Digital Education at the University of Leeds

Teaching people digital skills can be severely underrated, given how important they are to day-to-day life. At the University of Leeds, the Digital Education Service is tackling this by providing innovative online learning. We spoke to Helen Billington, Digital Education Service Manager, to find out more.

Helen wants “to make university education equitable and open to all”, which is an admirable – if ambitious – mission statement. However, it’s something she’s able to work on in her position as manager of the University of Leeds’ Digital Education Service, a team of people working to provide students with online learning.

“Our main aim is to help academic staff at the uni to develop online resources; either things that can be used on campus within the university’s virtual learning environment – Minerva – or courses that can be put on the external learning platforms of some of our partners, like FutureLearn,” said Helen. 

 This is no small challenge, of course. Taking traditional university education and bringing it online is a big task. “It feels like it’s only a small part of the iceberg, because obviously the university itself has a vast amount of knowledge,” Helen said. 

However, the service has recently focused on recruitment activity as well. The availability of the internet means that young people have more and more options when it comes to their education and career paths. Helen told us about the resources that the Digital Education Service has to introduce young people to a new subject, and talked about the plans the service has for apprentices. While in the past, apprentices would have to go on day release to a university in order to learn and gain skills, Helen and the service are changing this by giving young people more options through online learning. “They can be an apprentice at a university that isn’t necessarily a local one, so they’re not doing day release but they’re doing perhaps a weekend supported by online learning,” she said. "This way, they don’t need to be tied to their local area and are free to learn on their own time". 

The importance of online learning 

 This is a crucial part of the Digital Education Service’s work, and Helen believes that online learning is a vital skill for everybody to develop. “I think our main aim is to enable all of the students who come to the University of Leeds to gain the skills to be online learners,” she said, “because if you’re an effective online learner you can access university courses from all over the world on any subject.” “Online learning means often you can learn the bite-sized bit of information you need, at the point at which you need it. So it’s a lifelong skill to be able to access quality online education to answer the particular question you have at the moment, or the development need you have, or the challenge that you have.” This is something Helen wants to implement across the university wherever possible. She added: “We would measure success if every student at the University of Leeds did some online learning as part of their degree programme.” 

Leeds Digital Festival 

 Helen and the Digital Education Service will be taking part in Leeds Digital Festival this year, running an event showcasing just some of the technology that the service uses in its own online courses. “We’ve selected a course that has a really big focus on the City, because it’s on transport planning,” said Helen. “One of the features in that is some drone work and interactive animations about traffic planning at the Weetwood roundabout.” Participants in the event – which Helen recommends for anyone who is interested in seeing how technology is used in learning, as well as those who might want to get involved in developing or working in online education – will see how interactive animations and drone footage can be used to produce a road system for the future. 

 So why get involved with the Leeds Digital Festival at all? Helen was clear: “Because we think that digital skills are the skills everybody needs for the future; not just young people starting out on their education or moving into the working world, but as we get older, those of us who didn’t have a digital education in our working life but are moving into retirement will increasingly need to access the things we need through the internet.” The Digital Education Service is committed to helping all generations develop their online learning skills, and the Leeds Digital Festival is a great place to showcase this.

Joined Mumsnet Bloggers

I have had a Mumsnet account since 2008 and generally just lurked in threads about teenagers, eduction and large families, occasionally posting. I've just applied, and been accepted as a Mumsnet blogger, no pressure there then. I've been browsing the Mumsnet bloggers network help pages to get some hints and tips about blogging. I've added a badge and now I need to join the review panel and find out how to get the widget.

New blog focus

I've changed my blog title and layout today as part of my blog refresh. Time moves on and my old profile is no longer upto date.

An occasional blog sharing my experiences as a mother of 4 teenagers, school governor and university administrator. Usually written at the kitchen table where I lurk all evening in the hope that one of my teenagers will talk to me when they come to raid the fridge.

 The children are no longer teenagers and spend very little time at home. I'm entering a new phase of my life as an empty nester.

A consolidated blog

 I have spent today importing my blog posts in the University in-house blogging tool, elgg, into Blogger to join my non-work blog  (formerly Yorkshire kitchen tales and Aga kitchen tales) so I could import all of my blog rambling into a single site. The elgg blog site isn't supported any more and I didn't want to lose my old posts. There aren't very many of them but they stretch back to April 2007.

The original idea was to have a work blog on elgg and a non-work blog. The work blog is now in Wordpress. Going the extra mile hbillington.wordpress.com

New school admissions code and twins

I was surprised to read in the Guardian that the draft, new school admissions code includes the guidance that:

"Schools must give priority to children whose parents are in the armed forces, as well as children in care, and ensure twins and triplets are in the same class."
Don't rely on school place lotteries, local authorities are told The Guardian, 27 May 2011

 I've always felt that twins do better if they are in different classes at school but I know that this can depend on twins individual needs. According to a  Twins and Multiple Births Association (TAMBA) report 20% of multiple birth children starting school are allocated to classes (either together or apart) without any consultation with parents. Amazingly around 1% of multiple birth children starting school are offered places in different schools. This equates to almost 200 children per year (The Educational Needs and Experiences of Multiple Birth Children TAMBA 2009)

The new admissions code will allow twins and triplets to be admitted to an infant class

"even if it takes the class over the 30-child limit" DfE Press notice 27th May 2011

so there should be no reason for twins or triplets to be split between different schools. The chief executive of TAMBA,  Keith Reed, says

"We are delighted that the new Government has taken on board our suggestion to add twins and multiple-birth children to the list of infant class size exceptions." ,

Both of my sets of twins started primary school, and secondary school in different classes. Next year my sixteen year old twins are going one step further and have chosen to go to different sixth form colleges. The logistics of them travelling in different directions every day will be a challenge but they have each chosen the course and college that is best for them.

Goodbye Aga

Having named this blog 'Aga Kitchen Tales', previously posted a blog about my Aga and even registered my Aga on the 'This is my Aga' website, I'm now saying goodbye to the Aga. Like many others, I've decided I can't afford to keep my oil-guzzling Aga going. I could swap to an electric Aga but I've decided to go for an electric range with 5 hotplates, a grill and a warming plate.

Saying goodbye to an Aga is not something you can do instantly. I've switched it off this evening so we can remove the fitted worktops from around it tomorrow. On Tuesday the plumber is coming to disconnect the hot water supply and oil pipes, and then on Wednesday I've got two men coming from Avec Cookers to dismantle it and take all the pieces away. They will be able to use bits of my Aga as spares for their re-conditioned Agas.

I'm also going to have to rename this blog. I've been trying to think of a title all evening.

My staff profile from our office newsletter

Tell us a little about your background.
I was born in Lancaster but spent most of my childhood in Nottingham where my parents and sister still live. My father was a Maths teacher and we used to spend the long summer holidays touring through Europe with our caravan packed with tins of corned beef and Smash, lots of travel on a small budget. I think this gave me the travelling bug that took me to New Zealand via Texas and Costa Rica at the beginning of my academic career. I did my first degree in Botany at Cambridge and then my PhD in plant genetics in Liverpool. My first post-doc was based at the University of Texas in Austin but I did all of my field work in a National Park in the Pacific tropical rainforests of Costa Rica. I met my husband Chris when I was a student at Cambridge and we got married before I started my post-doc in Texas. After two years we moved on to New Zealand where I had another 2 year post-doc, this time in the School of Forestry at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. Chris followed me back to the UK in 1989 when I got a third post-doc in Edinburgh. We then moved to Bracknell in Berkshire when Chris and I both got post-docs at the Silwood Park campus of Imperial College. We had our first set of twins, two girls, Rose and Alice, while we were in Bracknell.


What jobs have you done to date?
I don’t really think of being a post-doc as a job because it’s linked to a specific research project and it’s a short-term contract. My first real job was a lectureship at the University of Coventry. Chris had a lectureship at the University of Birmingham and we could have settled in the West Midlands but Chris was attracted by the first round of 5 year University Research Fellowships advertised by the University of Leeds in 1995. I remember Chris bringing the advertisement into Birmingham Maternity Hospital to show me on the morning of my caesarean section to deliver my second set of twins, this time a boy and a girl, Jack and Lucy. I wanted more children and Chris wanted more time to do his own research and the two things fitted quite nicely with giving up our lectureships and returning to the post-doc lifestyle in Leeds. Chris had a 5 year URF in Biology at Leeds and I got a part-time post-doc in Geography, plus a part-time contract with the Open University as a tutor. I continued to work part-time at Leeds until last September, moving from Geography to Biological Sciences in 2003 via Yorkshire Universities. My first job in Biological
Sciences was Marketing and Widening Participation Officer. I moved to Quality Assurance Officer in 2005 and then Manager of the Teaching Support team in 2007 when the Undergraduate School was set up.


Expand a little on your role?
At the moment I’m covering some of the role of the Undergraduate School Manager while Jenny Hamlin is on maternity leave. I thrive on new challenges and am enjoying working with the staff in the Undergraduate School Office and meeting more students and academic staff. I’m not sure how the role will develop when the new Director of the Undergraduate School and Institute Directors of Studies are appointed and Jenny returns from maternity leave, but I know there will be plenty to do.


Have you had any challenging tasks to undertake to date?
My biggest challenge in Biological Sciences is the one I was faced with when I first arrived in 2003. I had to develop a suite of co-ordinated recruitment brochures for the 4 Schools (plus 1 Division). I organised a full tendering exercise with 5 designers, consultations with staff, students, prospective students and their parents and managed to meet the print deadline required to get the brochures printed for the University Open Day in just under 7 months. I’m delighted that three of the five cover shots that were part of that initial branding exercise are still in use and the faculty logo and colour scheme are still part of the faculty interpretation of the University visual identity. More recent challenges have included setting up an on-line room booking system and then changing from a faculty system to the University on-line system. This year my main challenge has been moving the printing of teaching materials from an external supplier to the University Print and Copy Bureau. I think it is important to support the jobs of colleagues across the university where we can. By committing to move our printing business to Print and Copy Bureau we have enabled them to upgrade their printers and offer a more competitively priced service.

What were your thoughts when you were told you were having a second pair or twins and how did you cope with 4 little ones?
I went for my first scan on my own. I remember the midwife thinking I should have known it was twins again because my bump was so big. I thought it was because I was pre-stretched. Chris didn’t come to the scan because Rose had chicken pox. He picked me up from outside the hospital and drove straight off so I didn’t tell him it was twins (again) until he stopped at some traffic lights. He thought I was joking. We were very busy, and tired, when the children were all young but we have always worked as a team, and put the family first. It has definitely improved my time management and organisation skills. The best part about it is that when you have 4 children and a full-time job, no-one expects you to have a tidy house.


What do you do in your leisure time?
We have a 6 acre smallholding in North Yorkshire and have three horses and some chickens. In December we got a new puppy who I am supposed to be training but most of my non-work time is taken up with looking after my family. Jack and Lucy are half way through their GCSEs at Selby High School while Rose and Alice have just finished their A Levels at York College. I’m also vice-chair of governors at Selby High School.


What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done in your life?
I had a few notable encounters with animals while I was working in Costa Rica; coming face to face with a jaguar, disturbing a herd of wild pigs in the rain forest and almost stepping on a wasps nest but the scariest moment was one evening when a bat that was roosting in the toilet block fell onto my head while I was on the loo and couldn’t fly away because it got caught in my hair. It still sends shivers down my back just thinking about it.


Do you have any ambitions?
I’d like to continue with the travelling which has had to be put on hold over the last 18 years. I’ve booked to go to Cuba next Easter but I have lots of destinations on my wish list. If I had to choose I’d put Chile, Easter Island, Brazil and Peru top of my list. There was a possibility of going on an AUA (Association of University Administrators) study tour to Brazil for 4 weeks this November but the timing wasn’t good with the faculty restructure.

Is there anything you have done that you are particularly proud of?
I’m very proud of my children and enjoy watching them gain confidence and independence as they get older.
What’s your most frequently asked question?
In the VLE, how do I…………….?
******** Thanks Helen for giving us an insight into your life – a very busy one! This is such a lovely photo of you and your family that I just had to include it

Christmas letter 2009

Rose and Alice’s move from learner drivers to fully fledged car owners (shared Fiat Punto) was one of the major features of this year. Chris did most of the driving practice. I wasn’t deemed to be calm enough to accompany them in the early stages. We all coped really well; Alice got out of the car and refused to drive any further at a junction in Selby with me and Rose refused to go out with Chris for at least a week after he had the temerity to pass comment on a manoeuvre or two.

At Easter we went on a family holiday to the Red Sea with a tiring day trip to Cairo to see the antiquities museum, the Pyramids and the Sphinx. The snorkelling was wonderful, but not quite as exciting as the traffic in Cairo.
After Easter, we started on a tour of University Open Days. To be honest I think I was more interested in having an opportunity to check out the competition than the girls were. Rose and Alice’s UCAS forms are now in. Rose has applied for accountancy at East Anglia, York, Sheffield, Northumbria and Hull. Alice has applied for deferred entry to study Chemical Engineering at UCL, Newcastle, Nottingham, Herriot Watt and Aston. We liked Herriot Watt; Alice said it was like having a University at Harewood House (except near Edinburgh), which is a large country house and estate just to the north of Leeds (where the north of England red kite release has been carried out).
In the summer, Jack went on a School outdoor activities holiday to the Ardeche whilst Lucy chose the less active option of touring the Belgian battle fields and chocolate shops. Rose, Alice and Lucy spent a muddy weekend at Leeds Festival and apart from that we have been at home all year. Even Chris has only had his passport out to go to Egypt. He spent most of the summer re-visiting silver-spotted skipper butterfly sites on the north and south downs. We did a survey together in 1982.
We had a series of family celebrations at the end of the summer; my parent’s golden wedding anniversary, Chris’s 50th birthday and Chris’ nephew’s wedding in Ditchling. It was good to meet up with family and lovely to see the Thomas cousins monopolising the dance floor.
I went back to Newnham in September as part of Cambridge’s 800th anniversary. It was also 30 years since I first went to Cambridge. It was lovely to meet up with so many old friends and spend a night in College.
Jack and Lucy have started their GCSE courses and have also being doing their bronze Duke of Edinburgh award. Jack is helping to coach the village under 8 football team and refereeing home matches and Lucy is helping out at an after-school club at a primary school in Selby. Jack and Chris have continued their Hull season tickets. Alice has continued to work at Starbucks in the Designer Outlet and Rose works at Polo Ralph Lauren. They had a joint 18th birthday party at a Selby nightclub in November. It was lovely to see all their friends from school, stagedoor and college together.
Sadly, Rex died during the year, of heart attack we think – very quick, on his way out to the garden. After six weeks of “never going to have another dog”, Chris caved in and Ruby arrived; a Staffordshire Bull Terrier x Border Collie puppy. We need to take her to puppy training classes…

Happiness is catching

 According to Prof Richard Wiseman (University of Hertfordshire) ‘Happiness is catching’. By making a few small changes to your behaviour you can not only improve your own state of mind but help others to be happier too. I’m going to try and follow his advice;

• Starting the day by thinking about the things that made you happy from the previous day
• Remembering to smile whilst carrying out everyday tasks such as making a cup of tea
• Carrying out small acts of kindness, such as paying someone a compliment or holding the door open for someone
• Expressing gratitude for the lucky aspects of your life, for example being in good health

See ‘Worklife Support’ blog for more information or follow Worklife support on Twitter

Positive Thinking

 I’ve been practising positive thinking this week and have already felt lots of benefits at work. It sounds very glib but once you start thinking positively you can get more work done, once you get more of the tasks on your ‘To Do’ list ticked off you feel better and the postive cycle continues. Working here in Biological Sciences isn’t a bed of roses at the moment (See BBC News Job cuts at University of Leeds 3rd June 2009) and it is easy to slip into a cycle of cynism and negative thinking. We all know that negative thinking can make you ill and add to that the continual threat of a swine flu pandemic its really important to maintain a positive outlook.

One thing to be positive about is that of the three ‘highlights’ on the University web site home page at the moment two of them are about research done in Biological Sciences.

On a personal note I lost 2lbs at Slimming World last week and if I can do the same this week I’ll be 1 stone lighter than I was 10 weeks ago.

From a family perspective all four of my teenage children are now ‘in a relationship’ on Facebook. Having been in the same relationship for 27 years I hadn’t appreciated how important the ‘relationship status’ was and, of course, had no idea that you could send and receive ‘relationship requests’

On top of all that the sun is shining today and we haven’t necessarily lost the Ashes.

University of Warwick Open day

We had a lovely day at Warwick University yesterday. I had been to the campus before for an Association of University Administrators Annual Conference (2005) and will be going again next year. The girls loved the campus and squealed with delight when they realised their chemistry 'goody bags' included a laminated periodic table. All four girls; Rose, Alice and two friends were booked on the Chemistry talks. Hannah and Sarah also went to Biology and Alice (and I) went to Engineering.

The best part of the day for me was to see so many parents out and about, enjoying a day with their teenagers. It a much more positive image of both parents and teenagers than one ever gets from news, media etc. Its also useful to for me to find out how other university degree programmes are put together.

The girls didn't seem to get as much out of the talks as they did at Hull. I think they wanted more information about what the degree programmes included rather than what careers you might go onto afterwards. They feel they are at the stage where they are trying to choose between different degrees and they need more information about what they will study if they go to a particular University. Despite that, they both came home very impressed with Warwick and wanting to know which other Universities have campuses. I've added Loughborough and Sussex to our list of places to visit which is getting longer and longer.....

Marilyn French: the author whose novel did change lives

How sad to read in the Guardian today that Marilyn French had died [obituary]. I looked out my battered copy of the 'The Women's Room'. It was easy to find between a copy of a novel by Micheal Frayn which I don't remember ever reading, and my collection of Stephen Fry novels and autobiographies. Like Kate Mosse (Guardian G2 tribute article), I first read 'The Women's Room' as an undergraduate and some of its messages have stayed with me and to a certain extent shaped my life. Mira, the central character of the novel, chooses to pursue her own academic career rather than accept the inevitable compromises of following her academic boyfriend. The ending is a very poignant picture of a solitary female academic watching a noisy family on the beach, the family of her erstwhile boyfriend. I made the opposite decision; my husband's academic career continues to prosper, I've followed him across three continents and we have a very noisy family of teenagers. I don't have any regrets 25 years after I made that first decision to follow my heart rather than my academic calling.

Conference blogging

 I had good intentions of blogging whilst at the Association of University Administrators (AUA) Annual Conference in Exeter but instead now have great admiration for anyone who manages it. I feel as if I have put a whole years staff development into one day (and given a paper of my own). All I’ve had time to do is update my twitter. I’m only finding time to blog now while I listen to the Archers (on-line) and wait for my hair to dry. It is the Gala Dinner this evening – a valuable networking session 

In case you think I’m making a bit much of the hectic schedule here it is
9.00-10.15 Writing and reviewing for publication.
10.30-11.15 Launch of the AUA CPD Framework
11.15-12.30 Pressures to succeed in a changing HE landscape
13.45-15.15 Leadership and management development for middle managers
15.30-16.00 The development of professional careers in UK Higher Education
16.00-17.30 Developing the student experience

Two more sessions tomorrow and then 6 hours in a minibus to get home. Have a happy Easter.

Relatives who fought and died in World War One

Lucy is going on a Selby High School trip to the Battlefields of WWI in May and so I spent yesterday afternoon trying to track down the burial places of her great, great uncles. My father showed me how to look up the burial sites of soldiers on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site and we also tracked down the military service records of my grandfather and Chris' grandfather on the National Archive web site

Chris' grandmother, Beatrice Gresham (nee Long) had two older brothers who died in 1916. Henry Archibald Long was 31 when he was killed in action on the Somme. His body was never found and he has no grave but his name is inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial. He died on 15th August 1916 and his younger brother, Guy Steer Long was killed in action 13 days later on 28th August. He is buried in Villers-Bretonneux Military Ceremony near Amiens (See picture Source: CWGC web site).

Both Chris and I had a grandfather who served in WW1. Chris' grandfather, Arthur Gresham Modlock was a Captain in the Royal Field Artillery and was awarded the Military Cross for his heroic service in the defence of the Messines Ridge in 1917. We even managed to find his citation in the London Gazette in May 1918.

My grandfather, George Bowcock was a Private in the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was awarded a number of campaign medals. George Bowcock was a butcher by trade which is presumably why he found himself in the Medical Corps.
Source: www.cwgc.org

University of Hull Open Day

It doesn't seem very long ago that I was pushing a pushchair around Bracknell but time has marched on and we have started looking at Universities because Alice and Rose will be filling out their UCAS applications in the Autumn.

I started my research a few weeks ago and found that www.opendays.com does all the hard work and provides easily searchable information on University Open Days. The University of Hull seemed to be about the first and since it is one of the closest to home we decided to book a place and take the girls and some of their friends. We went to talks on Chemistry and Engineering. Hull is ranked 11th for Chemistry in the Guardian league tables and 8th for Engineering (general) and is ranked 5th overall. We were all very impressed with the campus and the departments but it was our first Open Day.

Mothers Day, Jade Goody and smear tests

I had a vague plan to spend today being selfish and just doing what I wanted to do but being a mother doesn't allow you to cut off entirely from the responsibilities of the role.

I woke this morning to the news that Jade Goody had died from cervical cancer at the age of 27 (Radio 5Live 8am alarm) and wondered what advice I should be giving my daughters about having smear tests. Apparently in England screening starts at 25 but in Scotland and Wales it is 20 but this is under review. I recall my first test in the Doctors Surgery on Kings Parade, Cambridge when I was an undergraduate and either 20 or 21 so the advice on age of first testing must have got older rather than younger. I've never had any reason to think about it before. For myself, I've had a letter from my Primary Healthcare Trust sitting in my 'Home Pending' file since January reminding me that my next, 3 year appointment is due on 13th January 2009 so I'll be joining the queue at the surgery over the next week or so.

Ofsted Inspection

Selby High School had its Ofsted inspection yesterday and today. I spent a few hours at the weekend, and last night 'swotting-up before my interview with the HMI. I found some good advice via google e.g. from TES, from UK Governor Forum amd from some local authorities (Manchester, Swindon)

There were two governors at the meeting; our Chair and myself (Vice-Chair) and we were asked about the information that the School provided for governors and our involvement in reviewing and updating school policies. The HMI was particularly interested in the governors role in revising, reviewing and approving the School's Safeguarding Children Policy and how the School had explained the Fischer Family Trust data to the governing body. She was also interested in how the School's specialist status 'Performing Arts' has impacted on the School. We must have done quite a good job because at the feedback meeting the HMI said the "governors are effective and well informed" although this only translated into 'satisfactory'.

The full Ofsted report has now been published on the Ofsted web site.

The challenge is to improve the effectiveness of the governing body so that by the next Ofsted inspection we are ranked 'outstanding'. Quite a few local authorities have self evaluation and self review procedures for governing bodies that we could use to improve our effectiveness e.g. Lewisham. West Sussex run a course for Governors called 'From Good to Outstanding'. We would have to jump from satisfactory to outstanding but its good to be ambitious. I'm going to a governor training session on Stategic Thinking for Governing Bodies in May so the challenge is underway.

Christmas Round Robin Letter 2008

I finally got around to writing my Christmas cards today. I love getting Round Robin Christmas letters. Here is mine for this year.

2008 got off to a great start; Chris and I left the children at home and joined Chris’ sisters and brother, plus spouses, on a trip to Ecuador. We had a fantastic time with a week cruising around the Galapagos, snorkelling with sea-lions, sharks, penguins and flightless cormorants, with a few giant tortoises and iguanas on the land. Then, we had four days at Napo in the Amazon basin, where we were paddled along blackwater creeks by native Indian guides, Chris working on getting his holiday bird list up to 200 species. In between, we had several days in and around Quito, high in the Andes, where it was pleasantly cool, but where the air was so thin that several of us felt permanently queasy.

After escaping for two weeks, the rest of the year has largely revolved around the children and their activities. Rose and Alice left Selby High School in the summer with a memorable Prom night. After the formal Prom at the Parsonage Hotel in Escrick, about 70 of their friends came back to our house for an after-Prom party and sleepover. Fortunately it was one of the few dry nights in May so the party was outside and they slept in tents (if they slept at all). Chris complains that he still keeps finding beer and cider bottles in the hedge. In the same month, Lucy went on a school trip to Germany, apparently successful, other than that there is no sign that she learnt any German. Lucy and Jack also had a week at an outdoor adventure centre with School. After their GCSE exams, Rose and Alice had a camping holiday with some of their friends in Robin Hoods Bay, which involved squeezing them, their friends, and a massive amount of gear into our car because public transport was apparently going to be too complicated and they couldn’t carry everything that was “absolutely essential”. They then proceeded to get holiday/Saturday jobs. Alice has been working at Starbucks in the York Designer Outlet since July and brings free coffee beans back home every week. She has taken to making cappuccinos at home, resulting in large numbers of pans having to be cleaned after being used for frothing hot milk. But the fresh-ground coffee is good. Rose had finally settled on a job at Ralf Lauren in the York Designer Outlet after working in Levi jeans in York city Centre and – for one week only – at Mexx in the Designer Outlet. Chris is now sporting one or two items of designer clothes!

Lucy, Rose and Alice have continued with their musical theatre group and had a four night run at the Gate Theatre in Goole with a wonderful performance of their musical ‘Don’t Let the Big Man Win’ in July. After the success of the post-Prom party we followed up with the after-show party. One of the advantages of a barn and no neighbours within shouting distance is that you can host teenage parties without having them in the house and without disturbing the neighbours. Chris took the opportunity to be away; a week on Reunion Island, taking part in a conference on EU Overseas territories and climate change.

Chris and Jack are now Hull City season ticket holders. Chris queued for over 13 hours on what must have been the only sunny day this summer, to get the tickets, and returned with a very pink scalp. They are enjoying Hull’s surprisingly impressive progress in the Premier League. Jack has exchanged playing football for watching, with exercise now provided by sessions in the gym, which Lucy also does.

Since September, we have started a new morning and early evening routine. Rose and Alice are doing A levels at York College and so no longer get picked up at the house by taxi. North Yorkshire provides a minibus to York College from Wistow village so I have to get them to the village at 7.30am and pick them up at 5pm. It’s good for me because it means I can’t work for too many more hours that I’m paid for! I’m probably working fewer hours than I was, even though I’ve officially increased my hours to 90%. Alice is doing Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry A Levels and Rose is doing Maths, Chemistry, Psychology and Theatre Studies. They are both planning to continue with Science at University.

We are spending Christmas at my sister’s this year and planning a pretty uneventful two weeks. On the other hand, Rose and Alice had their 17^th birthdays and have just start to learn to drive. Being driven around by them certainly gets the adrenalin rushing, especially on the icy lanes near home. The more confident they get, the scarier it becomes. I hope you have an enjoyable and restful Christmas holiday.

Haddon Hall at Christmas

After last years very successful trip to Chatsworth at Christmas we made a return visit to Derbyshire and visited Haddon Hall.

Haddon Hall is both older and smaller than Chatsworth, dating from 11th Century [wikipedia]. In keeping with its age the Christmas decorations were almost all winter evergreens; holly, ivy and fir, plus lots of oranges studded with cloves. I particularly enjoyed the kitchens where they were selling mulled wine and the long gallery which was arranged for a 1930s family Christmas.

We had Christmas lunch in the restaurant and then spent a hour or so shopping in Bakewell.

Coldest Week in Blackpool Ever

I was unbelievably cold. I should have taken some hot water bottles!

Despite the cold we had a great week in Blackpool. We stayed at the Haven Holidays caravan park in Fleetwood, Cala Gran. It was the last week of the season for Cala Gran and the last week for the illuminations. I love returning to the Blackpool illuminations. Every time I see them it takes me back to the very first time I went with my parents (1969?). I can still remember how magical it was. My children are a bit older, and a lot less easy to impress but they do like the Pleasure Beach.