This busy back-to-school time is, of course, also the season for colds. The Girl has come down with a stinker, so bad that she had to stay off school. Poor old thing, sniffing, coughing and croaking round the house all day. No skating lesson for her this evening, either.
Season of colds, and also the cold. It has been chilly out today - time to throw on a fleece.
There was an Open House at the Boy's school tonight, and we met his new teacher who seems very lovely. An upcoming project for the class is a study of eco-systems that will involve fish and crickets being nurtured in converted soda bottles. I can't quite imagine how that's all going to turn out - not too happily for the fish and crickets, maybe.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
It all happens in September
Well, I don't know. Once September gets going there's just no stopping it, is there? I mean with the functions and meetings and such - two school things last night, and two Five Rivers meetings tonight (mostly Fall Fest business). New skating lessons and another school event tomorrow night...and so it goes on.
Added to that, our local Fair Trade Town campaign is about to take a crucial turn, so I'm scrambling to get things in place for that - exciting, but time-consuming just at the moment.
The weather has been lovely the last couple of days - warm and sunny. Feels like summer, except that it's getting dark earlier and the evenings are cooler and, don't look now, the leaves are turning and just beginning to fall...
September, yes indeed.
Added to that, our local Fair Trade Town campaign is about to take a crucial turn, so I'm scrambling to get things in place for that - exciting, but time-consuming just at the moment.
The weather has been lovely the last couple of days - warm and sunny. Feels like summer, except that it's getting dark earlier and the evenings are cooler and, don't look now, the leaves are turning and just beginning to fall...
September, yes indeed.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Fact-Philly'd entry
Much of my day was devoted to cutting out newspaper flowers in preparation for Five Rivers Fall Festival on Saturday, and most of my evening was taken up with gatherings at both Middle and elementary school (didn't have to choose in the end, I just about managed to make it to both!). I'm guessing that rather than read in depth about any of these activities, you'd prefer to see some photos of Philadelphia by night:
The Man writes...when Philadelphia City Hall was completed in 1901, the only taller structures in the world were the Eiffel Tower and the Washington Monument.
On top of the tower is a 37 foot statue of William Penn, the Quaker and champion of democracy and religious freedom who founded Pennsylvania in 1681. Strangely, he died penniless nearly forty years later in England in Ruscombe near Twyford, Berkshire, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Chalfont St Giles.
Nearby is John F Kennedy Plaza, also known as the Love Park, in the shadow of Philadephia's tallest building today, the 974 foot Comcast Tower. The Love Sculpture by Robert Indiana is in fact one of about 30 versions in the World.
The Man writes...when Philadelphia City Hall was completed in 1901, the only taller structures in the world were the Eiffel Tower and the Washington Monument.
On top of the tower is a 37 foot statue of William Penn, the Quaker and champion of democracy and religious freedom who founded Pennsylvania in 1681. Strangely, he died penniless nearly forty years later in England in Ruscombe near Twyford, Berkshire, and was buried in an unmarked grave in Chalfont St Giles. 
Nearby is John F Kennedy Plaza, also known as the Love Park, in the shadow of Philadephia's tallest building today, the 974 foot Comcast Tower. The Love Sculpture by Robert Indiana is in fact one of about 30 versions in the World.Monday, September 12, 2011
School blues
I ran into a neighbour today in the supermarket. She has a couple of slightly older children and she asked how Middle School was going for us so far. When I pulled a face she looked concerned, until I explained that the Girl is completely fine with school.
It's me that can't cope - with the blizzard of letters home, filled with details of complex grading systems and threats of penalties for tardiness, that I'm required to read, "discuss with my child" and sign; with the additional school supplies which keep being added to the list, necessitating yet more trips to the shops (the Man was scavenging for graph paper last night in Walmart: "You must be the tenth person to ask me for that tonight," said the assistant, handing him their very last book); with the fundraising requests (already?! She's only been there five minutes! And how about asking me when I haven't just shelled out a small fortune for bloomin' school supplies?); with the fact that every after-school event at the Middle School seems to clash with an equally important event at the Boy's elementary school - how am I supposed to decide which one to attend?
The neighbour laughed: "But your daughter's ok? Well, that's the main thing, isn't it?" And she's right, of course - but have schools always made such onerous demands on parents? Readers out there in a similar position, with kids moving up the school ladder - how's it going for you?
It's me that can't cope - with the blizzard of letters home, filled with details of complex grading systems and threats of penalties for tardiness, that I'm required to read, "discuss with my child" and sign; with the additional school supplies which keep being added to the list, necessitating yet more trips to the shops (the Man was scavenging for graph paper last night in Walmart: "You must be the tenth person to ask me for that tonight," said the assistant, handing him their very last book); with the fundraising requests (already?! She's only been there five minutes! And how about asking me when I haven't just shelled out a small fortune for bloomin' school supplies?); with the fact that every after-school event at the Middle School seems to clash with an equally important event at the Boy's elementary school - how am I supposed to decide which one to attend?
The neighbour laughed: "But your daughter's ok? Well, that's the main thing, isn't it?" And she's right, of course - but have schools always made such onerous demands on parents? Readers out there in a similar position, with kids moving up the school ladder - how's it going for you?
Sunday, September 11, 2011
A powerful passion
More conferencing for me this morning. Whereas I found yesterday's many back-to-back sessions a bit overwhelming, today I got more out of attending just three events.
Most inspiring to me was a short, simple presentation by Bruce Crowther, founder of the whole Fair Trade Towns movement. His home-town of Garstang in Lancashire, UK, declared itself the world's first FT Town in 2000. Bruce, his wife and their babysitter had formed a campaign and persuaded all the main players in their small community (retailers, cafes, schools, churches, local authority) to make a commitment to buy, sell or use fair trade products. Bruce, formerly an OXFAM worker, explained that what inspired him was the knowledge that every three seconds in the developing world a child dies, preventably, from poverty; and that people in poor nations lose more money each year through trade than they receive in aid. With OXFAM he had witnessed how fair trade can make a positive difference, and he felt it was something he should promote...and thus a movement was born. To date there are more than 1,000 FT Towns around the world.
Bruce Crowther is a gently-spoken, twinkly-eyed man with an absolute passion for his cause. He offered us lots of encouragement, urging us not to give up our efforts even when progress seems slow, and reminding us that we are important partners in a great and growing international movement. Hearing him speak was the highlight of the conference for me, and well worth the journey to Philly.
The morning's proceedings had, of course, begun with a minute's silence in commemoration of 9/11. A moment to remember the victims on this day ten years ago, and all the victims of the conflicts that have followed that atrocity - and also a chance for each of us present to renew our commitment to building peace through global justice.
Most inspiring to me was a short, simple presentation by Bruce Crowther, founder of the whole Fair Trade Towns movement. His home-town of Garstang in Lancashire, UK, declared itself the world's first FT Town in 2000. Bruce, his wife and their babysitter had formed a campaign and persuaded all the main players in their small community (retailers, cafes, schools, churches, local authority) to make a commitment to buy, sell or use fair trade products. Bruce, formerly an OXFAM worker, explained that what inspired him was the knowledge that every three seconds in the developing world a child dies, preventably, from poverty; and that people in poor nations lose more money each year through trade than they receive in aid. With OXFAM he had witnessed how fair trade can make a positive difference, and he felt it was something he should promote...and thus a movement was born. To date there are more than 1,000 FT Towns around the world.
Bruce Crowther is a gently-spoken, twinkly-eyed man with an absolute passion for his cause. He offered us lots of encouragement, urging us not to give up our efforts even when progress seems slow, and reminding us that we are important partners in a great and growing international movement. Hearing him speak was the highlight of the conference for me, and well worth the journey to Philly.
The morning's proceedings had, of course, begun with a minute's silence in commemoration of 9/11. A moment to remember the victims on this day ten years ago, and all the victims of the conflicts that have followed that atrocity - and also a chance for each of us present to renew our commitment to building peace through global justice.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Philadelphia Story
Oops - missed a day's blogging yesterday. I needed to get to bed early after a long and tedious experience on the Garden State Parking Lot Parkway. For, not content with our recent trans-Atlantic adventure, we're now spending the weekend out of town: in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, Liberty Bell and cheesesteaks.
I'm here for a Fair Trade Towns & Universities conference - I've had a full-on day of seminars, discussions and FT chocolate sampling which has left me a bit dazed, to be honest. As for the rest of the family...
...Hi it's me, The Girl (it's really weird writing that). I am basically writing about what the rest of us did today. First we walked a very long way to a big docking thingammy-bob and got on this ferry with an interesting yet thought-interrupting commentary on the Delaware River.
After this, we bought tickets for the aquarium, went inside, touched a bunch of sharks (surprisingly fun - for me, not the shark), and watched some penguins try to make up their mind about whether they should go into their holes or not. Penguins are weird :). From there we saw horseshoe crabs, clownfish and flying bananas (just kidding - though that would be way cool). The trip also featured a stuffy shark tunnel, sticky sea anenomes and an argument over an Icee*. And that was our trip to the Adventure Aquarium in a nutshell. Preferably a pistachio shell, because they taste nice.
*Icee [i -CEE] 1. A slushy drink that comes in various flavors 2. An argument starter
I'm here for a Fair Trade Towns & Universities conference - I've had a full-on day of seminars, discussions and FT chocolate sampling which has left me a bit dazed, to be honest. As for the rest of the family...
After this, we bought tickets for the aquarium, went inside, touched a bunch of sharks (surprisingly fun - for me, not the shark), and watched some penguins try to make up their mind about whether they should go into their holes or not. Penguins are weird :). From there we saw horseshoe crabs, clownfish and flying bananas (just kidding - though that would be way cool). The trip also featured a stuffy shark tunnel, sticky sea anenomes and an argument over an Icee*. And that was our trip to the Adventure Aquarium in a nutshell. Preferably a pistachio shell, because they taste nice.
*Icee [i -CEE] 1. A slushy drink that comes in various flavors 2. An argument starter
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Getting straight
The kids went back to school today, the Boy into 4th grade, and the Girl into 6th - Middle School! Whatever apprehensions they may have had setting out this morning, they were both cheerful and relaxed by home time. The Girl is enthusiastic about many of her new teachers, the Boy is delighted to have one of his best friends in his class. The school-year is off to a good start.
For me (once I'd got over that momentary empty feeling of having both kids out of the house - it catches me by surprise me every year) a chance to sort myself out and get stuck into all the various jobs and projects which have been pending over the summer.
I also nipped out and got a hair cut. The Boy thinks it makes me look scary, but I'm quite pleased with it, so I'm going to pre-empt Royal Rockfish's customary request and post a photo. Ta-dah!
For me (once I'd got over that momentary empty feeling of having both kids out of the house - it catches me by surprise me every year) a chance to sort myself out and get stuck into all the various jobs and projects which have been pending over the summer.
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