The month is finally coming to a close - such a long month it always seems, even though this one began so well. Tonight I am celebrating because it's just after 5.00 and it isn't fully dark. Nearly time for Candlemas/Imbolc - the next turn of the year - I like this time of year when it begins to get lighter - and my birthday approaches.
I have been in bed with the stinking cold all day, but I have finished reading this month's Book Group choice - details of which can be seen here, http://katehamlyn.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-of-month.html, if you're interested.
I need to get up and cook now. There will be seven of us at dinner tonight - the two Chinese boys are delightful - last night I cooked a Chinese meal - pork sweet and sour, stir fried veg with rice noodles and yellow bean sauce, and rice - followed by coconut and pineapple upside down cake... they loved it. Tonight a more sensible dish - roast pork and veg, plus apple crumble - which Ned is longing for, as we haven't had a crumble for ages.
I am wondering about retiring from Facebook - I don't spend a long time there, it's nice to keep in touch with people - but I really hate the "surveillance" aspect of it, the targetted advertising and the rather totalitarian wish for us all to present ourselves in a uniform way. I once tried to put in the languages I knew - it wouldn't let me do it, because it has set combinations and mine (probably) exceeded that number - I happen to be very proud of having once learned enough Turkish to get by - and I want that there. It will make me feel less guilty about not knowing Mandarin. It is the only non Indo-European language I have ever tackled. Now I wonder if I could learn a new language - especially a non I-E one - Arabic perhaps, but Chinese would obviously be more useful - although, according to our students they all learn English from age 4 - all of them? Or only in the elite schools?
I have been in bed with the stinking cold all day, but I have finished reading this month's Book Group choice - details of which can be seen here, http://katehamlyn.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-of-month.html, if you're interested.
I need to get up and cook now. There will be seven of us at dinner tonight - the two Chinese boys are delightful - last night I cooked a Chinese meal - pork sweet and sour, stir fried veg with rice noodles and yellow bean sauce, and rice - followed by coconut and pineapple upside down cake... they loved it. Tonight a more sensible dish - roast pork and veg, plus apple crumble - which Ned is longing for, as we haven't had a crumble for ages.
I am wondering about retiring from Facebook - I don't spend a long time there, it's nice to keep in touch with people - but I really hate the "surveillance" aspect of it, the targetted advertising and the rather totalitarian wish for us all to present ourselves in a uniform way. I once tried to put in the languages I knew - it wouldn't let me do it, because it has set combinations and mine (probably) exceeded that number - I happen to be very proud of having once learned enough Turkish to get by - and I want that there. It will make me feel less guilty about not knowing Mandarin. It is the only non Indo-European language I have ever tackled. Now I wonder if I could learn a new language - especially a non I-E one - Arabic perhaps, but Chinese would obviously be more useful - although, according to our students they all learn English from age 4 - all of them? Or only in the elite schools?
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