My journey to work now involves a bus ride, replacing the 20 minute walk to the old college with a 15 minute bus ride and 10 minutes walking. I read at the bus stop and on the bus when I'm not talking to someone, which has happened on about half the journeys. The college promised a deal of 10% discount on the buses for all staff as an incentive not to drive (the other incentive is limited parking and the prospect of a long walk once you have found a parking space!) but it hasn't yet been forthcoming. Discount or not, the journey to and from work is rather pleasant and I am quite happy with the arrangement (although it hasn't rained yet). I am reading a book (fiction) about the experiences of two Jamaican immigrants to south London in the late 40s and early 50s. It is quite shocking to consider how they were treated and a shame that there are some parallels now although, I think, that these are less racially motivated and more nationalistic.
Sixth form
Sixth form
Ben has started his A levels. He is still sure of his choices and is looking forward to studying but now realises that he should have taken GCSE Chemistry if he wants a career in some area of biology. He is now looking into how he can get this GCSE and will probably need to go to evening classes. When he chose his GCSEs he couldn't decide between music and chemistry but decided to go for music as he really enjoyed it. Hopefully, he will be able to get the GCSE before he applies for university. He is doing two sciences at A level and so the chemistry should be achievable.
We had a major discussion about the fact that some of his friends are getting EMA, which is only paid to students whose parents earn less than £30k. As the money goes straight to the student, Ben considered this to be unfair. He has always had a small allowance and earns plenty of money helping with the coaching at the tennis club but he seems to be trying to save to fund himself through university (I assume this as he is very reluctant to spend any of his money). In the end we agreed that I would stop his allowance completely and he would have the child benefit money each week on condition that he pays for most things himself. On the basis that if he wasn't at school I wouldn't be getting the child benefit, I thought this was a reasonable arrangement.
Babysitting
Beccy has been looking after the two children next door. It started when she and Antoine played with them out in the garden and has built up from there. She has been out with Katy, Austin and Rory and has kept the boys entertained all day. She has now done a couple of little spells of babysitting for some pocket money and seems both to enjoy it and to do it well.
Kent and Aylesford football
Beccy has started her training for Kent. She travelled on the bus to meet Brian at work and get a lift to the training ground, which was nearby. She is getting more and more independent but is doing it slowly, which is by far the best way.
In her first league match of the season, Beccy was awarded parents' player of the match and scored a hat trick. She has set herself a target of scoring more goals this season than last. As she scored 6 goals last season, she is well on the way to reaching this target. She scored a goal in the second match despite being in defence (she ran forward for a corner) and then in goal.
Tennis
Ben reached the final of the Gravesham Spring Open Tournament but lost in three sets. He is getting better at matches and is showing more consistency between his playing ability and ability to win matches which, before, were totally opposite to each other.
Ben also reached the final of the consolation draw for the Gravesham Autumn Tournament, which he won 6-0, 6-4. He got another trophy to add to his growing collection.
Running
Ben ran in the Demelza House 5k run at Mote Park and came second with a time of 21 mins and 24 second.
His friend Amreek came first with a personal best time of around 18 minutes. Ben got a nice glass trophy and a certificate.
Heavy Horse Show
Brian helped out at the scouts tea tent to raise money for the group. He spent most of the day , as he has done each year, manning the urns for the tea and coffee. I'm sure he really enjoys it! I helped toward the end of the day first selling cakes and then washing up. I took the explorers there (Ben, Ben and Ross) in the morning then went home to collect Beccy from football before returning later in the afternoon. I filled the car with fuel on the way to Shoreham but when I went to leave to pick Beccy up it wouldn't start. Brian managed to start it but we thought it best if I drove his car back. At the end of the show, I drove my car back to the scout hut dropping the explorers at home on the way. We packed everything away at the hut and got ready to go home. My car wouldn't start again. After several tries at bump starting it, with all the leaders and helpers pushing, we couldn't get it to start so we borrowed a tow rope and towed it home. It was now so late that we decided to have fish and chips for dinner. Brian wondered if I had let it run out of fuel and I told him that I had put some in that morning and realised only then that I had filled it with petrol! £250 pounds later it had been recovered to a diesel centre, drained and flushed and, luckily, no damage had been done. I hope I will be more with it in the future!
London Aquarium
On the 7th, Beccy and I took Alexander to the London Aquarium. We thought it would be better than the zoo as there would always be something to see. He loved it. He followed the fish with his hands and chattered away, eventually wearing himself out and falling asleep in his buggy.
We met Dan and Helen at Liverpool St Station to pick him up and drop him off and they had a day at the Westfield Shopping Centre and had lunch. We had a look at the statue commemorating the Kindertransport, the trains which brought Jewish children from Germany and Nazi occupied countries to be look after by families in England and other countries. It made me consider how desperate those parents must be to consider sending their children on those trains to foreign countries, imagine having to make that choice and how awful the situation must have been for them.
Bedgbury Forest Run
Ben, Dan and Joe ran the 10k on the 12th September. Ben and Dan both ran personal best times: Ben 47 minutes, Dan 56 minutes. Helen, Beccy and I ran the 2k fun run. Beccy managed 6 minutes, Helen 9 and me 10 minutes (which was my target). Natalie, Josh, Izzy and Mum also ran completing it well before us as we arrived at the start line 10 minutes late. Even so, Beccy managed to overtake Mum before the end!
After a picnic for Nat's birthday, Brian, Ben, Beccy, Natalie, Paul, Jodie, Josh, Izzy and Joe did the Go Ape course. Most of them were quite keen on leaning out on the harnesses so that they were lying on air. They all completed the course but it took 4 hours.
I took Alexander into the children's play area and put him on the little rocking horses on springs. He soon worked out how to rock himself and I crouched in front just he case he wobbled off. After quite a while he was still going but I was struggling to crouch down. I decided to get on the rocking horse and sit behind him. Unfortunately, as soon as I got on it tipped backwards and Alexander and I fell to the floor. He landed on top of me and cried a little but soon forget about it when I put him back on and crouched at the front again. He chattered away making all sorts of sounds.
Leeds Castle 10k run
On the 27th, Ben, Dan and Joe ran 10k at Leeds Castle in aid of Cancer Research. Joe ran a little faster than at Bedgebury but Ben and Dan both ran a little slower. The course was a little more difficult.
Age of Stupid
We went to a screening of this film at the Hazlitt Theatre. The publicity material said that it would be thought provoking and it did give us quite a bit to talk about. Beccy said that she enjoyed it and asked about getting other people to see it. She might try to persuade her school to show it at their film club and I will try to do the same at the college. The frightening thing about the message in the film was that if we don't tackle the problem of climate change, which is a real possibility, the effects could start early enough that Ben and Beccy will be only around the age that Brian and I are now and their children would feel the full effects. I don't want to leave a world that my children and grandchildren will find it difficult to live in and, like a growing number of people, I want to do something about it. We have been trying to live more sustainably for many years, we have reduced what we buy, we buy locally, only Brian drives to work, we heat our water by solar energy and our house with wood fuel. We do all the things that we are told will help but we need to do more. It's all very well being told to recycle but recycling vast amounts of unnecessary waste is not the answer, we have to not buy the stuff in the first place, that way we are not using precious resources and not generating the tons of carbon emissions associated with the production of all these needless items. We need to fight to get our economy based on a totally different basis. Consumerism really does cost the earth and unless it stops there is little hope. It really makes me cross when I hear people talking proudly about how they got a brilliant bargain in the clothes shops or the supermarket. There is no thought about why that item was so cheap. It will have been produced in a non-sustainable way and is almost certain to have been produced in such a way that it will have caused poverty for someone somewhere, so that someone here can have yet another pair of trousers to add to their crowded wardrobe or another pack of food that will go past its use by date because it wasn't needed. If companies only sold what was actually needed then they wouldn't need to advertise, the market would be knocking on its door.
Other events
I joined the community gospel choir organised by the Salvation Army in Chatham. I really enjoyed the first practice session although I found it very difficult to hit my notes. The sopranos and tenors were quite loud and I couldn't hear or place the alto notes. Hopefully, it will get easier.
Beccy went to a cricket day organised by the army. She really enjoyed it but, hopefully, the careers talk was something she didn't take too much notice of. They did team building games and quite a bit of cricket leaving her wanting to join a cricket club if she has any time.
Ben has been organising days out with his explorer friends and with his friends from school. He has actually started to use his mobile phone and seems to send and receive continuous text messages at times. He is obviously enjoying it.
Brian's company is hanging on. It is a struggle to keep the cash flowing and he seems to get a little bit down every now and then but it is still going. Talks of a takeover by another company haven't yet resulted in a deal and it is difficult to tell whether it will be beneficial or not. Taking one day at a time seems to be the best option for now.
