School Life In A Blink Of A Eye

School life .

It's a bit of whirl really and it really really does go in a blink of an eye and of course as a promise to my son not to embarrass him on his last day ever of school so this is why I've posted on Facebook and why I'm writing this blog post.

When you came through for the charity fun run at school by buying a Sherlock Holmes costume then making up lost relatives on the sponsorship form !

He has always been part of this blog #willingly

The times I have had to take him to a cookery blog event where the cooking bug rubbed off on him and he took GCSE cookery . Update he's never cooked a meal at home yet but the cookery skills I'm assured do lay dormant.

He's off later to a prom at a fancy pants race course its the last big hurrah before university , I am fully aware of Freshers week I understand it that it is very civil and just a series of tea parties really . I mean you can't get carried away with tea and cucumber sandwiches can you now .

I have received the travel together rail card so we can go visit the teen at York , I tell you I will be virtually camped at Betty's tea rooms.

   

One Thing To Do In Derby On a Rainy Day

If you're in Derby and it is raining which lets be honest about the weather lately is likely to happen. I live just outside Derby and I pop in when I need to and the other day I needed to pick something up from town . In Derby we've a number of museums and one of these is Pickford's House Museum of Georgian Life and Costume is in Derby, England. It is named after architect Joseph Pickford, who built it as his family home in 1770. It was opened as a museum in 1988. The building is Grade I listed. 

The museum is free which is a bonus in these economic times , the museum has an immeadiate afffect as soon as you work up to it and I love the Georgian era. I am never happier than when I am visiting a museum I have been enthralled with museums since childhood, I spent hours in them as a child . And I still spend hours in them it is somewhere I truly feel myself and I feel I truly belong, and it helps that the Derby museum house are ever so friendly and knowledgeable , as soon as you set foot in the museum they talk to you .

 

  




You can even use a 1930's bathroom , there is also an Edwardian bathroom you can use as well.

 

There is even a quaint Georgian garden which is really most exquisite for saying how close you are to the city centre it really is a little green oasis.






I just love this little undercroft underneath the house with the door leading inside it is what I love to think of as a secret door.

 

A Cereal Mystery

I will be the first to admit that I never thought I would be writing a blog post about a humble bowl of cereal , well a bowl has to be humble doesn't it , they don't have grandiose ideas now do they ?. For years and years we have been buying our son the same type of cereal buying quite a few boxes at a time . We were very puzzled as to why he wouldn't try any other cereal we had asked him to but no no avail , I had visions of having to make emergency cereal runs when he goes to university later this year ~ oh my how would he cope ?


He's going to be away for 3 years of course we will let him home , oh my goodness did that mean filling the garage with his favourite cereal as well . But it appears I shouldn't have been panicking about any of this as he has simply for all these years just been eating the constant supply of the same cereal we were buying and the reason he hadn't been eating any other cereal was that the same cereal magically kept appearing . This is rather like the magic porridge pot but instead with cereal.


It is funny how things occur if only I had known years ago I could have avoided the various panic trips to the supermarket to make sure that the supplies of his ( what I thought was his favourite cereal )never ever did run out.


If tea runs out in this household then there will well and truly be a panic in this household as I love my tea and this in turn has been taken to the teen , of course I will be sending him to university with a box or 2 or tea bags . Every visit I will bring him tea bag and I think I can see where this is going to go there is going to be a teabag mountain some where in the UK.

Pasta Gammon Twice Baked

What do you do with a glut of pasta and Gammon well the answer is of course eat it ! But seriously it's how you go about it that's the first easy part.

Ingredients 

Leftover Gammon

Leftover Pasta 

Left over pasta sauce / or can of tomato that has some residue in it 

A few tablespoons of plain flour 

Anything else you want to add , I added salad beans ( Barlotti beans etc )


Method

In a oven proof dish place the salad beans etc.

Next add the chopped up Gammon.

Then add the pasta.

Then add some water to the left over sauce jar ( use a resealable container if you aren't using a jar )

Give the jar a good shake.

Then add a tablespoons of flour to the jar , give another good shake.

Pour the mixture over the pasta.


Place in the oven on 180c for about 20 minutes.

Take out sprinkle some cheese on it and leave in for a couple minutes more to allow the cheese to melt.

This is a perfect supper dish or a money saving dish for anyone !

 

 

Balancing The Scales Of Mental Health

Tipping the balance of mental health , tipping the balance of mental health can occur if the odds you feel are stacked against you . And you'd think that being told that my teaching assistant job being restructured that this would happen , I was only told yesterday and currently I am galloping through the various emotions of disbelief , tears , upset and anger . There is nothing to be done it is part of the modern way of things and budgets and restructuring are sadly a way and fact of life.

But though I am losing my job as teaching assistant and it's a job I have truly loved I have to get knuckle down and look for something else to make up the shortfall. I did walk to school today alright not 100 % but ok hoping it together that was until I reached near my school and then I got upset . I know I will continue to get upset but it will lessen and  at the moment I feel as I have no energy .


I don't feel the same as I did when I had my breakdown , yes it is a bit of a struggle to get motivated but I was only told the news yesterday about losing my job. I feel that documenting my feelings help me through it and will enable me to cope , I am stronger that I ever was even tough depression and anxiety will always be apart of me it is going to get control of me at this moment at time . I am keeping one step ahead and the difference is this time I have more a support network in place and I am very much sharing everything with colleagues even the cat , cats are very good listeners except when they turn their back on you and escape through the catflap.

I feel a bit lost which is rather like trying to tidy up after a toddler you never quite get it sorted , but eventually you do as they learn to tidy up for themselves .

But I will come through it , I will find my way again ...