Just pleasantly floundering around.....

We have been reading children's books aloud for the last ten years. It's part and parcel of being a parent I guess. We've been through all the Rainbow Fairies, all the Harry Potter Books, much Doctor Who written merchandise and much more besides. Some I have managed to be mildly entertained by but none so much as the Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton (read to our seven year old son - although he doesn't always really listen) and they regularly make me laugh out loud. There are few books that do that. Here's a great snippet to give you a flavour if you have not read these books (you have to read it out loud): Chapter 3 Here's who went through the arch that morning: First was Old Granny, then Martin Launderette, then the little girl called Peter, a little boy called Rita and a baby called Elsie Wa-Wa. Then a really, really tall bloke called Harry Extreemoleg, then Thora Gruntwinkle with Greasy Ian and their pet monkey Philip the Horror, and then Jonathan Ripple, who go...

I added these illustations to a post wrote last winter: Myers Briggs and Communication but I like them enough to just brazenly post them, on their own, without any explanation. Perhaps I will get a reputation for being reckless! There might be a nutter out there somewhere that these might mean something to. Here goes..... For those pictures don't work for.....

I have two new books out this month. They are quite different from others I have written but I enjoyed the process of researching and writing about such serious issues. Of course I had to go and flick peas, wriggle like a worm and bounce on spacehoppers as an antidote after each writing session.

Molly Potter buy molly potter mugs, tshirts and magnets A term used by Harry Potter fans to describe someone who has the qualities of both Molly Weasley and Harry Potter, particularly Harry's brains and Molly's loving bubbliness. In other words, Molly Potter = sheer greatness. Some also refer to it as the name Ginny and Harry SHOULD have named their child. "Woah, that girl is such a Molly Potter. She aced the test AND told me my hair looked good today" perfect smart intelligent molly weasly harry potter loving by picklejarr Dec 8, 2009 share this Yes I'll go with that! In line with my self-googling narcissism! I might suggest this as a possible illustration....

I have been having rambling thoughts recently about sympathy and my difficulties with it! I'll start by saying that I do know it is usually a well intentioned thing. (I have never seen ‘too sympathetic’ listed as a vice.) For me however sympathy usually causes a lot of discomfort and a little repulsion - especially and ironically at times when it is probably most warranted. If I stub my toe and someone is sympathetic - that's fine. I can cope with that. I probably wouldn't call that sympathy. I'd call that an empathic reaction. It's all the other kinds of sympathy I struggle with. I'll illustrate and explain..... When my father died, at first people could be as sympathetic as they liked because I was in shock and unable to properly receive whatever people were aiming my way. But I remember there did come a point where I had to brace myself to receive inevitable sympathy (that would happen for example when I saw a friend for the first time since my father had die...