What's New, PussyCat?

Categories: life-in-general

Date: 26 May 2012 12:44:40

(woh-oh-oh!) My big news is that I have a job for the summer! I had three interviews with three different companies - and got offered all three! One was easy to turn down, as the centre I really wanted (with 7 -9 year olds) was already staffed, so I was offered 13 - 16 year olds. Shudder! The other two were harder to decide between, but I finally plumped for the one that was offering slightly less money, but with a guaranteed five week contract. The other could only guarantee 3 weeks, with a possible extension. So I am teaching English, but also a "Workshop Leader: Gastronomy"...that is to say, I'll be doing some cooking with the children. I'm with the 10-13 year old age range...a bit older than I've taught before, but not too much so. I'll be working here   which is Downe House School, near Newbury. The company is called "Lines" and I'm hoping that it should be an enjoyable - if busy, and possibly exhausting!! - time. Other than that, not much has been happening here. After the week before last when I had very little teaching, this last week has been quite busy. We had one guy doing an intensive course - 35 hours in a week, 7 hours a day, 3.5 in the morning an hour for lunch and back for another 3.5 hours! I think his brain was close to exploding by Friday afternoon. I taught him for 10.5 of the hours and I can imagine how difficult he found it. Next week I'm starting with the modules - that's a guaranteed, regular lesson every day. I'm sharing one module, and teaching the other all myself. So that's a guaranteed 11 hours work a week, plus my other individual students. Huzzah! The Craft Fair last week wasn't a complete disaster. I sold a few bookmarks and I sold a couple of hand decorated plates, and a few cards. I made the most money on my "free" bookmarks - I am happy to calligraph names for free, but often, if people ask for several, they'll throw a euro in my bowl. As the card was free, and I have the pens, there's no outlay for me on these at all, so it's all profit. I think I made about 30€ in all. I spent about 10€ of that on plants, crepes and a bottle of elderflower champagne, but I was reasonably pleased. I have to create some cards and bookmarks for the St Just Artisans Craft Show...it's on while I'm in the UK, but hopefully, if I can make some nice things, they can sell them. The theme is "La Campagne...hier et aujourd'hui" (The Countryside...yesterday and today) so I'll be using some old photographs, picturs of animals etc to create my stuff. I'm planning on spending tomorrow and Monday (yet another French bank holiday!) crafting. One thing I'm going to make is some Jubilee themed (well, red, white and blue) bunting. I'm planning on decorating our garden fence next weekend. I'm not a great Royalist, but I thought it would be fun. I'm going to be making mine out of paper, rather than fabric, as I don't have a sewing machine, andf I fear sewing triangles onto a long string would get tedious. I'm stapling onto string instead. Much quicker! I'm thinking of printing a few Union Jacks to intersperse the coloured triangles. I also need to complete and pack up my Jubilee themed swop from Faith, Hope and Charity Shopping's blogger swop. I have a partner over in Australia. Pauleen lives in the tropical north of the continent, and writes about it here: she has some stunning photographs on her blog of tropical flowers. I won't tell you what I'm sending until after she's received it - but it does involve me sewing...I'm not very good at that! (Sorry, Pauleen!) Yesterday it was our 27th Wedding Anniversary. We didn't go out or buy presents...but I did get a box of choccies for us to share, from Jeff de Bruges   and I made something for us both too. I need to take a photo, but it links back this picture from a post a while back. Maybe you can guess what it is I made!   So there you are. I think I've caught up on news. I'll try to do a Finding Fun post (hands this week!) on Monday too, but it depends on time. Finally, don't forget my Giveaway over at Fat Dormouse. You've got about a week to enter - there are now two prizes on offer, which I'll mention in my next Fat Dormouse post - and it's not difficult. You only need to make a comment on one of my Giveaway posts. You have until my 101st post to do it. My 101st post will reveal the winner!