Professor Sheila Wolfendale 1939-2006

My dear sister died this morning from bronchial pneumonia, days afer finishing her chemotherapy sessions. She was diagnosed with cancer in November 05, so I am shocked that she should die so soon.
Sheila (BA MSc PhD CPsychol FBPsS) was due to retire on this very day. After completing her Psychology Degree at the University of Hull, Sheila became a teacher in a primary school and then worked as an Educational Psychologist in several Local Education Authorities. She also lectured in a College of Education and completed a Masters Degree in Child Development at London University. She became Programme Leader of Doctorate in Educational Psychology in 1981, and had a professorship conferred in 1988. Her PhD was awarded for the breadth and coherence of her published works. She has singly, co-authored, edited and co-edited a wide range of books, and is also the author of many chapters, articles, reports, booklets, manuals, in the areas of special educational needs, parental participation, assessment, early-years education and provision. Sheila acted as consultant on these topics in a number of other countries. Tomorrow was to be her first day of retirement! She would probably have remained just as busy in her retirement with her writing and keynote speeches. Just look her up on Google. There are 655 entries under her name. As you can imagine, I am so proud of her achievements, and very distressed at her death. Her funeral is next Wednesday, 8th February
Gosh, I'll miss my beloved sister.
I offer my love and support to her dear husband, Trevor, and her children, Daniel and Rachel.
I don't yet know what form of funeral there will be, or when it might take place, but Amanda and I will be back in England to attend it.

Snow has arrived at Lavausseau

Today, the snow fell for the first time since we arrived in Lavausseau last February. We are about to embark on a drive to our friends, Ranjith and Sigrid, for one of their scrumptious curries, for which they are renowned. They live 60 kilometres away, so we will be driving only on main roads, and with great trepidation.

Improvements at Bas Etang

We were shopping for a double gate in Poitiers, and were very disappointed to find that the only available 4.5 metre gates would cost about 1,700 Euros. That was mostly because the gap between our posts is 4.5 metres, whereas the standard size readily available is only 4 metres. So we had dismissed the idea completely. Until, that is, Amanda came across an agricultural supply company on the internet. Not only did they sell single sweep gates of just about any size, but they also had an outlet locally in Benassay, which is 2 miles away from Lavausseau. We visited their outlet, and were astonished to find that they could sell a gate 4.5 metres long for only 130 Euros. Furthermore, they agreed to deliver it to us for nothing! So, with the help of Jason (who happened to visit us for a few days last week) and Tony, we installed it into position. I know it looks rather industrial, so I am going to paint it dark brown with Hammerite paint (English of course) that is designed for metal gates. I started painting the top rail, but stopped when it got bitterly cold at -1 degrees.

The other project on the go at the moment is the fencing of the swimming pool. It was made mandatory as from the 1st January, with a penalty of 45,000 Euros if not installed. As can be seen in the accompanying picture, I now have it half completed. I was unable to finish it as the core drill I borrowed from the fencing vendor became totally blunt, and I am awaiting a replacement.

Scenes of Poitiers

Today I drove into Poitiers to get the Guardian and The Economist at the railway station. Remarkably the daily newspapers arrive on the day they are published in London - but only available at the Station. There is a TGV connection to the Mediterranean and Paris and beyond.
The middle picture shows a shop that sells everything for 2€. And the quality of the goods is excellent, with bargains galore.
The bottom photo is a panoramic view of the central square that contains the Hotel de Ville - the administrative centre of the city. Over Xmas the central section contained an ice skating rink, open to all, which was very popular.

The MG TF is back

I did a very silly thing the other day. I inadvertently clipped the edge of a middle island curbing on the road to Poitiers. When I stopped and looked at the tyres I could see that the front one had suffered damage, but was still inflated. I decided to immediately return to Lavausseau. On the way back I noticed there was some vibration in the steering, stopped the car, and saw that the rear tyre was flat. I checked my mobile phone and realised the battery was flat too. So there was no alternative but to walk home - a distance of 5 kilometres. It was 5.00pm, and getting dark. I set off as briskly as I could. There were no pavements on the road, so I had to take care to step onto the verge every time a car came past. Fortunately, the rain was holding off, so I didn't get soaked. When I got home I arranged for the insurers to organise a pickup truck to take the car to a local garage. On this car the tyres at the front and back are different in size. I was only able to get another Goodyear Eagle for the back, but not the front. This was because Goodyear have stopped manufacturing that size. So I had to buy 4 tyres of a different make to ensure they were all compatible. The cost ended up at 840€. I couldn't claim from the insurance as the excess is 300€, and my no claims discount of 15 years status would have dropped to zero. Just because of a momentary lapse in concentration.

The changing seasons

Well, the last post said Xmas is coming, and now it has gone, and we are into the runup to Spring. As this picture shows, Spring looks like coming sooner than expected. What a wonderful day. The stream is full, and running smoothly through the various tributaries. As can be seen in the garage photo, I've been using the chainsaw recently. We have a wood burning fire in the dining room, and, with many log piles in the garden, we have enough wood to last us for the rest of our lives. But they need to be reduced to sizes suitable for the grate.