Feeling even better!
Jun. 20th, 2008 09:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blackberry444Yesterday I went to the Laing Gallery with the writing group, or rather I joined them there, where there was an exhibition about "Love", with lots of painitngs lent from other galleries. We had to choose a picture and write about it according to the formula Gillian set us. I chose one which is always in the Laing, "Isabella & the Pot of Basil", because it is one of my favourites and one which I have a print of on my wall at home.
We had just settled in on a bench and got about a third of the way through our task when a huge gaggle of schoolchildren came in and sat on the floor in front of me while their teacher talked to them about the painting. I was rather appalled at her methods, because by dint of asking leading questions, she led the kids into the answers she expected from them and then told them they had thought of it for themselves. Is it just me? Or does this seem a dubious method of imparting knowledge?
At one point I had to restrain myself from getting up and compressing my hands around her throat when, after one girl displayed some knowledge about the painting and its subject, and wanted to answer another question, she was told that since she obviously knew something about the painitng already she shouldn't answer any more questions, but should give the rest of the totally uninterested dullards a chance.
Consequently, I don't think I did very well at the task, although I have a print of the painting at home with which I can get better to grips with it. However, I was very pleased to be able to walk back from the Laing to Brunswick Methodist church with only two little sit-downs on the way and I even managed to go Lidl shopping in the afternoon.
I was rather taken aback when Gillian asked me why I chose that picture and I had to say that I knew both the poem and the painting but that my principal reason for choosing it was that Isabella looked rather strikingly like me as a young woman.
Charles cooked us a wonderful dish from his favourite book of Spanish recipes, involving fresh mackerel, a great many tomatoes and bell peppers and I know not what else.
Today I went to work for Caroline and got through quite a lot of work before I had to give up because my eyes were boggling at the small print on the print-outs.
I didn't even have a snooze this afternoon.
Our kitchen TV has finally broken down. We haven't been able to use the remote for about a year, but now the go-louder button has disappeared into the set, leaving us unable to hear it if there's any noise at all going on in the kitchen. This was very annoying, as for once there was actually a programme I wanted to watch while we prepared and ate dinner, which was about Bill Gates. We did watch it, but it was really difficult to hear what people were saying. I wonder if it will be repeated.
I had a look at the Comet website and it seems you can now get a 14" colour TV with teletext and a SCART connection for £54.99. Tesco Direct have one for £44.96. Unbelievable!
I did look at Don'tdumpthat, but they don't appear to do electrical goods., which seems a bit odd. I tried to look at the local Freecycle, but I have to apply for membership and they will let me know if my application is successful. Have I misunderstood the nature of Freecycle, perhaps?
This afternoon John took up some of the floorboards in his room in an effort to repair a hole. Of course, Bramble immediately disappeared down the hole and sat just out of reach refusing to come out. When he finally did come out, his white belly was filthy and grey. He's now fast asleep on my bed, polluting my bedspread!
Charles has volunteered to go to Morrisons with John for me tomorrow, provided that I go to the farm shop. I wonder what he's plotting?
I must try to remember to go for a little walk around the block tomorrow and maybe if it's nice on Sunday we might go to the riverside park, either here in Newcastle, or the one in Hexham. Both are nice and flat and have frequent benches I can rest on.
We had just settled in on a bench and got about a third of the way through our task when a huge gaggle of schoolchildren came in and sat on the floor in front of me while their teacher talked to them about the painting. I was rather appalled at her methods, because by dint of asking leading questions, she led the kids into the answers she expected from them and then told them they had thought of it for themselves. Is it just me? Or does this seem a dubious method of imparting knowledge?
At one point I had to restrain myself from getting up and compressing my hands around her throat when, after one girl displayed some knowledge about the painting and its subject, and wanted to answer another question, she was told that since she obviously knew something about the painitng already she shouldn't answer any more questions, but should give the rest of the totally uninterested dullards a chance.
Consequently, I don't think I did very well at the task, although I have a print of the painting at home with which I can get better to grips with it. However, I was very pleased to be able to walk back from the Laing to Brunswick Methodist church with only two little sit-downs on the way and I even managed to go Lidl shopping in the afternoon.
I was rather taken aback when Gillian asked me why I chose that picture and I had to say that I knew both the poem and the painting but that my principal reason for choosing it was that Isabella looked rather strikingly like me as a young woman.
Charles cooked us a wonderful dish from his favourite book of Spanish recipes, involving fresh mackerel, a great many tomatoes and bell peppers and I know not what else.
Today I went to work for Caroline and got through quite a lot of work before I had to give up because my eyes were boggling at the small print on the print-outs.
I didn't even have a snooze this afternoon.
Our kitchen TV has finally broken down. We haven't been able to use the remote for about a year, but now the go-louder button has disappeared into the set, leaving us unable to hear it if there's any noise at all going on in the kitchen. This was very annoying, as for once there was actually a programme I wanted to watch while we prepared and ate dinner, which was about Bill Gates. We did watch it, but it was really difficult to hear what people were saying. I wonder if it will be repeated.
I had a look at the Comet website and it seems you can now get a 14" colour TV with teletext and a SCART connection for £54.99. Tesco Direct have one for £44.96. Unbelievable!
I did look at Don'tdumpthat, but they don't appear to do electrical goods., which seems a bit odd. I tried to look at the local Freecycle, but I have to apply for membership and they will let me know if my application is successful. Have I misunderstood the nature of Freecycle, perhaps?
This afternoon John took up some of the floorboards in his room in an effort to repair a hole. Of course, Bramble immediately disappeared down the hole and sat just out of reach refusing to come out. When he finally did come out, his white belly was filthy and grey. He's now fast asleep on my bed, polluting my bedspread!
Charles has volunteered to go to Morrisons with John for me tomorrow, provided that I go to the farm shop. I wonder what he's plotting?
I must try to remember to go for a little walk around the block tomorrow and maybe if it's nice on Sunday we might go to the riverside park, either here in Newcastle, or the one in Hexham. Both are nice and flat and have frequent benches I can rest on.
