Sunday, March 09, 2003

Western Australia is hot. The lowest expected maximum for tomorrow is for Eucla on the border at 24C (75.2F), and Augusta is expecting a max. of 33C (91.4F, according to the conversion utility in Notetab. The 30C (86F) we experienced today isn't too comfortable but not as hot as most places in WA. Possibility of thunderstorms tomorrow, so that might break the heat. Maybe I should stop whinging and go for a swim! Helped clean the ute today so that I could hose myself down... I should really get to the beach. The weather observations/forecasts are from the Bureau of Meteorology's Western Australian Weather and Flood Information.


Took some snaps of the new chalets here at Doonbanks. Still a slight shadow under the verandah's even in the morning - the chalet's face east, overlooking the inlet. Will keep trying to catch them in the best light.


Attempted to write today but distracted myself by looking up potential character names. The WA Ministry of Justice provides a list of the top 50 baby names 2002. The New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages gives the most popular baby names for 1997 and 1897. The number one girls name and number one boys name for that year are the given names of two children, a brother and sister, that I know. Spooky...


Watched Parkinson tonight - Robin Williams and Stephen Fry were his guests. Okay, I nearly always watch Parkie, probably not something one wants to admit to doing on a Saturday night but there's not a lot to do here! Parkinson doesn't appear to have a Web site (probably doesn't need one, really) but I did find the BBC's Writersroom, which includes the BBC's Writers' Guidelines. So if you've a few more ideas than me, that'd be the place to go!


Learnt that a friend of mine has withdrawn her child from her local kindy after a month of attendance. The vibe wasn't good - less encouraging and more authoritarian. Seems the kids are told how to draw their own paintings - as in, the banana should be yellow, or the house should have another window. According to the management, parents are product-oriented and judge their children's progress on the amount and quality of 'work' completed and brought home. So too, are taxpayers, who want to see results! Well-adjusted, enthusiastic children aren't what taxpayers want but more artwork to stick to the fridges of the nation is a priority? How stifled would you feel, wet brush in hand as you're given directions, not on how to clean the brush or to avoid dripping on your smock but on exactly what to paint? And then there's the naughty chair, I guess that's for when you shove your wet brush up the teacher's nose and tell her (or him) you're never coming back. :-)


Yes, I get a little worked up about these things and I know that some parents (not to mention taxpayers, of course) might prefer the kindy's approach. But hey, it's my blog, and you can't tell me what to write...

// posted by Deanne @ 02:19
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