And the winner is...

And the winner is...

Before the announcement, here's the drum-roll.

I'm looking at the glass and wondering about the half-full, half-empty thing.  The glass doesn't appear to have enough liquid in it to get to half-full.  As I imagine it, there's about a shot of whisky's worth contained in a pint-jar.  In terms of promotion, I guess that's about all I can stretch the success to, but I'm a happy chap on this one.  Half-full is my conclusion.

That's half a pint of whisky.

Better still, something I can actually drink.  Half a pint of strawberry milkshake.

The positive I'm taking is that 3 people out there want copies of In Loco Parentis enough to expose their Limerick writing. 

And I'm to pick a winner.

I've just been on a 3 day course about the role of support for learning teachers in a changing world.  It was all very exciting and occasionally challenging.  I'd go as far as to say that the email-link I established on Monday to let me know about Postman jobs in my town doesn't feel so important a life-line now as it did when I set it up.  Maybe I can rise to the challenges ahead and make a difference.  That's what I'm intending to do when I start the new school year, anyway.  The only issue will be the response of the more conservative (and teachers often have a conservative view of the world, no matter what they say.  Don't be fooled by the propaganda, think about the way we've all maintained the establishment views and risen through the establishment to get our positions).  I'll be hoping to work with the fresh and enthusiastic as well as the radical (they do exist) to try and catch a little of what they have.

A part of that will be to continue to do what I've [hopefully] always done, which is to celebrate effort. 

As soon as I saw there were 2 Limericks to choose from, I knew that I was going to send them both copies.   I decided at that point to send books to whoever entered and hoped the promotion wasn't too successful.

Clearly it wasn't.  Which is kind of a blessing - I don't have to shell out more than I can afford.

David, Kyle and Thomas, thanks for the support and for providing some entertainment.

I'll be sending the books out to you as soon as I have a postal address.

Bless you all.

Nicola Rain, if you want one, I'll send one to you, too.  Just send me your address.  I know you've read it because your review was tremendous.  Maybe you could send the address with your 'Dancing With Myself' interview.

Before I go, a little mention for Chris Holm following the review I put up of Dead Harvest yesterday.  I was fair chuffed to see my name in the acknowledgements, so thank you.  The first paragraph of those acknowledgements is special and I doubt you'll see many better.  I feel a post coming on.

And thanks also to Tony Black, Blasted Heath and McNidder + Grace.  Tony's clearly been busy.  In my post this morning (and that makes me think I wish I was out there in the rain delivering rather than having my stomach churn already at the prospect of a stressful couple of weeks to end the term) was a copy of 'The Storm Without'.  It looks great.  Earlier in the week I had a copy of the Kindle version of the same book and am making it my next read (how could I not given such generosity?).

Signing off.

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