lie in, alone and Miss Saigon

1. Mat takes Kirsty downstairs in the morning and, before I know it, it’s 9am and I’ve had a lovely lie in.

2. The thrill of catching a train to London alone, with no one else to look after but myself and a magazine to keep me company. The the nostalgic buzz of seeing old haunts as I walk up from Charing Cross to Soho.

3. Meeting up with old mates, having a burger and a glass of wine and then seeing the most AMAZING production of Miss Saigon. Wow.*

*All made possible by Mat, to whom I am very very grateful.

Coffee, reward and laughs a plenty

1. A change of venue for the Friday French class, to a cosy italian cafe where the smell of coffee hits you full in the face as you walk through the door.

2. ‘I’m a good helper aren’t I?’ Isla says as she carries the shopping bags to the car. She is rewarded with a large muffin and hot chocolate using our John Lewis loyalty reward vouchers.

3. Down to Bexhill for another PTA curry and quiz night. We come joint first but lose in the rubbish Star Trek tiebreaker question. We retire to the pub to drown our sorrows but I haven’t laughed so much in ages and it’s fun to be sitting in a pub on a Friday night again.



stuck, froggy comes a courting and leftover

1. First French lesson back after half term and one of the new songs is stuck in my head already – in a good way.

2. As we leave the house to pick Doris up, Isla and I spot two fat frogs sitting on the doorstep. We are so surprised they make us jump.

3. Eating the leftover cake batter after mixing a banana loaf.



Sort out, stats and Wolf Hall

1. Kirsty sleeps for a good two hours in the morning so I can have a coffee and sort out all those ‘bitty’ things I’ve been meaning to do for ages.

2. I finally look up my stats for the half marathon and see I was the 393th woman to finish and the 129th woman in my category (age 35-44).

3. The end of Wolf Hall. Gripped to the end and now with a major crush on Mark Rylance.

Buns, beautiful and back to it

1. A friend and her son visit and bring apple hot cross buns. Didn’t know they were a thing but they are delicious.

2. Isla brings home a picture of Mat and me that she’s done at pre school. I must say I come out much better than Mat!

3. Back to Pilates. Hurts but my post-run legs feel much better after it.



Bread bag, achy but on time and warm undercarriage

1. Overnight the bread machine has made me a beautiful..bread handbag. The bread inside has all come out, leaving a hollow ‘bag’ crust with a hinged lid!

2. Aching legs after the Half marathon but I still manage to get to school on time for the start of term and it’s a lovely morning.

3. After the cold, regular double in Spain, it’s nice to get back to the electric under blanket and a bigger bed. Rock n roll.

Ran it, spotted and ate it

1. Running 13.1 miles around the beautiful Kent countryside and raising nearly £1000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care in memory of Mum AND knocking two mins off my half marathon PB – pleased with all that.
2. Knowing Mat and the girls were waiting to cheer me on at mile 12 and feeling a real lift when I spotted them.
3. Shovelling food and drink with impunity for the rest of the day, knowing it was ‘guilt free’!

Presentation, zip wire and nerves

1. I’ve been asked to give a presentation on my experiences of teaching Les Puces pre school French to a group of new teacher recruits at the Tunbridge Wells Hotel. It’s fun to do and makes me realise how much I have been enjoying teaching the little ones over the last couple of months.
2. A post lunch walk out to the park and Kirsty’s first go on the zip wire.
3. I look up the half marathon route and the reality hits that I will have to run 13 miles tomorrow. Brother Ju rings to wish me luck and other good luck messages from family and friends give me a much needed boost.

Civilised, Captain’s picture and 1898

1. Gibraltar airport is a civilised affair – only three gates, an outside viewing platform and they ‘made’ us check our slightly-oversized-hand luggage-that-we-didn’t-really-want-to-carry-on-anyway in, for free!
2. The air stewardess asks Isla to draw a picture for the Captain, which she, aka me, does and then hands to the Captain on her way off the plane. She skips along the air bridge, very proud of herself.
3. 1898 – my race number for Sunday’s half marathon, which we pick up on the way home. Bit nervous now…

If anyone still fancies sponsoring me on Sunday to raise funds for Marie Curie cancer Care, please follow this link, thanks! X

https://www.justgiving.com/Kate-Waugh2

Another breakfast out, history and sunset

1. Another day, another breakfast out, this time on a sunny side street in the old town.
2. Walking along the excavated pavement of the Roman town of Baelo Claudia brings history to life a million times more than copying Mrs B’s handwriting off the board as a 13 year old. 1980s history curriculum be ashamed, or was it the teacher?
3. Dancing around the apartment as the sun sets. Pic hopefully beats Doris’ toilet pic (she wanted to remember what the flat looked like!)