Sticker! (by sarah)

Jean got her first sticker - for knowing her number words 🙂

Hospital Trip (by sarah)

So I went to the hospital to see what the surgon had to say and after being pulled around, x-rayed, hit with hammers (reflex testing ones) and being questioned for several hours the answer is - there is nothing they can do.

And there is still no diagnosis 🙁 I ask - so whats cuasing the pain - the weakness - they just shrug and say they'll contact my GP and its back to pain management :'(

So in other words I'm still screwed - nothings going to change its going to be like this forever.

I cried as soon as I left the office.

I tried not to get my hopes up that something would happen but part of me couldn't help it 🙁

Off to the Museum (by sarah)

The School sent us a letter home saying there was to be a mystery trip and what with the appearance of Giant Inflatable bouncy castle dinosuars in the playground it was obvious what sort of trip was coming so third week in and Jean was off to the Oxford Natural History Museum!

This made me very happy and nostalgic as I remember going to the Natural History Museum London in my first year of school and it was the reason I ended up doing a geology degree!

Unfortunatly I couldn't find her little day rucksac so she ended up with PikiChew who is Huge with very little capacity!

She came back very excited that she has bones in her hands but disappointed that their hadn't been any real dinosaurs!

Mummy There’s a Dinosaur in the Playground (by sarah)

It's the start of week Three and yesturday saw the launch of the schools new theme - as we were walking up to the school - it becames obvious that there is something large and big and red in the playground!

'Mummy there's a dinosaur in the playground!'

'Yes there is!'

'Girly they're doing Dinosaurs! We'll have to tell them your a geologist!'

There was an inflatable slide in the shape of a stegasuarus in the play ground! Jean managed to get in a sneaky extra go at lunch time when we were supposed to be going home!

I have sorted out a done of books for the school on dinosaurs - The learning theme is called Journey to the Jurassic! And they are going to the Oxford Natural History Museum on Wednesday 🙂

Poetry Cafe Launch (by sarah)

Yesturday I headed in to Cheltenham to take part in the Poetry Cafe Launch at the Museum and Art Gallery in Cheltenham.

The guest poets where:

Angela France

Who interesting read out a poem called the Bisley Boy which is a local legend which I may nick for my NaNoWriMo this year (more on that later!). This was from her poetry collect called Occupations - I think she's also doing the Literature Festival this year and she runs another poetry things that I've been trying to find out about called Buzz Words.

Brenda Read Brown

This Dudette has been winning slams and actually almost made me cry with her poem about a prisoner from her work in prisons. Her work was mostly humerous though - what I think is termed Slam Poetry - hence winning the slams I assume!

Peter Wyton

I really like Peters poems - he was at Earshot too and I think he did a Stanza Room Only a few years ago. I had a long conversation with him about niche poetry last Thursday which was very helpful for me.

I read Ice and A Picture of Words.

I've read both at Earshot in the past - last time I read A Picture of Words I was accusted by an English teacher asking if she could have a copy of it to work with in class (she also teaches maths). And basically the same thing happened to me last night, resulting in me being on of the last to leave the building.

Outside I tracked down one of the poets I wanted to get Live Journal contacts from as she's moving. Then somehow I ended up reading poetry in the streets as people asked for more of my work and I just happened to have my entire arch lever file full of poetry on me!

I have also discovered I'm a bit odd in having an entire arch level file full of material and I haven't even typed everything up and printed stuff out yet. I haven't written much poetry in the last year but I think I do have enough material to be getting on with anyway.

I'm hoping to get involved in the poetry festival that this is a fore runner of too!

I think it went well especially as Anna told me there had been good feed back about my poems at Earshot. Apparently they are strong - not entirely sure what that means!

I did find I was a little bit paranoid about reading to the 50 poeple in the cafe - more so than the 80 odd I'd read to the week before - these were poet conasers not drunken Freshers and well they're all talking about form and structure and I just sort of smile awkardly and try not to let anyone see my printed sheets - Anna saw them last night and asked had I ment to spell fonetically :/