Monday morning

It really is the first day of the holidays now, properly the first day, because normally at this time I would be looking through my planning and getting a good idea for a game or other resource that hadn't occurred to be before so madly trying to get it all ready in time!  I do that - it annoys the life out of me at times, but some of my best ideas come at the last minute.  I wish they arrived just a little bit earlier.

So - today.  No idea what I am going to do,  I note that snow (SNOW!!!!???? Eeeek) is predicted for Wednesday, so I may make the most of the fine weather and do some garden stuff while I can.  There's bits and bobs that need tidying up, I want to move some snowdrops to the front, plant some pot bulbs that were beautiful indoors and which can now go into the garden to enjoy for many a Spring to come and dig out some old stuff that is woody and leggy and just too old, including both my purple sage plants.  I don't need two - they were put in for the foliage, when I had the garden redone and very nice they were too, but they're old and have to go.  There's also a very leggy lavender at the front that could do with replacing.  It's umpteen years old, huge and, again, past its best.  The trouble with a small garden is that after a while things just get out of proportion!
I also have to think quite seriously about where I want all my pots to go.  I have the willow planter thingy which can't stay by the shed as it's in the shade but which can't go where it would look best because that's where I put the tomatoes.  I've got to decide where it should go before I add the soil because once the soil/compost is in I won't be able to move it.  I know what I am planing in there - lettuce, carrots and radishes one row each two or three weeks.  There's enough length for three sowings of each, which should avoid too much of a glut, I hope.

I need to make a list of plants to get really, although it is encouraging how much is coming up: one aquilegia hasn't come up for years and years but this year, up it popped.  Such a shame I planted something over it, thinking that it had died! 

I hope the predicted snow doesn't kill stuff . . .

Sunday morning and April Fools' Day

With a pinch and a punch and a wary look from side to side, I start this blog.  April Fools Day can be a lot of fun at school but today, if I stay inside until after 12, I may avoid the worst!!  There was a choice one on a Facebook page this morning regarding the decision to move Doctor Who on into a new era.  It said this:
It has been announced that the famous Blue TARDIS is to get a makeover in Series 7, during the Christmas Special and go from Blue, to Red. the change is seen as something of a new start for the show, with rumours the TARDIS will turn into a everyday phonebox.
It took me all of rtwenty seconds of shock, horror and 'no, they can't'-ness to remember the date!  Nice one!

Well, as I said, yesterday was nice.  I got some display stuff made and laminated for the new term, I did a wee bit of tidying up and in the evening we had a Witches meeting.  No, not a social knees up, a planning meeting for the Jubilee party.  I think it's all more or less sorted now, all bar the actual doing of it all.  Today is intended to be another easy peasy restful day pottering about at home.  Here's hoping . . .

Saturday morning

. . . and the Easter break has started - sort of started anyway.  I always feel that, as the weekends are always there, the holiday proper doesn't start until the Monday.  Waking up on the first weekday is absolute bliss . . . such a wonderful feeling of freedom and release.  It's very good!

My friends are just leaving.  S is loading up her car as I type, although I'm not sure that M has really left the land of nod yet.  An early start for them will ensure that they meet their deadline the other end, which is all to the good.  We are all hoping that the silly panic buying of petrol will have calmed down because at some point they *will* need to top up with petrol.  Have a good journey, both of you, thanks for coming and see you soon, I hope.

Today is going to be easy (fingers crossed, touch wood, etc).  I need to do some washing, some basic decluttering, make a few resources for the new term, do some online shopping (yes I do, don't argue!!) and generally have a good day.  And George comes for an hour in the garden which is good and the dreaded weeds are starting to make an appearance again.  He will be busy today!

A walk home from school yesterday evening

Thursday morning

Mini rant coming up . . .
I do wish supply teachers would make sure little children put their names on their work rather than just assuming they have done.
End of rant!

Well, my friend finally got here yesterday and we had a lovely evening chatting and catching up on all sorts of things.  At the moment she and her daughter are, I hope, sleeping sweetly in the guest bedroom before waking to a new day.  We all went up to bed very early - all that nattering must have worn us out.  And I have to say, Morrison's pizzas are very tasty!

Today - two days to go - is not going to be terribly hard work.  There's a bit of maths, a bit of literacy, some phonics, a special assembly and a finishing of open boxes.  Several children expressed a concern about where the creme eggs were coming from.  H expressed it well.
'Er, excuse me, Mrs Clark' (he's always very polite), 'you know about these eggs . . .'
Me: (encouragingly):  'Mmmmm?'
H:  Well, I was just wondering . . . where are they coming from?  Do we have to bring one in?'

Wasn't that nicely expressed?  He and G had been whispering to each other and earlier G had asked me where the egg I had came from and I said (without thinking) 'Morrisons' and then, realising what I'd said, waffled about the Easter Bunny a bit!  It obviously didn't help!

So today they finish off the boxes, make a little handle, stuff the inside of their box with tissue paper and leave it, with eager hope, on the side for the last day, just in case the Easter Bunny does happen to pass by!  And yes, a lot of them do realise but are happy to keep up the pretence because you never know - do you?

Wednesday morning

While everyone else is rejoicing in the lighter evenings, I am really noticing the darker mornings!  They're jolly cold too - every morning there's been a frost requiring a scraping of the car.  If the clocks hadn't gone forward, the frost would have melted before I left home.

Yesterday was interesting - I was involved in interviews.  Much less stressful being an interviewer rather than an interviewee, that's for sure!  While I was thus engaged, my children were having a whale of a time making model rocking horses with paper plates, card and sundry other bits and bobs.  Today (June's idea) we are going to let each of them take a photo of their horse to stick in their theme book.  Then it's continuing with making those open boxes for a creme egg.  Fun!

Tuesday morning

Life can move on again now.  Four days to go before the Easter break, but only under two in class as today I am involved in interviews and Friday is SEN day.  Sadly, the friend who was due to arrive yesterday and stay for four nights can't make it until Wednesday now which will cut down on our time considerably.

Isn't it nice to see the sun, feel its warmth on your skin, breathe in the scent of spring.  I was on afternoon playground duty yesterday and it was an absolute pleasure to stand outside watching the children having a wonderful time and enjoying the peace.  Yes, I know that's a contradiction in terms, but it really was peaceful.  Noisy but peaceful.

Well, I have made some careful plans for whoever is taking my class today so I'd better start getting myself ready.  Bathroom - here I come.