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When life brings you ‘Artificial Intelligence’ turn to Feminism

I am planning to write a reflection on the amazing experience that was the OER24 Conference but that will take time so for now, I will tell you about the finale – a Gasta session that was stage-managed by the Chief Gastateer Tom Farrelly. Tom is a golden man who will be in my heart…

When you cannot string words together as a narrative, turn to textile art

My last post (one of only two since my oldest son Dan Bell died on 1 July 2021) was Loosely connected thoughts on the anniversary of the death of my son Dan Bell – Part 1 , where I wrote about writing, including academic writing (from which I had quickly stepped away when Dan was…

Loosely connected thoughts on the anniversary of the death of my son Dan Bell – Part 1

1. Friday 1 July is the first anniversary of Dan’s death. I find writing very difficult and have done over some time. Still, I know that writing (privately and publicly) is a good way for me to address that difficulty. Writing, thinking, reading, talking with good friends, loving my family and friends, sewing, knitting, quilting:…

Reflections on the #FemEdTechQuilt inspired by Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu

You may not have time to view the entirety of this wonderful 45-minute video but please dip into it/ or even watch the whole thing. It’s fabulous! – maybe watch it while you read! I am working with some very inspiring and talented colleagues on a short chapter for the #HE4Good open access book. Listening…

A letter I sent to my Macclesfield MP today

Dear Mr Rutley, You are my MP (I live at XXXXXXXX) and whilst I did not vote for you, I have no reason to doubt your integrity. Also, I understand that you served as a government whip until recently. You are in a good position to understand the responsibilities shouldered by those who seek to…

Trees, Memories and Hope

This is my first post since December 2020. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, for all of us. If we thought that 2020 was strange, I don’t think that we could have anticipated 2021. In our 2020 Christmas card, the greeting was: With best wishes to you and yours in…

An 80th Wedding Anniversary

On 26 December 1940, my parents, Vincent Richardson and Elise Crampsey, got married at the Sacred Heart Church in Drummond Place, Grangemouth, one of many couples getting married in that year. I can’t find the data for Scotland but 1940 was the peak year for marriages in England and Wales from 1862-2009. Vincent hailed from…

Gradually, then Suddenly – caring and careful responses to COVID-19

“How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly.” “What brought it on?” “Friends,” said Mike. “I had a lot of friends. False friends. Then I had creditors, too. Probably had more creditors than anybody in England.” https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/08/06/bankrupt/ The idea of gradually then suddenly was playing around in my…

Keep Calm and Carry On – but carefully and differently #OER20

So it has happened – OER20 in London in April has been cancelled. This comes as no surprise but it’s still disappointing not to be meeting up with friends, hearing their ideas and, in my case, meeting some of the people whose beautiful textile art work has arrived at my house in Macclesfield, to be…

#FemEdTechQuilt – Getting There

The FemEdTech Quilt project has been an amazing project and we are not there yet – we have to get not one, but now four quilts to #OER20. The quilt has been in planning since summer 2019, and we launched it in November 2019 in a post at OER20 conference website. It seemed like quite…