Silent Sunday - Happy Easter - Yellow Bursts of Our Garden

What Has Made Me Cheerful This Week

It is always a good sign when you are happily participating in this Blog Theme for a third week running.  So without further ado, these are the things that have made me 'Chipper' this week :

1. My beautiful nephew, who this time last year, came into the world at just 34 weeks gestation turned ONE and is fit and healthy and happy.

2. I got to spend 2 hours in the presence of an amazing author, Jodi Picoult, listening to her read, speak passionately about research and answering any question thrown her way.  Awe inspiring - most certainly.

3. I managed to finally get on top of the ironing - big, huge excitement was had over this.

4. I finished my current book and started a new one - I love the anticipation of starting a new book.

5. The Easter Holidays started so I get lots of extra time with J1.

6. Due to Easter weekend, my deserted seaside abode springs to life with an abundance of visitors which is always great to see.

7. The weather has been good enough for multiple park visits with J2 - I love watching him running and climbing, although it still gives me a pang in my heart for J1.

8. The Voice continues on BBC and I am absolutely loving it.

9. Another friend announced she is expecting her second baby and had the clearest scan picture I have ever seen.

10. We had a wonderful time at a reunion of J1's old school class, it was fantastic to catch up with all the other children, parents and amazing teachers and teaching assistants.  Can not wait for the next one.

Other inspiring and 'Cheery' souls can be found over at www.mdplife.blogspot.com

Would You Trade Sunday Trading?

I had an 'interesting' conversation with a friend of a friend the other day about Easter.  They were, in my opinion, a little short sighted on the whole event and claimed that if you were not taking part in it for religious reasons then you should not partake in it at all.

I do not normally get into debate whatsoever with regard to religion, each to their own, but they were so 'forceful' with their own opinion on it, I got a little infuriated.  I am not religious at all, that is my choice but I know the role that Easter plays to Faith and understand it is important to those that do have a belief.

However, to be told that I should not indulge my children in a chocolate Easter Egg, or 'enjoy' the Bank Holiday Weekend in it's honour was taking things a little too far.  My argument is that the 'Egg' symbolises New Life and / or New Beginnings.  This could be used therefore, to start new friendships, or wipe slates clean, or even begin new era's for children, for example; taking away a dummy.  It is a positive symbolisation to people, whether they follow a belief / faith or not.

The most important thing to me when it comes to Easter however, is that it is rare occasion when the country has a long weekend.  My husband works full time and long hours and so do most of my friends so those occasions are longed for and looked forward too.  Easter is one of the only other times, apart from Christmas and even that is slowly being shortened and shortened with everything open until 10pm Christmas Eve and open again 10am Boxing Day, that you can indulge in good, old fashioned family time.

My favourite day of the four though, is Easter Sunday because, like Christmas Day almost everything commercial is closed.  For me, it is a day for enjoying your home, enjoying each others company,  enjoying 'the old fashioned' Sundays of my childhood where every Sunday was family day.  Saturday was the day to enjoy going out and about and Sunday meant a lazy start, Sunday morning TV, Nan's Roast Dinner, watching 'The Match' in the afternoon and homework in the evening.  This is my romanticised memories anyway.

There has been a lot of debate recently regarding Sunday Trading hours, and whether it would be beneficial to extend them for the Olympic period.  The argument for (that I heard on the radio debate I was listening to - and before you mock and giggle, I was at my mum's having lunch and it was on) is that is a unique experience and visitors will expect to be able to get anything, at anytime.  The argument against, was that once the rules are relaxed will they go back to being restricted and what detrimental effect will this have on the British Family?

There was various points of view about staff being made to work more hours and therefore cutting further into their family time, but on the other hand, one employer argued that extra hours he requires are offered and he always has willing takers who happily want to earn the extra money or exchange a day off on Sunday for one they prefer in the week.

I have never been a Sunday trading fan, having been of the age where I had just starting working weekends to earn some pocket money and working in a shop was contracted Sunday hours.  Gone was the day to recuperate and recharge the batteries.  The day that you knew you had to entertain yourself with a book, or listening to music and waiting for the Chart Show to come on the Radio.  I know a lot of people say they loved it when the Sunday Trading came in because they used to be so bored on a Sunday but it was never like that for me.  I used to love the content feeling of a day in and knowing that everyone else was doing the same, bar a family visit or Sunday bike ride or walk.

Now there is always a reason to 'just pop out' on a Sunday.  I myself am guilty of using Sunday Trading when I haven't bought enough milk to last the weekend or am short of an ingredient for whatever I am cooking / baking.  But at least once a month I try and ensure that our family undertakes a 'Traditional Sunday' - no leaving the house apart from a post - roast stroll.  It gives me a little taster of my own childhood, although because I know the world is working a full pace, and many people are stuck behind a till, or working on a fitting room when they would rather be at home with their feet up, I don't get quite the same contentedness.

However, Easter Sunday, for that one day we get that and I would love to have that more.  But that is just my own personal opinion and I appreciate people respecting that.

An Evening with Jodi Picoult (Essex Book Festival)

A few weeks ago I wrote about attending an Essex Book Festival event for Alexander McCall Smith and noted that I also had managed to get tickets to see Jodi Picoult speak.  Since enjoying Mr McCall Smith so much I have been waiting feverishly for the event date to arrive, which it did last night.

And we were not to be disappointed.  Although the format of the evening was very different to the first one we attended, Jodi was just as confident, engaging and inspiring.  Firstly she outlined and read from her latest published novel 'Lone Wolf' and I have to say I think I could have sat and listened to her read the entire novel.

She then spoke about the in depth research she had undertaken for the book, spending time with Shaun Ellis at The Wolf Centre in Devon and shared some of the information she had learnt about Wolves (and any pack related animal).  This may sound a little strange, but believe me when I say, the audience was entranced, until she asked for 3 audience members to participate in a Wolf Cry experiment and then we were amused!

Finally the floor was thrown open to questions, a good selection were asked to which Ms Picoult answered without missing a beat.  Questions ranged from 'How old was she when she started writing?' - Answer 5 - to 'How did you get access to the Amish research for Plain Truth when they are such a closed sector - Answer : Slowly.

She also set the record straight on the age old question 'What happened with the ending in the movie of My Sisters Keeper?'  The answer to this, ultimately she sold the rights and thus creative control, although before selling them all the important movie bods agreed that the one thing that had to stay the same as the book was the ending.  She was called weekly while the screen script was being written and was happy that it was staying true to the book.  She then got a call (from a fan that happened to see a copy of the script) to alert her, the ending had been changed.  Then the movie people would no longer take her calls, and after a desperate attempt to make them realise their mistake she flew to the set, where she was physical removed.  She contacted other people related to the movie and warned them they would lose serious money by compromising the ending, but no one listened. 

The result was that the movie did lose money.  Jodi Picoult fans were disgusted and since she made that call and was right, movie opportunities that have since arisen have been offered with a co-producer or similar type role, meaning she will have some degree of creative control.  This I believe, will definitely be for the good of the movie.

After the amazing talk, the whole auditorium queued to get their purchases signed by the lady herself.  I usually don't get flustered by the 'Well Known' but I must have been in awe because all I could muster when she asked in her American twang 'Hey, how are you today?' was a giggle that a school girl would give a boy band.   Embarrassing?  Just a smidgen...

The Jodi Picoult talk was the last of the Essex Book Festival events for the year and what a way to end, I can not speak highly enough of them.  Roll on the schedule for 2013.

Silent Sunday - A Special Mascot Day for J1 (Colchester United FC)