Tuesday, January 31, 2006

To the power of 4!

Whilst visiting El Lunchtruck, I made myself available to be méméd!*

Four jobs I've had ::

Supermarket checkout girl
Barmaid
Civil servant
Teacher

Four movies I can watch over and over and over again ::

The Shawshank Redemption
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Along came a spider
The Sound of Music

Four TV shows I love ::
QI

Nevermind the Buzzcocks
Extreme Makeover Home Edition
CSI

Four vacation spots I would highly recommend ::
St Jean de Luz, South Western France
Skiathos, Greece
Durban, South Africa
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Four daily visits on t'Internet ::
Only 4?? Or can I cheat be creative? *sulks* ok then!
Internet Lovers
Fizzy's Nuthouse

Kiwifruit
Ms Mac's meanderings

.... and lots, lots more including ~ him, her, her, him, her and him!

Four favourite foods ::

Pan fried foie gras
Sausage and mash with onion gravy
Thick white toast with salty Welsh butter
Ice-cream ~ vanilla or chocolate, but not together

Four places I'd rather be right now ::

Au Laquet ~ 'cept as of yesterday afternoon they'd had a foot of snow .... **
New Zealand
South Africa
Back in bed

Four weird habits ::

Let's not bring them up again ... they're here! *blushes*

* Do you think I can conjugate mémé like that and get away with it?

**Conversation about the foot of snow
Me ~ wow, really?
Mum ~ Yeh, it's up to the top of the bird table, from the tray.
Me ~ Gosh, take pictures Mum!
Mum ~ We don't have a film for the camera!
Me ~ Isn't it time you got a digital camera?
Mum ~ oh no, that's very modern and you never get any photos!
Me ~ *~#&£$# !!

Dog tired


... and yet awake at 4am! #&$*£#!!! Go figure!?!

Monday, January 30, 2006

Crawling along the second branch!

... so where did we leave off?

Nana and Grampa Carey in Majorca


Ah yes, it's all coming back to me now. You'd just met my Nana and my Grampa Carey-o. That's them in the photograph taken right back when it was still ok to have your photo taken whilst enjoy a fag and a beer! They had met at college, married in 1940 and lived in Swansea. Grampa Carey-o wasn't from Swansea. He was born in Carmel ... between Llanelli and Llandeilo* the 4th of 6 children. He had polio as a small child and always wore a caliper on his leg.

I have a wonderful photo of his father (I think he looks so dapper and jaunty, full of fun) John EVANS but none of his mother Edith. Unfortunately Evans is an incredibly common name in Wales and lines are almost impossible to follow … so that’s a branch I am putting away for now!


John, my great grandfather


My nana on the other hand was Swansea born and bred, her parents too. She was born in August 1916, the 7th of 11 children (3rd daughter) of Thomas James BAYLIS and Ruth HACCHE. She had rickets as a child and spent much of her childhood in splints, having a number of painful operations. As a child she lived in a small street in the very centre of Swansea called Gomerian Place ... if you look for it on a current street map you won’t find it as it was destroyed in the blitz, but if you know Swansea ... it's pretty much where the lane between Littlewoods and Top Shop is!

Her father Thomas James (that's him with his mother and sisters) was a French polisher and met his wife (my great grandmother) at the factory where they both worked. Ruth suffered from asthma and living in the slum area of Swansea with 11 children in a tiny "2-up, 2-down" with a cellar kitchen must have taken its toll on her health. She lost 4 of her sons in infancy / childhood (the dreaded TB) and died herself at only 57. My nana has only kind words to say about her mother ... quite unlike the memories she has of her hard-drinking father! The photo below shows my great, great grand-mother Ann, her son Thomas James and my nana's oldest brother Thomas Edward (Ted). And below that, a slightly earlier photo of Thomas James's wife Ruth again with Ted.

Ann, Thomas James and Ted

Ruth and Ted circa 1908

Thomas James was one of 3 children, his sisters Elizabeth and Ethel both married and lived in the St Thomas area of Swansea. Ruth however only had one sister, her parents (unfortunately I don’t have any photos) had married very young and her father died when she was just six weeks old.

Ann, Thomas James, Ethel and Elizabeth

I do though have some beautiful photos of Thomas James’s father ~ also named Thomas he was born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire the eldest son of Fanny (daughter of Benjamin)… no father recorded. There are all kinds of rumors about his birth ~ talk of twins left on a door-step, of his illegitimacy being linked to a “famous” Bristol family. The first photo must have been taken just after he arrived in Swansea, he looks so young and full of hope ~ I have him listed on the 1871 Census of Thornbury as a lodger (fancy letting your 15 year old son leave home at that tender age!) and 10 years later, he’s already living in Swansea … next door to his future wife! I think they look so happy in the photograph of them taken together ~ almost a smile, unusual for photos from that time! **

Thomas Ann and Thomas

Unfortunately, Ann’s life wasn’t happy; Thomas died aged 49 in an accident at the grain store where he worked. The final picture I have of her is with my nana’s youngest brother Henry George (Harry) circa 1928. She was a kind lady who was always happy and smiling with her grandchildren.

Ann with Harry

So, branch #2 … a little more scandal (twins on doorsteps, famous families?) and still the hard-drinking Irish sailing side to come! If anyone out there is researching BAYLIS (Thornbury, Gloucestershire / Bristol / Swansea) or HACCHE (South Molton, Devon / Swansea) … do get in touch :o)

* I know you don't know where these places are, I just wanted to impress you with the amount of l's that the Welsh can put in one word!

* And I cannot explain how much I luurrve the moustache!!

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Unconscious mutterings #156

mutteringsredanim88x33

I say ... and you think ... ?

Long distance :: phone call. Whenever I go abroad, I have this system with my parents that I make long-distance collect phone calls every other day to let them know things are fine. When in the states I didn't even have to speak to them ... I used to tell the operator that it was Joanne (not Jo) and they knew everything was ok and I didn't need to talk.
Meant to be :: this has given me the most pondering ... I thought of all those things that were meant to be together, you know ~ strawberries and cream, a long hot soak and a glass of wine, Posh & Becks (because who else would put up with either one's shenanigans?), me & my blog! Meant to be!
Here :: and now
Endless :: Endless Love ~ loved the book, hated with a capital H the film! Rubbish!
Resentment :: always leads to some form of revenge
Insipid :: pale, weak, tasteless, wan
Bunny :: Hugh Hefner
Slogan :: Because your worth it! Always cracked me up when said by Le Ginola! I don't know why, because I think he's quite sexy in a long-haired-French kind of way and he's got gorgeous thighs! And ... good on himself for his work on the Walk Without Fear anti-landmine campaign!
Naked :: civil servant
Sarcasm ::
moi? No! Not me, I am never sarcastic!

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Stress management!

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."


So, my friend, why not take a while to just simply RELAX.
Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.
Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.
Life is short ~ e
njoy it!
Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it
Never buy a car you can't push.
Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
The second mouse gets the cheese.
When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
We could learn a lot from crayons ... some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today ... I did!

Friday, January 27, 2006

Right up my tree!

In his post Sex, Religion, Drugs, Sex and Religion while on Drugs, Guns … the wonderful Walker asked for a topic to post about. I plumped for genealogy and have just read his post A Tree of Time.

I find family history fascinating in a way that I never found classroom history fascinating; tales of kings and queens, unusual plumbing* and wooden wheels never meant anything to me, never rang bells, never inspired awe and wonder! Romans, Celts and Tudors ... give me great grandpa the sailor any day.


So, here's a potted history ... welcome to the first branch of my tree!

I was born in Swansea, (Morriston Hospital to be precise), in August 1969. My cheesecloth and denim clad, Mamas and Papas listening parents took me home to a house on this road. In fact if you were standing taking this photograph (on the left) you'd have been outside the lounge window! The 2nd photo is much older (pre 1888), taken looking up towards our house ... which hadn't been built at that stage!

Tynybonau Road Tynybonau Road again

We lived in the upstairs flat of the house with my grandparents living downstairs. That's them on the right of my mother. With most people, my grandfather was a tartar but with my brother and I he was a pussy cat ... ex-merchant navy he'd been to just about every country in the world with a coastline and most major seaports. Last year when I was in South Africa one of the things that struck me everyday as I was sitting outside the hotel was I knew my grandfather has sailed from Durban to Ceylon (that's what it was called then) and here was I sitting staring at that same stretch of water!

Mum and Dad's wedding, June 1962

My gran was a whole different ball-game ... she was quieter with a more obviously wicked sense of humour. My dad called her "Toots" and my brother spent hours chasing her around the garden with worms! My grandparents met in Swansea and married on August 14th 1929, exactly 40 years to the day before I was born! My gran, the youngest of 13 children had come down from the coal fields of the Rhondda valley to work as a waitress in a big hotel in Swansea and met my grandpa. A great aunt of mine once insinuated that my grandfather was marrying below himself ... actually come to think of it I think it was my great-aunt's lesbian lover who made the insinuation! See there's a bit of scandal** straight away!

Next to my dad is my nana, my mum's mum and there right on the edge of the photo is her dad! Nana and Grampa-Carey-o (his name was Carey and that's what we always called him) met at a college for young disabled adults in Shropshire and married in Swansea in 1940.

Nana and Grampa Carey-o

My grampa was a shoemaker (the trade that he had learnt at the Derwen) and was a sweet, gentle man with a great sense of humour. He made us laugh and I remember him listening to music all the time. My mum says that my brother is alot like him ... anything for an easy life; he died in 1988 after a long illness. My nana was the tartar in that side of the family ... she's tiny only 4' 11" at her tallest and I think she tries to make up for her size with a snap ... it's either that or the fact that she's small like a terrier!! She's still alive, in fact she'll be 90 years old in August! She lives in an old people's home and shares a room with her younger sister Peggy.

Nana and Grampa Carey-o in Majorca

So there you go, branch #1 ... a little scandal, a lot of laughs and lots of love!

* I'd holidayed in France, I'd seen it in the flesh so to speak! I mean have you ever used a traditional French loo? Where to stand? When to jump?
** Yeh, ok, I know it's hardly scandalous now ... but in the 1930s ~ wow!

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Wednesday ...

... nearly Thursday ... boring week! Meetings, marking, m ... no, I'll 'cause blushing if I go down that path!

So, what to post about??
Decisions, decisions!

Ummm, did I say this already? Nothing has happened! Nothing exciting, boring, life-changing, mind-numbing or eventfull! Nothing! Nada! Rien! Nichts!

In fact, I need to make myself a life*!

So, I "googled nothing"! And I got ...

Apparently nothing ~ fab photos!

Buy Nothing Day 2005 in Bristol ~ would have mede me cry if I couldn't have shopped 'til I dropped!!

And some pretty damn bizarre pictures too!


Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing

One can hope that today ('cause I've been here so long it is now Thursday) will be slightly more exciting ... don't hold your breath for me!
* In the grand tradition of ...
Man #1 ~ My mother made me a homosexual
Man # 2 ~ Really? If I buy the wool, will she knit one for me too?

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Unconscious mutterings #155

mutteringsredanim88x33

I say ... and you think ... ?

Alone :: Just like Greta ~ got to love Van the Man!
Science :: Weird Science - loved it!
Deposit :: At the bank.
Faithful :: Christmas carols.
Tender :: TLC, comes in white and red!
Chocolate :: Green & Black's Organic chocolate, do not even think about asking for any of mine! I don't share it.
Homework :: homework = marking!
Tamper :: proof lid; I can never never open them. You know the ones on bottles of bleach and paracetemol. I'm sure there are loads of 5 year olds out there who manage it with no problem; me not a hope in hell!!
Friend :: Kev, Ruth, Su, Jo. Any order.
Wire :: Down to the wire.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

3 things you don't know about me!

Tagged by the fantabulous Fizzy* ... who was tagged by Adrienne, I have to think of 3 things that you don't actually know about me! Oooof! Hard one, I don't think there are 3 things you don't know thanks to the 100 list, the 2nd 100 list** and the god I call meme, nevertheless I am going to do my best to rise to the challenge!

There is of course a catch!! According to Adrienne's rules ... the first 3 commenter's are tagged! No lurking, because, that's just the easy way out :o)

1. In secondary school I was founding member of the synchronized swimming team; I never enjoyed sports in school, the changing pavillion (whether you were playing hockey, netball, tennis, lacrosse or taking part in athletics) was in the middle of a patch of wind-swept red gravel and felt like Antartica even in the latter stages of July. It was inhabited by a ... it's hard to know best how to describe Lynn Thomas the PE teacher except to say she scared the shit out of the rugby coach (sweetly nicknamed Bugner) because she was more butch than him!!

I was a regular little Esther Williams me!

The swimming pool was a completely different story and I was very much at home there! I was on the team for the whole of my time at school. I swam everything except the dreaded butterfly ... could just not get the co-ordination right. In 1985 or so, Doreen (our swimming teacher) suggested that we needed some kind of entertainment for the Primary school swimming galas ~ et voila, we started the synchro team! See that picture above *preens slightly*, I could do that! Matching costumes & hats, nose clips, sequins and fixed smiles. Need I say more?

not truly a brothel

2. When I was little I used to read myself to sleep (even from aged 5/6), this is an addiction I have never got over. So ... probably to cure me of this *** my parents took the light bulb out of my bedroom and replaced it with a red one so I couldn't read! So, in case you lived in a small village 10 miles outside Swansea, next to a brothel from 1975 to 1982 ~ don't panic! It wasn't really a brothel. It was to cure me of reading until midnight :o)

A ploughman's lunch ~ he doesn't know I've pinched his pickle yet!

3. I am addicted to pickled onions and/or shallots. I can eat vast quantities of them thorughout the day and night. I love strong / sweet / spiced ones, but the problem is not only do I like them in the usual way ~ on the side of a ploughman's lunch , with a cheese sandwich, a mini one in a Gibson. But I also like them at other times .... *food purists surf away now* .... I love pickled onions on pizza, in Spaghetti Bolognaise, in noodles and at breakfast time! My mother despairs, truly she does!

* See my
previous post, I appreciate Fizzy ~ she has a truly wonderful soul, she is caring and we laugh together! I don't need anymore in a friend ~ do you?
** Still unfinished ... because you know EVERYTHING ~ see how hard this is!
*** I'm going to check this with my mother!

A bit of a ho-ho-007

The ever so confident James Bond walks into a bar and takes a seat next to a very attractive woman. He gives her a quick glance, then casually looks at his watch for a moment.

The women notices this and asks, "Is your date running late?"

"No," he replies, "Q has just given me this state-of-the-art watch.. I was just testing it."

The intrigued woman says, "A state-of-the-art watch? What's so special about it?"

Bond explains, "It uses alpha waves to talk to me telepathically.

"The lady says, "What's it telling you now?"

"Well, it says you're not wearing any knickers ..."

The woman giggles and replies, "Well it must be broken because I am wearing knickers!"

Bond raises one eyebrow, taps his watch and says, "bloody thing is an hour fast ..."


I'd have fallen for it from either or these two?

Friday, January 20, 2006

The most attractive people are ...

... those who are at home in their own skin.

Western idea of beautyI don't think it's about beauty (like Ms Gisele to the left, or Ms Milano to the right*), it's that air of "I'm comfortable with who I am, I'm not going to allow you to judge me based on the western world's idea of beauty (once again like Ms Gisele to the left, or Ms Milano to the right*) and even if you do try to judge me I am going to treat your judgements with the contempt I feel they deserve!"

I think you all know me well enough by now to know that I'm not entirely comfortable in my own skin. But I don't know whether you know that I often let other people's judgement get to me, upset me, unsettle me and quite frankly at other times piss me right off!

That's not what this post is about today, no-one has said anything for me to gripe about / get on my high horse over etc but over the last couple of weeks a few bloggers who I read / talk to have said much the same thing! They have had to put up with comments / looks etc from people in their lives who thought that what they were saying was "for their own good!"

So, come-on, why are we lead to believe that you can only be beautiful if you are young slim and fashionable? Where does the belief that "beauty is only skin deep" come from? And are the rest of us, whose skin is not what it once was worthless? Forgetable? Unwanted?

Are all the truly beautiful people out there that you know only beautiful on the outside? Can we / do we not appreciate the beauty of people's souls, thoughts and ideas anymore? I for one do ~ I appreciate the beauty of experience, of humour, of kindness, of love, of loyalty to friends & loved ones and experience. I appreciate the beauty of an offer of help, a thoughtful word, a shared joke or memory of better or worse times! I think the world would be a far poorer place if we were all too busy trying to be plucked, waxed, coiffed and a size 10 (UK); and couldn't help each other!

So come on, stand up with me and talk to the really beautiful people out there, tell them how much you appreciate them being in your lives, how much richer your life is for them just being there; and YOU (you know your name) stop telling me every time I phone you "how much happier you (and Simon**) would be if I lost weight and started acting my age!"

I'm off to start my list now! :o)

**Addendum** I've just realised that this post makes me sound like I am skinn-iest (ie I don't like slim people) ... it couldn't be further from the truth. I am just appalled to be living in a society that values physical beauty over inner beauty.

* Included entirely for Steve!! :o) Though she is incredibly beautiful! Even I, a 30 *coughs loudly* year old heterosexual school teacher can appreciate that *winks*

** I asked him and he laughed aloud and said "she's such a liar!"

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Have I ever?

Snuck out of the house - no
Gotten lost in your city - no
Seen a shooting star - yes
Been to any other countries besides Canada - yes (but never in fact been to Canada)
Had a serious surgery - yes
Gone out in public in your pajamas - yes
Kissed a stranger - yes
Hugged a stranger - yes
Been in a fist fight - yes
Laughed and had milk/coke come out of your nose - yes
Pushed all the buttons on an elevator - yes
Swore at your parents - yes
Been in love - yes
Been close to love - yes
Been to a casino - yes
Been skydiving - no
Skinny dipped - yes
Skipped school - yes
Seen a therapist - no
Done the splits - yes
Played spin the bottle - no
Drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour - no
Bitten someone - yes
Been to Niagara Falls - no
Gotten the chicken pox - yes
Kissed a member of the same sex - yes
Crashed into a friend's car - no
Been to Japan - no
Ridden in a taxi - yes
Been dumped - yes
Shoplifted - no
Been fired - no
Had a crush on someone of the same sex - yes
Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back - yes
Gone on a blind date - yes
Lied to a friend - yes
Had a crush on a teacher - yes
Celebrated Mardi-Gras in New Orleans - no
Slept with a co-worker - yes
Been married - yes
Had children - no
Seen someone die - yes
Had a close friend die - yes
Been to Africa - yes
Driven over 400 miles in one day - yes
Been to US - yes
Been to Mexico - no
Been to India - no
Been on a plane - yes
Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show - yes
Thrown up in a bar - yes
Purposely set a part of myself on fire - no
Eaten sushi - yes
Been skiing/snowboarding - no
Met someone in person from the Internet - yes, I married him!
Lost a child - yes
Gone to college/university - yes
Graduated college/university - yes
Fired a gun - yes
Purposely hurt yourself - yes
Taken painkillers - yes

What about you? Choose a question any question and answer it in the comment box!

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Give me 2 nurofen and a large brandy and I'll be fine!

I'm flagging this week and it's not even hump-day Wednesday; between PMT, the start of a head cold and the fact that it's been a bit of a week/fortnight/year so far with my little pickle ... roll on Friday I say!

The child from hell in my class has been on flying form for the last 10 days or so ~ hiding in the coat corner, smacking my TAs, throwing anything he could get his hands on at other children, biting/kicking/spitting @ me, calling me a stupid fat ugly cow! Ah the joys of primary education in the 21st century!

So today I disappeared off to KS2 (peace away from him!!! hurrah!!) to do a lunchtime dinner duty, there I was met with a 1000 questions (from the lunchtime supervisors), requests for drinks/crisps to be opened/yoghurt to be wiped up etc etc And at 12.50 I escaped to grab a mug of soup as lessons were due to start again at 1.10pm.

Not a chance ... I walked up the steps to find out that my little devil, yes we're back to him again had kicked another lad in year 2 (a year older) right in the bojangles!

I rang Mums ~ both of them! One to whisk to casualty ... I won't mention black balls again this week ... but he had black balls! If any dropping had already taken place (he's only 7) they were retreating, waving the white flag, shouting " HELP! "* The other (the pickle's) Mum to take the little bugger pickle home for the afternoon!

I had a great afternoon, work went well ... no fighting, no hurt children, no swearing, no physical abuse of me ~ one of the children said at the end of the day "we've all been really happy this afternoon, is that because Pickle isn't here?"

What could I say?

Me ~ *chicken* It's storytime, would you like to choose a book for me to read?

Anyway, *smiles* Right I'm off to bed ... a hot-water bottle, 2 nurofen, a mug of hot-chocolate, fresh bed-linen and therefore a good night's sleep ~ how could tomorrow fail to be a better day?

*Mum is ready to write a letter of complaint to the chair of governors, I have his address if she needs it!

Your Birthdate: August 14
You work well with others. That is, you're good at getting them to do work for you.It's true that you get by on your charm. But so what? You make people happy!You're dynamic, clever, and funny. And people like to have you around.But you're so restless, they better not expect you to stay around for long.
Your strength: Your superstar charisma
Your weakness: Commitment means nothing to you
Your power color: Fuchsia
Your power symbol: Diamond
Your power month: May

Sipping vodka ... a joke for Tuesday evening!

A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak. After mass he asked the monsignor how he had done.

The monsignor replied, “When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, I take a sip.”

So next Sunday he took the monsignor’s advice. At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink and continued to plug away at the drink throughout the mass. He proceeded to talk up a storm.

Upon his return to his office after the mass, he found the following note on the door:

Sip the vodka, don't gulp!

There are 10 commandmants not 12

There are 12 disiples not 10.

Jesus was consecrated not constipated.

Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not bet his ass.

We do not refer to Jesus Christ as the late J.C.

The father, son and the Holy Ghost are not referred to as Dad, Junior and the Spook!

David slew Goliath, he did not kick the shit out of him.

When David was knocked off his donkey do not say he was stoned off his ass!

We do not refer t the cross as the "Big T."

When Jesus broke the bread at the last supper he said "take this and eat for it is my body." he did not shout "eat me!"

The Virgin Mary is not called "Mary with the Cherry!"

The recommended grace before a meal is not "Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub! yeah God!"

Next Sunday there will be a taffy pulling contest at St peter's, not a Peter pulling contest at St Taffy's.

Monday, January 16, 2006

email from a parent

I just received an email from the mum of one of my pupils who is also one of my teaching assistants. I'm so relieved to know the kids are listening to me!!

She said "Jo, I had a fab recount of the RE lesson you taught Kieran today.... He told me that Germans kiss their hands, touch the mazozon on the door frame and go in the room to pray, after a bit, I sussed he was talking about Jewish mezuzah!!"


I'm not planning to give up the day job, shit!!!! It is the day job!

Bon Voyage ~ how do you say that in Korean?

I went to a Bon Voyage party on Saturday night for our SENCO (special needs co-ordinator) from school. Her and her husband are off to South Korea for the next two years and we had a get together to wish them well, cry a little, generally talk about good times and remind them to keep in touch.

I cannot explain to you how much I am going to miss this lady ~ she is the approachable person in the senior management team; the one you find to talk a problem through, ask for advice, cry with, laugh with and get a hug from! She is going on a fantastic adventure and I know that they are both going to have an amazing time!*

I explained to all the children in the class on Friday, just before the KS1 assembly we had to say goodbye (and also told them that we could send Barnaby Bear to see Mrs P***** as soon as he gets back from Lisa’s!)

Me ~ so, we’re having a special assembly to say goodbye to Mrs P

All 26 children ~ aww, that’s sad!

Me ~ she’s going to South Korea with her husband!

Them ~ Why?

Me ~ he’s going to build some special ships!

Them ~ *all sadness evaporates* WOW!

Anyway, hopefully we will have 2 new readers ~ as I have told them how and where to find Laquet! So welcome Mr and Mrs P! Have a wonderful time, thinking of you both as you start this fantastic adventure! Keep in touch ~ love Jo xx

*How could they not when it looks like this?



Sunday, January 15, 2006



Ten Top Trivia Tips about Laquet!



  1. Laquet is actually a vegetable, not a fruit.

  2. By tradition, a girl standing under Laquet cannot refuse to be kissed by anyone who claims the privilege!

  3. Birds do not sleep in Laquet, though they may rest in her from time to time.

  4. Originally, Laquet could not fly.

  5. Laquet was originally called Cheerioats.

  6. Laquet is the smallest of Jupiter's many moons.

  7. There are now more than 4000 satellites orbiting Laquet.

  8. Ostriches stick their heads in Laquet not to hide but to look for water!

  9. The pupil of an octopus's eye is shaped like Laquet.

  10. According to the story, Pinocchio was made of Laquet.




I am interested in - do tell me about


Unconscious mutterings #154

mutteringsredanim88x33

I say ... and you think ... ?

Paralyzed :: with fear!
Bossy :: boots
Worth :: "because I'm worth it!"
Breathing :: deeply
Uneventful :: boring
Return :: home
Splint :: broken bone
Notice :: me, me, me! No don't!
Hero :: Nelson Mandela
Vulnerable :: easy to hurt ... actually truly the first thought was naked in public! I know, strange! Did you read my weird things about me post?

Friday, January 13, 2006

Random thoughts through my head yesterday

What's with pomegranates? Were they that difficult to eat when I was little?

My friend's daughter used to be the Cinderella at Euro Disney, she signed me an autograph yesterday!

Dont give me a deadline and then check up to see if I have kept it before the deadline date, because I wont have, because I haven't got to the deadline date yet!

I love crunchy peanut butter and yet smooth peanut butter is so claggy it makes me heave.

Why do we have so many tea-towels, I don't remember buying that many.

Where did the word foolscap come from?

My favourite week day is Wednesday.

Are Fi and
Lisa standing upside down because they're in New Zealand? [My next thought after this was ... you are such a child and you did a geography degree, never let anyone know you thought this! Righty-ho then!]

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Weird? Me?

UPDATE @ 7pm this evening, a mere (sp?) 11 & 1/2 hours after the original question!

Me ~ So, did you think about my weird habits? Did you? Huh? Go-on! Did you? ** What are my weird habits?
Simon ~ What? Weird habits?
Me ~ *Mwah hah hah hah* Fabulous! I knew I wasn't weird, I don't have any do I?
Simon ~ Yeh, I just haven't had a chance to think about them!!

********************************************************

I have been tagged by the lovely ducky one to tell you about five of my most weird habits! Only five? But I have so many more!! So, down to work ...


1. I have to have my feet free (i.e. not tucked under blankets/duvets) to go to sleep! They don't have to be completely uncovered but they can't be restricted ... Simon has never mentioned my nocturnal Irish dancing, so I obviously don't kick around but I must move my feet a bit!

2. I cannot eat from a bag that I open from the bottom i.e. crisps (chips), sweets etc. I have to open the bag the right way up to eat them! ??? I don't know why! I wasn't supposed to/didn't have to explain these habits did I?

3. *blushes about this one* I have a font that I see my dreams in. Just don't say ANYTHING!

4. I have to read the last page of a book before I start it, actually normally after the first 20 or so pages of the beginning of the book (by that point I generally know whether I like the book or not and whether I am going to finish it). This is due to the dreadful stupid morbid fear I have of dying halfway through a really good book and never ever knowing the end!

5. Umm, hang on ... Simon says*, "Oh god it's too early to think of thigs like that!" Oooops ~ that's his cage rattled for the day then! He says he'll come back to me on it ... watch this space!

I'm not going to tag anyone as this has been around for a while (I'd been ducking to avoid it) but if you feel the need to use my "therapy couch" just pop on down in the comments box. We promise not to laugh at you ... much!

* Yes, after nearly 7 years I still have the need to say "put your hands on your head!"

** I was sitting on the loo at the time and he was in the kitchen and I was not exactly yelling!

Un-answered questions

Why is the blogger window so small?
p.s. did I mention that the last but one post was #300 ... how did that happen so quickly?

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Unconscious mutterings #153

mutteringsredanim88x33

I say ... and you think ... ?

Better off :: in bed!
Girls :: Girls on film, I was such a Duranee when I was growing up, none of those Spandau Ballet wafty shirts for me, I wanted Roger Taylor hitting hell out of those drums or Simon le Bon hanging off the front of a yacht in the middle of a crystal blue ocean! I feel a Mary Hopkin moment coming on *starts singing*
Uniform :: army, navy, firemen! Nothing else to say really is there!
Classified :: ads
Hard :: cheese
Kitty :: litter
Team :: teach, positive handling strategies! The thing I like least about being a primary school teacher toaday ~ the violence often directed at me/my colleagues!
Massive :: Massive Attack

Depressed :: sad
Award ::
and the award goes to ...

The postman cometh!

Saturday 10.25 am ~ The postie rang the bell about 8 minutes ago to deliver a package ... he left a card on Tuesday and I rang to say please, please, please bring it back on Saturday morning and therefore have been bouncing up and down since then with excitement!!! *drums fingers on desk in excitement*

parcel

There was a lovely sound coming from the box as I shook it (yes I know I shouldn't but I'm still very immature young at heart) and inside it was ..... well loads of goodies, some particularly useful as it is absolutely freezing today! *clicking on thumbnails should get a bigger picture to peruse*

box goodies money warm toes

So, I'm sitting here this morning (Sunday) quietly (Simon is still asleep) drinking a mug of mocha* (yummy, I can see a visit to the supermarket coming on!), with toastie to toes to say Lisa, thankyou so much for the lovely present ... I cannot wait to take the money into school to show the children on Monday! I did do my best to get a photo of the postman but he got all cat's bum mouth-ed and said "I'm working, I'm in my official uniform, it's not allowed!" I tried to tell him he would be world famous and on t'Internet but he was having none of it!

*This must all be so familiar to you except that outside it is pitch black, we have snow forecast and the wind isn't blowing!