Strike while the iron is hot

So, my lectures and workshops are cancelled for the next four weeks, which is pretty much up until the end of term. I suppose it might get called off and not go the whole time but who knows ? 

It’s a tricky one. I wholeheartedly support the strike action because they are protesting  against an unjust and unfair system, which as usual means that those at the top get all the cake,  leaving everyone else to the crumbs. 

But, I am also very disappointed that I have had precisely one workshop this half of term and that’s it. Now I know I am only in the first year,  and a part timer and it doesn’t affect me in the way that it will impact on many others, like the lovely young woman who was here having tea the other day and is in the final year of her degree , at the stage when a month of no tutorials/lectures or support is pretty devastating. Or T with her PHD commitments. But the management MUST be held to account, and strike action is the best way to go about this,   because if we let them get their own way there will be even less lecturers willing or able to afford to be here at all , which will in turn have a knock on effect and everyone loses out. Already it feels as if students get the absolute bare minimum of contact hours anyway and its impossible to imagine how further education will survive unless we make a stand. About 300 years ago when I was at Camberwell we saw our tutors pretty much all the time plus it was FREE. Something has gone very wrong indeed with our system and it is vital that we nurture our young people and that universities operate in a fair and transparent manner so that they and tutors  feel valued and respected. 

On a completely different subject, today I took  the bus from Camberwell to Paddington. As in the way of things,  despite it being very cold, the bus seemed to be fully functioning on air conditioning , just as when on the rare occasion there is a heat wave in London the heating is always on  ( particularly on the 68 for some reason). Anyway, in an attempt to divert myself from slipping into a hypothermic coma I started noticing that there seemed to be a collection of random objects on top of the bus shelters that we passed. They were as follows

Large selection of bin liners

Two pairs of trainers

One pair of wellies

Newpapers and assorted mags

A traffic cone

Window box with dead pansies

Dustbin lid

Broom ( 2)

Books

Cardboard boxes

And the most interesting …about 20 spring onions all laid out in a pattern…perhaps some kind of weird onion cult?

Goodnight all