A shower? Luxury!

I was just reflecting on my teenage years when we didn't have a shower. No, not because I am that old and the technology didn't exist but because our bathroom was shockingly awful. I spent most of my teenage years washing my hair over the bath or in the sink. I know! Like a weekend at Autumn Soul, except longer.

I was showering after a particularly poor performance at the gym today. Karen Next Door (training for the marathon don't you know!) would be ashamed of me. I mean, sure I might have run more than her today but as she is out injured that's not hard. It was a poor, poor effort on the treadmill. As Paula Radcliffe once said, 'I just didn't have it in my legs', the only difference being mine came after like 5 minutes.

In other news, half term has been and gone. I was just getting into the swing of it when we had to go back to school. Boo.  But I did get to do some nice things, including making Jamie's Cracking Burgers.


Take my word for it, it looked much better in real life. This looks a bit like fake meat substitute that vegetarians eat.

This was definitely the easiest thing I've made thus far so I think I shall be repeating it and definitely before barbeque season kicks in. Although I think it's fair to say that I will never be one of those people that says 'I like to cook, it relaxes me'. I find nothing, nothing relaxing about cooking.

I also got to see little John. Sadly though my plan to make Jamie's Chicken Hotpot was replaced by seeing my two nephews as it was Josh's Dedication Service too. It's like that advert, 'Daddy or chips?' 'Jamie's Chicken Hotpot or little baby nephews?' Sure, maybe not as catchy but an easier call to make than that rambling little girl had to make.

John all geared up for the game! This isn't the photo I wanted to post, but in the other one David looks (and I stress looks) like he's picking his nose. If I were to post it here there's a chance he might suspend my visitation rights. A chance I just can't take.

It was hard to know which John was more excited about, seeing Cool Aunt Tina again or watching his first full game of rugger. I want to say the first, but that O'Driscoll intercept quite literally had him poo his nappy with excitement

What kind of week has it been

Pretty good. See previous postings about that.

It's even better because it's officially half term now. We just had two training days which were good enough, time to stop and take a breath. It must be nice to have a job where you have nothing to do for the next day in work. I worked like a trooper today in order to get a little bit ahead for next week so these few days I can enjoy somewhat. It might be time to break out Jamie again and make something exciting. Then of course I must take the opportunity to go see the little chap himself. The (grand)parents have made more excuses to go up that I thought possible so I have some catching up to do!

I might also watch a bit of daytime TV. Boy, I know how to spend my holidays!

Check him out!

It's a great day to be alive

Well done John! You made it! Don't let all the bad news going around at the minute put you off, it's a great place, I think you'll like it.

In what seems like years from now I'll be telling you all about the day you arrived. How I got phonecalls and text mesages (I know, text messages! There were no 'brain trans-thoughts' back then) while I was teaching in school. I'll tell you how one boy I taught joked with me that you were named after my 'favourite History student' (not true, but you'll probably know the story of your name by then) and after having a fight with the photocopier, how I raced home through traffic and over icy roads to get my first look at you.

Then the pictures will come out. And you'll groan a little bit and say 'is that really me?' And I'll say 'yes, yes it is. You really were that small'. You had tiny tiny fingers, and very cute feet. And I'll tell you about how I held you while you slept and you didn't cry because you were so tired. We also might talk about that fist-in-mouth trick you did. Maybe you'll be able to teach me?

I'll tell you all the stories about your dad that he won't tell you, or that he'll downplay. I'll tell you about what we used to get up to when we were 'your age'. I'll tell you about making bases in the TV room and sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags, and about morning daredevil runs through our neighbours' gardens (not sure Nana and Granda know about them yet. Sssh). 

When Daddy shouts at you for licking your ice cream bowl in front of other people I'll tell you that he does it. When you want to go out at Hallowe'en I'll show you his banger box and (only when you're old enough to be responsible) I'll tell you how to make sparkler bombs better than any firework like he taught me. Ok, probably not those cool holographic ones they make, but good old fashioned fireworks are still a sight to behold. Especially when you've had 200 caps go off in your hand in the making of it. In fact, aside from today obviously, I can't recall a time when I've seen a prouder look on your Daddy's face.

I'll tell you about he looked out for me because I am his little sis. How my first drive on a motorway was under his tutelage. But I'll also tell you about how we fought all through our teenage years like you wouldn't believe. 

I'll tell you that he's smarter than me and better at sports than me. I'll tell you that he was crap at clarinet and rubbish at French but somehow managed to pass the exams. In fact, I'll show you the picture of his clarinet teacher running round our garden as the forfeit for saying he'd fail.

I'll tell you about how he didn't really want to go to uni to live in Chaplaincy. But how when he did he met Mummy. I'll tell you about how the nicest, most down to earth girl in the world fell in love with your Daddy. I'll tell you funny stories about them, like how when they were setting off half way around the world, they started the trip by going to the wrong airline to get checked in with (Don't worry Granda will have taught you all about airports and planes by then). I'll tell you about their wedding and standing on the beach for the big group photograph because Mummy loves the sea. Again, you'll already know this about her by then, but you'll smile because you know I'm telling the truth.

Soon we'll have gone full circle and I'll be back telling you about today and how excited I was. I'll tell you that Daddy said he was a little bit scared, but that I knew, from day one, that your Mummy and Daddy would be great parents.

I cannot wait!

Lessons in being careful what you wish for

Earlier this week I was getting thoroughly hacked off with everyone in TV and radio talking about snow, how terrible it was, how much there was, how transport was affected, how people took days off, how £6 trillion was lost (which I hold was actually saved), how schools were off, how Lily Allen was out playing in it, how we should be careful driving in it. 

I'm sure I wouldn't have been so annoyed had we in NI had any. Maybe I was just annoyed at the mentality that London/South East England news is national news. Like that time some sort of smell drifted across the Atlantic. Not to me it didn't.

Anyway, aside from wishing for a more regional awareness from the BBC, I wished for snow. And today (depending on where you were of course) it happened. Kind of, but not really and I'll get to that later. 

I felt like I was in the West Wing...this is what today is going to be about.

It started with having to have 15 or so extra students in my class because they had no teacher, so that was that period out the window but then as more teachers made it in, more students decided they were off home. 

'There's no point being here Miss, we're not working.' 

That quickly descended into 'seriously Miss, we're not working today, there's like 10 people in our class!' 

Emm, actually there's 4 people not here so we're fine to carry on. 

'But Miss, it's snowing outside!'

And your point is....? Pretty sure it snows in Norway, in Sweden, in France, in Canada and yet they have fine schools that carry out lessons in such conditions.

And this bring me back to the start of this post, if the show off in England hadn't gone off on one about their 3 feet of snow or whatever it was, my students today wouldn't have thought it was so noteworthy as to suspend lessons.

I wouldn't have minded (and before you call me a Scrooge, or whatever the snow equivalent would be), but ours wasn't even decent snow.