Happy 2018 to Us All!

Our favourite robin
Our Crown Cottage Christmas Robin

Happy 2018!

It feels as if 2017 has been and gone in a flash. That is probably just as well as no one wants to linger long on all the dismal events facing us in the news daily, not to mention Brexit, Trump, terrorist and physical disasters. As far as the wider world goes, let’s hope 2018 goes by in a happier flash. Continue reading Happy 2018 to Us All!

Remembering My Mother, Rachel Hall

Today would have been the 108th birthday of my mother, Rachel Marion Hall nee Gartside-Tippinge. She was born on 19th November 1909 and died on December 3rd 1990 at just 81. I remember her with great love and affection, as do my brother John and sister Ruth, and as do all her nine grandchildren and the numerous nephews and nieces who were all so precious to her. Continue reading Remembering My Mother, Rachel Hall

Saluting the ‘older’ generations

Ravenscourt Park 26/03/2017Happy Mothering Sunday on this wonderfully sunny spring day to all mothers, grannies and great grannies, young and old.

Remembering of course that soon as one becomes a parent, one automatically moves into the ranks of ‘the older generation’, however young one feels or might actually be in years.

After all, what does age matter? Old age is what others attribute to you, not necessarily at all how you feel inside. Continue reading Saluting the ‘older’ generations

Confessions…

Still thinking about our schooldays…

‘After all, we’re raising you as future leaders of our country’ our nuns used to tell us, more than somewhat threateningly, when they felt the need to justify some harsh but apparently entirely necessary ruling.

So much for training up the country’s leaders, more frequently Continue reading Confessions…

It’s like Lord of the Flies all over again, but with adults

Won’t we all be relieved when the Referendum is over?

I said I wouldn’t ever bring politics into the Marionfs blog. And this isn’t politics, it’s much more serious than that. It’s a reflection on the sheer nastiness that the Referendum has caused. It seems to have released so much anger and viciousness, ridiculous threats and wild promises in a country that has prided itself on democracy, fair play and decency, and hopefully producing leaders one could look up to.

It’s like Lord of the Flies all over again, but with adults, many of whom are our country’s leaders, and with whom we have entrusted our future. If behaviour like this had broken out on the school playground heads would have been knocked together weeks ago, and stern lectures delivered about growing up, about kindness and consideration for others even if they don’t agree with you, and never thinking you can bully and insult anyone who does not wish to join your gang.

One hopes the dreadful shooting of an MP going about her business supporting her constituents might be a wake up call to all concerned. So I was rather disillusioned to read just now that MPs were instead discussing their own security.

Naively (and maybe they are) I would have liked them also to be discussing together how they might conduct themselves these last few days before the 23rd, and then how they can possibly try to restore some sort of an equilibrium afterwards when so much lasting damage has already been caused by both sides.

Here endeth my heartfelt rant.  Forgive me, but like so many others, one feels so helpless and frustrated, and anxious about the future, which ever side ‘wins’.

You’ll have to wait until the next post to hear about our own little dramas…