Wednesday 28 June 2017

Rest of June Round Up

My last post was just over a fortnight ago.
That wasn't part of my plan for June.
Then again when do things go to plan?
Everyone's ok but I'd be fibbing if I were to say that the last two weeks chez Jumble and Jelly have been plain sailing!
Enough of all that though, let's take a peek at some other news.

After a little discussion me, G and S have booked to go away to Amsterdam for 4 nights in early August.
Excited? 
You bet.
Amsterdam has been on my wish list for ages.
I went to the library and took out some books.
One is on self guided walks around the city and also for places such as Delft and Haarlem. We're not quite sure yet where else we will visit but Haarlem is definitely high on the list.
We need to go places and do things of interest to all 3 of us.


Last week I took S to Cambridge for her annual eye check up. The day was a hot, long one made all the more tolerable for S for our stop off at Five Guys so she could have one of their milkshakes.
The check up showed a minuscule cataract in S's left eye. It's something which can happen at an early age because of the condition she has, but it's nothing to worry about and is not likely to grow or require surgery for years and years.




My 90 day chuck out challenge failed after I reached 30 days. It started well enough when I had a really good clear out from our bedroom drawers and then went through the kitchen cupboards. I'm not too bothered as I regularly send items off to the charity shop. We may get a little cluttered at times but I'm not a hoarder.


A few weeks ago one of my school friends posted details on Facebook of an open evening at our old secondary school.
The reason for this special event is our school will soon be no more.
It's going to be demolished, it needed too much money to maintain the poor state it was in and so it was cheaper to construct a new one, which has been built on the school sports field.
The site the current school is standing on will then be converted into a sports area. 
Eventually.
The thing was the event was being held between 4 and 6.
How disappointing, many wanted to go but those hours are when lots are at work or travelling home from work.
Then just a few days beforehand they extended it by an hour until 7pm.
Hurrah.
I didn't want to pass up the opportunity of one last wander down those corridors and luckily neither did R, so he and I went together.
This is the door to my English classroom.
Our teacher used to have the girls and boys line up separately along here before going into class.
So many memories from just this one spot.
I left in 1984 and as you would expect during that time things have changed, but not as much as you may think.
Words can not describe how familiar it felt to once again be walking down the staircase (in what was known back then as the 'new block') as if I had just finished my maths lesson.
I will never forget that feeling.
Somewhere I hadn't set foot for over 30 years and yet it felt like I'd been there only yesterday.
We saw half a dozen others from our year group, the last time we had seen each other was the reunion last September.
We reminisced some more, took more photos and marveled over the fact our former headteacher was also visiting that evening and looking extremely sprightly at 86.


We had an entertaining afternoon out one Saturday in Eastleigh at their annual arts day.
The group of four acrobatic dancers showed such controlled strength as they threw themselves around this cage during their performance.
I loved watching the group of women all dressed in grey perform together. They are called Ceyda Tanc Dance and you can read about them and watch videos here. It was so inclusive, women of all ages and physical ability joined together in one rhythmic gathering, it was entrancing to watch.
Our favourite was definitely the couple on the left from Glasshouse dance who performed a classic boy meets girl tale with a twist or two along the way.
At the end they encouraged the audience to join them and dance along to Love Train. 
Some resolutely refused to get up and dance, I have to say that when the female performer approached me I jumped up and was happy to bop away with them. It seemed like the polite thing to do seeing they had entertained us so well.


I'm still settling into being at work for four days.
I have been trying to get a better handle on shopping and meal planning.
When the children were little it was so much easier.
Now with T sometimes being in for meal times and sometimes not, which can mean an hour before dishing up he'll say 'yes I'll be here to eat with you' and then suddenly his plans have changed, or saying he won't be in and then turning up, it seems I need to have an unending supply of meals which can instantly be adapted to suit.
And do you know what, I don't a limitless supply of food, time, money or patience to cater for each scenario and I've been finding it quite frustrating.
I am cooking from scratch so much less these days and I don't like that either as I have always tried to provide my family with a variety of foods. Then again I suppose this is just another change that our family is going through as the children are growing and doing more outside the home.

Only a couple of days left in June now but just enough so I can finish my posts for the month. If things go to plan of course.

9 comments:

  1. We must have been in the same school year, I haven't been back to mine since I left all those years ago, it must have felt strange. Amsterdam will be wonderful, something to look forward to xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hope things are calming down a little for you now and you can get back on an even keel. Amsterdam is somewhere I'd love to visit, a good idea to do a bit of research beforehand so that you know what you'll be doing while you're there. Glad S's eye check up went well, not such good news about the cataract but reassuring to know that it won't grow and won't require surgery for a long time. How lovely that you got to have a wander around your old school, it sounds as though your school days were happy ones. Nice to get to see your old headmaster too. Cooking from scratch goes out the window somewhat as kids get older and they're in and out of the house at all times of the day. I do mainly make proper meals but I also have a few ready meals in the freezer when Eleanor's home as she often eats at different times to us.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well jel for Amsterdam! We get Wakes again which is lovely, and as close to abroad as we'll get for a while.
    Is it weird going back to your old school? I haven't ever gone back to old school, work or anything. Onwards and upwards, further up and further in!
    And... you don't mean it's really July next week? Damnation, and there I was thinking it was only May!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your trip to Amsterdam will be wonderful, so nice to look forward to and plan.

    Glad S's eye check went well, it is so important to keep a regular check on our eyes, especially if there may be an underlying condition.

    Sounds a fantastic memory trip for you to go back to your old school, I am pleased that yo did eventually get the opportunity.

    It is true the older the children get and the varied times they keep meal planning can be so difficult - we can only do our best!

    I can't believe that it is the 30th June, the year seems to have gone so quickly.
    Enjoy your day, and have a happy July.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  5. Meals at odd times - yes been there but so long ago I can't remember what we did! Except I probably said - Get it yourself!

    Several schools in Suffolk are also being knocked down or redeveloped too but my old High school is still standing - had a reunion there a long time ago, it was so strange,

    Hope eyes,holidays and everything else work out OK.

    ReplyDelete
  6. How lovely to visit your old school. You will love Amsterdam. Jess & I had a few days there & loved it. The Van Gough gallery is superb xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Enjoy your travels and I am glad that all is ok for S

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm sorry June has been such a turbulent month and I hope July is calmer. Meals times are changing in our house too, in that - at 8 and 10 - my two eat considerably more than they used to and I'm noticing that I'm having to buy more food each week. Sometimes it's more like feeding four adults than two adults and two children! It means the bills do creep up, heaven knows what it'll be like when they're teenagers.

    I'll get a chance to have a look around my old secondary school in September, when we start attending open evenings for Bella. It will be odd.

    Take care Lisa. x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi! Amsterdam sounds exciting!! I am happy you have this to look forward to! I'm glad that S's eye condition is being monitored well and that the cataract isn't severe although it is a pity she has this! Mmmmm, I heartily approve of the milkshake.
    I can well imagine meal planning and preparing is frustrating. Once I was 18and at uni, my mum just said that I had to make my own. Occasionally she offered to make something which could keep and be warned up like Spaghetti bolognese and sometimes froze portions of it that she had made which I could defrost but otherwise it was a case of fend for yourself!
    The secondary school visit sounds so interesting! I confess that, whilst I actually teach round the corner from my own secondary and our kids go there as a feeder school, I have not set foot inside since I left in 1997!x

    ReplyDelete