Slow train wreck

That was my day yesterday. How can something so meticulously planned go so horribly wrong? I've been asking myself that question over and over. Maybe, just maybe, it's because I didn't plan on

• Tion dropping a test tube of jelly that he was asked to hold for all of 6 seconds whilst I lit a bunsen burner

• Billy and Taylor fighting over a container of moisturiser (being passed around with other items to show the recycling code on the bottom) with the end result being a fragrance-free gooey white mess all over them and the floor. Two after school detentions coming up!

• Being bombarded by an avalanche of Yr 8 excuses for why one tiny piece of homework couldn't be handed in.

• Marking what little homework was handed in only to find half did it wrong. Mental note - give gentle message to students next lesson - READ THE FRIGGEN INSTRUCTIONS!

• dealing with one bunch of kids calling another bunch of kids fatties

• having to rearrange a seating plan because Ciann and Bradley were "a bit angry" with each other

Oh - believe me - it went from bad to worse.

I had worksheets copied, put them down and couldn't find them. I had kids that couldn't find their books. I did the squeaky pop test for hydrogen when it was meant to be the glowing splint test for oxygen, luckily that little oversight was easily fixed with the "Did anyone spot my deliberate mistake?" question.

Then later when I actually had to do the squeaky pop test for hydrogen, nothing, no pop, no squeak, not even a peep. That test needs renaming to the virtually silent fizzle test for hydrogen.  That or I need a hearing aid.

Oh - and the piece de resistance. Finally leaving at 4:50pm after marking the pitiful homework - jammed my damn finger in the damn door. It was just hard enough to go slightly blue and still be a bit stingy 24 hours later (sniff sniff).

Don't get me wrong, there were some good bits, like when I found Abbie's missing diary under a tray, and when Billy and Taylor apologised for their bad behaviour unprompted and when Maddie gave me 2 bits of her birthday chocolate. (You are not supposed to eat in the labs, but I'm sure there is an exception for teachers having really bad days.)

I told Bob (our lovely technician) about my shocker and he tried to make me feel better by saying that one time he went into the prep room and couldn't remember why he'd gone there. Yeah, well I'll take that kind of shocker any day!

Fingers crossed Monday pans out a bit better.

Abbey Road

Whee heee -  another trip to London for me.  This time it was for lunch with Margot and Kelly.  But first a detour past Abbey Road and the crossing featured on the cover of the Beatles album Help.

Taking photos on the Abbey Road crossing is tricky - cars everywhere and annoying tourists wanting to take pictures of themselves J

Margot and I crossing Abbey Rd take I - damn cars

Margot and I crossing Abbey Rd take II - damn tourists (actually a bit jealous of the picture she would have got)

Margot and I crossing Abbey Rd take III - Yeehar - that's the one, maybe it's all about the direction.


Ok.  Moving on from Abbey Rd.  Here's a couple of pictures of Regent's Park, only an old man in the way this time.  Actually he wasn't in the way at all, he was the subject of this attempt at very atmospheric and moody depiction of the elderly in London (cough cough).

Yeah baby!

It's here....

6cm of lovely, fresh, powdery white snow.  We've been tobogganing, we've made a snowman and we've been out walking, everything has been transformed and it is beautiful!  I'm looking out the window as I type this and it's still falling heavily.  I have a sneaky feeling school will be cancelled tomorrow!  

Here's what this part of the world now looks like.

Billericay High Street.

Chilly Willy sitting in our front garden.

Lake Meadow Park

And a few snaps from a wee walk Emmy and I went on whilst the boys were off frisking in Norsey Woods with Reggie.

Waiting, waiting, waiting!

Alrighty then, where is the snow?! Seems just about everyone's getting it except us. The forecasts are promising, but mother nature ain't delivering. We have had the tiniest smattering but it's been a bit of a fizzier.

Call us greedy, but this isn't enough.

Not even this will do.

Fingers crossed tomorrow's the day.

Here's what the Essex Weather Centre says....

Or there's the MET office that say this....

Or there's the Prices that say....

BRING IT ON!

Cardiff Part 2

Just in case you didn't know, Dr Who is filmed and produced in Cardiff by BBC Wales.  Capitalising on the Dr's huge success, the Dr Who tour has been created.  It is a combination of film-set style tour and exhibition.

This was Steve's adventure and he was beside himself with excitement and the tour didn't disappoint.  Matt Smith features as the Dr, stranded and in dire need of some help.  Much to his disappintment, all he can find to lend a hand is a bunch of bedraggled "shoppers" (us).  The tour takes you on an adventure inside the Tardis, fighting with Daleks and whizzing through space.  It is a combination of CGI, massive props and cool special effects.

After that excitement it is on to an exhibition celebrating the last 50 years of Dr Who, including the 11 actors that have played the Dr, the enemies he has battled and of course his various companions. I guess everyone has their favourite Drs.  I'm torn - I loved Jon Pertwee (showing my age here), didn't like Tom Baker, was indifferent about Peter Davidson and love the latest three - Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith.

Nasty peg dolls and the scary weeping angels

After Dr Who we wandered a mile or so up to the centre of Cardiff where we browsed in a few shops and then headed over to Cardiff Castle.  Emily got to dress up as a convincing Welsh poppet before we toured around the castle, its spectacular keep and the residential rooms (incidentally, the next British televised episode of Dr Who was filmed in the library room at Cardiff Castle, will definitely have to watch that now we've been).

Dinner was at an all you can eat Indian/Japanese/Chines restaurant and guess who at too much?  Yep - all of us.  Daniel and Jeremy were  reasonable restrained until they discovered the self-serve soft-serve!  I attempted to justify my own little munch-out as just a little try of everything, but given there were about 100 different dishes, that was never going to work. And while we all ate a lot, the food was nowhere near the hight standard of Las Iguanos the night before.

Cardiff Part 1

Leaving Aberystwyth we headed East to Devil's Bridge, which was a little wet, not really fresh, just damp this time, really damp.  Devil's Bridge is actually 3 bridges built one over the other, but the rain, the puddles and the small waterfall flowing down the stairs stopped us from checking them all out.  Here is the view from the top bridge, note the raindrops all over the camera lens.



And if you're lucky after the rain comes the rainbow.  I was itching to take a picture of this and it took a while to find somewhere to stop, by which point it was starting to look a bit faded, still you get the general idea.  Plus that blue sky was worth a picture alone.


We didn't arrive in Cardiff until quite late and after no lunch we all had the munchies.  We stayed at a hotel near the Cardiff Bay precinct, which has been extensively redeveloped over the years and is now home to an imax cinema, the Millennium Centre theatre, the Dr Who tour and oodles and oodles of restaurants.

After consulting trip advisor we decided on Mexican and excuse the rave that is about to follow because, without a doubt, that night in Cardiff I had one of the best meals I have ever had!  Now that's a big call!

It started with something that I love about eating out over here - kiddy menus and activities.  The picture below is of the food part of the "menu", the other 3 pages were full of puzzles, colouring-in activities and quizzes.  A little box of pencils was also provided.  The kids get a buzz out of ordering their own food and then we get a good 20 minutes or so of peace while they do the puzzles etc.  A win win if ever there was.

And now on to our menu.  Mmm Mmm.  Makes me hungry just looking at it.  We had not one, but two lots of the "Share 5 Tapas and Starters" dishes, that's a whopping 10 dishes all together.  I could see the kitchen from where I sat and the smells and flambé-ing all spoke of good things to come.  And then they arrived - a wave of gastronomic delights.  Each dish distinct, full of flavour and as good as the next - we were in food heaven.

I haven't included the dessert menu as despite our best efforts after the above we were done - chockers! Perhaps next visit we'll have 9 starters and then dessert J

Portmerion

Portmerion is an Italian renaissance style village located about 57 miles north of Aberystwyth. To get to Portmerion you have to drive through Snowdonia national park, which has stunning scenery, but unfortunately not that many places to stop. Plus, of course, the weather was crap, so not the best for photos anyway.

Portmerion Village was designed and constructed between 1925 and 1975 by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis on his own private peninsula. All of the building styles and colours are based on those found in a typical Italian village.   

The village is also the namesake of Portmerion pottery, which was founded in 1960 by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis's daughter Susan and her husband Ethan.

Although Portmeirion Pottery is made in Stoke-on-Trent in England, there are strong connections to the village with all of the original pottery designed exclusively for sale in the Portmeirion gift shop.

Susan Williams-Ellis died in 2007 at the age of 89.  Despite her death the company continues and still comes out with new designs and products in keeping with the spirit of its founder.

Our visit fell just after Christmas and there was still evidence of the festivities.

And then, after looking at the village, we took a stroll around the peninsula.

Feel the serenity.

A

And the kids thought it was all pretty cool.

Love the crazy cross-eyed lion.

Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth is a nice place, but these photos are probably not going to show it.  Highlights of our stay here included

• the Four Seasons Hotel - right up there among the best family rooms we've stayed at

• the Varsity Pub - discovered on the first night and so good we returned on the second night.  Plus Mum and I hit the cocktails -  mojitos all round (discovered these in Myanmar 6 months ago - they must have left quite an impression!)

• our trip to Portmerion (but that's another post)

And the not so highlights of our stay included

• the hotel alarm going off at 3:45am with a decibel level that meant staying in the room was not an option.  Interesting though to see all the guests in their jimmies and hear a funny man saying he thought he could hear a bit of a noise as he sat directly in the firing line of the alarm's sonic boom.  Also interesting to see all of the dogs evacuating the hotel, including a huge St Bernard.  Did I mention dogs can stay in hotels rooms with their owners over here?  I guess that doesn't appeal to everyone, but I'd take my little Lucy-loo with me anywhere, and she'd be as good as gold (probably less bother than the kids and she certainly wouldn't jump up and down on the beds!).  And nope - I have never noticed a doggy smell in any hotel we've ever stayed at.

• the weather - fresh again, and drizzly and windy.

no sun baking on this here beach

Welsh freshness at its best.

Gorillas in the mist.

Pembrokeshire Part 3

Sunday was more exploring, we checked out Pentre Ifan, an ancient burial site that looks a bit like a mini stonehenge.

Then it was on to a nearby forest for a stroll....

...followed by dinner at the Swan Inn in Little Haven.  Charlotte very kindly babysat the kiddies, so it was a very peaceful and relaxing meal, with Mum ordering the dish of the night - Lemon Sole.  Huw ummed and ahhhed about dessert for a while and then at the last minute decided on the warm chocolate pudding.  Bec had very kindly looked one up on her iPhone, which was huge and gooey.  When Huw's arrived it was a tiddler beyond belief, just over a table spoon's worth.  We all felt Huw's pain, but had to give him credit for his "What's this?  Honey I shrunk the pudding?" comment.

Pinched this piccie from the net.

Thank you so much Dave, Michele, Charlotte, Andrew, Katherine and Florey for having us, we had a brilliant time.  I just wish it hadn't gone so quickly.  Please come and visit us here in Essex :)

Pembrokeshire Part 2

Today started with a trip down memory lane with Dad.  Dad grew up in and around Haverfordwest and lived in a variety of houses, including a vicarage and for 4 years during the war - a fort with no electricity or running water but complete with a dungeon and huge moat!

Then in the evening it was party time.  I am so mad I didn't take photos as it was one of the few (if not only) occasion when 9 of the 10 cousin's on Dad's side were together.  The only one missing was Tim. Dave managed to fluke the weather for a while and we got in a good hour of barbecuing before the rain set in.  It was lovely to see the Welsh relies and to meet the new additions.  And a big thanks to Dave and Michele for organising the get together :)

And because posts are so much more interesting with photos, here are some professional wedding shots from Bec and Huw's wedding.  Not a bad Price scrub up effort :)

Add caption

Pembrokeshire Part 1

Today we ventured out into the bracing December air for a tour of Pembrokeshire.  We started off here in Tenby, where we had fish and chips for lunch and then a stroll along the beach.  The only problem with the stroll was the wind which, putting it mildly, was just a little fresh.  Not sure if the pictures accurately convey the exact level of freshness......

And then it was off to the remarkable St Govan's chapel, built in the 13th century and perilously perched in amongst the inhospitable cliff's at St Govan's Head.

After this it was off to Freshwater West. As well as having sand dunes for a bit of tobogganing, Freshwater West was also where they filmed the scene of Dobby's death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1.  I don't know about the water at Freshwater West, but the wind was certainly fresh!

We're going to Wales

Here is our next trip away, 8 days in Wales.  The first four will be with David and Michele in Haverfordwest, then 2 nights in Aberystwyth (how long has it taken me to work out how to pronounce that properly!) and then 2 nights in Cardiff (Steve is beside himself with excitement because we're going to do a Dr Who tour!).  654 miles all up, good thing the car just passed its service with flying colours.

Boxing Day

My appetite has returned and good thing too as on Boxing Day we drove to Potten (near Cambridge) to have lunch with Mum's old school friend Chris, her daughter and son-in-law Celia and Simon and their daughters, Izzy and twins Maddie and Josie.

It was THE most delicious lunch and after being sick for so long I was making up for lost time!  Plus we now have a fabulous new salad recipe - red onion, coriander, pomegranate seeds and lime juice, very simple, very colourful and very very yummy.

Celia and Simon have an amazing house that reminded me of something straight out of Escape to the Country.  It had huge bedrooms and a lovely new extension, but the piece de resistance for me was the dining room, complete with an aga oven.  In fact I was so taken with the oven I took pictures of it and the food of course, but none of any people - shame on me :)

We had a lovely day out and thank you so much Chris, Celia, Simon and girls for making us so welcome and for the delicious lunch.

Christmas Robins

Look what Grandma got for Christmas.......

Cheep cheep

I made it!

But only just. After hanging on at St Joseph's for 7 weeks and 2 days and then the end of year science dinner down I went. Sick as a dog. It started in earnest on Monday evening, followed by three full days in bed and a feeble trip to the Dr's. I've now nearly finished a course of antibiotics and have only just felt like I've returned to the land of the living.

It has been such a bugger and a disappointment being sick when Mum and Dad are here. I was so looking forward to them coming and spending time whizzing around, enjoying time off work whilst the kids were still at school. Oh well, the only good thing to come of it is that in 3 days I ate 3 small pieces of toast and now am the skinniest I've been in yonks. Might need to buy myself some new threads, either that or eat more J.

Maldon in the sun

Finally, third time lucky - Maldon in the sun, and how beautiful does it look.

How gorgeous is this St Bernard pup - she was only 14 weeks old and already weighed 22 kg and
was putting on 2kg a week!

Frost!

Continuing on with the cold theme, not snow this time but a spectacular visit from Jack Frost.  The trees were completely white, and closer inspection revealed they were covered in long, thin white needles of ice.  Having never seen frost like this I googled and this morning's display wasn't just ordinary frost, nope - turns out it was hoar frost which in case you were wondering.....

occurs when water vapour touches a very cold surface and freezes instantly, a process known as deposition. This often happens on the leaves and branches of plants, covering them with ice crystals that look like spiky white fingers. 

Hoar frost needles, Sainsbury's car park and the view from Daniel's bedroom.

Hoar frost creates a very, very spectacular display and this morning transformed the landscape into a beautiful but cold winter wonderland.

Snow!

This is what we woke up to this morning......

White out.

Optimistically Emily and I set off for breakfast club.  We went all of 1 mile, then sat in traffic for 10 minutes, then did a u-turn and slid all the way home.  Underneath that thin layer of snow was ice.  I was lucky and only did 2 small but hair-raising skids.  Others were less lucky and I watched a little Fiat slide slowly and gracefully by, both back wheels locked in a useless brake.  Fortunately he had a clear path ahead and coasted gently into the curb, before straightening and crawling slowly on his way.

Treacherous driving.  The guy on the right is spreading salt on the road.

After dropping Emily off back home I tried the other direction to school, no traffic jams this time and I was about half way down the newly discovered short-cut of Church Lane when I got a call.  School was off!  Whee heeee.  Another u-turn and I was heading back home.   Not so lucky with the traffic jams this time and what should have taken 5 minutes took 30.

Cars going uphill lost traction as they accelerated, cars going downhill slid as they braked.  Any car that stopped, even on the flat, had trouble with wheel spin.  I was lucky - I only had to stop once and managed to get started again.  I reckon my top speed on that trip home was 6mph.

Church Lane

Then I caught up to Steve and walked Emily to school through Mill Meadow, which was looking stunning in the snow.  Then it was home to collapse in a heap.  Driving on ice is really stressful, school is really stressful, naughty students are really stressful - it seems I have a stress imbalance in my life and I don't like it!

The walk to school, Emmy in her new coat.

Mill Meadow

Another look at Mill Meadow.  A bit colder than before, but still beautiful.

Lighting up Brentwood

Christmas celebrations are happening everywhere.  Main streets are being closed, Christmas lights are going up, Christmas crafts and food abounds.  And there is mulled wine.  Saturday it was Brentwood, on Sunday the celebrations moved to Billericay.  We sampled sausages, cupcakes, marshmallows, punch, chutneys and fudge.  I sampled mulled wine.

We met a Stig imposter and saw the Brentwood Christmas Tree.

And we succumbed to the cupcakes we'd sampled.