It was Maria Zannini who cajoled me into writing a blog. I thought she was mad. What to write about, and why? But she has good instincts and all these years later I'm still scribbling. And grateful. It's helped, maybe, in developing a 'voice', and, as important, created the discipline of routine. Then there're the friends I've made, along with old students who have suddenly discovered the alternative Mike Keyton
Only now the juices are drying as Christmas overwhelms in all its joy and various commitments. Not forgetting drink. So it's goodbye from me until the New Year, when the burbling will begin afresh.
Merry Christmas and thank you, Maria, and Merry Christmas to everyone misguided and/or generous enough to follow me:
Jason Hanrahan, Henry Lara, LD Masters, Sam Waters, R, Mac Wheeler, Stephen Tremps, Angela Brown, Jackie Burris, DRC, Adam M Smith, Joy Ann Ball, Misha Gericke, Laura Riley, Malin Larsson, Sue Gagg, Mark Ward, Nikki, Claudia, Vero, Susie Q, Shirley Wells, L J, Carlos, Renee, Seattle Friend, Gwen, Regan - or is that Sue - Diane, Terri, Kerri, Angela Brown, Brian Wilkinson, Marguerite Butler, Andy Bruce
18 comments:
Merry Christmas, Mike. (and Happy Birthday!)
Gosh, I forgot my Birthday. Thank you.
You forgot!?
I might forget the year, but never the day. LOL.
Hope it's a good one.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Mike, and all the very best for 2012!
Oh, and happy birthday too. :)
Merry Christmas, Mike.
(And I trust Maria's instincts, too.)
Maria
Gosh, I forgot my Birthday. Makes me sound stupid, I know. I just meant there was so much else going on it had temporarily escaped my notice. Hmm. Does that make sound less stupid?
Shirley, thanks for the good wishes. I have my Duchy home cured bacon for the breakfast sandwich. On the package it says 'hand massaged with salt'. That's the bacon, not me. Looking forward to it. As the bacon fat dribbles down my chin I shall think of Prince Charles wiping his fingers free of salt.
Thanks, too, Linda, and God Bless the Texan's instincts
I always enjoy your comments and posts, Michael. Merry Christmas to you too!
Merry Christmas, Mike! And THANK YOU for being a steadfast follower :) Please rest and recharge your batteries so you can write more posts in 2012. Looking forward to reading them.
May you and your family have a lovely Christmas.
Wendy and Claudia, thank you for your good wishes. You know they're reciprocated.
My pleasure. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas. See you when you're back.
:-)
Hope you have a good holiday away from your blog! are you also a Capricorn by chance? only ask since comments seem to indicate this possibility...I look forward to your next post in the New Year.
Misha and Nikki, I hope you had a Good Christmas and enjoyed the New Year celebrations. I thoroughly enjoyed being internet free for a time, until the withdrawal symptons kicked in :)
And, Nikki, yes, I'm Capricorn, a distinction shared by Elvis Presley and Mao Zedong. I'm still trying to work that one out.
Belated Happy New Year Mr Keyton! What a shame Elvis and Mao never recorded "You ain't nothing but a running dog of international capitalism..." could have been catchy.
Brian, how many years have passed...?
Ref "You ain't nothing but a running dog of international capitalism..." Now that would have been a Cultural Revolution! Groan.
To my reckoning it has been 20 years since I left St Joe's, and 22 since you taught me GCSE history (to Grade A). Sadly you didn't teach A level, and despite the fact I only got a D, I went on to Sheffield Uni to study archaeology. I'm now living outside Edinburgh and specialising in community archaeology, heritage education and interpretation. My career has taken me all over Scotland, and even to Iceland to research deserted settlements, and explain their significance to schoolkids and community groups. No small part can be put down to the way you made the past seem fascinating (unlike Mr Allen & Mr Corten who, try as they might, never managed to get me enthused about the Corn Laws). So thanks!
Brian, thank you for the very kind words.
IT seems to me you've packed a heck of lot in, and it reminds me of how small a world it is. I was shivering on Waverley Station just before Christmas. My son Thomas had just graduated with his Msc in Library and Information Studies at Robert Gordon University Aberdeen. We were on our way to collect him. That's the good news. The bad news is he's still jobless despite the Msc and an Oxford degree in Maths. I reckon 'Job-seekers' will eventually get him a job in Macdonalds. I wonder if they have libraries : )
Take care.
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