New Year 2012

Happy New Year, I hope it will not be quite as dramatic as 2011 but no doubt it has something stored up for me besides the Olympics.  For members of the family there are some milestones already in place.  Eve will have a major building project to look after when they start work on the extension to their house.  Grace has just got to get a job in the USA (Can anyone help her with contacts and/or advice?).  Mark deserves promotion and his book will be published and that will be terrific.  I think that Liz and me need a holiday and we are definitely going for a walk or two with the Disabled Ramblers Association.  I have all time in the world, now that I am no longer employed by anybody - I finally gave up my position at Middlesex University on 31st December.  The University has made me an Emeritus Professor, which is an honorary position in recognition of my work over the years; so that I can stay involved with the Institute for Workbased Learning, as well as continue to use the title of professor.  It is a funny feeling after all the years of grind commuting and long hours.  The most noticeable feature is the rapid decline in e-mail traffic!    Mark who lectures at York University told me he had received over 400 emails over the official closure period of the university, that’s ridiculous! But when they no longer arrive that’s when you know you are surplus to requirements!

One way I am using my time is lending my contemporary ceramics collection to Craven Museum for an exhibition lasting three months.  I have been collecting ceramics for more than 30 years, only stopping recently when the house was full!   There is a booklet that that will accompany the exhibition and includes some quotes from my children.  One stands out for me; Harrogate is the Baths or Betty’s, but for me it always meant a trip to Godfrey and Watt to look at Ceramics.  It is going to be exciting to see my pots in a different context and as a collection, because I have never seen them like that. I started collecting because I wanted to help craftspeople by buying their work and support creative industry. If you want to know more, go to the museum website, www.cravenmuseum.org .  If that doesn't work get in touch with me directly.  The beneficial effect of MSA is that it has forced a re-evaluation of my activities and my thinking about what happens to the collection, instead of drifting along and maybe building more shelves and moving books to create more space for yet another pot.

Looking back over the Christmas festivities there are one or two highlights I would like to refer to.  The best one I think was when we received a Christmas card with a note in it congratulating me on passing my MSA.  At the same time the friends who sent the card received our Christmas news describing the impact of MSA on me.  Our friends telephoned us immediately, full of apologies, they were so embarrassed.   To make matters worse, Peter, my friend from school days is a vicar. The other event that stands out for me is the homeworkers annual dinner in our favourite Chinese restaurant.  This year, besides partners being invited daughters were too, ours with a rather good-looking American.  Everything was taking a familiar course as we ate through our Chinese banquet, a favourite being crispy duck with pancakes.  Normally at the end of the meal there is enough to take home for two people for lunch the following day.  Not this time however, as our American friend seems to have hollow legs and a healthy appetite, food was disappearing at a rapid rate of knots and definitely no lunch the following day but everybody was happy.  Ian and I, the founders of the homeworkers annual dinner, made a note in future to be careful about inviting charming American boyfriends.  It was happy occasion.