curleytops

No I hadn't heard of her. Thanks for the links, she is a very brave and determined young lady!

lf1

Rodney & Curlytops, I hope that the people that treated you very unkindly are ashamed of themselves.

sallysimmons

Oh I expect you're right. But if dramas were realistic, they'd be too boring to be dramas. I did think her portrayal was very accurate - particularly the part when she was using the colored pens but couldn't explain to anyone. I've been with someone in that state and it's so tough.

I do think the show turned convention on its head in that she was supposed to be an unsympathetic main character in many ways, just as Brody was supposed to be sympathetic despite being a traitor and a terrorist. I just thought the whole thing was brilliant and also incredibly daring for an American show. But of course, not for everyone.

curleytops

Thanks for the kind words you know how the old saying goes...."What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"

Have you watched Downton yet?

dunroving

In one of her interviews I've watched, she described when she "came out", so to speak. She usually used to wear wigs during media and public events.

Then I think she said it was last year that she won a medal for the first time in a major professional indoor track cycling meet. Of course, people had only seen her on TV riding with a helmet. When the other two riders from the team (it was the team pursuit) came to get her because the medal ceremony was about to start, she rushed off with them and got on the podium, not realising she hadn't put on one of her wigs.

It caused quite an interesting reaction in the media, as you can imagine. After that she made a conscious decision to be seen more often without her wigs, so she could send out a message to young children who have alopecia (and to children who don't, of course).

lf1

No, I haven't watched it yet. OH is going out tonight, so I think I will be tucked up on the couch, with rain and the wind rattling the windows, while I savour every moment of Downton. Based on what Sally has said, I can't wait to hear Maggie's lines. Have you watched it?

lf1

Sally, I read in the paper that Ian Rankin is releasing his next book in November and Rebus is back! He was planning to release the book in October, but as J K Rowling is releasing her new book on Thursday, he thought it best to delay his book until later.

curleytops

Yep, gonna watch it again tho because I dozed off last night. Weather's crap here too so its a good night for it...and Sally's right!

jasper123

Curleytops, thats very interesting in your last few lines in this post, I too became a loner for all my life, with a couple of very deep depressions that I went through, once in my early 30,s and again in my late 40,s, I wonder if the way your childhood runs its course, does that have a significant affect on your whole life, it did with me,

cheers

So come on and tell us about the rain in your neck of the woods. Pretty please.

Fish n Chips 56

Rodney, I feel for you pal, I had a similar experiences at school but not to the degree of yours, I tried to stay away from trouble makers but as you know that's not always easy.

I went to a school of 2000 kids, I had some classes where it was just us lads, because there were no girls for the lads to irritate they would pick on the weaker or smaller lads, my Dad always told me to fight back and that did help, but I always hoped the trouble would go away sooner than me prolonging it, I would let the anger build up inside me...

The first time I really fought back I grabbed on to this lads Danish blonde hair and wouldn't let go, I yanked a big tuft out, it was quiet noticeable, he didn't mess with me much more after that, I got sent to the office and thought Id get the cane but didn't.

My parents owned a spar shop while I was in high school, one lad from a rough and dirty family would always threaten me and want me to steal cigarettes for him, I got a lot of agro off him over the six years, I hated going to school the next day knowing he would be there, I always had to come up with lame excuses, needless to say he never got any fags from me.

I've got a sister a year younger than me, she was scared of nobody and would grab lads by the scruff of the neck if she found out someone was giving me grief, its not like she fought my battles because she didnt, still it was good knowing she was there, she's not scared of anyone even today... I love my Sister...

Bullying is a terrible thing, I know I would have done so much better at school if I could have given it my full concentration, the lads in my class would run rings around some of the teachers, that didn't help either...

lf1

We are in SE Scotland and the local council is busy preparing for the worst. Rain and 60mph winds are expected to hit us this evening

jasper123

Hi Fish,
That was a very interesting post, thanks for taking the time to tell us a little about your experiences at school,
My Dad was a carpenter & joiner, my Mum worked for the Provident for most her working life, in England in the 40's and 50's when I was growing up people were real poor, and everyone worked hard, but isn't it strange how people got by then, there were very few handouts from the government,
people were just a different breed way back then, one thing I never heard was people moaning about anything, and they had a lot to moan about too, people just got on with life, went to there jobs every day and earned a few pounds a week, worked hard, raised there kids the best they could, sometimes my Mum would cook the dinner and she only had enough food to go around for three people, but there were four mouths to feed, on those nights she would sit in the kitchen on her own nibbling on some broken biscuits while we would be eating dinner, I never knew about this until years later when I was all grown, my Dad told me,
we lived in a 3 bedroom terraced house, the rent was one pound & 10 shillings a week, I was raised there, the bathtub was in the kitchen, water came from a slow running ascot, after our saturday bath the wooden table top would go over the tub which was our kitchen table, no fridge, just a pantry, food didn't have sell by dates on em, if it smelled ok and looked ok then it was fine to eat
Mum would wash all the clothes by hand in the kitchen sink and boil all the white sheets in the copper and ring em out with the mangle, and hang em out on the line, all this and still always working a full time job,
I bet there are sooooo many people on this thread that have simular memories of growing up in Britain, ----- Oh those were indeed the days werent they!!!!!
things were real simple way back then, no TV, just a wireless, I used to listen to the archers ---- an every day story of country folk, my favorite program though was ---- journey into space, it was for kids ---- and I was a kid and I loved listening to it every week, looked forward to it, then later when I was a teenager this new invention called a TV was being talked about, we were the first house in our street to have a TV, we rented it by the week, too expensive to buy, ---- people in our street found out that we had a TV and they would be knocking on our door and ask if they could watch something ----- anything ---- it was such a novelty, my Mum just about knew everyone on the street anyway and would just say sure come on in my favorite program was Ivanhoe staring A very young Roger More, way before he made the Saint!!! he was my Hero, does anyone remember Ivanhoe? I think that was the first time I ever saw Roger Moore in anything,
he was a knight on this beautiful white horse,
Thats one thing about memories, no one can take them away from us.

Mummy in the foothills

Please.
We are warming up again, supposed to be upper 90's I'm so fed up.
My summer clothes are falling apart, summer weather has to be over by now.

scrubbedexpat097

Just for you