Thursday 8 November 2012

Now I have to rearrange the furniture


Photographically, I agree. It isn't much. But it is the only record I have. That, and my ailing memory, which is now vague enough to fail to recall which day it is.

Things are looking bleak for me, mind-wise.

This morning I put the plastics recycling into wash cycle Economy Cotton. It was only when I was alerted to the little porthole window by the thump-thump-thump did I see a shampoo bottle, a tinfoil tray and a cake base enjoying their 30-degree cotton wash. For a moment I wondered how on earth they got in, before it dawned on me there was only one agent.

It is not, I am sorry to say, an isolated incident. My facial recognition system is breaking down too. I continue to mix up Shark and Tiger. This morning I accused Tiger of wearing Shark's clothes.

I do not know on what to blame this amnesia, apart from a short-circuit in the short-term memory. That, and trying to do too many things at the same time.

It set me thinking, anyhow, about how I set myself a modest goal then simultaneously set about frustrating my own attempts to achieve it. Like chronicling the days while trying to live them. Or fetching coal while holding a stack of Shark's freshly laundered trousers over one arm. These are not sensible approaches to multitasking.

Anyway, amnesia and confusion are not what I want to record. It is this isolated incident and today's home educational triumph, the subject of the photo, above. It is Creatures of the Night, courtesy of a local wildlife watch.

I love this group. One of the leaders has barely enough wildlife knowledge to distinguish bird from sheep and animal dead or alive but she maintains a wonderfully infectious bounce that makes you want to go Who cares! We're all outdoors in the dark, falling into ditches and walking into trees! The other leader imposes more stability and order, mostly by striding about in a manly fashion and pointing. This evening he is elevated to Supreme Lord of All, thanks to procuring what he tells us are 'military-spec night vision scopes' worth several thousand pounds, so give them back. The kids are thrilled to get their hands on these, scanning the treetops for a glimpse of green pigeon or the flash of a rabbit's arse as it high-tails under a bush.

It is not the point that we can see these creatures during the day, nor that I wonder what educational content there is with a leader who never knows whether it's a bush or a tree, not even that Creatures of the Night signally fails to offer what I would consider suitable night-time creature material - werewolves, vampires, zombies, the protection of an alert naked man, that sort of thing - the point is, er, um, the point is, er, actually I can't quite remember what the point is, but I am sure whatever was intended to be the focus of this post, that it was very, very good.

And look, we went on a walk in the dark and I took a picture of it, above.

1 comment:

sandjwhiches said...

grit, i have just discovered your blog, from your 2008 post "10 reason's not to home educate" and thank you. every post i have read makes me laugh. and i believe a happy mama benefits all :)