Could Have Done Better

I was always advanced with reading (that's me with the glasses) but never good with 'sums', as we used to call them. What follows is a little piece I had in my other blog but it tells you a bit more about the hotch-potch that is Me.

For me, the sheer persistence of junior school teachers ensured that certain things just suddenly 'clicked'.

Mr. Coom threatened to throw me out of the recorder band if I didn't pay more attention to learning my times tables. Actually, he also threatened to throw me out the window but the only person who believed him was me! That was probably the clincher! Believe it or not, the instant the five times table took root in my mind, telling the time was the glorious blossom which rewarded me. There were only clocks with hands then so you had to learn it. So to this day I know my tables and I can add up and take away quite successfully - without a calculator. Not as good as my friend Judith though but she used to be a barmaid. Nobody can add up like a barmaid!

Once Mr. Skinner explained that division was only 'sharing' things, that mystery was cleared up too. They had only been trying to teach me division since Infant School! I do have a bit of pity for those kids today who are not taught these things in case they get bored. Not much though.

When I was having the Great Filing Cabinet Clear Out I came across all my school reports from age 7 to 17 when I left. I haven't looked at them for years. I always thought science subjects were my Achilles Heel but I was surprised to see several comments in Chemistry throughout Grammar School that "Angela tries very hard even though she finds the subject difficult". Fancy that now! The chemistry teacher was an Irishman and I could barely understand what he was saying, never mind "try hard"! It becomes very clear that when they say "She does her best", what they really mean is "I'm afraid she's doing her best".

But Maths and Physics were by far the worst. It was in the physics lab where my lifelong hatred of the smell of Bakelite began. I can't even remember why that was but there was something on each bench made of bakelite and I hated it. When I first worked at British Steel in the late 60's my office phone was bakelite and I used to squirt it with all sorts to mask that smell.

I went to my sis's yesterday and she put a colour on my hair. I was supposed to have had it done at the hairdresser's on Tuesday but they wanted £52 for the job. It was £42 last time I had it done just before Christmas so I thought a £10 increase was a bit much. I just had it trimmed. They charged me £17 just for that! I dont know what other places charge, maybe £17 is quite reasonable, but when you think how many of those they could do in an hour...........

We were supposed to be going to Lincoln today but when he saw what a pig the weather was Keith decided to do a Great Scrub of the cooker instead. That put paid to the Easter biscuits I was going to make. Can't do them tomorrow either because that is the Great Scrub of the kitchen walls. Oh, we shall be so clean and sparkling by Monday I'll be able to take tonsils out on the kitchen table!!

See you soon,