back to uni

So what's the best thing to do after a day of total relaxation and pampering? Take your son back to uni, right? Not the best timing in the world but it actually ended up being calmer than I was expecting.
It was much easier than the same trip last year when we were dropping him off for his first year, not knowing anyone and not knowing where he was. Actually it bothered me a lot more than it bothered him but anyone who has dropped a child off for first year uni will know the kind of thoughts that fill a mother's mind as she drives back home without them.
So, here he is, and this is where I will visualise him when I think of him. Guitar and amp on either side of him and computer in front. No one to hassle him about mess or noise. No wonder he wasn't bothered about going back.

Spa Day

On Saturday, Rachel and I went here , The Sanctuary Spa in Covent Garden. We had such a lovely day. The time just fly by, doing nothing all day was just what the doctor ordered. Actually, we felt so good at the end of it, maybe it should be available on the NHS!

We started off with an aromatherapy massage that felt soooooooooooo nice. Then a cup of tea in the koi lounge before we headed off to the pool area. Rachel was brave enough to try the swing that goes across the pool but as the idea was to have a de-stressing day, I didn't think it was worth me having to be rescued by life guards in an effort to either get on or off it! Then onto the jacuzzi - bliss! A lovely lunch followed by chatting, magazine reading etc etc then off to the sleep retreat. Half an hour of laying in a warm, gently vibrating bed, listening to calming words and music. Rachel insists she didn't fall asleep but I did have to wake her up when our time was up! Then we visited the sauna before having a radiance spa facial. Our day was done, we went home and I have to say I had the BEST and longest nights sleep I have had in years. All in all - an excellent day.

A weekend of mixed emotions

I've got a very varied weekend lined up here and I think I'm going to be exhausted by Monday.
First the nice bit. Rachel and I are going for a Spa Day at the Sanctuary Spa in Covent Garden on Saturday. A whole day of girly pampering and relaxation. Swimming, sauna, jacuzzi, massage, sleep retreat, facial - you get the picture!
So what's the best way to balance all that de-stressing and relaxing? How about a 300 mile round trip journey up to Sheffield and back to take Jon back to uni on Sunday. Do you think he and Paul will have all his possessions boxed up and ready to go while I am out on Saturday? Will the car be loaded and ready to go first thing ? No I don't think so either!
When Jon came back in June it felt like he was going to be home for a long time but now it's time to go back - it feels as if he only just got here. I'm hoping it will be easier leaving him up there for his 2nd year than it was for his first. I tried hard to be a brave mummy but it's a long drive home after you drop them off in a strange place where they don't know anyone. Of course by the time we had got onto the A1 he was in the student union bar with his new flat mates but we weren't to know that!

Finally

Just to prove that I really did go to the crop on Sunday, here are the pages I did. It was well timed as I had just got back from holiday so had more than a few new photos to choose from!
The first one was taken with a self timer on the balcony of our hotel room in Italy. Goodness knows what the people in the rooms either side and above thought we were doing as the minute I know the self timer is on I get a fit of the giggles and then it's 'move your hand' 'what are you doing with your elbow' 'bend down a bit' 'oh my goodness, part of you is missing' before we finally get a shot where neither of us are blinking or standing in an odd position or have part of our head missing.
The second one was taken while wandering around the little cobbled streets of Stresa.
Probably have an expensive day ahead here, a rare day out with my son. Shopping for 'back to uni' stuff which is of course going to end up costing far more than the old back to school days where you could get away with just a new pencil case and a box of coloured felt pens!

getting back into the routine

I must be honest and say it is taking me a while to get used to being back at work. Thank goodness we have an inset day next Friday :-) I've taken on four extra hours this year but let's be honest, I'm still only up to 24 hours which is hardly full time! The first couple of weeks after the summer hols in a school office are so busy as we play catch up with the weeks we have missed and with all the emphasis on league tables now, there's much number crunching to be done after the exam results.
Which is a long winded excuse as to why I haven't done ANY of Shimelle's LSNED course! I fully intend to but this year it has coincided with back to work and also getting ready to send my son back to uni. So today instead of scrapping I have been cooking up a storm (eat your heart out Nigella) to make nutritious freezable meals for him to take back so that there is no excuse for him living on Pot Noodles for the whole term.
I did have fun at a scrap booking day yesterday at Welwyn but haven't even got round to photographing the pages and getting them on here yet. Perhaps a little job for tomorrow?
Out tonight to help a friend celebrate her 50th birthday at a lovely Indian restaurant in town. Sure beats going to my Rosemary Conley class which is where I normally spend Monday evenings!

It's been a while

but now I'm back from probably the prettiest place I have ever travelled to. Anyone looking for a quiet, beautiful place to go to on their holidays next year needs to check out Lake Maggiore in Italy. Fabulous place.

I kind of hit the ground running on my return though, flew into Gatwick Monday evening and back at my desk 8.30am Tuesday morning. What a shock to the system! Anyone who works in a school will know that the payback for 7 glorious weeks of getting paid for not being there is that you come back to a LOT of work in your in tray :-( So much to do at the beginning of a new term but I think I have caught up with myself now - hope that isn't famous last words - and that slight panicky "I'll never get all this done in time" feeling seems to be subsiding.

Anyone fancy some ice cream?