Slight time travel ....
I couldn't post my blog yesterday - hence the two postings of today. The snow has melted and left the usual mess, but it was fun! I would love to be someone who can ski, it must be fantastic to be able to whoosh down hills and be in control of yourself and where you are going. I skied on the farm at home with mum's wooden skis that she had when she worked in Switzerland as a cabin girl. They were far too long and need tremendous waxing, the boots were fine if I filled the toe caps with a pair of dad's welly socks. Then suitably dressed and padded up I would set off!
Our farm was called Tophill Farm and for a good reason. This was great, except that I couldn't steer and ended many of these downhill whooshes stuck over the ditch at the bottom of the first field, screaming for help and rescue. I learnt the hard way not to skiing on my own, that ditch was really mucky and smelly and the ice did not bear my weight!

Well!
We made huge snow men, skating rinks, snow angels and all sorts of things in the snow. Playtimes have been just that - wonderful play with boys and girls mucking in together - it beats football hands down! But I still think tin trays were more fun than the plastic bum mats that they have nowadays!

Come on you snow!!
I love the snow - can't wait till tomorrow playtime, I shall throw a few surreptitious snowballs before the headmaster tells me off! Sadly I have no sledge, otherwise I would be out on the field opposite sledging happily until I was blue with the cold.
Pity about the hazel catkins, they have been looking absolutley beautiful inthe hedges, but we might get some nuts in the autumn. Meanwhile, I must look out my grotty old clothes and some woolly gloves, the long ski socks and a bobble hat, Yes!!!

I have it back!!
What a wonderful system! The Post Office checks your renewal form for the passport, sends it in and gives you a date that the passport will arrive before - and hey presto! it worked. ONE week, that is not the same experience as the three months wait I have had in the past, together with the nagging feelings of wondering whether it will arrive before the airplane takes off!! The old one came back too - battered, with two ears cut out of the cover, but I have my memories and stamps back!
Yesterday was the day of the knickers hunt - yes you did read that correctly. I zig-zagged across the countryside from Shropshire to Staffordshire to find a shop with something a little more interesting that M&S cotton briefs! Wellington did not even yield up the shop, I know its there but simply could not find it. Blind as a bat??? So I shot off to Stone to Chantilly, was given a parking ticket for 45 minutes by another motorist and dashed into the shop, asked the lady if she could fit me up with underwear in 35 minutes? Easy she said! Sized me up without a measuring tape - checked it and then gave me lots to try on. So I am now the proud owner of some lovely knickers and bras and considerable more zeros on my bank statement!!
I have one query though, why do those mirrors in the shop always make me look so elephantine? It will be several years before I venture in again - the michelin experience is not one I enjoy! I just hope those knickers are of good quality material.....

I want my old one back..
I am going shopping in New York at half term, so thought I ought to check the essentials. Passport? Yes, but it runs out in June, which set me pondering whether or not you have to have 6 months left on your passport to enter the States. Life has been so hectic at school that I have almost been joining the line of kids asking me for permission to go to the loo in the lesson time - so phoning anyone for advice on that then!!
I used the post office's checking system for the passport form and my new passport has been returned in one week. Great! I can now go on holiday, but I want my old one back again. It had the stamps for all my interesting hols, the one that showed that I crossed Vic Falls holds especially dear memories. It's the only time that I have held up a train for over an hour - refusing to pay for an extra visa. They were not happy with me, but my visa was a multi entry one so I knew I did not need another one and I was not going to pay another $30 to get back into the country. The battle was won and it was one that I was stupidly pleased to have succeeded in. But now there is no sign of this in my passport... I think I shall have to go travelling again and have some more little arguments on a border or two.

Spring is springing..
in my garden! The lonicera is right out and smells absolutely gorgeous. I always get excited about this shrub - small white flowers but the scent packs a hefty punch. Together with that I can pick flowers from 5 other flowering shrubs , wallflowers and hellebores. So whatever my son says, spring is springing and I feel good about that. I will try to take some photos this week.

Do your car keys do it for you too?
Let me describe leaving school on Friday night for you. I'm sorry DLG KNOG yes - it was late, 7pm. (I can hear you shouting from here!!) My alter ego was also working late, trying to finish the marking, however, we decided enough was enough at that time of the evening. We got our things together, I put a box of stuff in my car and then went back to lock up and set the alarm. It was at this point that I panicked - where were my car keys? Well, yes, it IS obvious now, I had opened the car so they must still be in the car door. When it is pitch dark so you can't see the car, let alone the car door, you're tired and want to go home, why isn't the obvious solution obvious? I went back in - redid the alarm, searched my class and hers, walked out to admit my failure and then realised where they were. Oh dear!!!

This state of mind continued the next morning. Saturday is the week-end, time off etc etc. Well I rose early to go down to London to the Bett show - work in other words! Just before reaching Stafford I realised that I had left my hair straighteners switched on so dashed back home to turn them off. Dashed (again) back to catch the next train and finally arrived rather late. What was good about this? I met up with a colleague from my previous job who was just going in with his young daughter. The sad thing was that she was not allowed in and was too young for the creche.
Disaster looms? No, the staff were wonderful, they looked after her for an hour, then I was allowed a half hour of blissful play with her then dad went home with her having managed to see some of the show.
Her name is Eleanor and she was a poppet! I thought I would like to read her a story but she soon sorted all that out and we were doing all sorts of daft things which were much more fun, I had forgotten about that total sublimation one has to young toddlers and their incredible charm. Paul is a man who is not fazed by anything and neither is his daughter, she enjoyed everyone's company and then happily went home with dad. Wow! What a family. So I was extremely glad to have arrived late. Otherwise I would not have met up with them both and had such an enjoyable visit to the show. I must email the staff and congratulate them

Bullying
I was going to ask when do people grow out of the need to bully, but I htink that neds amending to simmpl'Do people ever grow out of tha frame of mind?'
I live on an estate in the countryside - fairly arty farty it has to be said! It was originally the working buildings for a large country mansion, the factor's house, the mill etc etc. One family has the unenviable job of sorting out the estate and has bought some fields around the estate to grow hay for their donkeys. So far so good and simple? Don't you believe it!
At the entrance to the estate is a cart shed which has two garages behind it where the family store some hay and park their vehicles in the area beside it. One or two families out of about twenty five have taken it in their heads to attack this family - this is the third case of their bully boy tactics that I know of - the first two vicitm families left the estate. Are you getting a clear idea of their general character? Hmmm. Now I don't know about you, but if someone tells me I have to clear up, that is the quickest way to causing some kind of accident which will inadvertanlty cause more mess - how dare they?
This family had suffered a fire to in their home which was exacerbated by the fact that the fire brigade did not know where the hydrant was and tried to put the fire out with water from the tap of the house that was on fire. BASIL??? Someone had then objected to the fact that they were living in a caravan on the estate whilst overseeing the complete rebuilding of their home and looking after their livestock.
So last night saw me writing a rather strongly worded letter to the planning authority at one in the morning, this kind of unwarranted bullying is something I hate. In fact it brings out the rage in me in a way that that nothing else quite succeeds. So I think I am going to put an official objection into the council planning department about the blow-up Father Christmas that was tethered in the courtyard, after all he would give anyone nightmares wouldn't he?
I am going to bed to dream of - not tonight Colin dear, but sticking a darning needle into the effigy.
Sweet dreams everyone!

I have just experienced a wonderful technical hour!
Have you been through those sloughs of despond when your computer does everything it can to persuade you that writing on slate must have been so much easier? Well my wonderful black box has just had a superb hour of working its little heart out for me. It has scanned dozens of photos for school, saved them and transferred them onto my - again wonderful, memory stick. Eureka! I know what Archimedes experienced by way of sheer joy when you find that something works out for the first time - painlessly. Thank-you computer! I can face the morning's geography lesson now...

Collywobbles
Does anyone else out there get the collywobbles about starting a new year of teaching? I confess that these wobbly feelings attack me each year and I am now getting a New Year attack as well. I did not realise quite how my mind had gone into some kind of protective state over the last two months, the effects are showing up now with a vengeance. Concentrating is almost impossible, remembering things just doesn't happen and working out what the printed word means is - well let's say difficult! So I start teaching again tomorrow, the planning is basically sorted but can I settle down to plan each individual lesson in a sensible way? Huh!! As for writing it down and differentiating for three groups, remembering what my TA is doing each leasson - it was all planned last term and I have given her a copy, so where is mine???
I think I need to start at the beginning and catch up as I go along:
Do I have clean clothes for the week - yes!
Have I set the alarm for the morning - yes,
three different ones to keep me awake until I realise that I have to get up!
Have I any milk for the morning cup of tea? Yes.
The car is filled with petrol and I have some food for lunch.
So brain, no more excuses, get on and sort out the work, in triplicate, differentiated and tracked in all areas of the curriculum and what is most important is to smile sweetly at all and sundry!
Wow! Happy New Year to you all, those going back to school, starting new jobs - Miss Dale, and those doing the most difficult job of looking after children at home. Enjoy every morning that you do not have to get up and take your child to school! There, I feel happier now and ready to find a file or two.

Mobiles
I gave in, my phone was not for showing itself, so I have been out and bought a new one.... yessss, one that takes photographs! Hah! I have joined the anti Ludditte sect and am going to embrace new technology. (I am, I am... and it WILL work for me.) This one sings and dances, I have it on dancing (- vibrating to the rest of the world), so that it doesn't tell everyone that I have a call! The alarm is set for Monday morning, I have sent a first call, not a text message as yet, that is this afternoon's little game. Then the photograph, I have taken the christmas tree, I want to take the sitting room with the ivy swags but I suspect that it won't look too good, but we'll see - I'll send it to my computer and see what happens. So, there's a new thing for a new year.

This is going to be a positive year for me, I know I came up with lots of New Year Resolution ideas for DLG OBE, but I think that a curious and positive attitude will do lots for me, rather than that sinking feeling when I tick off the resolutions as they take a dive into the dust!

Now, as for my New Year's Honours Awards, I am considering (I am SEN so mine come out after January 1st) awarding DLG OBE a Knightess of the Garter - is there such a thing? I am sure that Gucci would make a stylish Garter and she could have such a party to celebrate! Sam from West Wing is awarded the MDY (Male Dish of the Year) and he has to go out for dinner with me when I go to New York with Rupert.
Just two this year folks, quality not quantity and no blackmail or bribery involved!

I will be clam, no I won't! I will be calm.
Breathe deeply, clear the mind of all thoughts that will distract and accept that this afternoon - Friday 2nd January, I have to go into school for a Professional Development course on Science. I will be calm, cool and collected but at this moment that word cross is creeping in too. In fact I will think of clams, their appearance of total control over emotion and the obvious invisible sign on then 'We're closed!' and I will metaphorically hang that over my head in this meeting and so remain c,c,and c throughout the afternoon. If the heating is not on I might walk around all the time to keep warm. What boss brings his staff in for a Friday afternoon's training at the end of the Christmas holidays? One who is not thinking about the affect it will have on morale. The school governor responsible for science can't possible come in for the meeting because he will have family staying with him - hmmmm.
Right! I am going to start breathing deeply, chin up, this can be done.