Life with Chickenruby

Friday 26 July 2024

26th -28th July 2024 Post Comment Love

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

I had an unexpected and last minute trip to visit my Grandson in Northern Ireland this week, he does make me laugh.

When I was leaving to go home he said 'No Granny, no go on airplane, airplane for holiday, Granny go home on bus'

We'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter, tag us and we'll RT. You can find us on twitter here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days.

Want to find out more about Post Comment Love #PoCoLo?

Monday 22 July 2024

2024 Week 29 - One Daily Positive, Project 365 and A Selfie a Day.

July

I had an interview for Year Leader post on Tuesday. I didn't get the job, but it was a great opportunity to show case what I am capable of and I was offered a job of delivering Alternative Provision and Tutoring English and Maths from September. It means I'll be working in the annexe over the road from the main site so I won't be working in the Learning Base anymore and will miss the wonderful team I've been with for the past 2 years, but there's still breaks and lunch times to catch up with and the usual Wednesday coffees and odd nights out.

197 Monday After work I headed down to the coffee shop to sit and work on my presentation for interview in the morning. Home for dinner and a couple of hours to finish up, select my outfit for the morning and an early night.

198 Tuesday A whole day of interview. Two other candidates. I really enjoyed the day. It's the current experience I'm missing, but it's been 15 years since I've had a career in the UK. Home then out for coffee with a friend. Couldn't tell colleagues I wasn't leaving as new job wasn't confirmed, but they've been waiting till today to find out if they're going ahead with a leaving do or not. Two other TA's are leaving so I just said to pause my part of it till the morning. Phone then pinged like mad.

199 Wednesday Enrichment days in school, spent it outside with year 7 with an Olympic experience, had a lot of fun. Usual coffee after work. In the evening flights booked to Turkey and car parking at airport, travel insurance renewed, just need to arrange cat sitter.

200 Thursday Another enrichment day. Morning in Science block doing experiment and a different group of year 7s with their Olympic experience in the afternoon. Work leaving do, meal out in the evening. 2 for 1 cocktails, I may have had too many. Peter joined us for a drink at the start of the evening and I had a lift home later.

201 Friday The annual Malvern Hills school walk end of term. A colleague and I walk with a group that need additional support. It was the hottest day of the year. It always is hot on the Hills walk. Back to school for staff end of term BBQ and farewells, then the pub for a couple of soft drinks. I came home early as it's my Friday night chip night and wine with my friend and neighbour of 22 years.

202 Saturday Popped out for coffee, joined by a friend and my old student her mum and sister who we bumped into. Peter volunteered to look after friends Pug for a week in August.

203 Sunday Up early and off to Belfast for a couple of days to visit Grandson. Peter stayed at home to look after the cat and finish off some work in the garden. Grandson was super excited to see me, as I was him.

Books read this week: 0

Words written towards book: 0

Clothes bought: 0

On the blog this week: Things to do in the summer holidays for Teaching staff

Things that made me happy this week: An unexpected trip to Northern Ireland, Alpacas visiting school, the annual school Hills walk and celebrating a new job and flowers from my old boss.

Friday 19 July 2024

19th - 21st July 2024 Post Comment Love

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

What a week?

First we've had lovely weather for the last week of term. A week of outdoor activities and today we're walking the Malvern Hills, a whole school tradition. Our 3rd son was a student at the school until 2010 and did this walk with some of the same teachers. I walk with a colleague and a group of students who need support. It's my 3rd walk. We have a lot of fun and there's an ice cream van we stop at on route. This year it finishes with a BBQ for staff back in school.

We'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter, tag us and we'll RT. You can find us on twitter here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days.

Thursday 18 July 2024

Things to do in the school holidays for the teaching staff

There are loads of blog posts for Things to do with kids in the school holidays, but what about the teaching staff?

Especially those of us without kids.

The price of everything goes up.

Whilst we have these lovely long summer holidays off. (yearly salary is 39/52 pro rata split over the 12 months) We are limited to when we can fly and if I'm honest with everyone else taking their kids away whether it's abroad or in the UK, with days out thrown in, it's extremely expensive and incredibly busy everywhere.

The previous two years we've travelled to Australia to visit child number 2, we'll be going again next summer. We've only been back in the UK 3 years, so this is my first summer, working in education, since our kids have left home.

We've got 12 days booked in Turkey, staying with a friend of Peter's and a visit to Northern Ireland to see our Grandson and a short camping trip with our granddaughter arranged. Mostly though it'll be days out in the camper van to look forward to. English Heritage sites and picnics.

There are a couple of local shows earmarked on the calendar and I have every intention of contacting a couple of friends to invite them along, as well catch up with friends for coffees, the odd night and a day trip or two.

The rest of the time I'm hoping to just sit in the garden, read a book or two each week, enjoy not having to set an alarm and get on with some jobs around the house I've been meaning to do, but keep putting off because I don't have a couple of days clear to just get on with things.

What are your plans for the holidays?

Are you looking forward to staying at home and just chilly with the odd thing planned? Or have you planned in as much many things as you can manage?

Monday 15 July 2024

2024 Week 28 - One Daily Positive, Project 365 and A Selfie a Day.

July

190 Monday Email due today to hear if I've got an interview for year leader at the school where I'm currently employed. My stomach was in a knot all day. Nothing to lose, I'm leaving otherwise as my contract end in August. I was hopeful of an interview at least, as I'd had one for the same role at a different school earlier on in the year. Home from work and straight onto a zoom training call. Then an hours kip, got a migraine coming. Evening spent watching TV and blogging.

191 Tuesday Sports day postponed due to the weather, so I was able to catch up with some Autism assessments, before my job comes to an end. Into town after work for coffee with a friend and home to chill.

192 Wednesday Coffee after work with a friend. Peter has been working hard in the garden on the new raised beds. One in, just the water butt for the shed to put in the place and the second bed to build. He's building them using old scaffolding planks.

193 Thursday A few things going on today. 7 years since my father died. 7 years since I met my wonderful friend Kath, who hugged me that night as I broke the news on the phone to Peter and 3 of our sons. She was a total stranger to us at that point. Then 3 years ago, our neighbour had a little girl, so something else nice to celebrate and after work I popped next door with her birthday gift. I also spent the morning in Hereford having a skin biopsy to confirm the type of cancer I have on my leg to ensure I get the right treatment so a bit of an up and down day.

194 Friday It's been a long wait, but I finally got the news I've been waiting for, I've been given the opportunity to interview for year leader at the school I work at on Tuesday next week. I'm confident that I'll do my very best. It's been a long time since I've held a position like this, but if I don't try, I'll never know. Evening spent watching the TV, chilling out and a bit of a tidy round.

195 Saturday Headed off early for Newport to meet Rosie and Simon our twitter friends who we've met many times over the past 14 years for coffee. We then did a bit of shopping then over to Cwmbran to meet my nephew, his partner and our great niece who is now 9 months old. We've not seen her since she was a couple of weeks old. Next stop was a camp site for the night. We had electricity but no toilet or shower facilities, so the ports potty had its first outing. It was simple and easy to use and clean afterwards.

196 Sunday we slept in till 8am, the benefit of staying in a field in the middle of nowhere. Packed up and off to a friends for breakfast and a catch up. Stopped in Monmouth for coffee, then home to unpack and stick a load of washing on. I popped out for coffee with friends, then home to work on my presentation for Tuesday. We had dinner and watched the football, then off to bed.