Amaryllis Hippeastrum

This flower is blooming, and developing well in our dining room. You can see plenty of information at the Wikipedia site.

We found a Garden Dormouse

We found this little chap hibernating in a plan chest in the cabin at Bas Etang 2. He was rather surprised to be woken, but soon regained his composure. His latin name is Eliomys Quercinus, but I guess he doesn't know it. Here is some information I have found on him at the Animal Diversity site:
It has a body length of 100 to 175 mm. The tail length is 90 to 135 mm, and the body mass is from 45 to 120 g. Eliomys quercinus has a long, bushy tail. The tails of European dormice have brown, black and white coloration on them. Asian and African specimens have black and white tails. Garden dormice have short fur except for the tail. The fur on the upper surface of dormice may be any color of gray or brown. The underside may show white or cream coloration. There are black markings on the face of garden dormice. This characteristic is used to distinguish this species from other species such as hazel dormice. The black stripe goes from the nose to behind the ear.

The rising waters

It has been raining steadily in Lavausseau for the last few days. Our stream, barely above the bottom, has risen to levels that transform the waters into a veritable river.

Our new Garden arrival

We bought this McCulloch lawnmower, Honda powered, today in a sale. It was reduced from 562.50 Euros to 399 Euros. So we think it is a super bargain. Our last mower was a Flymo hover version, with a Briggs & Stratton engine, which finally expired after 20 years of sterling service. Let's hope we are as lucky with this new one. Well, we still hope to outlive it, of course. Coincidentally, both Flymo and McCulloch are owned by Electrolux. We will use this mower for the verges mostly, as we still have the Tractor and trailer for the large grassy areas in the main field and surrounding lawns.

More damage at Bas Etang

Look at the damage caused by a local driver when his car smashed into our house recently. A badger was crossing the road at 4.30 one morning, when the driver was approaching. He swerved to avoid the badger, and struck the house. He should have swerved to avoid the house, and hit the badger! A week later the driver came round to see us, and exchange insurance details. The car he was driving was a write-off, though he was able to struggle a few hundred yards to a local garage where he left it. Fortunately for him, the car was hired from a garage while his own car was being repaired. We now have the tedium of arranging estimates for repair, submitting them to the insurance company, and then managing the repainting of the wall.
Last March, the day we arrived here, another local resident skidded on an icy patch, and also smashed into the wall further along.
Needless to say, we have applied to the local authorities for protection from car drivers in future - either a road barrier or bollards. Apparently, a decision will be taken this week on what should be done. I will report developments.

Sheila's Obituary in The Guardian - 27.2.06

Professor Sheila Wolfendale, who has died aged 66 of pneumonia following treatment for cancer, was unique among educational psychologists. She had the ability to influence policymakers based on knowledge of the real issues in children's education and the importance of the involvement of parents in this process. Her inimitable style, fearless humour and unsurpassable integrity afforded her a status that few achieve.

Sheila's research work focused on early identification of learning difficulties, parental participation in children's educational development and family involvement in literacy. Publications such as Parental Participation in Children's Development in Education (1983) and The Parental Contribution to Statutory Assessment (1988) were seminal, changing attitudes to parents' rights and responsibilities, helping to stimulate such innovations as the Parent Partnership initiatives throughout the UK.

Sheila was an adviser to the Department for Education, for example, on the Special Educational Needs (Sen) code of practice (1993-94) and on Involving Parents in Assessment (2003-04), which included contributing to subsequent national conferences. She was also an Ofsted inspector (1993) and, in 1998, a psychology subject reviewer for the Higher Education Funding Council for England/Quality Assurance Agency. Recently, in collaboration with her husband Trevor Bryans, she was evaluator of the Who Cares? Trust literacy project for children in public care in Kent, as well as mapping parent partnership provision in Wales, on behalf of the regional government and the National Association for Special Educational Needs.

Her prolific authorship was matched by worldwide presentations at conferences and seminars. She set up or evaluated projects in parental partnership and family literacy in Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Romania and Poland. In 1990, co-sponsored by the British Council and the Australian Reading Association, she gave presentations across Australia as part of International Literacy Year.

She had a longstanding involvement in education in the London borough of Newham. She was coorganiser of the local Portage scheme, a home teaching programme for pre-school children with special educational needs, a founding member of the Newham Parents' Centre and a governor of a local inclusive primary school. Her innovative and challenging approach to professional training, applied research and professional development will be remembered by a generation of educational psychologists.

Sheila was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, the daughter of a chief chemist for Texaco. Her first degree, in psychology, was from Hull University, and she later trained in child development, undertaking an MSc at the London University Institute of Education. She was awarded her PhD from Hull in 1995.

After starting as a primary schoolteacher, she worked as a lecturer in higher education before becoming an educational psychologist. In 1981, she was appointed course director of the educational psychology training course at what is now the University of East London, a post she held for 18 years. In 1996, she was among those who developed the first professional doctorate programme for educational psychologists in the UK. She was awarded her chair in 1988 and was elected a fellow of the British Psychological Society in 1989. She is survived by Trevor, her daughter Rachel and son Daniel.

· Sheila Wolfendale, educational psychologist, born November 25 1939; died January 31 2006

Funeral arrangements

Sheila's funeral is on Wednesday, 8th February, at the Honor Oak Cemetery, Lewisham. The service will be a Humanist version. We are going to England on the Monday, to return to France on Friday.