The Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen

Anyone out there remember Ren and Stimpy?


  We've been rewatching this weird and wonderful cartoon and were reminded of this brilliant song. I have taught myself to play it on the ukulele so now I can play as I sing along!

The beauty of this clip is that the second part does that "sing along with Mitch" bouncing ball so everyone can join in! hoorah!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x79zxf_ren-stimpy-the-royal-canadian-kilte_shortfilms

happy new year!

As a bonus I also give you the advert for LOG! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L6Dpq5kY_A

We wish you a hairy Christmas

Look at this amazing free software you can get on www.ribbet.com we use it at school in ICT and I've just had a go at it and look what I've done:

click on me to see my hairy red legs up close!

This is a photo of Frida and her first cricket. I have dolled them up for Christmas.

It has been a spider-y sort of Christmas for us (to be fair, when is it not a spider-y sort of time) because yesterday we received a *lovely* hand made spider ornament from my cousin Julie and her family. It was attached to the legend of the Christmas Spider. If you don't know this story you can read a version of it here: http://www.kraftmstr.com/christmas/books/spider.html it is a sweet story of how spiders created the first tinsel with the help of the Christ Child (or Santa depending on the version) We have several illustrated copies of this wonderful tale in our spider book collection.

It was such a thoughtful surprise and now hangs in a place of honour on our tree. One can never have too many spider decorations, I always say.

Thank you Julie, Chris, Taylor, Madison and Natalie for our lovely spider!

Happy Christmas everyone!

PS here's a good ole cracker joke to get you in the holiday spirit:
Q: What happens to you if you eat too much Christmas tinsel?
A: You get tinselitis!
Boom boom!

Share the love (or at least the chocolate)

Yesterday was the last day of school until the new year--I was wondering if the world would end as the Mayans predicted and then I'd never get to see the Christmas episode of Doctor Who, which would be a real shame. Luckily, we're all still here and so now I can relax and look forward to a bit of the old sonic screwdriver and a new companion for the Doctor. Woohoo!

I also tend to get lots of gifts from children. Much of the time I get milk chocolate that we won't eat because we're vegan. It is a really thoughtful gesture from children who love me and I would never want to act like I don't want it as it would hurt their feelings. But what am I to do with boxes full of milk chocs?

Well, I think gestures are important. It is a kind and loving gesture for a child to give me something sweet so I try to turn it around and share the love with others. After the last day of school, I tally up all the treats we can't eat and divide them into decorated bags and give them out to people who make a difference in my life.

There are many places in town where the people know me and always chat with me when I am there. The public library (where I am right now typing this post) provides me with books and free computer time plus films and CDs as well as a friendly staff who always say hello and help me locate books.

The greengrocers where the people know me well and save back spotty bananas or fennel for me because they know I like them. We have a running joke about them trying give me a bag as I am a notorious bag refuser and will bring a sad, taped up, wrinkled paper bag to reuse several times until it falls apart. Then and only then can they give me a new bag.

The bowl people at the market. This is our favourite fruit and veg stall, run by a friendly husband and wife. We get a bowl of bananas, apples and oranges from them every Saturday as well as other things, but since we buy the Trinity (as the 3 major fruits are known) in bowls we have dubbed them the bowl people. They are lovely and chatty and he always says "and all the best to you, guv'nor" when he gives you your change.

The nice couple who run the haberdashery stall at the market. They keep me in thread and buttons and ribbon and felt and anything you need. They have been kind enough to save back remnants that were damaged and unsellable but still usable for me to take home.

These people make my life infinitely better. They are people who bring lots of joy into my life and it is very nice at Christmas to share a little gesture that says THANKS.

The serenade I am least likely to forget

I run an after school drama club for the munchkins at my school. Today, at the end I was serenaded with the most glorious graphic song I have heard in ages.

Happy birthday to you
Stick your head down the loo
Don't open up your mouth 'cause
There might be some poo!

I laughed as hard as they did and I was really touched by their love and enthusiasm.

Well someone has to be.

Dream On

Last night, in anticpation for my birthday today I had a dream that Spiderman had taught all of the tarantulas to do a Mexican Wave. They were all in sync and it was a fantastic sight. When I woke up, I was slightly disapointed because it would have been a neat trick. but as Spiderman said, "Dream on."

We were talking about our plans for tonight and I was so excited about watching The Muppet's Christmas Carol for the umteenth time. Spiderman jokingly said, "Ok but this year the rule is no blubbing." Ha! "Dream on!" I replied. How can a person watch that film without crying? You'd have to have a heart of stone to hear the words "I see a vacant chair by the fireplace and a crutch without an owner. If these shadows remain unaltered I believe the child will die." I am the most frightful blubberbox every time they show that scene after Tiny Tim dies (and even though I know perfectly well, that he doesn't actually die in the end, the scene is so sad it breaks my heart.) The Muppets do it best with the lines at the end of the show:
Rizzo: and Tiny Tim?
Gonzo as Charles Dickens: And tiny Tim....who did NOT die!
Rizzo: Aww, gee that's swell!

Because that's how it feels every year--the relief in knowing that Scrooge had a change of heart and that Tiny Tim did not die makes me feel, as Scrooge says, "as light as a feather, as merry as a school boy."

Tonight I will have sweet dreams after warm, comforting soup and chocolate mint pudding and a lovely film and a beautifully decorated tree knowing I am loved so much. Dream On. 

On the first day of my birthday my true love gave to me...

My birthday is actually tomorrow. I will be 43 which seems incredibly hard to grasp as I still feel like a kid inside. As my mum says "I have a highly developed sense of playfulness." Spiderman, who loves me more than words clearly doesn't mind that I enjoy being a kid and taking pleasure in simple activities. I am easily entertained by coloured lights or other "magical" experiences.

Spiderman has been giving me gifts every day since last week for my birthday. Little treats here and there to make me smile. He gets a lot of pleasure in planning surprises and I get a lot of pleasure receiving surprises so we are equally matched on the front.

The first present he gave me was SNOW. OK, I realise he didn't actually make it snow, but it snowed and the ground was all frosted like a wedding cake when we woke up last week. He left for school around 7:00am and I was to follow shortly (I was still getting dressed and needed to say my morning prayers) and he said,
Spiderman:  "Now little kitten, don't frolic too long in the snow!"
Me:  "Don't worry! I am just going to make some footprints and make some designs in the snow. I love being the first one in the snow!"
Spiderman: "I'll see you about 9:00 then, shall I?"

Well, I only took about 15 minutes, but I had a wonderful time by myself. First when I walked out the door I walked in his foot steps and pretended to be the Page in Good King Wenceslas. You know...In his master's step he trod, where the snow lay dinted and all that. But his strides were too long so I quickly gave up having legs like a dachshund. Then I walked in all different ways--close steps, far steps, wide steps, narrow steps, toes pointed out, toes pointed in steps. I like to look back and see what the steps look like. then i wrote my name in the snow (not by widdling) but with a stick and then I tried to make bird tracks to make it look like Big Bird from Sesame Street had been walking by. Because there are few things funnier than bird tracks in the snow. FACT.
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from picstopin.com

The next day my true love gave to me a music stand. What a thoughtful way to make my ukulele playing so much better! I feel like a professional musician! It is wonderful to not have to perch precariously on the edge of the bed whilst trying to read the sheet music laid out on the dresser. I have had such fun playing since then. he also assures me that a songbook of ukulele tunes is on its way from Helen Arney--the wonderful geek songstress who got my playing the uke in the first place! It won't be shipped until the 13th of December so I'll have it by next week I hope!

 

On the next day of my birthday my true love gave to me an autographed picture of  actress Carey Mulligan  who played Sally Sparrow in the best Dr Who episode Blink. Don’t look at the Weeping Angel behind her….

 

On the next day of my birthday my true love gave to me a trip to the PANTO! I *love* going to a pantomime! I love that the lead boy is played by a woman and the lead woman is played by a man. I love the singing and the corny jokes and the shouting at the actors. I love to boo the baddie and cheer for the goodie. I take audience participation to a whole new level. I am out there, giving it all that just like a kid, shouting “Look out! He’s behind you!”  Spiderman does not seem to share my love of this type of theatre. He is not the shouty type whereas I go home with a sore throat every time. Despite not digging the pantomime scene as much as I do, he took me to Stevenage to see Robin Hood and it was the best one I’ve seen in *ages*! I had such fun! He doesn’t even really mind when I poke him excitedly in the arm-poke poke poke poke! because a good bit is coming up. That’s what pantos are like—the stories are the same, only the jokes change. I never get tired of it. God bless him for taking me.






On the next day of my birthday my true love gave to me an autographed picture of actor Burt Kwouk (mostly known as Cato in the Pink Panther films) but loved by me as Major Yamouchi in charge of the POW camp in the grippingly realistic telly series TENKO.  


Well, today is Monday and I am told that a copy of L. Frank Baum's book of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is winging its way here way from Amazon. This is an amazing book by the author of my beloved Wizard of Oz!

Tomorrow is my actual birthday. We always settle in with a nice warm bowl of leek and potato soup, put up the Christmas tree and watch the Muppet's Christmas Carol. I look forward to it every year. I like the anticipation almost as much as I like the actual birthday and Spiderman has given me loads to look forward to.

Thank you, my true love.