The day we opened a school

I can't quite believe I am typing this. We've done it - we've opened a school! Woooo-hoooooo!!!!

These two monkeys are the official school mascots - I hope they behave themselves! Boy, did I enjoy making them, and lavishing some attention over the detailing of the school uniform so it looks like the real thing.

Rascals: Dave and Anita

Forgive the excitement, but it has been quite a journey getting here. It isn't every day you open a school, is it? And so, straight after seeing my biggest girl into her new classroom, I walked the other two girls to see Daddy's new school. Gulp. My heart was thumping as we neared the building, and, although I knew we'd be too late to see the pupils going in (and the press, who had apparently been outside), I just had to wander past today. 

It has been an immense challenge. There have been more obstacles and opposition in our way than either of us would have liked, and times during the last couple of years or so that our dream of setting up a cracking new secondary school in our home town of Bedford seemed too hard to achieve.  

Infinity symbols on the school badge - reflecting the ethos of the school that education opens up infinite possibilities for a child

There is such a lot I could say about the gritty details of the getting to this point - maybe one day I'll write a book about it all. (Ha, ha, ha, ha.) But there is the next stage of the dream to accomplish first, that is, making a success of the school, and living up to the expectations of all the parents and children who have invested their faith in it by sending their children there. That challenge falls on the shoulders of the hubby and his team of staff and governors.  (Was I tempted to join in and teach at the school? Er, YES! But I have my own little gang who need me right now...)

I think now is a good time for me to take stock and realise how far we have come. 

I am stronger than I realised I was two years ago. A positive thing about the opposition we have overcome, is the development of skins to rival any rhinoceroses. As a pair, me and the hubby have had our metal tested, and come out stronger for it. I know that pursuing dreams isn't a glamorous or fuzzy Disney like endeavour, but that it takes guts and hard work.  I feel proud that we have got this far. And I feel grateful to our friends and family who have shown their support when it counted - you know who you are. 

I wish my friend Caroline was alive to witness the big day. She was a tower of strength to me during the tough times, and always delighted in the times when things were going well. It was during a dark period of uncertainty over whether or not Mark would be successful in being appointed as Principal, that Caroline was diagnosed with cancer. Boy did that put everything into perspective. Life is bitterly unfair at times - she fought so hard to overcome her illness so she could simply live long enough to be Mummy to her boys. Sometimes the best ones are taken, and there is no making sense of it. 

Incidentally, as an aside, I am pleased to have discovered the friendly world of crafty blogging a year or so ago. It provided me with the perfect antidote to the internet `trolls' we had been on the brunt end of. Another lesson learned - it is easy to criticise and say outrageous things from the sidelines, especially when under the cover of anonymity that the internet brings. You'd be surprised at how venomous some of the opinions were!

One reason we wanted to start up a school was to provide local parents with more choice when it comes to their children's education. The wealthy have always had choice - either through the ability to pay school fees or to move to a good catchment area - and I don't begrudge them that. But shouldn't every one have choice? And besides, a bit of competition usually encourages every one to try a bit harder and attract pupils to their school - it certainly did in the independent schools I worked at earlier on in my career.

I was lucky enough to grow up in one of the few parts of the country that kept the grammar school system. Living on a council estate, and coming from what politically correct types might label as an underprivileged background, going to grammar school changed my life for the better.

It is no accident that the colour of the uniform at Bedford Free School is the same as the school I went to. The Bedford Free School is not a grammar school - and we wouldn't want it to be. But a lot of the ethos that runs through it has been inspired by the best bits of my old school.

My school inspired me to take a "not if, but when" attitude to life - that I could achieve just about whatever I wanted to achieve if I was willing to work hard enough. My teachers took an uncompromising stance when it came to valuing hard work and perseverance over social background. Excuses weren't really tolerated, and I am forever grateful to my teachers for showing me they believed I could achieve and going the extra mile to help me do so. Ah, yes - going the extra mile. The motto adopted by staff and students at the new school. The hope is that it will not only apply to their own academic and personal endeavours, but also to doing something impressive in the world around them. Oh goodness - look how earnest I have got. Sorry folks. Gold stars all round if you are still reading this!

Anyhow, I hope these mascots enjoyed their first day - along with all the students at the school, too, of course.

Another Lisette Market Top!

Fabric from the V&A range. It was an instant love at first sight moment between me and this peacock print, and my other one metre purchase made using birthday vouchers from my sister in law. 

Yes - another one. Nothing like getting value for money out of a pattern, and the Simplicity Lisette 2211 is certainly one of my favourites! It goes well with jeans, as well as the skirt option that comes with the pattern. You can see other makes from this pattern here, here, here and here...

I got it to a teasingly almost finished but sleeveless stage before the start of the summer holidays, and then, well, time got the better of me.

Time, and the fact my perfectionist tendencies crept out and protested about the machine stitching that is visible (if you squint and know it's there) around the false piping. I decided I couldn't live with it, and so began the time consuming unpicking, and resewing by hand. I like the end result much better now.

Anyhow, a couple of weeks or so ago, I finally finished the top. I've worn it a few times since - including off to the nature reserve at the end of our street. 

We headed there with my Mum and nieces and nephew - who, is getting into photography. So these photos are courtesy of an eleven year old boy called Ketan.

One of several new pieces of sculpture created by local college students 

The giants apples - which come apart like a jigsaw. 

Sadly not tons of blackberries on that occasion - although we made up for it last weekend, and found enough for a crumble and some jam. Jam making is definitely one of my favourite things about the summer holidays.

I feel obliged to point out my Mum took this photo.

Here I am beside The Climbing Tree in Bedford Park (about 20 metres away from the nature reserve, so we frequently go to both in one trip). This is one of my children's favourite things about the summer holidays. Tons of time to spend right here.

I cannot think back through the entire summer holidays and systematically sift out my favourite bits without maybe missing some gems out. Clearly, my brain has turned to sludge.

But, my best bits of the last week have included (in no particular order) -  rediscovering Roald Dahl with the older two girls (we have just finished The Twits and are now half way through The BFG); realising the youngest girl (aged 2 and a half) can actually pedal and steer her big sister's bike and watching her gleefully announce to her sisters that she is actually Bradley Wiggins (Olympic legacy eat your heart out); and, turning old school socks into monsters.

Monsters designed by Elizabeth (aged 2), Max (aged 6), Ruby (aged 3), Rachael (aged 4) and Sophie (aged 6) 

A very raucous real life game of Angry Birds was swiftly devised once the monsters were all completed - the monsters were the pigs and the children the birds. Whatever that means. Already, I have failed to keep up with what the heck they are all on about. I just sat back, happy that I had fooled a six year old boy into enjoying sewing on buttons.

On other news, I have not been to the pool - yet. But I am certain it will happen any day soon. I'll be the first through those doors at 6am.

Oh, and that stain is still there...

The day of black poster paint

This is the image I must try and keep in my mind to sum up yesterday. And not the image of my first Ginger with black poster paint on it. It has had one wash already, has soaked in soda crystals overnight, and is currently doing a second cycle in the washing machine. Fingers and toes crossed.

What kind of an idiot doesn't bother to change out of her favourite new skirt before allowing her youngest child access to some black poster paint? This idiot.

In my defence, I hadn't started the day with the intention of doing any messy play as such. There was the shopping to be done as a matter of some urgency, due to the discovery that we were completely out of cat food, at the point that the cat was hovering at my feet with an increasing sense of `When will the dopey owners take the hint I am hungry?' look about her. And, less urgent, but with more gratification upon completion, the middle girl needed a new seat making for her toy pushchair. She had wheeled her battered old pushchair frame to the park and back yesterday, despite the fact she could not sit a toy in it as there was no seat for the toy to sit. What had happened to the previous seat? I honestly have no idea. Possibly broken and then removed and mysteriously vanished - who knows.

So the pushchair seat was made. I was an instant hero in the eyes of my four year old. I let her, and her little sister, take their pushchairs to the supermarket. I reckoned they generally behave more responsibly when they feel they are in charge of their `babies' and wheeling them about the place - I gambled right, and, the pair of them, along with their big sister (who had settled quite happily for being allowed to take her newly acquired Barbie with her) were happy throughout the big food shop. Hurrah.

Cat fed, as I unpacked the rest of the shopping, on a whim, I threw an empty tea bag box in the direction of the middle girl. She absolutely loves setting up treasure hunts at the moment, and I suggested she might like to use some silver foil to turn the box into a treasure chest. Cutting and sticking are her favourite things to do, and so, for the second time in a morning, I was a hero in her eyes.

Cue instantaneous "Can I have a box too?", and cries of "That's not fair" when no appropriate box could be found. And that is the story of how yesterday turned into a day of creativity and mess. Triumph and disaster. It was like spinning plates.

The inspiration for these sock creatures came from watching Super Scrimpers the night before. I hadn't planned on making them with my girls as such, but the idea popped into my head at the point I was hunting for something to distract the other two so the middle girl could make her treasure box in peace. Needless to say, they loved making these quirky toys - and predictably, the middle girl soon switched from pirate accessories to monster making. The younger two enjoyed choosing what to use and telling me where to put all the bits and pieces, before doing the stuffing part themselves. The biggest girl pretty much managed to make her `bunny monster' herself, with help getting started at each stage, and she is now very pleased with herself. I would definitely recommend this activity as something to try with small children - and it costs next to nothing, as I am sure most households containing children in them have plenty of odd socks and random crafty junk lying around. We used an old pillow for the stuffing (as recommended on the TV programme), and it worked out nicely.

They were all pretty happy for quite a long period of time (and are again playing some sort of game with their sock monsters as I type this) - but it was a bit tiring keeping up with the different requests each artist had, as they moved from one project to the next. I thought I had pulled a stroke of genius in allocating the painting area to be in the garden - well away from carpets and so on. And the plan worked. The youngest is still pretty much in the phase of using one colour of paint, and was at one point seen frantically painting an empty egg box black. And then, somewhere between coming back through the garden from a spot of Bradley Wiggins style time trialling out the close at the back of the house, and coming in to stir a risotto for tea, the black poster paint appeared on the bottom of my skirt.

Today we are going to the park, where there will (hopefully) be no poster paint in sight.

Monkey Business

Today I had a lot of fun at a charity sewing workshop. A BIG thank you must go to my wonderful sewing friends who came and helped, and my friends Carole and Khaled, for letting me use their lovely restaurant for free, meaning all the money raised could go straight to the charity.

Thanks to everyone who came and supported - you all worked your socks off (ha ha ha), whilst eating cake, drinking cappuccinos and lattes. It was a lot of fun. You can see the latest total you helped raise here. (The sock monkey gallery will be up next week - please email your pictures to me if you'd like your monkey to star in it.)

The lovely Gemma, Imogen and Pamela worked solidly at the sewing machines for the entire morning - sewing up everyone's monkey limbs in lightening fast time. (Imogen very kindly took all the pictures, so sadly not captured in any herself.)

Mum even came up for the occasion!

I can't take creative credit for this gorgeous monkey - but now that my girls have spotted it, the comments of "Oooo, I like that monkey's tutu, Mummy", have already started. Thanks for that, Gem!

My friend Carole provided us with some scrumptious home made cakes. Yum, yum, yum.

Thanks again, everyone. It was a lot of fun this morning, and felt good doing something to help a brilliant local charity. I'd love to organise more charity workshops like this one, so please get in touch if you missed out this time but would be interested in coming along to one in the future.

Milo the Monkey

I like running. 

For the last five years since children have come along, a lot of the running I have done has been with a buggy in front of me and a bunch of other mums alongside me. The bandstand in the middle of the park where we meet was looking beautiful in the winter sunshine this morning. It was a good day for a run.

A good friend of mine, who also ran with me this morning, has a little boy called Milo. Whilst we ran, Milo and my youngest sat alongside each other, both eating bananas, talking their scribble talk, and waving at squirrels.

And along came the inspiration for the name of my latest finished project.

The January Rule is working out well. Still not been to a sewing shop, or bought any fabric - aside from some for my bunting workshops next month, but that doesn't count, right? I haven't bought myself anything sewing related, and, in case you were wondering, in no way am I living out my fabric addiction vicariously through the guise of it being for my classes. Honest. (I will post some pictures of the bunting workshop fabric soon, so that any fellow addicts out there can enjoy too - it is lovely...)

Anyhow, moving on. As I was hoping, a nice thing about the January Rule, is that I am feeling spurred on to finish up some projects, that have until now been sat forgotten about in the bottom of a big plastic box. 

Milo the Monkey, as I have called him, was fun and quick to finish. Why had he been neglected for so long? Who knows. I'm sure there must have been a good reason at the time.

If you've never made a sock monkey, make one. I think you'll smile. And, if you don't smile, I guarantee a little baby will if you give it to them. They make great baby gifts - the ones I have made in the past have been well and truly loved and giggled at. And the stitching attaching the arms, legs and tail to the body has certainly been tested!

Ready for his new owner, with love. X

The bandstand in Bedford Park