We had more of that golden winter sun yesterday morning, lighting up the tops of the apartment buildings behind us. When I opened the door to take a picture I was struck by the reflection in the glass, so I decided to include it.
My weather app is telling me it's 45ยบ F out there right now, and the sun's not even up yet. There's also light rain. I moved the tender patio plants outside yesterday morning -- it felt so good to get them out of the house and clean the floors. (Probably felt good to them, too!) Now they're getting some moisture and they're back in nature where they belong.
I also watered all the orchids and the indoor plants. You know, as long as I've had houseplants, I've kept to a weekly watering schedule -- watering on Saturday or Sunday, pretty much whether they need it or not. It's always worked for me. Lately I've been experimenting a bit with watering only when the plants get dry, but one of the prayer plants got very dry and the leaves curled up and I'm wondering why I'm messing with my system. If it's not broke, don't fix it, right?
One of our little cacti is blooming once again. I don't remember it ever blooming in January -- I think flowers usually come in the spring. But hey, I'll take it! Looks like there are a few more buds on the way, too.
I pretty much frittered away the day yesterday. Took Olga for a short walk through the neighborhood -- she didn't seem to want to go far -- and did laundry. In the afternoon I was in the mood for an old movie, so I rented "Up the Down Staircase" with Sandy Dennis. I don't think I'd ever seen it, though I read the book years ago.
It got me thinking about the word "pupil," which the teachers in the movie (and book) regularly use. Do teachers still refer to their kids as "pupils"? I never hear it at our school. I call them kids or students, though I do remember one of my own teachers emphasizing that just being in a classroom doesn't automatically make one a student. You're a pupil unless you're actually applying yourself to your studies, at which point you become a student -- at least according to him.
I took this picture last night after the sun set and Olga made herself comfortable beneath our comforter. The room was quite dark except for light coming onto the patio from the living room windows, and I was impressed once again at how well the iPhone camera handles a low-light situation. Olga was also snoring up a storm, but you'll just have to imagine that part!
26 comments:
That cactus flower!...and more on the way.
Olga looks blissed out. I wonder where you guys sleep. I had never heard that differentiation between pupil and student. I had been told a pupil was someone in elementary or secondary school, while a student was someone in high school or above. However, I've heard student used for all ages (and pupils fairly consistently reserved for youngsters). That little cactus sure does express itself beautifully. I love the light in the first photo.
I began teaching in a time where in Britain at least both primary and secondary school children were universally referred to as "pupils". Gradually, the term "student" for younger learners filtered in from across the Atlantic but it was a label that I always used to refer exclusively to people in higher education.
If you're a "student" you "study" but if you're a "pupil" you .... "pu"?
That interior shot needs to be a painting! The foreground dog, the plants in the window, the slanting light, I really like this one.
You know, I read Up the Down Stair Case when I was younger, and I remember thinking how incomprehensible it was that schools were like that. I mean, I was not long out of highschool, and believe me, it was a competitive place with mean girls causing most of the problems in my life.
Now I am 66. I have a grandson in a school where the teachers need aides and classroom runners to assist with behavioral problems with students. In our highschool, we have had suicides, two within a few days of each other. Kids killed themselves over the bullying. In one case, a teacher stood at a bus stop and watched it happening and did not intervene. The student got on his bus. He went home. He killed himself.
All these problems that seemed so very foreign to me back when I read that book. Now they are the reality, even in our small schools. How did we get this way?
You have such a beautiful flat. And I agree with Boud- that last picture is just lovely.
we're having basically the same weather, in the 40s here and will be all day but warmer tomorrow and rain. what a nice window to have in your bedroom. is that a door in the middle, can't tell with the plants obscuring the view. my bedroom is similar, plants in front of the etched glass windows but no door.
I once had a teacher that referred to the students/pupils as "little shits". I'm sure that would elicit a lawsuit in today's world.
I love your photos, Steve. Your garden and your flat look so lovely! And that sweet cactus flower - perfect! I usually water my plants on Wednesdays as my mind remembers the W's of "Watering Wednesday". Silly but true! :)
I hadn't heard that explanation of pupils/students before - I like it. I'd say that in that case I was a pupil in some of my classes (social studies - boooring) and a student in others (geometry - yum!). Maybe people use it aspirationally.
I love that golden sunlight and the pretty cactus flower.
I've gotten so that I don't take my camera inside museums or restaurants any longer. The iPhone does so much better in low light and I don't have to do a bunch of setting changes that I'll most likely forget to correct after I've taken the shot.
We have London weather here today and probably for 3 or 4 more days. Yesterday was so gray I couldn't motivate myself to get out of the house. I'll try to do better today.
That's an interesting distinction between pupil and student and it makes perfect sense to me.
I love all your photos today. Did you cover up Olga or did she manage to get herself covered like that? I have no trouble imagining the snoring.
A cactus in bloom is a real gift. Well done. I rarely hear the term pupil. Student body or student seems the preferred term in my community. Olga looks very comfy wrapped up and cozy in bed. Sweet Olga loves her creature comforts.
I had numerous plants in my classroom. There were many unknown volunteers who watered plants. the plants survived and some kid went away happy. Over the many years I rarely watered my plants. I always had a number of plants starting as kids often asked for a plant.
Love this cactus! What amazing colours nature has on offer.
I always thought that pupils were primary and students were secondary and college/university.
Olga won the dog lottery of the excellent life. The first photo is lovely, that's very nice light.
What a wonderful picture of Olga and the room in such beautiful colors.
My answer to Bob's question: If you're a "pupil", you "pupate". Or "dilate" :-)
I agree with so many commenters - all three photos are terrific. Beautiful light and beautiful Olga.
Chris from Boise
I "cut the cord" on our cable subscription a couple of years ago and got ROKU for television. Then I subscribed to Sling so my wife could have her beloved MSNBC and CNN for both of us. Yesterday I was looking through channels and found a fairly good movie streaming channel called Cine. We watched two movies yesterday: "Blackthorn", which starred Sam Shepard playing an aged Butch Cassidy 20 years after he was supposedly killed in Bolivia; and then "Capote" for which Philip Seymour Hoffman won an Oscar and a bunch of other awards. Both actors were great in their roles, we thought. The movies, with their frequent commercial breaks, were a little trying though.
If you liked that, I am quite sure you would like Old Henry.
Winter light with the sun low in the sky can create some nice effects.
I know 32 is freezing, so 45 doesn't sound too bad.
Having grown up in Northern Illinois, if you were going to school, you were a student!
A pupil is part of the eye!
Olga is just gorgeous and so pampered!
Marcia in Colorado
That cactus flower is lovely. I'm from the pupil era but don't hear the word at all these days.
GZ: I was surprised when it first bloomed, and it has bloomed reliably every year since. An unexpected joy!
Mitchell: Oh, that's interesting. I hadn't thought of the pupil/student distinction in terms of age.
YP: I was told that Ofsted took us to task for not using the word "pupil"! I believe it appears in our official documents now.
Bob: Yeah, what is the root of the word, I wonder? Is it related to the pupil of the eye? Something about focus, maybe?
Boud: Thanks! It's much brighter than the actual light in the room was to my naked eye.
Debby: I know. "Up the Down Staircase" was supposed to be a gritty portrayal of life in an inner-city school, and by today's standards it looks fairly routine and even tame!
Ms Moon: We like it, at least when everything is working. The plants and big windows help a lot.
Ellen: Yes, that is a door onto the patio.
Ed: Ha! Yeah, we've all used terms like that, I'm sure. Just not officially. :)
Ellen D: I guess the idea is the same, even if the day of the week is different. :)
Bug: I liked geometry but I liked social studies too! I didn't like numerical math, though.
Sharon: Yeah, in certain circumstances it just doesn't make sense to continue to rely on a camera.
Kelly: Ha! To be honest, I'm not sure. I may have covered her and forgotten. It looks like as pretty skillful job for her to do on her own.
Susan: Olga definitely loves her creature comforts!
Red: That's great, when the kids take care of it themselves!
Sabine: You could be right. I should do some official research on this rather than relying on my memory of my teacher.
Allison: It was really beautiful, and the reflected glow changed the light in the living room, too.
Yael: It's a restful space!
Chris: Oh, yeah, speaking of the roots of words, could "pupa" and "pupate" be related to "pupil"?
Catalyst: It's funny how intolerant of commercials we've all become. They drive me crazy now that I've come to expect commercial-free subscription streaming! I saw "Capote" in the theater when it came out and loved it.
Debby: That's for Catalyst, I presume?
Andrew: Yeah, 45 is pretty tolerable!
Marcia: Ha! I agree. I think pupil in the student sense is just a very old-fashioned word.
Margaret: It's interesting how language changes over time, isn't it?
I haven't heard of pupils in ages. Just students. I love your room with the view of the garden/patio and light. And of course, Ms. Olga!
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