Is it bad that I am counting down the weeks until the next half term? Two to go…!
Right, so, have you got your drinks ready?
If we were having chai I’d tell you I have had a HELL of a week. It has been a journey of extreme downs and a few ups but unfortunately more downs than ups, and I am still, quite frankly, exhausted from it all. Nothing I can really go into in detail here, but from issues that arose at school that were avoidable, if only we talked more, as well as things at home, coming to light, which I am glad I know about, now, but which are also extremely tough for a parent to swallow, and the ongoing journey is not going to be smooth, or easy. Shattered… emotionally, as well as physically.
If we were having chai, I’d say that other than that, school was lovely. The kids are progressing so well, and even the ones who have SEN, are showing some progress, and aside from a few wobbles, things are good. I can’t believe I have to do my final data on them in a month’s, time! Where has this academic year gone?
If we were having chai I’d mention that cricket training was cancelled on Wednesday, much to Lil Man’s disdain as there was heavy rain all day. However he played his first league match on Saturday and the weather was gorgeous. They won! Yay! And he got two wickets, after bowling 7 overs, giving away only 24 runs, which was a great score, for a spin bowler! Still, never happy, though! Here, please appreciate the gorgeous grounds of the pitch!
If we were having chai I would tell you that we have a wedding to attend in the Summer and Lil Princess wants a new outfit to wear. It’s not easy to get something inexpensive, that she will only wear once or twice, as well as the fact that we may need around 3 outfits! Still, we took the first step and found a small boutique near the school with some great outfits. And a bonus is that I know the owners! Always good when your teaching career means that you know the local business people! We are still looking but I couldn’t believe how grown up she was looking in these outfits. Slow down, time!
If we were having chai I would probably get a tad excited as I told you about my Facebook Live interview with my favourite author, Amanda Prowse! I was honoured that she wanted to talk to me about my books and writing, in her group, My Book Friends, where she hosts alongside several others amazing authors! We managed to finally get going at around 8.30pm after a few technical hitches, but if you want to have a listen, here is the link to the post.
If we were having chai I would end, as always, with my Sonu Singh. He’s trying to work out the best place to chill out when it gets warm, and recently has decided that the conservatory floor is good, in the sun! Bless my furry son!
This week I have Pops’ Birthday to look forward to on Sunday, as well as a packed week at school. Some staffing ups and downs mean that we will need to be on duty in different capacities, and a different timetable of duty is also being implemented, so fingers crossed it all works! There will still be Cricket (when is there not, in the summer months!) and the usual everyday things going on!
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!
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
Confucius
Definitely one for me to keep in my mind after this last week, Spidey, thank you.
Another week, another whole host of issues to contend with. No one ever said being a parent was going to be easy, and being a teacher in team management is exactly the same!
This week, I have had things going on at school and home, involving the emotional well-being and mental health of people I care about.
A lot.
And how ironic, since it is Mental Health Awareness week, here in the UK.
It has been exhausting, to say the least, but equally, I feel proud of the people involved for coming forward and talking to me or someone who they feel will listen.
The above quote totally highlights this.
Anything we want to do for ourselves starts by us taking that first step. It may seem small to some, but any step is a big step, especially if it is the first.
What I do know is that this is the start of what could be a very precarious journey for us in some ways, but at least we are on that journey, now.
So, have you ever had to deal with someone whose own mental health has been hanging by a thread? How have you managed through the journey?
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “hat.” Use it literally or metaphorically. Have fun!
Hats are great things, aren’t they?
They cool you in the summer and can warm you in the winter.
They can be protective, or add a splash of glamour to your look.
Equally, they just add character to some people.
Now, when you have curly hair, hat-head can be even more of a thing for you, compared to your straighter haired compadres… Because curls do like to hold certain shapes, or they like to frizz up.
I also have the problem of when I sleep at night, I can end up with one side of flattened curls and one side still full of bounce, and I don’t wash every day because I don’t have the time to do the styling involved every morning!
This has led to some more research into products I could and should be using, and how to combat flat head, and one thing I read about was using a satin/silk sleep bonnet or pillowcase to reduce frizz overnight, and also satin or silk-lined beanies for the colder months, when you need a hat, but could do without the silly way your hair moulds to said hat, retaining its shape on your bonce, once you have removed it!
So I bought some satin sleep hats, or bonnets off Amazon (good old Amazon, you can say what you like, they have been a lifesaver for me!) and, though I look like I am about to go to bed with a shower cap on my head, they actually do retain the curl, and feel so comfortable to wear, too! I have been amazed, and even my colleagues at school have commented upon how much curlier my hair looks, on the middle days between washes!
And, the proof is in the pudding, so I am even baring my bonce, along with sleep bonnet, for you to see. This is a pic from this morning, without any extra curl spray, (and no make up or filters, sorry!) and I promise, I didn’t colour coordinate my pyjamas! It was just pure luck!
May thanks to Sheila for giving me a chance to read an advanced copy of her newest release, Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire!
Warwickshire, often known as Shakespeare’s county, has a host of strange and mysterious tales ranging from ancient legends and stories of the supernatural to more modern documented cases. Curious beliefs and customs were once widespread in Warwickshire’s towns and villages, some of which still flourish today.
These strange and spooky stories include the quirky death of the Roundhead commander who owned Warwick Castle; the association of the great author J. R. R. Tolkien with the town; the story of the hand of glory obtained at Warwick hangings, and the threshold protection spell widely practised in former times. Stratford-upon-Avon’s historic buildings have witnessed many strange events over the centuries and more recently the Crackley Wood sprite has been sighted at Kenilworth. Other stories include the Wroth Silver at Knightlow Cross; the discovery of the holy grail in a box in Rugby; a violent 800-year-old ball game played annually at Atherstone on Shrove Tuesday; the sightings of a Beast at Barford; the annual wassailing ceremony at Brandon Marsh Nature Centre; and the unresolved mystery of the 1945 murder at Lower Quinton associated with witchcraft, along with other weird tales from the surrounding towns and villages.These strange and spooky stories are accompanied by the author’s photographs of places featured in the text, both present-day and historical, in this hugely entertaining book.
I have been lucky enough to give you a taster with an extract, which centres around authors associated with Warwickshire!
Famous Individuals Not Usually Associated with Warwickshire
Find what you seek, That fame may cry you loud.
All’s Well That Ends Well (Act 2, Scene 1)
J. R. R. Tolkien, Creator of Middle-earth: Inspired by Warwickshire and by the Town of Warwick The fully realised vision of the great fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien, which emerged in his most popular works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, arose from a rich blend of his experiences, relationships, and inner life from earliest childhood through adolescence and into adulthood. For the most part, no single element of his creation, Middle-earth, can truly be said to have emerged solely from a single source. Nevertheless, he is known to have told his publisher ‘The Shire is more or less a Warwickshire village of about the period of the Diamond Jubilee.’
That refers to Queen Victoria’s sixtieth year on the throne, 1867. More commonly associated with Oxford and Birmingham, it is not widely known that Tolkien was inspired by the Warwickshire countryside and specifically by the town of Warwick itself.
Having spent his infancy in South Africa and his childhood in Birmingham, John Ronald Tolkien married his bride Edith in Warwick, at the Church of St Mary Immaculate in West Street, on 22 March 1916. While Tolkien and his
family called Sarehole, in Birmingham, their home, Edith lived in lodgings in Warwick for a while immediately prior to her marriage. Edith shared her home with her cousin Jennie and received instruction in the Catholic faith from Father Murphy, parish priest of Warwick.
The elements of Warwick so attractive to Tolkien can be detected echoing in his works throughout his life. Tolkien’s foremost biographer Humphrey Carpenter also notes that during the late sixties, Tolkien’s residency in the town was celebrated, and ‘students at Warwick University renamed the Ring Road around their campus “Tolkien Road”’.
The beauty of Warwick in former times was especially significant in relation to Tolkien’s scholarly interests as professor of Anglo-Saxon literature. Anglo-Saxon Warwick, on its rocky outcrop, commanded a crossing on the River Avon. We know that Tolkien admired the stone-built castle on its rock rising above the river, commanding a lofty position from which a wide panorama can be seen. This became a model for Middle-earth locations such as Minas Tirith. Tolkien’s early poem ‘Kortirion Among the Trees’ was written in Warwick during army leave in autumn 1915, when Tolkien’s peers were beginning to be cut down on the battlefields of Europe. In this poem he evokes a fading town overshadowed by towering elms, which was built by elves on a hill close to a river, and it contains what were to become some of his most characteristic themes. He suggested within his vision that it was no longer the dwelling place of elves as its ancient mythical beauty had waned. Nevertheless, Warwick’s remaining beauty and importance to his personal life was such that he dedicated his poem to the town and returned to its image again and again in his writing throughout his life.
The book is filled with wonderful illustrations to add depth to the words you read, too!
I thoroughly enjoyed S C Skillman’s last foray into Warwickshire history and was thrilled to have been given a chance to read and review this next book. Warwickshire will always be dear to my heart, and it was great to be able to read some historical tales and facts about the county, with all the fabulous photos to enhance the experience! Add in the extra tidbits about famous local authors (and bards!) that were included, and it made for a fascinating read!
SC Skillman lives in Warwickshire, and writes psychological, paranormal and mystery fiction and non-fiction. She is a member of the Society of Authors and the Association of Christian Writers.
Her two literary nonfiction books Paranormal Warwickshire and Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire are published by Amberley, and she is now writing a third book in the series called A-Z of Warwick.
Her novel, Director’s Cut , is out with publishers and she is currently working on Standing Ovation, the sequel.
She began her publishing career with the duology Mystical Circles and A Passionate Spirit which are both set in the same mysterious English manor house in the heart of England – the beautiful Cotswolds hills. There, gothic themes, paranormal events and ghostly tales are never far away. She has set the books in contemporary times, not far from her present home.
She has also written Perilous Path, A Writer’s Journey which is a self help book for those writing a novel, or who would like to write a novel. Packed full of tips and friendly reminders, it’s encouraging and motivational. It’s also for anyone who loves finding out about writers, their lives and works.
SC Skillman was born and brought up in Orpington, Kent, and has loved writing stories most of her life. She studied English Literature at Lancaster University, and her first permanent job was as a production secretary with the BBC. Later she lived for nearly five years in Australia before returning to the UK. She has now settled in Warwick with her husband and son, and her daughter currently lives and works in Australia.
