An ambition fulfilled. Today is the fourth anniversary of Sharon’s death. The last three years there was a lovely memorial mass said for her in Westminster Cathedral – her spiritual and dramatic home. Her funeral there was the biggest production she ever put on, and it was superb. I have written about it before I […]Read Post ›
I miss teaching. I really do. I was talking yesterday to an old friend – the friendship is old, not the friend, about her desire to retire as soon as possible from the profession, and I can quite understand why she wants to. We met about 27 years ago in one of the toughest comprehensives […]Read Post ›
I always wanted to be an English teacher, since I first started school, and I was one of the fortunate people who actually achieved her childhood ambition. As a child I played teacher -schoolchild games with myself over the summer holidays, marking my work, going through pages and pages of workbooks which my mother bought […]Read Post ›
for MKJK My favourite food of all time. When I was very young I did not like chicken at all. This was my father’s influence as he ate neither chicken nor fish, so I didn’t come across either until I was about 12 or thirteen, and I have to say I wasn’t exactly enthralled with […]Read Post ›
I love lipstick. Every handbag, every drawer, every bathroom shelf will reveal at least a stick or two of wonderful lip covering paint. I love it for its colour and texture and promise. It makes me look brighter and feel better. It makes me grown up and glamorous and more like Pat Phoenix than Ena […]Read Post ›
I was about eight I think when I did my first paid work, not counting selling my grandmother’s cigarettes to her friends when they came e for a gossip for a penny each. That money went into my money box and there it stayed as I had absolutely nothing to spend it on. But when […]Read Post ›
I don’t usually use bad language and never write it but sometimes for artistic integrity you have to indicate what was said. A true story: A couple of weeks ago I decided to wait for a bus home as I had already walked about ten kilometres that day, and thought I could do with a […]Read Post ›
For Annie – Lola Valerie Stein, and anyone who has done the real thing! https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/barbara-korzeniowska2 Dear Friends and Supporters, This is going to be a surprise to many of you, and possibly a big shock to my system, because I have decided to challenge myself to climb Mount Kilimanjaro – virtually of course – in […]Read Post ›
At home, trying to keep busy and not think about the reasons for being at home and trying to keep busy. A few days ago this piece of embroidery fell out of its ancient plastic bag in the cupboard where I had been hoarding it since we moved in in 1986, and demanded to be […]Read Post ›
The last fortnight has been busy again. I have done four days supply teaching – one of which was positive heaven. It was in my daughter’s school and I would like to think that the school was as good then as it appears to be now. The change of head and of uniform seems to […]Read Post ›
Life Through Basia's Eyes 