See the effects of the earthquake in Japan, and the fighting in Libya does put things into perspective. The kitchen floor isn't really very significant.
Having said that, I find the prospect of Cameron saying we have to go and help Libyans when he is in the process of making life hellish for so many Brits. He can't afford to give support to live to the disabled in the UK but he can help India (not a struggling economy).
There is another legal challenge being made against library cuts. There are now 4 that I know of, so there are probably lots more, which is encouraging.
I found it amusing that they decided not to mothball 2 spyplanes just yet. They were due out of service at the end of March but have been kept going till June because we want to see what is happening in Libya. If they are the only planes that we have that can do so, shouldn't they be kept after June too?
Friday, March 11, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Eileen Younghusband
Eileen Younghusband is a local author who is getting her second book published in May. Her first book was published a year ago, and her second one is with a different publisher who are doing much more to promote it. She will be 90 in July.
She is an astonishing person. During the war she was in charge of a filter room - which is where they plotted the planes flying to attack, and as little has been written about it, she wrote her biography - her first book. There was so much interest in the war parts that she has written much more about it in the second book. She had done it on computer, she has a website, uses email and is more with it than many people 40 years younger than she is. She is on the radio, will be on local tv next month.
She is also great to talk to. She brought me round a proof copy of the book today and we had a lovely chat for nearly an hour. Apart from needing a stick to help her walk she is fit as a fiddle, and looks 20 years younger than her age. She is inspirational.
We had another local, Cathy Farr, delivering some books last week. Younger this time, she is probably in mid thirties to forties, and has written a teen novel based in a fantasy world, with one of the characters being her Irish wolfhound. She too is doing well, Waterstones in Cardiff are having a promotion for her in April.
Both of them have been asked by Barry library to take part in Adult Learners week in May, along with some well known people.
It is encouraging that people are achieving like this, and achieving at different periods of their lives. Great stuff.
She is an astonishing person. During the war she was in charge of a filter room - which is where they plotted the planes flying to attack, and as little has been written about it, she wrote her biography - her first book. There was so much interest in the war parts that she has written much more about it in the second book. She had done it on computer, she has a website, uses email and is more with it than many people 40 years younger than she is. She is on the radio, will be on local tv next month.
She is also great to talk to. She brought me round a proof copy of the book today and we had a lovely chat for nearly an hour. Apart from needing a stick to help her walk she is fit as a fiddle, and looks 20 years younger than her age. She is inspirational.
We had another local, Cathy Farr, delivering some books last week. Younger this time, she is probably in mid thirties to forties, and has written a teen novel based in a fantasy world, with one of the characters being her Irish wolfhound. She too is doing well, Waterstones in Cardiff are having a promotion for her in April.
Both of them have been asked by Barry library to take part in Adult Learners week in May, along with some well known people.
It is encouraging that people are achieving like this, and achieving at different periods of their lives. Great stuff.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Nearly holiday time
I will be in Spain this time next week.
I am hoping it will be warm, though the forcast for Cordoba is rainy for tomorrow, so I hope that gets it out of its system.
It is only a 5 day break but I am getting very excited about it.
I was packing at the weekend and resisting the urge to put jumpers in. Last year we went to Barcelona and I didn't take sandals or light clothes and I was way too hot. So I have packed sandals and light clothes.
I have lost my EHIC card somehow, though where it is is anyone's guess, so I have phoned up to order a new one, and they helpfully also gave me an emergency phone number to use if it hadn't come through before I left. Hopefully I won't need it!
I was very organised last week and plotted out things to do in my diary at work for this week.
Have I done any of them?
No. Instead I discovered that I had a huge chunk of money to spend which noone had told me about, and of course it has to be invoiced by the end of March. Spending other people's money is hard work.
I am hoping it will be warm, though the forcast for Cordoba is rainy for tomorrow, so I hope that gets it out of its system.
It is only a 5 day break but I am getting very excited about it.
I was packing at the weekend and resisting the urge to put jumpers in. Last year we went to Barcelona and I didn't take sandals or light clothes and I was way too hot. So I have packed sandals and light clothes.
I have lost my EHIC card somehow, though where it is is anyone's guess, so I have phoned up to order a new one, and they helpfully also gave me an emergency phone number to use if it hadn't come through before I left. Hopefully I won't need it!
I was very organised last week and plotted out things to do in my diary at work for this week.
Have I done any of them?
No. Instead I discovered that I had a huge chunk of money to spend which noone had told me about, and of course it has to be invoiced by the end of March. Spending other people's money is hard work.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Busy, busy
I had a meeting in Port Talbot on Friday, and got out of it about 2.30. I decided not to go back to the office but to take the time as flex and finish early, so phoned the office to say so. A text message came up on my phone from one of the members of Bookclub. It was Chris apologising for not being able to come that night as she was unwell.
That night?????
I was hosting it and I thought it was next Friday, not that Friday. I phoned Margy to check, then headed to Sainsbury's to get some food in!
It was a bit flung together, but it was fine and we had a good evening. Just as well Chris sent the message because it would have been beans on toast otherwise.
Yesterday I attacked the garden and got the pruning done, though a few things were already in bud so fingers crossed they recover. Some things I have left to see if they come back to life after the cold winter. It was a pleasant day in the garden.
There was an interlibraries quiz for world book day in Caerphilly which I went to and which was fun except for the fact the heating was off in the hall and it was more than a bit chilly. I warmed up nicely in Debbie's car coming home, then discovered I had been locked out and had to wait in the garage for Adam to get back from Bridgend where he was dropping Nic off. I was NOT amused.
I have The Mikado on tv at the moment. It was the first G&S operetta I ever sang when I went to college and I have worked out that it was 39 years ago. Good lord. I can still sing most of it though, probably better than some of the things I have learnt more recently. certainly better than the Bach I am supposed to singing. It is version which was done by ENO some years ago with Eric Idle playing Koko and which we actually went to see in London, and has survived the transition to tv from stage well, though the did just film the stage production.
I still love G&S. It gives me a sort of rosy feeling of amusement and enjoyment, as well as lots and lots of memories associated with the ones I have sung in. They are just such fun.
That night?????
I was hosting it and I thought it was next Friday, not that Friday. I phoned Margy to check, then headed to Sainsbury's to get some food in!
It was a bit flung together, but it was fine and we had a good evening. Just as well Chris sent the message because it would have been beans on toast otherwise.
Yesterday I attacked the garden and got the pruning done, though a few things were already in bud so fingers crossed they recover. Some things I have left to see if they come back to life after the cold winter. It was a pleasant day in the garden.
There was an interlibraries quiz for world book day in Caerphilly which I went to and which was fun except for the fact the heating was off in the hall and it was more than a bit chilly. I warmed up nicely in Debbie's car coming home, then discovered I had been locked out and had to wait in the garage for Adam to get back from Bridgend where he was dropping Nic off. I was NOT amused.
I have The Mikado on tv at the moment. It was the first G&S operetta I ever sang when I went to college and I have worked out that it was 39 years ago. Good lord. I can still sing most of it though, probably better than some of the things I have learnt more recently. certainly better than the Bach I am supposed to singing. It is version which was done by ENO some years ago with Eric Idle playing Koko and which we actually went to see in London, and has survived the transition to tv from stage well, though the did just film the stage production.
I still love G&S. It gives me a sort of rosy feeling of amusement and enjoyment, as well as lots and lots of memories associated with the ones I have sung in. They are just such fun.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
New phone
I have a new mobile phone.
It looks very much like the old one, but is a bit fancier.
I am pleased with it.
It was not expensive, so I am pleased about that too.
I have downloaded a bit of real music off the radio and altered the ringtone, so I am pleased about that as well.
We did get leftover cakes, so I had 2 and was pleased about that as well.
All in all a fairly pleasing day
It looks very much like the old one, but is a bit fancier.
I am pleased with it.
It was not expensive, so I am pleased about that too.
I have downloaded a bit of real music off the radio and altered the ringtone, so I am pleased about that as well.
We did get leftover cakes, so I had 2 and was pleased about that as well.
All in all a fairly pleasing day
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Ebooks and mobile phone
My mobile phone went kaput this morning. I set it on to charge, which it declined to do.
This is sad because the phone did everything I wanted it to, and I was perfectly happy with it.
However as it only cost me £14 a good few years ago, I don't think it really owes me anything, and as I don't know what is wrong with him, it will be cheaper to buy a new one than try to fix the old one. Orange have a phone fund which puts £1 in every time you top up by £10 (though it has a life span of 1 year so it doesn't keep building forever) so I have £20 sitting there which I will use.
For the moment I am using the emergency phone, which is donkeys years old and has few functions - old an clunky - but it works.
Harper Collins have been a hot topic on the lis-lib emails today. They have decided that they will only let libraries have 26 issues from an ebook, and then the ebook will self destruct. The providers for libraries have a digital rights management package which dictates the length of time the item is on loan from a library, and Harper Collins have now decided that they will only let libraries have 26 issues from any book they 'buy'. The consensus seems to be that libraries will now merely be renting the books, rather than buying them. I would consider any book that issued less than 26 times in its shelf life to be very underworked. Some of our books issue more than 150 times. Overdrive - the company which provides the service to loads of libraries - have said they will put Harper Collins books onto a sub site which will enable librarians to avoid buying them. Some people are saying that they won't buy the physical copies either.
We have the tender assessment for the ebooks pilot on Friday, which was going to be interesting before all this blew up, but will be even more interesting now.
This is sad because the phone did everything I wanted it to, and I was perfectly happy with it.
However as it only cost me £14 a good few years ago, I don't think it really owes me anything, and as I don't know what is wrong with him, it will be cheaper to buy a new one than try to fix the old one. Orange have a phone fund which puts £1 in every time you top up by £10 (though it has a life span of 1 year so it doesn't keep building forever) so I have £20 sitting there which I will use.
For the moment I am using the emergency phone, which is donkeys years old and has few functions - old an clunky - but it works.
Harper Collins have been a hot topic on the lis-lib emails today. They have decided that they will only let libraries have 26 issues from an ebook, and then the ebook will self destruct. The providers for libraries have a digital rights management package which dictates the length of time the item is on loan from a library, and Harper Collins have now decided that they will only let libraries have 26 issues from any book they 'buy'. The consensus seems to be that libraries will now merely be renting the books, rather than buying them. I would consider any book that issued less than 26 times in its shelf life to be very underworked. Some of our books issue more than 150 times. Overdrive - the company which provides the service to loads of libraries - have said they will put Harper Collins books onto a sub site which will enable librarians to avoid buying them. Some people are saying that they won't buy the physical copies either.
We have the tender assessment for the ebooks pilot on Friday, which was going to be interesting before all this blew up, but will be even more interesting now.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Oops - too much cake
Today is St David's day so one of my colleagues brought in welsh cakes.
Another colleague brought in cup cakes because she has been making cakes for an event which is happening at St Athan library tomorrow, and these were the rejects. As Christine makes wonderful cakes, her rejects were a lot better than lots of peoples best ones.
So I ate cake.
Happy St David's day.
I do like the BBC year of the book.
I am watching My Life in Books most nights, and am fascinated by the selections which people make for the 5 books they get to chose on the programme. It is also great having a prime time tv programme, admittedly on BBC2, which is people being passionate about books. I love it.
One of my colleages is doing the World Book Day give away on Saturday. She chose 'The Spy who came in from the Cold'. Very amusingly she has a meeting with her naturist society on Saturday, so is going to give them away to people who must frequently feel the need to come in from the cold.
We have a South East libraries quiz on Saturday. We came a respectable second last year, which is the best thing because you do well, but don't have to host the next quiz. We need to try to come second again on Saturday.
Another colleague brought in cup cakes because she has been making cakes for an event which is happening at St Athan library tomorrow, and these were the rejects. As Christine makes wonderful cakes, her rejects were a lot better than lots of peoples best ones.
So I ate cake.
Happy St David's day.
I do like the BBC year of the book.
I am watching My Life in Books most nights, and am fascinated by the selections which people make for the 5 books they get to chose on the programme. It is also great having a prime time tv programme, admittedly on BBC2, which is people being passionate about books. I love it.
One of my colleages is doing the World Book Day give away on Saturday. She chose 'The Spy who came in from the Cold'. Very amusingly she has a meeting with her naturist society on Saturday, so is going to give them away to people who must frequently feel the need to come in from the cold.
We have a South East libraries quiz on Saturday. We came a respectable second last year, which is the best thing because you do well, but don't have to host the next quiz. We need to try to come second again on Saturday.
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