Photo Hunt - Rare

Rare sighting of a mermaid!

Blogging Scavenger Hunt

Why don't you come and join in the Blogging Scavenger Hunt over at Amy's blog? Its going to start on May 1st and will involve reading blogs and answering questions, all to earn points. Of course, we all know "Points mean Prizes"! It sounds like it should be a lot of fun, a chance to read some different blogs and to get some new readers for your own blog. You know you want to join in, so pop across to Amy's blog now and sign up!

Friday Feast 141

Appetizer: How fast can you type?
Not as fast as I could in the past but I can use all the right fingers so I'm not too bad!

Soup: What is your favourite online game?
I like Bejewelled and Chainz. In fact loads of games at Big Fish Games.

Salad: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 as highest), how intelligent do you think you are?
Won't this seem a bit big headed if I pick a high number? Maybe an 8, I don't suppose a maths teacher can claim to be unintelligent!

Main Course: Name three of your best teachers from your school years.
The first one that comes to mind is my infant teacher Mrs Hooper, she was great and let me read her own books when I'd read all the class books. Mr White, my headmaster at junior school, who always encouraged me in my maths. Tricky to pick a third, lots of my senior school teachers were very good, I'm not sure I can pick out an individual, but the science and maths staff all helped me a lot.

Dessert: What are your plans for this upcoming weekend?
Saturday looks like it will be marking, marking and more marking. But we do have a church lunch on Sunday, so that's something to look forward to (and not just because it means I don't have to cook!).

Hallelujah.

I heard this on Radio 2 recently and I think its great so I thought I'd share it just in case you haven't come across it before.

Singing Messages

I've found a great site where you can type in a message and it sings it to you. Great fun and quite a big vocabulary. Have a try at Let them sing it for you.

Friday Feast 140

Appetizer: What is your favourite kind of bread?

No particular favourite, I love to make whatever sort I feel like in my breadmaker. Good ones are cheese and bacon, chocolate, banana, cinnamon and raisin, ...

Soup: When was the last time you bought a new pillow?
Not for a while. Probably a couple of years since I bought any.

Salad: Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net?
Too long, it wastes far too much of my time. I'm too scared to work out exactly how much time I spend online!

Main Course: What’s the highest you remember your temperature being?
I have absolutely no idea! Do some people out there keep a record of such things?

Dessert: Fill in the blanks: When I ____________, I _____________.
When I start a new term, I start counting down to the end. (I think all teachers do this!)

Photo Hunt - Hobby

My photo hunt is late this week because my broadband decided not to work yesterday!

Like my sister, my hobby has been knitting since we both started at Christmas. This is the back of a cardigan I am making and its taking ages, because it is in double knit not chunky like the first jumper I made, but I'm persevering!

Friday Feast 139

Appetizer: When you were a child, which crayon colour was your favourite? Probably yellow, can't really remember.

Soup: On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how likely would you be to change jobs if it required you to move? I'd have to say 10, since I am changing jobs in September. I will be in Dorset which means moving approx 120 miles!

Salad: Take all the numbers in your birthday and your phone number and add them up, one by one. What’s the total? Strange question! Mine is 73.

Main Course: Have you ever “re-gifted” anything? If so, what was it and who did you pass it on to? The only time I've given away gifts is if the kids at school give me bath stuff, because I'm allergic to a lot of perfumed products, then my mum or my sister usually take them off my hands.

Dessert: Name something you need from the store. Lots of things, was going to go shopping this morning but didn't quite get round to it!

Quaker Summer

I've been reading another book to review here on my blog. This one is Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson.

Here's the book description:
Every year I think there must be more to life, and every year, despite a new car or a trip to a new land, new milestones and triumphs in my son's life, or a redone deck, a pool, a spa, or entertainment system, I take stock and think once again, I was made for more than this. But I love my stuff.

Heather Curridge is coming unhinged. And people are starting to notice. What's wrong with a woman who has everything--a mansion on a lake, a loving son, a heart-surgeon husband, and soapstone countertops--yet still feels miserable inside?

Yet when Heather spends the summer with two ancient Quaker sisters and a crusty nun in a downtown homeless shelter, she suddenly finds herself at a crossroads.

Sometimes you have to go a little bit crazy to find the life you were meant to live.

I confess at the beginning of the book I wasn't feeling too much sympathy for Heather, she seems to have a great life and not to appreciate it at all. But once you get into the story you start to think about what is really important in your life. For Heather she is always buying new things for her home, for me its books and cds and gadgets, maybe for you its clothes or shoes or some other things that you feel you need. Do we really need them? I don't think I'll be coloured dotting all my things but at the moment I am thinking about the things I have as I'll be moving somewhere smaller in a few months. When you stop and analyse all your junk you realise that is not the best way to live, there has to be a better way. But the question is can I actually step out and change things? Or will I just buy another gadget because it makes me feel good?

My advice; if you're looking for a comfortable read, don't try this book! However, if you are looking for a thought provoking read (and a good story) get hold of Quaker Summer.