@AndSmelly
Last year, I wrote a series of posts about an exciting and scary mentoring opportunity at work. That came to an end in February, eventually unproductive but very interesting. Then, just over a month ago, something much scarier happened. The beginning It started with an email from the HR training lead for Europe. Now, emails… Continue reading Exciting and much scarier
Small boy, mainly obliviously, is doing his year 2 SATs at the moment. I'm rather sad for him. Not because of the testing, not because he doesn't enjoy them. But because he's only "mainly oblivious". When large boy did his, we didn't even have any idea. School made so little fuss about it that the… Continue reading Year 2 SATs
Back to school 2021 is different again, and that's when even 2020 wasn't quite the same as 2019 was. It's been sort of normal, at least it's only been 5 weeks away from their friends compared to the 20 or so last year. Here's how we prepared for R-day, returning to school. R minus 6… Continue reading Back to school 2021
Wow, that's it. The last day of school for the 2020-2021 school year. And what a year it's been! From the countdown last September, through an almost-immediate COVID scare, Christmas and another round of home learning, more school holidays in lockdown over February half term, and then back to in-school learning (thank goodness). The boys… Continue reading School’s Out 2021
Ever since large boy started school and I discovered the joys of making my own fruit gin (coincidentally the same year, or was it a coincidence?), I've made gifts for teachers and TAs for Christmas and the end of the summer term. I love giving them something we've made at home - if I've put… Continue reading Teachers’ gifts 2021
I was lucky enough to be involved with guiding from when I was 7 until I was 17. I joined Brownies and them moved onto Guides and eventually Young Leaders. I didn't keep going when I went off to university, but all the non-school related experiences and friends I got to have through guiding have… Continue reading Back to Scouting
What with all this home learning and working and the recent spate of regular running, I've found that its really hard to fit in all the things. Add to this all the lovely kind people who are sharing extra bits and bobs that might "help" keep us occupied and I'm finding that I'm ignoring lots… Continue reading Things I don’t have time for
Ding ding ding, seconds out! We're on our own again, well sort of. As everyone suspected would be the case, English schools closed for the spring term. No, not at the end of the winter term, during the holidays, or just before reopening. No, they closed after one day of the children being back -… Continue reading Home Learning Round Two
A year ago I wrote my first looking forward post to 2020. After the awful, disastrous year we had in 2019 I didn't ask for much. I'm not making resolutions - I just want 2020 to be less painful than 2019 please. Please. And, well, 2020 was certainly a rollercoaster but it wasn't as painful… Continue reading Reflecting on 2020
Warning: I'm just going to dive right in here, no gentle preamble or stories about silly things the boys did. The issues around inclusion and unconscious bias (as well as just basic exclusion based on gender, race, social position, education, religion, and orientation or identity) are a bit of a bug bear for me. From… Continue reading Inclusion – a how to
Smelly Socks and Garden Peas 
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