Morning everyone,
First of all, please join me in a huge sigh of relief that the college term has ended! I've loved every minute of working with my groups there, but for the last two weeks, it has been so full on that I feel like I haven't had time for anything BUT work! I've neglected everything and everyone else - family, photography, family tree, TP and - well, the less said about the house, the better! Got next week to try and catch up on admin and hopefully, claw back a few of the additional hours that I've worked, then some time off - I love my job, but I am counting down the days to what will amount to around a 10 day break
2jays, Maureen and Di - thank you so much for tracking down the source of the scribbled poem I found. I have never heard of it before, and have no idea where Mil stumbled across it either. I just felt it was so poignant when I found it x
Di and Spamar - I'm glad you had such a lovely visit
Spamar, hope it doesn't take you too long to save the penny's and get back to visit NZ again - I think we all enjoyed your last visit and the mini 'trip report'
The repetative names occur in several branches of my family too, Maureen - William and George being very prevalent in one branch, in particular. I've also got a couple of instances of siblings sharing the same first name and (presumably) being known by their middle name. Its not just that it makes research hard - I've found a marriage record for one of two brothers, both christened 'John' - but it doesn't give the middle name, so I don't know which John it is - it also makes it easy to make mistakes when you are taking notes, because you lose track of which William, George or John it is that you are looking for! The spellings have tripped me up a couple of times, too.
JM - sending you massive {{{{{{hugs}}}}}} - we really are on the home straight now regarding the exams - my girl has her last one next Tuesday, hopefully your girl will also finish next week. I have to say that the two girls have been harder to get through the GCSE's than my son was - so many more episodes of emotional jags and temper flares
Its good to read of you having such a positive visit with your Mum, though - and what a lovely thing for her to say
x
{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}} for you too, Slugsta - I can understand why you are glad that your son is coming to visit. I hope the morphine helps to make sure that your Mum is pain free and calm, hun - and I hope you are looking after yourself, because just not knowing what to expect is so stressful and at this stage, so heartbreaking to cope with. You must look after yourself too xxxxxxxx
Amy - hope all is Ok with you? That you are looking after yourself and that the C diff has finally been vanquished for your poor Mum xxxx
We didn't get to either go out in Old Red, visit the zoo or visit Mil last weekend. Foul weather stopped the first two activities, and the sniffling, lingering cold I'd had for a few weeks became a full blown sore throat and runny nose nightmare and stopped the 3rd. Son and his GF also arrived for a few days visit on Sunday evening, though, which was lovely.
Started my working week on Monday morning with OH and son trying to get 'Baaabara' (the sheep that has been living in my dining room) packed into the car for transporting to the college. That was fun! Why - when I pretty much see sheep on a daily basis - did I not realise just how big they are? Initially, Baaabara was stood up in the back seat (the boot being far too small), but (a) that blocked my view out of the rear window, and (b) it left her face pressed up against one of the passenger window, which was a most peculiar effect (so life like - but almost smiling!) and I worried that the driver of any car passing me might well be just a bit surprsied and have an accident as a result. So we somehow manouvered her onto her side - and off I went. Getting her out of the car at the college was another episode that is best skipped over, and that was followed by her being wheeled on a trolley to the art room, leaving staff and students that we passed along the way staring at us in complete bemusement. With the help of the artist that has worked on the sheep trail from the start - such a lovely lady - we then had a day where 55 young disabled students took part in painting Baaabara - and it was fantastic - exhausting, chaotic - but just fantastic
They got so engrossed and worked so hard, and they did a fabulous job. Then it was wrap her up, so the artist could transport her to the studio, add the finishing details and varnish her.
From the college, I drove an additional 30 miles round trip out of my way to collect some stuff from another workshop provider I'd been working with, only to discover once I got there that he had texted me whilst I was on route to say he couldn't make it
Back homewards, stopping on the way to buy the supplies needed for the following days projects. I got home at about 5.15, after a 10 and a half hour day! To be met by OH and the gang, who announced that we were off out, for a run in Old Red, to Prestatyn to have fish and chips by the sea for our tea. It was very grey and windy, but actually, the short walk we had on the beach really blew the cobwebs away - and I think it did me good!
Tuesday, - started the day with an hour or two editing some of the photographs taken the day before, then off to the college again, and 100 chocolate cupcakes baked by one of my groups, which were all donated to the homeless shelter in town. I delivered the cakes at lunchtime, then finally caught up with the workshop chap I'd been supposed to meet the day before, to collect the students finished goods from him, then off to a country park where I spent the afternoon with another group, making bug hotels and building camp fires to toast marshmallows. I got home at 3.30 - a 9 hour day. But as that was the earliest I finished all week, I then took son and his GF to visit Mil - more of that later.
Wednesday - more editing to start the day, then the second sheep and I had a date with another branch of the college. Thankfully, the artist brought Blodwen (the second sheep) to the venue. I think about 15 or 16 students worked all day on Blodwen - and again, an absolutely fantastic day, everyone loved it and they did a superb job. I was supposed to have a meeting at the college at 4, but that was cancelled at the very last minute, and I got home at about 4.15.
Thursday - another session with the bug hotels, camp fire building and toasting marshmallows, with a different group, then off to the college for the rescheduled meeting. That went really well - I am back at the college in September - and then home, with me thinking that I'd actually finish at 3pm, on time, for once - but a car accident had sadly happened in the centre of the the small town I had to pass through, which caused chaos and delays, and I finally got home at around 3.45pm. Annoying - but much worse for whoever was involved with the crash in the first place - just hope that they were all OK
The visit to Mil with son and GF was 'odd' - Mil was very chatty, but absolutely obsessed through the 45 minutes with 'prison'. She started off by being very insistent that son's GF was actually my oldest daughter, but then she went into what a busy day she had had - she had visited 'the prison' (just to see what it was like, she informed us) and that then morphed into OH having been in prison, her neighbour being in prison, her mum working at the prison, and her applying for a job at a prison. She then announced that it was no wonder that 'they' had locked me up - because I'd been 'footless drunk'! It was then son's turn to be an inmate - he was apparently in for stealing a car and joy riding. His GF worked there, Mil told me - that was how they met! The she informed us that she herself was 'inside for 4 years'. Curious, I asked what for? For stealing a bottle of pop from the shop, she told me. Son asked why she had done that. She gave him a filthy look and informed him it was 'Because I was thirsty, of course - don't ask stupid questions!'
She wasn't agitated at all, she was very matter-of-fact about her family of felons and her own life of crime, but no way could we get her off the subject - and we did, tactfully, try to change the topic several times, simply because we almost expected talk of being in prison to start upsetting her at some point. The only upset we actually got was when we made a move to leave, but that was quite brief as she accepted that I had to drop 'the other two off, then I'll be back for you later'.
On the way out, one of the staff told me that Mil had had her hair done the day before, then got a bit 'naggy' an hour or so later, so they had settled her in her room with a dvd - half an hour later, a member of staff checked her, to find she was in her en-suite loo, with her head stuck under the tap, trying to wash her own hair! She apparently wanted to (a) see what it was like and (b) felt that her age, it was time she learnt to 'do it herself'! The staff was giggling like mad, describing Mil as 'such a character' - I am so glad that they find her antics amusing, rather than trying. Because there is no doubt that she is still quite a handful!
Other news - OH has been offered a job at the new prison, and will be starting training two days after we get back from Rhodes. Such a relief - the night shifts, particularly because they are so erratic, are really hard for him to cope with, and I think he needs a complete change. The constant threat of being tupe'd over to agency hanging over his (and everyone elses) head makes for a lot of stress and creates an awfully tense atmosphere to work in. And I think the challenge of something new will be really good for him. However, it means that he will be away in Rugby, Monday to Friday, for about 8 weeks during the training - so the purchase of another car is now a priority. That being the case, and with us having Rhodes in August to look forward to, we are not going to be able to get away in Old Red as often as we would like, so last minute decision has been made to get away this weekend if we can. The plan is that OH will finish work today, get some sleep, then we will head off. I'll 'pootle' around, geting things sorted to go, doing bits around the house, and slot in a visit to Mil. All very last minute, but after the last two frantic weeks in work for me, and with the end of the exam angst being so close, I think it will do us all good - and I am really looking forward to it
I hope you all have a lovely peaceful weekend - take care and love to all xxxxx