MONDAY, May 6, 2019

Good Morning - Cool one here this am - winter is on the way. I wanted to stay snuggled under the covers but up and fire is going. Second cup of tea on board and Im doing that 4 letter word called work. Quiet day here. No appointments. Just the puppies and I as DS doesnt come home till Wednesday and DH is in QLD.

Other DS came for dinner last night which was nice as he lives with his Dad and I dont see him as much as I would like. We plan on making it a regular thing. Made him homegrown lamb chops, garlic n parmesan smashed potatos & steamed veg (As I dont think he makes himself a lot of those whilst at Dads) He has a container of leftovers for lunch - minus the veg of course - ha ha ha but the chickens will gladly have those for morning tea.

Ann - Oh my ! You are getting so much done around your property, must feel amazing to see it all taking shape and I know your DH would be super proud of you. You are indeed a go-getter x I hope that you will take some of the advice I was given and rest n heal once you have your eye surgery.

Liz - Hoping the excess fluid clears for SIL - they will likely have her on fluid tablets to assist. Good luck with the boxing and have a swim for me please - our winter is just around the corner and Im not a cold person - turn into a slug

Shel - stunning pictures! You amaze me and Rainier is coming up so fast. You will blitz it girl :) To answer your question its around 3.5 hours between our city home and farm

Bonnie - Good to hear from you and it sounds like you are in full nesting mode. Lovely to get everything organised for your darling little girls arrival :)

Diane S - Im with you - love lamb - which is a good thing as we are working our way through 2 whole lambs from BIL farm atm. Hope DH gets that perfect shot. Scotch Eggs are a Scottish dish and delicious if done right.

Waves to Cec, Peps, DD, Bonnie and anyone else I have missed - thinking of you all

Have a wonderful evening all

S

A perfectly ordinary day. Work was busy, but uneventful. Took a short nap when I got home, and now I'm reading and drinking chai latte. Nothing on the social calender until Saturday evening, when we will go with friends to the Minnesota Opera to see La Traviata. (Spelling?). Eggs and bacon for dinner, as DH is out, so it's an easy meal for me.

Sounds lovely

I have just pulled my lunch and dinner out of the freezer sta****s chicken and sweet corn soup for lunch - Slow cooked beef with sweet potato mash for dinner (and given the portion - likely lunch tomm too)

Photo taken by DH today. Not my art.

Sexy!

And DH's photography is quite good.

Hi Everyone,

Quick and late check in. Have been keeping up on reading the daily posts, but have not much to contribute at present. Imagine that!

Things not so good here right now. Work is getting to me a great deal. All will be fine in the end. It has to be. Just have to endure the garbage and get through the end of the school year. I'm afraid I'm becoming a crotchety old teacher, but boy I'm so tired of jumping through hoops that don't need going through and being expected to work evenings and weekends without so much as a thank you very much.

Sadly, I'm doing my fair share of self medicating with food. Shrink would like me to keep my options open about retiring. She referred to my work environment as toxic. Oh, well....

Sending you a big hug Devon - gentle one at that given your back.

Seems to be the way our world is going of late - the more you do the more is expected. A staff member leaves and the powers to be dont replace them - just load up the current staff who are already overloaded. One of my SIL works horrific hours and she is 60 (thats the one I cook for her family when Im at the farm - small help!) I cant understand why employers dont look past the numbers and truely value their assets - it astounds me. Spread the load and be mindful ! A dedicated employee (such as yourself - you radiate care and compassion in the pictures you have shared of you n your students) is worth their weight in gold yet more and more our world dictates that we push people to their limit. I just dont understand ...... Im thankful to have a very good environment and supportive boss but I see enough.....

Imagine what our workforce will be like in the coming generations? Will partners/parents be able to spend any quality time at home with their direct and extended family? Or will they be working 6 n 7 days just to meet ridiculous expectations with no quality for self care or family values. Imagine the fallout from that! Frightening to say the least

We are here for you x Come vent n unload in a caring n supported environment x

If you could only do the fun things with the kids and not have to deal with all the BS in schools! It does sound a bit toxic except you are clearly an inspiring teacher.