It has not been a great week. I am in mourning because Article 50 has been triggered by our government. Mrs May and her cronies are on track to not only alienate the rest of Europe, the devolved countries in the UK and remain voters but also the leave voters. They will be bitterly disappointed when false promises made to them are not turned into realities. I have set in motion the registration of James' and Alistair's adoption with the Italian authorities. This will ensure their Italian citizenship, giving them access to Europe. Sam and Annie already have Italian citizenship. No child of mine shall have their European rights curtailed. I am truly privileged to have this option for my children. I was also pleased to find out that Richard is entitled to Italian citizenship by virtue of being married to an Italian citizen. Becoming Swiss is much more complicated for a spouse and we won't go there. Should my right to remain in Britain be affected by bloody Brexit we can pack up and go. I have lived her for 18 years and in principle have permanent right to stay but the paperwork to proof so is exhaustive and there is much room for mistakes, which may lead to a denial. I have no intention of applying for British citizenship and I will not complete the residency form until someone forces me to do so.
I am worried about so many other things, too. I can't even begin to list them. Others have done a far better job than I could do. Take CJ for example, she has written about her worries about environmental protection in the aftermath of Trump (aren't his latest acts just beyond belief??) and Brexit. I couldn't agree more with her. I am going to put my head down and focus on what I can do but I will not loose focus on the bigger picture.
Anyway, to take my mind of things, I tried to take notes of enjoyable moments. Nothing earth-shattering, just a few moments here and there.
Listening to James and Annie pottering in the kitchen. Annie was teaching James how to make a lemon drizzle tray bake. Hers is the best! He had lots of questions and she had lots of answers. How much butter is needed for greasing the tin. Why the butter needs to be soft but not melted for making the cake batter. Where does lemon rind start and when is it not rind anymore. All the while, Ed Sheeran was blasting away in the background. I don't think they were aware of me listening in, I was working quietly in my sewing room.
How I love to write that: my sewing room.
Having old friends from the German speaking children's club come to knit and natter. I have missed quite a few knit nights due to work and it was really nice to have old and new friends over. I haven't spoken German in donkey's years and it felt good to do so. When I do speak German with my family, it is Swiss German, which is different. The cake Annie made on Monday was delicious. I knew it would be.
Finally sinking into my favourite armchair on Wedneday evening at 9:30 pm, having just returned from the last evening tutorial I had to facilitate for a few months.
Noticing the tiny late blooming dwarf daffodils in a neglected pot on my front steps. I have been wondering for a few weeks what the green shoots would turn into. Now I know.
Learning of the £100,000 our local secondary school has been awarded by the Scottish Government. This money comes out of the Pupil Equity Fund and will used to address the poverty related attainment gap. You wouldn't believe how much work there is to be done! The pupils have been discussing with their teachers how this money could be best used. It could be anything, resources, additional support staff, maybe a probationary teacher to help fill the gap (there is a teacher shortage in all of Britain).
I'll leave you with a conversation I had with James the other day. I was laughing about a cartoon I'd seen on Facebook. It showed a dog in a newsagent, asking if they sold any 'Sorry I done a shite on the carpet' card. Crude, I know but my sense of humour is not very sophisticated. James wanted to know what made me laugh and I showed him the cartoon. He didn't get it. I explained that sometimes, if you need to apologise for something, it is nice to send a card and had he not made a card for his friend recently to say sorry for pushing him over. Oh, he said earnestly, does the dog want to apologise to the carpet?
What are your thoughts? Are you directly or indirectly affected by Brexit? Do tell. Also, any enjoyable moments you'd like to share? I have some sewing and cooking to share but each warrants a post or two so I'll do that another day. Have a lovely weekend. x
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