Puppy vs Cat...

Hmmm....Fonz is not quite as thrilled about the whole 'puppy' thing as I seem to be. So far today we have at least managed to get her down stairs, but all she's really done so far is sit in the kitchen and glare at the puppy.

Fortuately puppy is pegged out fast asleep in the middle of the living room floor, but it may all get a bit interesting when Peerie wakes up...

Puppy!

The Puppy is here! At the moment the name is Peerie Mootie (translates from Shetlan' as Little Small!) but that may change over the weekend if I decide it doesn't suit her. We shall see.

Anyway, she's adorable. I think she's feeling a little bit lost without her mum, dad, or brother, but I'm sure she'll settle in. The cat is currently ignoring her - which is preferable to her trying to kill the wee thing! We shall see how that goes.

And now for the important bit...photos!

So Exciting!!!!!!!!

I'm getting a puppy!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited. I went to meet the pup (and her parents & breeders) today and she is just too cute! I did the sensible thing - I went home and thought about it without having the little ball of fluff sitting there trying to seduce me, and I did decide that I really did want her. She's just adorable.

She's a shih tzu, she's 10 weeks old on Tuesday and I'm bringing her home on Friday. (She's really small, so she didn't get her first jabs with the rest of her littermates and is getting the first ones on Wednesday.)

She is so so adorable. So now I need to think of a name for her...the breeders have been calling her Honey, but...I'm not overly enamoured of 'Honey'...not sure what I'll call her...I'm quite attached to Doodlebug for some unknown reason, but that sort of seems like more of a boy's name...

Photos and overly excited updates of her every move will no doubt follow in time. I'm so excited!

Festive Cheer

This website is a little gem that is guaranteed to provide hours of festive procrastination! www.elfyourself.com Enjoy!

Christmas time...

I cracked. A full week earlier then usual, and I cracked. My christmas tree is now up and decorated in my living room. My classroom is probably going to be decorated tomorrow afternoon. It's Christmas, I'm embracing it, it's fine!

It's actually all ITV's fault. I was doing ok. Holding out against the relentless pressures of retail, the kids at school, my neighbours who have decorated inside and out (christmas decorating is much bigger up here than I would have expected)...I even held strong against the fact that the radio is now playing Christmas songs. And then ITV had to go and put Love Actually on tonight. And I cracked. I'm now in the christmas zone. And I don't care. My christmas tree is lovely.

And for those of you who know my penchent for creating my own christmas tree fairies, you'll be glad to know that my trusty barbie has a new outfit this year. Isn't she fab? (If a tad Wonder Woman-esque...)

On a totally different topic, this is an appeal to anyone reading this for some advice. Should I get a puppy or not? I've been thinking about it for a while, and a couple of weeks ago a litter of Shih Tzus was advertised in the paper and I decided (rather sensibly I thought) to have a serious think, sleep on it, and if I still wanted one phone then. So I did, and I did still want one, but by the time I phoned, all the puppies had found homes.

And then today I got a call from the nice people to say that they've been told by their vet that the bitch they'd been planning on keeping is going to be too small as an adult to breed, so now they're looking for a new home for her. And do I want her? (On the strict condition I get her spayed - which I would have done anyway.)

Now...I know this is a big decision. I have until Saturday to think about it as I can't go out to meet the pup (and its parents and breeders) until Saturday. But I do want one... And so this is an appeal for sensible advice. At least, something slightly more helpful than my mother's somewhat useless: "oh, an ickle puppy! I could look after it when you go on holiday...oooohhhhh.....[assuming sickly baby voice] ickle-wickle puppy-dog for christmas...." And so on.

So...Puppy or not puppy? That is the question of the day. Any advice greatfully recieved (but do bear in mind that I may well choose to completely ignore it...)

Parent's Night

Parent's Night. *big sigh* My first full one as a proper teacher.

I'm exhausted.

I arrived at school at 8.30 am this morning, I did a full day teaching. I then stayed in school until parent's night started at 6.30 pm, (having changed into my 'I'm an adult, honest' costume) and at that point I started talking to parents. I did not stop talking until some time around 9pm (although rational speech had become tricky at least an hour earlier - note to self: gibbering at parents does not a good impression make!). By that point I'd been bursting for the loo for at least half an hour.

I'm now back at home in a brain-dead fug of tiredness. I might also have some post of post-traumatic stress disorder. A minor one, but PTS none the less. Bloody hell!

God help me when I'm back on the mainland dealing with classes of 30! Of course, Shetland parents are very keen to 'get involved' and all that jazz, and they don't bother with appointments, so you can't even use the 'I'm afraid that's your time up and others are waiting' excuse...still, at least there is very little chance of them lamping you when you tell them that little Jimmy is actually a little shite who may be possessed by Satan, and would they mind terribly if you got the priest in for a bit of an exorcism.

...bloody hell...I need to go to bed...or open a bottle of wine...bed is probably the more sensible option...I don't have a bottle of wine...I have a bottle of vodka...but bed would probably be better...

TV Coma

I HAVE SKY!!!! I'm so very excited, it really speaks volumes about the somewhat sorry state of affairs which is my social life at the moment. Also, having been swearing for years that I don't need Sky, it does feel like something of a defeat to finally have it installed. But, frankly, I'll get over it - I can now watch Lost! I can watch Sawyer getting his kit off on a regular basis! Woohoo! So many channels....it's truely amazing!
See, the main problem with living up here on the edge of the world, is that there isn't really that much to do. I leave the house in the morning to go to school, and it's dark. Depending on the weather it may or may not reach proper daylight at some point in the day, which means I may or may not get to appreciate the actually quite lovely views out of my classroom windows, and then by the time I get back home again, it's dark. And usually blowing a gale. Which does, somewhat, impinge on the possibilities for extra-curricular activities. In fact, the favourite at the moment is going to the gym (yes, me. Going to the gym, And - even stranger - enjoying it!) - and even though it's at the bottom of my road getting there through the rain and the wind is a bit of a struggle.
On the weekends, the prospect of going outside is always hugely dependent on the weather, and evening activites pretty much involve going to one or more of Lerwick's pubs. Which is fine and all, but if you don't fancy the pub, you're pretty much scuppered. And so I have Sky. Happy days.

Also...why is it that I can't seem to change the font/colour/size/etc? What's that about? Answers on the back of a postcard please... (as you might have noticed...I've now sorted this...tres bizarre...)

I'm scary!

Well, it's finally been confirmed by the kids - apparently I am, officially, a bit scary! They're even talking about it in the hallways. Cool, huh?

It's been a funny week on the teaching front. I'm no doubt tempting fate and a full-blown swinging-from-the-lights riot by saying this, but I think I might have turned a bit of a corner with the bad-boy S3 class. Of course, the fact that that class is now down to only 6 members may have something to do with it. Naturally, of course, karma kicks in and the 'good' S3 class is descending rather rapidly through the various circles of hell. Now, there is the fact that one of the 'bad boys' is now in this class because he got chucked out of Physics and now has to take Biology instead, but actually, it's not him causing the problems. No, it's one of the other boys who seems keen to take over the title of 'Most Likely to be a Total Wanker'. So he has been. He made me finally give out a detention, and now he's made me send him out of my class.

As a result of this, he told me that 'I hate you. I really do.'

Am I bothered? I did rather enjoy writing the referral that was fired off to guidance, and I'm now REALLY looking forward to Parent's Evening on Tuesday, but I can't say that I'm really losing much sleep over the fact that one 14 year old boy from Shetland hates me. I'm pretty sure I'll get over it. After all - I'm scary!