Catch-up

An apology again for very few (not very entertaining) blogs but my life is running away as fast as an Ethiopian Olympic Long Distance runner. The posts from the past are gone I’m afraid. As...clever me...accidently tipped a hot cup of tea, complete with one sugar for added stickiness, over my computer and it is now in the morgue awaiting an organ transplant to my new laptop. I’m hoping to recover most of the data on the hard drive but feel it is all but gone. Anyway now I have this new machine and can take it to bed (I’m not a geek it’s the only quiet time I get!) without leads trailing everywhere I think I may be able to churn out a few more updates more frequently.

I left you at having passed my first lot of Access grades. I have since scored myself a job as a Learning support assistant, after three separate interviews at different schools. I will be working 25 hours a week with the year 6 teacher. The students are aged between 10-11, which is a nice age before they hit puberty and think they rule the world! To say I’m excited about this job would be a serious understatement as I have been bouncing off the walls ever since the phone call from the head teacher and now I’m champing at the bit to get started. Unfortunately I got the job at the end of July, which is the end of term and will be starting in the new term (September 08). The only down side is I won’t be able to attend college this year as my employment clashes with the course times, but the school are keen to train their staff so I will be pushing forward as much as I can. The work based experience is a highly crucial part of the degree anyway so I would rather have that at the moment.

Other interesting events have been the start-up of Workboat services Ltd (check out the website for more details www.workboat.co.fk) Dan nipped down to the Falklands to assist with the initial start-up period for the Concordia bay arriving in the Islands. I personally think it was an excuse to just stroke and snuggle his hunk of steel, but he will never tell J After a few minor problems I believe everything is working well now and the Concordia Bay is settling in well to her new home.

When Dan returned from his brief Falkland trip we had a frantic week of re-organising and cleaning the house before my parents arrived. They are now here on a 6 week holiday and having a great time as far as I’m aware. The kids leaping on them in the morning is probably wearing thin by now though. The best part about them being here (apart from seeing them again of course) is all the cool gadgets they buy and test in the house – It’s going to be bare when they leave that’s for sure!

And finally probably the most exciting piece of news of all is we have sold our house in the Falklands and are in the process of buying a run-down detached cottage (a rarity in the UK...believe me!) here in Gosport. I’ve lost count of the number of times Dan and I have been to the house, tape measures in hand, and studied every element of the place. The very first day we braved a call to the estate agents for our first look inside we were almost wetting ourselves with excitement at the potential of the place. We laughed when we got back home and realised both of us had mentally knocked down walls, replaced doors and furnished it before even making an offer on the place. The ear to ear smiles and rapid heart beating in our chests has been going for three weeks now and I’m convinced we will go to cardiac arrest when we are handed over the keys. We are simple souls and delight in seeing even the tiniest thing like the “Sale Agreed” sign going up across the For Sale sign outside the house. Now to get the small mortgage, finalise the sale of 11 Short Street (which I should add has gone to a really nice family so we are happy there too) and get cracking on some renovation!*

And that’s about it in a nutshell – my whirlwind life in five paragraphs. Doesn’t seem like much now I suppose, but don’t forget we are juggling three little monkeys in amongst this lot! That reminds me I must order the ‘Kids Tool Kits’ for Christmas.

*P.S If anyone fancies coming and helping with renovations then sign up to www.Dan-and-Marie-are-mad.co.uk We will supply food, beer and a sleeping bag in amongst the rubble for free labour.

Results

An ominous brown envelope arrives in the mail box with Highbury College clearly stamped across the top. “Oh my god my results are here” I say as I gulp. I turn it over in shaky hands and begin to tear open the top, wondering if it is nerves or excitement making my heart pound in my chest. An A4 sheet of paper slides easily from the package to reveal writing across its face. I take a deep breath while my brain takes in the information before me and I begin to analyse the table revealing: English for Education and Teaching, B, Biology, A, Total credits 11. “YES!” I yell making the girls leap a little. I give them a huge squeeze and start leaping around the kitchen as they watch with confused faces. “It’s ok girls mum hasn’t gone mad I’m just extremely happy” I reassure them

Roll on September!!

End of College

Wednesday 4th June

The English for teaching and education lesson was like any other, beginning with education topics discussions, followed by a comprehension assessment and the last of the oral presentations. At the end of the lesson the tutor thanked us for a great year and even went as far to say we were the best class she had ever had. (Awe shucks I bet you say that to all your classes I thought as I smiled an embarrassed yet proud smile), we proceeded to thank the tutor and that was it!

Everyone took twice as long to pack away their things as we analysed the reality that this really was the last Wednesday we would be coming into college. Most just waved a goodbye as they walked out of the door knowing they had the addresses of the people they wanted to stay in contact with and possibly concealing any sadness that may be welling up inside them, or that they would see each other again in another last lesson later in the week.

I sat for a moment taking it all in too and wasn’t sure whether to be saddened by this event or elated it was over. I have after all just completed my first year of college and was one year closer to becoming a Primary Teacher! I bid farewell to one of my closest friends in this class, making sure she had my details and I had hers and wished her well for University, as she will not be returning next year. I quickly put on my dark glasses and strolled off to catch the bus for my last Wednesday bus antics…sigh!

Friday 6th June

The last lesson of Biology was much like any other too. Again we thanked the tutor and she thanked us and once more mixed emotions filled me. There was more sadness this time as we are a small class of only 5 and had become like a family. We wouldn’t see Oli again as he was heading of to a Welsh University (of course we took this piss out of him having a vast choice of woolly girlfriends, which he took well and even chuckled at the “Baaa-bara” comment – not one of my better jokes I must admit).

We wished Lee well in his adventures too and good luck with his task of masturbating while standing on his head (it’s a long strange story that I won’t go into, as I’m not entirely sure how the conversation got there anyway. Let’s just say the boy has strange ideas about the world anyway. For instance, during our last tea break In the student canteen we noticed a sign saying “free cut and blow dry” We all laughed as the boys said they would definitely go for a free hair cut if it came with a blow…job. As we left the canteen chuckling Lee then continued to say with a huge smile across his face “Wow! Imagine how much money you could make with a free haircut and blow jobs!” Of course we were in hysterics after that and quickly pointing out you can’t make any money if it’s free! He tried to side step his mistake, but it was too late.

At the end of the lesson everyone exchanged facebook details (I guess it does have its uses) and that was it…again! I ambled, with my head low, along my usual path towards the bus stop, reminiscing over a great year at college and before I knew it a huge smile had appeared across my face. “Yeah it really was a great year” I thought “And I can’t wait to come back in September!” At the bus stop the smile was so huge people were leaning away from me and deliberately trying to not make eye contact, as if I were some kind of mental patient who had strayed from the asylum. I found this highly amusing and played on it a little more by talking and chuckling to myself.

As I entered the house, having picked up the girls from the childminders, I flicked the kettle on for a much needed cup of tea and began to wonder about which courses to take next year and then it occurred to me – I have a nail biting 5 weeks to wait for my results! God I hope I’ve passed!

Facebook

"Have you been poked yet?" I certainly haven't for a while!!

I’ve been registered with facebook for six months now and don’t believe I have ever encountered such a poor waste of time in my life! So why am I spending so much time on the damn thing!?

I suppose facebook is good for catching up with former classmates and friends, and grouping all your acquaintances in one area, but isn’t that what an address book is for? I’m actually beginning to wonder if people have forgotten how to use a pen and paper as emails quickly eradicate letters too. Don’t get me wrong I love technology (except when it breaks!), but I’m also a traditional girl and like nothing more than checking the mailbox to find letters from friends and family. I think there is something a little more personal in a hand written letter and besides…I enjoy the challenge of deciphering bad handwriting.

I now have over 150 acquaintances which’s nice as I didn’t realise just how many people I know or know me (I wonder how many acquaintances it takes before you become infamous?) But with lots of friends in your contacts come lots of invites for strange and pointless games, and gifts of hugs, kisses, pets and flowers!

I’ll admit I own a “Lil green patch” and am supposedly saving acres of rainforest. Although how this works is a mystery to me and I wander off in a fantasy of 300 year old trees in the Brazilian rainforest tapping into the internet inviting their friends in the Malaysian Jungle to join them in brain battle or Mob wars. The later being another pointless game I have been lured into like a moth to a flame. For some reason I find myself checking my character ‘Strawberry Bond’s progress, counting my virtual millions, driving around in my virtual armoured range rover and purchase an array of weapons in preparation of another assault on the jewellery shop.

Recently I have been finding myself aimlessly clicking the mouse 30 times a day as I watch a virtual slot machine spin to hopefully win me virtual money which I can later spend in the virtual shop on virtually pointless crap! But yet each day I continue to enter this game and willingly click the button…is that an addiction or a compulsive disorder? Thankfully it’s not real money I suppose!

Most recently though I have found a game called ‘draw and guess’. It’s basically Pictionary on the internet, but I guess they couldn’t get the rights to use the name. You get a word and have to draw it for everyone to guess to win points. Then everyone else gets a turn to draw and you just have to guess as quickly as possible to gain more points before the time runs out. It’s another addiction I’m afraid, and has become worse still now that I have won two games!

And on that note…I’m wasting valuable ‘time wasting’ time writing this when I could be guessing squiggles, virtual drug dealing and bank robberies or sitting in virtual Las Vegas at the slot machines!!

TTFN

Katiehopper

In true Blue Peter style “Here’s one I made earlier”….5:30 in the morning earlier!

I’m a bad mother and very nearly forgot to make Katie a costume for “The ugly bug ball” they were having at school one day. There was no excuse, I had seen the invite in Katie’s bag two weeks ago. But it wasn’t until Katie kindly reminded me the night before, that I sighed “oh bollocks!” and then spent the whole night tossing and turning in bed fretting about having not made anything, and how she would feel being the only child at school with no costume. So in the end I had to get up do something about it.

I tip-toed like a baby elephant down the creaky stairs,* gathered up some materials and set to work on a master piece. I actually surprised myself with the result – It’s amazing what you can do with a bit of brown paper, a newspaper, a paper plate**, some green clothes and some green paint!

When Katie woke later in the morning she was delighted and couldn’t get into the costume fast enough. Sarah on the other hand was terrified of the grasshopper shaped Katie in the kitchen...and so…the mask stayed off until we reached school.

As all the children gathered in their costumes at the school entrance I smiled with relief as Katie’s was by far one of the better ones there and I’m not just being biased! After waving her off and dropping Becky to Pre-School I went home and crawled back to bed…yawn!

* I sometimes wonder why I bother trying to creep around this old house when I make just as much noise when walking normally!

**Lucky for us it wasn’t raining that day or there would have been a green paper machete Katie turning up to school instead!