Tom Gates, Princess Diaries and Hunger Games.

I absolutely love to read. I always have and most certainly always will. I think it probably has something to do with my Dad reading Fantastic Mr Fox and The BFG at bedtime... he made the snozzcumbers come to life.

Over the past couple of days I have been thinking a lot about my reading, past and present. I didn't realise quite how much until I came to write this blog. My new topic to teach in Literacy is 'Authors and Letters' where the children have to share books by their favourite author ready to write a letter to them to say how awesome their stories are. I know that most of my children will want to bring in the latest copy of Tom Gates. Those of you who don't know Tom Gates, it is very much like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the children LOVE IT. I have been reading them as our class shared story since September using a variety of silly voices and allowing the children to act out the 'Mr Fullerman stare' and 'Norman hyper drumming'. Now most of the children in my class have been bought a copy or it's on their Christmas list! Instilling the love of reading? Take that University! 

There is even a Tom Gates World blog that I recently discovered. It has similar cartoons to the books and all sorts of fun stuff. I might try and sneak a few Tom Gates pictures into my lesson smartboard slides.

BEWARE. If you do read Tom Gates to your class, be prepared for the consequences. The children do think it is hilarious to compare any teachers to Mr Fullerman. He gives them a teacher stare, he is obsessed with homework and he has a loud voice. I've even been drawn pictures of me with Mr Fullerman eyes... but it also said I was the best teacher ever so I let it slide ;)

A couple of weeks ago I asked my Mum to sell all my old Buffy the vampire slayer DVDs to CEX. I now love going there to look for film bargains. The Harrogate and York branches are soooooooo much nicer than the Wolverhampton one I'm used too, sorry guys! I got £23 store credit for a series that I haven't watched for over five years!! So yesterday I dragged Ryan in to check out what they'd got. He did a film degree so he always wants to get all the fancy pancy onces with a good director. However I couldn't help myself buying Princess Diaries for £2.50 :) :) :) :) :)

I think I was probably about ten or eleven when I started reading all of Princess Mia's adventures. There was just something so relate-able about her that I loved all seven of the books and even read them more than once! I love reading books but I also love it when they make GOOD films from the books. Yes I am one of those people that complains about the tiniest incorrect details. I made Ryan watch it yesterday afternoon and I sat chuckling to myself like I was thirteen years old again.. foot popping kiss... HILARIOUS! Watching it again made me realise that I do have more in common with Mia than I first thought, even at twenty-one I am still a Doc marten wearing, hippy, stupidly lanky, geeky, glasses wearing girl. Just minus the crown!

If that wasn't enough of an amazing Saturday, I went to the cinema in the evening to watch the new Hunger games! Catching Fire was UNBELIEVABLE!!!! Again, another one where I sat engrossed in the books one after the other. I started reading them on the coach to my school in Middlesborough during my second year of Uni. Ask anybody, I was the most anti-social person on that coach haha. I remember finishing Catching Fire on my Kindle on the way home and I literally COULD NOT WAIT to get home and download Mocking Jay. 

The film most definitely did not disappoint. I think there were tears in my eyes for the majority of the film, to Ryan's amusement! The new characters were perfect, the arena was exactly how I imagined it and Jennifer Lawrence was as kick-ass as usual!! What was even better about the film was that we got in for free. I was in my own little world daydreaming about something or other, next thing I turn around and Ryan has tickets! Appaently some guy came through the crowd asking if anybody hadn't bought tickets because it had sold out, then gave the last two to Ryan! I know I am just stupidly lucky :P

Graduation Weekend

I have finally Graduated!!!

After spending the Summer months watching old school friends don their cap and gown and stand smiling outside their respective Universities, I was starting to think my Graduation was never going to happen. We have had to wait until November so that we could graduate at the picturesque York Minster. It was beautiful setting, inside and out, especially on a bright and sunny Autumn day.

(Primary Education Group 4 on the steps of the Minster)

My family came up from Wolverhampton and decided to take the whole weekend as holiday so that they could explore around Harrogate too. Lucky for some, I was back at work on Friday in my onsie for Children in Need and practicing songs for the Christmas play. Ryan made an appearance too after work and let us borrow his fancy camera to get some pictures.

We obviously had to take a million and one photos of the day. Who knew graduation was such a big deal?! There were some funny pictures thrown into the mix, including a few of me failing to throw my mortarboard in the air!

I also re-created the first ever picture I had taken outside York St John University. Three and a half years ago on my interview day, with my blonde hair, on the right and then my graduation picture on the left. Not much has changed, other than being brunette and a little smarter I suppose!!

Fountains Abbey

Yesterday I met up with my family again (who had been staying in a local bed and breakfast) and we went to Fountains Abbey and the deer park. It was really enjoyable to take a relaxing walk around the ruins, kicking up some leaves as we went.

Obviously we couldn't help ourselves being big kids as per usual so there were plenty of silly photo opportunities. We dressed up as monks in one of the information rooms, however we got the habits on backwards, doh! Ryan even managed to capture our leaf throwing fun.

I hope you are all enjoying your weekends, whether you are graduating or not!

Busy, busy bee.

Just a quick blog post today just incase you guys thought I'd forgotten again. I had... but then I remembered, yay! After a nice relaxing week off, this weekend has been quite boring and work-focused to be honest. I've spent a lot of time looking at the coming half term and planning all my bits and bobs for our new topic 'We're switched on'.

In other news, Ryan has pretty much moved in now! Only one more week until he is living here with us. On a temporary basis I must add, there are no impending nuptials or anything like that :) His clothes are on top of my wardrobe, cooking things ready to be put away and a MOUNTAIN of climbing things (excuse the pun) is stashed away in the cupboard under the stairs. It's a big scary step, even if it is just for a month!

To be honest, you should probably feel sorry for him. You are reading a blog written by a girl who bought an elephant onsie and dyed some of her hair blue this weekend. Not that I am procrastinating from doing my work or anything ;) Sorry it's been a dreadful post this week but I really have nothing else of interest to tell you, cheerio! :P