Today I've mostly bin...

[Bunnylump]

I think wine might actually improve my cat...

[gill216]

How come everyone else is off booking holidays when I'm still running around like a headless chicken working and trying to get my head around Christmas??

I did every drop of my xmas shopping on Amazon on Monday just gone. I now have despatched messages for every order. Where it was possible I ticked gift wrapping option and also had my orders delivered to the recipients but invoices to me. I booked my xmas holiday in September. Gill is off to Spain on 20th. (Just so long as it doesn't snow in Leeds and close the airport ) Perfect Christmas. I dont even have to cook!!!

[Bunnylump]

Jealous. I am living in utter chaos (bathroom still in uproar), working RIDICULOUS hours (eg worked for over 8 hours today on my "day off"), still have Christmas shopping to do, plus wrapping, cards, food to buy, people here for Christmas, going to my Dad's the weekend before Christmas...etc etc. Please stop the world. I want to get off... Can I please come to Spain with you for Christmas?

[gill216]

Sure can! There is still a single +en suite free. Just book your flight

[Bunnylump]

I am SOooooo tempted...

[Laura]

Well, it is officially one week to the end of term for me, which means a week of concerts coming up. I'm really looking forward to Monday, which is the full day of rehearsals, mince pies, stress, and fish and chips up at the beautiful church near the school. It is officially the second most Christmassy day of the year, after the 25th of course.

Then I have more choir rehearsals on Tuesday, other school's rehearsals on Wednesday morning, two concerts on Wednesday afternoon, back to Sheffield for concerts on Thursday, and a whole afternoon/evening of it next Sunday. I can feel my voice going as I type!!!!

[Bunnylump]

I've got a whole departmental move going on next week - packing up my office, my boss' office (which is packed to the roof with stuff she hasn't looked at in years) two teaching rooms and all the kids' files. What a total nightmare. So no Christmas festivities for me (apart from the school Christmas lunch on Wednesday and the staff dinner dance on Thursday). I usually quite like the end of term in the classroom - I like playing quizzes and educational games with the kids and having a bit of fun. I usually take all my pupils round chocolate and they often give me cards and pictures and the odd present. This year I'll be packing boxes and moving furniture around instead.

[chazzie]

I am SOooooo tempted...

Just landed back in Gib ..... Very sunny.... So if that doesn't also tempt youi!!!

[Bunnylump]

I could do a tour of Europe at this rate...

[LAT]

So when is it that you are coming here to stay? Now you have all those better offers.

[Bunnylump]

You're still in Europe, aren't you?

[LAT]

yes, but hardly as exciting as Spain or Gibraltar.

I've got a whole departmental move going on next week - .... So no Christmas festivities for me (apart from the school Christmas lunch on Wednesday and the staff dinner dance on Thursday).

I think I can top that you know! I have two weeks left to help close an entire office for good. And as three of us are being made redundant there are absolutely no Christmas festivities planned at all. 23rd December will be a really hard day as I say goodbye to colleagues with no idea if or when I'll ever see any of them again.

[Bunnylump]

Well I'd take you on. We have a vacancy coming up for a level 2 teaching assistant. Mind you, you'd have to drive about 100 miles a day and get paid about the same you might earn in Sainsbury's pushing trolleys. Oh, and they only pay you for lesson times only and for 43 weeks a year. Other than that it's great. It drives me mad. It's such a responsible job.

[clvrlad]

thats a pay rise for me then...

i was paid more by sainsburys than i am here

[Bunnylump]

It's really unfair, isn't it? I'm surprised you can afford to keep yourself in oil cans for that.

[Laura]

Today, I've mostly bin making enough mince pies to fuel a music department Christmas concert. Only two dropped upside down so the contents fell out! (They're on a plate for later, they didn't go on the floor, just collapsed completely!)

[Bunnylump]

I've bin making my daughter's boyfriend come and get a Christmas tree with my daughter and me. Poor chap also got dragged round shops in search of Festive goodies' ingredients. He's great - he just goes with the flow and never complains. Whereas I tried (unsuccessfully) to get my son out of bed to do it. He has FINALLY got up, but then that was about 4pm... Now all I have to do is to nag husband for the next three or four days to put said tree in a big pot. It's currently residing, horizontal, on the patio in a net. I have this horrible feeling that may be where it will stay. But then the question is: do I want the bathroom finished, so we have a shower back, or do I want a tree in the living room? Difficult call.

[LAT]

Bathroom first.
Tree will happen eventually anyway, surely?

[Bunnylump]

...Feeling a bit sad. One of my teaching assistants, Pete, is leaving. He and his wife are retiring to the South of France. But he's such a sweetie. Today he brought ME a "sorry I'm leaving" gift!! (TOTALLY unexpected). It was a beautiful, flowering miniature rose. He had also sent me a card which read:
I have had such a good time as port of your team. I will miss our early morning chats, finding out about your dubious weekends! With much love...

That did make me laugh. What sort of a manager am I? One who cheers up her staff by telling bawdy stories, obviously... Hey ho. I'd not be good at being strict and businesslike, anyway.

[Bunnylump]

...and (yes, sorry, two in one day, being greedy) I've just decorated my Christmas tree. And my cat "helped" me. It's quite hard to put fairy lights up when a cat it attached to the other end of them...