lucky strike

Oooh im a lucky little lovely, im actually smiling my eyes out! but onto that in a min... cos... its the weekend!!! yay!

Anyway, back to yesterday... i sorted my new TT at work, taking on N's classes and shifting my duties around abit, got thurs and fri afternoons off now, Shweeeet. happy me. It means that i just have to get thru the gruesome start of the week and then its good times rolling upto the weekend :-) However it means that im taking on both GCSE groups singlehandedly... (eeks) and then taking extra year 7's 8's and some coursework yr 10's. jeez, im gonna be tired... Gotta try really hard to boost myself up and put on some much needed weightykins. Im def too thin at the mo, and i dont wan the added stress of this situation to make

 me even worse. I need to build up my strength and stop being afraid of the things that make my body ill, intolerances can be challenged and people do recover and find that by re-introducing things bit by bit they can eat them again happily. Ive alredy conquered the sweet flaky pastry goodness of the palmier, and a year ago that wouldve had me doubled up in cramps. But i dont want to just eat a load of junk, cos that defeats the point. i just need to make sure im eating enough carbs and fats to gain weight sensibly aswell. 

Anways, enough of that... and onto the reason im a lucky little lovely.....

cos i have the bestest, most wonderful, caring loving mummy in the world. She is such an inspiration to me. So giving and selfless. almost too much so! (which ends up with her being used and abused. Grrr to S and his philandering ways)

She was at portobello on fri as usual and sent me a little text in the am with the most beautiful words a fashion loving girl could hope to hear....  "vivienne westwood boots, size 5/6... u want?!"

HOT DIGGITY DAMN!!!!!

was i interested?!?! now thats like asking, is the pope a catholic???? do bears poo in the woods?? does cleo love her royal Vivness of the westwood?!?!? OH YEAAAAAAAAAH!!

So anyway, i just about made it thru the rest of the day, popping with excitement (and fatigue...god its been a week) until my darling sukiroo walks thru the door baring giftage.

they are Soooo preetty. im super excited to get them on. but not this weekend or sis will see and im not too sure how she'll react.... they really are gorge. dontcha think?!

my box of treats....

...open it up and what do you find...?!?

BOOTIFUL

BOOTIEEEEEES!

what can i say except

Yippeekayaaay!

im a happy girl..... :-)

Ummm, I think i might have just taken on the role of acting head of art.... 

Eeek! didnt see that happening while i was still in my NQT year. holy cow.

Well, its a challenge, and boy do i love a good challenge. I predict alot of stress, tiredness, working in my own time and making mistakes under pressure. But i know i can do it! 

And when N gets back, he'll be able to fit right back in and i'll have proved myself as a good teacher. 

okay....

so what am i doing again?!?

humdrum

Afternoony,

Today has been somewhat surreal... After yesterdays poopy day i was all set to go in and have a positive mindset, i like my wednesdays... i get to have the nice year 7 group!!! But as i get into lineup, i see that N is out today, weird??? I later find out that there was an 'incident' yest, where he responded a little strongly to one of the students who was being particularly annoying, i believe 'little sh*t' was the term used to describe him (this came from my yr 11's!) This  explains why he was called out at the end of last lesson yest, for a 'meeting' Hmm i did wonder about that. Still, the yr 11's (bless them) were totally on N's side, saying that if anything happens to him because of this kid, they'll launch a protest etc! its nice to see pupils sticking up for teachers, it just shows that positive relationships between teachers and pupils can exist, it doesnt have to be all yes sir, no sir....!

Sooo, a busy day taking on N's timetable aswell as my own, but it wasnt too bad. Im usually doing support work anyway, so i prefer to take on extra Art! 2x yr 7 groups, 1x yr 11, then some yr8 maths support etc... All fine, and i got home in good time today! yipeeeeee.

Had a chat with dad just now, i felt bad for being curt with him on the phone yest, but sometimes i find it hard work to chat to people when im in a certain mindset, and yesterday.... i was in FULL misanthrope mode. humankind beware! Had a rant to mum in the evening about how much i hate people and i dont understand how people act so stupidly sometimes. HAHA, i feel like a bit of a knob thinking about it now :-p

So you could say that im in a better mood today (thank god!) long let it remain....

I have a reletively easy day tomo so that shud be a treat. Im so tired at the moment, i think its the weather.... its DAMN cold out there at the moment. they say it might snow again this weekend-but im a bit like Noooooo! It caused such havoc last time and i doubt we'll get more time off school (i dont even want it, hellooo-i dont get paid!!) 

Excuse me if im being antisnowcial.. hahaha! 

Umm, what was i saying?! yes. so tomo shud be ok but i will have to root around for some info on whats happening with N, whether he's in or not... they said possibly out till end of the week. wtf?! why so serious??? i hope it all gets resolved ok. he's a really great art teacher, and even if he did lose his temper-its only human! and if someone pushes you far enough, you snap.... i guess thats why you always have to keep your cool as a teacher, it doesnt pay to lose control.

GRRRR

Urgh what a day.

Started off ok but had an icky tuesday feeling as i headed into work, maybe im a bit psychic, i just felt it wasnt a great day... hmm. Anyway, first period BAD YEAR 7's. I swear its mad how different a bunch of kids can be. My other group of yr 7's are lovely... totally sweet and hardworking. wheres these ones seem to think its fun to poke fun at each other, do SWEET F.A in terms of work and get away with cheeky backchat, Naaaaaat on my time. Had to pull out one kid for messing about and being rude when told to stop. And the others were no better... gotta think of a way of engaging them more in the subject, i cant believe a group so young have already become so dissalusioned with Art. most kids their age are happy to sit with paper and a pencil and draw for hours, these guys just think they can get away with doing nothing. its kindof depressing!

So that put me in a mood from the off, i hate giving detentions so early in the morning! The rest of the day was ok, made some good progress with the Yr 11 models, and some good discussion with my yr 8 PSHE group. I still find it amazing tht they've developed a whole subject just to educate kids on Personal, Social & Health issues... surely thats what parents do?!?! not in my day..... ahhh, im getting old!

Still, home now. So im gonna relax abit. Mum finally went to the supermarket so we have foooood at last. Plus she got me one of my fave squishy oatmeal & raisin cookies too. yum.

Sleepy today. Had a nice long lie-in (only mildly disrupted by sis's elephant feet stomping about downstairs) Her and mum are gone now, so i thought id squeeze in a quick postie before i head off to the train station... its gonna be another mission of a journey, train diversions, bus replacements... snoooore. At least i'll get a chance to read my book. Im chugging thru a really cheesy chick lit called glamour only just opened it up cos i never get time to read. Im still trying to get to the end of Breaking Dawn, but its so freaking long im finding it hard to get thru more than a couple of pages at a time which is frustrating... its the kindof book you want to sit down and read and read and read till its done. I managed to get thru the first two in the twighlight series on holiday in france last summer. It was bliss, i just lay on the sunlounger and read all thru the day. thats how i like it.... Roll on Summer.

Internet is being a b***ch today, stupid BT cant do anything right so ive plugged in my orange dongle and im surfing the expensive way. Grr. 

that friday feeling

Ahhh, its the weekend!!!
This week has gone by so quickly, feels like ive barely blinked and its the weekend again. I quite like that these wintery months are flying by, i want some summer sun please! I keep thinking about how cool it will be if mum manages to do her vintage ibiza thing and i get to go out and work in ibiza for the summer break. it would be AMAZING.... sun, sea and lots of floaty pretty vintage to sell. 

Anyway, not to get too ahead of myself. (its still january, purleaase. AND its raining) Yest was fairly uninspiring, hence no blogage. Today 

was more fun, work was good but i no like the rain... soggy clothes are not my idea of goodtimes. Had cover most of the day, but got some Art lessons in for the morning, i think one of the reasons time flies is because i seem to stuck in all these annoying routines. I get up, i stretch, i shower, i make my hot lemon&honey drinky love, check emails, get dressed, have brekkie, walk to work, work work work, then come home exhausted, eat, watch mindless tv and go to sleep.... its repetetive and its starting to drive me mad! i want to live on the edge, i want to fly... is that cheesy?!?! YES. but who cares. I know a job is a w

ay of life and you have to make of it what you will, but im still getting my head round the fact that i cant just

 walk off and go do my own thing... i have responsibilities, its mad. I think i lived as a student for too long. Thinking about that makes me remember how i used to b

e. carefree and fun. why cant i be like that again? i feel flattened. i want to get back my spark... the spark that made me drive around in the middle of the night seeking adventure, 'borrowing' boats and going for BBQs on the beach, riding my moped the wrong way down the street and dancing with no shoes on. I know that was me, but it seems like a blurred memory of someone who went away.... how can i get her back? she must still be there in me somewhere... if we do this ibiza thing, im going to live free. no constrai

nts, no worries, no responsibility (well maybe a little, i have to work for my keep after all!!!) but no lesson plans, marking and form periods. dont get me wrong.... I LOVE what i do, and im enjoying it mor

e and more each day. but everyone needs a break right?! a chance to release, so till the summer ends and the leaves fall.... thats mine!

Today i went into town at lunch again, theres something depressing about teacher staffrooms, like the way all the chairs are mismatched and the cups 

all have tea stains. Its not that i dont like the other staff, i really do! they've all been super nice to me and helped me settle in. but im not ready to blend into the furniture just yet thankyou very much! im only 24 for gawds sake!!! So i window shopped in town, saw some cuuuute stuff in GAP and checked out the converse i want from office.... 

Then had me a tasty sammie from Fresh! organics... had to sneak a little bite (okaaay a big one) before i rememebered to photo. Mmmm....

It was good, truth. but the bread was a little dry for me, i like it when the hummous has squidged it all up and got all soggy and yum! weird, i know. i like mushy food.

Anyway, its getting LATE, so now off to do some work before sis arrives from london. Her and mum are going to wales to visit Aunty M who has been in hospital.... i wish i could go to but this was a last minute planned trip (obvs cos her sudden illness, she's pretty darn old) and i have to be in london for work. i shud really just pack in the cashmere thing, but its like an OCD.... a habit i cant kick. i love that job, ive been there sooo long and i dont think i could live without my discount and soft cosy uniform budget! ;-p

share the love!

Well well well. wednesday already...

Finally feel like im starting to get back into the swing of this getting up at 6 thing. I woke up before my alarm this morn!!! wowzers.

Anyway, today was chilly con carne. i thought it was supposed to be getting warmer so left my jumper at home! (mistake) and was cold walking into work. The army boys were out training again this morn... now, its not that im complaining about about a gazillion young men running around in shorts pumping iron, but at 8am in winter?!? thats gotta be harsh. plus they always run straight at me! which is a little daunting when your still blinking the sleep out of your eyes..... still, rather them than me.

A pretty chilled working day today, a little bit 'o print fun with the year 7's. bless 'em, i dont like to be too strict, but when faced with a big ol' bunch of 11yr olds all trying to get ink onto rollers while wearing pristine white school shirts. Argh! recipe for disaster. i had to use my 'stern voice' just so they doublechecked themselves. haha, my stern voice is funny. 

Also did some year 11 model making, always amusing. Its nice to be able to relax and have more of a advisor rather than teacher role with these guys. They're already well under way with their life-size models, so its just a case of helping them progress and offer advice. Which they are starting to come to me for more now that im (hopefully) a permanant fixture and they're used to me being around. How nice it is to feel appreciated!

Soo, tonight i plan on getting some work done on my year 8's scheme of work. They're nearly finished on their pop art self-portraits and parents eve is coming up soon, so i better brush up my ideas! Wheres the month gone to?! its nearly feb which means sis's bday is coming up soon too, and valentines day <3 natch. 

Hmmmmm gift ideas........(for sis, im not a big hallmark-card buyer!)

Will have to request a list of wants, which worries me as im gonna have to peer deep into the dark void that is my purse, money is toite like a toiger.

Guess i better start looking for some budget-friendly inspiration.

Buuuut on a happy note, even if it may be empty... isnt my purse PURRRRDY!!!!

My cutie little marc jacobs....

me & sis got each other matching ones for xmas! 

(hers is the silver-mine is the purple)

just another manic monday...

PHEW! 

im always glad when it reaches monday night, it seems lik

e mondays go on foreeeever. Had a struggle dragging myself outta bed this morn, everyone moans about going back to work on mondays mornings, but since i work sundays in the shop, its xtra tiring in my eyes! Anyway, ill start with sat afternoon where me and mum headed upto london for our usual sat night in the flat... J&P were coming for 

dinner so we picked up some JUICY king prawns to make chilli prawn pasta. YUMYUM. no camera (soz) but im sure i will be making it again, so next time... 

Sunday started with some nice stretching, ive been holding alot of tension in my back at the mo, thinks its from all the standing up teaching and carrying books around at work, so i did a few (badly performed, im sure) yoga poses and stretches to loosen me up for what was going to be a busy day in the shop... first weekend of the sale-eek! As it happens it wasnt so bad, we're sold out in alot of the cashmere stuff, so luckily not as much running up and down to the stockroom as usual! Had a quick lunch cos we had limited breaks, b

ut managed to nip to Bluebird Cafe and pick up one of their supertasty palmier pastries. which are my all-time fave from when i was a little kid. They're dreamy little heart shaped pastries made with sugared puffpastry and are super decadent but lurvely... I had them all the time in france and this is the only place ive found in the uk that make them as good as the real 'parisienne' deal.

Soo, we arrive at monday morning and my duvet battle. I love my new bed, it loves me... why shud we be parted?!?! Still i got up and had a power shower, cold blast at the end to get me tingling. Then the usual lemon & honey and porridge. have bee

n toying with getting some protein powder to bulk up my morning brekkie. im trying to gain weight but want to go about it sensibly rather than just stuffing my face with burgers and cakes like so many people think its acceptable to tell you. Thanks, but i'll leave the heart-attack for you if thats ok.... 

Mum was still in bed when i left (some people have all the luck!) But she's been pretty low lately, and im always running around doing school/work stuff, so i left her a little note on the kitchen board so she's have something to read when she got up :-) 

School was buzzing monday morning stylee, my form were their usual boisterous selves. Its the first proper monday back after all the snow day madness, so i had a little extra work to catch pupils up on for those who missed last week. Rushing about all morn, pop art, bodies in motion.... finally stopped for lunch and had some sushi on the go for lunch before rushing back to set up a printing area for my year 9's. These guys are great, one of my fave classes, it ends monday nicely in a chilled out way before i start my art club after school. Newbies this term!!! My usually small group has grown tenfold! instead of 5 littluns, i now have 12! wow, i guess word spreads. I made them make sticky name badges cos im never gonna remember all their names.... :-p

lazy lie-in

This morning i had a well deserved lie-in! Was super tired after the first week back at school and definitly needed to catch up on some ZzZz's... (and probably would've slept till noon if there hadnt been a barking dogfight outside-grr)

Its been a busy week, as it always is in the first week

 of term, getting back into the swing of things and trying to get my routines into somekind of shape. But i think this term's going to be a good one, hopefully i'll finally get my permanent contract sorted so i dont feel like t

he spare supply teacher milling around anymore! 

So, as for yest, I had a good friday! I love that 'nearly the weekend' feeling! Work was good and it wasnt raining when i walked home (for a change!) so i had a nice stroll enjoying the crisp weather. Mum was at portobello selling, but when she got home she surprised me with a little pressie.... a new (but vintage) stripy cashmere jumper! Lucky old me :-) She knows how i love all things stripy, so it made a nice addition to my collection. Its a nice blend of charcoal, light grey and lilac stripes so i'll be wearing that today (when i eventually get out of my PJ's...winter is for slobbing right?!) Its always nice to ge

t new things, especially when my working wardrobe is limited to 'school appropriate' clothing and mum was sooo proud that she'd done well, she's such a star <3

Had a tasty spanish omelette for dinner (no pic, sorry. left my ca

mera upstairs!) and we chilled out watching the 2nd part of Kevin Macleod's slums of India.... So sad. It made me feel so lucky to be able to live in a nice house with flushing toilets!!! But seriously, those people live in some squalor, i couldnt believe how bad things were in terms of hygiene and sanitisation. Scary. So after this i needed some light relief & cheery feelings so i grabbed a handful of cherries (sweet and juicy) and read my new Elle mag in bed. Bliss....

Here we go...

So, today started off in a bit of a rush. Woke up early with good intentions :-) but switched on the radio and managed to get sidetracked... Ive really got into the radio since starting this job, im a big chris moyles fan and one of the only redeeming features of having to get up so stupidly early for school (6:30am!) is the fact that i get to listen to his breakfast show on radio1. It sets me up for the day and makes my walk to work alot more enjoyable. In fact, if anyone living near me ever sees a girl walking along laughing to herself, its probably me, dont worry-im not crazy... im listening to the radio!

So after showering in our super duper shower, which is FINALLY producing hot water, after what was a very chilly month or so of cold showers (of all the seasons to not have hot water, winter is NOT a good one!) and checking my emails. I enjoyed my morning ritual of hot lemon water with ginger and honey (Mmmm...) before making a tasty bowl of porridge.

Old fashioned porridge oats with soy milk, honey, cinammon & honey.

This is my FAVE brekkie at the mo, theres just something about a hot bowl of porridge on a cold wintery morning that is sooo perfect. YUM! 

Wrapped up warm today, have been wearing my welly boots into work lately cos unless you've been hibernating (i wouldnt blame you!) its been snowing plenty here. But today it was just nasty drizzle rain, the kind that makes your hair frizz up and your coat smell like wet dogs. nice... Today is a half day for me, so i get a nice afternoon to do some work and catch up on my magazine reading. new month = new magazines! ive got the latest vogue sitting on my table just winking at me..... 

First Post!

Hello...

My name is Cleo, I am looking out over life, trying to find things of interest in my day-to-day existence that I otherwise may ignore. 

I like cooking, sleeping, curling up & reading and have a tendency to gravitate towards warm things, like the sun...(not so much in england) or the next best thing, radiators! I love to travel and want to see all the different corners of the world someday. If i were an animal, i think id be a cat. 

Im an Art teacher and love all things creative: fashion, art, photography, music.... Im lucky enough to do something i love for a living! But sometimes feel like im missing something, like ive got caught up in the 9-5 routing of eat, sleep, work. Im trying to find my place in the world and hope this blog will inspire me to look at things more closely, to see the extraordinary in the mundane. I want to stop existing and start living....