Happiness Is..

..... sitting in the sun, in the car in the supermarket carpark, eating an extremely illegal chocolate eclair!  Yesterday I completely gave into late afternoon sugar cravings and it felt GOOD!  I'd stopped off on the way home to get some more rolls for sandwiches and found myself making a quite detour via the cream cake display.  Fortunately I went to Pilates later so some of the illegal calories were exercised away...!

Today my form and I decided that we're going to have 'Cup-Cake' Friday tomorrow....

 

My school has a vertical tutoring system so I have a group of 20 children ranging from 11 to 16 in age.  The smaller class size means that I've got to know them pretty well and I positively encourage a 'family' atmosphere.  I think it's needed because the school is very large - almost 1300 kids - and they need somewhere where they can be seen as individuals.  Anyway, my little 'family' has been having a difficult and very busy time recently. One lad has lost his Grandmother; another has just had to have his dog put down; four of the younger girls are involved in various shows across the West Midlands so they are exhausted; and my Year 11s are so strung out about 6th form entry that you play a tune on them..! After some informal chat at form time we decided that sugary products were the only thing that was going to see us through to the end of the week.

Obviously I don't treat them to cake all the time - but I think they appreciate the treat if it happens occasionally and with good reason.  Hopefully their lives are going to become a little settled again soon.  I hate seeing them struggle.

The Versatile Blogger Award

Thanks again to Emma, Sally and Patricia, who nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award.  I'm still really pressed for time so I think the links to 15 further blogs may have to wait..  Nevertheless I CAN post seven facts about myself that may amuse (or horrify!) you...
#1 - I have a ridiculous passion for red checked pyjamas.  I have multiple pairs and have to be physically restrained from buying more.  They are so cheerful and snuggly!

#2 - I am the eldest of two sisters.  We are both Music teachers and we live two miles appart.  Mum cannot tell us appart when we are talking on the phone.

#3 - I play the harp (and piano and violin).  Basically I had a very serious classical music education.

#4 - I colour-code my clothes in my wardrobe (how OCD is THAT??!)

#5 - My 'car of my dreams' when I was little was a white TR7.  In my 30s I owned a red one.

#6 - My dream house is a 19th century house with an 'in and out' drive (see above).  Sadly, I doubt that I'll ever have enough money to maintain it - even if I could afford the mortgage!

#7 - If I could live anywhere in the country, I'd probably stay right where I am!

Happiness is....

A broken necklace!  I found it on the path at the front of school at the end of work yesterday.   There was no-one around and lots of the heavier beads had rolled into the flower beds, so it was clear that it wasn't going to be reclaimed and resurrected by its owner.  I pottered around in the semi-darkness and collected as many beads as I could in my sandwich box.  I think they are really pretty and there must be a little 'crafty' use for them eventually.  After a couple of heavy days 'at the chalk face', this 'fortunate find' completely made my evening!

It's typical of the affluent area that I work in that someone would leave a broken necklace like this.  I'm always amazed by the amount of money and 'stuff' my pupils have.  It wouldn't cross their minds that these beads could easily be repaired.   Oh well - their loss is my gain I suppose!  At least Year 8 boys aren't going to find them and use them as missiles....  I might work in a 'nice' school but 12 year old boys will always give into temptation!!!!

For those of you who read my 'detox diet' post earlier in January.. today is my 15th day without caffeine!  I finally stopped craving it around Day 11 - so it's been quite a hard slog.  I've been off sugar and refined foods for the same length of time but a couple of glasses of wine crept in when we were socialising last weekend.  I guess the important thing is that the midweek drinking has stopped!  My colleagues are sceptical that I'm going to be able to maintain this.  They're not big into 'moral support'!

Blue Monday?

Thank you to everyone who has left lovely comments on my blog recently and a big warm "Welcome" to my new followers!  It means a lot that you've added me.

Today is - according to the government and the media - officially "Blue Monday".  According to the radio, this means that the people of the nation are at their lowest ebb.  We are stuggling financially; the summer seems a long way away and we are generally 'blue'.  Hmm...

I've been trying to banish the blues over the weekend by sorting our holidays.  I love the planning.  I'll spend hours on the computer trying to get the quality of accomodation, the right location and a fair price. 

Just before Christmas I was chatting to some-one who didn't really know me and she said "I bet you're the kind of person who jets off to exotic places."  I was really offended!  She seemed a bit baffled when I tried to explain that I like to call myself a " micro-tourist".   I'm happy spending my summer holidays in England and I don't feel the urge to drive very far to achieve that sense of 'on holiday-ness'.  For the last two years we've only driven 40 miles for our two week break.  This year we're really pushing our boundaries and I think we'll be travelling about 55 miles!

Once we're on holiday, we put on our walking boots and really try to 'get under the skin' of an area.  We shop at local shops and farm stores and eat local specialities.  England's different regions are so beautifully diverse that you don't need to travel far to find a whole new range of cakes, sausages and cheeses.  I'm a complete foodie and I love it!

This year we're going to base ourselves near Clun, Shropshire.  We're close to the Offa's Dyke path, the Kerry Ridgeway and an unlimited number of local paths and bridleways.  Our nearest town of any size will be Bishops Castle or Knighton.  In other words, we will be in the middle of absolutely nowhere and I can't wait!!!

January Blues

Like millions of others, I'm struggling a bit with my health at the moment.  To be honest, I started with a bad cold back in October half-term and I just haven't shifted all the symptoms.  I'm a great one for relying on caffeine and red wine to get me through the day - neither of which contribute to a great night's sleep.  I'm OK going to sleep/passing out, but just can't seem to get past the four hour mark.  You know that sort of thing...  Since we get up at 5.50, things are starting to get a bit serious in the 'sleep deprivation' department!

Anyway, I gave myself a massive talking to this morning at around 2.30 am... and today is 'Day 1' of a revised regime!  I'm going back on the 'Tired of Being Tired' diet.  The rules are simple

• No Caffeine (Sob!)
• No Alcohol (Sob! Sob!)
• No Sugar - except natural sugars found in fruit
• No Refined foods - back on the brown rice and pasta
• No Fake foods (stuff like ketchup)

It's a diet for health rather than weight loss and I've done it several times before.  It comes from an excellent book called 'Tired of Being Tired', which I've had on my bookshelves for years but tend to forget about until times become desperate.  Sugar is particularly difficult to avoid.  It crops up in a lot of savoury convenience foods and even most shop-bought bread.  Basically the easiest way to follow the plan is to cook everything from scratch

Anyway, today I ditched the super-strength Colombian coffee which has been getting me off the horizontal for weeks.  It was agony and I've had a blazing headache all day.... I guess my body is trying to tell me something here!!!

I've read in several magazines recently that sleep deprivation is one of the main reasons for sustained ill-health.  Maybe if I can get some decent kip then I'll also be able to kick the 12 week bad cold!

Here's hoping.....