Time to get out the Knitting Needles

There's something about the beginning of winter that makes me dig out my knitting bag -usually to pull out something half-finished that I put away at the beginning of spring last year.
This year to my delight I had nothing unfinished, just a whole lot of untouched navy wool that I'd bought to knit school scarves for the kids.
So rather than just knitting a boring old stocking stitch scarf, I went online to find hundreds of free knitting patterns on some amazing craft websites.  I've listed some of them below:
 http://vickiehowell.com/projects-patterns/
www.ravelry.com
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/free-scarf-knitting-patterns12.htm
http://cocoknits.com/knit/garments/accessories/mittenscarf.html
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/adia/adia.html
http://knittingqueen2.blogspot.com/2005/08/manly-scarf.html

"Mum, Why Did You Make Me Go To School?"

My daughter Caitlin started school this year, Even though we're now into second term, she is still reluctant to go.   She clings to me while I unpack her bag, and buries her face on my sleeve when the teachers try to entice her into the classroom.  As I walk away from the school, feeling each day like I've betrayed her, I try to comfort myself with the knowledge that after a few minutes she'll settle into her school day and be happy to be there.

Until Monday.  After school when I unpacked Caitlin's bag, I found the above drawing.  Just about broke my heart.  'When did you do this?' I asked her. 'Was it in the morning, just after I left you?'
She told me 'No, it was in the afternoon, after lunch.'
I asked if the teacher saw. 'No,' she said. 'I did it and hid it in my bag so she couldn't see.'

Even looking at it now makes me want to cry as I wonder what kind of day Caitlin's having.  It isn't that she doesn't have friends - she's always complaining that too many kids want to play with her and she doesn't want to hurt their feelings by saying no.  It's not that she struggles with the tasks.  She already reads well, and all her teachers, from Music to PE say that she is well above standard.

Yesterday she seemed so depressed and exhausted I let her stay home.  She had a lovely day.  She had a meltdown that lasted half an hour because there was no cereal left for her breakfast, she got into my makeup and painted her face, she made a mess and didn't clean it up.

It hit me, as I compared the child I know to the impression Caitlin's school teachers have of her, that Caitlin is exhausted by school because so much of her school day requires her to suppress her real self.     At home she is feisty, outspoken, even aggressive at times.  At school she is polite, sensitive, co-operative, and quiet.  At school Caitlin never yells, never shows anger, has never been in trouble.  One teacher at my first parent-teacher interview said she wished every child was like Caitlin.
Caitlin's Chinese teacher apparently said on Tuesday 'Caitlin, you are always right and always good.'  Can you imagine how much pressure that puts on a six-year-old child who doesn't like to disappoint her teachers?  What is going to happen when that inevitable day comes and she does get in trouble, or her temper finally flares up?  My poor little girl is going to feel so disgraced and ashamed I'll probably never get her back to school.

Carole King and James Taylor Troubadour Reunion Tour kicks off in Melbourne and THANK GOODNESS I was there!

On Saturday night I had the great joy of seeing James Taylor and Carole King perform in their Troubadour Reunion Concert at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.  This concert was inspired by a performance they did together to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Troubadour in Los Angeles, where they had performed together in the early 70’s.  Also playing with them at the anniversary concert were Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar and Russ Kunkel.  They enjoyed playing together again so much, they decided they had to take it on the road.

If you are a fan and you haven’t booked tickets, and the concert is coming anywhere near you -BOOK NOW! And make sure you buy the souvenir book too - it’s a fascinating record of the early years of their friendship and the story behind the tour.

This is the third time I have seen James Taylor perform 3 times, and every time I wish I could go back the next night and the next and the next…  But, I have to say this time was the absolute best.

The first time I saw James Taylor perform was in Portland, Oregon, September 17^th, 2001.  I didn’t even want to go.  Just a few days after the horrors of 9/11, I didn’t want to be anywhere that involved a large crowd.  It probably sounds ridiculous now, but such was the state of fear and uncertainty I was feeling about the world at that time.

When James Taylor came on stage he thanked the members of his band for being there, because many of their families had not wanted them to travel.  When he sang Fire and Rain, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the crowd. I’m always struck by the kindness in James Taylor’s face and his voice was so incredibly soothing, when he sang the line ‘Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground’ for the first time that week I was actually sobbing – a much needed release, as you can imagine.

  

The next time I saw him in concert was Feb 16^th, 2005, at the Arts Centre in Melbourne.  It was a much smaller venue and he had a smaller group, although I remember the divine Arnold McCuller was again singing backup.  It was a wonderful, simple informal concert and we were kicking ourselves that we hadn’t paid for better seats.

So, when we heard he was coming to Melbourne again, with Carole King no less, we booked the best seats we could get and ended up with second row seats, right in the middle. And was it ever worth it! (I may have got a little carried away with my camera, and got told off by security for using my flash, even though I wasn’t – it was someone behind me.)  They were just amazing on stage together. 

Leland Sklar, Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel are on the tour also, as well as the amazing Arnold McCuller singing backup (I’m always so happy when I see him walk out on stage).

Their shared joy in performing their music together infected the whole crowd.  So reassuring in this world where so many concerts are more about a dance routine and lip-syncing, that Taylor and King can just bring it right back down to their instruments, their songs, their incredible charisma and the love they have for performing.

  

They were so relaxed onstage, bantering with the audience when someone called out.  For example, ‘Carole, do you love James?’  ‘Do I love James, was that the question?  Of course I do’ and another time a fan cried “I love you James Taylor,’ to which he replied, ‘Probably helps that we don’t know each other,’

For me, the stand-out moments were when they sang ‘You Can Close Your Eyes,’ and when King sang ‘Will You love Me Tomorrow,’  but what am I saying? Every moment was just wonderful. When they performed ‘Locomotion,’ as one of their encores, Carole King nearly brought the house down.  The energy of that amazing woman!

I’m  not sure who was more sorry when they finally left the stage – the crowd, or the performers.

Book tickets – and get the best seats you can! 

Has anyone else read Edward Rutherfurd's 'New York'? If you haven't, I strongly recommend it!

For anyone who loves New York, or a great historical read, this book is a must.

Before I read this book, the picture I had of the history of New York was no more than broken fragments.  As an Australian, we didn’t study American history in school.

Rutherfurd offers a look at the events and times of New York through the eyes of fictional characters, starting with New Amsterdam in 1664 with Dutch settler Dirk van Dyck and Englishman Tom Masters.  New York follows the stories of their descendents through the years up until 2009.  Whilst each section is on its own a wonderful story of the lives of the fictional characters themselves, the settings within the most significant events and times of New York make for fascinating reading.  Of course, most of the events were those that affected the nation, not just New York, but Rutherfurd’s focus is specifically on how the residents of New York were affected by those events and involved in them.

Particularly fascinating is Rutherfurd’s portrayal of historical figures – Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington to name a few and the way these figures influenced the lives of his fictional characters. Rutherford manages to show these great figures as very real, flawed human beings.

As I said before, my knowledge of American history is limited.  Perhaps American history buffs disagree with his view of some of the events in the book, but I don’t think anyone could say that this is not a fascinating journey through time. 

For more information about the books he has written in a similar style about some of the other most amazing places in the world, below is the link to his website.

http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com/edward-rutherfurd-books.html

I would love to hear what other people who have read New York think, especially those better educated in American history than I am.