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This week was quite busy. We had a seminar at work on Monday to go over Torfaen's education results. Welsh Government has vastly reduced the amount of data they publish this year, as part of their rejection of 'league tables' and comparing schools, so instead of tons of figures it was just anonymised scatter graphs showing where we are compared to the rest of south east Wales.

It was full council on Tuesday - I posted an overview of it HERE - and then Marianna and I took Molly for a little walk after school before my school governors' meeting. I'm the chair now so there's no way out of it! On Wednesday I chaired Children and Young People Committee - webcast - looking at social care's plans to change the way child protection referrals are made in Torfaen.

There was a housing summit on Thursday morning I meant to go too, but I woke up feeling like death so I stayed home. We had a Labour Branch meeting in the evening; Marianna insisted on coming along and drawing everyone pictures. :) I ended up volunteering to be minutes secretary this year.

Anthony had to go to Cardiff on Friday, so my mum went with me to an activity morning at the school, teaching parents the literacy and numeracy frameworks they're using with nursery and reception pupils. E.g. they're using FRED talk to teach how sounds are blended together... so somehow I've agreed to get Marianna her own Fred the Frog puppet because that's obviously the most important aspect...

On the blog I posted a guide to Disney Attractionistas dolls, a list of books about Cwmbran, a Mini Mart review of Sixth Scale Studio, my top five films of the 2000s, and a review of Fantastic Female Adventurers by Lily Dyu.

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FIVE FILMS OF THE 2000s

My favourite five films from the 2000s... This was a weird decade to do because I watched so many films in this decade. I was old enough to have cash, young enough to have nothing important to spend it on, and yet of the hundreds of films I went to see most of them were just 'meh'...


#5. I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

Black comedy starring Ewan McGregor and Jim Carrey as inmates in love. It might sound like a punchline to a joke, but it just works.


#4. The Ring (2002)

It's hardly the best horror film ever made. It's not even the best of the 2000s. But, oh man, this film terrified me so much. I had to sleep with the light on for weeks.


#3. The Princess and the Frog (2009)

My favourite animated Disney film of the decade - and definitely the one with the best soundtrack!


#2. 13 Going On 30 (2004)

I'm always a sucker for body and life swap films, and this cute rom-com does it perfectly when main character Jenna goes to sleep in 1987 and wakes up 17 years later...


#1. Enchanted (2007)

This is such a feel good film, I always feel happier after watching it. <3






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Marianna has given me the inevitable back to school cold, so my head has felt like it's stuffed full of cotton wool all week. :/ Still, I've been busy rearranging and organising stuff; I feel an IKEA shop coming on... We've been trying to get into a good routine too, now Marianna's at school.

Monday - Party Night, aka playing music and having sandwiches for tea.
Tuesday - Walking Molly Night.
Wednesday - Park Night, aka an hour at a play park of Marianna's choice.
Thursday - Craft Night. We had a Toucan Box this week.


Friday - Library and 'Old McDonalds'.
Saturday - Unplanned.
Sunday - Movie Night.

Hmmm, trying to think of anything else out of the ordinary we did... On Wednesday all the reception parents were invited into school to have lunch with their kids. It inspired me to go googling about school dinners around the world - there are some way out lunch options out there!

I won a Dr Who 50th Anniversary CD which Anthony immediately stole as his own. He has succeeded in brainwashing Marianna into the fandom to the point she asked for today to be a 'Dr Who Day' where we watch episodes from each Doctor's tenure. Two/Jamie remain my faves. <3


On the blog I've posted a guide to Monsieur Z dolls, a miniature giveaway, how to put a blogger rates sheet together, and my top five films of the 1990s.

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FIVE FILMS OF THE 1990s

My favourite five films from the 1990s...

#5. Soldier (1998)

Okay, so it was a critical and commercial failure. But I was ten and totally imprinted on it.


#4. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Jar Jar Binks aside, this was the film that sold me on Star Wars. <3


#3. Clueless (1995)

As a pre-teen I thought this was the coolest film ever made.


#2. Mulan (1998)

By '98 I was starting to think myself too old for animated Disney films, then Mulan came out and convinced me otherwise.


#1. Mrs Doubtfire (1993)

The sillier it gets, the more I love it!





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I haven't had that much time for blogging this week; I've spent the evenings entertaining Marianna or listing stuff on eBay instead. I'm trying to make some space in the spare room... slowly, slowly, the floor is becoming visible!

My 'big' thing at work this week was cross-cutting overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday, along with a scrutiny committee chairs' meeting, and then a couple of hours of sitting around the park to keep an eye on Marianna. I've been reading a bunch of true crime books on Kindle this week, so that helped keep me occupied.

I binged the new Netflix series Unbelievable too - it's so good! Definitely worth watching if you get chance. I also watched the last two series of Inside the World's Toughest Prisons, presented by Raphael Rowe. It's so interesting, not just seeing the different conditions but the outlook of the prisoners in them.

On the blog I posted a guide to Smartgurlz dolls, mini mart reviews of Minis1to12 and Magpies Miniatures, and my five favourite films of the 1980s.

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FIVE FILMS OF THE 1980s

My favourite five films from the 1980s...

#5. Baby Boom (1987)

Instant baby films are one of my guilty pleasures.


#4. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

Steve Martin and John Candy play the oddest of odd couples.


#3. The Breakfast Club (1985)

The detention we all wished we had... I would say this will be the last John Hughes film on the list but, hey, I'd be lying.


#2. Ghostbusters (1984)

Who you gonna call?


#1. Pretty in Pink (1986)

Girl from the wrong side of the tracks falls for 'richie' Blane McDonough. Cue more teenage angst than you can shake a stick at!





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Marianna started school this week! It's not too different for her, because she already went to playgroup and nursery at Maendy and has been wearing the uniform for 18 months or so. But, it's a much longer day, and she's getting used to school dinners and higher expectations. So far she seems to be enjoying it and has even asked to go to breakfast club which will keep her there from 8:30am.

After dropping her off on Tuesday we went to Cwmbran Community Council to see the flag raised for Merchant Navy Day. Then I had to finish dealing with my email - I had 690 in my work inbox and then I had to tackle my deleted inbox. For ages I didn't realise you had to permanently delete them from there, not until I started getting messages about how I was about to exceed my data limits. So, yeah, I had like 11,000 to delete from there.

I had quite a range of stuff this week: a staff appeal panel at Croesyceiliog School, a meeting with the education department about the school standards monitoring sub-committee, and board meetings at Llantarnam Grange. On Friday night Anthony and I went to the Congress Theatre to see a charity am-dram performance. It was totally sold out and they raised around £3,000!

We went to the Stagecoach Bus open day on Saturday. They had lots of vintage buses there, along with music, food and various stalls. Of course, Marianna decided to throw an epic tantrum when her ice cream melted over her hand so then it was back home to think about our life choices...



On the blog I've posted guides to Fairy Tale High and DC Super Hero Girls dolls, a review of Solar Buddies children's sun cream applicator, and my five favourite films from the 1970s.

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Song of the Week -

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FIVE FILMS OF THE 1970s

My favourite five films from the 1970s...


#5. The Wicker Man (1973)

The 1970s is my favourite decade for horror cinema. It seems to be shot more realistically, more in line with contemporary TV, even when the subjects are fantastical. I have a particular thing for pagan revival 'folk horror', and a lot of my favourite TV of the time is in the same sort of vein - Children of the Stones, for example.


#4. Harold and Maude (1971)

He was an 18 year old man obsessed with death. She was a 79 year old intent on living life to its fullest. In the immortal words of Avril Lavigne, can I make it any more obvious? ;)


#3. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

I was totally blown away the first time I saw this on TV. Pacino is amazing and the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife at times. Plus I love how we get to see how quickly a situation like that can spiral out of control, from the quick cash grab they planned to the prolonged hostage scenario that ensued.


#2. Grease (1978)

It's everything a musical should be. ♥


#1. On the Buses (1971)

Okay, so it isn't number one for cinematography, or wit, or even artistic merit. But it's homely and familiar and I love it so much I rewatch it - and the sequels Mutiny on the Buses and Holiday on the Buses - almost every year. For me it's the film equivalent of comfort food.

And maybe I'm not so alone; in 1971 it was the highest grossing film at the UK box office, taking twice as much as numbers 2 and 3 (Diamonds Are Forever and Get Carter) combined!





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We've been in Porthcawl all week, on holiday! Well, I say 'we'. Anthony chose to stay at home because, in his own words, a week trapped in a caravan with Marianna, Molly the Dog, and his in-laws is his idea of Hell... There were times where I could have cheerfully thrown myself into the sea to get away from Marianna or Molly - or both - it's true, but overall I had an awesome time. :D






On the blog I just left a bunch of school themed scheduled posts to tick things over:

Regal Academy Dolls, Back to School Playlist, Five Favourite British High School Movies, and a Back to School Checklist.

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