DWZI / this week i saw...

In this country, interviewing potential students is part of the selection process. Today, I was meant to interview 3 spotty youths. Normally, the process involves you getting handed a form for each candidate with the predicted exam results, a letter from their head master detailing how wonderful they are, you interview them, they're really sweet & nervous, you think, 'gosh they're cute' and an hour later you get on with your day job.

Not today. One of my pieces of paper had a yellow sticky note on it: 'read'. So, good girl that I am, I did. Basically the candidate had already graduated, his marks were so low he did not come close to qualifying for our university, last year he had not shown up on the interview date, he had messed up in about 1000 other ways, in short, I honestly thought 'why am I interviewing this loser?'. I reprimanded myself that a loooooooooooooong time ago I had been young, too, and give the guy a break. Clearly someone in the pre-selection process thought he was worthy of an interview.

Then our admissions tutor marched into my office. 'I've come to take away one of your forms - you're not interviewing this guy'. So, conveniently & immediately forgetting my stern chat to myself, I said 'great, thanks, here you go' and handed him the loser guy form. At this, eyebrows were raised. No, not that one. The one with the three criminal convictions, including that knife stabbing incident for which he was convicted for assault resulting in gross bodily harm.

oh dear.

here you go.

our admissions tutor interviewed him. he's big, i'm not so big. still. i think he survived...

life's rich tapestry

sometimes i struggle with single motherhood. i have a demanding job that takes me away from home a lot, two lovely but still - very small - children for whose care i have virtually sole responsibility, and not a great deal of self-confidence. how on earth am i going to cope?

thankfully i have friends who tell me of course i'll cope, who encourage me to join them on their holidays, and who tell me a small shift will change a setback into an opportunity.

todays Dalkruidjes inspired me even more than usual. mine are only small. yet, they are so lovely, funny, unique and 'practically perfect in every way'. in a few years from now, they might be as brave and inspiring as Middelste. i have so much to enjoy and to look forward to!

i raise my cup of mint tea to the mama blogs - whoever invented them deserves the Nobel Prize for peace (once the dish washer inventor has received it)

next, i'll share with you some more of my youngest's tidiness-obsession....... :-)

always look on the bright side...

i must confess i've been a bit down lately. i have to be away a lot overnight for work, and i feel i need to do this job to provide for the kids, but it means the kids are with a selection of babysitters a lot, they go to breakfast club a lot, and probably they're fine but i feel incredibly guilty about it all and i miss them. it does not help that their father will be away for 3 months over the next 6. boohoo poor kids/me.

still.

tonight i arrived in my Paris hotel. i'm on the top floor in some posh club / first / executive suite. if i have to be here, it's nice they spoil me a little, isn't it?! so i reckon i might as well enjoy it.....

on thursday, i'm away again - an overnighter in london this time. but i'll be staying in this incredibly british hotel and i'll be meeting up with one of my top mates. my parents are coming over especially to look after the kids  and i'm sure they'll give me lots of tlc too, once i get back on friday

(imagine that, even when your kids are in their 40s still having to look after them..... goodness me - but they do it, lovingly. and i indulge shamelessly).

so can't complain, really :-)