camera

So far all I've done with the new camera is get pictures of Tybee. I love this one that Zannah took of me and Tyb on our walk Sunday.

Illustrations

Coming into Bass Hall

As I left Bass Hall last night, I commented to C, “This was like going to church, only better.” Her reply: “Waaaay better!”

The Arlo Guthrie concert was brilliant in every way. As we were waiting to enter the hall, C said “These people look like they might have gone to college with us.” Yes, the crowd was decidedly middle-aged, with a few younger folks in tow, as well as a few older folks with canes. We looked at the merch and I wanted a “Solo reunion Tour” t-shirt but talked myself out of it; how many t-shirts does one woman need? Anyway, our seats were perfect – the first row on the second orchestra section. Too bad the geezer beside me with either dead or asleep – must have been a dragged-along husband.

Of course I can’t remember the set list, but I do know Arlo played The Motorcycle Song (aka The Pickle Song), City of New Orleans, St James Infirmary, Coming Into Los Angeles, Green Green Rocky Road, The Alice’s Restaurant Massacree, among others. The last song of his set was This Land is Your Land. For the encore he taught us a song that his dad wrote but never set to music, then led us in a sing-along. I wish I could remember the words, but my infamously sieve-like memory has let them trickle out overnight. “My Peace” is the title. While his songs mostly touched my heart, his stories touched my funny-bone. Lord, he’s a great storyteller. C and I hadn’t laughed so much in a long time.

And at intermission? I did buy a t-shirt.

but now the snow

We're having a blizzard. Well, by north Texas standards, it's a blizzard. It bagan sleeting this morning, then changed to a "wintery mix" as the meteorologists say, then turned to plain old snow falling in huge fluffy flakes. So what did I immediately think?

Photo op!



If we get more snow tonight, school will probably be canceled tomorrow. That's good, but bad, because it'd mean I would have to work on June 5.

at night we crossed the border

The day after the Dylan concert I left for the borderlands with the Interact Club, for which I'm faculty adviser. We went with members of the Keller Rotary, the Grapevine Rotary and Interact, and one guy from the Metroport Rotary, in whose vehicle I happened to ride, along with three juniors from my school. The girls were great; funny, nice, just super kids. Our driver enjoyed them very much.

So we drove about seven hours to Del Rio and checked into the hotel. We were supposed to go across to Cuidad Acuna for dinner at a certain time but the G'vine people were running very late arriving so we had to wait for them. We finally got to the Taco Grill around 8 p.m. They had the same funky guy (with a toupee, I think) playing the keyboard and singing. The kids really got into the dancing this year. Senor Keyboard played Achy Breaky Heart and some ladies from the Rotary taught the moves to the kids. Then he played the Macarena. Oh my.

We had mariachis too.

Saturday morning we crossed back into Mexico to spend the day painting classrooms at the Escuela Benito Juarez. The school was generally in worse condition than the one we painted last year, but at least some rooms had plaster over the bricks so they were easier to paint with rollers. Painting the rooms white certainly made them look clean and bright, but if I do this again next year, I'll take some bottles of acrylics to paint some flowers or stencils or something to brighten them up a bit. The Interact kids worked hard and had a really good time. Many of them made an effort to attempt to communicate with the children who came to watch, help, and score free tshirts .



After a full day of work, we went back to the hotel to clean up and rest up before crossing the border yet again to enjoy a dinner hosted by the Acuna Rotary. We went to the same place as last year but I thought this year's food was better - they grilled meat out back, and had the best cheese quesadillas ever. The kids talked big about how they were going to stay up all night, go to the hotel sauna, etc, but on the drive back the girls in our car conceded that they were entirely too tired for that and would be tumbling straight into bed. Smart gals.

I often seem to dread excursions such as this, but then they almost always turn out to be great experiences, and this trip was no exception. I hope I can remember that next year and be enthusiastic in my agreement to go along again.

the answer, my friend

It has been suggested that I write about seeing Bob Dylan in concert in Dallas recently (Feb. 21, to be exact, at House of Blues). Sweet Zannah agreed to accompany me; she loves some Dylan herself, particularly the "stoner song". Anyway, we got to the right area after a couple of missed turns on my part, then drove around looking for a place to have dinner before the concert. Finally we decided on El Fenix, which is reliable and quick. Zannah had a lovely peach margarita; I enjoyed a sip.

We made it into the venue shortly before the concert began. Since we had GA floor tickets, we first tried to get into the main crowd but as always, just when we thought we were settled the tallest, broadest man in the building came and plonked himself down in front of us. We retreated to the back, where we could see pretty well actually. Unfortunately, that was the lair of the folks who paid $70 to drink and talk with Dylan as background music. Idiots. The acoustics weren't good there either. We moved back into the crowd down front and managed to be able to get a decent view for the rest of the show, as well as to hear it.

And hearing is pretty dang important. Dylan played some old classics but they were reworked so as to be unrecognizable. That makes it impossible for me to mention the set list! However, I have lifted that from a Bob-blog:

1.	Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Bob on electric guitar)
2.	It Ain't Me, Babe (Bob on electric guitar)
3.	Watching The River Flow (Bob on electric guitar)
4.	Girl Of The North Country (Bob on keyboard and harp)
5.	Rollin' And Tumblin' (Bob on keyboard)
6.	Workingman's Blues #2 (Bob on keyboard)
7.	High Water (For Charlie Patton) (Bob on keyboard)
8.	Spirit On The Water (Bob on keyboard and harp)
9.	Can't Wait (Bob on keyboard)
10.	Highway 61 Revisited (Bob on keyboard)
11.	Positively 4th Street (Bob on keyboard and harp)
12.	Honest With Me (Bob on keyboard)
13.	Nettie Moore (Bob on keyboard)
14.	Summer Days (Bob on keyboard)
15.	Ballad Of A Thin Man (Bob on keyboard and harp)
	(encore)
16.	Thunder On The Mountain (Bob on keyboard)
17.	Blowin' In The Wind (Bob on keyboard)

It was just amazing to be in the same room with a legend.

Here's the review from The Dallas Morning News:

BY THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
tchristensen@dallasnews.com


"You think I’m over the hill?" Bob Dylan sang with sneer Thursday night at the House of Blues. "You think I’m past my prime?"

The answer, my friends, isn't blowing in the wind. It’s a very concrete "No."

At his best, the 66-year-old legend was full of spit and venom – a grizzled blues master with a voice that bordered on the demonic. And even when the show wobbled – as it did for about a third of the 105-minute set – Mr. Dylan still gave it his all, bobbing his shoulders and pummeling his keyboard in "Highway 61 Revisited" like he was Little Richard.

Before the show, there was reason to believe Mr. Dylan might not be at his best. He hasn’t played live in four months, and his handlers were apparently so sure he’d be rusty they issued a statement saying press wasn’t invited to his three sold-out H.O.B. shows.

What next? No fans under 30 allowed? No one who doesn’t own Slow Train Coming? No eye-rolling during his harmonica solos?

They needn’t have been so uptight. It was one of Mr. Dylan’s more exciting Dallas gigs in recent decades – much better than in ’95 at the Dallas Music Complex or ‘03 at the Granada, though not as stunning as his ‘99 Starplex show with Paul Simon.

Dressed in black, with a wide-brimmed hat blocking his face, Mr. Dylan walked on to the dimly lit stage flanked by his usual band – longtime bassist Tony Garnier, drummer George Recili, pedal steel player Donnie Herron and guitarists Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman (who’s originally from Dallas).

Despite the four-month break, they started the show with a bang: A rocking version of "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat," followed by a wicked jump blues overhaul of "Watching the River Flow." Soon after, Mr. Dylan unplugged his guitar and retreated for the rest of the show to electric keyboard – his instrument of choice in recent years.

Visually, Keyboard Bob isn’t nearly as fun to watch as Electric Guitar Bob. But it gave Mr. Freeman more room to execute his knife-like guitar solos in songs like "Thunder on the Mountain" and Muddy Waters’ "Rollin and Tumblin." And when the whole band kicked into high-octane blues-rock ("Can’t Wait,’’ "High Water (For Charley Patton)") they were the world’s best middle-aged garage band.

They had their share of tentative moments in slower songs like "Nettie Moore." And some of the new arrangement didn't work, especially the dirge-paced "Positively 4TH Street."

But for every fizzled experiment, another one soared, like the bizarre, Brian Eno-style "Girl of the North Country" and the fiddle-laced waltz version of "Blowin’ in the Wind" that closed the show.

Curveballs like that tend to confuse casual fans who like to hear the hits played the way they know them. But Mr. Dylan couldn’t care less: He keeps everyone guessing – including himself – which is why he’ll never be past his prime.

I feel I'm owed some joy

So is this the cutest little fluffy black face you've ever seen or what? Yes, we are totally in love with our Tybee. He actually has shown his naughty side recently - twice he's gotten into the kitchen trash and ingested things that were not intended to be ingested by man or beast. He hasn't lost any weight so I've cut his rations starting today. The weather was gorgeous yesterday so we had a long ramble at Bear Creek Park, where he enjoyed watching the ducks.

Hubby and I made use of my free Stock Show tickets this afternoon; beautiful weather for wandering around outdoors. We had a little lunch there - red beans and rice for me, gumbo for him, then looked at the cattle, sheep, and goats as well as the commercial exhibits. Neither of us felt moved to make any other purchases though. No llamas today, alas.

What else? Let's see . . . nothing new at work, just the usual suspects grumbling and thinking of quitting. Not that I would blame anyone. Heck, I might move on myself if there was anything I could do that anyone else would pay me to do. In an effort to bring the library into the 21st century, I spent some time Friday getting our schedule on the website. If anyone bothers to look, it could be useful.

I'm still spending about an hour every night helping hubby search for a new job.

Oh, and you know how I wrote that my little blue car was gone? Well, it's back. The guy bought it for his wife and she wanted something larger so we took it back and had the repairs done.

songs from a station wagon

Well, the Mava-mobile is gone. I'm really sad to no longer have my little blue wagon, but it had simply developed too many problems and needed too much money put into it. I don't know what I can do about getting a new personalized license plate for the Beetle, which I'll be driving now.

At this moment I have a little black dog curled up behind my chair in a sunny spot on the floor. I'm pleasantly full of tofu and brown rice and apple. I wish I could simply be content in this moment but there are many changes afoot so my mind is in a bit of a whirl.

to the dogs or whoever

How could I have failed to post about the biggest news of the year?

I got a dog! A little black dog, more specifically. Fluffy. Rescue dog. Supposed to be a mix of Pomeranian and spaniel. Ish.

Anyway, his name is Tybee (aka Tybers, Tyberius, and Ty-Ty). Even hubby loves him already. He's a sweet and friendly little guy. He's got me walking about 30 minutes almost every day, at a brisk pace (his short little legs really move). He's great in the car and doesn't have accidents in the house. I do feel bad about leaving him alone while I'm at work but he's very very happy to see me when I get home.

In other news: I'm ready to move from this house (I'm pretty sure of that) into a smaller one more reasonable for just two people. We've been looking already. Of course when T gets a plan into his head, he wants to plunge forward, so I'm having to drag my heels a bit to be sure we're doing the right thing. We're looking at some that are very close to the best park in town, which would make it really convenient for Tybee-walking. The downsides, of course, would be less room for guests and no more pool. Boo hoo. I'd manage somehow.

What else? Let's see. I'm excited about the upcoming new music: an album from Moby and one from R.E.M., plus an R.E.M. tour (woot!). I'm pretty sad that they'll be at SXSW this year when my spring break is the next week, but I may take a half-day off to go try to get into the venue or at least hang around outside listening (I'm hoping they'll be in the outdoor "amphitheatre" of the place).

Work. Oh my. Things have happened that I cannot share here, but the situation is depressing and frustrating and annoying. How's that? At least I still get lots of pleasure from individual students and am enjoying my involvement with Natural Helpers, Interact, and even Culture Club.

And hubby just sold my car. Yes, the mava-mobile is going bye-bye. It's been having too many problems and we don't want to put money into it, so he sold it to a co-worker who can do the repairs himself. A good investment for that guy, and it gets a problem off our hands. Looks like I'll be in the little green Beetle for a while.

bright smiles galore

So tonight I'm in a hotel across the freeway from Alliance Airport, attdning Natural Helpers training with 29 teens and a smattering of adults from school. At this moment we're having "activity time"; the kids are in a large room across the hall playing noisy games. I'm checking in online, fighting sleep, waiting for bedtime.

So far today we've done trust exercises and practiced active listening skills. I've also eaten entirely too much - donut, pizza, barbeque. If I outgrow these jeans, I'm sunk. I'm already in my "fat jeans". The Program begins in earnest Monday. Really. Remind me of that when I cheat, please.

I'm enjoying these kids - mostly freshmen and sophs with a few juniors. They're smart and cute and friendly. And I've had a chance to talk with a few teachers whom I haven't known very well, so that's cool too. One has a truly hideous Boston terrier. Our SRO led a session tonight - he was pretty crazy and a really good singer. At the beginning he sang the entire song from Willy Wonka (I dunno the name, the one about imagination) and at the end he sang a Mr Rogers song. But it worked.

I've been thinking about hubby and how miserable he is at work. I hope we can find something else for him soon, or else figure out how to live on MUCH less income. I don't know what to do, but something has to change. I feel really bad for him.

Night.

memories were like coins that tumbled

Well dang, I have readers! I had no idea that anyone would notice a new blog so quickly. *blush*

So I suppose I should say more. Thanksgiving was an adventure this year because I had a guest from the Netherlands. It was her second trip to the US and first time in Texas, so it was quite interesting to see things through her eyes. She's very curious and interested in many things, so I spent a lot of time answering questions and showing sights. It was nice to get out to three museums (all in Fort Worth) as well as the Dallas World Aquarium, the Stockyards, and some shops. Turning a vegetarian animal-rights activist thrifty European into a rabid consumer was kind of fun (even though I know she's back to her old habits by now and was really only doing Christmas shopping and taking advantage of the lovely Bush economy). One very exciting event was that I converted her to rabid Ritterdom. Heh.

Ann stayed in Jessica's room during her visit - she was Jess's friend first, on the Moby board. Just this evening I discovered a note Ann left behind on the bedside table, with a poem about Jessica that brought tears to my eyes. Beautiful.

the ships to set me free

Dangittie, it's been forever since I last blogged and I'm too sleepy tonight to say much. San Diego. Boise. Austin. Reno. Austin again. San Marcos. Upcoming adventure: with the husband to El Paso and Albuquerque, Flat Pablo in tow (though he isn't flat, actually. . . yet).

Seriously, I've been roaming a lot this fall, and expect my usual Dear Readers already know about that so there's not much point in going into it all here.

I left off with waiting for my new aide to begin work. She's been with us now for a couple of months or so and is working out well. She's not JA, but she has her own strengths.

Story from today: I was over in the assistant principal's area, walking down the hall past the principal's office. Saw him unlocking his door, so as I drew even with him I said a cheery "good morning". I heard him say, enthusiastically, "Good morning! How are you?" and instantly realized that he was talking to another lady who was still down the hall, completely ignoring little old moi, who was right freakin' beside the idiot. I swear.

on the second day of scho-ol my true love gave to me....

a new aide. Well, actually, my true love didn't give me squat, but the assistant principal had me participate in interviews of three potential aides. I liked all three and felt they all could do the job. For a couple of reasons, #3 was eliminated, leaving me the day to ponder which of the other two to choose. The AP had told them that she'd let them know one way or the other today, so I ahd to make a decision.

I'm not so good at making decisions. I generally dither, faff, ponder, take a while to meditate. There was not that luxury today, so I made a selection. I hope I made the right, best choice. I truly felt that either lady would be good at the job, and I liked them both. Dang. that made it soooo hard. I hope the one I didn't choose isn't too disappointed.

Now we have to wait for HR to approve the applicant, so I suppose it'll be next week before she gets to start.

I had two classes come to the library today for book talks and check-out, and will have 6 tomorrow and 5 Thursday. More Friday. I'm already booked up through next week. This is crazy.

Fairy elves, Whose midnight revels by a forest side

Let me try to wrap up the rest of my UK holiday in July, what parts I can still remember at least. So Monday, July 9: J and I went to St Albans after getting the kids off to school (which was complicated by the enterprise scheme for T, who had to take tons of supplies for making toasties with some other girls). When we were over there in January it was cold and we ran out of time for seeing the Roman ruins. This time we headed straight for the Roman theatre ruins http://www.romantheatre.co.uk/. This was very interesting for me. Then we strolled over to the Roman wall and also went into the hypocaust building to see the mosaic floor. http://www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/hypocaust.htm After seeing plenty of old stuff (no, I wasn't using a mirror, hah hah) we found a pub for lunch, then popped in and out of shops. I found a set of hedgehog salt and pepper shakers! Extremely cute.


We had to get back to J's house before the kids were out of school. We went in to check on the enterprise scheme and I bought a lovely ham and cheese toastie from T and her friends. It was really nice to see the inside of a little British school and the kids looked adorable in their blue uniforms. I so wish we could require uniforms at our school.


Later that afternoon J, T, and I took Ammy for a walk through the park. Ammy is sooo sweet and happy, such a pleasure to be with. It was really nice to be in a place where one can go for a walk in July without risking heat stroke. I especially enjoyed seeing the canal boats along the way. So quaint. It'd be fun for me and T to take a bit of a trip in one, I think..

On Tuesday, M took the day off work and he drove me and J to the Buckinghamshire town of Chalfont St Giles where we toured Milton's Cottage http://www.miltonscottage.org/aboutmiltonscottage.htm. This was very interesting and really sort of amazing to me, to be wandering around in a cottage that had been used by such a famous and important poet. He lived there while he was completing Paradise Lost. There are various editions of Milton's works on display.

After the cottage, we went to the town duck pond and had a picnic lunch. I love having little picnics in England.

On Wednesday morning I was set to fly home early, so poor Mike had to get up before dawn and drive me over to Heathrow. When I went to check in for my flight, I was informed that it had been cancelled. ARGH! They had switched me to a later flight, so I (and Mike) could have slept later. Oh well. I don't mind hanging around a decent airport for a while.

It was a lovely trip for me all around. My friends there are such kind and generous people, and the children are cute and polite and funny and the family dog is perfection. Oh, not to mention the desserts. YUM. Sticky toffee pudding on my last night there.

Due to popular demand (okay, well, Lydia-demand anyhow) I'm blogging again already.

My summer holiday is over. This Tuesday I had to go back to work at the library, and got the confirmation that one of my aides, JA, is transaferring to another high school to job-share. I'm happy for her, she worked long and hard to get her degree and become a librarian, and it's actually a good situation for her, though she'd love to be getting the entire salary instead of a portion. Today we had a secondary librarians meeting and she was there in her new capacity. It was fun, though it took some adjusting for everyone. Whenever she said "we" I wasn't sure if she meant "we" as in my school or "we" as in where she is now. She usually meant my school, as she still thinks of herself as part of my team. I'll take her a little while to adjust.

Meanwhile, I'm searching for a new aide. I may have someone to interview in the morning. If she doesn't pan out, I'm pretty much at a deadend. The position hasn't been posted on the district website yet though, so there could be someone out there for me. It's jsut going to be really rough to start school Monday with only the two of us. I'll have to train the student aides (that was part of JA's job) and then when I get a new paraprofessional aide, I'll have to train her, all the while hoping that my other aide doesn't try to run her off like she did when JA was new.

It's all too complicated. What it boils down to is that this is going to be an extremely difficult and trying fall. Oh well. One day at a time. Laugh, and the world laughs with you.

Fortunately, the new Josh Ritter CD has some songs that have not yet failed to bring a smile to my face, so if I can listen to at least one on my way to work every morning, and maybe have a chance to hear one at lunchtime, I can get through this with that smile firmly in place.

Okay, obviously I'm so far behind that I'll never finish my UK blogging in time to write about Georgia before I forget everything, so, I'm skipping on to GA right now. Like it or lump it.

Zannah and I left midmorning last Friday, driving east in the Beetle. We failed to stock up on trash magazines before heading out, so made multiple stops in search of mind-candy: US, OK!, and even The Enquirer. We also stopped to eat a couple of times. Around 10 pm we checked into a hotel in Meridian, Mississippi, to spend the night. Saturday we pressed on and arrived at Hard Labor Creek State Park around 4 pm. After settling into our cottage, we drove toward Athens and called Larry and Renee as soon as we could get a cell signal. Larry was working, but we met Renee at the Grit for dinner - the veggie plate, as usual, and dessert (pineapple/rhubarb pie for me).

Sunday morning we picked up Renee and a slightly MIA Larry and headed north to Dahlonega, site of the first gold rush in US history in 1833. We checked out the small town, then drove to a mine where we could pan for gold. It's kind of silly - you give them $$ and they give you a plastic bag full of sand and gravel. You go over to a trough and get a pan and proceed to slosh through your bag of dirt in search of gold. We all found some tiny flecks and teeny nuggety-thingies, so it was fun. We had a great lunch at The Crimson Moon, where there was a mountain-music jam session going on.

The Crimson Moon, Dahlonega, GA.

We also drove to Amicalola Falls State Park, and walked down the trail to the waterfall. A lovely place.

Monday Zannah and I went to Watkinsville so I could go to the yarn shop we discovered last November. It's moved location, but a phone call to Larry got us to the right place. I found some lovely yarns, and Zannah decided she wants to learn to knit, so we got her a book. We went to the grocery store, then went back out to our cottage so Zannah could make dinner for our guests, Renee and Larry! She roasted new potatoes from the Daily Co-op, and made a pizza with fresh basil, mushrooms, bell peppers, mozzarella, and added olives that Larry brought out with him. It was yummy!
On Tuesday we met Renee at Weaver D's for lunch. As we arrived, we noticed a camera crew. The Travel Channel was filming for their Taste of America program. EEK! We all had to sign a release form, so it's possible our faces could appear on the show when it airs in January. Eating at WEaver D's was an experience. The guy randomly calls out "Communicate!" or "Automatic!". The corn muffin was probably the best one I've ever had in my life. Lord knows how much fat
was in it. Watching the crew interview the folks in the restaurant was fun.

Tuesday afternoon Renee had to work, so Zannah and I shopped at Junkman's Daughter's Brother, then went back to the cottage for a shower and rest before going back to town to meet Larry and Renee for dinner at A Taste of India. Then we wandered over to Paul's shop and hung out a little, then met Renee's friend Jeff and went to a show at The Morton Theatre. They were taping for the radio show, Athens 441, and the first two acts were guys Renee knows. Peter was good fun, I enjoyed his music a lot. Then it was Steven, whom Renee had played with at that very theatre a few years ago when they opened for Robyn Hitchcock! www.myspace.com/greenlawns He was really good.

Josh Ritter: To the Dogs or Whoever

Josh Ritter: Mind's Eye

Hobbiton and The Shire?

After our picnic at the Rollright Stones, we stopped off at a nearby farm shop for ice cream and a chance to pat the baby water buffaloes.


Then we drove to the town of Burford, a very charming place indeed. I popped into quite a few shops on the main street and found a sweet sleeping hedgie statue for my collection. The flowers on the stone buildings were magnificent. Tabs found some very cute summer shoes in one of the shops. I heard requests for more ice cream, but Joanne seemed to remember that some had already been eaten; drat.


Then we drove on over to Oxford for a quick look around. The colleges were all closed for the day, but we strolled around the streets outside, past several colleges and the Bodleian Library. I was thrilled to see the pub where J.R.R. Tolkien and his colleagues used to hang out.

If I had been alone, I probably would have gone inside and ordered a pint, then sat there dreaming of being a hobbit or something equally "me."

After that, we had to get back to Watford so the kids could get into bed - school the next day. It had been a beautiful day out in the English countryside - just what I had wanted, so I went to bed tired and satisfied. And full of pudding, too.

like a pendulum do

From Dublin we flew back to Gatwick, where Lydia helped me get my ticket for the correct train to Watford. Her train was leaving just before mine from the same platform, so we had a few more minutes to chat. She got an ugly dirty train. I got a shiny green pretty one. Hah!

At Watford Junction I was met by a speeding Max and laughing Tabs, followed by their dad. When we got to their home, I was greeted by a wet tongue in my ear. Joanne should have been making dinner, but.... oh, right, the tongue was Amanita's, never mind. We had the first in a series of yummy dinners, then were off to bed so we could be ready
for a busy Saturday.

Around noon on Saturday we were ready to head into London to see the first stage of the Tour de France. I know next to nothing about bicycle racing, but it was fun to be in the crowd of spectators watching the cyclists in their brightly-colored spandex whizzing past. After we had had enough of that, we set off for the Victoria and Albert Museum, only to arrive right after they had closed for the day. Undaunted, we dashed across the road to the Natural History Museum instead. We only had about 15 minutes there before they closed.



We hadn't been able to take the train to London because of station closures, so we got back to the car and drove home.


On Sunday morning we set out in the direction of the Cotswalds. I had wanted to see a standing stone circle and Mike had suggested the Rollright Stones. Little did we know at the time that the reason he knew about these stones was that they're mentioned in a Half Man Half Biscuit lyric. *insert eye-rolling smilie here* Anyway, since I wasn't being picky, they were dandy standing stones for a visit. When we arrived there (near Chipping Norton) we got out our picnic and had lunch near the stones.


We noticed a silver-haired man standing in the center of the circle with his hands on a woman's head, rocking her back and forth. There was some other odd activity going on - a guy with some metal rods sort of wandering around with some concentration. After our picnic, the man saw the kids and asked if they'd like to learn to use his dowsing rods. Of course they were eager to give it a try. They picked it up immediately and we successfully commanding the rods in no time.











Next Joanne had a try, then me. I wasn't very good at it at all. The man said I was trying t0o hard or something. Oh well, I did get the rods to move some of the time. It was fun to mess around with them, anyway. Mike got them to move by saying "ghostbusters" instead of "thank you". There was a beautiful patch of red poppies growing in the field just past the stones. It made me wish Zannah were there to enjoy them with me.