Deborah Catesby

-
New website under Links!
This time by a genuine writer. And good friend.
Go check her out!

Retiree Students

-
It is quite en vogue these days for retired men to go back to university and take up a study, usually history or philosophy. The students proper are not always happy with these venerable older men who crowd the lectures and working groups, asking intelligent questions of teachers younger than themselves, and bringing their experience and maturity to the discussions.
I can’t blame them. University should be a place for venerable professors and inexperienced immature students, who should be able to stumble out of sight of fathers, their own or anybody else’s.
If Daddy is bored after retirement, and would like to explore new fields of knowledge, let him go to the library, either public, or that excellent research one, the Royal Library. There he can use the skills he learnt when he was a young student, doing research, writing a paper if he insists. And if he wants to discuss what he has studied, let hem start a debating group, where he can explore the essence of Kant versus Plato with fellow dads, and keep his brain sharp as a razor.
But for Pete’s sake, let him leave the university to those who belong there!

Hortensia

Black Annie

-
When we had just moved to the US I bought A. a black baby doll for her birthday. The white ones seemed uninteresting, having their eyes closed, while the black dolls looked sweet.
When A had unwrapped the package she immediately flung the poor baby into the corner of the room, because she smelled so chemical, we later found out.
However, when the smell had worn off, Annie became A’s favourite.
Jonathan, our Afro-American friend, was amazed, shocked in fact. How could a white girl have a black doll? But we, not having grown up in a racially conscious environment, we didn’t see why not.
Annie has remained A’s favourite, and Jon has since told the story as an example of cross-racial thinking.
We didn’t think it was such a big deal!

In de Wolken

The Earth is Humming

-
The earth is humming
a deep rumbling sound,
caused by the waves of the seas.

Is it content and unconcerned
about the creatures
crawling on its skin?

Is it happy in the wind,
rolling round in its diurnal course
with rocks and stones and trees?

Dal Bequet

Adam was Lost

-
Adam was lost. At the usual morning feeding ritual, only old Schmiego and Eva were present. Strange. Where could he be?
P. went upstairs and opened all the doors of the attic.
Nothing.
Five minutes later he came crying down the stairs: “I was all alone. You left me. I was all alone.”
“Adam,” I called. “Come on then, Adam.”
“I was all alone. Where were you?” he answered.
He didn’t care about food. He wanted to talk to us.
“I’m back,” he nuzzled his sister.
“I’m back,” he tried to follow Schmiego, who would have none of it.
“I’m back,” he told me, and daringly climbed onto the table where I was reading the paper.
“Yes, Adam,” I said. “You’re back.”
He is now checking out the familiar places.
Adam is back.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Cole Slaw

-
We had a delicious meal last night:

I roasted a peeled and coarsely chopped sweet potato in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary and thyme in a 225 centegrade oven until soft and browned at the edges. Mixed in some crème fraîche just before the end.

Served it with cole slaw: made a remoulade with half yoghurt/half mayonaise, salt, pepper, mustard, lemon juice and honey. Stirred into it some grated carrot and some shredded cabbage.

The biggest job of a dish like this is cleaning up! The rest is o, so simple

Serious Reading