National Book Day
So how will you be celebrating National Book Day, Dear Reader? Or maybe it's World Book Day. Do you have Primary school-age children? Have they gone into class today dressed as their favourite character or as their favourite book? Are you any good at making costumes? I should think Where's Wally might be the easiest, or maybe Just William.
It's been a long time since we've had children of an appropriate age. So long in fact that when they were that age their schools didn't have such celebrations! About the only thing I remember their schools holding were 'mufti days', when, for the payment of a small sum, children could go in in 'normal' clothes (rahter than the strictly enforced school uniform).
Of course as we get older it falls to us to mark such 'days' ourselves. I shall be reading the local paper, possibly a book, definitely other blogs. Not exactly National Book Day stuff but I shall be reading (even now) and I shall be thankful to Mum who, though I was off school the first term ever with pneumonia, taught me to read and to love reading. I attempted to teach the sprogs, succeeded with one of them. Either way they are both fully literate now. They may not read much for pleasure, time constraints etc, but they can read, and easily.
I'm not boasting about this, merely pointing out that, no matter how far advanced our gadgets have become, we still need to be able to read. HMG will still be sending us forms to fill in - via snail mail or email link to online site. Often forms to be filled in require a higher reading age than many books, for all HMG strives for 'plain English' in its missives. Sometimes forms need to be a bit techincal.
Today is also St Piran's Day, the saint being Patron of Cornwall. We're doing well for patron saints this month with St David of Wales (1st), St Piran of Cornwall (today) and St Patrick of Ireland (17th). Of course everyone knows about St Patrick as the Irish and, particularly, Irish Americans make such a fuss.
With the General Election coming up in May the political parties are getting into some sort of gear. There are party political broadcasts on TV - great time to go make a cup of tea or otherwise plan your evening's viewing. There is even talk of getting major party leaders together for a live on TV debate. Quite who will be on screen and how remains to be decided. As usual the various parties are using the time for making arrangements as an exercise in media mud-slinging. Which leads me to wonder whether the TV 'debates' will be any better. Or will they just be exercises in showcasing the best looking politicians - heavy on pictures, light on actual information, a bit like most modern TV programmes!
And Finally - some musical cookies. Too pretty to eat?
It's been a long time since we've had children of an appropriate age. So long in fact that when they were that age their schools didn't have such celebrations! About the only thing I remember their schools holding were 'mufti days', when, for the payment of a small sum, children could go in in 'normal' clothes (rahter than the strictly enforced school uniform).
Of course as we get older it falls to us to mark such 'days' ourselves. I shall be reading the local paper, possibly a book, definitely other blogs. Not exactly National Book Day stuff but I shall be reading (even now) and I shall be thankful to Mum who, though I was off school the first term ever with pneumonia, taught me to read and to love reading. I attempted to teach the sprogs, succeeded with one of them. Either way they are both fully literate now. They may not read much for pleasure, time constraints etc, but they can read, and easily.
I'm not boasting about this, merely pointing out that, no matter how far advanced our gadgets have become, we still need to be able to read. HMG will still be sending us forms to fill in - via snail mail or email link to online site. Often forms to be filled in require a higher reading age than many books, for all HMG strives for 'plain English' in its missives. Sometimes forms need to be a bit techincal.
Today is also St Piran's Day, the saint being Patron of Cornwall. We're doing well for patron saints this month with St David of Wales (1st), St Piran of Cornwall (today) and St Patrick of Ireland (17th). Of course everyone knows about St Patrick as the Irish and, particularly, Irish Americans make such a fuss.
With the General Election coming up in May the political parties are getting into some sort of gear. There are party political broadcasts on TV - great time to go make a cup of tea or otherwise plan your evening's viewing. There is even talk of getting major party leaders together for a live on TV debate. Quite who will be on screen and how remains to be decided. As usual the various parties are using the time for making arrangements as an exercise in media mud-slinging. Which leads me to wonder whether the TV 'debates' will be any better. Or will they just be exercises in showcasing the best looking politicians - heavy on pictures, light on actual information, a bit like most modern TV programmes!
And Finally - some musical cookies. Too pretty to eat?