July!

Month of blue skies and goodbyes.

Month of moving to a new place, and a new life.

Month of late nights and early mornings.

Month of vans and boxes and lists and lots of donations to the charity shop.

Month of reading in the sun, and cuddles, and cups of tea, and strawberries from the garden.

Month of Ikea furniture and unpacking and beers in the garden.

Month of farewell dinners, and hugs and handshakes.

Month of plans and dreams and thinking ahead.

Month of heat and hot, and then driving north to the cool sea breezes of Moray.

Month of cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.

Month of being an adult, then being (like) a child. Got to love visits home! J

It’s going to be crazy….

….but I’m so glad it’s July!

Some favourite things...

Because it's always nice to remember! Here goes:

Driving in the sunshine - I'm making the most of it before I sell little car in August.

Butterflies - I'm seeing lots around the garden at the moment.



New shoes! I bought some beautiful pink flower canvas pumps and some red tartan ones too. I loves them! :-)




Waking up to sunshine!

Spending time with my pupils just chatting and chilling. Lessons are great and I adore teaching, but I also like just hanging out with them, seeing what's up with them.

This video. Eeeeee! So cute! Squirreltacular.

Clinique 'Happy'. The scent I wear the most, and one that I just adore. It reminds me of fun times, and holidays, and cuddles with the boy, and a million and four good nights out.

Packing and sorting, when it's for a good reason (I can't wait to be in London, baby!).



Veggies. I'm on a total veggies kick lately, eating lots of spinach and tomatoes and peppers...gorgeous.

Really unashamedly cheesy pop. Sometimes, even an indie girl like me can dance to Cascada! I think I like it mainly because it sounds a bit Britney...

Summer dresses and skirts. I love floaty comfy pretty clothes!

Sanctuary toiletries. I adore this brand! So rich and creamy and smells gorgeous.



Good books. I'm on a real reading kick. I'm reading two at the moment - The State of Africa and Adventures on the High Teas. A Claire with a good book, a cup of tea, and a spare half hour, is a very happy Claire indeed!

Sharing meals - don't you just love long conversations over a meal with a glass of wine and some good friends (or a handsome boy?).

Yellow roses. Oh, how I love them! They always look so friendly and awesome.



Summer socialness! Lots of picnics and meals and drinkies ahead, and now I am off to get ready to go celebrate Miss Bryony Boo's first birthday! Jelly, ice cream, and cuddles, huzzah!

Have a lovely day!

Strange times...

So here we are, the last few days of June. Midsummer's day came and went, as did demi-Christmas (making my favourite festival nearer than it is far away...), and life is proving topsy turvy, to say the least. Finishing up at one school, and preparing to start at another one is giving me a bit of a mushy head at times - my life is lousy with to do lists and plans and packing schedules and new names and faces. Exciting times...but strange too.

A whole host of "lasts" have rounded up on me...my last proper boarding duty in the house with the girlies...my last rounders match (we won! Yay! :-))...and I'm just about to go head off for my last Saturday morning school. Last night was the first of the farewell meals, a giant curry get -together after our leavers revue. And as happy and excited as I am for the move and the change that London's going to bring, I'm also all too aware how much I'm going to miss my friends and the children here. I've had a marvellous four years here, I just hope I will enjoy school # 2 as much. Next week gets even crazier with goodbyes and events and I just know I'm going to cry at some point. Strange times...

The move to London is definitely at the best time for Matthew and I though. Sad as it is, I miss him an awful lot when we're apart, and I can't wait till the time apart becomes the exception, rather than the rule. Yes, living in the same place, same space is going to prove challenging at times, but I'm ready for it. I feel like I'm a better person, a happier person when I'm close to him. Yeah, feel free to gag at that last statement...but it's true! Exciting, different, wonderful, strange times...

The King of Pop passing away. It broke Thursday night, as I was sat in the sitting room with Matthew, Dave, Assiz (my flatmates to be) and Chloe (a girl who's crashing there until I arrive), watching the news. It still wasn't confirmed when I went up to bed. Friday morning, I got on the tube to head north and every paper facing me was blaring the news. I think it's really sad - he was such a tragic figure, and just a musical genius. I grew up dancing to his music with my friends, singing songs in choirs, with his music everywhere. On the soundtrack to my childhood, Michael Jackson would be a major feature. Strange times...

Right, time to get out the door to school - may your weekends be fun, and just strange enough to keep things interesting!

Cure for the blues

Silliness.

Cuddles.

Fun.

Friends.

Good food.

Good company.

Sunshine.

An extra day on the weekend.

Drinks with FIRE!

Music.

Fun new people, loved known people.

Hugs.

Kisses.

Fresh air.

Cake.

Sleeping in the middle of room full of friends, falling asleep as the party continues.

Thinking.

Reading.

Early morning cheese toasties, tea, and the paper.

Planning.

Love.

How was your weekend?

Happy Snaps: June 18

Hmmmm. Less "happy" I guess, more pensive. One of those evenings where I just needed a cuddle or a cuppa, but neither were forthcoming at that precise moment. That big old desk of doom I photographed earlier this week had me down a little earlier, hence the self portraits. I'm off to go do the dishes to 80s hair rock now, and hopefully improve my mood (I'm down due to pure and simple overwork, with a shot of loneliness. Ready for a change!).

Ah well, at least it's Friday tomorrow!

Sending blessings.

Happy Snaps: June 15, 16, 17

After a long day, Tubbs the hippo and some good books request my attention.

That thick wodge of paper? Would be the reports I had to proofread yesterday evening...

Crazy desk of busyness!

Made by one of my pupils. Who may be a Kelly Clarkson fan? "Life will suck without you"

Haha, this one requires a head turn.... the time I got in from work today. Exhausted more or less covers it!

Flying saucers! Nom nom nom. These + wine = a fun evening in! :-)

Happy Snaps: June 13 and 14

My face after a five hour teaching stint on a Saturday...

My face upon realising it's time to go off and enjoy the weekend!

Matthew's parents' beautiful garden - perfect to relax in with a beer on a sunny Saturday evening! :-)

We always have good chat on this bench. :-)

Love the palm tree!

Sunday's photo, Olympic breakfast. Om nom nom....