Saturday? Already?

Actually no Jo, it's Sunday! But how did that happen? Where did the week go? Yesterday was only Tuesday! So, my list of "to-do's" for the week .... busted, so many things left on it!

Have lunch with Anne ~ no and she's gone to Devon now! :o(
Finish spring clean of office ~ no, too ashamed to show you a photo of the mess :o(
Planning for next week ~ umm, no ... but I am on holiday! :o(
ICT budget bid ~ helped Kelly with the numeracy, technology and food technology budgets so I know what has to be done but no, I haven't done ICT yet :o(
Go to beach and complete risk assessment for July visit from school ~ umm partly completed, beach visited, sat in the sun, ate lunch in Spanish restaurant, risk assessment paper work incomplete! :o(
Buy Easter eggs for nephews and (lots of ) honorary nieces ~ no, not done, a little late now I feel! :o(

Not a good week really! *promises to try harder*

Sssh! It's Wednesday and it's wordless!

In September 1993, I started a Geography and education degree at the University of Wales ... it was just an excuse to go the beach really :o)

[Hover over the pictures for more details / click for bigger pictures]

Wet!

At half past four yesterday afternoon Simon decided to cut the lawns* ~ "good man yourself" I shouted ... my eagerness not to cut the lawns is legendary, especially that first cut of the year when the grass is too long and even if you've had days and days of sun it's still too damp! 25 minutes later he was finished, back and front, both lawns now shuddering after their first haircut of the year ... "they don't look so bad do they?" he said. "Now we just need a little bit of rain to encourage the grass to grow and I'll cut them again next week!"

God I wish he hadn't opened his great big mouth ... thanks to the typhoon of biblical proprtions he called down on our heads last night I'll be ringing the insurance company this morning about our leaking roof. Someone explain to me how after that much rain we still have a hosepipe ban please?

*He'd been watching the golf and fantasising about having a lawn like the one in Atlanta!

Unconscious mutterings #166

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

Buck :: Rogers
Harry :: Belafonte
Play :: ball
Monstrosity :: the gherkin

Nightclub :: dance
Missing :: number
Sprout :: mustard & cress
Flavor :: Don't you mean flavour?
Identity :: crisis
Saucy :: minx

On a Friday, could we feast? Well we could have, but now it's Saturday bed-time!

Appetizer
Name a trait you share with your parents or your children. I am so much like both my mother and my father it is scary, this question should be "name a trait you don't share with your parents"! Like my mum ... I leave things to the last minute, thriving on a fast approaching deadline. Just like my dad ... I'd never dream of being sarcastic! It wouldn't even occur to me ;o)

Soup
List 3 qualities of a good leader, in your opinion. Humility, a sense of humour and understanding/acceptance of the differing qualities of individuals!

Salad
Who is your favorite television chef? Nigel Slater, not really a chef more of a food writer BUT he just makes food so bloody sexy and so much fun ... I could have orgasmed over his chip butty. I mean I got very excited over his excitement as he made ... oh never mind!

Main Course
Share a story about a gift you received from someone you love. Simon and I had such a fantastic wedding day; the company of family and amazing friends, incredible food and cocktails galore truly made it a day to remember ... and then there was the speech that Simon was not going to make.

"That's fine" I said, "we just need to thank everyone for being here, thank Kev for cooking and thanks my parents for shopping*!" "No problem!" he said; but instead he said "thankyou for marrying me" and he gave me diamonds and whispered "forever!" Brought tears to my eyes!

Dessert
How do you react under pressure? Like my mum, I react well to pressure. In fact I don't react if everything is relaxed because I'm quite laid-back** about it all! Give me a deadline :o)

* For wine :o)
** Read horizontal

Questions of the Day!

Have I mentioned before how Haloscan doesn't like me?
It's not all the time, it's not the same sites; in fact it appears to be totally random (I used to think it was my poor mouse skills!)* ... but seeing as I don't want Indigo to think I don't like her or her questions anymore ...

Whiter teeth ~ Would you be happier if your teeth were whiter? Have you ever used, do you use, those white strips? Who wouldn't be happier if their teeth were whiter? And I'm a red wine drinker ... mind you my teeth never go grey due to the wine which happens to my sister-in-law! I haven't ever tried those strips but lead me too that dentist on Extreme Makeover; after you lead me to the winning lottery numbers that is!

Change ~ Do you ever check the payphone, or vending machines, for change in the return slot? No, but then I don't use payphones as I have a mobile. I think I check if I'm paying at the carpark ... I'm going to see if I do next time! As you know, my parents live in France and my dad ALWAYS checks the slot for change on the motorway tolls!

Temperature ~ If the temperature had to be the same on every day of the year, what would you want it to be? Oh somewhere in the mid to high 70s, not to warm, a light breeze, the odd night time/early morning thunder storm to keep the dust down and the reservoirs full.

Frequent what? ~ We're all familiar with frequent flyer programs. Suppose there was a similar program to reward you for something else you do frequently in your life. What would it be? Frequent book buyer's card for use at/in WHSmiths or Waterstones, I'd have enough points on it to visit New Zealand by now!

Whistle ~ Sometimes whistles blow to warn us or get our attention. When would you most like to have a whistle blow to alert you? I'd like a "it's 25 minutes until your alarm is due to go off" whistle; that way every single morning I could have the luxury of snuggling back under the quilt knowing I had another 25 minutes of sleep ahead of me.

Can you ~ Speaking of whistles, can you whistle? No, such a bad whistler it's pathetic! In university a good friend of mine had a theory that women with big boobs couldn't whistle. I was one of the "ticks" against his theory. Listen. *tries to whistle* See!

Slogan ~ You're working on a national advertising campaign to get people to eat more ice cream. What will your campaign slogan be? Eat more ice-cream, it's cold but it tastes good! *wiggles eyebrows* And if there are 2 of you and a tub of Haagen Dazs ... that's a whole other post in itself!

Mud wrestling ~ You've been invited to mud wrestle anyone in the world. Who are you going to wrestle? And who will win? *sighs dreamily* I'm going to mud wrestle Hugh and I'm going to let him overpower me win!

Small town ~ If you were sent on assignment to rate the ten best small towns in America, what particular criterion would be most important to you? I think friendliness or welcome received, which in my humble opinion go hand in hand. It wouldn't have to be small town America ... I'm looking for a welcome everywhere!

Most useless thing ~ What is the most useless thing you have in your wallet? I have a defunct store loyalty card from Tescos which I keep in case I need to scrape an icy car window, very useful I hear you say ~ BUT I have a window scraper in the door pocket!

It's toga party time again! ~ We had so much fun at the last toga party that I'm inviting you another one .... TODAY! The rules state is that you MUST wear a toga, AND that you MUST use the sheets that are on your bed now. What will your toga look like? My toga is lilac and purple stripes and has a checked pattern at them bottom and big covered buttons. Being a minor Imelda, I of course have matching shoes!

* I have altered my security settings, allowed pop-ups etc to no avail *sniff, sniff* Haloscan just don't like me!

A, B, C and all the way to Z!

Not stolen, inspired ... it's my blog and I'm sticking to that euphenism ... by the purrfect craziequeen (I was convinced she had short hair!) ... another list, this time in alphabetical order!

A is for Accent :: I'm from Swansea, well a small town about 10 minutes outside with a great Male Voice Choir and a mediocre rugby team ... but then, you can't have everything can you? So back to my accent ... understandably then, I have a South Wales/Swansea accent which I think has softened in the nearly 9 years I have been in the South East ~ friends disagree! My English is peppered with Wenglish, mispronounciations (that's according to Simon of course, I think I'm saying them just right), the whole "here/hear/year" debacle and I speak a tad quickly; then there's the whole "dropped h" thing ~ ask Maria she'll know what I'm talking about. So .... there you go, clear as mud really!

B is for Bollywood and Bhangra :: I teach at a very multi-cultural school in Gravesham; it makes the school a wonderful place to teach ... it gives the place a unique flavour. We celebrate constantly, different days/festivals, dance, laugh; we learn new words, eat new foods, make new friends. Fab!

C is for Cheese :: Love it; give me so strong it burns your mouth Cheddar, sharp blue Stilton or St Agur, a runny "custardy" brie, Basque ewe's milk cheese with black cherry jam, creamy buffalo mozzerella, fresh manchego with membrillo, Stinking Bishop, Blue Vinny *licks lips* ~ did I mention I love cheese

D is for Dog or Cat :: Dog, because cats make me sneeze!

E is for Easter :: Fi, I'm a Lindt bunny kinda girl!

F is for Foibles :: Can't bear the loo roll to hang down the back of the roll instead of the front, can't eat a fried egg unless it's been turned over (don't mind if the yolk is broken) and don't like to use a fountain pen.

G is for Gold or Silver :: Either, but they have to be pure or I get problems. White gold suits my skin tone ~ all my "wedding jewellery" is white gold.

H is for Hometown :: Born in Morriston (that's where the hospital was), lived/brought up (my father would say dragged up) in Pontarddulais ... the BBC has made them a little corner of their own on the web ~ bless!

I is for Ice :: Yes in a long alcoholic mixed drink, not in water/pop (soda)!

J is for Job title :: All change on the first of September, I am going to manage/run/teach in the nursery at school ... 2 teachers, a nursery nurse, 2 teaching assistants and 78 itty-bitty ones each day. Then there's the whole IT manager, MFL coordinator thing and I manage (read "draw the pretty graphs for") all the data/target setting in the school too!

K is for Kids :: Nope, not any here but I see lots everyday!

L is for Living arrangements :: 3 bed, mid terrace, down by the "beach" in quietly leafy Gillingham with Simon. No pets, no kids, no money as the house sucks it all up!

M is for Mr :: Simon, kitchen designer, golf fanatic (and the bloody Masters starts today!), *whispers* 49 in just over a month, 6' 2", a little rounder than he would like in certain areas (I'm not complaing at all), a little jealous at times (get's a verbal "slap" when he gets too much!), giggler, great cook, crap hooverer ... that's him!

N is for Naughty or Nice :: Umm, depends on the who and where ... feeling naughty today ;o)

O is for Over night hospital stays :: Last year's operation and four nights last month ~ enough for my thanks, no more! Yeh, I know I'm not going to be that lucky am I!

P is for Perfume :: I like light citrusy fragrances, anything to heavy and I sneeze ... even if someone else is wearing it!

Q is for Quote :: "Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." Mother Teresa

R is for Reading material :: Yes please, just finished the Last Templar (7/10), Labyrinth (8/10) was fab; just about to start Blue Shoes and Happiness.

S is for Sesame Street :: I love Sesame Street ... learnt so much from it as a child and Burt & Ernie still make me laugh out loud!

T is for Things that make me go ooooh! :: Hugh Jackman, Green & Black's Organic milk chocolate, new shoes, north western Spain, rugby, ummm .... *wiggles eyebrows* lots of things!

U is for Unusual Skill :: I can arch an eyebrow like a professional eyebrow archer, I can wiggle my ears voluntarily (I'm working on the Bewitched nose thing) and I can lick the tip of my nose ... Ok maybe I shouldn't have admitted that!

V is for Vegetable I refuse to eat :: none, never met a vegetable I don't like. I eat them all from aubergines to zucchini* yams.

W is for Worst habit :: Other than picking my nose, scratching my bum and talking with my mouth full ... I nibble the skin around my nails.

X is for Xenophobe or Xenophile :: Xenophile, introduce foreigners to me! Now!

Y is for Yoghurt maker :: Favourite new toy, from Lakeland Plastics ... lurve it! Strawberry, blueberry and Greek yoghurt smoothies!!

Z is for Zen moment :: A warm bath, a good book, a glass of Shiraz and the knowledge that there are clean, crisp, Egyptian cotton sheets on the bed. *sighs and smiles* Bliss!

* I am such a cheater, they're called courgettes in the UK!

Not a word, it's Wednesday!

Reportedly speaking ...

After reading the fabulous shoe-wearing Maria's J4 school report last week, I went in search of mine ... bless, Maria's parent's must have been over the moon with her results ... I wish I could say the same for mine *twinkles and smiles sadly* Sorry Mum, Dad!

I thought I'd share a snippet or two with you ... set your cringe-o-meter!

J1a ~ First half (17/12/1976)

English ~ Quite Good, can be careless with spelling and punctuation.
Maths ~ Quite Good, on the whole but she can be lazy!
General remarks ~ Towards the end of this term Joanne has begun to work & is now making satisfactory progress. I look forward to continued effort next term.

J1a ~ Second half (7/1977)

English ~ A-, very good. Joanne has plenty of ability but does not always exert herself more than she has to!
Maths ~ A-, Joanne has made good progress. She has plenty of ability and could do even better. She works hard when she feels like it.
General Remarks ~ Joanne has worked quite hard. She makes good progress without really trying. I hope that next year she will work at full stretch (underlined twice!) as she plenty of ability.

Can you see a pattern starting to form?
It goes on in much the same vein ... very able, blah, blah, needs to work harder, blah, blah, if she gave 100% blah, blah until I arrive in J4 aged 10.

And there the report changes completely ... in what should have been my best year in junior school my parent's must have "died" ... whilst missing out on the "and gone to heaven bit!"

English :: Reading attainment ~ (A crossed out) B+, interested and able.
Oral ~ reading aloud and speech ~ A-, fluent, expressive but rather hurried.
Grammatical skills ~ B+, aware of the skills but seldom uses them.
Spelling ~ B+, careless.
Formal comprehension and factual writing ~ B+, capable but seldom completes.
Original story telling ~ B+, capable but seldom completes.

What was wrong with this woman? Could she not make on purely positive comment? If I was interested and able in reading why did I only get a B+? Was I rather hurried when I spoke aloud because I was scared shitless of her?

And then there was the wonderful, funny and most importantly kind Mr Thomas who taught me maths ~

Maths :: Mental arithmetic and concepts ~ B+, improving all the time.
Mathematical problem solving ~ B+, has produced very good work.

The final teacher's comments continued the "hatchet job" ~ Joanne is an able child but she cannot bear criticism or correction; tending to dramatise all situations ... Fundamentally she lacks the self confidence and cooperation necessary for developing her attitudes towards her contemporaries and adults. With more self reliance, persistance, concentration, conscientiousness and enthusiasm about her written work she could reach her potential.

It took me a long time to get over Miss Case and my final year of primary school, I went to a local comprehensive school in September and loved it; I joined the top stream of classes and "flew" eventhough, to begin with I was still haunted by the "when we were in J4" that came from the children who had gone to the same school as me! Ah well, what's 10 months out of my life seeing as I now love education soooooooo much? Huh? Not much in the grand scheme of things really ~ is it?

So, how about you guys, how were your reports? Pleasing or could you too have "done more and reached your full potential"?

Holiday time!

Nothing to do, but drink copious amounts of coffee with friends, relax and eat Easter eggs!! Except, my coupon's out of date already ... just my luck! Better go and hoover then!

Unconscious mutterings #165

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

Desire :: U2
Sleep :: I need more, because I stayed awake last night watching TV and reading!
Lost :: Lost in translation ~ didn't like it, made me wish he'd stuck to comedy!
2006 :: 2007, 2008, 2009 ....
Pump :: what my friend Ruth's kids say instead of fart .... because fart is rude in their house. When we were little my mother insisted we said fluff, but my Aunty Marg always said bottom burp ~ still makes me roll my eyes!
Space :: Space 1999 ~ kitsch beyond TV series I watched & loved on Saturday mornings as a kid!
Stuck :: Stuck in the middle with you! I love Gerry Rafferty!
Reference :: book
Birth :: birthday, Happy Birthday Ryan ... 15 today or tomorrow? It's a time zone thing!
Hand :: handbag

OK, it's so late this week let's just call it Saturday's Supper and be done with it!

Appetizer
Name 3 things that you think are strange. Strange? Peculiar or kinky? Down right oddball or just a little off the wall?

Ok, 3 strange things ... over the top piercing ~ what's with that? Ok, my ears are done, if I had a stomach like Heidi I'd have my belly button done ... BUT ... what's with this??? Then there's eating tripe, why would you? And finally ... actually nothing else "pops" into my mind when I think of strangeness. That's very telling isn't it?

Soup
What was the last ceremony you attended? Wedding ceremony, last May, mine; which reminds me, I need a "paper" present for Simon? Any ideas?

Salad
What is one lesson you have learned in the past year? Living together (even if it's for a long time ~ nearly six years in our case) is not the same as being married. Having a "ring on my finger" gave someone (not me) the idea that he could make decisions for both of uswithout discussing things. Well, I don't think he'll do anything that monumental again!

Main Course
Tell us about one of your childhood memories. Being told that I couldn't go into the book corner in school because it was time for me to sit down and listen to the teacher. I was 5, it was my first day of school and I was a month late starting because I'd had bronchitus. All the other children laughed at me when I had to sit on the "naughty chair." It's one of the reasons I'm a teacher, I don't want any child to ever feel like that again.

Dessert
If you could extend any of the four seasons to be twice as long as normal, which season would you want to lengthen? Summer, give me a long, long hot summer. Give me pedicured toes in summer sandals and a warm breeze; evening BBQs in the garden, walks on the beach and thunderstorms. Give me nights scented with jasmine, nightingales and skinny dipping in the pool at midnight. I love summertime!