Kids today!

I haven't been watching the programme Britain's got Talent. Sometimes I felt like I was the only who wasn't when I was at work. It has been one of the main topics of conversation for weeks in the staff room.
I have however seen the press comments on Susan Boyle and can understand everybodys surprise when she started to sing.
So last night I tuned in to see what the fuss was about. When we hear about young people in the news it is usually about binge drinking, carrying knives or other negative things. Diversity showed us 11 young people who are doing something positive with their spare time and they are amazing and worthy winners.
But then again Stavros Flatley made me laugh and what an advert for a great father and son relationship. The singers were all brilliant and Julian Smith playing the saxophone really deserves to be success in the future.
I hope it inspires other people to have ago. At school I give up my lunch break sometimes to groups of Year 6 who want to use the hall to practice routines and need an adult to supervise. I have always done it willing when the have asked me but in future I will be looking for next years big talent. Move over Simon!





If like me you missed their first appearance click here and see.

The Sun has got his Hat on.

Today the was out and I just couldn't settle to do one thing in particular.

I started off by relaxing and for all of 10 minutes. I soon got bored reading about the MP's excuses for purchasing duck houses and whatever. So next I tried a little But I was restless and so I thought I should get some of the plants in that I bought weeks ago as the poor things won't if I don't get them in soon. Finally I decided I had better and catch up with all the lovely blogs I read.

Make sure the sound is on when you watch this.



I know I shouldn't have laughed when I saw this but I couldn't help it. I used to live near someone who had one of these.

A Better Week

I seem to be miserable in all my blogging just lately so here are some of the things that cheered me up this last week.

1. We made our usual trip to the Annual Plant Fair at the White Cliffs Experience. The sun was shining and we sat afterwards and sipped a coffee over looking the sea. I came home with loads of plants at a fraction of the price it would cost at the garden centre
2. My boy was home all last week from uni and we had such a lovely time with him and on Friday the four of us went out for a meal at our favourite Indian restaurant.
3. Work wasn't as bad as I expected and the new Head seems OK, so far.
4. The meeting I went to at The Academy on Friday wasn't as scary as I expected it to be.
5. I finished the book I have been trying to read for weeks.
6. Did I mention the sun shone?

Hope yours was as good. x

Shock!

I am just watching the BBC programme Countryfile as I do every week and am speechless ( I know it's hard to believe) on the article on 'Zero Grazing'. I had no idea that cows are being kept inside all the time, never ever walking on the grass or laying down in a field.

It is important that I always buy free range eggs and I don't eat meat I am a vegetarian but not vegan and I do however like milk, cheese, cream etc. I do not want this to come from a cow who has been kept inside all it's life and the furthest it has walked is a few yards from its stall to a milking machine. Can I tell when I buy these products from the supermarket I wonder?

I hope Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley Wittenstall or some other crusader will start up a campaign.

Sweet Sixteen

I recently read Corners of my Mind and her walk around Ilam. It reminded me of many many years ago when my friend Denise (known as Twiggy to everyone) enjoyed happy weekend at the Youth Hostel there . We posed for the photo pretending to be posing for a catalogue and laughed at the paper pants Twiggy had with her that came free in Jackie or Petticoat magazine or whatever we were reading at the time.

I lost contact with Denise when we left school and new jobs, new friends and boyfriends came along but I know she went to live in The Lake District. I wonder if she ever thinks about about the days when we dreamt of growing up and following our dreams.

The blogging community is amazing. I went to bed feeling sorry for myself. After a much better nights sleep I woke up this morning and read the wonderful comments you had left for me. Thank you so much. I know I need to pick myself up and ....
and I promise ...... I will also try to drop by your blogs and thank you individually for brighten up my day.

OK here goes...

I'm not sure if I'll get to finish this piece or not. I'm struggling at the moment. It's basically to do with my job and I wish I could see a way to resolve things easily. If you don't know last year about October the primary school I work at were approached by the nearby academy and asked if we wanted to be part of an all age academy, the first in Kent. We decided to look into the idea and now we are possibly months away from the closure of the existing school and the reopening of the new academy (primary school). A new Headteacher, Deputy Head and Head of KS2 have been appointed ready to start work on 1st September. We have all been assured our jobs are safe under something called TUPE and I think for the time being anyway they will be. But my worry is if the new senior management don't think you fit it with all their grand new plans, well what happens then? Or even will I want to fit in? The head has a reputation (she is local so she already known to us) for wanting things exactly how she likes them no matter what it takes.

She already comes into school regularly and I feel so nervous when she is there. She ask loads of questions and seems OK with what I am doing. However I can't sleep for fear she is storing up all the knowledge ready to pounce on 1st Sept. It maybe a brilliant opportunity but somehow I don't think so. It will be years before the 'new state of the art school 'will be ready for occupation. Until then we 'll remain in the old one. I wish I could afford to walk away and let them get on with it but sadly I need to earn money to help pay the bills and what with the recession and my age think the chances of a new job are about zero. My job is a strange mixture of jobs-I am called a FLO which stands for Family Liaison Officer but I also am pastoral support for the children and the extended & healthy schools coordinator. What the hell I can do, well I don't know. So lots more sleepless nights ahead I guess.
On a lighter side here are some pictures taken last weekend in a village called Eynsford which is not far off the M20. It's a such pretty place and yet so near to such a busy motorway.

This is the Auricula that I bought at the National Trust plant sale last year. It has been outside all Winter but still came into flower. This certainly cheered me up when I first saw it the other day.

Another thing that has been getting me down are all the lovely photo's of bloggers homes. There are some beauties out there. Don't get me wrong I love seeing were you all live. It gives me hope and I been lucky and have lived in some delightful houses over the years including a 200 year old cottage in a tiny village surrounded by fields and woods. Unfortunately a few years ago we hit a rough patch and we downsized to a tiny new end of terrace on a new estate. I really don't like living here. Not just the house but the nearby town is depressing. When I watch a 'Try Before you Buy' or 'Location, Location' programme on TV and they exclaim 'Oh dear the kitchen is far too small ' and I see it's 3 times bigger than the cupboard that I call my kitchen I just want togo away and cry. The one bright light in all this is we have a small mortgage and with luck will not be affected by the recession. It has scuppered any plans that we did have to move on and find my dream home again.

Our main bedroom is also very small but we have tried to make it cosy.

This is my much loved old chest of draws that I bought second hand to go in the nursery for my first born a long, long time ago.

and this is my lovely new chest of draws that arrived last week. I love both of them.