Saturday 5 October 2013

Is it selfish?

Is what selfish?  Committing suicide in a way that has a massive impact on others lives.

This was debated this week because a man fell from a footbridge onto a major road and was hit by a lorry and subsequently died.  So far the man hasn't been named and the assumption is that it was a suicide. The road was closed for some hours and, as it is a major route into London the closure caused traffic chaos.

Several staff members were caught up in the disruption and took much longer to get to work than usual.  A secondary effect was that our menus had to be changed the next day because we did not receive our meat delivery on time due to the same disruption.

It's not actually been confirmed that this was a suicide but it seems likely - the footbridge has a high fence - you wouldn't accidentally fall over it although of course if the person was drunk and messing about anything is possible.  My husband has told me how one night he and some friends walked over a railway road bridge on top of the wall at the sides.  They were drunk and could very easily have fallen on to the train tracks below.  And maybe that would have been reported as a suicide attempt as well instead of druken stupidity.

Getting back to my original point, I don't believe the person committing the act consciously takes into account the effect their actions will have on others.  I'm sure there are some people who take their own lives who are very clear about what they are doing and although their suicide will have a devastating effect on family and friends they choose methods that will not impact the wider community and, God forbid, inconvenience them.

But then there are other, very troubled individuals, who are not thinking clearly enough to consider the effects their actions will have.  People who just feel that taking their own lives is the only solution to whatever situation they may be facing and sometimes an opportunity just presents itself or they may decide how they will end it, possibly by throwing themselves over the side of a bridge onto the road below but I'm not sure they think through the consequences.

It's sad to hear people's comments focused more on how inconvenienced they were rather than how desperate the man must have been feeling at the time and the effect it would have on his family and friends.

On a lighter note we now have another driver in the family - our eldest son passed his driving test this week.  Shame he's now based in Nottingham so no use for lifts anytime soon!

Sunday 29 September 2013

It's raining...rice!

Working in a school is never boring.  This week was a definite reminder of that.  We are currently recruiting for a new Headteacher and on Thursday I had two prospective candidates coming to look around the school.  The first one was due at 1pm so I knew I would have to grab an early lunch but as usual I got bogged down in work.  At about 12.45 I realised the time and went into the dining hall - just at the wrong time.  A couple of boys had been winding another boy up and as I walked in things erupted.  Literally.  Two of the boys jumped up to have a go at one another.  Trouble was they were holding their food trays at the time.

The trays went flying and suddenly it was raining lamb curry and rice.

A member of the lunchtime staff took hold of one boy and, in the absence of any teaching staff, I took the other one out to the Headteacher's office.  What I didn't realise until much later was that some of the curry that had landed on him transferred to me!  The visiting candidate either didn't notice (quite possible as it was a man) or was too polite to mention it!

I managed to get myself cleaned up before the other candidate arrived and also managed to have some lunch thanks to our helpful welfare assistant.  As I was dealing with the raining rice incident I was told that my one o'clock appointment had arrived so I had to ask her to grab me some lunch before everything was cleared away.

So another late lunch, another eventful day.

Monday 23 September 2013

Oops I did it again

It's hard to know where the last weeks have gone.  I knew I hadn't blogged for a while but was shocked to see how long it had been since my last post when I logged in today!

I haven't even really been following friends' posts either.

Good and bad reasons for that so here's a quick catch up.

The bad was the pain from the neck.  It really pulled me down and I rather lost interest in a lot of things.  The good was that we were away on and off during the summer.  But I'm pleased to say that the neck is much better and although it's not perfect, I'm still doing exercises and watching my posture, I'm relatively pain free now.

So that's a really good thing.

Other good things were our weekend in Loughborough which is where my hubby went to uni.  We met up with a number of people he knew from way back then - 40 years ago since they graduated.  Some were couples who had met at uni but there were others like me - wives or husbands tagging along for the ride.  We had a good time, much drinking and eating was done and the next reunion is already being planned for 2015 in South Africa.

The next trip away was to France to Nick's sister.  The rest of the family went too - it was a belated birthday celebration for one of her boys and a farewell party too.  This year her four boys will be studying in Argentina, USA, Germany and France.  Yes they live in France but even the youngest will be studying away from home during the week and only coming home at weekends.  Bad case of empty nest syndrome going on there!

Our daughter has moved out again, back to the flat she shared before.  Only problem is that as she now has a smaller room, which is good because it's less to rent, it's bad because half her stuff is still here!  But she seems happier so I'm pleased for her.  It was fine having her at home but at 27 she felt the need to move out.

Our eldest son has also moved out - he's now living with his girlfriend in Nottingham.  He's started a graduate scheme with the Department for Transport, training as an accountant.  She has just qualified and started work as a teacher.

So we only have the youngest at home.  His long distance relationship is still going strong - his girlfriend was here during the summer and he's heading over the pond for Thanksgiving.  He has also got a new job which he seems to be enjoying working for Channel 4 in their admin offices for advertising.

We  had a couple of days away on our own in Sussex and then our final trip away during the summer was to a converted oast house in Kent.  This was with Nick's family again and it was lovely.  The house was amazing - 9 bedrooms, all with ensuite bathrooms.  Huge living space, an outside heated swimming pool and tennis court.  We were lucky with the weather and we all enjoyed it so much we've already booked for next year.  I don't think we'll be going camping again any time soon!

Other events during the summer included problems with the cats.  Willow managed to rupture her achilles tendon.  I though initially the vet was trying to tell me that as there was nothing they could do to repair it that she would have to be put down.  However what he went on to advise was ensuring she had complete rest for 3-4 weeks - by keeping her in a cage.  So she spent 4 weeks in a cage large enough for her to be able to sleep eat and .....yes the litter tray fitted in the cage too.  She's now been released and seems to be managing quite well, although she cannot jump very high any more.

Unfortunately we no longer have our other cat Faith.  She was diagnosed with kidney disease a while ago but recently she deteriorated quite rapidly, developing kidney stones and we were left with no choice but to put her to sleep.  One of the hardest things I've had to do but Rebecca was a great support.  

The moral of both those stories is that if we have any pets in future we will make sure they are insured!   

Insurance is a funny thing.  My husband Nick has been diagnosed with sleep apnoea so he now sleeps using a CPAP machine.  He's coping quite well with the machine, better than I thought he would.  One downside though is that he cannot drive at present.  When I rang the insurance company to advise them of this I naively thought this would reduce the amount we paid. I was suprised to find it would cost more - the logic being that two people driving long journeys is better than one.  They clearly haven't driven with my husband recently who I'd have to constantly talk to so that he wouldn't nod off!  Fortunately they agreed to remove him without charging me extra.

So that's the summer round up.  I'm now back at work with lots going on there but for now it's time for bed!

Saturday 29 June 2013

This and that.....a waffle for Saturday

Hello there!  It's been a while - again!  Another birthday has passed since my last posting.  Thanks for the good wishes.  I'd like to say I had a really good day but days are not great at the moment.  Apparently I have an inflamed cervical vertebrae which is causing a great deal of pain across my shoulder and down my arm.  Have had to wait weeks to get a diagnosis and will start physio in 2 weeks time.  In the meantime I'm now on stronger painkillers but they are still not taking the pain away completely.  I'm trying to avoid taking any opiate based drugs but I still feel a bit of a junkie at the moment - watching the clock to see when I can take the next dose.

It's frustrating and depressing because when I wake in the morning it is at its worst and it takes me a while to get up and going.  The earliest I made it to work this week was 9.30 and one day I didn't get in until 11.30.  Why am I still going to work?  Well the alternative is sitting at home in pain feeling even more sorry for myself and stressing about all the work that needs to be done.  Once I get to work the distraction seems to help and my job isn't particularly physical so I feel like I'm getting some stuff done.  Although the politics at work at the moment are not great.

But things could be worse.  Maybe if I tell myself that enough it will start to sink in.

My eldest son seems to be settling into his new life in Nottingham.  His girlfriend moved into the flat properly last weekend having finished her teacher training.   She will start work as a fully fledged teacher in September.  They are off to India soon for a holiday.  Michael's girlfriend arrives here around the same time from America.  Their long distance relationship seems to be lasting - SKPE is a wonderful thing!

Nick keeps nagging me about sorting out a holiday but I'm finding it hard to focus on that with all this pain.  And he is wary of driving at the moment until they determine if he does have sleep apnoea or not as apparently that is something you have to report to the driving agency and he might not be allowed to drive for a while pending the outcome of any treatment.  Maybe we'll look at somewhere via trains.  Or maybe I will just vegetate once we break up for the summer.  

We have a couple of weekends away planned - a 40 year university reunion at Loughborough.  Hopefully I won't feel too much the odd one out amongst Nick's old uni friends - I think the other attendees are all coming alone or as a couple who met at the uni - I will definitely be the outsider.  But I'm sure it will be fine. The other weekend away is a family gathering at his sister's house in France at the end of July.

Then we have another family gathering at a holiday propery in Kent at the end of August.  That's around the bank holiday weekend but the property is booked for a week so I won't be heading back home in a hurry.

Nick also has some leave booked at the beginning of August so that's what we need to sort out.  It might help if we could believe it was finally summer!  The weather has been atrocious so far this year.  But it was nice on my birthday so I'll count my blessings.

Monday 27 May 2013

A walk in the park






Photo: Walking in the park
Nick and I went for a walk today.  We walked across the flats to Wanstead park which is where we saw the family above.  We carried on up to Wanstead High Street and browsed the shops.  We then got the bus back to our local cafe for tea and cake!  A nice afternoon out :)

Saturday 25 May 2013

It's raining balls!

Yep I'm here! Really here for the first time in ages.  A whole half-term has passed by without any posting.  A clear indication of how busy daily life has been.  Lots going on at school and some children are being quite challenging at the moment.

Yesterday was a good example of that.  Had to help deal with a child that was refusing to co-operate with any instructions and had been sent to what we call the "Restart" room - a time out area where they are expected to carry out their work.  This particular child had no intention of working and was proceeding to climb and jump across the tables in the room.  We decided to ensure everyone's safety by removing the tables and chairs from the room.  I would have liked there to be padding on the walls but as this isn't the case I decided to borrow some bean bags from the nursery so at least the child had something to sit on.  Made the mistake of bringing one that had a zipped on cover rather than sewn on.  When I went back to check how the supervising staff member was coping I discovered the floor was covered in the polystyrene balls from inside the bean bag!

Fortunately by that time another senior teacher had arrived and I was able to get back to my own work.  The child was also persuaded to help clear up the mess they'd created.

Other than incidents like that - of which there are many - we are now counting down to the end of the academic year and a new era - the Headteacher is leaving in July and for the time being the current Deputy will act up as Head.  Works fine for me as I get on really well with her.  Yesterday they also promoted two teachers to acting assistant headteachers so things are slowly falling into place.

On the home front progress is being made on hubby's snoring but we have opened a can of worms.  He is waiting for a letter to arrange a sleep test but it may be that he has sleep apnoea which is not great.  It would explain why he's so tired and able to nod off so easily during the day but if it's really bad the treatment could involve sleeping attached to a machine to ensure he keeps breathing during the night.  It could also affect whether he can drive or not but as the long term effects of sleep apnoea can lead to high blood pressure and heart problems it's not something to be ignored.

Our youngest flew off to New Orleans for the week yesterday and hopefully has arrived ok.  There were delays at Heathrow yesterday so I hope he made his connecting flight ok.  His long distance relationship seems to be holding up - SKYPE is a wonderful thing!  (Although time differences are a pain in the butt!)  His girlfriend will be visiting here again in July.

Our daughter flies out to visit a uni friend in Jersey today for a few days so a quieter house at the moment.  It will be even quieter soon as our eldest son is all set to move to Nottingham in the next couple of weeks.  He leaves his current job next week and  today (finally) received the contract through for his new job which he will start on 10th June.  He has rented a two bedroom flat (his girlfriend will be moving in soon) which looks lovely.  We'll be able to see for sure when we help him move all his stuff up there!  Fortunately he doesn't have loads of stuff but he does have a large TV and stand and he's taking a computer desk from here so we may have to do 2 trips or hire a van to get everything there.  

Once he's gone we will be playing the musical bedrooms game again as he currently has the biggest room of the kids.   Once again one of them will probably have gone from A to B to C to end up back at A again.  Sounds like the story of my life!


Friday 29 March 2013

I seem to have slipped off the world

Well I've definitely slipped off the blogspot!  The weeks seem to have been flying past and I haven't had much inclination to blog.  Work has been a bit manic.  After our successful Ofsted inspection we were just beginning to relax a bit when we were notified of an RE inspection.  Being a catholic school we are inspected by people from the diocese who look at how we are delivering religious education in the school.  We get a bit more notice of these and it doesn't really impact on the office team, except of course that all the teaching staff in particular get a bit stressed so the atmosphere in school is not great.  But it's only temporary and they came last Tuesday and it was fine so we have a few years of peace now, unless our results really dip.

But of course in school there is never a dull moment - the latest event to occupy me was the resignation of the Headteacher.  He will be leaving in July so now we are carrying out the recruitment process for his successor.  Interesting times.

It's a busy time of the school year - budgets to be set, admissions to be finalised but for the next couple of weeks it's holiday time.  We finished for Easter on Wednesday and have 2 weeks off.  Nick also has the time off so we might go away for a couple of nights.  I just hope the weather improves.  It has been so very cold here for this time of year.

Michael's girlfriend Liz from America is here this week.  She flew in last Saturday and was subjected to a family party that evening so she has met most of the family in one go - she seemed to cope with it well.  We can be a bit overwhelming when we're all together.  Unfortunately she will be returning home on Monday and they will be back to having to skype one another - usually in the early hours of the morning for Michael so not ideal.  He's hoping to visit her in May and I'm sure they'll get together over the summer.  Michael is currently working in a school so he has the holidays off like me.  Liz is a teacher so she also gets the holidays but any long distance relationship is hard.   He would still like to get back to America but it's hard to get a working visa.  I'm not sure what the future will hold for them.  Time will tell.


Matt is still waiting to hear about a start date for his new job in Nottingham but hopefully that will be soon.  We will then probably have to draw lots as to who gets his bedroom as it is the biggest of the three the kids use.  So musical rooms again.


Well that's my update.  Have a peaceful happy Easter :)

 

Sunday 24 February 2013

The boys are back in town

My boys are home.  Well I guess to make it clear that it's hubby and eldest son maybe I should say that the man and boy are back.  Except of course both our boys are now young men.  And our daughter is a young woman.  Where do the years go?  It's scary how time flies.

This past week has flown by and I haven't achieved very much but I needed the rest.  I did read a couple of books and I finished the jigsaw I was struggling with.  I was horrified to discover I started that puzzle in 2010!  That's the downside of having a lovely puzzle board that can be closed up and put out of sight and definitely out of mind.  If I'd been doing the puzzle on a table top somewhere it would have been finished much quicker, although actually I think it would have been given up on.  So it was satisfying to finally finish it.  I'm working on another one now which is definitely easier.  

It might seem a time waster to some but it takes me away from screens and in my paranoid moments of worrying about developing dementia or alzheimers it's another brain testing exercise.  Crosswords and number puzzles are something else I can often be found doing.

I still need to work on the physical exercise though.  Apparently that can help too.  Or maybe not.  I'm not particularly motivated to exercise at the moment.  And as I've got older I've realised that life's too short for doing things because you think you ought to or because it will please someone else.  Several people were surprised that I didn't go skiing with my men and the other family members but quite honestly I didn't want to go.  So I didn't.

They both enjoyed it though so I'm glad they had the opportunity to go.  The journey was not the best though - 17 hours on a coach is no fun.  Another good reason for staying home.  But hey I don't need reasons for not doing things I don't want to.  Shame I can't apply the same principal to my work life. 

Well this is another blog that has crossed the date line between preparing and posting!  It's now Sunday so it's time for bed.

Monday 18 February 2013

2 Blogs in as many days! :)

It doesn't take much to confuse me.  I came up with the title above and then looked at my previous post to find it was dated yesterday.  That can't be right I thought, I'm sure I posted it Saturday and today is Monday, isn't it?  It's hard to keep track of days when you're on holiday.

Anyway of course it felt like Saturday when I posted but it had actually ticked over into Sunday.  I'm definitely a night owl.

I had a lazy weekend, recharging some batteries.  Hubby and eldest son have gone skiing in France with quite a few other family members.  And before anyone expresses surprise, I DID NOT WANT TO GO!  I had the opportunity to go but gracefully declined.  This ageing body of mine is not up for skiing.  And I'm not a fan of the cold.  I have been skiing in the past but quite a few years ago.  In my opinion you need to be fit to ski and I am definitely not fit.  I haven't been doing any exercise for ages.  I blamed a lot on the frozen shoulder I developed last summer.  But I won't be hanging onto that excuse much longer - it is thawing!  Yay I can do my bra up normally and don't have to get assistance with dress zips etc.  It has taken a while but it's definitely on the mend.  I have walked to the shops twice since Friday so that counts as exercise since I usually take the car.

I've got a fair amount of work to get through but I'm interspersing that with doing things I want to do.  I even got out the jigsaw puzzle I started months ago.  It's really challenging but I've made some progress. I also did some knitting while watching TV last night.

Now it's time to prepare dinner - one downside of hubby being away, I have to remember how to cook!  But at least I sleep better without the snoring ;)  and I get to choose what music to play.  Yep I'm listening to music.  A good sign.


Sunday 17 February 2013

Procrastination V Willpower



I am doomed, I have excellent procrastination skills and a complete lack of willpower. 

I seem to have lost my motivation for anything at the moment.  The run up to Christmas was its usual nightmare and then when we got back to work I was notified of a Health and Safety audit.  That was enough to send me into a panic and the last two weeks have been very busy and eventful to say the least.

The week before last we had our long awaited Ofsted inspection visit.  We’ve been expecting this since last September and you only get ½ a days’ notice so it’s good that it is finally done and not hanging over our heads.  The phone call came on Tuesday so the inspectors were here on the Wednesday and Thursday.  Obviously it’s more daunting for teaching staff who are actually observed but part of my role is to keep a central register of all the checks we do on staff including police checks, qualifications etc.  A mistake on that can lead to instant failure so no pressure!  It was an exhausting few days – early starts, late finishes and of course it’s hard to be relaxed when there are 3 inspectors in the building.  But it went well.  Can’t say anymore at the moment as the report has not been published.  Due out any time now so watch this space on news of that.

The health and safety audit had been postponed to the week just finished (on the Wednesday) but we had more drama on the Monday.  An electrical fault that set off the fire alarm led to the closure of the school for two days while it was resolved.  Our supply had to be turned off at the main intake while the work was carried out.  (This meant no lights, power, heating, phones etc so no school!) Once the supply was restored everything had to be checked to make sure all was safe.  You would be forgiven for thinking that I had two extra days at home but that was not the case for me.  I was busy liaising with maintenance people and organising the messaging to parents and staff to keep them informed of the situation.  I have been promised time off in lieu once things are back to normal.  Normal?  Hmmm didn’t really think I was going to get those days!

But it has meant a bit more breathing time on the  H & S audit – we’re on half term this week and the appointment will be rearranged for after that.  Not sure what he will have to say about this incident – especially as after the Headteacher had reported it to the local authority we received a response to “the fire” we’d had.  As in did we have the fire brigade attend?  Did anyone have to use a fire extinguisher?

Umm no and no!  It was not a fire.  Of course the potential for a fire was there but fortunately our fire alarm system picked up that the wiring had got hot before we could even smell any burning and we’d evacuated the building.  We’d had an electrician on site fairly quickly to establish what was wrong and moved on from there.

Hopefully things will get a bit easier once the H &S audit is over – at least there won’t be so much pressure.  There will still be lots of work to do – and it looks like part of the building will have to be rewired which will be a major project but I have been getting more support from the Deputy Headteacher and I can honestly say there is never a dull moment in school.

Plus there are more scary things to worry about.  It was reported in the news yesterday that the horsemeat scandal may have spread to school meals!  Especially cottage pie.  I’ve eaten cottage pie at school recently!  I ate minced beef pie on Friday!  Tasted like beef.  But then I wouldn’t know what horse tasted like.  Our meals are mostly freshly cooked at school but couldn’t say where the beef comes from.  Hopefully during the half-term holiday the local authority will have prepared a response on this subject as I know we will be getting questions from parents.

Maybe there’s a silver lining though.  I need to diet and eating school meals is not helping – remember my title of willpower and lack of it.  And procrastinaton.  When faced with the choice of giving up relaxing time to make a healthy packed lunch or even getting off my backside and going to the local shops to get something to eat versus the prospect of a hot dinner with a dessert such as chocolate sponge and custard, apple crumble and custard or even cheesecake there are no prizes for guessing which option I’ve been opting for lately.

Tuesday 8 January 2013

9 sleeps and ginger cats!

Only 9 sleeps until my youngest is home!  Yep I'm counting down,  This is one countdown I can cope with.  Someone (who shall be nameless but is a relative of mine and yes she will know I mean her ;) mentioned how long it was until next Christmas in a recent blog!  Not going there yet.  But 9 sleeps I can cope with.  I can even cope with the no of weeks until 2 people I know are about to give birth.  (about 10 and 12 weeks respectively.)

But the best countdown at the moment (excluding the 9 sleeps - got that one remembered yet?) is it's only 5 weeks 3 days to the next holiday.  And after that one it's only about 4 weeks until the next one.

Enough of wishing my life away.

Work anecdote for the day:  What do you do when you come down from your weekend home and forget to bring your work shoes with you?  You pop out and buy a new pair.  And try not to make a habit of it!

Message to self:  Don't let the nice friendly ginger cat follow you into the house when your own 2 cats are waiting.  This happened tonight - it greeted me as I got out of my car and followed me up our front path. I thought I had shooed it away but I was distracted by trying to sort out the 3 keys needed to get into the house and it sneaked past me.  My two cats both tried to pounce on it and it ran up the first flight of stairs.  It made to go further up but thought better of it and dashed back out the front door.  I felt awful because it was a friendly cat but now it's probably traumatised!  I just hope it found its way home ok although I have no idea who it belongs to.

Sunday 6 January 2013

Almost ready!

Well the christmas tree is down and the decorations boxed up.  Didn't make it to the loft today but they will soon.  Took lots of the clothes etc to the recyling bank today.  Our local Sainsbury's has a variety of bins including the usual glass and paper as well as plastics, batteries, light bulbs, small appliances and 2 large clothing/textile  bins that are provided by Oxfam.  I'm happy putting any old clothes in there because I know that if they don't think they could sell them in their shops they use them for things like insulation materials.  I lost count of how many bags I put in those bins today - Matthew has really had a good clear out!

He may be moving to Nottingham in the near future.  He is waiting for a formal grad scheme offer from the civil service - they spoke to him just before christmas and he is waiting for the letter.  Providing it all goes to plan he will be in Nottingham for the first year and then maybe in London after that.  As his girlfriend is near to Nottingham this is clearly an attractive prospect.  He's clearly been sorting out his clothes and his room with a possible move in mind.

So maybe I will only have all 3 back at home for a short while - only 10 days until Michael is home.

But tomorrow it's back to work!  My clothes are out ready and I dared to check my e-mails tonight.  The alarm is set, better get some sleep.

Saturday 5 January 2013

Catching the de-cluttering bug!

The de-cluttering bug is catching!  I've done loads during this holiday and today I managed to go through my wardrobe.  I was quite ruthless taking out anything I hadn't worn in the last year or so.  I even found a couple of things that I'd never worn!  But having decided I wasn't likely to wear them they were added to the outgoing pile as well.  Now I need to make a shopping list and do some retail therapy!

While I was busy doing this I could hear lots of movement in Matt's room as well as wardrobe doors opening and closing.  When I went down to investigate I found there were piles of clothes all around his room, including every bit of his bed.  He had been very organised and had made pile of each thing e.g socks, underpants, shorts, t-shirts etc.  He had emptied out his entire wardrobe/drawers etc.  The next step to the plan was to assess each type of clothing and throw out what he no longer wears, fits etc.

At the time of writing there are several black bags outside his room to get rid of but I'm not sure how much has found its way back into the wardrobes.  Hopefully he will be able to get in his bed tonight.

Rebecca has also been working in her room so this bug is definitely catching!

Tomorrow I need to get the Christmas stuff down and put away and load the charity stuff into the car.  There also needs to be an overall tidy so that I'm ready for work on Monday.  Did I just mention the w word? Help!

Friday 4 January 2013

Ladies should lunch!

I have been a lady who lunched the last two days.  It could get to be a habit apart from the slight problem of going back to work on Monday.

I and a few friends had agreed to meet up for lunch before going back to work and although I knew we'd talked about Friday (i.e. today, 4th Jan)  I had it in my head that it was to be on the 3rd so when I got a text yesterday asking if I could make a certain location at 2pm I assumed that I was right about it being the 3rd.  I've come to the conclusion you should never make assumptions!  I duly arrived at the venue and rang the organiser to check if she was already inside only to discover my error.  Lunch was planned for today, 4th.  Well it was a bit her error as well as the text hadn't specified a date but because that had already been agreed she hadn't seen the need to include it.  Confused?  Yes so was I.

Having gone to the effort of getting up and out I decided not to waste the time and went shopping for a few things that I needed and to have lunch.  Nothing fancy, just a sandwich and cake in one of the department stores but it was nice to sit back and watch the world go by for a bit.

Today we did have our planned lunch in an hotel restaurant and that was also good.  Lots of chatter, catching up on our Christmas and New Year celebrations etc.

The break is nearly over but we have been fairly productive at home.  Well we've produced lots of paper recycling.  Nick had a clear out of the filing cabinet and there was a big pile of paper for shredding.  We're still working our way through the pile but our recycling bin was full when they came to empty it yesterday.  We've also sorted out a lot of stuff that we will take to a car boot sale when spring arrives. (I'm being optimistic here - be impressed.)  There is another pile of stuff by the front door that will go to the recycling centre at our local Sainsbury's at the weekend.  And then there is a pile of books for the local Oxfam shop.

Michael's room is almost habitable again and Matthew has caught the clearing out bug and has sorted out some stuff from his room.  Now I just need to convince Rebecca to go through her things and get more organised.

Less is sometimes more!

Tuesday 1 January 2013

Personally I'm a twosie kind of girl

I'm not alone!  

There seems to be a craze at the moment for a strange kind of garment known as a "Onesie".  They come in all shapes and sizes and with various attachments so that you can make yourself into various animals etc.  One of my relatives even had a matching set for all their family members - well matching in that they all had a onesie, none of them were the same.  I've seen the photographic evidence.

Admitedly they are supposed to be cosy and comfortable - ideal for lounging about in your own home, walking out to the shops a definite no no, unless of course you're on the way to a fancy dress party via the off licence.  

I thought I was on my own in thinking they have a rather large drawback but no, there is a kindred spirit out there, a reporter for The Times newspaper.  She had a much better way with words than I have but the gist of her article in today's paper was about how impractical these garments are when you need to use the toilet!  Those of you who know me well will understand this is important for me.  The need to strip the thing off to use the loo is a definite design flaw.  (Unless of course they do come with an evacuation flap in the nether regions but I'm pretty sure they don't.)  

So I will be sticking with my PJs - my best friend bought me a lovely comfy pair for christmas so I'm all set and if I get cold I'll resort to my slanket. I might not be prepared to wear a onesie but I'm not adverse to wearing a back to front dressing gown!