Backwards In High Heels

A New Project

I'd like to invite you all over to my new project Travels With Jean

This is a new blog where I will be transcribing and discussing the holiday diaries of Miss Jean Ritchie from the 1950s. She was a lovely lady, the half sister of my mother's godmother, Auntie Ethel. Jean kept meticulous hand written diaries which she then had bound and illustrated with her keepsake postcards, recipts, letters - everything in fact!

Both sisters were spinsters and passed leaving no immediate family. Sadly when Jean died her diaries were burnt however three survived as Ethel was reading them at her home.  I cherish them and have always wanted to share them as it upsets me to think that they may just become lost in the annuls of time, I suspect some people would like to get their hands on them simply to rip out the postcards!

Jean was a committed midwife (indeed in one of the diaries she visits a maternity ward in Luxembourg) and therefore I have set up a link so if people enjoy the site they may consider a small donation to Tommy's Baby Campaign, which I am sure she would wholly approve off. I will maintain and pay for the blog myself.

So the introduction is up over there if you'd like to visit and get acquainted. I hope you will enjoy it and I promise it won't keep me away from here bt its something I feel I really need to do at the moment, can't quite explain it.

Media Slut

Oh get me!

I was invited to be on a BBC Radio Derby debate this morning, discussing the issue of drugs in sports. My masters is in the Sociology of Sport (and to keep my mum happy as she reads this blog I should point out I got a distinction and my thesis was shortlisted for a prize). Yes, I once did proper stuff and not just the waffle you see here.

So today I went along to the radio station, quite nervous I will admit with my little notebook of scribbles.

As well as my good self there was Ross Davenport, our local swimming hero, and a representative of UK Sport via the phone.

Ross was a very canny lad, and I am not adverse to sitting next to fit young men at the best of time though it is quite hard to keep a train of thought when one of their anecdotes is having a drugs test at the Commonwealth games which saw them locked in a cubicle with a testing representative and being asked to drop their trousers to their ankles and lift their t-shirt up to their armpits. Mmm…let me picture that a moment.

The discussion was meant to be half an hour but the presenter was enjoying it so much he cancelled what was coming up and we got a full hour which the producer told me was praise indeed.

I got to tell my story of how it was discovered some athletes would empty their bladders, insert a catheter and decant someone else’s urine to escape detection. That’s a tale that always gets the boy’s eyes watering!

Up until late tonight (12th September) I believe you can listen again here (fast forward to the 2hr mark which is when we start). Sadly I don’t know how to save it to my computer or indeed if that is possible so my momentary fame will be lost in the ether!

One thing, and its been said before is that I sound posh on such things, and this usually said with some shock! I don’t know what happens but I see a microphone and my Hyacinth Bucket gene kicks in!

Quite an exciting day all in all - I'll sign autogrpahs later!

For A Special Lady

There once was a lady called Jane
Who was often in considerable pain
They said it is cysts
But I think she's pissed
As she's never been one to abstain

You know who you are!