Pump am y Penwythnos / Friday Five 07/09/2018

Welsh General / Questions
#1

Goodness where have I been?!

Sorry for the absence. :disappointed: The end of the summer holidays became a little busy and as a result I became distracted and disorganised. But Iā€™m back on my trusted steedā€¦ well more like a Shetland pony with an attitude problemā€¦ :joy:

So hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend.

Talking of absenceā€¦

  1. Did you ever skip school? Why did you do it and where did you go? If not, have you ever faked a sick day?

  2. What is the longest youā€™ve been absent from home. Where did you go and what were you doing there?

  3. Has absence ever made the heart grow fonder?

  4. I have ADHD so my mind is often absent. What hinders your cognitive function and what do you do to help you focus?

  5. What is currently absent from your life?

  6. Make up your own Friday Five question and answer it.

Have a great weekend! :smile:

4 Likes
#2

1) Did you ever skip school? Why did you do it and where did you go? If not, have you ever faked a sick day?
I never skipped school (I loved it) or faked a sick day (ditto). Iā€™m either a goody-goody or very lucky.

2) What is the longest youā€™ve been absent from home. Where did you go and what were you doing there?
I left my wife of a few weeks for a year to do a post-grad degree in Norwich. NOT a good idea - we divorced 4/5 years later. :frowning: I left the ā€œcurrent Mrs Jonesā€ for three months in 1985 as a visiting professor (professor meant lecturer there) at the University of Quebec in Trois Rivieres. We seemed to have survived that separation - so far!

3) Has absence ever made the heart grow fonder?
It couldnā€™t possible grow fonder. :smile:

4) I have ADHD so my mind is often absent. What hinders your cognitive function and what do you do to help you focus?
I share this problem/gift although Iā€™ve not been diagosed. My mind wanders often and for long periods. Itā€™s not so serious now Iā€™m retired, but I used to shout things like "Concentrate, Jones you ****** " at myself :laughing:

5) What is currently absent from your life?
Youthful bodily fitness.

6) Make up your own Friday Five question and answer it.
Q: How will I vote in the next election?
A: I havenā€™t a clue. :worried:

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#3

1) Did you ever skip school? Why did you do it and where did you go? If not, have you ever faked a sick day?
I think I might have skipped games every week for about a year. But honestly, they were better off without me. I remember a lot of giggling, hanging out at a friendā€™s house, making up songs and stories, and watching films. Iā€™ve never faked a sick day, and if theyā€™d paid me to go to school, Iā€™m sure Iā€™d have felt obliged to go there as well.

2) What is the longest youā€™ve been absent from home. Where did you go and what were you doing there?
Probably a month spent in Sierra Leone, but thatā€™s home as well, so it doesnā€™t count. Iā€™m not really a wanderer.

3) Has absence ever made the heart grow fonder?
Every week. We live in different countries Tuesday to Friday. I like my space, but weekends never looked so good.

4) I have ADHD so my mind is often absent. What hinders your cognitive function and what do you do to help you focus?
Age. Nothing I can do about that except stay interested in stuff. I tend to have the opposite problem to @CatrinLliarJones and @HuwJones - I can get lost for hours in a task and lose whole days, though Iā€™m not a completer-finisher. There are too many interesting things to get lost in!

5) What is currently absent from your life?
Water. It would be really nice to be able to flush the toilet more than twice a day. Roll on Autumn rainsā€¦

6) Make up your own Friday Five question and answer it.
Iā€™m having something of a hanner cant crisis/epiphany and have decided to chuck in my main job and see what life brings. If you could give up work, what would you do?

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#4

have decided to chuck in my main job and see what life brings

Making the mid-life career change in my mid 40s from teaching Physics to setting up an International Office was incredibly energising and rejuvenating. I wish you well and feel sure youā€™ll be equally invigorated whatever you do. Pob Lwc!

(When I retired, I went back to teaching Physics part time :slight_smile: )

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#5

1) Did you ever skip school? Why did you do it and where did you go? If not, have you ever faked a sick day?
I donā€™t recall skipping school (we called it mitching off in Cardiff and I notice that on Pobol y Cwm they say mitchio or something similar). I donā€™t think I took many sickies from school as I was worried I would lose out so I always felt bad when I was sick at home!! I did accidentally stab myself with a Stanley knife once when I was off sick at home when I was eight but I blame Blue Peter for that.

2) What is the longest youā€™ve been absent from home. Where did you go and what were you doing there?
I upset my mum when I was 25. Although I had been living away from home in London since I was 18 and thought it would be okay to go away to see an ex-girlfriend in New York for a month over Christmas. My mum gave me a hard time for not actually being in her house on Christmas day.

3) Has absence ever made the heart grow fonder?
Yes, I began to miss my ex-girlfriend which is why I went to New York to see her again. Unfortunately we realised on the morning of the second day why we had actually split up so we spent the whole time trying to avoid each other. In the end she had to move out of her flat (where I was staying) and I ended up staying in a place called Hoboken with a friend I had met.

4) I have ADHD so my mind is often absent. What hinders your cognitive function and what do you do to help you focus?
I think my cognitive function collapsed after doing three challenges straight after each other a couple of years ago with SSiW. I couldnā€™t speak English, let alone Welsh.

5) What is currently absent from your life?
Balance. I either over commit for a period or I am waiting for things to happen.

6) Make up your own Friday Five question and answer it.
**Q.**How will I have contributed to a million Welsh speakers by 2050 when I may not be around by then?
**A.**Wow, did I really ask that? Canā€™t think of any answer but that will make me think.

6 Likes
#6

Sorry I can only give 1 :heart: @peterallen so :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

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#8

1) Did you ever skip school? Why did you do it and where did you go? If not, have you ever faked a sick day?
Once to go shopping with my ex-wife (current at the time) and I felt paranoid through the whole day. Vowed to never do that again. I never missed school, I was a goody goody.
I skipped Sunday school to watch a puppet show instead when I was a kid. That was the last time I ever went. I remember reading a book not long after and learning the word ā€œindoctrinationā€, that opened my eyes.

2) What is the longest youā€™ve been absent from home. Where did you go and what were you doing there?
1 week. I went to Sarn Mellteyrn and I was surviving an amazing week in Welsh. :wink:

3) Has absence ever made the heart grow fonder?
Every time, it sharpens the feelings.

4) I have ADHD so my mind is often absent. What hinders your cognitive function and what do you do to help you focus?
I find exercise helps me to concentrate. Without regular exercise I feel trapped and begin to feel anxious.

5) What is currently absent from your life?
Nothing. I want for nothing at all.

6) Make up your own Friday Five question and answer it.
Iā€™m half way through reading ā€œLlyfr glas Neboā€ at the moment, what have I learnt?

Up until now itā€™s been an incredible book full of things to make you think. Iā€™ve learnt that I need to make more food at home rather than wasting money on a take away now and then. :joy:

4 Likes
#9

1) Did you ever skip school? Why did you do it and where did you go? If not, have you ever faked a sick day?

I was skipped, to see the Tutankhamun exhibition at the British museum back in the early 70s, with my mum. Never faked a sick day, too much pressure on nurses as it is. Fortunately I work on the nurse bank and never have to work a shift I donā€™t want to.

2) What is the longest youā€™ve been absent from home. Where did you go and what were you doing there?

Nine months, last year. Travelling in and around Asia, but principally to see my small, fatherless nephew.

3) Has absence ever made the heart grow fonder?

To be honest, I wasnā€™t very happy when I first moved to Wales. When Iā€™d been here about five years I was away, for three months, walking John Oā€™Groats to Lands End with my daughter. When I came back, thatā€™s when I felt at home.

4) I have ADHD so my mind is often absent. What hinders your cognitive function and what do you do to help you focus?

Tiredness. Working nights has many benefits, but also has costs, and the tiny mistakes are beginning to worry me. Misdailing a phone number. Being aware of the mistakes makes me more careful the next time, but itā€™s hard work being super aware all the time.

5) What is currently absent from your life?

Iā€™m not taking enough exercise, and my diet is pretty rubbish. Both were better when I was abroad. But thatā€™s an expensive way to fix that bit of my life.

6) Make up your own Friday Five question and answer it.

When did you last laugh, and why? (A quote from @Iestyn , challenge of the day at a bootcamp).

You know, I canā€™t remember. Thatā€™s a bit sad really. Probably something came up on FB.

3 Likes
#10

Skiving, for us!

#11

Oh, me too! Isnā€™t it great?

1 Like
#12

Yeah, I can see how people have read it in one sitting. Unfortunately I donā€™t get that sort of spare time. Iā€™m also part way through ā€œTrwyā€™r tonnauā€. I always have one book on the go at home and one in work.

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#13

After some left out for me, here are my ā€œblurbsā€ in hope I wonā€™t sound too boring or dull.

It was once I really skipped the school in middle school, but for only one school hour when the whole class went to the nearest pub rather than staying in the class when the Slovene language was at program. Donā€™t ask what happened? Our Slovene teacher came after us as he knew exactly where to find us and ā€¦ the school hour continued there in the pub with much more different subjects to be taught and learnt. The debate was cheerful as we spent more than a school hour there. :slight_smile: Oh, and @margaretnock will know where this Inn is as it was the first place we sat in Ljubljana on something to eat ā€¦ Our school was near by really.

The longest time??? 9 years in Institution for blind and half blind children in Ljubljana with the breaks of approx. 4 month a year alltogether from when I was 5 all the way to when I was 13. This was real absence on a yearly basis from 1st September until 25th(ish) June. Then additional 2 years of middle school also in Ljubljana with a bit longer alltogether break per year as I went home every weekend.

Apart from that the longest was 2 weeks in 2016 when I went to Bootcamp and a bit of wanderings around Cardiff after that, meeting 30(ish) lovely SSiW people at the Eisteddfod in Fenny among who probably there are many who donā€™t remember me being there anymore though. :slight_smile:

Home sweet home ā€¦ sweeter every time when I leave it and come back again. With so much comuting I tend to say this every single day since my heart is with my two best men - my husband and my son. :slight_smile:

I never could meditate as every single thing happening around me distracts me. If there are happenings I feel obliged to know the course of actions of them I tend to be distracted from current work to be involved in them. I also am no tthe good ā€œfinisherā€ of any project I do and when I grow too excited about one thing it can be of no interest to me in just a short while. Iā€™m the person of action and if thereā€™s nothing happening around the thing Iā€™m interested in which would involve my assistance or something to do I quickly loose an interest.

I know this said actually doesnā€™t actually answer the question as I never had sirious problems with anything related but yah ā€¦ I can focus on the matter if it really pulls me in and if this happens I loose the track of the time and the reality around me. Thatā€™s why I never want to be too involved in anything what really interests me cause then it would be the only thing to exist what I am not able to afford though. And I agree with @Isata

Many things though:

  • Speaking Welsh eye to eye
  • drinking more, especially water
  • eating less, especially the things which can make me too ā€œwide spreadā€ :slight_smile:
  • learning more whatever, not just languages but any thing interesting
  • 3D modeling and animating although Iā€™m on PC a lot
  • doing things Iā€™ve planed to do but never came to realyl do them on a daily basis or in a scheduled time.

The list could go on but letā€™s stop here.

I have about

  • 26 graphic, graphic design or painting programs
  • 19 3D modeling or animating programs
  • 11 music maker, music editing or converting programes and
  • 8 video making, processing or recording programs

on my PC and Iā€™m using them all from time to time. Do you think Iā€™m nuts?

My son says Iā€™m a bit wierd to have and use them all especially as theyā€™re all licensed (what means bought) or (two or three) trial versions. :slight_smile:

The last thing in test is Affinity Publisher, the newest product from Affinity for DTP Publishing and the result of trying it is this. The story is written by me also but I know itā€™s far from anything interesting in deed.

3 Likes
#14
  1. Did you ever skip school? Why did you do it and where did you go? If not, have you ever faked a sick day?

Once, with a friend, to go to Liverpool to see Paul McCartney. If weā€™d been a bit more organised, weā€™d have known he was in America at the time. Mind you, if Iā€™d known that in MIDDLE school in Slovenia, lessons took place in the pub, Iā€™d have travelled furtherā€¦

  1. What is the longest youā€™ve been absent from home. Where did you go and what were you doing there?

Iā€™m never away from home, because home is where I am. I feel at home in most places in the world, especially in the mountains.

  1. Has absence ever made the heart grow fonder?

Because home is where I am, I have an awful habit of forgetting people who are elsewhere. I am deeply thankful for friends who, over the years, have refused to let me go.

  1. I have ADHD so my mind is often absent. What hinders your cognitive function and what do you do to help you focus?

Because I have cared for someone with dementia, I sometimes worry that my memory is getting worse. Learning Welsh is a daily blessing, because it challenges me to learn and retain new information.

  1. What is currently absent from your life?

A cause to throw myself into heart and soul.

  1. Make up your own Friday Five question and answer it.

Q. Are we all doomed?
A. Despite everything which points to this (climate change, terror, antibiotic resistance - name your own worst fear), absolutely not!

7 Likes
#15

@peterallen mitching in Devon and Cornwall too

1 Like
#16

1) Did you ever skip school? Why did you do it and where did you go? If not, have you ever faked a sick day?

I never skipped school but faked days off from school all the time when I was 13. My Dad was one of the Chief Executives of the hospital at home. There was a very public inquest into accusations of waiting list fixing which were never proven and no public apology was made for the treatment. So, I took out my frustration on rebelling at school (i didnā€™t realise it at the time).

Never faked a sick day in work. Absence leaves the team with so much extra to do.

2) What is the longest youā€™ve been absent from home. Where did you go and what were you doing there?

I lived in France for 8 months working in an Irish bar. It never felt like home.

From my home now - 1 week x 2 to Tresaith, immersing myself in Welsh :slight_smile:

3) Has absence ever made the heart grow fonder?

I always miss Emma when weā€™re not together.

4) I have ADHD so my mind is often absent. What hinders your cognitive function and what do you do to help you focus?

Tiredness. Planning a wedding, working in a short staffed team and having my parents living with us for the last 6 weeks = very tired Anthony.

5) What is currently absent from your life?

Not a lot really. I donā€™t miss anything. Iā€™m looking forward to adding things and to how life will naturally change.

We donā€™t have children yet and that is, hopefully, something we have to look forward to. The challenges and the rewards.

6) Make up your own Friday Five question and answer it.

Iā€™m going to answer @Isataā€™s question

If I were to give up work as a physiotherapist what would I do?

I think there is a role within the health service to increase the amount of career advice, support, etc. To help people fulfill their potential, support them to change of theyā€™re not in the right area, highlight training opportunities, coordinate support between teams to help give individuals the space to go on courses, or spend time on their development.

So Iā€™d try and create that.

5 Likes
#17

Iā€™m saving it for holiday reading. A week Tuesday and Iā€™ll be in Fiji :smile:

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#18

@tatjana Do you think Iā€™m nuts?

Probably, but all us geniuses are. :laughing:

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#19

Haha!

This was just once and never ever again, but it was unforgetable!

Is ā€œNeboā€ referring to the place(s) called Nebo in Wales or it has another meaning? ā€œNeboā€ in our language means the sky and, yes, itā€™s mostly blue (glas) :slight_smile: Might search for the book and read it when Iā€™ll be able to really read the Welsh in full swing. :slight_smile:

#20

Yes it is, thatā€™s where the book is set. Itā€™s not a difficult book to read so I donā€™t think youā€™ll find it difficult at all.

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#21

Thank you.

1 Like