3 days and counting...

...until half term!

I was off school yesterday as I was poorly sick :o( I started at the end of last week, just in time to feel pants over the weekend! Great timing! I still felt awful yesterday so stayed at home, watching rubbish daytime TV and having no energy to do anything much.

I am feeling better today, so it was back to school...where everyone said I looked ill! Thanks!! I thought I looked ok!! Luckily it was PPA this morning, so only a half day in the classroom, which was plenty!

Looking forward to a week off...where I can catch up on stuff and relax a bit!

Comedy Quote: One of my faves from Spaced...

Brian: Do you think I should lose the waistcoat.
Tim: I think you should burn it. 'Cause, y'know, if you lose it, you might find it again.

Roll on Half Term!

Roll on half term!! - Definitely - I am in need of some rest and a catch-up on all those things I can't fit into my day to day life!
This past couple of weeks have gone by pretty fast! We've had snow (yes SNOW! although not enough of it!), enjoyed a few drinks at the Swan after a particularly rough week at work (and Putin had his hair cut!! I was devastated - I LOVED the legoman/playmobile look!), a visit from Colin and Sonia (along with a lovely meal!), and visited my parents for my mum's birthday...amongst other things!
Monday night, while the guys were at the pub, Joey and I helped Lou with some painting. The Po's have done loads on their house since I last saw it! So Joey and I tacked the master bedroom while Louey enjoed the glossing (yes enjoyed...yes insane!) I spent some time being a glorified paint holder, Joey was comparing the Fratelli's 'Henrietta' to a musical (very good impersonation, but the comparison has completely left my brain!) while Louey said it was more Vic Reeves, and Lou became a 'superfreak' with her weird veiny hands (in the nicest possible way!)
I still have a mound of paperwork, and a to-do list a mile long...maybe it is meant to be that way? Who knows?

Comedy Quote:
Green Wing (S1?)
Mac: I'm assuming you've taken painkillers?
Caroline: I want something stronger. I want the stuff you use... to kill people.
Mac: Nope, saving all that for Guy.

Sometimes life sucks.

OK, I spoke to soon. After feeling all chuffed and happy after all my hard work last week, I am now back to square 1...no, make that stuck in jail...do not pass go...do not collect £200...

Like I said, lots of hours, slaving away, feeling good that my 'to do' list was shrinking (somethings reappear every week, but I'd managed to get rid of things on the list that wouldn't reappear for some time!) only to be given a huge workload, twice the size of the original, and now I am drowning in a sea of paper...again...with no rubber ring to keep me afloat...or a lifeguard...

And I feel pretty crappy too...headache, dodgy tummy, stiff neck, exhausted...so, yeah, pretty pants. On a less 'Woh is me' note, spoke to my mum and she has spent the day in bed as she's ill....and that is unheard off (the last time being approximately 20 years ago when we all had chicken pox and she had shingles and nan had to come and look after us all! Get well soon Mo!

Lou's birthday.....and stuff

I have been very busy this week...and very good too, getting lots of schoolwork done (although I still have a worksheet backlog - still endeavouring to catch up from 'the move') and actually managing to cross things of my 'to do' list and feeling pretty chuffed with myself!
Friday night Carl and I vegged out with some red wine and watched ER that we'd taped the night before. Saturday, after a lie in and a lazy morning watching Scrubs on TV (love it - bit of a comedy fix so am happy!) I went shopping and coming back exhausted! No idea why!! So we had an early dinner (after a late breakfast!), more wine and DVDs! 1st we watched 4 Weddings and a Funeral (a Chrimbo pressie from the Putin's - thanks!) I had seen it many years ago and didn't think much to it, but I really enjoyed it now I am older and wiser!! Then, being early still, we decided to watch Elizabethtown (a rental) and it was pants. After 45mins we switched it off (and that's rare, normally I'll watch to the end for closure but I found it so uninspiring I couldn't be bothered!) and tried something else - The Triangle. It is a 3 part series. I was sceptical at first but enjoyed it...well part one anyway, then went to bed (sooo tired!) while Carl watched part 2.
Today I watched part 2 before being good and getting down to school work! This evening we celebrated Lou's birthday by having a meal at The Rising Sun somewhere on the A4! It was good to get together, celebrate Lou's 28th birthday, and get a visual update on Rossputin's hair - which Joey said is making him look more and more like a playmobile character!! Ha ha!

Thought of another fave GW quote: (Season 1 Ep 2)
Sue: Did you touch my squirrel?
He he...there are so many!!

Comedy Fix?

Hurrah! I finally got my Green Wing DVDs through the post (a week after dispatch!) I brought Season 2 over Christmas, as I HAD to see it in time for the Special (which I saw 3 times (!) with various people - and it got funnier each time I watched it.) So, I now have Season 1 and the special on DVD too. I have just watched the alternate ending, and I must say I prefer it to the actual one...it leaves it more open (for a new series...fingers crossed but I doubt it!) Rather than an alternate ending, it is more of an extended ending, with a more that one person up in the air!
I have to say, it is a bit sad that the powers that be said there is unlikely to be a 3rd season - I love Green Wing (such a funny show, so many hilarious scenes...if you haven't seen it...watch it now!), and shows like it (Spaced, Black Books etc) - they just stop too soon and there aren't enough of them. Where will I get my comedy fix now!?!?!? Answers on a postcard...(or in the comments :o)

One of my fave lines...(Season 1 Ep 3)
Mac: Join me again next week on this episode of let’s make no f**king sense at all when I’ll be waxing an owl.

Happy 2007!

Before I write about the New Year celebrations, resolutions and any other -tions I can think of, I will tell you about the run up to New Year, including Christmas.

We spent Christmas day with my parents and Paul, Sarah and baby Joshua. We arrived home at 4ish Chrimbo eve and had a relaxing evening watching movies. Christmas day was lovely and chilled...I got some lovely pressies including Planet Earth on DVD and smellies and choccies...oh and lots of B&Q vouchers!! We popped over Paul and Sarah's for about an hour in the morning to see Joshua open our pressies to him - we got him a singing penguin for bathtimes which he liked (and we saw it in action at bathtime later on!!) Lunch was back at the bunglehouse and was delicious! I ate so much I must have looked like a football!! We went back over my brothers for tea and ended up playing Simpson Monopoly, where Paul thrashed the pants off us all!! We came back home Boxing day afternoon - which was a little weird, especially after mum getting mushy as we're not in Sandy anymore...

Between Christmas and New Year should be a time of relaxation, recuperation...and other a-ations as well...but no, not for us we've been DIY-ing!! Carl replaced the valve on the hot water pipe and we fixed the hole in the kitchen ceiling (it still needs finishing off but is far better than a gaping hole!!.) We have re-insulated the loft (thanks to the B&Q vouchers!!) and went through the boxes to try and get rid of stuff...we have so much stuff it is untrue - I am such a hoarder...and being a teacher really doesn't help!! So we brought crates to box things up properly. Carl then finished off the flooring in the loft (he did about 1/3 of the loft when we moved in and he is now replacing the bit near the hatch as that needed replacing - so about 1/2 the loft will be floored - lots of storage space!!) I was rather impressed with the amount of stuff I managed to bin/recycle/give to charity!

New Year celebrations were at Dave and Joey's for a 'night at the races.' It was the chance to dress up a bit posh and try to win some fake money on the horses. I was rubbish and lost lots - not as much as Putin though!! Dave and Lou seemed very good at picking winners and had lots of payouts! After midnight we all flagged a bit and ended up watching a programme about annoying celebrities...at about 2.30-3ish we came home, but needing to see who the number one annoying celeb was we had to watch the rest of the show and got to bed at 4.30am!!



Since New Year it is back to work :o( Finding the dark mornings particularly pants and really not wanting to get out of bed at all! On Saturday Chudders and I helped the Po's with their house. The main job was Carl helping Ross with the loft insulation and boarding up (as he is a pro now!) while Lou and I made trips to the tip, destroyed the kitchen (I love hammers!!) and constructed a fireplace...among other things. My fave moments were Lou and I dancing in spaces where cupboards had been, CP trying to pull a unit off the wall but only a bit came off in his hand - luckily I caught him, and Mr Po looking rather like a Teletubby (Po!) Then it was a curry, Green Wing Special (Boo Hoo! No more Green Wing!) and some Peep Show before going home to bed!

Chrimble Eve...

Well, it is Christmas Eve...and we are off to my parents in a short while, but I thought I'd update my blog first...before I drink to much mulled wine and have holes in my memory...

So what have I been up to? School was very busy! We took year 3 to see 'The Snow Queen' at the Watermill Theatre (http://www.watermill.org.uk/) and what a great show it was. The kids loved it, Anna and I want to go and see it again...it is what Theatre as all about...GO SEE IT!

Last Saturday the boys went Chrimbo shopping, as did the girls...which was more successful than last time when Lou and I spent the aftrenoon eating pasta and drinking red wine...although it depends how you define successful! We then met up in Lock Stock for a drink before heading to the Nawab for a curry. The highlight of my evening was seeing Putin as legoman (not that I suggested it!) but it did make me chuckle!! A lot!!

Friday night it was out for Chrismas drinks. Sadly Putin and Noo couldn't make it as Noo was poorly (Get well soon Noo!) We went in a variety of pubs, drank a range of beverages and my stomach hurt from laughing too much! In the Late Lounge, Lou met a couple of christmas ladies in the loos and asked them to join us! Poor Carl got lumbered with Random Man (who was with Chrimbo ladies) who proceeded to talk Carl's ear off about cars and speaker systems etc...we left in the end for Carl's sanity more than anything else! One word here...chav....says it all!

So, that is prechristmas for you...feeling a little crap due to hangovers yesterday...but looking forward to lovely Chrimbo dinner with Mo and dad tomorrow...Mmmmmm

Joshua's 1st birthday party

Time goes so quickly! I can't believe my nephew is 1 tomorrow!
Today was his 1st birthday party for the family (tomorrow he has one with his friends!) Joshua kept everyone entertained and seemed to enjoy himself. He enjoyed the bricks mum and dad got him (as did we all!) and playing with any mobile phone he could lay his hands on! I have to say, his reflexes are super-quick - he grabbed his birthday cake before anyone could have stopped him! We had party food (you cannot have a party without cheese and pineapple sticks and jelly and ice-cream!) which was very yummy. So, Happy 1st Birthday Joshua! (Oh and doesn't my brother look fetching in this 1st birthday hat which looks like a dunce hat to me!)

Which film do you think he's from?

Carl had his work do last night in Oxford. I was chauffer taking him there and returning to pick him up. (Aren't I nice...and I was exhaused too!) It was a fancy dress affair and these theme was Hollywood. Carl was this outfit (very nice!!), but what film was he from? Answers on a postcard....or in the comments!

The 'hole' weekend.

So, my parents came up for the weekend. Intead of them seeing the house all nice (and warm) they get to see the hole in the kitchen (which got bigger after we removed the rotton ceiling)...well they did see the rest of the house but that became the focal point!

Friday night we just chilled out with a glass of wine and a DVD (Constantine - not quite sure what they made of that!) Saturday was almost a right off. Carl was desperately tring to sort out the stupid leaky valve below the boiler and not having much luck. Dad was foreman (and a big help - thanks dad!! xx) and suggested they sort it out while Mo and I went Chrimbo shopping in Newbury (which was the original plan!) So we did. Mo and I had fun exploring the shops...and she managed to do ALL her Christmas shopping...I managed 3 gifts! Oh well! In the evening we had roast chicken and I cooked roast butternut squash (they'd not had it before) and pototo and sweetpotato mash (they'd not had that either!), we watched Strictly Come Dancing and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory!

Sunday we went to the Toby Carvery (more yummy food) before taking Mum and Dad on a quick walk along part of the canal - sadly it was muddy and dad's wheelchair didn't like it! I then drove them home, had a cuppa and headed back...by the time I got back to Reading my arms felt like the were made of lead! I blame the traffic on the M25 - for everything!!!