THE PRINCE & THE PAUPER!

'Benefits should be conferred gradually;

and in that way they will taste better.'

~Niccolo Machiavelli~

How apt that statement seems........the 'powers that be' have cocked up had a technical hitch and not paid out the student loans. I don't intend to go on to much about it as, otherwise, I really enjoyed my first day at Uni. Let's just say there were a lot of long faces in the first seminar....and when we can all afford to go shopping I'm sure the food will 'taste better' as we will have waited so long to buy it!

I'm sure our lecturer never expected that one of Machiavelli's quotes would be used to complain about Student Loans not arriving!

As I hinted in my last post....I really know so little about politics, past or present...but the seminar was fascinating. We looked at some parts of 'The Prince' and had some lively discussion about the rights and wrongs of some of Machiavelli's ideas. As soon as I got home I couldn't wait to get on the computer and start 'googling' around to read more. I found some great sites and so many differing points of view.....exciting stuff! If Hobbes, Locke etc etc stimulate me as much I think I'm going to enjoy this module much more than I expected.

Tomorrow we have our first 'Introduction to the study of drama' and 'From Cradle to Grave' lectures. 'Greek Tragedy' and 'mortality in the 16th century'.....what a cheery couple of topics....LOL

I'm sorry this is only a short post but I want another quick look at 'Antigone' before I go to bed. I can't leave wihout posting a photo though.......so here's a photo of a Cinnabar Moth...for no other reason than it's the first time I've ever photographed one!

UPSIDE DOWN AND ALL OVER THE PLACE

Well tomorrow's the big day...my first day at Uni! I do wish our first class/lecture/tutorial wasn't 'An Introduction to Political Ideas'. I'm not really au fait with Machiavelli, Locke, Hobbs etc. Still I bet I'll know a lot more by this time tomorrow. I must admit I'm a bit upside and all over the place at the moment...a mixture of excitement and nerves...a bit like the rainbow that was seen during the week.Not my photo.....and if you want to know more just click on the photo and follow the link.

I had a great evening on Friday...I invited a few friends round for a 'bring a bottle and plate of food' evening. It's something I and a few friends have been doing lately...a girlie evening when we have a few drinks, some food and play games. This week we played Articulate...so much fun and laughter.......

and (somehow) although I drank plenty of wine, finished off the evening with coffees liberally laced with brandy and didn't go to bed until 3.30am I managed to be wide awake with no hangover by 6.30am. I do enjoy evenings like this......we've played quite a range of games, Yahtzee, Uno and Jenga to name a few.

Weatherwise....suddenly Summer has appeared...we've had some glorious sunny days. Quite handy as I've been helping a friend (who rents out a house) to clear the garden up...the last tenants left it in such a state and it need a good tidy before she could show the house to potential tenants. It has a lovely open view across the fields.......what joy it would be to have this view from your bedroom window each morning......You may wonder what I'm doing blogging if the weather's so lovely....well as I still have Rob's (son) laptop I'm happily typing this in the garden....there I am on the bench...well I would be if I wasn't taking this photo.......Talking of photos....I snapped these two cars when I was out shopping.......
Oh this weather is lovely.........I could quite fancy a swim in the sea.......during the Summer Lynn took Manda & co and myself to Aldeburgh. I had a lovely time in the sea..... There's a fabulous sculpture on the beach......

and walking along the sea front I saw this sweet little house.........

As Lloyd Grossman would say.."I wonder who lives in a house like this?". I must say Aldeburgh also has the best fish and chips I've tasted for years!

Well that's enough blogging for now.......the fish need feeding..........

Gosh they were hungry....and I think I see a few roses that need dead heading......Till next time...............................

'Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate.

So practice happy thinking every day.

Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit,
and life will become a continual feast.'

~Norman Vincent Peale~

I'm in the undergrowth

I'm really busy at the moment helping a friend who is letting out her house. The last tenant left it in a disgusting condition and the garden looks like a jungle......and I don't mean one of those elegant tropical gardens. So with machete, secateurs and loppers in hand I'm going to try and make it resemble a garden again. I shall return if some wild animal doesn't get me first....lol


Meanwhile....though being homeless is no laughing matter but I couldn't help giggling at this;

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of pounds for dinner.

I took out my purse, got out ten pounds and asked, 'If I give you this money, will you buy wine with it instead of dinner?'

'No, I had to stop drinking years ago', the homeless woman told me.

'Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?' I asked.

'No, I don't waste time shopping,' the homeless woman said. 'I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.'

'Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?' I asked.

'Are you NUTS!' replied the homeless woman. I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!'

'Well, I said, 'I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight.'

The homeless Woman was shocked. 'Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.'

I said, 'That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and wine.'

THE BLACK HOLE DIDN'T GET ME

Well I haven't fallen into a black hole so I guess it's safe to do another post. I've now had my Uni Induction day and can't wait to get started. Trying to find a part-time job or a lodger. I'm lucky in as much as I get a grant while I'm going to Uni...(an explanation for those who don't know how it works here...I get a means tested grant which is really a loan that's repayable if I get a job when I've qualified and am earning over £15,000 a year). The grant I'm getting though doesn't cover my expenses. As a single mature student with no dependants I'm not entitled to any help with my rent so once I've paid that and my fares to Uni I'm left with £30 a week to pay all my utilities, books, clothes, food and drink. Well £30 will only just cover the water, gas and electric ...hence why I'm looking for a job which will fit around Uni and still allow me time to study, do assignments etc. No so easy at my age!

Is it another sign of being old that Summers used to be so much sunnier? We seem to have had so much rain this year. Admittedly I've not had to do so much watering but with the garden being North facing it needs more sun than it's had this year. The Cannas and Gingers were later than usual flowering....................

And I had quite a surprise when I started to clear out the shed. In the Spring I'd had a pot of indoor Hyacinth bulbs which I'd popped in the shed to die down so I could plant them out in the garden this Autumn. Well look at this!They've started to flower again! One plant that really thrived this year was my neighbours 'bxxxxx' Russian Vine. Yet again no matter how much I keep chopping it back it's still strangling anything it comes into contact with! GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Well Sophocles and his Three Theban Plays awaits me.........see you again soon.

Making Use Of My Photos!

I must admit to save a few pennies I've been making cards for friends and relatives birthdays. Not those beautifully sculptured art & craft cards.....just simple ones using some of my photos. It's been fun to do.....especially if I have a good (or funny) photo of the recipient. A speech bubble here and there can result in a very personalised cards. In Phil's (grandson) case I found a photo of his favourite football player and with the aid of a speech bubble had him saying "Happy Birthday Phil". They seem to have gone down with family and friends well and have saved me a fortune. A decent card with a nice rhyme inside can cost upwards of £5.......

With...dare I mention it....Christmas looming on the horizon I've been wondering if I can use some of my photos in personalised gifts. Perhaps one of my flower photos as a Photo Canvas or maybe personalised Calenders. There must be lots of Photo Gifts that would make good Christmas presents. Even nicely framed Photo Prints of memorable occasions would be a lovely gift to receive.

Sadly I'm not clever enough to make anything like this AND make it look professional. Isn't this age of technology wonderful when companies like Photofun.com will do the work for you. Just load up your photos, put in your order and (for much less cost than a shop bought item) the gift arrives in the mail. The only difficulty is choosing which photos to use!

AND you get 100 free photos when you sign up!

GONE BUT (HOPEFULLY) NOT FORGOTTEN

ohhh...errrr... haven't done this for a while. I guess it's like riding a bike...once you've learned you never forget. A bit wobbly to start though!!!

OOOPPPS!!!.......

Right then a quick catch up:
I passed all my assignments
I passed all my exams
I've enrolled for University (they have one at Bury St Edmunds ..an offshoot of UCS)
I'm going to do my BA Hons English & History
Still broke!!!....need a part time job or a lodger...any offers????
The (close) family are all doing well...love each and every one of them
I won't be blogging regularly and don't promise to visit you all
I am on Facebook now though; so add me as a friend if you are on there too (already found a few blogpals)
Still taking too many photos!
Still enjoying the garden
Borrowing Rob's (son's) pc while he tries to repair mine
Still smoking.......yes I know I shouldn't and can't really afford it but a girl's got to have ONE vice in her life
Have put on weight...doing netball traing and a few exercises to try and lose it......don't mention dieting.....I SAID 'DON'T MENTION DIETING!!!!'
Most of all.....still missing my soul mate.......................................................



Ermmmmm....can't think of anything else......................

Anyway won't bore you with loads of photos except these at the moment.....

The building where I'd be having my tutorials...

Nice gardens........

Trust me to notice that!!!!!!

Hope you're all well and wishing you health, wealth and happiness and leaving you with this thought...

"Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age.

Nothing does except wrinkles.

It's true, some wines improve with age.

But only if the grapes were good in the first place."
~Abigail Van Buren~

Really hoping I'm a 'good grape'