Lyn Tiernan tagged me with this meme. I'm actually very glad to have been tagged as I'm missing "my kids" and am struggling to think of interesting things to write! To make it interesting, I thought I'd make it a photo meme. (Thanks Lyn, I've had a fun afternoon going through ALL my photos - digital and printed!)
1. I like to paint. I'm no artist, by any means, but every now and then I get satisfaction from playing with paint. I like to paint in the abstract, but my hubby prefers paintings that look like the subject. Here's one I painted of my dog for my hubby's birthday. I love the texture of oil paints. I love how it stays all globby on the canvas. New York City brings out the artist in me more than anywhere else I've been.
2. I was in Times Square for New Years Eve 2006/7. I stood waiting for 10 hours for the ball to drop. Once you're 'in' you can't leave to buy food, drink or go to the toilet. We bought some Subway subs at 2pm to snack on during our wait. By 3pm they were all smooshed and sloppy from the crush of the crowd. Don't know that it was worth it, but not EVERYONE can say they've done it! All the paraphernalia I'm wearing was provided by the organisers and I bring it out for dress-up days at school!
3. We are a "fur kid family". My dog is like a child to me. We got him as a pup 7 years ago. He goes just about everywhere with us. He even moved to New York City with us when we lived there for a year. We've taught him all sorts of things so that our lives run more smoothly (and for fun too). He won't cross the road without our say so. We generally walk him off-lead, and when we want him to stay by our side we say "Stay close" and he does! He's also great company. When it's just him and me at home, I talk to him as though he understands English, and he responds at though he does. Here's a video of when I was teaching him how to swim. We used an old drink bottle and threw it out just a little further than he could stand. Eventually he got it!
4. When I was a kid I loved to climb. I particularly liked to climb the 'spider web' at a park in my city. I climbed rocks and trees and had no fear of heights. I remember the day my dad told me he thought I had gotten too old for climbing trees. I was probably about 14 at the time and had never thought a time would come when I couldn't climb trees. I understand that it's not socially acceptable any more, but it still burns within me. (I must admit, I did climb a tree at school this year because one of the kids from my class had got his teddy bear stuck up it!)
5. When I was in preschool, my grandparents came to visit and brought with them a lamb that they found wandering by the side of the road. We adopted him and called him Woolly. I took him to preschool and was very chuffed to be like Mary from the old nursery rhyme! He kept jumping out of his box and running around to the amusement of everyone. I was sad the day we ran out of grass and had to take him to a farm where one day he would become someone's dinner!
6. This is what my bedroom looked like when I was a TEENAGER! Need I say more? Just so you understand how embarrassingly 'nice' I was:
Yes, that is a teddybear on my bed - given to me by my mum so that I wouldn't need to hug boys.
Yes, it is a frilly, white, anglaise bedspread with cute embroidered pillows.
No, I don't know WHY I had a grizzly bear poster!
And all those little pictures on the wall? Most of those are pictures of babies photographed by Anne Geddes. (I went through a whole "baby phase" where I also cut out the lists of births from the newspapers each week and collected baby names.) Other pictures are photos of friends and arty farty photos I took for my photography class.
7. Finally, no list about me would be complete without SOME mention of "the hair". This is probably the most radical my hair ever was. As you can see, I had a fringe!! YES, a fringe. The rest of my life my hair has been as long as I can put up with it - usually somewhere between mid-back and mid-butt. Its never been dyed, permed or anything else. When I need a cut I usually have it done in-house. I've been using Pantene for years and swear by it.
And now, to pass this meme on, I tag the following 7 people:
and Bec who will one day start a blog
Don't feel you have to play along. But be sure to let me know if you do.
4. When I was a kid I loved to climb. I particularly liked to climb the 'spider web' at a park in my city. I climbed rocks and trees and had no fear of heights. I remember the day my dad told me he thought I had gotten too old for climbing trees. I was probably about 14 at the time and had never thought a time would come when I couldn't climb trees. I understand that it's not socially acceptable any more, but it still burns within me. (I must admit, I did climb a tree at school this year because one of the kids from my class had got his teddy bear stuck up it!)
5. When I was in preschool, my grandparents came to visit and brought with them a lamb that they found wandering by the side of the road. We adopted him and called him Woolly. I took him to preschool and was very chuffed to be like Mary from the old nursery rhyme! He kept jumping out of his box and running around to the amusement of everyone. I was sad the day we ran out of grass and had to take him to a farm where one day he would become someone's dinner!
7. Finally, no list about me would be complete without SOME mention of "the hair". This is probably the most radical my hair ever was. As you can see, I had a fringe!! YES, a fringe. The rest of my life my hair has been as long as I can put up with it - usually somewhere between mid-back and mid-butt. Its never been dyed, permed or anything else. When I need a cut I usually have it done in-house. I've been using Pantene for years and swear by it.
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Wow Penny - you are great at painting. I like to do arty stuff too, and used to paint when I was at teachers college and have 4 lovely paintings now framed in my house. However now I do other types of art - like painting on glasses was the most recent. For friends I have done some chalk pastel still life's on black paper which look effective. But recently have done nothing. It's hard to find the time now. I too have long hair with no fringe and know what you say about "as long as you can stand it", however in my late teens did hairmodelling for a friend so had some terribly freakish colours and cuts!
ReplyDeleteTHANKS for sharing a bit of your life with us!
And that's why I love reading your blog, Penny! You do amazing things with paint and pics here and I really enjoyed learning about the blogger behind the blog. Your dog is a real star. I'm missing my dog heaps these holidays. She died just a few weeks ago and like your dog was amazingly clever. She too walked off lead and had learned to open all the screen doors in our house (we have lots) when she wanted to sit on the lounge or someone's bed. We never did get her to close them! Have to go now, getting weepy.
ReplyDeleteMy first, but certainly not my last reading of your blog. You have a refreshing view and way of communicating. I want to borrow this idea...now to change next week's plans!
ReplyDeleteI found you from a contact list of those interested in Skype. I teach Kg-5th graders in Technology classes. While live conversations would not work for our students due to time zones, I would like for you to consider us for a contact/collaboration project. I am jonelleg on twittter and skype
Gee ... Thanks for tagging me. I'm proud and will try my best to play along. I hope I'm doing it right! Thanks again.
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ReplyDeleteHi Penny,
ReplyDeleteLove your blog! Finally just finished my entry. Have been sick and off the computer for a week. Busy with teaching and trying to get well ... finally. I like painting too. :) Ready my blog for my 7 things ... :) Take care!
Lori (lifelearner) http://lifelonglearning-lrozelle.blogspot.com/ :)
Great things to share Penny. But what do you mean your dog listens as though he can understand English? Of course he can! :-)
ReplyDeleteI wish my teenagers had had bedrooms like that!
Hi Penny,
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy reading these. I love to read about teachers who have lived/worked overseas for a period of time.
How lucky to have been in NYC for a year. I had friends who I used to teach with who went across to do the A.U.S.S.I.E. PD with NYC teachers. I even had an offer to go, but the time wasn't right for us. One day...
Hi Miss Ryder ;) I'm Shel's mum. Nice to meet you in-pixel even if I haven't made it to the classroom yet ...just started a new job. We are looking forward to the year ahead.
ReplyDeleteMichelle
Dear Penny,
ReplyDeleteThanks for a wonderful post! I enjoyed reading about you and I loved the video of your dog. You can see that he is motivated and wants that toy...just watch his tail!
Thanks for being a leader!
Linda