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I think I lulled myself into an unrealistic scenario last week as we returned to school. It was a very relaxed start to the school term, I worked fewer hours thanks to the bank holiday and Inset, the children only had two days at school and Mr S was on hand to help as he enjoyed a week off. This week the realism has kicked in, 5 days at school for the children, Brownies, Gymnastics, Ballet and Football clubs have started, Mr S is back at work and it’s been a much busier week at my work with some overtime too to relieve some of the early pressure on our department. We’re getting our routines back in order and I’m sure it’ll all be much easier and smoother in the coming weeks. Despite the busy week, I have had the chance to meet up with a friend for coffee. It was a much needed catch up and because of her sad summer, a conversation which has put much into perspective and helped to clarify the important things in life as her and her family have experienced the fragility of life and strength of love. Strangely, I left inspired and grateful. Here are more sparkles from this week, because despite all the busyness there are always shimmers in our days…

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I am currently helping on a research project with Little Man, it’s a really simple questionnaire each week for a year which takes a few minutes to complete online. As a token of thanks, for the past 4 months work, I received a gift token this week so treated myself to a couple of books. My first book is Life After You by Lucie Brownlee, the true story of a young widow as she tries to deal with her husband’s unexpected death. It is such a tragic storyline but I don’t feel it’s been written as powerfulIy and detailed as it could have, I would have liked to know more about the characters especially her young daughter, anecdotes, ways of dealing with the grief etc.. It’s quite a contrast to a similar book I picked up by chance which is excellent, Mum’s List, the tears streamed as I read that book and it’s a story which has stayed with me.

I also read a comment for my blog this week, my first ever, thank you so much Lisa.  I was excited, scared and it brought a dilemma which I think I’ll address in another post, I don’t publicise my blog for a number of sincere reasons, is now the time I bite the bullet and embrace the world of blogging, leaving comments and joining in linkies which I love to read?  Lots of different issues to ponder here.

WATCHED

A nostalgic watch this week as I switched on CBBC’s 30th anniversary programme. I only saw little bits and pieces as it was on at the bewitching hour of 6 o’clock which is a very busy time in our household but I got to see Philip Schofield and Gordon the Gopher and Andi Peters and Edd the duck. I was very excited, although the children didn’t seem overly impressed by my generation’s presenters. I had forgotten how funny Andi Peters was and I’ve always had a soft spot for Philip Schofield. Not only did Phillip Schofield do the broom cupboard he hosted a request show on Radio 1 on Thursday evenings which was required listening for teenage girls. My friend and I were really into music at the time and found out the number 1s from when we were born, hers was an unknown song, Mouldy Old Dough which we couldn’t find anywhere, so she wrote in to Phillip who played her song on his show, it cemented his reputation as our hero!

LISTENED

I listened to my manager give me my annual appraisal this week. I was very happy with it, I love my job and enjoy what I do (despite the appalling government interference and political agenda) What struck me as she spoke to me was that she could have been describing my wonderful mentor whom I have always tried to model myself on. I have been teaching 20 years now and perhaps I have finally become the teacher I always aspired to.  I do think working part time has given me more energy and focus.

MADE

With a busy week, there has been little kitchen inspiration this week. However, at the county fair we bought an amazing assortment of cheeses in the food tents and I have made some rather nice cheese and biscuits this week, the cheddar and ginger is my current favourite although there are cheeses still to try!

WORE

Another limited category this week, jeans and polo for work and leggings and tunics on my days off. At the fair, I did treat myself to this beautiful daisy necklace and have enjoyed wearing it on my days off, I am a silver girl and it complements other pieces well.

This is not my typical blog post but I want to write about this issue as I am so ashamed and haunted by images I have seen today. Little Man and Little Miss, it is your duty to treat everyone with respect and value every human life.

This morning our house was full of excitement at the start of the new school year. A family breakfast, putting on new uniforms, smiles and poses for the first day of school photos and a happy walk to school. Our children have the safe home, education and security which all children deserve and something I take for granted.  However images I have seen today have made my heart ache for those parents who risk everything to give their children a safe home.

When I was in the newsagents today, I browsed the headlines of the national papers as I normally do. The photos in today’s papers just stopped me and I actually heard myself gasp and cry in the shop at the photo of a 3 year old refugee from Syria washed up on a Turkish beach, drowned. This little boy has haunted me today, his 5 year old brother and mother were also discovered dead. There is a crisis with refugees fleeing Syria and other countries to escape IS horrors, yet it is one we seem unwilling to address. The news is full of stories of refugees desperately trying to escape, thousands have drowned, hundreds have been found dead in lorries and others are being turned away or arrested at borders.  There is another sickening photo today of a police officer writing numbers on people to identify them, these are people not numbers  and this has scary reflections of the holocaust. I am seeing these images and I find it hard to understand why more is not being done to help these poor, desperate people. Politicians may talk of capping immigration but this is different this is a humanitarian crisis and we must act to help. Surely there is a way in which the developed nations can help these poor displaced people, you do not pack your worldly goods in one bag and take your family on a dangerous potentially deadly journey unless you are desperate. This is such a tragic event and I cannot help but be reminded of  the words of Pastor Martin Niemoller, we must do something to help these victims.

I cannot share the image from today’s headlines, Aylan should not be remembered as a corpse but as an amazing little 3 year old.  Here he is on the left with his brother in a wonderful picture of two beautiful children in peaceful, happy times and may it remind us to love and support all our fellow citizens. Aylan and Ghalib may you rest in peace.

POSTSCRIPT

I have signed the following petition to enable the issue to be considered for discussion in parliament, I can only trust our government will show moral responsibility and positive action to support the refugees.

This week, we were finally able to do the one activity on our summer bucket list that I have been really looking forward to, the Shaun the Sheep trail in Bristol. Two years ago, there was a similar Gromit trail where Gromit figures, painted in all different designs by artists, were placed all over Bristol and you tried to visit as many as possible. This trail and merchandising, app purchases and auction raised nearly £5million for the Bristol Children’s hospital, so has been repeated this summer with Shaun the Sheep. The Aardmaan Animations connection being the company started and continues to thrive in Bristol. There are 70 Shauns in Bristol this year and with just the one opportunity to do so, we were realistic that we would not be able to do the full flock, however this year it was split into different themed trails and we did the Harbourside Trail with a few extras.

It was the amazing experience I had hoped it would be, our first Shaun was Isambaaard, after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, any Bristol school child knows IKB very well and to find the statue at the Suspension Bridge was a perfect spot. Sadly, I have no single shots of this Shaun, but have lots of family photos, Shaun and the Bridge is a fitting setting. We then drove into the City centre to continue the hunt on foot. The harbour side is an area which has really developed and the atmosphere was sparkling, it was a rare, dry day and the area was brimming with families, hunting Shauns and enjoying the Aquarium, @Bristol etc.. It felt very jolly with a real holiday atmosphere. The lovely thing about the trail is the number of people doing it, you spot so many people studying the trail maps and Smartphones and lots of children running around and excitedly finding the Shauns. Little Man was brilliant at finding Shauns and even in the car on the way home he had his eyes peeled. It is also all inclusive, young and old, singles, couples and families were all shepherding the flock. Our little group was myself, my Mum, my nephew and Little Miss and Little Man and it was one of those very special times I’ll fondly remember.

The Shauns are brilliant and the designs thoughtful and innovative. There are so many fantastic designs it’s difficult to choose a favourite. I loved Isambaaard, I used to love history at school and the real IKB was a character and absolute genius and I thought the location was perfect. However, at St Nick’s market, a favourite hangout as a teenager, was Woolly Wonderland, a knitted Shaun, it took 500 hours to knit its outfit and it is amazing, Mum and I loved this and appreciated the hours of work. Little Man’s favourite Shauns were the King (King Arthur of Lambelot) and Pirate Captain whilst for Little Miss her best was Shaun bean, a shiny, silver Shaun.

I loved our day on the Shaun trail, it was very special and a wonderful way to explore Bristol, a perfect little adventure.

This list has been a great success this year, after creating our original list we have added new ideas and added a few words when we have ticked the items off. I like our activities, there is a mix of trips out but also some simple, free activities to do too and on the dull days we’ve had its definitely added some inspiration to our day. Here’s our update, 3 weeks into the Summer holidays.

1.  Go horse riding – must book this! Initially this was Little Miss’ choice but now Little Man wants a go too.
2. J Watch the ballet at the theatre – Little Miss and I loved the ballet, Sleeping Beauty, in her words it was “twirling, elegant and smooth”
3. J Play putting – this was a family treat on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.  Mr S’ golf skills shone through but we all found it fun.
4. Go to Grandma and Granfer’s – this is quite difficult to plan as they are moving but still don’t have contract dates.  Hopefully after our holiday we’ll have definite dates to plan our visit.
5. Find Shaun the Sheep in Bristol – I am so looking forward to this but it will be done on the above visit.  I’ve seen lots of tweets about the trail and am very keen to follow.
6. J Play on the beach – whilst we’ve not had the best weather we’ve been on the beach as soon as the sun has shone, we’re hoping for more sunny days on the beach.
7. Have a picnic on a long walk –
8. J Go to the farm– This is a local farm and outdoor play area, the children loved their day here.  It’s a place they have always loved and we have many photos from over the years.  It was brilliant but it was bitter sweet, they are getting to an age where they are growing out of the attraction and it may be one of our final visits.
9. Do a bike ride – this sounds so simple but we need to teach Little Man to ride his bike first.  We have been out lots, nearly every dry day and progress is being made.
10. Do the library reading challenge – we’re working through the books for this challenge, 4 read and 2 to go.
11. Get the paddling pool out – there’s not been too many sunny days and we’ve headed to the beach on these days, hopefully we’ll get a few more bright and hot days.
12. Make real lemonade – not quite sure how this got on the list, but there is a recipe in my magazine this month.  A make for after our holiday.
13. J Discover dinosaurs – this was a brilliant afternoon last Thursday at a local country park led by a highly enthusiastic and passionate guide.  We did some crafts but handled real fossils, dug for fossils in the sand and made dino footprints.
14. Watch Inside Out at the cinema – I’m really keen to see this film, it looks amazing!
15. J Watch the Minions at the cinema – this was the first thing ticked off the list when Mr S took the children to the cinema when I was still at work in the first days of their holiday.  They loved it!
16. J Play with our birthday presents and toys – with the rough weather we’ve done lots of crafts and playing inside so another ticked off.
17. Sit down on the grass and sketch – another one to do, we’ve some new pastels so they should make for nice pictures.
18. Do messy play, play with gloop.

That’s 7 completed with others in progress and a few to complete after our holiday to Spain. I’m hopeful it’ll be a full list done by the start of the new school year.

This morning we went to collect Little Miss’ bike from the bike repair shop in town.  This is not a bike parked outside the shop but a stunning piece of wall art.  A fantastic, personal touch which always make me smile when we pass and its not only me who enjoys it,  Little Man always pretends to ride it too!

Given the pretty awful weather on this first week of the holiday, I decided to use our time inside productively and to tackle the play room.  I think my enthusiasm may have been greater than the children’s but as old toys were unearthed and rediscovered they did become more helpful and involved.  I’m pleased with the job we’ve done, I’ve rearranged the furniture and toys and we have a quiet area for drawing and writing, a creative corner with lots of Lego, an imagination zone with dressing up and a castle and a book corner.  The teacher in me really wants to design and laminate pretty labels for each area but I do have to remind myself its a playroom not a classroom.

Whilst we are pretty good at recycling toys, our book shelves were bulging and needed a good sort.  I love books and still have some of my favourite children’s books from my own childhood, so sorting books for donation to our local charity shop is difficult.  To me the book is a memory, the times reading out loud stories to the children, their reactions, the beautiful illustrations, rhyming language, even the touch of a book is special to me.  However I tried to be ruthless, the first to go were television and film tie ins, unless they had a strong story, as too often these books are designed as merchandise for the character and little thought is given to the story.  I also donated the very basic stories we had for babies and some given as prizes and presents which were a little dull.  To be honest, I haven’t made that much room on the shelves but I can squeeze a few new books in now!

There were some books which I just couldn’t take from the bookshelf, they mean so much to me and eventually when the children no longer let me keep them on their book shelves I’ll transfer them to mine so I always have them to read to little visitors.

1.  Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson

This is a well illustrated book with the dark colours of night making the little owls’ worries seem more scary, it has a simple message that even if Mummy Owl has to leave her little ones she will always come back.  We used to read this a lot when the children were young and it was useful to teach the children that even if I left them at pre school I would always be back for them.  At the start of the placement, we were always giving the message that we would be their forever family and always there for them so this story reinforced that theme.  Little Miss had the Owl Babies story sack from school one week in Year 1 and we had lots of fun acting out the story with the owls and sticks.  Like so many of the stories on this list, its one I know the words off by heart.

2. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd

I had never heard of this book before a very good friend sent it through as a present.  A recommendation from her is always a winner.  At first I wasn’t sure of the garish illustrations and repetitive phrases but they really grew on me, it is the perfect last book at bed time and is dreamily soporific and relaxing.  The illustrations are wonderful for getting the children to find things and comment, those garish colours have become part of the book’s appeal now.  I love this book so much now that when I took it out of the book case, I actually gave it a hug!

3.  We’re Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury

Is there a parent who doesn’t know the words of this book by heart? Long walks with weary legs normally include a few verses of this to keep everyone jolly and as a SEN teacher this is just the perfect book for some sensory fun.  I think I have acted out this story more times than I have read it from the book, what a marvellous way to know a story.

4.  The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler

These are not the only books by this dream team on my list, their books are just magic.  I discovered the Gruffalo as a teacher, as it was first published in 1999, well past my own childhood!  I have read these stories at work and done the most amazing activities with them, the children love them.  I was so proud when I was able to take my class to the theatre to see the Gruffalo.  We put so much work into the trip and I’m sure it was only so successful because the children loved the story and wanted to see it come alive.  Whilst I’ve not taken my little ones to see it at the theatre they adore the animated stories.  The Gruffalo is another character we often use on our walks in the forest, I may spot a purple prickle or an orange eye hiding in the trees and create a story of what he’s doing.

5.  Monkey Puzzle by Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffer

I do love to read aloud and add a few actions, silly voices and this book is perfect for my dramatics.  Its also the book that both Little Miss and Little Man have chosen to take into school to share with their friends on book events at school.  Of all the books I have kept its the most battered, which shows how much its been read and loved.

6.  How to Catch a Star and the Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers

Another brilliant recommendation from a friend, simple stories, beautiful pictures but so much extra weaved into the words and pictures that its hard to describe.  There’s a tinge of sadness and hope to each story that makes you wonder about it a little bit longer after you have finished the story.

7. The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr

This book is a classic and I loved rediscovering it with the children, such a unique idea delightfully played out.  I saw a documentary about Judith Kerr and she was just amazing, still writing and drawing at 90 and with a real joie de vivre.

8.  One Night in the Zoo by Judith Kerr

I chose this simply for its pencil drawings which are so beautiful.  Its lovely for counting and identifying animals with lovely rhymes but its the colours and detail which make this book a favourite.

9. Duck and Goose : How are you Feeling? by Tad Hills

There are ten words in this book, but the illustrations tell a story so much more detailed and personal.  This book really helped the children learn about feelings and duck and goose are endearing characters.

So these are my favourite early years books, there are so many others I love too, which have now retired to the book shelf.  Our books are getting longer now and its time to revisit old favourites such as the Mr Men, Mrs Pepperpot and discover new characters like Judy Moody and Katie Morag.

Today, was one of my favourite days of the school year, our annual day out courtesy of the charity, the Rotary Club. It is an initiative which pays for under privileged and special needs children to have a day out. It seems such a simple concept but for some of our children with complex needs, a trip to a busy, noisy and different environment is difficult. Fortunately on Kids Day Out, special needs children are in the majority at the park and there is an atmosphere of acceptance, tolerance and respect.

The Rotary Club organise different venues all over the country and our nearest is Paultons Park, aka Peppa Pig World. They always are amazing in making us feel welcome and there always seems staff everywhere to help the children enjoy the day out. Coupled with the Rotary volunteers they create a very special atmosphere. Sunglasses are essential on Kids Day Out to hide a few happy tears, it is one of those days which reinforces your faith in humanity and the kindness and care shown to the children is over whelming.

Today has been no different to previous Days Out, the pleasure and happiness on our students’ faces is heart-warming. Some of our most challenging and anxious students have been enjoying the rides and we have seen smiles and giggles. It’s an exhausting day (2^nd highest ever Fitbit step score) but its one of the most important and rewarding days of the year. Our staffroom was buzzing with excitement at the start of the day as we all met up, it means so much to us too.

I cannot thank the Rotary Club enough for the pleasure they give to our students and staff in organising Kids Day Out. I’m not sure that they appreciate the amazing experiences they offer to our students, they are a stunning group of volunteers who make a powerful difference to our students’ lives.

I love this picture of a glass fountain in the garden.  Paultons Park is one of the most beautiful theme parks.

I am a private and quiet person yet I have decided to write a blog and publish it on the Web making it accessible to an unimaginable audience. This may seem an unusual decision but in this post I wanted to explain why I have done this and why my blog will always remain anonymous.

At home, I am quiet and shy, preferring the company of close family and good friends. This is rather at odds from the personality I display at work, where I am assertive (ok possibly bossy), positive and confident. Professionally I can take a leading role, comfortably leading whole school assemblies or delivering training to a group of a hundred staff without fear or anxiety. However home is my haven and where I feel most relaxed and creative. My relationships are developed by being with my family and friends and I use little social media, it may be hard to believe in these days but I do not have a Facebook account!

At present, my blog remains a secret from my family, for no other reason than because I’m a bit shy even with those closest to me! This blog is simply a personal project, my opportunity to record my memories. I’ve written diaries throughout my life, so this is just a digital diary.

My blog is anonymous firstly because I don’t like to court attention and I feel more comfortable under a pseudonym but also to protect the identity of my two children who are adopted. This means that birthday posts will be published randomly so as not to reveal birth dates, there will never be a picture of the children on my site and they will only be ever referred to as Little Miss and Little Man. This can be hard as I am such a proud mum but it is essential to ensure that the children are not found by their birth family until the legally permitted age of eighteen. I do think this will become more difficult as the children get older, the web has made it far easier to find people but I hope all parties will respect the rules created to support everyone. I do send a letter and photos every year to the birth family so I hope this is suffice until the children are young adults and able to make their own decisions on their relationship with their birth family. Mr S and I will always respect and support them in whatever decision they make.

I’ve been writing this blog for nine months now and am loving this project, it’s a perfect creative release for me and its really rather lovely to read back on the things we have been doing. To answer the question who is Seaside Sparkles, I am a Mum, wife, daughter and friend who loves to be creative and add the little sparkles to the lives of all those I love x

So its here, Election Day and I am excited!  This morning I took the children to our local polling station to watch me vote.  I explained the process and they even got to help me post the ballot papers into the box.  To me its so important that the children play an active role as citizens and the simplest way they can do this is to vote.  Now my vote is cast its a quiet time, I’m pottering around, trying to catch a few hours sleep until 10pm when the whole craziness starts and I sit glued to the TV, radio and Internet analysing all the results.  As the media continue to point out , this is the most unpredictable election, so I thought I would make my own prediction.  Personally I think the Conservatives will do better than expected (the shy Tories of 1992!) not sufficient numbers for a majority but will lead the next government.  Labour will perform steadily, make some gains from last time but not the seats needed to win the election, the SNP will stop this with many seats in Scotland,  UKIP will take a few seats but not the gains expected.  I also expect the Liberal Democrats to have an awful election and not to be the power brokers in the talks to form a new government. I also think the high profile losses will be theirs.  It will be interesting to see how accurate my prediction is during the night.  In the UK we still have the old fashioned drama of election night and the results announced in the early hours through to breakfast.  I do wonder how long this will continue, it can’t be long before digital voting will give the results just minutes after polls close and a little bit of the magic will have been lost.

I wrote before about the hustings and mainly positive local campaign here.  Sadly the national campaigns are regarded as having being highly stage managed, bland and dull.  The media have been particularly awful too and vitriolic in their attacking of the leaders, Ed Milliband in particular.  Constructive criticism against policies and programs are expected and should be encouraged its the personal attacks which damage our civic society.  One national positive has been the higher profile of female leaders in the election with the SNP, Greens and Plaid Cymru led by women, perhaps a new direction and political approach will emerge.

Its nearly time for the school run now and then the countdown begins,  I am already buzzing with excitement and anticipation!

 A POSTSCRIPT TO THE BLOG

Whilst there was general disbelief and shock at the exit poll released at 10pm, I felt it summed up my thoughts on the direction of the General Election and the result has generally reflected the poll.  Personally I am disappointed by the result but it does suggest a shift in British politics, there will be real change in leadership, ethos and policies.  The success of the SNP does show that an involved, interested and determined electorate can enliven politics, the momentum of the independence referendum has continued and the voters are demanding more decision making powers.  The failure of the Liberal Democrats seemed so obvious, they used to have clear policies which they believed, promoted and were easily identifiable.  In coalition these were discarded at alarming speed and now its difficult to determine what they stand for.  What is surprising is that the party still doesn’t recognise this, Paddy Ashdown’s much parodied comment that the poll was rubbish and that he would eat his hat if it were true only emphasises this. Whilst I don’t have sympathy for any policies of UKIP their result does show the inequality of the First past the Post system, gaining 1 seat for their 3.9 million votes, whilst the SNP has 56 seats from 1.5 million votes.  However I doubt that electoral reform will feature prominently in future manifestos of the main political parties.

Finally, I would like to post one final image from the General Election, a timely reminder of the importance of our democratic society.  Yesterday afternoon, shortly after Clegg and Milliband resigned, they both took part in their final duties as leaders of their parties by laying wreaths at the Cenotaph in remembrance of VE day 70 years ago and all those who lost their lives fighting for democracy and freedom.  A poignant image to end the General Election of 2015.