This is my 5oth posting. I feel like I have come of age in the blogging world. Shame I still don't know how to do links or upload photos, except by accident.

Yesterday we did Bitterne - the Leisure Centre (swim and creche), the bottle bank and through the graveyard to the Police station. It sounds like a new version of Cluedo - Bitterne Cluedo, or maybe Monopoly. Anyway, the police were unhelpful and the graveyard was nice. Full of fake flowers and corpses. There was one epitaph which read

'Fred Bloggs' ( made that up to protect the indentity of the deceased)

1923-1982 ( and made that up too 'cos I can't remember the precise dates)

Alto saxophonist.



that was it. What would the one skill be that you put on your own gravestone? I don't think I am enough of a purist at anything, so think I would put 'jack of all trades' on mine.

Certainly not flautist. I played the flute at school, and was very very bad at it. I failed my grade 3 exam and passed the second time around with one mark to spare, then I failed my grade 4, by spectacularly playing the whole piece in the wrong key, among other painful mistakes I have buried in my deep subconscience. The only reason I kept going was because you got to belong to the orchestra, which was lots of fun, involved lots of trips to old people's homes and junior schools and warm practice rooms during the winter. I quite liked the bit where you cleaned your flute by shaking the spit out onto the floor. I did not like my flute teacher, Mr Taggart ( sorry mate) who slobbered on my flute and then gave it back and I had to try to clean his spit off with my sleeve before playing. My flute was held together with a cocktail stick which probably explained some of my problems. I had to buy Rizla papers to clean it with. My only foray into drugs and tobacco paraphernalia.

I just reread and thought I should mention that the graveyard corpses are all buried ones. Well, I assumed they were there, did not dig around too much. Another freaky thing about the graveyard was that it rained for the exact time we walked through it. A bit of a twilight zone I fear.

H had a concert last night for her singing group, and I was a helper, which as I had predicted meant escorting children to and from the toilets for several hours. The university concert hall was the venue, and it was an impressive show of singing talent from the Southampton Music Service singing groups. It was good to go back to the university with a different view on it from when I was a student. I did think it was good when I was there, but probably did not appreciate the luxury of being able to study there and what a good place of learning it is. And of cultural experience. I did go to a few things like concerts and theatre and films and comedy, but if I was a student now I am sure I would do loads more of that kind of stuff. It was interesting to walk past places that had been a big part of my experience all those years ago, and now although I live in the same city I couldn't be further away from it, geographically and socially.