Maths and 10 year olds

As someone who can barely remember what I had for lunch each day for the last week I am struggling to check my daughter's maths homework, despite being an accountant for more years than I care to recall. We have recently been looking at the differences between area and volume today. I became more than a little agitated -at one point I looked skywards and must have transmitted my dismay to my daughter. Looking on the bright side of things she patently has no problem with English because her reply was "I'm not stupid dad, just partially confused" 

Pointless Signs: Harewood House Yorkshire

The first in an occasional series focusing on signs that, quite frankly, would have been better left unmade.
I was enjoying a rather pleasant Saturday afternoon walk in the grounds of Harewood House in Yorkshire. The house itself is owned by a noble family closely related to the Queen and is well worth a visit. The grounds however, like so many gardens and grounds of the once grand country houses of the nobility, have seen better days. The fact that there is not a staff of twenty gardeners anymore is probably the main reason for this. There are some good walks to be had though, and the walled garden and lake on the far side of the estate looked as if they would provide a quiet few miles of walking.

Back to my walk, I was ambling along the path skirting the lake when my attention was caught by a small notice about 20 feet off to the right in the surrounding woods. Being a rather inquisitive sort of person I naturally took a detour from the path and went closer to read what it had to say. You judge for yourselves if the notice was worth making.

   

Abbot Park Farm Campsite

The family have just returned from a great little camping holiday in The Lake District. The second holiday under proofed polyurethane this year. The site we selected was a great find. I am so happy with this site that I am, in some ways, reluctant to publicise it. We arrived on a Wednesday evening and pitched the tent. Our new tent takes about 45 minutes to put up, a far cry from my days of two man North Face tents that took about 4 minutes to pitch. A little while later our friend and her daughter arrived from Birmingham - that made three tents on the site. The next morning the other tent left and we were just two tents for the next night. One more family arrived on the Friday - so not the busiest site in the Lakes.

The site has only basic facilities, shower block, dish-washing block and no electrical hook-ups. However, what is there is spotlessly clean and of a good standard. The prices were reasonable too.
The jewel in the crown though was the tearoom attached to the farm, great cakes, cuppas and soft drinks at reasonable prices. They do breakfasts by arrangement too. They will also charge up phones etc, and freeze your ice blocks.

The farm is near to Ulverston and is at the southern ends of lakes Windermere and Coniston. there are lovely walks nearby on moors, lakeside and forest. I had forgotten how pretty the English lakes can look.
We enjoyed it so much we are going back for a few days in September to do some walking on the moors at the back of the farm which look over Lake Coniston. It really re-charged my batteries and I look forward to another session - truly away from it all soon.

http://www.abbotpark.co.uk/index.html

There I was thinking the cost of telecommunications had dropped...

I recently ran out of charge in my mobile phone battery and had to phone home for a lift from my wife. I managed to locate a public phone in York railway station. I rummaged in my pocket for some change and deposited a ten pence piece in the slot. I then dialled the number and... nothing. I read the directions in case the procedure had changed since last I used a phone. It was then I read with horror that I needed to deposit 60 pence in the slot. No matter I thought, I'll only be a minute, I'll get 40 pence change. Wrong; it took the lot!

A call of about 40 seconds cost 60 pence. Cherish those free minutes from your mobile operator and keep the battery charged up, you can't afford a public phone box. 

Time to Stop

I tell you, it's been a trying time
We've been trying to tell the time

It began at quarter past nine just fine
By quarter to ten they began to whine

The journey from digital to analogue
The tale I'll tell you via this blog

They seem to have a mental block
Regards the mighty shiboleth 'clock'