CuppaTea

I have had the privilege and the pleasure of taking several of my nieces and nephews to the library over the last few months. As libraries are among my favourite places, because books are one of my favourite things, I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing them with the children in my life, and I have been thrilled to watch them enjoy time spent in the library too.

I love libraries. So many books, so many exciting stories, so much information - I could spend hours in a library, and often have. I also love sharing my appreciation of a library with others, In June I took my four year old niece to the library, to read stories, to look at books, and to borrow a few things for us to enjoy later. She picked a CD of nursery rhymes, a dvd she wanted to watch, and then as we were walking towards the borrowing station I spotted a book about crochet, a skill I had been meaning to learn for more than two years but that I hadn't gotten around to yet. So, I borrowed that book for me.

I wonder how many of you have ever learned another language. I have had the privilege and the pleasure to study a few by now (other than English). And the most fascinating and difficult part, once you get your mind and tongue around pronunciation) is dealing with idioms. Idioms are words or expressions which are more or less unique to a language and/or culture, making them difficult to understand and translate into or from another language. Three years ago, one of my housemates, who is from South America, asked me about an expression she had overheard: 'Speak of the devil!'

How much do you actually remember of your childhood? I find my memory shaped more by impressions than actual events. Things which were habit, or done many times, are more likely to be a collection of linked scenes or ideas, and it can be difficult to discern what actually happened on individual occasions. My eldest nephew had his first school Sports Day recently. I had the day free, so I went

It has been a long time since I have posted anything here, but I am going to do more writing from now on. Thank you to those of you who have dropped by in the meantime! It has been a pleasant surprise to see that some people are still checking the blog out! I have been away from home for more than two months now, and I look forward to getting home before my birthday. Which has made me think about how I plan to celebrate my birthday this year, and wonder about how other people celebrate their birthdays.