Happy Monday to you all! I hope your week was as good as mine!
If we were sipping chai together I’d sit back, relax, and tell you that the first week back to school was actually pretty good! The new girl is still growling, but peppering the growls with smiles, though she did kick out at a member of staff, which wasn’t so good… Still, baby steps. She’s going to be doing half days for a short while, and hopefully, once a bit more confident, she’ll be with us for the full day. Honestly, she’s like a frightened animal.
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that book-wise, things are going well too, I have finally got all the niggly changes made, and everything is all set for Pub Day on the 9th February. Still working on the actual blog tour posts, though! One highlight was taking delivery of my new book marks.
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to mention another awesome thing that happened. someone I don’t even know, someone who looked at my cover and blurb, shared it in a Romance group on Facebook! And I didn’t even have to ask! I was speechless. That means there are people out there who will read my book, even though they don’t know me!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that we took a lovely stroll along the prom on the weekend. It was beautifully sunny, but chilly, with a bit of a wind whipping up around us, but still… fresh air! Got Lil Princess out of the house willingly. That was worth it, itself!
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that two evenings a week are now keeping me busy, with the taxiing to tutoring on a Tuesday, and now a Thursday for Lil Man and his Winter Indoor Cricket nets, along with getting them both to Badminton on a Saturday morning. I’m glad though, that is a good few hours that they aren’t glued to screens!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that we have Lil Princess’s first ever parents evening for secondary school on Wednesday. Somehow, her one doesn’t fill me with the dread of Lil Man’s! (wonder why?)
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that I really need to finish writing the blog tour posts!!!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your week has been!
Happy Monday to you all! Can you believe it? The first Monday of 2020, and of a new decade! (Unless you are involved in the debates as to whether 2020 is the start, or 2021)
If we were sipping chai together I’d clink cups with you and say Happy New Year! It’s been quite a start, globally, and not necessarily in a positive way for many, what with the awful Australian bush fires, and what on earth is Trump up to? It upset me to the core on Sunday, when Lil Man said that it looks like WW3 was starting, and that as he’s nearly 15, there’s a chance he’d be called up. No. just no.
If we were sipping chai together I’d sit back and try and shake that thought from my mind before telling you that I had a good clean up of the house before the new year was ushered in. It’s always good to start afresh, isn’t it? I know every day is a new day, but I always feel that there is something symbolic about doing all the things you intend to do, on that first day of the year. And that your environment should reflect those intentions too. If the house was a mess, and I had not washed my hair on New Year’s Day, God help me the rest of the year!
If we were sipping chai together I’d excitedly jump up and down to tell you that I received my proof copy of the book on New Year’s Eve. What a way to finish up the year. I had sent copies for review to the bloggers who are helping me with my blog tour, and one got in touch with me to mention that while she was loving the story, she had spotted a couple of silly grammatical errors, and missed punctuation marks. Rather than not mention it, and leave me with a product that is not as perfect as I would want it, she told me what to look for, and I spent a long time on Friday, and Saturday, combing through the script for any more silly mistakes (which I did find a few of, so thank you that lady for telling me!) and another FB group friend, who is a proof reader, offered to give it a look over too, in exchange for a testimonial. So, hopefully, come next week, I will have a polished manuscript which I can resubmit, and I hope any changes don’t mess up the cover measurements! (That was a nightmare with KDP that I don’t want to relive again, plus, the cover designer is on holiday now!) But for now, look below, isn’t she beautiful, my book baby?
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that we ushered in 2020 with the in-laws, quietly, at their house, before getting back home, with a couple of hyperactive kids, who loved being able to stay up late! But it was a peaceful start to the year.
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I managed to read a couple of books, so that is two already ticked off on my Goodreads challenge!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to mention that I was back in school on Friday for teacher training day. Two weeks flew by fast, and now it’s time for the second third of the year to start! Christmas is all packed away. Time to usher in Traditional Tales for the term, and hopefully, the roaring new child will be calmer too!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to admit that I managed three separate visits to Costa this week, too! Once, on the Monday, whilst Lil Princess was meeting friends. I had intentions of writing, over a peaceful cuppa, but ended up chatting to a random older lady for one and a half hours! Then on Thursday, we popped in to grab a croissant and drink, before a nail appointment, then finally on Saturday, when I managed that quiet, leisurely lunch with my Kindle!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that right now, I just want to get through the week, and settle back into school!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your first week of 2020 has been!
Happy Monday to you all! Can you believe it? The last Monday of 2019, and the DECADE!
If we were sipping chai together I’d take a sip of my Chai and sigh. 2019 has been quite a year, in so many respects, hasn’t it? And you have been there, clinking cups with me, the whole time, so for that, I thank you ❤
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to tell you that this week was, for obvious reasons, busy, what with Christmas to prepare for, and cater, presents to wrap and deliver, festive cheer to keep alive, you know! Well, Christmas went well, apart from a slight slicing of finger as I wrapped presents. But then, this Ritu we’re reading about here, there was always going to be at least one accident! The kids were so happy with their presents. Lil Man got a smart watch, Lil Princess got a new phone, and they both got money and trainers too, so they were more than pleased. I was so lucky to get a Dyson Air Wrap hair styling system (not a new vacuum as some thought! ) And dinner was yummy, as always. I love cooking with my sister in law. Here are a few memories from the run up to Christmas and the day, itself!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that we drove to my sister-in-law’s family home on Boxing Day for a few hours, then the kids and I continued on to Birmingham for a short, but sweet visit to my Pops and Mum. We didn’t go anywhere, but just relaxed together, enjoying time, making memories. Lil Princess made cupcakes with her Nani, we watched films together and had yummy home made pizza for dinner.
If we were sipping chai together I’d better not forget to tell you that I had to take Sonu Singh to the Vets for his 6 month check up. Now, I have been trying hard to reduce his food, as he is overweight, but this check up made me realise, I am fighting an uphill battle… He lost 20 grammes! Should have been 500! But I am not in control of the ‘treats’ a certain fur daddy cannont help slipping to him! So come the new year, there will be a furry companion with me on a weight loss journey! (Yup, I need to do this too!)
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that once back home, we tried to relax up for a days. I read lots, and spent a huge amount of time trying to sort out the paperback cover for the book. I never knew how much trouble 0.088mm can cause! Nonetheless, my persistance, and help from my dear cover designer meant that the book is finally ready for me to press Publish! And I actually did, by accident! I wanted to order a proof copy, but clicked publish instead, then didn’t realise what I had done until the next morning when Amazon sent me a lovely email saying that my book was LIVE now! Eeek! I had to rush downstairs, log in and get the settings changed! That was close, but it;’s all sorted now. I’m just anxiously waiting for my proof copy to come… 20 years of blood, sweat and tears, will finally be in my hands.
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to sit back and just reflect upon the past year. There has been a lot to smile about. A lot of effort gone into elements of my life; like my writing and my new classroom. There has been laughter. There have been tears and injuries. We have welcomed many new members into the family, through marriage or birth, but lost loved ones too. And there is so much to look forward to, going forward. The book release, for a start. That will be the big one for me! I really should raise a cup to 2019. You have been unforgettable, and 2020, I’m pretty sure you will be memorable too!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that I am looking forward to the New Year, and I wish you all a most wonderful 2020! Enjoy your celebrations, and we’ll meet again next DECADE!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your year has been!
Happy Monday to you all! It’s the last Monday before Christmas today. I bet you’re all busy, getting things ready for the festive season!
If we were sipping chai together I’d sigh, and say, “Yessss! I’m on holiday! It’s been a busy half term, as always, and the run up to the Christmas holidays are always chock-a-block with fun, but tiring activites!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to tell you about last Monday. We took the children to see a little mini panto at the local theatre. A 20 minute walk from our school. We do this every year. Should be simple, right? Since when is anything I get involved in, simple? Our Monday consisted of this – we started the day with Christmas choosing activities, and spent time compiling the children’s Christmas crafts and presents for their families. Then after an early break, we gathered the parent volunteers, and got the kids ready to walk down to the theatre. All good, so far. We arrived at 10.45am for an 11am performance. To be told that it had started at 10.30am! A slight confusion there, as we had originally booked for a different day, when the performance was due to start at 11am. But the booking needed changing, so the venue happily switched the dates, though forgot to mention that the new performance was at a different time! What were we to do with a gang of 60 children and 16 adults? Luckily, we managed to arrange to see Father Christmas after this morning’s performance (which we would have done, had we been there on time) and were hastily booked in to the afternoon performance instead! Yet there was still time to kill, so we ended up standing outside the theatre near the big town Christmas tree, posing for class photos, and ended up singing carols to passers by! Then it was a quick walk back, the children ate lunch, had a run around, and we queued them up again for the second walk of the day! The children, and adults, enjoyed a little production called Christmas Rox, about a guitar playing girl who wants to become one of Santa’s elves, and a Presley obsessed elf called Elfis, who kept on dropping lyrics to Elvis songs throughout the performance! The kids arrived back tired but happy. I was ready to drop… that walking was not good for my knees!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that on Tuesday, we had another festive-fun filled day, with a little more Christmas choosing, a small class party, where Father Christmas came visiting, then after lunch, the children watched a Christmas film, whilst we tidied up around them, listened to readers and surrepticiously did one to one assessments of the kids! This was peppered with some more joy… I have a new girl in my class. She is Lithuanian, with no English. Apparently, she can say hello, but I have yet to hear that. Anyway, she was perfectly happy, being led around the classroom by two of my helpful girls, then things flipped after break. There is obviously a problem with communication, so we try very hard to make things simple for young children with English as a second language, but this child chose to roar and growl! It took a lot of cuddles and soothing voices to calm her down. But what a first day for her; playing, party, food, then film! The next day, Wednesday, was a half day for the children, and she seemed to be okay for the most part, until she had an. ahem, accident, in my home corner! (thank goodness for disinfectant!) Then the roaring started five minutes before home time. I hope she settles in better in the new year!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that we had a gift opening session on the Wednesday, before the children left for the term, and I have been overwhelmed, once again, by the generosity of the parents and children. From gift sets, to handmade items, chocolates, and biscuits, stationery and beverages, I was humbled.
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that after a quick tidy up of the room, on Wednesday, and a quick drink with my colleagues, I got home, exhausted, full of cold, and ready for my rest and down time. But is it ever that simple for me? No… My car’s tyre pressure light started to flash at me on Tuesday night, and I knew I needed to go and check it out. But the dark evenings and rain prevented me. My intention was to spend all day on Thursday, my first day off, in bed, recuperating. But no. I started off, after sending Hubby Dearest off to work, by checking the tyres, and filling them with air, then picked up a parcel. Got home and did a bit of laundry, then settled down with my cup of tea, and Netflix on. But my Sky Q box kept playing up. It would intermittently drop the wifi signal, meaning I couldn’t watch anything. I ended up on the phone to their customer services for over an hour, and in that time, had to go up and down the stairs around 15 times, (my knees did not thank me) yet we still didn’t solve the issues. An engineer has been booked to come and trouble shoot, but that won’t happen until mid-Jan! I spent the rest of the day either watching a film, or resetting the Sky boxes… great fun, and not relaxing, at all!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that the rain has been relentless over the last few days, and I was desperately hoping for a dry day on Friday as it was the staff Christmas do. I wanted to get my hair blowdried straight, and I’d already had my Christmas nails done. I had moments of luck, then it would tip it down, but I got ready, then dropped the children off to their grandparents for the night. The do itself wasn’t the best we’ve had. An old pub was the venue, and it was cramped for us. The food was so so, but the entertainment, a band called Roast Dinner – I kid you not – was not really my cup of tea, so just after 9pm, my colleague and I slipped away, preferring a cup of tea to moshing in a dingy basement! We ended up at the only local place that was serving hot drinks… McDonalds! And though we had a pleasant time, I found out the next morning that around an hour after we left, a lad was stabbed there! Jeez, the streets aren’t safe as it is, and neither is McDonalds now…
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to tell you that Saturday morning was an easy one, as there was no sore head from the night before, or kids to wake us up! After a leisurely lie in, I picked them up, and we ended up doing a little Christmas shopping at Bluewater, before Hubby Dearest and Lil Man went to watch the new Star Wars film, leaving Lil Princess and I to our devices… obviously, more shopping, and there was cake, chai latte and frappuccino involved too…
If we were sipping chai together I’d push my phone over to you to show you what happened on Sunday… whilst I was tapping away on my MacBook Air, I decided that it was time to sort out my publication date, and not only that, I listed my book on Amazon! So, now I have no excuses! Blurb is written, most documents have been uploaded, and I am just waiting for the paperback cover template, which I should get in January, as it is the festive period! But, it is out there. Pre-order is live, Peeps, if you fancy getting your hands on an ebook copy of Marriage Unarranged, as soon as it is released! Just click this link – getbook.at/MarriageUnarranged . If you fancy a paperback, cover pending, it should be available on the official publication date of 9th February, 2020!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that I know the week ahead will be hectic, but fun-filled, as usual! Obviously, there is Christmas to look forward too, and we may have a little visiting arranged for a couple of days too, but I’ll fill you in on that last Monday of the year!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your week has been.
Happy Monday to you all! Let me start by apologising for the delayed Chai this week. It’s been hectic, and with one thing and another, time (and energy) to write this post, was lacking, but I’m back! Are you settled? It’s the evening here, you might want to spice up that chai with something a little stronger 😉
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to quickly tell you that I managed to get my Rheumatology appointmet… all the way in April! We are now considering going privately, just for the initial consultations, as 4 months is a long time to wait… but let’s see.
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that school has been really busy, with all the Christmas preparations! I do love working in a school at this time of year, especially a Primary school, where the children still believe, and you can join in their excitement, and be that kid yourself! My class had their Nativity on Monday, and they smashed it! They did us and themselved proud! Sang so well too! Then the rest of the week, we were making Christmas cards and presents for the family, reading lots of Christmassy stories, and generally having great fun!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that the week whizzed by, then on Saturday, I woke up and thought ‘Great! I’ve lasted all this time, and now, on the last weekend of term, I have succumbed to THE COLD!’ My nose was dripping, then getting bunged up,then like a tap again. Wonderful! And on one of the busier weekends I’ve had for a while! Saturday I had to take Lil Princess to meet some of her friends at Bluewater, and I was looking forward to a quiet couple of hours, with a Chai and my book, or computer. That didn’t quite happen, as I had Lil Man in tow, so we ended up eating a lovely lunch together, #MotherSonDate, and then traipsed around after him as he looked at sports shop. Yay – my favourite – not! I did manage a few moments in a book store. But I was not buying, but researching… honestly! I’m trying to write this blurb for the book, and it isn’t easy! So I was reading other blurbs, to see which way I should go. After my knee decided to start hurting again, we finally found that coffee shop and managed to get a decent drink in! We got home and I relaxed, reading lots more. Hubby Dearest knew I was tired, so we ended up with a fish and chip supper!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that Sunday, I had already planned to go and get my roots done at my hairdresser. Again, a little time for me… but no. this time it was Lil Princess who decided that she needed to accompany me! Well, roots done, we headed back home and I commenced the yearly christmas cookie baking session. This time, on top of the usual buttery shortbread that I make, I attempted They didn’t turn out too bad at all!
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that the rest of the day was filled with ironing, cooking, and getting ready for the last few days of school. And I managed to read and review three books!
If we were sipping chai together I’d admit that the week went by so fast, and ended with me still sniffing away, so this post ended up as a to do, rather than a done! But here it is, done now!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that I am sure this week will fly by too. We have a panto to take the class too, and the last days of term, followed by my staff Christmas do! I look foreward to letting you know all about it at the right time next week!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your week has been.
