Having a dig...

Acting on orders received in 2007, and again in 2008, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, I have used the first two days of my holiday to start to remove the site of our bonfire, and prepare it for grassing over. 

As Dominique has just got back from a week in Cambridge, on an Archaeology summer school, I was paying particular attention to what I found as I dug out the fire pit.

It was my first pit (hereafter Pit 1), and I have to say, I was astonished at the richness it yielded.  The most exciting find, to my mind, is this amazing selection of fossilised calamari, thus demonstrating that the people of Cumbria were trading with Venice far earlier than was heretofore thought. I pictured them with a garden fork for scale, as I do not own a geological hammer. (Mrs T, incidentally, facetiously remarked that she thought they were curtain rings. Charlie's theory, that they were gold bangles from the arm of the Young Woman [Tutankhamun's mother] was not supported by the fact that they are not gold. So the calamari hypothesis remains).

But that was by no means my only find in Pit 1. Perhaps it is not surprising, given that we are relatively near Hadrian's Wall, and very near the old Roman Road, High Street, that we should have found these carefully shaped bricks, clearly designed for crenelations, or battlements, along the Wall. What is more surprising is finding so many together, and in such good condition.

Pit 1 also yielded this intriguing object; my conjecture is that it is a Roman toy catapult. It was found by the battlements, and is remarkably like a modern catapult, but is clearly of great antiquity. I will be sending this to the experts at Vindolanda for further analysis.

And then there was this, which I can only take to be an early barber's shaving blade. I imagine it had an ivory handle, or decorative knob on the end, as the handle end is a hollow tube. Clearly it is very old, as more sophisticated tooling has allowed much less coarse blades to be manufactured for such intimate and intricate work.

Another extraordinary find was this scimitar. I can only assume that this was brought home as a souvenir from the crusades by a previous occupant of the house; and was, perhaps, banished to the flames of a fire following some domestic dispute (?). It has survived well, and I am carefully cleaning the rust, in the hope of finding some inscription on the blade.

I had decided to keep the location of Pit 1 secret, and had indeed installed a guard dog, for obvious reasons. Pit 1 having yielded such treasures, it might have proved tempting to the less scrupulous of my archaeological followers.

However, following further discussions with the landowner ("Don't you leave that like a big mess in the garden; I want it turfed over, not left half-finished like so many of your projects...") Pit 1 has now been filled and is not available for further excavation. I will have to ensure that Mrs T does not disappear in the near future, as I understand the police take a dim view of freshly dug pits in such circumstances. 

While I was Fisking Fr Butler...

While I was Fisking Fr Butler, Anna, the redoubtable Mrs T was being much more productive.

The first batch of marmalade of 2013. Judging by the number of Seville oranges still in evidence, at least one more batch is to be made.

There is something quite lovely about home-made marmalade and jam.

Just out of shot are the chains by which I attach her to the kitchen sink, to assure myself both that my love for sweet conserves is indulged, and that I am not interrupted in the serious task of blogging.

It's all right for some

So Ant has landed on her feet again. She just enquired about the possibility of going for a voyage on this ship, and the next minute, she was booked on, with a bursary paying her passage, and a promise to give her the next level of sailing qualification that she is after.

She sails from Genoa in a few days, for a ten day voyage, to Malta.

How is it that I never got to do such stuff at her age? (or any age, come to that?)

Spy Wednesday Cakes

Ant made these Spy Wednesday cakes.

Why are they Spy Wednesday cakes, I hear my incredulous readers ask?

Because, before we'd eaten the others, they had a total of thirty pieces of silver on top of them.

Home Made Cards

The kids always make their Christmas Cards.  Here are the ones they presented us with this year; each fairly characteristic.

Ant:

Bernie:

 Charlie:

Dominique:

And wishing all my readers a Happy and Holy Christmastide...

Church militant

A friend saw this and thought of me - I can't think why...

The Church Militant?

First Day

Today Dominique started secondary school. In honour of the occasion, Ant and Charlie made a cake for her, decorated with the kind of stuff they thought any secondary school kid should have in his pocket....

On Holiday

It's all go during the holidays.

Ant is working at a Sailing Centre, teaching sailing. It's like being paid to do your favourite hobby - in fact, it is being paid to do her favourite hobby.

Bernie is in Edinburgh, doing an Art Summer School as she considers her University choices - and awaits her AS results - and visiting the Fringe shows in the evenings...

Charlie and Dominique are at home at present, and we have Ant's boyfriend, Zadok, as a guest at present - so we've been doing lots of walks, a bit of sailing, a few visits to National Trust places. Charlie and Dominique have also been working on a project on Cardianl Newman, in preparation for his beatification by the Holy Father later in the year. They now take an avid interest every time his name is mentioned in the press etc.

Zadok and I have been working hard clearing out our outhouses and sheds. I now have a re-floored upstairs for storage, and a bike shed, a wood shed, a potting shed, a couple of general storage sheds and a tool shed all organised and tidy. (These were all full of the debris of the guy who lived here before us for many years; he never threw anything away, so we have given away or dumped a huge amount of stuff: a Victorian bath, old bicycles etc...)

And games in the evening: Zadok is a dab hand at card games, and managed to beat me at chess (though that was mainly carelessness on my part in the endgame...)

A good weekend...

It felt like the start of the holidays this weekend (though I still have to work for while yet...) All the family are home, as Ant is back from University, and Bernie and Charlie are back from their orchestra trip to Italy.

So went to adoration and confession first thing on Saturday (and how great it is that my teenage girls still see this as the best way to start a weekend - marvellous example for Charlie and Dominique). Then had a relatively quiet day at home until later in the afternoon when we went to the local County Show.

Last year, we won a number of prizes (well Anna, her mum and the kids did - I have no appropriate talents...) but this year we didn't win a thing (though I thought Bernie was unlucky not to win with her painting or her photography, and Anna didn't win with her muffins simply because they went for chocolate over fruit...but perhaps I'm biased).

In the evening went to see Toy Story 3 in the evening, which we all enjoyed enormously.

Today we went to the Extraordinary Form of Mass at Lancaster Cathedral - and this time you could really hear the impact of Nick Gale's training workshop: the Schola sang better than I have ever heard them before.

And this afternoon, we've packed Charlie and Dominique off to Sail Camp to improve their sailing - and Bernie is there as an assistant instructor. And has a summer job, so can't help at sail camp this year - but as her summer job is teaching sailing, she's not too disappointed...

A great half term

Along with the rest of the country, I think, we had fabulous weather for the half term week - and we made the most of it, with some serious walks, a bit of rock climbing, messing about in boats on the lake, some gentle gardening, and some idling around not doing much; hardly spent a penny (except on a few ice creams) but had a truly memorable and highly enjoyable week.

The only exception was Bernie who spent most of the week revising for her remaining AS levels.

It's tough these days:- when I was at school the lower sixth was a very relaxed year: only studying subjects you had chosen to study and with no pressure. Not so nowadays...

Bernie's Gig

Bernie's flute solo at the Concert last night went really well! A tricky Poulenc piece she'd mastered for her grade 8 played with style and panache. She's not a frequent soloist ), though she always leads the flutes and plays the piccolo in the orchestra (and did that last night too) so she's really buzzing.

Easter Gardens

Ant made me this Easter Garden. The glass is significant: we've been off alcohol for Lent... The smaller kids had made more traditional gardens, with real flowers etc.

Lots of excitement

Ant is just back from a visit to Durham University, which she enjoyed greatly. She particularly liked the collegiate system and the loyalties and competition that engenders. I think St Andrews remains her first choice (after Oxford's lamentable poor judgement in not offering her a place), but Durham would be a very satisfactory second.

In the meantime, Charlie has been representing the school at a national running event, and came ninth in his leg of his race which he tells me was very good, though he's not sure how many were running, so it's hard to judge. Still, apparently he overtook 5 people and was overtaken by none, so it sounds ok. He's not home yet (it was an overnight trip) so I don't yet have the full details.

And I'm pleased as I have found a publisher who may be interested in a childrens' book I have written; and also an agent who is prepared to offer editorial advice and support who is sympathetic to what I'm trying to do.

And Bernie and Dominique have been having fun putting up the new tent we've just bought in the sales for this years' camping trips...

And Anna and I went to Dominique's parents' evening, which was very positive, too.

So everyone is in a state of high excitement.

Performing kids

Dominique was in a show doing ballet this evening - just got back in a state of high excitement - apparently it had gone very well. I had to miss it due to a choir practice, but Anna, Ant and grandma all went and said it was very good.

And tomorrow Charlie is in some dramatic improvisation for his drama class. Not sure what that one's about, but I think it's a three-line whip.

They're all a bit like me - doing loads of stuff to an OK standard, rather than concentrating on excellence in one area.

Renaissance man is my excuse...

Musical Kids

Charlie and Dominique were playing the piano in the local music festival the other day. Neither won his class, but each did well. The winners in each class were truly exceptional, and clearly practice far more than our kids.

We take a reasonably light touch towards music: we want them to learn instruments and enjoy them, for a variety of reasons, but we do not expect any of them to become professionals (knowing a few professional musicians, I am not sure I would wish that on anyone!). So we insist they practice regularly if they want to continue having lessons, but only for a short time each day (charlie and Bernie often play for a lot longer just for fun, which I take to be a good sign).

This light touch approach has got both Ant and Bernie to grade 7 or thereabouts on a couple of instruments each - and still enjoying them. It will be interesting to see if Ant keeps up either or both when she heads off to University this autumn.

And, just for fun, we occasionally convene the family jazz band and busk our way through things like the Muppets theme tune.

Half term continues....

Another good walk yesterday - up in the hills where there are still deep snow drifts in some sheltered parts. Snowy picnics are particularly memorable, and as it was a longish walk (5 hours or so) there was plenty of time for everyone to talk to everyone... I find that walking as a family does provide a great opportunity to spend time together in conversation, and even in silence. Bernie and I spent some time talking about her A Level options and how she might choose between them, in a very relaxed, no-pressure kind of way that was simply different from trying to have that kind of conversation at home when one or other of us would have something else that needed doing at any moment.

Today, I got the whole lot of them gardening: digging stones out of anew bed and importing topsoil from the lane behind the house where the rain has washed it over the winter. Again, there is something about working together that is very satisfying: as is getting a visible result from just a few hours' work.

Off to c aconcert tonight, and friends coming tomorrow. Life is just one social whirl...

Family Jazz

Another entertainment is the family jazz band. With all the kids at varying degrees of competence on first or second instruments we can now line up with various combinations of flute, trombone, piano, cello, drums, electric violin and clarinet. At present they are working on You’ve Got a Friend in Me (from Toy Story) and are planning to do the Bare Necessities, the Pink Panther theme and one or two others over the Christmas Break.

I’m also teaching them to sing a carol or two in four part harmony (I take the bass, Ant the tenor, Bernie the Alto, and Charlie and Dominique sing the treble line.

Those kids...

This afternoon Ant took the other kids down to the local river, and set up an abseil off the bridge for them. She went first, then realised getting back up was a problem: dangling over the river too far from the shore. I think Bernie lowered a second rope and helped heave her up. After that they sorted a system that worked and all four of them took turns descending as quickly as they dared to just above the water and then being hoiked up by their siblings. And to think, they could have been safely at home watching TV...

Helmets and risk

I mentioned I don't wear a helmet when cycling and don't encourage my kids to either. There are various reasons for this. One is probably sheer cussedness (aka pride). But there is more to it than that.

I think that there are a number of cultural agendas at work which I choose to counter.

One is the preference of the authorities to keep us living in fear. The populace is much more malleable and prepared to accept much more dictatorial government when it is scared. So to convince us that everything (even cycling!) is a high risk activity increases the power of the politicos.

The press collude with this. Their love is drama - that's what sells papers and news bulletins. So dramatic accidents are great for them - which is one of the reasons why most people in this country have a much greater fear of accidents than the statistics warrant. (the same is true of crime, particularly violent crime).

Then of course we have the commercial interests. Cycle helmet manufacturers would sell far fewer of their products if we weren't all indoctrinated to believe that cycling without a helmet is the equivalent of ordering a pint of hemlock at your local.

Finally there is the general consumer mentality: no longer can you tuck your trouser leg into your sock and hop on your bike. You have to put on your lycra cycling shorts and top, your special cycling shoes, your helmet and so on. (Have you noticed how all casual activities have now been deemed to require huge amounts of specialist clothing and kit?)

So I eschew all that.

We do assess and mitigate risk. But I think the risk of my kids being scared of life and unable to cope with a few knocks is far greater than the risk of their getting brain damage by not wearing a cycle helmet.

And experience suggests I'm right. The kids are always falling out of trees, off bikes, from swings and so on. They have far more petty injuries than their peers. They are also braver and tougher (in the sense of putting up with a scratch or a scrape) and most significantly have far fewer serious injuries: they learn (the hard way) to take reasonable care.

Enjoying cycling...

We were out cycling the other day in the local hills - off road, but on a decent lane. As usual, we were in t-shirts shorts and sandals, and we passed numerous other cyclists, al lycra-clad, with helmets, often sunglasses and occasionally knee and elbow pads. Their bikes, of course, all had disk brakes, independent front and rear suspension and more gears than I've had hot dinners.

My first thought was that we were almost certainly having more fun than they were. I like the wind in my hair - I hate having a helmet on. But on second thoughts, I think they were having a different type of pleasure to us. Their pleasure, I imagine, at least in part, consists in having all the right gear - almost ostentatious consumption.

I still prefer our way of course.

A cry of horror went up on the Catholic Dads blog when I revealed we cycled without helmets. I will address this business of risk and fear in another post.