Maybe not Banksy

You know the way people get all worked up about Banksy and the graffiti he does around London?

Not far from me we have our own version.

I think they may need to work on their technique just a little. Also, I'm not sure about the smiley face, could use some practise there.

But if something's worth saying, then it's worth saying eh?!

Craft project

I got a new printer the other day and as it is decidedly bigger than the last one, a rejig on my desk was needed. Once that was complete and the work could begin, I changed my plans and decided that this was the perfect moment to paint the 'Design Your Mug' that Mum had bought me last Christmas (shut up, I like crafty things). Isn't funny how your priorities change when there's work to be done?

I decided not to bother with the old clothes/apron the instructions advised, and that I was adult enough to place the mug in the oven myself. I also ignored the suggested designs, making up my own. I think I triumphed.

One side...

and the other. Note the star and green swirl effects.

A pink and yellow polka dot handle.

I think this is the best part! See what I did! Unfortunately this slightly limits the mug to right handed Tinas only though. Luckily I am.

So now all I need to do is make the 'Build Your Own Snow Globe' from about 7 years ago and I'll be all set for work!

I’m not sure but I think the songs are pre-recorded

It’s been a while since I blogged. This wasn’t for want of trying or having nothing to say. On the contrary I did try and I have lots to share. But it’s taken me to Sunday afternoon to be able to do it. Right now I’m watching High School Musical 2. The first one came out when I was in North Carolina but I’d only ever seen half of it. But apparently it’s not the sort of films where you have to see the first one to understand the plot. At the minute Gabriela has to go her own way. Tragic.

So what have I been doing? Well I went to Soul Mates! It was my first one since 2004 and I really enjoyed it! I took the overflow workshop, the ‘Soul Mates Super Quiz’! Bless her, Heidi wrote it for me and the kids proved themselves smarter than a History teacher in the History round by knowing the P word that is the proper name for the Stoneage*. I make no apologies for saying that ancient history is dull.

In other news, my days in primary schools are over for the next few weeks as I make the happy return to secondary! No more fighting over pencils, no more children wetting themselves (Oh yes! Bless her, she was just trying to hang on til she got home. Thankfully it wasn’t because I told her no. But I still felt a right tube going down to tell her dad who was waiting at the school gate.)

I had a few days in my old primary school. It was so cool, while I was teaching in one room, in the very next room was my old P1 teacher!

One of the things I love about my primary school is the mural in the entrance hall. My P7 class had the honour of painting it with some local artist and it still hangs there, over fifteen years later.

Well it's no wonder, it's beautiful!

It took about 2 weeks to do. And each day we’d have to go up to the PE hall to paint a bit a time. We all had different bits to do which had been drawn out and practised before. It was a project! 

So when I was back, I took photos of my bits.

I painted the middle house. It was based on my old house. (I don't know who painted that brown thing, but I think it only improves my house! And the pink one?? The windows aren't even even!)




I think the likeness is pretty accurate. Check out the bay windows on my version! And the artistic licence I took with the stained glass window above the door.

Of course, I made my mistakes too. Like when I and a couple of my friends had the onerous task of painting the sheep in the surrounding fields. I got carried away it seems.

You'll notice the point where I looked up and realised how many they were doing. So I stopped, hence the corner where there is nothing! I like to think the sheep dog has just rounded them all up.

Anyway two weeks off now so hopefully I'll be blogging some time soon.

*Paleolithic. Who knew?!

I hate application forms

Especially when they are too small. Take for example the PDF form issued by a certain south easterly board which gives 3cm x 2cm for all the modules you completed in each year at university. 3cm x 2cm isn't big enough for some of the modules I did, let alone the entire year's work. Like 'The Sociology of Racial and Ethnic Conflict' for example. It was a bugger to do at the time but trying to fit it in application forms is nearly worse.

And another thing, while we're on the topic, I hate writing 'International'. I have to write it all the time. It's in the name of my degree, half my modules were concerned with it, it's the type of school I worked at, it's in the name of the school I worked at, I taught International GCSE, it had it in the name of board we did, and I was trained in flipping well International Baccalaureate Extended Essays. 

That's a whole lot of internationals to fit in (especially on badly laid out forms).

So you'd think I would spell it right more than I do.