Fave Friday

It's the depths of winter now and my skin is always looking at its worst this time of year. I don't notice that the central heating dries it out too much but I do come out of my classroom at the end of the day feeling baked and it's difficult to get the temperature in my car just so, which means I spend much of the evening flushed and just a splash of water on my face makes it feel tight as a drum. Plus, no healthy sun glow, and even if I were the sort to use fake tan I can't, because it smells just like feet on me. So I have to work hard to do skin maintenance other way. Here is my amassed wisdom on the subject.

Five Favourite Tips for Dry Skin

1. Exfoliate over oil
I slather my face in Lush's Babyface (which is basically cocoa butter plus other stuff in small quantities) before exfoliating because otherwise I find scrubs a little harsh on my skin.

2. Use a facial oil AND a moisturiser before bed
I read in a magazine that Sienna Miller advocates this and I thought it was ridiculous. I mean, just how overloaded do you want your skin to be? But I hate to admit - she's right.

3. Drink tonnes of water
Boring, but so helpful. I really notice the difference when I'm not guzzling enough of the clear stuff.

4. Use cream and liquid make up formulations
They'll add extra moisture and they sink in, instead of skittering across the surface.

5. Moisturise all over
I am rubbish at this. I hate sitting around waiting for the cream to sink in. So I use King of Skin in the shower (this product is definitely misunderstood; you just have to make sure you wash it off before you get out of the shower) or I put some sort of oil in my bath. I am convinced that dry body skin makes my face feel drier. It's probably all in my head.

Have you got any good skincare tips?

Fave Friday

Five Favourite Things About Snow Days (of which there have been three in the past week)

1. Sleeping in. Even if I have to get up to await the call from the deputy head telling me school is closed, I can do what I want to do every dark, cold and frosty morning and crawl back into my cosy bed and steal warmth from Mr Z and sleep until I wake up of my own accord. I feel very rested this week.

2. Getting extra work done. I don't have a great deal to do at home - truthfully I thought we'd only be out for one day. Consequently, Monday's lessons are the best planned lessons I will have taught in ages. I have actually made all the slides for them and everything; normally I'd make one and then do the rest on the fly while the kids were doing their starter.

3. Knitting time. Shedloads of it! I have added border around half of Parpy Jo's lace scarf now, and I fully intend to do at least half of the remaining long side this weekend. I have the pattern down pat now so I don't even need to look at the chart. It is so much easier than I thought it would be; I was such a wuss about starting it!

4. Birds. We put food out, because the mitten does not enjoy being outside in snow, so they can feed in our garden in relative safety. We have some blackbirds that have been coming for our crumbled digestive biscuits and dried fruit. We've been calling them all Dickory. I saw some blue tits on Wednesday which prompted me to put out the food, but they haven't been back....not while I've been watching, anyway.

5. Snow play!

Snow Henge!

I am trying to remain positive, because there are quite a lot of things I don't like. Firstly, until this morning (tis Saturday...I am late with the Fave Friday I know) I hadn't been further than 50 feet from my front door since Tuesday.

Secondly, we spent 2 hours helping the neighbour dig, rake and sweep the ice off the lane and drive yesterday so we could get our cars out - and then it snowed again, a bit. It should be OK though.

Thirdly, people driving like morons. My cracked windscreen was due to be replaced yesterday; Autoglass pushed my appointment to the end of the day because I was at home and not in the town where I work. Autoglass man rang me at 1.30 to say he was just leaving said town - 45 minute run, on a good day. At 3, he rang to say he was in stationary traffic but still hoped to get to me. At 5 he rang and said he was still 22 mins away but it was too dark to bother coming. School was open yesterday for 6th form and staff, but I'm so glad I decided not to drive in, or I'd either have been stuck in that traffic, or causing it.

Fourthly, people shopping as if for a siege. I have heard dark tales on Facebook; I have to go food shopping today. Do not want.

Finally, the Tories turning the gritting into a political issue, because the country has ground to a halt and consequently they can't find any other sticks to beat the government with. I hate election years, I'm so, so sick of this political bullshit already. In my book, he who whinges the loudest will never get his own way. And surely grit supplies and how it is spread is a local government issue anyway - and don't the Tories control the majority of local councils?

Le sigh.

Fave Friday

5 Favourite Things About Me

1. I don't get hangovers. It was the work Christmas do last night. I drank a vast quantity. By all rights I should still be suffering, but I am just tired. I slept all afternoon. That was it, though.

2. I have an excellent memory. Not short term - I regularly forget what I'm saying halfway through a sentence. But the rest of my memory is great. I think it might be because I have kept diaries (or this blog) from the age of 12. Writing things down helps me remember them.

3. I have great hair. I do. I always have. It's long and in good condition, and it does what I want it to do. Plus, only one grey so far and I think I will be lucky and it will keep its colour late, like Mother Hand and her mum.

4. I'm flexible. I think it's because I did so many dance classes as a kid (this also helps me to pick up dance steps quite quickly...). It's not really useful, but I get the feeling that if I practised often, it wouldn't be long before I could do the splits again.

5. I'm a quick study. I pick things up quickly...except maths.

Fave Friday

Five Favourite Things About This Week

1. My vest and knitted scarf collection. The time has come for a nice cosy vest under whatever I'm wearing, and a big thick scarf wrapped round my neck. Lion & Lamb really has come into its own this week, as have the thrummed mittens I made last year (and then had to rescue after I stupidly took them dry skiing). And the new green hat.

2. Little coursework surprises from my naughtiest year 11s. I love it when they turn up, looking all proud of themselves, and give me their late essays.

3. Sour Strawbs. Having recently discovered Haribo Strawbs, I found a sour version in the (fantastically overpriced) garage local to work. They were worth the money. Not quite as sour as Malaysian sour Skittles - which apparently made a PE teacher cry, the mouth of one of the Malaysia trippers go numb for several hours, and Father Z's face fold in on itself, so sour are they - but a good level of mouthwatering regardless.

4. The Hairspray Soundtrack. As I trudged across the sodden field in the icy wind on break duty yesterday, chasing off smokers, it was the only thing that kept me from crying with exhaustion and self-pity.

5. Henry getting his death rattle fixed. I might be over-optimistic about this, because I am still at work, waiting for Vicky to get back from a school trip and drive me home - but he certainly went in this morning to have fixed the scary rattling which sounds every time the clutch is depressed, and I haven't had any phone calls saying he won't be back today. None too soon, either, since the clutch had started to grate yesterday. I had another tense drive home. I hope it was caused by the original problem, and the clutch isn't finally going. I have a tax bill and Christmas to pay for this month!


A NOT favourite thing this week is discovering Scattergories is out of print, or whatever you call it when a game is discontinued. The US version is still out there but has difficult categories like "US State Capitals" on it. I have developed a minor obsession with this game, since it's absolutely perfect for keeping at school for 5 minutes of downtime (ie, parents evenings) and everybody enjoys it. We use John & Lou's set (they come skiing and brought it for the bus and we really annoyed the teachers from the other school by playing it loudly for most of the daylight hours we were travelling) but I have set my heart on owning one for myself.

I have been looking around but second hand sets are going for crazy money - nearly £50 for a 21 sided dice, a crappy timer and a few cards? No thanks. I love it so much, though.....I will craftily hit up the charity shops tomorrow, but then probably frantically bid on ebay.

And, if I'm true to form, I will win, pay nearly £50, play it half a dozen times this month and then put it in the cupboard with Cranium, Monopoly and the other games I bought and never play.

Fave Friday

Five Random Faves of the Moment

1. Kelly's hat on DWTS
It's a big slouchy beret with a buckled leather strap. Here's a handy screenshot -


As I suspected, by the time I cottoned onto this beauty there was already a thread or two about it on Ravelry, and somebody managed to track down the source - the hats are made by Galadriel Mattei out of recycled cashmere sweaters and watch straps. They also cost $160. I have a better idea....and it involves those blue art deco buckles I bought last month.

(Incidentally, I have been adoring DWTS this season. It's not quite the same as Strictly, but it's a very fun, with the little skits, and Bruno is positively rabid. I am watching the finale now, having managed to avoid spoilers all week - which is why googling for Kelly's hat was the closest I got to living on the edge today. I loved Kelly's Balmain-shouldered showdance outfit, and electrowatt grin, Donny's showdance, and Mya's paso. And great music choices. Still, Shawn Johnson's cha cha from last season is my favourite DWTS dance ever.)

2. Random History Facts Which May Not Be True
Like, members of Mussolini's nickname was the Phenomenal Rabbit (this is out of a textbook, so hopefully true). And Saddam Hussein made it law that everybody had to make a cake on his birthday (I cannot find any evidence to substantiate this but I wish it to be true - evil dictator forces cake on everyone).

3. Wispa Gold
I hope it's back for good. Delicious.

4. Make-do-and-mend cooking
I made a banana and chocolate cake for work today, using the 4 brown bananas leftover from before my trip, and the leftover chocolate coins from the Murder Mystery in March. I haven't shopped for so long that we've almost completely run out of fresh food, so it's been some interesting eating lately.


(DWTS update: I can't believe Karrieann just broke down when she was talking to Kelly Osborne. It has made me well up! I don't think Kelly is going to win but she has been marvellously entertaining. And I bet they had to take that dress in a lot from the first week.)


5. Duvet Duck Slippers
I am not a slipper-wearer but I bought a pair of these a couple of years ago and they're so snug and warm, I couldn't resist buying another pair this winter, since the old pair were leaving feathers all over the house, thanks to a sizeable rip in the bottom. The new pair are even better because they are turquoise, with fluffy clouds all over, and they have a furry lining. Yum.
(Though, I bought mine on ebay and now I've found this link to them I wish I'd gone for the black pair - they wouldn't get grubby as quickly).


Half an hour of DWTS left. Who will prevail? And tomorrow on Strictly - two new dances! And a group dance! Tres jolie.
(Poor Mr Z. Even the Simpsons this evening had ballroom dancing on it......and one of my favourite ever Simpsons quote, "Giving people equal parts when they're clearly not equal is called what, children? Communism!")

Fave Friday

Five things Malaysians seem to love consuming

1. Coconut
In the rice, in the cakes (which are mostly made of sticky rice), in the curries, split open to drink the milk....it's lucky I love coconut, because otherwise I'd be a bit stuffed.

2. Milo
This is a bit like Nesquick, but made with water instead of milk. They serve it hot in the canteen here for breakfast, but all the students put ice in it and make it a cold drink. It's also served everywhere else - in juice boxes, cans, in fast food restaurants, and in fact pretty much everywhere I've been.

3. Peanuts
So glad none of the students is allergic. They turn up everywhere. They were floating in the breakfast curry this morning. At the feast on Wednesday night, we were served a thick folded pancake-type thing, which was filled with rough ground peanuts, sweetcorn, and plenty of sugar. It was surprisingly pleasant. And the peanut butter in the mornings is smooth (boo) but the freshest I've ever tried.

4. Instant coffee
BLERGH. And it's mostly Nescafe, I think. Luckily there is a proper-coffee machine in the teacher lounge here. Yesterday in KL I was served a cold coffee that had already been sweetened, it was a surprise. Not one I'd like to repeat.

5. CAKE!
I've never been to a country where they like cake so much, I don't think. And I mean proper cake - obviously Americans are good at doughnuts and the French push a wide variety of pastries; but Malaysians seem to really rate actual cake. I appreciate this. I appreciate Malaysia because of this.

Can't believe the week is over. We're off for a bit of beach action tomorrow so might not get the chance to update now until Monday. Try not to miss me too much!

Fave Friday

Five Favourite Things About Going Away

1. Packing. I'm not kidding. I'm an organisational geek. I like to lay out everything I'm taking, folded in piles on the bed(one for tops, one bottoms, one for dresses etc) and then decide when I will wear each piece, to ensure I don't overpack.

2. The airport/flight. That's not to say I don't enjoy other forms of transport - I must have rambled on about my unhealthy adoration for bus travel before; I really enjoy the process of being on the move. It appeals to my multitasking side: I am travelling AND knitting/reading/napping. But I love airports especially, and being on planes. Longhaul is good. I've hopped the pond so often, shorthaul feels like an anti-climax now. Oh, I'm such a jet-setter....*flicks hair affectedly*

3. Seeing a new place. Especially people watching, and looking around shops. I like going to foreign supermarkets: you can get a real feel for everyday life in them. Especially if you're nosing in other people's baskets.

4. A change in weather. Nowhere else has British weather; I like it, but sometimes it's nice to go somewhere where the weather is predictable. Like, I hear in Malaysia, it's 30 degrees with high humidity, and it rains every afternoon, but nobody cares because it's warm rain. That's great! I can totally pack for that - hot weather clothes + waterproof.

5. Taking pictures. I like to take a LOT of pictures, and then I get them home, put them on Flickr...and that's usually it. I'm determined to spend part of my Christmas holiday organising some pictures into albums, like the Life Laundry woman said. I think she probably meant it about real pictures, with negatives, which take up space, since digital pictures take up less room than albums. However, I get a real kick out of looking through my albums.

I had a brief moment of zen-like tranquility this morning, around 11.30, when I had finished all my cover and copied the entire trip file for my Head, and for about 30 minutes I allowed myseld to caper unreservedly.

Then the panic set it. OMG. What have I forgotten? What is going to go wrong? Supposing my passport is lost? ARGH I'VE LOST MY PHONE AND IT'S THE EMERGENCY CONT...oh here it is. I am going to be too hot. And other such irrationalities. It has abated slightly now, that I have packed, but we'll see. This time tomorrow, I'll be on the plane.

I'll leave you with a picture I took before the autumn wind blew all the leaves off this pretty (but irritating) tree Mr Z is cultivating to grow right outside the front door. I think, though the glass, it looks almost like a painting. Lovely colours, at any rate.

Fave Friday

Five Favourite Drinks

1. Diet Coke. I like it far too much. I haven't been sleeping well this week and last night it finally clicked that I'd given up diet coke in the evenings because it stopped me sleeping - and then mysteriously forgot this little nuggest of info and started again. So I am limiting myself. But I especially like it out of a cup, a la fast food joint.

2. Gin. I like Hendricks, for a preference, and Gordons. But I'll drink any gin, really. I like it with soda and a lime wedge, to bring out the gin flavour. Gin is my go-to drink when I've got a long night ahead and don't want to get too drunk.

3. Lemon squash. Current favourite soft drink. I like how they're double concentrate now, so the bottle is smaller.

4. Grapefruit juice. It's a bit heavy on its own, though, so I mix it half and half with sparkling water. Grapefruit is one of my favourite smells/tastes.

5. Chenin blanc. I like white wine that isn't oaked...so not Chardonnay, really. I like red wine, too, but I am in a white wine phase. I have to be careful, though, because I often find that I've drunk too much two glasses after it's too late.

Whatever it is I'm drinking though, it has to be cold. Coffee is the only exception - and I even like that iced.

Fave Friday

Five Favourite Songs of the Moment

1. Billy Joel - Vienna. I think I like it so much partly because of the story that goes with it.

2. Calvin Harris - Ready for the Weekend. Very bouncy, and mentions shoes. I'd also like to be one of those happy posing girls in the video. I can totally flcik my hair just as good as they can.

3. Elton John - Tiny Dancer. I finally watched Almost Famous a couple of weeks ago and it made me go and find the song and listen to it, since I'd only heard the recent remix. I like to go, "Uh, yeah!" at random points to it and then snigger to myself about how I'm being Ironik, in more ways than one. It's probably only a joke that would make me laugh.

4. Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream. Just very chilled and relaxie.

5. Beyonce - Single Ladies. In large part because hearing it makes me remember one of my favourite Big Brother clips ever (another thing which is probably only amusing to a select few, but David really goes for it). There's also this funny SNL/Justin Timberlake effort. I think if Mizzy T ever does another school concert, she'll be doing this song.


Car's Henry again. The clutch is going. That damn garage! They jinx me every time! Last time I took it in was February when they said the suspension would need doing next service - and it went a week later. This week they told me my clutch was starting to smell a bit and might be on its way out. TWO FRIGGIN' DAYS later and it's bunny hopping through first and second. I just had an extremely tense drive home, over-revving and sticking to third gear + as much as possible, and think I've discovered what all that lovely remark money (which was supposed to be for sparkly kitchen tiles, a new coat and other fripperies) is going to be spent on.

Le sigh.

Oh well, c'est la vie. I always said I would keep Henry for six years and then trade him in, and it's six years this month, so I only have myself to blame.

....although, since writing the above, Mr Z has come home and declared it to be a problem with the exhaust. Since that sounds cheaper than a new clutch, I am hoping he is right - and it could be explained by that funny noise I heard on the way home Wednesday night, which I thought was a stick being thrown up by the wheel and striking the underside of the car.

Oh, the drama! I know, I know, you must be on tenterhooks....I'll keep you posted, don't worry.

Fave Friday

Other people's favourites this week...

My Five Most Favourited Projects on Ravelry

1. Silk Corset, 19 faves



This one actually got to 21 for a while and then some people unfaved it. So it has been stuck at 19 for ages!
I don't wear this very often on its own, like this, but I wear it to school over a white blouse quite regularly. It's a PITA to wash, though, and loses its shape quite quickly after washing. I am plucking up the courage to try it on a handwash cycle in the machine.

2. Saartje's baby bootees, 19 faves



3. Hemp Lelah top, 18 faves



I'm the only person who has knitted this out of hemp, so that might have something to do with it. In the end with this project, I folded the bust, hemmed it and added elastic because, even though I made straps, I liked them not. That has worked fine, except I keep splitting the stitches and having to rehem bits of it, which is ANNOYING!

4. Cotton Tantric Puzzle Top, 16 faves



I never blogged about this because it was finished too close to my holiday. It's meant to be worn tightly wrapped but I like it this way, so I didn't knit the wraparound straps for it.



(I also drank several martinis before taking pictures)

I haven't worn it much, because it still has no closures on the front, and it keeps riding backwards because it's heavy. I need to put a stitch in at the back to keep the crossover centred, and then add hooks and eyes to the front. This will be done...sometime. I want to wear it in Malaysia, so sometime this month, no doubt.

5. Cherry Blossom Bag, 14 faves



A complete labour of love! And going to be featured in a knitting magazine out this month!! My knitting group is featured and I managed to get this project through the selection process - only five projects were picked in the end, so I am pretty pleased with myself.


I find it disheartening, sometimes, that my own favourite projects (like the watermelon bag, my latest garish slipover creation, and my blue tank) are not among the most popular, but I guess I can't complain, since I didn't knit them for anybody except me :)

Fave Friday

Five Favourite Things About Today

1. Getting compliments on my latest WIP - a Candy cardigan, knitted in softest grey silk blend and Noro Silk Garden, which is striping in the most beeyootiful way.

2. In Geology class (which I am taking along with 23 year 9s on a Friday after school), when I said, "This igneous rock is exactly like the last one except the crystals are bigger, which means this one must have formed UNDER the ground and the last one formed ABOVE the ground where it's cooler" AND I WAS RIGHT! I rock. Ba dum dum tish.

3. When one of the hardest boys in year 11, upon hearing that I couldn't wear fake tan on my face because it smells like feet on me, said, "Well then don't put it on your face, wear foundation instead - DUH!" like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Beauty tips from a thug. Bad ones, too.

4. Watching the abject confusion washing over my classes as they walked into my room and realised I'd shifted the whole layout around last night. They didn't know what to do! Cue much milling around. Bless.

5. THE END. Of the day, I mean. Open evening was last night and I am fit to drop. I considered going to be at 6pm when I got in but have managed to stay awake long enough to cook and eat dinner, watch the final episode of Reaper (I am, by the way, inconsolable that it has been cancelled) and write this. I don't think there's much more left in my day, though.

BRING ON THE WEEKEND!

And it's only really a three day week next week, because I have a Malaysia all-day meeting and Friday is sponsored walk day. God bless sponsored walk day.

Fave Friday

Five Favourite Things of the Moment

1. Hatley PJs. I got some PJ bottoms in the US and am sad I did not getting a matching top. They have bears on them and are very comfy. I particularly like this bear, which reminds me of Where the Wild Things Are -


I am very sad they do not ship to the UK, and I can only find child sizes available over here. BAD HATLEY.

2. STRICTLY! I was wondering, as I fawned over the first episode of the new Strictly Come Dancing series this evening, why I'd never thought to watch it in HD before, since it is such superb wuality - no sequin too dull, no bead of sweat too tiny.....then I remembered that we didn't have the HDTV when the last series was on. How quickly we forget.

3. The word Wikikicking. Can you imagine what an awesome score that would get in Scrabble, if there were 3 Ks available? I came across it this week in this article (warning: some bad language in there. Very bad.)

4. The John Frieda volumising spray I bought last week. Big hair has never been easier. I believe it may also be extending the time I can go between washes without my hair looking like a bad combover from a Hamlet ad. I hope I'm not kidding myself.

5. Knitting on the catwalks. Hello, Chanel...


Very bad screenshot taken from their website, sorry. I pinched this one because it reminded me of a knitting project someone at my Knit'n'Knatter did, but the more I look at it, the more I like it, in a Bellatrix Lestrange kind of way.


Now, I must have some sleep. It has been in short supply. I am going to get some now. I've had the busiest week and it's only going to get worse. And I have 55 remarks to do this weekend (no, I know they're not really remarks, Mr Exam Board Man...) with more piling up, and Malaysia trip parents chasing me for information I don't yet have, and the ski company are making life very difficult....

Simplistic, low paid office work has never been so appealing.

Fave FriSunday

VERY late. I have had teh lethargy. Blame going back to work. Yesterday was the first time I can remember the alarm going off for knitting group and me not wanting to get up.

Five Current Favourite Beauty Products

1. Neal's Yard orange flower facial oil. I've started using this at night instead of moisturiser. My skin is quite dry and needs something rich. Smells delicious, and feels really nourishing - when I rinse my face in the morning I can feel the excess coming off, but it doesn't feel greasy.
Now, Sienna Miller recommends wearing moisturiser over the top of facial oil, but that just seems like product overload to me...

2. Pacifica Brazilian Mango Grapefruit perfume. I picked this up in Sephora while I was away. I have come across Pacifica before and their fruity scents really appeal to me. This one is particularly zingy and fresh, and although it doesn't last too long (grapefruit never does), I bought the solid perfume too, so I can top up during the day. It's a real pick-me-up.

3. Lush Oatifix facemask. Smells like Weetabix with banana, and leaves my skin nice and soft. This is one of the few masks I've used where I don't feel the need to slather on moisturiser as soon as I take it off.

4. Ped Egg. Not much different to any other foot file, imo, but that it captures filings (which is great). I use mine wet, which is probably not advised, but it's so much more effective if I do it after a soak in the bath or at the end of a shower. Then I add Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Balm.

5. MAC lipstick - Craving. I only started wearing lipstick in the last couple of years and I only have a few brights - a pillar box red, a more orangey red, and a bright pink. I'm not very good at reapplying so I didn't wear it every day - but then I remembered Lipcote and realised I could wear it all day. Craving is my attempt at a toned down lip. It's going well so far. I really need to go and ask the MAC counter for advice on a good neutral for me but they're always so busy.



OK, annoying. I'm writing this on Mr Z's swanky new MacBook and there is no option to change my font! Fail.

Fave Friday

Five Favourite Things About Autumn Coming

1. SOCKS! Big, fluffy, squidgy socks. I know I can wear them all year round but they just don't have the same effect as they do when it's cold, and it's nice to be able to get them out again as the weather turns.

2. Those autumn days when it's really windy and there are scattered showers, so the whole world smells of wet leaves but there are times during the day when one can go outside and appreciate it without getting drenched. This is my definition of a blustery day.

3. Things that smell of pumpkin and spiced apple. Such a strong scent association for me, I can't use this stuff any other time of year. I have a BPAL pumpkin and spiced apple perfume which is my staple for the autumn.

4. New term. I get excited to be back at school, in large part because it means there legitimately can be shopping for new work clothes, shoes and, more importantly, stationery. It's also fun to see everybody and meet all my new classes and get back to a routine. I work best with a routine.

5. Blackberries - free in the hedgerow. Three of my best blackberrying spots have been destroyed in the past couple of years but luckily they still grow like wildfire on the edge of the school field - even if I did once come across a rat, sitting on a branch at eye level. I always wash the fruit.


I know the bad weather we've been having (thunder today!) is largely due to that hurricane blowing itself out in our direction and not to the onset of autumn, and that we probably have a few nice days ahead of us, but I came across a pair of squidgy socks I'd forgotten about and did some shopping yesterday, so it really feels like the season is on the turn.

It's impossible for me to pick a favourite season. Trying to reach a decision causes a pucker of consternation to appear on my brow. They all have their merits and their negatives. I just get excited when the seasons change, really - I'm always ready for the new one to roll around and shake things up a bit.

Kelli's written about her five favourite things about Fridays this week, over on her blog - Three Boys and a Dog.

Fave Friday

Five Random Favourite Things

1. Turquoise. The colour, not the stone - I don't much care for the stone, weirdly. I'm all about the colour, though. In fact, anything on that spectrum - teal, aqua....

2. Shoes. Mmmm....shoes. Parpy Jo and I went shopping last night and I tried on this pair in Aldo and was instantly smitten. They came home with me. And maybe a second pair in grey. But when I find beautiful shoes that comfortably fit my wide, high arched feet - carpe diem.

3. My bed. Especially since we got the new mattress in February. My favourite bedtime is when the sheets I splurged on from John Lewis, with the poppy duvet cover that sort of matches the bedroom curtains, are fresh on the bed (even better if Mother Z has snaffled them away and ironed them first) and I'm not too tired to enjoy some reading and fresh-sheet-enjoyment before I go to sleep.

4. Baths. I just hopped out of one. I like to use lots of good smelling bath products, and after 10 minutes or so I start adding cold water until the bath is only lukewarm. I don't like an overly hot bath and can't sit in one for too long.

5. Eyeliner. Especially in bright colours, though I am toning it down a bit more as I'm getting older. I like gel and liquid eyeliners best because the colours stay nice and strong. I bought a couple of glitter eyeliners in Sephora (bet you can't guess which colours...) while I was on holiday and I like them a LOT. It's going to be much easier to deal with those than with the individual sample-size pots of MAC loose glitter I get from ebay. The last time I used one of those I thought I was holding the lid for my SheLaq and upended the whole pot all over the floor. Thank god it was that scummy Brighton hotel we stayed in and not my own carpet!



This post brought to you with thanks to Kelli at Three Boys and a Dog. Kelli is gearing up to doing 30 days of giveaways on her blog from September 1st, so it's definitely worth a gander.

Fave Friday

School broke up yesterday. I went out straight from school to celebrate with the rest of the staff, fully intending to last the distance, but I was so tired I was home by 9pm - and then when I sat down I realised how tired I actually was and had to retire without making my FF post.

In honour of the end of the school year...

Five Favourite Things of This School Year

1. SKI TRIP! It was absolutely awesome this year. Best ever. Great staff, great kids, great snow, really quiet, amazing skiing. And we all had matching hoodies, which made it just that little bit more special.

2. Prague trip, in November. Another amazing visit, even if we did do so much walking my ankles swelled up. I bought some beautiful garnet jewellery and took about a million pictures. We saw a concentration camp, a glass blowing factory (with the men in shorts and sandals smoking and drinking beer at 10am whilst plucking balls of molten glass out of the vat), the massive Skoda factory and traditional Czech dancing, among other things. I really hope we get enough takers for the proposed Berlin trip this autumn.

3. Crystal Maze weekend. This was the first year I had planned and run it - it was in answer to the older clever kids demanding an enrichment weekend for them like the Murder Mystery. 17 students and 10 staff (how I swung that is anybody's guess), the weekend before Christmas; it rained most of the time; we hunkered down inside the centre and played games and had a talent show, and ate everything we were given. It's so nice at that time of year to be away with nice kids who take very little looking after, and not have to worry about cooking or cleaning.

4. My year 11 class. They were really fun. For the first time ever we set the History groups last year and I had a middle ability set. In year 10 they were much quieter and took a lot more chivvying up and encouragement than a mixed ability group - but by year 11 they had their confidence and I really looked forward to, and enjoyed, their lessons. They would work in silence without prompting, but they had plenty to say in discussion. I am crossing my fingers they all get some nice results.

5. Teaching the Totalitarian Ideologies course to year 12. It was exhilirating to go back to teaching something I was so familiar with and I really enjoyed it, even though we massively overran and didn't finish the course properly. It was also interesting teaching a class of 15 boys and 3 girls - I had to do a lot more hands-on stuff with them.


Unfortunately for me, my excitement about teaching an International Relations unit next year has had to be put on hold, because the exam board gave us the wrong information at their launch meeting (a YEAR ago) and so we've had to hastily change the program of study for the A-level. Now I'm teaching a coursework unit on American Foreign Policy 1898-present day. It's a bit Cold War-y, but none of the stuff on Yugoslavia that I was so looking forward to - and I will have to mark coursework. BOO.

Oh well. It's the first day of the holidays - I really should not be whinging about next year already!

3 days until we fly away!

Fave Fridays is all Kelli's idea. This week she's been blogging about her favourite web haunts and she seems as addicted as me! She also has some good giveaways over there.

Fave Friday

Welcome to the Great British summer.


This picture was just taken. The water on the paving slabs is roughly a cm deep. This is because the twit who owned the house before us laid plastic sheeting under the slabs, to stop weeds growing through. As you can see (because I have a pathological fear of the strimmer), this has not worked - but it HAS prevented correct drainage! What a clever guy.

It has been raining for about 24 hours, on and off, but we just had a particularly heavy spell.

I am not whining. I love British weather. Here are my five favourite things about British summers -

1. You don't have to water the plants too often. There's always a downpour nearby.
2. After it rains, everything gets so very green, and plants flourish. Witness: my monstrous courgette plant, which you can make out in the top left portion of the picture. Also, the tomato plants, which are heavily laden with big tomatoes.
3. Barbecues. The Z-Bunny Mansion barbecue is half an oil drum, so it takes a lot of charcoal to get it going, but it's totally worth it. We try and barbecue often when it's sunny. I kind of want a gas barbecue to make it easier but ... actually as I write this I can imagine the evil look Mr Z would be giving me were he here, and I don't feel the need to explain that "but" anymore.
4. It's rarely TOO hot. It was TOO hot in the week of my operation, but only for a day or two. I think that's the first TOO hot time since 2006.
5. Hammock time. Do, do-do-do, doo doo do! Hammock time. You can see the hammock. I've talked about the hammock before. I haven't had much hammock time this summer, so I am hoping for a fine weekend and maybe a few fine days in the summer holidays.

With thanks to Kelli, as always. This week her Fave Friday is all about her vacation, which has got me all excited about mine, which is now ONLY TEN DAYS AWAY! I asked some of my pupils on Tuesday if they thought it was too early to start packing. The boys said yes. The girls said no. Big surprise, there.

This morning, I used my (hopefully) last day of quarantine to buy travel insurance (I got the enhanced kind to cover high altitude walking, white water rafting, parascending, zip-wire, mountain biking and kayaking...I hope I can cover at least half of the list) and to book a fancy motel for our first night. I got a recommendation from a bizarre source - more on that shortly - for a motel in Visalia and when I went and looked it up it has a hot tub and is walking distance from the centre of town and all good restaurants and bars. I went for it. It can be our wedding anniversary celebration, and our last night of luxury before spending 10 nights under canvas.

Now, the bizarre source. I was browsing the neighbours tab on Ravelry looking for people with similar pattern tastes. This time there was a hit with 36 matches, which is quite high for me. And this person.....lives in Visalia. The coincidence was too great to ignore. So I messaged her and she suggesed the motel I booked. I *heart* Ravelry.

The swine flu has abated. I have a slightly stuffy nose and a sore throat not bad enough to warrant paracetemol. The tamiflu is making me feel a bit sick, though.

Fave Friday

This week...
Top Five Products From Lush

1. Babyface cleanser. This stuff is awesome. Sometimes I even use it as a mask in the bath. I particularly love it when people mistake it for soap (there are 4 different bars of soap on the sink, and the Babyface, which is set to the side) and then end up washing their hands for half an hour to get the grease off.
2. Gorgeous moisturiser. The only thing that gets me out of bed at 6am on the first day of the post-Christmas sale - I can stock up a year's worth for a fraction of the price. I think I'd still pay full price for it though, it's amazing stuff. It makes me look like I've had an excellent night's sleep no matter what.
3. Uluru bath bomb. It's discontinued now but I still buy it from the Retro section on the website. It's got a really subtle scent that hangs around for ages after the bath, and it softens the water better than any of their other products.
4. Curly Wurly shampoo. It took me a while to get used to this because the coconut gets stuck in my hair a bit but it always comes out when I condition and my hair is so soft and shiny. And coconutty. I love coconut.
5. King of Skin. I remember when I first bought this as a naive new Lushie - I took it on holiday to Ibiza and I didn't know about using it in the shower and washing off the excess. I smothered my legs in it and sprinkled them with gold haberdashery glitter before we went out to Dave Pearce at Eden, and I looked like an extra from Goldfinger. It was our last night and the barman picked me up for a picture with Jen, and when he put me down he was all, "Ergh! What's all this greasy gold glitter all over my arms?!"

24 was a fabulous age! I still have (and love) those shoes, though they've had to have some cobbler tlc. The heel snapped off them about 90 minutes after this shot was taken and I ended up dancing all night in bare feet.

Back to King of Skin....Happily I know better now and use it in the shower. I have dry skin and am terribly lazy about moisturising my legs but this is really easy.

Wow, it was hard to pick just five! I don't really go on the Lush forums anymore, but I still love to shop there. I went in today and spent ages looking at the new products. Great fun. Then I had to have a little sit down because I am still off sick and still getting a little breathless - but I am hoping to be right as rain by Monday, so I can go back to work. Getting quite bored now, especially since all the exam board work is as good as over. Just the reports to write now.

Thanks to Kelli for her fun Friday meme!

Fave Friday

I forgot! Bad girl. It's not like I even had going to work as an excuse - thought yesterday was the last day of marking. I finished my paltry allocation with a few hours to spare and was left to swoop in and do my backreading duties on a member of my team who left 700 essay questions for the last 24 hours. He finished 14 minutes before the deadline. I was awestruck. I quite like the online marking, even more as a team leader, because I can snoop on other people's progress and stats. I'm also glad I was team leader because I don't think I would have finished on time if I had had a normal allocation, whereas taking six days out in hospital didn't stop me from getting all my team leader stuff done, especially since most of it was having to be done at the start.

The extra cash is not going to hurt, either!

But I digress. We had an Indian takeaway last night. so here are...

My Five Favourite Things From The Curry Shop

1. Paratha. An Indian version of fried bread. I like how it breaks up in circles.
2. Tandoori chicken. I don't much like really sloppy curries, so the dry chicken is perfect.
3. Chana Massala. I'm a sucker for the humble chick pea. I have to mix this with rice because otherwise it's too saucy (see above), but it's really tasty and a portion will usually do two meals if I have it with the chicken.
4. Banana curry. I know, it sounds so, so wrong. My local curry house doesn't sell it, but I had it at the Christmas curry the Thursday knitting group went on last year and it is amazin'. Very coconutty and kind of sweet - could be eaten like a dessert.
5. Sag Aloo. I think I mean sag aloo - spicy potatoes and spinach. I make a mean version of this myself which is a Slimming World recipe, aka "No Guilt". In fact, I like my own so much I never order this anymore because I am disappointed when it's not as good as my own.


I was a little concerned, after my op, that certain things might disagree with my stomach and last night was quite a big test, since I ate a big meal* and I had a fizzy drink. But I've been fine. Evidently I can go on as normal without my gall bladder - I was worried I'd end up unable to eat cheese or fat or chocolate or something. Come to think of it, I haven't had any cake yet - now THAT would be tragic.

* Interestingly, since having the op, my appetite has shrunk. Maybe it's because I didn't eat for so many days, or maybe it's because I'm being a bit more thoughtful. Last night I ordered the same amount of curry things as usual and half of my meal is sitting downstairs in the fridge waiting to become lunch. Normally there are just the chickpeas and some rice left which I hoover up for breakfast....no, I have no shame.

Fave Fridays is from Kelli's Blog - she has a great deal of stuff on it so it's definitely worth a look.

Fave Friday

A while back I was trawling around looking for blogs about AG&T Education...

....incidentally, every blog I found was an American blog, mostly by homeschooling parents. I don't know whether Google just ordered them like that or I went off on a tangent, or what. It's disappointing, really, because there are shedloads of good bloggers out there on general/History teaching in the UK but nothing on AG&T, that I can find. I started my own. In the interests of keeping home web and work web separate, though, I won't post the URL here....

...I came across this blog, by a homeschooling mum called Kelli. She has all manner of little tricks up her sleeve for regular blogging, kind of like that knitting blog I mentioned a couple of months ago, including Work On it Wednesdays (WOW) where you did something you'd been putting off - that was a great idea but I sort of kept putting off setting myself a goal to complete something I'd been putting off. So (if you understood that) I never participated. Here's something easier though - Fave Friday. Five favourite things! Any things! How hard can it be?

Five Favourite Fiction Books
1. Like Water For Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel. I wish I was fluent in Spanish and could read the original. Perhaps that would be a good challenge one summer.
2. Futuretrack 5, by Robert Westall. A teen fiction book I still pick up and read again every so often. I really like the story.
3. The Falls, by Ian Rankin. Anything by him, really, but that sticks out as a particular fave. Unfortunately, since most of his books are murder mysteries, they can only be read once. I love his writing, though - he's a real wordsmith.
4. Memnoch the Devil, by Anne Rice. I went through the Vampire Chronicles phase about a decade ago but this one has stayed with me because she has some really unique views on religion. I also really like Queen of the Damned but that's more of a ripping yarn than a thought-provoking treatise.
5. The Dark Is Rising series, by Susan Cooper. More teen fiction, really, but I love all the old English history bits in here, and the way it's like a Famous Five adventure but not cheesy, and the fact that I've read them a dozen times and I STILL don't remember how it ends...


Long weekend ahead. I never really realised, when I accepted my contract as team leader on my regular exam paper, that the fact it was PAID much better than bog-standard examiner is because it's more WORK. I haven't stopped this week and could only manage an hour at knitting group last night, even. Rachel didn't even have time to give me The Look.

I've fallen back into the old routine of up at 6am, work for an hour, go to work, come home, eat, work until 10, Big Brother, bed, repeat. I love getting up at 6am, I get shedloads done and I feel much more with it during my commute and early morning school - it's a shame I can't force myself to stick to it unless my workload is double what it usually is.

Luckily the team leading duties will tail off a little over the next week, once my examiners are well into their allocations and marking consistently. I'm sort of disillusioned with it, though. BUT I keep my eyes on the prize...3 nights in Sequoia, 4 nights in Yosemite, 3 nights in Tahoe and then 2 nights in a haunted B&B in Virginia City...oh yes, it will all be worth it in just 6 short weeks. I'm going to go bear spotting and rafting and swimming in lakes, and getting noshed on by big, Californian mosquitoes, and knit a lace shawl, and take 100s of photographs, and break in some new walking boots, and get an amazing pedicure at that salon near Father Hand's house, and buy Philosophy products, and visit Jimmy Beans in Reno and buy yarn....it's going to be awesome.

Now....60 more responses to backread before I can start my weekend....


I should mention the positive, actually - I taught a grand total of 4 lessons this week. FOUR. Out of 25. I have been hanging out all year for year 11 to finally pop off so I can get all of that time I spent slogging through their coursework and marking their mocks, and it's finally here! I can go to work for a rest, now. I can get eveyrthing done I don't have time for in the evenings. I have been so very productive this week. Go me.