Dizzy Miss Lizzy - Page 3 of 5 - Everything and Nothing

September 6, 2015
by Liz
Comments Off on Small people in a big world – response to refugees

Small people in a big world – response to refugees

What the current refugee crisis shows me more than anything is that there are a lot of small people in a big world. On the one hand individuals and families fleeing from war and terror, reliant on their own wits, at the mercy of people smugglers and dependant on the hospitality (or not) of others. On the other hand the residents of safe countries, some as in Germany and Iceland opening their homes in hospitality, others as in Britain either frustrated by a feeling of helplessness or scared that offering refuge to the displaced will harm their own circumstances or even endanger their country. Continue Reading →

April 3, 2014
by Liz
Comments Off on New dog bites off more than we can chew

New dog bites off more than we can chew

Six months after the death of Flash the Dog and my daughters were increasing the frequency with which they mentioned puppies. “Wouldn’t a puppy be cute?” and “Ah, look at this one,” while pointing to pictures of small dogs behaving in a variety of amusing or charmingly mischievous ways, punctuated conversations on a daily basis. But one daughter is lodging while she looks for a job and the other is planning to leave for university in a little over six months. The last time I checked, dogs live for considerably longer than six months, puppies grow up and few halls of residence cater for pets. Continue Reading →

August 23, 2013
by Liz
Comments Off on Take a break

Take a break

I needed to take a break from work but I would have been happy to laze around at home idling my time away. That seemed the easy option. I felt too tired to bother with the effort of choosing and arranging a holiday away. Continue Reading →

August 5, 2013
by Liz
Comments Off on Goodbye to Flash

Goodbye to Flash

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Flash the dog. Renowned for his footballing skills and persistence with stick retrieval, Flash has died aged 11. A working Sheep Dog or Border Collie, he was born on 23rd January 2002 the son of Sid and Bonnie. He was registered in the name of Sid with the International Sheep Dog Society on24th July 2002. Continue Reading →

July 22, 2013
by Liz
Comments Off on Unpaid overtime. How much am I subsidising my boss?

Unpaid overtime. How much am I subsidising my boss?

Sometime during the last couple of weeks I caught the end of an item on the radio which had covered the widening gap between paid and worked hours. In 2011 the UK Office of National Statistics published information showing that managers and senior officials worked an average of 7.6 hours per week more than they were paid for. It was more than any other group. The radio article said this gap was increasing. It made me think: how much am I subsidising my boss? Continue Reading →

June 2, 2013
by Liz
Comments Off on Stand up for girls and women

Stand up for girls and women

I just saw this Tweet quoting Desmond Tutu: “Boys, it is when you stand up for girls and women that you measure up as a man.” How brilliant. How true. All my life I have been lucky enough to be supported by men who have not been scared, worried or intimidated by the idea that women and girls in their lives might “do better” than them: whether winning at sport, earning more money or holding more senior positions. Continue Reading →

May 27, 2013
by Liz
Comments Off on It was hidden in the sauce

It was hidden in the sauce

One of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants was recently in the news because it was fined for serving ordinary pasta to a customer who had specifically ordered gluten free pasta. It had “failed to exercise due diligence and take all appropriate precautions that meals were served as requested”. Other restaurants should take note, it seems to be a common failing. Continue Reading →

March 24, 2013
by Liz
1 Comment

Grumpy Middle Aged Woman: I didn’t cause financial crisis

How old do you have to be to be a Grumpy Old Woman? 50? 60? 80? If I’m not old enough yet, I’ll settle for Grumpy Middle Aged Woman. Yes, that will be it, simple arithmetic: young women 16-39, middle aged women 40-63 and old women 64-87; 88+ very old! OK, I admit it: I feel a lot older now than I did when I was 40 – mostly when I go running or to the gym where “getting old” is my excuse for not keeping up with the twenty-somethings. Continue Reading →

January 27, 2013
by Liz
Comments Off on Cost of postgraduate courses a barrier to some professions

Cost of postgraduate courses a barrier to some professions

I see from an article in the Guardian that someone is suing St Hugh’s College Oxford for refusing him a place on a postgraduate course because, despite acquiring a professional career development loan to pay for the course, he can’t prove he already has what the college deems to be sufficient funds to support himself for the duration of the course. He is apparently arguing that this is selection on the basis of wealth and disproportionately discriminates against those without access to savings and capital in breach of their human rights. Continue Reading →

December 30, 2012
by Liz
Comments Off on A shopping experience

A shopping experience

Well – that’s Christmas over with for another year. If we had been organised enough to realise it was coming and actually made plans, it would have been a bit of an anticlimax but we didn’t, so it wasn’t. To be fair, there were a few new experiences or, more accurately, an old experience – a shopping experience – re-visited. Setting aside the inconvenience of car problems and the last minute exercise in logistics to get them fixed we had to contend with no delivery slots. Continue Reading →