Mission Crepe: no surrender

[Collymollypuff]

Here ya go...

I can do biscuits .

If all else fails you can always escape in the

Cremo - waves - sorry about meltdown, been close myself recently. Still here, just, not easy.

Hatty so sorry for Drs dd.

That's so sad, Hatty. I am thinking about you as I listen to the radio this morning - I hope that you're a long way away from the current troubles?

Reading about the trials of parents and DC not doing homework/revising etc., made me think of DGS1 who we Picked up yesterday and was excitedly explaining that he had learnt how to pronounce "x" when he came across a in words - when do they lose all this lovely enthusiasm?

I will be taking part in a demo this afternoon - the county council want to relocate the local first school from its place in the centre of the community to a greenfield site one and a half miles away. It's wrong on so many levels.

To be fair, mine are quite enthusiastic. And their education changes into such a grind. Despite the meetings about how Revision Can Be Fun!!!

I love a demo

I agree MI - I am lucky enough to have well motived children - sometimes the system seems to be doing its best to kick that out of them.

Have timed ironing this morning to watch friend of DD1 on tv. He already has his own online Guardian column.

NU - I feel passionately about greenfield sites - where I live all the fields are now covered in housing estates.

Rose - hope you're doing ok xx

Morning crepes. Still in permanent state of anxiety about this job. Ever-shifting goalposts are not helping, nor is my manager telling me off for using too many worksheets for a lesson I'd spent five hours planning. I felt like telling her to FO, crem style.

Have also been getting horrible night sweats for the past week or so. Wake me up quite a few times a night, so never feel totally rested. Maybe I need to investigate HRT.

And getting nervous about my party! There's so much to do and worry about. While realistically all I need to do is turn up, I'm fretting about decorations, music and which nibbles to serve.

Niece's operation seems to have gone well. There was a 40% chance that it wouldn't work, so sis is bracing herself for any seizures, which will mean it's failed and there's nothing more that can be done.

Re schools, DS's has a new head, who is vile. The children don't like her, the parents don't like her, and now three teachers are leaving. I hope this isn't the start of a trend...

Herbs, did the manager have any suggestions as to what to instead of the worksheets?! And I hope re the new head it's just settling in problems. Frequently the people who are going for/getting headships now are very focused on results and don't seem to think that a wide and varied curriculum is the way to go...

And your party will be fab - we will be there! One of my ebay buys arrived this morning

The head, who came from the other school in the federation and wasn't very popular there either, is very focussed on getting an Ofsted outstanding. Hence the draconian discipline, and possibly recent handwriting crackdown.

She has the unnerving habit of inviting parents to contact her, then greeting all emails with a blanket 'thank you for your interest, I'll pass it to the SLT', or just a blanket denial that there is a problem. I'd imagine she'd be extremely frustrating to work for. In person, she has a permanent rictus beatific smile, and talks to grown ups like they're six years old.

I'm still wondering about my headgear for party - turban or wig?

Re manager, she said I should be 'using the internet more'. Which is sod all use when you're teaching how to write formal letters.

Anyway, brain download complete. DP is with his mum and sis today, getting his mum's final scan. If the cancer has indeed truly all gone, as a doctor said in August, we'll be quaffing champers.

She sounds rather awful. Does she have any children of her own?

Internet is good for practising/introducing, etc but only if it fits with what you are doing, as you rightly realise!

Pit of depression opening up at my feet on Day 9 (nine, IX) of feeling like shit. Can't get anything done, had to cancel work again today, not dressed yet assailed by black thoughts.

Better get out of house somehow. Bath first.

Crem, Herbs, Rose, Hattie

Oh dear Auriga. Is it due to all the effort you put into the birthdays?

Auriga I'm sorry you are feeling so out of whack. Me too if I'm I'm honest. I hope getting out of the house helps a little, and starts to put things into perspective. Know that you will beat this virus. And also give yourself a bit of slack. This week has been extremely dispiriting and sad in a worldly sense, which can't help mood. Thinking of you.x
Hatty, I'm so very sorry to hear about your Doctor's dd. Horrifically sad. As GG said, so many of the victims were under 35. It's heartbreaking. Sadly, it's all very reminiscent of my childhood. The fear and sense of alert comes racing back to me, after so many years of lying dormant.

Much luck to all those in the Crepey Staffroom this week. X

No, it's the viral infection that jumped aboard the moment I relaxed. Mainly throat and chest. Luckily, DM didn't catch it, in fact neither did DD or DH. Bit it's left me in tatters

Sorry,Crem, cross-posted. Thanks.

Commiserations to those suffering (still) from work related problems. Auriga, a trip to the doctor, do you think?

Herbs, the head of the first school has resigned, we are wondering if it's anything to do with the relocation of the school. Hatty, the CC has a fiendish plan here - move the first, middle and high schools (plus the sports centre and library) to the green belt, then use up the redundant land for housing. They think they can get away with destroying the green belt by not actually building houses on it.

Rose, I hope you're ok?
Here I have swum a little, done Aquafit and am now having a slice of bread with rose petal jam which we brought back from Cyprus.

Auriga.

I am trying to deal with students' queries about stuff I don't know about (reading lists etc). And one is huffily telling me about 'real' press releases from her work as a travel PR intern, which clearly trumps my 15 years in comms.

MI, recommend a head tilt and an enquiry about how long her experience lasted. Then a silence.

Auriga - rest, tea and rubbish telly. That's what this agency sister orders.

I am in one of periodic despairs at the state of the world. Trying to solve the endless cycle of violence by bombing the crap out of the very region that is generating the terrorists; building and subsidising more gas power stations, while cutting renewables funding; bees dying; and my dear little DS being more into shooting enemies in computer games than anything lovely and creative.

Dear crepeys, I am so sorry not to be around much at the moment but I am not waving but drowning under a sea of work. Heard terrible Paris news again on the radio so thinking of Hatty and hoping all ok. Also thinking of all the crepes who are struggling with difficult situations at work and at home - BD, Crem, MI, Herbs, Auriga amongst others

I had a text from Rose late last night. The burial was yesterday and they had the first of the ceremonies at home. Lots of people attended and many are also providing good support (and food!) for Rose and family, but Rose is understandably exhausted by it all. She has asked me to update you and to pass on her love to you all. She is very touched by all the messages of support and texts which she has received. Dear lovely Rose .

Back later I hope.

Thanks for the update Monty. And sorry you are snowed under too - it seems to be the crepey phenomenon.

In good news I just got a text from my friends mum who had called in on DM and says she is on good form. I will see for myself tomorrow!

Ahhh, Herbs, I am so with you re: dreadful state of the world, and my slightly less little but still dear ds being only into watching witless cretins talking bollocks on YouTube rather than doing anything of any value.

Auriga, keep taking the warm drinks and funny cat vids. I found that the icky fluey virus thing I had in Sept/Oct dragged me down into a pit of utter despair for a while. It will pass! (Well, that's what I kept telling myself at the time and it did help to buoy me up a bit).

{{{Crem}}}

I am headless chickening around all over the shop. I have a large amount of work that all needs to be delivered by the 26th. And I am in doing my volunteering at ds's school this afternoon. Person I am working with said last week, "I so want you to come and work with me. I will make them give you a job. " Yesterday, I drove to Surrey to collect my box of course work and my certificate for last year's course - which finally got officially signed off last week (ffs). I stopped in Southampton on the way back, as I needed to visit IKEA (boo, hate that place) and also needed to get some work clothes, as I have realised that all the ones from the last time I taught are er, a bit past it. I seriously have hardly any grown-up clothes. I am not very good at clothes shopping (understatement) and had a bit of a panic attack just surveying the vast expanse of womenswear in JL. So I gave up and went in to Zara and depressed myself by trying on about 22 pairs of trousers. And tailored jackets. And then depressed myself trying on about 22 bras in M&S and not finding a single one that fitted. I clearly have alien boobs.

Anyhoo, 22 depressing pairs of trousers notwithstanding, I emerged from Zara with a possibly thoroughly unsuitable but rather nice skirt and some other inoffensive basics. I have not work black for more than a decade, but have decided that there is no way to avoid black work trousers. I am off to new school tomorrow and will try to not get too covered in dog hair before I go.

Also, Crepeys, please could you give me any film recommendations suitable for 17-18 year old girls? I am wanting to purchase a pile of them for little add-on prezzies for dd for Christmas and I am lacking inspiration.

MI, comfort yourself with the knowledge that in a year or two that twit student will probably be looking back on that convo with acute embarrassment. :)

Gah "worn black" not "work black". But you knew that..