Froglet

Well, quite frankly, no! Steady now! Congratulations for those with GCSE results. I have been in to school today, got very little done in classroom terms but I did have lots of good ‘team building like conversations’ with people. Also went out for tea and cake with someone. I finished my second crochet classmate and am really pleased with them - will post a photo in the makes thread shortly. In the last week a colleague has said a few things to me which have really boosted me and made such a difference. I kind of want to say thank you except that the things they did were just ordinary - just including me in a sentence etc. I kind of want to say thank you but don’t know whether that will seem over the top as they are more senior than me. As many of you lead/have led your settings what would you think? I slept badly last night so think I will make it an early one tonight.

I have been a bit ‘flat’ and a bit wheezy (asthma is playing up a little at the moment) so I bought the yarn, made chocolate chip cookies and have spent the rest of the day eating, crocheting and dozing on the sofa. I will shortly take the dog out for a walk - she’s showing all the signs that she needs to ‘go’ but she won’t in my garden so we’ll be off to the park. I think it will be a short walk tonight though.

I am so very, very sorry to hear that. My thoughts are with you all.

It is a day for procrastination... (and it really shouldn't be!) I want to go to the yarn shop because I genuinely need some yarn for a new project I'm starting but I know that if I get it then I won't be able to resist starting it and the project itself is a several days one, not a quick crochet fix. There are a lot of lemons in the fruit bowl and some chocolate chips in the baking cupboard both asking for me to do something delicious with them. I have just finished a book so I ought to start another one so that I'm into it enough to be able to read it when I go to bed. I could do with doing some clothes shopping (online but I'm no good at it so will inevitably involve a lot of faffing and very little decision making), I ought to try and find some paperwork to do with my gas fire which needs fixing. Oh, and I perhaps should mention that there are approximately 50 different school jobs which I could do - several of them are in the should do category and some of which are in the must do group. I have a horrible feeling that I am going to bit and bob around and not really achieve anything! I think I maybe need a list or a plan...

That sounds fascinating - I'm going to have to look it up now! I sort of do that but I'm used to living on my own - I talk to myself a lot but usually just in my head and when I'm reading or crocheting I don't generally talk. She's a golden doodle and I think about 5 years old. We've done a walk of about 3 1/2 miles today (with a lunch break in the middle), the other days we've probably done around 2. I am definitely getting more steps in! I am enjoying having her, I was told today it 'suited me'. At the same time it's a lot of responsibility and it makes me think I'm probably pretty selfish (or just very self-sufficient!) the rest of the time - I'm finding it a bit weird needing to take someone else's schedule into account. It really is! It's hard when the pressure comes from others too (even unintentionally). I find that friends/family will say 'you shouldn't be working that long, just do what you need to, don't obsess over things, don't do the 'nice to do' stuff only the 'need to do' but sometimes I really am only doing what I need to.

Hello all, I am feeling quietly pleased with myself. I set myself some sorting out challenges as well as various other things which I find difficult or just tend to avoid and I have been doing them. It is a good feeling to be achieving something and this week completely off work has been good for me. The challenge, of course, will be maintaining it when school goes back again! This weekend I am also dog sitting for the first time. A friend at work was going away and couldn't take her dog and her usual dog sitter was away at the same time so I am stepping in for a few days. It's been lovely, I am shattered from the increased walking - my legs ache but it is good for me! My main concern is that I am not speaking to or playing with her enough. I used to be very allergic to furry creatures growing up and whilst I'm not any more it has tended to mean that I avoided them so I'm just not that used to being around them alot. I wish I could read her mind and know whether I'm doing the right thing!! She's been very quiet today and I keep wondering if we walked for too long this morning. I've been thinking on and off about getting a dog for myself for ages so this is good practice! Apart from the sorting out and general cleaning this weekend has just been very chilled, next week I am going to work some of the time but 'play' half of the time too as well as trying to keep on with the sorting out! Right now I am contemplating some chocolate chip cookies!

I love it too! I have to admit that I was making the doll mainly so I could use that technique for the hair! The doll is all finished now, I've just made a cardigan in uniform colours for her and she'll be joining me in school. Hopefully with some classmates when I get them made - a boy with red hair and freckles is in my head! Next on the project list is some gold crochet bunting to decorate a tree to celebrate our golden anniversary. It's not quite what I visualised because the yarn is metallic and quite hard to work with but I think it will still be pretty. I haven't yet. It was a little overwhelming but not so much that I wouldn't go again - have just been doing other stuff on Saturday afternoons.

I just took some homemade biscuits round to say hello to my new neighbours. It’s the kind of thing that terrifies me so I’m feeling pretty proud of myself!

One summer holiday project almost done - I need to make a cardigan for her (school uniform colours) but I was so chuffed with her hair that I had to share!

A few spots that’s all. It was only meant to be starting about now though although the sky is very clear at the moment.

You brought a tear to my eye! Congratulations!

Thank you all, exactly the encouragement and advice that I needed. I think I will also try to break the planning down into the tiniest steps possible so that I can tick things off a list rather than just having ‘sort MTP’ on the TDL.

I love this idea! I am struggling today. I have a planning task to do which is making me incredibly anxious and therefore I’m avoiding it. Any tips for making myself get on with it gratefully received. Part of me says ‘leave it till tomorrow, you work better in the mornings’ but I intended to do that today and failed!

Time does disappear scarily quickly in the holidays doesn't it?! I've now reached the point of the holiday when I'm not so exhausted that I fall asleep at the drop of a hat which is great except that it means I am reminded just how badly I sleep! I have been trying to do work in the mornings and 'me stuff' in the afternoons but yesterday I slept through my alarm and didn't get up until nearly 9am. I decided to take the day off and spent it watching mindless TV and crocheting - I am having a go a making a doll for the first time. Today was going to be back to the school work in the morning but my next task is one that I am anxious about so am procrastinating over - I have done a couple of bits but have mostly been unfocused! I must get back on it properly tomorrow with no excuses. My plan is to have a clear two weeks off in the middle of the holiday so that things don't drift and I feel like I've worked every day. I'm going over to mum and dad's for tea in a little while which will be nice so have decided to try and tick a few housework jobs (ironing, tidying etc) off the list before I go so I have fewer excuses tomorrow. I had an exciting yarn delivery today including some gold which is to make anniversary decorations and I may have accidentally had to buy a little more sock yarn just to bring the shopping basket up to the free postage limit! It will all get used eventually. I'm contemplating whether to go back to the crafternoon again tomorrow and also what my 'fun activities' will be for the next two weeks. Have a lovely weekend and week ahead everyone!

Indeed, it was the start of a downward slope I think - she developed Parkinson’s around the same time.

My mum always tells a story of my granny having to knit dishcloths as therapy when she had a fall and broke both arms at the same time.

Well, 1 week into my holiday and I have... - defrosted the freezer and started refilling it - have eaten proper meals a few times (South Indian fish curry, chicken fajitas and tonight will be having 'Spicy cauliflower and halloumi rice) - done quite a lot of work sorting out - am working in the mornings and resting in the afternoons which is going pretty well - eaten a lot of chocolate - crocheted half a dishcloth - knitted half a pair of socks - written a letter - visited my sister for Sunday lunch - had several naps - been for a couple of short walks (literally ten minutes but it's a novelty just to get out) - read a book All is going well so far!

That was it exactly! Knit and natter by another name. Some were knitting, some crocheting and one who was clearly a regular with a poorly wrist just chatting.

I went to my crafternoon - got the time wrong so arrived half way through it actually one hour rather than two was probably good for a first time. Some nice people - I mostly listened!

Ok, I have been brave and committed myself to going to a ‘crafternoon’ at the yarn shop near me - obviously meant I needed to start a new pair of socks!

I am very tempted by this especially as I have the crochet on my project list too! Well I made it to the end of term! Such a relief - it has been a very difficult one! I spent the last two days in school sorting, tidying and stripping walls to get ready for big building work and redecorating over the summer. Consequently my room looks worse than before at the moment but it will be worth it in the end! Today I have woken up after sleeping through the night for the first time in weeks! It feels incredible! I think that this weekend I’m going to focus on resting and restoring the house to ‘normal’. There will probably be lots of naps and quite a bit of chocolate eating! I also want to plan some proper food in. For various reasons I’ve been struggling to cook and eat recently and need some delicious ideas!

1 day left to go! I have been given a summer project… it is my school’s 50th anniversary next year and I have been asked to crochet some gold decorations for a tree we have in our entrance hall. I have also been asked to make some gold bunting. I thought I’d ask you as many are far more expert sewers than me - any suggestions for good sources of appropriate fabric - it will be outside in all weathers!

I had to learn not to do this out loud when my niblings were small!

Thank you all, really helpful!

I am doing some work for school mapping out how we teach RE across school. Whilst the locally agreed syllabus doesn't expect RE to be taught specifically prior to reception we have some strands which we are including. I am looking for suggestions of books with simple stories from different faiths - especially Islam, Christianity and Hinduism as this makes up the majority of our school population which declares a faith. I am also looking for ideas of what might be a special place for a 2-4 year old.