Everybody's doing it ... bumping it, screwing it!

Name someone with the same birthday as you ~ Halle Berry, David Crosby, Magic Johnson, Steve Martin, Susan St. James (who?) and Danielle Steel.

Where was your first kiss? ~ On a bench at a bus-stop in Kenfig Hill ;o) So long ago, so much fun!

Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else's property? ~ No

Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex? ~ No, wait, does my brother circa 1986 count?

Have you ever sang in front of a large group of people? ~ Yes, all the time! Kareoke ~ never!

What's the first thing you notice about the preferred sex? ~ Hands, lips

What really turns you on? ~ Hands, having my neck kissed/nibbled ~yum!

What do you order at Starbucks? ~ Hazelnut latte

What is your biggest mistake? ~ Finishing it all with the lad from the bus-stop in Kenfig Hill all those years ago! But where would I be now?

Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose? ~ Yes.

Say something totally random about yourself ~ I need to rub my feet together to go to sleep.

Has anyone ever said you look like a celebrity? ~ No-one has ever said that

Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows? ~ Movies, yes I borrow friend's children to go and see them.

Did you have braces? ~ Yes, from 1984 until 1986!

Are you comfortable with your height? ~ I'd like to be 2 or 3" taller ... 5' 9" would be nice!

What is the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you? ~ Simon bought me diamonds as a wedding present ... without asking me what I would like and got it spot on and gave them to me in public ... it would have taken a lot for him to do that!

When do you know it's love? ~ When even if we've argued, I want to wake up next to him.

Do you speak any other languages? ~ Yes, a couple, some people get html / maths / origami; I get languages!

Have you ever been to a tanning salon? ~ Yes

What magazines do you read? ~ Red, Heat, Grazia, New Internationalist, Child Education to name a few.

Have you ever ridden in a Limo? ~ No

Has anyone you were really close to passed away? ~ Yes, 3 out of 4 grandparents, 3 school friends and a guy I knew in university.

Do you watch MTV? ~ No.

What's something you really like? ~ Banrock Station Sparkling Shiraz

Do you like Michael Jackson? ~ No, he's screwed it up.

Can you dance? ~ Yes, I love to dance, I dance everywhere

What's the latest you have ever stayed up? ~ About 37 hours, I was useless for days

Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance to the emergency room? ~ No

Do you read these when someone fills them out? ~ Of course! Don't you?

The things kids say #5

Well, actually the things they write!

After teaching my class all about Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot on Friday afternoon, we drew/painted some pictures and did some writing for a display! Lovely, instant wall coverage that's what we want until I read what one of my year 1 boys had written!

King James men turtled (tortured) Guy Forkes (Fawkes) and cut him into cworters (quarters) like my dad does with the chicking on a Sunday for lunch! We have roast potatoes to!

Yes, well ... what could I say!

Unconscious mutterings #144

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

Deeper and deeper :: claustrophobia
Can't help :: I can't help it!
Devil's advocate :: Keanu Reeves, god I love that film; I first saw it on a trip to Dublin with Suzanne and Ruth ... it was raining (it's not called the emerald isle for nothing!) and we all squidged onto the sofa in Su's dad's house and the film really blew me away ~ what a twist in the tail!

Superpower :: if I could be a super-hero, I'd be "Super tasty-morsel" girl ~ my superpower would be to make food so delicious, that "nastiness" would stop so people could eat!
Threatening :: did you meet my mother? LMAO ~ I'm kidding mum!!
Played :: Skip-Bo ... I'm addicted I fear!
War :: War-huh, What is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again!
Violate :: rape
Invest :: money
Choke :: Heimlich manoeuvre, always looks/sounds scary on refresher first-aid courses!!

A Friday picture!

How to know if you are driving too fast!

I fell in love with ...

... Simon on the Internet, he made me laugh and cry and think and dream ... and then he rang me and his voice on the phone was ... gorgeous! Sexy and oh so confident sounding ~ yum! And he wrote beautiful emails that made me realise that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him before we had even met ... not that I told him that of course! And then 6 weeks later he travelled to Gillingham to meet me ~ I booked him a room at the local hotel and we cancelled it and we stayed awake all weekend and then I felt like I'd lost a limb when he went home two days later.

Well, eventually he moved here and the rest as they say is history ... and he is a wonderful guy ~ loving, caring, supportive and he still makes me laugh and we only get very minor ufck-up's ever so occaisionally.

But the thing he has a major problem with is my job ~ not the good bits i.e. the salary (still currently the only salary), the long holidays, the ability to finish at 3.15 if I need to BUT he has a problem with what he sees as the "over and above the call of duty" bits! The 5 hours planning and preparation on a Sunday, the parts of the job that are not teaching. I think that when I first met Simon he was under the impression (like so many people*) that teachers worked from 9 until 3 and that was it! As a class teacher, I spend 2 or so hours every evening marking the days work and then another 45 minutes preparing interactive white board or PowerPoint files for the next day's work. I rarely get to sit and eat lunch as 2 days a week I perform a senior lunchtime supervisory role in KS2.

I'm the Data manager; I track the children's progress, identify the children needing intervention programs and the high flyers, set the school's targets for results etc. So whilst certain members of the public (not you my darling fellow bloggers) probably thought I was relaxing in France last week sipping champagne and eating foie gras I was in fact crunching data all week long. I did eat foie gras though :o)

I am the ICT co-ordinator so have to deal with IT problems, requests, in-house training, repairs, wish lists, requests for ink, installing ink (sheesh - how many times do you have to show someone how to install an ink/toner cartridge before they can do it themselves?) etc. I'm the one who has children knocking at the classroom door during lesson time "excuse me Mrs L, but Mr(s) X says can you come and see her in the ICT suite because she has a problem?" So I arrange cover and off I toddle, to be informed by Mr(s) X that the printer wont print!

Me ~ have you checked if there's paper in there?
Mr(s) X ~ ummm, no.
Me ~ have you pressed the continue button (big red button marked continue on the front of the printer)? The one I told you about last time!
Mr(s) X ~ ummm, no.
Me ~ have you checked if the printer is switched on?
Mr(s) X ~ ummm, no.
Me ~ have you checked if your brain is there?
Mr(s) X ~ ummm, no.
Me ~ ?????????????

And my problem is that I tell Si about all this, we talk about our days and I probably should shut up about these things. BUT that wouldn't be right ~ would it? And yesterday (well Wednesday ... is today Friday yet?) I came home as Modern Foreign Languages Co-ordinator ... another hat! No extra time or money available for the role! But you see this is the job I REALLY want! In fact what I really want is to spend ALL of my time teaching French ... maybe working between 2 or 3 different schools. A periapetetic French teacher that could be me! But my god I so wish I hadn't mentioned it when I got in on Wednesday night! The contre-temps/argument/fight (call it what you will) of the century took place ~ your job, more important than our marriage; more time to children and work than me ~ sheesh!

Things are ok now, he does know I don't love work more than I love him. He's pissed off by his own lack of job (but has the final interview for a post office job on Monday :: fingers/legs/eyes crossed) and is worried that he won't get an employment offer. I'm hoping for a better day today!! :o)

So, come on "dites-moi; est votre emploi aussi merveilleux que d'autres pensent qu'il est?"** [Just getting ready for that periapetetic job that's hollering my name!!]

* I remember reading a reader's letter in the Daily Mail from a jerk who was amazed that teacher's were asking for a 35 (I think it was 35, something like that) hour working week as he had never heard of any group of proffesionals demanding an INCREASE in their working hours!?! As everyone knew that teacher's only worked from 9 until 3.30 and always had an hour for lunch which was only 27 1/2 hours a week - I couldn't believe that crap!! I did almost 27 1/2 hours EXTRA the weekend before half term!
** "Tell me; is your job as wonderful as other people think it is?"

A simple little A to Z, nope wait, there's no Z ... an A to Y meme!!

I was meme'd by Fizzy ~ I should learn to duck, (lol, purely accidental that one!) I can never avoid snowballs either ... thankfully it makes no difference here in winter as it usually only rains! Anyway, here goes ~ the A to Y meme ...

A ~ Age of your first kiss :: like a "boy" kiss? 14 - Adam Thompson, we were practising!! He had fabulous blue eyes.
B ~ Band you are listening to right now :: The Knack - Hey Sherona
C ~ Crush :: Pineapple and papaya, slightly more pineapple. Delicious - oh and currently Patrick Dempsey! Thanks Fi!

D ~ Dad's name :: Donald, like the duck ... generally shortened to Don or lengthened (by me) to Donaldo.
E ~ Easiest person to talk to :: this lot, in no particular order, we can jaw for hours!!

F ~ Favourite ice-cream flavour :: good quality chocolate ice-cream; not the stuff you buy/keep for the kids! And really sharp lemon sorbet - lemony & sharp enough to give you goose pimples. And I love affogado - good vanilla ice-cream swimming in a shot of really strong, steaming-hot espresso
G ~ Gummy worms or gummy bears :: no, neither, I don't like the whole wine gum thing ... give me a sour cola bottle instead - it's the goose pimples!
H ~ Hometown :: now Gillingham in Kent, previously Swansea.
I ~ Instruments :: A million years ago I tortured my parents and brother with my violin playing ... sorry M and D; not sorry Andrew ~ older sisters are there purely and simply to torture you!
J ~ Junior high :: like when I was 11/12/13/14? Is that junior high? Then it's Ysgol Gyfun Penyrheol, Gorseinon - £5 to anyone who can pronounce that ... other than Maria!! Or any other Welsh lurkers :o)
K ~ Kids :: 26 every day Monday through Friday; aged from 5 to 7. None personally at home ~ yet!
L ~ longest car ride :: Every time I visit my parents (or come back) we do about 10/11 hours or so as they live right down there in the south west of France. I travelled all around southern Africa in a Mitsubishi cattle lorry, but you didn't ask about the longest lorry ride did you?
M ~ Mom's name :: Lavinia, well actually Lavina ... she has just found out that it is incorrectly spelt on her birth certificate and so ALL of her French paperwork says Lavina. But everyone calls her Vin, 'cept I call her la vinaigre or Mammy (never Mummy ~ southern / posh English) 'cos I'm Welsh see!!
N ~ Nicknames :: Tuppence, Gladys (both by my father!), Melons (by Mario Romanello when I was in the 6th form in school ... I'll let you work that one out yourself!)
O ~ One wish :: World peace ... I could be Miss Congeniality!
P ~ Phobia :: spiders *runs away screaming*
Q ~ Quote :: "These are my principles, if you don't like them I have others!" ~ Groucho Marx or Lady Astor to Winston Churchill "Sir, if you were my husband I'd poison your drink." Winston in reply "Madam, if you were my wife I'd drink it!"
R ~ Reasons to smile :: sex, good food, friends and the things children say.
S ~ Scent :: Vanilla or Estee Lauder's Sunflowers.
T ~ Time you woke up today :: 5.32am ... desperatly needing to wee! What? Too much information? But it's a meme - you get to know EVERYTHING!
U ~ Unknown fact about me :: I have double jointed thumbs.
V ~ Values :: I value love, honesty, friendship and my freedom.
W ~ Worst luck with :: Cards; sheesh, poker ~ a measly 80p win tonight ... I'm not giving up the day job to go and wipe the floor with them in Las Vegas!!
X ~ X-rays I've had :: Ankle, wrist & spine.
Y ~ Years since I've been to church :: I go every term with the kids ... we have a groovy priest, he splashes the kids with the water from the font and has a stuffed pig called "pig"!

The monster in me is a tea-leaf!

Stolen from my "shoe-loving Swansea sister!" I don't feel so bad about this theft ... as she stole it from the Peanut Queen!

or ...

I think I'm more of a juggernaut :o)

Travelling is ...

... my biggest love; next to my husband, my family and friends of course *phew, rescued that one at the last minute! But in the same breath I have to say that the first morning back in work is my greatest enemy. Bad tempered, over-tired, unenthusiastic and not even a sign of a "womanly hormone" ... honest!

But today I will do my damnedest to not let the "post holiday blues" make me Miss Grumpy and I will endeavour to be full of sweetness and light ~ sugar and spice and all things nice :: that's me! And how am I going to do this you ask? Well, I'm assuming you would ask, seeing as you are here ~ breakfast @ Nell's on the way to work ... fabulous! So, come on friends, Romans, countrymen ... your post holiday blues cures please?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This really should have been a "this is what I did on my holiday" photo-post (is that a real word?) but 2 eejits I know (that'd be me and the other eejit who lives here) left the camera lead and our toothbrushes in France ... and they let me care for young children!!

Unconscious mutterings #143

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

Unbreakable :: that's because I haven't touched it yet :o)
Have mercy :: on my soul!
Do it better :: You want it done better? Well then, do it yourself!
Settle scores :: poker on Tuesday ladies? I feel a win coming?
Comments :: Fizzy and Walker - LMAO!
Craziest thing :: political correctness gone mad ... I can't call my blackboard chalkboard a that name I'm not supposed to call it!?! WTF?!? So what should I call my whiteboard? Huh?
Apple :: apples and pears = stairs, Cockney rhyming slang ... used by some of the kids I teach and parents I meet on a regular basis ~ makes my head hurt!! I need to think too fast! But I do like "he's a right Casa Blanca!"
Halloween :: More likely a celebration of Samhain - an excuse to feast, lead me to it!!
Managable :: hair, I'd love managable hair ... like her or maybe her, glorious thick, shiny hair but instead I've got curls, thick but so many curls!!!
Trick :: The "I've got your nose" trick performed by countless male relatives over the years ... I always checked to see if it was still on my face ~ right up until I was 21 or so!

La la la la la la ~ hey!

It's the last day of school *sings and dances around the spare bedroom* hurrah! No more "get-ups" until October 31st!! Whoop! Off to France tomorrow *sings and dances some more* whoop! Can't think sensibly (too knackered) to post except to say, seeing as you are here, why don't you, "stick in your pin" ...

and, do let me know if you are #5000 ... I'm hoping someone will manage it whilst I'm away!

Hot Wire Discount Coupons

A Friday joke à la Walker!

The world expert on European wasps and the sounds that they make is taking a stroll down his local high street. As he passes by the record shop, a sign catches his eye. "Just Released - New CD -Wasps of the World & the sounds that they make - available now."

Unable to resist the temptation, the man goes into the shop. "I am the world expert on European wasps and the sounds that they make. I'd very much like to listen to the new CD you have advertised in thewindow."

"Certainly, Sir," says the young man behind the counter. "If you'd like to step into the booth and put on the headphones, I'll put the CD on for you."

The world expert on European wasps goes into the booth and puts on the earphones. Ten minutes later, he comes out of the booth and announces, "I am the world expert on European wasps and the sounds that they make and yet I recognised none of those."

"I'm sorry Sir", says the young assistant. "If you'd care to step into the booth, I can let you have another 10 minutes."

The world expert on European wasps and the sounds that they make steps back into the booth and replaces the headphones. Ten minutes later, he comes out of the booth shaking his head. "I don't understand it", he says, "I am the world expert on European wasps and the sounds that they make, and yet I still can't recognise any of>those!"

"I'm terribly sorry, Sir" says the young man, "perhaps if you'd like to step into the booth again, you could have 5 more minutes."

Sighing, the world expert on European wasps and the sounds that they make steps back into the booth. Five minutes later, he comes out again, clearly agitated. "I am the world expert on European wasps and the sounds that they make and yet I have recognised none of the wasps on this CD."

"I really am terribly sorry", says the young assistant................. "I've just realised I've made a dreafuI mistake, I was playing you the bee side."

A lovely day

You know I love my husband right BUT I have to say it's a truly lovely day when my best friend (who lives 90 miles away) can pop in for dinner because he's working just around the corner!! That's dinner with Kev 2 nights running ... lovely!

**UPDATE** Saturday night out on the "razz" was an absolute success ... the next time you're in Rochester do try Thai Four Two ~ after "drinkies" in a wide selection of local establishments, we arrived at the restaurant to see it looking very full.

Me ~ Hello, do you have a table for 3, non-smoking.

Mr Thai Four Two ~ Umm, I have a table but you'd better see it before you decide!

Alarm bells begin ringing BUT nevertheless we follow Mr Thai Four Two; through the restaurant, past lots of diners & some empty tables, past the toilets, past the kitchens, we just kept walking* ~ where the hell were we going? and out through the back door! Into a beautiful garden, with decking and Thai stone facades and sculptures, fishponds, carp, rickshaws and dugout canoes. A pergola was built over the decking and there were heaters on each of the legs pointing at ther tables and those giant patio heaters too! Wow!

Mr Thai Four Two ~ is this acceptable?

Acceptable? It was bloody gorgeous! It was like we'd been transported to Bangkok for the night; beautiful surroundings, beautiful food, fabulous company ~ you should go ... tell you what, lets make a date! Us, me and you ~ dinner on the deck, Pad Thai, coconut rice, steamed scallops and beef with oyster sauce, lots of wine and talk ~ what do you think?

*Rochester is a very very old (Norman castle) city BUT very tiny yet very important (on a river crossing and on the Roman road from London to Dover) city (it has a cathedral) .... some of the buildings have been there since Roman times, lots of the buildings are long thin Tudor buildings ~ which are long and thin because (correct me if I'm wrong ... and I know someone will) in Tudor times people were taxed on the width of the front of their house only. So lots of the buildings go a long way back!