A weekend day and a giveaway

On Saturdays I can wake up anytime between 7.10am (my week days get out of bed time) and 9.30am. Today I annoyingly woke up at 7. 10am, but it meant the first load of three washes was outside on the clothesline by 9am and all dry by 3pm or so. We've had cracker drying washing outside days all week.

I'll either make porridge or have the usual muesli and greek yoghurt and a cup of tea in bed, knit in bed for a bit and then get out of it by 10am or so.

The teens do their own thing and get their own breakfasts and lunches and might not even be awake till 12 noon or later. One might not even be here and I may not have seen him for a day or 3!

Then I'll potter; attack the floor on my side of the bed; stare at university work and maybe write a word or two; knit some more; stare at work again; get up; wander the house aimlessy; talk to the husband who is usually cleaning up the kitchen; might say 3 words to teens who just disappear back into bedrooms...

and the day continues much like this! I stay home a lot at the moment. It means I save money!!

We've a couple of daffs in the back yard - must plant a ton more!

  The new grass is growing where the huge monkey apple tree once was...

 Delighted to see a wee cauliflower...

 I did plant things way too close to each other...

 Not impressed with the celery - something is attacking it and it is in pretty poor shape...

 roses are prunned and coming back...

 I've sat and knitted on my bedroom floor in the sun...

 And a giveaway - leave a comment for a pair of New Zealand made, under the knee length merino wool socks.  Open worldwide. I'll draw a winner on Friday September 1.

I love weekends. And my Tuesdays off - no uni for a week (or it might even be 2?!) as it is mid-semester break - yippee.

today...

I'm off on my university study day. It is happening, but slower than normal.

I'm also home with a teenager who loathes his school, says the learning environment is archaic, he's learnt little all year as did it all in year 7/8 he says; he is totally bored; teachers too old and they don't know how to engage us and they put us in rows and won't let us discuss stuff. He's in their top stream...
I seriously have no idea what to do about this. It is interesting watching kids all day long, as I've done for 8 years, seeing the strugglers; schools with not enough money to give students the help they need; how fast the education system is changing (and i'm not sure we are headed in the right direction for all our learners) etc, etc.
He does want to go back to his old school but it is money. A lot. And with me quitting my job and going back to uni full time in 5 months... yeah. It's 4.5 years to go , at a school that he is not a fan of... we are zoned for no other state high schools either and I'm not sure putting him in a new-to-him school would make any different. His current school is ranked 6th in New Zealand for scholarship passes and also, overall, the students achieve really high. He is achieving at an excellence or merit level also, but with little work or engagement from himself. He scored top in his class in his science exam with zero study, which he finds hilarious...

The lounge looked like this before lunch - the ironing pile is to the right and I've just ironed 17 things - ha! It might take me 2 weeks to do the rest....

I've cleared out more stuff today and the hallway is looking so less cluttered. Nobody seems to want the bedside units on the front verge (do you do that? Throw stuff out for people to take as they drive past). We've two too many dressing tables too - I still like them, but thinking if i got rid of them, we'd be down sizing more stuff we don't need and swapping my one to a smaller size would mean down- sizing my wardrobe even more....

And a bedroom has gone from looking like this for 8 months (notice the curtains and the outdoor seat squab which has been a curtain !!!) ....

 to this today - a huge improvement! All these house things take time and money!

the day at...

work when you get so mad and frustrated and cry in front of a couple of people and a bunch of students and then walk out early.

Now I'm attempting to write an essay with one hell of a headache... I need a sunny day like below and to think *ha* sunny thoughts! Knitting will help...

The fluff has carried on me thinks

Oh my brain. I have completed university work today, but nothing like the hours I should be completing! At least I have a 1000 word essay topic and thoughts sorted - Educational Psychology is h-u-g-e and there is so much to take in - at least it will stand me in good stead for my future years of primary school teaching!

25 more days in the library - it is having the biggest organisational sort out for years (and probably years to come. being that there will be no librarian...) - the students are gutted; I'm trying to get over the mental stuff that comes with the job and am still pleased I am leaving before the end of the school year...

There is so always stuff to do/places to go! My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary over the weekend with people flying internationally to attend - more on that later. I think I'm just swamped with day to day stuff - like the 13 year old has had no new clothes since October 2016 - not surprising there is little to wear in his wardrobe. I've more clutter to turf down by the front door (lord knows what visitors think but the "Swiss" brother commented on the state of the house... ha - dear brother - time, time between work and uni...); at least the shower doors had a massive scrub over the w/end; the laundry never ends; the house needs a major spring clean really! I've a massive box of grapefruit to make marmalade; knitting etc - it all takes time and energy and motivation. Motivation - that's the one! That's what has disappeared from my life - I'm okay at work as have a deadline, but everything else just seems to glare at me!

Oh well. I'll have plenty of time to potter soon enough. :)

I've a kid who is 19 today - yikes! We're off to Pizza Pizza for dinner. He wanted petrol vouchers - practical as ever!

fluffy day

My brain was just not engaged today, even with university stuff. I have worked on an assignment half hearted; knitted some more of this...

bought multiple copies of this for school (and there will still be fights over them!) -

Bought some stationery, which I didn't need, but I am doing a swap... You can still sign up HERE for it...

Love the colour in my backyard (with Charlie the rabbit)

And the birds eye view of the yard from above (it was NOT me up on the roof - no thank you!).

Perhaps, after dinner, I had better try and be a bit more productive!

catching up

Goodness, it is nearly the end of week two at school - I've only 8 more weeks to go!
I've stock-taked the library and am now giving it a jolly good sort out which I rather like! The students are surprised I'm leaving and keep on asking why and if I'll come back and teach them - very sweet! There is a massive shortage of teachers in NZ at the moment - schools are struggling on a daily basis with even getting relievers in to cover teachers who are away!

We've had incredibly cold days - even frost, which is un-common for us, but then stunning days!

I'm now at university on Tuesdays bright and early at 8am; nearly ready to submit my first assignment already. I'm doing educational psychology. A gem of a paper!

I saw my brother and his family last weekend - they are over from Switzerland. First time I had seen them in about 7 years I think. The cousins really do not know each other and my boys didn't really hang around to chat much... hmmmmm.... and the Swiss education system is radically different to New Zealand. My 13 year old niece is fluent in 4 languages... few NZ kids are fluent in two....

I bought some fabric - all Liberty! It was 20% off, so I figured it would be totally wrong to leave it on the shelf, as that is a saving - I'm guessing Liberty fabric is expensive all around the world.... A friend is already sewing me a dress from the second photo below.

The eldest has his own car now, although he drove mine the other day as he "didn't want to waste money on petrol" - ha ha ha! I put a stop to that right away!!

I forgot all about the school parent teacher interviews. Oh well. The boys seem to be doing okay looking at their on-line portal. The year 11 student is totally outraged that they might be starting classes next year at 7.45am, due to a growing roll and not enough teaching spaces for the number of students at the school... As for getting the year 9 kid to school at that time, well I wish the school good luck! Teenagers need to start school later, rather than earlier...

Otherwise, it's nearly the weekend; I've always study to do, but boy only doing one course, it seems like I really do have a bit of a life again; I'm knitting a ton and have enjoyed my week!