Thinking Conceptually

QUIZ SHOWER.

The contestant has to advise the quizmasters that she/he will be having a shower and then anticipate a number of questions that will be asked, at random, through the bathroom door while the contestant is actually having a shower.

1) Where is my ........?
If you can correctly grasp what....is and know where it is just off the top of your head, bonus points can be earned here!

2)Have you seen a pencil?
Bonis points for an answer that isn't dripping with sarcasm.

3)Can I use the loo?

4) Is my watch in there?

5) Mum, I still can't find my.......
More of a comment that a question, but still a test none the less.

6)How do you spell Rapunzel?

7) Bye I'm going, love you!
Again another comment, but the trick here is to discren that it isn't just another question and respond with ' LOVE YOU TOO' rather than ' OH WHAT IS IT NOW!!!'

8) Something Thomas says.
Even face to face in the morning is tough for Thomas.

9) Silence
The trick here is not to worry that something has gone wrong, and just carry on with the shower. If you get out at this point to find out what is happeneing, you've lost, because they'll all be fine!

10) Can I adopt a dophin?.


Another good game is: Get the contestant to sit in front of a mirror and begin drying their hair. The quizmasters rush in and jump around on the bed asking questions, which is a sneaky trick and you really have to focus here, so that later they absolutely CANNOT invoke ' YOU PROMISED!' against you.

An adaptation of this game is where the contestant has to work out what the quizmasters are saying by lip-reading backwards in the mirror.
Turning the hair dryer off at this point is a sign of weakness and leads to a bad hair day and then EVERYONE SUFFERS!!

Would this be funnier if it weren't true?

When is a dustbin not a dustbin?

Have you ever wondered what a dustbin might do when it's bored of sitting in your back yard being a dustbin? Well I haven't either until one came bouncing along the A406 towards me this morning. I have to admit, the last thing I thought was - 'Ah, so THAT'S what they get up to!'

How it didn't hit me, I do not know, but it clipped the guy beside me and caused a whole bunch of chaos behind.

Two cars in front of me was an open backed lorry with all kinds of stuff hanging off it, and the guy beside me put on a spurt of speed to catch up and force it into a layby. I didn't look after that!

Iwas also abused by guesture and word on the way home..... for sticking to the speed limit - ho hum!!

Shock Horror....Smile!

So, that's TWO photos courtesy of the Ministry of Transport in TWO months ; this time, 51 mph in a 40 mph zone approaching the roundabout on the A127 that used to be called The Five Bells, so take care there!

I am actually quite nervous now and have been advised that I am now in the ZERO tolerance zone - even 1mph over a limit with evidence to prove it and I think it's a hanging offence!

GULP!

It Does What It Says On The Tin.

KIDS ALIVE OUTSIDE

There were Kids, they were Alive ( and continued to be until home time, after that, I have no further knowledge, but assume all is well) and they were Outside - job done!



It rained, but not as heavily as the great storm of numpty nump, so we still have a legend to beat, but it was an awesome weekend.



Kids pushing the boundaries both physically and spiritually, some amazing challenges and activities, great teaching, stupendous worship ( well, I enjoyed it!), more than enough food ( phew), cooks who had it all under control, tuck to die for ( and smartly bagged too) great sharing with kids and adults alike and a bit of a tan to top it all off, but not quite dark enough to hide the MASSIVE bruise I sustained when falling out of a canoe in inappropriate attire.You should really read the kit list and follow the instructions the DCO gives you and remember that the activities are primarily for the children!



We have room for 80 kids, so friends in London North East - look out for the publicity for next year's event - it's already provisionally booked for the 20 - 22nd June 2008.

The Weather....and 53 kids going camping!

This is the weather forecast for the weekend. Heavy showers!!

So, at least we'll have a new wet camp tale to tell by Monday, the old one has become legendary and it's time to get real!

FACEBOOK

So, facebook is the new 'thing' and Keith's all depressed, 'cos he got into blogging to join in and now everyone's moved on. He's considering deleting his blog! I did tell him that everyone in the world could read it, not just friends, but even that didn't help. SO if you don't want Keith to deleted his blog, PLEASE comment on it :)

Facebook though - wow, it's taking over the world, and I was filling in my 'details' thinking, I'm really too old to be doing this you know, I don't think anyone else as old as me would be on here, when I received a hello from an old friend - possibly older than me, certainly old by facebook standards but I'm using the word to mean a friend from 'way back when'.

So there you go, Facebook works, but why and how?

I looked up some stuff on google (http://eduspaces.net/csessums/weblog/9412.html) and there was a study about a 14 year old girl doing badly at school, but spending a lot of time on Facebook,and Dr CD Sessums finds as follows:

It seems clear that the online virtual community fills, to some extent, a void in her face-to-face community, satisfying some pressing need.

If you were to randomly poll several hundred teenagers and ask them if they find school boring, I’m willing to bet an overwhelming majority would respond “yes, and how!” Online communities offer a range of possible friendships, cliques, and means to experiment in ways that face-to-face communities cannot.

One could argue that many parents have trouble responding to the identity development of their children and become disengaged and disconnected from the thoughts and feelings of their offspring. Clearly if parents and schools are not offering meaningful forms of identity formation (i.e., membership) and negotiability then children will likely seek communities and economies of meaning outside of it.

VERY interesting!

Elyse got a DS for Christmas and to add a 'fun for all the family' factor we bought the Brain Training pack. My brain age has gone from 75 -28 and hovered places inbetween depending how tired or stressed I'm feeling, but one of the cute things about the game is that it gives you handy hints on how to improve your brain activity 'in the real world'.

One of the tips? Get out and talk to people!

As well as being a good way to maintain relationships, it also exercises your prefrontal cortex.

So, I have been sucked into the world of Facebook, but I think I prefer to blog - I'm just a gobby girl.

ENERGISE!

So what?

· God is our strength – Here’s a radical “so what?” With the Spirit of God inside, you can stop praying prayers like, “God, please give me strength.” The fact is, he is your strength. Your prayers can move toward allowing his strength to transform you. (Strength is just an example here – this also applies to wisdom, peace, joy, etc.)

· Up close and personal – God is not a distant God. His spirit is working within you. Paul suggests this is a down payment on the eternity to come, but it also shows that God values intimate relationship over rules or religion.

· Expect God to work in you – You are “God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works ….” (Ephesians 2:10a NIV) Don’t hope that he’s at work in you; expect him to work in you, transforming you into a reflection of Christ. Ask God where he’s working in you, and then expect him to show you.

From todays Purpose Driven Reading - bold is mine, seems significant?!

The Sound ....of Silence

I know that to be found blogging on a Saturday might mark me out as some sad sack, but listen..........the sound of nature( or at least domestic noises that aren't coming from my house anyway)

After an eclectic week balancing going to work with actually being at home most of the week, I have a hour of solitude, while Keith has taken our progeny to the driving range - golf, not cars.

I imagine they will have a great time, but the reality is that there might be lots of rowing and misunderstanding going on and two enranged 8 years olds swinging golf clubs in anger against a dad who is laughing and a big bro. who is cringing with embarassment could get messy.

The last words I heard my daughter say as they all trailed out of the front door were something like ' It's not a competition is it, I mean it's just to get better isn't it?' and that would not have been for her benefit, she would have been announcing it to her brothers just in case they thought someone was going to be a 'winner'. Anyway, I'm not there to see it so... tra la!



So, I have the luxury of flicking though the Daily Mail that I bought in Tescos this morning and I have to say, it's a riviting read.


Damien Hirst has unvieled his latest creation called FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, a platinum cast of some skull he bought from a taxidermists and then encrusted in 8,601 flawless, ethically sourced diamonds - so it's fair trade too. He said' I was slightly worried that we would end up with an Ali G ring. You want it to be flawless,like a diamond'

Why the title though? There is actually no mention of that in the article.

Maybe the answer lies in another quote if his, 'I hope it makes the people who see it feel good, that it's uplifting, that it takes their breath away'

Read into that what you will - rest assured I'm going to be having some very sparkley nightmares.


It seems that the RSPB are banning the use of the word cock to describe a male bird for fear of offending some of their more 'delicate subscibers' and the Scout's Forest Chapel has been torn down after 70 years because it might offend non Christians. Now that headline was carefully thought out because it is supposed to entice the reader into thinking that a bunch of thugs had gone in and desicrated it. It was actually demolished properly and in it's place - a camp fire setting. I'm not saying it's right, but to sensationalise it really isn't ( I know, buy a better paper than the MAIL for proper news)


Oh, what IS the world coming to?


And then there's Big Brother and a very intersting article by an undercover reporter who nearly made the final cut as a housemate.If what she writes is to be believed then what a twisted and abusive production team runs THAT show, like you hadn't realised already. Goodness I thought my last posting was dark and murky, but they take the biscuit ( whatever that means)


Finally, further to becoming a CRIM for doing 57 mph in a 40 mph zone ( road works on the A13, not a residential area, but it's still wrong so I am sorry!) I had to get my picture taken for a new driving licence, as the old paper one went into the washing machine ( not at the same time as my phone I hasten to add!) and actually - it's not half bad!!

The young lady in the booth before me was getting one done for her passport - I knew this because her flustered dad was saying, 'Oh come on, it's only for your passport' and she was on her final chance to get it right before having to pay another £3.50. I helpfully said,'Well she will have it for 10 years' and from behind the curtain a hand extended with a thumbs up. We all laughed hahahahahahaha!


Yep....still quiet... aahh lovely :)