Bits and Pieces

The bits and pieces are mainly cats, crochet and Christmas. I have spent the days since finishing work cleaning, making presents, cooking and a bit of shopping. We had Andy's Mum over for lunch yesterday which was lovely. Then we had our old neighbour staying last night-he is the landlord of the upstairs flat now as he and his family now live in Nottingham. On Saturday night ominous water stains started appearing on our bathroom ceiling, made more worrying by the fact that the neighbours seem to have gone away for Christmas. So our old neighbour had to rush down yesterday from Nottingham to sort it out. It turned out to be their toilet tank which was overfilling as the ballcock was not working. He had a go at fixing it and then the plumber came this morning so it should be fine. I spent most of today doing my half termly tracking which I now have to upload onto a new system we have called O-Track, on the internet. I didn't have time to upload it but can do so after Christmas. Then I cleaned and did washing (am still doing washing) so that tomorrow all I have to do is wrap presents so I may even have a little lie in! I am going to be very organised and watch a good film whilst doing it to make it a fun experience! We are off to my Mum's this year for Christmas day which I am looking forward to. Then my Dad's on boxing day and then my sister may be at home the day after boxing day so up and down to Kent I will go!

I am making little coloured circles without any plan as to what they will be. The only problem with the multi colours is that each circle has 12 ends to sew in.

 Another person wearing my new hat. This one made from left over music paper from the cards, watercolours and whatever brusho was left in the palette.

 She looks as if she is listening to something in the snow. Probably sleighbells. 

 This is a felt doll face which I have had for a while but not displayed before. She is currently in the changeable string picture frame. She is in front of a pretty Linda Sue picture and next to a giant leaf I brought back from Mallorca.

 

 As both me and Andy had somewhat lost our mojos last week, it suddenly came into my head to crochet one. I thought a mojo would be colourful, soft, bright eyed, smell nice and make a good sound. It has lavender and tiny bells inside and is made of soft and cuddly wool. It likes it in the doll tree. (It is an 'it' because I am not sure if it would be male or female)

Cassie caught mid-yawn. She had a very stressful day yesterday hiding from visitors. I did drag her out of her hidey hole drawer (even though I would never normally do that) as Andy's Mum really wanted to see her again. Last time she was here Cassie was a fearless big kitten. Now she is a cowardly big cat!

 Lily getting too close to the camera.

 Cassie and Lily proving that they can get on some of the time!

Tiger on the G-plan stool. I don't know if I have ever showed the G-plan stool on here. I love it! It was a bargain from a great and weird charity shop I recently discovered in Rochester. I jazzed it up by crocheting a suitably seventies looking cover. Tiger and Lily love to sleep on it as it is big enough to stretch out.

 Tiger again in the middle of a string spillage.

Do you know what these are? They are Quinces. Aren't they so beautifully yellow? I needed them for my Christmas pudding recipe (Nigel Slater's) and the local grocer had them. I didn't know what they looked like-there was no picture on the quince jelly I once ate! You can use apples but he says quinces are better. They smell apple like but tangier.

I had soaked the fruit in brandy for a couple of days-it was meant to be one day but I didn't get time to make the puddings as planned. I started optimistically, grating the quinces and measuring out the other ingredients. Then I got to the part about breadcrumbs. 250g is ever such a lot of crumbs. When the only method you have of making them is a grater,  it is a bit of a task. There were crumbs everywhere.

Nigel mentions using a 'very' large bowl to do the final mixing. I realised that my normal cake bowls do not fit that description. I didn't want to use my playdough bowl as it has also been used for wet felting, so I had to venture into some rarely opened drawers where a big blue salad bowl lives. The first drawer I opened on my search would then not shut, as loads of the paper items in it had gone down the back. Anyway, ten minutes later I was back at the table mixing in the big bowl. By this time it was 10.30 and the first steaming has to be about three hours. I was in bed by two! Andy's Mum said she used to cook hers in a very low oven which worked just as well as the steam. I may try that with the second cooking for one of them. The mixture made three normal sized puddings-I think my bowls were smaller than those suggested. They had better taste good!

 The weirdest shaped grapes we have ever seen. Very sweet lovely flavour though.

I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! xx

I am so relieved that it is the holidays. The last three weeks at work have been horrible, due to the head inviting Ofsted in, and giving us all two weeks notice and a long list of 'non-negotiables' to complete. On top of that we had parents evenings which are really tiring. So, the whole school spent two weeks rushing around trying to be ready for the inspection, and, consequently being physically and emotionally exhausted by the time they came. This is just as Ofsted used to be, whereas now, they ring up on a day from Monday to Wednesday, and are then in for the next two days, so if you are not doing something then it is too late to change it. I think this is a good thing, whereas what we just went through is definitely not. So, on the Friday, Friday 13th by the way, in they came. I was observed at about 9.30 doing my carpet session. We had been telling the Christmas story all week,  using my little peg doll nativity, and on Friday I had planned to have the children telling the story through movement-flying like the Angel, trotting like the donkey etc. We were doing that part as she walked in, and I was behaving like Joyce Grenfell on speed, or at least that is how it felt. I can only describe my emotional state as one of fear and panic. It is ridiculous when you actually analyse what is happening-one adult observing another doing their job, hopefully all with the best interests of the children at heart. The trouble is that is not how Ofsted feels, it feels as if you yourself are being judged as a person, not just at how you do your job. At least that is how it feels to me. I heard the inspector talk to three children before running off outside with those who wanted to go. She said the same thing to each child-" Hello, what's your name? How old are you? Can you show me that on your fingers?'' Presumably just an ice breaker as they are all pretty much capable of that! Anyway, the result of the inspection is that we failed and if it had been a real one we would now be in special measures. Foundation Stage failed on safeguarding-because one of our playground gates was open as the kids were coming out. This gate is always being left open and you can check it one minute and the next someone has used it and left it open again. It is ironic anyway because the gate is attached to the wall that surrounds our playground. It is a low wall and the grass area is over the other side. Children can easily climb up onto the grass area. If you follow the grass up-the wall continues around it and is low on the grass side, then you reach not only the other side of the gate, but a four foot, drop at first, increasing to about a six or seven foot drop where the stairs go down to the bottom playground. I have pointed this out to the head and others concerned with health and safety but we have not as yet got a fence where we want one (along the grass side of the wall). So, any child could not only escape, but could fall off a high wall. In fact it would be safer for them to use the gate as then at least they could use the stairs! We do not let them up on that area yet because of the danger, but it could happen. The other safeguarding issue was the fact that some children were putting on wet coats because we keep our coats outside-they are under a shelter but do not dry off easily as they are all crammed onto a coat rack, and in my class a dressing up storage unit. This is because we do not have coat pegs in the class. Where to put them has been endlessly discussed but we still do not have them one term in. All the other classrooms have built in coat storage, but for some reason nursery does not. I could go on, and this sounds like a massive moan, but I am only just now recovering from the whole thing. It basically spoilt the last three weeks of term when it should have been a lovely time. I had to change my two days off this month as it clashed with the inspection, so have had Thursday and Friday this week off. Although I have been busy I have been so relieved not to have to go into work. We had the class party on Wednesday and the children really enjoyed it so that was a good end to my term at least. I am trying not to think about after Christmas when we will be dealing with the aftermath of Ofsted ,whilst still waiting for the real one, which we are due. I think if they had just turned up in that week, without everyone having the time to get in such a state, then we would have done much better. I suppose a gate still may have been left open though! I have not had my individual feedback yet, and I don't particularly want it as I am fairly certain it won't be good. Anyway, all of the above explains why I have not been blogging. No time and I did not feel remotely like it! Below are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks, in no particular order and not really related. Just ones I thought of sharing and then never did.

Miserable looking girl in a hat, similar to my new hat (bought to replace the one I lost in the taxi after a night out last weekend-too much wine and my hat was gone!) I realised I had bought a hat that looked like those I put on girls I draw. Life imitating art!

Indoor lights reflected in the dark green of the garden. 

Crochet lights from a pattern LInda Sue sent me. They are really quite cute, and now on the tree.

A semi-successful attempt at crocheting a plug for the lights.

Amazing frost patterns on my car on the 12th December. It looks like the surface of the moon.

This girl started with the red dots-brusho mixed with pva. The star is a salt dough one we made at school.

Christmas table. The little Santa candles were 20p at the boot fair. 

Beady tree from this seventies looking Christmas wall hanging.

Geese, ducks, coots and a heron at Thamesmead last weekend. I went to the boot fair on my own then walked to look at the water. The heron was a young one and not at all scared. All the other birds were positively over-confident-expecting me to produce some bread for them I think.

Best bootfair purchase for £1. A musical box manicure kit with ballerina. It works too, though is slightly reluctant to.

We had a craft day last Saturday. This is my friend Cleo's studio. She gave me and my other friend a knitting machine tutorial which was fun. I can certainly see the benefits of a knitting machine but would be a bit in fear of all of its intricate little parts.

A very tired little cat after lots of chasing the feather on a string.

Our class tree with its enormous star, pinecone decorations and child scattered lametta. On the day we hung the pinecones, one of the children was standing there singing a Christmas song to himself whilst trying to tie on his cones. It was so sweet! I videoed him but sadly cannot share that kind of thing here. The tree will have to do!

11.12.13 Faces, Fog and Colour

A great date today. Last chance for one like this this century. I think. I may be wrong and am not going to think about it anymore as my brain is fried from work the last two weeks. I may explain more at the end of the week or I may just use this blog as a place to forget about it altogether! 

Anyway, a few photos from the last couple of days.

Face seen yesterday morning in the sky as I left the house. I think it was a plane trail but such an odd one making this profile. 

 The fog this morning lifted for a while, but then came back at lunch time and was even heavier. It made the scenery around the common almost disappear.

 Brusho, chalk and biro face.

 Pigeons in the fog. 

 Black brusho and gold glitter face.

 Cyclist in the fog. 

 Doll faces looking spooky behind a little lit up church.

 My favourite foggy photo today, a pigeon in a bare branched tree. 

 The sun trying to shine.

A colourful and curious sign. I have never seen it before. This is a gas company who are obviously trying to win the public over.

These beads were in a large mixed bead jar. They are such juicy sweet colours. I am going to crochet a necklace with them.

Doll Tree

A Christmas tree house for lots of dolls. It is the perfect tree for this with lots of places to sit. I chose a big one so that the dolls would fit. It is a Noble fur and smells lovely. It took a lot of Saturday to do but I love the end result. It is such a strange thing really, bringing a tree into your home each year. The cats are most unimpressed, even though I have put Tiger's favourite ornament near the bottom, and some bells. Cassie was slightly interested tonight when her feather toy got caught on a branch.  

 A bit like ornaments, the dolls are all from different times and have memories associated with them. Titania is flying at the top of the doll tree. She was a doll made when I was in ADO-a group of doll artists. She has flown off again now as she was a bit too heavy and looked most undignified from behind. There is a tiny peg doll fairy up there now. She is from last year when I went mad and made about fifty for the craft fair I went to with my Dad.

 Scottish dancing Roldan doll. I love these dolls as they  have such expression and movement. This one is a recent find on ebay. I wanted her as she is Scottish, and I have lots of happy associations with Scotland. 

 A Linda Sue doll with flowers. She looks quite pagan amongst the green. She normally sits on my bookshelves so is happy to be out and about. 

 My Hema bead camels, representative of another short lived fad of mine. 

 This doll is not normally the kind I buy but I liked her face and dress. She is strange in that her face is plastic and her limbs china. She has a pleasingly heavy body. I can't remember where I got her.

 It is terrible but I can't remember the maker of these conjoined dolls. May just go and try to find out! Kerry Kate, October Effigies Dolls. These were bought a long time ago when I first discovered Etsy. The little rosebud doll is a Christmas fairy from previous years. I made her little dress so she can't be that old as it is crocheted.

 One of a bargain box of 6 little wooden Russian dolls from the charity shop a few weeks ago. 

 Little wooden dolls, the top one a present from Linda Sue and the bottom one from the day out with my friend at the wool fair.

 The tester doll for the hat bunting I made recently. 

 Little wooden ebay doll and little cloth and paint doll I made illustrating some bones. I would like to make some more cloth painted dolls as it is exciting to be able to sew something then paint it-and relatively easy compared to embroidering the details. 

 Three beautiful Japanese dolls, again from ebay and very cheap. They remind me of the three little maids from school in the Mikado.

Houses and Trees, Inside and Out

Outside I saw this huge dolls house in the window of an Eltham charity shop.

The shop is great for really old books, often from the 20s, 30s or 40s (and a couple recently from the 1890s) and for weird conversations with the people who work there, especially while they get to grips with the till. This time I was paying and instructing the woman serving me how to spell 'ornament', when the woman next to me at the counter said hello in a warm and affectionate manner. I couldn't recall who she was. It turns out I taught her two children in the nursery-one of them over 11 years ago. She did look familiar and I remembered the children once she started telling me about them. She gave me a hug and a kiss goodbye and it was actually really touching and pleasant to be remembered in such a nice way. I didn't buy the dolls house!

 Inside I am engaging in Christmas crafts, trying to get in the mood. I am reading 'The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year' by Sue Townsend at the moment and really enjoying it. I have just read a part with a brilliant description of the main character Eva's last Christmas, as she tries to tell her husband Brian what he will have to do to prepare for this year's, as she is staying in bed. Very funny in a depressing way. Anyway, these little trees which will be my cards are pretty untaxing to make. I am using brusho paint which I love and this brilliant children's glitter glue with loads of stars in it which I rub on with my finger once the paint is dry.

 This little house was an ebay purchase from a while ago. I was painting a branch with white gesso and thought this would benefit from being white too. I am going to add white glitter and things in the spaces. Not sure what things yet but I am sure they will appear.

This tree is in Greenwich. It was very windy on the night I was there and it was wobbling a lot and looking pretty lopsided.