So ...

... you might be wondering what's been going on and what's happening to my posting or rather what's NOT happening!

Well, it looks like my PC has finally decided to die - which shouldn't be a big problem as I have a school laptop BUT my laptop will not allow me on the Internet at home! You can't imagine the hell that is no access to the Internet ... wait, you're blog surfing - you probably can.

Back as soon as I can be!

One working week, one hundred and one words

Monday need to meet leadership coach with team after school. Drop me in it, all J personalities. I’m too “it’ll get done/seize the moment.” Go home and drink gin.

Tuesday quiet - hallelujah.

Wednesday busy, colleagues at moderation. Goes well, unsatisfactory teacher thinks teaching good – NO! Proof our assessments good – not same thing.

Thursday student's observation bad. Need to ring tutor – failing. Student cries when I feedback. Other student gets job – proud mama! No gin at home. Argue with Simon.

Friday, realise in charge of school–heck! Student phones sick. 3 children on breakfast club roof. Go home via gin shop!

Last night's dinner

I got home from work last night with a head ache that I'd had all day and though HELL NO I am not cooking! SO we ordered a takeaway from the new Keralan/Goan takeaway that recently opened in Chatham - Coco Diner. 45 minutes later an intriguing smelling bag came through the front door ~

As a main course we ordered Kozhi Ishtew - tender chicken breast with vegetables in a coconut broth ... could have been hotter - and Attu Thakali Kari - slow cooked lamb with fennel and turmeric which was probably (along with the rice - how did it taste so good??) the star dish. The lamb was moist & tender and even with the over-laying flavour of the smoky spices and turmeric tasted of lamb.

Excitingly, the Coco Diner serves Dosa - paper thin rice or semolina pancakes sandwiched around a spicy potato filling, so we had one of those ... which came with 3 little pots of sauce - a spicy ketchupy mixture, a fermented prawn paste and something that looked like taramasalata kept 3 weeks too long. To round off the bread selection we also asked for a roti and a poori and 2 side dishes some batat keerai soung aka potato and spinach and some of the best raitha I've tasted in a long time.

Well ... what do I say? I eat a lot of northern Indian food, have my own masala dabba and always cook curries from scratch - thanks to cookery lessons from Shisho and Harpreet - this was unlike any curry I'd ever tasted. There were delicious flavours - the fennel with the spiced smoky lamb was genius BUT where was the heat and intensity? Where was the creaminess that coconut should impart? And finally the crispness was missing from the spiced, battered aubergine and king prawns we ordered to start. So, whilst I was incredibly glad that someone else did the cooking I don't think I shall be calling on the Coco Diner again anytime soon.

p.s. my saag aloo is better than theirs!!

Recently returned

Just back from Spain ... well, more like I'm back from Spain since last Sunday but the fug of post holiday blues has stopped me writing anything about it. However, having dragged myself away from the teetering edge of the pit of despair I can tell you that I had a fantastic time.

Between strolling along the waterline ...

finding iconic restaurant signs ...

spending time with friends ...

and dreaming about how I was going to get home, there was also time for some pretty delicious food. Hilights included tellines, razor clams pan fried with chorizo, pan con tomate y jamón, trinxat with griddled belly pork, zarzuela, Catalan broad beans - with botifarra negra (black pudding) and belly pork, escalivada and the odd dish of seafood paella.

Unconscious Mutterings #332

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

Hockey :: sticks
Twirling :: whirling
Montreal :: Canada
Better :: safe than sorry *wink*
New :: rope ?? What? It just popped in there!
Rally :: car
Stanley :: knife
USB :: drive
Scouted :: spotted
Cough :: and sneezes spread diseases

Wanna play? Well, pop over here and do some muttering of your very own!

Unconscious Mutterings #330 and 331

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

Lisa :: B
Hope :: Floats
Irene :: ?? Who do I know called Irene? Gosh names are hard!
Tony :: Hart
Anna :: Maria
Dolly :: Parton
Laura :: niece
Debbie :: cousin
Wilson :: Beach Boys
Paula :: Abdul

And then on to the 2nd one I missed - why do I always push for as long a holiday as possible and come home knackered? Yeh, I know - unanswerable question!

Nursery :: work
Side effect :: reaction
Heart to heart :: chat
Try :: harder
Hog :: Harley
Symptom :: sneeze
Collide :: crash
Fury :: anger
Incorporated :: mixed-up
Summer :: here

Wanna play? Well, pop over here and do some muttering of your very own!

Oh no!

pastries, originally uploaded by Laquet.

I never ever want to come back from a holiday ... can you think why?? Can you?