Friday, August 29, 2008

Something Wicked this way comes....

So yesterday was Robynne's college interview. She had spent the last few days before hand getting her Portfolio together and with a little help it was all finished Weds evening. It seems she likes leaving things till the last minute. She had a lovely image on the front cover and as were walking through town, we got some interesting looks. Some of the pictures used for her portfolio can be found here

Anyway we got to the college about 3.30pm, as it's enrolment time we had no set appointment and well from experience going after 3pm is a quieter time. So we get signed in and waited for all of 5 mins, then it was up the stairs to talk to a tutor.

The course that Robynne is hoping to get onto is "Introductory Diploma in Art and Design". The guy we saw is the tutor for the next level, which if she gets in she will do next year. Anyway he was very impressed with her work and said he looks forward to her being on his course next year. Only thing standing in the way of that is her getting into this years course.
Basicly we now have to wait and see, the tutor doesn't get back till Tuesday as she's on a cruise. She only takes 25 students and at the moment we went there were 24 on her list, with quite a few waiting. So on Thursday next week they start the induction and if people don't return on the Friday, the tutor goes to her waiting list to fill up the course. So now we wait and see - and secretly hope that people drop out or get places elsewhere - which as Robynne said "it's the worst part". Which it is, I know if she doesn't get on the course it's not the worst thing in the world, but, it may feel like it and well there's always next year. It's just if she doesn't get in, we may have problems with WTC, but, will deal with that later. Were going to sign her up with connexions on Monday which will give us 20 weeks to work with with regards to WTC.

So College aside things are looking good, well apart from friends of ours moving out of the area, were sad to seem them go, but, at the end of the day it's what's best for them. I just hope that everything goes well for them all. The launch party for Thames Kids Club is all organized for next Friday 5th. Library meets start again on Wednesday 3rd - which incidentally is my birthday - and the week after on the 10th were of to see Wicked, not sure who's more excited about that, but, Robynne would probably beat me.

Well better go get on with something, not sure what yet, but, well lots to do.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Thames Kids Club

We had another meeting Monday evening in regards to the new H.E. group Thames Kids. Robynne showed all her designs for the publicity and they went down well as did the logo that I designed, we also agreed on the colours for the logo which is below.



Also that evening we sorted the money for the first month's hall fee's and I'm sure they have gone off to the relevant person now. The hall people wanted to see any advertising/publicity that we would be doing so copies of the poster, leaflet and bookmark were sent to them via email, the other day. I think were just waiting for the OK with that then we can advertise properly.

Everything seems to be going well with regards the group, have spoken to a few people so I know we will have some people there the first week. So fingers crossed for a good launch party.

OK also this week, Robynne received her interview for college, which is next week so hopefully she'll get onto the course that she wants to do. Were also hoping it's not going to stop her coming to the H.E. group as she is really looking forward to that. She has alot of ideas for the group that she wants to help with.

We have also decided that we are going to save up to move, as well as another of our friends has found out it's nigh on impossible getting a transfer with the Council, it's a shame but well the final straw has been broken. We live in a tower block and in the summer the drains are pretty awful and the smell flows up from below and comes out from all the plug holes, the toilet and the waste pipe on the balcony. This year has seemed worse than ever, add in that some charming people in the flats above have been throwing things out of windows - to smash windows open below - it has been happening before, but now the items have been becoming increasingly worse. I'm sure no-one wants me to say exactly what has been thrown I shall leave that to your imaginations. Needless it's not pleasant and I really don't want to have to put up with it anymore. So it's time to move on, even Robynne who has been totally resistant to moving has agreed that enough is enough, plus I'm sure she's hoping that we can get a dog again at some point.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Wicked

So today was spent more or less on the train, overland and underground as I went up to London to pick up tickets for Wicked. Which a group of us H.E. families are going to see on the 10th Sept for the matinee show. The seats aren't as great as I would have liked, but I'm sure we'll all have a great time. Now all I need to do is send off the tickets to P and G for them and their families as well I doubt we'll be seeing them before we go, but well you never know. Just need to arrange with S about her tickets and then all sorted.

Robynne and myself popped round to R & J's again last night for another planning meeting with regards to the new group that were setting up along with R. All this initial thing is going to drive me nuts lol and I'm bound to forget one day, just hope I don't get strung up for it. Anyway, the new group, we more or less have everything sorted now.... like name, venue - incidentally a lovely Quaker Meeting House - the main things that seem to be left to do now is to confirm booking etc, get the bank account sorted as until that's done we can't apply for a grant. Tho' once the grant application is all filled in and sent off we'll now in 8 weeks whether or not we were successful. We've also got the advertising worked out and a provisional date for the launch party, plus we've also been thinking ahead to activities and people we could have come in to entertain and educate the children and ourselves lol. The aim I think is as were going to run weekly to have something extra ie, speakers at least once a month.
All we need now is for people to come along and fingers crossed and anything else they will. Oh nearly forgot we've picked the name Thames Kids Club, so hopefully that's not taken elsewhere I did do a google search and nothing came up so. Anyway I guess that's about it for now, as not only do I need to rest my back after the various train rides today. Robynne wants to get on the computer and well as she's reworking my rough sketch into a poster I better let her get on.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Freetime

I know I know I've been really lax lately with my posting, see that always happens when I set myself goals lol. I really want to blog at least once a week, but, well basicly I forget then I think ooh must blog about such and such and then I get distracted.... which isn't that hard for me to do.

So since I last blogged we have had lovely weather, we've also had some lousy weather. We also had one of our chinchilla's die too. We had a lovely family time at HESFES our darling nephew greatly enjoyed himself, tho' he may have been a little annoyed at Robynne occasionally for daring to go off with her friends without him, but on the whole a great time was had by all. Now my sister is considering Home Ed for S when he gets to Senior School age. Right now he's at a lovely small village school, that caters for him extremely well, sadly when he gets to 11yr he'll end up at a very large school and the worry is that he may get lost in the crowd so to speak. We never know he may love it and thrive there. We are all just thankful that through H.E. there is another option if it is necessary, tho' he's only 8yr nearly 9yr so a few years yet to prepare.

Oh while we were at HESFES, we had to come back to Leigh for the folk festival, as Robynne was performing with the Leigh Mummers shall just hunt for a pic, it's not of the best quality so please bear with me....



.... obviously Robynne is the one wearing the very fetching cap, about to hit the poor guy on the chair around the head - it was part of the script - sadly we have no idea why the picture is so blue, it wasn't when taken. Strangely most of the pics that we had taken that week with my parents camera have all gone blueish when my sister sent them through to us.

We had a day out at Colchester Zoo while at HESFES too, which was great it rained a little, which frankly with the way the rest of the week had been if it hadn't rained a little while at the Zoo we would never have made it round. A couple of Robynne's friends came with us to the Zoo and we got a very interesting pic of a Daisybird not sure if I'm allowed to show that so will check later with Robynne before posting it. Anyway a couple of pics from HESFES and the zoo coming up next..



... myself being glomped by my lovely nephew...



...... Robynne and co .....



..... now somewhere among my old pics, I have a very similar photo to this of Robynne at the same age as her cousin - in the front - on the same tortoise statue with some school friends, taken on a school trip obviously about 8yrs ago. I remember taking the picture, but can't for the life of me find it anywhere...



..... that lab coat was bought just before we went to HESFES and I think she wore it everyday, actually she did wear it everyday...



...... oh and a red panda pic just because .....

I do have a few other animal pics and some of Robynne and friends on my cam somewhere, but right now not sure where I have put it away too lol and well frankly right now I don't fancy hunting for it.

Oh and well now I shall confess to why I haven't kept up with blogging lol, it's silly really but, well I am a Sim addict there I said it I am a Sim Addict ... yes it's sad I know but, well what can you do. You see after we had to rebuild our comps into one all our sim data was lost and we had to borrow Sims 2 to get it all reloaded back onto our machine, - we do have a copy of Sims 2, but to keep a long story short the first disc doesn't load so we can't use it - and all the expansion packs we have and well we bought the new one Freetime and well frankly it had to be played and played and well played. So there you have it if it takes me a while to reply to emails etc, or Robynne is away from msn for days at a time it doesn't necessarily mean we offline again lol, we could just be playing the Sims.



..... where else would you get a heavily pregnant lady doing ballet exercises....