It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I’ve got an extra student at the moment because I took another one a few weeks before I finished with one ( last session tonight) so I’ve been running from pillar to post a bit.

Not sure what news I’ve got really. I asked the mother of the student I’m just finishing with to write me a reference I can show to other parents and she has said fantastically nice things about me…

” …As a family we cannot recommend Arti enough; her patience, kind manner and absolute dedication to teaching are exemplary.”
Where’s a blushing smiley when you want one?

In other news, two of my friends have given birth to baby boys in the last 10 days so I’ve been getting lots of baby cuddles which is lovely. I really like the way they make creaking noises when they are that tiny. Oh and my sister has been nominated for a (very) prestigious award as best casting director. I’m pretty amazed really!

I’m quite tired now and struggling a bit with my teaching prep as a result but I’m starting a 2 week holiday from the 1st August so I’m looking forward to that. I’m spending the first week in Pembrokeshire with a friend (and her children, her mother and the au pair) which should be good. For those of you in the UK who are wondering what has happened to the weather, don’t worry. It’s just that I’ve booked all the sunshine for the first 2 weeks of August!

Right – enough prattle – I better get back to work!

Right, all 50 pages done so that’s all folks. I only hope that I’ve managed to get all the double sided ( picture) pages the right way up!

Edited to add – 2 upside down pictures (and it’s all your fault d’you hear, all your fault!!)

I kid you not!

go to the library;

do a bit of last minute shopping ( whist avoiding any roads within 2 miles of our local rather large and well known shopping mall);

wrap lots of presents;

take clothes out of the washing machine and somehow get them dry before tomorrow;

tidy up;

tidy up some more;

do some ironing;

check there’s nothing going too mouldy in the fridge;

write and deliver christmas cards to my neighbours;

make some notes about the children I taught yesterday as I will have forgotten anything at all sensible about them by next week;

check the tyre pressures on the car;

clear rubbish out of car;

pack to go away.

Meanwhile my bedroom looks like a cross between a primary classroom gone wrong and a Chinese laundry and the living room looks like Santa’s present wrapping workshop on a very bad day.

So far I have actually managed to:

get out of bed (2 1/2 hours later than I intended originally)

have breakfast

have a shower and get dressed

put some washing in the machine (with fingers crossed that the brown camisole top doesn’t run too badly and discolour the white bath towel)

do the washing up;

get stuck on a sudoku (procratinating);

make 2 phone calls (more procrastinating);

hve another cup of tea (yes you’ve guessed it, even more procr….).

I’m working on the theory that I’m procrastinating because I feel overwhelmed by the tasks that need doing – what do you reckon?

I mean, how else can I explain it? These extreme sports are on the risky and physically dangerous side aren’t they? So then of course it makes perfect sense, when people ask me how on earth I’ve managed to get such a grazed and bruised face, to say, “Oh I went to a Bible study.”

The truth of the matter is that I tripped hurrying up my friends’ driveway, went flying at speed, put out my hands and knees to break my fall, but neglected to tell my head that this meant it could cease all further forward momentum. Consequently it wacked itself very hard against the tarmac. So now I have a bruise and graze on my forehead, bruising and swelling over the bridge of my nose and in the corners of my eyes where my glasses impacted with the tarmac (and my face) and another bigger graze on my chin. I have also taken a nice chunk out of one knee but of course that’s rather less dramatically visible!

Fortunately it is all cuts and bruises and no broken bones. Also fortunately I chose the right Bible study group at which to injure myself. After all it’s not often that you have a GP, a surgeon and a nurse on tap to help you out! They managed to patch me up quite efficiently between them (although the nurse, whose house it was, had no plasters and they had to be fetched from the surgeon’s car!). Strangely I turned down the offer of having all my wounds stitched though (!) and was very glad that I hadn’t broken my nose as the description of how it needed to be set before the swelling started didn’t seem that attractive really!

So I am, really, fine. Its funny though how a fall like that can really shake you up. I felt most peculiar yesterday and have decided to take it easy this morning and not go to church. I will go this evening when I’m singing in a choir for the Carol Service. I think I’ve got something a bit similar to mild whiplash as my neck and shoulder are extremely achy!

That means today will be a strange mixture of having a lie in (check) completing a sudoku (check) updating my blog ( check) catching up on washing and housework (um er…) wrapping and finishing making Christmas presents ( even more um er…). Perhaps I’d better go and get on with it all! Though maybe I’d better make myself another nice cup of tea first. After all it is supposed to be good for shock!

I’m finding it really hard to get myself to go to bed at night because I’m scared of the depths of feelings that may happen as I try and relax and go to sleep. Conversely I don’t want to wake up in the mornings because I’m scared of the feelings that may flood in as I gain consciousness!

I also keep feeling angry – on the surface with dear friends who don’t deserve it but also, underneath about things that have happened in the past. The worst thing is trying to come to terms with the fact that hurts and lack of nurture I experienced as a child, can’t be made up for by anyone in the present ( secretly I keep hoping that it will!). I feel like I need to let myself be angry to some extent but not so much it becomes overwhelming!

As you can see, your prayers are much needed and welcomed!

Not time for more now as I’ve loads to do before the funeral tomorrow.

I am now wasting time on the computer ratherthan having some proper tea and getting to bed by 11pm.

So… I guess I’d better go and eat!