It’s taken long enough but at last some tomatoes. For some reason they are about a month later this year. Blame it on 2020. But at least it’s a start.

This morning I had two firsts. To start with, I managed to do a weights move for the first time ever. Instead of using two hands to pick up the laden weights bar and push it over my head, I did it one handed. It’s not clever and a little reckless, but it’s certainly cool when you do it. Never been able to do that before.

Then I finally managed to correctly transition some yoga moves. Normally when the video instructor says carefully transition – that involves me falling on my face, crashing into a wall and swearing lots. Today I was almost ballerina like. A ballerina with hairy legs…

It gives you a lift when you finally achieve something. We all need that from time to time.

I was going through Hawklads school notes today. He’s made great progress, certainly in the time he’s been school working from home. But what concerned me was the lack of progress I was making with the school authorities. It’s been 18 months since I made any headway with them. Just seem to be stuck. Can’t get any more support for him. Can’t get the school to try new teaching approaches with him. Can’t get the regional education authorities to send in a dyslexia expert. Can’t get the authorities to show a little flexibility with his education funding. Basically it’s the set teaching programme, with any additional financial support he’s been awarded just been used to fund general teaching support budgets for all the kids. The so called special funding basically buys a kid with additional educational needs a place at a school. The Government is quick to point the finger at families getting additional schooling funds

– we are taking money off other kids,

– it’s the gravy train,

– waste of tax payers money,

– it’s wasted funding.

Yet what the Government never seems to mention is that the families never see that money. We can’t control it. It is basically recycled into general school budgets. So the kids who need it actually don’t get any direct benefit from it. Sometimes the fundings only purpose seems to be to just shift the blame for school failings away from the authorities and on to a minority of families.

So yes some education progress is needed. Either that or for Hawklad to elect to be educated from home. But progress would be nice.

83 thoughts on “Tomatoes”

      1. I piss off skinny yoga bitches cause I giggle when I’m bad at something, plus my super-fat body is often waaay more flexible than most of them!!

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  10. Congrats 🎊 on your strong arm 💪 today… lol … do not get hurt!

    And also congrats on your smooth ballerina qualities with yoga!! Lol nice!! 👏👏👏

    I am so sorry they provide nothing for your son. I wish you had help.

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  11. Damn, do I know the feeling. With school being virtual here, too, I can’t get any decent communication from the school about Bash’s needs. “Yes, I’ll let you know Monday.” (two weeks later, nothing.) “We’re doing the best we can with the resources we have, but you know, the pandemic.” (You told me you were doing assessments now.) “Well we can’t start ALL the assessments because teachers aren’t back yet.” blah blah blah blah BLAH. So damn frustrating. Praying you get something, anything, good for you both soon. Apart from the school crap, we’re doing okay. A little time together in the woods this weekend, and I’m hoping to not be dragging too much work along…

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    1. It is so frustrating for both of us. Sometimes feels like your pushing that heavy boulder up a slope, take your eye of it for a second and it starts to roll back. I’m so praying that you catch a break as well with stuff. Hope the weekend is wonderful in the woods. Your cabin always sounds so beautiful. Try to give yourself at least a couple of days off. You’ve more than earned that. x

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      1. We’ll see what I can swing! Right now I’m just praying we can get through the weekend without a trip to the hospital. That’s a win in my book. You take care of yourself and Hawklad, too–find those little adventures as much as you can! xxxxxxxxxx

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      5. Me, too. 🙂 He’s doing okay so far, but he returns to work this week, and I’m worried about how the commute and job will affect his back. We just have to wait and see, I guess.

        It’s tough, yes, but there’s still a lot to be thankful for. I’ve got to be thankful for the insanity, because if I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t be driven to write. xxxxxxxx Hope you’re well in all this!

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  12. As a parent it must be so frustrating for you. Luckily things were slightly better when my nephew with Aspergers was at school, plus his Mum was a teacher and knew her way round the system.

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  15. Just seeing your comment there above this one. Frankly the gov should just keep their nebs out of everything, the mess they are making. You know, I know you boy will find his way. he has you. But that’s not the point.

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  17. So outrageous. Do you have any idea how many kids with similar problems there are in the UK? Is there no-one who represents their interests? It seems to me the Government should be exposed for the frauds they are….but then this is true on so many fronts. It’s all so bloody unfair, Gary.

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  18. Brilliant he has made progress, just shows what can be achieved when it’s delivered to meet specific needs. Well done on the nailing the yoga transition, I’m not going to encourage one handed weight lifting behaviour. It can only lead to accidents I think!

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  19. We planted tomatoes late so only now flowering. Hope this storm doesn’t kill them!
    My daughter asked me when other kids are going back to school. She was sad when I said next week. She said she hopes some of the parents choose to homeschool instead. There does seem to be growing interest in that option, articles in the papers about it etc.

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  20. Glad you decided to stick with yoga and are making gains with your workouts progress is nice, yet too often lacking completely in the education system.

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