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Old 04-10-2006, 12:58 AM   #521
Child of the 7th Age
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Hello everyone! I have been deeply engrossed in family affairs of late. Being a hobbit mom can sometimes be hard! Hopefully this will come to an end in about a month and my life will resume.

Son is in 12th grade and trying to figure out where he'd like to go to college. Back in the ancient days, applying to college was easy. You picked out three reasonable choices, sent in your application, and generally got back acceptances. For those blessed with younger hobbits, let me tell you things are not so easy! (Poor Pio has already heard an earful of this.) Perhaps this state of affairs is only in the U.S. and other countries haven't gone beserk. But, in the U.S., if you have a student who loves academics and has his or her sights set on competitive schools, or is trying to win a merit scholarship, be prepared to fork out generous amounts of dollars on SATI's, SATII's, AP's, and applications and then get set for some large headaches.

After endless visits to schools, applications too numerous to count, and a hefty number of rejections, son has actually gotten in to a few colleges. (This description is only a slight exaggeration.) Moreover, son takes after his mom and and has decided to study something utterly useless (maybe philosophy or ancient studies ), which delights me no end. Tomorrow I push him onto a plane at 6 a.m., and he flies up to Chicago to look at the university and see if it's a "match" so that we can send in a deposit. I hope it works out.

What tickled me is that son checked to make sure that U Chicago had a Tolkien course. It does - jointly sponsored by the university and the divinity school. He was also brave enough to give a link on his resume to the RPG forums on the Downs, listed boldly along with his student literary magazines, as indication of his writing expertise! (Maybe that explains the rejections?) One of his essays on his application to Chicago talked about his affection for Lord of the Rings. He posts on a college admissions website and is always telling me how many of the other students tell him they've included an essay related to Lord of the Rings on one or more of their college applications.

For better or worse, I guess things are changing. That just wouldn't have happened in the ancient days when I applied to undergrad.
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Old 04-10-2006, 04:07 AM   #522
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Good providence to both of you, and I hope Chicago is a good match! Any school with a Tolkien course sounds promising to me!
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Old 04-12-2006, 07:43 AM   #523
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I brought one of my quilts with me today. It seems appropriate to us geezers, who so often tell those young 'uns that life isn't a bed of roses - this bit of life is!

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Old 04-12-2006, 10:16 AM   #524
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If life is no bed of roses, how clever to cover that bed with a rose quilt. It won’t fade nearly so fast and the thorns aren’t even worth a mention! Hmm...maybe I should learn to quilt a garden instead of cultivate it!
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Old 04-12-2006, 10:50 AM   #525
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I aspire to being a decent gardener but I know that quilting is beyond me. When I was at school the needlework teacher said my patchwork was the worst she had ever seen. Her other subject was handwriting where I was equally lacking!

I have a cousin in Australia who is quite an expert at quilting. Obviously the talent was not from any shared genetic heritage :P I love the colours of that quilt. But I will stick to real roses myself - much easier to grow!!!!!!!!
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Old 04-12-2006, 05:33 PM   #526
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I aspire to being a decent gardener but I know that quilting is beyond me.
Me as well. But, bein' a lover of roses,( ) I really enjoy lookin' at these.
Very pretty, Miss Estelyn!
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Old 04-15-2006, 02:36 PM   #527
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Today is my birthday-a slight groan because it's the U.S. Tax Day- I "come of age" in the Shire reckoning. But since the requirements to join the Tolkien Coming of Age Club is to have been reading LotR and other Tolkien books for at least 18 years, I'm just popping my head in the door and saying "Hi and see you in 13 years".

Esty, that is a beautiful quilt. How long did it take you?
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Old 04-15-2006, 07:12 PM   #528
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the requirements to join the Tolkien Coming of Age Club is to have been reading LotR and other Tolkien books for at least 18 years
?It was? I don't remember that....though I don't remember much....

A very happy birthday to you !!!
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Old 04-16-2006, 04:45 AM   #529
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Thank you for the birthday wishes.
Look here.
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Old 04-16-2006, 04:53 PM   #530
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Well, shoot.....
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Old 04-17-2006, 07:16 AM   #531
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar
I brought one of my quilts with me today. It seems appropriate to us geezers, who so often tell those young 'uns that life isn't a bed of roses - this bit of life is!
Glorious, Esty. Having heard rumors of your skill for so long, it's good to see at last.

Sharon-- all the best for your son. May his college experience be enriching, fortifying, enlightening, and may he steer quite clear of any and all deadly snares and traps.

My snowhobbits are thriving. We're remodelling/ redecorating our house-- forest theme. Ideally my living room would resemble a flet. Too bad Strider insists on having couches and chairs... but the men and hobbits do have a sense of what's comfortable. I suppose I can let myself get spoiled by it, again.
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Old 07-13-2006, 01:44 PM   #532
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White Tree "The White (Ficus) Tree Of Gondor"

The interior remodeling is mostly done: Woodland colors (a little too much tan and not enough green, but I'll work on that.) Wooden six-panel doors. The new kitchen floor has a fallen-leaf pattern. I like it. And I moved a ficus into the living room, and trained the branches to fan out in a semicircle so that it looks like a "White Tree of Gondor". THe bathroom is done in greys and blues. Now to add a mossy fountain...

We even have a back deck, thanks to Strider and his dad working on it all last week. ( Why is it that men-folk build flets four feet off of the ground, surrounded by a railing, and unattatched to any trees? And then they put "deck chairs" on it, and place the large gas grill so that it blocks the garden view? At least, it did; it's been moved.)

Strider says: "You have your flet now. Are you happy?" Of course I am! I even have two snowhobbits and a ranger to share my new flet with. I am a lucky lass. It's close to the beech trees, and the oak woods, and the rest of the garden.
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Old 07-13-2006, 02:10 PM   #533
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Although I am not always great with heights, I still like the idea of a flet - I might need more than a woven screen to feel comfortable ... but if one had the money (and in my case a more substantial tree...... ) wouldn't these be fantastic? Might have to get a Euromillions ticket tomorrow ..after all I have the treelights now )

http://www.blueforest.com/?key=treehouse
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Old 07-14-2006, 10:12 AM   #534
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Dreaming of a hobbit dwelling.

Mithalwen,

Thanks for that great link! Those are totally stunning. Unfortunately, I have neither an appropriate tree or the 12,000 pounds to build a treehouse! However, I was also intrigued by the section on treehouse "rentals". Most of the flet hotels seem to be in Africa. They all look amazing, but I am particularly taken by the one in Australia's Hinchinbrook National Wilderness.

All the same, some of us prefer to keep our head in the clouds, but out feet well grounded in the earth. Not fair that you Elves are hogging the spotlight with your flets! We hobbits have burrows just as comfortable and much more sensible than any Elf!

The hobbit hole is an idea whose time has come. Here are a list of advantages of underground housing, provided by the British Earth Sheltered Association. . The first one on the list is my favorite! Maybe this is the real reason Bilbo lived so long -- forget that pesky Ring theory!
  • Long Life Expectancy
  • Better ENERGY SAVINGS than other designs
  • Architecturally exciting inside
  • Condensation is not a problem
  • Even Proof against Earthquakes
  • Does NOT contribute to, and is less affected by GLOBAL WARMING
  • Costs no more - maybe less to build
  • Unaffected by WIND or WEATHER
  • SAVES SPACE - Kind to the environment
  • Provides greater security
  • NO DRAUGHTS - Minimum infiltration
  • Exceptionally LOW FIRE RISK - so LOWER insurance premiums
  • Construction possible on steep slopes
  • Usually provides LOW VISUAL IMPACT
  • Very little Structural Maintenance
  • Quiet and Private. But light and airy
  • Sympathetic to elegant Landscaping

And here's another interesting article on the advantage of earth shelters: Going underground.

According to one website, there are about 6,000 earth dwellings in North America and 60 in Britain. I've also seen the North America figure quoted as high as a 100,000, so who knows? Over 10 million people (maybe as many as 40 million) live underground in China, but I also don't know too much about these dwellings.

Many earth sheltered homes don't look too "hobbity"--lack of round doors and such. However, a few do stand out. My favorite is Mole Manor in Yorkshire. Inside it's supposed to look like a Roman villa. Just scroll down the page for a look at the outside. Click here.

Now, if I can just come up with the 860,000 pound pricetag for Mole Manor, I'll be in great shape!
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Old 07-18-2006, 10:46 AM   #535
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Leaf

You know I have been pondering the great question of flets verses smials the last few days. And much as I would love either of them, I think I'd opt for a smial on a hillside as permanent housing, (and save the flet for nice self indulgent vacations). Wind storms are my main concern.
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Old 07-18-2006, 11:16 AM   #536
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hilde Bracegirdle
You know I have been pondering the great question of flets verses smials the last few days. And much as I would love either of them, I think I'd opt for a smial on a hillside as permanent housing, (and save the flet for nice self indulgent vacations). Wind storms are my main concern.
Noldo had the right idea: South facing smial on the top of a high bank overlooking a river. Secret exit out the back of the Smial into the forest (forest comes right up to the high riverbank, so the elves can come visit through the forest anytime.) Put a flet in the forest, not far from your secret attic-exit, and you've got it all covered.
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Old 07-18-2006, 08:36 PM   #537
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Thaboom

....anyone else sheltering from thunderstorms? (preparing to power down conputer...)
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Old 07-19-2006, 03:34 AM   #538
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We were supposed to have some roll through, but squeaked through the gaps in the storms, I think. Time to head for the smial, eh?
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Old 07-19-2006, 06:21 AM   #539
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Due shortly ... I love the summer but the garden is a dust bowl ..not natural for England!!!
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Old 07-19-2006, 08:58 AM   #540
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Our house is getting unseasonably hot these days - 39° high outside today! I think that must be a record. It does cool off some at night, so we open all the windows then and close and shutter them during the day. Right now a thunderstorm, with rain and cooler temperatures, sounds very tempting! Predictions are such for tomorrow, but you never know if it happens in your own area.

Fans are currently getting high usage, as we aren't equipped with air conditioning and don't normally need it here. The electrical fans are nice for getting the air moving in the house, but my wooden-staved hand fan is a very handy accessory when sitting outside or visiting others.

Actually, a hole would probably feel much better than a house these days - I know there's a city in Australia, Coober Pedy, that has underground houses, stores and even a church. That's the best way to keep constant temperatures without using a great deal of electricity in the very hot summers there!
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Old 07-19-2006, 10:11 AM   #541
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All this underground stuff reminds me of Trantor. But that another story!

Anyway, it does seem a practical idea, especially when concidering energy usage, protection from some of the effects of global warming and garden space. I wonder if hobbits needed to watch their radon levels?
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Old 07-20-2006, 01:01 PM   #542
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I'd love a real Hobbit hole in these temperatures! Having viking blood (its a colourful and possible explanation for being pale and loving the winter months ) and growing up near the coast means I just can't cope with inland heat and foul city pollution; the air was yellow outside my office window on Wednesday and my eyes were red and itching. I felt very ill indeed two evenings this week.

The only cool spot in our house is the living room, that faces south west but gets the shade of a tree all day long, and its in this weather that I'm glad that the cellar beneath it is excessively damp as the air circulates up. I don't even get the benefit of lying out roasting in the sun as I'd burn in minutes so I have to skulk in the shadows all day.
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Old 07-21-2006, 06:28 AM   #543
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The Australian parliament is grass-roofed too - but perhaps closer to Tellytubby land than Bag-end.

I am celtic-pale and can't sunbathe but I love the light and heat since it casts out SAD... but Ihave the advantage of living by the sea and in a house that is light but seldom gets too hot (apart from my bedroom under the eaves) . I haven't had my moneys worth out of the air-cooler yet....
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Old 07-26-2006, 08:30 AM   #544
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Child of the 7th Age
The hobbit hole is an idea whose time has come. Here are a list of advantages of underground housing, provided by the British Earth Sheltered Association. . ...
And here's another interesting article on the advantage of earth shelters: Going underground.
...Many earth sheltered homes don't look too "hobbity"--lack of round doors and such. However, a few do stand out. My favorite is Mole Manor in Yorkshire. Inside it's supposed to look like a Roman villa. Just scroll down the page for a look at the outside. Click here.
Pondering these thoughts, still. More energy efficient? Warmer in the winter? Cooler in the summer? Hmmmmm. THe only reason I hesitate (personally) is the lighting issue. I love my windows. I think I'd end up with ten front doors, all sliders-- and no back rooms.

I wonder if a small hill could be created, providing 360 degrees of lighting. In other words, create the *top* of The Hill, and go all the way around it. But then where would the woods be?

....hmmmm...
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Old 07-26-2006, 10:05 AM   #545
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But then where would the woods be?
Maybe one could go for an underground flet built amidst the roots of a large tree that sits a top a small hill.
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Old 07-26-2006, 07:09 PM   #546
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Hm. Even though I'm a Hobbit, I think I would like to retire to an Elvish forest and live on a flet IN a tree. Always had a dream since childhood of living in a treehouse...
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Old 07-27-2006, 07:35 AM   #547
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Samwise, my instinctive reaction is the same as yours. It was the energy conservation thing that got me thinking.

And actually, elves having houses in the trees was really the exception to the "rule"-- Lorien only, started by Amroth. The early Elves that settled in Beleriand all hired dwarves to dig caves for them. Same with Thranduil... caves.

Seems kinda odd and un-"elvish", doesn't it? Which goes to show how much of an imprint the Lorien elves have made on our collective mind.
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Old 07-27-2006, 04:19 PM   #548
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Samwise, my instinctive reaction is the same as yours. It was the energy conservation thing that got me thinking....
Huh...interesting. Guess we Hobbits aren't the only 'simple folk...'

*If Samwise seems a bit incoherent, it is because she just got a $915 check from the EDD after being told that being accepted for disability on the first try was practically impossible.... *
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Old 08-31-2006, 08:14 AM   #549
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A bit more on hobbit holes. This news video on a backyard hobbit hole brought a smile to my face, although I'm not sure if Tolkien would approve of the Sarumanesque equipment used in its construction!
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Old 08-31-2006, 12:44 PM   #550
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Estelyn/The old thread
I know there are quite a few "I was reading Tolkien before the average Barrow-Downer was even born!" site members - this thread is for us! Since I don't know the average site age, I have just picked 18 as the legal coming of age. So how many of you have been reading LotR and other Tolkien books for at least 18 years? Please tell us how long ago you first read the book(s); if you like, your age at that time and what prompted you to read Tolkien.
Registering for the club!

My father started reading the LotR to me in -75 when I was 8-years old. It was never finished, but I read the books a year later by myself. So it makes this my 30th anniversary with Tolkien!

I tried to make better of my father and actually managed to read the LotR, Silm and the Unfinished Tales to my children when they were about 5-8 (Lommy may correct the actual years of them). Lommy sure has surpassed myself in times of reading Tolkien already many years ago as I have read the basic books only 2-5 times each. And there's some time I've read any one of them the last time (I'm having The Silmarillion on my table, waiting to be read again).

-----

But I agree with you "northern-pales", being one myself by attitude if not by skin (I'm not the pale-kind like my younger daughter is), that this summer was sometimes just unbearable. A hobbit-whole would have done fine.

And all the trees and grasses dying from the drought! In August the earth has looked like we would live in the Middle-East and not in the northern part of Scandinavia (=Finland). Nothing green, just faint yellows and browns around.

Maybe it's this northern kind of attitude, but I prefer -30 (Celsius) to +30. And anyhow, from -30 you can always get in to get warm, but from +30 you have no way of escaping...

-----
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharon
For those blessed with younger hobbits, let me tell you things are not so easy! (Poor Pio has already heard an earful of this.) Perhaps this state of affairs is only in the U.S. and other countries haven't gone beserk. But, in the U.S., if you have a student who loves academics and has his or her sights set on competitive schools, or is trying to win a merit scholarship, be prepared to fork out generous amounts of dollars on SATI's, SATII's, AP's, and applications and then get set for some large headaches.
Maybe you have a headstart in the U.S., but unfortunately we are following suit. I just hope my daughters will be old enough to duck the tide. As a teacher I really don't like the look of things.

Lommy (my daughter) made it to the Senior Secondary High School I'm teaching in, and that school only takes in about 150 from something like 400 applicants! Okay, it's an art-school and really hard to get in by Finnish standards, but anyhow: it's a question of principle too if you take in only a third to a school for 16-year olds! From European (North-European, Scandinavian, Finnish?) perspective it's pretty scary. The competition is heavy on those age-groups already.

(No, she didn't get in because I'm her father. She has a different surname than I have and the schoolboard didn't know she was my daughter as she applied.)

Where are the times when you were just a careless teenager trying to have fun and think about the future later, if you then would have time?

PS. Happily even the higher education is still "free" in Finland and even subsidiced by the state (on a very low rate, but still). But the future looks bad...

PS.2. Nice to see how one writes in the "old-timers" thread, just wailing and complaining about everything...
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Old 08-31-2006, 02:13 PM   #551
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How nice to see some activity here! Thanks for that link, Child - it was cute to see that homemade hobbit hole, though I must admit that I was more personally interested in another link on that page - to a newly organized sewing room!

Nogrod, welcome!! It's great to have another "member" with stories to tell. Maybe now that autumn is on its way, we'll put some logs in the fireplace, pull our rocking chairs closer, and enjoy the company.
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Old 08-31-2006, 03:14 PM   #552
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Welcome, Nogrod!
Ah, yes...Fall will soon be upon us. My garden is still not doing too badly, though. My morning glories this year went NUTS !!! I am going to have to get another ladder for them to climb, if you follow me. Doubtless when they're done
they'll reseed themselves AGAIN, and I'll have MORE next year!

In other news, broke (well, cracked) my elbow a couple of weekends ago, proof that old bones do get brittle (LOL...). Well, it might have been better if my elbow had not come in contact with the asphalt. I was taking my Grip/Fangesque dog to see a little friend of his, and the pooch got over excited and ran, yanking me down before I could get a foothold. OWWWW.... My arm's still not quite right, but it's getting there.
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Old 09-02-2006, 04:58 PM   #553
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar
Maybe now that autumn is on its way, we'll put some logs in the fireplace, pull our rocking chairs closer, and enjoy the company.
That sounds absolutely charming indeed!

And really, why not? Maybe this could be the fireside around of which the stories are shared? And the company enjoyed.

Looking forwards to it, after the rush of the beginning of the semester goes by.
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Old 09-04-2006, 01:33 PM   #554
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Hooray Noggin has joined the ranks of the old fogeys


Well the UK system is not getting better... I feel increasingly privileged to have received 5 years of HE almost for free - having caught the end of Maintenance grants and started University in the year my father retired my parents didn't have to contribute much for me though they had to pay a lot for my sister ....

My cousin's son at least has got lower rate tuition fees but despite having got straight As in "serious" subjects, and getting to a good university to read a highly competitive subject he really isn't getting a lot out of university which is really sad. He has only about 4 hours of lectures and is really sticking it out just to get the piece of paper. It really seems so sad that someone who is so naturally academic and worked so hard at school is finding Uni a waste of time... and a great deal of money..

I still think he should have done PPE instead of Law but noone listens to the family harpy....

PS Am I the only one who feels bereaved by the summer ending? - I gave in and took down the gazebo on Saturday since it was about to take off and put the air cooler back in it's corner. Soon I shall have to start wearing proper shoes and eugh..tights... I already think I shall have to switch back to the autumn duvet. I got used to the cold when I lived on the edge of the Massif Central in France but it is the damp and dark that gets me....
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Old 09-05-2006, 06:03 AM   #555
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The cooler air has been lurking about here also, and it has been a race to see whether my vegetables or the frost will arrive first. I'm banking on the vegies though, as they have finally started blooming (in abundance).

Sorry to hear about your elbow Samwise. That must put a damper on things for you. Was it the right or left?

A belated welcome to the gathering, Mr. Nogrod! Sorry I didn't speak up earlier, must have nodded off over the holiday weekend here.

I tell you, I am getting increasingly scared of the up coming price tag for sending my daughter off to school. I have a few years yet, and am hoping that she gets into a program where she can she attend college while in High School, at the County's expense. We live in a rural area with no AP classes, so it might just happen. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and hoping we could find a way to manage the commute as well!

Mithalwen, you got me curious now, what does PPE stand for, exactly? I'm getting a bit better at deciphering English educational terms, (I think), but that there one has me stumped!
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Old 09-05-2006, 10:49 AM   #556
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Sorry, Hilde it is a bit specialised, PPE is an acronym for "Politics, Philosophy and Economics" which is degree programme run by a few notable universities here (Oxford, LSE - (London School of Economics). Since Adam did these subjects at A level and enjoyed them as well as excelling it seemed like a good option and he could have still done law just taking an extra year postgrad. But he decided he did n't want to take the extra time and now he is so bored that he spends as much time as posssible doing stuff with the University Naval Reserve and may well sign up for at least a short service commission .. if he does that his Law degree is likely to "die" for the purpose of Law Society Exemptions and so he could end up doing the extra year anyway ... so he might as well have done subject she liked in the first place . A lot depends on whether his desire to make a lot of money wins out over his love of reaching the top of a structured hierarchy... he is such a Capricorn....
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Old 09-05-2006, 11:01 AM   #557
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Thank you, that is unfortunate for him, though. Very strange that sometimes it is what appears to be the less sensible route that winds up the more sensible!
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Old 09-05-2006, 11:04 AM   #558
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Quote:
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Thank you, that is unfortunate for him, though. Very strange that sometimes it is what appears to be the less sensible route that winds up the more sensible!

Indeed, but you have to let people make their own decisions and cope withthe consequences .. & try not to say "I told you so" ... I am sure he will be ok ... but I just find it a sad state of affairs generally.... Pity that, unlike I believe in the US, the Navy won't pay for his education...
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Old 09-16-2006, 06:31 PM   #559
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Back to an older topic....more on Middle-earth housing: Middle-earth subdivision with some steep prices.

I'm not so sure about this one Still, it seems people are hunting for something they feel that could be realized in a community like this.
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Old 09-21-2006, 06:34 PM   #560
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Eye

...yikers, nosebleed prices....

I'll stick to building a flet. Although a hobbit-hole with a flet above would be perfect.

Still, we've promised our boys a tree-house. No Mallorns... But, there's a big pine on our North side that should do well.

Still haven't found my old twine bowstring for the black longbow. But we did get a brown recurve, inching up on the draw weight (longbow is 30#, recurve is 35#... a yeoman I'm not...) so I'm shooting the recurve, and will try to get a string made for the black longbow when I can... My husband and son are going hi-tech (Matthews, Genesis). Husband (Strider) and elder son (Name the Elf... inching towards 'Legolas'...) are both sooting faithfully every day-- but not me. I've been too achy lately. I hoe it's not another round of Lyme disease-- -- but that's what it feels like. Ech.
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