Fish Wife's Tales

Straightening the clothes

2011-09-30T21:18:00.000+01:00

Some of you may remember the scene from Bridget Jones’ Diary when she left the hairdressers with her hair literally standing on end. Cut to the next scene when Bridget is on the phone to her friend, who says, “Don’t iron your hair”. Of course, that’s exactly what Bridget was doing.

My teenager did the opposite one day this week: tried to iron her clothes with hair straighteners. Time will tell if the top she “ironed” will ever return to normal.

The iron and ironing board are packed, ready to be delivered when I visit. I’m starting to feel that I’ve not really prepared her for the challenges of everyday living.

Posting the washing

2011-09-25T08:53:00.002+01:00

I received a text yesterday from my daughter who has just started first year at a Scottish university. The text read, "Can you go on skype? I need to post my washing. x"

After I'd stopped laughing at the mistake in predictive text (it should, of course, have said, "I need to sort my washing"), we had a discussion on skype about washing. She held up an article of clothing, and we decided between us which clothes should go into which pile to be washed.

I wondered aloud if she had ever thought she would be sorting out washing on a Saturday morning. Until recently, Saturdays were for either working, or lying in followed by shopping and meeting friends. How life changes.

It's the changes in life that have made me wonder if I should resurrect my blog, sadly neglected since 2008. This is a "toe in the water" post, but I did think it would be fun to record some of these first-year-student anecdotes.

How to delay Christmas shopping

2008-12-05T19:04:00.002Z

There's obviously something about December that brings out the blogger in me. Or maybe it's just that things happen to me in December and then I feel the need to blog. Anyway, here's how the story goes.

On Tuesday, I had a verruca treated with liquid nitrogen. I was surprised at how painful it was, and how difficult it was to walk. The pain was making me feel very guilty because several years ago, when teenage daughter was about 6 or 7, she had the same treatment and I shrugged off her complaints that her foot was sore. I'm wondering now if I even gave her any Calpol...too late for that, I guess.

Over the next two days, this great pus-filled blister grew on my foot till it was about 6cm across. Yesterday I saw my GP who had a student in tow. They took one look, the student said, "Lance it" while the GP said "Leave it - unless it grows bigger".

During the course of yesterday, it grew bigger so this morning I hobbled across black ice and frozen snow to have the thing lanced. GP thinks it was a severe reaction to the liquid nitrogen and has told me to keep my feet up for as long as possible. So all Christmas shopping is delayed till further notice.

Christmas Musak - my way

2007-12-20T21:47:00.000Z

I've discovered a great way to block out the Christmas musak that shops insist on playing: listen to your own music, in my case, through an ipod.

As I was walking around town today, I listened to Diana Krall's Christmas Songs. The supermarket shopping was made much easier by Nat King Cole's Christmas Album, although in both cases I had to resist the temptation to burst into song.

So if you are out and about this Christmas and see a forty-something Fish Wife listening to an ipod and walking in time to the music, don't worry - it's only me, enjoying my choice of Christmas music.

A Modern Corinthian

2007-12-20T19:17:00.000Z

We had a lovely time at St John's Kirk yesterday evening, attending the Christmas Joy service from my daughter's school. It's such an atmospheric church: add a large number of dedicated teachers and many talented young people and the end result is a truly wonderful evening of Christmas music and readings.

This reading was a particular favourite of mine - I have copied it from http://www.wwmetoronto.ca/newsArchive.asp as it's hard to find on their web site.

1 Corinthians 13 - A Christmas Version

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I`m just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I`m just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir`s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn`t envy another`s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn`t yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn`t give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can`t.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

School Holidays

2007-06-30T10:38:00.000+01:00

I have written so many blogs since my first entry, but they are all in my head. Instead of blogging, I've been listening to podcasts and working hard on my bebo page. It's all set up and running now, and I'm into a routine with the podcasts, so all that's left is to get on with blogging.

So, the school holidays started on Wednesday at lunchtime with a party for 19 teenagers. They ate pizza at my friend's house, then walked to my house and ate ice lollies and had the traditional "Monarch of the Quiz". Then some of them did some bread stick fencing (it does exactly what it says on the tin). I think everyone enjoyed themselves: I certainly did. These teenagers come to my house every week for Nurture Group which is a Bible study group for 12 to 18 year olds.

On Thursday, my daughter had to have two teeth out in preparation for getting her brace fitted. That meant a fairly quiet day for the two of us: I ironed while she recovered.

Today has been spent outside, mostly in the garden. I finally potted up my tomatoes - later then ever but hopefully they'll grow fast now. I dug up the old broccoli plants - well, actually I sawed them up because they were nearly 1.5 metres tall. Finally I got round to some weeding and the major job (late too) of tying in the bramble.

Challenges

2007-06-30T10:37:00.000+01:00

I have been challenged by my daughter to start blogging so I'm going to give it a go.

I've also been challenged by my youngest brother to join bebo and I've been challenged by my husband to listen to podcasts.

I've listened to a podcast or two and have really enjoyed them: but am I going to enjoy blogging and bebo as much? Only time will tell.