Cow parsley

Here I am again, several days missing from my Madeira journal. I'll catch up. I'll try, I've had all my senses and brain cells expanded by this holiday. Can't recommend it more highly for nature-lovers and walkers.

GG and I arrived back in Stroud at about midnight, after several hours of delay at the airport in Funchal. I went to sleep at about half last one, and got up at seven.

Today was my last day at nursery. I worked, first as a volunteer playworker at the special school, then as a member of staff in school, for a couple of years, before transferring to nursery in 2014. All in all it's almost ten years to the day since I had my first volunteer interview with the then-headmaster. The staff gave me a little presentation, and I almost cried, then hugged a few people, and decided to stay on a little longer and play with a few more children, then went to the bathroom with my mask on to find the remaining staff I hadn't hugged.

Finally, I left the premises, went to the shops, then sat in a park eating my lunch. I felt very odd. When I went to pick up the three other children, though, they were arguing with each other, and crying, and all the other stuff that goes with having been on holiday and not in playgroup/school. The afternoon was tiresome. The children seem very happy that I will be leaving them too. This is galling. I guess to them I'm just another tiresome thing, like 'yukky macaroni'.

When I got home, I started doing the laundry and unpacking from my holiday. Got a bundle of texts asking me if I could look after two of those children on Friday as well! We shall see.

Tomorrow I am off to sunny Swindon. Right now, I'm off to bed.