These are a few of my favourite things

Greetings,

Term 5 has been long, difficult, sunny and very, very productive.

I thought I would wish you all a very happy holiday with a new take on an old song.

Burgers and hot dogs all sizzling and flipping,

Jugglers covorting, and tall men a-skipping,

Welsh drummers thrashing the shine off their skins

These are a few of my favourite things.

Iphones and music and Thea and my Rube

Tall men a-skipping appearing on you tube

Thatchers and Westons and Apple-y stings

These are a few of my favourite things.

When year 6 swear, or they chew gum,

Or they answer back,

I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don't feel, so bad.

Amazing what you can come up with after a KFC.

Have a great hols. Stay safe.

That is all.

Chopin versus Jam-and-Spoon

It may sound like a purist's nightmare, but those were the two tracks I downloaded last night, after being reminded of the former by an old stash of cassettes (cassettes - I loved em, especially that squeally noise on rewind in your walkman) and of the latter by seeing a middle aged man in an inappropriate hat. And, no Bailie, I was not looking in the mirror.

Les Sylphides, the Chopin selection I "legally borrowed" from t'internet, has a lot to say about our current journey. To begin with, it sounds a bit chaotic. In the second movement, it begins to form an order - a slightly dishevelled, tie-askance kind of order but shape and form none the less. Then, the turbulence, questions are asked, notions are challenged, but from it all, the order returns, stronger and more harmonious than before. Then, at its climax, once things are correct, in place, as they should be, with an unshakeable foundation of clarity, all players move in syncopated motion and deliver somthing simple, sublime, unremarkable, yet magnificent.

I like that I do.

As for Jam and Spoon, that is nothing at all like our current journey. It reminds me of being a spotty, blonde (yes, blonde, and not chemically blonde) teenager who used to take the newspaper to nightclubs to read during all the grunge stuff. Not exactly romantic, but, oh, the stories I could tell...

30 years on, by the way, you are remembered Ian Curtis. RI exceptionally calm P. I hope your troubled soul found some rest.

So, what have I learned this week.

- Sorry, but I will not tolerate those low standards of work.
- I am less sorry, but will still not tolerate appalling behaviour;
- To people just like that shy little girl in my office this evening, I meant what I said, and I will do everything to keep my promise;
- To parents like the one in my office this evening, ditto, and tell me if I don't;
- Year 6, your work is awesome;
- Maths paper B was vile. Utterly, utterly vile;
- Miss PW couldn't do maths paper B;
- Jess P can wither you with a look... or is that Jess Withers...?
- Shelby can do the bull dog like the best of em... so can Kane... so can Chantelle...
- Year 1 are amazing at poetry.

So to end it all, two announcements.

1. James MIlner is worth more than £20 million.

2. Someone called Mrs Dibble is back next week.

That is all.

(Psst, by the way John, it's Dean Friedman.)

I haven't heard the Blow Monkeys in years...

... but, thanks to the Big Hits of the 80s, I have been reliving my teenage years like you wouldn't believe. Kylie, Bros, and, dare I say it, Brother Beyond. Even I had hair and teeth then.

So, having finally found exactly the correct tie combination for my new candy stripe shirt, and my prediction about the Lib Dems not doing anything bearing financial fruit, I look forward to another weekend of Just dance on the Wii, and getting up too early to play In the Night Garden with Thea. And with it, a think about what we have learned this week.

We have learned:

- I don't like playing Mr Grumpy, but nor I am I prepared to tolerate low expectations;
- I will play Mr Grumpy if I think people's expectations are too low;
- Miss Walmsley doesn't like the word humongous;
- I am rubbish on the new whiteboards;
- My Maths group like Monster munch;
- So do I (not technically a new fact, but worth a remention);
- All Kane's are funny blokes;

Final weekend of the season. Up the Villa. That is all.