Remiss.

In blogging. I will regret that if I don’t catch up a little as it will be a week I can’t remember. So some highlights, or at least memory prompts.

Walking – I’ve walked to friend’s house to feed her cat 5 times, but not Thursday as it was really rather wet. I feel good about the not having driven the trip – Tim went last night, but as he’s cut out huge amounts of car use recently as well, don’t even feel too bad about that. Beginning to wonder whether the walk to school is really too far – it took me an hour including cat feeding the first night I walked, but only 45 minutes tonight, and there and back must be a fair bit further than school. The only major problem is the motorway junction I’d have to cross, I don’t like that idea at all.

The bare classroom – we’ve spent large parts of this week stripping out most of the resources from the Children’s House as next term we’ve a large number of new children, a large number of toddlers moving into our room and very few older role models left. We will be working hard on the basic skills in the first couple of weeks – we’ve got quite a comprehensive plan, and as we’ve a fairly small group most days, we think it will work. I think I’ll try to keep some kind of diary of it as it progresses, don’t know which bits I’ll be able to blog here though.

New brother-in-law – K and S went on what should have been their honeymoon except they’d cancelled (postponed) the wedding after Katrin’s death. Then she rang from Spain on Tuesday evening to say they’d got married anyway, just on their own, over there. I wished them a happy honeymoon and crossed my fingers the rest of the family would see it that way. Having spoken to mother last night I don’t think she has, but guess we’ll just have to deal with that as it comes. I wish K every happiness, she really does deserve some.

Reading – we’ve watched next to no TV and I haven’t missed it one little bit. Instead I’ve read Empire of Ivory (Temeraire series book 4): 4, Talon of the Silver Hawk (Conclave of Shadows), King of Foxes (Conclave of Shadows), Exile’s Return (Conclave of Shadows) and started Right-brained Children in a Left-brained World: Unlocking the Potential of Your ADD Child (downstairs) and The Book Thief (upstairs). I also started The Joy Luck Club but I’m not sure I’m going to be able to bring myself to finish it, it seemed like terribly hard work, and I’m not really up for hard work atm. I just couldn’t remember who any of the ppl were as the point of view kept changing. [Think I may have missed out a couple of books from last week too, definitely owe a review post or two, there was For One More Day and Kitty and the Midnight Hour, think that might be about it, though I’ll have to scan back to check.]

Maths tests – found a set of primary maths teacher audit tests on the Plymouth maths (that used to be Exeter) website. A and I have been working through them to identify any areas of weakness, I’ve done three so far and scored 90%, 73% (the shame, apparently I can’t do mental arithmetic any more) and 88%. We didn’t get around to doing any today as we had another prospective elementary pupil in and so we didn’t spend quite as much time in the office as we’ve been trying to. Might try to fit in one tomorrow – we’ve a training morning on the EYFS (spit!).

Crafts – have signed up to do the PIF exchange as on home baked education. Am pondering what I can do that will be not too onerous (must not set myself up for failure again!) and also wondering whether there are three of you out there who will want to do this. Will blog properly in separate post when have had more chance to be inspired. Big, incidentally, has her first nearly finished object – after buying circular looms, what, three years ago? Just looked back, and first mention of hatlooms is 2 years 4 months back, she’s been doing it ever since. Or not doing it ever since. Anyway, over the last couple of nights she suddenly discovered it’s really easy, and has done enough to make into a little bag, so I think we can finish that this weekend. Hurrah.