Hi there!
I've felt curiously unmotivated to get on my computer and blog in the last week or so. I apologise for that.
What's been going on?
The previous weekend, after a Saturday where I woke up at 5am, I was doing some housework. After I packed up a parcel for the lovely Vix, I was coming out quickly out of the spare room with a washing basket and a parcel when I misjudged the angle and ended up smashing my bare toes and top of my right foot into the door frame. I lost my balance and I fell on my foot. And then I couldn't walk on it! I spent the rest of the day, apart from a trip to the post office and a Thai meal out in the evening, limping around and finally doing some sitting down with my feet up.
Luckily, the next morning, my foot was much improved. I walked to the station and got the train to Southend on travelled to Thorpe Bay to meet my sister and niece for a day at the beach. It was so lovely on the beach and not too crowded (compared to all the other beaches!). We swam in warm waters and had a truly jolly time.
For the last week at school, as well as my regular lessons and activities, I've been doing an extra project. We've got this push on this term to promote particular dispositions of learning such as persistence, creativity, resilience, adaptability, reflectiveness and a staff member has been tasked with getting the children to create characters for an animation with voiceover explaining what that disposition is. She asked me if I would be able to work with some children to record music for the animation that would fit the mood and character of the voice over and disposition. I agreed but in the 3 weeks available to do it, I needed to find a time when I could take a small group of kids to do it so we agreed I would take 6-7 children, those who come in early for 20minutes on a Monday and Tuesday morning during registration. Rather than the children composing the music (which would be quite time consuming and let's be honest, asking a set of children to create music that shows 'resilience' and fits a particular length of time and then 4 other mindsets in 6 20 minute sessions is a bit of an ask with a looming deadline...it takes them a while to brainstorm, let alone compose, perfect AND perform), I agreed that I would compose music for each one and then teach it to the children and get it recorded.
So last Monday, I created the Reflective Music and the Year 5 kids managed to learn it and record it in the 20minute slot. The next morning, 6 year 6 children learnt and recorded the 'Persistent' music. I'm pleased to say that the staff member and the Head teacher were utterly delighted with the first two offerings so that's a relief. It was fun for the kids (I think) as they had the experience of what it is like for a recording artist in a very simple way- having to do 10 takes of something, makings silly mistakes when time is so crucial, being precise. I shared my experience as an 11 year old of being chosen to sing for an animated film called The Mousehole cat. We were taken to a recording studio in Hertfordshire late at night and had to record it and during one take, I accidentally coughed. They stopped the recording and asked who had coughed. I was so scared that I didn't tell! The amount of money it was costing to be in that studio was drummed into us!
(here's a little trailer from the film. Sadly not our song bit!)
School on Monday was actually good. I always like my Summer music lessons- it's like I save my favourite learning till the Summer.
Chords with Year 5 - teaching them to how play any major or minor chord, Year 4's were enjoying pretending to be the orchestra for the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten as a fun interactive way to get them to understand the structure of the fugue at the end.
Tuesday was a day of Year 6 learning to play Papageno's aria Ein Madchen oder Weibchen from Mozart's Magic Flute opera on the glockenspiels to emulate Papageno's Magic Bells. The kids seem fascinated by Opera and I will always recommend the Magic Flute as a good introduction to opera.
Tuesday after school saw me clearing our some of the planters and one of the raised beds so that I could do some planting out of volunteer tomato plants. I discovered about 40 tomato plants growing in my raised bed 2 weeks ago- for some reason they have appeared so I potted up about 20 and took them to school- gave away some to staff and then planted out some in the school. My headteacher came out as I was weeding a planter and told me that he had been looking at them as well and thinking they really needed to be done!
I also agreed to sort out the hanging baskets and I put some nasturtium seeds in them for now so at least there will be something fresh growing and the soil in them is awful- apparently Nasturtiums don't mind that. I did also put a little compost in too.
Wednesday was an unexpected boon. After my Recorder Club in the morning, I taught my Year 4's who had a raucous time composing their own poems about the orchestra to use as a basis for a fugue for the next stage of Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. After that, I was supposed to have Year 3 for three lessons on the recorder but AMAZINGLY it turned out to be Egyptian Day for Year 3 and we had a company called Portals from the Past who did an immersive Egyptian day experience for the Year 3's so I was just supporting and supervising. It was superb! We had a maths lesson using Egyptian rulers to do measuring, an artefact lesson, a quiz geography lesson, (they had a dance lesson I missed as it was when I was in year 4) and in the afternoon, there was an interactive story telling drama. It was brilliant as certain children were involved dressing up and doing special parts. At the very end, yours truly was chosen to be the evil queen who paid off the governor to assassinate the dowager Pharoah's wife. I got to act evil and then had a hall of 90 children all bowing and genuflecting to me calling my name! It was hilarious! I am much better at acting as evil characters than good ones. Later, one of the teachers asked the children what their favourite part of the day was and they said, "The bit where Mrs P killed S!"
Another good choir session after school- the lovely student teacher had been persuaded by me to teach the children a song and she found this absolute cracker- Sansa Kroma. We also worked on some Abba and a new song called City Life.
Thursday was a hard day with Year 1 and 2 on a day with wet play ALL day but they managed to do what I wanted them to!
Drumming Club after school was also hard work. They were also bonkers after the rain. I have a fantastic bunch this term- all the most rhythmic and capable children, they pick up Samba rhythms in a heartbeat but they were CRAZY!
After school, CBC had to get ready to go to our Music Camp for the weekend. I was so jealous- it's been almost 2 years since I've been! I planted out my two Crystal cucumber plants in the bed where I'd cut back the Hellebores and the Viburnum and a remaining bean plant and watered the garden. Of course it rained about an hour after that. I was outside in my raincoat and pajamas filling watering cans and buckets with water.
Friday morning, I set off in the pouring rain on my bike, leaving CBC packing the car. Alas, I was 13minutes into my journey when the driver turfed us all off the train. Apparently, the overhead wires had come down between us and the next station. It was pouring with rain and the roof on the Pagoda (or whatever you call that roof thing that you stand under at the station) was unbelievably leaky. And just what you want in a pandemic is to have train loads of people all trying to crowd under a small, leaky roof.
As usual, the poor staff at the station didn't have a clue what was going on, the announcements were inaudible and lacked information. After a while, an announcement told us that rail replacement buses were being summoned but a) they had no clue when they would leave and arrive, b) there would be no trains for at least an hour or so if not longer, c) they suggested we go home on the trains that were arriving as they had to go back the other way whilst they still could. I was told by my Deputy Head, who I phoned, to just go home. I had PPA in time in the afternoon, and she said, by the time I might get there, it would be only possibly one lesson I might teach and she didn't want me to have to be crammed into buses that might take hours full of people.
So I went home! I was set some quite important tasks to do which kept me working till 4pm once I got home. It was quite nice to be cosy inside whilst it was pouring with rain, even if I was a bit stressed doing the work I was doing.
After that, I had a frantic card making session to make a 70th birthday card for my Dad and a 30th birthday card for my sister. It was all a bit manic!
After I finished, I had to pack my bags because I was going to my Mum's for the night whilst CBC was away. She asked me to get there before 7pm so I had a frantic packing. I discovered a problem. I had bought my younger sister a hammock for her 30th birthday present. A Hammock with a metal frame.
A Hammock frame that was in a box that was 160cm tall and 60cm wide that weighed quite a bit. Along with a large canvas hammock with ropes and wooden blocks in another box. As well as a Sage plant for my Dad and my weekend bag. Which I had to get to the station and then get on 2 trains.
I tried a taxi firm that they didn't answer their phone. So I was left with no option but to carry it all to the station in my trolley on wheels. It was SO awkward and heavy and slow- it was almost as tall as me! When I arrived at the first terminus, I had to walk 0.4miles to the other train line. Annoyingly, up to that point, the trains had been every 12 minutes. At that time, it was 35minutes till the next train.
I went to the the Royal Mail Parcel depot to pick up a parcel which had arrived from Vix on Thursday but I'd not been in. I added it to my trolley bag, stuffed in on top of my Sage plant.
Finally, I arrived at Mum's station. She was there to get me.
Honestly, by the time I got there, I was hot, sweaty, aching and thoroughly fed up of that wretched hammock!
At Mum's, she made me a cup of tea (much needed!!) and we had a quick look round her amazing garden and then served me up a portion of delicious Penne Ragu (I would say Spaghetti Bolognese but the pedantic instagrammers, aka my husband jumped on my nomenclature of the picture of it that I posted) followed by homegrown strawberries with ice-cream and homemade Elderflower and Rose cordial.
We watched Gardener's World and had some relaxed reading/crocheting respectively. We then had showers and headed off to bed to read. Before we went to sleep, I gave my Mum a foot massage which I know she appreciates and had not had for over a year!
In the morning, I woke around 6.45am, as did Mum, so she made a cup of tea and we read in our beds. After showers, she made us breakfast which was homemade Baked beans (haricot beans in tomato sauce with tiny bits of bacon) and bacon plus Grapefruit juice.
After that, we filmed a little video in the garden which she wants to send off to Gardener's World.
She had thoroughly spoiled me and I was really sad to be having to leave her at around 11.30pm.
My sister arrived in her car to take us over to my Dad's house for the joint 100th birthday party!
When we arrived, we saw that A's (younger sister) boyfriend had hired a furnished Bell tent for her birthday! It was SO pretty.
We had a really enjoyable afternoon in the cold garden eating barbeque food and salads. I was delighted to chat to my Stepmum's Mum (it always feels weird saying "Stepnan!") who I am incredibly fond of and is in her 90's and discover that she worked as a Machinist for Biba in the 1960's! How amazing is that!?!? It was really nice to be able to engage her in some fun, varied conversation, as she has dementia and I know it distresses my Stepmum how she repeats the same things but she was chatting about lots of things.
Finally, later on, we all headed into the Belltent which was so cosy and fun with beanbags, blankets, candles and lights and had a really fun time chatting.
We reluctantly had to head home and my brother-in-law gave me a lift home (which was good as I had a hamper for CBC and a plant...belated birthday present).
After reading my book, Frostheart, Escape from Aurora, I went to bed!
The next morning, I got up and did the washing up from Thursday night (eeek!!!! I hasten to add,it wasn't me that was SUPPOSED to do it). I then joined church on Youtube.
After church, I spent the majority of the day cleaning and tidying my house and putting away washing.
CBC finally returned at around 7pm from camp and I made him dinner.
Finally, after dinner, I went up to write the next instalment of the dispositions of learning...Resilience.
And that's my last week. I was really too tired to write anything last week.
Hope you are well.
xx