Wednesday, February 28, 2007

To? Too? Two! 2!

*clears throat to start singing*

Happy Birthday to my blog!
Happy Birthday to my blog!
Happy Birthday Chez le laquet!
Happy Birthday to my blog!

Who'd have thought it? That I could keep anything going that long? *thinks back to all those projects and hobbies that never lasted* Why did I start? Am I done? Not yet. Right, lets get on with year number three then!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Tuesday morning thoughts

Whose idea was World Book Day? It's not that I don't think it's a fab idea ... because anything that encourages anyone to read is a fab idea! It's just that some lousy literacy coordinator always thinks it's a great idea to dress up on World Book Day! So, you've guessed it! On World Book Day I will be the Very Hungry Caterpillar! Joy to the world and all that bullshit! No lady 1 and lady 2 ... there will not be photos! NO!

I think I miss marking ... any teacher out there reading this now thinks I need to be sectioned! But it's more of a missing seeing the progression that children are making. And the smiles when work has been enjoyed/shared. I'll get over it soon - honest!

Ah ... instant food last night! Who would have thought that Tesco's corned beef hash could be almost as good as my Dad's? Only almost Dad!!

Yesterday afternoon during a counting activity ... "Mrs L, what have you done to your hair? Did you dye it white? Because my mummy dyes hers orange." **raises eyebrows** So I need to get my hair done then!! Please note my husband (12 years older than me) has no grey hair ... you can tll who the easy one to live with is in this family then can't you?

I am really enjoying Masterchef BUT I have a hospital appointment tonight @ 6.10 and will miss it! 6.10??? I didn't know hospitals did 6.10 ... I wonder whose pudding will make Greg's eyes do "that thing" over the top of his glasses tonight?

Right a cup of tea calls ... have a good day BUT hey, let's be careful out there!

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Unconscious mutterings #212

mutteringsredanim88x33

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

Soldier ::
war
Lipton :: Lipton's tea
Reason :: rational and logical or just for the hell of it
Terms :: school terms
Positive :: the opposite of negative
Example :: e.g.
Legacy :: money in a will
Solo :: alone
Instrument :: piano
Later :: afternoon

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Blog Fodder #12

Ok this question is brought to you by none other than ME!!! Moogie over at Blog Fodder HQ has chosen a question that I set, so here you go.
What do you see when you look out of your living room / kitchen / bedroom window? You can do this with photos if you would like.

I live in a town, so all my views are urban but actually being a geographer that doesn't bother me at all. Being a geographer means that I love all different kinds of landsapes for different reasons and there is something quite charming about the Edwardian houses in our area. If I look out of the living room window I see the front garden, a little patch of green full of lilies and lavendar at the right time of the year. At the moment the grass needs cutting but being February that won't be happening for a month or two. If I lift my eyes and look above the garden wall I see the houses opposite ... but they are actually quite a bit away. This isn't a narrow Victorian road, the houses opposite were probably built in the late 40s / early 50s and they must be 60 foot away.

There are cars parked on both sides of the road but there's still enough room for buses to get past and the road never seems too full except for on alternative Saturday afternoons / Tuesday evenings because we are about a mile from the Gillingham football ground and people park here when they go to watch a home match. In the summertime it's the kind of street where you hear children playing and the smell of BBQ smoke is in the evening air. Yeh, I quite like my view.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Thursday, February 22, 2007

I am here

I'm just feeling a little under the weather. Bogged down and in need of a week or two of hot sunshine! You ok?

Sunday, February 18, 2007

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!"

Unconscious mutterings #211

mutteringsredanim88x33

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

Threshold :: Application form STILL not filled in!
Jason :: Jason and the Argonauts
Suspicion :: Suspicious minds ... I love Elvis BUT I actually prefer the Fine Young Cannibals version personally. But can I find it on the Internet to share with you? No!
Tender :: soft
Tempted :: *wiggles eyebrows* Always!
Crimson :: King Crimson
Repulsive :: disgusting
Bulldog :: British, but no longer a source of pride when used by people like the National Front ~ poncy name for fascists and racists to hide behind if you ask me!
Garage :: door
Racket :: noise

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Mumble, mumble, ramble

Spent the day in school on Monday ~ ssssh! Simon doesn't know. He ribbed me like hell last week in a "I'll bet you can't go the whole week without going into school!" I had this horrific thought that I'd have an accident in the car leaving the school drive or the car'd be stolen and I'd have to tell the police where it was stolen from and he'd find out and be able to laugh at my addiction! So far, so good. I don't think he knows I went anywhere near the joint. Let's hope he's not reading the blog then eh?

It's not that I actually did any school work anyway ... instead I emptied Narnia. The huge grey cupboard (big enough to have 2 imaginary worlds inside) in my classroom of all the unnecessary crap that was in there. There was an OFSTED Nursery Inspections handbook from 1992 in there for god's sake!! So I made this huge pile of rubbish on the floor ...old videos, crappy handbooks, such a bunch of tat ~ ach-a-fi!! Anyway, I'm standing there looking at this pile and suddenly I realise that there are no bin bags. Not one in the whole bloody nursery! So on Monday morning ... that has to be my first job. Forget teaching I need bin-bags or a skip. Actually I'm not taching on Monday anyway, I'm going on a training course at a local school ~ some boring shit about a skills based curriculum. I know I should be more enthusiastic but pah!

Tuesday I got to have lunch with Jo and they tried to deliver my new mobile phone in th hour and a half that I was out. Bloody Parcel Line, their delivery window ... more like a gaping chasm than a delivery window ... is from 8.30am to 6pm. I go out from 12.10 to 1.43 and guess what appears in that time slot? I swear to God that Mr/Mrs/Ms Parcel Line was hiding around the corner and jumped out of the wagon as I drove away. So I arranged delivery for Wednesday instead ... yes the new Nokia 6234 arrived at 9.32am. Now why couldn't that have happened yesterday?

On Wednesday my mum suggested that a good way to spend my afternoon would be to hoover my bedroom carpet and to dust the chest of drawers! No imagination that woman :o)

I really thought hoped that the company we have gone with to re-do the school website would have got in touch this week. I have sent them photos / logos / publications and now it just needs to be "up!" As quickly as possible please.

I had a Thursday Thirteen Valentine post almost complete this week ... 13 people who I'd be happy to receive a valentine from and couldn't post. I stumbled at the last moment ... I could only think of 9 would be valentines. Pah! How is that possible? I had all the usual suspects in the list and got stuck with 4 to go?!?

But Thursday was lovely all the same as I went over to Sutton to see the new baby .... aww! What a lovely little chap! All wrinkly and smelling of sweet, milky baby! I had a lovely cwtch and also got to have lunch with the whole gang.

Yesterday was Fizzy's 2nd blogiversary over at the Nuthouse! Do go and give her all good wishes / linky love / huge stats I say! ... I think that 2 years is an amazing amount of time to keep a blog going ... yeh I know that there are people out there that have been on t'Internet since year dot (in t'Internet terms) but for those of us who had to wait for the joy of Blogger / Wordpress etc. to come along and help us post ~ well 2 years is 2 years! Go Fizzy, here's to the nuthouse remaining open! Anyway, enough of my mumbling and rambling, I have a pile of washing 2 foot high that needs to get done today. BLEUGH! So even though it's only 6.55am I could probably go and start that so it's done and not hanging over my head.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Blog Fodder #11

This week’s topic is brought to us by Suzanne, over at Contemblogging and it’s a doozie!!! I don’t think there is a right answer, do you?


Which is worse? Poor manners or poor grammar? Why?
I normally have to think about these questions long and hard but today there's no contest in my opinion. Poor manners hands down! Poor grammar can be about a lack of education or the accent, speech patterns and syntax of your locality. But poor manners are just that. There's no excuse for not saying thank you, for not holding a door open, for forgetting to say you're welcome. Manners maketh the man or the woman and they're our way of saying I respect you (whoever the other / next person is) as a human being. Here endeth the moral rant :o)

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Inspiration

Nothing to blog about! Inspiration needed. By the bucketful please :o)

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Because I have nothing else to blog about ... a joke for you!

Why women should avoid a girls night out after they are married!......... [or cohabiting!!!]

The other night I was invited out for a night with "the girls." I told my husband that I would be home by midnight, "I promise!" Well, the hours passed and the margaritas went down way too easy.

Around 3 a.m., a bit loaded, I headed for home. Just as I got in the door, the cuckoo clock in the hall started up and cuckooed 3 times. Quickly, realizing my husband would probably wake up, I cuckooed another 9 times.

I was really proud of myself for coming up with such a quick-witted solution, in order to escape a possible conflict with him. (Even when totally smashed...3 cuckoos plus 9 cuckoos totals 12 cuckoos = MIDNIGHT!) The next morning my husband asked me what time I got in, and I told him "Midnight". He didn't seem pissed off at all. Whew! Got away with that one!

Then he said, "We need a new cuckoo clock."

When I asked him why he said, "well, last night our clock cuckooed three times, then said, oh shit cuckooed 4 more times, cleared it's throat, cuckooed another 3 times, giggled, cuckooed twice more, and then tripped over the coffee table and farted."

Monday, February 12, 2007

Randomly speaking

Why does it always rain on the first day of any school holidays? Why didn't it rain last week whilst I was in school? Oh hang on it did rain, cold lumpy rain called snow!

I've just been cringing at Ready, Steady Cook .... does Ainsley Harriot really need to pull those faces?

I've booked Sunday lunch at the Pot Kiln for Simon's birthday in May! BUT what the hell else can I get? He's going to be 50!

I am not, really not, not, not going into school this week!

I wish I'd been able to go to Edinburgh with Shisho and Kelly this past weekend :o(


In my spam folder ... what's the difference between professional viagra and ordinary viagra?

The doctor's receptionist didn't laugh when I said *Forrest Gump voice* "It's my butt-tock!"

What are you having for dinner? It's spicy chicken and new potatoes here :o)

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Unconscious mutterings #210

mutteringsredanim88x33

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

The best thing :: Money (That's what I want) Do you remember the Flying Lizards version? God they were a weird lot!

Hold :: tight
Rapture :: bliss
Cover :: tablecloth
Restrictive :: tight
Baker :: Jospehine Baker
Author :: book
Pill :: headache
Months :: January, February, March
Valentine’s Day ::
red roses

Last night

We were woken at 11.42pm by the phone ... I always hate that phone calls in the night are usually bad news or some pervert. But last night's phone call bought the fantastic news that one of my very best friends Suzanne (that's her in the green jacket) finally (her waters broke at 4.30am) given birth to a 7ib 12oz boy at 10.25pm

Congratulations Suzanne & Simon ~
much love to the 3 of you!

Saturday, February 10, 2007

So .......

I have a pain at the top of my right buttock ... how should I explain that to the doctor's receptionist when I ring for an appointment?

Thursday, February 08, 2007

tt winter resized

Thursday Thirteen ~ a list of 13 of my favourite films ~ lights, camera, action!

1. Steel Magnolias ~ because there are very few films that can make me cry and laugh at the same time in the same way as this can.
2. The Shawshank Redemption ~ such a beautiful film, ok it's dirty and grubby and brutal and sad but that moment at the end of the movie on the beach! Such hope and joy.
3. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves ~ because it's great. An American Robin Hood and I'm still hooked and then right at the end a Scottish King Richard ~ brilliant great big rollicking laugh!
4. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ~ well, what can I say .... sing along with me :o)

5. Hotel Rwanda ~ harrowing but a story that had to be told.
6. Calamity Jane ~ "Whip crack away!"
7. Cry Freedom ~ I cry everytime I watch this film. The story of Steve Biko and Donald Woods and their fight against apartheid.

8. The Commitments ~ great music, great craic!
9. Dirty Dancing ~ because everyone of my generation loved it! Didn't they?
10. Blue Hawaii ~ because I don't think that anybody who wasn't around then has any idea how gorgeous, hard working and bloody talented Elvis actually was. How many films? 31 between 1956 and 1969 and he recorded music as well. Recording artists these days don't work that hard
11. Goldfinger ~ because Sean Connery just was the best James Bond ever ... no arguments!

12. Shrek ~ the soundtrack, the green ogre, the sight gags, the talking donkey ~ fab for kids but even better for adults.
13. A few good men ~ not for the Cruise BUT instead because when Jack Nicholson does bad he does it better than anyone else!!

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Previously

Your past life diagnosis:
I don't know how you feel about it, but you were female in your last earthly incarnation.

You were born somewhere in the territory of modern Saudi Arabia around the year 1200.
Your profession was that of a trainer or holder of fine animals, such as birds.

Your brief psychological profile in your past life:
Revolutionary type.
You inspired changes in any sphere - politics, business, religion, housekeeping.
You could have been a leader.

The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:
Your lesson is to learn humility and faith in spiritual principles.
You should believe in higher reasons.

Do you remember now? Ummm ... no! I no for a fact that I wouldn't have work a veil!!!

Find out about your past life here! Then come back and tell me about it.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Blog Fodder #10

Today’s topic comes to you straight from Heather, who can be found over on Blog, Blah, Blah. Heather asks "If you could go back in time and choose your career, what would it be? "
Moogie over at Blog Fodder HQ says "if you ask me, this is a loaded question. I was one of those people who changed careers numerous times in my life. If you ask me what I want to be when I grow up, I’m not so sure I would have an answer for you yet."

Just like Moogie I have already changed career, a huge change ~ from a painter of maps to a teacher. But if I think back way before the major flunk of my "A" levels (... my mother still thinks I failed them because I discovered religion ... it was the vicar's son that did it!) then it wasn't painting maps, or a career in education that interested me. Even then it was a career in food.

I wanted desperately to cook. I got (and still get) immense pleasure from seeing people eating and enjoying my food. However a well-meaning (a right duffer he was) careers advisor, who was also head of the sixth form at school said that anyone who had managed 9 "O" level passes shouldn't just be looking for a place at catering college or a job in the food industry.


So I stayed on at school and started my "A" level courses on the understanding that at the end of them if there wasn't anything that interested me then I could go to catering college after all. But right at the start of the year the unthinkable happened ~ I fell in love with environmental and physical geography. And here I am *cough* years later with an environmental geography and education degree enjoying teaching and imparting that knowledge for other children. Ok ... at the moment its nursery (kindergarten) and the level of education is not high-brow but we're learning all about our responsibility to the world, through re-cycling, growing our own veggies & herbs and looking after the school environment and the creatures within it.

So to finally answer Heather's question ~ If I went back in time and choose again I would have chosen a career in food. I might have been Nigella (wishful thinking) by now! But whether or not that would have been the right decision ~ probably not!

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Sunday afternoon comments

Just a couple of things ....

    1. Who decided that meme should rhyme with theme and not the month of May twice*?
    2. I can't watch the rugby ... it's taking too much out of me!
    3. Who said I have to like February because it's the start of spring? (Answer = Simon ... you can so tell he dropped geography before his "O" levels!) It's cold and it is making me cough.
    4. I love YouTube ... I know everyone else does too, but I just wanted you to know!
    5. The score is 9-12 ... that'd be Ireland ahead ~ bleugh!
    6. **UPDATED**
    7. Ok, they won! *cleansing breath* But they're favoured as champions so *cleansing breath* that is fine!
    8. See, I'm not the only one with a meme problem!

* As in MayMay! That's how I say it!

Unconscious mutterings #209

mutteringsredanim88x33

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

Plaster :: Plaster of Paris
Cabbage :: Cabbage Patch Kids
Jazz :: Dizzy Gillespie
Darts :: One hundred and eighty

Poke :: Prod
Bribe :: Money
Whale :: The tail of a great big grey-blue humpback whale
Receipt :: Returns
Answer :: Question
Dentist :: Teeth

Saturday, February 03, 2007

We just don't have the time

On Friday I went out with the girls from work ... it was our Christmas meal out which wasn't really a Christmas meal out (one of the member's of the team is a JW, so doesn't celebrate) at all because it was to one of those eat-as-much-as-you-can Chinese buffets. I normally can't stand them but this one wasn't too bad actually. Nice food, fabulous vegetables ~ broccoli with garlic, chili and mushrooms! Yum!

Anyway the whole point of this post is that I rushed home from work and only had a short while to get ready to go back out again. On coming downstairs at 6.45 to leave, I found a horrible mess in one of the kitchen sinks (we have 2 round sinks in the kitchen*). As I was going out Simon was making dinner and had poured the liquid from a can of baked beans down the sink ... all over the dish drainer and the clean mugs on/in it!

This drives me mad! He does it all the time!! And then I have to re-wash the dishes and the draining rack! So, I decide to take the bull by the horns so to speak!! I walk into the living room, sit on the couch and say ...

Me ~ Simon does anything I do piss you off?

Simon ~ Why?

Me ~ Because I want to tell you about something you do that pisses me right off and I thought I'd give you a chance to have your say first.

Simon ~ You're going out in 10 minutes aren't you?

Me ~ Yes. Why?

Simon ~ We don't have time to go through my list! *starts laughing*

Don't laugh at him ... it makes him think he's funny! You know, I hate it when he's a gobshite ... I just left it at this point. I'll get back to it though :o)

* When we put the kitchen in almost 2 1/2 years ago I made the decision to have 2 sinks and no draining board. I have a dishwasher to wash my dishes. I wasn't going to need to drain dishes!! But instead I might want to wash veg whilst soaking a pot ~ hence 2 sinks! Little did I know!! So, now I have an Ikea draining rack in the bottom of one sink :o)

Friday, February 02, 2007

So, it's Friday ...

I'm kind of glad!

Aren't you?

I think it's the central heating you know?

*realises that everyone is now thinking WTF?*

Yep, it's the central heating. That fries my brain in January / February making the weekend take forever to arrive. Making the metro-boulou-dodo that little bit harder. There's not as much time to spend in the fresh air, the drive to and from work is partly or sometimes wholly in the dark and there's the whole socks and shoes and a coat thing. Bring back gorgeous sandals and a fabulous pedicure darling!

And it gives you a stuffy head *yep she's back to the central heating again* and a sore throat and this morning no voice *smacks Simon as he cheers and starts dancing the kitchen conga* school will be fun! Trying to control (I use the word loosely) 78 darling 3 year olds with no voice!

So, are you glad it's Friday? Go on, tell us why!

Thursday, February 01, 2007

tt daisies resized
Thirteen things this Thursday are 13 photos I found on the Internet that have made me gawk / snigger / ponder.