and helped a bit, justin turned up to say goodbye, and me and ruth randomly headed over to see steve, who was taking an extremely relaxed attitude to packing, kinda standing where his tent had been doing pretty much nothing! Justin drove past while we were there and said final fare wells, and we went to say goodbye to Manon and Peter-Paul, who, having speant an hour and a half packing the car, then had a momentary panic when they couldn't remember where the car keys where. Fortunately they were in Peter-Pauls ruck-sack, but it was hilarious!
Said fond fairwells to random people like tom, who we see at most festivals and ended up dancign a six-person rosa with, dont knwo what a rosa is, ask me and il explain sometime! And we were off home, to dream for another year (well 6 months IVDF, cant wait!)
the journey home was uneventful, stopped off at Uncle Ernests and Auntie Pamela's for a couple of hours, i ended up falling asleep i was so tired and arrived home at about 10:30.

And there concludes my epic post. thanks to all for such an excellent festival. i'll be there next year!

Quote:
It takes wings to make miracles happen
On the side of a lorry on the way home from sidmouth!

em
x

Sidmouth! (Part 2 of 3)

2007-08-12T11:19:00.000Z

Monday:-
Found out that I had got into the concertina workshop run by John Dipper, excellent first session, if a little slow, i had worked out how to play the scale in about 15 mins, and he took the hour teaching it. But it was still fun, and i really enjoy playing it! Then went to a talk at the Woodlands Hotel with Manon, about the laws you have to follow as a performer, and all the paperwork involved, interesting, and a bit scary just how beurocratic our country is! Speant the afternoon with Manon and Peter-Paul, as they stewarded the Arts Centre, had several nice cups of tea. Went to the evening concert in the Ham, Eliza Carthy and the Ratcatchers, alright, but not my favourite, and ended up leaving early, due to a fever! To put it in perspective, the Ham Marquee is about 40 degrees, and I was shivering! Went back to the tent and rested then went off to LNE, danced a Boureé with Tom, we were supposed to dance a Boureé de jeunesse, but instead danced a boureé de ligne instead, much more fun!
It was the first night I stayed up after LNE and was great fun, a group of us, Ruth, Tom, Justin (i think), Manon and Joe stayed up until about four thirty! Having the most random conversations, which went from the mundane (cooking, dancing) to the insane (ceilidh karma sutra). I tried whiskey for the first time, Laphroaig, apparently, was odd, but quite nice, warmed you up considerably! We all went to bed about 4:30, having decided to meet at 9 to have breakfast with Tom's friend Steve (who had no idea of this!). And then head of to a contra workshop.

Tuesday:-
Dawned, but we already knew that as we were up to see it! And we went of to meet Tom and Manon for breakfast, Tom's friend steve wasn't up yet so we headed off to catch the bus and have food in town. Having missed the bus we headed off to see if steve were up, he was so we went back, and had coffer (or tea in my case) with him. After having made an executive desision that i was too tired and hungry to go to my workshop i stayed for breakfast, a very nice meal or tomato, bacon and spam!
We then went to a playford workshop and speant a lot of it mucking about, but we ahd fun, I kept nicking tom's hat, and we passed it randomly round the dance floor! Although some of the older people got annoyed with me and tom because we kept mucking up the dances!
Had lunch with tom, ruth and steve (lovely burgers from the bedford hotel) and saw tom off on the bus home, then sat having drinks in a bus stop seeing as we thought it was almost certainly illegal.
Speant the afternoon once again with Manon and Peter-Paul doing pretty much nothing.
In the evenign i went to the Black Tie Ceilidh in the Blackmore Gardens which was great fun! The range of people from those who took it seriously, to those who turned up in normal clothes with a token black tie, i went in between, with my black halter-neck, a bright blue cummerbund(sp?) black and white over the knee socks and fancy shoes, oh and the token black tie of course!
Then went to LNE dressed like that, except for the tie which i had borrowed from Chris under threat of painful death if i lost it! LNE wasn't as good, mostly because Whapweasel were playing, and although they were very good, there were way too many people there to do any decent dancing, went to bed at about 1:30 due to tiredness.

Wednesday:-
Concertina Workshop as usual, cant remember most of the afternoon, but met up with Steve, and Ruth and various other of Steves friends for tea at a lovely tea shop a ltitle way along the coast. I had to leave early from that to get the bus with Jen to Sidford for a Fench Dancing Workshop, panicked because I lost my purse, but borrowed some money of dad.
The workshop was quite good, although th teacher wasn't the best. The following bal was quite fun, though more that 2 An Dro's ( and the other one which ic ant remember the name of) gets a little boring.
Left early, to catch the bus back, but ended up with a lift from manon and peter-paul, six of us in a car designed to take four! was a bit of a squish.
LNE was fun, but i had to leave early because my back was hurting too much.

Quote:
In every community, there is work to be donw
In every nation, there are wounds to heal
In every heart, there is the power to do it
Marianne Williamson

Emma

Sidmouth! (Part 1 of 3)

2007-08-11T21:54:00.000Z

Well, I have just got back from Sidmouth Folk Week and am absolutely knackered, however after a week of not going to bed till at least 1:30 (quite a lot later in some cases!) I cannot sleep yet!
So, instead I shall follow the basic structure of Tom's blogpost and do a rundown of each day!

Tuesday:-
Set of nice and early (abiout 10ish) in the car to Bristol, we were going to stay with my uncle there till thursday and then go on to sidmouth. However about half an hour outside of cambridge, on the Buldock bypass for anyone who knows the area, we broke down, with what smelt distinctly like a burnt out clutch! Anyone travelling along the Buldock bypass on the 31st of July and saw three girls sitting playing cards on the verge that was us! We called the AA, who, rather than coming themselves sent a local company with instructions to bring us back to cambridge, which we protested, but were told that if we took the car to a garage in cambridge then it would be fixed my wednesday morning and we could still get down to bristol to see uncle ceri and sara. So we went home and stayed the night there, living like we were on holiday, for some reason even though it was home none of us did what we usually do, but hung round together and watched videos and such, which was really odd! Got invited to dinner with Steve, an old friend of my parents who moved near us a couple of years ago. Was very nice, chicken stir fry, then we went to bed.

Wednesday:-
We got up, all ready to go, only to be informed that in fact out car needed more work than was first expected, and wouldn't be ready till friday (way too late to get a pitch like we needed for camping!) Phoned the AA, who promised to hire us a car but couldn't get one with a topbox attatchement or a tow bar! In the end we hired a van, which me and dad drove down in, whilst Mum, Ruth and HEather went by train down to honniton.
It was great fun, and the longest time me and my dad have speant together just the two of us for ages, so was really really nice! Beautiful view of stonehenge sihllouetted against a beautiful sunset as we crossed salisbury plain.
We arrived at the campsite at about 10 ish and were putting up the tent in the dark! Excellent fun, and the earliest night I got for the rest of the week!

Thursday:-
Dawned bright and rainy, we spent the morning sitting about the tent after we had finished setting up the rest of the tent. When it finally got sunny me and ruth decided to head off to the beach, which we finalyl did after a few altercations with various people threatening to go home. Unfortunately did not swim as ruth didn't want to, and I hate being in the water on my own!
And that was about it for thursday, apart from meeting up with Emily, an old friend from my very first sidmouth and speanding the evening catching up with her!

Friday:-
First proper day of the Festival, took the bus down to go to the lunch time ceilidh, which was great fun, although the caller was not the greatest and i had a little trouble getting used to having to tell my left from my right! Met a lovely brother and sister pair from Holland (Manon and Peter-Paul de Graaf) with whom i met up with agin several times during the week.
Went to the Show of Hands concert in the evening, it was absolutely awesome! They are amazing! Excellent songs including ones with lyrics like 'Is there anywhere left in England not for sale' and 'Hey ho boys let them go, out in the wind and the rain and snow, we've lost more than we'll ever know, round the rocky shores of england'. Also an excellent performance of Innocent's Song, a setting of the poem by Charles Causely (link).
We then went off the Late Night Extra, which is the late evenign ceilidh, running from 11 till 1 o'clock. Is great fun, although by the end of the week I started asking people how much they'd had to drink before dancing with them, dancing with a drunk guy who has no idea what he's doing is just not fun!

Saturday:-
Dawn broke, crash, and we headed of nice and early for the Celebratory dances workshop, with a caller who was alright, but not the best. Had lots of fun though, and was almost getting the hang of it by the end. Then did a Playford workshop, Jane Austen style dancing, wich is excellent fun to do, because you do have to think slightly about what your doing which makes it much more interesting! Then went once again to the lunchtime ceilidh at anchor gardens, and cant really remember what I did after that! In the evening I went to see the spooky men's chorale, an excellent singing group from the Blue Mountains in Australia, which was a hilariously funny and gripping performance as ever!
Went to LNE in the evening, and the to bed!

Sunday:-
First workshop was the Festival Choir run by Sandra Kerr, it was quite good, although the warm up was odd, but I enjoyed doing some singing, and going to a rehersal where people actually knew how to shut up and work! Brilliant!
Then went to the informal meet and greet with the Spooky Men at the Rugby club at 11:30. They turned up slightly late due to having been up singing till 4:30 that morning! But it was a brilliant session, with both some singing and questions! Speant the afternoon randomly wondering around with Manon and Peter-Paul and in the evening went to the dance event at the Bulverton with Fluxus, a band from Belgium. The evening was great, none of the dances were called and I had never done any French dancing before! But it was relatively simple to pick up and the first dance i joined in on was a Jig wich was really easy. I also danced a Boureé, well more than one, the first with Peter-Paul,its a great dance but hell on your calves! Danced later on with Tom, who was also considerably better than me, and who put the variations in, which was great fun, although a little confusing for me! Danced a scottische with Jen, which was great fun as she was trying to remember how, both of us speant all of the dance going forwards two three, back two three, one two three four! Excellent fun! Danced a waltz with fancy moves with Tom, which was fun, although i wasn't very good at doing to fance moves, haveing never done more than a simple waltz before! So all in all it was an excellent evening, and the fastest I have ever picked up dances in my life!
LNE that night was great, didn't dance much due to being a little tired and my back was causing problems so sat talking to Tom, a rather more interesting 20-something-year-old than most, while he stewarded, ended up with him teaching me a Mazuka (spelling?) at the edge of the floor, because he couldn't find anyone to cover his post while he danced.
All in all an excellent day, which lead to me discovering a new dance style that i absolutely love!

I am going to cut it there for tonight and head to bed, partly because i need to sleep and partly because otherwise this is an insanely long post! Will write up the rest of my week in the next few days.

Quote:
Whatever you want to do, do it. There are only so many tomorrows
Unknown

Sunday...

2007-05-27T22:28:00.000Z

Well a decent enough day, went to help out a church creche this morning, ended up getting roped in by Andy to help with Trekkers on the Case instead. Twas fun, nothing I really had to think about, providing a welcome relief.
Then sat and talked to Andy after the service, was good, talking about friends and such, it was nice to talk, I've been running low on people to talk to recently. Ended up staying for the next service, mostly because it had started and we were still talking.
Service was ok, I wasn't really that focused on it really, Alfie (Andy's 9 month old) is not the quietest of babies, and that coupled with me already being indisposed to concentrate meant that I wasn't really feeling spiritual.
Got home, lunch, mucked about on my computer, ate christmas pudding, considered going for a run. I still want to go, but it's late. I'l go in the morning, or possibly for a cycle.
I have a sleepover i'm going to tomorrow, I dont really want to go, which is ridiculous, i complain about not having friends, and then when i do get invited somewhere i dont want to go!
Went for a cycle with Ruth yesterday, was cut short when my back tire got a puncture, had to get dad to pick us up from Melbourn. Will go again later in the week.
Have to remember to get dad to sort out my bed tomorrow, stripped it day before yesterday, so it currently has neither blanket nor sheet! I'd do it myself, but i cant manage the blanket, it never lies flat.
Anyway, early start tomorrow, have a paper round and am determined to get fit! fed up of not being!
Quote:
If you lived here, you'd be home by now
Girl, Interrupted

Fleeting and Fleeing

2007-05-26T15:01:00.000Z

A moments reflection on the instability of life.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
All that is made lost, to moths or rust.

A piece of paper with the name of a child, its brith certificate, crumples and disintegrates in the rain.

A lifetimes work, painstakingly collected samples of meaning, lost in the swift blaze that leaves naught but memories.

The memories collected over a lifetime, lost as the bearer becomes ruled by their illness.

The slightest fall changing a childs smile to a wail of pain.

The strongest house lost to the stronger storm.

The life that love created ending in dispair.

The death of an old one, with all their loved ones there.

As spring fades to summer flowers bloom and die.

Year passes to year buildings are built and destroyed.

Tress, flowers, buildings, paper, memories, happiness, life, all is fleeting.

All is fleeing away too fast for us to have a hope of catching it.

Short and Sweet

2007-05-26T07:19:00.000Z

Well, yesterday was my last day of work experience, it was so sad, i almost cried. They gave me a box of roses(the chocolate) and a card they had made which had pictures of when i did a session with my xylophone for the children! Inside there are pictures of every single one,with their names as well, its brilliant!!!!
I really enjoyed my work experience, it isnt something i'd do as an actual job, but it was fantastic for two weeks!

I got a non-speaking role in the shakespeare, but oh well. acting is full of disappointments.

I seem to be getting busier and busier this half term, i have a sleepover monday to tuesday which i'm really not sure i want to go to, punting and cycling with my friend james who is coming down from colchester. and fitting in a physics project and a textiles objective, oh the joys!

Ok, nothing much esle to write.

Quote

Life is only given once to the body, but the soul has eternity to reflect on life
Unknown

.....Walk apon Englands rain-drenched shores.....

2007-05-13T16:46:00.000Z

Well, I had auditions for Twelfth Night today, at my school, 17 of us turned up, but unfortunately more girls than boys..... hmmmm, should make for fun casting.
Auditions went well, speant the first hour doing warm up exercises, with Mr H. putting the emphasis on physicality rather than on the words, which is good, but without understanding what the words mean the physicality is hard to do. Meh well....
Then we went of for about half an hour and prepared an audition piece from the extracts he had given. I did a piece with Olivia, Feste and Malvolio.
We then had a short break, after which we prepared a second peice.
I read for Maria, which was great fun, I was the only one who put in the flirting with Sir Toby Belch.
The return journey was .... interesting. 5 miles in the pouring rain..... I'm still cold.

I start work experience tomorrow. Homerton Nursery School, I puzzle my Deputy head when he found out, he didn't think it was the sort of thing I'd do. So that was fun, we had a good talk abotu what I might do, i said if i was going to go into teaching I would so it at scoundary level or A level, he asked me whether I had considered a career in teaching.
I'm not sure, not if its anything like what i had to do the first three years of secoundary school in ict.......

But meh, I'm looking forwad to it, little children are a lot less complicated than people my age. I just hope its not raining as badly again, I'm so cold!!!!

There was a time when we expected nothing of our children but obedience, as opposed to the present, when we expect everything of them but obedience.
Anatole Boyard

European Politics....

2007-05-12T22:16:00.000Z

After having spent an 'enjoyable' evening with my sisters whatching the Eurovision Song contest, one would expect that I would follow it with my views about it.
However I feel that my elder sister's (ruth's) soon to be written post detailing our comments throughout, highly edited I hope! will be posted soon, and i feel that she can do our conversation better justice (and she has the notes!).

I would like to point out a few things though : 1) Israel is not part of Europe..... **looks confused**
2) Why dont they show us the Eurovision Song Contest when they are trying to teach us about European politics......

Finally, i would just like to say, most of the conversations took place when my little sister was out of the room! She can corrupt herself on her own....

Hmm....

2007-05-02T14:48:00.000Z

Still not convinced that anyone actually reads this but hey! I will carry on posting anyway, i have little else to do.

Well, the 23rd of March brought me to my 15th year on this earth, erm.... my fifteenth year anywhere actually........ And with it an envelope from my local doctors cordially inviting me for a meeting to dicuss my wellbeing and stick a needle in my arm.
And after a month and a bit of procrastinating, forgetting and procrastinating some more I went along to the sugery for the afformentioned meeting.
Met with a very nice practice nurse, who proceeded to ask me questions: had I slept with anyone (no), taken illegal drugs (never had the opportunity :( :P), smoked (no-asthmatic), had alcohol (yes but not in excess, my parents were there!!!), and whether i ate properly(erm, yes, of course.......)
She then proceeded to give me "necessary" injection, now, you must understand, i dont dislike the needle part, I'm so used to it that I dont mind, no, what I hate is after the injection, the annoying ache in my arm that prevents me from playing my xylophone, or raising my arm, or knocking agains anything without wincing in pain.
Then weighed me: I've lost 3.8 (whatever they measure it in) since i was last weighed!
And measured my height: 5'4"

so that about covers it, sorry to anyone that does actually read this, im bored and have nothing else to do, and nothing else has happened to me!

Well apart from my art exam today, which went ok, i didn't finish, which is good because i have a further 5 hours to finish off my piece, and only about 1/2 an hours work to do! I speant most of the last hour decorating the tape which is holding my paper to the bored with pretty patterns in gold pen.

Tonight, im off for tea with my youth leader in about an hour, and then babysitting, should give me a chance to finish my biology, meh, i hate stats, and i have no one to ask if i get stuck.......... The people i would ask are: a)at school only on mobile contact
b)at bible study
c) oo, no dad's around, il ask him!!!

anyway, this is the end of a (slightly) random post.

Quote:

The greater our awareness of intentions, the greater our freedom to choose. --Gil Fronsdal

Kestrels!!!!

2007-04-30T07:13:00.000Z

Heya Everyone, I apologise to whoever actually reads this for not updating, i keep meaning to then forgetting!!!

Anyway, last time you heard i was just about to go on kestrels, so it seems a good place to start would be there.

So.... KEstrels.

Well we started the week well, i was on a Hustler, Hustler 4 to be precise, lovely first sail, which included Chris Witham, our illustrious mate, ramming her onto a bank and getting her throughly stuck in the mud!!! Eventually got a tug off from the cruiser and it was back to Buttifants for dinner with high fives all round for excellent 'team bonding' which was of course why we had crashed in the first place.

Sunday was also good, sailed down to potter, excellent steering through the bridge by me, of course. A nice peaceful day, tacking along medow dyke, it took us 1 hour 23 minutes and 3 seconds, not that we were counting or anything, to get through. Had a quick sail and then into horsey for tea. Of course, that evening we went to church, met up with those lazy lot from B, and had a jolly olf sing-song!

It was monday that the trouble started, all but about 11 of the cruise went off to see the seals on the beach, but two boat loads stayed behind. So me, ruth, sasha and vicky, set off on tarn, leaving behind our beloved hustler to sail to hickling for a carefree day of fun. Or so we thought..... little did we know that we would not see Hustler again for a very long time!
So after a quiet morning, running races to parts of the boat, turnign tight circles round posts our amazing skipper (Vicky) had not noticed, and setting scarves afloat, in washing up bowls (girls boat) without anything to keep it afloat (guys boat), we decided to morr up at Hickling for a much needed bite to eat and quiet time.
After having eaten, bibled and visited the toilets, we made ready to set off for further fun sailing, and a quanting lesson for me. But of course, ti didnt all go to plan, the boys went off fine, but as we raised the sail and vicky sweated the throat (made sure the sail was up high enough) we heard an ominous ripping sound, sure enough, we looked up and there was a lovely long gash in our sail. Well, we took it down, phoned colin, who was on a lunch break but we were told he would be back soon, and would bring a new sail. Then vicky rang neil, explained about the problem, and said she was worried because tris had signed for the boat and he was back at horsey. The conversation I'm told, went soemthing like this:
Neil: Ah, dont worry, I know exactly where tris is
Vicky: Ok
Neil: He's on N.... (radom place i cant remember the name of)
Vicky: Ok
Neil: No, ON N.......
Vicky: Ah, what happened
Neil: HE put a hole in your boat
Vicky: Ah.
So having hung up the phone, and recounted the tale, we set about waiting for Colin to arrive with said new sail. He arrived about an hour later, me having had time to wash ruthie's hair before he did, put a new sail on the boat and we set off, back home. Motoring because we were already late. Unfortunately our engine gave out, right at the beginning of medow dyke. So it was once again time to begin the long tack down it.
It was on crossing Horsey Mere, that we finally realised the extent of the fate that had befallen our sweet hustler 4. For we saw her crossing in the opposite direction to us, an electric bilge pump on the back to keep her afloat. Indeed, they had actually sunk our boat!
We arrived back at horsey about 5:30 and found a new hustler in our old ones place, food on Leda for us and lots of hugs and sympathy. But all this could not mend in our hearts the gap left by the fate of hustler 4.

Tuesday: We sailed to back to Buttifants, not much happened apart from Chris evilly trying to tip both me and james off the cabin roof, where we had been forced to, as there was not enough space in the well for all 5 of us. Got in to buttifants early, and consequently were first in for the showers. Ah.... showers! We also paid a visit to Hustler, who was in the Hunters shed, being fixed. Witham has the pictures or i would show you all. And went back to our boats to have tea.

Wednesday was the day of the great swaps. Many people moved around and i ended up on Bure Classic with rachel, Mary and Richard. We got to Ludham, and decided to shoot the bridge, which we did, although not quite as planned. For, having strung up their teatowels on the burgie hallyard, they had got caught not only in the peak hallyard but also in the furled jib, so when it came to bringing the mast down, we were stuck. Richard bravely lept to try to untangle it all so the jib and forestay would come down and consequently the mast, completely forgetting that the forestay to which he had been holding, was keeping the mast up. Ker-plunk! down the mast fell, narrowly missing rachel's head, and being spectacularly caught by Mary. We made it through the bridge with no further problems. But after.... well, Richard was quanting while mary sorted the tea towels, but she was unable to get the knots untied, so he gave me the quatpole said "here you quant" and lept to help her. Unfortunately, I've never been taught how, and this, combined with the fact that the river was especially deep made the experience interesting. We made it to how hill nice and early, had lunch on leda, and speant the afternoon playing games and generally having fun! In the evening there was a film for those who wanted it, but i speant a lovely evening watching clouds and discussing pretty much everything with John.

Thursday we spent the day on barton broad, wet into Herrings hole for lunch, and moored up at Gay's Staithe early so that people could watch the other half of the film. ME and john did bible study and helped mary cook, then went to the cruiser for logs and shanties. And of course then to bed.

Friday dawned bright and early, literally, the leaders quanted all the boats out into the middle of Barton Broad, whilst we were still asleep! for a dawn Good Friday service, in protest to this my night boat all went in out pajama's.
Speant the morning sailing the Fish, neils dighy, with josh, which was great fun, took us a while to get the boat balanced so she didnt gybe. and on one tack i decided to beach her, literally, she came up out of the water. But apart from that we got to ludham bridge fine, took down the mast and i paddled her through, while josh steered. Sailed on hustler 2 from the bridge until lunch, and speant lunchtime sailing on the fish again with john. We sailed her backwards, and then with the spinnaker up!!! twas lots and lots of fun!
Arrived back at buttifants and comenced sorting the boat and packing. :(

Saturday: Well, up until train time we packed up the boats, said tearful goodbyes to everyone, and generally had fun. The train journey home went well, i changed trains without any trouble, and the boredom of the 50 minute wait for the train was alleviated by the unexpected arrival or James on the platform. I got to my aunts house with no trouble, and once again breathed a sigh of relief at being able to ahve a shower!!!

So there we have it, an extra long post, but blame john! It was a great week, did lots of good bible stuff, and had lots of fun!!! Cant wait till enxt year!!!

2 Days to Go

2007-03-29T05:52:00.000Z

And with only two days to go until Kestrels once again begins, we find emma......

........sitting doing nothing!

Yes that right, i still have not packed, or cooked, or any of the usual things a true Kestrel leaves until the last minute, despite having had the last 3 days off school and having the time to do such things!

I have bee reliably informed that most of my friends are in high stages of hyperness waiting for this momentous event, myself, i find rather less so. Odd you may ask? Indeed, but I find that hyperness takes up energy needlessly, when it could be put to much better use doing...... something or other.

Well, between now and KEstrels i have so much to look forward to! erm...... there's parents evening tonight, where i get assured that i must have speant hours on my work, and that i really do go above and beyond what is necessary. I wish someone would tell me before hand what I do, so I could at least try and do it!
......There's cooking tomorrow with ruth.... wait, thats for Kestrels too, erm.... there mut be something else, oo, I might just get a birthday present from someone, or at least, I might get a card from susannah!

See... plenty of things.
Anyway, school beckons, only two days left!

And i leave you with this quote that has nothing whatsoever to do with my post, enjoy!

It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.
H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

x
em

Nottingham Photos and Overview

2007-03-25T10:40:00.000Z

Yesterday my family and I went to Nottingham to see my friend John (Left)

We had a brief tour of Nottingham University:

Visited Sites of Great Importance:

Ate some food:

And Generally Had Fun:

Oo oo and finally got a decent picture of me and John (in the other one he look pregnant and I looked ill).

And I'm back

2007-03-04T08:49:00.000Z

Realising I haven't updated in a while and remembering the reason I began this blog, I thought I should endevor to post again.

I have had a mediocre week, I've been getting quite stressed and for some reason consequently my history and english has begun to suffer (my two best subjects), my head of year, knowing my reasons for stress said she would talk to my english teacher and my history teacher. I asked her yesterday what she had said and she said she had spoken to my english teacher but not yet had a chance to talk to my history one. Which actually made me quite happy, due to the fact that he's been really nice and understanding about the fact that I'm not working much at the moment, and telling me not to worry about stuff (he doesn't know what stuff by the way), but he was doing this without my head of year talking to him. Which made me feel slightly better.
Oo, talking about history, I aught to try and do the homework he set...

Saturday was good, me and michael went to see Hot Fuzz, it is an awesome film, so funny, not really for people who are squeamish, but i enjoyed it so......
I also got new shoes which make me taller by several inches, which is brilliant!!!! I'm not ecessively short, but I wouldnt mind being taller.

I am currently re-reading The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, an excellent book, a vampire story, with a lot mor reference to Vlad Tepes, (the Tepes has a lot of funny accent thingt that i cannot be bothered to work out how to add so...) and his history, rather than just the Dracula myth. It is a very good book, hence the fact that I am re-reading it, and i would recommend it to anyone about me age or above.

Anyway, church beckons

Quote:
Those who cannot remember the past and condemned to repeat it.
George Santayana(1863-1952)

x
em

To update....

2007-02-25T07:41:00.000Z

Having not posted for a while, i decided it was time to update.

I have had a relatively busy weekend, and going out on Friday night completely threw my internal clock. I don't usually go out on Fridays, so when i do, it feels like Saturday, Saturday feels like Sunday, making me completely confused. Oh well.

Friday night was great, I went to a christian concert thing, but it was more like an extended worship session, because there was a talk as well. The speaker was great, although at some points she really touched a nerve, but still brilliant.
The songs were good, but the worship was slightly too (not sure if this is the right word but...) evangelical, for what I'm used too, it was a bit like the church i used to go to, but having not been there in almost a year, I'm not used to it anymore.
But i still enjoyed it so... plus i actually got invited somewhere which was like yay! There were some people there from my old church, and one from the one i go to now, and Megan(one who goes to my church) said she was going to invite me, but she forgot.

Funny how often they forget isn't it.

Anyway, i must go, mostly because i am running out of things to say so...

Quote:

Silence is the perfectest herald of joy, I were but little happy if I could say how much
Shakespeare (Much Ado About Nothing, I think)

x
em

Plays and such....

2007-02-21T07:00:00.000Z

Well, i am now extrememly tired after getting back from London last night at around half 12, then having pancakes!
My drama teacher organised a trip to see Coram Boy at the National Theatre. It was great! In some places extremely hard hitting, and in others brilliantly funny. Anyone who is remotely interested in theatre should see this play, i loved it.

Anyway i wont say anymore or else i will end up spoil the plot!

I got my history coursework assignment A marks yesterday, i got A* (24/25) after which i asked my teacher what i could do to get the last mark (on future essays), and he said probably one of the worst things he could have said being: "Yes, when i sat down to mark yours i thought before i started that you would get full marks."
meaning that instead of managing to convince myself that i had done as well as i could, i now feel like i have failed entirely, plus, i messed up on something really silly!

Anyway, enough ranting, and i must get ready for school

Quote:
Better to write for yourself and to have no public, than to write for the public and have no self
Cyril Connolly (1903-1974)

em

Hello and Welcome

2007-02-19T16:38:00.000Z

Heya,

So... This would be my introduction to my blog. I used to have a blog on another host, but i never wrote on it. So I finally decided that I would begin again. I used to write a lot and at the momment cannot write anything, therefore, I thought writing a blog, just about day to day stuff, might prompt me to begin writing again! So here goes................

I am writing this in between writing a physics essay on nuclear medicine, it was due in today, but I "forgot" my book, and am handing it in tomorrow. Oh the joys of GCSE's, this isn't even a piece of coursework! Anyway, I am going into as much medical jargon as possible, partly to annoy my teacher and partly because it's just more fun that way!

It has come to that time of year again, where all of us who know what I am talking about start counting down the days to Kestrels. For those who do not know what this is, it is a Christian sailing holiday, which takes place during the Easter break, on the Norfolk Broads. It is an event which i spend around 6 months of the year looking forward to, the other 6 months being taken up with looking forward to Kestrels Reunion! I have such a fulfilling life!
Anyway, it is 6 weeks till Kestrels (40 days) which shows just how sad I really am! But, between now and then, i do get to look forward to seeing one or both of my closest friends. I can only see one on the only weekend it is possible to see either, oh well!

Anyway, physics beckons, I shall leave you all with a quote in keeping with the season:

Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real
Iris Murdoch (1919-1999)

and a goodbye
x
em