The view from here

Is fading fast.

I have no plans for half term as Daisy and Kitty will be skiing with their father so I will mooch up town and maybe settle into the loft, so much painting and so little time its painful. Sweet nugget of the day comes from Kitty, who when I went to put my coat on said "Oh mum you look nice, its a shame you're only going to work" so a big mwah to her, although I am in her good books for buying her a lovely pair of burnished silver ballet flats last Monday. We popped into Whistles where she coveted the same silver grey hoodie that I did, so the apple has not fallen very far from the tree there. Sadly at £90 neither of us will get it. Having said that I reflected that I have impulse bought not one but three books this month totalling you guessed it £90, so that has got to stop. The Sally Mann book arrived and it is not for the feint hearted. The first half is devoted to photographs taken at a body farm, the second half has some utterly sublime close up portraits, all the photos are exquisite despite the nature of their content.

Daisy did not get to move in with her nan as I suggested she might before Christmas. This was a major blow to her self esteem since she thought it was a done deal, I have to constantly remind her that she is not yet 16 despite the way she swans around. Last week she asked to go and see Lincoln Park at the O2 arena which cost an eye watering £32, then she asked for an extra £5 to cover the booking fee! and then said " I suppose a T shirt is out of the question?" Well since she'd had the shirt off my back Its me that needs one, not her I think...

Finally the joke of the week came from a girl in my History class (they are 12)

Me "So lets recap girls who was the mother of James 1st?"

Student " Elizabeth miss."

Me " How? the immaculate bloody conception?"

I then go on to rant about how is it possible to spend 6 weeks banging on about Elizabeth being called the Virgin Queen and explaining how she didn't get married etc etc and all I get is that.

Student " was it her sister then?"

And so it goes on and on and if you think this is hard I then have to go home and teach Leyla how to use similes in her essay about Snow White ! ( I had to ask Daisy what a simile was!!!)I have come to really admire anyone who can teach English, since I struggle with it myself, I struggle even more when I try and teach it and that's to a 6 year old.