Weekend...

Pete & I have just got back from an epic 4-hr trip to John Lewis which involved buying lights, a kettle, and curtain material; and creating a possible-things-to-buy list covering rather a lot more.

[falls over splat]

I do approve of their 'customer collection' thing which means that you can buy something & send it off to the Customer Collection dept, & then pick it up on your way out. Rather than having to drag stuff around with you.

Yesterday I got up hideously early to go to Colindale to teach, but thankfully less hideously early than I expected due to the splendid Dr Phil giving me a lift. Hurrah. Was somewhat nervous about the day - doing a Philosophy of Mind course with a group of 12 10-13 yr olds - but in fact it went really, really well. The kids were interested in what we were doing & in general engaged with it & really tried to give things some thought. Some of 'em were, of course, doing better than others (one kid in particular was *way* ahead of everyone else - at the end he said to me "I'm really glad that I'm not mad for thinking about this stuff - if I talk about any of this to my friends at school they just look at me funny". I have suggested he try going on one of the residential courses as I think he'd get on really well); but that's to be expected & the important point was that they were giving it a decent try.

So after 6 hrs of that (we had breaks & lunch, but I was the only adult present so was on-duty for the duration) I was simultaneously enormously hyper (because it's *really good fun* doing this sort of teaching when it goes well) and absolutely knackered :-)

Arrived home to find that Pete had successfully returned from the Far Wilds of Florida, which was entirely splendid news :-) So there was much snuggling to catch up on. Constructed dinner, chatted to beingjdc for a bit when he dropped round, & then headed down to Balham for a swift half with Mike, Rich & Mark (friends from college). Haven't seen them in *ages* (well, other than Mark, who was down for Nick Cave a couple of weeks back) & it was really good to be able to catch up. The pub had a late licence, but we bailed around closing time anyway due to both being shattered. (I suspect the lads didn't last much longer; it was getting very loud indeed in there, & there were many drunk people trying to dance & suchlike).

And, yes, today = John Lewis. Argh.

In further house update: the reason we now feel able to go out & spend vast sums of money on house-apparatus is that we exchanged on Friday, hurrah! Completion date is next Friday. Meep.

Weekend...

Pete & I have just got back from an epic 4-hr trip to John Lewis which involved buying lights, a kettle, and curtain material; and creating a possible-things-to-buy list covering rather a lot more.

[falls over splat]

I do approve of their 'customer collection' thing which means that you can buy something & send it off to the Customer Collection dept, & then pick it up on your way out. Rather than having to drag stuff around with you.

Yesterday I got up hideously early to go to Colindale to teach, but thankfully less hideously early than I expected due to the splendid Dr Phil giving me a lift. Hurrah. Was somewhat nervous about the day - doing a Philosophy of Mind course with a group of 12 10-13 yr olds - but in fact it went really, really well. The kids were interested in what we were doing & in general engaged with it & really tried to give things some thought. Some of 'em were, of course, doing better than others (one kid in particular was *way* ahead of everyone else - at the end he said to me "I'm really glad that I'm not mad for thinking about this stuff - if I talk about any of this to my friends at school they just look at me funny". I have suggested he try going on one of the residential courses as I think he'd get on really well); but that's to be expected & the important point was that they were giving it a decent try.

So after 6 hrs of that (we had breaks & lunch, but I was the only adult present so was on-duty for the duration) I was simultaneously enormously hyper (because it's *really good fun* doing this sort of teaching when it goes well) and absolutely knackered :-)

Arrived home to find that Pete had successfully returned from the Far Wilds of Florida, which was entirely splendid news :-) So there was much snuggling to catch up on. Constructed dinner, chatted to beingjdc for a bit when he dropped round, & then headed down to Balham for a swift half with Mike, Rich & Mark (friends from college). Haven't seen them in *ages* (well, other than Mark, who was down for Nick Cave a couple of weeks back) & it was really good to be able to catch up. The pub had a late licence, but we bailed around closing time anyway due to both being shattered. (I suspect the lads didn't last much longer; it was getting very loud indeed in there, & there were many drunk people trying to dance & suchlike).

And, yes, today = John Lewis. Argh.

In further house update: the reason we now feel able to go out & spend vast sums of money on house-apparatus is that we exchanged on Friday, hurrah! Completion date is next Friday. Meep.