Planet Mad

The last set of reports was completed this morning at 8.45, just in time for the 8.50am deadline. I am truly a last-minute merchant of the highest calibre. Mind you, it's not just been reports that have been filling my time (although I have had to write 80 in the last week), nor the 45 exam papers to mark, but also the general faff that accompanies the end of any term, for both school and Guides.

This weekend just gone was the village's Open Gardens weekend, when various householders throw open their doors to welcome nosy strangers into their gardens, to talk knowledgeably about their wisteria and to generally show off their horticultural skills. To jazz up this weekend there is a village-wide scarecrow competition, where people make models in interesting poses and write witty captions for them. We decided that a good way to spend the last Guide meeting of term would be to make such a scarecrow, so that's what we did. Eleven Guides, two leaders, ten bin bags, two ping-pong balls and several rolls of sellotape later, we produced a mighty fine 'Scared Crow', complete with flapping, feathered wings and a big sign that says "Eeek!". We were well impressed by the results of our endeavours - as were the judges of the competition: we won first prize!! Smug grins and self-congratulatory hugs all round, plus grand plans of how to spend our prize money (a whole twenty squid!). Sadly we're photo-less, but this is probably a good thing or you'd have them inflicted upon you by now!

I spent the weekend (well, what remained after Saturday's teaching, marking exams and ironing my jeans dry so that I had something to wear!) in Cheltenham, sampling the culinary delights of Deepest Gloucestershire's pubs and then mooching round Waitrose in hunt of exciting picnic food. Shell-on prawns, antipasti and vegetable terrine quiche seemed to fit the bill; we ate in the park, enjoying the sunshine and watching the families play rounders. It was great. Even the realisation that being seen in Habitat looking at sets of cutlery was a tad on the coupley side didn't dim the pleasure.

This week sees more reports to be written, for university references this time, plus the tidying and sorting that I've been postponing all year. Mind you, I have only four days left, so mushn't grumble! Woo!!