I’ve had a boring and tedious sandwich today with only the middle bit being enjoyable.
I’m sure it’s mostly down to feeling rough and therefore incredibly intolerant and impatient. For years and years I hated Wednesdays for various reasons and today was just a pants Wednesday I guess.
Work in the morning – Bid was here with Archie, Eliot, Davies and Scarlett. It did feel slightly strange recieving a man on the doorstep with a hug and kiss and then heading off leaving him here with all the children – I’m sure David Thankyou Neighbour was having a fit behind his binoculars ;).
It’s all a bit bleak at work really, lots of very fed up people thanks to changes in working hours, the threat of more redundancies higher up in the next six months and just general fed-up-ness. There are only two of us who do Storytime and Rhymetime without a big fuss (and I hesitated over typing ‘happily do’ because I’d personally rather not but it was part of the job description at interview, I am capable of it and deliver it to the best of my ability when the need arises) and that is causing all sorts of friction. So today there was an atmosphere because the person who was supposed to do it had come in claiming illness so the boss had said the other person who also doesn’t really like doing it had to do it instead and both of them were clearly hoping either I or the boss would do it. I was feeling rough (and will be doing Rhymetime on Friday and have clearly stated that whilst I am prepared to do either or both I don’t want to be saddled with it week in, week out either) so didn’t volunteer and got on with my own work in my usual fast manner which was also commented on in a slightly sneering manner. Oh it’s tiresome!
Did enjoy chatting with my boss and bantering with borrowers though, so not all bad.
Back home again the four children were out in the garden having had a nice morning troughing the selection of baking I’d left and Bid had brought round, giving the ducks some time in the bath and making potions and experiments. Bid shot off to collect Caz, I had some lunch (how happy was I to be able to heat up some of Ady’s home made chicken soup and home made bread, just the thing for a cold :)) and then sat drinking tea and chatting to Caz and Bid about life, the universe and everything. Well small schools, GCSEs and whether anyone could help a child through a maths exam or not.
That was the lovely bit in the middle of my day. Intelligent, enjoyable, respectful chat with friends.
They all left and I made Davies and Scarlett some food before dashing to my parents house via Sainsburys for a crate of beer to wish Frazer a Happy Birthday. Only Dad and Frazer were home and Frazer told us they were going to a local steak house (that my Mum has always said is too expensive to take us to ;)) for a meal and we were welcome to come. I teased him about being the favoured offspring whilst privately being very glad I am the one not at home any more, explained to Davies and Scarlett that while 34 is quite old it is still younger than any of us knew Grandad at (as he was 35 when I was born) and that Frazer and I’s ages added together made Grandad’s now. Then we had to leave to go to Badgers.
Badgers was pretty rubbish, two of us took nine of the Badgers out onto the field to pitch a tent. I tried really hard to balance all of them remaining involved and learning something without being too preachy but spent way too much time stopping them from running around on the grass. We went back in, they had their drinks and then they played a game called Queen’s headache which basically involves most of the children sitting still and being quiet for long periods of time. Davies was put in charge and got undermined by one of the more stroppy and bossy girls so he felt bad and I was slightly resentful that I’ve been given a ‘lesson plan’ for next term to deliver to all the most challenging children with just the help of a couple of other mothers and where I thought I’d be doing the planning and arranging it already seems to have been done. I’ve had a look through the ‘syllabus’ and am deeply uninspired by the dull and prescribed ideas I now have to try and engage these children in when I had envisaged getting them more involved in the planning and ideas stage. I’m sure I can do more with it and be more creative but today was not a good day for feeling glass half full so I wallowed in feeling resentful instead ;).
Back home again Ady had brought home some cardboard boxes and fashioned a new, improved duckling abode which Lucky and Sploosh seem very happy in :). Being cardboard it also gives Davies and Scarlett the opportunity to decorate it with felt tips too so it is now a very custom designed duck abode indeeed :).
I was feeling too croaky and generally crap to be reading so D&S had toast and went to bed to listen to audio books instead, we watched Junior Apprentice which I’m loving.
Hoping to wake feeling better in health and frame of mind tomorrow.
Oh Nic :-(. Do hope you’re back to bright and breezy very soon. Eat some lentils.
Marcus used to call Wednesdays “hump day” as it’s an expression used over the pond to indicate getting over the middle of the week. He soon stopped calling it that at work once he knew there was another possible meaning. Didn’t stop him at home though – in fact once the more risque meaning was explained he seemed to use it home all the more ;-).
Comment by Michelle — 20 May 2010 @ 8:16 am
Badgers sounds a bit crap really, from your POV. Do you think you will stick with it for the next, what, 2 1/2 years?
Comment by Alison — 20 May 2010 @ 3:01 pm
😆 at Marcus. Jax used to call them that when she was working IIFC too.
@Alison NO! I’ve committed to myself to seeing out this year (which is only the rest of this term and usually it won’t be so bad as we’ll all be together as a group rather than me trying to supervise), next term which I’m doing myself with help but Ady has offered to come along and support me and Davies will be there as a cadet rather than a Badger which will help too. I’ll probably do the winter term next year to ensure Scarlett is managing okay without Davies (and they are doing Eco Badger which is something I am actually interested in) and then I’ll gracefully step away with the reasoning that it was never my thing in the first place but I’ve done a year. I’m resenting it lots at the moment thought because I was loving that hour a week on a Wednesday night to go walking along the beach in the summer and the beach is calling louder than supervising a load of kids in mundane activities, unsurprisingly ;).
Comment by Nic — 20 May 2010 @ 8:52 pm
Oh good 🙂 I thought that because of the concern about leader numbers you might get stuck doing it until Tarly finishes.
Comment by Alison — 21 May 2010 @ 6:44 am