Forever Autumn Forever Crepey

[cremolafoam]

The summer sun is fading as the year grows old,
and darker days are drawing near,
the winter winds will be much colder,
now you're not here.
I watch the birds fly south across the autumn sky
and one by one they disappear
I wish that I was flying with them,
now you're not here

Rudy - how's your mum?

Yes, Rudy, how is she?

Herbs, re school: totally agree with Monty he should feel cheery about it. And have friends and be happy. Switch him. He's a lovely lad.

How are you this morning MI?

I am killing time waiting for the GP to open so that I can make the third (and please god, successful) attempt to collect a doctors letter for DDs performance licence. The deadline is looming.

Choir last night was better than expected so the term got off to a good start despite the absences. I always find it a bit worrying when the choir sounds good when there are absences, because it says something about the tuning of the people who aren't there.... The pianist won't be there next week. That means I have a week of practising my very rudimentary playing, and lots of worrying.

Regional teachers meeting today....expecting to be told of yet more silly rules and booking restrictions.

Herbs, the other school does sound as if it would be a much better fit for your ds. Am sure you'll feel relieved once you've decided one way or the other.

Wilbur, sorry to hear about your back pain. Sounds very unpleasant and I hope you get some answers. I finally caved and went to the GP about my back/leg pain last week (well, actually I was there to get more bits frozen off my face and thought I might as well mention the back) and he's sent me for a blood test before doing anything else. Dunno why and I'm not sure I want to know either.

Having a "Back to school" panic for myself now.

ohh Stropps - when does it all get started? (excited for you!)

Here I have sent calm letter to head saying I am 'disappointed' (how's that for British understatement) that they see fit to judge this child who is, after all, a pupil at the school without the full facts....

Rose, how about an 'Acapella Challenge' week next week?

Am chugging on, rather exhaustedly.

Sorry to hear of the crepey aches and pains - I am suffering too, but of my own making - first circuits last night since July!

DD's work exp seems to have gone much better yesterday... Fingers crossed!

Have appointment to visit new school on Friday morning. As the law of sod decrees, it's the same morning as I have to meet my 'learning mentor' at the college I'll be doing teaching practice. Lot of dashing about on the tube will be involved.

I have multiple aches and pains ATM. My neck has seized up, giving me a massive headache. My pronating feet are giving me gyp, especially the left one where the metatarsal arch is so fallen it bangs on the floor, and the resultant funny angle of my leg is making my hip hurt. And where I sprained my right foot falling down the stairs in February it's still not right, and hurts when I walk any distance.

Oh and as evidenced by yoga yesterday, I seem to have no core muscles whatsoever. I can maintain a plank for about five seconds before collapsing. I suppose I might have to do some appropriate exercise. Sigh.

Great that you can go and visit the school, shame it involves dashing about! Get planking at home - try and build it up every day. One of my colleagues was the same as you, but now can do a minute! Not sure about fallen arches, but my Birkies are great for my high arches - would they help?

Herbs I am rubbish at then plank and I go regularly to a fitness class. BTM - there is no way I'd motivate myself to do planks at home.

I have no real cause for complaint at the moment except for some unexplained reason I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep again. Consequently I'm feeling a bit out of it with the beginning of a headache coming on.

I have birkies! But they're not good for the forthcoming autumnal chill. I think I might have to get some fiercer orthotics for my shoes.

I sometimes do some planking on the landing while DS is in the bath. Multi-tasking, you know...

MI, I'm so sorry. As others have said be kind to yourself and take time to mull.

BTM, DS seems to be settling into the work experience too. Seems to involve lots of snacks and fizzy drinks among other things

Good luck, Herbs and mini Herbs

Can't do birkies, find them really uncomfortable. But then, I like loafers.

Ds has inherited my birkies - I hated them, he loves them.... (luckily unisex style and non-girly colour!

In other news, please cross everything you have that for a friend of Molly's and mine (the one whose little girl died) who has finally had embryo transfer. Clutch madly at anything lucky. She's not optimistic, but I think that's partly because they've been dealt such a grim hand so far.

MI, so sorry to hear about your mum. IME you have now entered a weird zone emotionally, which you just have to get through as best you can. With both my parents' cancer, nothing was predictable. That trite phrase "one day at a time" became actually relevant.

Planking is an odd thing - you can make quite remarkable progress with practice, so don't despair, herbs. It can be quite gratifying. Mind you, when we meet up on 11 Oct you will be totally disbelieving that I ever saw the inside of a gym, let alone managing a plank. New term, new fitness classes, new dawn of hope for me, once I've got ds dispatched to uni. Somewhere inside me is a very fit person.

Oh, x post, MI. Did not know that.

Molly
MI am crossing.

I am cold. It is warmer outside than in.

Wilbur - as your back pain afflicts you in the morning, could it be something as simple as needing a new mattress?? I suffer horribly if I'm in a bed which is either too hard or too soft. Just call me Goldilocks.

I'm sure my neck issues are due to unsuitable pillow, but the others I've tried have made it worse. What I really need is a damned good popping back into place by an osteopath, but I can't afford it.

Fingers crossed for your friend, MI. I remember watching the video she made of her daughter, and bawling my eyes out.

I am making Very Easy Soup, involving bunging leeks and carrots into the oven to roast. I will then blend them with Bought Stock (liquid packets) and make DD2 happy as she likes soup. She is struggling a bit with her new school. She gets herself into states about things, and finds it very hard to unpick. I'm thinking of referring her to the school counselling system, which might help as we're hopeless at it....

Did I recommend, for new students who're not great at cooking, smoked mackerel (the cheap packets - or the Lidl whole ones, which are fab and cheap) flaked into rice? Cook peas with the rice. I like it with added sliced cherry tomatoes and bottled artichokes, but we frequently have it plain (and the Inferiorettes prefer it that way).

I'm not optimistic about DD feeding herself at uni' she refused my offer to make her a salad for lunch and according to DS had a nutella sandwich and after headed off to MccDonalds as she was still hungry

Sounds familiar Hatty. MI, we have just staggered home with tins of mackerel.

Oh, MI, sorry to hear DD2 is finding it all a bit much. It is very difficult to know exactly what to do for the best. School counsellor sounds a good way forward.

AIBU to feel v pleased that Scott'n'Bailey (Crepeys if I ever met one) are back tonight?

Ooh I love Scott n bailey. A modern day, British, Cagney and Lacey.

Hope it doesn't clash with the bake off!