Ronovan’s Weekly Haiku Prompt:
Chirp & Twilight
The hours of twilight The world beginning to sleep Not the chirps of dawn Ritu 2021
Ronovan Writes #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge 350 Chirp & Twilight
23 Mar 2021 19 Comments
in #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Chirp & Twilight, Haiku, Ronovan's Weekly Haiku Challenge
Chai And A Chat #127 #ChaiAndAChat
22 Mar 2021 40 Comments
in Chai and a Chat Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Catch Up, Chai and a Chat, Corona Diaries
I’ve got to be honest, this last week felt like it was at least seventeen days long. Anyone else felt that?
Right, get your cuppa, and let’s have a catch up!
- If we were having chai I’d start with school, as always. So, we had the Ed Psych in to see that student of mine. Even she waas left, at the end of an hour saying she was confused, and that she could see we were all on edge. We monitored him, but also wanted to see his behaviours fully, and she did. Not listening, doing what he wanted, and even going to throw a chair at one point. Children were moved for their safety. The report had me fuming, though, as even though she understood our frustrations, in it she made out as if we hadn’t even tried to do anything to stop him! Honestly, woman, if I wasn’t going to risk damaging the rest of the precious little minds in front of me, I could have directed all my attention to him, but after they had already experienced a pretty traumatic first week back, I needed to make sure they were safe and happy, as well as that one student. Breathe, Ritu. One of my part time team members has offered to come in every day, even the days she doesn’t work, so he can have a constant face as his person, for a while, to try and coax him back to the classroom, the way he was handling school life before the lockdown. Fingers crossed!
- If we were having chai I’d have to admit that this last week, as I mentioned above, feels like it’s been never ending. Every morning I woke up convinced that we were at least a day further along than we actually were, and when reality sank in, it was rather depressing. The class have been fantastic, in general, but there are some who are becoming increasingly hard work… a mixture of SEN issues and the cumulative effects of lockdown, I guess, but whatever it is, I am exhausted, and have, for the first time in my teachign career, been counting the days to the Easter break, not just because I need a break, but because I need a break from the kids. That isn’t a fun feeling, I’m telling you, because I love my class to bits, but I do feel overwhelmed. Still, a nice little present I got in the post, cheered me up!
- If we were having chai I’d remind you that it was Comic Relief on Friday. I was unable to get an official Red Nose this year, but, to be honest, a Red nose Mask would have been more appropriate! We all wore red to school, and donated money to a great cause. And one of the best parts of the day, was receiving a present from a parent… See below! I only had one, I promise!
- If we were having chai I’d add in that seeing as I am on my healthy living mission, I was relieved to know that, despite my HUGE Mother’s Day meal, and the nibbling that comes from exhaustion, I still managed to lose a teeny bit of weight this week, and I exercised every day, be it following a video or going for a walk! Yay, me! And on Saturday, despite being shattered, I was challenged to a 20k steps in a day challenge by a friend, so I took it up! And I did it! Actually, I hit 25K in the end, and even though I was shattered, I was so proud of myself! I didn’t win, one of the others topped 30k, but I was second, and I was more than happy with that!
- If we were having chai I’d say that I also got my second Pfizer shot, too! If you read my Spidey post, yesterday, you’d know that our staff at school were honoured to have been offered the shots, earlier this year, but because of the possibility of clashing opinions as to whether I should have had it, I hadn’t made it public. But now, I have. And I am, so far, okay, with regards to the side effects, but the last time it was two days before the headache from hell kicked in, so there is still time… but, then again, there is still time for me to feel no side effects, too. (Here’s hoping!)
- If we were having chai I’d say, quietly, that house stuff is moving along very positively, too, and I hope to be able to give good news, soon… but not yet!
- If we were having chai I’d tell you that the kids have started doing their home tests now, so that is three of us, testing on a regular basis. What fun. At least we know that we are safe! And Hubby barely goes out, so if we are okay, it is almost safe to assume he is, too!
- If we were having chai I’d leave you with our darling Sonu Singh. He’s been keeping me company most nights, in my exhausted state, snoozing as I snooze, too!
This week, I will be pretty much the same as last week, with more school based issues to deal with, as well as trying to stick to my healthy lifestyle. Again, not much energy for anything else! It’ll be the last full week at school before the Easter holidays. The last week of term is 3.5 days!
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!
Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 315 – Vaccination
21 Mar 2021 64 Comments
in Spidey's Serene Sundays Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday, Vaccination
“I’d much rather have a vaccine, than this virus.”
Paul A. Volberding MD (And me!)
Thank, Spidey for this reminder, that we have decisions to make.
I, for one, am pro-vaccine, totally.
We teachers, as a profession, were told, categorically, that, despite being in rooms for lengthy periods with large numbers of people, young or old, were not at any higher risk of catching the virus, than others, so, despite being in school throughout lockdown, still having to be with children, and other adults, the virus still posed a huge risk to us.
Yet there was a fear amongst us all.
It has been evident, since schools returned, that children were not as harmless, virus-wise, as the Government led us to believe. (Did we actually believe them?)
From September to December, in our school, and my children’s secondary school, we had several bubbles closing, some more than once, and it was the children who brought the virus in. Maybe they didn’t suffer, but they were the vectors, and this led to several staff getting quite unwell. Nine, over the Christmas holiday, itself.
Vaccinations started, and we weren’t on any priority list.
Then, out of the blue, our school was given an opportunity.
You see, these vaccinations have a shelf-life, and once defrosted, and punctured, the vials have to be used, or thrown away, and it would be criminal to throw this precious vaccine away, knowing how many people want them, and how we are all clamouring to get back onto the road to normality.
So, early in January, before we had even started back at school, (before BoZo, et al, decided that remote learning would be the thing), two schools were contacted, locally, as there was excess vaccines at the end of a session, and, being the weekend, it was almost impossible to get the vaccination to the elderly, who were on the priority list, so, why not offer to a school, who could gather willing and grateful recipients pretty quickly?
I was one of those lucky folk.
But I didn’t shout it out at the time, because I actually felt guilty. I was getting the first shot even ahead of both sets of my parents, who are in their late 60s and 70s. And there are folk out there, who still don’t think school staff really need this protection.
We all queued up, socially distanced, andwaitied patiently, on a Sunday morning. There was even a reporter from that rag, The Sun, waiting with a cameraman, ready to sully the name of schools who had ‘jumped the queue”.
We didn’t talk to him. He tried. “No comment.” (Always wanted to say that!)
Vaccinated, and with my little card to prove it in my hand, I went home. Still a little nervous, but also nervously excited, too.
That reporter?
Oh, he still managed to contact our head. (The poor woman was up to her eyeballs in government legislation, ready for schools starting again, and had to spend the evening wording a press release as to how and why we were offered the vaccine!)
And yes, we were in The Sun, the next day, but instead of being a derogatory tale of undeserving people blagging a quick jab, they congratulated us on being proactive, and showing our willing to do what we can to keep schools open, and protected, so our children won’t, hopefully, have to suffer much more time away from the school buildings.
How was it?
Well, we were given the Pfizer jab, and the rest of the Sunday was fine. I woke on Monday with a slightly achey arm, and felt very tired. Tuesday, though… I had the tiredness, and the HEADACHE from HELL! I had to medicate with strong over-the-counter pills, three times, and it still didn’t shift. The headache was still there on Wednesday, but just a dull ache.
I was thankful that lockdown had started, then, and that I didn’t have to deal with a classful of children, on top of this awful migraine-like pain.
Why am I writing this today?
Because, I will be getting my second jab, today. Then within a few weeks, apparently, my immunity will be at the highest it can be. Of course, nothing totally rids you of the risk of getting the virus, but if I do, it would hopefully be a milder case than if I hadn’t been vaccinated.
But, I am dreading the initial side effects, because I have read that if you suffered from them the first time, it is possible you will feel the same ones again, and they could be more severe!
And I’ll definitely be in school with the children this time, too!
God help me!
But, at least I’ll have had the vaccination!
So, have you had your vaccination, yet?
Have a peaceful Sunday Peeps.
#SoCS March 20, 2021 – Calligraphy
20 Mar 2021 33 Comments
in #SoCS Tags: #SoCS, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Calligraphy, Stream Of Consciousness Saturday
Linda’s #SoCS prompt, this week:
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “starts with cal.” Use a word starting with the letters “cal” as your prompt word. Have fun!
Calligraphy is going to be my word of choice, this week
I have always had a huge fascinataion with the ornate writing style, marvelling at the people who use those strokes to create such beautiful handwriting.
My own handwriting resembles a spider let loose over a piece of paper after stepping in an inkpad.
I’m not joking!
You’d think, as a teacher, I would have really neat handwriting. Well, I really don’t! I have to concentrate so hard to write my notes and feedback in children’s books, legibly, but when I aam just writing for me, there are times I forget what I actually wrote, and I can’t even read it back!
That can be a real pain when I can’t, for the life of me, read what I had written on a shopping list!
So, in lockdown, I decided to invest in a couple of courses, to learn the art of calligraphy. I got the pens, and everything.
I love the flow of the ink, but I am the one with a permnently ink stained finger, after clumsily filling the ink well!
After learning the basics, I found I was much more mindful of my writing, but the ink thing? What a faf!
Instead, I decided to learn how to brush letter, or hand letter, and I have had much more fun with that!
March 18: Flash Fiction Challenge – One Year Later
19 Mar 2021 22 Comments
in #CarrotRanch Tags: 99-Word Fiction, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Carrot Ranch, Flash Fiction, One Year Later
Charalie’s Carrot Ranch 99-word fiction prompt:
March 18, 2021, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story that takes place a year later. It can be any year. Explore the past year or another significant passing of time to a character. Go where the prompt leads!
I crack my eyes open and reach over to switch off the alarm.
Sitting up, I rub the sleep from my eyes, and instinctively pick up my phone to check my messages.
The first thing I notice is the date.
A year. It’s been a whole year, since you went.
A whole year since you last told me off for grabbing my phone, first thing every morning.
A year I’ve cried myself to sleep.
I smooth my hand over your side of the bed, an indent no longer obvious.
But the indent in my heart.
That will never fill.
But I Smile Anyway... 