Going on a bear hunt!

Boxing Day, we had to coerce the littl'uns out on a country walk by pretending to go on a bear hunt. One of the littl'uns was heard confessing "But Mummy, I'm actually quite scared of bears".

Scaredy-Custard.

My brother hates custard and has not eaten it for many years, We think since about 1975.
For some reason he decided to try some on Boxing day. This had to be blogged.
You can get an impression of the magnitude of this event but looking at my sister's face in the first two pictures.

One has to ask why? Why, after 30 happy years of custard free living did he decide to experiment with the semen like desert sauce?

But courage to the fellow, he went ahead anyway.

I rather doubt custard will be gracing my brother's menu's anytime soon. Well, could have been worse, could have been monkey glands.

Subbuteo

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, Subbuteo is easily the most popular, successful and enduring of all soccer related games (with the probable exception of actually getting out there with your mates and kicking a ball about in the street).

It's also a Bowles family favourite. As often as there are two or more Bowles men together and a couple of drinks have been had the cry goes up "Subbuteo tournament!"
Someone goes up to the spare room and gets the battered old cardboard box containing dozens of teams, the goals and balls and of course, the famous 'Chapel Lane' pitch.

This is a 25 year old subbuteo pitch sewn onto an old bedsheet, around the touchlines have been graffitied famous scores from the past, the first time i ever beat my Dad, the first time I beat my brother, that crazy day my brother beat my dad. In our family this pitch is Lords, Wembley and Shea Stadium all rolled into one.

When we were kids we would play non stop (ahh, the days before computer games)and I have to admit that I may well have done much better at University had it not been for the influence of my room mate and his subbuteo set.

The pitch has to be ironed and then spread out over the kitchen table. You play by flicking the plastic players to kick the ball. What follows is almost as great as the real thing, there's invariably running commentaries and outrageous punditry as well as real time arguments, criticism and praise.
Let the pictures explain the rest.

The Silver Fox looks for the 'Bowles Subbuteo Tournament' entry from the unoffical history of subbuteo.

Searching for that elusive 1981 Spurs team.

Tis the job of the youngest son to iron the holy field of battle.

The Silver Fox takes on the Custard King, Mondale provides commentary.

The teams warm up.

For the record my brother swept us both and the Silver Fox narrowly beat me.

That's enough of the freakin year in freakin pictures.

Enough of the year in review, it's on to 2006!!


Auntie Boo in full effect!! Maryland, October.

Gentleman hanging out after a night of effigy burning. November.

Those crazy British kids causing mayhem at Bowles Towers, UK. February.

A confession, I really don't like shellfish all that much. Maryland, October.

Drunk in the kitchen, arguing about music. December.

The year in pictures three.

A Bowles family tradition continues. Der Neffe Benedict and his subbuteo team, Norfolk,UK. February.

Josh and Anja's wedding day, Grand Army Plaza, October .

New Yorkers become frustrated at rural post office opening hours, Wakefield, R.I. November.

Mitch is nowhere to be seen, November.

Mayor Johnsen and Governor Bowles shake hands, Johnsen's wedding, September.

The year in pictures deux.

A winter field, Norfolk, UK, February.

Hanging out with Robert Green, Giants Stadium, Memorial Day.

Frau Random Doubt and Mr Glen recreate a high society party moment. December.

Mr Johnsen, Frau Masuda and Mr Gold rock on down. December.

Old Glory, Key West, March.

The year in pictures.

Just a few images from the last year. Enjoy.

Frau Random Doubt and the Bat.

Frau Random Doubt and siblings in law stare at art.

November 5th;Two Brits and a Guy.

Thanksgiving '05,; Frau Random Doubt and Paperbag.

Sometimes...

...the lesson plan doesn't go quite as expected.

Lesson aim.
Write a polite yet firm letter to the Norfolk School Science committe asking for the gold medal I won in 1988.
Key words and phrases were placed on the board to assist the kids.




Result?
(from girl who needs at least 3 strong cups of coffee in the morning)

I'll be damned.

I've been teaching for almost ten years now and there are certain things that are fairly reliable. There are certain things that one can just take for granted when it comes to the kids you teach. You always had a ginger kid in the class, there was always the freakishly tall kid (that was me), the scarily short, the potty mouthed, the kid with the fantastically inappropriate parent etc, etc.
This year it is a bit different.
This much I have discovered about the children in my care.

None of them are lefties. I had a certain ammount of left handed handwriting books in September, had to send them back. That's weird.

They all have siblings. Not one only child amongst them. No one I can raise my eyebrows at and mutter darkly "ah, it's the only child thing". This also deprives me from using one of my favorite French phrases 'Fils unique'(That's only child in French).

Today I find this out,

Not one of them has a pet cat. Some of them have had cats, some of them yearn for one but at this point in time not one of them goes home to a creature of feline persuasion. This is going to make my annual 'cats v dogs' debate quite interesting.

As a right hander with a brother and sister I can't do much about the first two categories but I will include a picture of 'Kitten' our elderly and adorable cat to make up for the pet deficiencies of my students.

Local knowledge.

Cadman Park, behind the big Soviet style war memorial, Weasel and I discovered the most fantastic (and little known) public bathrooms in NYC.
Clean, quiet and very user friendly

I'm not dead.

Just resting. I will be blogging soon.
promise.