The end of an era...

So, this is my last week in Bellsquarry. I finish up on the 3rd and that's me done and dusted! T'other burd comes back on the Monday after the hols and I'm searching for supply work! Have put an application into other regions but so far no good. Am having to write forward plans for the returning teacher (of a sort! I don't know what she will want to be doing for the next term and so will be only creating a skeleton) I've also got the report cards to write so there go my Easter hols! The house is like the proverbial bomb site and in grave need of a good and thorough clean and tidy. What with the latent school work and the domestic stuff and the two booked off trips to places West and East in the first week of the break I don't see me wearying much! Will also be looking at my pantomime script over the break and updating it and the music contained therein. Yes, glutton for punishment that I am, I will be directing this year's festive frolic for December along with pals Mary and Rosemary, as well as continuing with the Junior Workshop who will be putting on a show in March. In between times I will be learning songs for the Mostly Musicals night in the Biggar Little Festival and learning lines for a one act play in Biggar Shorts - same festival!
Anyhoo, can't sit here gassing all night... I need to go and do stuff upstairs and then slope off ot bed for another chapter or three of my book - number three of the Twilight Quadrilogy - yes I know it's written (allegedly) for teenagers but I'm enjoying the escapism and as I'm on book three in less than two weeks I think I can safely say they're an easy read!
Till next time!

Nearly there.....

So tonight is the last night of The King and I and Boy, Oh Boy! has it been a hard trot! I honestly had my doubts as to whether we would actually get here with any semblance of a show - fit to show a paying audience that is - and here we are. I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised at the phenomenal ability of people to find amazing reserves of energy and ability when the chips are down. Mind you I still wish, wholeheartedly, that there had been the opportunity to record every show - the outtakes reel on the finished DVD would be priceless! So there it is, done and dusted and only tonight to get through. A humungous learning curve for those of us in the Directing seats, mainly with a view to the logistics of creating a single entity out of three usually non-related groups. Lots of lessons learned. Mind you, Fiona and I did a lower profile exercise in a similar vein when we did Dream On, we combined the Juniors and Youth for that and we did a pretty good job, even if I do say so myself. I think the secret is to have people on the team who know what they are doing, and to let them do what they do best. I've been extremely fortunate to have very skilled and talented people involved with the Juniors, and, while I can have loads of ideas of how I'd like things to be/look/sound, I ask the experts and take advice! There have been times that one of my more nutty ideas has been run with and the result has been terrific, but that's all down to the people who know their stuff being willing to 'have a go' (probably just to shut me up, mind you!) and we've learned another way to do something or have another option up our sleeves for another time. We learn from each other and develop. that's how it should be. There's no point in going off with half -baked unrealistic notions, reality check at all times thank you! That said, I think that when the chips are down, the airy fairy ideas do tend to become entrenched in what is actually possible rather than the idealised aspirations they begin life as, and while this is all well and good, wouldn't it be so much easier, less stressful and altogether more sensible to start small and allow it to grow and develop organically; morphing into something wonderful, rather than a high maintenance, mega octane-fuelled bitch-fest where everybody is sick of everybody else 'knowing better'!?Ain't that the way of the world!?
Enough ranting!
Well on that particular subject anyway!
Back to the job situation; or lack thereof! Current maternity cover supply finished on 3rd April and nothing on the horizon so far. Had an interview last Monday for the previously mentioned 'some jobs in various locations in August' along with the other two hundred souls, all searching for the same Golden Ticket. Talked a mile a minute, budgie on speed, gibbering away, tryng to get all the stuff I wanted to say into the short allocated time. As a reflective practioner I have concluded that I've either talked myself into a job or out of a career! Watch this space! (no, it doesn't do tricks!) Should really have spent time filling out an on-line form for Supply in the Borders and get it in but not sure if I want to tie myself up to all points south for supply work - the cost of the petrol and the travelling time would be really detrimental.
House is looking like it wouldn't be out of place in a war zone. So it will be nice to have a bit of time to start getting it back into shape again. It'll be nice to have a chance to get the laundry completed in a reasonable length of time and to rediscover the bottom of the ironing basket! I may even reacquaint myself with the vacuum cleaner you never know! Okay, I hear you! So if the house is such a tip why am I sitting here tripe - ing this blog?
Simple, Alistair has two pupils sitting a music theory exam and I'm invigilating it! So they are sitting at either end of the dining room table and I'm sitting here writing away! Yah boo to you! I don't really watch a lot of telly - I prefer a DVD truth be told - and I'm quite looking forward to slobbing out a few evenings and watching some stuff. A friend lent me The Hogfather and I'm rather keen to see it, that and the plethora of James Bond Films that Victoria got for Christmas!
Okay, now I have to go - while I've been typing this 2 more emails have popped into my inbox. Now there are 26 to be read!!! Busy, busy, busy!
So I'll say 'tara chucks' and for those of you in the know 'Monks!'
Till next time...

Being a busy bunny!

It has been a while since my last blog. It's not because I can't be bothered, or that I've sold my soul to Twitter, or even because I have succumbed and signed on for Facebook (still don't get it!) but because life has been terrible insistent on my playing the game and doing stuff that I said I would do. Now those chickens are coming home to roost! The Am Dram game is getting nothing short of frenetic what with all factions of the Workshop finally coming together to join up the dots in our combined production of The King and I. Not only but also have been making costumes, props and a backdrop, am now 'heid prompt' and additional singer in the chorus (from the prompt pit!) Oh it's a tight ship we run - multi-tasking like fury! Not quite having to climb into a costume and tread the boards yet, but very wary of the prospect... However, this time next week we'll have only two performances left to do and then it will be all over!!! Friends of mine with bags of practical and technical know-how, will be spitting jaggy feathers to see the back of it. Mind you, I'm hoping they'll not run away screaming too far, as I'm kind of going to want to pick their brains for my forthcoming Panto at the end of the year! (My hat is off to them - they know who they are - 'cos they've had a lot to put up with!)
All this notwithstanding, I have an interview on Monday. Before you all yahoo in deep joy and delight at the possibility that I might be getting nearer to a job, let me stop you right there - this is the bulk interview, where all the probationers from this year, all the requested transfers and all of last years probationers who didn't get a job get trotted out and looked over once again, for 'some jobs in various locations in August' As there will probably be around 200 staff chasing what might only be a dozen or so jobs, I'm not holding out much hope! Strangely enough, the Council are still advertising for Teachers to relocate to the area, with packages and money and stuff to sweeten the offer - why? Dear Lord, why? If they haven't got jobs for those of us who already there, where will they get the jobs for incoming workers?
Oh, I really think it's time I went. I'm so tired I could drop off as I type!! Maybe once the show is past I'll get back to dropping a line in a bit more often!
Till next time.

That was the holiday that was.

Or so they would have you believe! Had Friday at the dentist, lunch with a friend and a trip to see Oliver in Motherwell, Saturday morning frantically doing the housework I should have had done on the Friday for the visitors coming. Cooked up a storm mind you! Had a pleasant enough afternoon and evening with the guests and did a humungous fry up on Sunday morning for breakfast! Toddled off to Livingston for a couple of hours and then collapsed into my bed shattered! Monday saw me back in the dentist's chair first thing and rushing from there to Lanark to drop off my impression and to catch the train to Glasgow. Met up with the gang and had a rather pleasant few hours stotting about, managed to get some really cool fabric for the dance routine in The King and I and some trimmings into the bargain. Rumbled back to the train eventually and managed to collect my dentistry in Lanark before trundling home. Alas and alack the dentistry was not a success and I have had to go back again this morning to have the work re-done and so am very conscious of a gap at the edge of my smile that may not be filled till Friday! However, this panic notwithstanding, we tripped off into Edinburgh for a change! Had a good gallop around the West End, bought some music and then sloped off along Princes Street. Was 'conned' into assisting in the purchase of a Wii Guitar Hero which pleased Victoria no end and sauntered through the Gardens to deposit music and game in car to leave hands free for other delectations and delight! Up onto Rose Street and into Cex and Fopp for a browse among the CDs (never got as far as the DVDs!) made a couple of (in my opinion) good purchases and perambulated back along Rose Street to The Filling Station. A branch of which we had eaten in in Glasgow yesterday. Good grub and great value for money, but looking at the price list, I don't think I would be terribly likely to go for a drink - £4.75 for a glass of wine a £14 for the bottle!!! From hence we clambered (some of us staggered) up the Mound and down onto the Royal Mile. After a look around the joke shop and costume shop I bought a pair of blue earrings in a wee crafty shop that I am fond of and, having established there was no-one had a burning desire to go anywhere else we strolled along to the carpark and went off to Ikea for the finale of the day. Didn't buy a thing but had a good look round and imagined what I'd like to have in the kitchen if finances would allow! Some really fab stuff in Ikea - we like it. Had a coffee and cake and roamed aimlessly through the Market place and then back to the car and home.
Back to the school tomorrow (that reminds me - I'd better go check the work clothes situation) So I'm off to bed to try and get a decent night's sleep (I live in hope!)
Till next time!

Holiday Weekend?

I should co co! Holiday? As much chance of that as there is of sprouting wings and flying. So much to do - so little time in which to do it. Friends coming up from Bury for the weekend, others descending upon us en masse on Saturday night for food and frolicsome Wii fun. And I have to go out tonight to see a production of Oliver over in Motherwell, a trip I really could do without! However, friend's daughter is in it playing the part I once played so maybe it won't be too bad. However this is not my favourite musical by any means. The King and I isn't either these days. Lots of work still to be done and the opening night is less than 4 weeks away. I get a bit annoyed when basic stuff is neglected, like what curtains we will need and where we will get them from, what lights we are going to use, and a whole plethora of other things that were discussed way back but have not actually been actioned.This, of course, is the trouble with doing things with so many chiefs. While it's not really a case of 'somebody else will do it' there is a slight tinge of 'well I said I would need it' with a large inference of 'why has nobody organised this?' I can understand the reservations the youth leader had initially (especially as a lot of them are coming home to roost) but I'll be damned if I will allow it all to crumble thereby giving her or anyone else the opportunity to say 'I told you so!'
As a result am finding myself taking on more and more bits and pieces to try and paper over the cracks that are appearing which is not good for my blood pressure. And let's not even think about the cast member who, having not been at any of my rehearsals, eventually turned up and then began asking unnecessary questions, thereby losing a good ten minutes of my precious rehearsal time! A not entirely tongue-in-cheek comment was thrown out at the first Production meeting, that the Seniors would have to up their game to be on a par with the Junior and Youth sections. Sadly this comment is an unfortunate reality. Less than four weeks to go and scripts are not learned, blocking not integrated and the pressure keeps building.
I've always been a calm sort of person but this is really pushing my buttons. Having to keep a very tight grip on the temper, fastening on the rictus smile, swallowing the antacid like sweeties and trying to get through this. And I said I would be doing the Panto this year? My God, they won't know what's hit them!

Get a load of this!!

This was sent to me by my cousin. All Mums, and indeed parents of any gender will identify with the sentiments stated herein!
Enjoy! By the way, hold no liquids in your mouth on first viewing!

One more late night

Can't keep doing these late nights. I really need to get an early one, one of these nights! Car is going well - a bit light on the handling but I'll get used to it. Supposed to be another dose of snow tonight but as usual it'll not materialise. I will eventually get the wee room tidied out and the junk chucked but I suspect it'll not happen on a snow day off! Friends from Bury are coming up to visit a week on Saturday and we need to get the place ship shape so this weekend will be spent doing the floors and getting the spare bedding aired - who knows, I may even burst out and wash down the skirting boards! And it's not even Spring Clean time yet! Joking apart, need to get the front windows washed, our window cleaner has not touched them since about September last year, I've done them twice with my long poled squeegee and it nearly breaks my back, but needs must and we will save pounds on the 'leckie' if I can generate some real daylight for a change!
Friend has just had a significant birthday and we are going to go out on Friday for a meal - weather permitting of course - you can almost put money on the snow arriving just in time to stuff the weekend up can't you? Hey! Maybe I could learn how to download stuff onto my ipod instead of going out!! There's a back up plan if ever I had one - chortle!! Oatcakes and cheese are singing their siren song from the kitchen.....
Till next time.