But I Smile Anyway…

Good morning, my Peeps! One week down for Term 6 and 5.4 left! (Is it bad that I am already counting the days until the summer break?) I don’t want it to go too fast, as I will miss this class, but there is also so much to do!

Right, so I have my cup of chai. You got yours?

• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that school was HECTIC! There is always a lot to do, but this term is filled with assessments and data collections, as well as preparing the children for the next year, including our admin that needs doing, and, on top of that, I have to get the class lists ready for next year. This week also had the dreaded meetings for staff so they know where they are going to be based the next academic year, which can be a stress for some, but being as I am the Phase Leader in my department, I ain’t going nowhere, y’all!
• If we were having chai, I’d say that, as usual, cricket featured heavily on the weekend, as it always does, and Lil Man and his team won their match at a very picturesque ground on Saturday!
• If we were having chai, I’d mention that Lil Princess was in her element this weekend, and she baked some cookies which turned out HUGE, but they were delicious, too!

• If we were having chai, I would have to mention Sunday being Fathers Day, too. Obviously, I couldn’t be with Pops, but my in-laws came over for lunch, and we had a great family afternoon. It had rained a lot overnight, but the afternoon was pleasant with a breeze blowing!
• If we were having chai, I’d whisper that I am convinced I am now in the throes of peri-menopause. Lots of little things are happening, including weight gain, headaches, and hot flashes are starting, but the most concerning sign recently is my forgetfulness! Seriously, I kid you not. The other day, I asked my daughter the name of a friend of hers and forgot it within a minute. I had to ask her again and still nearly forgot it. It was only after repeating it in my mind for a while that I kept it in my head! Then I asked her another question which I had already asked, to her frustration! The biggest thing I did, was that I forgot which fuel my car takes! (I also learned something new during this time of frustration, but boy was I embarrassed!) I went to the pump, undid the cap and such the nozzle in. but it wouldn’t go in. A stubborn metal bar was blocking it. I started the car and stopped it, thinking there was a silly fault. I even got a man from the next pump to check, to no avail. I thought I was never going to get the car filled! The man suggested I ask the staff at the pump, and a very helpful lady came to assist. After looking, she kindly pointed out that I was trying to add unleaded fuel to my diesel car! And the metal bar was a safety thing newer cars have now to prevent said mishap from occurring! Who knew? Well, I certainly didn’t, but I do now, and aren’t I glad because I could have totally buggered up my engine with the wrong fuel! And the forgetfulness doesn’t end there. I also forgot where my car was parked in the supermarket carpark! Thank goodness Lil Princess was with me! She just went to the car and waited while I turned around from my search for the elusive car to see where she was standing! Honestly, this is not good!
• If we were having chai, I would end, as always, with Sonu Singh. Look at him being all cute and cuddly… but I wasn’t best pleased with this kitty as the ‘feed me’ refrains started at 4.30am on Saturday morning, then 5am on Sunday! Thank you for ensuring that I am knackered by 7pm every night, Sonu Singh! It’s a good thing I love you!

This week, we have children’s dental checkups at school, as well as staff in and out over the week for various reasons… Lil Man has possibly two matches which he is thrilled about, but I am a little warier, as that is me doing the driving around! Lil Princess has her first set of mock exams in preparation for GCSEs starting next hear! Wish her luck!

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Good morning, my Peeps! So, the half-term break is over, now and I am back to school! It has been a manic week, as you know, with all the release things happening, and I have been overwhelmed by the support of everyone around me, people I know, as well as those who have just read my book and joined in too. I am honestly so appreciative to everyone out there!

Right, so I have my cooling cup of chai. You got yours?

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that school still featured this week, even though I was on my last break. There is quite a lot of admin to do, aside from the date that we need to submit in a couple of weeks, relating to next year’s intake, and with the best will in the world, I wouldn’t be able to do it all during term time. So, after asking my head if she was okay with me doing these things at home, I embarked upon the mammoth task of calling 30ish families to introduce myself, as their children don’t come to our nursery. Then I contacted the nurseries that these children do attend as part of our transition process. This gives everyone an opportunity to feedback about the children and let us know if there is anything we need to be aware of prior to them starting. I do love these calls to be honest. Lots of like-minded individuals chatting about Early Years. Love it! That done, I spent a morning in school on Friday, too, to get the classroom a little sorted before Monday, and also I had a good 300 pages to print for our children’s learning journeys, so that took some time too. One of my co-teachers was there, too, so we pressed on. I enjoy the quiet of school when not many others are there, but it’s far more fun when the kids come in!
• If we were having chai, I’d tell you I didn’t get away with chilling at home all week and having lie-ins, because my other duty was mum’s taxi. My own kids only get a week off, so they were in school and needed dropping off and picking up. But at least I wasn’t wasting days in bed!
• If we were having chai, I’d say that, as you may have read, the release week was awesome! the book tour went well, and reviews have started coming in, fresh from the new release, mostly with words that make my heart sing! It’s been awesome, and I can’t thank everyone involved enough ❤ One of the best moments? When it was at #2 in the Asian fiction Hot New Releases list… and last time I looked, it was still there!

• If we were having chai, I’d mention that having time on my hands meant that I managed a bit more cooking than usual, and I even perfected poached eggs! I have invested in an air-fryer too, so I will be experimenting with that soon enough! If you have any good recipes, you’ll have to share!

• If we were having chai, I would have to admit that I had so many plans for writing… but with school stuff, taxi service and keeping track of the release, that didn’t happen. but I did read plenty, too, including a memoir, a translated fiction arc, and beta reading for a dear friend. I do love a good book… no wonder my TBR is neverending!

• If we were having chai, I would end, as always, with Sonu Singh. He has liked that there has still been his hooman parents around the house this week, even though his brother and sister were at school, and he has accompanied me all over the place, including being my kindle stand! Gotta love him; he’s so versatile!

This week, it’s back to normal(ish) as I start back in school. We have so much happening, including a meeting with other members of our Academy Trust, as well as me needing to get data done and ready for submitting it to the Local Authority… And Ofsted is still hanging in the back of our minds, too! I am hoping that over the next couple of weeks, things will calm down, so I can enjoy the final few weeks with my class, as well as get back to writing new words!

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Good morning, my Peeps! Excuse me if I am a bit all over the show, today, but OMG, it is RELEASE DAY for Marriage Unarranged, with Spellbound Books, and I am so excited, but extremely nervous, too!

Fiddling with my drink. You got yours?

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that school, though closed, didn’t leave me entirely alone, as I had reports to write. I really focused myself, though, and used the early mornings when that dear Kitty of mine woke me up for food, to get going, and I finished all 29, well the main comments and subject comments, at least by Thursday!

• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that Hubby Dearest has been busy getting the summer house kitted out as a gym/chill area, and I guess that is a sign for me to get going with that healthy living plan I have had in my head for so long! I have used the Treadmill a few times, and the bike once. No weights until my hand is better (still hurts, so I wouldn’t be able to grip anything!) And he even got a Slendertone, so I electrified myself last night, as well! Let’s see if I can skip the naughty snacks too, so it actually benefits me! And my fortune cookie said this…

• If we were having chai I’d say that we haven’t really been anywhere, aside from taking Lil Princess to her orthodontist appointment, a visit to the in-laws, and Lil Man’s cricket. But I think that total switch-off was needed, to be honest, as we were all tired.
• If we were having chai I’d mention that thing that I can’t avoid, too! It was the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee so the whole country was treated to an extra bank holiday, giving many a four day weekend, though a lot of people worked through it, too. I caught snippets of the different events over the four days, and we were meant to pop into the local street party on Sunday, but I wasn’t feeling fantastic, and the rest were just plain lazy! Still, I wore my red white and blue!
• If we were having chai I would have to talk abo the build-up to the big event, too, as in the release of Marriage Unarranged! I have been making silly Tiktoks, and reblogging posts, as well as Instagramming and Facebooking, and all that jazz, so I do hope it goes well. This is what my fortune cookie told me, this time…

And here’s one of the silly Tiktoks which I managed to feature the Queen’s voice in, too!

• If we were having chai I would end, as always with Sonu Singh. He’s spent a lot of time with me over the week, keeping me company as I wrote my reports, but this was one of my favourite pics of him, as he decided to channel his inner meercat!

This week, my children go back to school, but I still have a week off, lucky me! I shall be revelling in Publication Day, today, and for the rest of the week, as well as still dropping the kids to school and picking them up. Writing? Yes, that is one of my big plans, too for at least a few of the days. But there is still some school-related business I will have to attend to, including going in, one morning, to get a few things ready, plus I will be beginning my calls to parents of our new intake, to introduce myself to them!

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Good morning, my dear friends! So, as you read this, I am finally on half term! Phew!

Chilling with my drink. You got yours?

• If we were having chai I’d tell you school has been lots of fun, this week as we spent the whole week thinking about the Platinum Jubilee, learning all about the Queen’s life and making crowns, flags and writing invitations to a party the whole school would be attending on Friday! On Tuesday, though the children were introduced to the mother of all thunderstorms in the afternoon, which ended with huge hailstones! I went out and gathered some for them to look at and feel, and then the children with SEN used them as sensory play, painting them red and blue! Then we got home o a gorgeous rainbow!

• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that on Friday for the first time in over two years, we all got together as a whole school not once, but twice, to celebrate! In the morning we were in the assembly hall, and we sang the National Anthem. It took a good week to teach the children as many really don’t know it, then the afternoon ended with a massive party for the children and staff on the top playground; Considering the weather all week, we were so lucky with it on Friday. The sun was out, there was no wind and the children had a blast! They were all dressed in Red White and Blue, too, as were the staff!

• If we were having chai I’d admit to my usual clumsiness. On Wednesday I took a tumble as I was rushing around, before school, and ended up in the Minor Injuries unit at the local hospital. My hand took the impact of my fall, and I ended up with a severely bruised middle finger, all the knuckles and a generally swollen hand. It is still painful, but thankfully there were no breaks or fractures. I am hoping it will not hinder my writing plans over the break!
• If we were having chai I’d mention that we also celebrated a whole year in our forever home! The last year has flown by!

• If we were having chai I would admit that I have been reading a lot, and I have already surpassed my Goodreads reading challenge! A mix of ARCS and books already on my TBR make up that number!

• If we were having chai I would end, as always with Sonu Singh. He is always by my side first thing in the morning as it is Mummy who gets the breakfast, and on the weekdays, he still doesn’t let up or give me any sort of lie in, so it’s usually the two of us, alone, until at least mid-morning. We had a lovely leisurely breakfast on Sunday morning and he sneakily tried to lick my plate clean of melted butter after I finished the crumpets!

This week, as well as being on a break, there are still things that need doing. We have a few appointments to keep for the kids, as well as cricket (as ever) and a long bank holiday weekend, where everyone is off on Thursday and Friday for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Our street is having a party on Sunday, so I do hope the rest of my family are intending on popping out to join the celebrations! Oh, and I hope to write words of the fictional kind, as well as get such into writing some of my end of year school reports! And, not forgetting it will be a bit closer to the Marriage Unarranged release date!

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!

Good morning, my friends! It is the last week of term, and all I can say is thank goodness! It has been a bit manic, but not in a bad way!

Right, so, have you got your drinks ready?

• If we were having chai I’d tell you school was marginally better this week. There were no crazy things happening (most of the time) which meant we had a much calmer week. The last of the SATS happened, with Key Stage 1 finishing their papers, and so hopefully the children and staff can enjoy school again, without the stress of testing! Of course, we still have that threat of Ofsted dangling, but so far, nothing… I know things are going to get a little more manic, as we have to get our final data in for our children at the end of June, as well as writing lengthy reports for the children coming to the end of their Early Years stage, so I was planning report formats as well as writing newsletters for the term, and a curriculum newsletter for the following term, too. All on top of teaching, as you do. I am lucky though. I shan’t complain. As a Phase Leader for the Early Years, I get a day of management time to get a lot of the paperwork done, which really helps.
• If we were having chai, I’d admit to not doing as much writing as I wanted, but I seem to have been inundated by emails from publishers, asking if I would read and review books, as well as be a part of official blog tours! Yes, I know I have a NetGalley problem, but that is of my own doing! (Only three in there so far, and that is not too bad!)But when you get physical copies from the publisher, you feel just a little special! But, I shall try and refrain from saying yes to everything, I promise. this first draft needs finishing, too! And, I promise, I am trying to get some words in!

• If we were having chai I’d mention that this week will see us celebrating a whole year in our forever home! I can’t believe the time has whizzed by as fast as it has, to be honest! Last year, a week after we moved in, the rhododendrons began blooming and they were just beautiful, so I was so excited for the same to happen this year. There is a pink bush too, which I noticed two blooms on this morning, but when I took the pictures below, they hadn’t come out. Still, the splashes of purple colour are so welcomed!

• If we were having chai I would tell you that there was cricket as there always is, and though it was a loss for the team this week, the weather held out well, considering the washouts we had on Thursday and Friday!
• If we were having chai I would end, as always, with my Sonu Singh. Another day, another box for my beauty, who has now decided that the box is no good, and seems to be spending his days in my office, where it is rather warm. Should be time to bust out the fans, soon!

This week, school will be fun as we are spending the whole week gearing up for a Jubilee party on Friday! All our learning will be centred around this event that no one is going to see in their lifetimes, again. 70 years is quite a feat, don’t you think? We are also having a Real Maths Dress Up day, and all staff are being dominoes! On the home front, I will be gearing up for the release date of Marriage Unarranged which is in two weeks, under Spellbound Books! Filled in equal parts with excitement and nerves!

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!