Malawi & More

Good morning beautiful pals  I have successfully not had a drink since the epic weekend I'm about to describe... I really think my liver is in need of recovery and I'm due out with uni pals today. I'm very much hoping that like many of my now middle aged perimenopausal mates they are off big drinking and we'll talk about symptoms including lack of sleep, and then laugh lots about how much we used to drink when it was fashionable to wear clothes you could see your underwear through. The good old, long gone days.  Here's the email J and I had a healthy breakfast, drank lots of tea and then I made brunch and we all feasted on that. While we got ready BigA and K investigated the cause of our drain pipe flood by removing the skirting board and cutting another hole in the wall. Once we were all dressed, smart casual, we grabbed umbrellas but happily missed most of the rain as we set off to London town for a day of games and silliness.  First stop at The Counting House, ba...

 With just the weekend left of our break we packed it in, a much needed garden tidying and trip to the tip, the usual house clean and tidy and then over to D and D's while BigA watched the football and joined us later. I went to big skater training on Sunday and although still not allowed to do the really fun part I'm still glad I went.  The heat and sun are bearable when you are not at work and I found the radiators on in my studio, my new school will not win any eco-friendly awards any time soon. It was nice to be back, I felt prepared and ready to meet more new classes (the yr 7 and 8 rotate each half term) although I was quickly tired this week and quite grumpy on Thursday, the contrast with my wonderful week the week before made being a work a bit of a grump making feeling when I wasn't being listened to. Although I have had some of the usual lovely interactions and some of those horrid ones you get being a teacher. A highlight including one of my form letting me help ...

  More solid life contentment from me. I did find out that the bone in my neck hasn't healed yet and so I'm still not allowed contact sport, re-scan in 6 months. But after a little cry about that I got on with feeling happy.  After the strangeness of the night before I woke up to normal sounds and sat on a bench in the sun reading a play I bought in anticipation of teaching it. A little too much swearing for my new school, which is ironic as we know. Once up, BigA set up the induction hob outside for our first glamping breakfast of our break and, courtesy of the owners I drank some good strong Yorkshire tea. I forget how good that tea is. A dear friend stocked our kitchen when we turned from Malawi and that tea made coming home feel a little better and yesterday I bought myself a box as a treat.  We got the bus into York town center and without any particular plan we wandered around happening upon places, ancient and new. Great street food and a few purchases to treat our...

I very much wish I could have slept longer this morning. I don't know how to turn on the kettle without waking BigA up!  Life feels good right now and I'm letting myself indulge in the joy of that. But I do really want a cup of tea. (We're away - I'm not being mad) BigA and I both woke up annoyingly early on Saturday last week but only he had to actually get up as he had an appointment at Moorfields. (All going well with his eye now being monitored) He brought me a cup of tea and so I could at least stay put for a bit. After I'd had breakfast I decided to tick off some bits on my things to do list, one was doing some on foot research into local launderettes for my roller derby team. Once he got back we headed off to meet up with J, M and J to watch a charity comedy football match in Chesham. It was lots of fun and very silly. Seeing people who are proper famous for being funny being not very good at football was well worth the drive. I think my favourite rule was th...

After a little house tidy I went off to meet a pal who I have now known for over 15 years, funny how some people stick and others don't. We usually see each other in rapid succession for a few months and then there is a massive gap in-between. And, as is the way with friendships like that, it felt as if no time had passed at all as we sat in his garden and chatted about teaching these days and our daughters who have almost finished their first year at uni. We wandered into Muswell Hill where I was greeted with a "Miss" and after a great felt cuddle this old student and I enjoyed a good old catch up. Then I went home because despite thinking I was feeling better I was starting to feel rough again and needed to rest in the comfort of my own home. Bloody colds. Sunday I did the rookies session, wobbly though. But I'm glad I went because, despite me having to blow my nose a lot I did a good job considering I really am not ready for full contact yet.  My working week was a...

  Today is special - it's my dad's anniversary for a start but also the day my sister does another wonderful thing.  She does wonderful things often by the way. Some big, some small and today, one of the big ones.. so if you want donate here if you haven't already.  Her rather lovely husband is also doing this one!  And so to my week, less impressive.  We took a drive out to Coton Manor garden with a short stop off at a garden centre and the local reservoir that was on the way. The garden was part of a private home, very beautiful. And showed me how plants I have in my garden might one day be. The weather was warm and welcoming, they had various farm animals near and about and a delightful bluebell wood, that although on its way out was still a lush carpet of the blue lilac of that spring flower.  We then spent a gentle afternoon together and a quiet evening by the fire. The next morning, after a very tasty breakfast we set off back to London for, mainly As...