Back to the Buzz

I have avoided my laptop and my mobile for the last day. I have another week off before I go back to teaching and nearly a week before the office job starts again so I thought I'd rather keep my head down for a day and chill out a little bit longer.

Today I picked my phone up to see three missed calls, three text messages and two voice mails. Great!

One of the messages was a lady looking for a brass instructor for her school, so that one was welcome!

One was my sister asking if I know someone who I played in youth orchestra with. Does that count as knowing them? Probably.

The last one was a friend asking if I want a curry tonight. My initial reaction is that I don't want to go out and see anyone again ever again (still in hibernate mode) but I know I'd love it if we went really. My boyfriend is very busy before New Year at work and I think is working late tonight so we can't. I do love curry but would rather cook him some food because he's going to be tired and I was very grumpy yesterday night (when he told me he had to work late).

Voice mails: One hang-up. Great! (nothing to do with that one), One gig lady who I am avoiding because I haven't organised another trumpet player for her yet.

Missed calls: Don't matter because if it was important they'd have left a message.

EMAIL: haven't got there yet. Next job!

Boxing Day Plans

I haven't seen my boyfriend's family yet so I need to meet up with them today to thank them for the gifts of a harmonica (which is a brilliant present - can't wait to try it... resisting til later on or my siblings might murder me) and a diary/organiser (as if I need organising!!).

Boxing Day food is my favourite for Christmas, because we get to have ham for breakfast. If I'm really lucky I might get an egg with my ham. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

I need the others to WAKE UP though first.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Apologies for yesterday's whine. I was in a mood and vented here. It was helpful to get me out of the mood in real life.

I hope you are having the best Christmas ever. Ours is going pretty well! The dinner was delicious and nobody has fought yet, which is a real anomaly for a Champ Christmas.

Bah Humbug (nearly)

One more hour Christmas shopping and I'd have done something very bad and very un-festive!!

Fortunately I'm still excited as we curtailed the two days of hellish trips just in time.

*****************************************

This morning I am really angry with my stupid thoughtless boyfriend who announced to me that he was starting work at 6.30 today when he got home last night. Why should this bother me? I have to drop him there at that time, because I need the car today (going to England).

Not content with making sure that I have to drive 200 miles minimum on 4 hours sleep, he set his alarm 1 hour early and snored during the night. Loud enough for my sister and I to hear him from the living room over the sound of the telly. I woke him up and made him take a decongestant spray thing as he has a cold again. It worked for a while.

Then to top the sleep, early morning thing off.... he was the last one out of the house this morning. He locked my sister in the house without realising. He should have left her a key if he wanted to do that. He did not. I was REALLY angry about that as in case of a fire she'd have been in trouble. He has done it to me in the past too. I'm still angry - can you tell?

Anyway, until I see him there's no point in stewing over this so I'll leave you with a very sincere wish that you all have a very

MERRY CHRISMAS!

Happy Holidays!

My wee sister arrives for a short visit today. I love Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wigwams in December

My grand (hastily thought up, not thought out) plan was to take Mum up to the wigwams near Tyndrum, for a night out of town. The wigwams are on a farm.

She (somewhat surprisingly) was up for the idea!

Off we went to the wigwam, leaving Glasgow in chilly winter sunshine. We drove off and headed deeper and deeper into grey clouds. As the weather closed in our hopes of a walk in the hills dwindled. We arrived at the farm in howling winds and driving rain!

(This is a photobucket picture I've lifted... must be what it looks like in summer.)



We checked in then fairly swiftly left to go to the Green Welly Stop for some shopping and to the pub for a bite to eat.



It was fun, we bought some things in the shops and the food in the pub was delicious. We both had spicy parsnip soup followed by Christmas roast dinner. Mmmmm.



We then drove back to the wigwam and shut ourselves in there with a few bottles of wine and some games. We played scrabble. I won. We played Yahtzee. I won! Kept me happy. We had some sandwichy bread things for dinner, played some more games, drank some more wine before bed.

The rain didn't let up at all so we woke up and had to walk to the toilet block in the same heavy rain we had walked through all evening.

The wigwam however was completely dry and very cosy. They are heated and lit, so it's a really nice place to stay. There are bench beds and a small table gives you something to play games on. I love it.

have been at work (LONG hours) doing this piece

Tomorrow I'm taking Mum to stay in a wigwam. I'll let you know how that goes!!

CHRISTMAS!

I have a tree! It's all sparkly and pretty with it's angel on the top. I love it.

I have finished presents for: Mum, Boyf's mum, Boyf's sisters, Boyf's sister's boyfriend, friend's girlfriend.

The sloe gin is ready - I tried it and it's very nice.

On Monday my Mum arrives so I'll let her have a taste of the gin and tell me what she thinks. That means I have 1 day left to finish her pressie (as she'll be here and I can't be making it with her here!).

I have one more teaching thing left to do and then that's me for the term. Yey!

Overall I think we're sorted. I have to get something for my sister but the other gifts are done and dusted. I'm quite happy!

Thursday Thirteen #36

Thirteen things (A fair few of which are Strictly Come Dancing videos)

1. Show dance - argentine tango. AMAZING. If you only have time to watch one, make it this one.



2. My Christmas tree is up! I'll hoover tonight then put the pressies round and post a picture.

3. I love Vincent. And I want Rachel to win.



4. I have finished the scarf my friend asked me to make for his girlfriend. However he now says he might give it to his mum. Is it bad that that annoyed me? I put MY mum's scarf on hold to do this one for him.

5. There's a good couple of minutes of bumph before the dance, but this shows that Rachel can do all the dances - in case you thought her tango was only good because Vincent is so good.



6. My boyfriend bought a bottle of port as a thank you gift for me to give to my friend who doesn't really drink. Ha ha - nice bottle of port for TC then.... I bought her something else.

7. This is a waltz which I think is dull but others might like.


8. My work has announced redundancies. I don't know if I'll be one of them but I think that finding a 2 day a week job might be tricky so I hope I'm not.

9. As my boss was off sick last week, I might have my appraisal today.

10. I've run out of toilet roll. Probably a fact you didn't want to know!

11. I've also run out of washing powder. Think it's time to go shopping.

12. It's now five past 8 so I need to get the bus to work.

13. I'd show you more dances but you've got my favourite there already. Hope Rachel wins. I'm off this weekend so I'll get to watch! Mum comes to visit on Monday.

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Allsorts

Firstly: I hate licorice allsorts. Just so you know.

The car is back and working properly again.

Last night we had the West Division Carol concert thing with all the Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers & Leaders. I'd offered last year to play the music for the carols - and they took me up on it this year.

I am lucky enough to have good friends who I've played with for years and they agreed to join me for a trumpet trio. They weren't so keen on the idea of the 12 Days of Xmas, so I agreed to play that on the piano instead.

I then discovered that a Ranger in our division plays the trumpet, so I phoned and invited her to join us. She did a pretty good job and seemed happy enough.

The bit AFTER the concert where the kids go through for juice and biscuits was the bit I didn't enjoy so much. There were so many kids and keeping track of mine with only 2 of us there was difficult. On one hand I knew they were safe anyway as they were surrounded by guiders but on the other hand I worried that parents would come and collect them and I wouldn't know.

It didn't last long - I rounded them all up (by spreading the news that I had xmas pressies for them) and kept them together til they were collected. They said they enjoyed the concert so that makes it worthwhile.

So that's us until the 13th January. Plenty of time to plan a great 2nd term!

stupid car stupid christmas time

My car has broken. It has now been mended and I am going to collect it. It is going to cost £380. Ouch.

Thursday Thirteen #35

1. I was in York on Friday night last week. We drove all the way just for the wedding party.
2. I was in Uddingston (other side of Glasgow) on Saturday night for a Christmas party.
3. I really enjoy playing old music. Like Bach.
4. I still have a bit of a cold but it's MUCH better.
5. I am loving the run-up to Christmas. This year is quieter... or more organised. I'm not sure which. It's allowing me to enjoy it when usually I'm all muddled up at this time of year.
6. I have got most of my Christmas shopping done.
7. I am debating whether it is more important that my boyfriend has a coat than that I stick to my principles. He should buy it himself - he left his coat in a bar, but I know he won't ever get round to it and he's walking round without a coat in freezing weather.
8. I am not going out tonight because I still have Christmas knitting to do.
9. I was out last night - It was fun!
10. I am out tomorrow night. Fingers crossed for fun again!
11. I haven't got dressed for work yet and it's ten past eight.
12. I have my appraisal today at work.
13. I want to get a real tree and decorate it with my biscuit decorations right now.

I hope that you have a great day - see you all later (night in means night reading and catching up!).

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Guiders Warrant

As my Brownie pack has grown, THANKFULLY so has the leadership team.

We are now:

Me,

Guider-in-training (I think she has probably done everything she needs to for the qualification, she just needs to write the book up)

Young Leader.

I got my Leaders warrant a few years ago. You have to complete a workbook - it has several modules that are intended to teach you what you need to know to run a unit.

You are asked to:
- chart development of kids who are making their promise to see how they change through Brownies.
- to show how you've used the Programme in planning.
- to turn up to something outside the meetings in the hall. You have to do something that involves different Units, or different aged kids. So you could do a joint night with 2 packs, or you could invite the Rainbows for a party.... Does that make sense?
- do First Aid. This bit works well.
- assess the safety of your meeting place. This bit is very important as it isn't something you would know to do unless you had run a group before.
- do accounts and you need to keep records.

That's all I can remember.

The part I think that fails is in the fundamentals of Guiding. Who teaches you what Brownies is? Who talks through the programme, or the Adventure? There are packs for Guiders - a manual and an Adventure File, so you can read and teach yourself.

When I did my license there was a Guider sort of running my pack. There was no routine, there was no weekly plan. There was no singing of Taps. There were few girls in the unit.

There is no reason to assume that a trainee Guider has any experience of Guiding in her past. The Adventure File tells you about opening and closing meetings and is actually a really useful resource, but it can't teach you songs (unless you read music.. and if you do you'll notice that the Brownie song is printed in a minor key... which is just weird).

The answer, presumably, to this is that you should have a Mentor. And the Mentor should not be a Guider from your own Unit.

I had no Mentor and nobody to teach me in the Unit. I knew that I didn't like the way it was there, so when she eventually quit I changed everything.

My trainee has no Mentor. I want to do it properly and make sure that she really knows what she's meant to do, but I don't have much time and I am not entirely sure that I know enough about it myself - I'm fairly new to all this!

Genius

yey!
My laptop cable was at my morning school. Where I left it last week.

I'm very daft. It's a fact.

thicko

I've lost my laptop charger cable thing. It is now completely dead. I'm on an old fossil computer that groans when you turn it on and allows you onto the internet about 1 in 5 times.

Grr..