I hope he is OK?
My daily journeys to school are peppered with a meeting somewhere along the route - nothing illicit, just a daily happening. Everyday I see a beautiful cock pheasant in the woods, sometimes he is on the road side and disdainfully turns his back on me. At other times he faces the road, stands upright and looks down his beak at me. The mornings I am late for school seem to be patently obvious to him - those are the days he slowly and gracefully crosses the road in front of me. Why is it so obvious that I won't aim for him screaming Sunday Lunch as I splatter him? Am I a wimp? Occasionally he will outface me and just stand in the middle of the road before a rather ungainly exit in flight.
Sadly, the last three days he has been missing, there has not been a pile of flesh and feathers on the road so I hope all is well with him. Unlike the poor badger who met his end on the lane further along. Then there was the dog fox I saw last night - yes Saurday night.....
What I am trying to say is that although the job is bleeding every drop of work out of me at the mo- the journeys are lovely and the wildlife is wonderful. So there are compensations.

A hairy journey!
And not just because I was going for a haircut! I drove through sandstorms, trees lashing the air and breaking off in mid action, finding lumps of sandstone in the road and avoiding signs that were freewheeling along in their own inimitable way. The main road was also blocked and I have yet to find out why - it remained so for hours so I hope no-one was hurt by any falling trees or masonry.
As a teacher I read about soil erosion, but today I drove through it and found it a fairly frightening experience. The fine topsoil now lies in the road guttering in shallow drifts which is not something often seen in this part of the world. Reminded me somewhat of Oman and the odd windy storm there.
Well my camera has finally died so I must do something about replacing it as I like to be able to click at things and have lots of records - it is lovely to be able to see them on the screen too, I like not having to stick them into albums, one job less when I get back from hols etc.
Tonight I am going to a quiz in the small village where I work; before I go I must decide whether I am going to do my usual thing which is answer one question and laugh all the way through, or should I behave properly? The children's parents will be there so I am not sure what to do. I can't imagine that I will be able to take it seriously for too long though, so perhaps some underhand mischief might be the best policy! The woman who asked me to join her team is decidedly humourous (that spelling looks odd...)so I think I might just chance it!

Better late... yet again!
I have just downloaded my New York Pickies and they are a wonderful memory of the trip! Thanks to Rupert who took the suicidal ones over the edge of the Empire State Building whilst I cowered next to the wall of the building, he said there were lots of yellow taxis!



There was Ice skating in Central Park



and the so supportive tree! Woops! Those photos are arther big - will sort that out tomorrow - after the school trip.




It was a wonderful shopping trip and now I must plan something else!

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away....
Yes, OK, I am a Beetles fan, and this song was on the cd that Ru returned to me. I spent the day in Church Stretton on a pre-school-visit recce. We are going to do some river studies in the hills that surround the town. Now, when I say river studies, we will be examining a stream that is about ankle deep but has all the pertinant river features. I am looking forward to taking the class and getting some work done in a practical way.
(You can tell by the tone that there is going to be 'but'. can't you?)
I arrived in school this morning to prepare for the day - I was to teach the whole age range today - from 4 right through to 11. Quite an active session, oh and chess club at lunch time... A parent came in to tip me the wink that the trip might be called off, some other parents wanted a risk assessment done. Hmmm, well there is a 10 page document which I have to fill in and that is why I went to see the place. So I was a little cross to find out that they thought I would take the class somewhere, without going there first, and without knowing what I wanted doing. What has happened to this idea that you work with the school for the best of your child's education?
Yikes!!I hate all this negativity that is rubbing off onto me.

Food, glorious food...
Yesterday I had a delish...ous meal at a restaurant outside Ludlow, which was one of those occasions when I say to myself that I had forgotten how good the simple meals could be. Must find a good reason to go back soon! Today Livvy, Tim and Ru came out to lunch with me at the Lamb at Edgmond, that too was good. I am beginning to think there is something in this eating out lark, I am not left with clearing up or washing up, didn't have to spend hours shopping and cooking..... funny how long some pennies can take to drop!
It was lovely to go out with them all and enjoy the banter, catch up with their news and also be told how to cope with ofsted. Simple says Ru, find out what they want to see, then give it to them! Yes - OK!

Get a grip!
The thought of the next seven weeks being totally, as opposed to just dominated by Ofsted is becoming rather unpleasant. So, last night I made a list. Jobs to do and weeks to do them in. It is just about manageable if I am very good and get on with things, so that is the way it is going to have to be. We have a head coming in on Friday to do a pre- inspection, she will be looking around at things, not watching our teaching, so the books have to be marked etc with encouraging comments. Records have to be up to date and assessment procedures in place. This is OK, we can do this.
Captain Mainwairing will not be hearing that phrase,"Don't panic." -yet...

Continued...
Well, they are not dung beetles, but I have had some snakes in the class this week. They were actually rather beautiful, pink and white! Now, do you think I can borrow them and let them loose whilst the brown envelope people are in the room? Their (the snakes that is!) eating habits were quite special too - the defrosted mice had to be warmed to bood temerature before they snatched them and started the process of eating them - or is it ingesting them?The photographs are quite spectaular - but there's another story - I have messed up my laptop and they are somewhere I am no longer allowed to roam in the filing world. B****r!!!

Displays
Teachers will know and understand how important displays of work are to visitors. I am wondering how I can be mischievous and yet scientific with my science board. We are learniing about food chains and animals this half term - so..... a child brought in a snake's skin from Belize. Now I have a wonderful site that had pickies of the snake eating a rat, swallowing an egg and other such delights. Shall I? I think so! There's nothing like subterfuge to give a person amusement whilst a clipboard is doing the rounds of your room whilst you teach. I think we will see how many such items I can display!! Any other ideas will be gratefully received.