Its three weeks short of  a year since I last blogged. Just never felt like it.

Its been a strange sort of year. Eventually we sold my mother's house in Derbyshire. It had never been my family home but as it was nearly a mile up a farm track near Ashford in the Water, it was ideal for family holidays and celebrations like Christmas. BUT it was taking longer and longer to get there from South London and our little family is more dispersed now, so that it was difficult to get there, especially after my mother died. The house needed total refurbishment as well as pipes for the water supply so when a local landowner made a cash offer for the sum we wanted, the deed was done.

The money came through just after Christmas so that I could then hand in my notice at work. I have been in education all of my working life, latterly as a Cover Teacher at the school I have been working at part time and on supply for over 21 years. Sadly Cover Teaching is one of the least regarded jobs in our school. Over the years, our little team has got smaller and we have been worked harder. If a member of staff is away, it will be on a day when they have their worst classes and so we see the worst classes on a regular basis. We read the form to tell us our work as we entered the classroom and then have to deliver the lesson, whatever subject it might be. I trained as a History teacher and have some idea of what should be going on, but my other colleagues have very different backgrounds.

Morale has been ebbing away just as our Head is forcing everyone to work harder to do well in our next Ofsted. So when my inheritance came through I was really keen to leave.

But now that the farewells have been made and I  have spent the gift vouchers on a Kobo, I am at a loss as to what to do next!

So many plans about travelling and writing up notes on the cities already visited as well as craft projects. What to do first? 

So here I am, on the night before return to school after half term - no panic about getting to bed early, no upset stomach over what might be in store tomorrow! In fact what should I decide to do tomorrow???