Thanks for dropping by. I'm a writer and teacher with interests in education, mental health and community. I like to wonder aloud about everyday life, hope and the silly, incongruous things that shape us and make us who we are. I also like hats, cake and those tiny little snores cats make when they sleep. On the Home page, you'll find around 100 wonderings, all different in length and content. On a pc, you'll see a 'Select month' menu at the side where you can choose a piece from the last 8 years. I'd love to hear your comments below each post. Have a good day. Deborah
Do you ever have a night where it feels as if you don't actually sleep at all? You're exhausted and desperate to slide into the pool of oblivion but instead, you lie rigid, brain fizzing, eyes popping, muscles poised to act. Occasionally, you seem to skate over the surface of sleep like a swan or … Continue reading To sleep, perchance to dream…
Many of us have an activity or two in life that transforms us. We change from generally likeable, easy-going types in cardigans, into red eyed gremlins, waving pitchforks. For some, it's the supermarket shop, for others, driving (I know a clutch of normally gentle, mild-mannered people in the latter group). Whatever our intentions beforehand, the … Continue reading The Bad-tempered Cleaning Company
'Even Michael McIntyre never had to perform for 6 hours solid,' says Fran Hill, author of new book Miss, What Does Incomprehensible Mean? released tomorrow, 21 May. But can teaching really be that hard? Charting the life of a secondary English teacher over the course of an academic year, the book is testament to the … Continue reading School – the best days of your life?
When I was little there were only two occasions when someone might say 'Bless you'. The first was when you sneezed. The second was when someone wanted to indicate compassion or affirmation, the blesser always being someone of indeterminate age. i.e. So old you couldn't place them. Why is it that when you're young you … Continue reading Aw, bless…
I am never going to be the kind of person who cleans the cutlery drawer. I would rather write an essay/sit an exam/retake my driving test (I might have to by the time this is over). The only thing I would consider swapping it for is an OFSTED visit but even that would depend on … Continue reading Revelations in isolation
So it came after all, she thinks, staring out of the window at the rain. It falls in heavy handfuls, flicking fingers at the glass. She's not thinking about the rain but about the millennium bug that they prepared for twenty years ago (can it really be twenty?) It hadn't come. Patient, it had waited … Continue reading Millennium Bug
'Future Polly's going to love past Polly...' My daughter first said this when she was quite small. 'What do you mean?' It was Sunday afternoon and she led me to her room. Always tidy, with everything in its place, her bedroom was usually an oasis of organised calm, but that night there were things everywhere. … Continue reading Living backwards or forwards?
For years I've been saying inappropriate things. Sometimes people noticed, sometimes not. It probably wasn't obvious most of the time *hopes*. As with everything, you find ways to cope - lip reading, nodding, watching others- a bright smile, laughter, anything to help you join in. But the truth is, you often feel you're observing life … Continue reading Hearing aid
Don't overplan - On the 20th, last year, you locked yourself out of the house, your car filled up with water and your hubby broke down on the motorway in a rented van. Didn't plan for that did you? But you survived. Go with the flowHowever busy you are, it's a good idea to wrap … Continue reading Next Christmas – Notes to Self
So I had a bit of an episode. I lost my diary. I keep all my passwords in there - well, obviously not my actual passwords (I'm not stupid. At least, not in that way) but the clues to them. Like you, I have many passwords and without the clues, I'm helpless. My husband keeps … Continue reading Falling off the edge
stillwonderinghere 