Tuesday, 28 April 2015

May is almost here...

...and my latest eMagazine is available at...

I thought I'd try to engage with interested parties via this blog as well as the usual channels.
Let me know what you think...
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Saturday, 28 March 2015

Has Education changed since the 1950s?



We’ve been going through the contents of our loft and among the many things we’ve found so far, I feel I have to share this with you…

TIPS TO LOOK AFTER YOUR HUSBAND (From a 1950s Home Economics Text Book)


 Have dinner ready:
Plan ahead – even the night before to have a delicious meal on time.
This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
Prepare yourself:
Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch-up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
Clear away the clutter:
Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper etc., then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order and it will give you a lift too.





Prepare the children:
Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small). Comb their hair and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.





Minimise all noise:
At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.




Some don’ts:
Don’t greet him with problems or complaints. Don’t complain if he is late for dinner. Count this a minor compared with what he might have gone through during the day.




Make him comfortable:
Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax – unwind.




Listen to him:
You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.






Make the evening his:
Never complain if he does not take you out for dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.





The goal:
Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.


Well?

Has Education changed 
since the 1950s?

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Monday, 9 February 2015

February: Week 1

Since retiring, "What DL is Happening?" shares the highlights of my week...
I'm beginning to wonder how I fitted work into my week. I promise I won't include the mundane stuff like shopping etc., I hope that there is something of interest to you all. Let's start with...
Tuesday 3rd February 2015: SciBar...
If, like me...
  • you like a choice of "Real Ales", 
  • you're free during the evening of the "First Tuesday" of each month and 
  • you have an interest in STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts or Maths)- 
...then think about popping along to the Ship & Mitre to join us for SciBar...

 Sadly you've missed February's talk where...
"Local photographic historian Ron Callender, discussed how two amateur photographers, working on Merseyside during the 1870's, worked tirelessly for over ten years to determine how to measure and quantify the sensitivity of film- when exposed to light - establishing photography as we know it today. 
Ron, also pointed out how difficult it was for Hurter & Driffield to convince the London scientific establishment that they were right!"
No change there then ☺
February's talk was about these two me (taking a selfie!)
By the way Dr Ron Callender is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and former president of the photographers professional association the BIPP. For over 50 years he has developed new approaches to both pictorial and scientific photography.
It was a fantastic, engaging talk.


When I find out, I'll post what's coming up in March and I hope to see some of you there!
How much does it cost? SciBar is a charity and those who attend are asked to make a donation - cost of a pint...

Wednesday 4th February 2015: W&WPL...
Yes it was our 5th Walk & Wednesday Pub Lunch.
As I mentioned in the last post, we made a New Year's Resolution to do a Walk & have a Pub Lunch, every Wednesday.
  • You can see the Walk we did at...

  • ...and our Pub Lunch experience at...
Thursday 5th February 2015: F.A.C.T....

On Thursday we were off to F.A.C.T. to see "Kingsman: The Secret Service"...


...which is a 2014 British-American action spy film directed by Matthew Vaughn and based on the comic book The Secret Service created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. The screenplay was written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman. 

The film's cast includes...
  • Colin Firth, 
  • Samuel L. Jackson, 
  • Mark Strong, 
  • Taron Egerton, and 
  • Michael Caine.
Kingsman: The Secret Service is based upon the comic book by Mark Millar, and depicts a veteran secret agent who leads a young protégé into the world of espionage. 
The villain is Mr Valentine, a tech-billionaire who wants to control the world using free SIM cards, so he can bring about a genocidal solution to global climate change.
 My better half and I thought it was an excellent, tongue in cheek, film. Well worth seeing!
Lunch before film
Friday/Saturday 6/7th February 2015: Sport...
Those who know me well, won't be surprised to know that the Six Nations is something I look forward to every year.
On Friday it was...


Wales v England with England, according to the "experts", the under dogs.
Result: 
Wales 16 - England 21

On Saturday it was...
Italy v Ireland followed by France v Scotland (I must admit we watched Everton v Liverpool that was a 0-0 Draw)
Rugby Results: 
Italy 3 - Ireland 26   &   France 15 - Scotland 8

P.S. I'd recorded the France-Scotland game and watched it later.

 Saturday is also the day I am cook for my "better half", older daughter and myself.
This week it was...
Nans, Rice, Maharashtrian Radish Salad...

 ..and Beef Madras.

Sunday 8th February 2015...
Visit http://maghullmeanders.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/enjoyable-but-tad-too-far.html and that will provide more details of Sunday's Meander.

We were so lucky to see, among other things, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker, a Hare and an Albino Pheasant.
Day-to-day...
I also, each day, read my RSS Feeds (Keeping myself up to date) and post things I think others would like to read, listen to, and/or watch via...

I think that covers "What DL is Happening?" so until my next post...

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Monday, 2 February 2015

The Last week in January & the Start of February 2015...

Let's start with February 2015 -

...so much for the kind words and birthday greetings that so many of you posted yesterday. 
I didn't expect so many! I thought, having retired, it would have been a case of "out of sight, out of mind".



That said, the first item is the eMagazine for February; it's available to read on-line and/or download as a pdf, to share with others, at...

If you would like to see earlier copies then you can access the eMagazine archives...

What else have I been up to?

Since retiring I've joined my better half at F.A.C.T. (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in Liverpool to watch some excellent films.

Last week we went to see Treasure Island adapted by Bryony Lavery for, and broadcast live from, the National Theatre.
There were some interesting "Twists" e.g.
It’s a dark, stormy night. The stars are out. Jim, the inn-keeper’s granddaughter, opens the door to a terrifying stranger. At the old sailor’s feet sits a huge sea-chest, full of secrets. Jim invites him in – and her dangerous voyage begins.
 The sets used during the play were stunning!

 NOTE: If you are retired you could do what we have done and become members. By doing so you'd get...

  • three free cinema tickets, plus 
  • £2 off future tickets and 
  • 10% off tickets, food and drinks
...at FACT and beyond. No I don't get anything for promoting membership!
Find out more at...

Then there is our 2015 Walk and Wednesday Pub Lunch (W&WPL)

We've completed four so far (no surprise there) and for each one we've used a check-list to score each pub out of 50.

If you're interested in where we've been and or the resulting "Scores" visit...

What about the walk bit?

They've been included in with our other Meanders, which can be seen by visiting...
We usually do two walks a week...
  • the W&WPL mentioned above and
  • a Sunday meander ( I haven't posted this Sundays, as it was a repeat of a walk we've posted in the past).
    Here are some pictures I took including playing with the macro-lens on my iPhone...


Anything else?


There are lots of things I do during the week, for example, I usually...
Here is January 2015's summary

I also, each day, read my RSS Feeds (Keeping myself up to date) and post things I think others would like to read, listen to, and/or watch via...

I think that covers "What DL is Happening?" so until my next post...

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Monday, 26 January 2015

A long enough break to start again...


Having retired in July 2014, I did one more post and then stopped!
I felt that there needed to be a break before I restarted this blog.

 Well this blog will now be a "'This is what I've been doing', Opinions and more" collection of posts...

So what have I been doing?

  • What I want...
  • When I want... and , more often than not...
  • With my better-half
I've probably walked far more than I did when in work; you can catch up with those walks via the "Maghull Meanders" Blog - I'll be posting "Heads-Up" in this Blog as and when I can.
You can view archived walks at...
...and while we are talking about walks I should flag up our "New Years Resolution"
We, my wife and I, decided that we would do a walk every Wednesday and visit a pub for lunch.
This has resulted in extra Maghull Meanders, which I've mentioned already, and a new Blog - Maghull Foodie - 

...where we compare the host establishments using a check-list.
You can take a look at the three we've done so far at...
I was also set a challenge, by my "Little Sister" to do a sketch each day...

Going OK so far as you can see here...


...the first 25 days of 2015.
I'll be posting my daily sketches here, in this blog.

eMagazine

Yes I'm still "Keeping up to date", via daily RSS Feeds, and publishing my eMagazine. I'll be posting here when a new issue is published.

Content has changed slightly and includes links to my "Daily Doodles", Jigsaws etc.; many of which I've produced for our Grandchildren but I'm sharing with a wider audience.

Ye Old "One Stop Shop"

Yes I'll continue to post on Social Media (Twitter (@ACLjohn), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/acljohn) etc.)...

...but this blog will enable those of you who are not into such things, to be able to find out...
What DL is happening?

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