Category Archives: Uncategorized
Here Be Treasure
Interwebs, I need a place to post my my raffle prizes so I am bringing teadevotee out from where it has been mouldering in the corner. How are you all?
As many of you know, last year we lost our Dad to a rare and incurable form of cancer, caused by asbestos poisoning.
We were lucky enough to have lots of help from Macmillan nurses during that time, and we would like to help other families in our situation get the same support.
Here is team badger sitting on Dad’s memorial bench. Cerys is grumpy because we took her away from her cheese.
We are aiming to raise £5000 – and so far have made nearly £1800. We are doing a marathon hike, book sales, and a mega quiz/raffle night. You can donate here but you can WIN STUFF RIGHT HERE.
Dinner for two at Tylney Hall (mega fancy)
Four tickets to tour the BBC
Two tickets to Jane Austen’s house
Night out for up to 12 people at Lucky Voice
Family tour of White Hart Lane, home of Tottenham Hotspurs
Tour for two of St Mary’s, home of Southampton FC
House of Commons Champagne
Photo session and portrait from Venture Photography
£20 Wagamama‘s vouchers
Audiotour and wine tasting at Wickham Vineyard
Necklace from Petra Jewellry (RRP £80)
Signed copy of Little Ern, the biography of Ernie Wise
Signed copy of Green Glass Beads, by Jacqueline Wilson
Signed copy of The Sealed Letter, by Emma Donaghue (thank you to Mantle Books for these donations)
Coffee machines with tea and coffee from Mars (x 3)
Ticket to HMS Victory
Family ticket to Birdworld
Family ticket to Finkley Down Farm
Family ticket to Wellington Country Park
Family ticket to the Living Rainforest
Family ticket to the Rural Life Centre
Ticket to the Milestones Museum
Family ticket to the New Forest Wildlife Centre
Two adult tickets to Manor Farm Country Park
Two tickets to the Plaza theatre
Two tickets to Hillier Gardens
Two tickets for a Sherlock Holmes walk round London
Family Swim at the Sports Centre (x 2)
Family Swim at the Aquadrome
Two day passes to Beechdown
£5 voucher for Beaulieu (x 2)
Money off vouchers for The Sun Inn, Dummer (x 5)
Free Pizza from Dominos (x 2)
Signed photo of David Norris, Portsmouth midfielder
Lunch for two at The Lime Leaf
Basingstoke Rugby Club shirt
Membership of Spice Adventures
Cakes from Sugar Leaf
Cakes from Cakey Bakey Goodness
Knitting Gift Set from Nest
£25 Lovefilm Vouchers (x 2)
£10 Sainsburys Voucher
Gokarting for four adults at teamworkskarting
Coolbag
Nkuku photo album
Wedgewood mug
I believe the word you are looking for is ‘epic’.
Email me goteambadger (at) gmail (dot) com for tickets. £2 for 5, £5 for 15. Draw is June 22nd.
If you don’t live in Hampshire, I will make sure you get a non-Hampshirey prize. If you do live in Hampshire, then come to our quiz night at the Basingstoke Conservative Club (email me again).
Thank you very much to everyone who generously donated. MWAH.
The Christians Seem Fine With It, To Be Honest
UPDATE: I accidentally posted this on my book blog instead of my baby blog where it belongs, so sorry if you are like MY EYES! But it got a lot of hits so I thought I’d leave it here anyway.
Over on The Feminist Breeder (do you read this blog, by the way? You absolutely must) I was reading about a nurse-in. You can read the full story there, but basically, a man threw a mother out of his shop; not because she was shoplifting, or drunk, or throwing paint at his merchandise; but because she was DUH DUH DUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHH breastfeeding. This got reported and a lot of people went to protest by all taking their babies and proudly breastfeeding them in his shop. Good on you ladies. (It seems like nurse-ins are a thing? I had not heard of them before.)
Anyway my favourite part of this story is how The Feminist Breeder patiently explained that it is actually illegal in the US to discriminate against women like this. As she puts it ‘the guy says “But CHRISTIANS come in here!” and I said “JESUS WAS BREASTFED”.’
So I went to church this morning and the baby needed feeding and all I could think was “But CHRISTIANS come in here!” I have breastfed in the front of a mini, in the back of a mini, in a golf club, in more pubs than I should really count, in a crematorium car park, in a petrol station car park….in more or less every car park within a fifty mile radius, to be honest. There is probably not a lorry driver in the land who hasn’t had seen more than he bargained for.
Nevertheless, I did feel like a church pew was possibly a step too far (even though JESUS WAS BREASTFED…I love that). But the parish hall off to the side was absolutely fine. In fact, no fewer than four people asked me if they could get me a cup of tea. (I managed to restrain myself to one).
So there we are. Happy Sunday, Christians and breastfeeders and those who are both. And random crazy man in Illinois? I’ll have a cup of tea please.
My Kindle Made Me A B*tch
I have seen many many many people drawing up pros and cons of e-readers versus paper’n'ink books. I have even done it myself. However, now that I have been using it for a couple of months, I realise that everyone has been missing a crucial point: e-readers make you a completely unreasonable so-and-so.
Say, for instance, you want to read My Cousin Rachel. In the past, you would simply have gone to the library and checked it out. But now, you head for the kindle store only to find it is not available. You huff and puff about this. Of course, you STILL COULD GO TO THE LIBRARY, YOUR KINDLE HAS NOT BROKEN YOUR LEGS. But now that oddly seems like too much effort. So you don’t read it.
Or say, that you think ok, well I think I might read Great Expectations instead. You head to the Kindle store. But you notice you have to pay for it! Even though Jane Austen is free, Dickens wants your cash! (Why is this, by the way?) And even though it is eighty six pence; approximately the cost of the packet of biscuits you have scoffed, you bitterly resent this. Of course, you STILL COULD GO TO THE LIBRARY, etc, etc. But you don’t. So you don’t read it.
And then say, you want to read Moonwalking With Einstein. But this is ten whole pounds for the kindle book! When it is only £8.17 for the paperback! (And this is still a pricey paperback, I think.) And you cannot understand this discrepancy! And you fret about it for days and days and days and regularly check back in desperation because THERE MUST BE SOME MISTAKE! But there isn’t. And eventually you begrudgingly do fork out the tenner, because you actually do really want to read this. And then you wistfully think back to that eighty six pence on Mr Dickens.
You are probable a nicer, less demanding, more patient person than I am. Your kindle has probably enhanced your life without destroying your soul. How do you manage it?
Sunday Salon: Some Stuff You Should Do Instead Of Whatever Else You Were Planning to Do Today
1) Head over to Reading With Tea to sign up for Advent with Austen. Only a month to go!
In order of likeliness-to-happen, my plans are to re-read Mansfield Park (reasons why to be explained in another post) join in the Sense and Sensibility readalong with the Sleepless Reader and read some of the unpublished works.
2) Go to the Indie Lit Awards and nominate your favourite book of the year so far. Go. Go now.
3) Visit Claire or Verity so that you can play Persephone Secret Santa this yuletide (love that word). You know how with most secret Santas you end up with something you don’t want and bitterly resent having to spend the money? NOT SO WITH THIS ONE.
Happy Sunday.
THE READATHON ENDS! FIVE DAYS LATE!
Um, so my readathon sort of fizzled out, because here in London we were finishing at 1pm and my friend Chris said he was coming over after Sunday lunch IE THIS SHOULD BE WAY AFTER ONE, CHRIS; and then at 11.50 he was all, I’ll be there in a few minutes.
So not only did I have to throw the book aside but also there was mass shower panic, because the nugget was the only one who was dressed.
Anyway this is much too much detail about my life. READATHON! You were a triumph. MY READATHON PERSONALLY! A little bit haphazard. I spent the first bit reading while fretting about my hostessing duties, the next bit in a whirlwind of the hostessing, the next bit cheating by watching X factor and going to sleep, the next bit checking in with you all in the middle of the night while feeding the baby, the next bit reading again, the final bit with Chris and Olly in the pub.
So actual reading, not so much. I enjoyed the hanging out with everyone, but I actually found the reading a little bit *eeeek how many pages can I read before I need to log on again* ie, not that relaxing. And for me reading = relaxing not reading = angst, so this was a new and unwelcome sensation. I think next time I may be a hostess and a cheerleader and let the reading slide so as not to feel overwhelmed.
I was going to fill in the meme but it’s been days and I was a rubbish participant anyway, so. I’ll just say FUN TIMES SEE YOU IN APRIL!
TWO HOURS LEFT…SO THIS MUST BE HOUR 23!
Still enjoying the Queen of History, Philippa Gregory. (Philippa is a very counter intuitive name to spell.) Got a bit distracted poking round on ebay. First cup of tea of the day. Nugget napping, husband watching TV. All going well!
WHATEVER HOUR IT IS!
I am back you guys! Hope you have all been doing well. I feel weak for sleeping, but I have to tell you I didn’t sleep that much as the Nugget was awake approximately fifty million times in the night. Eugh. Anyway, Philippa and I are settling back in for the rest of the time. Which is not very long. Woooo!
READATHON HOUR TEN!
You guys, I know that this is Captain Lame, but I have to go to bed for a little while. Fear not though, because I’ll be up and feeding the nugget in a couple of hours. In fact, I am actually quite practiced at 3am reading for this very reason. Taking my Philippa Gregory to bed; and my google reader so I can catch up on what the rest of you are up to.
Readathon is a family event in my house.
See you in a few hours! Will be reading and watching the rugby world cup final in the morning. EVEN THOUGH IT IS A TRAVESTY WALES WILL NOT BE THERE DON’T GET ME STARTED.
HOUR NINE CHALLENGETTE!
Here is my entry for the hour nine challenge over at midnight book girl.
My spooky sentence:
Blink, the unconsoled wolf-speaker, extremely loud and incredibly close in praise of savagery.
Cue bloodcurdling howls.
READATHON HOUR THREE! AND ALSO HOUR FOUR BECAUSE I FORGOT TO POST!
Which features readathon cup of tea numero uno and numero dos.
I can’t believe it is so early and I am already confused about what the time is and forgetting to post.
So, in this hour, I have been reading Philippa Gregory’s The Lady of the Rivers and it is predictably ludicrous and utterly enjoyable. Forsooth, readers! I may start to write only in elaborate metaphor and portentous foreshadowing.
Or I may not.
I also went for a cuddle and a few rounds of Row, Row, Row the boat with the Nugget. Then the Husband said, I think I’ll take her down the pub now. I am supposed to be letting him get on with, so I let him get on with it. Though privately I question the merits of the pub as a learning and development activity.
Pub going outfit.
I will not be posting here for the next three hours because I will be at Readathon HQ hosting the festivities. See you on the otherside!
