After an 18 day absence of words (my longest absence yet) I thought it best to ease you in with a lovely positive angle and then I'll steer you into the depths of despair. That sound alright?
Good. So, the weekend just gone was our second annual London get together of 2 of the most wonderful people alive, Char and Nic. Now in case you're wondering, yes they are crazy northerners like me, both hailing from Standish (Near Wigan) and yes we've known each other for a very long time. In fact me and Char have known each other over 20 years - probably more like 24.......eeek.
And so, after a marathon cleaning operation of Flat 19, they arrived and I was typically still in my P.J's. But I had cleaned the living room, bathroom and kitchen as well as bake 2 desserts. So the fact that I wasn't dressed wasn't too much of a let down. Oh and I'd even managed to set the table. Dig me!
Within seconds we were drinking wine, giggling and talking as though only a few days had passed since we last had a chin wag. That's one of the many things I love about them. I made mini home made burgers for lunch with pitta bread, salad, rocket, tzatziki and humus. YUM! And then after a brief shower and change we were all ready for a show. (Bear in mind we'd been planning this weekend since about October. He he.)
It was roasting and for the first time in a long time, I set off in a skirt (and tights....let's not get over excited) and a vest top and was quite happy. In fact we complained all the way that it was too hot (typical British thing to do. I do love being typically British sometimes.) We got to the Shaftsbury Theatre for ROCK OF AGES! Which promised some excellent 80's cheesy rock as well as all the over acting, corny dialogue and B-list stars you would expect of a London musical.
And I have to say apart from the female lead having a pathetically anti-rock voice (slightly shit in other words), it was good fun. There was of course a love triangle and some tunes! But my favourite musical number had to be: Bon Jovi's Wanted (Dead or Alive). It was wicked! But I think Char and Nic will probably agree that the best thing was the free light up (pretend) lighters that they gave everyone, just for those rock ballad moments. He he.
Needless to say, another 2 bottles of wine were consumed and we were having a lovely time! Especially all 3 ladies in the disabled toilet at once. We had to do the Blair Witch stand in the corner facing the wall trick and Char managed to bang her elbow whist walking around with her eyes closed. There were some very confused faces when not one, not two but three giggling girls came out of the toilet. (snigger)
Then the plan was, back to Camden for a cheeky 2 4 1 cocktail at 55's. MMMMMM, Mojito! Then home for a meal of bomba di risso(an italian risotto sort of cake thing that it just sublime!) and brownies and cupcakes, whilst watching terrible TV and then later watching the Blair Witch Project (due to disabled toilet incident) and of course more wine.
What I hadn't told you was that we all had matching leopard print onesies (their present to me......present or punishment??????) and leopard ears to wear for the Pyjama party bit of the evening. But to be fair, I think we looked pretty awesome:
Whoop! I put a picture on my blog, all by myself without blowing anything up or changing the way the Earth spins. Wow! Can't say you ain't been mentioned in a blog anymore can you Char???? Ha ha ha.
And so, we all got a little bored at the Blair Witch, Char fell asleep but then woke up with a-vengence, just as the rest of us were getting tired.We played a game of 'Would you rather' and 'Consequences', which bless him, A didn't get at all. And then we called it a night.
I went to sleep with giggling and I awoke to giggling. And when I growled through the door at them, I didn't expect them both to be wearing their ears as well. (I'm getting quite attached to mine). We visited Camden Market and all got some amazing food. I got the most divine fish and chips I'd had in a long time! And I mean divine! Then we got completely lost trying to find the nitro ice cream place - Chin Chin Laboratories. And yes, you guessed it they make ice cream before your eyes with liquid nitrogen. It is spectacular! And of course, amazing ice cream!
I think what I loved almost as much as the vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce and grilled white chocolate (Oh my God that grilled white chocolate was orgasmic!) was the fact that they give you a plastic medicine spoon to eat it with and everything is kept in test tubes and conical flasks and you really feel like you're in a chemistry lab not an ice cream parlour. Needless to say, I will be returning! Yup yup!
And then sadly I had to say goodbye to my Ladies but hopefully only until Easter. Wicked weekend!!!!
And Sunday night we booked our flights for our annual massive holiday, this year to be back in the states (my idea) and I've managed to pay off half of them already, and we're flying Virgin Atlantic, and I've started saving my spends too. (Mainly because I've barely been out in the last three weeks due to all the reasons I will now list for you.)
A left me for a week to go to the States on business in which time I developed a hankering for full blown conversations with myself.
A bulldozer came and dumped it's load on me in the shape of SEN files, reports, portfolios, learning goals, planning, behaviour management sheets and monitoring sheets and of course a whole load of photos to print and make displays of. And so I have been slowly suffocating under a 10ft pile of paper.
I had to chair a meeting of childcare and health care professionals. Chair a meeting. Me. Helen. Chair a meeting. I was a chair!
I had to initiate a NOC - Notice of concern for a child on the setting and have a meeting with the parents, presenting the concerns and strategies to take.
I completed a SA - Statutory Assessment form for a child, that will hopefully get them an educational statement. But anyone who has ever had to write one will know what a huge job it is, especially when you had to do the majority of it at home because you got no non contact time.
I did a stupid thing and forgot to get off at Kings Cross one day. I was too absorbed in trying to finish the brick (my huge 1006 page book - Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell) and I only realised at Angel. I had to get off, go back to Kings Cross, then change again for Russell Sqaure and then my early start was completely shat on and I barely made it on time. REM! Though I do slightly blame the brick.
Speaking of the brick. I did eventually finish it. Hmmmmm. I'm sure she could've said what she said in half the time and without all the footnotes. It felt like reading a text book not a fiction story. And whilst it did on occasion grip me, I would have needed to read it over a shorter period of time. It was way too drawn out.
I discovered yet another distraction from Netflix: Robin Hood (the BBC version). I managed to watch all 3, 13 episode series in about 4 days. He he. I still can't believe they killed off Marion. The 3 series was shite without her. I still think I should have been Maid Marion. (sighs contemplatively)
Walked along the road and thought I'd seen two clones. I kept thinking, they are about 25 and literally wearing the same thing. But not similar, the same. It was only as they got closer that I realised they were in school uniform and those 25 years olds were actually 15. Eek.
Custard creams are evil! They don't allow you to eat a small number. They make you obsessive. They lull you into a sense of thinking you won't put on any calories. But they are tasty. Do you think people could suffer from custard cream fetishes?
People were wearing coats on the tube today. It's 23 degrees outside, so about 30 degrees on the tube......I just don't get it sometimes.
A cyclist almost ran me over today when he zoomed through a red light at a pedestrian crossing. It wasn't even the usual zebra crossing fiasco, it was at a traffic lighted crossing. RETARD. (I know, it's not PC to say that. But he still is!
And finally, because I know you all have better things to do than listen to me rant.
The last three weeks has had me at breaking point. I mean literally, I am broken. My body is breaking down. My skin is slowly removing itself from my hands and fingers, because it doesn't want to be where I am. My skin is all splitting at the knuckles and bleeding and I have become so scatter brained I can't retain information anymore.
Burning the candle at both ends doesn't quite cover it. I'm no longer a candle, I'm just the pool of melted wax, slowly hardening again in a random deformed shape. (Slightly melodramatic but hopefully it gets my point across.)
And so after 18 days of no rants, I hope I have now significantly filled that void. I am knackered today after already doing 5 more hours over my supposed hours - and it's only Wednesday - not forgetting the 15 that I've done at home. But putting all that aside, A has made pizza and I am going to eat it and there are just 2 brownies and a cupcake left from the weekend that have my name on. And quite frankly I'm gonna comfort eat for Britain, as if an Olympic Gold rested on it. Ha ha.
Thanks for reading and enjoy the first photo. I have a feeling there will be many more in the blogs to come.
x
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