Saturday

Phew.  It's the weekend.  A couple of days to rest and recover.  A couple of days to do more or less what I want to do when I want to do it - one advantage of living on my own, I guess.  It will be nice to have the time to appreciate all the flowers which are looking cheerful along one side of the room.

Until a few minutes ago the sun was shining beautifully and I watched the shadows gradually retreat as they caught the sun.  A minute later I glanced out again and the sun had gone, the shadows had returned and it looks like rain is coming.

It's absolutely ridiculous - we've been back at school for four days and already we are tired.   It's nothing to do with age - the youngsters are saying the same thing.  It's just a very wearing occupation, I think.  I work with a great team connected with my class though, TAs, LSAs and teachers alike .  It's a great feeling and a real privilege to be heading up so many fantastic and skilled people.

Mind you, something else has also made me very proud of the school I am fortunate enough to work at.  I can't give details, obviously, but we've been challenged this week with a situation (not a bad one) that we don't often meet and I am very, very proud of the way everyone has worked to meet the need and provide the best.  That's the sort or thing that makes our school outstanding, I believe.  Well done to everyone concerned.

And now it's the weekend.  This morning I am off into town to pay in some cheques (good!) and get a few bits and bobs.  Then I'm coming home to do some gardening stuff (weather permitting) and by the evening I will be ready to crack open one of my birthday bottles and I might even sacrifice one of the steaks I have in the freezer.  After all, I've bought them so I ought to eat them, frugality notwithstanding!  I saw, in a Halogen oven group on Facebook, that you can cook steaks in a HO with the air fryer attachment so I will try it that way and see how it goes.  A few accompanying chips will work well too - in fact I might do some extras and freeze some so they are ready for Live Below The Line, which I start not tomorrow but the following Sunday.

I've just glanced over my grafted tomatoes and notice that one has flowers.  How did that happen, they're still indoors?  Have they made too fast progress?  Did I buy them too early?  Time will tell, I guess but I hope they will be OK.

And in the time it has taken to finish off this message the wind has increased, the gloom intensified and the rain has started and looks set to continue for a while.  I'm glad I was up early enough to see the sunshine because it was beautiful.