ghouls and shingles

Year 7's went away on camp. Except for a few. It was my turn last Wednesday to teach them. But what? I was thinking of just a bit of drawing, just let them entertain themselves while I got on with paper work. But, that morning, their temporary tutor came next door to me and asked on their behalf what they would be doing. He looked at me with his puppy dog eyes and said that they were lovely. AWWW... monster bread it is then!

We had a fab time. Mine from that lesson is the top photo.

I love the idea of monster bread. So I did it again with The Girl. She came up with the gold that is the mummy bread. We made Mamma's Boy a frog as he expressed concern over the theme of monsters. Packed it for his lunch and he actually ate the whole thing. The most positive event of his day.

And the shingles? Well, got to enjoy being 41 last week, feeling on top of the world, feeling I'd cracked this ageing thing, and then I started to feel unwell in a very non specific sort of way. And I was trying to figure out just when I bruised my back. Woke up Saturday morning, took a bath to try to get the pain to go away and did a check. Still couldn't figure it out. Got out of the bath and then the realisation hit. Shingles. Oh Crap. Google. Husband does physical check, no those aren't ordinary spots. What?! NHS direct nurse. Lovely woman. Good. Yes, you have shingles. Christ.

Flashback. Remembering my Granddad's shingles. He was stoic but in lots of pain. Begin to panic.

But all shingles are not the same. Mine are mild. I went to the doctor on Monday and he gave me the week off, but that's all I'll need. And amazingly, this time (for he tells me I will get shingles again) I would have to say shingles have been a gift. I've slept, thought, and have been able to be there for my kids while they are going to and coming back from school. An honour. I've allowed myself to rest and get better. A sure sign of ageing well. Rather than running back to work, working too hard and making myself twice as ill.