Tuesday

After the first few hours it was as if last week had never been.  It's amazing how quickly we get back into routine, me and my children.  It's comforting and reassuring and we all need routine, one way or another.

I needed to call an infant staff meeting after school and, in apology, ordered some lovely cakes from my friend, JustJules Cakes.  This time they were shiny and starry in honour of the theme for the meeting - our Christmas show, Shine, Star, Shine.    This link should lead you to a photo of them on Facebook - I think.  Apologies if it doesn't.

We got a lot sorted and now I have a lot to do.

My student is in for her first week of familiarisation.  She has three weeks before Christmas when she has certain things she has to do, find out, etc, followed by several weeks after Christmas.  She should be teaching for 50% of her time by the end of her school experience. 
After yesterday she can tick off the bit relating to attending meetings and doing playground duty.  At one point I thought we were going to be short on parents to help with swimming so she obligingly went over to the pool and came back an hour or so later hot but happy as it's not something she will be able to observe in many other schools.  Ditto for the violin lesson - every child in the Infants has a class violin lesson each week, all the way through their time in the infants.  Again, that is unusual and worth observing.
I think she was a little 'giddy' by the end of the day.  There's such a lot to take in and take on board in a school and when none of it is routine, it can be very confusing.  Just explaining things to her makes me realise quite how much I do automatically, naturally as a teacher.  No need to plan it through, it just happens!

Well, I'd better go and check that all is in order for school today.  Ho hum!

Dad needs to sweep his lawn!

Monday morning

Every morning, as I stagger down stairs still half asleep, I always stop at the 'landing' window to open in and peep out onto whatever the weather has done with my little world.  It isn't really a landing window, it's halfway up (or down) the stairs and for some reason, today it reminded me of an AA Milne poem which went something like this:

Halfway up the stairs is a stair where I sit
There isn't any other stair quite like it
It isn't at the bottom and it isn't at the top
But it is the stair where I always stop.

I bet half of that is wrong.  I shall have to Google it now, of course. (goes off to Google)
I was right - half of it is wrong.  Here is the proper version:

Halfway down the stairs
is a stair
where I sit.
There isn't any
other stair
quite like
it.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
so this is the stair
where
I always
stop.

Lovely, isn't it?  And such a great way of organising the lines so that it is just like a child laboriously climbing down the stairs and stopping right in the middle.  So I was sort of close . . . sort of.  And the results of my investigation - warmer than yesterday, no frost, no rain - yet.

After that bit of culture I am very happy to report that the two potato topped pies were lovely.  The mash was great tasting and great textured and I suspect instant is in its way out now.  I made enough for four or five and there was none left.  The best sort of statement!
And after the main course there were cupcakes.  Birthday cupcakes, seeing as it was Beth's birthday on Friday.  Special cupcakes made by JustJules Cakes.  I've mentioned Julia's business before - if you live local, Google for her web site - she is a genius!

I discovered a blog yesterday.  I think many of us will have heard of the 'Mom' (sorry) who went on strike.  I rather enjoyed reading her funny and perceptive comments but couldn't help thinking that I missed an opportunity when my two were young.  I've never been too fond of housework so 'striking' was a regular occurence for me and mine.  Such a shame blogging hadn't been invented (I think) or maybe I could have made a fortune!!

I'm afraid I slept most of yesterday afternoon away.  Tiredness is never that far away at the moment and it's all too easy to give way to it - after all, there's not a lot stopping me!  I did intend to give downstairs a little bit of a tidy up as I have a friend round for lunch, but snoozing seemed the more pleasurable option.  Ho hum.
With this lunch in mind, I made a batch of biscotti - cranberry and almond biscotti and they are rather tasty.  They'd be even nicer with some white chocolate zig-zagged actoss, but they won't get that today!  I've put together what I hope will be a nice enough lunch - home made rolls, cold meat, cheese and chutney, followed by coffee and biscotti!

And now I'd better start tidying up a bit.