Friday 2 September 2016

Back to school

Well I went back to school for the 17th ( or is it the 18th?? Hang on, nooo I think I started working at my current school in 2004, or was it 2003?? I can't remember ) I'm going with 2004 for sure so it is definitely AT LEAST my 16th but probably 17th September start at the school where I will work until I retire or die! Whichever is sooner, but I do see myself on playground duty on a motorised scooter as an old lady. Waving my stick, you, young man, stop doing that! In a crinkly old lady voice. 

But new start, new role, new year all excited. It was a great day learning all about coaching and how to coach! The person who I practiced my new skills on said I was very good at it! And then the bombshell I knew deep down was coming, but I don't really mind. You see, my friend, whose Mum had the brain tumour is my friend because we work together. Sadly her Mum passed away on 12th August so she's quite rightly off work. So I'm temporarily covering some of her hours until her return. And it's in Y2. Which was my wish list age group when asked last year where I wanted to be... It's a LONG time since I've worked properly in Y2. I'd possibly relent to go as low as Y1 as a very very last resort. But Y2 they at least can mostly read and write! They are still very biddable and eager to learn - not like the Y6s who are old and wise. Also generally, Y2 don't answer back or give attitude! I do love Y5/6 though because sometimes you can just 'get on' as you explain what you want them to do, set them off and off they go all independant like and can mostly get through the morning without needing a wee. But a change is as good as a rest and a lot of the souls I'm enabling to learn in my new Pastoral role which will probably begin now after October half term, are actually in Y2 so I can start to forge good relationships and get to work on them in the classroom! Today is another INSET day. We've the killer morning long Domestic Staff Meeting and then after lunch, freedom in classrooms but I'm spending my time unpacking my belongings in my new base not Y2. I admit to being a tinsy bit 'meh' but I quickly got over myself. 

I jus thought I'd quickly show you some of the new bits and bobs I picked up last week in Skipton. This gorgeous wool was £2 a ball. 
It's called, I love this yarn - AND I DO! There's also a free pattern on the bands - for crochet! Which you know I'm rubbish at. I'd originally picked up two balls of each, but decided to go get another of each because I just couldn't leave them in the shop! Also I wanted to make sure I had enough for what I have in mind once the HG's jumper is finished in 2020! Actually I've only one panel to knit now and will cast on the final 136 stitches later tonight. Don't be holding your breaths though for the show and tells, it'll be a couple of weeks yet. 
I also got three more balls of the stripy wool at £1 a ball that I used to knit that little waistcoat I showed you. I love how brightly cheery it knits up. 
 It's great little wool shop. It's round the corner where the big card factory shop is, opposite the milkshake shop, next to a charity shop. The traffic lights that you use to cross over to get to the Fent shop is close too. It is a little gem selling cheap books one side and tons of different wool on the other. If you know it, you'll already love it. I might also have bought some fat quarters from the Fent Shop and then some other bargainous pieces from The Shuttle at Shipley that day too.... I'm such a terrible stasher of yarn and fabric. But I only ever ever buy quality at cheap prices! ( defending my self - I will use this phrase when I'm featuring in a Channel 5 dicumentary on hoarding to ridiculous levels ).

I'm missing little Freddie so much! But a present from the HG made me excited. I don't care if this makes me a tragic middle aged old dear, but it is from Lakeland, so that's a big tick already and it's one of their HEATED CLOTHES AIRERS that I've had my beady eyes on forever. It was on offer and I also got a cover with it ( spoilt brat I know ) but it dries your clothes for around 6p a day! So I don't have to tumble everything - going to work can impede on my pegging out and very quickly my windows of drying opportunities disappear once Autumn kicks in. And it's kicking in already - I can tell by the amount of OMG sized spiders weaving human sized web death traps EVERYWHERE, betwixt EVERYTHING in my garden. I find that at this time of year if one doesn't get one's wash in by 4ish then it goes damp and there's nothing I hate more than a potentially good dry line of towels going damp on said line AND probably having peg spiders on them too by the time I get home just after 5.30pm on a good day. I've written about peg spiders before. For me, they are a year round phenomenon. My next door neighbour leaves her pegs on the line betwixt washes. How can she do this? If I ever leave behind an accidental one - if it's been the IT'S SPITTING dash, the next day, there's a flipping spider living in it. If I leave a full wash set of pegs out, then the lacy webs between said pegs are beautiful but go along the full length of the line with a spider in each pair of pegs. But where do they live when I don't leave my pegs out? She can't be bothered OR indeed have them, because there is no shrieking when she pegs out. It's bizarre. And unfair. So Thank You my darling HG for your gift of heated metal tubes, beautifully dry and spider free washing with no stress during these damp, dank and dark depressing months. 

Look at how smiley and thin  and young this lady is I found on google images using hers. That'll be me in the coming weeks. 

Lots of love from 

Rachel *smug dry washing face* Radiostar xxx 



30 comments:

  1. Those heated drying racks are fantastic. I have one and it's brilliant for the days when you can't hang out the washing (or don't want to because it is so-o-o-o c-c-c-cold!
    Good luck with the new year and the new role. It sounds exciting.

    J x

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    1. Thanks Joy. I'm going to give it a go later tonight!! I've brought loads of spare PE kit to wash so will do that!

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  2. Oh the fun you are going to have with your airer! I forecast many happy airer posts ahead!

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    1. I'm giggling at how happy my new airer makes me - I just need to find it a home!

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  3. All the best for the new year - new haircuts, clean, shiny faces, new books, new pencils, new children, getting down to business. Keep smiling - your washing will be dry!
    xx

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    1. I do love this time of year - but it's a killer 8 week half term!

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  4. I have had 2 spiders in the house in the last week. They are the only ones since I put conkers on my window sills last year, I am going conker picking up very soon. Your woolly bargains look very tasty, I must not buy any more until I have finished at least2 wips and that doesn't include Fran's shawl as there are only 3 rows left to do.

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    1. But you never know when you might need different yarns so it's your duty to buy some! I did know about the confer thing but one year I found a massive spider in the dish of flipping conkers!!!

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  5. So sorry to hear about your friends Mum Rachel.
    You sound very happy to be back at school. My little munchkin will back next week in Year 2 and she is very nervous that the work will be too hard for her so lots of reassuring going on between here and home.
    I do wish you knitty people would stop showing me such gorgeous yarns. I can't knit properly and have no desire to learn but then when I see how lovely the yarns are these days I wonder should I try......but then remember the mess I get myself in and the answer is a very definite NO!!!
    Can't wait to get back to sewing next week when little miss has gone home.
    I get peg spiders too....even in my peg bag so I have to be careful when I take the pegs out. I wish they would go and live somewhere else-x-

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    1. But where do they come from in the first place???

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  6. I'm with you on the spiders, love to see their webs, but fear them totally. How quick the summer holidays flew by. Hubby is retired so he is on laundry duty.

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  7. ooh, enjoy your new heated clothes airer! I did not know such magic existed, might have to take a little peek at one myself. Like you, I don't have a tumble and have no desire to have one either. I've survived this long without one. So I have things hanging up here, there and everywhere.

    I've got a stupid spider building a big old web on my rotary drier. I spotted him last night when I got my washing in (feeling a tad dampish as you noted, I was a lazy bint and didn't go out to get it in until nearly 9). He's going to go. Will not have spiders making webs close to my pants on the line. Cheeky.

    You'd have had a total breakdown if you saw The Beast that I saw the other day. In a fit of madness, I thought I'd tidy Christmas & Crafts in the garage, was merrily moving stuff, when I decided I needed to look inside a white ceramic planter. Blimey, I soon chucked it back down again. This crapping great monster with hair and eyes (and probably a knife) was looking back at me. Man alive, he was a big b'stard. I got my marigolds, psyched myself up a bit with some sort of boxer moves in the front garden, then got the planter, chucked it in the dirt and poked at Hairy Monster with a stick until he scuttled off. Gave up cleaning the garage after that, put me right off. I'm the official Spider Getter-Outerer of this house, and while I don't especially like them, they don't scare me. My foot is bigger than their eight legs so they should be afraid, but there are times when I face some hairy faced nutcase spider with evil legs and a nasty look on his face and I run for the hills.

    Back to school. Sigh. another year of let downs and disappointments no doubt. xx

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    1. Oh no Sadie I do have a tumble drier and I heart it deeply. It's shiny black and matches my washer!! But a lot of my stuff is non tumble and I don't ever put it on when I'm out so this airer will be brilliant for when I'm out as it's also got a timer switch!
      Also nearly 9???? I'd have left it til next morning!! I do not like rotary driers as I don't think things dry as quickly!

      You are right, I would have just died or burnt the garage down had I discovered that beast like you did! The ones that freak me out the most are the ones, the size of a kitten, that appear in the middle of the living room from nowhere and run towards you laughing menacingly.
      Shudder

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  8. Ooooohhhhh that is a lovely invention! I like to hang clothes on the line, too, but it's on a pulley, so I couldn't leave the clothespins on it if I wanted to. I love your description of the spider webs (human size web death traps). It is a very spider webby time of the year right now. I rarely put my clothes in the dryer (husband and son throw everything in the dryer)because I just don't have the wiggle room if they should shrink in the dryer. -Jenn

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    1. YES! I never tumble my things for that reason lol Jenn xx

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  9. This very week we bought the very same heated clothes airer from Lakeland for our daughter. And she lives in the North. And she's a school teacher.

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  10. It's funny what we can get excited about in domestic goddess mode. I managed to buy an iron for £20 in the supermarket, reduced from £49.50 and I was ecstatic. The purchase was necessitated by the amount of bondaweb stuck to my really expensive iron due to all my crafting! Enjoy your weekend. Catriona

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    1. Oooo a fab bargain! The HG bought me an iron purely for crafting!! Told you I'm spoilt!

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  11. Ooh, a heated airer - great stuff. I become slightly obsessed about getting washing dry in the winter.

    I felt something tickle my arm when I was doing some tidying the other day and looked to see the biggest, fattest hairy spider on my arm. I screamed like a big screamy thing - Flo burst in to tears because my scream scared her and OH came running in from the garden thinking someone was being murdered - I am a spider wimp.

    Lovely yarn, by the way. The yarn shop sounds great.

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    1. I would have had to sever my own arm at the shoulder.

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  12. I can understand your disappointment at not being able to get your teeth into your new role just yet but I'm sure you'll have lots of fun in Y2.

    I have to confess I leave my pegs out on the line but I just sweep them all along to one side when I peg out giving any spiders the equivalent of a zip wire ride.

    Love the wool that you've bought. I thoroughly enjoyed crocheting my ball of multi-coloured up. Only a few rows before there was a colour change and for somebody who gets bored easily it was a perfect choice.

    I don't know if you do it, but I've gone on Instagram. I have no idea how because Mark has set it up for me, but if you go on my blog page you can see it. Thought it would be a good filler for in-between blogs.

    Right, 10am feed is due - Sienna slept over last night, so off to get myself sorted before she wakes up. Have a lovely weekend. xx

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    1. Found you on Instagram though I never go on it really! I giggled at you giving those spiders the equivalent of an extreme thrill seeking sport! Wheeeeeeeeee

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  13. Loving that wool xx My washing is hanging in doorways on damp, dark days! I'm with you on the spiders, my lad will takes pictures of them and then shows me and tells me where they are. I had to go upstairs for a wee last night as he showed me a picture of a huge one in the downstairs loo!

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  14. Here's the link to what you were looking for :-)
    J x
    http://diaryofteacher.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/thursday_11.html

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    1. Ohhh thank you xx I love how you thought of me when you saw a blue flower!!!

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  15. Hmmm, I may have to get one of those. It's raining here and I have towels washing. Love all the wool. School starts on Thursday here- where did those 6 weeks go???? Xx

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    1. Well technically you are at 7 weeks!! I officially endorse those airers

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