Tuesday

It was the very first run through of our show, The Sleepy Shepherd, this afternoon.  The first time they had seen the dances from the other classes, the first time they had seen and heard the actors, the first time it had all run from start to finish.

It was very good indeed.  Not perfect (thank goodness, we don't want it to peak too early) but really good.  I feel a lot more settled about it all now!  Next run through on Friday!

Any old iron . . .

. . . after unusually heavy use of my iron over the weekend, I realised that it just isn't working as well as it used to work.  It's not as hot and doesn't get the creases out as well.  Fair enough - as irons go this one is well into pensionable age and deserves honorable retirement.
So it was off to town to do various necessary things including banking some cheques.  I meandered into Debenhams to see what they had and bingo!  They had the iron I was looking for at half price.  I then remembered I had a gift card, given to me several years by the parents of my class at the time.  I had no idea how much was left on it but thought it was worth using it, even if it was only worth a little bit. 
To my delight it had more than I expected and so the iron only cost me £3.00 in total.  Not bad, eh?

Monday morning

Five things that are making me happy right now.  Nothing important in the wider scheme of things, but immediate, superficial and minor

1.  A frost outside.  I love frosts.  I know it means the heating clicks on.  I know it means the cars need scraping.  But doesn't it look lovely when the sun comes up and everything sparkles like diamonds?

2.  A good night's sleep between clean, fresh sheets.  Getting into a bed that has been made up with fresh sheets is one of life's simple, major pleasures and it happens every week too.  It's even better when the old sheets have been washed, dried and ironed and are airing before being put in the airing cupboard!

3.  Leading on from that - an empty ironing basket.  That's not totally accurate in that there's stuff on the drying rack, but it's not in the basket so it doesn't count.  Right now I can see the inside of the ironing basket and that's the important thing!

4.  A non-pupil day.  Don't get me wrong, I love my children very much and I love my job very much too but there's something deliciously naughty about not teaching on a teaching day.

5.  Peeking in the fridge and seeing that there's almost enough left-over food to feed me for the day.  That doesn't mean no cooking, dear me, no, but most of it will be 'free' as it's left-overs.  Breakfast is the only 'new' meal and I'm swivelling between beans on toast or bacon sarnie at the moment.  Lunch is finishing off the butternut and lentil soup which was absolutely scrummy yesterday.  And dinner is going to be hotpot made with the leftovers of the slow roast lamb.

So better go and put the lamb bone on to boil, make the coffee (another happy thing as I don't usually make proper coffee on a school day) and unload the dishwasher (for which I am properly grateful, believe me).  It's a good life and I'm feeling very thankful right now.

Looking across the road to the kickabout one misty morning recently.

Sunday morning

Good morning, everyone.  It's been a bit of a windy night round here, judging by the way my curtains were blowing in the night, but I gather from messages on Facebook that it's been pretty bad up in Scotland.  I hope there's not been too much damage of any kind.

Yesterday I set to with the iron, board and an overflowing basket.  Most of the stuff was very dry but, with a spray bottle, I managed.  I like those spray bottles.  They don't throw out nasty gunk from time to time and I like to add a few drops of scented oil - yesterday it was lavender - and it does make the ironed clothes smell so nice.  I shall be refilling the ironing basket today so I hope there's plenty of good viewing on the telly this evening.  It would be nice to look at an empty basket all week.

I made some lentil and butternut squash soup yesterday which was really rather tasty.  Weeks ago now, DD brought round two squashes, both not quite ripe, so they've both been sitting on the kitchen window ledge.  I used the smaller of the two yesterday.
First of all I cut the squash in half and scooped out the seeds.  I smeared the inside of the squash with butter and roasted it in the oven until soft.
While that was going on, I sliced a small onion, a carrot and a few stalks of celery (de-stringed) and softened them in butter.  Then I added half a glass of white wine, some water, some marigold low sodium vegetable bouillon, a couple of handfuls of red lentils and a good pinch of smoked paprika.  That all simmered away gently and when the squash was soft, I peeled off the skin which was lovely and soft and easily removed, adding the flesh to the simmering soup.  A quick zizz later, a bit of salt added and hey presto.  It's quite thick so I will slacken it a bit and top it with a good swirl of cream and that's the starter for Sunday dinner sorted.

As DD and DG come round for Sunday dinner at the moment (midday), I can indulge in a roast.  Today is it some leg of lamb which I intend to slow roast on a bad of red wine, carrot, onion, celery and potato with a sprig of rosemary.  The resulting sauce will make a fine gravy.  DD, being vegetarian, won't have any of that so I will make a separate gravy for her cauliflower cheese grill thingy.  Vegetables are roast potatoes, sprouts and broad beans so I think we will feast well.

There was rather a nice sunset yesterday and, for once, I managed to get a few decent shots of it.

A little bit later

I've finally got around to ordering the Christmas turkey from Kelly's of Danbury, as usual.  I'm usually hammering on their door, virtually speaking, the day they open for orders, so I'm a bit late this year, but never mind, all done now.

The garden is still upsy downsy, with plants growing, shooting, flowering where they have no right to grow, shoot or flower, seeing as it is nearly December.  I took these photos this morning.

Cosmos - still going strong.

Not a good photo, but see the buds?

Very pink: it certainly brightens up the garden.

See all the new growth on the French lavender

And this, would you believe, is one of my strawberry plants.  No need for straw protection yet!

Saturday morning

Taken last Saturday.  Middle of November and the fuschia is flowering!

Remember what I said yesterday about turning off the alarm clock making no difference?  Yup, I was wide awake at three thirty, properly wide awake, not just awake enough to register and then fall asleep again.  I've now been up for about two and a half hours and I can feel sleep returning but I must fight it.  This afternoon is the time for another snooze, not now.  I have Things To D. 

I'll be back!

Friday evening



View from my bedroom window last Saturday evening.



. . . and the weekend has started.  I love my job as much as anyone does but I have to admit that the start of the weekend has a very special feel.  Sort of relaxed and spaced out - and that's before the large glass of chilled dry white. 

Equally pleasant is the ceremonial switching off of the alarm clock when I go to bed.  Now, I cannot remember the last time I slept up to the alarm and certainly switching it off makes little or no difference to my waking time (ridiculously early) but, somehow, the act of switching it off gives me a deep down pleasant feeling.  The fact that it can stay off until Monday evening just adds to the whole thing.

Even better is that planning is done, resources are printed out, all is ready for Tuesday.  I would love to say that a weekend of idleness beckons, but that is far from the truth.  However, it will be in my time, non-pressured and governed by a relaxed agenda - and that feels wonderful.

Long Live Weekends!