H's first sailing training session today. I was on bar duty for R, and usually it is really boring doing bar as no one buys anything. Not on a junior sailing day. We had to make hot drinks for all the instructors and children, and then lots of parents were keen on our coffees, and then people wer buying chocolate and fizzy drinks at the end of the day. Even 3 pints of beer were sold. So I was tearing around making hot drinks and getting H in and out of her wetsuit, plus a quick trip to buy some lunch in Netley. When I was getting H out of her wetsuit, I pulled her legs so hard she fell off the bench and bumped her bum on the floor, in a 'You've been framed' kind of moment which had us all giggling in the end. The weather was a flat calm, so the sailing experience was limited, but she got to go out on her own in the Topper and seemed confident and happy. Luckily for me, Granny M was there so she took A on the mini train and to the park and generally kept her busy and happy. R, meanwhile, was sailing in Swanage, in a national championships of a style of sailing he had never done before today. It seems that in sailing, if you have the right type of boat, you can enter the nationals of that class. I was thrilled to meet several real sports people in the last two days. One of the mums from my class is also a member of the sailing club, and was in the Olympics in 1996 for sailing. An Olympic sailor! Last night I was at the gym and met a couple who do gym cross training nationally, and she is in the top 3 women in the UK. Good eh? My own training has been so inspired that I got up at 6.45am to go for a bike ride. And was at the gym til 10pm last night.

Work has been a bit fraught this week, I have done some really long days and worked in the evenings, we are mid SATs, which is a lot of work with marking and anlaysing data - plus have planning to do for the trip and next half term, plus guess what - reports are due in June 11th. ha ha. Apparently the system for doing them does not cope with doing them at home and then bringing them in and putting them back on the network, so I intend spending my days off in school typing away. Yipee. That's when I am not tearing around the countryside trying to be a better, faster and more efficient cyclist. Still, I guess you all have your own work issues so I won't go on about mine.

I didn't want to get up on Friday morning after the political situation on Thursday and the dread of Johnnie boy Denham not being back in. He made it, just, by less than 200 votes. Which is scary, that nearly as many people wanted to be represented in Westminster by a gentleman who goes by the name of Royston. Royston? That sounds like a range of sanitary ware, not a person. Relieved ( spot the pun) to find that we do not have a ***** called Royston representing the people of Southampton East. What is really weird is that a student teacher at my school went to the trouble of looking up the education manifestos for all parties, and decided against the Tory one - and then DIDN'T VOTE! I kid you not. I didn't realise quite how much I detested the Tory boys with their arrogant ways until this election. I mean, I didn't like them much at uni, but for the last 13 years they have been so whispering and ephemeral, but the idea of being governed by Royston and his mates is beyond what I can cope with. I might have to leave the country. The difference the new deal has made to Thornhill people and the opportunities for children in Thornhill now compared to 10 years ago is immense and I can't see deprived council estates being top of the Tory list of places and people to transform and empower.

So apart from my entirely impartial reporting on the General election, what else to tell you about eh? H had Brownie camp last weekend, which was a rite of passage and reminded me of my own experience of a week in a village hall in Thursley on the occassion of the Queen Mother's 80th birthday. I learned to skip and had a tea towel with elephant jokes on it. not much has changed - H went on 3 treasure hunts and to a campfire and had to take a tea towel and a cake or a packet of biscuits. A was there on Rainbow fun time as well, so R and I got a rare bike ride together, and then as I had cunningly organised for A to have some sleep overs with friends, a rare tennis game without the girls and a night out at the cinema. We saw a film called Dear John, a slow moving, pretty romance with tinges of sadness and a twist at the end. It kept me thinking the whole of the next day, so one to watch on DVD I think. I still have not seen Avatar, thanks for asking. A boy in my class aged 7 asked me if I had seen it, and then whispered that it had lots of swearing in it. What rating is it? I find myself really disturbed by children of 6 telling me they play Battle of Glory or whatever that war game is called. I know I am really anti violent games and films, but I struggle to see who could think it was ok to let 6 and 7 year olds do these things.

Meanwhile, I am letting my 6 and 8 year olds watch Britain's got Talent, which some would aruge in just as bad. Saturday night TV is great for families. We can watch from 5 til 9pm - Total Wipeout, you've been framed, the full 19 yards and then BGT. Having previously thought that TV meant CBeebies, watching the adverts with the girls is interesting, they play a game called 'Guess the product'. Nice idea I thought.