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Archive for December, 2008

Home and Bargain are selling them for around £2.50 each, and they seem to work well enough for crafty jobs.

Now I haventt tried using mine since i used it last time, but i am hopefull that the glue in the gun will get warm enough for it to work again!

But well worth the price.. oh yes they are mains and not battery powered as well!

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The government has been accused of trampling on individual liberties by proposing wide-ranging new powers for bailiffs to break into homes and to use “reasonable force” against householders who try to protect their valuables.

Under the regulations, bailiffs for private firms would for the first time be given permission to restrain or pin down householders. They would also be able to force their way into homes to seize property to pay off debts, such as unpaid credit card bills and loans.

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I have been sent the included feathers in an email. Now I am assuming they are guinine
art work, as I know the person who sent me them is very involved with this area

I just thought some others may like not only to read the small story behind them, but also see the works!

God’s Wings -

A little something to put things in perspective…

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park , forest

rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage.

One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under  their dead mother’s wings.

The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast …because she had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.

Enjoy!

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Off course they arent.. Everyone in britain – nearly will be able to carry this information around soon, and do this too it..

Everyone uses these things.. Some people report they have lost them, others keep avoiding the fact.

council employee has lost a memory stick believed to contain confidential information about vulnerable children, it has emerged.

Neath Port Talbot council has launched an internal investigation following the loss of the data.

It said it had informed the relevant authorities but added it would be “inappropriate” to comment until the investigation had concluded.

One foster carer has claimed the information could put children at risk.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7795757.stm

Sadly this time its sounds like a social worker has lost it.. next time it will be a care worker, then finally a manager.. but nothing will have gone missing… well you know. Read the rest of this entry »

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Well were booked on our first big home edd camp. I am so excited, if not a little scared at the prospect!

Anyone fancy joining us?   Were not THAT scarey… Honest!

wales environmental home education camp

I think its going to be FANTASTIC!

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I have recently been reading this fantastic book by Thomas Firbank, originally written in 1940.

A fantastically comical, yet interesting insight into sheep farming in the snowdonia national park pre and during the wars.

It also covers there journey over the 14 13,00 mountains,  and is a great read.

Whilst trying to find the exact location of the farm on google, I came across this article.  dated 2005.

A Snowdonia hill farm made famous in a best-selling book has been acquired by a conservation body.

Dyffryn Mymbyr near Capel Curig was left to the National Trust in a bequest by hill farmer, Esmee Kirby.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4215429.stm

Now why isnt it listed on the national trust web site as somewhere in gwynedd to visit?

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-property-searchresults_2.htm?type=region&target=10

Answers please. As I actually would love to go and see the place!

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Last week i picked up a leaflet whilst coming out of our local morrisons store. It was one of the anti bullying charities. Sadly it ended up covered in milk before I got to read it, but it has started me thinking about bullying, in the 21st C.

At school I was badly bullied. It started when I was four and ended when I was 16. It didn’t do me any good.  Certainly didn’t help me to “cope with the real world”

At least 16 children commit suicide each year as a result of school bullying: Neil Marr and Tim Field’s book “Bullycide: death at playtime” reveals the hidden epidemic of suicide caused by bullying and harassment.

However the statistics can read even worse!

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Asha received an early christmas present today – Money in her christmas card from Granny. So

As we were going christmas shopping today anyway, we let her spend it in home and bargain, which was the first shop we went to.

The result? Asha went around, Tescos, Home and Bargain, Cash and Carry, and sat in the car happily whilst i went into morrisons!

She couldnt actually play with the two dolls she bought, as they were so fastened into the packaging, but she still sat, talked to them, nursed the packaging and enjoyed herself, inbetween shops!  … Now considering yesterday she had a filthy cold.. I think this is pretty good going!

Vicki xx

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Decadence can refer to a personal trait, or to the state of a society (or segment of it). Used to describe a person’s lifestyle, it describes a lack of moral and intellectual discipline, or in the Concise Oxford Dictionary: “a luxurious self-indulgence”. In a society, it describes corrosive decline due to a perceived erosion of necessary moral traditions. (A society that discards unnecessary and outmoded values would not be considered decadent, although perceptions of “unnecessary and outmoded” significantly vary.) Due to arguments over the nature of morality, whether a society is decadent or not is a matter of debate, though certain historical societies (such as ancient Rome near its end) are generally held to have been decadent, as decadence often leads to objective decline.

Decadent societies are often prosperous but usually have severe social and economic inequality, to such a degree that the upper class becomes either complacent or greedy, while the lower classes become hopeless and apathetic.

The middle class may exhibit either or both patterns,

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Asha woke up with a horrid cold this morning. So we didn’t go shopping or to gymnastics as planned.

Instead we wrapped up warm, and stayed at home. Asha has done some play with her toys, watched some videos with daddy, and played on the cbeebies web site.

One of the games is to make a model village, doing point, click and drag operations with the mouse. This is the result of her first attempt of this. I am very impressed!

My First Town.

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santas message to asha

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Ginger is a spice from Indo-Malaysia. The ginger root was believed to sooth an upset stomach or to prevent a cold.

Each ginger species has a different culinary usage; for example, myoga is valued for the stem and flowers.

Myoga ginger

Garden ginger’s rhizome is the classic spice “ginger”, and may be used whole,

candied (known commonly as crystallized ginger), or dried and powdered. Other popular gingers used in cooking include cardamom and turmeric, though neither of these examples is a “true ginger” – they belong to different genera in the Zingiberaceae family.

More ….

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Fantastic… But

Now I really didn’t have a lot of faith in this little project, can you spy the sticky tape??

The intructions said. “use normal craft glue” now for me this implies use, PVA glue.

Well Foam crafts, just dont work with PVA glue! The instructions were erm.. hazy.

Well we still like the result. Just a pity I had to use double sided sticky tape to get it to work!

Eventually we got his hat and hair stuck on his head… and then we stuck him to his red body.

Sitting Proud...

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Concentration!

The back door.

It took time, but it was worth the effort mummy… Do you like it?

I love it, especially the concentration, and enjoyment..

And the finished product, complete and done… Wonderful!

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Asha at least has been a bit brighter today. She didn’t ask once for the TV, or even her computer to be put on.

So what did she do today then? This morning she and I read a few dozen books in my bed. Whilst eating Stollen, and drinking coffee..

After lunch.. cold meats and cheese, I did a bit of nothing, whilst she played with her toys in the lounge, and generally used up her energy. If only I had 1/20th of her energy, I would feel human..

After a while, Steve and I finally agreed to help her make her gingerbread house, which Granny had bought for her. It is now sitting proudly in the corner of the “living” room – we must decide on a name for this room!

After she had completed this mammoth task, which I was really impressed with her concentration throught, off she then did a bit of jumping around untill eventually she asked me for something interesting to do again. I supplied her with christmas cards to decorate.

So far she has done 6, she has about another 5 to do I think!

This evening, Asha asked me if every week after Wednesday she could have two days at home, as she enjoys it. I would like to myself.. I wonder if we can do it?

I “should” get some pics up of her creation soon.

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Are the work of the devil.

I am totally fed up of little miss tonight, she has spent a lot of the last 24 hours gorging herself on her plunder from the home edd party –

I was too exhausted to notice what she was up too..

ARGH…..

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Twas midnight in the schoolroom
And every desk was shut
When suddenly from the alphabet
Was heard a loud “Tut-Tut!”

Said A to B, “I don’t like C;
His manners are a lack.
For all I ever see of C
Is a semi-circular back!”

“I disagree,” said D to B,
“I’ve never found C so.
From where I stand he seems to be
An uncompleted O.”

C was vexed, “I’m much perplexed,
You criticise my shape.
I’m made like that, to help spell Cat
And Cow and Cool and Cape.”

“He’s right” said E; said F, “Whoopee!”
Said G, “‘Ip, ‘Ip, ‘ooray!”
“You’re dropping me,” roared H to G.
“Don’t do it please I pray.”

“Out of my way,” LL said to K.
“I’ll make poor I look ILL.”
To stop this stunt J stood in front,
And presto! ILL was JILL.

“U know,” said V, “that W
Is twice the age of me.
For as a Roman V is five
I’m half as young as he.”

X and Y yawned sleepily,
“Look at the time!” they said.
“Let’s all get off to beddy byes.”
They did, then “Z-z-z.”

– Spike Milligan

As a little one, I used to love this…

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I really, really didnt want to get out of bed today. My whole body aches, but I needed a shower, and at least the swimming pool changing rooms are warm!

Eventually I got up, and dressed anyway, and we went swimming. Steve sat and read, and didnt even notice that we had got out and dressed before he looked up again!

Asha was putting her head under like a little mermaid today. She was jumping in, and really enjoying herself. She had a ball of a time. Ducking, diving and basically splashing around in the shallow bit of the deep pool. She can now touch the bottom of the big pool on her tip toes.

I “forgot” her float today, so she hung onto me a bit more than normal, but also swam without a float a lot more than normal, she also kicked well, and I can see real progress on the swimming front. May be next week hey!

After swimming, and re-newing my membership card, we were going to go shopping but two things happened. I was exhausted and we were out of money so home we came. I love the drive home, and the magnificient views. There is something amazing about living in snowdonia. …may be its the mountains, lakes and views.

We also had a talk about the old turnpike road system and road taxes in this country… Umm should we go back to turnpikes????

Got home, had some lunch, and asha coloured in some bookmarks for some of her friends at C.L.A.S..,

I am going to bed soon anyway, as i am exhausted and we have another busy day tomorrow.

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In 2000 B.C. wealthy Greek families sailed to the Isle of Rhodes to get spiced honey cakes. Later in the eleventh century, pilgrims and soldiers introduced ginger to the Europeans.

The English created ginger sweets. Typical english use hey!!!

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