Wednesday

Today I feel human again.  OK, sore throat, bunged up nose, but normal, all the same.  Fantastic!  Now the holiday can start!

Yesterday was good too.  I used the cheap chicken wings I bought a few days before to make a chicken gravy for the freezer, using Jamie Oliver's recipe as a guide.  Apart from the star anise (I will only use one next time) I was jolly pleased with the results which are now safely in little pots ready to go into the freezer.  It's very irritating to take out nice slices of turkey and not have a decent gravy to go with them so now I do.  I really ought to do what Diane does and freeze good stock when I have it, but somehow it always gets used up!

I also started practising a pattern for a shawl.  I found the pattern on the internet and it looks just right for the lovely yarn Beth gave me for Christmas.  The beginning was tricky and I had to try it three times before I sussed it out properly and it's American so the terms are different but I'm sure I'll get there.  The biggest disadvantage (that's not the right word because it will look lovely, but I can't think of a better word) is that I will have to get another yarn that tones in for the lacy edging but I do have Hobbycraft and I do have vouchers to spend there.  It's also better knitted on a looser tension (sorry - gauge) and, as is always the way, can I find the pot I keep my crochet hooks in?  No, I can't, it seems to have vanished into the blue yonder.  Highly irritating!

So today starts with a trip to Hobbycraft.  I've been intending to go there all holiday and never feeling up to it, so this is long overdue.  I just have to make sure I have my vouchers with me, in case . . .  After that it's round to B's to pick A up and take him to his old school.  He's off to see a pantomime with a group of old friends.  Then it's off back home where I will hopefully have something Hobbycrafty to play with.

And I have to start thinking about planning!  Not New Year Resolution planning, school planning.  Reality draws ever closer.

Edited later to add that I've finally got round to uploading the photos n my camera (or off my camera) so here's one I took earlier - when we had the freezing fog.

Sunday

The last day of the half term holiday.  Very sad but all good things . . . as the saying goes.  It's been lovely but we have to keep moving on.

Last night we went out to see the Arcadians' performance of Godspell.  Loved the music, loved the colour, fun, energy and general wackiness of their interpretation.  Not so sure about the venue - the stage was a church platform stage, not a proper stage and it wasn't that high so although we were only five rows back we missed a lot and couldn't see the footwork in the dances.   Their usual venue is the Gordon Craig Theatre, which gives them a lot more space too.
Still, it was a lot of fun and well worth going to and, unlike some of the older musicals, there wasn't a point at which I thought 'this is getting a bit slow'.  Some of them do have a very weak, thin storyline.

Today is going to be all about making sure all is ready for school.  Planning needs refining, resources need checking over - and, you never know, I might even get my bedroom tidied.

Oh, yes, and there's some ironing - again!

Thursday morning

. . . and I nearly forgot to write my blog.  There was a very worthy and commendable reason though - I was working on next week's planning, having been inspired by my new co-worker in Y1 who HATES planning over the weekend.  OK by me!!  So it's all done and even sent over to her.  Nice to have a planning free weekend, isn't it?

Yesterday was another really pleasant day, albeit a very long one, what with staff meeting and then staying till six to keep to my check list - which is working brilliantly at the moment, my table has never been so tidy!  So I got home at about 6:16, cooked dinner (skinny pie and carrots from the garden, yum) and I was in bed and falling asleep by 8:30.  So I didn't have time to make that Hairy Dieters curry last night - maybe tonight instead.

Today shouldn't be as long, although you never know in teaching, do you?  You just never know!

Welcome home, Diane!  I've missed reading your blog!

Sunday morning

From the garden

Goodness, I slept like a log last night!  All that bustling about in the kitchen must have worn me out good and proper.  It was worth it though - I now have four chicken kormas and three sweet and sours ready, labelled and bagged, for the freezer.  I had the other sweet and sour portion last night and it was lovely, except that I over chilli-ed it so it had more 'bite' to it than I expected.  Something learnt there.  I added extra veg - some broccoli, some carrot very finally sliced on the diagonal and some mushrooms and that made it a very substantial meal with plenty of my five-a-day in it.  No rice though, I preferred it without.  Now, when I fancy a take  away, I don't need to pay the earth!  I'm hoping that the Hairy Dieters book, when it comes, will have other takeaway type recipes and then I can do what I've always wished the local Chinese and Indian places would do - a varied selection of very small portions.  I know they do 'set meals' but the set meal (in the singular) for one is dead boring and the portions are still larger than necessary.

So - bright idea number one today - if there are other likely recipes, I will make them and freeze the results in small pots (of which I have plenty) so that I could have three different items in the same meal for, I bet, half the price or less of a bought takeaway.  Worth a try anyway.  I do so love these flavoursome, spicy dishes, but there's always too much and they are always expensive (in comparison).

I also set to and MADE myself change the lesson planning.  I'd got it all done by Friday but then decided to go along another route so had to change all the theme planning.  It's done now, as is the maths and the 'what are we doing this week' posted for the window, all printed out and ready and very satisfying it feels too.  Sorting through and organising my resource files (or starting to anyway) means that I have a better idea of what's in there and I know I have most of the paper resources for this coming week - so that's also great.  No point reinventing the wheel, is there?

While I was in Sainsbury's yesterday morning I got four little non-stick pudding moulds - the kind you use to make individual sponges.  Seeing as the HD's skinny pie is definitely on the menu on a regular basis, these will be ideal in which to cook it

On to today.  I didn't get the chewy oat cookies made yesterday and I'm glad I didn't because this morning I noticed that the person who wrote up the recipe on their blog also said that one can scoop the raw cookies onto a baking tray with a non stick surface, then open freeze them before bagging.  That way one can bake one at a time, or however many one needs, ideal for someone who lives alone.  So that's what I am going to do.  I will have them there but the need to cook and cool will deter the casual snacking.  Clever!

DD and DG won't be coming round today (sad) as they are off to a lunchtime party in Maldon (nice) so I have another day to chill, relax, sort things out and generally be thoroughly lazy!  And make those cookies!

Thursday

 . . . and it's still raining.  Not hard, I admit, but it's very soggy underfoot and outdoor PE today is in danger of being washed out . .  . yet again.  It's also chilly as I know because I went out to the freezer - twice, as it happens, because I forgot to bring in my cheese and pickle roll for lunch today first time.  My toes are still thawing.

It was PPA yesterday and J and I found that last year's careful theme planning is really paying dividends, as there was precious little to change.  Last week we prepared two weeks of maths planning so that was all done and dusted too.  This half term's theme is one of my favourites, all about germination and plant growth and full of nice, simple, achievable investigations.  Excellent stuff!

I was a bit naughty yesterday.  You see, so many recipes nowadays require (or mention using) a flameproof casserole, one that can go on the hob and then into the oven.  I have a big one, two big ones, in fact, and a middle sized one which also doubles as a very useful steamer, but I don't always want to make large quantities of something and freeze most of it.  As I'm trying to run down my freezer at the moment, that is, in fact, the very last thing I want to do.  I need a smaller hob to oven dish.  Well, I say need, I suppose I mean 'would very much like and use quite a lot' . . .
So I did a search yesterday and found that there were very expensive Le Creuset ones (very heavy, I used to have some decades ago) and Pyroflam.  They both got very good reviews so I went for the cheaper, of course.  Frugal 'R' Us!  I ordered the one litre size which seems to be just the size I want.  OK, so that's not naughty, I hear you say?  Well, the naughty bit was paying rather a lot for the one day delivery, because otherwise it could arrive over the weekend or not and I needed to know where to have it delivered.  So it was a one day delivery, posted to school - and it is arriving today!  Yay!!

Remember that little jumper and socks I posted a photo of a few days ago?  Well, L loved them and posted a photo of her little grandson wearing them yesterday.  How cute he looked, one big smile from ear to ear and very smart too!  I'm really pleased it's turned out so well and am now looking for another pattern to start.  The second sock for R is coming on and should be finished over the weekend so I will need something to take its place.  Ravelry, here I come!!