Smiley babies

Both boys are really smiling now and the happy, gappy grins bring sunshine to the greyest days!

I think Toby is showing his Whitlock genes in this pic - the shape of his mouth here is just like Arthur's mum's.

He loves to 'stand up' on my knee and enjoys it when I sing to him. Pia used to love me singing to her when she was a baby but she seems to have gone off it a bit since then!

Farty Fin

On Friday I had Fin on my lap about to feed him when he did the most ENORMOUS fart! 'Was that HIM?' asked Pia from across the room. No sooner had I confirmed that it was indeed Finlay than he did it again, an even bigger one that I felt reverberating along my leg!

At this point he looked up at me and his little face split in half with the biggest grin you've ever seen! It was as though he knew exactly what he'd done and was enjoying our reaction!

Whatever happened to culture in education?

Since I've been back in England I've become aware of a change that seems to be the result of a good intention - the prevention of those without an academic education feeling 'second class' - but that is having some rather disastrous results.

It seems to me that whilst I have been away there has been some kind of basic change in education, so that technology is now supreme and culture has been marginalised. I should think it would now be quite easy to find people in, say, their 30's and in positions of some importance and earning good salaries, e.g. bank managers, IT consultants or advertising directors, who would be unable to a) explain who Hannibal was b) explain the reasoning behind either the apostrophe or the circumflex accent in French or c) has actually read either 'Paradise Lost' or the Bible.

Call me an intellectual snob if you will - and I guess a great many will - but I believe that we are in danger of losing our cultural heritage because it is no longer taught. I wonder who, other than me, bemoans the fact that grammar schools (where these still exist) no longer teach Latin?

There are no longer music classes in all schools. So young people can leave school knowing nothing about Bach, Handel or even British composers like Walton and Vaughan Williams. Young people can leave school unable to spell or even, sometimes, to read or write. Most of them can add up. Which leaves us asking what, precisely, it is most important for young people to know in this day and age?

Change of direction

Hi everyone. One of the things that I enjoyed about the newsletters I sent from St Lucia was the opportunity not only to keep my friends up to date with what was happening in my life but also to share my thoughts about stuff. Not everyone chose to, or had time to reply to these but very few people actually asked me to stop sending them, so I guess most of the recipients enjoyed reading them.

On that assumption I am going to bare my soul here from time to time, posting my views on such fascinating topics as youth, justice and/or what the whole damn shooting match might actually be about. I invite you with open arms to comment, contradict or criticise what I say. Or, of course, to agree with me that 'Fings ain't wot they used to be'.

This blog will still offer info and pics about my gorgeous grandchildren - I'm just broadening it out a bit, OK?

Photo of me, just for once

This is my new photo. I have to face the fact that I am not photogenic! Nor do I look good with my mouth open because it shows all my crooked teeth.

However I don't think it's too bad for my age in view of all the dramas I've been through in my life!

Look! They're wearing my genes!

Me with the boys

Paul with all his children

Here is Paul with his three sons, Finlay, Toby and Robbie.

Robbie is the big fat one with black hair.

(Just so you know).