h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I played for a small period of time in our school football team and I remember playing away at Lanfranc and the ball having to be retrieved from the cemetery...

Stone Aart

Happy memories of those playing fields including Staff v Pupils. In one of my last games I realized that I was playing Left Full Back and having to mark a boy who had been in my tutor group in the first two years, who had been and still was a brilliant sprinter. In fact at just under 16 he had come third in the All England under 18 games 100 metres.. But my brother had played FB in the British RAF team- with Ron Atkinson at Centre Forward the only other non-officer- and I was rather pleased that the pupil never managed to get passed me and changed to the other wing for the second half.

Last time I saw the field I was on the other side of the Fence and thinking of the Lanfranc Boys who resented being uprooted from their West Indian roots, determined to leave and go back as soon as they were old enough. We were burying an old friend and colleague who had come from Guyanna and, from what I understood, felt that he was in political exile and could never go back. I wrote some thoughts about whether Britain had changed enough in the 30 years for him to be able to Rest In Peace in the Mitcham Cemetry.

Cass

Stone Aart

The school I remember us playing was Stanley Tech, where my wife taught around that time when I gave up.. We still go to the occasional social thrown by her Head of Department and husband. What seems incredible about some of these Croydon Schools is just how much loyalty has been shown by some teachers.. Some of my Lanfranc colleagues from the 1970s say that they are now known and the Lanfranc dinosaurs.

Cass

Hi Cass - I just want to say something about what happened on the Humanism thread: I don't think you need to take the bait that some throw out - you don't have to justify yourself over every silly allegation. Those involved in teaching get to realise that not everyone is willing to or able to "learn" or engage with what is being said. For those that show a willingness to make an effort to understand or engage, then it is worthwhile making a further effort to explain, but for those that are not really interested in it or ready for it, then it is best to conserve ones energy . I found your comments interesting & has got me thinking along a few different lines.

One of the nice things about the H2G2 threads is that there can be different discussions going on at the same time. Nobody is forced to read each comment & there really isn't any necessity for people to make snide remarks on comments they are not really interested in reading.

Hi Stone Aart

Thanks for that.. I think it was you who started the Humanism thread.. And I thought that
(a) I could contribute to the question of just what is meant by "Humanism",
and (b) use that example of the new Europe to highlight a moment when for some people "Humanism" really got its chance to shape the Future,
and (c) to highlight the current crisis in which the practice of extending credit to finance a "Humanist experiment" has created the reality that the Credit has run out for the Consumerist "Developed World" in which Materialism was developed as the "Opium of the Masses".

Cass

Hi Cass and SA

Thought I would say I am still here *listening*, I'm enjoying hearing what you both have to say and think about some of your points even if I am not posting any replies to them

talking of having different discussions within a thread, I think I am going to keep throwing in the mundane into the mix, by mundane I mean a more domestic earthly posting rather than a dull one

well, hopefully they won't be too dull

So how is everyone coping with the weather...

I'll be back later with hedgehog news, allotment questions, garden observations and enquiries about day to day stuff

or you could throw some in before I ask if you have the time or inclination

all the best



Peanut

Hi Peanut

Well I am loving the weather.. But also treating it with some circumspection, focussing on getting sensibly through the day.. One good thing is that we are economising on cooking because in this weather there is nothing better than a nice fresh salad, and I have made one of my versions of a coleslaw which just stays ready-made in the fridge. Mrs Cass has also done some sorting out (another good hot-weather activity) and found tins and things that are past their best-by date, so today we are going to open another tin for our protein and tuck into a salad for lunch. Very soon now for a thursday because we usually go off shopping in the late morning and end up having a very late lunch- including fresh fish. But as we are having a tin Mrs Cass is taking the opportunity to work in the garden before the heat really builds up.

A great pleasure is also Facebook photos especially from ex-pupils who are out enjoying this un-English weather. This morning I was almost reduced to tears of nostalgia by the photos of a day out with a cricket team with scenes very reminiscent of my childhood in the England of the Fifties, which very obviously some of those players remembered very well too. England's Green and Pleasant Land has special attractions now that the Weathermen are telling us of the City-effect which means that the City stays about 6 degrees hotter at night. That feels like quite a challenge in this HeatWave.

I have returned to taking the mini-aspirins that thin the blood a little because I suspect that all this heat is bad for the blood pressure.

But my allotment- which I enjoy watering every evening, is obviously really thriving and making the most of this burst of Sun energy- so lets just celebrate and Sun-worship.

How are you? Are you now a roasted Peanut.

Cass

Timely report on British Army recruitment of young males, "Almost 40% of army recruits have reading age of 11, MPs warn", "The committee also says it is worried that the Army appears to be dependent on recruiting 16- and 17-year-olds". Which I think affirms some of the things both of us have mentioned:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23346693

Hi Cass

Not quite roasted Fortunately the house is quite cool, so I have been doing the same a Mrs Cass and doing my outside jobs early in the morning.

This morning I am taking Mum shopping, she has been through the wars with a fall and now a torn muscle, she says she has lost her confidence about getting out and about so we are going out every day for a little activity, so she find her feet and what her limits are.

I could hear the hedgehogs scuffling about yesterday evening but not in my garden so today I am going to check the hedgehog tunnels under the fences.

One plus of the hot weather is this year there have been very few slugs, is it the same for you?

It is too hot really but I'm not complaining it is great to have something that is a proper summer.

Best get a wriggle on

see you later

Hi Peanut

Yes, The cool parts of a house are very welcome in the heat- and for those of us who love Test Cricket there are fiddly little jobs that can be done with Test Match Special on the Radio. It has brought me back to my early teens when I started wondering what was so fascinating to those grey or silver-haired men intently listening, with headcovering made out of a handkerchief with knotted corners.

Sorry to read that your Mum has been 'in the wars', Mrs Cass is rather 'in the wars' by proxy because her Mum phoned with anxious knews about her other daughter who had breadcancer about 18 months ago, and has responded well to that but now has Shingles plus other things that her Swiss specialist is suggesting needs an operation.

As for outside activity, I did go to do some work on my allotment in the late afternoon, possibly too hot for the ground-breaking that I was doing, so I had a couple of dizzy spells. I went back as usual around 9pm to water, but had to wait for the hose until around 10pm, trying to show English patience because the couple who were using it were watering the plot that is left as a "Wildlife Garden", which they seem to be watering every evening that I go to water my cultivated plot. Is "wild" not "wild" anymore?

Anyway I was proud of my politely waiting without even asking them how long they were going to be and thus letting them know that I was waiting. And my reward is that I found myself "being followed by a Moonshadow" as in the Cat Stevens song, in fact it came home with me once I had finished.

Talking of slugs, Mrs Cass asked me if the thing in the plastic bags in which she had wrapped up her half a loaf of home made bread to put into the freezer some time ago was a slug. Unwrapping the parcel I confirmed that it was indeed a slug, and it began to move. Can a slug survive being frozen for a week? And yes my allotment is not suffering so much from slugs and snails- combination of the dry weather and the fact that I have cleared up the weeds, overgrown places and some of the rubbishy places where they feel at home.

As you say it is too hot for normal living, but it is lovely to find so many people uplifted by the Summer conditions and posting on Facebook photos, or random details like my old pupil now a Mum who wrote how she was sunbathing at a friends in her bra and knickers and got thrown into a paddling pool, at which she laughed so much she almost "wet herself" in another way.

Something childishly simple about things that you can do with pleasure when their is settled sunny weather- and here in the South East we are set for slightly less hot over the next couple of days. Just as well Mrs. Cass says the Moon is right for sowing my seeds tomorrow and the next day is the Site Inspection (plus our DIL birthday plus our 45th Wedding Anniversary).

Take care

Cass

Hi Cass

Ah the joys of a paddling pool and the hilarity of just mucking about with your mates, happy times

I really wouldn't put it past a slug to be able to survive freezing for a week What did you do with it, I would have put it out in a prime slug position, grant it a pardon for being a slug and see how it did.

Well done for your patience at the hose pipe, being followed home by a moonshadow was karmic

You shouldn't have been really doing ground breaking at that time yesterday *raises a stern eyebrow *

you should have been sitting somewhere with your feet in a paddling pool with a knotted handkerchief as a head covering is what you should have been doing, and 'keeping your fluids up' with something chilled...

Are there going to be any family celebrations for birthdays and anniversaries?

I hope Mrs Cass's sister's treatment goes well

Peanut

Morning Peanut

Yes. The joys of people finding simple pleasures in an English summer.. More photos today. Just seen some of bridges over Oxfordshire type Thames and row boats-- Idyllic.

As for the slug, I fear that especially at this time of the year when it really has to be war in order to limit the damage slugs and snails in the wrong places get exterminated- this one had to be put outside, and there was no way that I was going to add a live slug to our mini-ecosystem. He was 'for the chop'. Talking of being in the wars. Really scared yesterday because my right eye started going all funny, with things floating around in it and symptoms similar to the first signs of diabetes. But after a while I remembered accidentally poking myself in the eye a couple of days before quite nastily. I think that there must have been some internal bleeding and even perhaps a small clot that moved yesterday into my eyeball and was disintegrating. It seems to be gradually 'on the mend'..

I am getting old and accident prone it seems! "*raises a stern eyebrow * "

We had a moment of reflection on 45 years yesterday. But Mrs Cass has never been much of a one for marking (or remembering) anniversaries: and our son and dil popped over on thursday for a cuppa and the exchange of cards and presents. It was, as they observed, the first time that (now they have a car) they just popped over to us to save us having to 'pop over' to them. And actually (after the traumas of last year and giving them the car) it is really nice that they seem to be making good use of it to pop out of London to see friends and/or the countryside. It is also probably good and positive that our son is now going quite regularly to an old friend who has a recording studio where he is working on some new material, after many years of recording at home. Two heads are better than one.

So off to the allotment soon- Funny how one can appreciate a bit of coolness and thin cloud cover as a short break from the heat. But then I suppose the quest for coolness- the shade of trees, or the coolness of river or sea, is one of the great themes of a British Summer.. It's lovely to have hot weather and let the Sun and Nature work at full blast while (hopefully) we can relax a bit.. More planting to do today, however, not having done as much as I had hoped yesterday.

Have a good day.

Cass

Hi Cass

Just a quick flyby, be back later, I hear you have had an almighty storms. Is there lots of flags out and that to celebrate the new baby?

Peanut

Hi Peanut

Apparently mighty storms. Quite a lot of electrical activity.. But I was a little preoccupied because I had focussed too much on the allotment recently- and had not seen that the bitumen with which I had sealed my roof-repair had cracked (in this heat) so we had water pouring through the extension ceiling (once again) at about 1pm.. I was tempted- having put down plastic sheeting and rags to limit the damage, to climb up on the roof to try to do something. But it would have been the dark , non-street side. Finally we did have quite a good Moon, but by then I could hope that the worst was over.

It meant, however, that with the heat and the worry I could not get to sleep for ages. Then a had a good sleep and realized how tired I was. But being awake again I got dressed and climbed up to the roof around 7.45. Saw the problem and (hopefully) effected a repair- mastic and repair patch currently getting 'stuck' for a couple of hours before I see what to do to finish off.

Pity I could not enjoy the storm. A great spectacle. As I had messaged an old pupil in anticipation- some right Royal Fireworks seemed in order. Where is Handel's Water Music when you need it?

Have a good day.

Cass

Hi Cass,

How are you?

I´m back again on these boards and as usual before returning, I´ve checked whether you´re still there. I´ve noticed that you´ve been busy with new essays on Thatcher and other things. I´ll have a reading on that.

I´ve been posting on two different Irish internet forums since we last met on h2g2. It was some time with experiences, more posting on forums regarding NI. There are people one can meet everywhere, but the language and the arguments there were worse than in our times on the BBC History MBs.

Would be nice to have a little chat with you again, if you like.

Kind Regards,
Thomas

Hi Thomas

Lovely to hear from you.. I hope that you and yours are well..

As you have noted I am writing still writing though this may be my "Turning a Page of History"- I really do need to 'move on'.

It actually started as a mixture of a supplement to what I was writing last year called "Economics as if People Really Mattered. A Tale of Cities and Green and Pleasant Lands". But I was in France when she died and there were lots of interesting French insights into Mrs Thatcher's life (in addition to BBC Radio 4).. Then I found that "The Iron Lady's" whole life served as something of a 'foil" providing external points of reference about which many people have strong opinions or, if not, accept that she was an important actor in shaping History "for better for worse for richer or for poorer".

It was only a French TV commentator, for example, who suggested that Mrs. T may have inherited some of her 'fighting spirit' from her Welsh and Irish grandfathers. With a new Royal Baby one is reminded how frequently the English have sought "new blood" in order to have a pool of potential "Commanders in Chief" who were "up for the fight".

As I am trying to "move on" and accept that ,as h2g2 says , I "have no friends" I am trying to "put my own house in order" as part of "Turning a Page"- so the next chapters may come very slowly, and we are just off to France next week for a long summer break (putting that house in order among other things).. But as the one person who has really braved my writing in the past I would love to get your reaction to my Mrs. Thatcher pieces.. if you feel in a "Once more into the breech dear friends once more" mood.

Regards

Cass

You have no friends eh?



it is not a nice message, and hasn't gone un-noticed, it is one of those that Pastey is going to get around changing when he can

till then you'll have to put up with me

Hi Cass,

Many thanks for your reply and in the meantime I´ve just read your first part of the Thatcher essay. As ever quite interesting and if I didn´t know your profession I´d rather think that this was written by an historian than by an history teacher.

I´ve also tried to start a conversation on the very side of part one on that essay, but the side put up an error notice. I find it quite interesting the way you´ve summed up the development over the centuries and it is a better reading than the "Towards project". It´s shorter and more fluent on the focus of the historical key developments and indeed the whole writing makes sense, at least to me.

Well, I´d put you on my friends list with pleasure as we both are the only two on here from the old BBC History MBs.

I´m not sure whether I understand it right that you may consider to cease with being on this forum, apart from your breaks when going to France. If so, I would really appreciate it if we could have the basis to communicate outside this forum in case you´d quit your membership on here.

It´s good to read the views from an Englishman again. Having been most in contact with Irish people for the last 9 months it´s something of a change and coming back to a more familiar mindset to me.

When Thatcher died, there were some various threads over there and the hatred from not less posters and the astonishing "joy" by some of them over her dead was quite disturbing and showing some lack of humanity, for she was a human being after all. The "Death Parties" reported on the media which occured in England and some parts of NI supported this strange actings of some people there. I´ve also participated in some of these threads, but I was trying to have and give a more balanced view on her as a human being and as a politician.

In all, my experiences on these Irish boards gave me some different insights into the mindset of Irish people from both sides of the border. There isn´t any chance that you could have some constant rational and reasonable conducted discussion on the history and politics of this Island (history and politics interwoven and always running in circles on the partition of Ireland). These things would be a matter of an separate conversation, if you´re interested in this.

So as you told me that you´re off to France next week, we may use the couple of days before you leave to have some chat.

Any news on your efforts to find a publisher? I think I´m asking you this question for years.

In the meantime when you´re offline from this forum, I´ll read some of your essays and of course the new one you mentioned when you´ve finished the writing and installed that on here. It´s a pity that there are not more people than me reading your writings (as far as I´m aware of it), but to be frank better to have at least one who reads it than nobody.

Cheers,

Thomas

Hi Peanut

Well "officialdom" can always get some things wrong.. Or perhaps in view of our recent exchanges with Pastey that should be "officiousdom". As Thomas will remember there were people on the old BBC History Board who resented and complained about our rather "heavy" exchanges: and I think that "Hi Cass" started out almost on that theme. But to some extent my comment was prompted by the contrast with Facebook where all kinds of people ask to be my "friends"- mostly ones I have taught or otherwise met, though they include the "girl next door" from 60 years ago!

Regards

Cass

Well Cass,

Those people on the old BBC MBs complaining about our conversations where those who couldn´t cope with that and couldn´t keep up with it either.

Well, I´ve clicked on your name and added you as friend. Not for the purpose to keep in line with facebook likes, but more for the reason that we know each other for such a long time and had our agreements and disagreements but still were always able to come to terms after a while when debates heated up but later calmed down.

I´ve started to read part two of the Thoughts on Thatcher and will give a comment on that tomorrow. Just to say that much that some questions have already arisen in part two.

Cheers,
Thomas