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#blogjune Blogging challenges my novel-in-progress Random thoughts teaching

And… it’s #blogJune time!

Well, what a difference 12 months make!

May 31, 2019: I was employed as Head of Middle School at a local private school. I was stressed, exhausted and a fortnight away – although I didn’t know it! – from being made redundant. Man, am I glad I didn’t play along with #blogJune last year!

May 31, 2020: I’m employed as Teacher Librarian (and also Head of House) at a different local private school. I’m not stressed – in spite of tumultuous changes in schools because of COVID-19 – and I’m not exhausted – again, even though I’ve been working dozens and dozens of extra hours in both the school and Library areas of my job.

And these past few days, I’ve even managed to get back to writing again!

Not to mention some reading… but I’ll leave that for tomorrow. Have a great day, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
momentous events Reading teaching

New Year, new start

Welcome back, dear Reader!

Last year was a ‘photo’ post each week, which challenged me to improve my photography skills. Which worked… to some extent. In fact, I even considered challenging myself further and committing to a years’ worth of “selfie” posts (because those ones are like, a zillion times worse than actual photos. Well, for those of us who remember a time before the internet was even invented. Am I right?)

But no. Perhaps next year. But I’ll still attempt to include a photo with each post this year. Let’s see how we go with that, huh?

But today’s post is still about challenges. Specifically, the Goodreads challenge I set myself last year. 3 books per week. That’s 156 books in the year. Which seems a lot.

And I made it!!! So proud of me 🙂

Admittedly, numbers of those were the picture books which I ended up reading to my classes after being made redundant mid-year and being blessed enough to get Teacher Librarian work in July. But still 🙂

So. Goodreads challenge this year. 208 again – because I can! and it’s only 4 per week. right? – but the aim this year is to have only one picture book per month. Perhaps two. But no more than 24 of those 156 will be picture books. Because, well, why not? 🙂

How about you, dear Reader? Are you planning on reading books this year? How many? And if you’re also on Goodreads, want to connect?

Oh! And I almost forgot. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

– KRidwyn

Categories
teaching

37/52

I realised the other week that my Library has no puzzles.

Problem now solved.

What did you think of this one I bought for my High School students? (Kindly completed here by Mr10 with my help, so I could take this photo…)

Have a puzzle-solving week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
More about me Random thoughts teaching Work

33/52

And… it’s Book Week! Biggest week of my work-year, now I’m Teacher Librarian and not Head of Middle School.

At my new school, the Year 12s pick the theme for themselves and the staff. This year: minions.

Staff were allocated roles from the Despicable Me movies. Together with the Head of Senior School, we could both be the evil character, Dr Nefario.

Never one to share nicely with others, and noticing a second baddie unallocated, I graciously stepped aside and let my colleague wear the white lab coat and black lab gloves, and chose slinky long gloves and black high heels for myself.

Scarlett Overkill – here I come!

Wish me luck. (We all know how weak my ankles are…!)

And have a dressed-up-week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
momentous events More about me teaching

28/52

A new semester starts today.

For 4 out of the 5 in my household, today marks the start at a new school too.

Exciting times!

(Feel free to guess the kidlets’ schools from their uniforms…) And have a ‘new’ week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
Life momentous events teaching Work

25/52

I wrote last week about my operation… well, kinda.

So I had surgery on the Tuesday, and had Wednesday and Thursday off work, and returned Friday – which also happened to be my birthday.

One of my incredibly wonderful colleagues decided she’d make me a cheesecake – both to cheer my up after the operation and for my birthday.

Made.

From scratch.

Using Oreos – SOOOOO scrumptious!!!

And all for me 😀

Wasn’t it pretty? And it tasted even better than it looked! I am so lucky!

Here’s wishing you a blessed week too, dear Reader!

Categories
family anecdotes Life Random thoughts teaching

20/52

My very first hairdryer was a gift from my husband. We’d been married several months and he decided I needed one. Sweet, really. He’d seen me depart for work each morning, hair wet, and thought this would improve my quality of life. And so I became the proud owner of a hairdryer.

[Just to clarify: I wasn’t anti-hairdryer before then. I’d just been oblivious to the whole ‘hair management product line’ before that time. Yes, I know – a bit of a sad indictment! But it is what it is…]

Fast forward to 2019. Miss11 is using the hairdryer (yes, the same one Hubby bought me!) and the back fan-guard breaks as she’s packing it away.

‘Oh well,’ I think. ‘It can’t be that important.’

The following day I reassess its importance as I’m using scissors to remove the hairdryer from its proximity to my scalp…

It takes several weeks, but I finally go to buy myself a new hairdryer. I’m intrigued by one which advertises a retractable cord, so I buy it:

And I fall in very-deep-like with it!

The retractable cord part it what makes me smile every day. Honestly, pulling out the cord sounds like pulling out the cord on one of those kids toys, which then speaks something funny at you while the cord goes in (I can’t remember ever having one as a kid, so this is my opportunity!) and the cord whips around crazily as it retracts, so that’s fun too 🙂

So there you go. A whole blog post about my new hair dryer. The one which Miss11 laughs at and says, “You really love that hair dryer! You tell us every time you’re going to use it!”

My poor kids. Sometimes I wonder exactly what kooky memories they’ll have of their childhood, with me as their mum…

Have a great week, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
momentous events Random thoughts teaching Work

18/52

Hubby and I were given two of these ‘Burlingbrown’ water bottles last year. I promptly fell in love, and to mark it always and forever as MINE and not his (or anyone else’s!) I taped purple stars around the outside, above the logo.

Then took it to work and promptly lost it.

Sigh.

A fortnight passed. Lucky Hubby didn’t mind too much when I appropriated his for my use…

Months passed. Still no water bottle with the pretty purple stars. Double sigh. I had abandoned hope.

Then just the other week: cue elation! I found where I’d left it: on a co-worker’s never-used desk!

And that’s my story for the week. Here’s wishing you a ‘found it again’-ful week yourself, dear Reader 🙂

– KRidwyn

 

Categories
More about me teaching Work

14/52

I’ve been wanting to share this for a while now: my mystery portrait.

It hangs in my office at work, along with the two other artworks made by students and given me over the years.

The other two were hand-delivered, so I could thank my student personally.

Not so with this.

It was secretly left on my office desk in the first week back this year. The only clue was the handwritten note ‘Welcome back Mrs Bloxham’ on the back.

Now the content matter is amusing. It’s me, in a monster BookWeek costume from 2016. The only selfie I have on my Instagram profile.

What I find incredible? And so, so, so humbling? That a student would seek out a photo of me, and then spend hours and hours and HOURS of their time, during their holidays, drawing me! Because it is a FANTASTIC drawing!

Such a blessing. And I haven’t been able to find out which student blessed me yet, which adds to the mystery 🙂

So if it’s you, dear Reader, lurking on my blog, THANK YOU! And for my other blog Readers, here’s wishing you a pleasant mystery in your week too 🙂

– KRidwyn

Categories
Random thoughts teaching Work

13/52

Recently, my school held a fundraiser for the families who lost everything in the recent North Queensland floods. And seeing as blue and yellow are the colours of the most popular sports team of the region, the fundraiser was ‘wear blue-and-yellow’ day.

Now, I’m half Malay. I don’t do ‘yellow’ because it makes me look sickly green. So I went and bought blue stuff: some elbow-length satin gloves, a sparkly masquerade-style mask, and to top it off, a blue plastic hat shaped like the top half of a dinosaur head. I was set!

Then I was asked to attend a workshop that day. Sigh.

No gloves. No sparkly masquerade mask. And no dinosaur hat for me.

Double sigh.

Oh well. At least I get to share them on here with you!

Here’s wishing you a fun-filled week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn