Of Doughnuts and Nests and Racism (Random Post!)

It's not quite 7.30 in the morning, the promise of a beeeeeeeautiful summer's day, birds are twittering outside the open window, the family is still asleep, and I'm blogging while I have some peace. But now that I start, I feel I don't have anything exciting to say *Oooooh...she's in one of THOSE moods*

But seriously. I read blogs all the time where people create a new scrapbook page or book or altered trumpet or *whatever* every single day almost, and I think 'Where in the HECK do you find the time?!!!' I seem to spend every day wishing I could calmly sit and create lovely things (and believe me, I have enough products around my house to keep any scrapper happy for a year), but life seems to be an endless round of sorting out mon enfant, venues, kits and teachers for future events, trapsing round Tesco for food, making meals and tidying the bottomless untidy house pit.

Anyway *hffff, pffff*...my bits of excitement this week. I finished part one of an article for ScrapBook Inspirations magazine. The picture above is a clue to the subject of the article (and anyone who's attended one of my classes where they've eaten doughnuts will know what that is all about!). It will be appearing in the issue due out end of August and another article on the same subject will be in the following month's issue too *shiny me*

House Martins have built a nest in the eves of our house. Awwwwwww! I've heard neighbours moaning about bird poo and the noise (honestly...moaning about bird noise!!??) but I think it's GREAT! Celyn and I have really enjoyed watching Mr or Mrs Martin swooping out of their marital abode to go and get dinner for the chickies (sounds like my life - LOL!). At least, I presume there are chicks...maybe just eggs at the moment. Not being a house martin expert or nuffink. But it's all cool and they have so far kindly refrained from crapping on my car. Bless.

I have started walking. Now OBviously I don't mean that I've finally figured out how to walk after all these years. I mean my good mate Anne has decided I need more exercise (which, to be fair, is damn true) and so she comes over every evening and we walk around the delights that are Pontarddulais for about 45 minutes and either covet or criticise all the properties we pass, as you do. Mostly covet (there are some nice houses around here). Isn't she a lovely soul, to come and walk with me? I moan (in my head) every evening when I know she's due, but then I really enjoy it. So perhaps I should stop moaning and just get on with it! What say you?

I have also started watching Big Brother and of course there was the whole Emily Parr 'thing' this week. As a scrapbooker of course I know the Parrs as her mum owns a scrapping business not a million miles from here, but I don't think either of us would say we were the best of friends by a long chalk. However, having considered the situation all week (and watching the incident in context before making a proper judgement), I have to say that I'm not entirely sure she should have been kicked off the show. I feel that the term she used was said with the motivation of trying to be 'street' and hip, and not because she is racist. But Emily simply isn't street...she's white, middle-class and incredibly naive. You simply can't use that term on national TV, even if it's bandied around between blacks themselves in real life, and even then, only some blacks. Personally I've NEVER heard any of my friends use it and I wouldn't dreeeeeeeeeeam of using it ever (it's just not a word in my vocabulary), let alone around my friends...but I'm assured that it definitely is used as a 'buddy' term these days. I can remember a friend of mine going completely ballistic at a guy who was over his apartment one day who said that same term...it was completely unacceptable then (nearly 20 years ago) and although it's crept into slang these days, you have to remember that not everyone watching TV is 18! There are 40+ year olds who would be horrified by that word and who would neither understand nor hear its slang use.

I also think Channel 4's reaction by taking Emily out of the house was definitely in light of the Shilpa Shetty stuff last year which was a trillion times worse and WAS racially motivated. And I also think Big Brother has double standards. They say that housemates mustn't do anything which can offend each other or the viewing public, but then they use language every day that offends me (certain blaspheming being the main sticking point with me (makes me cringe), or the constant use of the F word). Now...no one is remotely reprimanded for that, and even by complaining now I bet someone reading this will think "Well if you don't like it, turn it off then!" So what if you also said that to people offended by Emily's choice of word? It's a double standard, whichever way you look at it. I would be very interested to see if anything was said, let alone done, about English-Welsh put-downs if they occurred between Laura and another housemate. Where do you draw the line?

I'm not justifying her actions though...absolutely not at all. It's an ugly word and she definitely should have been reprimanded in a serious way. But, when push comes to shove, her motivation and attitude were not racist. She was just a very silly girl.

But, on a lighter note...the two housemates that entered last night. I took an instant dislike to that Seany. Eeeuch. Nasty piece of work. The Greek guy is as camp as chicory coffee, and is just making me laugh. And Ziggy's face was a complete picture and had me howling. Awww bless him. He only wants a friend he can chat about football and women with. Love him.

Right. I have a ton of things to do today (tidying the bottomless pit of untidyness being one of them). And the famblee are arousing their bods from their beds now. Back on the gerbil wheel...

Ta ra!