But I Smile Anyway…

Good morning, Peeps! The first offical Monday of the holidays! I have been off since Wednesday, though, so I feel like a bit of a cheat!

i can enjoy a leisurely chai with you, today, so I hope you have a lovely, long drink ready!

• If we were having chai, I would tell you that it was a very emotional start to the week. We had our transition days, so my classes were sent up to their new Year One teachers for a morning, and we invited our new children in to visit us for the morning, too. It takes this day for it to really hit home just how much the children we have been nurturing have grown and matured as we meet those little ones who are at the very beginning of the journey… and it makes us realise how hard both the staff and the children have worked to get them there. Monday afternoon, we had a little party. Tuesday, our last official day, was very tough. It was my dear head teacher’s last day, as well as for a couple of other members of staff. Plus there were three maternity celebrations to be had! The children had been practicing a song written for our Head, and as soon as I heard it, it brought a tear to my eye. I knew there was no way she would be able to stay dry-eyed. And she didn’t. But before that, there was an amusing assembly by the Deputy Head dedicated to her, asa well as the Year Six children singing her a song. The staff did an impromptu flash mob dance to a song associated with leaving staff the last few years. There was also a silly song video compiled with all the staff doing silly things, dedicated to her. We had aa fantastic meal out on Wednesday celebrate her sixteen years at the school. Less tears, more laughter, and the reassurance that this was not the last time we would be together.

• If we were having chai, I would mention that saying goodbye to our classes is always a tough time, and, as always, the parents and children astounded us with their generosity with end-of-year gifts and cards…

• If we were having chai, I would say that I made sure to get myself back in the writing game, too, now holidays started. Not every day, but most days, and I am making a dent in Book three! Plans have been written, and words are beginning to flow!

• If we were having chai, I’d jump back to Straight As A Jalebi, and say I am grateful to those readers who have left reviews, and we are now on 50 ratings and reviews on Amazon!

• If we were having chai, I’d share that I managed to watch a bit of a cricket game this weekend, as Hubby Dearest wasn’t too well, so I saw the end of the game, where (not so) Lil Man got three wickets! It’s been while but it always makes me proud to see him bowling successfully.
• If we were having chai, I would bring it back to Sonu Singh. He’s happy to have us all around him, and miaowing all the time for food! But there are plenty of times when it is just me and him who are awake, or around, so he joins me for a read, or as my meal partner!

This is the first full weel of the holidays, and though the first couple of days will be a little calmer, I have some appointments to attend with Lil Princess, as well as a wedding and Valima ceremony to attend for a dear friend and colleague, then we have that shopping trip with the in-laws that got cancelled last week. A possible office move may occur on the weekend, as Hubby Dearest wants to move to the upstairs room, so he is not disturbing everyone when he works from home, and is on the phone… but I am loathe to let my beautiful room go, permanently!

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Good morning, Peeps! I’m still at school today but tomorrow, we finish, officially, so I am taking each day as it comes right now.

My Chai is ready. Have you got a drink?

• If we were having chai, I would tell you that last week was a super busy one. There is always so much to do at the end of the year, and even though we have got data and reports out of the way, we still have other paperwork that needs completing, as well as things to get ready for September. All this we need to do, keeping in mind that we still have a class of children who are pretty exhausted but need to keep learning while they are with us. So it’s been a chilled week in terms of planning for us, but fraught as we keep the children in check.
• If we were having chai, I would mention that the emotion I know we will feel on Tuesday as we wave goodbye to our classes began building last week, as the Year 6 children had their leaver’s assembly and then their party on Friday evening. They are an extra special class for me, as they were my first ever Nursery class. So I have watched a lot of them grow over the last eight years. Some are taller than one, even though they are only eleven! There were tears and lots of hugs, as well as touching comments from parents too. Nothing will change my thinking that each year I have to create a new section in my heart for the new pupils, who will find their place there alongside all the children I have already taught. Some parents even started their gift giving and they have touched us with some of their thoughtful words and gifts. 🙂 We also had a shared lunch on Thursday which was also a little baby shower for three of my colleagues who are expecting over the next couple of months! It was a lovely chance for all the staff to mingle, too, which rarely happens due to our different daily timetables.
• If we were having chai, I would say that I have been reading plenty as always, because writing does not come easy when I am still in school mode. I have had the honour to read a few books extra early for different author friends of mine, and spent time writing up questions for them to answer when they come to visit for a Book & A Brew post with me a little later in the year!

• If we were having chai, I’d jump back to the writing and say that I do have a plan of sorts once we finish up, and in order to keep me accountable, I created my own little word tracker chart on Canva! You might call it procrastination, but I call it inspiration!

• If we were having chai, I’d share that Lil Princess is now also on holiday, and she celebrated her first day of summer break by going to watch the Barbie film with her friends! I was a little gutted as I wanted to go and watch it with her, but I am so glad she is stepping out of her comfort zone and going out a little more with her friends. She wasn’t totally enamoured of it, but then she doesn’t always like what everyone else likes, and sitting in a cinema hall for a couple of hours can be too much for her, so she went for a few trips to the loo, and for a snack, to stop herself getting agitated. Still, she went and had fun, and I am proud of her for facing some of her anxieties to do this.
• If we were having chai, I would bring it back to Sonu Singh. This week I had to get the clippers out and trip his pointy claws because every time he would come to us to knead our tummies or anything, he was catching on our clothes and the bedsheets. However, claw cutting is not his favourite thing. I am very gentle, I promise, but from a young age, he has hated it. In fact, when he was a kitten, there was a day when he saw the clippers on my bed and realised what I was about to do. I turned my back and he knocked them off the bed and was off down the stairs, trying to knock them down each step. I think he wanted to go and hide them! Cheeky little so and so! Still, it was time for that event n Sunday, and he rewarded me with a gentle biting session! No owners were harmed, honestly!

Two days to go, then I can breathe, kind of. I am still seeing my workmates on Wednesday as we have a leaving-do to attend, as well as being back in Gravesend on Thursday, too, because Lil Princess is meeting a friend, and I need to take Lil Man and my in-laws out shopping, too! Friday, we have an orthodontic appointment, and on Saturday there will be cricket, followed by a baby shower for one of my colleagues. Somehow, I will squeeze words in, too, I hope!

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!