GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I have just spent the past few hours doing lesson plans only to discover that I did the wrong classes. So have had to do a whole lot more. The plus here is that I now have all the lessons for the week sorted. The minus is that it has taken HOURS. And there is still the washing to sort and the ironing and the house still looks like a tip.............................

I need coffee. And chocolate. And a cool cloth for the head.

Spring is here

The sun is shining and the daffodils are all in bloom, and the temperature was 16 degrees C, so I think we can say Spring has arrived! In Switzerland, however, they had a foot of snow yesterday...and that is more than they have had all season. No spring there yet. We don't move to British Summer Time (BST) until the 25th March. This year they have got it right. It is usually on Mothering Sunday (next Sunday) and it has always been a pain missing one hour of sleep on the day mothers are supposed to lie in, have breakfast in bed and be spoilt rotten. Mind you, with David, my only child in residence, away for the weekend, I will be making my own coffee.

It has been a quiet weekend. I could have been at a cabaret last night but decided the head would not cope, so I was in bed early. I still have a headache, and can still see my eyebrow, which is not something I care to see on a daily basis. It seems to be at a rather strange angle over the bump, and I think I last saw something like it in Star Trek. I could be starting a new "style" of my own here. Frowning or laughing is not a good idea either. It hurts!

I did go to a silver wedding celebration this afternoon though, and that was great. Church is always good, and it is just 3 weeks until the Easter holidays! I am really looking forward to the break this year.

Now I have lesson plans to write for this week, so I must stop putting off the evil moment, and get to work. I will be back later.

Door frames are hazardous to your health

I do not recommend walking into door frames. At speed. And if I sound a little discombobulated, it is because I probably have concussion. There I was sailing through a Friday timetable with unusual ease for a change, when I attempted to talk to someone and walk through a door at the same time. I thought women were supposed to be able to multitask. I turned my head in the direction I was walking as I hit the door frame in a specatular fashion. With my head. I am going to look just stunning by tomorrow. Black and blue. Thank heavens for those instant icepack things. I must say, my difficult year 9s were gems, but then that could be because everything was a little blurry at the time, and maybe I missed the bad bits. It is something of a challenge to teach while clutching an ice pack to your head at the same time. And with the mother and father of all headaches.

Personally, I think this is all Morning glory's fault. She told us to think about aging, and I am clearly doing my best to provide a living example of an aging, short sighted, doddery old woman who doesn't look where she is going. Warning! This is what happens when you find out that you are not as young as you think you are. It is just as well I don't have any exotic plans for the weekend requiring me to look glamorous.

One of my friends helpfully suggested that I hang a sign round my neck saying that I am a teacher. Then everyone will assume that I have been banging my head against a brick wall.

It is the weekend. I am now going to go and be weak and feeble. And I will be avoiding all mirrors while I mope.

Something new!

Morning Glory and Lei are starting a new twice monthly writing forum called Woman to Woman, and the first one is next Tuesday. Go and read all about it, and join in!

I have PLENTY to say on the subject of aging. I do believe I have touched on this subject before. I am an authority on it. And just today I was telling a friend that I had spoken to my sister and warned her that I look a lot older and greyer than I did last summer, and said friend said..... well that is to be expected. WHAT?????? It must be worse than I thought. She should have said...what nonsense. I am doomed. I feel 110 and obviously look it too. I will shut up now or I will have nothing to pontificate about in a wise and experienced fashion on Tuesday. Or should that read wizened...... wrinkly.......

I am watching a programme on TV at the moment which aims to make you look 10 years younger. They ask what kind of style you have. Huh? Style? Yes. Well. Hmmm. I don't know when last I considered a style. For me. STYLE? How do I shop? I don't. What do I look for? Clothes, you imbecile....things to cover me. (Note to self. Go and find a style.) This 10 years younger thing seems to involve plastic surgery. This is too hard. I am switching channels.

I can't believe that there are only 3 weeks till the end of term, and Easter holidays. Weeks fly by, filled with the minutiae of ordinary life. Getting the cars MOTed, food shopping, David, work, preparation, meetings, laundry, cooking, house group, friends, church, and all the rest. This is my life flying by. I need to remember that sometimes.

But..

Today the first daffodil bloomed in my garden. Spring is on the way!

Thankful for a great deal, really!

For those who may not know, now and then I post 5 reasons to be thankful. Last year, when things were rather difficult, I began what is now a habit. When I wake up, the first thing I do is think of 5 reasons why I am thankful. It is amazing how it colours your day, no matter how challenging your circumstances may be. They can be profound, or very simple, but every day I have at least 5, and sometimes I post them, and sometimes I don't. So, when you see a list, that is what they are. Just so you know!

1. Inspirational authors


2. Housegroup


3. Cheesecake


4. Being ignored by inspectors


5. Lesson plans written

Easter is coming soon, and David and I are going to Switzerland for a few days, and will bring Mum home with us. I get to go and be in the mountains. How lucky can anyone be.

Our community

I should be writing lesson plans. I am clearly not.
I should be at book club. Ditto.
Lesson plans are why I am not at bookclub. We have a sort of mini inspection tomorrow. I was beginning to hyperventilate about being inspected, and then I thought.... just tell them you are doing your best, if they ask. So I will. That is the plan at the moment. But I will do the lesson plans in a minute. I promise.

Did I mention I killed the printer at work? Spectacularly. I was sending reports to it from another room, and after 10 mins or so, there was a horrendous noise, and ye olde printer upped and expired. Sounding like a demented woodpecker with a microphone to amplify its demise. I unjammed it, and then bits sort of fell off. Lots of bits. Bits I know nothing about and have no desire to know about. Important looking bits. It is a laser printer, and all the teachers in our department use it all the time. There is now a vacant space where it used to live, and I am the recipient of many accusing glares. Especially with inspectors arriving, and the need to print dozens of pages for them. Hmmm. Me too.

Let me tell you a little bit about the community I live in.

I live in a village in middle England, of about 6 000 people, between 2 towns. It has 4 churches, 2 supermarkets, a chemist/emporium, a butcher, a baker, an electrical shop, a home and garden shop, a florist, a patchwork shop, a gallery, a post office, 3 takeaways...chinese, fish and chip and indian. Lots of hairdressers. A beautician. Some other small shops too. A junior school and a library. Doctors and dentists, playgroups and accountants. There are youth clubs, ballet classes, community based clubs, cricket and football clubs and so much more. We even have our own magazine!

I have spoken many times about my friends here. They are great. I have always been very blessed to have wonderful friends, wherever I have lived, and here is no different. Maybe I am just lucky!

Two of my friends were with me when Geoff died.
Another came out at midnight to be with my son.
We have a shared lunch once a month, and all take food and share together.
We all help decorate each other's homes.
When painting or gardening needs to be done, the word goes out, and people turn up to help.
We look after each other's children.
We organise meals when people are ill or have new babies, and we all take turns to help out.
We look after pets when our friends go away.
We take care of the mail, and watering each other's gardens.
We take each other to hospital for appointments, and stay for unpleasant tests if we need to.
We are there to man the kettle and arrange food for things like funerals.
We all volunteer in one way or another, for local groups.
We give each other lifts to places like airports and stations. Anywhere, really.
We arrange parties for each other, and do all the decorations.
We all combine to buy presents for special events like weddings and birthdays.
We take older relatives out for tea.
We have a lot of fun together, and we all know that help is just a call away when we need it.
We have parties, and quiet dinners, and chatty teas.
We have house groups and book clubs.
Everyone helped to make my son's wedding absolutely wonderful, but that is another post in the making.

But most of all, we really know each other, and try to be aware and "care-full" of each other.

This is a good place to be.

4am is the perfect time to wake up.

I have been up since 4 this morning. Do not ask why. I have no idea, but I was so wide awake that I came downstairs and here I am, one cup of coffee and 2 hours later. Make that 2 cups. And a biscuit.

I did remember to watch the lunar eclipse last night, and the moon did indeed go red, I can report. It was such a clear night, and consquently, very cold , but at least we didn't have cloud.

David and I spent the evening with friends who live in a village in the north of the county. They had to have their boiler replaced a couple of weeks ago, and when it was taken out, a mountain of soot fell down the chimney and covered, and I mean COVERED the entire house. Every single thing in the house. Every room. Every cupboard. Everything. And even though the industrial cleaning company has been through the house once, it is still in the air, and will continue to settle for ages. Next come the painters. Horrendous mess. Not an ideal scenario to walk in on after a long day at work.

So - what have I been up to this weekend? I have played with the babes. Caught up with some friends. Had tea to celebrate a birthday. Flopped. Talked on the phone. Wandered around the blog world. Good stuff.

Now it is 6.30 am, and I do believe I will crawl back into bed and snooze. Or read a book. After 4 hours sleep, I am going to be a pleasure to be around by this evening.

Same parents - different kids!

It never ceases to amaze me when I see the differences in my own children. They have the same family, grew up in the same home, and yet are such totally different characters. And this is something to celebrate, not rue, I hasten to add. Over the years, one of the early indications of those differences that I discovered was the way they played with Lego.

Now Lego is one of the universal toys which will still be around for my great grandchildren I suspect. Such a simple concept, and so much fun for everyone. Except for the unwary mother who stands on a piece barefoot in the middle of the night. And wakes the house with her shrieks of pain as she hops.... enough of that.

Andrew and I travelled at sea for a year with Geoff when he was 2, and one of my standby toys was Lego. He would spend hours constructing complicated edifices, telling me to "overnap the blocks Mummy, be careful, or it will all fall down". He meant overlap. I remember the strict instruction from my 2 year old well. Once built, he would take it apart straight away and build another one. Bigger, more complicated every time, but structurally sound every time. All his pleasure came from the construction.

Diana also loved Lego. But she played with it very differently. She would build higgeldy piggeldy things which would be completely random, and then she would spend hours playing with her toys like ponies, carebears etc in them. These constructions were the "homes" her toys lived in. She would keep them for ages, and slap more additions on when she needed more rooms. Over"napping" was not an essential at all. It drove her brother crazy. Her pleasure came from the end result being a setting for her imagination.

Then David. Well, he used to build rambling cities and towns and they would snake through the house at times. (Hence the dancing shrieking mother bit.) He had some impressive buildings, but the focus was on the world he was creating.

Lego used in 3 different ways. So how does that show in their personalities now?

Fastforward a couple of years. Andrew was the child who seldom read fiction. He devoured facts. Guiness book of records. Books on space, on the Titanic, every subject under the sun. Fact. All logic and little imagination. He was the one who was "gifted" . He has an amazing brain, and the potential to do anything. Andrew is my perfectionist. Precision. Exact. It has to be real and proven. When he was in kindergarten, his teacher told me once that he had sat through an entire lesson when he was supposed to write an essay on "A day at the beach" and refused to write a word. She kept him in at break to find out why. He just didn't see the point. He couldn't use any imagination. So she suggested, as this was going to be a regular requirement quite obviously, that he try to take the subject and think about how he could turn it into something factual. He had the key then, and the essay started with "One day I went to the beach, and saw a starfish." He then wrote all about the lifecycle of the starfish, and ended up with " and then I went home". Sorted. He is my cautious one. The prospect of failure really bothered him. He needed guarantees in a way. Maths and Science come easily to Andrew. He is financially very astute, and doesn't take risks if he can avoid them. He has a science degree.

Diana was good at just about everything she tried. She loved talking, and her imagination spiralled all over the place. She has always been able to think outside the box. Her essays would ramble on in the most complicated way, and she could write endlessly. She didn't like reading for pleasure much though. She wanted to be doing and making, and drawing and playing etc. Climbing trees and laughing with friends. She was daring and adventurous. She loved games and creative things. Give her a box of bits and pieces, and she will create something magical. She could move in and out of her little worlds she made, worked hard at school, and loved trying new things. She set off round the world after school for her GAP year alone, and worked at 3 jobs to fund it. She is my adventurer. She has a geography degree.

David is my deep thinker. He is the one who sees worlds I can't see. He is the one who observes, and stores knowledge in his mind, and then combines all the bits to create things that amaze me. He adores fantasy. He wrote his first book (in a trilogy) when he was 14. He creates fantasy worlds with vision. He is the child who used to start a drawing on a piece of A4 paper, then stick another page on the edge and another and another, as his imagination kept expanding, and we would end up with drawings that were the length of my living room. They had to be rolled up and kept. I still have some of them. He is my laidback one. So laidback he is almost horizontal. Nothing phases him. He doesn't let much show on the outside. He is studying the sciences and maths for A levels, and yet there is this other side of him, where he has a totally untamed and unrestricted imagination. He reads endlessly, but mainly fiction. He will surprise me, I think. Watching to see where his life heads will be fascinating.

Three great kids. Same parents. Same toy. Three uses. So very different. I love each of them to bits. Together they make up my family. All of them are clever. All of them are able. Each of them has a different character, personality, strengths and weaknesses. Each of them has a loving heart. I wouldn't swap them for the world.

I like weekends

Another week has flown by, and it is absolutely pouring with rain at the moment. The noise of it pelting down onto the sky lights is deafening. But..... the weekend is here, and with it, a chance to unwind, and for that I am immensely grateful.

There is a lot going on in the blogging world at the moment, and there are so many people to visit and places to see, and that is something I want to catch up on this weekend, but I also want to catch up on my real life friends too.

I am finding the adjustment to working full time really difficult, and am struggling to find a balance. Here comes the old need vs want thing again. In a way, though, this is much harder than it seems on the surface. I need to work, but I want to remain closely involved with my friends and family. I need to put in hours of work at home to prepare, but I want to spend time talking and listening to the people I love. I need to study so much, but I want to be out in the community doing the things I have always done. I need to block in time for me, but I want to fall asleep whenever I am not rushing about. Sigh. It is just as well that I have always believed that "having it all" was an impossible dream. Something, or rather, someone, always loses out. I am like a juggler, trying to keep all the balls in the air at the same time, and someone keeps throwing in another one so the arms spin faster and faster. Now that is an amusing vision. I can just see it.

And all of a sudden, I can think of so many things I want to write about. Easter and our traditions. The difference in children in the same family. Our community. My son's wedding. But you know what? I am going to go and make more coffee ( I should change the name of this blog to the coffeepot or something) and then I am going to curl up in the rocking chair with a blanket, and some chocolate, and watch tv and let my mind slow down. Tomorrow is another day, and I might just have more energy. The juggling balls can rest for a while.

I am thankful for....

1. The sun. It is shining and the sky is blue today
2. A good night's sleep
3. A good book to read
4. Happy children
5. Hot coffee. ( I know, this one keeps coming up. What can I say.)

Remember to smile at people you pass in the street today.