Bournemouth - 'ave it!

I spent the weekend in Bournemouth with the kickboxing guys. LOVING IT!!!

Changes are afoot on planet Jen and I am 110% enjoying them. I cannot wait to be finished with work. Sometimes I think I might be sad on Monday, but then I think of those lovely, blank, clear 4 weeks that I have and I am relishing the fact that I can actually DO things, rather than just think about them from the confines of my desk.

I feel some slight trepidation that from September onwards a PGCE course plus 9 martial arts classes a week might be a tad overwhelming, but I know that I work well when I don't have time to spit! I'd rather be so busy that I don't have time to think about anything else than sitting staring and doing nothing BUT thinking of all the lovely things I could be doing with my time.

There is also a small part of me that is scared of this teaching malarky, but on the other hand I only have to get my bit of paper, I don't ever have to step into a Physics lab for as long as I live after that if my martial arts takes off.... I explained to my friend Lee that while I do want to teach martial arts 100% of the time and do nothing but that, I am too sensible to give everything up just for that, especially when I'm earning less than £200 a month at the moment! I suppose there must be a leap of faith somewhere, but I am too sensible. Also on the same day that I handed my notice in, my husband was told that there is a second round of redundancies going on in his department at work. Eeeekorama! So perhaps my being too sensible is a good thing at the moment.

Crafty-wise there are a few things in the offing - I've made a phone cover, a jewellery boxy pouch and a cushion in the past few days. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but of course they are FABULOUS, take it from me ;-)

THE PLAN is coming together nicely - this is my calendar for the next 4 weeks. It includes visiting friends, babysitting, kickboxing, dinners out, clubbing, curtain making and sleeping! I think I will have to block out some time for house sorting/unpacking too - it's only been 9 months since we moved in. What??? With the unpacking/clearing/sorting there will be some crafty giveaways too, so keep your eyes peeled!

Also, alllsooooooo I keep thinking, "Gosh, it'll be good to be ME once I'm out of this job." Not because I necessarily put on a front to do this job, but because I always feel a little bit awkward - the other staff are older than me by a generation, I can't play music, I have to wear clothes other than pyjamas to come to work and no-body really talks here, unless it's about the TV. Of course I can't wear pyjamas to teach, but I have bought a really nice wardrobe from Boden which is almost as nice as slobbing around in pyjamas.

Brief world-of-jen update.

I have accepted one of my PGCE course places.

I have resigned from my fundraising job.

I have more martial arts classes than I can shake a stick at.

I have 4 weeks between finishing work and starting Uni.

I have the biggest PLAN for those 4 weeks, full of creating, chilling, visiting and sleeping.

I have just spent far too much money on a new wardrobe of "teacher clothes".

ETA: It appears I have lost half a stone since I handed my notice in without trying at. All. Just goes to show what happens when you're happy :-)

omigodomigodomigod!

I've just got back to work after two days off for various PGCE interviews and martial arts stuff and come back to two offers on two separate PGCE courses!

Whoop whoop!

I'm SO excited!

I have about a billion new martial arts classes starting very soon. Yesterday my Principle Instructor and I visited a lot of Sports Centres in the area and taught a lesson at my local secondary school. Everyone is very keen to have us on board, we obviously talked the talk very well!

When in doubt...

post photos of the cat!

Jubilee

Someone at work mentioned the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. And lo and behold I have a photograph of my young parents celebrating. My Dad looks like Liam Gallagher with a Union Flag from a Woolies carrier bag sewn onto his T-shirt and my Mum is just radiant and channelling some feminist standards in the chest area!