Happy Monday to you all! Right, the race to Christmas is well and truly on. Are you ready with your drink?
If we were sipping chai together I’d begin by telling you that I went to my Dr’s appointment on Friday and it was more productive than before. The Locum that was there really analyzed my previous results, and gave me his opinions, then sat back and listened to my catalogue of pain history, before arranging for a referral to a Rheumatologist. He agrees that all my results so far have come back normal, if not better than normal, including any rheumatoid function and inflammation results, and that to dig deeper into my pains, a specialist is needed. Of course, the pains are there, as always, and not helped by my clumsiness. I fell over TWICE on Friday, bashing my knee and shoulder the first time, and the other shoulder and my knuckle the second time. Seriously, a bubble wrap suit would be perfect for me!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to tell you how the Nativity is going too! The proper performance is actually today, but prior to last week, all the children had done was sing the songs (a LOT) but they hadn’t ever walked through or performed the play fully at all. On Monday, we started by having a run through that didn’t happen as we had the Flu Spray immunisations happening, so chunks of the children were being taken out. We squeezed into one classroom to have a run through on Tuesday, then didn’t get a chance again until Thursday. For the first time they fully ran through the play, the kiddos did amazingly well! We managed two run throughs, then on Friday we had our first audience! It was a dress reharsal to the rest of the school. I was worried about the children getting stage fright, but, touch wood, they did fantastically! I can’t wait to report back on the official performance today!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to whip out my phone and share the Christmassy classroom as it now looks! We have a post office, so the children can write cards to family and friends, post letters and parcels, and even write letters to Santa! I made a little Snowman head postbox for the children’s Christmas cards too! The kids have an advent calendar and they have to answer Christmassy questions to be in with a chance of their treats!
If we were sipping chai together, I’d tell you that we had visitors this weekend, my sister in law’s sister and her family. The kids had a great time, and we even played board games, which is something that they rarely do with us! I was introduced to a new one to me, called Dobble. Have you heard of it?
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that Lil Man is back to his Cricket District trials, hoping to get on the North Kent squad. I took him this time, as it seems that Hubby Dearest succumbed to the COLD again!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to share with you, the beautiful sunrises and sunsets I have been witnessing this week. The colours of the sky are so beautiful, I could just sit and look at them forever!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that, as I mentioned before, it is the performance this week. It’s the first time I have been fully responsible for my own class within their performance, so I am quite excited, and a little nervous too! Then we have a progress meeting with the Head, as well as a Parent Christmas Craft afternoon to organise! Oh, the joys of the festive season!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that I am due my final feedback from my editor too, this week… then I can do those final tweaks, format, sort the blurb out and actually give you a publishing date!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your week has been.
“A wise man never knows all. A fool knows everything.”
African Proverb
I do love ths proverb that Spidey, dear Spidey, managed to fish out of his collection this week.
It’s another take on last week’s entry, about never being too old to learn new things, really.
We are never at an age where we know it all, though I am sure we all know a Mr or Mrs Know-It-All!
And you are guaranteed to think that person a bit of a fool. I bet when that person starts spouting off about all they know, there is eye rolling going on around them too.
It is so important to realise that one individual really can’t know EVERYTHING.
Sure, age brings with it experience, and the wisdom to guide others through certain situations. But even as adults, we are still learning, or should be willing to admit that there will always be plenty that we don’t know how to navigate.
And with that realisation, should come that knowledge that it isn’t weakness to ask for assistance. In fact it is the wise man who will ask for help, not the fool, because, of course, the fool knows it all!
Happy Monday to you all! And it’s the first Monday of December. Seriously, where has the year gone? Right, you got your drink? I’ve got mine!
If we were sipping chai together I’d start by telling you that illness appears to have left the building… well, for now, anyway. Though Hubby Dearest was complaining of another sore throat last night… *Go away evil bugs!!!* And the kids at school appear to be a lot more hardy too this week. There were a couple off, but not the hoard we had last week. Good thing too, as we have to start the Nativity rehearsals!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I do love the lead up to Christmas in school. The children have been practicing their play songs, and slowly, the parents are getting the costumes in. I just hope they are all in by today as we need them for rehearsals! I was busy on Friday, with one of my dear colleague friends, creating a Post Office for the children, removing the Superhero HQ that they have loved so far. Just hope they aren’t disappointed with the change! And I put a few decorations up ready for December too. The children will help us decorate the tree this week.
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to mention my observation. I am pretty confident as a teacher. I know the children and their wellbeing, as well as their learning will always come first to me, but when I am being watched, I end up like a bowl of jelly… I know I will do everything, but I will forget little things. I even got the wrong group of kids to come to work with me! But realised pretty fast, and changed over. Aside from a couple of silly mishaps, it all went well, and my feedback was pretty much all positive. I don’t know why I worry, but you know, I’m only human!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to say that it was my five year Blogiversary too! I am always amazed that this little blog that I started on a whim, has now got just shy of 8,000 WP followers, and over 14,000 when all followers are included! Awards won, blogiversaries celebrated – that’s all fantastic, but the biggest things to have come out of my blog are the friends and Blogily I have met and the encouragement to write. Thank you all for that. I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for you all!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I am aiming to get my time management into gear, thanks to a great book I read at the weekend. I feel quite fired up, and have even written some goals out too! Time Management for Writers, by Katie Forrest. Available on Amazon, if you are interested!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that we had a lovely chilled weekend again. After swimming, Lil Princess and I went to get nails done and my eyebrows threaded, then we had a takeaway dinner, and it was great to be able to switch off from the madness that is my life usually.
If we were sipping chai together I’d also have to tell you that on Saturday was my Finndian nephew #1’s fifth birthday! I’m always gutted that we aren’t close by, but a video call with him and the rest of my Finndian family made things a lot better! He is such a little clown, and makes us all laugh!
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to mention that it is now December! Yes, the decorations came out and the household was Chrismassed up! Advent calendars were opened and all is well!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d mention that we are going to be busy this week, getting all festive at school! There will be rehearsals, and Christmas crafts starting up, and to top it off, the children will be having their Flu Spray immunisations too! fun and games!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that I have another Dr’s appointment on Friday. Let’s see if there is any other joy as to why I am still getting these pains. Tiredness has been less, thankfully, but I still need that hot water bottle on my knees every night… Ow!
Right, that’s me done Peeps! Let me how your week has been.
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
Benjamin Franklin
Many thanks, Spidey for this particular quote.
Yes, I am a teacher, but I am not thinking specifically about my career when I read this quote.
We are, no matter what age, capable of learning new things. I don’t believe that old ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ baloney at all.
And in that vein, I love to educate myself more on topics that are of personal interest to me.
Right know it is all about my writing, and the craft of writing.
I have build an arsenal of craft books to refer to when at the editing stage of my writing. But do I have the time to actually write them?
Sure, I dip into them once in a while, but I haven’t fully devoured them.
Then today, I was made aware of one that I thought might be a perfect read for me… and I started reading it, and have only a little bit left to read now.
It is called Time Management for Writers by Katie Forrest, and I am going to to all out there and say, if you need some help with managing time, whether you are a writer or not, you SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!
Sprinkled with personal anecdotes, Katie has really broken down the whys and wherefores of how we spend our time each day, and some extremely easy ways to identify our goals, our ‘Whys’, (as she calls them), and then implement strategies to maxinmise our efficiency.
I, for one, am definitelty excited to start a routine where I am more conscious of when I am productive, and how I can create a world that works for me, in my personal life, professional life and with my passion for writing.
Part of my new routine, to be established, will be a set amount of time, 3-4 days a week, where I read a craft book, and actually digest what I am reading and take notes.
This will enable me to hopefully create better words from the off, when I get back to my creative writing.
See. Educating myself!
And if you are interested, here are my ‘Whys’ for writing.
So… tell me, is there anything new you are learning right now?
What an emotional read! I really enjoyed the story of Cara and her tumultuous journey, both physically, and emotionally, to find herself. And when a four legged companion in on the scene, that can only make things better!
What a lovely, imaginative book, filled with rhyme and adventure! Ford has crafted a beautiful rhythmic tale about Timothy and his time machine, and all the adventures he is able to go on, fuelled by the imagination of a child. As a teacher, I find that we seem to shut down our children’s imagination, somewhat, catering to curriculum needs, but this book is a reminder to adults as well as kids, that we need to be able to play, pretend, and whisk ourselves off to other worlds sometimes. A wonderful premise within the book, and lessons to be learned!
It’s not often you get to read about a modern-day knight, and in The Christmas Party, this is exactly what we get. Well, actually it’s more the legacy of a knight. Declan Lorne is the last surviving knight in Ireland, his family having carried the title over 700 years. And it looks like he’s going to be the last ever knight too, having a family consisting of his wife and three feisty daughters. His sudden demise leaves a huge gap in the lives of all his family, and his will sets many cogs turning. Will his wife, Serena, ever accept being relegated to the Dowager House? Will Ottie, his oldest daughter, ever get over being the disappointment of a girl, rather than a boy, and not the heir she felt her father always wanted? Will Pip, the middle child, manage to control her own inner angst, and follow her dreams? And will Willow, the youngest daughter, ever find her true place in her family? I really enjoyed all the twists and turns within this book, filled with tragedies, and misplaced trust, love and loss. Oh, and I’d love to see a pink castle! Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Katie’s life, on the surface, is pretty simple, and straightforward. She rents a nice flat, has a good job, is in a relationship with a great guy… Has divorced parents, and a father in prison charged with statutory rape – the rape of Katie’s best friend, when she was fifteen. Memories of idyllic summers spent at the cabin by the lake are blemished by this one accusation that changes the lives of many people. Katie has spent most of the last six years erasing the connection between her and her father’s name, to escape the awkward questions from others, but she still loves her dad. After all, it was a mistake, a wrong conviction… wasn’t it? The impending release of her father brings ripples to the smooth waters of her life and the ripples reveal many secrets, things Katie was never aware of before. I read this in one day, as I got so into the story. A really tough topic to write about. The rape of a minor, and the way people cover things up. Seeing it from the perspective of a different victim, the daughter of the accused, shows another dimension. Very well written.
I enjoy watching Lilly Singh and have felt a certain Punjabi pride at seeing one of ‘our’ girls do so well in her chosen career as a YouTuber, with her hashtag and now as one of the first late-night female TV show presenters in the USA. I must admit I have had this book on my kindle for a while and it has taken a while to get to it, but I finally did this week, and I enjoyed the read. There were several chapters that were really poignant for me. I shall try to introduce more Bawse-ness into my life!
Hannah Thompson is a woman – so am I She is a wife – yup, same here A mother – nods I’ve got 2 kids, a fur baby and two feathered ones, she has 3 children and a dog A teacher – yes, yet another similarity! An aspiring author – yet another similarity Has a hubby who is quietly supportive of her dreams but doesn’t always get the support quite right – check! Works part-time – no… alas I am a full-time teacher, wife, mother and wannabe writer!
Oh my God, if this woman had only 2 children, and worked a couple more days a week, this book might just have been my life!
Hannah is feeling the pressure. She has one child about the fly the nest, off to university, one teen who is keeping her on her toes with the company she keeps and the questions she asks and a young not quite tween, who is inquisitive and has a pet hamster which causes his own grief.
Working three days a week (not by choice), Hannah knows that the money isn’t exactly flowing into their bank accounts, and they have a child to send off to uni imminently, and the thought of having to finance two more is, quite frankly terrifying… and her headteacher is not keen to give her a full-time contract.
Until she has the bright idea to write a book on her days off.
Will her head have a change of heart and increase her hours? Will she finish this book or not? Will she find a way to publish?
Well, you know I’m not going to tell you. What I will say is that it was a fantastically funny book. I was able to relate to so much of it, and Hannah’s life echoes that of many working mothers out there.
Definitely, one I recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an Arc in exchange for an honest review.
The second Japanese book I have read this year and I have to say, I found this one much easier to read. We follow the life of a 36-year-old woman, Keiko, who has her own social difficulties and finds her comfort in her part-time job as a worker in a convenience store. It’s been eighteen years since she started at a job where most would have thought of it as a stopgap between studying and proper career. However for Keiko, yer job in the store allows her to function in the world and be viewed as normal, rather than the oddity she has been regarded with all her life, but both her family and friends. There is even the contemplation of marriage, which is an alien concept to this middle-aged virgin. A short read about someone who, I think, is very much on the Spectrum, as they say, and her way of dealing with it, so she fits in with the rest of the world.
I’ve always been a fan of the movies, and the old classics are special to me, so to read a book that referenced so many fantastic films was great! Arden is a woman who is in a dark place, after the end of an awful marriage. She has shut herself away from everyone who cared about her, partly because her ex-husband made her, and partly because she feels shame at being so weak. A twist of fate finds her visiting a friend in the hospital, and finding someone else there she knew before. Mac – a film lecturer from her university, and her big love. He’s older and injured. Unable to speak from injuries sustained in a car accident, they begin to share evenings together as she visits him, and revisits the past, recalling a list of movies they watched together, cataloguing their affair with each other. Of course, she doesn’t have him to herself. She shares her Mac with James, his neighbour. Together, they ensure his visitor chair is never empty, and build a special friendship, sharing secrets about each other, that they’ve never told another soul. Mac used to talk about Arden finding her Bigger Love, but she never believed him…
I really enjoyed this book. It was a little predictable with the ending, but sometimes you just want simple stories that don’t have huge twists in them. Saying that, it isn’t a simple romantic story in the least, dealing with issues such as loss and separation, and the relationships between parent and child.
A recommended read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an arc, in exchange for an honest review.
A strange read. It took me a long while to get into this story: a tale of Abigail and her quest for the truth. A grown-up woman, divorced and mother to a 4-year-old, Abi is constantly on the lookout for answers in life to one big question. Where is her brother? Robert, her brother, disappeared when she was 15, and there has never been any information about where he went, or what happened to him. Ironically, that same year, Abi was sent a chapter of a self-help manual, the Guidebook. The chapters kept coming throughout her life, and she felt a link between her brother’s disappearance and the words in the guide. A request to come to a retreat, where the Guidebook would be the centre of attention draws her into another chapter of her life, filled with different discoveries. It was a strange story, based in the past as well as the present. I did find myself slightly confused. Are we meant to fly? Or was it all a euphemism for life? But I did like Abi, and her little son Oscar. Many thanks to Netgalley, Atlantic Books and Allan & Unwin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A book I managed to finish within a day, which, recently has been a struggle for me!
I was intrigued by the blurb. Would this story about a young African American woman, who worked for a successful white family, be something like a lot of social themed novels recently, chanting #BlackLivesMatter?
Well, it did, a little, but that wasn’t the entirety of the novel.
Emira, the babysitter is a twenty-something woman, similar to many out there, unsure of the direction of her life, plodding along, trying to find where she really wants to be.
She just happens to be black.
And the regular babysitter for Alix and her family, looking after two-year-old Briar, and on occasion, her baby sister, Catherine.
Alix is a thirty-something woman, married with her two beautiful daughters and a successful husband, riding on her own social media successes, and in the process of writing a book.
What happens one night in the local grocery store, when her babysitter is falsely accused of taking a child, who is obviously not hers, sparks a chain of events that explore so much more than racial stereotypes. Sure, that is a big part of it, but it is approached from two very different angles, that of a black woman, and that of a white woman. Neither is racist, but both have stereotypes foisted upon them by others.
Add to the mix, crossed wires, and past secrets, and you have one heck of a delicious novel!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction and jumped at the chance to read an advanced copy of The Lady of The Ravens by Joanna Hickson.
Set in the times where the Tudors took control of the monarchy, the author has cleverly interwoven fact with fiction to create a compelling story that weaves the legend of the Ravens at the Tower of London, with a fictional tale of Joan, a young lady who starts her life of royal duty by being a companion to Princess Elizabeth, and, as time goes by, works her way up to the rank of Lady in Waiting for the then Queen Elizabeth. Along the way, she is chosen to marry Sir Richard, and becomes mother to six stepchildren, despite never wanting to bear children herself.
Joan develops something of an obsession with the majestic black birds that frequent the green around the Tower, and despite the belief among the commoners that the monarchy and country is safe, as long as the ravens roost at the Tower, she is horrified at how the archers use them as target practise, and the treatment of them.
I loved how the story of the ravens and how they appeared to become more accepted, and the life of Joan blended in with the real facts of the monarchy and events that happened at this time.
The characters came to life, and I became a champion of Joan and her cause through the book!
Definitely a recommended read if you are a historical fiction lover!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Published 9th January 2020
Well, there you have it, my reading journey this month!
But I Smile Anyway... 