Tuesday - and some thoughts on celebrity

I have never thought of myself as being a massive “celebrity fan” – so was surprised today by how saddened I was to hear of the death of Patrick Swayze. I have “fallen for” many handsome TV & Film stars, Pop stars etc over the course of my life – and still feel a fondness for many who are still with us, and have always been saddened to hear they were no longer on this earth – but today’s news is the first time I have found myself with tears in my eyes.
I am struggling to find a reason to be truthful – I was not a teenager or even very young when he first became a star in Dirty Dancing – in fact I never saw it in its heyday. As a mum of an 8 yr old and a 1 year old I didn’t go to the cinema, so much of the fuss went over my head and I thought that I was past those teenage type crushes (I was in my mid 30s!!). However – when I eventually saw the film at home on video I fell hook, line & sinker for the pure romance of the story – however cheesy it might seem today. I remember sitting watching it with my beloved Doug and the children and loving every minute – especially when he was dancing - Oh to have been the girl in his arms! and from then on I was hooked. I got Ghost on video just because Patrick was in it– I don’t know what it was - but he had it by the bucket load – and my heart goes out to his widow and his family. Also I would liked to have thanked him, as he got me & Doug to dance classes – We learned that "dirty Dance" along with lots of other dances - and it is still a very pleasurable shared hobby.
Thank you Patrick, not only did your dancing give me great pleasure to watch, but it also inspired us to dance too – so for me - you will be sadly missed.
So today I learned - Tears need not always be shed for those you know well - sometimes they can be for those you don't really know at all.

Today - -

- it was back to work - in pretty dismal weather I might add, and it was really hard getting myself there - I was so tired after travelling off island for the wedding.When we got back last night the cottage looked so welcoming! There really is no place like home.Specially this one - not many people are lucky enough to live in their dream home I know - so I do feel blessed. I always feel as if I am being wrapped up in warm comforting arms when I walk through the door of my cottage - even if it has been empty for a couple of days - so its good to be home!!
It was the first of two days in school with only staff in - no children until Wednesday, and there was so much to do to get the school anything like ready! All hands to the pump time - except that was a bit difficult with the building work & re-furbishment still un-finished!!!
Our new Deputy Head took some of the Welcome Back Meeting, and I think she is going to be a real asset to the school. I like the cut of her jib as they say in nautical circles. Already there is a different feel to the place - much happier atmosphere - which we are much in need of as we have had to work through a rather traumatic couple of years - with many of us feeling "in Limbo" and slightly abandoned by "the powers that be". A pity our new Head couldn't be there as well - but technically he is not appointed until November 1st.
So what did I learn today?
# it was good to see my colleagues after their break
# I'm more tired after travelling off island for the weekend than I used to be - oh the joys of getting older!
# It is SO good to be home!
Here is my page for the day anyway.

Please leave a little comment if you stop by.
Gura mie ayd. J x

Sunday Learning

Today was rather a quiet day after the excitement of the wedding yesterday. Doug went out climbing with his mates and I spent the day with mum & dad. Mum has treated herself to an Overlocker - though I don't think she has used it since the thread broke and she has not been able to re-thread it as she couldn't read the instructions, remember them, then go back to her machine to thread it. She has kept on forgetting to ask me to do it with her when I have visited so it has been months I think!!
Anyway - today's lesson for the journal was this - I learned how to thread mum's overlocker!

Here is the page about it, please leave a little comment if you stop by.

Gura mie ayd. J x

A trip off the island - -

- - the first of two this month - a visit to mum & dad and a wedding. We only planned the trip as we were invited to celebrate with Melody & David on the occasion of their wedding. Mel was my chief bridesmaid & witness at our wedding 23 years ago, and she is re marrying after a goodly number of years as a lone parent.
It was a really lovely wedding - a union of two counties - a joining of the white rose and the red! He is from Yorkshire, she from Lancashire and if you are from that part of the world I am sure you are aware of the friendly rivalry & banter which always goes on when Lancashire & Yorkshire folk meet up! - she was alight with happiness and the groom was positively bursting with pride and love for his "red rose".Red & white Roses graced his buttonhole, Mel wore a beautiful creamy "old gold" gown and they were both supported by their respective sons. No bridesmaids at this wedding - just groomsmen & bridesmen! Mel was escorted up the aisle by both her boys - who both "gave her away" in a beautiful service.
To my absolute delight - many of my former work colleagues were wedding guests - and we had indeed come from far & wide to share their special day - Aberdeen, Wales, South Africa and Isle of Man to name just a few. It was fabulous to see Mandy, Fran, Viv, Sarah, Rose & Brian, Berny & Wayne, Michelle & Justine! Specially now as contact is usually just Christmas card & letter & the occasional letter in between!
The fun we had though was as if we had only been out together last week! It was great to catch up with them all and hear of their families and see pictures of the great young men & women our children have turned into. I can't believe it is over 9 years since we last worked together - as chatting and laughing with them felt as if we still seeing each other on an almost daily basis! So today's lesson?? Real friendship survives over any period, distance and limited contact - like good wine - friendship only matures - and we really should meet up more often.

Please leave a little comment if you stop by.

Gura mie ayd. J x

I HATE - -

- - the amount of dust that is just flying around my working environment - the winds we have been experiencing have been especially wild - and with the school looking and feeling like a building site there is every imaginable type of dust in the atmosphere from plaster to sawdust - my 3rd day of this since I returned to work from leave - and what has it set off - my hayfever - I feel like crying - I have been allergy free since we moved here nine years ago - but what did I have do this morning within an hour of getting in - go to the chemist for Clarityn!!

This is the lesson for today then - the curse that is allergic rhinitis - which is what the Doc always calls it - has reared its ugly head again - my eyes are itching,as are my ears and the back of my throat and my nose is streaming!! I could scream - I am going to a wedding tomorrow - and I will look like I have a drink problem!!!

I shall be glad to see the back of this week I can tell you, as it has not been pleasant in work. I feel so ratty and grumpy!! If it wasn't for this class Learn Something New - where I can use scrapping these feelings as therapy - I am not sure what I would do!
The sea calls again I foresee. LOL Best foot forward then!!
Here is my page anyway.Similar elements to my previous pages - and the blog post is to be printed on a tag tucked into the back of the page to tell the full story.

Please leave a little comment if you stop by.

Gura mie ayd. Jx

A little Stress relief -

- -is a very good thing. As you might have been able to work out - these last couple of days are proving to be designed to send my blood pressure soaring! On Tuesday I was lucky enough to bump into Kenny - and what he told me was enough to make my day. Today I needed to find another way of dealing with the chaos that is my work place at the moment - before I went home and snapped at my family!( Who are pretty stressed themselves as Doug is suffering with back pain & sciatica and Rhiannon is off to Uni for the first time.)
I can't really claim that today's lesson is a new one for me - but it is one I have a real tendency to forget unless I make a concious effort to head for the coast path or beach. Since life seems so fraught this week I felt it was appropriate to include it in this journal - and it is such a beautiful view.
Another very simple page - Shimelle's printouts, computer generated text, flowers & my butterfly stamp.
Please leave a little comment if you stop by.

Gura mia ayd. J x

- - and it was

- back to work for me today - and I found myself facing a feeling of total panic - the teaching staff return to school on Monday - and the school looks like a building site!! There is scaffolding in the corridor preventing me getting into the computer suites, classrooms without ceilings, stockrooms with a collapsed ceiling, new toilet pans still in the corridors - and I have taken a delivery of over 80 desktop PCs and monitors that need to be in the computer suites by next Wednesday - when the children return - along with 80 new staff laptops that I need to build ready for swap out with their old ones – aaaaagh!!
I headed home feeling really stressed - on my way I popped into the supermarket and on the checkout was an ex student – a young man who had come to our island from the Philippines knowing no English – being 15 at that time he was allocated to Year group 10 – and had extra support with English lessons. He would often come to us in the library or the IT Dept for a bit of additional help & explanation with stuff he didn’t always understand, so I got to know him quite well during those 2 years he was with us - however he left in year 11 with rather poor GCSE results (understandably)
He went on to the College to re-sit the whole 2 years – and today he told me he had been accepted back to our school - as a Sixth Form Student - to do his A Levels. He was so, so delighted to have a place! He couldn’t even wait until it was my turn to be served to share his excitement at his success. Well done Kenny - You made my day - it just had to be today's entry - So today I learnt – working in Education can be the most rewarding job in a the world.
Another simple page - computer generated text, Shimelles's print outs, my butterfly stamp & a few paper flowers with brads.
Please leave a little comment if you stop by.

Gura mie ayd. J x

- - and today I have learned

- - that setting up,running & acting as host for the Craft Clubs first Circle Journal was really VERY rewarding. It was a worry at times - and I was no different than anyone else at doing my entries at the last minute (LOL) - but it has been a very special experience to have been part of and sometimes very challenging yet -

• We have learned a little more about each other

• Have a piece of each others creativity to cherish

• We think we might do it again after a short break - indeed at least one lady has a theme in mind LOL!
• It was good being able to actually exchange albums each month at meetings
• I think it has deepened our friendship and made us closer as a group

So I felt that should be my first entry in this journal -
Very simple as I am working at 6x6 - I have decided to use Shimelle's printable for the date. and I have printed it on vellum & circled the date with silver ink - used my butterfly stamp, scallop punch (Stampin up), paper flower& brad, an old Friendship sticker I found in my stash, and computer generated text.
Please leave a little comment if you stop by

Gura mie ayd. Jx

- - and class begins

Hooray - class has properly started now - the prompt from Shimelle was in my mailbox this morning :). Learn Something New Every Day 2009 - a class about learning from life - and recording just a little aspect of it in an album. Do feel free to come along and join us - clicking in the link in the sidebar will take you to lots more information about it.
At the end of the month I hope to have a completed album recording the month of September 2009 to go with 2006 & 2007 - I didn't complete 2008 - life got in the way! This year it will be a different year for me - in the middle of the month my youngest daughter goes off to Sheffield Hallam University and there is no doubt in my heart {or head for that matter} that I will miss her.
She is the only one of my three children who completed Further Education - and her daddy & I are intensely proud of her and her achievement - but I will miss her presence in the cottage - I know I will. She is excited and apprehensive in equal measure {as am I!! LOL} - but that's life really - a series of ups and downs, laughter & tears, joy and sorrow - and the mundane - all thrown into the melting pot that makes up the every day.
May be today's lesson should be a small reminder to myself of something I do already know - that REAL life is always made up like that - those ups & downs are called living - and whatever comes my way I will do my best to enjoy the experience - or Learn from it!
Hope to be back later with my creativity for today.
Please leave a little comment if you stop by :)


Gura mie ayd. Jx