A curate's egg of a post...

I trotted off to Dulwich (South East London) because of:

1) a Mouse called "Minimus" (who made Latin cool!).

2) to visit old college friends.

3) to attend a one day Minimus course in Dulwich to learn how to teach Latin Minimus to children and adults.

4) to meet two well known Dulwich bloggers (Dulwichmum and Dulwich Divorcee).

5) to see my London Media Sister (who hates that title) so is henceforth to be known as "Very Arty Sister" (as opposed to t'other sister who is "Very Numerate Sister").

In short it was all extremely exciting.

The weather was good: crisp, sunny and autumnal. The trains were excellent and I could read my books in peace! I got to King's Cross, reached the top of the escalators in the Tube and the place was promptly closed down at 5pm on a Friday evening. I couldn't believe it! (Well, I could actually). Sirens stated sounding with a stern voice announcing: "Please leave the station immediately this is an emergency!" You could be forgiven for thinking that World War III had just broken out. Managed to leave the station in record time (Thank God I wasn't downstairs in the bowels of the Tube!) and was carried along by the numerous hordes to some buses on the other side of the street. It was only when I looked at their destinations did I query whether I wanted to go there. I didn't. I hailed a black cab and sanity soon returned. Charing Cross beckoned. The cab took me through the streets of Covent Garden. Anyway I'm rambling. I got to Charing Cross. Caught the train and arrived where I wanted to be. Again I was surrounded by multi cultural London. Something I miss about Northumberland to be sure. It was far more multi cultural in Roman times. (I stayed with college friends who now have two children. We talked, laughed and drank red wine. I stayed up late!)

Saturday dawned. I said my farewells and caught two trains via London Bridge. I arrived in Dulwich country. I'd never been before. I was curious to say the least. I went for some a coffee at an Italian deli in the village.

The course, itself, was super. The lady, Barbara Bell, the creator of Minimus is a dream. She is wonderfully inspirational - everything you hope to find in a teacher. She explained that you can teach Minimus in an after school club or as a lesson. Funding can be obtained to buy the books. It is cross curricular. Children love it. It helps their English grammar, they learn how to pronounce Latin words, how to act out the stories, how it influences certain modern languages, how it ties in with geography, history, archeology, science. The list is endless. It's all based around a real family who lived at Vindolanda c. AD97-103. They've found evidence of their existence and how they lived through the Vindolanda tablets. These are little wooden postcards which have survived miraculously in bug-free earth at Vindolanda (which means something like "White Cross") where many Roman forts were built during the Roman occupation of Britain. These people were there a little prior to Hadrian building the wall in AD122. It takes your breath away. Even if you cannot get up to Vindolanda it is worth taking a look at the tablets which are on permanent display at The British Museum.

After a full day there I met up for another cuppa and a chat with Dulwichmum and Dulwich Divorcee. It was great to meet them in the flesh and have a chinwag. For me, it wasn't long enough as we all had to rush our separate ways and Dulwichmum very kindly dropped me at my next port of call (staying with some more college friends). I drank some more wine and stayed up late once again. Why did I half wake up...expecting a wail from another room? Nothing came. I snuggled down enjoying every last inch of freedom.

The next day the weather broke and bucketed down. I decided to save money and buy a Rail ticket to all London terminals. I got to London Bridge and wondered why the machine swallowed the ticket. I'd forgotten about the Tube bit! (Amazing now to think that I've lived half my life in London.)

I met Very Arty Sister at the gleaming new designer palace called St. Pancras station. It had changed one hell of a lot since I was last in WHSmith where I bumped straight into Alan Rickman. (I don't think he recognised me though....) We pretended we were already in France and ate "pain au chocolat" with two cappuccinos, plus two mint teas...the bill: sixteen quid!!!! It was great to see her again. I don't see and talk to her enough. I aim to change that...

That's it really. I read the Sunday newspapers in the quiet carriage back to Newcastle. It was wonderfully sunny shiny and fresh. Got another train home to my gorgeous family. What larks!