Control

I have done no work today. Nothing. And then I needed to find something, so went through the pile on my desk - I found it, but now have lost everything else. The chronological integrity of the pile has been disturbed and all sense of structure has gone. This means that I'll have to tidy it all properly tomorrow.

The good news is that I've finally got around to putting photos onto the computer that have been hanging around since October, so I'll finally see my Loire holiday pictures.

I went off to the Year 9 Options evening at the high school, which helps to inform the choices of the unfortunate children who have to decide what GCSEs they wish to take. They have to take certain subjects but can choose the rest, within limits; that is, not all combinations of subjects are available because there are 1000 pupils in the school and timetabling is complicated, but every effort is made to be helpful.

I can't say anything about Ofsted, because I'm not allowed to, sorry. I did make the Head sit down and eat a sandwich though, which was probably the first thing he'd eaten all day. I didn't watch him eat it, though I threatened to, but I hung round near his office for a good five minutes afterwards and he didn't come out, so I'm reasonably sure he had something to eat. I know what it's like, he'd gone way past hungry, but I explained that I expect him to be back at work within 12 hours and that he should be fit for it. I normally would go down the motherly route, but he's hardly younger than I am, it isn't appropriate; nor is flirtatious (unprofessional), so I was simply bossy. I mean assertive.

The children, whom I babysat most of the day, were adorable as ever, although Squiffany was annoyed when I wouldn't let her watch a DVD at 10 am. She is good at self-control and wasn't rude or tearful, but stomped off to her bedroom where I heard her muttering to herself crossly. I went through after a few minutes suggesting a walk to the playground with Tilly, and she was pleased with that...later, I suggested that there was a half-hour free for the DVD, so I put myself right back in favour. After our walk, with swing, slide and seesaw, we came home for orange juice and biscuits and a bounce on the bed - I need show little imagination in our recreation. "Biscuit, biscuit" said Pugsley, until he saw the orange in my hand ... "Juice, juice, juice!" he corrected himself enthusiastically.

He's not bad on self-control, either. His mother popped out to move the car seats from her car to mine, and he thought she had gone away without saying goodbye. "Mummy will be back in a minute" I told him. "In a minute, in a minute, in a minute..." he muttered, over and over until he had convinced himself, so he was smiling when she came back and was able to wave her goodbye.