Thursday, 9 March 2023

Wednesday 8th

 Thank you for those kind comments. Sadly, my friend’s hubby never made it and died shortly after being admitted to hospital. 

I can’t even think how hard it must have been to go home and walk into the house where he’d been, hours earlier. A half drunk cup of tea on the side, clothes in the washer etc. and what has made this even more horrible and traumatic, the catastrophic brain event happened whilst the family were celebrating their son’s birthday. 

The rest of us in school are in collective shock I think. Disbelief. Unable to do anything to ‘fix’this as is often our job at work. 

So the world keeps turning. I find comfort in these words by Donna Ashworth


But then I found this and sums her hubby up perfectly. 


He did walk a blazing pathway. 


Rachel


Tuesday, 7 March 2023

Awful awful day

 Well, after a lovely weekend, the day started sunny, bright and clear. I was in a happy jolly mood as I set off to work. 

I greeted a few parents and children on the way. Got to my room and hadn’t even taken my coat off when a colleague said 

Oh Rachel you won’t have heard. 


Heard what? 



Then she proceeded to tell me that my childhood friend, who also works at our school and has done for many years - had let school know that her husband had suffered a massive stroke and was (currently on life support with no hope of recovery. 



Stunned. Stopped like being slammed into by a double decker. The headache and awful feeling of helplessness etc has been overwhelming and the staff at school have collectively got through it today with brave faces. 


Where’s there’s life, there’s hope. 

Always hope. 

My poor poor darling friend and her son. Her beautiful love of her life, warts n all did not deserve this. 

Live your life people. Every single day. 


Saturday, 11 February 2023

A sorrowful short story

 Sadly, Susan and I have sought a separation. The situation went south. More stagnant than sour and she’s sashayed out of the scullery. She said things were frosty between us. I said the cost of living prevented me leaving the heating on all day and my kitchen is delightfully cool and I’m not posh enough for a proving drawer. She said I was posh enough to use organic flour and I said well she was spoilt from the start , letting her sleep in the spacious set up she had.  I said she was actually a non starter so she was now surplus to requirements. Sullenly and slowly, she sludged her way down the sink towards the sea and I went to a supermarket to spend my dough on a ready baked  loaf from the bakery! 


Love from Rachel *starting again with Sally in the Spring, with a smaller jar and none organic flour* Radiostar xxx 


Tuesday, 7 February 2023

Happy Valley - The End

 Well, that was one of the best hour’s and a bit that I’ve spent on a Sunday Evening, even felt a little bit sorry for old Tommy Lee Royce. Great writing, acting and direction. Loved it. 

Welol, let me introduce you now to Susan. 

Born this very evening. It’s my first go and I’ve already made a mistake but I’m going with it. 

My jar was washed, went through the dishwasher and then I sterilised it some more by drying it off in my oven that I’d turned off after making tea. 

I am trying this method I found on the internet. 



Weighed the empty jar - 920g

I’ve used double ingredients because I think my jar was way too big! I’m sure I’ve a half the size of that one somewhere but let’s see what happens. It’s only flour I had in. My wholemeal flour is organic though and on a different site it said organic isn’t great for Susans. 

Oh well. 
This week so far has been hideous for news. 
Those poor people in Turkey and Syria. 
That poor headteacher and her daughter and may the murdering husband rot in hell. 
The very public case of the girl gone missing at the side of the river - those poor girls without a mum right now. The poor victims of that monster Carrick. I count my blessings I really do. 

Love from Rachel  *sourdough Starter Susan* Radiostar x 


Sunday, 5 February 2023

What an amazing woman

 Last night on Twitter I saw a tweet that caused me to  follow the link and I’ve just read her blog from the start. I’ve laughed and cried and just thought the best thing to do is share her story because of never know where her story may help you or others. 

I know when it was the HG going through his cancer thing, the first thing I did was internet trawl  his type of cancer and found little bits - but not enough personal stuff - so that is why I wrote my little side blog. 

It could have been much better in hindsight. But it’s there. 

You never know. 

https://fionaholland216.wixsite.com/website


In other news, February so far TV wise  has been busy. Yesterday I watched the Irish annihilate the Welsh and the Scots take the Calcutta cup! I also watched the amazing Tom Hanks in Greyhound. Wow what a film. We are on a countdown to the Happy Valley finale tonight safe n the knowledge we’ve a bank of Vera’s to go at! 

I did an hour of book keeping so my future self next January will thank my Feb 2023 self because I will have forgotten about it by now. I was supposed to do some crafting but chose jigsaw instead. Washing and chatting happened too. I love Saturdays for pottering. 


Today I am going to birth my very first Sourdough Starter. I e deliberated a name for it. Think I might call it Susan, the Sourdough Starter! 

I bought the far years ago but now it’s got something else in it so will need to hunt it out and wash it and stick it through the dishwasher to sterilise it. 

The health benefits to sourdough bread are what appeals to me as an occasional slice for me doesn’t seem to affect my joints in the way shop bought ordinary bread does. And I’m not a bread snob at all. Warburton white toasty would be on my death penalty last meal list - slightly toasted with butter and jam on it. I’d use it to make a chip shop chip butty too. Last meal list now has me thinking! What would I choose? Dippy egg and WWT soldiers! Anyway I’m now craving white soft bread haha and I’m not succumbing - mostly because I don’t buy it for the very reason it is my downfall! 

I’ve a shop coming this morning and it’s a shop of two halves. Plenty of healthy fruit n veg and plenty of snacks! I’m stocked up now for the rest of the month and want to try and apart from milk and maybe lunchbox fruit not buy anything else! 

One of my friends has started a 2023 temperature blanket. It’s crochet and I think it’s the stitch I know how to do! I may park the idea for next year having already lost January. But I might start either the simple crochet stitch I can do or a knitted version on March 1st and call it a seasonal blanket. Spring being my start. 

Today we will no doubt visit the elderlies and walk the dog but I may go through my wool stash to start a bank of colours to go with the temps! I may do a clear out to school too as I know I’ve far too much wool and I need the storage space for my felt!!! 

I’ve started supplying my florist friend with bespoke bride and groom gingerbread folk - she secretly gifts them!! 

I love dressing the groom the best! 

She gives me the mood board thingy and I try to match best I can! Which reminds me - I need to invoice her! Business woman of the year! 

Started supplying - I make myself laugh - done two so far!!!






Also I need to make one of these for my friend who had a baby last month. 



Right that’s enough for now. Must get busy. 


Love from 

Rachel *will probably sit here a bit longer in all honesty* Radiostar xxx


Sunday, 29 January 2023

Almost a month

 How can almost a month have gone by since my last post? I used to think January was the most awful longest month and whilst the dark mornings still get on my nerves, I now just embrace every day instead of wishing them away. 

Work has been crazy as my work wife has been off with work related stress after a particularly nasty vile attack off a family who she has bent over backwards in the last 16 years to support, help and accommodate. After leaving the building shouting their heads off, pointing, SWEARING ON THE CORRIDOR IN FRONT OF CLASSROOMS -  They they went and spread malicious lies and totally fabricated situations to n the wider community. She’d be within her rights to do them for slander. They are lying horrible hateful people. 

How dare they? The amount of self centred parents who are so falsely entitled is staggering. I really think that they are not of the same ilk as me and mine. I believe you put your children first ( but not in that spoilt way of giving them everything they want and bribery that goes on these days in some homes ) but that way they don’t sacrifice things themselves so their children can have the things they need. It’s take take take and then my kids won’t behave at home. No shit Sherlock. I am making sweeping generalisations and I am NOT including truly hard working parents whose children have additional needs and exhibit challenging behaviours at home. I’m not. It’s good that everyone is open and honest etc but I do feel that now those that have always taken the mick are now all declaring they have poor mental health so can’t make their children come off their expensive iPads and video games to get them to bed to get them up and to school on time. Bollocks. Lazy, horrible, toxic morons who are not fit to have the children they do…. They are simply not ‘decent’ folk. It doesn’t matter how much money you have coming in, we’ve toxic morons at the other end of the scale. Where have all the ‘decent’ folks gone? 

Where? 


No I’m not setting off on a rant. I’ll put my soap box away and calm myself with my lovely jigsaw. 

Oh no wait a minute ….. now this jigsaw is ROCK HARD anyway but I likes it because it is shiny. However, my dear sweetheart HG helping clear the table for lunch but did not secure the innards. 

Was it a true motive? For jigsaw related Hunter Gathericide? I put it to you your honour, it was justified!!! 


He did not place the boards on top and zip it closed. 

Mr 25 is going to see his sister over the other side of the country for a few days so that’s made me feel all smug mumsy and help restore my balance! The newest Jurassic Park film is on my telly system ready to watch later on after we’ve dropped him at the train station, visited all or elderlies and walked the dog. I think I’m making meatballs and pasta for tea but that could change. My last post included a freezer stock take and I’m happy to report that bar from a few bags of frozen fruit and some sausages and bits of bags of veg, I made a good indent in using it up! And the downstairs one too that I did not stocktake. 

So yesterday I did an Iceland shop ( was that a big gasp from food snobs??!!! ) and filled them back up with provisions for the next few months. There’s a few ‘easy’ meals like some meat and potato pies, fish portions, their frozen stewing steak is brilliant for bunging in the slow cooker from frozen first thing in a morning with some stock and frozen onions and carrots for the best easy and cheap stew ever! I’ve bought some microwave portions of plain steamed rice because it’s cheaper than boiling on the stove top when it’s one of those nights me and the HG have the same and Mr 25 has a curry or something. Also cheaper and better portioned for a quick mixed rice with chicken and veg concoction! I always make too much! Bags of oven chips and some potato waffles because I’ve not had them in years! Just plenty of things to go at and quite reasonably priced for this day and age. I’ve still some fresh meat that I froze in the downstairs freezer including some homemade chilli portions and a chicken to roast. 

I wish I was a better meal planner, I can do it, then we don’t stick to it. I did have a mini plan last week and it worked. I stuck to what I said we were having but sometimes I don’t feel like what I planned. I don’t get in until 5.45pm either after the after school club so timing is short too. I love my slow cooker and would use it daily but I might have a mutiny on my hands haha. Plus variety is spice of life etc. 

I would use the food hubs that we have close by just for food waste sake and who doesn’t love a bargain, but I’m at work when they are on. I may see if there’s room in the holidays - be like Ready Steady Cook in real life! Two weeks until half term - I’ll try and clear some freezer space incase I do go!

Right, my cup of tea has gone cold as I’ve been sat here typing so it’s 7.45am and I’ll go top it up and check the washer. 

Hope all is well in your worlds.

Love from 

Rachel *seething mass of rage* Radiostar


Ps.

Oh and I must record this for my future happiness.

At school I run Lego therapy sessions. It’s a brilliantly prescribed set of sessions designed initially for children with autism but works for EVERYONE whereby it sets out to improve communication skills. I love doing them. The children love doing it. It does give them transferable skills to use I n the classroom and I’m running two groups at the moment. One child has combined ASC and ADHD and is an absolute sweetheart. Totally obsessed with The Titanic and the SS Fitzgerald I think ( sorry I’d switched off ) and they can talk your head off, including stats about the dimensions of these ships and talks in such a manner using all sorts of brilliant vocabulary without drawing breath for ever if you’d let them.

Can this child remember how to do long multiplication ? Nope. Can this child sing all 456 verses of a sea shanty type folk song about the sinking of the F Fitzgerald in an Irish accent? 

You bet your life they can! I know. I’ve listened to it! 

They are now fixated with narrow train track gauge locomotives. Anyway.. this child is learning to wait before launching into an hour long talk on the subject of their choice. They can now listen to another child and ask them a question and now we are in week 4 I’ve let them ‘award’ each other reward bricks. 

So in my sessions, they have a sheet of blank Lego bricks which they colour in at the end of each session ( listening skills, pencil control ) and I will start by awarding some bricks for example

I like the way you really showed an interest in their model and paid them a lovely complement - colour in two bricks etc. At the end of their  ( of course it is carefully and skilfully managed by me ) 6 sessions they will get a surprise! They don’t know this at the time - they just like colouring in the bricks. 


So I opened the floor. Titanic/train child said 



I’m awarding you SIX ( I laughed inside because everyone else had given like two or three ) bricks because 

two for saying you liked my model of the titanic and four…. 



Just because I’m in a good mood. 

It’s made me laugh for days!!!! 

Oh and another child has finally started medication for ADHD - the parents resisted despite medical professionals advising it, teachers advising it. 

Within two days - what a difference. No fighting. No trouble. Nothing. I asked them to explain what it felt like in my social skills group they come to. 

They said - yesterday I felt far more mathematical and joyous!! Then today Miss, I came in in the morning, I went straight to my place, I put my chair down and x’s chair down, didn’t I x? ( x said yeah you did ! ) and then I got my things from my drawer, sat down and did ALL the chilli heatwave ( I have no idea what that is haha some sort of maths practice the teacher sets up on the whiteboard for them all to do pre register ) and I got them all right! 

I said, wow, that must feel

Brilliant. 

What was it like before you started your meds? ( knowing full well what it was like ) 

They said welllll I’d be the last one in because I wanted to just play out. I’d come in and barge into people and talk and talk to my friends. I’d forget to get stuff out of my tray. The teacher would tell me everyday to stop and go get my things. I’d get my things, I’d mess about and do ‘fake’ work and then maybe try 2 chilli heatwaves. 

I said that was amazing to hear. And it is amazing. Long may it continue. I have had a lot of time for this child and it’s great to hear him enthuse about his work. I can’t help but wonder had their parents started the  prescribed meds in y2 how far they would have come by now. They are in y5 now with big gaps in learning due to disruptive lessons all the way through school life. Anyway. Definitely have a cold cup of tea now!!! 

Fake work though !!!! Hilarious and inciteful!