But I Smile Anyway…

Happy Monday, Peeps! The last week just flew by, didn’t it? And I am back at school today, but on an INSET day for the first day.

Got your drink?

• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that when you go back to school after. a little time off, it feels like you have never been away! We had a training day on Monday, so we were eased into it gently then from Tuesday, we were off. It always surprises me, and it shouldn’t after all these years, but the difference in the children from their first day in September to their first day back after a break is immense. Of course, they have met us and got used to the people and place, but still, I can see the physical and emotional growth in most of them, and it makes me quite emotional to see. I do look forward to this term because, although we have a lot of things happening, like parents’ evenings, reports, data drops and training days, there is also the lead-up to Christmas, which is just wonderful with the Nativity, as well as our own staff Christmas do. We are even doing a short Panto for the kids! (Oh no you aren’t! Oh yes, we are! Sorry, couldn’t help myself!)
• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that the week did whizz by, and it also brought with me the first delivery of my author copies of Marriage Unarranged from the Publisher. I only have a couple yet, the rest are on their way, but it feels so good to hold them!

• If we were having chai, I’d excitedly share with you that news that you might already know, if you’ve read the latest Spidey’s installment, but on Saturday, I got to see my brother after three years. It was a short visit but filled with much love. As you know, he lives in Finland, and due to Covid, things have been harder for us to get together. A business trip gave us the opportunity to be together, so the kids and I drove to Cobham where he was staying, and we spent a few precious hours together. I have missed him something rotten, and this gave me the boost I needed. Now to get that time to wee my Finndian nephews and my dear sister-in-law, too!

• If we were having chai, I’d mention that the weather has been exceptionally wet again this last week, with rain coming down in torrents on several days. Sunday was a total washout, so I am glad I had nothing whatsoever planned! Instead, I stayed in my pyjamas until rather late, lazed in bed and read a whole book in one sitting! Washed down with a naughty hot chocolate, too! Okay, so I hold my hands up, I wrote nothing but read plenty!

• If we were having chai, I’d also say that it was Bonfire night, or Guy Fawkes night on the 5th of November, but for the first time, we saw no fireworks. I heard plenty, but I just didn’t have the urge to go and look out of the window! Plus… the rain!
• If we were having chai, I’d have to mention Sonu Singh, who was on guard, ensuring the trick or streak sweets were not being mun hed by anyone other than the children who came to our door on Halloween. Unfortunately, the weather was pants, so we had none! Still, he did good guarding.

This week is a busy one for several reasons. First important thing is that Lil Man’s mocks, or PPE’s as they call them, nowadays, happen from this week. I cannot believe that after this year, he is out of formal education! So there will be plenty of us reminding him to revise, as well as him not going in, as he has study leave for the days there is no exam. I have two late evenings in school when we have Parent’s Evenings, then there is a dentist appointment, as well as a meal out on Friday with my work colleagues. We have had a crazy few months, and my head teacher wanted to celebrate things with a chance for us all to be together outside of school. I am looking forward to it!

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Happy Monday, Peeps! The last week just flew by, didn’t it? And I am back at school today, but on an INSET day for the first day.

Got your drink?

• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that I have had a blissful week, for so many reasons! The first, I read so many books! That’s me in heaven right there!
• If we were having chai, I’d excitedly mention that I finished my main round of editing for book two and sent it off to the publisher, but not before I had a nightmare moment when nothing was saved on my computer or in the cloud or hard drive! All the work I had done from August vanished! I was going to have an epic meltdown, but my Hubby Dearest put on his superhero cape and managed to locate a copy that was a few hours old. There were some basic editing tidy-ups that I needed to redo, but after an evening fixing it, I saved and resaved, and triple saved it and sent the manuscript off!

• If we were having chai, I’d say that I did a little celebratory video about the excitement of the actuality of book two… (P.S., that is not the cover!)

• If we were having chai, I’d mention that no sooner had book two gone, I had to start thinking of the next one! I have less time to write this one, if it is to go out when planned!

• If we were having chai, I’d share with you that we celebrated Diwali on Monday with some fireworks at the in-laws’ house and lots of food. I was stuffed!

• If we were having chai, I’d say that I had. a bit of a social life, too, with a meeting on Wednesday evening with the local chapter of The Society Of Authors, which was fantastic. We have some authors who are pretty successful and prolific in their genres, so there is so much we can glean from one another. They even want me to do a talk about blogging!
• If we were having chai, I’d excitedly mention the Friday night out with my gorgeous gal pals, the Tootie Frooties! I wrote about them yesterday when Spidey and I chatted about friendships. It was a much-needed get-together, and we have already scheduled in a pre-Christmas meal and a possible weekend away to celebrate one of my ladies turning 50 next year! It looks like Social Life is back!
• If we were having chai, I’d let you know that I started my HRT on Monday. It’s been a whole week, but I think I need to give it a good month before commenting on how it has affected me. I do feel more rested and have slept better the last few nights, as well as fewer joint pains, but that could just be because I have been on half-term. I think once school kicks in, that will be the real test. But I am hopeful.
• If we were having chai, I’d have to mention Sonu Singh since he’s not been around on here much the last couple of weeks. He’s enjoyed having a full house this week, and even helped me with my editing! He’s kept my feet warm as I read books and has been a little more sensitive to waking me up too early since I was on a break! Bless him!

This week we start term 2 of the school year. We have an INSET or staff training day on Monday, then a usual week, filled with schoolish stuff. My two don’t go back in until Wednesday. (Lucky them!) It should be a more chilled week, but I know things are going to get crazy after, with parents’ evenings, appointments, my new social life, as well as the Christmas preparations! So I am planning on enjoying it as much as I can! Might start getting some new words down, too (famous last words, Ritu!😜)

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Happy Monday, Peeps! And we are finally on HALF TERM!

Got your drink?

• If we were having chai, I’d collapse on the chair and say THANG GOODNESS it’s half term! It has been an 8 week one, which is long, and filled with so much, that my brain is filled with more cotton wool than usual! (Perimenopause? Maybe, but the exhaustion is unreal!) We had a lovely week, celebrating Diwali and talking about Harvest Festival, as well as Halloween. The children had a dress-up day on Friday and we all went to our first whole school assembly, where we performed a little song for the rest of the school It was so cute!
• If we were having chai, I’d tell you we had rain of an almost biblical nature on Thursday, too! I had a course that day but went to school first to help the supply teacher set up. The sky was dark and then thunder rolled and the heavens opened. I didn’t realise how hard until I peered outside and our playground resembled a pond! There is a staircase we have to descend to unlock the gate when the children come in, and I feared for my poor aching joints as I paddled down the waterfall that was running down the stairs as I did the needful. Children came in soaked to the bone! We had book bags, socks and shoes lined up all around the classrooms, trying to get the kids dry! Then I had to leave, to get to my course. I drove through deep swathes of water that was rolling over the kerb onto pavements. It was only in the lunch break when someone sent us a video on Whatsapp of a local road that had water that had reached the trunks of cars in the space of an hour that we realised how bad it was. Houses flooding and some businesses having to close due to the excessive rain! And Sunday has been pretty wet, too…
• If we were having chai, I’d say that I am at a loss as to the political situation here… Another PM gone… who will we have next? And the amount of low-level racism that is being shown to one of the popular candidates, Rishi Sunak, is quite horrifying. It isn’t a general election so the Tory party vote among themselves, but the consnsus is around the country that the typical Tory constituents won’t vote for him as he isn’t white and English is quite horrifying; I mean, he isn’t the best, but the best of a bad bunch, righ now! Can you believe people are even rooting for Bo-Zo to make a comeback?? The mind boggles…
• If we were having chai, I’d share with you that after a long chant with my doctor, we have decided for me to try HRT. I start it today so let’s see how it goes! The pains are still in my joints as well as numerous other symptoms. I can’t wait to see if this helps!
• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that I had an impromptu dinner with my sister-in-law on Friday, seeing as I was having to wait around while Lil Man’s social life got a little more interesting! We’ve rarely done this, just us two and it was a lovely evening. Much needed for both of us, too.

This week is all about relaxing, R and R to the max! I do want to get editing, though, too. We have Diwali to celebrate today, which is today (Monday), as well as a meeting with the local Society of Authors Group, and I am meeting with my girlfriends for dinner on Friday, which I am really looking forward to!

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!

Happy Monday, Peeps! Last one of the term… Thank goodness!

I mean, I love my classes and team, but I am ready for switching that off button on my alarm now! You got your drink?

• If we were having chai, I’d say that it has been a tiring week at school. I think end of term-itis has hit. It is week 7. Surely we should be at the end of term by now? But no, there is a week left! Kids are flagging, we the staff, are flagging, but at least the children are having some fun!
• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that I had a good old pumpkin and squash shop ready for next week. I love finding all the different types of squash for the children to explore!

• If we were having chai, I’d say that I am feeling the effects of age/perimenopause/hormones/the cold. I have had terrible sleep the last few nights, since Tuesday night, and have been strapped up around the back, and my knee on one day, too. Oh, the pain! And on Sunday, I found it hard to lift my leg, to go up the stairs as usual… It is not comfortable at all. I am glad I have a GP appointment on Tuesday. I can’t live like this, on hot water bottles and painkillers!
• If we were having chai, I’d share with your another lovely quote I found in my motivational deck.

• If we were having chai, I’d apologise, as I haven’t been on my phone taking pics as much this week, and I didn’t get a new shot of Sonu Singh. We can revisit an old one, where he was encouraging me to write!

This week is the last week of term (thank goodness!) There are the pupil flu sprays happening at school, as well as a meeting with one of the senior members of management in our academy, as well as me having a day out (not as fun as it sounds, I have a course to go on!), and we are waving goodbye to one of my team, as she leaves, to go travelling. I am truly going to miss her. Oh, and not forgetting that doctor’s appointment, as well as Lil Man having another party to attend!

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!

Happy Monday, Peeps! It’s a chilly but bright one, here!

Let’s get that drink, shall we? It’ll only be quick, because I am rather exhausted after a crazy week, last week.

• If we were having chai, I’d say that week six was eventful in many, many ways, but, unfortunately, I cannot say why! (Patience, my friends!) However, it was a good week, though exhausting, and I ended my week, with one of these, for a change!

• If we were having chai, I’d tell you I was meant to have a Drs appt about HRT but it had to be postponed, so I have another 2 weeks to wait. I have found a great app called Balance, which I can log any symptoms or thoughts on, and I can collate it into a printable report to show to the doctor whenever we speak. That will be so helpful.
• If we were having chai, I’d say that I almost forgot that my car needed its service and MOT as it is a ‘new to me’ car, and the dates for these checks are different to my last one! Still, all done and dusted, and I am lighter in the pocket, but at least I have a safe car!
• If we were having chai, I’d share this little quote which, though it was auto-generated by one of those Facebook quiz things, I really loved!

• If we were having chai, I’d leave you with Sonu Singh, looking wistfully out of the window!

This week, I have nothing major to worry about or look forward to. All I hope is that it is a smooth week. Oh, and I have Lil Man’s Parent’s Evening… I can’t believe he’s sitting A-levels this academic year!

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!