Freedom to think

Posted on May 13, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Children, dailyprompt, dailyprompt-1935, Fact checking, fake news, freedom, Knowledge, Learning, School20 Comments

What does freedom mean to you?

Above all, freedom means being allowed to think, to care about people, to learn and find out things.

It must be important to have freedom of thought and speech. I don’t mean hate speech, or sharing violent or abusive beliefs though. Too many times people have been bullied and harassed by others who think they have all the answers. But it’s hard to work out what is the right thing to say… One person’s truth is another person’s lie?

Fake news does not help. Fact checking is important, if it’s done properly, I use websites like Snopes to check dodgy facts. I think the freedom to receive a good education is very important for both boys and girls. There should be knowledge shared around everywhere. If it means that all the world can act together and reduce pollution and save energy. Something must happen to improve everyone’s freedoms. I’m probably naive but we must try.

Statue scribble

Posted on April 27, 2023 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged blue crayon, Children, Crayon, Doodle, Life, Lines, Odd, Scribble, Silly, Sketching, StatueLeave a comment

A few days ago there was a news story about a museum that gave children crayons and paper when they visited. Unfortunately one of the children used a blue crayon to scribble all over an old sculpture. I was drawing a female head and shoulders and it suddenly struck me that it looked a bit like the statue. I added lines, and it seemed even more like the scribbled statue. Strange what your mind takes you.

Dahlia

Posted on January 4, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Childhood memories, Children, Colours, dahlias, Flowers, Green, growing up, Memories, Orange, Red, White, Yellow1 Comment

Reviewing old photos from a few years ago I came across some pictures of Dahlias. This one of a pompom Dahlia really resonated. I remembered my father used to grow them in the summer when I was a child. He had a whole patch of them, this shape and more shaggy ones. I remember I could see spirals in them. They were all different reds and oranges, whites and magenta and yellows. Striking against the green leaves and stems. They were in a small back garden and next to a pile of soil where we children would play ‘I’m the king of the castle get down you dirty rascak’ not sure how that worked except we competed to be at the top of the pile of soil…. Memories are random and come back infrequently. I just remember the Dahlias and sunshine.

Bombing children’s playgrounds

Posted on May 5, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged CCTV, Children, Evil, Fear, hate, horrors, Peace, playground, Putin, Russia, stop, Ukraine, War6 Comments

Yet more bombings and artillery shells. CCTV showing a colourful playground being blown up. What is this precision bombing Russia boasts about? The world can see. There are satellites looking down. There are photos of the mass graves, proof of the war crimes.

Russians, see what is being done in your name. If I could just prove to one of you that it’s happening. The horrors that simple people, children, the aged and ill, are experiencing, while smug Putin sits and presides over it.

Russians violence continues

Posted on April 19, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Children, Death, Fear, missiles, murder, Peace, Russia, threatening, UK, Ukraine, violence, WarLeave a comment

They sent missiles into Ukraine last night and struck over 1000 targets. Its frightening and Putin is accusing the UK of threatening to bomb Russia. Is Putin mad? What the hell is he doing. These are war crimes. Civilians killed, women raped and murdered, ordinary people shot in the back of the head. At least 205 children killed and two thirds of children displaced within the country. This is senseless. If you are a Russian reading this, think about it. Your soldiers are murdering innocent people. Why? Its crazy and stupid. We see the photos. It’s not a surgical strike. You are destroying Ukraine. Stop it.

🇷🇺 Did you know?

Posted on March 21, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Angry, Art, babies, Children, civilians, Death, disgusted, impotent, innocent, Population, Russia, Sad, Theatre, Ukraine, Upset, weapons, WomenLeave a comment

Dear Russia. Do you know that your country has flattened and demolished several towns and cities in Ukraine?

That ten MILLION PEOPLE mostly women and children have fled Ukraine in fear of their lives? ABOUT A QUARTER OF UKRAINES POPULATION!

That children and babies have been maimed and killed?

That an art school where 400 people were sheltering was destroyed yesterday?

That Russia is boasting it is using hyper sonic weapons and other vile technology to bombard its way to victory.

Why? Would you be happy if your women and children were fleeing? Your grandmother’s and grandfather’s being attacked. Put yourself in Ukraines shoes.

Putin must stop.

Maternity Hospital bombed.

Posted on March 9, 2022March 9, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged bombing, Children, Death, Fear, Life, maternity ward, millions affected, murder, Refugees, Russia, shelling, Ukraine, War, WomenLeave a comment

Why 🇷🇺 Russia?

WHY BOMB A MATERNITY WARD?

Women and children were injured in a Maternity hospital in Mariapol. 🇺🇦 Ukraine does not deserve that. Estimates that 16 or more hospitals have been attacked in the country. I want to swear. People are being promised humanitarian corridors to safety, but some of them have been shelled too. It is slaughter, it is murder. Russians? Are you being attacked? No! Leave your neighbours alone. More than 2 million refugees have fled from their country. I’m disgusted.

This is evil. This is inhumane. Initial reports said women and children died was changed to injured. Even so hospitals should not be bombed!

Votes for women

Posted on March 8, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Celebrate, Children, inequality, International Women's Day, Poverty, votes, votes for women, wealth, WomenLeave a comment

Today is International Women’s Day and out local theatre, the Mitchell Memorial Theatre is showing archive footage from history of the Votes for Women movement more than a century ago.

Even now Women in the world do 2/3 of the work for 1/10 of the pay. When you compare that to the 80 richest Men in the world own the same as half the worlds population about 3,500,000,000 people. Women are restricted by laws and religious beliefs. They often only get basic education and are sometimes forced into marriage as children. The World is an unequal place. If you are holding international Women’s days events I hope they are well attended and go well. X

Lights switch on

Posted on December 12, 2021December 14, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged angels, Children, Christmas lights, Fun, Happy, Kings, Life, nativity, Photo, Santa, shepherd's, Time, WinterLeave a comment

Before and after, the local Christmas lights switch on at the top of our hill. Everyone counted down and then… The gentle lights came up on the Christmas tree. Not overwhelming but restrained and pretty. We ate a mince pie that were being handed out. The local brass band played the carols and people sang along. As the Carol service continued children took their places as characters in the nativity. Two tiny. Little girls were the angels and there was a flock of shepherd’s. Well done to the organisers who created a warm welcome despite covid. X

Feed the kids!

Posted on October 25, 2020 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Caring, Children, Compassion, Consideration, Covid19, Free school meals, Life, Poverty, Random, Thinking5 Comments

We are in a pandemic and many people in my country (England) are struggling to survive on lower incomes and less hours at work, despite being one of the richest countries in the world.

The situation is only made worse by our government refusing to help pay for free school meals during this coming week. They say they have given 63 million pounds to local councils to help pay for food. Conveniently, they don’t mention that they have been cutting benefits to people over the last ten years, and councils have shrunk by about 75%.

A footballer, Marcus Rashford, has raised the issue and many local businesses and food outlets are trying to help. This led one of the MPs to say it was good to see businesses had bounced back so much that they could now afford to help out!

I’m not saying which party are doing this. I just think that there needs to be more compassion in the world. Not just here but everywhere. We are in a bad situation. Don’t deliberately make it worse!

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Children