Nearly Easter Hols!!!!

I’ve been getting very lax about updating this Journal. Life has been busy and I like to sit and write a complete entry and don’t often have an hour or so to spare.

First some moans about AOL. Since I had a recent connectivity update I keep losing my connection and the only way to sort it is to turn of my Wireless Router Thingummyjig for 30 seconds and start again, this has cost me hours, even on the PC in the office, so it’s obviously nothing to do with a Wireless connection. If this is the way forward………

It's been a horrible week Navywise. First those two poor sailors killed in an explosion on their submarine, whilst under the ice cap. The one lad was from  Halesowen, which is where I grew up and he went to my Dad's Grammar School. He was planning to leave the Royal Navy to get married, that is so sad. This of course worried me because of Simon's job.

As for the 15 held captive by the Iranians, well I won't say much but it's also very upsetting, although this is a scenario that is unlikely to happen to Simon but I do hope they are soon released. Men and woman alike.

Our lovely student teacher, Karina left on Friday, she has been with us for about two months. Talk about a baptism of fire! She’s had to teach my class, which everyone is agreed is the worst class in living memory. I’ve had to take her to one side at times and reassure her that not all children are like this. I bought her a gift and gave her a card and she bought me the most beautiful, soft , pink, leather make-up bag, with a note thanking me for my help.

On Saturday Mike and I had one of our trips out, where we go somewhere that we don’t know. We decided to head for the Staffordshire Moorlands, which we’d heard of but didn’t know where to find them. After finding some places in Staffordshire on the map that looked rural and had ‘Moor’ in the place name (always a good clue) we headed up the M6 and made our way to Cheadle. There was a sign when we got there telling us it was in the Staffordshire Moorlands so we felt we were off to a good start.

We had a very good lunch while we were there, which could have been even better. I ordered Staffordshire Oatcakes with Bacon & Cheddar Cheese. The Oatcakes are a type of soft pancake, which I’ve never had before. I still haven’t had them as they’d sold out!

There is an old church at Cheadle which was decorated by Pugin in the 19thC. Now Inormally like his work but strewth! What was he on when he did this place. There isn’t half an inch of stone work that hasn’t been intricately decorated. I normally love the feel of old churches but this one was so busy I couldn’t wait to get outside, it was giving me a headache!

After lunch we headed out into the Moorlands. The part we visited didn’t have too many Moors, more Hills and Vales but how pretty it was. Oakamoor is lovely and we were delighted to find it had the remains of a railway station , well, just a platform really, and the old line is now a public footpath. So many old stations have been converted into family homes, it’s a crying shame that this one was demolished.

And this is it today.

 

 You can walk along the line to Alton Village but we only walked part of the way and then returned to the car to continue driving along the Churnet Valley.

We stopped for tea and toasted teacakes at an old, converted lodge now know as the Ramblers Retreat and then continued our drive. Just a minute later we were amazed by the view in front of us, it was as if we had strayed into France or Germany with the sight before us. If you’ve ever been to Alton Towers, to the Amusement Park, well here is the other side of Alton Towers.

Monday was a lovely day and I returned from school with a sense of determination to sort out the garden, which has really got away from us over the last couple of years. There was this Pyracantha hedge which had got to ten feet tall and three feet deep. I spent 4 hours trying to cut it back and managed to reduce it’s depth by half and cut a lot of it back to a manageable 6 foot height. This resulted in a lot of scratches, asthey have the most evil thorns and I finally gave up when I managed to puncture a vein, which was a bit frightening when I had blood spurting everywhere and I was on my own at the time. I sorted that out but it meant I was finished for the day.

Tuesday Mike was at home and he had instructions to finish what I’d started, which he did. But, as usual he had managed to acquire a ‘life threatening’ injury. With Mike that’s a compulsory after effect of any hard work. (Sigh) Well, this time he thought he’d broken a finger. I was pretty sure he hadn’t, so gave him some pain-killers with the suggestion that if it got any worse he should go to hospital.

Yesterday morning it was worse and so off to A & E he went. I said I thought it was Gout and he needed to have his wedding ring cut off. He rang me later to say it was Gout and he’d had to have his wedding ring cut off….I think I’m in the wrong profession.

So does that mean I’m not married anymore?

I look like I’ve got Chickenpox as all my scratches have come up in Hives, as a reaction to my Pyracantha piercings, so I’ve had to buy some Anti- Histamine cream. Who says gardening is a pleasure?

Talking of gardening, this may mean nothing to some people but I got home yesterday to find a message on my answer phone from Chris Beardshaw, the TV Gardener, first really seen on TV for his Flying Gardener series. Well it’s not every day you get a TV Celeb on your answer phone is it?

Anyone want his mobile number? ......Of course, he didn’t want me, it was Mike he was after.

It was Mike’s Mum’s birthday today and he went to see her for lunch. After his 60th birthday present from her of a Flying Lesson, I thought maybe we could get her a Bungee Jump but Mike decided Gardening Vouchers were maybe a better option.

Spent three hours this afternoon making Chocolate, Rice Krispy Nests, each with three, different coloured, sugar coated eggs on top for the whole year group, that's 50 in total. Just let one of them say "I don't like those!"

Catherine, Flo and Isabella are in Tunisia for two weeks, I haven't heard from them so am assuming that no news is good news, although how Catherine will cope without talking to me for a fornight is something I can't imagine. LOL. 

Think that’s about it for now but before I go I want to wish the J Landers who are currently having some major health issues all the best and may all their test results be the best they could possibly be.

Linda. xx

PS I have some other pictures from Saturday and should be viewed larger. I was going to put them at the top but guess what....there's an error!