Check out the video!

Check out my gorgeous nephew saying my name in my previous blog entry. I am a genius...it runs in the family! :o)

HE CAN SAY MY NAME!!!!!

The kitchen is coming on...slowly! We (and by we I mean mainly Carl!) has been doing bits each night after work. Right now our weekend away can't get here fast enough!!

So, from the list, we have:
- removed brambles from back garden (this took me ages..and was painful too!)
- sprayed the new(ish) fence panels (the 1st two took ages...as I hasn't pumped up the spayer enough...I was too woosey! Also, it took sooooo long I missed BA on Monday!)
- finished plastering the socket area and other bits
- moved another socket that was in a stupid place...and the wire runs across where the door will be! Why is nothing ever easy!
- brought more bits from B&Q - including a new sander!
- at the moment, Carl is sanding all the pasterwork!

We still need to:
- rewire the sockets (washing machine and dishwasher)
- level up all the cupboard doors
- pit the end panels in place
- clean up the mess!
... before we go on holiday tomorrow!



On a much more exciting note...JOSHUA CAN SAY MY NAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He seems to like my name. Ray is a word that can be shouted and elongated...a lot. I went 'home' yesterday to see my folks and family and had a lovely time. Thanks M&D for letting me use the washing machine...and sorry it is now broken! I am sure it wasn't my fault! I got to see Joshua twice - he has changed so much! He is sooo chatty and loves vehicles - cars, buses, lorries and woo-woos (trains!) I think he knows quite a lot...much more than when I saw him a couple of months ago. He is such a sweetie! I even experimented and managed to get a little video of him saying my name imported into Blogger. Rayyyyyy!

I also met up with Gail from RPLS and we had a lovely chat over a cup of tea...for two hours! Maybe we should have brought refills?!?!? We were far to busy catting up on gossip and having a good natter...after all, it had been over 12 months of chat to catch up on!

Right...I am hungry...I am off in search of food!

More kitchen DIY...

It is now half term! Hurrah!! I had a lovely lay-in this morning...and it was still a struggle to get out of bed...especially as we now have the thick winter duvet on - snuggletastic!

The last week of term went well...but slowly! On Friday we had 'English Civil War Day' in the Lower Juniors as part of the local history we are doing. We had 21 re-enactors come in who told the children about muskets, pikes, weaving, food, drumming, surgery etc. A great day was had by all...and a super end to the half term!

On Friday night Putin, DL, Carl and myself watched Cthulu Mansion - a cheesy 80s horror flick. It was pretty shocking, with a random storyline and no real baddie! After watching and taking the p**s out of it, I went home and left the boys watching some other film. One was enough for me!

The weekend has been DIY overload, with more to do before we go on holiday! We:

chiseled out a hole for the sockets to be moved to
brought lots of bits from B&Q
moved the sockets and started to plaster them in
cleaned the cooker
tidied the 'sunroom'
started tidying the lounge and moved the table and sofa
removed all the worktops and sink
levelled up all the units and fixed them to the walls

put a shelf in the cupboard under the sink

filled in the pipebox to stop giant spiders attacking (and for insulation)

put the worktops back replumbed in the sink
trimmed the bush outside the front door

We still need to:
finish plastering the socket area and other bits
sand the walls
rewire the sockets
level up all the cupboard doors
remove brambles from back garden
spray the new(ish) fence panels
buy more bits from B&Q

Apart from the DIY, we did watch the rugby (disappointing) and Blades of Glory which was hilarious. Carl laughed so much at one point we had to stop the DVD...then he rewound it to watch it again!!

So, I am off to B&Q now, to get more supplies, before spraying the fence panels. I am going to Attack tonight (as I didn't go yesterday) before cracking on with more DIY this evening. Tomorrow I am going into school to do some planning with Anna, in our attempt to be organised. Then Wed and Thurs I am back 'home' to see my folks before going to York on Friday. Can't wait!

Going on a holiday!

With only a week until half term and our plan to go to Germany coming to a dead end, Carl and I decided we needed a weekend away. So, we will be off to York for a weekend at the end of half term! I only booked the B&B this morning and it has been confirmed. 2 minutes walk from York city centre - should be great!
Over half term I am also going to go 'home' and visit my family. I expect Joshua will have grown (and I've been told he is becoming more mischievous by the day!) and I have instructed mum to practise saying 'auntie ray' at every opportunity!!

4 teaching days till half term (the fifth is Civil War day...so doesn't really count!!)

Wine Festival, Football and Rugby

Yesterday we went to Newbury's first wine festival. We went to the wine masterclass first, where we tasted 2 pinot noir wines and was told how to taste them properly. We then went to the festival part, where there were lots of wine stalls and plenty of wines and cheeses to try! There were plenty of yummy wines, and between us all, we purchased a fair few!
After the festival we watched the Estonia vs England Euro Qualifier match at the Berkshire Tavern. Noo, Lou and I left at half time to do a spot of shopping (which was good timing as the 2nd half was a bit pants we were told!) Noo and I 'Trinny and Suzannahed' Lou and she now has an outfit for Nolan and Mel's wedding in a couple of weeks. On our return, we all ventured to Lock Stock for another drink before the meal. Sick Boy and Joey joined us for Noo's birthday meal at Prezzos. The wine was a bit pants after all the good wines we had tasted at the festival though! After our fill, we went to Chicargo as they had the rugby on! Sitting next to Poot was a bit scary (he really wanted to cause the French pain!) After a close game, we won! Hurrah!!
It was then back to the poot residence for a nightcap (a cuppa!!) and we watched 100 greatest stand-ups.
We all ventured home at about 11.30, and I was not feeling great. I know it wasn't because I'd had to much to drink or mixed my drinks as I'd only had the wine festival wines and a glass and a half of wine with the meal. Still, at 1am (I needed to see who the number 1 stand-up was - it was Billy Connelly (with Eddie Izzard coming in 3rd! Yay!!)) I chundered projectile stylee. Nice. I reckon it must have been the fish in my food :o( My tummy is still a bit sensitive today...so no BA this morning!
Still, apart from the vom, a good day was had by all!!

Superheroes, Poot and Orion!

Last Friday it was Noo's birthday. Her actual birthday celebration will be today, but we went to the Cock Inn for a few drinks on Friday to say Happy Birthday.

Sonia and Colin were up for the evening...and I am not quite sure what they thought of us by the end of the night...because...

we revised our 'superhero names.' This was a conversation we had weeks back - what our superhero names would be. So, Joey is 'Kitty Girl' with the power to diffuse fights with her purring power, Louey is 'Poochie Girl' (this was one of the better names, which didn't sound like she was being dirty with dogs!), who is Kitty girl's arch nemesis, by creating unrest by barking! Putin is 'Poostick' (can you guess where this converstaion went?!?!?) who has the ability to poo and fill holes in ravines...the point of this superpower, however is unclear! Carl is obviously Putin's arch nemesis, being 'Buttplug' - enough said! Noo is 'Fact Girl,' which she reckons is a little boring, although I think she may be the one to solve evil schemes of supervillians! Dave is obviously 'The Tank' - and I see him as some kind of transformer!! Po is 'Fin Boy' (although the fin was missing that night!) who uses his fin as a weapon or for whisking things! I don't actually remember my proper superhero name (if anyone remembers - let me know!) but it was something to do with my embarrassing dancing on the Centre Parcs video and my power was to disctract people with my awful rave moves!

If Colin and Sonia didn't think we were completely bonkers after that conversation, there was the whole 'I dare you' session. Putin was dared £5.83 to let someone write 'Poot' on his head with tomato ketchup! I volunteered, and would be getting £1 per letter! I almost did it too, but the barman, and the rest of the pub seemed to turn around just as I was about to, and I chickened out!!

On the way home, Carl was rather drunk and tried to look up at the stars while walking, which was quite unsuccessful. He kept looking up, staggering and saying 'Look at Orion,' in a gimp like fashion. Of course, Poot and DL did superb immitations of Carl's gimp walk!

On Saturday, Colin was very poorly sick - too much beer! We had a chill out day watching Saw 2 and 3 and having a scrummy chilli for dinner!

On Sunday Carl and I went to the tidy tip (after I'd been to BA) and cleared out the garage of boxes! Yay!

The rest of the week has been fine...but very slow! Now, with a couple og hours to go, looking forward to the Newbury Wine festival!

No interesting title for this blog update...

It is now October? When did that happen? I am hating the darker mornings and am struggling to get out of bed. If I am like that now, what on earth will I be like when we change the clocks? I dread to think.

So, school has been busy... too busy! I am not liking the new strategy and planning from it is a big pain in the butt - feels like I'm reinventing the wheel...again!

Last week I was poorly sick with a bad cold. I phoned my mum Tuesday evening and she said her and dad had the lurgi...by 10pm I had it! I had no idea you could catch it over the phone! Must be a new strain!! ;o) So, there was no Body Attack on Thursday or Sunday for me. On Thursday it was an effort to move, let alone run around like a loony for an hour!

Carl's folks came to visit this weekend. I was still feeling rough so we ended up watching a lot of TV and eating out! We had a gorgeous meal out at The Sun In The Wood (after playing crazy golf - I came 3rd...2nd if you don't include the last hole, which takes as many shots as the other 8 holes put together!) and we had Sunday Roast at Toby Carvery on Sunday. Yum-tastic!

Apart from that, we had a lovely curry at the Flitter-Brookes household, along with some Viking mayhem in the form of Pathfinder....sadly we had to leave halfway through due to arrival of the in-laws.
Carl and I are catching up on TV stuff and how now seen Lost season 1 - a little behind I know!! Season 2 disk 1 has arrived and so far we have watched episode 1. Would like to have watched more but maths planning got in the way :o(
Lou and I had a lovely girlie catch up a couple of weeks ago, which was great. It felt like we hadn't seen each other properly in ages, and after a drive around Beedon and the surrounding villages, we ended up in Newbury town eating pasta!

Can't think of anything else I have done, but then again I seem to have a poor memory of late!

SPIDER ATTACK!

Last week I was under attack by GIANT SPIDERS!! No I have arachnaphobia in a major way, so obviously, this was not good. We did have a giant spider in the dining area a week or so ago, but now they seem to be getting bigger!
On Wednesday, Carl was in London on a course. I had been doing some work when Carl phoned and said he'd be home about 9 and to eat without him, so Iwent downstairs to do just that. I got to the bottom of the stairs and realised it was a bit chilly, so I turned round to go and get my fleece. And there it was. On the vertical part of the corner step...the largest spider EVER!! I legged it, feeling like I was going to be sick and then paniced. Carl wasn't going to be home for over an hour...it might move by then! And I was cold and there was NO WAY I could get past the Spider. So, I decided to phone Putin, but I don't have his number, so I called Nicky and got the answer phone...so I decided to go round there! I was desperate. Nicky, my hero, dispensed of the Biggest Spider In The World (she said it was the biggest she'd seen!) Hurrah! So THANKS NICKY...and sorry I disturbed your dinner!!
Then, yesterday, I went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and there it was, on the windowsill, another GIANT BL**DY SPIDER!!! How do they get in! I want to seal up the house somehow, so there would be no way of them getting in. All spiders should be extinct!! I hate them! Luckily Carl disposed of it...so brave!! I have no idea what we'd do if we were both arachnophobic - live in fear I expect!

So what else have I done this week? I went to the hygienist, which was fine, tried to go to Body Attack on Thursday, but it was FULL (I was a bit miffed about that! I'll have to make sure I get their earlier this week!) but managed to go on Sunday (3rd person there!!! A bit early!), carl sorted out the ballcock in the attic, so no more dripping on the conservatory roof! Great news for me! It was like Chinese water torture (just got to get the tap in my classroom fixed and I'm sorted!)

We went to see the Bourne Ultimatum with Nicky and Ross on Saturday evening. After driving to Reading and it being sold out (which came as a suprise as it has been out ages!) we went to Basingstoke! I really enjoyed the film. I was a bit worried as I couldn't really remember the 1st two films, but there were recappy bits and you didn't need to reacll too much detail. There were a couple of funny moments, but I wont divulge them in case you've not seen it yet. Great film!

Lets just hope, that having blogged about spiders, I don't dream about them now!!!

Stuff...

The magic corner unit arrived and is now fitted and working! Hurrah!! The extractor also arrived, and we will put that up soon too! It;s all coming together!

Ross and Nicky became our neighbours on Saturday...only for a few months mind! We were on hand to help unload the van, which didn't take too long...especially when you compare it to the one we had when we moved!! Welocm neighbourinos!! We celebrated with pizza and wine! Yum!

On Sunday I went to body attack again...I feel like it is doing more good going twice a week. Here's hoping! Then it was off to Twickenham with Putin and Nicky to see the Police in concert! They were FANTASTIC!!! Sting's son was in the first warm up band, then it was Maximo Park, the the main act! They played all the classics! We had a great time, and many laughs due to the bloke behind me and Carl who danced most of the way through the concert by thrusting is crotch back and forth, looking like he was humping our heads!! Everytime Nicky and Ross looked over they cracked up, and I couldn't look at Carl without seeing the thrusting crotch! Nicky and I wondered if he was actually just trying to swing his pants, Trev and Simon style! There were also a couple of girls who were dancing very strangely...they obviously thought they were gorgeous and were oblivious to everyone around them...more chuckles....we were just glad they weren't in front of us! We didn't get home till gone 12.30am...so I was rather tired at school today!! It was worth it though!

First week back (so far)...

...and I am shattered!!

Last Saturday we attempted to fit the magic corner unit...only to find that it was faulty...no magic...in fact it didn't even open properly! So we dismantled it and I called the B&Q helpline. They were apologetic (after all the first one we ordered was incorrect and now this one faulty) but their delivery system is stupid. Let me explain. Our extractor is being delivered on Wednesday, so I asked if it could be delivered on the same day, as we would have already taken 3 days off work (I know I was on school holidays, but I would have gone in if I could!) He went off and said that wasn't possible as the system decides the date, and it would be delivered on Friday....and the old one taken away on Monday! WHAT?!?! Where is the sense there? They can't take the onld one away while delivering the new one?!?!? ANd why can't they just add the new one onto the delivery for the extractor? CRAZY! And I said as much! I asked if it could be delivered to the store instead. He said it could, but the store would have to organise it. So it was off to B&Q. After a long discussion to try and get the assistant to understand what we were going on about, and even longer on hold, the new unit is now being delivered on Friday to the store and the store have the faulty one...better than nothing!

The good news is my car passed its MOT...after the nice Mr Welder man fixed it (it was REALLY rusty...holes and everything!)

I am quite worn out, even after 2 days back at school! I have been to body attack twice this week though...maybe that's something to do with it!!