Busyknitter

The whole family went for a breezy walk up Parlick in the Forest of Bowland this afternoon.

Once we got going we were fine, but there was an unexpected sticky moment when T flatly refused to get out of the car. Very perplexing as it’s quite out of character - generally he loves the open air and countryside and needs very little encouragement. The current working hypothesis is that we don’t often do car trips with all four of us together and when we do, they are generally very long and involve packets of Opal Fruits and Extra Strong Mints. Clearly we had deviated from the script.

Anyhow, the walk was great and we were all mesmerised by the paragliders whirling over our heads as we climbed the hill (which was very steep)

Was folding laundry in the bedroom yesterday evening and at the same time watching the beautiful and moving film Être et Avoir on BBC 4.The film doesn’t have a soundtrack and is generally very quiet, but I gradually became aware of a flowing baroque tune being played on a descant recorder. It didn’t really sound like it was coming from the television, it sounded close by. So I switched the sound off and, sure enough, the music carried on. It was coming from next door.

How very thrilling that a recorder player has moved into the house next door (it’s shared rented accommodation so there’s a certain amount of coming and going). Am I going to be able to resist the temptation to ask whoever it is if they want to play some duets?

I’m generally very happy with the school that our teenage son goes to. He’s happy, has a decent circle of friends, doesn’t get into serious trouble and seems to be actually learning a thing or two in most subjects. But tonight he came home with a story that just goes to show that the world will never be completely rid of terrible teachers.

His opening line was a cheery “I got a lunchtime detention in RE today, Mum. Do you want to hear how it happened?”

Me Uh-oh Did you not do your homework?

Firstborn No, nothing like that. We were discussing baptism, I asked a question and she gave me a detention for being blasphemous

Me So what was the question?

Firstborn Well I asked why people don’t wait till they are very old to get baptised, then they can be cleansed of all their sins and won’t have much time left to get into trouble again

Me Then what happened?

Firstborn She just gave me a stern look, said “I will not have blasphemy in my class” and told me to report for detention later.

So now lively kids get into trouble for asking intelligent questions (he swears blind he wasn’t cheeking her). He didn’t seem that bothered about it at all; a school boy acceptance of inevitable rough justice if you will; so, whatever. But GOOD GRIEF! Does the stupid woman not know deferring baptism was the norm in the early church till about AD400? The Emporer Constantine himself was baptised on his deathbed.

I offered to make him some “FREE the RE 1″ posters and report the case to Amnesty International. At which point he got cross with me for being silly.

But I seem to have accidentally landed a small solo part with my choir; We are doing a come and sing workshop on Saturday on Vivaldi’s Gloria, which includes an informal performance and I’ve gone and landed the second soprano part for the Laudamus Te. I only auditioned because it was a piece that I learnt nearly twenty years ago when I last had singing lessons.

eek!