“The nicest thing about the rain is that it always stops,. Eventually.”
Eeyore
Thanks, Spidey! Since it hasn’t stopped raining much, here the last few days, it’s a good thing to get positive about it, since we can’t change it!
The weather, as is expected here in the UK, is extremely changeable, especially right now during that Spring cusp. Not so much April showers, rather showers as and when the clouds decide to empty their load, and sometimes their loads are rather full!
Rain on school days is a bit of a pain, because the kids need to get out and run around, but if it’s tipping it down, wet play means they are like caged animals, craving the feel of fresh air, and it doesn’t make for an easy class to teach, either!
But, as my friend Eeyore says, it will stop, eventually, and usually the sun decides to pop out after.
Yes, it can be a pain when rain stops events happening, but to be perfectly frank, for me it is a great excuse to be sat at home with my book!
“There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.”
Alan Cohen
You’ve totally centred on my theme of R and R, this week, Spidey, so thank you!
As you will know, from the last couple of posts, I have been working pretty hard, but I have also had to rest, as well.
We’ve had a lot going on at school and there appears to be rather a huge amount happening over the next five weeks of term. So much squashed into this time. We have visits from various individuals, as well as the hovering threat of Ofsted, who are due to pay a visit at any time, too! Coupled with lesson observations and staff having days off, it’s a juggle.
No time to be ill, as most teachers will tell you.
But then, I think back to something several people say. You will always replaceable at work, but never replaceable to your family.
On Friday, I went into work, with an inkling that the day wasn’t going to be good for me. Sitting in my classroom, I was getting ready for the day, and my colleague could see, immediately that I wasn’t right.
So, instead of battling through, because that is what I usually do, I just got things set up, and spoke to my head, who agreed I needed to go home.
I do feel lucky to have a head who is fully family orientated, and understands work/life balance, even though I find myself messaging her to switch off, regularly, too. She knows that if someone is not well, they won’t be able to give the best of themselves to the class and school, or to their families.
I spent the best part of the day in bed on Friday and carried it forward on Saturday, too. No writing, those days, because I was unable to, but, finally, I recognise when I have to switch off.
I’m still achy and a bit tired, but at least I’ve given my body time to recuperate and will continue that, today, too.
So, are you good at recognising when you need to have a break?
“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think.”
A. A. Milne
An inspirational quote for my dear daughter, today, on her special day.
She’s 14, years old, today, and I can’t quite believe it.
An independent soul, who is quiet in front of most people, but has a smile and laugh that lights up our lives when she lets it loose.
We wish you so much joy, and happiness, our precious Lil Princess. May you prosper forever.
I can’t not post that we have another special birthday, today. My daughter came crying and screaming into this word on the birthday of my father-in-law, who was extremely happy with the gift we couldn’t possibly top, now/
But, it is his extra special 70th today, so a very happy birthday to Dad, too!
So, will you join me in wishing them a Happy birthday?
“The first blooms of Spring always make my heart sing.”
S Brown
Spring is in the air, Spidey!
Yes, I know it is not officially Spring, yet, Peeps, but there are definitely signs that it is close!
I am leaving the house and it is lighter, in the mornings, and we are arriving home at dusk rather than in darkness.
There is blossom getting ready to pop out on the Cherry Blossom tree in my playground at school, and I am looking forward to the changes that will be showing themselves in our garden, too!
Hubby Dearest and I went out for our first ever walk, alone, sans kids, today, at the new house. It’s only been nine months since we moved in! The woods are muddy, but the little green shoots were visible around us, and it was refreshing!
With Spring, I always find that hope appears to blossom, too. I feel more positive, a little more energetic, too!
Here’s to a beautiful Spring, Peeps! (Even though I am still scraping frost off my car some mornings!
I am thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for the wonderful book that is Em & Me, by Beth Morrey. I was asked to read an early arc, and now, on the release of this book, here I am, again, with all the blurb, and my own review, too!
First, the blurb…
You can’t change your past But what comes next is up to you
That’s what life turns on, isn’t it? The choices and moments that change everything
Once upon a time, Delphine Jones had big dreams. Clever, beautiful and ambitious, she was going to get an education, travel the world, make her mark. But somewhere along the line, it all went wrong… Now Delphine is a struggling single mum, serving coffee for a living, fishing coins out the back of the sofa to make ends meet. All she wants is a safe place for her and her daughter Em, yet nothing she does makes a difference.
But there is one thing she never gave up: hope.
When a brief reprieve from her daily grind forces her to look outwards, she begins to remember who she is and what she’s capable of. Her world opens up, offering new opportunities, adventures – even love – if only she can put the past behind her.
Can hope bloom into something more for Delphine and Em?
And my review:
Okay, so, although it took me a little time to read, (life, not the book’s fault!) I truly loved this new release by Beth Morrey. Delphine Jones is a relatively young woman, in her late twenties, already with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Having been a teen-mum, reeling from the loss of her beloved mother and caring for her grief-stricken father, as well as looking after her twelve-year-old daughter, life hasn’t dealt her the best cards, but she’s trying to make the most of it. She keeps things afloat with a waitressing job and a long term cleaning gig for an old friend of her mother. The thing is, there was always meant to be more to the life of Delphine Jones, or Fifi as her dad calls her. This isn’t a romance, though there is so much love within the pages of this book. I was immersed in the story of Delphine, as she slowly begins to bring back the unravelled threads of her former self, and starts to reach for the dreams she had all but given up on, in order to keep existing. Fifi was a bright student with so much to look forward to until she fell pregnant at sixteen. Then all the confidence seemed to have been knocked out of her. I loved how the different people around her built her up, in their own ways, so each part of her life starts to make sense. Her ‘teacher’, Ros, who encourages her to study again. Letty, her elderly French companion, who teaches her to take every opportunity while she can. Dylan, who shows her she is not dead inside. Sanjay (and Dylan, again) who brings music back into her life. Her father, who finds his strength again, through her, then becomes her support. Selassie and Abrihet, who take her into their little restaurant, and treat her like their own daughter, giving her encouragement, and nourishment she didn’t know she needed. And Em. Beautiful Em Jo, her daughter, who is her whole reason for living and being. A story filled with soul and hope.
I’m a TV producer, but not the kind where you wear headsets and say ‘cut’. More like Alan Partridge pitching monkey tennis. I dream up ideas for TV programmes, pitch them to channels and mostly get roundly rejected. My working life is very W1A.
For a long time, I was Creative Director of Development at RDF Television, where I was involved in numerous productions – I helped create The Secret Life of Four Year Olds series on Channel 4 and devised 100-Year-Old Drivers for ITV. Now I am a freelance development producer, so if you need a treatment re-writing 33 times, or some research on Texas body farms, then do get in touch.
I’ve been trying to write a novel since my early 20s when I wrote a spin-off from Mary Poppins called Sister Suffragette, which was all about Winifred Banks’ adventures when she wasn’t at home singing. It’s probably for the best that it’s still in a drawer somewhere.
In my spare time, I enjoy running, cooking curries, admiring my dog everyday and Christmas once a year.
But I Smile Anyway... 
