The hotel is nice ' basic but good and with plenty of good food, my companions are great c ompany and in short I am having a blast.

I have taken a while to pick up the blogging schedule because I have been ill with a chest infections, have had a car accident which resulted in Chloe Clio being taken off to the body repair shop.  Thanks to the careless driving of a transit van driver, his insurance company has had to cough up £4,000+ to put her back on the road.  The bathroom is almost ready but wasn't quite done when I left so with any luck and a following wind, it will be completed when I return.

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me for Race for Life, I'm hoping to make the £500 barrier and you have given me a great start.

Apologies for no photos.  My new Nikon camera has failed me.  I have a lense error showing itself whenever I try to use it so will be taking it back when I get back from holiday but sadly no photos of my surroundings to liven up my blog.

Speak soon!

Here is a little something which my quilting group have made to donate to the Macmillan Centre at Southampton.  Dick used to use the centre and often felt cold as he was waiting for his chemotherapy so now we hope to offer a little warmth to others.  It's come out well don't you think?  We used scraps of our own fabrics and I think it is lovely - even though I was part of making it!!

Thank you also to everyone who has sponsored me for my Race for Life again this year.  It is truly very touching that you are still thinking of Dick and supporting me.  I am very very grateful.

It was a busy week but a less busy weekend.  The album was finished on time and much appreciated.  I forgot to take photos so will need to arrange to borrow it back to do that.  Sharon was such a great  pal and helped me plough my way through 22 pages of LOs.  So good to know that it was done and we enjoyed the making of it.

I've got no bathroom at the moment.  After yet more leaks - leading to damp and smelly carpet in Tom's room - I have arranged for a complete renovation.  I've ordere a large shower to replace the bath (No one ever baths in this house just stood in it to shower!), picked tiles, chosen washbasin etc and now we are back into the world of skips and dust sheets.  At least it isn't like having the kitchen done and I can escape from it all down stairs. 

I'm hoping to go up to the Snowdome place at Milton Keynes on Wednesday with Nikky. (I think it is called Xcape really) The snow gear will get a try out and the ski legs will get more practice at finding those muscles which will ache for a couple of days afterwards. 

I heard this week that my job will be finishing in March!  The lady I am covering for is returning from Maternity leave in April so I will be back into the old routine again unless something else turns up.  At present there aren't any part-time posts advertised in the area but it is still early days yet.

The MOD has decided that Dick's death was not attributable to military service and this affects my pension somewhat.  I am appealing against the decision and need to formulate my case.  I just wish it would all be finished and dealt with.  This particular decision only relates to his pension and has nothing to do with the main legal case for liability.  Whenever someone dies of an asbestos-related disease, there is usually a claim for compensation because of negligence and we are working through that at the moment.  I have to say it is tough and I would just like it to be over and done with.  I think that in some way, they drag it out in the hope that we will just give up and forget it.  I have felt like that several times in the last few weeks but I can hear Dick's voice getting cross with me - he was such a fighter - so I am plodding on.

I'd just like to get on with my life and not keep dwelling on that dreadful disease.

Which reminds me...........................registrations for the Race for Life have just started.  I shall be running/jogging/walking again this year and hope that I might be sponsored.  I was proud to hear that last year, with everyone's help I was one of the biggest fund-raisers in the Southampton area.  Let's see what we can do this year.  I shall be putting a widget on the site shortly where sponsorship can be made.

How about you walking/running and joining me?

I arrived at the ski slope which is miles from the carpark and after stepping out briskly to get there on time was aware of how fit I felt doing that rather than being puffed and breathless!  So I was rather pleased with myself when I arrived and was fitted out with boots and minute skis.  Yes - tiny skis! Well hey seemed like that to me as mine were over 6' long when I skiied last!!  My instructor, Jenny was lovely and after a few gentle skirmishes with the slope in the form of snow plough turns, she decided we should get on the lift and make our way down the slope.  As you can see from this tiny thumbnail it is not huge but feels steep enough when you are skiing.

   tTo cut a long story short, it took me about half and hour to get my ski-legs back.  Yes I don't have the flair and style I once had and it will take me a while to be able to approach things with the fearlessness I did years ago but I can honestly say I was shocked at how easily it all came back.  I am SO looking forward to my ski trip.  Jenny reckons I will be smack-bang in the middle of the group ability-wise so that is a huge reassurance.  I loved every minute of it and can't wait to be back there next week, trying again.  In fact next Tuesday I am going up to see friends and then on Wednesday having a morning at the snow-dome in Milton Keynes.  I am really looking forward to it all.

To finish off my week of activity, I did two hours of tennis this morning.  I loved that too!  All this activity is taking me back to my youth.  The only difference is that I get stiffer than I used to and my knee, although holding up well, given the pounding it is getting. is very very stiff and needs a hot shower to loosen it up occasionally.                     

I have got the gear for the ski holiday too.  I'd like to think this would be me on the slopes but don't hold your breath.  But it is nice to dream!  All I can say is that the jacket and trousers will be there, maybe not the skill!

My scrapping has been full-on this week.  The album we started is just about finished and will be handed over at the end of the week.  I will try and take some photos of some of the LOs so that you can see it is not all hot air!!

 So I have had a lovely couple of days.  The house is in turmoil and needs a good sorting out.  Won't happen this weekend as I am tied up on both Saturday and Sunday but never mind.  I have learnt that it isn' those things that define a person.  Besides, the bathroom is going on Saturday and we shall be in chaos anyway.  Might as well go the whole hog!

I found this week very difficult doing 4 days per week and was quite exhausted at the end of it all.  I am Ok with the classroom stuff but keeping on top of the marking and planning so that my job-share collegue has a fighting chance of being able to teach sequentially from what I have done requires a lot of time and communication.  I am getting there but still waking up in the middle of the night and worrying that I might not be doing something well enough for the children.  I am sure I shall get there.

Believe it or not I managed to get some scrapping done this weekend!  Sharon and I had a mini-crop of our own and did 11 LOs between us. It was a lovely afternoon and I had quite forgotten how therapeutic it can be!  I sense I shall be doing some more.  This project is easy.  It is for someone else with their photos.  I'm not sure how ready I am to do some of our own!

Back dieting and it is going well.  The weight is falling off again and I am enjoying the mixture of doing Lighter Life and having a good square meal every evening.  It's weigh-in time again tomorrow so let's hope for a good loss

I have a lesson booked on Tuesday at the dry-ski slopes so I am hoping that I can still walk on Wednesday.  I have a feeling I shall be like an old crock!  I have tennis booked for that morning so heaven help me!  There is no fool  like an old fool and I think I am rapidly becoming one or those!!

The bathroom re-fit is due to start next Saturday.  The leaks which has plagued us for several months have finally led to a damp carpet in Tom's  bedroom, so I am hoping that this will be the cure.  I hope so as it is going to be a costly fix but very much needed. Heyho! I am getting used to the presence of builders in the house!

Just off to read the book for this month's book club - The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.  I think it will be nice and relaxing!

The big news in the family is that Tom is back from his officer initial briefing - the first part of the selection process and I am pleased to report that he is going to go forward to the next part in about April.  Dates yt to be booked.  He really enjoyed the experience and found he did extremely well in certain parts of it but the real push for Army fitness begins today.  He needs to up his training and is really looking forward to it.  He has a training partner now (used to be a professional cyclist) and a trainer so he has every reason to succeed.  I am so pleased for him though.  He has focussed on this for quite a while now and I am just thrilled that he is working his way through the process and enjoying it all.

I've had a good couple of days.  I can see definite improvement in the the way my class are responding and behaving.  So all the hard work has paid off.  I had a blissful morning with them yesterday and my TA and I together just smiled and smiled as we enjoyed the buzz of happy. engaged children.  Phew!  And there was me beginning to wonder if I had lost my touch.

Today is my day for recuperating.  I am booked for tennis and hope to get some scrapping done.  Not huge amounts but making a start on the project I have in hand.  More of that later.  I am not totally convinced that the recipient might not by chance pop on to here and it would be a pity if my cover was blown!

So the promise of some creativity .............let's hope the wait has been worth it all.

But the nightmare of the weekend was my new computer crashing and having to do 2 system recoveries before the techieguys eventually decided that it was a no-hoper and now I am without a PC and awaiting an engineer to come and replace bits.  The only good thing about it all is that I had done a back-up yesterday afternoon on the external hard-drive.  Grrrrr!

Ben has applied for a flexi-PGCE which is good, more news on that later.  Tom is off for his initial briefing session (still selection but not the final one!)  So the weekend has moved forward in a positive way.

Thanks for all the reading suggestions.  I shall think about them all.  Having finished "Shakespeare" by Bill Bryson, I think I am heading towards reading "The Return" by Victoria Hislop.  Just for a chilling out gentle read.

So now I am off to have my dinner.  Dieting is going well.  I am enjoying eating a decent meal every evening but hopefully I shall get the weight off quickly and be ready to set off on my holiday, trim and fit.

It's nice to dream!!!!

It's been an easy return to work in many ways.  Today was an INSET day - so no children.  In effect just 1 whole day's teaching and 1/2 a day teaching and 1/2 day planning plus of course today.  And yes, Thursday was much easier than Monday so that was good!

But I have decided that teaching is like a warm quagmire - it sucks you in, surrounds you gently and then finally smothers you totally.  I like to be prepared and if I am not careful I shall be expanding this job to be more than it really is.  I want - and need - to have 2 days for myself in the middle of the week and I would prefer to have my weekend free.  I think it is possible but I have to have good systems, I need to be very disciplined, (no taking marking home - stay until it is finished at school) and no being drawn into extra things I should not be giving time to.  Let's see how it goes.  I don't have that much confidence that it will be as I want it to be!!

But the news of the week is that I have booked a skiing holiday..............on my own!  I have decided after 20 years and carrying far too much weight for too many of those years, that I am going to try skiing again.  In my younger years I loved skiing and was a reasonable, if not that adventurous skier.  But I have seized the moment, booked the holiday in the Dolomites in Italy for the half-term holiday and paid my money.  I have also booked some skiing lessons on the dry-ski slope in Southampton on my days off so that I can get back into it a bit and hopefully might even manage a trip to the Snow-dome in Milton Keynes before I go.

I think it is probably one of the better types of holiday to try to do on your own.  The morning is ski school and so we are busy and occupied and able to get to know one another.  The afternoon is our own.  I hope Dick would be pleased that I was giving it a go.  I just hope I come back in one piece!! 

I have started on the diet - no not the full Lighter Life Diet, the gentler version - to try and shift a few pounds before I go, I have treated myself to a very beautiful ski jacket and salopettes from that doyenne of the shopping malls - TK Maxx - and I have started to visit the gym regularly.  Aerobics on Wednesday, tennis last night and Legs, Bums and tums tomorrow!  I must be mad!

So I shall love and leave you.  It is bloomin' freezing here.  I had to do a lot of scraping of the windscreen this morning and I am aiming for an early night with hot chocolate and a good book.  I'm working 4 days next week - I have to do an extra day as my colleague is on a course - so I need to build up my energy!!

Have a good weekend everyone!

There will be a bit more discussion about my expectations - simple really:  I talk, you listen.  You talk, I listen!  And we need to realise the lines are for writing on but we got through the Maths, Literacy, Science and Spellings and even had time for a story.  (I plumped for Charlotte's Web as they didn't know that one.)  I shall need to fine tune the work so it meets their needs better but at least we have got started.

Thanks for the suggestions for books.  I shall definitely do "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" (the book I remember most as the one when I knew I was a reader, heart and soul - I still remember the sore elbows from lying on the carpet on my tummy, reading for hours on end) but Stig of the Dump was a book I did with Year 3 about 16 years ago and they loved it too.

A day off tomorrow!  Hooray!  Time to get the housework done and then sort myself out for Thursday - I only teach for 1/2 the day - and Friday is an INSET day.  Yehah! 

I'm off to the Panto tomorrow - Oh Yes I am!  Some kids never grown up!

I am busy ploughing my way through Bill Bryson's "Shakespeare" in preparation for my book club meeting in a week's time.  I wasn't keen but it is very readable.  I shall reserve judgement until it is finished but it is not a chore as I thought it would be.

I have several books to read:

• The Return by Victoria Hislop
• The Nazi Officers Wife by Edith Hahn Beer
• That's Another Story by Julie Walters
• The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Anyone read any of them?  It would be good to hear what you think.  I'm so grateful that I have got back into reading again.  For a long time it was very difficult to settle to a book but I do so love reading and even if I have disturbed sleep, a book is a great comfort.  One of the favourite parts of being a teacher for me is to encourage a love of reading in children.  So this term it is going to be a children's classic "Charlotte's Web".  Just hope that not many of them will have seen the video.  I'll do a quick check before I begin.  "Matilda" by Roald Dahl is the back-up choice.  That one was done as a film about 13 years ago so might not be so well known.  Both are great so it will be a special time every day when we enjoy a book together.

Any suggestions for "good reads" for either me or the children at school are gratefully received!