We got up quite late, around 10am. Had breakfast, left Jaal behind as she was still not feeling well. Coral, who is desperate for me to pass the driving lessons I've embarrassingly dragged over the last two decades, asked if I want to drive. Accepted reluctantly, as I didn't drive for ages and it was very easily predictable how atrocious ride it was going to be - leading to C's several nervous breakdowns and swiftly/dramatically covering her face every time I vaguely came near any vehicle. We drove to Great Woods, Herts (http://www.fongw.org.uk/) It was cloudy, cold (7oC) and wet day. The paths were full of grey mud and brown dead leaves. It was drizzling lightly, many families with children and dogs, couples, couples with dogs, blocks with dogs, were walking; so many dogs; as usual owners don't control them - this little brown one came dashing and just missed our lunch (sandwiches, Christmas cake, garlic bread, which nobody ate! hot chocolate, apples), but it smeared wet yakie mad all over Eb's & my jeans. I was attacked the worst! The owner lady came and said "It's too young, it thinks that everyone is her friend!" That's not the point! If this woman knows what the dog think why can't she make sure that she does wreck the clothes and peace of people who are not the dog's friends? Later on I thought may she was remarking that there was a horror of hopelessness as to what to do with a little muddy dog jumping and getting all over us with it wet dirty claws! Yeah, we, certainly I could not pretend and show a friendly face. Ebs said he likes Retriever! I really can't be bothered to learn the names of flowers and varieties of dogs etc! We rang Jaal, she was OK.
We came home fivish - The driving was as bad as expected! Jaal was still lying on the sofa and watch the the telly. A tided the house, cooked dinner, had it made and answered a few phone calls and had dinner, wine, children juice, bath, more bed time reading for everyone (more Obama for me) and bed! One of the calls was from Don who spoke to C for long. When they finished she told me that "he was signing me - how helpful and kind I was to him." I had picked him up from Euston Station on 23 Dec; on 24 Dec I took a bus to Straford with Don, Jaal, Lewis & Ebs; met with C, Ruth & Margaret who drove to Stratford; we all rode on DLR to Poplar where all continued to Greenwich but Don and I went Woolch as he want to have a look at some stations and see what kinds of rolling stocks they used; at Woolch Don walked into a big window which misleadingly looked like an open door; I grabbed him when he looked like he was falling back while feeling guilt that I was not look after him well; we had a good Christmas together; on 28 Dec I and Ebbs accompanied Don to the Euston station, while Jaal and C did the same with Margaret in the morning. I do get on well with Don, I like his political jokes and witty anecdotes.
The other call was from Dr Kwame Glevy, a British Ghanaian, lecturing mathematics Education at the Institute of Education. He told me that he has just returned from Ghana after delivering some computers. He has similar dreams to mine, establishing a lifelong learning centre and maybe build it to a college or university later. I asked him what he's done since our last long telephone conversation; asked and suggested various strategies on funding raising, publicity etc. I wished I could just send him a big cheque! He told me he was spending a lot of his money to translate his dreams into reality. He is torn between working for the IOE and focusing on his project which is suffering due to his paid job! The same dilemma I'm in - pursue your dream or ensuring paying the mortgage, look after the family etc?
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