New Year Brain Age

I'm quite pleased about this for three reasons. Obviously this score is pleasing for someone with a 52 year old brain. But also I'm ploeased because I've never used a Nintendo before. When the children had Game boys I could never get enough motivation to learn how to do any of their games.

So not only have I improved from my initial age of 72 (!!) on the first day, I have also learned some new technology with relative ease.

And the third reason? I gave the thing to Mr C for his Christmas, and couldn't get it off him to play with it myself until this week - that's what I call a successful Christmas toy :-)

Hakuna matata

Sometimes I just hate this Mum business.

So the last time I heard from Sarah - she's gone to New Zealand, remember - was Tuesday. Since then I've texted her, phoned her, got her voicemail and left a message, and found out by phoning the very helpful NZ flower shop lady that her Christmas parcel was delivered, but left at the door without getting a signature. But I haven't heard from her since Tuesday.

Should I worry? Clearly. I am her mother after all and I'll do that anyway.

Should I do anything about my worry? If so what? I have no other way of getting in touch apart from something quite extreme like the police. It's a very uncomfortable feeling.

Update: I've now phoned the police in Napier as I've still heard nothing from Sarah, and her phone goes straight to voicemail. Just waiting now.'

Further update: She phoned at 5am this morning to say they'd been on a four day hike and got out of signal range before they realised it. She was embarrassed to find they had attracted the attention of the police and consequently their neighbours. Next time she'll tell someone where she's going. Phew!

image: http://www.cambridgegreekcorner.co.uk/productslink.html

Preparing for Christmas on the beach?

I think she's enjoying herself. She and Tomas arrived in Auckland, bought a car, travelled to Napier and are renting a flat. They've done a lot of sightseeing already and sound very happy.

Christmas Greetings!

Health in the Eye of the Storm

Today we had an unusual In-Service day. Under the banner of Health and Wellbeing, our cluster, teachers, support staff and office staff, was treated to a whole day with a broad programme of workshops from salsa to pilates, well woman/man to meditation. (We had previously made a choice of 8 from which we were allocated to 4.) We were given a healthy and appetising lunch and given time to browse a "market place" of health promoting stalls.

The keynote speaker, Andy McKechnie was very entertaining as well as motivating.

I feel energised by the sessions I attended: salsa, posture and fitness, massage and "health in the eye of the storm". I had my cholesterol and blood pressure properly checked by a doctor at the drop-in (both reassuringly fine) and had a brief but very helpful chat with her.

I am hopeful. This is a new approach for our target-driven hierarchy, supporting with action the idea that treating people as people instead of numbers or statistics will benefit everyone. Don Ledingham, Director of a neighbouring Authority has written about his take on mental health and wellbeing. Our own Director spoke in a very personal way about managing stress and the importance of balance. I remembered Ian Smith of Learning Unlimited at SLF08 saying that a teacher needs the skills of a tightrope walker - not, as you might think, safely balanced, but being able to cope with being a bit off balance.

And it's interesting to observe the positive effect of finishing at 3.15, chatting with other teachers who had enjoyed the day, and no tedious plenary to sit through at the end.

Roll call

Alan’s blogpost ps about words brought to mind an entertaining diversion we indulged in at orchestra rehearsal one night.

The conductor raised his baton and we suddenly realised that crucial players had still to come back from washing up the tea cups.So we noted an an absence of bassoons...and while we waited, began devising group names for some of our comrades-at-arms. Those I can remember were:

an arrogance of first violins

a fluster of second violins

an enclosure of violas

an ostentation of cellos

a struggle of double basses

an outcry of oboes

What I wonder is the group name for Bloggers? Quite a few blogs consider this. This blog list of other collective nouns and also suggests a” of bloggers. And this one has assembled many suggestions including a "roll"

Maybe though it should be a solitude of bloggers reflecting the individual and yet communal nature of blogging?

Thinking on holiday

On holiday, I realised that the Curriculum for Excellence isn't going to be like this:











(That's Moses getting the ten commandments)

But more like this:







Perhaps ending up like this?











Who knows where I was on holiday?

Too much Glow

Some people whose blogs I read have embedded the absolutely excellent Glow Games in a post.

Is it just me being a grumpy old woman or is the muzak very very annoying? I could mute my speakers but if I want to view a video clip they've inserted in another post, I can't hear anything above the Glowing chanting.

I notice Andrew, being the first that I saw to put it up, now just has a link. Ahhh...peace....