Welcome all to the first Chai and a Chat of the year! I trust you all had a good one! Now, go get your drink, snuggle in and we can catch up!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I am actually quite proud of myself! I said I would not post, and aside from a new years message, and a Blogger’s Bash reminder, I stayed true to my word! It’s been hard though. As I get notifications of the weekly challenge, I am having to force myself to not save them all, and resign myself to the fact that I am going to miss a few weeks worth! But it’s all for a good cause…
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I have been really good! I have been doing my reread and tweak-style of editing every day, bar one where I was physically too tired and I have done over a third of the book so far! I created a little page in my journal too, to keep me motivated and on track, where I colour in boxes representing chapters each time I get another one done!
That’s me at the start of my Saturday morning!
If we were sipping chai together I’d confide in you that I have even contacted a couple of editors for quotes and advice on what next, because if I go Indie, I need to fund all the professional stuff myself, whereas a traditional publisher would pay for all the editing, polishing and tweaking stuff required. There is a lot to take in, developmental editing, copy/line editing, critiquing, alpha/beta readers, then formatting, blurb and cover… It won’t be easy, but I am on a mission! I am still toying with the idea of reaching out to agents, to see if there is a chance of traditional publication…
If we were sipping chai together I’d also mention that I started a new group on Facebook – Kick Ass Kreators – a kind of online accountability group, where we can post our achievements on whatever we are trying to create at the moment, and ask for help or a virtual kick up the backside to keep us on track for reaching goals… if you want to join, you are most welcome! Just click here!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I have started a new hobby too, to keep me calm – hand lettering! It’s not the same as calligraphy as there is more of an element of individuality to what you write, but I love experimenting with new pens and paper! And Lil Princess has also caught the art bug again, after getting a lovely art set for Christmas! She has been experimenting with watercolour wash pieces, and we even collaborated on a piece of art!
If we were sipping chai together I’d say that I didn’t make a resolution this New Year, but rather an intention, or rather, a few… the first was that I intend to do something with this book this year! Another is to look after myself. Because if you don’t look after yourself, you can’t be there for others properly… Obviously, there is the eating well and lose weight stuff, but I just have to try hard on that… I am finding it hard for some reason, this time round to stick to any decent eating plan… chocolate and cookies are to blame!
My lettering again!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I was fully intending on having a relaxed last day before school started again on the Thursday, but that didn’t happen! Instead, I got an idea in my head that buzzed around like an annoying fly and until I had fulfilled it, the window in my brain wouldn’t open, to let that fly out! It was to totally restructure the furniture in my kids’ bedrooms! So there I was, alone, as it was an impromptu idea, lugging bookshelves, beds and desks around, to create a different, more productive environment for both of them. It worked, but not before unearthing all sorts of mouldy rubbish from under my teenage son’s bed, and finding all manner of awful ink and paint stains on my daughter’s cream (😣) carpet! Oh and the dust! I was sneezing for England! Still, I managed to finish it all and ended up an aching mess on the floor by the end, groaning because I knew I still had to be fresh and ready for school the next day! A bubble bath soothed the muscles, but nothing could get me to sleep that night… and it was the same for the kids. A fortnight of messed up sleeping patterns meant no one was ready for an early bedtime!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you school was actually pretty great! The kids came back happy, and for the most part, healthy! My own two woke without a fuss on the first day too ( a true surprise, as I have been used to battles every morning to get them ready in time!) but the tiredness was there… and on Friday, I was honestly ready to be a bad teacher… If I could, I would have put Youtube on a loop, sat my afternoon kids in front of the screen (which they would have loved!) and curled up in the corner to catch a few zzzzz! But I couldn’t do that, could I?
If we were sipping chai together I’d whisper quietly, that the weekend planned was a very quiet one… lots of rest, once the grocery shopping and house cleaning was done, reading, eating (healthily) and editing…
If we were sipping chai together I’d have to mention that I have been increasingly worried and frustrated about my parents! I guess this comes as they get older. We couldn’t see them this holiday for various reasons, but on Christmas day they told me they were without heating as the boiler had sprung a leak that caused some damage which could not be repaired in a straightforward manner. Now, I knew of the leak before and was under the impression things had been sorted out, but no… they left it to Christmas morning to slip in the fact that they were sitting, wrapped up, in their living room, with plug-in heaters and no hot water either! Of course, they wouldn’t entertain the idea of coming to us, because “what if the pipes freeze and burst while we weren’t there?” (it has barely been below freezing, so no chance of freezing pipes, but too cold to be in a house with no heating!) and the saga continued as they discovered there was some issue that involved specialist equipment to clean some pipes or something like that… Then, the icing on the cake, when mum called me to mention, in a slightly panicked voice, but with a layer of “don’t worry, we’re okay” smoothed over the top, that ” We don’t have electricity, and I am alone, as your Pops has gone to class, and no, he doesn’t know because he forgot his phone at home, though it’s not just us, the neighbours just came round and they are in the same boat – they have small children too, so it’s terrible for them – and I’m okay, I have candles.” I wanted to teleport then right here, but no, there was no movement! The electricity company came round and it was something big that needed repairing so they ended up with a generator so at least they had power overnight, and the roads were dug up the next morning to restore normality! And the hope is that the heating issue will be fixed by Sunday… I’m still waiting to see if it is all sorted! Hate being so far away from them, not able to do much more than get myself worked up, and offer comforting words…
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that I had a great chat with my brother and sister-in-law in Finland one day and there is a possibility of they coming over to the UK in the Spring, so I may finally be able to give my Finndian nephew #2 a real cuddle! That is something that will totally keep me going once they set a date!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that the next week should be a relatively quiet one, so hopefully a straightforward school week, with no surprises, and lots of editing opportunities!
Well, well, well, well well! We’ve reached the end of the year… It’s the last of my Chai and A Chat catch ups for the year.
Where did 2018 go? Seriously, it just whizzed by!
You got your drink? It might be a long un!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell that I did indeed manage to wrap the presents, before the Christmas Eve party (WHY on Christmas Eve?!), then as the shops were pretty quiet, I bought more, and had to find the time to wrap them too that evening! I did also manage to squeeze in a leisurely lunch date with myself, my Kindle and a LARGE Chai Latte too!
If we were sipping chai together I’d moan that we had to also spend time at the Minor Injuries unit as Lil Princess managed to bend her fingers backwards at said party, and we were worried that she may have fractured or broken two of them. Thankfully, like the shopping centre, the unit was quiet, and we got her checked, x-rayed and back home within an hour. No breaks or fractures, just tendon pulling!
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that Christmas day went smoothly, and quietly as it was on a Tuesday, which in my in-law’s house is a vegetarian and no alcohol day. So no Turkey dinner for us! My Sis in law and I spent the previous evening making samosas from scratch, and so for our festive food, we had Samosa, Pakoras and Spring Rolls for Christmas lunch and dinner was an array of Veggie pizzas!
If we were sipping chai together I’d lament that Boxing day was not a day of chilled relaxing and grazing on the leftovers of the day before. Oh no. Because the turkey hadn’t graced the table the day before, our Christmas dinner was a day late, so we spent the day slaving in the kitchen, again, for our Christmas feast! All the good cheer was consumed today instead, so we had a few very merry members of the household indeed by the end of the day!
If we were sipping Chai together, I’d tell you that the day after Boxing day we didn’t even surface until gone 10am! Still, everyone needed a day of rest and not doing too much to recover from the craziness of the past few days!
If we were sipping Chai together I’d also say we ventured to Bluewater Shopping centre on Friday. A 15-minute journey usually but an HOUR instead, where we ate, wandered around a couple of shops then left because it was just too busy!
If we were sipping Chai together I’d tell you that we went to Bluewater AGAIN on Sunday, this time,mega early, to watch Mary Poppins Returns! Bluewater at 9am on a Sunday is like a ghost town! But we managed to grab breakfast then watch a great film!
If we were sipping Chai together I’d moan that we got home and I ended up in bed with what I hope is the last migraine of 2018!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that I have made some plans for my blogging future… I know I have mentioned it a few times to you already, but you are all like my online accountability partners so, I’ll reiterate! As of the new year, i.e. tomorrow, I am going to attempt to finish all I need to do for my novel manuscript. The rewrite has commenced, but I need to finish it. For that, I need to be a little less typey typey on the blog, and more typey typey on the manuscript! As a result, I shall be holding back on the daily creative challenges I usually participate in, until I feel happier about the story I have crafted. But don’t worry, I’m not about to disappear completely! Spidey and I will be here on a Sunday, and this Monday Chai date? Definitely keeping that, so I can tell you how things are going. Of course, if the urge takes me, I’ll post about stuff, you know what I mean! And I shall keep reviewing any books I read too, after all, reviews are what keep authors going!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that 2018 was another great year for me, blog-wise! I may have had less overall views, but the interaction was so much more meaningful for me! I posted less, but the average comments per post have gone up! I was so happy to have attended the Annual Bloggers Bash, for the third time, coming home with the runner-up place on Best Overall Blogger too, and I was able to introduce my Hubby Dearest to many of my dear blogily there!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d say that I am looking forward to the new year. 2019 is going to be epic! I can feel it in my bones! New challenges at school and in my own life, goals I wish to achieve… Bring it on!
All that’s left is for me to wish you all a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I’ll see you in 2019!!!
Got your drink ready? Or at least got your kettle on? Settle down then!
If we were sipping chai together I’d firstly say, PHEW! We are finally on holiday! The last term has been really long, and coupled with the staffing issues and illness, it has not been an easy ride, but we have got there!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that Christmas can really make a teacher feel appreciated! My pupils ad colleagues excelled themselves, I was loaded down with gift bags to take home, filled with choccies, bickies and all sorts of lovely goodies!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you about another drama involving Lil Man, his friends, an X-Box controller, security cameras, black magic, Autism and friendship… but it would be far too long, and we’d need IV drips for our drinks! Suffice to say, Tuesday was an eventful evening!
If we were sipping chai together I’d say the staff Christmas party was a fun evening, even though the younger members of staff didn’t quite appreciate the entertainment, asking what a UB40 was, rather than who… as we had a tribute band, UB42, providing the music for part of the evening! Still, I enjoyed it and by swaying along to the reggae, I smashed my step count and active minutes according to the FitBit app!
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that I have been secreting little presents away for the kids, and now I really need to get them wrapped! If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you Saturday and Sunday were pretty calm, all Christmas-panic-related things, considered!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d whisper that I still haven’t wrapped anything! Eeeek! Guess what I’ll be doing this evening!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d rant that I have to take Lil Princess to a party today – on Christmas Eve – at the local Shopping centre! Seriously? Who chooses one of the busiest times of the year and one of the busiest venues, to have a party?! Still, I am hoping to have a couple of hours of either shopping, or sitting with a book and a Chai Latte at Costa, to while the party hours away!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d wish you a very Merry Christmas, and say, I look forward to all the Christmas stories next week!
Well here we are at meeting number eleven… heaven!
Yes, it’s been another eventful week (when is it not, where I am concerned!)
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that my dear colleague is still not well, and has been signed off for a while longer, meaning I shall be changing my priorities for the next couple of months. Reception will get my attention more, and Nursery loses me for a day. I am a little gutted as I love being in Nursery, but equally, I hold a strong belief that children of a young age really need to have continuity in their education. Different faces appearing to teach them, with different methods, confuse them. So, even though it is a change I’d rather not make, I suggested I take more time there so the class I am with at the moment manage to continue with the same staff they are familiar with, rather than lots of different faces. The other class will then also get two teachers they know until our colleague is back… But it’s so annoying… I had written my reports for our class, ready to go out on the Friday, but as the other teacher hadn’t done hers due to her illness, we will have to rewrite them in January now! Grrr!
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that we’ve been in full Christmas mode in school this week, with carol concerts for the older children, the Key Stage one Christmas performance and our Reception Nativity. You can’t beat a primary school play! The kids did so well too!
If we were sipping chai together I’d moan about these parents who send children in when they are still unwell, spread the viruses they have, then keep them off again. Yeah. Thanks. As a result, I have had the worst cold, Lil Princess has been coughing and spluttering, Lil Man was coughing and Hubby Dearest got the lurgy from me! It prompted me to do a little singing, after reading a fantastic rewrite of We Three Kings by Sue Vincent! If you haven’t heard it, check this post out, the singing link is in there!
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that it was Christmas Jumper day on Friday too. I love a Christmas jumper! The charity, Save The Children, run an annual Christmas Jumper Day, and we all donate money for the pleasure of wearing a festive knit! I have quite3 a collection so didn’t need to buy another, though I have found a great one for Hubby Dearest… He’s a bit of a Rap fan… or he used to be, anyway!
If we were sipping chai together I’d share with you my favourite jumper which I wore, and by the end of Friday, I managed to acquire a red nose to match it! And Sonu Singh joined in with the fun too!
If we were sipping chai together I’d confide in you that we went to get our hair done on Saturday, as a pick me up, Lil Princess and I. My experience was fine, but she was devastated as they found a few nits in her hair… so they were unable to give her a trim! We spent the best part of Saturday afternoon treating, combing and checking her hair… think I got them all…
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that we had a function on Sunday at the Gurdwara where we had to attend, and then cookies were baked for school too, and I attempted to make some salt dough ready for school today…
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that the end of term is finally in sight! Phew! We finish on Wednesday and have the staff Christmas party to look forward to on Thursday. The kids will be having a sleepover at friends, but I may have to ferry Lil Man to an extra set of cricket training sets on both Thursday and Friday, so no relaxation time then!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you I can’t wait for a little family time…
So there you have it… only two weeks left of this year to go! What ore fun will be chucked at me this week?
Well, well, well! We’ve got to the tenth week of Chai & A Chat! And what a week I’ve had… again! (is it ever quiet…?)
If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you my week at school has been even more manic than a usual manic run-up-to-Christmas week! We’ve had a colleague taken ill, and hospitalised, which meant that I had to take my Reception class for more time, but my manager had to take the other class, so… I ended up having no observation! I was gutted as it was all planned for, but what can you do? I’ll have to get it looked at in January instead… more waiting.
If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that the nativity play songs are running through my head constantly, but the worst thing is that I won’t get to see it being performed to parents, as the day they do that, is my Nursery day!
If we were sipping chai together I’d mention that the craziness of ferrying Lil Man to and from his district trials is finally over. Three weeks of rushing to and from this place, in the dark – over. We just need to wait for the results to see whether he has been selected!
If we were sipping chai together I’d excitedly tell you that the Capital Radio Jingle Bell Ball was amazing! We saw Liam Payne, Ellie Goulding, Olly Murs, Rak-Su, Jonas Blue, James Arthur, Dalton Harris, Loud Luxury, Halsey, Anne-Marie and Rita Ora. David Guetta was there too but we slipped out before he came on to get the girls back home without being stuck in traffic! Seeing a concert at a proper venue was great, even though I can admit to you all that I knew about 4 of the acts by name before… and had to listen to the songs to realise I knew the others too… old? Me…? Nah!!!!
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If we were sipping chai together I’d also mention that we did some visiting on Sunday (yup, I told you it was full on!) We embarked upoin a 2 hour journey to a little place in East Preston, called Littlehampton, where Hubby Dearest has a cousin. She has a gorgeous 20 month old, and also is now proud mum to 3.5 month ond twins! So I got a full on baby fix today! Clucky much? Oh they were gorgeous! ❤
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that next week isn’t going to be too much easier… we are still short staffed so I shall be juggling an awful lot of stuff at school…
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d whisper that I am so NOT prepared for Christmas…I haven’t bought proper presents for anyone, other than the children… I am forseeing a crazy shopping spree next weekend… eeeks!
If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d mention that it will be Lil Princess’s last ever Christmas performance at Primary school… time for me to get a little choked up… but she doesn’t want me to come… so I will be sneaking in at the back to watch!
And that is the end of this exhausting week! Phew!
But I Smile Anyway... 