Trip to Africa

We took a trip to Yorkshire Wildlife Park, I am not really an animal lover but I had quite a nice day with my little class.  It was the hottest day of the year, boy did I feel it, and by the time I got home I was exhausted and filthy.  School trips are always hard work, I am a typical German constantly counting and like it all to be organised just so.  My natural worrier kicks in and the 'what ifs' take over making it a long a stressful day.  The most relaxing trip I have ever been on was with Brightwell when the whole school went to the living rainforest and we took over the whole place, we had so many hands on deck it felt like each child was being supervised by at least three pairs of eyes, quite a luxury. Schools want you to take children on trips but they make it quite difficult to justify not being in class "learning" my class learned more about Africa and the animals who live there in one day than if we had spent a whole term on the topic (oh wait, we did!)

 

    

Don't ya just love em?

You've got to love the way children's minds work.  I've just been told by a little lovely "I've seen unicorns, well it was one but it's lost its horn and looks like a horse now!"

Don't ask

 

It's that time of year again, I don't want to do it but it comes with the territory.

  

Reports!  

 

The bane of all teachers lives, they are a killer to write, they take up all of your free time and are just a snap shot of a child's life.  

I have "lost" days of my life to report writing for what?  

For the parent who reads the report and laughs "who were you writing about that's not my child!"  

Or the parent whose child was a mute when they arrived and leaves you as one of the most confident, popular littles girls and comments "she hasn't improved her writing what have you been doing?"  

Then there's the parent who tears up when reading the report and says "I knew he was just like his father, he has a temper too!"  

 

I don't write them for these parents, or the SLT or even the supportive parents "she has blossomed under your care, thank you."  

I write the report for the thirty or forty year old grown up who is sat in the attic looking back on school days and laughing about the time the most important thing in the world was to remember capital letters and full stops.

 

I love reading my old reports and giggleing about how I was very shy and quiet and needed to speak out a bit more.

For you guys I write these reports and giggle at how absurd education is today.  What strange world this is!

Hello June

 

A tad late but at least I remembered eventually

Long way for a barbecue, but worth it

I picked up Lemanie late, I had slept in and wasn't ready to leave when I had planned, then I arrived at her house to find the sat nav on my phone had taken me to the house she lived in years ago.  By the time I got to her house we were almost two hours late setting off and we had another three hours to go to get to the house warming.

Three hours on the M1 usually drags but three hours with one of my most favourite people who I hadn't seen in too long was great.  We caught up on each others lives and reminisced about the good days in PRS and how Facebook made ten years feel like five minutes.  I does help that I have the ability to carry on a conversation years later without a thought for the passing of time. 

The barbecue was lovely, it was nice to meet up with people that I hadn't actually talked to in such a long time, life does have a way of rushing past in the blink of an eye.  We made promises to meet up again soon somewhere more central now that we mostly all lived up North.  What made me laugh was that it was almost six years to the day from Lelly's last barbecue and the last time I saw Clairebear and Jodes (who couldn't make this event).

The last time we saw each other was at Helen's wedding, I love finding old photos and using them.

Normal service will resume shortly

I am having a bit of a personal crisis at the moment will be back soon with an update.  

Needing positive thoughts

Oh no!

Today I found a lump on my right breast, it's a small lump, it's a blue lump it is most definitely a lump.  I had never noticed it before, I am worried.  I will make an appointment at the GP and see what happens. I am trying to think positive thoughts, but.....

Scarborough Sightseeing

We had a lovely time in Scarborough today walking through the town and along the seaside before taking the avuncular railway back up to the car park.  As we strolled along the little lanes and side streets past quirky shops and arts and craft stalls it made me think of Brighton.  The seafront was heaving as it was one of the hottest days of the year, everyone was in high spirits.  We managed a spot of sun batheing on the quayside, which was very empty.

 

         

I got a hammock

 I got me a hammock and I relaxed in it for about twenty seconds before GO told me to get out, there was a ban on tying anything to the trees in our campsite and as we were the only people there we couldn't hide the fact the any damage to the bark would be caused by us.  But I now have a hammock and I will use it as much as possible.

Throwback to Me

It was the day after a huge house party and I wasn't feeling good but I had arranged to meet up with a colleague and go for a cheesy photo shoot.  I took GO along for moral support (he went to a nearby pub to watch the footie).  I was made up and had my hair fluffed but basically it was me, well the Saturday night version of me anyway.  I only intended to buy one or two photos, but they all turned out so well I bought them all.  Looking back now nearly ten years later I'm glad I did it, honestly I don't think I look too bad (yes I am fishing for compliments).