Changes

My laptop in the house is playing up so I’m sitting in what was Simon’s barn office using his computer. Apart from a few small things everything is as it was. As yet I don’t feel able to deal with deciding what to keep and what to throw out even though I know that it would make so much more sense to move my work things over here instead of having them cluttering up the house. The barn, its contents and their organisation represent a large chunk of who Simon was and I'm obviously not ready to dismantle it yet.

Who can resist kicking up a pile of leaves at this time of year?

I can’t believe that it’s three weeks since I last wrote. Since then autumn has definitely arrived and the Sierra Leone trip I was getting so excited about has had to be cancelled due to the SL national elections being held in November. Schools are closing next week and will stay closed until after the elections or longer if there is any trouble. Hopefully there will be another opportunity to arrange something in the spring. Both daughters have had disappointments too and I am proud of how they are dealing with them. Grace didn’t get offered the job in Scotland and has had another interview since which she also didn’t get but on Tuesday this week she’s going up to Scotland again to be interviewed for a research assistant job with a MEP -  we’re keeping our fingers and toes crossed for that one. I do love having her at home though; the delicious evening meals she makes and of course the company and someone to come home to. In Eve’s case the extension work has stalled because of the company who were supplying and fitting the windows going bankrupt and lots of little problems constantly need sorting out.

Two things have given me a real buzz recently. I went to Bradford University and ran a workshop on food ethics, mostly in relation to Fairtrade and food miles for second year undergrads on a BSc course. The students were an eclectic group and very appropriate for One World Week. The free One World Week event in Skipton I help to plan every year was all day yesterday. It was a great success and for the first time it looks as if we will have covered all our overheads through the lunch, coffee and tea sales. We had a speaker from OXFAM who was talking about the Birth Rights Campaign – despite free antenatal care for pregnant women in their country since 2008, 75 women per week are still dying in child birth in Ghana. We also started a book of messages for Malala, the 14 yr old schoolgirl from Pakistan who was shot in the head by the Taliban for campaigning for education for girls, and who is now recovering in a hospital in Birmingham. Lots of people wrote messages and children drew pictures for her. Let’s hope she makes a full recovery and is able to resume her education soon.

I am reminded of Margaret Meade’s words ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has’.  What do you think?

Plenteousness

How many pencils and pens do you have in your house, more than ten, more than twenty, more than fifty? I had more than fifty and still have lots even after Grace and I went through drawers, pots and pencil cases this week to find some to go into the two backpacks we’ve been putting together. We’ve also had lots of fun trawling charity shops in Harrogate and Ilkley looking for metal spoons, children’s shorts, t-shirts and dresses. All this because our vicar decided that this Harvest, as well as fresh produce and non-perishable foods, we would collect items for the Backpack Project, a simple way to help children from poor families in Liberia and Malawi get an education that will help them escape poverty in later life. The whole idea obviously caught the imagination of many  people in the congregation and the ‘Smiley Faces’ group I help to lead on Friday afternoons, as we got loads of items this morning and we’re going to have lots of fun making up the backpacks this week.



Some of the backpacks in the process of filling

Africa has always had a special place in my heart since Simon and I spent two years in Sierra Leone and I’m so excited because I have the opportunity to go back for the first time next month. If all works out I will be travelling with a teacher from a local Dales primary school to Bo, the second largest city in Sierra Leone, to visit some of the schools there that have links with Craven schools. It will only be a short visit but hopefully the precursor of a future visit longer visit.

When we were working in Sierra Leone one of my very good friends was married and next weekend is her Ruby Wedding Anniversary. Today (Sunday) I drove across to Pilling, on the Fylde Coast of Lancashire where I grew up, to celebrate this milestone. The party was a surprise and at a daughter’s home, a farm that specialises in breeding dairy cattle - as soon as the heifers calve they are sold and their female selected calves are reared until they themselves have their first calf. After a delicious lunch some of us borrowed wellies and were taken on a tour of the farm. When I was a teenager I used to help my granddad milk whenever I could so I really enjoyed being up close and personal with the cattle, especially as nearly all the farms that used to have dairy cows in our village now only have sheep.  Whilst we were walking around hundreds of Pink Footed geese flew over in several V shaped formations back to their roosting places on the marsh after feeding on the rotting potatoes and corn yet to be harvested on the moss land. A wonderful sight and very common in Pilling at this time of year.



Just a few of the geese



Anniversaries

Today is my wedding anniversary and this afternoon one of the lovely girls I taught at Skipton Girls’ High was married in the village church in Embsay. It doesn’t seem very long since she was sitting in my classroom! Today is a beautiful autumnal day but it was showery, cool and dull 39 years ago when I was married. The weather didn’t dampen our spirits though - Simon was terribly nervous and even signed the marriage certificate in the wrong place - I was very excited. Back then I had ginger hair and lots of freckles in the summer so a cream dress was a must, but in 1973 everyone wore white and choosing not to wear white had connotations. Since Thursday my hair has been temporarily (it will wash out in 12 weeks or so) restored to almost its former colour. I felt like a change.

Although Simon isn’t here to reminisce with me or make cheeky comments about my hair I haven’t felt sad all day, only grateful that we had so many adventures together and pleased that I have lots and lots of happy memories. We have a living legacy in the shape of our children and grandchildren who never fail to delight me (frustrate me too at times!) yet also remind me of the huge challenges of family life – hard work but so worthwhile.

Sorry I can't get this image to be the right way up! I think the sculpture could reflect the characteristics of a successful  marriage. If each pebble respresents one year we didn't manage to complete this arch. Constructing this must have needed a lot of patience and a knowledge of mathematics so on that basis I couldn't have done it.

Thank you to the friends who have remembered and sent messages. It seems very strange ngetting any anniversary cards although we didn’t usually get many but it’s still my wedding anniversary and  I appreciated the two pretty cards I received earlier this week. I have worn the heart shaped felt brooch Simon chose for me all day.  I joined his mum for a delicious lunch which she had made for us both. My contribution was fresh Scottish raspberries. I wonder how much longer they will be around as the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness gathers pace – yes I’m fan of Keats’ poetry.

I love having Grace at home although I don’t expect that it will be for very long. She has a final stage interview next week in London and if that doesn’t come to anything she will be making sure that there are other opportunities to go for. She is finding the Yorkshire weather a bit depressing and doesn’t like running in the rain so that has posed a few problems on most days.  Wearing new running shoes with a special insole to correct her flat footedness is working and she has already set up a Virgin Money Giving account to collect sponsorship for the MSA Trust when she runs in the London Marathon next year.  Here is the link if you would like to sponsor her www.virginmoneygiving.com/GraceRoodhouse

Just heard that Volume 5 of the Creative Industries Journal (CIJ - Simon was its Founding Editor) will include a celebration of Simon’s work. I’m looking forward to reading that because Simon considered each issue of the CIJ to have the potential to introduce new ideas, explore new areas and introduce new voices not previously heard so I am wondering  what will be said about his contribution to the Creative Industries.



Cornwall, Devon and the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, coastline, sandy beaches, green lanes, heather clad hills, all have been part of a wonderfully varied last three weeks.                            

Landscapes have always fascinated and intrigued me and introducing others to the special places on my doorstep is fun as is exploring new places. I’ve been able to do just that with some very special visitors from Australia, Simon’s brother Peter and his wife Angela who were not able to come to Simon’s funeral, and Simon’s school friend Per and his two daughters. Per tells me that we met in 1976 but I have no recollection of that visit possibly because I was busily occupied with a new first baby. With so much wonderful scenery on my doorstep it’s always a hard choice deciding where to walk and grouse shooting on the moor meant we were not able to walk up to Simon’s Seat (yes it’s the actual name of a hill that Simon used to love to climb) yesterday. Nevertheless plan B turned out to be just as lovely and the weather was perfect. Before our walk we (all Simon’s three siblings and their spouses and three of our special friends) had planted a mountain ash tree alongside Simon’s grave. Hopefully it will thrive and produce lots of red berries to feed the birds like the many we saw on our walk yesterday.

Amidst all the other excitement yesterday Grace arrived home from New York with four large suitcases plus hand luggage. She will hopefully soon have a job and be settled somewhere in England. It would be great if she could find something in Leeds but it is more likely that she will end up in London. She looks well and is already planning to start her training regime to run the London Marathon next year. She will be raising money for MSA and looking for sponsors. Her target is at least £2,000 to compenate in for the expected pain.

If you watch Wartime Farm this week on BBC1 at 8pm on Thursday you will see my son in a tweed suit and braces looking rather like his granddad. His book on the Black Market during World War 2 is due to be published in March. I feel sad when I think that Simon will not be able to read it. He heard so much about it and it has been a long time coming.

                                   

Energising

The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day in the Yorkshire Dales, Team GB are doing wonderfully well in the Olympics, I have been able to spend time with some very special people whose friendship I cherish and my son’s three children will be arriving to stay with me for a few days this afternoon. What more could anyone want?

There have been several things I have not had the inclination or the energy to do since Simon died but after spending three days in Staines with a friend and her husband who I have known for over 50 years and five days in Kirkliston, near Edinburgh, with Simon’s most ardent blog follower and her husband, friends for 37 years, I am springing into action. I have been to see the solicitor who has everything he needs to get probate and I have been sorting out other pressing matters related to finance. I have also ordered a litter bin made from 100% waste HDPE, the plastic that is commonly used to make milk and juice bottles, for the church car park. This plastic never biodegrades and doesn’t rot or splinter or need painting. Simon and I both hated to see the small and very unattractive, wobbly previous bin overflowing. The one I have ordered has a lid so should look much neater – I know benches are the usual in memory items but Simon was a maverick and liked to challenge perceptions! Next week it will be completing Simon’s tax returns - it is easier to go into his barn office although I still feel a bit guilty about moving the things he had arranged so meticulously.

Whilst I was in Staines my son-in-law was able to get me two tickets for the dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony for the Games. It was such an amazing experience for me. I’ve never been to a big concert or in a stadium that can hold 80,000 people or found myself in such a huge throng of people making their way home – there’s more sheep than people in the village where I live. I am sure that the images from that evening will stay with me for the rest of my life. James, my son-in-law, has been working flat out for months in the Olympic bubble along with thousands of others and I am so proud of him and my daughter who has been holding the fort at home, managing a big building/house extension project, a new job and her two extremely lively young boys.

There were also exciting images to see in the Jupiter Artland in the grounds of Bonnington House, outside Edinburgh which I visited when staying in Kirkliston. The contemporary sculptures and installations by amongst others, Andy Goldsworthy, Charles Jencks, Anya Gallaccio and Anthony Gormley were a delight. Just have a look at the website and see for yourself www.jupiterartland.org The picture shows one of my favourites - a living, growing, changing sculpture in which people and wood will play equally important roles. It's only one tree hosting a boulder, there are lots more.

Random thoughts

It’s often said that after a few months people stop asking how you are, ringing you up for a chat, asking you to meet or sending a thoughtful email. This is not my experience. I have some wonderful friends and a family who are there for me when I need them to be. Saturday afternoon was an example when Wendy and Ian picked me up and we went for a 7 mile walk. I think we will always remember Simon when we walk as he enjoyed teasing Wendy and was always in his element, relaxed and happy.

Lower Barden Reservoir - it wasn't quite like this yesterday but  just as beautiful

Since I wrote two weeks ago I have been learning how to use Simon’s Nikon SLR digital camera. I got in lots of practice when the Minister of State for International Development came to Craven - I had organised an event for him to meet organisations, groups, individuals, schoolchildren and teachers who are promoting international development and Fairtrade.  It went really well. There’s an article with three of the photos I took in the local online newspaper, the Yorkshire Times.

The permanent link is here http://yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/International-Development-Minister-visits-Craven-Summit

It still feels very strange going into Simon’s office library and I am certainly not ready to start sorting through his things there. He did so much and it is there in profusion, very important to him but probably of little importance to anyone else. My dad was saying the same thing about his possessions when I visited him today. He has spent so much time researching family histories and tracing old maps of the village in which he has lived all his life. It will be one of his legacies and a very interesting and valuable one for me, my children and their children.

It’s going to be another busy week. On Thursday Eve and the children will be moving in for a few days as the builders are taking over their home. Before then I’m going to a conference in Birmingham.  Perhaps the boys will help me write next weekend. Have a good week.

Busy, busy, busy

My niece’s thirtieth birthday party, the church garden party (held inside the vicarage because of the rain), the opening of the Community Library in the village, the Festival of Culture and Sport followed by the arrival of the Olympic torch in Skipton, the Eco-schools annual show in Sheffield, a concert in the grounds of Giggleswick School to celebrate its 500^th anniversary, with the Halle Orchestra and Tim Rice acting as compere have all kept me out of mischief in the past nine days. They have also provided some magical moments. The fireworks accompanying Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture at the end of the concert were magnificent and made up for the three and a half hours of shivering in the damp and cold. I’ve also been busy watching Wimbledon in the evenings. What a thrilling match the Rosal versus Nadal one was.

Yesterday, as I delivered bundles of the Embsay with Eastby News to the distributers at my end of the village someone asked me ‘Are you getting there?’  I didn’t quite know how to respond. I thought to myself ‘getting where’ and where do I want to get anyway.  That’s an interesting question. Simon was always a man with a vision and a mission. Latterly that was to bypass the bureaucracy of educational establishment and recognise people who were learning in the real world of experience. He didn’t get to where he wanted but he inspired others who continue to carry the torch he lit. That makes me feel so proud.

Isn’t it great when people from different life histories and age groups observe the world in the same way? I often think that when I meet people who share my passion for creating a fairer and more sustainable world. That happened not long ago as I was having lunch with a friend and we were talking about the huge disparity between what workers get paid for making sportswear and equipment and how much the brands are making. A young mum on holiday with her family overheard our conversation and came across to talk to us and asked me to send her the Olympic facts I’d been working on. I did and since then we’ve been in regular email contact.

Eco-Schools Show - 'I am made from 1 tonne of textiles. Did you know that 1 tonne of textiles is put into UK landfill every 30 seconds?'

Maybe I’ll watch the football now or maybe not?!