The Lucas North Faculty of Parachute Studies at the UMN

[DumSpiroSpero]

Not entirely tasteful, but it's what we all hoped really isn't it?

. Time for bed, methinks!

Night night.

Another morning full of grey clouds, where has all the sunshine gone? It has alwas been warm in September for the last 10 years (mostly) bit this is mote like October - boo hiss!

Well this mornings present opening has gone well, and Cars 2 stuff is everywhere. Twigs, has Twigboy had a nice morning?

Happy Birthday SmallBoy and TwigBoy .

Thanks Lady D, other than a minor melt down about going to school he's fine. Now I need to go and buy a multipack of sweets to take in...

Morning all, and a very happy birthday to any offspring who have a birthday today (in case it would out you!). Mine doesn't have a birthday today, Small - he's at nursery and I am supposed to be making his cake but I am here. For the love of God, WHY?! I have precisely one hour to make a dinosaur so of coruse I'm spending time on here

So what's all this talk of GCSEs? What are they then, you youngsters! :o Spiro, we have something else in common - I hated history and took geography instead but also found that really dull! I am very interested in history now (and got a very similar book to the one you got) but my knoweldge is minimal. I can't seem to retain information these days.

Right, must dash - adieu!

Oops, crossed posts with LadyD :) TwigBoy is tomorrow.

Good luck with the cake, Twigs.

I have so much to do this morning but really lack the incentive. May go and 'iron' to RH .

::dons Procrastinators R Us badge::

Twigs I thought he was the same day as Smallboy? Is it Miss S today then? Oh the world is so confusing when you're old!

I also noticed the GCSE comments, they started the year after I did my proper exams O Levels. I also hated History (well actually my teacher) and did Geography, I also gave up German to do Art, thank the Lord. I am rubbish with languages, I don't have the patience to learn them.

Morning - Hope Smallboy has a fab day. Miss S and Twigboy are tomorrow.

I only just did GCSE's - mine was the first year to do the whole 2-year syllabus. I though Geography would be about physical geography and culture but was mostly about plate techtonics, farming and rainforest lifecycles

I have so much to do after work today it's not funny. Have to keep repeating to myself:

I will not have a nervous breakdown, I will not have a nervous breakdown...

Thank God I decided not to make the cake - I'd have already been there by now if I had!

Spiro, I'd have loved geography if it were about plate tectonics - for some reason I have developed a real interest in that. I'd have been a geologist in another lifetime... (a lifetime where I actually, y'know, did some studying and paid attention at school :)) You must be the same age as DrTwigs then, as he was also the first to do GCSEs, I think. Do you have a big birthday coming up next year?

Sorry you're going to have a really busy night. Is there anything that you can delegate to MrS or not? I hope you manage to cope!

Twigboy's cake is done. I have no idea how but I managed to do it in about 45 minutes! It was blissfully easy though - literally just cover in icing and stick jelly diamonds on. Slightly panicking about his presents now though as not sure what I've actually got and can't really look until he's in bed tonight. Should've checked this a few days ago, really :)

That reminds me one of my favourite song lyrics: you work in a shirt with your name tag on it, drifting apart like a plate tectonic.

big birthday coming up next year

Noooooo! Perhaps they came in at different time here - no BB for another 4 years.

Is there anything that you can delegate to MrS or not

Hahahahahaha!

I have to sort and wrap pressies tonight too Twigs.

Plate techtonics was probably the only interesting thing we did cover on the GCSE syllabus.

Hello, ladies! Hope the birthdays and preparations thereto are going well.
This morning I managed to squeeze in a quick visit with Gizzy, before I had to go out and about and wrestle with bureaucracy. It was the episode with the black powder and the sheep's heads. Very popular here, those, actually, in the less trendy parts of town.

I am now consoling myself, drinking a large cup of coffee and eating a Magnum Temptation. They're not bad, are they, although the bits of whatever it is look a lot chunkier in the ads. But 'twas ever thus.

Fancy, Maud, I too was made to give up art in order to take something they regarded as more academic. Not that I was any good at it, but i used to enjoy dabbling with a paintbrush.

Oops, sorry to age you before your time, Spiro :) Perhaps I was wrong about him being the first year...

They were introduced a few years before but phased in, so I think I was in the first year that did the whole thing, but people in the few years prior would have done a kind of GCSE/O-level hybrid in terms of work, but it was probably called a GCSE iykwim?

Spiro I did that with Chemistry it was called something slightly different (can't quite remember that far back) but it was the first phasing in of the GCSE thing.

I tried to explain plate techtonics to Smallboy Major when the Japanese earth quakes were happening. Not sure how sucessful I was.

A plate techtonics cake would be a lot of fun.

Isn't that just sliding layers of cake over each until the jam filling erupts?

And there I was, trying to skate over the fact that I did O levels, thinking that you would say "what were O levels, grandma?"!

::flicks through The Bluffer's Guide to Geography::

Plate tectonics is when .

I have been hearing song quite a bit recently and can imagine Massive singing it to Guy except the bit about make up , I think it's the hair flipping thing . If I knew how to make vids I would make one for you Massive.

And yes I do know this is an X factor boy band made up out of 12 year olds.

But I like it .

ignore the advert at the beginning.

Yes, the ads on YT are getting more and more intrusive.

I have ::high court judge emoticon:: heard of One Direction, although their music tends not be featured on radio 4. It's a very jolly song and I can quite imagine Massive singing it to Guy even the bit about the make-up/eyeliner.

Well, I would indeed sing it to Gizzy if my voice sounded less like a crow's.
Might be counter-productive.

Why is it suddenly me who is charged with crushing so ridiculously, anyway?
Is no one else guilty of a little excess enthusiasm for their favourite chaRActer?