Saying Hello to 2013

After a brilliant Christmas, with lots of celebrations and family gatherings, we had a couple of days to chill before the arrival of Barry and Co, for their homecoming visit. After 7 years away from the UK, they left Minneapolis behind and moved back to Lincoln. For me, Christmas began on the day Barry called to say they'd be home for the holidays, and staying home for good; the best possible present for the entire family, knowing they'd now only be two hours away and not several thousand miles! The last two months have been nothing short of madness as they organised the move, chose new schools,packed up their belongings and said many emotional farewells to friends and their Minnesotan family.
On 30th December, they arrived!  Family favourite Shepherds Pie for tea (or is that dinner?) was followed by a relaxing night, exchanging presents and catching up. My three were bemused by the American accents of their cousins, and James particularly loved having the now sport-mad Patrick and Richard to chat to, in spite of the 11 year age gap between the eldest two! After two bottles of red wine, we headed off to bed, having planned absolutely nothing for the next two days, just quality family time! A leisurely New Year's Eve ambled into a chilled evening at home, having dinner, playing games and sipping red wine and Shloer (kiddie wine as Patrick informs me). Much hilarity ensued with the team challenge game, along with silly alphabet voices, mathematical feats from our youngest player, and many other hysterical tasks. Patrick was determined to capture a photo of 12 midnight, so we made sure we took this as he and Richard stepped out to be our First Footers.

After googling at 11.55pm to make sure we had the traditions just right, we armed the boys with a purse, bread, salt and some coal, and sent them outside, saying 'See you next year!'. They knew they'd been trusted with an important job, and even asked if they were allowed to talk when they waited outside!

As the twelfth stroke arrived, our tall, dark and handsomes stepped across the threshold, bringing in the New Year. After the hugging stopped, we stepped outside with our Cava to watch the fireworks and listen to the ships on the Tyne. We then watched London's celebrations, reminding us of the Olympics we'd all watched together...yes 2012 had been one to remember! A sleepless night followed for me, as my three were out with friends, Devon on her first trip in to town, and the other two partying locally. A family lunch on New Year's Day saw proud Grandmas looking on as the 'bairns' were all together again. Just perfect!!

Happy New Year!!

How we celebrated the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

June 2012, for many an extended Bank Holiday, but for me, the chance to celebrate with the rest of the country a momentous anniversary for the Queen. Here's a rundown of how we've marked the occasion so far,Tyneside-style of course! Friday evening was meant to be a staff night out, but exhausted colleagues opted for a night in Back to South Tyneside, and Stevie and I took our picnic rug, beverages and flags down to Marine Park, for the Proms in the Park, something I go to every year, but this year was going to be pretty special. The Sanddancers did not disappoint. Flag-waving the entire evening, and singing out loud to Rule Britannia, Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory and then BOTH verses of God Save the Queen. A sunny, but chilly evening, lots of fun,(particularly the pensioner who insisted on choreographing our flag-waving)and that lovely sense of pride. I insisted to Stevie that we watch the highlights of the Pageant afterwards, and he had to admit he was impressed, mostly with the mechanics of Tower Bridge and the Thames Flood Barrier! Day Two of the Jubilee was brilliant, and the best was yet to come! Monday 4th June, and we had a lot to fit in. A sunny day was in store so we took the campervan and our bikes to the coast, along with a picnic. A five mile meander along the stunning South Tyneside coastal path was a lovely start, and a 99 a most welcome reward! We then headed off to a Jubilee barbeque with some friends. Union Jack cupcakes, lots of bunting and even a Royal quiz, finished off with a huddle round the chiminea before we headed off to Marine Park once more. We set up our chairs,snuggled under blankets, and tucked in to picnic food whilst the Jubilee concert was relayed on a huge screen, it was almost as good as being at the Palace itself! Clearly some of the crowd had been there for the day, and were somewhat merry, but the atmosphere was brilliant! Dancing and singing along to Elton John, Tom Jones, and of course, Robbie Williams was utterly fantastic. As the Queen's presence was announced, the crowd was on its feet, whistling and waving flags, and cliched as this may sound, you could sense the love felt for our Queen. Watching the crowd was as entertaining as the concert, little toddlers boogying to Stevie Wonder, and our personal highlight, the sight of Princes Wills and Harry bombing down the bank on skateboards(bairns wearing masks). The finale of the day was the lighting of the Beacon, and the crowds headed up to Lawe Top for the ceremony. The sun setting behind Tynemouth Priory provided the perfect backdrop. We sang the National Anthem, and then the Mayor lit the beacon; a great feeling to know it was one of 4500 beacons being lit simultaneously around the world for the Queen's Jubilee. Fireworks then erupted from the end of the pier, an unexpected bonus and they were all red, white and blue. Looking down over the mouth of the Tyne, under the glow of the beacon,after such a brilliant day - a very special moment indeed! We arrived home just in time to see the Queen light the Beacon outside of her house, followed by the most amazing fireworks from the rooftop. A superb finale to the day's celebrations. It just made me think...Bring on the London Olympics, and let us show the world what we are made of! The following day was Grandma's 87th birthday,so I joined her and Auntie Val (celebrating her 67th) for tea and cake. Since we were little, we have always said Grandma looks like the Queen, so it was a lovely addition to the Jubilee holiday to celebrate with another very special lady. Another Jubilee, taking my collection to three. In 1977, I watched with my junior school as the Queen passed through Hebburn, shortly after my Dad drove up the 'closed' road in his taxi. in 2002, Devon watched with her Infant School as Her Majesty opened the Metro line, and came through East Boldon, hotly pursued by Robyn and I in the car to see her at Fellgate. This year, my bairns were all at the Evo festival, and Stevie had to witness my fervent patriotism with much flag-waving and singing, oohing and aahing, and several emotional tearful moments. He deserves a medal from Lizzie herself for his efforts this weekend, though I think he secretly enjoyed it all! A fabulous weekend, with our country, and certainly South Tyneside, showing The Queen and the other Royals that they are very much loved, and that we are all incredibly proud to be British!! Rule Britannia!

Teacher training - one month in

So many things make an impression on me, and I often think 'Oh I must write a post for the blog' yet I never seem to get around to it. I have a mountain of work to do, an assignment to write, and I really should be taking myself off to bed, so just a short post to mark the occasion - I've just completed my first month of teacher training...and I love it!
It took 6 and a half long years to get my Language degree, so it feels like an eternity since I was talked into a career in teaching. Even when I began cover supervision and felt completely at ease at the front of a classroom, I didn't think I was cut out for the responsibility of teaching, and all that goes with it. In a few short weeks, I've realised I made the right choice, and now I need to spend the next 9 months making sure I get the most from my training and qualify!!
Part of my training invloves observing other teachers, and I'm well aware that one or two of them may read this, but I make no apology for gushing about the teaching I've seen in practice! You know that feeling when you have been to see a good band, or show and you're pleased you went? When I leave a lesson at my school, it's that kind of feeling, I can't explain it in any other way. They're not pulling out all the stops 'cos they have a trainee in the room, this is what the kids at our school get regardless of who is watching. Passion, creativity and enthusiasm for their subject leave me scribbling furiously,noting down catchy phrases like 'If in doubt, write it out!' - I would not have struggled in Maths, had I had this kind of teacher! To see the most rebellious of pupils produce a worthy piece of writing and feel valued in a mixed ability class where he could feel out of his depth is down to a positive learning environment I could only hope to create in my classroom.
So this week saw my first whole lesson,Year 8 Spanish, a class I know well, but seem so different now I have a new perspective on how they learn. I'm responsible for all that happens during that hour, and it is an hour that leaves me drained and exhilarated at the same time. Whoever said teachers have it easy, with holidays aplenty, couldn't be more wrong. I've always felt that taking charge of a classroom is like that trick you see where they wobble plates on sticks (is there a name for it?)-you're juggling so much,it's untrue! I've been given a dream tutor group to share,they start my day in the nicest possible way, and I'm already very proud of them. My horror at having to team teach a sex ed lesson was soon forgotten, there was me thinking they were too young and naive...how naive was I?
I'm back at Uni, one day a week, to cover the 'theory' of teaching and it's great fun. I'm the only one doing Modern Language teaching, so I've been teamed with PE and Music trainees, and they are lovely! Assignment deadlines are once again part of my life, and I'm actually classed as a fresher, which at 42 is rather funny!
Well, that's about it, I shall try to keep this updated more often, tales of a trainee teacher and all that! The kids at school have twigged, they miss nothing,asking if I'm going to 'be' a teacher, and even wishing me luck! They are fantastic!
I'd love to see my language teachers from my schooldays to tell them what I'm doing. All I know is that MFL lessons are great fun, and there's nothing better than sharing a love of languages with eager young minds and helping them master a life skill like speaking another language.
I'm loving it more than I ever dared to hope!
Hasta la próxima

Mexican waves, meerkats and mumbo jumbo!

What a day. We filled 8 buses with 400 excited bairns, for the 2 hour trip to Flamingoland in North Yorkshire. Highlight of the outward journey was the Mexican wave which eventually reached the bus in front once we stopped in traffic in Helmsley - the kids loved it! They were also fairly hysterical when the driver took the bus airborne over the switchbacks, and I flew horizontally into the aisle!
Three and a half hours of screamtastic rides followed, as we took the kids by surprise and actually joined in the fun...were they really expecting us to watch from the sidelines? Getting stuck as I climbed onto to Velocity, the motorbike ride, was a little cringey as the kids shouted from the queue 'go on miss!!', but the embarrassment was soon forgotten as we tried all of the screamworthy rides and had a brilliant time. Mumbo Jumbo was worth the lengthy wait, during which we fought off a wasp, and we were pretty impressed with the ride,which has the steepest climb hill (Rollercoaster jargon) in the world. Just as well it was high, as our jobs may have been in jeopardy as our language was a little colourful when we were dropped from a great height!
After a stint in the cafe, I had a walk around the zoo, to find the baby giraffe, and came across the meerkats, always a favourite. So cute, yet here they were grappling with a stray duck, until the heroics of the zookeeper saved him from a grisly end. One of those situations where you don't know whether to laugh or not!
After rounding up the year 8s who'd lost track of time, we headed back to the bus, where our driver tried to make up lost time, resulting in 5 very sickly children and one brave teacher who mopped them all up. Her three colleagues, including me, hid at the back of the bus, vomit-phobics that we are!
Whenever we take the kids out from school we are guaranteed a fun-filled day, and this was no exception. Rain was forecast, but I think my manic adrenaline-fuelled laughter scared the clouds away, and we all came home with colour in our cheeks! The one consolation for the day going too quickly is that some of us get to do it all again in 4 weeks, when we take the choir and band on tour to Germany, including a trip to Fantasialand! Bring it on!!

Minnesota Wild 2011

A trip was planned a short while ago to spend some quality time with Barry, Anna and the boys. I should have known it wasn't going to be a restful week! Within an hour of arriving in a wintery Minnesota, I was togged up in ski gear and taking my first steps on a frozen Lake Minnetonka. Having only ever swam in the lake in summer, I always said I'd have to see it to believe it! Barry's face was a picture as he reassured me the cracks in the 3ft thickness of ice were nothing to worry about!

Despite severe tiredness, I tagged along to Patrick's ice hockey match, my first taste of Minnesota's No.1 sport, and the beginning of my obsession with the game. Within minutes, I was hooked! They may have only been 4th graders, but the pace was relentless and the atmosphere was fab!

Barry and Anna were concerned by the recent thaw and the threat it posed to planned winter fun. They were delighted with the snowstorm forecast, though never anticipated the 14 inches of snow that were to land on Minnesota on my second day! Whilst watching a morning game, blizzards took hold and I experienced a 'whiteout' on our return journey. Naturally, they weren't fazed by such extreme weather and we ventured out for brunch in Wayzata, knowing we may have to dig our way out of the car park. Monday saw more snowfall, and we sledged from the 'back yard' to the lake - great fun! We then bravely took to the roads, despite the snow emergency declared in the state the previous night, and we headed off to Elm Creek for tubing, after a pitstop at Caribou Coffee. Tubing on the snow slopes is entirely different to that on the lake with the boat, and tying them together creates more speed, and more screams! Two hours literally whizzed by and we took our hungry tummies to Benihana, a Japanese restaurant loved by the boys. Everything is cooked at your table by an entertainer of a chef, who created for us a volcano, a steam train and a heart attack on a hotplate, along with the most delicious food, cooked 'teppanyaki' style. Simply fantastic!
A chill day followed with board games, great food and a walk in the woods with the adorable Maxi. I was then lucky enough to go see the boys' Taikwondo class. It's been a great privilege to share their all-American lives with them this week - as well as Spongebob Squarepants!!
Wednesday was a well-deserved girls' shopping trip for Anna and I. After a great lunch at Champs, we headed to the Mall, prompted by a text from Barry to confirm the Spring Break trip to Florida was booked for them. Looking at swimwear and flipflops was bizarre, given the sub zero temperatures outside. After another of Barry's delicious dinners, we settled down to watch some TV. This has to be one of the best parts of my trip, relaxing, watching movies and having many many laughs with Barry and Anna, usually at my expense.

My final day saw me blasting around Lake Minnetonka,at high speed on a snowmobile. Barry and I rented one for two hours and had the most fun tearing up fresh snow, flying over manmade jumps, and writing Anna's name in the snow in huge letters so that she could see it from her GPS App on Iphone. I always wanted to visit the ice-huts on the lake, and we even took the snowmobile off the lake and into the woods on Casco Point,which was tricky to say the least! Fantastic fun, and the perfect end to the trip.
I had an awesome (sorry, can't help it) time. Barry and I got to act like kids again, messing about in the snow, lounging around in the house, taking the mickey out of each other, only this time the bonus factor was sharing it all with Anna. I haven't laughed so much in ages! Minnesota is incredibly beautiful in the summer, but I love it just as much in wintertime too. We had it all; snowstorms, tubing, Hibachi grills, ice hockey, snowmobiles, cosy afternoons indoors,quality 'auntie time' and lots and lots of laughter. Who could ask for more?

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Having just seen in the New Year, I thought I might share some thoughts on 2010, which some might be glad to see the back of, but I can't quite bring myself to do that. The middle of the year, a fabulous summer, was wonderful. The rest of the year wasn't so good, but let me try and find the positive in all that we dealt with.

This year when we made our toasts at Christmas and again at New Year, it seemed more meaningful and I thought it best to leave out the 'wealth' bit, it's rather pointless really. I've always thought Mam and Dad to be lucky that they haven't had 'sickly' kids, and that Barry and I have breezed through life with only measles and chicken pox to deal with. 2010 had other ideas, and New Year's Eve 2009 brought me a letter to say I needed a biopsy following a checkup. To cut a painful story short, I had a near miss, and thanks to amazing staff at the QE, Gateshead, after two biopsies and intensive treatment, I was given the all-clear. It knocked me for six knowing I was so close to cancer, and Stevie, my family and incredible friends kept me sane throughout. I'm not counting my chickens just yet, as it's less than a year, but I consider myself one of the lucky ones, and my candle at the Relay this year said just that.

That brings me nicely to our Relay For Life, the Cancer Research event that has become a big part of my life over the last 5 years. This year was bigger than any other,more of my family came along, and our team put on the Mini Challenge, which was great fun, with more than 20 people squashing inside Stevie's car! Another highlight was Robyn singing Hero on stage, bringing about tears for most of us. 20 hours of tears and laughter helped us to raise more than £50,000 and this time my Relay Diary went around the world thanks to Relay friends in America. Relay For Life has always meant something to me, because I do it in memory of my Auntie Pauline, but never did I imagine it would mean as much as it does now.

In August, Devon, Robyn, Stevie and I went to visit Barry, Anna and the boys in Minnesota. A return trip to Madeline Island (see earlier post) was utterly amazing, and Stevie and the girls finally understood why I love this place so much. An action-packed holiday with fantastic weather in a stunning location, spending time with those I love was undoubtedly the best 11 days of the year. My only wish was that James should be there, and I hope he gets the chance to visit them soon.

Less than 36 hours after our return from the States, our world was turned upside down, with news that Barry had taken ill. My healthy super-active brother became so poorly within two days, we could barely take it in. Within four days of diagnosing a brain tumour, he had surgery, successfully removing it entirely, though the biopsy showed that it was particularly aggressive and he would need radiotherapy and chemo. My world fell apart. My little brother who has guided me so well over the last few years, was now seriously ill, many many miles away in America. Ironically, that distance means that he has the best care in the world, as the medics in Minnesota are amongst the best in the world. Barry writes an incredible blog (link at side of this page) which is a must read and tells of his experiences since his illness took hold in September. His positive attitude is a complete inspiration, as is the amazing way that Anna, my wonderful sister-in-law, has coped with everything. Her strength is immeasurable, and they have both made sure that things remain as normal as possible for Patrick and Richard.

James, Devon and Robyn gave me many reasons to smile throughout the year - James finished college and got himself a job at Nissan and became Men's Doubles Champion at Boldon Golf Club, Devon exceeded at school with her exam results and stunned us all when she stood for election as Head Girl, and Robyn entertained us throughout the year with her singing, dancing and ultimately acting as she played Alice, in Wonderland, obviously, in the school production.

After a lovely Christmas, seeing lots of our far-flung family, I got a phone call just before New Year, from Barry with encouraging news from his latest MRI, which meant that the surgery we'd steeled ourselves for, wasn't immediately needed. A huge relief, as this means Barry can continue with current treatment, without the added complications of further operations. I cannot tell you how much that means to be going into a new year with such a positive feeling, and having hope that 2011 would turn things around for our family.

And that is how I want to finish my post, on a positive note,reflecting on a difficult year, one which shook our family to the core, then with the help of amazing friends, knitted a huge warm blanket to wrap around Barry and Anna, Patrick and Richard.

Wishing all who may read this a happy and healthy New Year
with lots of love
Michelle xx

Christmas 2010

We're eventually enjoying some relaxation time after a hectic few days, so it's time to dig out the laptop and share a few of our Christmas highlights with you.

For most of December we have had lots of snow, which kind of took away the anticipation of a white Christmas, but it was nonetheless very pretty and didn't cause too much disruption. With the snowy weather, we have had some spectacular sunrises, the best of which was Christmas morning. Strangely, I couldn't drag the kids away from their pressies to look out of the window with me!


Christmas Eve is one of my favourite days of the holiday, and we spent the morning dashing around the shops before heading over to Charlotte's sister, Laura's house for the afternoon. This made a lovely change, and it was lovely spending time with this crazy family! All of the stresses of Christmas preparations seemed to be left at the door and we had a smashing afternoon. After an evening of wrapping and general busyness I went to Midnight Mass with Mam and Grandma, which was really lovely. There's something special about spending the first hour of Christmas morning with both of them. I then spent the next 3 hours finishing the wrapping and sorting the kids' pressies ready for them getting up. A lovely chat with my brother just before I headed off to bed started my Christmas just perfectly.
The kids were up 3 hours later, and that was one lie-in I didn't miss - I was as excited as they were. For the first time since they were small there were big boxes for them to unwrap with a keyboard and TV the 'big pressies' for the girls. The kids spoiled me rotten and there were tears when they gave me a lovely handbag, with a ticket for Take That inside!! We had a lovely morning opening presents and having a stream of visitors, with the obligatory Mars Bar sandwich for breakfast! Mam arrived to help with Christmas lunch, and it all went very smoothly. I'll never forget James' face, totally creased up as Grandma joined us in a Christmas toast, raising her glass of....prawn cocktail!! Prawn toast!! haha!!

I think the best part of Christmas Day was our Skype link to Barry in Minnesota, just after lunch. Still in pyjamas, being just after 9am, it was lovely to watch the boys open the presents we had sent for them, and seeing them all almost felt like they were close by, and Grandma was over the moon, though she has no idea how it happened. We even pulled Christmas crackers with them!! He showed us the garden, with the chairs we had lounged on in the summer, buried under the snow!!

Tea at Grandma's and then home to feast on Cadbury's roses and Bailey's rounded off a lovely day. Stevie, the girls and I played with new wii games until the early hours, then collapsed into bed, knowing we had an early start and a busy Boxing Day ahead. James and his football team did the Boxing Day Dip, which was fab fun, despite the freezing cold! A great atmosphere, hundreds turned out, and nice to have some fresh air to start the day!
We then headed off to St James' Park for the match, Stevie's first and around two years since I had been to the footy with James. I was in my element watching the team I love, with James and Stevie either side of me in the stand. We lost, but it was a great game, and brilliant atmosphere.
All in all, a fantastic Christmas so far with family all around, even those who are miles away being a part of it all.
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas too and I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Much love from Michelle xxx