SP10 Contest No.1

Today Bobbi my SP10 hostess set us a contest:

1. How old were you when you learnt to knit?

I asked Mum, and neither of us are really sure. After a bit of discussion, we think 6 or 7. I was definitely knitting by the time I was in Brownies, but I joined late at 8. Tom Baker was playing Doctor Who at the time...

so I basically kept knitting this garter stitch scarf for a teddy. And kept knitting... and knitting... and knitting...

2. Who taught you to knit?

My Mum.

It's the holi- holi- holi- days!

Thank goodness for that! It was fun seeing Mum and Dad over the February half term, but it made it feel like I hadn't had a rest and I've been trying to catch up all this half term.

Over the next few days, I'm going to try to recreate some of the exquisite pieces of arts and crafts that were produced as my children made their Easter cards and I desperately tried to hear all my reading assessments.

Stay tuned...

Progress

I just had to post this today, it's made me feel really good (even before I saw my new yarn!).

I've been finishing up my reading assessments for this half term and today I assessed a lad at Book Band 7 who came to me on September on Book Band 3. If you aren't a teacher, this means nothing, but believe me, 4 book bands in 2 terms is brilliant progress. He's worked so hard (as have his mum and dad now) so he deserves a hearty three cheers.

Hurrah!

I don't believe it...

...but I'm actually posting pictures of my yarn.


Isn't it lovely? All Opal Rainforest 2, in (from L to R), Snake, Peacock and Toucan. I bought two balls of each, because I thought I might send some to my Secret Pal, but I've fallen in love... Particularly with the snake.

I keep looking at it, and thinking ... Clapotis? I know I don't have anywhere near enough, other knitbloggers seem to be using silk blends, not plain old 75% 25% and I don't even know if it's the right weight, but it's calling to me...

Whaddya think?

What a glorious day

The sun was shining today, a clear crisp day on the cusp of spring. I was just finishing a bacon sarnie and gearing myself up to mark some writing assessments and review the children's writing targets (a potentially large job) when K rang and asked me to go for a walk with her and Bruce. What could I say? She had heard that I was a bit down and thought I needed to get out of the house. Delamere Forest was lovely (although somehow I ended up pushing the buggy up some very steep paths...) and Bruce was an angel for most of the walk.

Thanks K. And thanks L for the immediate perspective you gave me on Thursday. All in the past now and no doubt one day I'll be able to laugh at it (circa 2009?)

Sunshine in a Box

Yesterday I had a really crappy day. I'm not going to go into why here, but suffice to say I was a bit of a mess by the time I got home. That's what made this:
so nice when I got home. I mean, even the packaging made me feel better. My Secret Pal sent this from Helsinki and I was thrilled to open it to find these goodies:

Yes, that does indeed look like an egg box!
So I started to unpack it, and I found two types of herbal tea - Cheery Rainy Day (the name itself made me smile!) and Caribbean Sun, treats and toys for the girls, an egg box with real eggs in, a parcel and a card.

On closer inspection, the eggs are a Finnish Easter speciality - almond nougat inside real egg shells.

Aren't they pretty? They survived surprisingly intact, and I've been very self-controlled - after all, it isn't Easter yet! Finally I opened the card (I forgot to take a photo of that) which had a lovely drawing of daffodils on (my favourite spring flower - they always make me smile!) and the parcel, which contained three skeins of a gorgeous silk and wool mix and a 2.5mm 80cm circular needle - Addi no less!

My Secret Pal correctly surmised that I have not tried any lace knitting yet so suggested I might try a shawl with it, although she says I can do socks if I want. However I think I may have found a lace shawl pattern that I understand, so you never know, I might well rise to the challenge!

This really was like a ray of sunshine on a dull day and it cheered me up more than my Secret Pal could possibly know. Lilly and Stella send big purrs for the toys and treats, and I send my heartfelt thanks. I hope you are as spoiled as I have been!

Woo Hoo!

Posting from school (home PC doesn't like Blogger - long story), so only quick.

Went to sorting office today, to pick up a parcel (I've been expecting two, from two different yarn suppliers). Imagine my excitement when I realised it was from Finland - my Secret Pal!

I'm so excited, I can't wait to open it tonight! It really cheered me up, since I was feeling a bit groggy.

Thank you, Secret Pal!

Rugby, stash and FOs

Hurrah, hurrah and thrice, hurrah!

After 4 pretty dismal matches, Wales beat England! Shame we couldn't play like this more often, but there you go...

So what else did I do on Saturday? Well, it was very exciting, I went shopping for ... oven gloves. Jeesh. I have all the fun, don't I?

But I ended up at Lakeland Limited, on my own, which was a bit of a sneaky pleasure. I think it is the most amazing company ever, with fantastic customer service. A hates it with a passion, accusing it of selling "useless gadgets that women don't realise they don't need".

Whatever.

Anyhow, he's been moaning about the state of the space down by the side of the sofa where I stuff all my knitting clobber. So I found a solution! I found a storage box with a padded lid, and filled it with (most of) my stash.










Yes, nearly all that top layer IS sock yarn. Do you think I have a bit of a problem? There are three layers in total, I really hadn't realised how much I had, but it's not all sock yarn, honest! Some of it doesn't even have a project in mind, I just thought at £1 a ball it was too good an opportunity to miss...

So that's, rugby and stash dealt with. FOs? Well, there's two! Ta da!

First up, it's another pair of baby socks, finished on Sunday evening. These are for my cousin's new baby and because they are proper sock construction, they also qualify for my first pair of socks for SAM3.

Pattern: Meg by Megan Humphreys
Yarn: Opal Rodeo in colour 1156
Needles: 2.5mm bamboo DPNs
Modifications: picked up 8 stitches each side of heel flap, added one extra decrease row when shaping gusset.

I finished the second project tonight. It feels like it's been around for ever, but actually, it's only been about five weeks. This is a blanket for Bruce, based on the one I knit for Anna last year (the one that started me knitting again) It doesn't show up very well in the picture, but it has a moss stitch border and st.st. and reverse st.st. squares in the centre panel. I felt Anna's was a bit small so I increased this.

Pattern: Baby Blanket from Teach Yourself Knitting by Sally Walton.
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly DK in shade 0303
Needles: 5.5mm bamboo
Mods: Lots! To start with, the pattern is wrong - follow it and you'd knit rib not moss stitch! I used bigger needles this time around, did 12 rows of moss stitch top and bottom (not 10) and put 8 x 5 panels in the centre, not 8 x 4.

So there you go. I guess I'd better get on with some work now...

F1 widow

As I type this, A is excitedly watching the Grand Prix qualifying that he recorded last night...

That's the weekends jiggered then.

Roll on October.

Peace - at a price?

As today was Red Nose Day, we all went to school wearing a red top and paid our pound for the privilege. The children were a bit confused as to why I was paying since, as they pointed out, I can wear a red top any day I like, but I always like to enter into the spirit of it (and at that point, all I'd done was buy a couple of noses).

BTW, is it just me, or are this year's gloriously large foam noses really... noxious? I love the way they grow, and I love the fact that since they aren't hard plastic they don't chaff or collect condensation on the inside (TMI? Sorry!) but when A and I put ours on last week, we both found them to smell really strongly of chemicals. Bleurgh!

Anyway, I digress.

Today, because of an absence, I sat with one or two children I don't usually get to sit with during extended writing. I didn't need to coax them, just gently reassure them that they could write on their own. There was a whole different feel to the lesson as they wrote their own traditional tales and they wrote quietly for around 50 minutes, with a quick "brain break" in the middle to help re-energise them. One table was slower to settle (big personalities who can't always keep their noses out of other people's business and space!) but on the whole I was really impressed with their stamina. However only two children had finished their writing by playtime.

During the assembly, which a group of Y6 girls had pulled together to tell us all about the aims of Comic Relief, The Y6 teacher told us how she had challenged her Year 6s - for every child with full marks in that morning's mental maths test, she would donate £1. Flushed with this, and knowing that trying to carry on extended writing after playtime and an assembly is usually on the tortuous side, I similarly challenged my children - £1 for every child who could sit and carry on writing without talking to other children, and £2 a head for the fussy group. Only 4 children couldn't contain it during this extra session, so I am donating £28 to Comic Relief in their honour.

I am so proud of them!

And it was blissfully quiet...

It's started!

So, I've contacted my Secret Pal who I'm spoiling, I'm enjoying reading their blog. I've also been contacted by my own SP, so.... let the spoiling commence!

And, as if I didn't have anything else to do, I have joined the Sock A Month Knitalong, so I am now obliged (obliged, do you hear me??!!) to knit socks regularly!

Like I need an excuse...

Happy 1st Birthday!

Well, it's been a year since I first dipped my toe in, so to speak. Hasn't it gone quick? Looking back, I didn't start with a "Why am I doing this?" type of post - I just jumped straight in with a very muddy walk. "Sound familiars...", I hear my friends mutter, "always in feet first...".

So, why did I start this? The honest answer is, I'm not really sure. I wasn't knitting then, so I didn't need anywhere to show off my socks - in fact a year ago, if someone told me that within the year I would have knitted 10 hats, 2 pairs of socks, 2 and a half scarves and one and three quarter baby blankets, I would have laughed outright. It's not like I post exclusively about education like Primary Teacher UK - after all, why try and make a poor imitation of what is a very good blog? Unlike Neil and Claire or Lou, I don't have a bundle of joy to blog about, and even I'm not sappy enough to think that the world revolves around my cats - I mean, I love them, but since one spends most of the time under the bed and the other, whilst in full view, spends most of the time asleep, it's not exactly... scintillating.

But I did enjoy reading my friends' blogs and, because I am such a dingbat at times and stupid things do happen to me on a sometimes frightening frequent basis, I thought it might be interesting to jot these things down - even if all they did was provide A with a way of keeping up with my disasters whilst he was abroad. So far this has been a good way to inform him of outrageous spending, conversations with nutters, cat abuse, my attempts at grand larceny and fessing up to fancying Hugh Grant. Bless him, he's taken it all in his stride...

But then something lovely happened. You started to read it too. Then some of you left comments and now... well, it's really nice to feel that someone's reading it somewhere. I'm no writer or poet (I'll leave that to those with the talent, like Jane and the Mad Muthas) but I do enjoy burbling away to myself, and you, Dear Reader.

So... happy blogiversary to me, thank you for reading and raise your glasses to Neil and Claire, because if I hadn't read theirs, I wouldn't have got started. (See Lou, Claire's an inspiration to us all!!)

Shafted

Six Nations Result: Italy 23 Wales 20.

The last minute was a disgrace of refereeing.

I don't think I can bear the heartbreak...

FO

Finished Object, that is!

I finished these baby items over a week ago, but I wanted to wait until they were delivered before I posted.

Last year, I knitted a tomato beanie hat for Anna. I found the pattern on Knitchicks and got all excited because it was free. I was pleased with it, but it didn't look like the photo on the site (pic on left is from the pattern) and I couldn't work out why. The decrease sloped the wrong way, but it was the first time I'd tried SSK, so I thought it was me.

Having made my socks, I now know my SSK was correct, so I decided since Eleanor and Bruce had arrived, to try again.

Here is my first effort (right) - again, following the pattern exactly but not looking like the photo. Can you see how the slope is in the wrong direction? On closer examination, I realised that the photo didn't match the instructions at all. the instructions generated a pattern based on right-angled triangles (with the right angle top right) while the photo they posted was more like inverted isosceles triangles.

I realised I needed to introduce the colour changes at a different spot and also start the SSK decreases further down towards the point of the leaf. Anyway, the upshot was I tried a third hat, changing the pattern, to include my modifications. Et voilà!

OK, so it's not EXACTLY like the picture in the pattern but it's a lot closer than when I followed the pattern stitch for stitch. Because I started the decrease earlier though, it's not quite as long as the original. Good job Bruce has a small head, that's all I can say!

Of course, I couldn't leave it so close to perfection (ha ha), so I ripped the top off of the second hat and reknit it, with a few extra red rows to get the height back. (remodeled second hat on left, prototype third hat on right) .

I am really really really pleased with this - I feel now like a knitter, since I've been able to alter a pattern to make it fit the photo (but why oh why was it wrong to start with?!)

Details:
Pattern: Tomato Baby Beanie from Knitchicks
Yarn: RYC Cashsoft Aran in Poppy (010) and Bud (006) (one 50g ball of Poppy is not enough to do two hats (that's another story), but two balls is enough for 3)
Needles: 4.5mm DPNs (Addi Turbos - I love 'em!)
Modifications: Yes! I can remember though, and have written them down.

The other items are some socks for Bruce made with leftover yarn from my own socks. My hand is in there for scale! Aren't they cute?


Details:
Pattern: Megan Humprey's Nate
Yarn: Opal Hundertwasser 1432
Needles: 2.5mm DPNs
Modifications: None

And, although I haven't finished the blanket (I know, I know...) I couldn't resist last night and cast on for my first ever Monkey sock. The colours look awful, because I took this with my phone (no flash) but I'm really enjoying the pattern!

Told you...

Tropical Brainstorm by Kirsty MacColl

Album Update

Whilst considering the albums I think fit the bill of Perfect Album (no fillers, every track worth its place - as opposed to A, who could only come up with making his own perfect album from a compilation of favourite tracks) I can't believe I didn't include the most excellent Rumours by Fleetwood Mac.

Mind you, I've probably missed loads of others, too...

The Wanderer Returns

A is back from the States. It's good to have him home.

Musing on Memories

When I was working for the Local Authority in my previous job, I missed the day in day out contact with the same set of children ... that indefinable thing that is generally what makes people choose to teach in the Primary sector rather than the Secondary sector.

But having been back in the classroom 18 months today, I realise that I miss a number of things from my old job. I miss the buzz of leading training courses and the chance during the holidays to spend time on a piece of professional thinking (that sounds really poncy, but when you're teaching your own class, it's so hard to just sit and reflect on new research and so on). In particular, I miss some of my former colleagues.

When I worked in the Advisory Service, the Consultant team was a mix of men and women. For most of the time I was the youngest Consultant there, but there was a nice balance of ages which contributed to the banter.

And oh, do I miss the banter.

Don't get me wrong, I work with some great people now. But we are a wholly female staff (including the caretaker) and I miss working with blokes. I miss 3 in particular, who made the times I was in the Office completing paperwork bearable: Mr Grumpy (who was a teddy bear really), Biker Boy and Mr Smooth, who could have me rolling on the floor with just a raised eyebrow.

Blokes have a different perspective on things and between these 3 (plus my stalwart friend whose desk butted onto mine), I could chat about music, books, theatre, film ... in other words those things that I enjoy but often leave A cold. Actually, that's not fair on A - he does enjoy going to the theatre sometimes and he likes music, but a lot of what I like music wise he just hates. What he likes is a tiny subset of what I like (to get all mathematical about it).

I also miss the flirting that you get when you and your colleagues have reached that stage in life and relationships that you're all secure enough to trade double entendres and know it won't cause offence or mean you daren't take the lift with them. A bit of gentle flirting oils the wheels of a working environment - it did in my previous life pre-teaching too.

So why the musings? Well, I miss talking about the best 10 albums in the world ever or whether Mrs Tulliver from Mill on the Floss needed a good slap or who was seen at the theatre at the weekend (and I'm talking audience as well as performers). I haven't had a good list-type conversation for ages (you know, top 10 holiday destinations, who would you be stranded on a desert island with, best gig you'd ever been to type of thing) - it just doesn't seem the kind of conversation the people I work with now have.

So in honour of Mr Grumpy, Biker Boy and Mr Smooth, here is my current list of nominations for Perfect Album (no fillers, no saggy bits, no tracks you don't mind missing to go and put the kettle on ). they are in no particular order , mainly because it changes every day! Some of these I had on LPs in the dim and distant past, but have been played so much they are showing their age. All of these are ones that got copied onto my iPod pretty soon after I got it, but they are also ones that make it into the CD player on a Sunday morning when I'm reading the paper.

Revolver: The Beatles
Led Zeppelin IV
The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses
Coming Round: Clear
The Joshua Tree: U2
Woodface: Crowded House
Green: REM
Hatful of Hollow: The Smiths
Greatest Hits: Squeeze
Dear Catastrophe Waitress: Belle and Sebastian
Bellybutton: Jellyfish
(What's the Story) Morning Glory?: Oasis

So go on then - what do YOU think is the Perfect Album?

Secret Pal 10 Questionnaire

I've signed up for Secret Pal 10, so I need to post the answers to my Questionnaire. Non-knitting readers have my permission to glaze over at this point...

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I have really enjoyed knitting with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino and RYC Cashsoft Aran. Both of these feel gorgeous, and they knit up quite quickly too. Opal self-striping sock yarns are also fab - I love watching the patterns develop! I'm not overly keen on acrylic mixes - I made a whole load of hats before Christmas using some acrylic mixes and I've had my fill for a while...

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Nothing - they are currently shoved down by the side of the sofa.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I learnt when I was maybe 7 (I was definitely knitting in Brownies) and although I can't really remember, it will have been my Mum who taught me. However, although I learnt to knit 30 odd years ago, I've only moved beyond rectangular pieces of garter or stocking stitch within the last 6 months. Since then I have learnt how to combine knit and purl for moss stitch and rib and mastered SSK as well as k2tog. I haven't really done much increasing and no fancy stuff! I can knit socks, but I've never tried sleeves, necks or button holes.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No

5. What's your favorite scent?
Trésor by Lancôme
UPDATE 11-3-07: Doh! I've just been reading other people's answers and I'm so... LITERAL! I assumed it meant perfume. In terms of general smells, I love vanilla, cinamon and other mixed spice type Christmas smells, lavender when used sparingly, anything that smells of the ocean (apart from rotting fish - did that when I lived by the harbour in Whitehaven), coffee, fresh bread, freshly mown grass and rifle grease.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I like Green and Black's dark chocolate, but I'm not that big a fan of chocolate bars themselves. Crunchies and dark chocolate Bounty bars are good though...

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I make my own cards and when the light is good and I have the patience, I do counted cross stitch. I have never tried spinning.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s?
I like most kinds I suppose. I'm particularly fond of 80s, folk and indie, but most things with a catchy tune and lyrics I can hear work for me. My iPod seems to have a very eclectic mix...

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love all sorts. Greens and purples are particular favourites, black's bit of a no-no (see the cats...)

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
A and I have been married for over 12 years (known him over half my life now...) and we have two cats (see blog for details...)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes to all, although I only have one poncho, when they came back in again a few years ago. I love it, but it's black, so picks up the cat hairs terribly. I don't really do lacy, crochety things - they catch on cat claws and door handles too easily!

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Currently hats and socks - let's be honest, I haven't knitted much more than that!

13. What are you knitting right now?
A very tiny sock, a blanket, a cotton tote bag and a tank top in alpaca.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I don't have much preference at the moment. If using straight, then I prefer bamboo; I have used circular needles for knitting the tote bag and the blanket, to take the width better. I knit socks and hats on DPNs (bamboo or Addi turbos, which are brill!)

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Since I don't know what they are, I'd have to say no!

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
The tote bag was started in November, I have a scarf started about a year ago in Curly-Wurly (I got frustrated with trying to knit with it so put it away) and of course, I still haven't stitched the flippers on that whale...

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Italy! Or do you mean like "Happy Holidays"? Well, here in the UK we have Bank Holidays that are days off work, but no-one really links them to the old reason for having them (do you actually know anyone who celebrates Lammastide?). I like Easter, because I love Spring. I'm a sucker for Christmas, but I don't always enjoy it these days - too much rushing about, I suppose.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Wrinkles.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I wouldn't mind a book on sock knitting. I don't have any subscriptions (A says I'm not old enough)

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'd like to try cables. Also I remember a lovely Fair Isle tank top Mum knitted me in the days when Woman magazine had weekly knitting patterns - it was in soft greens and lilacs and I have very fond memories of it. I'd love to be able to knit something similar.
UPDATE 6-3-07: I've just seen a pattern for an entrelac cushion cover - can't currently make sense of it, but I'd love to master this too! Could urgently do with some illustrated instructions!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes! I'm a UK size 7, the free pattern with Opal sock yarns fit me to a T. The sole of my foot is just over 9 inches long.

23. When is your birthday?
I mention it in my blog... it's not that hard to find!

Never Assume Anything

This should be tattooed on the back of every teacher's hand lest they forget.

This week, I forgot.

A chance comment two minutes into the start of yesterday's science revealed that about half of my class didn't think plants were living things. Now, I know they are only 6 or 7, but this is not the first (or even the second!) time they have studied plants, so I was floored. Serves me right, as I had assumed that this was a given.

Never Assume Anything.

So the science planned was thrown out of the window as we addressed this. First of all, they had to talk in pairs about whether they thought plants were living things or not and why. I waspleased that a number of the children applied a (to me) good sense of logic - if it can die, it must have been alive. However, one little girl told her partner confidently that plants couldn't be alive because they didn't have a face. Her partner was nearly tearing his hair out with frustration as he presented her with evidence - they grow, they die, they need watering - to no avail.

Next they brainstormed all the ways they knew an animal was alive. After a good discussion about these life processes, they then had to review what they knew about plants and compare it to the life processes. They agreed as a class that plants need water (and compost is a bit like food too), they grow, they reproduce and they die. We set up the plants on the windowsill with the flowers turned away from the sun, to see if they would turn towards the light (like someone had noticed sunflowers did). Therefore, since three out of the seven life processes were covered (and one was about to be tested) plus the fact that it could die, the children then agreed that plants were indeed living.

All, that is except my cherub who said: "But I still don't think it's living. It doesn't have a face"

Dunno what that says about the thinking skills in my class.

Any suggestions on how to tackle this one, PLEASE leave a comment.

If you want me, I'll be in the garden, checking the daffodils for facial features...

Ton Up

Today would have been my Crendon Nan's 100th birthday.

Happy birthday, Nan.

Saturday night at the movies

Who cares what picture we see?

Well actually, it was Saturday morning, but whatever.

A went off in the early hours, having stoically refused a lift to the airport, so after taking my car to the garage for the third time to get something fixed (done this time, hurrah!) I took myself off to the Trafford Centre to see Music and Lyrics. A doesn't really enjoy the whole cinema thing (too many bad experiences with yoofs texting, talking and chewing their way through the main feature, I think), whereas I do. If I watch a film at home, I always have a nagging feeling that I ought to be doing something else at the same time - just to sit and watch seems very - wasteful. Consequently, I end up not fully concentrating on the film or my marking/planning/ironing (don't worry girls, that final one was a red herring, I can't remember the last time I ironed more than a top needed for work just before I need it...)

Anyway. If I go to the cinema, I actually watch the film all the way through. I can concentrate. I get to eat salted popcorn.

I. love.it.

So. A had promised he would take me to see it - he had seen a few clips of it on Top Gear when Hugh was the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car a few weeks ago and laughed, and he does like Drew Barrymore. I like silly RomComs and I thought it might be good for a punt. We were supposed to go last week, but my work took longer than I thought, so it didn't happen.

So I went this morning, (it's SOOO much cheaper before 12 midday!) and guess what - I really, really enjoyed it. Far more than I have done for any other RomCom for ages (probably since the Wedding Singer. Mmm. Drew Barrrymore and 80s music, seems to be a common theme...)

And I think I've finally fallen for Hugh Grant. I've never been one to swoon over floppy hair (reminds me of a torturous relationship from college), so I've never succumbed to Hugh's charms. But now, he's beginning to look a bit craggy... lived in, even. And he has very cute crow's feet.

So, Hugh, if you're reading this and you need someone to help you get over Jemima, my husband is away for the rest of the week...

How come...

...if it's my friends who have the new born babies, it's me who's awake in the wee small hours?

Woke at 3-ish this morning and never got back to sleep.

Consequently, feel cack tonight.

And A goes to the States tomorrow, so we know what that usually means ...

Excitement!

Two pieces of excitement within the last 24 hours...

I went to see K and R and meet Bruce last night - sorry, Anna, but I've found another baby who is as beautiful as you! He has that lovely look that some boy babies have - you know the one, as if he's been on this earth before! He's had a bit of a scary start (or at least his parents have) so it's nice to see him safely home.

Second piece, doesn't really compare at all... I've signed up for something called Secret Pal, which I thought would be something different - a bit like the letters I used to write to pen pals when I was a teenager. Or swapping Guiding badges for my camp blanket.

I'll get me coat...

Thinking Skills

Yesterday was another INSET, we revisited the thinking skills from last year and have made a decision that we are going to introduce De Bono's Thinking Hats. Has anybody out there used them with schools? (Assuming of course that there is any one out there reading this... halloo..oo..oo..oo..)

I'm quite excited by it, I just feel that I'm not as sure about them myelf as I could be (story of my life!). I'm going to start this week using the White and the Red Hats to talk about the school/local environment. I'll keep you posted.

The Vortex

A and I went to The Royal Exchange this afternoon to see The Vortex. I haven't seen any Noel Coward since I was at school, but this was different from any other Coward I've seen - more poignant, less flippant. Mind you, that could also be down to the fact that I've grown up since then.

Will Young was okay in it - perhaps it was too subtle a role for a first timer (he was very petulant and not perhaps as anguished as I might have expected) but he was believable - you forgot he was Will Young and got totally swept up with Nicky.

It's the first time A and I have been the The Royal Exchange for ages - not since She Stoops to Conquer in May or June last year. They are staging The Tempest later this season, so I hope to get to that, too.

Home again, home again

So here I am, home again, all good intentions of having my work up to date shattered.

Guess I'd better get on with that planning, then!

More knitting

I'm staying at Mum & Dad's for a few days over half term. I came down on the train again. I've been winding A up, telling him it's my attempt at reducing my carbon footprint, but if I'm going to be completely honest, dear reader, it's that I can't be bothered to concentrate on driving when I could be knitting.

That's really sad, isn't it?

On a brighter note, I finished my second sock:

I'm really pleased with them. I suppose I learnt to knit when I was 6 or 7, I remember endlessly knitting irregular scarves for my teddies in badly tensioned garter stitch, but I never progressed beyond stocking stitch squares for charity blankets. Then at some point in my early 20s, I got the urge to follow a pattern and I knitted a larger toy killer whale (no, I don't know why, either) but, as is my trademark, I never finished sewing the thing together. I've dabbled a bit since we moved to this house, mucking about with triangles to make mathematical patterns and last year I knitted a garter stitch scarf for myself, but I only really picked my needles up to became what I call a "real" knitter last October, when I wanted to knit something for Anna. Due to my limited repertoire (i.e. knit, purl, stuff the increase/decrease lark) I knitted a blanket with a moss stitch border, then tried four needles and knitted a hat for my Dad (same pattern as most of the Bobble Family hats) . Several hats later (including a gorgeously cute one for Anna), I decided to widen my range and on New Year's Eve, I started my first sock, using Opal self-striping sock yarn. Six and a half weeks later and ta-da! They are finished!

I even managed to get the pattern to match!

These socks have been the cause of much amusement at work. When it slipped out that I was knitting socks, there were hoots of derision, including my personal favourite: "Are you practising for when you retire?" The Head was just baffled, and K and I found that really funny (although I think K was annoyed on my behalf re: the retirement quote....). Several days later when discussing what club I could run, the suggestions I came up with were batted back by the Head. Knowing that she wanted me to run one, I suggested a knitting club, with my tongue very firmly in my cheek. Imagine my surprise when she jumped at it! I told her I was only prepared to run it for 10 children. She asked, if she helped out would I do it for 20? Ye-es I said, thinking quickly that it had better turn into a Handicrafts club, so I could work on the knitting with small groups at a time. Imagine my joy at the first one, when 29 children turned up! The second session, I tried the knitting with half a dozen.

What the heck was I thinking? I need to be committed! But it is fun, the children are making pom-pom monsters at the moment and we'll try some Binca bookmarks, too, I think.

And while I'm showing photos of my finished projects, here is the scarf I knitted my Mum for Christmas (she doesn't do hats!) . It came from a kit and was knitted on 12.5 mm needles, which felt like knitting with broom handles! The yarn was unusual too, thicker and thinner in different places. Knitted up very quickly, though.

I currently have 4 projects on the go: a couple of baby items (more on those when they are finished), a tank top in alpaca and a cotton garter stitch tote bag which was started in November but has been sidelined for more interesting projects.

Forgot this one...

When posting the photos of the Bobble Hat Family's New Year's Eve walk, I forgot this one.

Lord knows how.


It doesn't look that much, until I tell you that the blue car is parked in this spot. It is a wide junction in a semi-residential area, and yes, it is parked, parallel to the give way lines.

Only in Whitley Bay...

As promised...

Back in the New Year I promised some photos. Finally, I've got round to downloading them, so here they are.

First up, some Christmas presents:


As you can see, there was a bit of a theme going on for A and his family! Having taught myself how to knit on four needles I went into over drive a bit... Clockwise from top left, the hats are for A, bil, fil, mil and sil. I knew from A's reaction to the first ever hat I knitted (for my Dad, with large accompanying bobble) that I stood no chance of him wearing it unless it was bobble free. Bil's is knitted to a different pattern (on two needles and seamed) and he does have a big head, but even this was a touch too large - he could roll it down and rob a bank very successfully!

Mil, fil and sil all loved their hats (in fact fil wore it for 3 hours around the house immediately he unwrapped it!) A was cringing, as he is wont to do... but not as much as he did the next day, when we went for a walk...

Having knitted everyone else a hat, I suddenly realised that I didn't have one, so I knocked one up the night we arrived. After all, Whitley Bay can be a touch windy, so our New Year's Eve walk would be foolish without one.



Stylish, huh? Large sassy bobble, if I do say so myself! And here are the rest of the Bobble Hat Family, out on their walk (fil, mil, A):



Needless to say, A was edgy enough walking with us as it was (after all, this is a man who equates bobble hats with Care in the Community), even before we had an encounter that caused mil and I to howl with laughter. We had left the house and walked two foot from the gate when a lady that mil and fil know came around the corner. "Ooh" she exclaimed, "I can see what Santa brought you all for Christmas!". A spent the rest of the walk trying to stay several yards ahead of us....

Hurrah!

Sorted out the Library feature!
However, now I have lost the old swirly type that I liked on my links.
Ho hum.

Bummox

And now I've lost my book list! Grrr! I can keep putting the widget in HTML, but the new Blogger doesn't have a republish button, which is what you needed to do when you had made changes to your template in the Old Blogger.

Welcome to the World!

I was already wafting a little like a lost soul at work after L went on maternity in September. Since Christmas, when K went off on maternity too, I have been bereft (although there are some cracking staff to keep my spirits up!). But I've just had a text to tell me that Elvis has arrived this morning and that he's actually going to be called Bruce. Congratulations!

And in keeping with the baby theme, my cousin N also had her baby this week, in the early hours of Thursday. Welcome to the world, Eleanor!

Call the RSPCA....

Long term readers will remember the time Lilly got shut in the office whilst I was out.

Today, sadly, A has managed to surpass that little mishap.

Big time.

On Saturday he was in the back bedroom, picking his way around the clutter trying to find the clothes (he is convinced I hide them) when he kicked shut one of the divan drawers under the bed.

When we arrived home today, Lil came for some tea, but there was no sign of Stella. After and hour and a half, A decided he would go and see if he could find her.

She wasn't under our bed, on the spare bed or warming herself on the radiator pipes on the landing. Having seen her jump into the back bedroom a couple of times recently, he stepped in and stood stock still.

A very faint miaow was heard.

Yep, you guessed it. Poor Stella had been shut in the drawer for 29 hours...


UPDATE 8-2-07
Apologies for the apparent tardiness over this post. I've changed to New Blogger and it's pants trying to log in. I don't know why it hasn't put this up before, but it hasn't.
Stella is now fully recovered, although a little wary of getting to close to our feet...

Celebrations

On Friday, my Mum and Dad celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. My aunt and I (well really, she did the bulk of it) had arranged that a large group of the family take them out for a meal last night and A, not unreasonably I guess, assumed that we would be travelling down on Saturday morning.

Now, any other weekend, I would have said yes.

If the anniversary itself had been Thursday or Saturday, I would have said yes.

But the sheer fact that it was on Friday and there was a possibility that I could be with them on their big day was too much to resist.

The trouble is, I think only children (especially female only children) do seem to have a greater urge to be with their parents as these times. It was like a physical ache.

I wanted to be there. I needed to be there.

And A just didn't understand.

We left it on Thursday without really having a row, but with him pointing out that we wouldn't get down there until really late as he wouldn't be able to get home until at least 6, and that he didn't want me driving down by myself as I would be too tired after OFSTED. If I wanted to kill myself, that was my look out but he was not going to leave before Saturday for anyone.

Of course it made sense.

Of course it was reasonable.

Trouble was, I needed to be with them.

So I got home on Friday, very tired, and miserable because I wanted to be 150 miles away without the drive. Then I saw a solution.

I could take the train.

I threw some things into a bag, phoned for a cab and got to the station with enough time to buy a ticket.

Only I didn't.

Because the train wasn't running between Liverpool and Crewe.

Grrrr...

This was really screwing up my plans to run away, since I wanted to be actually on the train when I phoned A and broke it to him.

And then my Saviour arrived in the form of an ex-merchant sailor with a salty sea-dog beard, a Landrover and twin daughters who wanted a night out in Crewe. Since he decided to take them himself rather than leave them for a replacement bus that might (or might not) arrive sometime within the next hour, he kindly offered the remaining benches in the back to anyone who wanted a lift.

Well, never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I took up his offer. Safety in numbers, I thought. And anyway, I could always stab him in the eye with my knitting needle if anything went wrong.

It's been a long time since I been in the back of a Landy on the bench seats. They seem to have shrunk. Or my behind has grown... Whatever, it was a touch uncomfortable.

And then I was struck by a horrific thought.

What if we had a fatal accident? No-one would ever be able to explain to my family why I was in the back of a Landy with 5 people that I didn't know, armed with clean knickers, my knitting and a bag full of extended writing books.

So I phoned A.

Don't think he was too pleased.

Haven't heard language like that for a long time...

Once I was on the train at Crewe, I phoned my parents, to ask if they could pick me up from Oxford station.

That seemed to cause all sorts of consternation from the extended family, who then decided that A and I had finally called it quits.

But it all worked out.

The best bit was, because I was there and A was at home, I slept a full 12 hours without being disturbed by cats or husband, so I felt much better on Saturday.

A arrived in time for the Calcutta Cup, having got some work done before he left (that wouldn't have happened if we had set out at 9 on Saturday morning) and the meal itself was wonderful.

So...

That's the story of the night I ran away from home...

Into the arms of Morpheus...

Tonight I am going to sleep.

Sorry, does that seem unusual to you? Perhaps not, but since last Saturday night, sleep has been a precious commodity that has deserted me entirely.

A prize among rubies.

As rare as hens' teeth.

* Insert own cliché here

At its very worst (Tuesday, I think), I went to bed at 12.50 am and was awake again by 3.15. After lying fitfully, I gave in and went downstairs, to do some more work.

And the reason for this great disruption?

OFSTED, of course.

But they left today, and it has gone ok. We couldn't ask for more. Nothing they said was anything we didn't already know.

Saints preserve me, but on reflection I have to say (sleep deprivation aside) I found it a positive experience (Hey, couldn't be any worse on a personal level from the last one I experienced in a school...)

So...

I am not dead, and hopefully, more frequent blogging will occur.

Thank you all for your patience, and thanks to L and K in particular for moral support above and beyond.

A is just pleased to have me back...

Taking the long way home

It's good to be home, especially after yesterday.

Whilst the gales were causing the North West to grind to a halt, I, dear reader, was stuck bang in the middle of it. At the best of times (7 am!), I can travel the 18 miles to work in 35 to 40 minutes.

Yesterday, because the Runcorn Bridge and Thelwall Viaduct were both closed, the world and his wagon tried to get through Warrington.

As did I.

6 hours 10 minutes.

I got out of the car in a hunched position...

Afterthought

Wasn't the video for the magnificent You Have Killed Me (mentioned in dispatches here) set in a 70s Eurovision contest? Perhaps he was trying to tell us something...

Still disturbed by such a great poet entering the cheese-fest.

But, dear reader, happier times are here - my 27 charges and I are back in our own (admittedly still whiffy) classroom today.

OK, I needed to have all the windows open ("What do you mean it's cold? Just write quicker!") and I needed a quick squirt of Oust at the end of the day, but nevertheless...

Last Night I Dreamt That....

... I'd been watching an item on the regional news about Morrissey's attempt to represent the UK in the Eurovision. I laughed so hard I couldn't turn on the computer to blog about it.

This morning, even Wogan was talking about it.

A truly incongruous image is still lodged in in my mind.

And it's unsettling.

Like imagining Hannibal Lecter doing Saturday morning kids' TV.

Ho hum

The man with the marigolds had not turned up by the time I left work today, so I still have no idea about when I will get back into my classroom.

*sigh*

Closing shots

[Cut to aerial shot of shop in the dark, only light comes from shop windows. A figure in a brown overall, hands thrust into pockets, strolls out and begins to take the stock in in a contemplative manner. Voice over is reflective in tone]

It's been a strange few days... Funny how much water can actually back up in an overflow before the pressure gets too much... I wonder how early in the Christmas holidays the thing sprang a leak? They only filled the old sink outlet with expandable foam, you know... no wonder it was a weak spot...

I don't envy whoever was first to find it on Wednesday morning. It was soaked right into the carpet area and the cupboard... Those cushions in the reading corner will have to go... and the soft toys and puppets - well if they can survive a 40 degree wash we might be alright...

You'd have thought gravel from the flat roof would be easy to jet out, wouldn't you? Don't envy whoever has to put the marigolds on on Monday to fish them out of the drain by hand...

I wonder how long the whole Infant department will smell of rotting vegetation? I wonder when the classroom will be useable again? I wonder how long I can teach in a spare Reception classroom before my knees go completely?

I wonder why it always happens in my classroom....

[Roll credits]

And so it starts all over again...

Happy New Year!

We've landed again this evening, much later than intended, thanks to very heavy traffic between Carlisle and the M62. All those we saw going up to Scotland on Saturday on their way back home again, complete with hangovers the size of a heeland coo, no doubt.

School again tomorrow, and the children are in. I can't remember a time I was back teaching this early, but there you go. Still haven't really got my head around what I'm teaching, but no surprises there... My niece in the North East doesn't go back to school until next Tuesday, though, so tomorrow's early start will seem all the harder.

I have a number of pictures I want to upload from the New Year period, but I haven't got time tonight ... keep your eyes peeled!

Back Home...

Just for a few days, at least. I love Christmas, I love seeing my family, I'd love to see more of family friends that live near my parents, but I can't deny how great it feels to be back in my own bed. I sleep badly enough as it is - add a bed that is much narrower than our own and it's a recipe for me and Mr Grumpy to really fall out. (Well, he falls out, I've got my nose pressed against the wall...)

Following several blog links through (as you do), I stumbled across Library Thing, an on-line cataloging system. I've listed some books I've read during the last year or so down the side. Eclectic mix, isn't it? But then, that's me all over. If you think this combination's weird, don't look on my iPod.

We are away again at the weekend, so if I don't get the chance to, Happy New Year to you!

It worked!

Hats off to Nigella!

The turkey was lovely and moist, the cranberry sauce was tart, the maple roasted parsnips were beautiful (and I don't like parsnips!) and the stuffing was lovely (although very citrussy and no taste of gingerbread - next time I won't put as much clementine zest in).

Was so replete, couldn't blog for 48 hours!

Have now travelled to my parents', complete with a well-developed throat/ear infection - don't know which, but both hurt. Ah well, you can tell it's the holidays!

Merry Christmas everyone, may you all get what you wish for.

Christmas Preparations

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am not a "girly" girl.

Neither am I Susie Homemaker. Life is too damn short to stuff a mushroom.

But this year...

I've come over all Nigella.

I have spent the best part of 2 hours scouring Northwich for cloves (not a sniff - good job I have half a jiffy bag of the little blighters left over from a Tudor history project c.1999 that still have a strong aroma. Thank you Cathy at Schwartz, for your overwhelming generosity - 7 years later and I still haven't found the bottom of the bag), star anise and whole allspice(finally tracked down in the Health food shop), maple syrup (last bottle retreived from the back of a 6 ft high, 4 ft deep shelf by a gangly youth at Sainsbury's), chestnuts (scraped from the bottom of the last basket at Tesco) and semolina (none left at all anywhere). Anyone who knows Northwich will know that 2 hours usually gives you a chance to explore every nook and cranny, so it's a sign of how far the fragrant Nigella has invaded our consciousness this Christmas.

Saying that, I've just made my own cranberry sauce and it took no time at all. No, really... by the time I'd got the packet of mince pies open, they were ready to pour into a bowl!

I also have everything I need for the gingerbread stuffing and a brand new bucket to give the turkey its spicy brine bath tonight, in readiness for our own Christmas dinner tomorrow (we always have one on our own before we set out visiting).

Now if only I could look as gorgeous as Nigella in my dressing gown, I'll have cracked it. I'm not sure blue toweling covered in cat hair quite creates the impression I'm after, but heigh-ho...

One More Get Up!

And then it's the holidays!!!!!

Friday was the Carol Service in church, with the whole school attending - 240 children walking through pouring rain - nice...

Yesterday was the panto and the party - no profesional disco this year, so no need for L and I to have half of the Infants playing Dead Lions to help calm them down, thank goodness!

Today was Christmas dinner, a slightly raucous affair, with an extended playtime. Staff also got their Secret Santa pressies. Mine was BRILL - a note-pad and pen, a packet of instant latte and, best of all, an earthenware mug wide enough to dunk biscuits in (there's nothing worse than a wedged Rich Tea swivelling on the brim of your mug as the bottom disintegrates) with a special shelf underneath it to stash several biscuits safely while I eat the first one. Top banana! Thank you, Secret Santa!

Tomorrow finishes with a candlelit service in the hall, which sounds like a lovely end to the term...

It's all over!

Well, after some last minute changes first thing on Monday morning, the Christmas productions have been and gone - hurrah!

I think the changes foxed some of the children, but the parents loved it, which is all that really matters!

Dress Rehearsal Update

Well, J, S and I all thought it went okay. The only problem was a missing Wise Man (a new baby brother born at 6 o'clock that morning) who stands slightly in front of the one who has now decided in full costume that he won't sing or dance when he's on the stage. That and the fact that he and the other one kept taking their crowns off on stage. Grr.

However, I was then told that all 75 of them looked like they were going to a funeral because they weren't smiling, they needed to sing up, Mary was hiding behind her headress and a lot of them they needed to speak up because they couldn't be heard.

I do keep trying to tell people that the performing arts aren't my thing (good at appreciation, no talent whatsoever), but no one seems to be listening...

Gibbering Wreck

That's me, that is.

My head is permanently aching at the moment and I've developed a twitching eyelid that just won't keep still. I crawl home shattered, collapsing on the sofa and sleeping instead of doing my marking, but then lie awake half the night staring at the ceiling, with songs running through my head.

Deep joy.

There are a number of reasons, but the major one is probably the one that causes most Infant teachers to become faintly homicidal when faced with tinsel, a tea-towel and a grubby child-sized toweling dressing gown.

The Christmas Production.

Tomorrow is the dress rehearsal in front of the rest of the school, and we're nowhere near ready. It's not a total disaster - they know the songs, they know their words (well, most of them do, anyway), it's just that they can't remember when to stand up or move around. Joseph keeps turning his back on the audience. The kindly innkeeper has clean forgotten his words and now clutches a "Welcome to Bethlehem" visitors' guide with his words pasted on them. The donkey forgets to go on the stage. The angel choir have learnt their song beautifully (and the little Y1 angels have learnt a dance at very short notice) but they haven't learnt their cue, so there is an undignified scramble to get on the stage and deliver God's message to the shepherds. Herod is trying to set the world record for Fastest Delivery of Two Lines. One Wise Man works on his own timescale, so the camels keep setting off to travel around the hall without him. When the shepherds and the Wise Men arrive at the stable at the same time (I know, I know, but for this production they just DO), the shepherds keep having an argy-bargy as they try to get back on the stage (is there such a thing as an Alpha Shepherd?) Meanwhile, their sheep keep wondering past their masking tape line in front of the stage and getting mixed up with the Wise Men's camels, which wouldn't be a problem if they weren't supposed to be facing each other, singing a song to each other about how they are different.

And then half of my Year 2s told me confidently they didn't need another rehearsal, they were pretty good...

Children's work

After some discussion with a reader who contacted me about how I embedded Hedgehog's Breakfast (v easy BTW - follow the oh-so-easy upload procedure on YouTube then just copy the embedding code in) I spent a little bit of time looking at the work they have been doing with the Digiblue with children. It's great! Check out the work on White Oak Primary School's website.

Rehearsals haven't started yet

...and we've already hit the slightly sticky point of the Virgin Mary having the collywobbles. She's "very proud to have been chosen", her mother tells me, but has balked at the idea of standing in the centre of the stage with everyone looking at her.

Back to the drawing board, then...

Do you think this ever happens to Trevor Nunn?

T -15 days and counting

At half term, I posted a little about the Infant Christmas Production. Well, it's now two weeks tomorrow until the first full performance - we've been learning the songs but things are beginning to get a bit hectic.

In the end, I squeezed about 27 speaking parts out of it. Two boys who will either miss the rehearsals or miss the main performances due to holidays are in the percussion band and the remaining girls are in seventh heaven as part of the Angel Choir. However, now I think I should have given the children their words to learn before this week, since the rehearsals start next Friday (dress rehearsals 8th Dec). I know the Head thinks Infant productions shouldn't be over rehearsed, but perhaps I've taken that too literally.

But I have other worries.

My Angel Choir are mutinous since I won't let them wear wings - our parents are lovely but can suffer greatly from "wing envy" and they are likely to try to produce the biggest wings possible if they get have a chance.

I have a Wise Man who would much rather be Herod and had told his Dad he would be Herod. He tells me Dad has made him a wooden knife and a wooden sword to enable him to kill the babies (I kid you not) and having consigned himself to being a mere Wise Man has kindly offered Herod the knife ("I'll need the sword myself, you see. A King needs a sword"). Can't wait to deal with that one when the costume comes in.

Several Narrators have the hump at being asked to dress as angels or shepherds because they would rather wear their party clothes - I found myself in a reasonably heated debate with one little cherub who was finally silenced when I told her in no uncertain terms that in our version, the angels would wear white, not pink, whether her mother was ironing that best frock right at this moment (as said cherub claimed) or not.

To top it all, there is a small contingent who can't understand why L, who taught them last year, won't let them have Anna (who would be 3 weeks old by the time of the production) as the Baby Jesus...

Balance that however, with the lullaby they sang so beautifully this week that they had me in tears...

I love my job!

Christmas Shopping...

This time every year I travel down south to hit Milton Keynes on a Christmas Shopping weekend with my mother. I go with a large wad of dosh saved up during the year and try to get as many presents as possible.

This year I got precisely... none.

Nothing.

Niente.

Yikes!! I had NO inspiration! This means I will have to fight my way round the Trafford Centre, Cheshire Oaks or Manchester sometime around December and I will probably still have NO inspiration then, either.

There is a strong case this year for going to PresentAid or Oxfam Unwrapped for the family presents. Sadly, although I think this is an amazing gesture and would be more than happy to receive a gift like this from people, I suspect that some of them would be rather non-plussed... and some might think I was trying to say something in particular if I got them a goat or a bag of fertiliser. Hey ho...

On a much happier note, L had her baby yesterday. Hurrah! Welcome to the world, Anna!

Normal Service Has Resumed...

The self-pity has been put back in the box, the tears have been dried, and life is as was.

Which is to say, hectic. Obviously.

Oh.My.God.

John Barrowman is gay.

Criminal...

And to finish it off...

A has just walked in with a bunch of flowers to cheer me up.

Cue the tears...

Feeling Low

It seems odd to follow an "upbeat" post almost immediately with one called "Feeling Low", but I do. The trip was great, but the surrounding paperwork (even when they have done the risk assessment) is mindblowing. It's the medical forms that get me - the parents don't feel the need to let you know when the child first moved to the school that they have an allergy to several different foods including peanuts - Eek! Is the child anaphylactic? Should they have an epipen?. They leave it to the medical form, but then don't fill it in completely (see note on epipen) Grrr.

Of course, the aftermath of the trip involved total brain meltdown on my part. I've spent the whole day (and half the night) beforehand trying to second guess every possible thing that could go wrong (Do we have enough pencils? What if one of my parental helpers can't come and there's no other CRB checked volunteer available? What if one of the two relatively new boys takes it into their head to wander off? etc etc). I think back of the days 10 years ago when a bus full of us rolled up to the zoo and disgorged two classes full of Y3/4 pupils. Everyone went off with their helper and I waved them off with a cheery "See you back here at 2 o'clock!" (Because of course, none of our parents could ever be a child-molester, could they?) Very different from these days where there has to be a member of school staff with the children at all times. We were too blase in the past, but it does make it very tricky when one child needs an extra loo stop...

On top of the post-trip slump, I'm worried about a whole set of family and friends who for various reasons are not well, stressed out or going through a bereavement and then to top it all, a comment this morning after a writing moderation exercise has just made me feel like a failure. I'm trying so hard to keep on top of hearing my readers and identifying maths problems and keeping up with the assessments and marking with any degree of quality and trying to give the kids a new set of targets that I feel like I'm failing my kids in regards to moving their writing on. I've told you before, dear reader, of the highs of teaching. These, then, are the lows (or at least the lows of those teachers like me whose self-esteem can be wobbly). Trying to keep up with everything at the moment is a bit like trying to rollerskate up the Gladiators' Travelator and I haven't even addressed what needs to be done for my curriculum co-ordination role. I really miss L, she could always help me see the funny side and shore up my self-confidence at times like this.

Stephen Fry recently talked about how he self-medicated his bi-polar disorder with cocaine. In this spirit, I am off to self-medicate my Friday Despondancy with a bar of Toblerone and a bottle of White Zinfandel.

Walker Art Gallery

Yesterday, I went to the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool with 75 Year 1 and 2 children and we had a whale of a time! I've never visited an art gallery with children of any age, let alone Infants, so was interested to see how they took it. We split up into 4 groups (17-20) in each group to visit the Gallery itself, following some of their orientation trails, and looking in detail at 3 pictures. It was following up work we'd been doing on portraits, so it was great. The other part of the visit involved going to Big Art for Little Artists, which I would heartily recommend visiting with young children. They loved dressing up as some of the people they had seen in the portraits earlier in the day.

If you are in the North West, the Walker is a great resource. It's free and they do lots of INSET sessions that allow you to get more out of specific pictures when you lead your own group round. Get there if you can!

Hedgehog's Breakfast

Back in June, we had an INSET during a staff meeting on how to use the DigiBlue, a simple video camera designed for use by children. It was led by Y, another former colleague of mine from the Advisory Service, so it was good to catch up with her. During the staff meeting, I worked with a group to make a short film using Stop-Go animation techniques. The DigiBlue was connected to Y's laptop, so I didn't have a copy, but last week she sent me one, so I thought I'd load it up here - you know, just to add to the image that we teachers just doss about after the children have gone home...

Hangin' on the Telephone

"Where are you?"

"Still on the M6, why?"

"I don't feel great, can you get me something nice on the way home?"

"Might do, but I'm not speaking to you at the moment."

"Why not?"

"I'm going backwards! I checked the Fantasy Football League and I've now dropped below 260,000th, while you've broken into the top 40,000. I don't understand why..."

"Oh love I'm so sorry..."

Later...

"I think I've found out why you're not doing as well as you think you should be in the Footie."

"Why?"

"Well, you know when you made your first transfers at the beginning of September?"

"Yes?"

"And you transfered Andy Johnson in?"

"Ye-es?"

"Well, you didn't."

"Didn't what?"

"Transfer Johnson in."

"I did!"

"No, you didn't. I've just found your team's history. You started with Shevchenko, Bellamy and Ashton, then swapped Ashton for Saha in September. Last week you swapped Shevchenko and Bellamy for Drogba and McCarthy. You've never had Johnson in your squad."

"No, I have, I did, I transfered him in in September..." silence "... oh no, it must have been when I tried to transfer too many players - you have to confirm the transfers... I mustn't have clicked on Confirm... Noooooooooo!"

Phone goes dead.

Fantasy Football Update

I haven't mentioned Fantasy Football for a while. Not because I'm doing badly, you understand, but out of sensitivity for A's feelings. Over the last few weeks, he has languished at around the same point, and is currently 259,147th with 183 points. I, on the other hand, have risen to the heady heights of 45,884th with 303 points. I am now beating Alan Hanson (291 points, 69,290th place) and Richard Branson (296 points and 58,924th place)

Largely I think this may be due to my (no longer misplaced) faith in Thierry Henry. A hooted with laughter at the start of the season (since Henry was playing with all the finesse of a three-legged donkey). "That'll teach you to pick players just 'cos you fancy them", he jeered. Now however, he is the second highest point scoring striker with 54 points. Only Everton's Johnson (on A's team) beats him, with 57 points - the rest are miles behind.

Smug? Me? Whatever makes you think that?

Sorry...

That was a bit of a rant, wasn't it? Sorry about that, it wasn't meant to be really, I just hadn't realised how much I thought the Government has got this a**e about t*t. Those of you who, like me are actually interested in this subject would do well to keep an eye on Primary Teacher UK and this entry in particular.

PMFL

I attended a Primary Modern foreign Languages course on Friday - most interesting. I went because the HT couldn't attend, having broken her foot, but I do wonder if PMFL may end up being my bag as well as maths since I seem to be (semi) enthusiastic about languages. During the brief discussion on PMFL regarding what we would declare as our language of choice, the other staff's combined responses were to look at their feet and not catch anyone's eye. I've trotted my French out for three weekends in Paris in the last 20 years - I've got by, but I'd hardly say I'm a whizz...

Don't get me wrong, I think the perceived English attitude to foreign languages (say it again, more slowly and louder but still in English, accompanied by a bit of hand-waving) is poor, to say the least. Relatives of A moved to Spain a number of years ago to buy a bar. They have since sold it, but still live out there and as far as I'm aware have made no effort whatsoever to learn the language. This just makes me die inside. I also think that to make it easier for our children to learn a language, leaving it to 11 is leaving it too late.

However I am concerned by the mixed messages given by the Government. I quote from the Standards site:

The centrepiece of the National Languages Strategy - Languages for All Languages for Life - is our commitment to give every child between the ages of 7 and 11 the entitlement to learn a new language. This marks a fundamental shift in our approach to language learning in this country and, by 2010 will transform the shape of language learning in our schools.

Bravo.

But it's not really followed through, is it? This comes from a QCA document published in 2004:

From September 2004, modern foreign languages (MFL) will no longer be a compulsory national curriculum subject, but will become one of the entitlement areas that all schools must offer within their key stage 4 curriculum. The new requirements are intended not to discourage students from studying MFL, but to provide greater flexibility and choice for learners.

And thereby lies the crux - it might not be discouraging students from studying MFL to exam standard, but it sure as hell isn't encouraging them to, either.

Maybe I'm being a cynic - perhaps if we engender a sense that languages are fun in primary, the students will carry it on through KS3 and KS4. But all I can see is that we have to shoe-horn in another subject - one that challenges music for making non-specialist teachers feel vulnerable - while our secondary colleagues work out who to make redundant in ever diminishing departments.

And then cap it all with this bit of gossip I picked up on the course. Over half of the primaries in our authority have made a start on rolling PMFL out in Y3 and some have actually been doing it for a number of years. Pupils are arriving at one high school in the authority with a grounding in Spanish - they can't just recite numbers, colours and body parts, they can have conversations, which is surely the aim of any language? Is the high school happy? Is it buffalo. It's thrown a strop because this part of the intake already knows what would be covered in Year 7 and part of Year 8 and it therefore is "having to teach them another language".

God forbid they should put those kids into a set and adapt the curriculum to take their Spanish on...

The Joys of October Half-term

As well as just trying to get the planning for next half term sorted out (half done but not yet complete), one of the joys of October half-term is planning the Chritmas production. I've found a nice Sheila Wilson prodution (Rock the Baby) that has 16 named characters including narrators. Somehow I have to convert this so there are speaking parts for all 42 Year 2 pupils...

As well as that I need to work out how I can fit 76 children dressed as nativity characters, sheep, stars, etc into a performing space little larger than that taken up by a Mini Cooper...

Oh the joys of Infant teaching...

Useful Resources

Conscious that the tagline of this blog proclaims that it is the ramblings of a teacher, I thought I'd just include a nice site I stumbled over via Little Miss Teacher. The Nicola Flanagan site has nice number cards and dominoes for printing out and laminating - and they are all free! (Can't be bad).

TOGs United

People who know me well have already realised that I am terminally bewildered and therefore well qualified to be a TOG. I find myself shrieking "Is it me?" at the drop of a hat, regularly get fed up with hearing teenagers moan ("They don't know they're born") and even yesterday responded to an enquiry about my health with "Mustn't grumble". The holidays are normally a blissful time when I can chuckle along with Terry for the full two hours, but today is tinged with sadness after the death at the weekend of Paul Walters, the show's producer.

TOGS the world over are united in mourning the Mid-Herts Maestro. RIP Dr Wally.

You have to watch this!

Last night I caught a bit of Graham Norton before crawling off to bed. He showed a clip of a panda cub which is so cool, you have to watch it!

Dog's Dinners and Dad-Dancing

I have been admonished by a reader for not updating my blog. Abject apologies, but time has run away with me (again).

Actually, it doesn't feel like much has happened since my last entry - it's been a round of keeping up with hearing readers (always a challenge) and trying to get ahead of myself in terms of planning for next half term (failed again).

In between it all though, I went to a Virgin Vie party and a joint 40th/wedding party in a barn.

The Virgin Vie party was interesting... K invited me along and I was rather ashamed to find that the 9 women there who were complaining that now they had children they had no social life or time to themselves were far more social and infinitely better groomed than I. With hand on heart I do have to say that I felt like a dog's dinner tied up in a potato sack next to them all. K has a similar outlook to me regarding girlie thigs like make-up (yeah, would be nice, look great with it on but it's just not worth the additional 40 minutes required in the morning) but she is slender and therefore looks good in pretty much anything, including tracksuit and motorbike leathers. Me on the other hand...

Ah well. Got some smashing nail varnish though.

The following night was a party in a barn complete with doors coming off their hinges, naff carpet to trip on and a hog roast. One of my cousins went to Sri Lanka in August to get married (half-way between UK and NZ where her husband comes from, so siblings from both sides could attend) and the party was on her 40th to celebrate the two events. She was wearing her wedding dress (always easy to maneovere strappy sandals and a full train around a farm yard I find) and having a high old time. The band were great, although a little loud and it was good to see a load of my Dad's family again.

During the evening I spotted my one of my cousins dancing on the other side of the barn. Now, he's only 9 years older than me, so I don't think he's that old. After all, in my head I'm still only 17, so that would make him 26, a mere spring chicken. But then I realised something horrific was happening. He was having a whale of a time - Dad-dancing! After pointing it out to A and having a chuckle, I was then mortified to realise that I was dancing in a similar fashion, but not actually moving my feet...

So there you go. Consider the evidence:

1. I obtain deep satisfaction from pulling dandelions up with tap root intact;
2. I have my osteopath on speed-dial;
3. The best way to spend Friday night is with a Chinese take away and Gardeners' World;
4. I dance like somebody's Mum.

I am now offically middle-aged.

Bugger.

New Year's Resolutions

... and how to break them.

I'm not a great one for New Year's Resolutions in January, partly I suspect because I don't like being the same as everyone else (baaa!! Who am I trying to kid?) Anyway, I tend to leave them for September, for obvious reasons. This year, I decided I was fed up of being frazzled of a Sunday evening and I would do my damnedest to have my planning in to the Head on a Friday morning so as to reclaim my weekends. Last week I got a text from Phil (who we met on our holiday), asking about the usual Sunday night ritual, to which I smugly replied that all my planning was in, thank you very much and I was sitting down getting ready for Jane Eyre.

Oh, pride comes before a fall...

An extra staff-meeting for training, coupled with coming home Thursday night without my memory stick (I could have cried with frustration) has put the kybosh on my good intentions well and truly. So here I am, cursing myself and still wasting time by blogging instead of planning my guided writing...