Wednesday

Good morning.  Welcome to a comparatively mild start to the day.  iPod informs me that it is 4C in Chelmsford which means no frost!  Certainly I was cosy all night long without any need for an extra cover.

Being cosy didn't stop me from waking very early again though.  Before three o'clock two mornings in a row is beginning to feel like a habit.  I know it's connected to early bed times but when one is falling asleep, what can one do?  At least I know I am getting enough sleep, it's just all several hours earlier than the sensible majority of the population.  I should be going out for a meal on Thursday evening to say goodbye to a colleague who is retiring at half term, so I'm a bit concerned, but there is something I want to watch this evening that finishes at nine o'clock, so perhaps that will break the pattern.  Finger crossed, anyway.

One thing about waking early is that I seem to get a lot done before the rest of the world joins me.  Today I sorted out my spice shelf.  The spice order I made last week arrived yesterday so it was out with the old (and tasteless) and in with the new.  I'm afraid I had to chuck out a fair amount because it was well (and I mean WELL) past its use by date.  The cupboard now looks wonderfully neat and tidy again and the bin smells fragrantly spicy!  The next curry I make should have a much better taste.

How many years have I had my range for?  Must be nine or ten now but yesterday, for the first time, I used the oven timer, set to come on at four and go off at six, to bake a potato so it was ready when I got home.  How ridiculous not to have used it before.  But you know what - it worked perfectly!  It was a bit more complicated than I remember my old cooker being.  That was just turn a few knobs and press a button.  This time I had to set the cooking time and the off time which meant the clock had to show the right time!
Must use it more often!!!

I can see this new sewing maching will be expensive.  Craft fabrics in Hobbycraft are so, so costly that I trawled around the internet and found plenty of places that sell fabrics very  reasonably.  The flip sides are that postage is quite a lot and you can't see before you buy so goodness knows what the quality is like.  As far as postage is concerned it stays the same however much you order so I < cough > made the most of that.  Then I fear I had an impulse buy and bought a jelly roll.  Making it up will teach Beth how to sew basic seams although, knowing her, once she gets a handle on it she will be off and overtaking me!  I'll keep you informed.

There's a couple of family birthdays in March and the possibility of family get togethers here so I want to make some bunting over half term.  Easy with my new toy!!!  I also want to make some summer skirts so will need to trawl around for some patterns.  It's so long since I made anything that I have no idea where my patterns are, no idea at all.  They could be anywhere.


Today is Wednesday - always an interesting (used in the usual sense of the word) day.  Reading revelry, violins, library, then class time, then PPA in the afternoon.  Staff meeting after school which I hope isn't too long.

Anyway, enough rambling.  I ought to think about meals for today.  Porridge with yogurt and pineapple for breakfast, beans on toast for lunch (we have a toaster and microwave in the staff room) and then for dinner I'm having burger in a roll (both home made) with fried potato (yesterday's jacket potato was so big I only ate half of it) and coleslaw.  Very nice too!

But first - coffee!