Hooray!!

We have cause to celebrate. There is an organisation called the Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM and the title says it all) who have what they call a shortlist of undiscovered composers who they take on for a period of 3 years on what they call their shortlist. The people on the shortlist appear in a brochure that spnm produces, they are promoted on the website, they have access to training and classes for free, the spnm try to get their compositions played and promote any concert at which the music is played. it is a hefty push to open the door for an unknown composer. And Brian has been selected as one of the 18 who are going to be on the shortlist over the next 3 years. chosen from more than 400 applicants. Happy - scared and happy. Hooray!!

Harry Potter Your questions answered

For all who have finished the septology (is that a word)http://www.mugglenet.com/app/news/full_story/1156
This is a webcast JKR did answering fans question. It is chock full of spoilers so you'd better not read it, Chris!
Enjoy

Lapdog Vs Laptop

Out dog Gromit is a cavalier king charles spaniel. He is a lap dog and after centuries of interbreeding he may be as far removed from the wolf original as is possible but he is an expert at getting on people’s laps. You go around any stately home in the UK and the chances are you will see a painting of a bulgy eyed cavvy gazing out at you from somebody’s lap. They have few talents but this is one of them.
Gromit’s favourite lap is Erin’s. However since she became a student she has had a laptop computer which has become a rival for her lap. This does not defeat our small toothless hound however as with some persistance he still manages to find a bit of her lap to rest his head even when the computer is already there.
Imagine his surprise then, when the other day she shut her computer and trapped one of his ears in it. Apparently, he didn’t notice it till she moved the computer and his ear went with it! Ouch!
Toshiba 1 Canine 0!

Broody...

So my friend Alison who Carl and I met in Cyprus and whose wedding we went to last year, has just had her first baby. Wee Isla Buchanan joined the world on 28th July (same birthday as you mum) so I went out at lunch time today to get her some presents. Found myself in the baby clothes section of Next and just turned into a gibbering, broody wreck! Can't believe it! Who'd have thought a few cute pink frocks and some Winnie the Pooh merchandise could do that to a Marketing-Manager-who's-quite-happy-having-a-dog-and-no-children-thank-you-very-much?

So she ended up with a gorgeous denim dungaree dress and this lush teeny hoodie plus a little cuddly Piglet to go with her Winnie the Pooh...she's also pictured here with their dog Ringo who Carl still misses 5 years after leaving Cyprus.

Swimming Pool Rage!

Well, enough of lovely holidays and weddings and I will relate the strange experience I had this morning. I have taken to going swimming at our local baths at 6.45am. A bit ghastly but to be honest I’m barely awake enough to know what’s happening and the pool is full of people who just want to swim, no flirting teenagers or other people generally enjoying themselves. Anyway, at this time I often see people I know. (I’m not saying that Saffron Walden is a small town, but at Jon and Niamh’s wedding I was talking to Niamh’s Irish aunt who knew one person in SW and I know them too!)
The swimming pool is 25m by 10m. Two lanes are cordoned off for fast swimmers, two for slower swimmers and the other four just for general dawdlers (like me!)
Anyway, one of my acquaintances, Carol, is rather a fast swimmer but she was doing her serious lengths in the dawdling area for some unknown reason. Kathy, another acquaintance was swimming rather slowly with a friend chatting all the time. (How does one hold a conversations at that hour in the morning is beyond me). Suddenly Carol went up to them and told them off. She said that the pool was for swimming not chatting! They went and complained to the lifeguard who obviously couldn’t really do anything (because he was 12!). But when Carol saw this she went ballistic and laid into them again. Very strange indeed.
To be honest, I think Carol was wrong. You pay your £3 to use the pool, providing you don’t break the rules I don’t think you actually have to swim. Actually Carol and I talked about doing a job share when our kids were younger. I’m glad that didn’t go anywhere, she would have shouted at me for being a slacker!

Sea dogs in China

The Wedding pictures were great. Chris has finally told us how to get in to this site. Attached is a link to our China pictures. Please see if it works and let us know.

Click here