tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post1910712152078158195..comments2024-03-27T22:53:00.759+01:00Comments on A Hippo On the Lawn: Just some stuff. I guess I am tired and pissed off.Hippohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-78328813116452768582013-11-16T23:22:49.943+01:002013-11-16T23:22:49.943+01:00I hate reading about peoples unhappy childhoods. I...I hate reading about peoples unhappy childhoods. I had a truely great one and I hope to give my girls the same. I'm sorry that you didn't but I guess it made you the tough son of a gun you are today. <br />I often think that when my family is a little older I'd maybe like to try fostering, the thought of giving a child some stablity, even for a short while, really feels like what I should do with what I've got. <br />I think that alex will look back on his childhood with fond memories and laugh about how much he loved his crazy dad.Kev Alvitihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04992625860900617194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-37198654526315286862013-11-15T00:21:12.685+01:002013-11-15T00:21:12.685+01:00Keep rowing. I am as good as new.
UKeep rowing. I am as good as new.<br /><br />UUrsulahttp://bitchontheblog.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-4391046846899549972013-11-14T15:54:42.674+01:002013-11-14T15:54:42.674+01:00Thanks for this, Megan. Despite everything, I do ...Thanks for this, Megan. Despite everything, I do not agree with the last line. Have 'em as early as you can and stick to your wife like glue.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-13789877015140643842013-11-14T15:50:07.859+01:002013-11-14T15:50:07.859+01:00Oh come on Ursula, you're such a tease. Hurt ...Oh come on Ursula, you're such a tease. Hurt me you blonde Aryan dominatrix. <br /><br />You are a Mother? Damn, I thought you were a virgin. I even bought a rowing machine to get fit again so I did not disappoint.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-8441708721388007552013-11-14T15:44:14.206+01:002013-11-14T15:44:14.206+01:00Tossing the TV? Here in Europe, even in Africa wh...Tossing the TV? Here in Europe, even in Africa where I am now, we just turn it off using something called an 'On Off Button'. Not sure if you had them in the States in those days.<br /><br />I have just acquired a collection of Tin Tin comic books and am weaning the boy with those. The funniest part is that last night as we were tucked up in bed, he fell asleep but I carried on reading it to the end by torchlight!Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-27575732388553158102013-11-14T15:33:51.550+01:002013-11-14T15:33:51.550+01:00I am sure there is a deeper meaning to the video b...I am sure there is a deeper meaning to the video but it escapes me. I wish there was someone brainy who could explain it to me.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-64378612049443741402013-11-14T08:49:03.794+01:002013-11-14T08:49:03.794+01:00This is my third attempt at an answer, Tom. My rel...This is my third attempt at an answer, Tom. My relationship with my son, his with me, is so diametrically the opposite of your experience there is nothing meaningful I can say without possibly hurting you as to what might have been.<br /><br />From the bottom of this mother's heart I am truly truly sorry for your experience. As I am sorry for your mother on missing out on the biggest joy in life.<br /><br />UUrsulahttp://bitchontheblog.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-89273442907859145902013-11-13T17:36:28.101+01:002013-11-13T17:36:28.101+01:00It's a poem by Philip Larkin:
This Be The Ve...It's a poem by Philip Larkin:<br /><br /><br />This Be The Verse<br /><br />By Philip Larkin (1922–1985)<br /> <br />They fuck you up, your mum and dad. <br /> They may not mean to, but they do. <br />They fill you with the faults they had <br /> And add some extra, just for you. <br /><br /><br />But they were fucked up in their turn <br /> By fools in old-style hats and coats, <br />Who half the time were soppy-stern <br /> And half at one another’s throats. <br /><br /><br />Man hands on misery to man. <br /> It deepens like a coastal shelf. <br />Get out as early as you can, <br /> And don’t have any kids yourself.<br />megan blogshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04555646904983619596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-24776829919638413272013-11-13T17:28:49.551+01:002013-11-13T17:28:49.551+01:00Yes, i was very sad when i read about that, wonder...Yes, i was very sad when i read about that, wondering frantically how any could be saved. It sounds balmy to many, but i'm sure you'll understand when i say that cherished books are like very dear friends to me.megan blogshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04555646904983619596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-28311806215966298882013-11-13T16:26:07.032+01:002013-11-13T16:26:07.032+01:00I always thought my mom was a bit of a bitch. Then...I always thought my mom was a bit of a bitch. Then when I had my own kid, I found that being a bit of a bitch was often helpful. I think my own childhood was pretty great in comparison to some of you Europeans. No one was sent away to school, our small school was truly a community endeavor. I had lots of relatives on both sides of the family who lived within 25 miles, so we saw them often. Like Pud, I learned to read before I went to school and thought that's how everyone did it. When my own computer-savvy son turned out to be dyslexic and could barely read by 5th grade, I took over teaching him myself. I found books on tape to be a wonderful thing. His favorites were the classics and Michener. By the time he was 16 he'd "read" more than 300 really good books. His reading had improved, but it might never be good enough for him to pick up an actual book and enjoy it. Nevertheless, he is quite literate and writes well, did well in college because he's an accomplished listener, and now his computer skills and the spatial understanding dyslexics often have are serving him well at work. One bitchy thing I did, though, was toss the TV when he was 10 years old and never replaced it. You're correct, illiteracy often results when parents don't do their job.Jan Blawathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06697621979002856884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-75408042150905928772013-11-13T14:45:59.589+01:002013-11-13T14:45:59.589+01:00We are all different in how we deal with the past....We are all different in how we deal with the past. My dad left when I was about 8-9. I next saw him when I was 14 and that was it. He remarried, more kids etc. So, a bit like you, I am making sure I am there for my kids, doing the best I can. They both love the computer but the older one also loves books. AND is selectively deaf when so engrossed. <br />The video made me think of The Wizard of Oz. Did like it though. Retired job.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14349739454297792385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-35237297624771888842013-11-13T14:20:56.680+01:002013-11-13T14:20:56.680+01:00Illiteracy among school children is down to parent...Illiteracy among school children is down to parents abrogating their responsibility.<br /><br />With my eyesight as bad as it is now, the NUT sticker you saw should have read, 'If you can read this, you are lying on the bonnet of my car'Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-75413616804022337312013-11-13T14:15:57.460+01:002013-11-13T14:15:57.460+01:00Absolutely. Yet they'll spend millions on TV ...Absolutely. Yet they'll spend millions on TV adverts before Christmas reminding us that 'A Puppy is for Life'.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-31234317562304135302013-11-13T14:13:02.492+01:002013-11-13T14:13:02.492+01:00It was a morose post, wasn't it? I am sure it...It was a morose post, wasn't it? I am sure it is the toe Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-14693591881978753262013-11-13T14:09:49.430+01:002013-11-13T14:09:49.430+01:00The foot is really taking its time to either heal ...The foot is really taking its time to either heal or fall off.<br /><br />After I could not handle boarding school, I went to Ashby-de-la-Zouch.<br /><br />I always thought I would spend a few years in Africa, return laden with cash and buy one of the cottages in Shackerstone.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-43465427119136602452013-11-13T14:02:05.875+01:002013-11-13T14:02:05.875+01:00So you are alive, Sir Owl! And, having quickly ch...So you are alive, Sir Owl! And, having quickly checked my favourite blog list, I see a new post from you. Excellent.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-62007497638800424752013-11-13T13:58:47.413+01:002013-11-13T13:58:47.413+01:00Oh please do! Even if the missing lines do not ap...Oh please do! Even if the missing lines do not apply, it has all the makings of a nice little ditty!Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-55310247791862011172013-11-13T13:57:16.119+01:002013-11-13T13:57:16.119+01:00I suppose it was all good training for me. At San...I suppose it was all good training for me. At Sandhurst I was undefeated light middleweight. Now I am just overweight!Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-90144275419210455752013-11-13T13:53:46.525+01:002013-11-13T13:53:46.525+01:00Odd, isn't it? I could not handle boarding sc...Odd, isn't it? I could not handle boarding school yet excelled in the Army!Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-2517623580833888032013-11-13T13:49:48.702+01:002013-11-13T13:49:48.702+01:00I find a simple, 'Bugger Off!' works well ...I find a simple, 'Bugger Off!' works well too!Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-57165787695649450372013-11-13T13:48:19.259+01:002013-11-13T13:48:19.259+01:00You can imagine how I felt having to throw so many...You can imagine how I felt having to throw so many books away that rotted in storage.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-53443715916226715542013-11-13T13:47:01.958+01:002013-11-13T13:47:01.958+01:00Very good, and oh so true! Uncle Trevor had been ...Very good, and oh so true! Uncle Trevor had been clean for a number of years by the time he died. I wish I knew how he did it. Get clean I mean, dying I will figure out myself.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-59091719374394815062013-11-13T13:43:16.900+01:002013-11-13T13:43:16.900+01:00I'm actually a fat old alcoholic, sorry to sha...I'm actually a fat old alcoholic, sorry to shatter your illusions! I'm glad you like the blog.Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-48875051863035604022013-11-13T13:30:29.000+01:002013-11-13T13:30:29.000+01:00FOUR kisses! Wow, I have a secret admirer!FOUR kisses! Wow, I have a secret admirer!Hippohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09468795398813061897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512022050229968490.post-13237053635863747292013-11-13T11:52:42.693+01:002013-11-13T11:52:42.693+01:00Interesting that Alex has naturally embraced compu...Interesting that Alex has naturally embraced computer technology but is behind with old-fashioned reading and writing. Of course when we were that age there was no alternative. At the age of three and a half I apparently came downstairs and said, "Mummy I want to learn how to read and how write my name" and an hour later I returned to my bed with the rudiments already fixed in my brain. So when many years later I saw NUT car stickers - "If you can read this thank a teacher" I was somewhat confused.Yorkshire Puddinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06019673884543913089noreply@blogger.com