Home & dry.

We have just spent two days with JR. I forgot the sleeping bags so actually made up my bed with thick, vintage, cotton sheets, accepting that I shall be spending a fair few nights there.
It was wonderful, It is very quiet & I slept like a log - the shiny sleeping bag on a narrow single bed always gives the slight fear that you will slide off at some point.
G slept on top (of his bed), under an eiderdown, kicking & giving commands, so no change there.
JR was on good form & delighted to see us.
We went to Stanstead Mountfitchet to find the garage parking we used in February. It took ages to get there, to find that it had closed down.
Anyone know of a cheaper car park than £63 per week?

We have had a relaxing day with Jessie & Thomas, Jessie's highlight may have been reading "Where did I come from?", the book that set P in the right direction many years ago, with large, graphic, cartoon pictures. We ate some "giant's sausages", according to Thomas & cycled/scooted to the playground for a while.
To Marsh Gibbon tomorrow.

A "no-washing" day.

Today took me by surprise in that I went to bed feeling poorly last night, cold, with a headache.
I woke-up at hourly intervals from 3.40am onwards. Waking-up always requires a visit to the bathroom, which is a nuisance.
I didn't feel a great deal better this morning, so had a lie-in, followed by a long bath & a lazy day with little food.
I'm now recovered, having ventured out to Ventura Park at tea-time, with G trying out the two new wheels on the Lotus.* They went so well that we are having the other two to match!
I was seriously in the dog house for spending 54 minutes in M&S, (sale time) having agreed to meet after 30 minutes.
*refurbished wheels, due to damage done by pot-holes on the A38.

Only me.

As in "only me out there, blogging"
Anyway, life is settled again. No school. No work. Lots of jobs to do about the house & garden.
Jessie came today, so we had a nice relaxed day.
We sorted through the button box, made a Teddy Bear Shop out of a shoe box & oat cookies out of porridge, butter & carnation milk.
The latter are scrummy but, I calculate that each one contains 1/4 oz of butter.
The Telegraph crossword was set by a human today & we have almost completed it.
Hurray!

I have washed lots of tablecloths recently, in M&S detergent for whites, with brilliant results.
Even old treated stains have all but gone.
Do try it, 60 degrees.
We'll see what tomorrow brings - clouds I suspect.

St James Day

Busy week.
G & I cleaned the church on Wednesday after school - G used the 20ft cobweb brush with a certain aplomb!
On Thursday we did jobs - I wrote my sermon, we cut the hedge opposite the conservatory, getting soaked before we finished, in a thunder storm, ironed & had a take-away.
On Friday I had a Thomas day - park, ducks & MacD, then on to Bicester to babysit T & KP & a sleepover.
We went to see J, G & family, then on to Oxford via the Park & Ride - I christened my bus pass, the driver thought that G was on his own, not a toy-boy, as he didn't have his.
Oxford was bright & sunny, we managed to take in some of the sights, despite the crowds in the shopping area.
Today I've done two services & had Marg & Phil, Maurice & Mary to lunch.
We had pork , with a good gravy followed by strawberry trifle.
We are watching vintage "Father Ted" - Mrs C with a bad back, shades of W, before bed.
Jessie tomorrow so we'll try some girlie things to do.

One to go.

I've just got in from taking part in the school quiz.
We came second , having lead all the way through, but not playing our joker judiciously.
We drank two bottles of bubbly & had the highest combined age - experience will out!
G is watching "The Bourne Supremacy", extra loud.
It may be worse than World War 11!
I'm a trifle pissed.

One down, two to go.

Having spent a good four hours marking maths SATS papers yesterday, for end of term assessments, I got all of the results on the system today with the help of the NQT who takes over the job next term - the mark for every one of the 25 questions on each of the two papers for everyone in my year 7 & 8 classes imput, then colour coded.
One of my year 7 & two of my year 8's are being moved up, which is great. I just hope that the year 11 GCSE results are as good. Fat chance!

We have just watched "Ball Trap" - a very old TV film about a camping holiday in Brittany.
We can see the attraction now!
Two more days to go with not a great deal of pressure apart from planning a Careers Day for year 8, for Jamie.

I have a fasting blood test at 8.45am as my glucose test was overlooked last time - I suppose I can afford another armful of blood, for a good cause!

We had a letter from our tuk-tuk driver today; I have composed a reply, in simple English & put together a parcel of books, pants & shorts/trousers for the children, to go with the family photos G took at their house.
I've only done 8 clues in the Telegraph crossword. Dumbo!
School quiz tomorrow evening - no chance there then.
I'll take a bottle & glasses for the team.

Home again.

I went to see JR yesterday - A visit to Haverill & lunch out, followed by an afternoon nap.
Today we went to Saffron Walden, lunch then a visit to see Mary.
A long drive home with pretty awful weather & heavy traffic.
I need sleep, but G is still out, so a meal to cook yet.
Day off tomorrow.

Stuff OFSTED!

When I retired one great relief was that I would never face another Ofsted.

I was wrong.

Staff were all called to the staffroom at break yesterday to tell us that two inspectors would be in today for the day, concentrating on maths & English; all visits to year 10 pupils on work experience cancelled for two days. I explained to the Head that it was my only free time as I only work 3 days.

Bloody marvellous.

Today I had intended to visit a placement in Coleshill before school & then leave school at lunchtime to visit two placements in Birmingham.

I settled for working until 11.00pm, a sleepless night, early morning & high stress throughout.

We survived, I left at lunchtime, came home & did my year 10 visits with G, then went to the jewellery Quarter, came home for an early meal, two glasses of wine & a long sleep on the settee.

We had a great weekend, Friday with Jessie & Thomas, a sleepover at B& E's in order to catch T's Stagecoach performance on Saturday morning, without getting mixed up with the Silverstone traffic, then onto J & G's then home.

Sunday was P's birthday, we had a lunch party, in the garden with lots of important people!

The weather was fantastic .

Two weeks to go.

Another exciting day at the chalk face & now 2 days off for good behaviour.
G has been in the garden, which looks very good.
I have to go to the doctors in the morning with my fungus infected toe, which is hidden beneath several layers of nail varnish at the moment - a bit if work needed there.
It's the school prom at The Forest of Arden tomorrow night, a couple of friends are coming here to change & Jamie is staying over, I have cakes to make as I promised afternoon tea to any visitors.
The swallows in the stables have fledged - the first in many years - photos to follow.

Who is Macduff anyway?

I covered top set year 9 English today, Macbeth, Act 111, scene 11.
Fortunately there was a revision guide buried under piles of paper on the desk & I managed to answer all of the questions, which was more than most of the class managed, despite studying Macbeth for weeks.
I know little of Acts 1 & 11.
Somehow I have three work experience visits to make, in Coleshill, Stechford & Bromford - I plan to leave school early one of the days (or perhaps two) when not teaching, to do these, but I doubt that I shall be in a "win" situation.
Lots of testing to be done for end of year levels, after reports have gone out, of course.
The tests that I have to impose on my bottom set year 7 is ridiculously hard & can only demoralise, after all of my raising of self esteem work - Last year's SATs tests, set for year 9!!
7 more days to go & all good fun.

The Queen has addressed the UN, the first time since 1957 - a plea for decency & tolerance.
A remarkable woman.

The Netherlands are through to the final of the world cup - a great couple of goals.
I'm still in with a chance of the school sweepstake with Germany.

Comments were not registering on my blog, but all is well now.
Have you looked at G's photos on the weekend blog?
The vicar from Galle really is tiny. He has sent me a long letter today, full of faith.
I must reply.
Bed.

Happy Birthday Daniel.

Daniel is two today - how time flies.
W's photos show that he has had a good weekend of celebrations with lots of pressies & ice-cream.
What more do you need for a birthday?

Back to school today -a warm welcome from both staff & students; a great day with an "indie" concert in place of year 8 maths - loud music from a bunch of scruffy weirdos, but then what do I know?
Not the sort of music you hear on Radios 3 & 4.
I learnt that there are another 3 weeks to go, not 2 as I'd thought.
Never mind, an extra week's pay.
An Alms House Trustee meeting from 5.30 until 7.00pm, a little ironing whilst dinner cooked & I'm ready for bed - it needs sheets first!

home again

We returned home from 15 days in Sri Lanka just after midnight on Wednesday, having left our hotel 21 hours earlier - an 11 hour flight & a drive home from Heathrow included.
We had a great time, a beautiful country, friendly people, sunshine & elephants.
What more could you want?
We stayed at The Eden Resort on the South West coast, at Burewela, adjacent to Bentota, which is well known, I think. The garden adjoined a long golden beach, peppered with coconuts & all manner of strange fruits, a small island just off shore with a small temple.
We had a number of "adventures", including going to a local wedding reception, going home with a tuk tuk driver for lunch with his family, out in the sticks, which involved meeting the whole village, visiting the temple at the insistence of the monk & ringing the temple bell. We made a 2 day trip to Kandy, the old capital, & twice visited Galle along the coast, using the local train & bus.
Sri Lanka was a victim of the tsunami in 2004 & is still suffering from the devastating effects, added to by the civil war, with tourists only returning recently.
Photos to follow.
We chilled on Thursday, spent Friday with Thomas & Jessie, then dined with P & A. Today G worked wonders in the garden, I wrote tomorrows sermon before joining him.
We had a wonderful Greek salad in the garden at lunchtime, inspired by Rob Davies bringing us an enormous cucumber, shaped like a horseshoe.
There are baby swallows in the stable - the first for many years; the hanging baskets & mangers have been done while we were away & look fabulous & the honeysuckle around the kitchen window has spreadalll along the wall, is a mass of flowers & smells delightful.
It's good to be home.
Margaret & Phil are coming to lunch tomorrow, so it'll be a good gravy on the menu!
Happy Birthday Daniel for Monday