Tuesday

(but started Monday evening)

I'm sitting here in front of Pointless feeling somewhat stunned.  A parent, whose children I have taught in past years and who still regularly comes to help, went to Cologne Christmas market over the weekend and came back with THE most beautiful blown glass Christmas tree decoration.  For me!
I think I have said before but I do like to get a special ornament for the tree each year.  This year I haven't seen anything that has called out to me.  Now I don't need to look any more.  I will take a photo at some point so you can see how utterly beautiful it is (and unique, being hand blown).  It's fragile which, to me, makes it all the more precious, and it is irridescent.  Absolutely beautiful.

Now, being realistic, they probably turn these out by the hundred but I really don't care.  To me it is very, very special.  Perhaps I shouldn't have accepted it but I have no wish to crush the giver and have accepted it with the gratitude the kindness deserves.  Thank you.

(Tuesday)
Yesterday was good for lots of reasons.

First of all, we got our DT project finished with the making and evaluating of our vegetable soups.  It was a complicated project and I could never have done it withough the help of my morning and afternoon TAs who are absolutely brilliant.  None of the class refused to try the soup they had made or the soup others had made.  Many of them thought it was all delicious.  A few disliked them but they ploughed their way through anyway.
I'm so glad that's done.  I had dreams about the logistics of the whole activity over Sunday night - not bad dreams, just circular dreams.  Now I can relax.

Now when one group is off concocting in the kitchen, the others have to work too and their challenge was to design a soup carton 'cover'.  Great fun all round and some excellent efforts.

I got a message regarding a phone call that arrived while I was teaching, saying that the spare parts for the oven had arrived and please would I phone to arrange a time.  I emailed Beth who did the necessary for me and I now hope that my fan oven will be working again by Saturday evening.  Wouldn't that be great?  I hadn't planned to go out on Saturday anyway and will need to be up and ready 'early'.  Seeing as I have often made and baked two loaves of bread by eight, that's not going to be a problem at all.

Since the new dinner menu started after half term I have wanted to try one particular dinner and yesterday it was the vegetarian choice for the day (there's a three week menu for our school dinners).  It was sweet potato and lentil curry so, after going 'oh, fantastic, I must have this' in front of the children, I ordered a school lunch.  Amusingly, because I had raved about it, many of the children decided to take the vegetarian option too, rather than the alternative which was popcorn chicken.  This bucked the trend for the day so significantly that our lovely office lady came to the bay to check that I'd given them the correct choices when I took the dinner register.
I have to say, it was very tasty.  Not enough salt and I'm not quite sure where the 'curry' bit comes in but those are easily remedied and I MUST get the recipe from the cooks.
I hope it is on next half term's menu.

Today is panto day.
Oh, no, it's not!
Oh, yes, it is!!!

Every year we have this travelling theatre company who take over the hall and do two performances of whatever their show is for the year, one for the infants and one for the juniors.  We've had Dick Whittington in the past and a few others I can't now remember.  It's a small company, just three actors so there's loads of quick changing behind the scenes.  Both adults and children have a wonderful time and we are all so looking forward to seeing 'The Wizard of Oz' which is this year's offering.  I'm not sure how they will manage the cast but I know it's going to be fun, fun, fun!

In the afternoon we are making Christmas cards so I guess it will be exciting and noisy!  Great fun all round today!

And then, after school, I will need to sober up for an important meeting.  More about that another time, perhaps.

I feel a bit at a loose end - plenty of time and nothing to prepare.  Better have another coffee then!  And, Diane - safe travelling!