How's your day?

[carni 9,260]

We have had a very pleasant day today, celebrating my Daughters birthday. She didn't want any fuss, just a little family  day out, so it was fish and chips by the river at Bridgenorth and back to hers for prezzie opening and cake! it's hard to believe my youngest is 50 today, both my offspring are in their 5th decade now.

Tomorrow is my sisters birthday, she is going through a tough time health wise, so it will be just a prezzie opening visit and celebration properly when she is well.

Son is 52 on Sunday, so we are all getting together for lunch at Cosmos W-ton on Saturday, to celebrate the birthdays of us all, Daughter, Son, and myself,because I was ill on my birthday and wasn't well enough to celebrate.

I think the bank balance will be a bit shaky after this week. 

[IAN123. 9,292]

A day that carries sadness...the London Bridge Massacre Inquest is taking place..and was pissed off to see bugger all on TV..and a few lines confined to page:18, in the Daily Mail..sod all in other papers.The recent all Brexit staying Sky News?...not a sausage!...about how innocent people were hacked and mowed down- going about their normal daily business.

The sinister and sickly side of England today....I knew a lady that was murdered in these butchery attacks by Muslim fanatics...and my day is heavy that i have to forage about the internet for news..yet Midlands Today (1st Jan) can show

"Whilst New Year revellers slept in..Muslims were out since dawn ..picking litter".

Stuff they had sold in their shops til' past midnight...(two wrappers by the way.)

My day is made of anger at such concealement.

[plantfit 6,647]

Life is cheap Ian, no mileage in that sort of news but stirring up the masses about anything political makes a good news story especially if there's some violence involved,a sad day indeed

 

Rog

[IAN123. 9,292]

How very true Rog..thanks mate.

[LizzieM 8,070]

14th May 1975, remember it well.  Today it’s our 44th Wedding Anniversary.  Can’t believe how the years have flown by.   We’ve just been out sort of celebrating, had a nice meal in a Thai restaurant and a few glasses of wine and got back in time to see England beat Pakistan in cricket.  When we exited the church in Arnold at about 3pm on 14th May 1975 there was a roll of thunder ...... bit ominous but all is well here and we still agree and smile at each other most of the time, getting too old for aggro .......

[MargieH 5,936]

Happy Anniversary to you both, Lizzie xx

[LizzieM 8,070]

Thanks Margie, I think he did well marrying an Arnold girl !!!! 

[FLY2 10,095]

News of the London Bridge attack inquest was on the 6 pm news, and was all day yesterday too !

[Brew 3,097]

We were talking about the lottery and I said I had little in the way of luck. Her reply was that I was very lucky, I got her, she on the other hand only got me..................   grrr one of these days my girl...

[Beekay 1,587]

Congratulations Lizzie, 44 years eh ! and you only get 14 for murder. Its our 54th this year. Had our Golden at Thoresby hall in 2015 and we planted a pear tree (Golden Pear), in celebration. Tina has a cousin who lives a few doors down from where Chulla lived and she often goes to Thoresby for coffee, so she nips into the garden to check on our tree. Our name is still on it. I'll have a drink to you today, Cheers!  Barrie. xx

[plantfit 6,647]

After washing the car,strimmering my bit of meadow over the back garden fence and having a nice eight mile trike ride I am now chillin in the back garden in 30.4 degrees of lovely sunshine

 

 

Rog

[IAN123. 9,292]

I'll hand over the Husband Award i got off Catfan Rog...congrats!!

[plantfit 6,647]

Trike in front of the village pond,only two hundred yards to go til I get home and a well earned coffee

 

 

Rog

[plantfit 6,647]

Great day today,had a bus pass trip from Newark to Retford taking in most of the villages in between,some lovely little villages out here,Muskham,Tuxford Bathley,Little Carlton etc,anyway gets to Retford for  eleven  and went to the Imperial cafe in the market place,veggie breakfast and tea for Mrs P and English breakfast and coffee for me twenty quid nice one,walk round the market picked up some wild bird food,Mrs P got some fresh fruit all at good prices,I think the markets should be used more for fresh fruit and veg,non of these uniformed sized veg like you get in the supermarkets,all sizes and shapes but tastes the same if not better,anyroad caught the bus back to Newark at two o clock,nice couple of hours walk round and an hour each way on the bus all for nowt,cheap day out,get out the bus pass and travel the county

 

Rog

[Stavertongirl 1,156]

I have done my first week of exam invigilating, I was supposed to be off from today until Tuesday but they rang me yesterday and asked me to do an exam this afternoon, only for an hour so I said yes, wasn’t doing anything until later. It has been quite an experience, especially being called “Miss”!

 

I didn’t realise just how much noise school kids generate, they are standing next to each other but still shout at the top of their voices (I am sure we didn’t make that much noise when we were that age). Also just how tall most of them are, from what I can remember most of the boys in my year were quite small and weedy with the odd exception, the girls were taller, but it was a very long time ago so I might have it wrong. 

 

The invigilating over a room full of kids taking exams is quite boring, just sitting with nothing really to do. I am usually on bag locking away and escorting to toilet duties as I am not the senior invigilator only being partially trained on this. I won’t be doing much of this thankfully as I am a scribe so I do one to ones, reading or writing or doing both for the person taking the exam.

 

I now have a young man who I will be with through all of his exams. The first exam was a bit rocky at first, but we seemed to make a connection later on. (Had to read an extract from a Shakespeare play, I hated those at school, not the easiest thing to read.) On the second exam when I collected him I did the “eyes” thing, pointing at mine and then at his and actually got a smile out of him, this broke the ice with him and he was more relaxed with me and also me with him. It isn’t easy to sit there when they are struggling with a question, you get the urge to help but obviously you can’t. 

 

I wasn’t sure about doing it but I must say I have enjoyed it so far (apart from trying to find the exam room, the place is like a rabbit warren). I just hope I can get him through all of his exams with as little stress (to both of us) as possible. I must say my hat goes off to teachers from what I have seen so far, not a job I would like to have done.

[Beekay 1,587]

Good on ya SG., more power to your elbow. I signed on as an invigilator at our local 6th form school. Like you I was doing escorting, fetching pens tissues etc. Was told all I had to do was keep an eye open for anything untoward. If I got restless I would walk up and down the rows of desks. Felt a bit like a warden. Did it for two weeks about 5/6 years ago but never been asked since ! Kept getting blank cheques from East Sussex County Council every month emailed to me until I changed my email address. Don't know if I'm still on the books as I've been unable to get onto their website. Beekay.

[DJ360 4,702]

1 hour ago, Stavertongirl said:

especially being called “Miss”!

 

 

In  an invigilating situation I suppose you need to maintain that level of formality and 'Miss' saves messing about with surnames etc... Unless you're a bloke, when Sir is probably better.. (mostly..  )

 

When I worked in schools I wanted the students to understand my role as being a bit different to teachers, so I told them I'd respond to Colin or Mr B*********, but not to 'Oi you!'.  Seemed to work well.  And in the Special School  where I worked almost until  I retired it wasn't unusual for some of the more extrovert kids to 'high five' me or even offer a quick handshake if we met on corridors. I made it my business to get to know them all by first name too and tried to do a fair bit of my work informally, by chating to them at brewak times etc. But they were all 'barmy' in the nicest sense of the word... Some real characters.

[Stavertongirl 1,156]

The lad I am invigilating for does have issues, but then who doesn’t. Just letting him go at his own pace, stopping the clock and letting him have a break if he wants to, been told all about his various pets (he almost has a zoo!). He is taking a lot of exams, more than I can remember taking at that age (but then I am fairly old so could be wrong), so he is obviously stressed out and I am trying to lessen that if at all possible within the rules of course. It isn’t an easy balance trying to be friendly but being in charge at the same time, don’t want to be his best friend but want to make him feel comfortable.

 

Must say it was nice to sshhhh kids being let out of exam while others were taking a longer one. They actually did with a “Sorry Miss”, a pleasing moment of power

[MargieH 5,936]

I worked with hearing-impaired students for 3 decades and, in the early years, I remember accompanying one of the profoundly deaf students as they took their C.S.E. Science exam in a separate room.  I signed the questions to them, then the multiple choice answers, and they ticked the answer they wanted.  It was quite difficult sometimes, as the signs can give clues to the meaning of certain scientific words which they were being tested on!    Other times I was used as a 'reader' for special needs children (not hearing-impaired) in certain exams.  In both cases there was someone else in the room invigilating both of us....lol

Lastly, I was once an 'ordinary' invigilator for G.C.S.E. (to make up the numbers when someone didn't turn up) but didn't like that as much.... 

[nonnaB 3,352]

Never heard of this help before in schools but what a good thing. Don't think they do it here, I shall have to ask because here if children don't pass their exam for the end of year they have to do the exam again which puts them a year  behind. Not a good thing for children who aren't confident.

[nonnaB 3,352]

Lizzie many congratulations on your 44 yrs . Doesn't time fly when you're having fun. I can't believe we've just had our 49 th.

[DJ360 4,702]

Congrats to both couples from me.  It's 47 years here. 

 

Nonna, keeping pupils down for a year does happen here but it's not general policy as far as I know.  It's sometimes called 'back classing'  I think it's usually done when some factor such as illness, late admission etc., has hampered progress.

[trogg 1,093]

Its my 52nd next month, and she still understands me and puts up with me.

[FLY2 10,095]

I was 'back classed'  at the age of 15. I believe the ruling had sometime previously changed regarding ages for admission to senior school, depending upon ones birthday.  As my birthday is Aug 23rd, I should have been in the year below. Therefore I had to endure another painful, tortuous and wasted year at Forest Fields ! 

[plantfit 6,647]

You have my deepest sympathy for having to go through that Fly,possibly my worst nightmare

 

Rog