Tuesday

Good morning!  It's frosty and foggy out there this morning so fingers crossed for Beth (and everyone else) as she/you drives to work in the rush hour.  Freezing fog is not very nice.

When I wrote yesterday's entry, I forgot that yesterday evening I was out.  It was Alex's last Presentation Evening at his old school and I mentioned here that we had no idea what his 'prize' was, just that he had one.  Well, now I know, of course.  He was awarded the Carol Buck Prize for Special Effort and Achievement!  Isn't that lovely!  Well deserved as he has worked his socks off in his time at Baddow High.

I seem to have a number of new readers so I will just explain that Alex is my grandson and is quite autistic.  At the age of three, it was thought that he would never become verbal!
He was given a Statement of Special Educational Needs when he was three, was given a place at a very good special school in the area and blossomed there.  He went with a LSA to the local grammar school for maths lessons for a while and then transferred to Baddow, dropped a school year so that he could experience the national curriculum (because he hadn't done the usual subjects at his special school, of course, and needed to choose his GCSE options) and shocked us all with his outstanding GCSE results.  He went on to A levels with a focus on maths and science, got three high grade A levels and is now at UEA doing maths. 

He's a very special individual indeed with a special and individual life-story and his award is well deserved!  It is great that his old school has been so quick to recognise and acknowledge this.

Earlier in the day I enjoyed the coffee and chat at school and then I worked hard to finish something back at home.  Tuition went well and I have just one session before stopping for the break: the other one has dropped out, understandably, and that's perfectly OK.

I woke up this morning to find that the cold that has been threatening all through the weekend has thoroughly landed.  Sore throat, muggy head and aches.  Nothing that a dose of paracetamol won't soothe and there's honey and lemon (providentially low fat) for later if needed.

I have a meeting this morning and this afternoon I am off to the Carols By Candlelight that is now a school tradition on the last afternoon before Christmas.  I have a particular fondness for this one because I started it, many, many moons ago, and I always go if I can.  Then it is one more tuition session before a quiet evening at home (this time I am sure).

So I had better go and dose up, make some restorative coffee and generally get things started off.  Have a very good day and stay warm!