Text message conversation between Small Boy and myself yesterday:
Me: Hiya! Watchu want 4 yr bday?
SB: ummmm... a laptop?
Me: roflmao
SB: plz?
Me: I do not even have a laptop and your dad's is 10 years old....
SB: OK mayb somit I will like or just money
Me: clothes? games?
SB: Games mabe there is a game I want bulletstorm and clothes like track pants and those jumpers that dont have hoods
Me: zip or no zip?
SB: no zip and I would like a game called bulletstorm
I rushed off to the shops to see if i could fulfill his every whim. Except for the laptop.
Me: Hey! Bulletstorm is MA15+!!!!?
SB: And?
Me; check yr birth certificate! :-D nyway, they don't have any
SB: Chck somewhere else
Me: Shops r shutting
SB:Hurry then.
I bought him the DVD 'Rango' instead. Suspect he will not be quite as thrilled. Cheeky sod. Still, I did get him two jumpers without hoods! :-D
Wednesday 13 July 2011
Tuesday 12 July 2011
Crafty Tuesday: Quick Skirts and a Vest
As the holidays arrived and the Baby Angel's trip to Vanuatu loomed close, we realised she needed some skirts. In the part of Vanuatu they're visiting, there are quite strict cultural expectations and one of them is that women do not wear trousers, let alone shorts! Since the BA doesn't wear skirts too much back here at home, I didn't want to waste money on something she wouldn't wear again so I decided to run up some simple cotton numbers, using whatever was in the cupboard. On perusing the vast quantities of random fabric gathering dust in my stash, we couldn't find anything that fitted the bill but on the day before she left I had some inspiration.
Recently, my Bestie's mum had cleared out her sewing supplies as she made the move down here to Adelaide. In the move I had gained not only loads of fabric, but her Horn sewing cabinet and a bag full of pre-cut patchwork squares. I decided to make up some patchwork fabric and cut a gored skirt out of that.
Elastic waist for speed and comfort.
Because I wasn't excited by the (completely free) result, we went out and chose some fabric to make another version. Here she is surrounded by her possible wardrobe the night before the flight.
After finishing this skirt, I had some fabric left over and had another inspiration. I had been meaning to make a vest out of this tan coloured fabric and had not as yet bought anything to use as lining.
Voila, funky lined vest.
I'm quite pleased with this although I think the vest pattern is a bit plain. I may try one with some panelling in the front next time (see right). Or not. After all, this one I ran up in a night!
For more crafty creativity click over to Carrie's Place for Crafty Tuesday.
Recently, my Bestie's mum had cleared out her sewing supplies as she made the move down here to Adelaide. In the move I had gained not only loads of fabric, but her Horn sewing cabinet and a bag full of pre-cut patchwork squares. I decided to make up some patchwork fabric and cut a gored skirt out of that.
Elastic waist for speed and comfort.
Because I wasn't excited by the (completely free) result, we went out and chose some fabric to make another version. Here she is surrounded by her possible wardrobe the night before the flight.
After finishing this skirt, I had some fabric left over and had another inspiration. I had been meaning to make a vest out of this tan coloured fabric and had not as yet bought anything to use as lining.
Voila, funky lined vest.
I'm quite pleased with this although I think the vest pattern is a bit plain. I may try one with some panelling in the front next time (see right). Or not. After all, this one I ran up in a night!
For more crafty creativity click over to Carrie's Place for Crafty Tuesday.
Tuesday 5 July 2011
Tales From The Chalkface II
Labels:
dyslexia,
humour,
school search
Oh! I forgot to tell you the one other funny thing that happened the other day: The Baby Angel and I have been visiting schools, in an attempt to select a replacement for the Alma Mater, and we came into one well known Adelaide girls' school through a rear entrance and found ourselves lost in the labyrinth. A pretty, flushed young face was hurrying purposefully past us and I hailed her:
"Can you direct us to Reception?" I asked cheerfully. She looked immediately anxious and, after biting her lip briefly in thought, indicated a direction with her right hand.
"Turn left," she said," and then go on past kind of...well..some...buildings...they're...red..and I think there's....um...there's a pile of rocks and that's it."
The BA and I thanked her in amusement and followed her hand directions to turn 'left'. We wandered on for a bit through the rabbit warren of classrooms and walkways becoming less sure as we went. Stopping, we looked around us.
"I guess we have to look for the pile of rocks," I mused. The BA looked doubtful.
"What does she mean, a 'pile of rocks'?" she frowned.
"Well, I guess some kind of sculpture or something?" We wandered on for a bit until we came upon something a little like this.
Without the grass.
"The dyslexics always find you mum, don't they?"
"Can you direct us to Reception?" I asked cheerfully. She looked immediately anxious and, after biting her lip briefly in thought, indicated a direction with her right hand.
"Turn left," she said," and then go on past kind of...well..some...buildings...they're...red..and I think there's....um...there's a pile of rocks and that's it."
The BA and I thanked her in amusement and followed her hand directions to turn 'left'. We wandered on for a bit through the rabbit warren of classrooms and walkways becoming less sure as we went. Stopping, we looked around us.
"I guess we have to look for the pile of rocks," I mused. The BA looked doubtful.
"What does she mean, a 'pile of rocks'?" she frowned.
"Well, I guess some kind of sculpture or something?" We wandered on for a bit until we came upon something a little like this.
Without the grass."The dyslexics always find you mum, don't they?"
Sunday 3 July 2011
Tales From The Chalkface
Labels:
school humour
We have had a couple of laughs this week. The BA and I were running late for an appointment to tour a new school and flew out of my school building, with five minutes to spare, only to find that one of the school buses had parked me in. I hopped into the my driver's seat and got the BA to stand behind me and guide me as I went back and forward 50 times trying to get out of the park. Suddenly there was an almightly shriek and I looked out to see the BA with a head full of bubbles and water. The bus was there to be washed and as the BA stood innocently by, directing traffic as it were, the driver on the other side of the bus must have overshot with the hose! It may have been a result of our overly stretched nerves but the two of us had hysterics laughing about it......all the way to the other school! Incidentally, the apologetic bus driver backed my car out for me!
Another humorous occasion came on Friday when we had been meeting with a parent of a Year 5 child who has become VERY disenfranchised within his class room and will not do anything the teacher asks him to do. I was in the classroom to observe him as he worked (or rather, avoided working) on a grammar exercise.
"What do you have to do here?" I asked.
"You have to replace the verb with a more interesting word," he replied and showed me the next sentence.
"When we got to the farm we met the teacher," he read,"you have to replace met..."
"Hmm," I pondered, "what word could we use instead of met the teacher?"
He thought briefly and then looked up at me brightly and said,
"Confronted?"
Another humorous occasion came on Friday when we had been meeting with a parent of a Year 5 child who has become VERY disenfranchised within his class room and will not do anything the teacher asks him to do. I was in the classroom to observe him as he worked (or rather, avoided working) on a grammar exercise.
"What do you have to do here?" I asked.
"You have to replace the verb with a more interesting word," he replied and showed me the next sentence.
"When we got to the farm we met the teacher," he read,"you have to replace met..."
"Hmm," I pondered, "what word could we use instead of met the teacher?"
He thought briefly and then looked up at me brightly and said,
"Confronted?"
Saturday 2 July 2011
They Were Great Days and Jolly Days......
Labels:
alma mater,
farewells,
grief,
joy
"We will honor yet the school we know
The best school of all
We will honor yet the rule we know
Til the last bell call
For the working days and holidays
For the glad and melancholy days
They were great days
And jolly days
At the best school of all."
So go the words of the 'School Song' of my Alma Mater.
Yesterday was the Baby Angel's last day. A group of them started the day by meeting in the city at the famous, original 'Pancake Kitchen' (they have their own webcam!) and then taking the iconic Adelaide tram back to school. Two assignments were due and their were summer uniforms to be 'signed' for the girls who would be leaving.
Meanwhile I was in the throes of a very intense parent meeting back at my school. Once the meeting was finished we had to debrief the rather upset teacher and then we had to come up with strategies for the child in class which required me observing in the classroom for a while. All in all, I totally missed the start of the parent get together at 2.30pm, and when I arrived at 4pm with champagne bottles in hand, most of them had gone. Disappointed by their lack of staying power I marched to the admin office and fronted one of the many ladies who will be looking for a new job in 5 months time.
"Who will join me for a champagne farewell?" I announced, and her look of bewilderment told me that this was not the attitude she had been experiencing from parents this week.
Like a lit firework, this impromptu Friday Happy Hour drew staff together from all over the building. There's nothing like champagne for triggering people's radar. Heads popped out from offices all around us. The Principal found some crisps in a drawer and voila! Instant party.
We retired to the staff room and the mood was wonderful.
"This is just what we needed." exclaimed one teacher.
"Thank you SO much for doing this." sighed another.
About 10 of us, including the BA, sat around the table toasting: the school, the parents who had stayed, the resilient girls and the staff who will be unemployed through no fault of their own. I regaled them all with stories of my own worst deeds at school and we laughed, sighed and reflected on what had been a wonderful semester and an amazing journey.
As the darkness fell and they drifted off home, the BA and I
were left with her Business Studies teacher and the Principal. We went back over the events of last year; we went back over the way the school had changed in the last 10 years and wondered where the pivotal point had been. Was it the expensive building of the Senior College at a time when the Government had proposed a 'Year 13'? Was it the introduction of laptops in 2001? Was it a principal who had tried to turn the school into a 'finishing academy' when its usual demographic
was middle class academics? We will probably never know.
The restructuring, indeed re-invention, of the school as a 'Learning Community' is a bold and controversial one. For those of us who mourn the past, it is sometimes hard to embrace the future but I am sure, with the benefit of time and space, we will come to appreciate and value the new Alma Mater. Anyone can be bitter but it takes character and strength to look beyond one's own needs and see the bigger picture. I think my Baby Angel can do that and I think this journey, and her school, have helped her to do that. Thank you Annesley.
We stayed as long as we could.
The best school of all
We will honor yet the rule we know
Til the last bell call
For the working days and holidays
For the glad and melancholy days
They were great days
And jolly days
At the best school of all."
So go the words of the 'School Song' of my Alma Mater.
Yesterday was the Baby Angel's last day. A group of them started the day by meeting in the city at the famous, original 'Pancake Kitchen' (they have their own webcam!) and then taking the iconic Adelaide tram back to school. Two assignments were due and their were summer uniforms to be 'signed' for the girls who would be leaving.
Meanwhile I was in the throes of a very intense parent meeting back at my school. Once the meeting was finished we had to debrief the rather upset teacher and then we had to come up with strategies for the child in class which required me observing in the classroom for a while. All in all, I totally missed the start of the parent get together at 2.30pm, and when I arrived at 4pm with champagne bottles in hand, most of them had gone. Disappointed by their lack of staying power I marched to the admin office and fronted one of the many ladies who will be looking for a new job in 5 months time.
"Who will join me for a champagne farewell?" I announced, and her look of bewilderment told me that this was not the attitude she had been experiencing from parents this week.
Like a lit firework, this impromptu Friday Happy Hour drew staff together from all over the building. There's nothing like champagne for triggering people's radar. Heads popped out from offices all around us. The Principal found some crisps in a drawer and voila! Instant party.We retired to the staff room and the mood was wonderful.
"This is just what we needed." exclaimed one teacher.
"Thank you SO much for doing this." sighed another.
About 10 of us, including the BA, sat around the table toasting: the school, the parents who had stayed, the resilient girls and the staff who will be unemployed through no fault of their own. I regaled them all with stories of my own worst deeds at school and we laughed, sighed and reflected on what had been a wonderful semester and an amazing journey.
As the darkness fell and they drifted off home, the BA and I
were left with her Business Studies teacher and the Principal. We went back over the events of last year; we went back over the way the school had changed in the last 10 years and wondered where the pivotal point had been. Was it the expensive building of the Senior College at a time when the Government had proposed a 'Year 13'? Was it the introduction of laptops in 2001? Was it a principal who had tried to turn the school into a 'finishing academy' when its usual demographicwas middle class academics? We will probably never know.
The restructuring, indeed re-invention, of the school as a 'Learning Community' is a bold and controversial one. For those of us who mourn the past, it is sometimes hard to embrace the future but I am sure, with the benefit of time and space, we will come to appreciate and value the new Alma Mater. Anyone can be bitter but it takes character and strength to look beyond one's own needs and see the bigger picture. I think my Baby Angel can do that and I think this journey, and her school, have helped her to do that. Thank you Annesley.
We stayed as long as we could.
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