Well, I've got there at last! Finished school for the year, I'm now in London - my last evening in England for a while. We're off at 8am tomorrow morning so no end-of-term lie-in for me! It's really exciting to be going back to Canada again, and I'm looking forward to getting on a plane again (first time in 5 years or so) and later going by boat, ferry, horseback, white water raft, kayak, bus, rental car and who knows what else? Yay!
Everyone, have a great summer. If you feel like saying hi I'd love to hear about what you're up to (you could even leave me a 'hello' by replying to this post with a comment!) and I'll try and reply when i get connected.. Otherwise, I'll see you all soon xx
Friday, July 22, 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Family life
For a glimpse of life in the London Millers house check out this poem about my brother's birthday party preparations... it made me laugh a lot!
Saturday, July 16, 2005
War of the Worlds
If you haven't seen this yet (and especially if you don't know the book), look out for the splinter scene with his daughter.. it's the key to the whole story!
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Making house
I have been pondering recently the mystery of a 'good house' (and i'm not talking about the physical building). What are the things which make a house somewhere you'd want to live?
Something that's really important to me is hospitality, although I'm not always as good as I'd like to be! What makes a house hospitable? What makes it a warm place to be and somewhere you feel comfortable?
Here are some ideas to be starting off with..
Values shared by housemates (e.g. hospitality)
Full part played by every housemate (rights and responsibilities)
Shared ownership (seems important but hard to define exactly what I mean.. something like 'we're in it together')
Meals together
Joint 'expenses' (food etc)
Welcoming guests - whoever has invited them
Decisions discussed together and nothing 'assumed' (tricky!)
I like to have housemates who look out for me and aren't afraid to challenge me when necessary
Any others?
Something that's really important to me is hospitality, although I'm not always as good as I'd like to be! What makes a house hospitable? What makes it a warm place to be and somewhere you feel comfortable?
Here are some ideas to be starting off with..
Any others?
Postcard pathos
If you haven't seen it already, check out the link to Postsecret on Hils' Jog Blog. What a fantastic idea and in some cases an eye opener. The comments, as well as the postcards, are worth reading.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Durham Miners' Gala
The Gala (pronounced gae-la rather than gar-la apparently!) was great fun yesterday. I've never seen so many marching bands in one place before! Durham was as full as I've ever seen it and definitely not with students. The music and the banners were great and I was starting to feel some stirrings of socialist sympathy..but then the speeches started. So stereotypical that I couldn't take them seriously, they felt like some bizarre self-parody.
I felt completely out of my depth in some ways, a different country where I didn't really belong, or indeed never really visited. But I loved seeing some glimpse of the history of the people and the land up here..I feel like I understand Durham better for it.
I got chatting to various people during the day, on the street and in shops..everyone had a different take on the day, some merely resigned. A shopkeeper on North Road said they used to have to board up the shops along there, and there was certainly a very visible police presence on the street. We heard the odd rumour of 'trouble' later in the day, but generally it all seemed very good natured.
I felt completely out of my depth in some ways, a different country where I didn't really belong, or indeed never really visited. But I loved seeing some glimpse of the history of the people and the land up here..I feel like I understand Durham better for it.
I got chatting to various people during the day, on the street and in shops..everyone had a different take on the day, some merely resigned. A shopkeeper on North Road said they used to have to board up the shops along there, and there was certainly a very visible police presence on the street. We heard the odd rumour of 'trouble' later in the day, but generally it all seemed very good natured.
Journal
Seymour, in his article on journaling on our group blog has inspired me to start a proper journal again. His idea for a DNPQ structure appeals to me, so let's see how it goes!
I bought a niceish notebook from Smiths.. it has a quote from Proust on the front: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes", which kind of sums up what I see as part of the value in journaling. Being able to reflect on life, not only as you write, but as part of a larger whole, a 'history' if you like.
I bought a niceish notebook from Smiths.. it has a quote from Proust on the front: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes", which kind of sums up what I see as part of the value in journaling. Being able to reflect on life, not only as you write, but as part of a larger whole, a 'history' if you like.
Friday, July 08, 2005
World press
The BBC News website is always excellent and the depth and breadth of coverage regularly amazes me...I'm always coming across hidden gems of news, opinion and features. Anyway, enough of the advert, I thought this article gave a fascinating glimpse into the reaction from the world's media to yesterday's bomb attacks, many of them echoing the resilience theme.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Strange days
What a strange couple of days for London.
I was surprised yesterday by an unexpected strength of feeling about the Olympics announcement, a curious patriotic pride and triumph. I didn't expect us to win but when the announcement came I felt as if I was celebrating an almost personal victory, albeit a quietly-stated one.
Then today, it was with a calm shock that I listened to my year 8's talking about bombs in London. Surely not. But they wouldn't think to make up something like that, would they? I checked the news on my PC and was almost surprised to find out that it was true. I refused to panic or get excited and insisted that we continue with the lesson, despite cries to turn on the television in my lab. In continuing with normal life, I felt as if I was resisting, fighting back somehow. As I checked the BBC news I remember thinking, with a disconnected clarity, that the number of casualties seemed very low and surely there were a lot of gaps in the picture. I was on a split lunch lesson and when the bell came I rang home. Mum confirmed that everyone was fine and Bren had cycled to work in Hackney this morning.
She spoke, in a way I've heard repeated a few times this afternoon, (for example, on this digest of London blogs on the TimesOnline website) of the way in which Londoners would not be cowed by today's events and would go on regardless. As I spoke to her, I heard an echo of Blitz resilience come down from my Grandma, who speaks proudly yet frankly of the way in which Londoners went on with their lives as bombs dropped around them.
A blogger is quoted on the Times page saying:
"There is no other nation on earth that can absorb crisis with such calmness and professionalism as Britain..The terrorists’ anger towards us pales into insignificance with our determination to beat them. And we will."
Tony Blair echoed this determination in his speech which I saw repeated several times in the afternoon.
I feel so disconnected from events in London, and yet in me there's a strong pang of solidarity with my home city. I feel more like a Londoner than ever.
I'm finding it hard to picture familar places, like Liverpool Street station, closed and somehow defiled. The static familar images of my home seem violated, although I'm acknowledging in myself a lean towards the melodramatic here. Perhaps I'm overcompensating, because in some ways I'm struggling to feel anything, a sense of shock combined with distance has combined to give a slightly numb edge to my reflections.
In some ways, I'm trying not to imagine it.. I've spent too many hours in those packed underground carriages to want to picture being trapped down there in such confusion. On the other hand, stories of people making their way home across London this evening, an exodus by foot and boat, have the appeal of an adventure, of the making-do camaraderie that descends in such times. All in all, mixed feelings, or lack of. I feel a simultaneous need to talk about it yet not to brood on it, and there's lots to say, yet nothing really to add.
I was surprised yesterday by an unexpected strength of feeling about the Olympics announcement, a curious patriotic pride and triumph. I didn't expect us to win but when the announcement came I felt as if I was celebrating an almost personal victory, albeit a quietly-stated one.
Then today, it was with a calm shock that I listened to my year 8's talking about bombs in London. Surely not. But they wouldn't think to make up something like that, would they? I checked the news on my PC and was almost surprised to find out that it was true. I refused to panic or get excited and insisted that we continue with the lesson, despite cries to turn on the television in my lab. In continuing with normal life, I felt as if I was resisting, fighting back somehow. As I checked the BBC news I remember thinking, with a disconnected clarity, that the number of casualties seemed very low and surely there were a lot of gaps in the picture. I was on a split lunch lesson and when the bell came I rang home. Mum confirmed that everyone was fine and Bren had cycled to work in Hackney this morning.
She spoke, in a way I've heard repeated a few times this afternoon, (for example, on this digest of London blogs on the TimesOnline website) of the way in which Londoners would not be cowed by today's events and would go on regardless. As I spoke to her, I heard an echo of Blitz resilience come down from my Grandma, who speaks proudly yet frankly of the way in which Londoners went on with their lives as bombs dropped around them.
A blogger is quoted on the Times page saying:
"There is no other nation on earth that can absorb crisis with such calmness and professionalism as Britain..The terrorists’ anger towards us pales into insignificance with our determination to beat them. And we will."
Tony Blair echoed this determination in his speech which I saw repeated several times in the afternoon.
I feel so disconnected from events in London, and yet in me there's a strong pang of solidarity with my home city. I feel more like a Londoner than ever.
I'm finding it hard to picture familar places, like Liverpool Street station, closed and somehow defiled. The static familar images of my home seem violated, although I'm acknowledging in myself a lean towards the melodramatic here. Perhaps I'm overcompensating, because in some ways I'm struggling to feel anything, a sense of shock combined with distance has combined to give a slightly numb edge to my reflections.
In some ways, I'm trying not to imagine it.. I've spent too many hours in those packed underground carriages to want to picture being trapped down there in such confusion. On the other hand, stories of people making their way home across London this evening, an exodus by foot and boat, have the appeal of an adventure, of the making-do camaraderie that descends in such times. All in all, mixed feelings, or lack of. I feel a simultaneous need to talk about it yet not to brood on it, and there's lots to say, yet nothing really to add.
I've been googled!
"Ben Medlock" has the honour of being the first Google search term to produce a referral to my blog. It appears about 3 pages in... But who followed the link? I'm thinking it must be someone we know... care to own up?
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Make Poverty History
Saturday I was in Edinburgh for the Make Poverty History march, with my friend Helena and a friend of hers, Vic. It was my first protest and I had no idea what to expect. All a lot more organised and civilised than I'd thought! There was a great buzz though and the march around the city lots of fun.
While we were waiting to march, we looked around everywhere for a suitable banner and I was quite excited to acquire this Christian Aid banner and some Tearfund balloons... here I am posing proudly with my finds:
While we were waiting to march, we looked around everywhere for a suitable banner and I was quite excited to acquire this Christian Aid banner and some Tearfund balloons... here I am posing proudly with my finds:
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