Addicted

My HG has declared that he could eat the full box! Turns out they are not that sickly. I have my own suspicions! 

Here's the magazine front 

Here's mine! 

The toffee layer was made with three bags of dairy toffee according to the recipe, next time I will only use two! Also I omitted the peanut butter from the top layer of chocolate which is why I think it cracked on cutting. But on the whole I'm impressed!! 

First day back at work was like we'd never had a week off! 

My class were doing their Big Write from before the holidays. I went to help my usual suspects. They were working on a leaflet, using publisher, to advertise the new community park they'd devised the week earlier on a planning sheet. One soul had had a difficult lesson during the planning and then was absent on the last Friday when the rest of the class worked on their designs. 

Me: what's wrong

Child: I don't know what to do

Me: let's have a look on your plan

Child: I'd rather you didn't. 

Me: come on, it'll help with this task

Child: ok, but be prepared to be disappointed!!!!!! 

Admittedly, there wasn't much to go on, but we cracked on regardless! I said 

Any work done is good and I'm never disappointed! I got beamed at! 

By 'eck it's cold this morning. Thermal knickers needed! Thanks for all the comments on yesterday's blog, I'll go reply in a bit xx 

Lots of love from 

Rachel *never disappointed* Radiostar xxx

Back to work today

With a heavy heart, an overly dramatic sigh, dragging of heels and a sulk on, it's back to work for me! 

Maybe the woman doth protest too much!!! I do like my job, I adore the children as well you know, I just like being at home more. However, the work bit pays for the craft bit and the bills bit etc so it's an 8am start today. 

I've just put the chocolate topping on a tray of Billionaire's Shortbread. Think Millionaire's Shortbread highly calorific? Well it's practically diet food compared to what I was making yesterday! 

It's a recipe from this month's Sainsbury's magazine. I don't normally buy it, but the glossy photo of the Billionaires Bars I think they call them coupled with the fact it was only a pound meant it went through the till with the rest of my shopping. 

I then went to Aldi for the few ingredients I didn't have in. 

Roses were not on the list, but my friend had brought me a sweet spray of carnations and I've only got big vases so I relaxed my no cut flowers in the house rule and got some Fairtrade roses for £3. 

I'll post a photo of the recipe and the finished product tomorrow as I can't slice it yet. 

But first you have a layer of chocolate melted with some peanut butter, should have been smooth - I already had crunchy in, so that's what I used. 

Next I made, for the first time, nougat, which topped the chocolate with some salted peanuts. 

Next you make a toffee layer. The easiest toffee layer I ever made. 

Melt toffees and cream 

 And this morning, it's had a final layer of melted chocolate added. 

I don't think this will be sickly AT ALL. 

The recipe says it makes 30 bars. My recipe will yield 60! 

At 30 bars, the recipe states that each one is nigh on 400 calories!!! 

I think essentially, I've made a Marathon! If there's any young uns reading - that's a Snickers. 

Yesterday's bread was made halfy halfy white flour with some wholemeal spelt flour. It's really really tasty. 

Here's a quick look at the poppy so far. It's really tricksy because the shades of purple are many and only slightly varied! 

I've done my best! The frame does make it easier. 

When it's done, it's going to be my favourite cushion! 

Right I've put off real life for long enough! I need to find my work bag/badge/shoes/keys etc etc!! 

Lots of love from 

Rachel *really doesn't want to go* Radiostar xxx 

All by myself...

This is my anthem today! I'm covering the class. We may or may not do the work left! I shall judge it minute by minute! I've got a cracking headache though so this may not bode well for me and my chatty lot! Individually, they are all brilliant children. Not one of them has any sinister streaks, who are mean or nasty. Not one of my current class could ever be accused of bullying. They really are a good natured lot. They just can be daft. A big bunch of them - daft and last to be quiet. This really winds me up if I let it. When this group of up to 8 are on Planet Silly,  everyone suffers! They don't seem to care that they miss play times, golden time etc . Tellings off - water off a ducks back! Infuriating !! ( I'd have the parents in but I'm not the class teacher! ) 

Let's hope I don't need my Le Creuset today! But I'm wearing it, just in case!! 

Anyway,

I have a real 'ahhhhh factor' story here about my boy ( who was perfectly behaved in school ). 

Yesterday, in his apprentice role, he accompanied his colleague on a call out to an elderly Rusdian lady's house. They've been before to sort out printers and emails etc. Anyway, while his colleague was fixing whatever it was she'd called them out for, she was talking to Mr 18 about her husband who had died. She was telling him how he was a musician and had written songs for her. 

Mr 18, off his own back, sorted out some software and some computer thingy wotsits which enabled her, for the first time, since he died, to hear her husband singing to her. 

*pauses for you all to get a tissue and wipe your tears*

Wasn't that just the nicest thing to do for someone! He was made up though because she gave him a tenner! His first tip! He's spending it tonight, on a trip to the cinema with his mates. 

Right, my trip to Sainsrobbers was fruitful. If you count the strawberries on the half price cake I bought! 

I also bought half price packs of good quality cooked meats - stashed in the freezer for salads and packed lunches. And the haul of the trip...

A great big whopping chunk of prime Aberdeen Angus scotch beef! Down £18.99 to £10.99 ! I snaffled it up and it's currently nestling in the freezer next to the free range Bronze turkey I got for £6 the other week. It will either be slow roasted at Easter or I may leave it till Summer to cook it on the BBQ! I'll get 4 meals easily out of it it's so big! Bargain!

Breakfast today is a marmite butty. Recipe and the ode I wrote to it, above! I might get my class to write some food poems today just for a giggle. I'll get them to make them funny! 

Right, I'm going to do a little knitting as I wait for the shower. I'll show you next time. Hope your Friday is marvellous ! 

Lots of love from 

Rachel * nine hours till Freedom* Radiostar xxx 

Quote of the day

Came from a cherub in my class, who I'd been nagging er I mean gently encouraging to grip their pen correctly and write neatly. Much whinging went on ( them ), much scathing looks went on ( me ) until said child lifted up their arm and let it flop on the desk. 

They declared, over dramatically, in my professional opinion, that they simply could not write anymore. 

Why?? 

" My arm has fainted."

My face! 

Other things I have dealt with today included sorting out an incident where one child smacked another child in the face with a pencil case. No one was harmed, and to be fair, the hittee thoroughly deserved it and I was really on the hitter's side! In fact I'd have urged harder thwacking with a larger pencil case!!! 

But as is the case, the hittee wasn't even hurt ( where's there's no brains there's no sense my  beloved Nanna used to say) but the hitter was punished and was truly admonished! 

I often use my secret weapon at school. For certain Angels, I have been known to whack them from here to kingdom come with my imaginary frying pan! It's so heavy,  - it's a Le Creuset, I have to hold it with two imaginary hands. 

Sometimes I fantasise about holding  one cherub by the feet, swinging them round and round in a circle, like an Olympic hammer thrower, and letting go and taking out a row of more cherubs! It's imaginary moments such as these that keep me sane!  

Lots of love from 

Rachel *I bloody love my job* Radiostar! 

Window dressing

I thought I'd share the projects we are working on at Night Owls. I dreamed up the idea after thinking about Fenwick's Christmas Windows and the fact I won't be seeing them this year after Miss 21 thoughtlessly graduated and left Uni. 

So in our hall there are a lot of windows. I asked if we could decorate them. We decided on old fashioned nursery rhymes as a theme. The first one, of course, being The Owl and the Pussy Cat. The grown ups painted the glass and then the children helped with the crafting of the features! I have to say I'm very impressed with how it turned out! The children are convinced it's a real five pound note! 

He really looks good once it's dark outside! 

We are now on with the next one. We are on the hunt for an old soft leather or leatherette handbag or coat that we can cut up! Anyone help an owl out?! 

What do you think it's going to be?! 

On the other side, we have been commissioned by the head for some stained glass windows to go behind the worship table. 

I only helped with the initial drawing of these. My work chums did the painting. 

They will get a second coat and a cross on them tomorrow, and the fake lead! 

Just realised it reminds me of Elmer the elephant!! I'll show you when it's done! 

Lots of love from

Rachel *loves Night Owls* Radiostar xx 

Summer Hols - Day 1

 Hello folks :-)
Thank you for all your comments on my last posts - I've now been able to read them and reply! All I needed was time. Now I've broken up, I've got some!
It's actually Day 2 now, but I'll try to blog about it tomorrow! I've much planned. Woke at 6. Made the HG lunch and packed him off to work. I've already been in blogland for thirty minutes and I've big plans for today - I'll do show n tell tomorrow!

So what did I do on my first day of freedom?
Well, I went to work!!

I had a little bit of illicit photocopying to do. I had to move out of my old class into my new one - it didn't take long, as I'd downsized a lot of my files last year when I left Y6! I'd emails to trawl through and action. There were quite a few of us in work, and I was nice to have a lazy coffee break at about 10.30am with everyone without being called upon for First Aid and the end of playtime bell! I will just need to pop in on Friday morning to help the School Bursar fill in a Lottery Bid application for a new outside classroom.

When I got home, I bottomed the lounge. Skirtings, carpet edges, light fittings, fireplace and put a few bits n bobs away here and there. Made pork chops, mash n veg for tea. Ate one of the chocolates I got from school.

I was so lucky to be given lots of gifts by the children and their parents. It makes you feel really appreciated. A little embarrassed and humble though, because it's not why I do my job. My favourite gifts are always the handmade cards and gifts. Though one family, who I know has absolutely nothing, had bought me a little diary and some chocolate with money they don't have to spare. It made me so teary. I thanked the Mum and said I didn't expect anything at all but it was so lovely of her. She told me that she was so grateful for the way I've helped her child this year, that she couldn't thank me enough and that she was thrilled to bits, that I was moving up with the class next year. That little conversation was the best gift ever. I do this job, in order to try and make a difference. When that happens, it's magic.

Here are a few quotes from my cards...
" thank you for making me smile everyday"
"Thank you for all your help"
" You have been fun and interesting"
" thank you a lot for all your hard work "
" your grate" ( made me chuckle!!!!! )

Right, it's 7.25am and I need to make a start on today. I've so much to share though!! I'll leave you with a few photos of stuff ....

This was one of the gardens at castle Howard. It's what I'm trying for. It'd be PERFECT in my garden.... However...

LOOK AT WHAT THE BLOODY SLUGS/SNAILS DID OVERNIGHT to my starter purple delphinium border. War has been started. I went all out with slug pellets I'm afraid. 

I don't know what this one is but the flowers are just beautiful. 

One of the poshest potties I've ever seen! 

...and a hilarious snippet of conversation I overheard between some of my favourite characters in my class.

We were on a minibus on a little trip out with this group. They were talking about all sorts.

Child 1: ( pointing out the window ) Hey look, there's the old people centre. My Gran's in there. ( retirement home )
Child 2:( chirpily )  I've got two grandads. My mum's dad and my mum's dad's dad.
Child 3: ( sadly ) I had two grandads but I've only got one now.
Child 2: How? How can you have two then just have one?
Child 3: ( matter of fact ) One died.
Child 2: Oh.
Me to child 2. It's always nicer to say 'I'm sorry to hear that'  than 'Oh'
Child 2: I'm sorry to hear that Child 3.
Child 3: It's ok, he was old. You get old. You die. It happens.
Child 4: ( Piping up from the back seat ) Hey child 2, you haven't actually got two Grandads.
Child 2: ( angrily ) YES I HAVE
Child 4: No, you've actually got a Grandad - that's your Mum's Dad, but your Mum's Dad's Dad is really your Great Grandad.
Child 2: ( thinks )
Me: Well done Child 4, that's correct.
Child 2: Wait Child 4, you are right! He really is a great grandad - he always buys me ice cream!!!!!!!


 7.37am now!!

Back tomorrow, lots of love from

Rachel *fun and interesting* Radiostar xxx

My day

My day yesterday ( Friday ) was full of work and cake! 

Things that made me laugh at work:-

Being innocently asked, by a child working on the computer, putting pictures on a word document of a little cartoon Robin

" Miss, howd'you flip the bird?" The child asked over and over and I was crying on the inside dying not to laugh!! 

The child who rushed to put their jumper on to qualify for a prize ticket that had ALREADY been drawn ...

The ticket gets drawn

The children stand up

Then they are eliminated eg it's a girl ( so the boys sit down), the winner has sandals on ( so all the shoe wearers sit down ) etc till the winner is left standing! The class love it. 

Yesterday the ticket was drawn, the class stood up.. 

The winner is wearing a jumper......

Cue the rush to put the jumper on..

The next thing that made me laugh was reading some of their stories. There was the one with the unfortunate handwriting who was writing about 'this guy' throughout. Except they'd used an 'a' instead of the 'u'! 

'suddenly a 'guy' appeared.... 

Then the 'guy' walked quickly down to the shops etc! My mirth was uncontrollable for a while. By the end of the story there were enough 'guys' to start a Mardi Gras parade! 

Another story spoke of bravery and adventure as the lead character went on a mission of climbing volcanoes, tunnelling down mountains, parachuting and going to a shopping centre! 

Here's a photo of the test paper that made the class staff howl. The story, the children were answering questions about, was a Canadian story of how a family escaped a bear attack by climbing up into their loft. The ladder saved them by being their escape to safety and then by falling,  it hit the bear and startled it making it leave the house.... 

 I love this class. I need to keep a record of the things they say because I do keep forgetting! Every. Single. Day. Is a joy to go to work! 

The cake. It was huge! I had to cut it into quarters to store it in two large cake tins!

Here's what it looked like on the inside! 

Trying to re home it! 

To round off this morning's post before I drag my weary carcass out of my bed I'll share what I think is the most gorgeous flower in my garden with you! It's another photo of those anemones I showed you yesterday. I bought the bulbs last year. I left them on the side in the kitchen to the point of mouldiness, I planted then about a month after they said I should! I hope they come back next year!  I am going to see if I can find them again to buy some more because I think they'd look magnificent in clumps rather than casually dotted around like I did. ie I just shoved them quickly into the soil wherever!! 

Not bad for an iPhone photo I don't think!

 

I wish you could smell these! They are in my front garden. You get the most heavenly sweet perfume, almost like Parma violets, wafting towards you as you approach my house! I think I said yesterday, passers by stop to admire and sniff!! 

Harry News now...

Last but not least here is the beautiful Harry. ( I think all this 'graduating' from Nursery is absolute bonkers RUBBISH! ) But look, without it we wouldn't have this impossibly adorable photo! He's very excited about starting school. All he wants is his jumper and his book bag! He will have his own 1-2-1 Teaching Assistant as well as a VI teacher to teach him Braille.  He's a very clever little chap already so I know he'll be completely flying at school in September! I would say that because I'm an adoring Aunty. 

Ok, enough ramblings! Time to get up. Saturday will feature visiting the Heart patient, weeding, shopping, cleaning, washing, knitting, sorting out etc etc 

Not christened tea yet, so that'll be a surprise! I think I'll start the day with stripping the bed, a shower and a brew. In that order! 

Play nice folks 

Lots of love from

Rachel *waffling on and on and on* Radiostar xxx

Sunday's Post

Its been a lovely weekend.
The BBC's 'Game of Thrones' style Six Nations video is just genius. I can honestly say, the TV coverage of Friday night's opening game betwixt my Wonderful WALES and the English was actually outstanding. It relayed the atmosphere magnificently. You all know it's my dream to actually get to the Milennium Stadium one day to watch a game, but the BBC transported me there in my own living room.

It was a fantastic game, and even though it wasn't the result I'd hoped for, whatever had gone on at half time in the English changing room worked. They came out and trampled all over us!
The Italy Ireland match, for me wasn't as exciting as the following France Scotland game.  This was the match that had me shouting very bad swear words at the telly. Bad swears. All the swears. The Scots proved formidable, just not enough luck went their way. I hate the bloody French!! I love the Six Nations!

The Uni one has been home since Thursday and it's been lovely. The house feels right with four of us in it. She's been sorting through some of her childhood treasures. Unearthing the full set of Percy the Park Keeper magazines we used to get her! Probably at least £300 quidsworth! You know the ones, get the first issue for 99p and then sign your wages away for the next 145 issues else your child will be scarred for life and never ever forgive you! I love Percy the Park Keeper.

Last week it was all about cooking beef low and slow. This week, thanks to me salivating, ok actually drooling at Jamie Oliver's pork shoulder on his Friday Night Feast programme last Sunday ( I was watching on catch up! ) we had overnight roast pork shoulder. Except I didn't do it overnight. I did it all day Monday! I know. I'm such a rebel. But the best bit is that my massive pork shoulder cost me less than £4!!
The HG and I had called at Booths and we noticed the lile shop boy working his way down the fridges with his little yellow sticker price gun. I'd already seen the last piece of pork shoulder on the shelf. It was already half price at £7.50. BUT it had no days left on its use by date. So we sauntered round. I could have picked it up and asked him to reduce it but I didn't. ( wuss )
Instead, I bumped into an old friend and stood and chatted for aaaaages! When she went to the till, I dispatched the HG to the meat fridge to see if it was still there. No, it had gone!! I scanned the aisles for the customers who had picked up MY shoulder! Fear not, it had been reduced and it had been put into the reduced bit of the fridges!! Cackling inwardly ( and maybe a bit of outwardly smugness ) it was MINE!!!

So here's what I did. I copied Jamie by removing the skin, and cut it into long strips ready for crackling. I've never done it like that before, but I will from now on! So easy and the crackles were perfect! Then into my trusty roasting pan went some quartered onion, carrot chunks, celery and a couple of halved apples. Oh a bendy leek went in too. A knorr vegetable stock pot cube went in. Jamie used cider, I didn't. The shoulder went straight onto its vegetable bed and it was tightly secured in foil. Into a oven about 130 - 140 fan for 12 hours. Don't look at it. Just leave it. The house, once again, smelt divine! The resultant pork just fell apart and was so juicy and succulent.

This photo does not do it justice at all! The bit of meat you can see is from where I burnt the skin off my fingertips snaffling a morsel for tasting! 

There was enough for a roast dinner for Monday, Pork, chips and gravy on Tuesday, sandwiches on Wednesday and I made a pie to feed four easily on Thursday! That's in the freezer, we were a bit porked out!  All greedy pig portions too!  Not bad for under £4!!

There's one week left until half term! The first 'Hilarious Moment Of My Week' came from the daily reading session with one child I'm trying to move on with their, erm, reading! The story was called
'The little red car and the bullocks' it's quite an old fashioned reading scheme but it does the job perfectly. Of course you can predict the first moment of mirth. The 'u' in bullocks was indeed pronounced as 'o'. It was calmy and professionally corrected by a calm professional me. Inwardly I was laughing my head off! Then I asked the question, 'What is a bullock?'
The answer was ' you know, like a bullock proof vest'
I'm at this point ( on the inside ) rolling on the actual floor laughing with the picture that painted. On the outside, a calm and professional me explained the life stories of boy and girl cows. On the inside >>>> A bullock proof vest!!!!!! 😂😂😂😂

The second  'Hilarious Moment Of My Week' was provided by the same child. The lesson was RE led by the class teacher. The objective was for the children to say what the Kingdom of Heaven looks like to them. There were the expected, I suppose, suggestions of golden castles, vast green fields filled with children all happy and playing. Rainbows, big gates, blue skies, lots of loved ones there etc etc.
Not so for bullock child. Their answer~ a swimming pool full of kittens.  I have google imaged this and there is an actual picture to help you see. What the kingdom of Heaven actually looks like!!

I love my job! ( which I'm doing out of my own time and the goodness of my heart.....)


More work related stuff now. This week was assessment week and one of the writing tasks was to give somebody at school an award and explain why they deserve that award. I, dear readers, was given two such awards!!

The reasons were extensive ( one piece of work was over a page long ) and genuine! Parts I enjoyed the most were the bit where it said how I give up my time to look after the children who can't go home because their parents are working. GIVE UP MY TIME!!!!! And how I cut the paper so their work fits in their books!! Who knew the children were so observant and how important correctly sized worksheets are to them!!

So now, when  the class teacher - who was awarded numerous awards - for being funny and a 'grate teecher'  asks me to cut the paper, we joke about my prowess!! I'm putting 'award winning' down on my CV!!

Right, much to do this fine Sunday morning. Sadly, it will involve taking the uni one back to the train station. The teen ( who passed his driving Theory test on Monday! ) has his girlfriend coming over today. I've no idea what I'm making to eat. She is one of these strange people who dine on plants only!! ( a slice of wafer thin ham perhaps?!) I love the Royale Family! Do click the video, it's only a minute long!

I might make a cheese quiche! ( panic ye not folks, I've loads of vegetarian recipes in my repertoire! )

I will leave you know with a possible new knit project. I was intrigued by the title. Biological Knitting. It takes me right back to my Biology lessons at The Grammar school! As my sister said, I can smell the formaldehyde now! 

What's new with you? Do you eat Dairylea?! 

Love from Rachel *award winning* Radiostar xxx  

Feeling hot hot hot!

Not due to the weather - it's chuffing freezing. Although the plus is gorgeous, clear blue sky. 

It was due to the Hairy Dieters Bikers chaps. Noo, not because I find them attractive in *that* way,  my onscreen husband, Mr Ray sexypants Winstone would not like it: indeed neither would my rockstar husband Mr Brandon *sigh* Flowers, ( who knew I was a serial bigamist! ) it was of course their wonderful chicken biryani recipe.
Eeeee it's spiceh!! Lips aflame, mouth like a furnace, there was talk of worry for the morning.......

I discussed this with a chum who is also an expert HB recipe follower. Now, compared to her, I am a massive girl when it comes to spicy hot food. She likes the flames out of the ears effect. Naturally she was sympathetic to my plight as one would expect from a friend....yes, she laughed her head off at me . Then confessed to always halving the amount of chilli in their recipes.

It made five decent sized bowls of 380calories of yumminess. Please excuse the sloppy appearance. I'd been poking around in it. There are ten cardomom pods and six cloves in this recipe. I loathe biting into a cardomom pod. Also, using a basmati/wild rice mix was a bit dim too, as the black rice grains, look EXACTLY like cloves. So, next time, I will halve the amount of chilli, and tie the cardomom and cloves in a bit of muslim! 

What else  have I been up to? Well, loads actually. It's Tax Return time for the HG. His part is putting all the receipts in the one place. My part is the book keeping bit. Actually, last year, I vowed to make it easier, by doing the books once a month. So when I sat down last Saturday, I of course, bitterly regretted breaking my vow!!

The 'loads actually' I refer to in the above paragraph include millions of non jobs that needed doing. Everything that I could do to put off starting the paperwork. I tidied the bookcase in the dining room for example. I changed my bed for the second time this week. I. Ironed! I faffed around in the kitchen. I looked out of the window pictured above. A lot. Etc etc.when. Finally made myself get sat down and start. I discovered that the Bank Statement for Oct/Nov 2013 was missing. Where was it? I hunted it down like a caveman desperate for a chunk of T Rex steak. The magazine rack was inadvertently tidied. The HG's junk draw at the side of his chair - he will protest about the word 'junk' was tidied, The huge underbed box of household filing was gone through. ( I'd tidied that in Summer ). All of the areas it could have been, were searched. To no avail. Gone.  Yes, the HG could register for online banking, but that letter was missing too. Besides, the HG was out! Giving me space and peace and quiet to do the accounts. I may have used the opportunity to watch an episode of Lost...

Worry ye not, the accounts are now sorted. I've started a new fluffy teddy for my niece who had very jealous eyes for Harry's fluffy teddy. I've not done any baking as I'm trying my bestest not to eat any baking! I do describe myself as round and squishy in the profiley bit on my blog page, however I think I could quite truthfully change the words to 'positively spherical' right now!

( Thanks Google Images! ) 

None of us are big boned! 

Another week of January draws to a close bringing me a week closer to

Feb half term!!!!
Peter Kay in Feb
The teen turning 18 in April
The uni one finishing uni in June
The uni one turning 21 in June
Me, turning *28* in June ( eternally so )
A Level results angst ALL summer round two
The uni one coming back home
Sending my baby boy off to uni
Thinness
CHRISTMAS!

 I sooooo did not plan that very well at all!!! A very expensive 'coming of age' year and one back, one gone! My craft room is going to have to wait......


Or did I plan it PERFECTLY?! I will not be childless!
The uni one already said that she would come home for a bit to fill the needy parent wants a child gap , before she flies off to the other side of the world.


Well I best sign this off before another week has flown...What are you closer to this week?

Love from an Eternally 28 year old Rachel 'Procrastinator Extraordinaire' Radiostar xxx
( I'm blogging instead of getting ready for work!)

Slightly less lazy......tackling the grime one lunchtime at a time!

Well, I did come home and change my bed on Monday lunchtime. Instead of just sitting on my backside doing nothing! I was at work till 7.30pm being trained. Trained to deal with the cherubs I work with. So when I got home, after having something to eat and drink, it was very blissful getting into a nice clean bed. The bonus being enclosed/encased/snuggled in flannelette. I call them my 'fluffy' sheets. I got them from the old Mill of Dunhelm last year. If pushed, I'd go as far to say this purchase was my. Best. One. Ever. In. The. Whole. Wide. World. I do not have a working radiator in my bedroom and it does get a tad chilly. I do have a fully operational beautiful coal fire, however it's stuffed full of teddies right now and it's alarmingly close to the bed!  There's also an old pillow stuffed up it to try and eliminate draughts! ( I'd take a photo to show you but it needs de cluttering! ) Oh bugger it, here's my beautiful original fireplace ( LOOK AT THE DUST ) - there was an even nicer one downstairs, but the HG's Gran had it ripped out in the 1930s to replace it with a highly fashionable beige tiled fire surround! The teddies you see are what I've been bought through the years by my Children. BC ( Before Children ) I'd matched the flowers and colours in the tiles with dried flowers  shoved into oasis - what??? Don't judge me. It was the early 1990s....EVERYONE had dried flower arrangements. But then the Uni one arrived. Started crawling. And systematically ripped out my lovely arrangement. It would seem she had better taste than me!! The empty box just needs moving for recycling. I've been taking it downstairs everyday for a week... ( lazy ) and the carrier bags are full of wool! 

 

On the bed is my fully Flannelette duvet cover. It is just to die for. I do not care about what things look like- it's pale blue, my room is pale blue. However, im sure there is a market for a beautiful Duvet cover on the top.......but with a flannelette underside! Sliding into flannelette is like climbing onto your Nanna's lap for a cuddle, when you were about five. It envelops you with warmth and comfort! You do not get that 'OMG it's chuffing cold' feeling when you park your body on a normal cotton sheet that's freezing! 

This post was not originally going to be about my Fluffy Sheet Fetish, it just evolved! 

Here, have a closer look at a 110ish year old tile! 

Yesterday, before work, I emptied the dishwasher and set off another load of washing. At lunchtime ( my lunch break is 12.10 -1.00pm I came home ( arriving about 12.15 ), I peeled the spuds for the Sausage, Mash and Beans tea and I swept the floor. ( I set off back to work at 12.55, I can make the bell if it's as late as 12.57 ). 

Last night I finished work at 5.30 like normal, although we did get an 'early' finish as the last Night Owl was collected at 5.20pm. 

There was no Karate run with the Teen, but the HG did need to put fuel in his workvan ( how cheap is the fuel these days!!! £50 certainly fills the tank a bit more ) 

So....the real thing I was actually going to post about ....( finally ) 

I called at The Burys of Sains supermarket for milk - Yes I know, how did I use the £90 quids worth I bought last time - and I got these bargain cherries! I loves cherries. I bought two punnets. With hindsight I should have bought them all and made Cherry Jam. But I didn't. Healthy snacks for me for the next few days. Such luxury!! 

Today, at lunchtime, I will hoover the stairs. Tackling my laziness and filthy house one lunchtime at a time! I have just dusted that fireplace by the way. Best try and prize myself out of my fluffy sheets and into my work clothes now, else I'll be late!! 

Again a waffley old post of nothingness- I do claim to write about my none adventures! I can not be done under Trades Descriptions! 

What do you get up to in your lunch break? 

Love From 

Rachel *flannelette* Radiostar xxx

Back to work with a bump!

Quite literally!
Monday 5th Jan

8.55am gloved up and performed first aid on a small child who'd faceplanted the playground, splitting open his forehead. Blood everywhere.
9.10 dispatched him off to hospital with his mother
9.13 dealt with a very angry little chap who. Was. Not. Staying. At. School -  I knew how he felt! He was calmed down, made to pick up all the chairs he'd knocked over and taken back to class.
9.23 - cleaned sick off a pair of trousers and shoes off belonging to one of the lovelies in my class
9.33 read ch6 of the story to Trousersick child that the rest of the class had listened to while he was being sick . The story is Billionaire Boy by David Walliams. It is hilarious. I had to say the word 'Bumfresh'  a lot!!
Phoned his mum, ( the sickly child not David Walliam's ),  she came to take him home to calm him. He was back after lunchtime totally fine.
10.20 playtime duty
10.30 - put new display up - topic for this half term is Space.
10.45 helped upset child make a cross for the grave of his dead chicken
11.30 - did the class rotas for snack duty, lunch duty and play leader duty !!! This, folks, is a treacherous minefield. It takes me at least ten attempts. I think I've finished, print it out, then a voice will pipe up. I can't do it then I've got < insert a cacophony of child related activities here >. I grimly smile, RIP down the rotas and re jig!

I think I'd ticked ALL my job description boxes by lunch!!

Tuesday  6th January ( saddest day of my whole year, every year )

I covered breakfast club for a sick colleague. So that meant I started work at 7.30am.

In Maths, we are learning Time. The child I was working with declared their legs were too tired to do any work. I sad it was ok, they didn't need their legs to do maths. Another child wrote in their book it was 'quarter past seventeen' and another wrote seven firty free. I despair !

Then it was my small group/pastoral type duties for the rest of the day. There's three of us running Social skills groups, friendship groups and positive people groups.
That went well even though we all kept being called away for needy children in classrooms.

Popped home at 12.15 with my friend, who helped me to take the baubles off my tree.

Bye bye my pretties....

Night Owls was the usual average number of twenty plus cherubs. We are trying to get to grips with the new cashless system of payments in school. The parents are struggling and so are we!! We knew where we were with good old fashioned money! So much brain stress! Got home at 5.40pm.

The teenager had removed the lights off the tree and as a quick tea was cooking we folded away all the branches and put the tree back in its box. The bonus of putting the tree away was that he found a CHRISTMAS PRESENT!! It was for me!! 

From my friend at work. I sent get a photo saying look what we just found!
 She replied that she'd thought it was really odd I'd not mentioned what I'd got! I bet she thought, ' you ungrateful mare'! I opened it - it was a Nigel Slater book. 

It completely made my day!! I fully intended starting to read it at bedtime. But we had to take the 17 and a half year old, 6ft, two belts off a black belt teenager to his karate class first.  Whaaaat??? It's dark out there and he's still my baby. He can't possibly walk.
We did call at Sainsbury's as I needed milk. It was the first shop I'd done since before Christmas. Milk is bloody expensive these days. £90!!! I did get some jars of mincemeat for 5p like last year!! Bargain. Popped them in the back of the darkened cupboard to mature. 
In the haul I bought Davina's 7 minute workout DVD. I do already have her 15 minute one which is good. I'm going to try to do something before work every day. Obviously, my 'something' today is writing this post! ( in my warm, cosy bed!)

My eyes were closing around half past nine and the book remained unread. I slept right through til the alarm went off at 6am. The HG was leaving earlier today so I've already been up, made the lunches, done the dishwasher and got back into bed! I'll have my shower after the teenager today. I don't start work til 8.55am! 
My friend just texted. Yet again, our Euromillions numbers failed to secure us the means to give up all of the above! So I best get my wriggle into gear and see what Wednesday at the Funny Farm holds!!

I neeeed a holiday!

How has your 'get back to normal' gone? 

Love from

Rachel ' bereft of baubles'Radiostar xx

My agenda today

It's lovely and early ( 6. 35am  ) and the house is quiet as everyone else is still asleep. The house is warm as the heating is set to come on at 5.30am . The honest reason for this, is... When my two now giant offspring were babies they were early risers and I set the then brand new boiler to come on for four hours in a morning and four at night ( 4.30pm - 8.30pm ). This meant it was toasty for getting up and first feed, and for bath time and bedtime. If it was cold in the day it was put on, or the fire was going.  The reason it is still set is that the clock manual is probably in a *safe place* and I have no idea how to alter it!! So nowadays, it's nice and warm for us all to have a shower and it gets manually knocked off before 8am! I know that some of you frugal lot are gasping at the fact I have central heating and I'm using it .... I make no apologies! I hate feeling cold. Yes I layer up and use hot water bottles ( no radiator in my bedroom right now ) but a warm house is just blissful. The DD goes out every month using up the over payments I made in the Summer so all is well!

So... my agenda for the day
I plan on
Baking some bread
Baking some flap jack
Making broccoli and Stilton soup ( how do you know if Stilton has gone off? No, I'm being serious. I cannot stand strong or stinky cheese and bought it at Christmas to make this soup. I mean it's full of mould to start with!! )
Take stock of everything in my freezers
Make meal plans to use everything up in my freezers over the next few weeks. I buy a lot of meat when it's yellow stickered and shove it in the freezer. Then I forget ( damn you stupid memory ) what I have in there and buy fresh. I've lots of portions of HB meals I've made so I think my meal planner will mostly be for the menfolk and I will eat those. I guess I failed in my pre Christmas eat everything from the freezer quest.
Finish the HG Tax return. Ugh.
Clean the bathroom
Do the laundry
Knit
Watch something good on the telly
Catch up on some blog reading and comment.
Maybe  a trip to Aldi - our local one has been expanded and done up - I may sashay on down for a look. I need some Salad too.
Do my nails in a different colour changing varnish ( keeping Groovy, Groovy mums x )
GO OUT FOR TEA AT 7:45pm
That's like being a proper grown up and everything! Such a treat. I met Liz ten years ago she tells me ( failing memory remember ) and we hit it off straight away. She was the new Year six teacher and I was her slave TA. We had a few fab years working together till her life changed, she met Andy, moved away, married him and had children and moved further away and has now moved a bit nearer again. The bonus to being married to Andy  ( or one of them ) is that he hails from my part of the world and his folks live not too far away, so we manage to catch up when they come oop North for a trip. Well, last year, there was something EVERYTIME stopping us meeting. But not this time!!  Tonight Matthew ( English TV viewers from the 80s/90s will get that phrase lol ) we are meeting at a 'two for one' main meal deal pub!! We do love a bargain! I'm really looking forward to seeing them.
Erm I think that's a pretty full day but you can fill the rest of my list with reasons to get out of doing all the yucky jobs on my list!
Writing this is procrastination number 1!
Oh here are some photos of the new castle, castle mat and people we spent some Night Owls money on. 

Who will save the Princess? 

Ahem.

My colleague and I had a marvellous time putting it together and er testing it out!! The Owlets will get to play next week! It was like Christmas :-)

What's on your agenda today?