Can I Sleep On It ???

So here it is, 1.30 am and I'm struggling to write...

The scene is there, the wording isn't.  I suppose it doesn't help that I have not really been focusing on this project lately.  It feels like maybe I should back off for a few days, let it simmer and then see what comes to the surface.  Or just lug my laptop with me wherever I go and write whenever inspiration strikes... or maybe I should go back to longhand and then copy it out onto here... Decisions, decisions.

I do have housework to do and I need to set time aside for working with Eamon on his phonics chart, his numbers and writing... Just an hour would be good.  And cozy up with Hayden and read to him, as well:)

I have a routine but I think I need to set it to a specific time frame...  At least until it comes second nature to me...

And now to sleep because I won't be any good to anyone without at least six hours:)

Rain, Rain Go Away

To be honest, I'm in a bit of a mood today... Upset at the rain, which is silly.  I try to think that the plants and trees and grass need a drink, too but when it's been raining off and on since the night before, it just gets frustrating.

Also, I'm discouraged because Andrew is tired and sore, which means he won't be going anywhere today.  I hate to see him stuck inside and I feel bad for the boys because he isn't active.  Scarring of the spine is no joke - he's in pretty much constant pain and we still haven't heard from the specialists yet, which is beyond frustrating...

So, yes, I'm grouchy :( Also, want to take the boys out and I feel like it's no good because I don't drive and I don't want them catching a cold... Sigh...

Maybe I'll do some writing later, or maybe I'll help the boys start their scrap books.  At least attaching the covers.  We might go to the library later to copy some pages... We'll see...

Onwards and upwards !!

What Can I Do ???

People have so many ideas about what has caused the looting and crimes that have been committed in London and the other cities affected... Poverty, hopelessness, boredom, etc... I'm not interested in excuses.  There can be no excuse for causing such damage, for hurting other people, for destroying your own and other people's community.

And now to be 'the devil's advocate'...  What exactly is the situation these young people find themselves in today ??? They are allowed to finish school at sixteen, but not allowed to vote.  They are not allowed to buy cigarettes or alcohol.  They can work but are not even paid minimum wage.  In fact, they won't be eligible for minimum wage until they are twenty-one !! They cannot drive, their hours - if they work - are severely restricted. Perhaps they have finished school but don't want to attend university... Are there any apprenticeships in the field they'd like to work in: plumbing, joinery, decorating, electrician, mechanics ???

My husband and I will do our best to raise our boys to have a good work ethic, to have respect for others, to be responsible members of their society... But is there any place like that for these young people who might not be being taught that at home: a place to learn that they matter, that they can have a positive impact on their community, that they can be respected and looked up to by the next generation ???

How much are we willing to do to ensure our young people have a future that WE wouldn't mind having ??? What can I do to not only instill in my two boys that they are loved, cared for, important, that how they feel and what they think and say and do matter but also for other young people in my area ???

In a way, I am almost thankful for the chaos that has happened in the past few days because it's woken me up to the fact that maybe THERE is something I can do... Now, to check out the YMCA :)



 

Chaos and Confusion

 My mind is boggling right now.  Woke up this morning to hear that the rioting has hit Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds... Why ??? The rioting was supposedly a protest against the alleged gang member killed by police in Tottenham... So how does that affect anyone else in any of these other cities ???

Perhaps I'm getting the totally wrong idea but it seems to me that the rioters are just looking for an excuse to do something they consider fun.  They're mostly teen agers, these people that are looting shops and burning private homes, burgling private homes, robbing people on the street... There is no reason for their behaviour, though when asked one of them said it was to 'get his taxes back'.  Does he even know what he's talking about ??? I'm sure he isn't making enough to have any serious money withheld from him...

I agree that the Tory government has been seriously mistaken in how they've taken the decision to cut public services so far and so fast and so deep... Then the universities have raised their tuition fees, the employment situation is dire and students are not even paid minimum wage... But that doesn't give them the license to loot shops like Debenhams and JB Sports, etc... Stealing clothes, alcohol, cigarettes, electrical equipment... Even worse is breaking into innocent people's houses to steal from them, jumping and robbing people on the street, burning buildings that have nothing to do the government, ripping out the hearts of their communities....

It saddens me to no end that the young people think it's fun to carry on this way: destroying things that belong to everybody, hurting innocent bystanders... The rage and fury and grief are building up inside me and I pray for everyone affected by the callous and heartless actions of others... I also pray for the future of the children in this country, that they will find help and hope....

Hopefully, this blog will soon be filled with positivity and joy...

London's Burning

Rioting in London... Started in Tottenham because a 29 year old man was shot and killed by police. But the rioters didn't attack the police station, they looted shops and burned down people's homes !  And now the rioting is preading to Croydon, Clapham and even leaving London and infecting Birmingham...

  And what are the rioters doing ??? Setting fire to buildings and looting stores: stealing mobile phones, televisions, alcohol, cigarettes, clothing, sporting goods, etc... I find it absolutely disgusting !!

I also find this horribly heartbreaking.  How can they destroy their own communities ??? Do they want to live in a burned out war zone ??? Don't they have any respect for themselves ??? I guess not... How sad...

I don't understand how someone can use a death as an excuse to wreak such havoc... Do they feel hopeless, helpless, frustrated ???  Or is it just pure greed and opportunism ??? And what sort of penalty will these people pay ??? Will they even be caught ???

England is my home now, has been for almost seven years, and I'm sitting here in shock.  I don't understand how people can sink to this sort of level. It grieves me and infuriates me to no end...