I have barely spoken a word out loud all day.
In fact, if a neighbour hadn't come round to check "is everything ok?" - he'd seen my light on at 3am when he came home from work - I wouldn't have talked to anyone at all.
Perfect!
I haven't been lonely or distressed; after all I have emailed, tweeted, and now I am blogging. It's just that I haven't had to CONVERSE with anyone in real time, (apart from the neighbour) all day, which has been so peaceful. I am so enjoying myself.
I've had one phone call - cold calling - and dealt with that in 10 seconds flat.
It feels like a kind of silent retreat.
I have been busy, though; housework, crock-pot-cookery, and quiltmaking.
This evening I have Great British Railways, Great British Bake-Off, and Strictly Come Dancing to enjoy on TV. "Easy watching" for a Sunday evening.
Oh, and everything was fine at 3am. I was just reading for a bit. It was probably his van that woke me!
Sunday, 6 October 2013
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Saturday 5th October - Day Off
Oh my word. When was the last time that I did this?
A whole day. Just me. And the cats - but they don't want much from me.
This morning, I've had breakfast in bed, listened to Saturday Live on Radio 4 and done a load of crochet. I'm hurrying through this rather dull brown yarn in order to get on to the more exciting colours that I bought in Canada.
The cat is keeping me company (can I just point out how nicely her blue collar matches the quilt? And can I just have a little boast about the quilt which is one I made several years ago? It is rather narrow, which has proved very useful for when I want an extra layer on the bed and He doesn't. Come to think of it, it's a long time since I've made a proper quilt; I hashed something together for the Canadian baby but it wasn't what I wanted to create.)
I've a tray with biscuits, jug of water, jug of milk, jar of decent instant coffee, and some biscuits, so I can make coffee on my bedside coffee-machine whenever I want. I've my lap top, smartphone, books, magazines, Sudoku, mp3 player, radio, crochet all within reach.
My word. It is So Quiet!
There was a time when I would regularly "clock off" - mid week in a café before turning up at a school - Saturday or Sunday afternoons disappear upstairs for a little snooze or book-reading - spend a morning playing the piano.
Because of the nature of my working hours, the full-time work that I do in term-time is scattered through the day. I basically start the day at 8am, and finish around 6:30 or 7pm, but I have a morning here. and hour there, during the week when I am not teaching. I use these times to catch up on housework and gardenwork and paperwork and socialising.
Music teaching is a very intense activity; while the lesson is in progress whether you are teaching one, or five, or forty pupils. You have to be fully alert, listening intently, watching, assimilating, processing what is happening in order to say or do the right thing to ensure that the pupils have the best, most useful experience. If you get it wrong, a lesson with fort children can become chaos, (dangerously so, if you are not careful). A badly-chosen phrase can destroy a pupil's confidence. The right word can galvanise them and motivate them to renewed effort. So, come 7 pm on a Friday night, I am listened and talked out. I don't want to see or hear or say anything much; and it takes a half-day of "down-time" to get me back to a state when I am ready to rejoin the human race.
I don't think those times have happened for over a year. The gaps in my schedule have been jammed packed, squeezing in just the basic, imperative tasks; weekends fully scheduled - even enjoyable "family days out" have been at the expense of the restorative recharging times.
The obvious response from people is "oh, you do too much. You should give up your work". The next person who says this to me will incur my wrath, even if I do not actually express it in verbal or visible form. I LIKE my work. Why should I give it up? My work will give me up soon enough, and probably sooner that I would like. Isn't it better that I take steps to ensure that I can continue to work for as long as I can, for as long as I want to?
Day off. Lovely.
And I can't wait for Monday and the challenges that the day will bring - djembe with 40 lovely, sparky young children. Then an evening of piano teaching; pinning down a lively 6-year-old at the piano for long enough to catch her attention to learn the next notes. Persuading a talented lad to concentrate his mind effectively on learning rather than letting his mind run in neutral. Slowing down a young-man-in-a-hurry so that he gets to grips with the tricky bits rather than glossing over them. Showing a high-flying sixth-former with not enough time for lots of practise, and showing her how to make the most effective use of her time, so that she can enjoy the piece she is learning. And hardest of all, unpicking a young man's technical bad habits in such a way that he is able to fulfil his potential, without discouraging him or denigrating what he has achieved so far.
Day off. Recharge. Restore.
Guess what? I'm going to do this again tomorrow!
A whole day. Just me. And the cats - but they don't want much from me.
This morning, I've had breakfast in bed, listened to Saturday Live on Radio 4 and done a load of crochet. I'm hurrying through this rather dull brown yarn in order to get on to the more exciting colours that I bought in Canada.
The cat is keeping me company (can I just point out how nicely her blue collar matches the quilt? And can I just have a little boast about the quilt which is one I made several years ago? It is rather narrow, which has proved very useful for when I want an extra layer on the bed and He doesn't. Come to think of it, it's a long time since I've made a proper quilt; I hashed something together for the Canadian baby but it wasn't what I wanted to create.)
I've a tray with biscuits, jug of water, jug of milk, jar of decent instant coffee, and some biscuits, so I can make coffee on my bedside coffee-machine whenever I want. I've my lap top, smartphone, books, magazines, Sudoku, mp3 player, radio, crochet all within reach.
There was a time when I would regularly "clock off" - mid week in a café before turning up at a school - Saturday or Sunday afternoons disappear upstairs for a little snooze or book-reading - spend a morning playing the piano.
Because of the nature of my working hours, the full-time work that I do in term-time is scattered through the day. I basically start the day at 8am, and finish around 6:30 or 7pm, but I have a morning here. and hour there, during the week when I am not teaching. I use these times to catch up on housework and gardenwork and paperwork and socialising.
Music teaching is a very intense activity; while the lesson is in progress whether you are teaching one, or five, or forty pupils. You have to be fully alert, listening intently, watching, assimilating, processing what is happening in order to say or do the right thing to ensure that the pupils have the best, most useful experience. If you get it wrong, a lesson with fort children can become chaos, (dangerously so, if you are not careful). A badly-chosen phrase can destroy a pupil's confidence. The right word can galvanise them and motivate them to renewed effort. So, come 7 pm on a Friday night, I am listened and talked out. I don't want to see or hear or say anything much; and it takes a half-day of "down-time" to get me back to a state when I am ready to rejoin the human race.
I don't think those times have happened for over a year. The gaps in my schedule have been jammed packed, squeezing in just the basic, imperative tasks; weekends fully scheduled - even enjoyable "family days out" have been at the expense of the restorative recharging times.
The obvious response from people is "oh, you do too much. You should give up your work". The next person who says this to me will incur my wrath, even if I do not actually express it in verbal or visible form. I LIKE my work. Why should I give it up? My work will give me up soon enough, and probably sooner that I would like. Isn't it better that I take steps to ensure that I can continue to work for as long as I can, for as long as I want to?
Day off. Lovely.
And I can't wait for Monday and the challenges that the day will bring - djembe with 40 lovely, sparky young children. Then an evening of piano teaching; pinning down a lively 6-year-old at the piano for long enough to catch her attention to learn the next notes. Persuading a talented lad to concentrate his mind effectively on learning rather than letting his mind run in neutral. Slowing down a young-man-in-a-hurry so that he gets to grips with the tricky bits rather than glossing over them. Showing a high-flying sixth-former with not enough time for lots of practise, and showing her how to make the most effective use of her time, so that she can enjoy the piece she is learning. And hardest of all, unpicking a young man's technical bad habits in such a way that he is able to fulfil his potential, without discouraging him or denigrating what he has achieved so far.
Day off. Recharge. Restore.
Guess what? I'm going to do this again tomorrow!
Friday, 4 October 2013
Friday 4th October - Pot Roast Lamb
Yesterday, before I went to work, I finely chopped onion, celery and carrots and garlic and dropped them into my capacious crock pot. I added rosemary and bay leaves, and jammed in a whole shoulder of lamb. After that went two large chopped ripe tomatoes, salt and pepper, and a whole bottle of dry cider. I set that going on Auto (1 hour high, then down to low) and left the house.
Seven hours later, I returned to find the house full of the welcoming smell of supper. I gave it another hour, then took the lamb out and turned the pot off.
While the lamb was still hot, I pulled it to shreds; it filled two dinner plates, probably 8 or more portions. This was frozen in batches spread out on trays, then broken up and all put into a freezer bag, so I can just take out as much as I like.
I poured the liquid and vegetables into a couple of jugs and left them to cool. Before I went to bed I put them into the fridge.
This morning, (before I started my duvet day), I lifted the solidified fat off the lamb and veg liquid and fished out the bay leaves. I liquidised everything, and distributed it among half a dozen or so small containers, and put them in the freezer.
Excellent.
Seven hours later, I returned to find the house full of the welcoming smell of supper. I gave it another hour, then took the lamb out and turned the pot off.
While the lamb was still hot, I pulled it to shreds; it filled two dinner plates, probably 8 or more portions. This was frozen in batches spread out on trays, then broken up and all put into a freezer bag, so I can just take out as much as I like.
I poured the liquid and vegetables into a couple of jugs and left them to cool. Before I went to bed I put them into the fridge.
This morning, (before I started my duvet day), I lifted the solidified fat off the lamb and veg liquid and fished out the bay leaves. I liquidised everything, and distributed it among half a dozen or so small containers, and put them in the freezer.
Excellent.
Friday 4th October - Duvet Days
I went to the doctor this morning, to discuss a weird "floating" sensation that comes and goes, and has been coming and going since August. It has been wearing off to some degree recently, which makes life a little steadier!
It started after the fifth dose of cyclophosphamide (I always "float" for a day or so anyway), but continued. Well, I was properly over-tired, so maybe that was why. It continued in Canada. Jet-lag? Followed me back to England. More jet-lag? Surprised me in the first samba lesson of term - perhaps I'm still jet-lagged? I asked about it when I had the last cyclophosphamide dose in mid-September; they weren't too concerned, and said I should see my GP. So there I was this morning. They'll look into it; I'll have one of those blood-pressure monitors that you were for a day and then they can see what is going on.
However, I've a bit of a cold, and so the doctor had a listen to my chest. Yup, as I suspected. I'm just starting a chest infection.
So, I'm taking the Big White Pills instead of the Medium Green Capsules, for a week, and clearing my diary for the next couple of days. Time to take a break.
The cat approves.
This will be my first completely empty weekend since the beginning of July. (I have cancelled coffee with a friend this morning, this afternoon's school teaching, tomorrow's half-day trip into town with my parents, and lunch with friends on Sunday)
This may possibly be about my last completely empty weekend until next year... I think there might be one clear weekend left. If so, I shan't be too quick to book anything in it. I'm practising the "N" word right now.
Don't phone. Don't call. I'm having some duvet days. Peace and Quiet. Bliss.
It started after the fifth dose of cyclophosphamide (I always "float" for a day or so anyway), but continued. Well, I was properly over-tired, so maybe that was why. It continued in Canada. Jet-lag? Followed me back to England. More jet-lag? Surprised me in the first samba lesson of term - perhaps I'm still jet-lagged? I asked about it when I had the last cyclophosphamide dose in mid-September; they weren't too concerned, and said I should see my GP. So there I was this morning. They'll look into it; I'll have one of those blood-pressure monitors that you were for a day and then they can see what is going on.
However, I've a bit of a cold, and so the doctor had a listen to my chest. Yup, as I suspected. I'm just starting a chest infection.
So, I'm taking the Big White Pills instead of the Medium Green Capsules, for a week, and clearing my diary for the next couple of days. Time to take a break.
The cat approves.
I've taken water and milk and coffee upstairs with me, and I just reach over to the coffee-maker by my bed whenever I'd like another cup, without having to go downstairs. I have my books, my lap-top, my mobile phone, my mp3 player and the bedside radio all close by.
This will be my first completely empty weekend since the beginning of July. (I have cancelled coffee with a friend this morning, this afternoon's school teaching, tomorrow's half-day trip into town with my parents, and lunch with friends on Sunday)
This may possibly be about my last completely empty weekend until next year... I think there might be one clear weekend left. If so, I shan't be too quick to book anything in it. I'm practising the "N" word right now.
Don't phone. Don't call. I'm having some duvet days. Peace and Quiet. Bliss.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Wednesday 2nd October - Sulking
The Man of the House was away for a few days on business. The household technology seemed to have started sulking at his absence.
Problem 1
About two hours after the very early morning taxi took him away, the washing machine beeped sadly and displayed the code which means the filter right at the back at the furthest reach of someone with very, very, long arms was now blocked. I managed to get the sodden soapy washing out, and empty the water out of the machine without drenching the kitchen, but that was as much as I could manage. Luckily I had already dealt with the mountain of washing over-filling the laundry basket, so I didn't have to do any washing for a while.
Problem 2
The television displayed a message to the effect that it wanted re-tuning. "Now, or later?" As advised by The Man of the House, I chose "now". After some time, the message "Cannot find any programs; this television is now de-tuned" came up.
Too true; the on-screen guide came up as a complete blank.
Problem 3
An email from work demanded that I send in a photo of myself for a new ID card NOW and TODAY. To be fair, we had been asked a month ago to provide this; and after a couple of failed attempts at "selfies", The Man of the House had taken quite a nice one. "Email it to me" I asked "because then I will be sure to find it. "No need, it is in Pictures=>your folder=>Photo-ID so you will find it easily".
No it wasn't, and I couldn't find it.
Problem 4
I was updating the lesson plans for all my schools on my laptop, and discovered the folder for one of my schools had completely disappeared. Gone. Not there at all. Took several deep breaths and instructed myself not to panic.
This looked like rebellion from various items of technology, all resenting The Man's trip away.
However, I have managed to retune the television (loud Hurrahs). And along the way I discovered the "settings" menu for the television.
And I have found out how to search an entire computer (you start by googling "how do I find lost folders on my computer". That way you find out that you need to type what you are looking for in a little box at the bottom of the "start" menu.
The photograph I needed seemed to be in a folder inside "pictures" called "Dover". Of course.
And the school lesson plans had taken up residence in another folder called AAAAdmin2012. Naturally.
Just the washing machine to go, then.
Hopefully things will be returning to normal soon!
Problem 1
About two hours after the very early morning taxi took him away, the washing machine beeped sadly and displayed the code which means the filter right at the back at the furthest reach of someone with very, very, long arms was now blocked. I managed to get the sodden soapy washing out, and empty the water out of the machine without drenching the kitchen, but that was as much as I could manage. Luckily I had already dealt with the mountain of washing over-filling the laundry basket, so I didn't have to do any washing for a while.
Problem 2
The television displayed a message to the effect that it wanted re-tuning. "Now, or later?" As advised by The Man of the House, I chose "now". After some time, the message "Cannot find any programs; this television is now de-tuned" came up.
Too true; the on-screen guide came up as a complete blank.
Problem 3
An email from work demanded that I send in a photo of myself for a new ID card NOW and TODAY. To be fair, we had been asked a month ago to provide this; and after a couple of failed attempts at "selfies", The Man of the House had taken quite a nice one. "Email it to me" I asked "because then I will be sure to find it. "No need, it is in Pictures=>your folder=>Photo-ID so you will find it easily".
No it wasn't, and I couldn't find it.
Problem 4
I was updating the lesson plans for all my schools on my laptop, and discovered the folder for one of my schools had completely disappeared. Gone. Not there at all. Took several deep breaths and instructed myself not to panic.
This looked like rebellion from various items of technology, all resenting The Man's trip away.
However, I have managed to retune the television (loud Hurrahs). And along the way I discovered the "settings" menu for the television.
And I have found out how to search an entire computer (you start by googling "how do I find lost folders on my computer". That way you find out that you need to type what you are looking for in a little box at the bottom of the "start" menu.
The photograph I needed seemed to be in a folder inside "pictures" called "Dover". Of course.
And the school lesson plans had taken up residence in another folder called AAAAdmin2012. Naturally.
Just the washing machine to go, then.
Hopefully things will be returning to normal soon!
Wednesday 2nd October - Disgruntled Pigeon
I was rather amused driving home today; in the little crowded residential streets near where I live, a fat pigeon was just sitting in the road, in a bit where parked cars force single-file traffic.
I was waiting for my turn (oncoming traffic had priority) and the car coming along from the other direction was being thwarted by this pigeon. So they drove closer and closer, and still the silly bird didn't move, until they drove right over it, the pigeon disappearing under the car........
................. and emerging unscathed but clearly put out by the experience. It looked all ruffled and irritated at having a sudden noisy dark tunnel pass over its head..................
................... and waddled off to the side of the road, with feathers hunched and a disgruntled air, leaving the way clear for the rest of us to get on with going to wherever it was we all wanted to get to.
I must admit I held my breath at the imminent demise of the pigeon, but perhaps this is a regular occurrence? The incident was over in seconds and life continued, as before, for us all.
Probably.
I was waiting for my turn (oncoming traffic had priority) and the car coming along from the other direction was being thwarted by this pigeon. So they drove closer and closer, and still the silly bird didn't move, until they drove right over it, the pigeon disappearing under the car........
................. and emerging unscathed but clearly put out by the experience. It looked all ruffled and irritated at having a sudden noisy dark tunnel pass over its head..................
................... and waddled off to the side of the road, with feathers hunched and a disgruntled air, leaving the way clear for the rest of us to get on with going to wherever it was we all wanted to get to.
I must admit I held my breath at the imminent demise of the pigeon, but perhaps this is a regular occurrence? The incident was over in seconds and life continued, as before, for us all.
Probably.
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