Bigger Spooks?

Is it me or is there more of an 'adult' feel about halloween this year?

Normally the shops are full of kids outfits and a the usual bits of blood and gore plastic but today I went on the last minute search for a pumpkin (as I do!) and found the place full of grown up's looking for fancy dress outfits, not to mention the dressed up shop assistants.

In Newcastle, the fancy dress shop in The Haymarket had a queue right round the corner - people waiting to get in to buy/hire Halloween things and many of the pubs had some kind of spooky event going on. Of course there were the normal hen/stag groups staggering around in fancy dress but then they always look pretty scary even without being dressed up.

I dont really 'do' fancy dress. Although I have been seen out dressed as Daisy Duck and a Bumble Bee in the past on New Years Eve in Weymouth - where anyone not in fancy dress feels under-dressed. So this year I will be opening the door in my usual evening attire surrounded by screaming ghosts, bats and spiders and hopefully a fabulously carved pumpkin.

I'm a bit of a humbug and normally refuse to hand out 'treats' until the actual night but tonight a couple of really cute little witches knocked on my door and very politely asked if I wanted a trick or a treat. Not being in the mood for tricks having traipsed around the town all afternoon I scurried off to find the bags of sweets I'd hidden from the boys.

Unfortunately halloween is on a weekend and that means a whole day of it rather than just a couple of hours in the evening so in the morning I'll be sending hubby up into the loft for the bin bag filled with the scary bits of plastic and filling up the spooky bowl with bloodshot eyes and blackcurrant beetles etc. Carving a pumpkin and trying my best not to get irritated by the constant "can I go out now" from Alexander.

Luckily our estate is one of four small estates and the kids tend to stick to their own, however the bigger kids - you know the ones who think being a spotty teenager warrants a handful of spare change and who give you 'the look' when you offer them a tiny bag of Haribo? Of course Haribo isn't legal tender at the offy is it?

Around here there is usually a two hour window when all the kids in various scary costumes run around in little gangs, sometimes accompanied by a cluster of parents, filling their bags and buckets with sweets and chocolates. I'm sure sometimes parents must take the wrong child home with them as they all look the same in their little skeleton suits and witch outfits.

Then at around 8.00 to ensure the remainder of the evening is nice and quiet, the decs are taken down and the pumpkin blown out. If anyone comes to the door after that it's tough.

Of course we then have the challenge of getting a sugar crazed child into bath and bed after a long day.

And then in this house two days later its Birthday time and the excitement starts again! Oh how I love this time of year!!!

Bring on the Blizzards

This week we got the first taste of a bit of a nip in the air. This morning was more of a slap in the face than a nip as I scraped a thick layer of frost off my car.

I do rather enjoy some aspects of winter. I love being cosy and warm in the house at night with the curtains closed and the fire on (if I'm lucky). I even like not going out. In fact sometimes I think I ought to have been born a bear or a hedgehog as I could easily go into hibernation under the duvet.

This year I have two additions to my wardrobe that will make the cold and damp more 'bear'able (haha I made a pun!)

The first were something I deliberated over for a good few weeks. I actually slagged them off last year saying they were 'ugly' - and thats something from a woman who thinks Crocs are the height of fashion! I then tried on a pair or two in Florida where I could have saved a few quid had I actually bought them there. But it wasnt until the week before my birthday that I succumbed to ordering a pair of them from QVC.

Yep, they are a lovely snuggly pair of sheepskin boots - but not not those 'Ugly Uggs', that absolutely everyone is wearing, MINE are Emu's. Ha! Chocolate ones to be precise. Just like these ones below.

I have yet to wear them outside as I'm having a bit of a problem wearing them while the sun is shining or its raining - even though they are water resistant. I'm waiting for a day when I can really appreciate the snuggly-ness of them. I'm sure I wont have long to wait.

The second addition is a pair of Possum gloves. Now Im not exactly sure if its possum hair or fur or whiskers, and I think there may be bits of another creature in the mix too, but I know one thing, they are lovely and soft and warm.

I was given them by a dear bloggy friend Merinz from New Zealand on a very hot and sunny day in Alnwick marketplace. She and her husband had come to the UK to visit friends and family and decided to venture to beautiful Northumberland which was where we spent a good couple of hours chatting over coffee.

For almost three months they have been tucked away in my wardrobe waiting for a day like today to get them out and feel the benefits of possum and friends against my chilly fingers.

So now I'm all set for whatever this winter throws at us. Last year we had 8 inch long icicles hanging from the guttering, and the heaviest snowfall I've seen in many years. I may regret saying this but I wouldn't mind more of the same this winter - for a short time anyway!

A Scary Skatey Dilemma

It's THAT time once again. We are about to embark on one of the busiest weeks of the year, one that contains dressing up, treats, cakes, fireworks, smiles, strops and tantrums.

It starts with Halloween, the 'what shall I wear' problem and the buying of a bucket full of sweets and bits of plastic.

It's followed three days later with Little Dudes birthday - this year will be his eighth and a list as long as my arm for things like a JB Scooter, BMX bike, new skateboard, iPhone (not a hope in hell my son!) and other bits and bobs.

Two days after that its bonfire night. We don't do anything at home as one of the dogs has a panic attack and hides under a very small table. We try to go out somewhere to watch a proper display but we wait until the last minute and see what the weather is like. This year Alexanders Scout group is having a big fundraising bonfire party, but have had to move the date to the following week - adding another event to our already hectic schedule.

Depending on the days these events fall on, it has been a little easier at times and we have combined Halloween and a birthday party. This year however he has asked if we would take him and a couple of friends to the nearest indoor Skateboard Park, which happens to be in Redcar - an hour away. We now have to try and fit this in around all the other things.

Best I get out the multi vitamins, I think I may need a large bottle of wine too!

Sent from my..........

This morning while checking my email as one does, I realised that many of them came to me via various forms of gadgetry.

Of course it's all another manufacturers marketing plan to advertise that your gadget can actually do all these wonderful things but it also creates a one-upmanship culture don't you think?



"Hi Julie,
Just wondering how you got on with the Job interview the other day. Must meet up for coffee and a chat soon.
Helen x

Sent from my fabulous new shiny iPhone and I know that will hugely impress you because you have only got a crappy old Samsung and couldn't afford an iPhone because you haven't had a job lately."

See what I mean?


And if you were one of the fortunate ones to own an iPad when they first came out, how blessed would you feel sending emails to mere mortals announcing the fact.


Of course it's not just Apple gadgets, today I had mail from a Blackberry owner and a HTC owner! But you don't get any of this when you use your Toshiba laptop or desktop PC do you?

So if like me, you feel a little uncomfortable bragging about your gadget of choice when emailing or blogging, do you leave it there at the bottom because secretly you are proud of your ability to use such advanced technology or do you delete it as soon as possible?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad (oh yes baby, a real live and butt kicking iPad with 3G)

Beautiful Buildings and Lost Sheep

Today was my first proper day of work for over three months. My new job is assessor/trainer at Newcastle College in the Business and Enterprise department. That means all the courses that involves employers and training and distance learning. I have yet to discover exactly what it is I am assessing or training but I think it may be customer service and maybe the new government employment programme that will motivate all the long term unemployed so much that they will all fall over themselves to go out there and get work. Allegedly.

However, whatever the work, it will be softened by the fact that I am working in a beautiful building. Here is a picture of the main entrance. Built in 1936 as a school, it has belonged to the college since 1994. It still has the original features like old paneled doors and walls and lots of small paned windows. Although some areas have been modernised such as the toilets and a few classrooms, the majority is the same as it was all those years ago. It's lovely!


One of the most interesting parts is what was originally a small swimming pool that has been converted into the refectory. Despite all the chrome and metal features, it's actually very comfortable. This photo shows the counter to the left and behind the tables in the foreground is the sunken area that was the actual pool.



I spent much of the day admiring architecture to the extent that I got lost on a few occasions. Being symmetrical in design meant that I found myself on what I thought was the office corridor only to end up in the middle of the construction centre. Fortunately I wasn't the only one as there were four other new starters today so at times we were all wandering around like lost sheep.

Being in such a fabulous setting reminded me of the days I spent working at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich. The birthplace of King Henry VIII.
It was a real experience walking over flagstones in courtyards where so many famous people in history may have tread over the years. People like Mel Gibson and Antony Hopkins no less, as they filmed part of Mutiny on the Bounty there!





Here is where Naval Officers would eat their meals...The Painted Hall!



I only went in there once when the junior ratings and civilian staff were treated to Christmas lunch served by the Officers. I had such a crick in my neck from gawping at the ceiling.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Happy Dance

I'm sorry if It seemed like I disappeared for a while after telling you all that I was deep in a dark hole of despair - ok so maybe it wasn't THAT desperate but I hope none of you feared for my sanity....Remember Im Irritatingly Optimistic after all.

Anyway it was nothing to do with any of that, more because of the fact that I'd got accustomed to blogging on either my iphone or lately iPad and for some reason both had failed me. Had I spent a moment thinking it through I would have had it sorted out weeks ago, but wasn't until today that decided to do something about it and emailed Blogpress. Within minutes I was up and running again. OK so I knew I should have just uninstalled and re installed it again.

So here I am on a gorgeous sunny (although not hot) afternoon at the skatepark blogging away merrily.

Oh I suppose you want to know what happened with all the job stuff.

Firstly on Tuesday I went along to the temp job only to sit at a computer all day looking through practice maths n English tests to familiarize myself with what I would be supporting students with. It was tedious and had I not been getting a stupid hourly rate I may have left early.

Wednesday I spent the morning preparing for my interview, doing a presentation and running through questions and answers. After lunch I went off for the interview and came home feeling pretty confident although these days you never know if there are people already lined up for posts.

Thursday was pretty hectic finishing off the students on the Personal Best course I'd been delivering for the last 4 weeks. Just before lunch I took a phone call from one of the interviewers at the college. They would like to offer me .............yay!!!!!

Talk about chuffed to bits and over the moon. After ringing and texting nearest and dearests I skipped happily home. Only to discover that my child minder of 7 years was no longer able to have Alexander full time.

After a mini paddy I got onto the Ofsted website to search for a new child minder who could collect Alexander from his school and had a free full time place. Fortunately one of the four I found actually answered the phone at 7pm and a visit was arranged for the next day.

The outcome of the week was that it's pretty much 'all change' for Alexander and I. New job, new childcare, lots of new people and new rules.

Well they say change is as good as a rest don't they? Come Monday I will feel like I've slept a hundred years!






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Testing testing

Don't you just hate it when what seems like a really annoying technology problem is solved in a matter of seconds when you ask someone with common sense.
I've been moaning to myself about the fact that Blogpress wouldn't post but never did anything other than mess on with settings. Then I email the support dept, get a super fast response and voilà I'm up and running again, having done something I should have known to do myself. Der!

So stand by for more blogs.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Last Day of the Holidays - hopefully!

So there we are.

Tomorrow is the start of a week of full time work, the first in 10 weeks.

Typically, just as I was feeling pretty down about being unemployed I get a phone call asking me if I would like to do some temporary teaching work, possibly full time and probably longer than the six weeks asked for by the company.

I toddle off for an interview, get the work and agree three dates for next week which along with the two days I'm already doing for my old employer takes it to full time.

And then along comes an email inviting me for an interview for one of the other local colleges. This is a permanent position and could lead to other opportunities. I had to jiggle around my days and unfortunately tell the temp employer that I could only do two days and not the three I'd agreed, but at the end of the day I have to do what's best for me and my future.

So this weekend was like an ordinary weekend, getting the house tidied and cleaned and all the jobs done that I wont be able to do next week.

Already I feel better, more energetic, happier. Of course I may not get the permanent position, but at least I know there is some interest out there and I have temporary work for a while.