Today I wish I was...

...back on this boat, or rather jumping off this boat.

It was so wet in Bristol tonight, as we traipsed from the restaurant to the lecture in the absolute deluge, rivers running down the street and me with the new coat without the hood (as opposed to the new coat with the hood) that I was probably just was drenched as I was about half a second after I took this picture, but since it was cold, dark and November today, I felt a bit hard done by. If I'm going to get that soaked, I'd much rather it was in the Blue Lagoon on a roasting August day.

Today I wish I was...

I was back in Bath for the second round of Christmas markets tonight, although they were all closing, so not much market-ing was done. However, I did get a couple of pictures, unlike last week.

Very festive.

A political message in the local M&S.

I am feeling very festive and wishing to be more Christmassy this week. I am excited about the carol services, getting the decorations out, doing some shopping and seeing lots of people. Also about getting dressed up and going out to drink festively. This isn't really wishful thinking because it is all on the way, and I don't particularly want to speed it up because it is such a fun time of year. I think I've been missing this for a couple of years because of being so flipping busy with a million non-work work projects, so hopefully this year I can take my time and enjoy it.

Today I wish I was...

...looking at a beautiful herringbone floor. I am obsessed.

The decorating project that Mr Z started in 2011 has finally been completed. We have a full replastered, painted and papered downstairs living space. It looks lovely. There are only two things left: sorting out the curtains (helloooo, John Lewis curtain department) and fixing up the floor. I have decided this is the floor for me. Maybe even in this colour.

I have been eyeing up the original flooring in the old block at school. Anybody got a crowbar they'd like to lend me?

Today I wish I was...

...relaxing in a hammock on the balcony of a palatial hotel, somewhere semi-tropical (southern Italy would do), under a shady tree (guess this would have to be in a pot), sipping pink gin and tonic, one foot draped lazily over the edge so I can rock myself backwards and forwards, reading a dreadfully trashy magazine and feeling no guilt about it not being a book on the Tudors, in between nail and facial appointments, preparing for a long nap.

The bliss of having nothing to do and nowhere to be is a luxury that seems long absent, in spite of my last holiday having finished only two days ago.

At least Friday is a special day with no teaching, so after tomorrow's marathon (why did I volunteer to do an assembly?! Why is there a parents' evening already?) I can rest up a bit.

Also, the air is crisp and the nights are dark and I can sense the arrival of Christmas. And Nablopomo. Expect to be hearing a lot from me over the next four weeks.

Today I wish I was...

...at one with my bed for more hours than I have been recently.
I saw this picture on Twitter today. I love it:



This was me in bed this morning. 'I am one with my bed. The bed is me. I am the bed. The day cannot see me. I am part of the bed.'

Today I wish I was...

Take me back to Vietnam.

When I woke up this morning, I thought it was Saturday. When I realised that the alarm going off indicated this could not be the case, I decided it was at least Friday. Brutal.

I urgently require:
a) a long lie-in in a big fluffy bed
b) to feel sand between my toes (without getting stabbed by a dead fish)
c) an afternoon nap with a trashy magazine
d) to hang out with Tutt for a time when we don't just talk about work

I'm just under-snoozed, really. Work isn't too bad. That could go on for ages, if I could just get myself into bed before 11pm 3-4 nights a week.

Today I wish I was...

...able to get a good picture of the sunrise. The only benefit of a frost so thick it didn't thaw all day/being at work before the sun comes up/having to climb up endless stairs to get to my office has got to be the gorgeous clear skies and beautiful colours. I spent some time with my arm wedged out of the classroom window 4 storeys up, trying to get a picture of the colours, but to no avail.

In other news, I may need to cave and start wearing tights. This bare-legged lark is all very well when I'm walking to my car and back, but the bus was late this morning and that was not fun. If you thought it was cold when you got up, you only have my sympathy if you were also up and out of the house by 6.20. In my humble opinion, 6.20 cold is considerably colder.

Today I wish I was...

I know skiing comes up every year, but I have been reorganising my Easter ski accommodation this week so it is fresh in my mind. Hurry up, skiing!

Today I wish I was...

...able to motivate myself to complete urgent work in a timely fashion.

I've had a good day. Across my four lessons I had two assessments (low energy for me) and an observation that I totally bossed. I had a meeting after school which, though it was an hour long, was invigorating. I had delightful feedback on my observation from my line manager, who was so excited she talked for 45 minutes.

I am fed, I am watered, I have had relaxation time in front of the TV and a refreshing shower. Yet I have been sitting at my desk since 9.08pm and I have yet to do any work. I have a set of books I have to mark for tomorrow and a sixth form lesson to plan for period 1. On Mary I. I don't know much about Mary I. I slept for 5 hours and 57 minutes last night. If I don't improve on that tonight, I am not going to be especially nice tomorrow.

Yet I'm still sitting here, whiling away the time. Where does my motivation go? Why didn't I mark them in the assessment time? Why didn't I plan tomorrow's lesson in my free? Why am I still here beating myself up about it?

It is a daily struggle, you know. I need a doing-work-at-9pm strategy. Happily accepting ideas.

Today I wish I was...

...the proud owner of this scarf.

It is just about enough Wonderwoman for me to love it and know I could wear it without irony. I have been gazing lustfully at it for several weeks now.

But it is Marc Jacobs, and therefore on the pricey side, and I have not yet succumbed. I mean, I still have all the summer's marking money just SITTING there...but...

Today I wish I was...

...prepping for Malaysia.

As long-time readers might remember, in November of 2009 and 2010 I was lucky enough to go on a school trip to Malaysia. In spite of this being a mammoth work undertaking, involving organising teenagers for seven different schools, being in loco parentis for them several thousand miles away and having to set six days' worth of cover (this is no small task in itself), it definitely had its perks.

Dawn from my balcony.

The Museum of Islamic Art in Kuala Lumpur. Absolutely fascinating place.

Beach time at the end of the trip.

It was a lot of work, but it would be nice to be looking forward to it happening in a few weeks.

Today I wish I was...

I know that I needed a break and I have very much appreciated being at home with little to do (today I sat in my chair for roughly 12 hours, knitting and napping and sewing things up and complaining about sewing things up). BUT. I still wish I was here.

The view from our chalet, last New Year, in Chamonix. I didn't ski last NYE; instead I got the bus into town and did some marking in a cafe. However, the fresh air was lovely. Let's ignore the fact that I came back with a 9-week cold.

This was the view in the other direction:

This was actually the view from the dining table. I was sitting at it when I took this.

Tom and I have an ongoing argument about whether you'd rather look at beach or mountains. It stems from the school trip to Iceland, where all the hostel rooms had views of either the beach or the mountains. I always say beach. He always tries to convince me otherwise. This sort of view helps with the convincing.

Well...I have heard it is going to be considerably colder tomorrow.

Today I wish I was...

SKIING.

This is the view from our local Tahoe beach this summer. Look at the slopes! I got very excited. Mr Z muttered about it all looking very steep but you can see there are plenty of gentle trail runs there. I have been doing ski trip stuff this week which made me think of it. Based on where we were on the lake, I surmise that this is part of Heavenly. Here's a picture I found on Flickr of the view the other way.

This photo was taken by Rob and remains his copyright, naturally. I hope Rob was on skis when he took this picture, otherwise it would be a tragedy.

I know it's really a good thing that last year's ski buddies didn't sort out a New Year's holiday this year because I'm knackered and really need to stay at home and rest and knit and stuff, but I am a little sad that I have to wait until Easter to ski. And a little sad that the ski company changed our resort from Spain to Austria. But at least it's still skiing!

Today I wish I was....

LASSEN.

A quick trawl through previous wishful thinking posts to check this picture hadn't already featured revealed that Lassen was my pick at almost this exact date last year. It's odd really, because it was during our stay at Lassen that I had to drive Mr Z to the hospital which was about 90 minutes away and they had to drain his knee with a big syringe; and we were camping and there was still snow on the ground (in AUGUST); and in the middle of the night it rained and everybody who hadn't put their fly sheet on (ie, everybody except us) got up and ran around in the dark and we thought our tent was going to leak because it was the first time we'd used the airbed and it was pressed against the sides because it was too big.

So, really, Lassen wasn't the most restful place in terms of what happened. However, there was no phone signal, anywhere; there was no shop and no hot water, which limited the type of camper we had to interact with; and the scenery was just breathtaking. And I would like to see more of it, which probably also explains why I'm pining for it.

Today I wish I was....

...only a year off sipping my first bottle of lemon gin.

I came across this lemon gin recipe two years ago, when I was looking for advice on making good sloe gin. It sounds amazing and I do like the idea of driving around with bubble-wrapped gin in the boot. But three years! Who can wait that long?

Then at the weekend I saw Sainsbury's had a special on their Bombay Sapphire again (£18 for a litre or £20 for 75cl...) and it reminded me of the recipe. I could kick myself. I'd only have to wait a year if I had made the effort to peel the lemons back in 2013.

Mr Z brought me a bottle home tonight so guess what I will do this weekend?

Incidentally, we took the advice of the owner of this website and recycled our sloes into a bottle of sherry when we fished them out of the gin last year. I reminded Mr Z about that this week and so we finally siphoned off the sherry and laid those sloes to rest. The sherry currently tastes a bit like medicine but I expect it just needs some sugar, or to be drunk at the end of a long night of drinking, or something. I will report back.

Today I wish I was...

Exploring this big blue hole.

(I found this picture via Google Images but do look at this guy's website, by the way, because he takes some amazing pictures. I'll leave you to guess which is my favourite portfolio...)

I mam a bit obsessed with this place, though I can't imagine I will ever go there. I'd have that whole creeping-dread, swimming-over-deep-water thing happening. I do think it's very interesting though. It's near Belize which does sound like a very interesting part of the world.

So, in wishful-thinking world, I would be ... maybe ... near here on a big boat that would let me off the kayak around and have a good look. If it was calm I might attempt some stand up paddle boarding again, though probably even less successfully than my summer attempt. I'd undoubtedly stretch out on the shaded deck and have a long nap on one of those impossibly white hammocks or sun loungers with a cold drink.

In reality? I'm trying to finish up the last few year 10 essays and feeling like Dumbledore when Harry Potter is force-feeding him the potion in the horcrux cave. Please, no more.

Please, Belize!

Today I wish I was...

SKIING.

I always feel at my healthiest skiing, and I am not feeling very well today. Allergic, overtired, and something giving me stomach ache. I even had to cancel my PT session which just made me feel worse.

Wish I felt as healthy as I did when I took this picture. Woe. I'm off to bed.

Today I wish I was...

Stretched out in the sunshine on the grass in the courtyard at the V&A, in the sunshine, admiring these flowers and finishing my book. It has turned decidedly nippy this week and I am so very tired; I spent two days in Sheffield doing a first aid course so it sort of feels like I had an extra weekend, but it was a full on weekend, and I drank a lot of wine.

This was a glorious day - my first at the V&A; I went to the Grace Kelly exhibit. It was July 2010 and I was in London for the Google thing. That does not feel like four and a half years ago.

Today I wish I was...

ACRES OF CALM.

Lassen. It's a bit chilly overnight there at the moment, according to the weather forecast (love the internet for things like this), but I bet it looks gorgeous. Also, in Lassen there aren't
* quality assurances
* lesson observations
* enormous piles of marking
* parents evenings/12-hours-in-work days

There might be
* bears
* angry moose, or elk, or similar
* poison oak

But, I think I'd rather take my chances with those things, on balance.

Roll on tomorrow night....

Today I wish I was....

I have so many fond memories of our summer holiday this year. This picture was taken on a Pacific beach near Hearst Castle, where we spent some time wandering and watching the pelicans fly past in synchronised formations. I have this picture as my laptop background at work and today, during a particularly irritating moment, I spent some time staring at it and breathing deeply in and out. It was sunny, and beautiful, and cool enough to require a cardi. Absolute bliss!

One more half day of term left. WIN.