holidays are here again.

Last night we had a power cut, so no blog.
I was just looking at the Telegraph on line - an article about Venus Williams, wearing a black lace outfit & flesh coloured pants for the French Open (tennis).
As I couldn't move on I looked at the blogs, which ranged from bigoted to hilarious, the best being "I don't mind what she wears as long as her d... doesn't hang out"
"The Junior Apprentice" was just starting - about the only programme worth watching - when the lights went out.
G put on a headlamp & read - this was rather spooky in itself, I eventually opted for a soak in the bath & radio 4.
It was off until after 11.0pm, by which time I & finish was in bed, reading with a torch.

I've taken my fungus-infected big toe to the doctors & had my BP taken (130/90)
The fungus is being identified before treatment starts.
We've cleaned the dining room after G's repair of the ceiling in the bay, the laundry, after the new boiler & before decorating & put the washing out.
G has gone to see J & G & will stay over & meet me at P & A's in the morning.
I can't decide whether to go out or stay here.
"60 Minute Makeover" is on - they paint over the wallpaper, borders & all with shitty coloured paint & glue the skirting boards on
I'd sue.
The pheasants are in the field along with six babies, well camouflaged - the joys of spring - photos to follow.
Brilliant day, despite having a cold.
I think I'll take the lotus out for a spin to M&S.
The volvo cost nearly £400 - new starter motor & cable to battery!

Another fascinatng day at KS.

Two days at school, now taking year 9 revision classes after school, as they have GCSE exams in June. I teach the bottom set; their mock exam results last week were "disappointing".
I have racked my brains as to how to improve their results in the three weeks remaining.
I have only taught them for the last six weeks & only teach them for 3/6 lessons a week.
I need more teaching time with them & them to have more commitment & bigger brains.
Any ideas?
The cold that laid me low last week is still hanging on.I can't take cold cures with my rampiril, only paracetamol, which do nothing for my nose & throat.
Still, last day tomorrow, before half term.
We have a new condensing boiler operating & G booked to decorate the laundry whilst it's empty.
Kingsbury garage have the volvo, to replace the starter motor & some wiring - I hope they don't see any smoke anywhere near it.
I did all but 4 clues in yesterday's telegraph crossword; I can't do any of today's, yet.

Whew, what a scorcher!

OK, so I was not intended to do a car boot sale this weekend.
I fully accept this & apologise for ever having considered doing one.
What do you need for a car boot sale? - tat, a friend/sister & a car.
Boxes of tat in the loft & factory.
aj coming on Sat evening.
Volvo V50 in the drive.
Great.
Saturday morning the starter motor is jammed, will not unjam, even for the RAC man, & a replacement unavailable until Monday.
Bollocks!
P, very kindly offered her car.
Aj arrived & we went to the church quiz/bingo whilst G went to fetch it.
He didn't phone first, P&A were out so he came back to the quiz & went again later, after the quiz - 60 miles clocked so far.
(The quiz was a little disappointing, well, more than a little to be honest.)
Anyway, we were up early, packed the car & set off before 7.30am.
We queued from Over Whitacre for a couple of miles, drove onto the field with relief, to be told that they were full.
Bollocks 2.
We came home, had a lovely day in the sunshine with J, G & the children, including lunch in the garden.
We have unloaded the car, sorted & repacked the tat & put it back in the factory, G has returned the car & you would never know that it had happened, or not, as the case may be.
Time for some supper.

If no-one comments, I shall start posting photos of serial killers.

How long do rotten colds last?

A minimum of three days.
I did feel a lot less ill when I woke up this morning, on my own, as G stayed with JR in order to avoid me.
I cleaned upstairs with enthusiasm, had a bath, then went to Coleshill to buy the paper & find something tantalising to eat.
Nothing tantalised.
I came home & cleaned downstairs & vacuumed the car, still foul from the Bournemouth trips, ironed, re-made the bed, opened the garage doors & boiled the kettle for tea at which point G arrived home, thinking that I'd been drinking tea all day - men don't notice gleaming floors & furniture or clean sheets.

I cheated on the Telegraph crossword as Google put up a help site when I googled "cockney slang for Cathay" Answer, "Old China"
I couldn't have done it all anyway. Actually, I could only do a few clues, two, to be exact .
The Telegraph crosswords are very hard. OK , aj can do them, but she knows a lot more things than I do.

I'm sure that I will feel much better tomorrow & will not need to carry a box of tissues around with me all day.
The Tennis Club has a draw for Wimbledon tickets tomorrow evening; since we could only do the end of week two, I'm not sure that I can afford to win this one - £190 for 2 centre court tickets.
A quiz in NW on Saturday, with aj as our joker!

Rotten cold day.

I really wasn't fit to go to school today.
I phoned in sick at 7.30am but had to leave a message on the normal number as I don't know the direct "sickie" number.
This has cost me a brilliant attendance record & a day's pay.
I saw G off to visit JR, in the lotus, got up & went to Coleshill for a paper & milk, planning activities for the remainder of the day. By the time I got home I was knackered & apart from a couple of loads of washing (compulsory on fine days) I did nothing, apart from sit in the conservatory, read the paper & attempt to do the crossword.
I have to admit to "doing a Grandad & filling in all of the answers to yesterdays crossword from today's paper. I do manage the "quick" one.
We haven't had a daily paper since I retired - one of the economies, plus the lateness of delivery - we have just taken out a six month subscription, which costs little more than the Saturday paper. Only snag is that you have to fetch it!

I've got through half a box of tissues & a number of cold cures today.
They haven't worked.
I'll try the alcohol with honey & lemon & go to bed.

Who gave me this rotten cold?

Yesterday morning I suddenly had a cold.
I tried to tell myself that it was hayfever due to the gardening on Sunday & the fact that we are surrounded by smelly rape crops, but I knew better really.
I had a runny nose all night & woke at least once every hour to check on the time, so felt even worse this morning.
I went into school because
1.I had only one lesson left with my year 9 class before their exam tomorrow.
2.I never have time off.
3.I am paid on a daily rate.
Anyway, lunch was brought forward by an hour to accommodate the RE GCSE exam, so by 12.15pm I had only a support lesson to do, so came home to suffer in comfort.
The gasman cometh to give a quote for a new super duper efficient boiler, presently with a subsidy which DC & GO haven't had time to cancel yet.
This will save us £30 - £400 pounds a year, so will give us the determination to get the payback.
The present boiler is 16 years old - that's 112 in dog years - so will have problems when parts fail.
The new one is tiny-a good job that it will be attached to the wall or we could lose it!

The sun has come out & it's a very pleasant day - school finishes any minute now, so I will no longer be skiving. (that spelling looks odd & it doesn't recognise "cometh". Rubbish!)

Up, up & away.

That should have been my title on Thursday, Ascension Day, but I was staying at JR's until Friday afternoon.
I did catch up by preaching on it on Sunday at Nether Whitacre & spent a good few hours on both Sat & Sun collecting Christian Aid envelopes.
The weather was good, Sunday was lovely so after lunch spent watching the Grand Prix, then a nap, because we were sitting down & had been awake for more than an hour, we did some gardening then went to collect the final envelopes in Back Lane & then walked across the cinder path to Whitacre.
There were two reasons; to visit Mary & Maurice & to check the route as we have 6 months of pre-paid tokens for the Telegraph, which must be collected daily, somewhere.
When you get to the far side of the railway' a stones throw from M7 M's, you have to walk through the wood behind Station road as far as the iron bridge, then back along Station road.
We walked back along the road, over Little Hampton Bridge (funny name, that), cutting a good half mile off the distance.
We got home by 9.15pm, to cook dinner. I settled for an M&S shepherds pie that I had intended for G & JR on Wednesday, but did make a rhubarb crumble to follow.

School today. Non uniform, off-timetable day. I volunteered to man a "naughties" room.
Mug or what.
G had forgotten to collect the paper so I popped up to Coleshill with the token before Kristian arrived for a "Chemistry hour".
Dinner is in the oven, G's in the garage, all's well with the world.