Saturday 2 April 2016

Gifts from afar attempt 3

Well, I'm starting this post for the second time. I thought I'd show you the lovely stuff Miss 21 brought me back from her epic trip to New Zealand. It's a very long way. 

It all arrived in a beautifully made heavy New Zealand cotton bag ( that's now for knitting projects....)
I'm laughing my head off at the photograph of the rather unfortunate positioning of the Kiwi bird biscuit cutters!!! It's actually a mama and her chick, I think! I'm going to look up an authentic NZ biscuit recipe for their maiden batch - which won't be yet as I'm not eating biscuits and the like in a final attempt to release my inner thinner! 

There's a sweet little pot teabag holder for brew time. She has the same one in her new flat! This brings me comfort knowing we are leaving squeezed out teabags on the side in a similar fashion! 

Last but not least is an absolutely stunning NZ jade necklace. The photos to not do the dark shade of green stone with the odd light flashes in it. I've worn it and it's so warm and smooth. I love it. 


Tried to get a close up - still rubbish! 

Other things I have to tell you... Not much really! 
Just same old same old. Go to work, despair over the impossible task of seeing the children through their SATS, go to Night Owls, home, tea bath and bed and repeat. More about work later. 

Meanwhile back at the ranch....



This is the posh plug socket, on the posh wallpapered wall, reflecting the deep pile posh silver carpet that is now my craft room!! 


There's the posh light shining it's gorgeous reflections into the posh silver linen wall paper of the other wall and the silvery trees of the plug socket wall with matching posh light switch! 
It was, of course, Miss 21's bedroom. 
I didn't take a photo but it has posh floor length silver linen curtains at the window with a posh silver/grey Austrian blind! 

It did have this posh Indian silver topped lantern with posh rattan ball lights in it, but she took that along with the matching mirror!! 

So I've started moving in! This is the gorgeous wardrobe that she wasn't allowed to take. Partly because being solid oak, it nearly killed her Dad carrying it up the stairs, alright, solely because it nearly killed her Dad carrying it up the stairs! It's never ever being moved either. 

Oh you can just see the curtain! 


My sewing patterns are in the little brown box. My crochet hooks, wired knitting needles, cable needles and large stitch holders are in the wee owl box ( that originally had greeting cards in ) next to it. 
My wool and fabric will be stored in the main body of the wardrobe along with mine and the HG's best togs! We are getting new wardrobes ( yanno in about 100 years ) and we have no room! 
I'm going to reuse pour old computer desk as a sewing table and I'll just take a dining chair upstairs for now to use. Eventually we'll put a little double bed settee in, when we find one we like that'll go! But when Miss 21 comes back she'll have to make do with the electric double air bed we have. That, by the way, is in Gateshead on her sparebed! They had to use it on their first night as we weren't bringing her bed and mattress until the day after. They complained it kept going down and that they were freezing cold on it and the sheet kept slipping off. These two young bright people with degrees...hadnt inserted the little nozzle correctly and hadn't realised that the mattress had a shiny plastic side and a warm flocked deep pile side. Hmmmm now which way is up? Because clearly they couldn't read the instructions either!!!! 
They'd been FREEZING! Well yes! You would trying to sleep on cold shiny plastic!!! 
Hilarious! I laughed my head off! 

Anyway...work is one stressy place right now. The teachers ( quite rightly ) are in uproar. The SATs papers are like A Levels. I'm having to watch in agony as my special six cry at having to learn the difference between a co ordinating conjunction and a subordination conjunction. ( Yesterday's Learning Objective ). 
It's not what they are, I was covering yesterday and every child in that room was identifying and writing their own sentences with subordinating conjunctions. It's remembering all these technical terms. And there's shitloads. To be honest, I wouldn't have got 100% on the sample SPAG test they've just done. Only 7 out of 30 actually got 50% or more. We are guessing that that's going to be the pass mark. No threshold have been released yet. 
Fancy having a go yourself? 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2016-key-stage-2-english-grammar-punctuation-and-spelling-sample-test-materials-mark-scheme-and-test-administration-instructions

I've been having technical issues with the publishing of this. Don't know if it's me or blogger playing up but hopefully it'll work this time. 

Here's the bread I baked yesterday. 3/4 white bread flour 1/4 spelt 




Lots of love from 
Rachel *I think I fixed it* Radiostar X 




18 comments:

  1. GRRRRRRRRR NO FLIPPING IDEA WHY THE PHOTOS ARE NOT THERE

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  2. Bah humbug re: pictures. I'll just imagine them for the time being xxxx report this post

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    1. Why has my comment got 'report this post' after it? You've defo got a gremlin in your blog mate! xx

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    2. I thought you were advising me to 'report' this post to google to see why it was acting up!

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    3. No I'm not that proacive!!!!! I'm a sloth really. x

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  3. Ah.....just came to let you know that your photos aren't showing-x-

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  4. They're not, but love the words apart from the bits about school and SATs. I'm not an angry person but I feel real and genuine anger at what the children and my former colleagues are being forced through. I wouldn't bet on the 50% - for the phonic screen it has always been 32/40.
    Grrrrrrrrrrr.

    J x

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  5. I can see the first four photos if I click on the little squares where the photos should be. Your daughter chose well and the necklace is lovely!! Co-ordinating conjunction and a subordination conjunction has me cross eyed but I might have a go at the link, just to see ..:-)

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  6. can't see the pics I'm afraid, which I'm sad about, the text had me so curious!

    Oh, don't get me started on school/hours/tests/attendance etc. I can drone on about it for hours. Kids aren't allowed to be kids these days. They are expected to be little robots so they can leave school, work long hours literally until they drop dead. Anyway.

    Hope you can sort out your blogger glitches. Blogger has dramatic moments sometimes.
    xx

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  7. I'm pondering the switching it across to google+
    Deep, I don't like change!
    Also I think I need to get my old laptop cranked up if I can because I'm wondering if it's because I only ever use my iPad and iPhone.

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  8. that's better! I can see the pics. see what you mean about pic 1! ha!

    ooh, your craft room is looking lovely. It is such a bonus to have a room for crafty business, because it stops mess being draped over kitchen and dining room tables, and pins etc are only on one floor! ;o) x

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  9. Hurrah! It's all working now. I'm glad we got to see your photographs eventually. Your craft room looks lovely, very glamourous in fact. Good luck with SATs. It sounds a nightmare. X

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  10. You need to give me that necklace for my superlative IT support skills! x

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  11. I'm commenting one post too late, but I can see all of the photos of your lovely craft room just fine. I'm laughing about the shiny plastic bed. They are never too old to need motherly advice or expertise! We have tests here in Ontario, as well. (Known as EQAO)I'm sorry to hear your students are stressed out about it. -Jenn

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  12. Craft room looks great - and your presents from NZ are fab, even the naughty kiwi biscuit cutters! x

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  13. I am in love with the silver room.
    The tree paper is just stunning.
    What a lovely place to craft in-x-

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  14. Hi Rachel :) I'm back and working my way through what you've all been up to. I can't tell you how much I love, love, love that wallpaper and your fancy socket. I took the SATS challenge and got to about Q15 before I gave up. Those big words don't mean anything to me. Whatever happened to "underline the verb, a verb is a doing word" (although apparently these days it's not) haha. xx

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Many thanks for taking the time to read my words and respond with your own thoughts. I always try to reply so make sure you pop back to see!