E is for Entertainment

Everyone excited, eagerly expecting

enjoying entertainment.

The pantomime live in the school hall.

I've worked in several schools where the pantomime came to us.  Looking back, I am amazed we managed to squeeze a whole school into the hall as well as the actors and stage but that's part of the magic - we did!  

I'm hoping that my A-Z posts are acting as Entertainment but I'm experiencing exasperation at posting a comment on the A-Z webpage for others to see my daily posts - is anybody else finding difficulties?

Now back to the theme - What is your favourite pantomime memory?  Did you go to the theatre or did the theatre come to your school?  I'd love to know so leave a comment below :)

D is for Dogged Determination

With dogged determination, despite difficulties

 disappointment disappears & deserved delight 

as egg and spoon finally crosses the finishing line

Sports Day is an annual occurrence in most schools with its wide range of peculiar races (I once won the space-hopper race!) but I think most of us can remember doing something where we needed to have dogged determination to succeed at it - so why not share yours below?  Or tell me which was your favourite event at sports day and why?

C is for Careful Calligraphy

Clever Cat, Curly Caterpillar, Cuckoo Clock

children's careful calligraphy

Tongues poking out slightly as hands grip pencils tightly

I have taught letters and sounds through various schemes to children over the years - Letterland, Ruth Miskin, Jolly Phonics and know how hard it is to get them to form those letters correctly once they know their sounds.  I can't really remember learning how to form my early letters but I do know I used to sit at the dinner table with my plastic placemat on which there were the letters of the alphabet in both upper and lowercase along with the object depicting that letter. I can recall the red apple for a and the blue yacht for y and I can remember tracing around each letter as I waited for food - my own careful calligraphy.

Can you remember your first letters and how you came to write them?  Do you rate your handwriting now or not?  You know I'd love to know so leave a comment below :)

B is for Building Bridges

Big, bold, bright blocks

begin building bridges

and slowly the child's hand unfurls from their mother's.

It's so good to be back taking part in the A to Z Challenge.  Reconnecting with those from Challenges past is just like meeting up with old friends.  I was nervous to begin with because I didn't really know how the Challenge would be with no list - and I like my lists!  But I am beginning to see now how I will build bridges and connect to new "friends" as I scroll through the comments on the main site and see those who have commented on other blogs too.  I'd love to know how you are building bridges in this challenge too?

A is for Anxiety

Anxiously awaiting,

Awkwardly angled,

The new child clutches their mother's hand.

Well I really wasn't going to but then I thought I can't NOT be a part of it again as I owe so much to the A to Z Challenge which has helped me with my blog over the past three years.  So I hope no-one minds that I'm slightly late to the party and I'll be hanging on by the skin of my teeth and yes this year really might have that dreadful feeling of anxiety but we're all good friends here and we'll help each other out - won't we??

Celebrate #8

Hi all - it's that time again to

joining in with the crew led by Lexa Cain and her co-hosts - Tonja Drecker and LG Keltner.

Life seems very busy at the moment but it's all good and I'm happy to celebrate that this week -

1)  More sunshine on the days I lead Nordic walking groups is always something to be thankful for.
I had a record number of walkers - 24 ! - for a special circular walk that ended with a pub lunch and it all went really well despite the initial whoops of we couldn't actually get to the footbridge to cross over the ford because the ford had flooded up the lane!!  Thank goodness I knew a different way around.

2) Everything seems to be going well for the event I am in charge of organising for this week - I've got the tea and coffee and some biscuits, I have a table plan, I have volunteers to serve refreshments, I've put out press releases - I just need to push the last of the printed leaflets through local letterboxes and finish off my painted board for putting up outside the venue.  Then I have to pray that the public come through that door on Wednesday afternoon!!!!

3) I'm also very pleased to say that my dad's medication seems to have been sorted out (at last) and he is starting to feel better so a visit to them should hopefully be back on the cards in the near future.

Here's hoping everyone else is doing well and finding something to celebrate even if the world is whizzing by at times!!  Let me know what you've been up to :)

Celebrate #7

What a great linky this one is :)

Thank you as always to Lexa Cain, Tonja Drecker and L G Keltner for making it happen!

This week I am celebrating:

1 - Yes I did it! I passed my exams - all of them!!  So I was delighted because I'd been so worried about the first one and in the end I received the same mark as for the second one (and rather amazingly it was a good one!!)  The relief when I found out - very happy me :)

2 - On the back of passing the exams I am now on the next phase of recruiting volunteers to train as Walk Leaders for the walks I have already begun which in turn would allow me to go into other areas which are asking for Nordic walking.  Therefore, I am looking into funding and working everything out and hoping that some people would be prepared to take up the challenge. At least I will start to find out what the future of my Nordic walking plans will be shortly.

3 - the event I am managing is also progressing with 30 contributors signed up so far - just a week left for them to sign up so I might make 40 you never know?  The leaflets have been printed already which is fantastic and well before schedule so I will begin to deliver out this week and I now need to think about those final things like name badges and table placements so any ideas on what makes events better please let me know - I'd be very keen to hear :)

Here's hoping everyone else has also had a great week with everything coming together - let me know what's been happening to you - you know I'd love to know :)