Friday

I thought I'd do a 'happy' post today. Maybe I mean a 'gratitude' post. Anyway, whatever one would call it, here it is.


I am happy and grateful because . . .

Yesterday afternoon we did crisp tasting. It was a way of exploring the sense of taste and they had to taste three different flavours of crisps and say which was which. Great fun all round. However, there were some left over and I was so, so sorely tempted, crisps being an abiding love and a major crisis point in any healthy eating plan! I have to admit, I nibbled a few (yes, really 'nibbled' and 'few', that's not a euphemism for 'crammed half a dozen in my mouth at the same time') and then came to my senses and guess what - threw the rest in the bin. Yes, I did!  Now for me that was major, mega-huge, and I'm well pleased.

When I got home, there was dinner, nicely thawed and waiting for re-heating. That may seem like nothing in particular but, after two very early mornings and busy days, I was worn out. It was almost like having someone there, already cooking dinner for you - in other words, no work!

Also when I got home I walked into a lovely, cosy, warm house. It's been jolly chilly and the heating had clicked on. It just made me feel happy!

And then, after dinner (and right now), I knew I had no lesson preparation for today so I could just sit and unwind. While I was unwinding, I knew that I'd left my classroom nice and tidy, put up a display and generally left everything just as it should be. Such a lovely feeling

And finally, I've had a great sleep, not woken too stupidly early and it's the weekend soon.  Really couldn't ask for more!

Wednesday morning

Yesterday was fine.  Really, very fine indeed.  It's always a great relief when the new year starts off with a bang!  The weather was fine, playground duty was fine, life was good.

Not a lot else to say really.

Thursday

Last day of the half term.  Jubilee Day.  All very good reasons for feeling happy and celebratory. 

It is also non-uniform day.  We are all wearing red, white and blue in exchange for bringing something in for the June Fair.  The children will be hyper from the word go.  I love to watch them showing each other their outfits before they come into class and register will be later than usual as they will take so much longer to settle down!

At lunchtime it will be a right royal picnic (weather permitting), all out of the field together, packed lunches and school dinners, which is a 'pick a picnic' day where the children have a little box and they select from a sort of buffet and put their choices in their box before going out onto the field to eat.  I gather the MDAs intend to decorate the hall early this morning, which will be lovely!  And then later on in the afternoon we're all congregating in front of the music platform (outside) for a singsong, speeches, 'champagne' (really lemonade) and cakes.  They have learnt God Save The Queen and the chorus to Rule Britannia and the juniors will sing Land of Hope and Glory!  One of my colleagues sings like an angel and she will provide the verses to R B.   Very Last Night of the Proms-ish, isn't it?

Yesterday morning, in the ICT suite, they all produced very bright Jubilee pictures, mostly union flags (which is not as easy to reproduce as one would expect) and a few pictures of Her Majesty on horseback, all of which got stuck on sticks so now they have TWO flags to wave in the singsong.  And in the afternoon we made 'crowns', which they just loved.  Which reminds me - I don't have a flag.  We can't have that!!!

All in all, it was a very happy day yesterday and I expect that today will be equally happy, not to mention noisier!

My birthday rose is flowering and I thought it very appropriate to have this as today's photo!

Tuesday evening aka Wednesday morning!

I know I've already posted one entry today but I suspect I won't be posting one tomorrow so this is me getting ahead.  Most uncharacteristic, I have to say, but maybe not such a bad thing.  Make the most of it - it may never happen ever again.

Today started off cold, misty and damp.  I was on zig-zag line duty at the back gate and my goodness, it was shiveringly cold.  I'd not put on tights nor had I brought my coat, understanding that the weather was going to be really nice and sunny.  Well, at 8:30 it wasn't but by morning play the mist had burnt away, the temperature must have risen by a good 10 plus degrees and it was absolutely gorgeous.  It was even nicer by afternoon play.  So what better day could there be to be on playground duty morning AND afternoon.  Lucky me!

I can't say too much, obviously, but today I was really very pleased with every single child in my class.  Several times.  Such a nice feeling to be able to tell them that they are all little stars and see their smily, happy, confident little faces reflecting my happiness back to me.  What other job could one do that gives such a simple, uncomplicated, wholesome pleasure?  One of those times when I could ask no more of life.

I know I keep on saying this but - my goodness, I am so very fortunate.  May I never, ever take it for granted.