My solution was a spot of DIY. I pulled out the unused bookshelf that lurks under the bed, popped it on top of a couple of open [...]]]> I woke up with a very sore knee today. Probable cause: too many hours sitting at my desk, something that was on the agenda again today. Hmm.

My solution was a spot of DIY. I pulled out the unused bookshelf that lurks under the bed, popped it on top of a couple of open drawers and voila: I had made a functional standing desk.

It’s been very comfortable. It’ll get packed away tonight, but I’ll be using it again. The knee feels better too

Everyone gathered at Mount Pleasant Park and waited for the Sheffield Samba Band to lead the procession.

Sharrow Lantern Carnival 2012 – [...]]]> Last night’s Sharrow Lantern Carnival was a magical evening. The lanterns were created by local people in a series of workshops during February and March leading up to the big event.

Everyone gathered at Mount Pleasant Park and waited for the Sheffield Samba Band to lead the procession.

We followed a parade of magical lanterns that ranged from small stars, hats and mushrooms to giant unicorns and even a fire-breathing dragon.

The route wasn’t long, but at samba pace it was dark long before we reached our final destination. The darkness of the cemetery was the perfect backdrop for the lanterns and some fire spinners.

Anonymous

It seems such a short lifetime ago that I blogged on my teachery site about how good it was to get back to normal. Remind me, what exactly is normal anyway?

We started the half [...]]]>

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

Anonymous

It seems such a short lifetime ago that I blogged on my teachery site about how good it was to get back to normal. Remind me, what exactly is normal anyway?

We started the half term holiday with high hopes of interesting things to write about. Now that Mr TLC has (mostly) recovered from injury, visits to Bletchley Park and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park were planned. I had even bought myself a new camera to replace the one that had gradually disintegrated (thus cunningly saving myself from the need to write the proverbial thousand words). Blog posts were go!

And then suddenly, they weren’t. Supermum suffered stroke number two and was back in hospital, so obviously our priorities shifted. This time she isn’t going to make a miracle recovery in a matter of days, it’s going to be a long slow process in which, unfortunately, success is not guaranteed.

Since Supermum is going to be in hospital for some time, I’m just going to have to get on with things and work round that as best I can. We’ve organised our lives to fit around hospital visiting hours before, we can do it again, even if it is going to be a long-term affair this time.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there is never going to be a good time to get back to blogging, so I may as well pick up again at a bad one. I’m not going to be visiting anywhere interesting or attending any events for a while, but hey, that never stopped me from rattling on about any old rubbish did it?

Back in June, when his well and truly broken leg was pinned together, Mr TLC was told it would be 4-6 months before the frame could be removed – assuming everything went well. He had five months fixed in his head, [...]]]> It’s seemed like a long time, but finally, the end is in sight.

Back in June, when his well and truly broken leg was pinned together, Mr TLC was told it would be 4-6 months before the frame could be removed – assuming everything went well. He had five months fixed in his head, I had chatted to some of his fellow patients and suspected it might be longer. We settled in for the long haul.

We’ve had some positive signs since then : x-rays that revealed fuzzy edges where there had been a clean break; Mr TLC gradually becoming more mobile; the frame being weakened by having one supporting bar removed. Best of all, we’ve avoided any nasty infections (so far). All progress, but very, very slow.

Then Mr TLC called me after his last hospital appointment to tell me that his nuts had been loosened.

Ooh er.

He’s still pinned together, but the frame is now as weak as it’s going to get. All being well, it comes off next week.

The end is nigh. Normal life will be resumed shortly.

Photo: The End by naturalturn on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons Licence.

Mr TLC’s latest x-ray shows signs of the bones starting to heal. Woohoo!

I conquer the paper [...]]]> Mr TLC starts to get mobile, including walking from the kitchen to the living room using only one crutch. Result.  This momentous step forward marks Mr TLC’s return to being a maker of copious cups of tea.

Mr TLC’s latest x-ray shows signs of the bones starting to heal. Woohoo!

I conquer the paper mountain that formed spontaneously during the last few weeks of term. I churn through a mass of dull but essential tasks and time-thieving paperwork. My desk reappears. Yay!

Mr TLC continues to head along the return route to normality: he is not just able to make a sandwich, he’s back to making the bread.

GCSE results day arrives surprisingly quickly. Flowers and thank you cards arrive rather unexpectedly. How lovely.

Mr TLC starts to take a few steps without his crutches. Only on flat ground and his gait resembles a drunken Charlie Chaplin, but it’s progress.

Which just leaves the millstone. Unlike Neil (who did brilliantly), I got a rather bad mark on my final tutor marked assignment. In fact, eventually I admitted to myself that I couldn’t meet the deadline and had to take a hit on that one: no final TMA submitted, so a score of 0% for me. Not what I envisaged when I started the course, but May and June did not go to plan and sadly something had to give. My average score is high enough to pass that section of the course, but there’s just the small daunting matter of the final assignment that will account for 50% of my mark on this unit. Better write quickly, time’s running out…

Photo: yes i know my way by Paolo Margari on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons Licence.

Mr TLC obviously felt that Super Mum had not tested the services of the NHS rigorously enough, so he decided to take on a spot of testing himself.

It started with a bang, the sort of bang made by a man who [...]]]> Mr TLC is not a man to be outdone. Oh no.

Mr TLC obviously felt that Super Mum had not tested the services of the NHS rigorously enough, so he decided to take on a spot of testing himself.

It started with a bang, the sort of bang made by a man who has missed his footing momentarily, stumbled on a small step and fallen down.

“Are you alright?”

“No, I’ve broken my leg,” replied Mr TLC, in the calmest voice you can imagine.

The calm tone left me wondering whether he was exaggerating as I dashed upstairs to make sure.

He wasn’t.

So, another dramatic weekend ensued. It started with an ambulance, a trip to casualty and the prospect of Mr TLC returning home with a pot on his leg a couple of hours later. Then x-rays revealed that Mr TLC had broken both tibia and fibula right through, so things escalated to an overnight stay in the hospital and the prospect of the breaks being plated. Chapter one finally ended after a few days in hospital and surgery to fit an external frame and pins [pictures via that link may not be suitable for those of a squeamish disposition].

Throughout this I kept thinking about the ad that encourages you to buy travel insurance. The one where every nurse, doctor and piece of medical equipment has a price tag attached. I am very, very thankful that we live in a place and a time where our healthcare is both high quality and pre-paid.

I also discovered just how supportive the head and my colleagues at my new school are. I had to take some time off when Mr TLC came home from hospital and then to go to outpatient appointments with him. Fortunately the GCSE maths exams were over and Y11 were out on exam leave, otherwise that would have been a real nightmare. Still, there were several days when either I wasn’t in school at all, or I dashed in, taught a couple of lessons and dashed home again. But there were no problems. People covered my lessons with the greatest goodwill you can imagine – even when Ofsted turned up. My colleagues are truly, truly fantastic.

And it’s been a learning experience. I now know how to clean an Ilizarov frame, I can list the side effects from various pain killers, I’ve discovered where we keep the Hoover and I can operate the washing machine. Actually, I thought I could do that already, but no, I found myself staring at the damn thing trying to remember how to switch it on. How hard can it be? It’s only got two buttons! Can you tell who normally does all the housework? Yes, I’m a lucky so-and-so. And no, you can’t have Mr TLC. He’s my excellent househusband and I’m keeping him

Anyhoo, this storyline in the TLC Terrace soap opera is going to be a long one – Mr TLC is facing 4-6 months dressed up as a TV aerial. I may have to rename this blog One-Legged Man.

Which means our summer plans include very short walks and a lot of TV. All good fun.

Photo: Broken Leg? by Kaptain Kobold on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons Licence.

It started quietly enough. In fact, in a nice bit of temporal symmetry, the month both began and ended with school holidays. During the first one, I did [...]]]> A glance at my sidebar indicates a rather quiet May. A glance at my life indicates quite the opposite, the last month has been somewhat eventful.

It started quietly enough. In fact, in a nice bit of temporal symmetry, the month both began and ended with school holidays. During the first one, I did something that I ought to do more often: I gave myself a break. I did a lot of reading, which felt very self indulgent, but it was good. In fact something of a book binge ensued. (Hmm, a book binge in May, haven’t I done that before?) Watching Game of Thrones meant that like many others, I decided to try the books and had a thoroughly enjoyable time reading the series, or at least, the four books that have been published so far. If fantasy is your thing, I’d recommend it, tis good. Been a whole lot of reading going on this month, probably worth a post of its own.

We also had a few grand days out, the best of which was our jaunt to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, something else that’s worthy of a post of its own. Maybe later.

Went back to school feeling so relaxed that putting my school shoes on felt weird. Driving the car to work felt weird. I love my job, but taking a real break from it was good, think I need to do that more often.

Anyway, I went back to work expecting a busy few weeks – it is the final countdown to exams for several year groups – and I was not disappointed.

We also had a busy month scheduled on the home front – starting with a trip to the World Water Bombing Championships. Probably an ideal world championship for me, but we were spectators, not competitors   We had lots of other things lined up, but then life dropped one of its little surprises on us.

A phone call heralded a worrying few days and a lot of hospital visiting. Happily the outcome involved establishing that the Royal Derby Hospital is flipping fantastic and that SuperMum has magnificent recuperative powers. Go SuperMum!

And as for young people today, what can I say? After a weekend of hospital visiting I offered my apologies to Y10 for not marking their work on time and for an unexpected change of plan for our lessons that week. On hearing this, they were not only very kind and supportive to me, they did something rather lovely. During the lesson I had a sense they were up to something, but no more than that. At the end of the lesson they presented me with a homemade get well card for SuperMum, signed by them all, with lots of nice messages and kind words. Young people today – take it from me, they’re marvellous!

That just left a few events to round off the month: our car spoiling its clean sheet and becoming intimately acquainted with an AA tow truck; an unsuccessful job interview (still, I do like my current job, so no complaints there) and a nostalgic trip back to my old hometown for a TeachMeet. Also getting lost in my old hometown, but we won’t mention that bit, nor the part where I drove around shouting at Sandra the SatNav. Ahem.

What did I do in May? I rode the rollercoaster of life. It may not have gone to plan, but it turned out OK.

How about you?

Photo: Corkscrew Roller Coaster by Vlastula on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons Licence.

But it’s important to recognise when a man is pining for his guitar.

Plans can be rewritten, so whilst Mr TLC strums for half an hour, here I am, wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Been a busy [...]]]> Plan A involved an offline sort of day. My priority for today: enjoying Mr TLC’s company.

But it’s important to recognise when a man is pining for his guitar.

Plans can be rewritten, so whilst Mr TLC strums for half an hour, here I am, wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Been a busy few months for me, starting both a new job (which I’m still really enjoying) and a new course (which I’m also enjoying, but honestly, who signs up to do a part time degree at the same time as starting a new job?) and lots of other exciting things. Such as Rolf Harris. But more of that later.

Anyhoo, Merry Christmas and all that,

Backson,

Lois