october 15th thursday
i am spending the entire week in bed so that i will be as fit as possible for next week when i am going to butlins with kimberley and the kids. i am very worried that i will not be able to manage it, i know i will need all the energy possible.
i have started my next 2 ou courses, DSE212 and D171, counselling and psychology. it is fascinating. i wasnt sure if i would live to regret taking these but 2 weeks in i am enjoying myself. i will know better after a few tmas.
i am functioning on about a level 2, although i think i could push a level 3 if i needed but im not sure for how long. i have cancelled all of my lessons and everything which involves any stress or going out.
october 13th tuesday
i am very frustrated as i am back to level 2 after the summer holidays and kimberley’s move. i suppose it was to be expected as things got a bit crazy towards the end. gareth came up to stay afterwards and that just added to the chaos. then i had to finish my course with a 4,000 word essay.
now that all that is over with, i decided to take ana away for a weekend photography course which she really enjoyed. next week i am going away with kimberley and the kids to butlins for 4 days. after i come back i expect i will just collapse until christmas!!!
at least i made level 4 for a little while!
inkheart and inkspell by cornelia funke
children’s literature again, maybe i should write children’s books, as i seem to be always reading it.
i really enjoyed both of these books, the idea of the magic of the spoken word working with the written word to create an entire world you can live in is wonderful. inkspeel further develops this when it considers how this world then develops all of its own in ways the author was not expecting. an interesting analogy with God.
the characters are all interesting and become alive. the 2 audiobooks had very different with lynne redgrave being very english reading inkheart and brendan fraser, terribly american reading the 2nd. personally i was won over by brendan fraser, but found his voice so soothing i fell asleep whenever i listened to it.
the books are both very long for childrens book, although i suppose they are aimed at young adults. there are some more adult themes, a 13 year old falling in love, and the reuniting of parents and their love for each other. jealousy is tackled and obviously the importance of reading.
i enjoyed both of these, and although they are nowhere near the depth of philip pullmans northern lights, they are good competitors for harry potter in their own way.
dartmoor weekend, oct 9-11th
we went to yelverton over the weekend for ana to take a photography course. she enjoyed herself immensely, the B&B was wonderful. the food lovely and the room really nice. the only problem was the room wasnt en suite, although we did have a private bathroom. ana came back with tonnes of lovely photos and the decision to go full time as a photographer.
on the way there we passed the wiltshire horse.
on the sunday ray and i visited buckland abbey. 
ray liked the 4 horned sheep. i was taken by the cherry tree.
that was it for us trying to be arty. ana s photos of course are amazing but are not on this blog.
saturday, 19th september
today i went for a meal to pizza hut in the evening with ray. earlier ana and i babysat the babies whilst ray took kimberley shopping in tesco. they were both fine, but toby got really tired at the end and cried a lot. i played online with them, showing them sites for fireman sam, thomas and charlie and lola.
before that ray fitted 2 stairgates at kimberleys and before that i was still in bed.
i didnt wake up until 2pm.
my blood sugar is still messed up, i was vomiting with it last night, so i am making sure i eat every 3 hours, with very little sugar, to help. i am using a bottle of vitamin water every day, that is really helping. i have to go to the doctors on monday so i want it sorted for then.
level 2
the shakespeare stealer- gary blackwood
this is a childrens book, which disappointed me, as i didnt realise this when i bought it.
it is a good story, lots of description to give the idea of the globe, and the time and references to shakespeare, but sadly the plot is too thin, there are no extra levels, which i think is offensive to kids as philip pullman has proved that kids can deal with this.
so not a lot to say really, great for kids to read if learning shakespeare for the first time to get the hang of it, or for reading about the globe. .
not really impressed.
friday september 18th
levels of wellness summary
level 1- in bed 24/7 but can manage some tv and ipod and bills if essential
level 2- in bed most of day, can get up for a bath, can accomplish very basic imp tasks in bed and some hobbies
level 3- up part of every day, can go out in car at weekends and use scooter-
level 4- up all day, can go out on bus 1 day/week, can tidy, cook occasional tea, occasional h/w- occ stick
level 5- up all day, can go out on bus 2 day/week, can tidy, cook every tea, occasional h/w- no stick
level 6- up all day, can go out on bus 3 day/week, can tidy, cook and h/w and some exercise- ie swimming /month
level 7- up all day, out on bus any day, maintain house, some exercise every day.
level 8- can think about working
i am presently having a mini crash and am back to level 1 for the moment.
wednesday september 16th
today i feel really grotty, i know i have not been keeping a control on how much i do, so hence i am having a mini crash. i intend to get up and go out to see karen later but come home again afterwards i think instead of staying with ray for the night. then i can take it easy tomorrow and begin to recover. i presume then that level 4 is not quite as i defined it, but something less than that. i will have to rethink.
all saints church south kirkby where most of my family were hatched matched and despatched.
the cellist of sarajevo -steven galloway
it is presently being proclaimed as a masterpiece. i was going to use it for my ou project but i am having 2nd thoughts.
it is a fictional account based upon the true story of a symphony cellist who sat in the rubble for 22 days and played to commemorate the deaths of 22 people. there are photos of him playing on wiki.
i was fascinated to find that the real cellist was offended by the novel.
i really enjoyed the novel, which is particularly thought provoking and presents music as an analogy for hope in a hopeless world and considers its consequences. it also considers war and its fallout, the innocent people and their life in a seige.
i really enjoyed this.
the lost days – carole owens
this book is short, only just over 3 hours long.
it is a fictional account of agatha christie’s appointment with a psycho-analyst as she attempts to discover what happened in 1926 when she disappeared for 11 days.
it is easy to listen to, but very interesting, as it gives an insight into the psychoanalysts process.
i love mysteries so the idea that i am taking part in solving another fascinates me, similar to the ripper case i listened to earlier this year.
pretty good
