Friday, March 02, 2007

Anniversary Issue - Back from Wentworth - Cold

This is the view from the Dining Room at Wentworth Castle where Northern College is housed and, as you can see, there is extensive work going on.

But the courses continue more or less unscathed. There was much rain but several sunny patches redeemed things and all of our activity was indoors.

The course was first rate and I have learnt so much. Our tutor was of the

"tell 'em what you are going to tell 'em - tell 'em - and then tell 'em what you've told 'em'
School.

I was far from the runt of the class. Over the past few years I have learned such a lot about computers I was actually able to help other people. PowerPoint is a very pleasant programme to use and Mr Gates is to be complimented on it - I left feeling that I could now put on a fairly sophisticated presentation without making an ass of myself. And that was what it was all about.

You will see from Picture 2 that I was housed in what looks rather like a student cell. But at least I had it to myself and the disabled facilities in the bathroom were a boon. As it was a disabled room I was a little surprised that the bed was so low. Very narrow, hard and difficult to get up from and I needed to lever myself up using 'to hand' furniture. But I honestly don't want to sound as if I'm moaning because I'm not. The food was adequately 'institutionalised' and designed for the appetites of the hungry young, but it was fine.

When I have done the finishing touches to one of my very brief presentations I will have Walagata host it and then, armed with a URL, I will be able to give you all a 'link' to it here on the Blog. It will only be around 6 frames, lasting in all, less than a minute and so won't give you download problems. Even for Madeline on 'dial up', because Broadband doesn't penetrate into her part of Wales.

I've unpacked but plan an early night because I have been missing-out on afternoon naps, and I did have the drive to contend with. Not that there were problems because there were'nt. More tomorrow. Thanks to my regular 'commenters'. Loved the stuff about the dawn chorus Jill. Ain't you clever to be able to identify the song of so many birds. After a blackbird I'm usually guessing. Even then I'm more confident if I can see it perched on a branch with its beak moving !

.....Fancy t'blog being a year old.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pleased the course was worthwhile. I wonder if it was the same PowerPoint tutor I had? Young fella, very good, even if I have forgotten it all (never having got around to using it).

Has NC changed much, I wonder? There are certainly far less courses programmed under the 'new rules' imposed by government which have also led to charging fees which, although very reasonable, will, I suspect, cause a lot of people to be more selective and deter them from applying. As a knock on, this would undoubtedly cause courses to be altered (leading to 'dropout') and/or cancelled.
I just hope that it will not have disastrous effects, particularly as there is £8/£9M being spent on cosmetic improvemnments to the landscape as well as a lot going into alteration/renovation of the buildings.

Anonymous said...

'Hark! that's the wise thrush - he sings each song twice over, lest you should think he never could recapture/that first, fine careless rapture'.

Robert Browning, one of the only bits of poetry I can quote from schooldays. And it is still the best way to distinguish between the song of a blackbird and that of a thrush. Thrush repeats each phrase, blackbird doesn't. And a blackbird sort of sneezes quite often, at the end of a phrase. Well, that's what it sounds like to me....