An Empty Classroom ...

2010: The Review

2010-12-31T17:10:00.005Z

Well. What a year ... and I've only written one post, or rather put up one video ... to mark one of the main events of the year.

So what has happened this year?

It's been a busy one. School had a tough year with a lot going on, not all good. We got a new headteacher over the summer, and things seem to be going well now. Still very busy though, but in a different way.

I applied for a couple of jobs and eventually got promoted to Head of Department. I'm enjoying the challenge although with the new arrangements at school I am still finding my feet somewhat!

Unfortunately these challenging times have affected my health so for much of the time I have been under the weather and on a variety of medications.

One of the highlights of the year was going to Hyde Park to see the Pope in September. That was fun, and the pupils quite enjoyed hearing about it too.

But the main events of the year were sad events. During the summer holidays, my Great Auntie and my Grandad died within the same week, and I then had two eulogies to deliver the following weeks, one in England, one in Scotland. Two wonderful, wonderful people who will be missed very much. So 2010 is dedicated to them.

Grandad

2010-08-27T20:07:00.001+01:00

The Seabass Restaurant

2009-11-22T19:37:00.003Z

We've had a nice, if cold, afternoon in London again, this time visiting the Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Royal Academy. Very interesting, and some made me physically smile in that I couldn't help myself, but found the corners of my mouth turning up. Particularly the big red wax block going through the five galleries and the giant yellow painting that turns out to have a big bulbous intruberance inside it. If that's a word!

Then we headed back to St Christopher's Place on James Street for H's birthday tea. We went to the Seabass restaurant. His coconut prawns were delicious, I enjoyed my hummus and pitta bread. Then his lamb shish kebab was very tasty, my seabass on roast vegetables was succulent, but the chips were a bit oily and overdone - not as good as mine, so mostly left. Overall, very nice, we enjoyed ourselves.

And now I'm off to bed!

Mimosa's Bar and Grill

2009-10-25T18:38:00.004Z

It's been a while since I reviewed a restaurant; however, when we saw the prices at Mimosa, I decided that I ought to do a review, whether good or bad. £6.95 is a good price for a starter and main course in London, and I'm glad to say that H was wrong when he assumed that might mean that "all the food will be from packets from Tesco"!

To service was very good. The young waitress was new and, I think, still learning English; she brought us the wrong starter. However, H did not realise until half way through, and when we pointed it out, the manageress brought us the right dish; this meant we got to try three of the starters for the price of two!

I had hummus and fried livers. Delicious, and spot on starter size. The small mound of livers were succulent and just a little pink, resting on a coral reef of hummus. I had watched the waitress carefully brown the pitta bread on a big metal dome on top of the smoky, firey grill earlier - it was crispy, not too much, just right.

H's first starter turned out to be a spinach and soft cheese filo pastry with salad. The pastry was very slightly too oily for my taste, but the spinach and cheese was just right. The salad - which also came later with the main course - was the only time that I thought H might have a point about food coming from a plastic bag in Tesco! Red and green cabbage with carrot and a spot of mustard dressing. Anyway, the filo parcels were not the calamari rings expected, but when they came, they still had the slightly too greasy batter but with tasty squid that was not too chewy or rubbery, the main reasons why I don't really like squid.

We were probably getting full on bread and extra starters before the main course arrived. I had a very tasty vegetable moussaka with more of the salad and some mint yoghurt raita sauce. Lots of tomatoes, peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines and bechamel sauce! Very tasty and, once again, a good size for lunch. H had lamb sheesh kebab and rice; it's always a good sign when he finishes something quickly!

We finished by ordering "a cup of tea" which, in translation, became "a coffee", but, once again this mistake was quickly rectified. I had earlier had a delicious, and thick, strawberry milkshake.

I would definitely take any friends or family here for lunch if we are ever in the Bond Street area ... although we passed many other good looking cafes, creperies and trattoria in that same area that we'll need to try some time!

I should point out that we ate out having spent a very interesting and enjoyable hour and a half or so at the nearby Wallace Collection. Hope to go back at some point in the future to peruse further the collection. Not too impressed by the Damien Hirst's this time; well, H wasn't anyway, I didn't really have much time to have an opinion before I heard his!

Martin Creed

2009-10-16T23:03:00.003+01:00

What would an evening with the man who created the whole world plus the art equals the whole world, and lights switching on and off, in a dance studio in Islington, consist of? Some mathematical ballet, arty videos and repetitive drumming and strumming, along with Creed's distinctive vocals and slightly awkward but endearing gait. A very funny and relaxing evening, full of surprises and amusements, pauses, possible improvisations and planned happenings. In the midst of it, the choreographer called out seemingly spontaneous and random letters - "We'll have L followed by T front to back" - and the dancers rhythmically entered the space, producing ordered and controlled movements that reminded me of square numbers and logorithmic equations. Creed joked throughout the evening ... In one distinctive piece he commented that he had got the timing wrong, in another he stumbled over that he was glad to be there - he thought. Some may ask, as Creed did in his first song, what's the point? But that is, I think the point. A great evening.

Mind Game

2009-09-12T11:36:00.002+01:00

I've been watching Derren Brown, which lead to looking at other magical videos, and thought this was interesting ... be ready to pause, and have a pen and paper ready ...

What do you think?

Day Six

2009-08-11T21:44:00.002+01:00

Had a lovely day today - met up with a few old friends from uni and their children. Wonderful to see them again, after such a long time! We went to the play park where I got lots of exercise pushing the roundabout round about, seeing and sawing the seesaw, and pulling the pulley thing back up the rope. The children are delightful, and the eldest told me some wonderful stories about her imaginary friends; angels who are covered in multicoloured flowers which have hearts in the centre of each petal. I was lucky enough to stay all day and to help put them to bed at night as well.

It's been a really hot day, and I've continued sweating back at the flat despite the fan being on. I've managed to sort out some of my shoe collection a bit, have finished dusting in the bedroom, and have put all the clothes away.

Breakfast - banana and blackberry smoothie.

Lunch - spaghetti bolognese followed by fruit salad and ice cream.

Afternoon snack - a Feast ice cream!

Dinner - Omelette with cucumber and cherry tomato salad followed by a slice of toast and some homemade gooseberry jam.

(I also had 2 plums and a bagel with honey for supper last night.)

As of this morning, the scales were back at the 11 stone point, which was a bit disheartening but not too much - after all, it's not been a week yet, and I know my weight can fluctuate at different times. I definitely have lived a healthier life this week, doing lots more active work in and around the house, walking much more than normal, and eating lots of fruit and vegetables. I have not had any chocolate or biscuits, have felt healthy, and think I look healthy. Perhaps my fat is turning into muscle!!

However, tomorrow I shall visit my Auntie ... and who knows what we'll eat when I am there?! I'll try to stick to the healthy options, but I'll not have as much control over my choices, and I am sure there will be many more temptations!

H may come home a bit earlier, which will be lovely. I think he's really enjoyed his Grand Tour, and I'm looking forward to seeing his photographs and hearing his tales!

Right. It's after midnight now (I had to finish tidying up before I leave because I didn't want H coming back to a messy house!) so I think I better get to bed so I can make the most of tomorrow! (I slept in this morning!)

Day Five

2009-08-10T19:09:00.003+01:00

Already?! Time seems to be flying by, so that's good - H will be home soon! But it also means I don't have long to get everything done!

I was woken up this morning with the plumber knocking on the door. Hadn't really expected him before 9am ... It also messed up my waking up routine a bit as well, and I didn't have breakfast until about 10am. In the meantime I switched on the computer, always a bad idea when there are things to be done.

Breakfast - banana, pear, blackberry, yoghurt, honey and cinnamon fruit smoothie with a toasted bagel and Mum's homemade strawberry jam.

Lunch - brown rice risotto, made with spring onions, cauliflower, aubergine and courgette, served with tomato and salad.

Afternoon snack - WeightWatcher's toffee yoghurt

Dinner - the rest of the risotto (didn't think I could freeze it, and I'm not sure what's happening tomorrow yet), along with some cucumber, mackerel and a couple of slices of houlloumi cheese.

I've also laid out all my shoes on the floor, swept under the clothes rail, and have done the laundry. I just need to get round to hoovering the bedroom and I'm almost there. I've also been for a walk to the library and back. While there I bought a bottle of water and a set of four WW yoghurts (about 84p for 4). I've also finished another book, The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde.

Day Four

2009-08-09T19:49:00.003+01:00

Sunday - a day of rest?! Not today it wasn't!

I left the house at 9am or so, after having a delicious banana, blackberry, natural yoghurt and lychee juice smoothie and a toasted bagel with honey, and walked to church.

After a nice service, I left church and started walking towards the Tower of London. I popped into the Whitechapel Art Gallery for a bit, to rest my weary feet, then continued onwards and arrived at the Tower about 12:30pm or so.

I then spent the day exploring. There is so much to see and do there! First of all, I arrived just as the free Yeoman-Warden guided tour was starting, so I joined the huge group to begin exploring. The former sergeant major (I think he said all Beefeaters have to have reached that rank and been in the army for 22 years - he certainly had a Major's voice!) was very funny, if quite cynical about a few things, and was very dramatic. He enjoyed frightening the little children by lowering his voice then suddenly SHOUTING something, normally about EXECUTIONS and people losing their heads.

We finished in the Chapel of St Peter Vincula (in chains) (we weren't in chains, apparently it means St Peter in chains. Just thought I should clarify.) and I left to begin to wander round by myself. I can't quite remember the order in which I wandered, but I think I first of all went to the cafe to have some lunch. Had already decided that I would probably have soup, but the cream teas looked exceedingly good! As did the Tudor beef pies ... However, I stuck to the thick tomato soup with giant croutons and a slice of bread, with pink lemonade on the side. £6.15 altogether (I have since discovered that there's another cafe outside which does the soup for £1 cheaper, but I think next time I would just take my own packed lunch). A short break, then I thought I'd go and see the crown jewels.

As I approached the Jewel House, there was a fairly long queue that went along one wall. I decided to go to the toilet first, and a few short minutes later I was back in the courtyard - but the queue now would all the way around the square! Fortunately it moved quickly. I liked the first room which had a chair for each of the English / British monarchs from William the Conqueror on. There was a gold line along the top that stated the name of the Royal House (eg Norman, Tudor, Windsor), and the name of each monarch above their chair. Interesting that after Elizabeth II there were only two empty chairs, then the room ran out of space ... ??!?

Obviously the highlight of the Jewel House was seeing the Crown Jewels. There is a moving walk way that you stand on that takes you passed the main crowns, sceptres and orbs. You stand and watch them go by, so no one can hog one crown or the Koh-i-Noor too long. The jewels, the diamonds in particular, sparkle like little rainbows, and are simply amazing. Towards the end of the tour is the gown worn by the Queen at her coronation. Or rather two pieces of clothing, both of which were golden, embroidered, and heavy.

Back outside again, I decided I ought to visit the White Tower. But on my way I was stopped by the re-enactment that was going on - two knights were about to fight for the honour of representing Elizabeth, the Queen Consort of some king or other. I happened to be nearest Sir, or Lord, someone Neville. He was very funny, and engaged our half of the audience, while the other, younger, man, the brother of the Queen, was talking to those further down. This meant that when they started fighting, we were cheering on Neville and booing Woodville - and we were definitely louder! It was great fun, but as the time was going on, I decided to leave and explore the White Tower, so I don't know who won in the end - I fear it may have been the younger man.

The White Tower is the place where all the armour that still exists that belonged to Henry VIII is gathered. What was special was that, as so much of the armour fits fairly snug to the body, you could really see how Henry changed in shape and size over the year. The suit of armour that may have been the last suit made for him is quite huge, just like those big portraits of the overweight man that we are so used to. Another particularly strange piece of armour was a horned helmet, which had a bizarre looking face with buck teeth and spectacles on it.

Exiting, I thought I might go and see the torture instruments next, but then changed my mind when I saw the queue and went in to St Thomas' Tower instead. There began a long walk along the walls, passing through Medieval bedchambers, the ghostly Salt Tower where condemned prisoners were kept, along the ballistrades where we learnt how to handle weaponry, and finally into the Diamond room. One of the funny facts about the Culliane diamond was that a heavily-guarded decoy was sent back to the UK, while the real thing was sent by ordinary post! Very interesting display.

And then it was time to close the Tower, so I slowly made my way to the exit, and headed towards Tower Bridge. I paused, and bought an ice cream (£1.90) and looked forward to reaching Tower Hill and settling down for a tube ride home. Alas, this was not to be - Tower Hill station was closed, so I then had to walk all the way back to Whitechapel, where I caught a bus which dropped me ... about another 20 mins from home! Still, I made it eventually - but I am not sure if I will be able to move my legs tomorrow!

Since arriving home I have cleaned the bathroom, been on the internet and cooked and eaten - mackerel with boiled potatoes, leeks and sweetcorn. I am now exhausted - this has taken me ages to write, in between doing other things, like cleaning silver with toothpaste - so I am off to bed, for some much needed sleep!

Day Three - last for today

2009-08-08T19:56:00.002+01:00

At least, I think it will be the last post for today!

After C left, I spoke to my Gran, then slept for a bit - longer than expected, I think! - and had mackerel and salad with a beef tomato for dinner. Still thinking about the possibility of a sweet, or supper. Have just worked out that dinner probably cost about £2. Could probably have done with a couple of potatoes to finish it off, but I'm quite enjoying this slightly rumbley tummy feeling! Eating just not enough to feel full. Might have a bagel and honey later on.

Otherwise, heard from H (yeah!), spoke to Dad, watched some of the Proms on TV while eating dinner, and have been on the internet for a bit. Not too long! Think I might have that bagel then go to bed earlyish with a good book (The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde) and read for a bit. Early start tomorrow for church, then I think I'll walk to the Tower of London. Maybe. You'll find out tomorrow!

Day Three - continued

2009-08-08T14:55:00.004+01:00

Well, my cousin has just left, and we had a lovely time. Lots of chat, sharing photos, and eating!

Lunch - I made a lentil curry, featuring onions, plantain, courgette, cauliflower, broccoli, aubergine and lentils, with a veg oxo cube and some curry powder. I added a spoonful of natural yoghurt to mine after I dished it. We had it with brown rice. A very filling and tasty dish - as C said, it tasted healthy! For pudding we had mango and blueberries - again, I added a spoonful of natural yoghurt. We each had a glass of white grape, pear and apple juice. The whole meal probably cost about £1.20 a portion. Makes you think ...

It's now 3pm, and I need to decide what to do next ... I must have lots of energy after that meal! Perhaps I should go out ... but it would also be nice to relax in my nice clean room, with my feet up and a good book ... !!

Day Three - So Far

2009-08-08T10:41:00.002+01:00

I know you are not supposed to weigh yourself every morning, but as this is a two week experiment, I thought I better keep tight records! So this morning, I was 10 st 10 lbs! That walk up to Tesco's yesterday was worth it then!

For breakfast this morning I had a fruit smoothie. One banana, one mango, a handful of blueberries, a couple of spoons of low fat natural yoghurt and a splash of white grape, pear and apple juice. Delicious! And quite filling too.

I have managed to throw away another couple of black bin bags this morning, finished sweeping and hoovering the floor, cleaned (most of) the bathroom, the kitchen floor, dusted a bit, and have put on some atmospheric easy listening music. It's now 10.45am and I am awaiting my cousin, who is visiting this morning after her morning jog. I plan a lentil curry for lunch. Will tell you how it goes later ... !!

It's a beautiful day - might go for a walk later.

Day Two

2009-08-07T20:32:00.003+01:00

I think I've made slightly better progress today - although I couldn't have done it without yesterday, and I still have quite a bit to do!

I woke up around 9am this morning, with my alarm - no bright sun to open my eyes today! No, it was bleak, overcast, damp and cool, and remained so for most of the day (until I left around 7pm to go shopping, when, very kindly, it cheered up a lot and was a pleasant summer's evening!)

I have swept and hoovered about half of the room, and cleared most of both desks. I have just now been to the shops and stocked up on vegetables.

Breakfast - poached egg on toast

Lunch - carrot and coriander "healthy eating" soup with toast

Snack - banana

Dinner - small slice of cheese and onion quiche and some boiled veg. Cabbage, courgettes, carrots and cauliflower in a veg stock cube. I should have added some celery, as I bought some of that as well! Hadn't realised until now that they all began with C!

Drinks - lots of water and a cup of lemon and ginger tea

Exercise - sweeping and hoovering, and walking to the shops (I took the bus back, because the three bags were so heavy!)

I spent just under £30 at the supermarket, which may have been a bit more than I had hoped, but I hope to use all the veg and fruit wisely so it should do me for some time. Hopefully. Wondering just now whether to make C Soup from the leftovers, or if I should just eat the rest of the veg as they are ... ???

My cousin is coming round tomorrow, so I have decided to make lentil curry. As I have never made this before, it could be interesting!

I have just paused for a short while to turn the leftover vegetables into soup - very nice and thick it is too!

I wanted to keep a record of my shopping to see how much I spend on each meal.

Still water - £0.93
Fresh milk - £0.45
Lentils (tin) - £0.40
White vinegar - £0.45 (I have been using vinegar lots recently as a cleaning product!)
Bean salad - £0.46 (thought this would go nice with veg in a curry or stew)
Potatoes - £1.98 (very versatile! And these should last for a while)
Lychee juice £0.79 (I bought a different brand from my favourite Rubicon. Hope it's okay!)
Brown rice £1.23 (thought I'd try some while H is away!)
Plain bagels £1.15 (the last time I was on a diet the magazine recommended these a lot, so I ate them a lot!)
Blueberries £1.00 (want to have them in smoothies)
Blackberries £1.99 (ditto)
3 beef tomatoes £1.74 (3 for the price of 2, so actually £1.16)
White cabbage £0.68
Spring onions £0.59
Leeks £0.57
Broccoli £0.76
Cauliflower £0.78
Courgettes £0.50
Twin Sweetcorn £0.66 (reduced)
Plantain £0.31 (reduced)
Ground cinnamon £1.40 (hmmm. Sure it said £1.23 on the aisle ... only just noticed ...) (Bought it to put in smoothies)
Prepared salad £2.00 (rocket, watercress and spinach, my favourite)
Smoked mackerel £1.68 (thought I should have some oily fish!)
Celery £0.50
Cucumber portion £0.33
Mushrooms £1.08 (3 large flat ones)
Bananas (5) £0.60
Plums (punnet) £1.00
Natural yoghurt £0.68 (for smoothies in the morning!)
Carrots £0.42
Aubergine £0.84
Onions (3) £0.51
Red onion £0.19
Pear £0.20
Quiche £0.31 (reduced)
Seasons best £0.66 (not sure what this is though! Will need to go and look in the fridge!!)

So, today's dinner so far has cost about ... about 85 pence. Not bad! And it's been very healthy. Quiche, soup and veg. Might even make a smoothie for supper!

The End of Day One

2009-08-06T22:17:00.002+01:00

It's now 10.15pm, and I am about to go to bed. I will check my email first in case H has sent a message - but it was nice to hear from him earlier on that he has arrived safely at his first destination!

I spent too long on the computer during the middle of the day - about 2 1/2 hours I think, but that was interspersed with phone calls and doing a bit of work. I have finally managed to go through all the filing, I think, and have almost filled a second bag.

For dinner, I cooked a meal in the wok which consisted of cubed potatoes, aubergine, spinach and cheese. It was very tasty, and quite different to the stews I would normally have. I ate at 6pm, and watched Captain Corelli's Mandolin. It is not as good as the book - at least about half of the story lines are missing! - but it wasn't as bad as I feared it was going to be, according to many of the reviews I read at the time. Passed a good couple of hours. Another hour tidying, and here I am.

One desk is almost cleared - well, there is a space in the middle, anyway - and I will attempt to plough through the papers on the other desk (H's desk) tomorrow. Then my aim is to dust everything and sweep and hoover the floors. I'll also have to go shopping, as my cousin is coming on Saturday and I'd like to cook her lunch. Also want to buy some more white vinegar, which really is marvellous for cleaning things! Used the last of it to descale the bottom of the kettle today. It's all shiny and bright now! But could do with some more so it descales further up ... I've already used it lots for glass and mirrors. The only problem is it makes the house stink of vinegar! I quite like it, but H isn't too keen, and it does get wearing after a while!

Right. Off to bed. Goodnight! (Wonder if I'll wake up as early tomorrow?) (Oh, and I've just eaten a banana - hadn't wanted to eat anything after 6pm or so, but I really felt hungry and I haven't had any fruit today. I have, however, drunk lots of glasses of water, which did a good job of filling me up until the banana, but it has also slowed me down because of the frequent comfort breaks!!)

Anyway. Goodnight!

Day One - so far

2009-08-06T12:12:00.004+01:00

I woke up about 6am. As I was not getting back to sleep, and there was no reason for me to stay in bed, I eventually decided to get up. After breakfast and a shower, I was ready to start work at 7am.

Since then, until about half an hour ago, I have been destroying old documents. This has filled up the first of my bin bags, and has made some room in our filing cabinet so I can now file the documents that are cluttering up my desk because I couldn't fit them in the filing cabinet before. I have also booked a dental appointment for October, have spoken to my Auntie, and have had about half an hour on the internet on an occasional basis to break up the day. I've made plans to get a new oven as well, so the day has been going well so far. Although looking around the room, you wouldn't exactly notice any difference from yesterday - yet!

I have decided to keep a record of what I eat, drink and do during the day, and to record any weight loss. So this morning, at 6.15am, I weighed about 11st (give or take a lb).

Breakfast - cereal with milk (full fat)

Lunch - meatballs (leftovers from yesterday) on toast with a slice of cheese and a dollop of coleslaw

Drinks - so far, one large glass of water and one medium glass of white grape and apple juice.

Exercise - ripping up pieces of paper for hours on end. Surely, that must do my flappy upper arms some good?!

My 2 Week Challenge!

2009-08-05T22:41:00.003+01:00

H has gone abroad for a couple of weeks on a work trip, so I am going to make the best use of my time here. It's the holidays, and I have a lot to do. I think I sometimes work best when I have a list and a goal, or a challenge, so I am going to outline some of my plans below. Also, I have decided I am going to try and eat as cheaply and healthily as I can over the next two weeks, and keep a record of what I spend/buy/eat etc. I also hope to do a bit more exercise, by walking rather than taking the tube or buses (we'll see how long that lasts!!), partly in the hope that I can also lose some weight before H arrives home! Then I'll see if I can keep it off!!!

I have started by spending £3.60 tonight on six eggs (£1.55) and some bin liners (£2.05). The bin liners are important, as you will see in my list of things to do, below.

Things to do:

Thursday 6th August - Throw away as much as possible. Old bills, bits of papers, old shoes, broken/torn bags/clothes etc - if it can't be mended, and is no use to anyone anymore, it has to go. Hence the bin bags!
Friday - Good clean of the whole apartment. Dusting, cleaning, hoovering - this is my day for it. Want the house gleaming by Saturday.
Saturday - My cousin is coming to visit in the morning, hopefully will stay for lunch. So I'll need to plan something nice for that. Take it easy day.
Sunday - Church, then any more cleaning etc that needs done. Eg bedroom, bathroom, kitchen. If I didn't manage it on Friday.
Monday - I have lots of computer stuff to do for school. This would be a good day for that, if I have managed to finish tidying the house by then.
Tuesday - One of my friends will have arrived back from overseas by then and hopefully I'll go and see her today!
Wednesday - Probably will go into school today. I still have some windows to cover up and some filing to do. As long as I have an early night and get up bright and early (and take a packed lunch of a homemade sandwich!) then I should have plenty of time to get everything done that needs to be done. Hopefully.
Thursday - I'd like to visit my Auntie. This would be a good time to do that.
Friday - Hopefully at my Auntie's. Obviously, I'll need to phone and ask her first!
Saturday - Might leave Auntie's and go and visit another friend and former colleague of mine on the way home.
Sunday - If I stay over with colleague, then I might still be driving home today.
Monday - I think H is planning on starting his return journey home around now. I'll try to get some more planning done for school, putting stuff on the internet etc. Would love to have everything up and running by the time I get back, and I'd also love to make the most of H not being around to do that. Of course, if I didn't manage to finish tidying the house, then that's what I'll probably be doing!!
Tuesday - Think H will arrive back today. Hurrah!

I should probably think of some nice recipes as well so I can plan my shopping list. But I think I'll leave that for another time!

Hot List of Things To Do

2009-07-03T18:30:00.003+01:00

It's so hot hot hot hot!

Still, we teachers, like our classes, have to keep working right up to the end ...

My priorities for this weekend:

1) Departmental Improvement Plan - add changes ready for meeting on Monday
2) Budget Plan - type up ready for Monday meeting
3) Minutes - type up ready for - you've guessed it - Monday meeting
4) Type up minutes of meeting that I was in today
5) Write a reference
6) Write a submission for the Chartered London Teacher

Would love to think about teaching and learning at some point as well!

Stonehenge

2009-06-21T12:04:00.003+01:00

Oh dear, it's been over two months since I last posted! It's been a very busy time at school, with revision classes, exams, trying to organise new timetables, Sports' Day, visits from primary schools and a host of other things going on. In the evenings I have been trying to relax, spend time with H, watch some World Cinema using our projector, and generally trying to stay away from the computer.

However, I want to make a note of our excellent day out yesterday so I don't forget! Having enjoyed previous London Walks, we went on one of their Explorer Days for the first time. This meant getting up quite early in order to get to Waterloo for 9.45am. We arrived about half an hour early, and enjoyed watching all the women wandering around with big hats and fancy dresses, and men wearing top hat and tails, as they waited for their trains to Royal Ascot. Finally, we found the London Walk guides, and so began our big adventure.

The train takes about one and three quarter hours to reach Salisbury. When we arrived, we had a short walk along a beautiful stream in a green park. Myriads of ducks and sheep accompanied our meander along to a bridge from where Anthony Trollope was inspired to write the Chronicles of Barsetshire.

Our next stop was on the lawn - which we later discovered was a graveyard - in front of Salisbury Cathedral, an amazing building with the highest spire in the country. We learnt about the house for church widows, we saw Edward Heath's Arundels, and we learnt about the inspiration for Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure. Then we turned our attention to the cathedral.

It really is a beautiful building, and for me the piece de resistance is the beautiful font, which is full to overflowing, runs constantly, is sort of in the shape of a cross, and smoothly reflections the stained glass windows like a mirror. The window representing Prisoners of Conscience is also stunning, and the cloisters, open to a glowing green garden, were also uplifting.

We had a tasty lunch (I had tomato and basil soup with deliciously soft bread and butter), then met back with the tour group to take the coach to Stonehenge.

Richard, our guide, was excellent. He had a really good sense of suspense that left us wanting to know more. He also was a great revealer of obscure facts. As we travelled along the slightly twisting country roads, Richard pointed out both the thatched cottages and the Jacobean country home of Sting and Trudie Styler, where Madonna met Guy Ritchie, and where they had their honeymoon. A beautiful part of the country. Lucky them!

Finally, Stonehenge appeared before us on the horizon. I have to confess that, as we got closer, I whispered to H, "It's smaller than I imagined!" However, that did not diminish the excitement of seeing such an important and well known historical landmark. As Richard guided us round the circumference of the henge, we danced around, taking photos, jumping up and down and revelling in our surroundings. The huge grey stones make a great backdrop, but we were also interested in the long burial barrows, and the different type of burial they represent.

On our way back to the bus, we stopped off to buy a book and a mug, and discovered the rest of the party waiting for us by the coach. However, we still had about twenty minutes back in Salisbury to wander around the shops, before we arrived back at the station to take the London train home at 4.45pm.

When we arrived home, about 7pm or so, we were tired and very happy, with over 200 photos. We had had a lovely day, and once again, resolved that we should do more things like that more often. A very lovely day.

My fourth walk of the holidays

2009-04-19T19:19:00.003+01:00

It's been a lovely day here in London, so H and I have been for yet another wonderful walk. However, rather than through the buildings and admiring great architecture, this walk was along the Bow Locks all the way to the Olympic Stadium. Like yesterday, this was another popular walk - there were about fifty of us - but it didn't feel as big as we all spread out over the tow paths and the parks. We passed the last pylon, standing majestically next to the main Stratford Road; we waited as a canal boat passed through one of the Locks; we admired the swan gliding on the shimmering canal; we took photos of the tiny purple flowers, the blue ones, yellow; we tried not to fall in the canal or push the cyclists in either. And all this in bright, warm sunshine, under blue skies. The walk took over two hours, and we finished in McDonald's. Well, we don't go there often!

Detectives' London

2009-04-18T22:56:00.000+01:00

My third London Walk this holiday! This time we started at Green Park and explored the London of Miss Marple, Hercules Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey, as well as the London of their creators, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers. Once again, we saw amazing architecture, although this time I think a lot of it was Georgian rather than the Gothic look of the Royal Courts of Justice et al, and the guide, Jean, was fantastically fitting, a rather Miss Marplian character herself, with a great maroon hat and tartan waistcoat, and a piercing voice, which was only occasionally drowned out by the traffic. The group was the largest I've seen - I counted at least fifty of us, but on occasions it looked more like one hundred! A discovery for me was Audley Street, which had cosy looking coffee shops that I must return to, and my favourite sight was when we stopped at Brown's Hotel, possibly the inspiration for Bertram's Hotel that I read about recently. We also got to walk through Park Lane Hotel, where those enjoying their cream teas - which looked delicious, and were being enjoyed in elegant splendour - must have wondered about the fifty or so waifs and strays that wandered through.

And, two hours later, when we returned to Green Park, the sun was still shining, a glorious 5pm evening, so I went and sat on the grass in the park, which was wonderful. Another great day out in London!

Legal and Illegal London

2009-04-17T17:38:00.003+01:00

Well, more of the legal than the illegal, I think, but without the latter there would not be the former, so both are important ...

I'm just back from another excellent London Walk, this time through the four Inns of Court, Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Middle and Inner Temple. This time we were guided by Angela (the link is a recording of Angela giving another tour, from the London Walks website). She had a good, dry wit. We started round the corner from Holborn Tube Station, in the second oldest square in London. Lincoln's Inn Fields used to be just that, fields, owned by the Templar Knights before the were disbanded. After some interesting history while looking at the picturesque buildings that surround the square - I think the first of their type in London - we walked through the beautiful gardens, where we learnt the not so beautiful origins of the word "gala" - a gala day used to be a gallows day, a day where people were being hung, a grand day out for all the family. The slightly more palatable Sir John Soane's Museum was also pointed out - I must go and visit that one day.

From there, we walked across to the Inns of Court, where we wandered from one to another, admiring and admiring, never ceasing to be uplifted and entertained, overcome by the ornateness of the architecture or the sublimeness of the gardens. We learnt about the process of being called to the Bar, or becoming a solicitor. We heard about some of the more well known people who have belonged to each of the Inns. We wandered through Staple Inn as well, one of the Inns of Chancery, and passed by the Temple Church again (closed this time). One of the most interesting stories explained the meaning of John Donne's famous line, "ask not for whom the bell tolls" - the benchers were people with a certain position in the law courts, and when they died, a bell would be tolled. Barristers (I think) would send a junior clerk to find out who had died, and therefore what position had become vacant. Another particularly exciting find was the Ede & Ravenscroft office, familiar from my graduation documents - they also supply gowns and wigs as well as gowns and mortar boards. Unfortunately no wigs were on show today, but Angela gave a vivid description of the legal dress worn by different types of lawyers.

Our two hour tour ended up at the Royal Courts of Justice. I went inside, and they really are beautiful - the architect always wanted to build a cathedral, but was never asked to build one, so when he was given the commission for the courts he decided this would be his cathedral. They are certainly soaring and ornate. Unfortunately there were no court cases in session, but it was interesting to look through the glass panels on the doors into the courtrooms themselves.

Then a walk through the rain, and back home again. Another great day, courtesy of London Walks!

Easter Holidays

2009-04-17T12:14:00.003+01:00

Just a short update! Back home after a great few days back north with my family. In particular, it was lovely to spend some more time with my adorable nephew. He's at the age where he can sit up practically by himself, although he still likes to lie on his back and kick his legs in the air as well. He is starting to follow things with his eyes, like a red tomato ketchup bottle and a shiny helium balloon. He often looks quite serious as if he is contemplating something, but he has a lovely, cheeky smile too. We are still wondering about the colour of his eyes - sometimes they look as if they are hovering on brown, but at other times they seem to be a dark blue, so I think we'll need to wait a bit to see for certain. His nose is very cute. I took him out once by myself in his pram - no roads crossed that time! - and once H and I took him for a walk up the hill and round and down. I took him with my sister too. Nice to get out for a walk with him. Can't wait to see him again!

Also managed to visit all my grandparents while I was up, which was nice. They are all a bit under the weather at the moment. They are all in their eighties now, but that still seems very young! Hope they all get better.

Tour of Da Vinci Code London

2009-04-16T16:43:00.003+01:00

Well, I’m on the train on the way north, but there is no wireless internet access on this route. So, I’m going to update my blog by typing this and copying it later. It’s Good Friday ... unfortunately I missed all the services by travelling. Had hoped to go to the Stations of the Cross this morning, but I had a dream that tired me out and I slept in. I dreamt my class - a music class, funnily enough, that I was sharing with another teacher - kept on going into cupboards, drawers and then rooms that they weren’t allowed to be in, so I had to keep running round after them, shouting, “Go away!” at the top of my voice, and trying to look the rooms before they could get in and unlock another door and thus get in by another way. It was extremely frustrating, and a perpetual struggle. No wonder when I eventually woke up I was too tired to do anything other than lie with my eyes closed for some time.

Yesterday I managed to go on one of the London Walks that I enjoy so much. I had hoped to go on two, one on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, both glorious days with bright blue skies, but I didn’t manage it - something about the holidays means that being allowed a lie-in is too tempting, then H and I have headed off for lunch meaning I’ve missed the afternoon slots. Anyway, I got myself up and out (well, it was a 2pm walk!) and down to Temple for a walk entitled “The Occult and the Da Vinci Code”, or something like that. It ended up being mainly the Da Vinci Code, in fact the occult was never mentioned at all, but it was very interesting nonetheless.

I arrived an hour early, so after a baked potato at the Temple Bar next to the tube station - nice little place, very friendly woman - I decided to do some exploring of my own first. I wandered up a picturesque little street and was amazed to find the beautiful gothic buildings of the Royal Courts of Justice. I’d never been before. Then I thought I should really take some money out, and the bank that I went into made me take some more photos. The walls were all tiled, and there was an oval protuberance which reminded me of a holy water stoup, which at first made me wonder if this bank had formerly been a church; however, the amphibian stone carved creature that lurked above this stoup seemed out of place in a church, and made me think more of a butcher’s or some such place. Very curious.

My wallet thus topped up, I wandered back along the Strand, and stopped to admire and take photos of two churches, situated in the middle of the road. One had two figures outside it; a man sitting drinking in the early afternoon, and another standing spouting forth on topics of the day. Neither made much noise, however, with the second being Samuel Johnson, immortalised in bronze outside the church of St Clement Danes, the RAF church. Two wing commanders or so stood guard on plinths at the front. The second church, I soon realised, was the renowned St-Mary-le-Strand, where many of the great and good discussed all sorts of matters during lunchtime debates. It was busy again that afternoon, with a Maundy Thursday Eucharist being celebrated, so I did not go in.

Having wandered in the drizzle for some time, I thought I should start back to Temple. As I wandered down a little street, I passed more places of interest. Aldwych Tube Station, proud and resplendent in its tubular tiles, proclaiming “Entrance” and “Exit” to all that passed by, but barred up ever since the little line that serviced it had been closed down. Then a little sign, quietly pointing the way to the Roman Baths - “Down the stairs and to the right”. I decided to investigate, although the bleakness and sombreness of the alleyway reminded me a little too much of crime fiction and murder haunts. I soon found the window that separated me from the bath, and as I bent down, I had visions of being pushed through the glass to meet a bloody end on the ancient Roman flagstones. However, I survived, and was able to admire the rest of the Strand Lane on which I now found myself.

I arrived back at Temple as the drizzle tried to decide whether to get worse or give up and whimper out. Already, ten minutes to two, there was quite a crowd of people, looking round furtively, anxiously, eagerly, as befits a group of people who want to discover London’s hidden secrets and are trying to work out if the leader of the group is one of the them, or if they have wandered into some secret society by mistake. A woman in a billowing red anorak cape stood in the middle, and I mistook her to be the guide; however, I did not approach her, simply keeping my eyes on her, wondering when she would whip out her London Walks guides with a flourish. As I waited, I noticed a woman next to me - a tourist from Singapore on a working holiday, as it turned out - leafing through her own copy of the guide, so I asked if she was waiting for the Da Vinci Code Tour. She was. As we chatted, another woman approached us. She, too, was looking forward to learning more about the occultish mysteries of London. As 2pm approached, a sombre looking man in a red anorak appeared, propelling himself forward by means of an outstretched hand full of guides. The crowd that had seemed to me to have dispersed as the rain had become briefly heavier now stepped forward out of the shadows of Temple tube station and bustled around him. Dark faced and sullen, the man took the coins and notes from the outstretched hands, and we wondered if this is what became of people who spent too long dabbling in the Da Vinci enigmas.

However, Richard the Third - for it was he - was a wise if solemn guide, and over the next two hours he recounted the journey of Langdon and Sophie - or Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, if you prefer - from the floor of the Louvre, through the dash around Paris, greater France and London, all the way to the Rosslyn Chapel. We were impressed at the way he managed to summarise the twists and tales in the plot, and my question - “Do you think he really believes all this?” - became moot as he pointed out the mistakes of geography and place in the Da Vinci tale. We were shown both the places of interest in the book, told about encounters with the action in the film, and also learnt about the real life drama in the Dan Brown v Leigh and Baigent court case.

One of the first places we visited was the Temple Church. As we stood outside, we saw the symbol of the poverty of the Templar Knights, at first anyway, two knights sharing one horse. One part of the church is Roman, with rounded gables, the other Gothic, with pointed arches. The little courtyard had a tree in full blossom, although the skies overhead were slightly overcast. When we entered the church, I was surprised and delighted by the blueness of the interior. The long stained glass windows were mostly blue glass, which highlighted the blueness of the marble pillars, which reflected the blue hymnbooks laid out on the pews. The effigies of the knights were surrounded with many tourists, like myself on this occasion, snapping away and marvelling at the contrast between the crumbling stone and the smooth wood of the interior. As we sat down to listen to some more history, I was more taken with marvelling at the decoration than in listening to the tales of Sophie and Langdon. The Ten Commandments are in the middle of the nave, at the front, with the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed on either side. I wondered if that was because the knights had been in Jerusalem and had seen Jewish synagogues, which also have the Ten Commandments on display. Then, as we listened to Richard, the organist arrived, and began to play. Fortunately it was a quieter tune, but it seemed very fitting to be accompanied.

Our next stop was to be the building of the Department of Systematic Theology of King’s College London. However, this was one place where, as our guide pointed out, Dan Brown got his facts wrong. Apparently he places this building as being opposite the Houses of Parliament, but it is not there. Secondly, Richard pointed out the building that Dan Brown describes - but that is not the real Systematic Theology building. As we made our way to the correct place, we passed the Royal Courts of Justice again, and took photos of a dragon that protects one side of the City of London. We were on the border between the cities of London and Westminster. I also noticed a small plaque next to some brightly coloured windows, which announced that the building was the only surviving building on the Strand after the Great Fire of London.

The actual home of Systematic Theology is known as Norfolk Building. This is because it is housed in a listed building, originally Norfolk Hotel. It is a very pretty building with lots of ornate carvings, including the words “Norfolk Hotel” over the door. Nearby was the old abandoned Aldwych tube station. We learnt that it used to be the only stop on a line which only operated during rush hour, Mondays to Fridays. No wonder it was eventually closed down!

From here we returned to Temple, and, as advertised, like Robert and Sophie, we took a short tube ride. Next stop ... Westminster Abbey! Unfortunately (although understandably) we didn’t get to go inside - I will need to leave that to another day, next Friday perhaps? - but I was interested to learn that it was King Edward the Confessor who had the first Westminster Abbey built. He wanted to go on pilgrimage - can’t remember where to - but his advisers pointed out that he was ill and it would take some time to go on pilgrimage, so he should build a church instead. There was no room left in the city of London, so he built his church to the West - hence Westminster, the church in the West. Of course, it has taken centuries to build the church. In fact, there are carvings of Martin Luther King and Oscar Romero above one of the main entrances. So it’s not done yet! We walked round the back, near the entrance to the Chapter House - not a free entrance as claimed by Brown! - and as we learnt about the drama of the cryptex, a huddle of begowned Westminster choristers alligatored passed us to sing in the Abbey.

The riddle now unravelled, but we still had to see where one of the characters died. A quick wander down some roads - so busy looking and listening that I’m not quite sure where we went - and eventually we were in St James’ Park. I didn’t know they kept pelicans there. Very pretty and pink. Then my first view of Buckingham Palace in the few years that I have been living in London, away in the distance through the trees. While still admiring the palace, Richard told us about Duck Cottage on Duck Island - not named after the feathered creatures that live there, but after the gardener, Mr Duck.

I was then very interested to see Downing Street - even if it was only the back of the Street, on the way to Horse Guards Parade. And, two hours after we left Temple tube station, we arrived just in time for the Changing of the Guard! The soldiers were all very well turned out in their bright red jackets, long glossy black boots and golden plumed helmets. A large crowd had gathered to watch the ceremony, and we were not disappointed. Afterwards I went home, via Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross Station.

All in all, a wonderful excursion, and well worth the £7 plus tube fares. I would highly recommend anyone going on a London Walk - that was my third - and I certainly had a wonderful afternoon!

(And it’s now Thursday ... so this has taken some time to write. At least I’ve got wireless now and can upload it on the train south!)

Exploring

2009-04-07T23:07:00.002+01:00

Left H at the Library today and I went exploring. Found the statue of Gandhi at Tavistock Square, plus a post office box place that can send stuff overseas. Wandered through the university area, past Birkbeck and SOAS, then along road to British Museum, stopping frequently to take photos. Met a nice old man in the museum who was showing people old coins and other types of money. Handled 2000 year old money, including a Roman ring. Took lots of photos of other people taking photos. Also practiced changing my exposure - got some nice photos (I hope!) of people floating in whiteness. Then went back to meet H, where I had a huge pink fairy cake and some pear juice, before coming home and making a tasty beef stew.

Happy birthday to my not-so-little-any-more sister!

Long time no write

2009-04-05T19:08:00.002+01:00

It has been brought to my attention that I have not blogged here for two months. Which means you have not heard about our pleasant wander round the British Museum, our visit to the Byzantium exhibition or our trip to see the photographs at the National Portrait Gallery.

Don't worry, I am well and keeping busy - I've simply been trying to take a break from this blog and my computer in general - however I am busy elsewhere on the web. Should try to write more here occasionally though!

Now on Easter holidays - however, I have a revision session tomorrow, so I should really go and get some sleep now!

Snow Day!

2009-02-02T08:55:00.002Z

There can hardly be two words that are as pleasant to a teacher's ear than the blessed, "Snow day"! Growing up in Scotland, we were lucky enough as pupils to have had a fair few; sometimes a few snow days would begin with an early closure, where we would all have to wait in the hall and would be called out a bus load at a time, "Those going to Auchinthingumbyjig, leave now." "The bus to Inverwhatjamacallit is about to depart." Sometimes we wouldn't even need snow; we were blessed in those days with a slightly dodgy boiler, which would occasionally break down and occasion the need to evacuate the school.

Nowadays I live in the slightly warmer parts of South East England, that is, London. Snow days are fair and few between. So it is quite exciting to have one today! Now, I realise that the weather conditions are making travel difficult for many people, and quite a few cars have been going (mostly slowly) along the road this morning. I don't envy those who have to make journeys today. However, I got the call just before I left the house at 7am, and I have spent an hour or so frollicking in the snow, taking photos and making snow angels. Highly recommended! I am sure that many of the photos will turn out to be blurry, because it's not really advisable to use the flash when the snow is falling, unless you like big white blobs all over your photos, and since it was quite dark, they need a longish exposure (and I wasn't going to frollick with a tripod). Anyway, it was fun!

Actually, the fun began last night, when H and I went to the ICA to see Mark Leckey give a talk about the Long Tail. I had no idea what to expect, and thought it would be some sort of pretty boring lecture; I was pleasantly surprised to discover a cross between a lecture and a performance, very entertainingly presented, with good use of multimedia (no powerpoints!!) including music and a gramaphone. Mark Leckey won the Turner Prize this year, which for once had sort of passed me by; I am now more interested in seeing some more of his art. It was also my first visit to the ICA; we are going back on Thursday to see Giles Foden talking to Tom Perotta.

Walking up the road round the corner from the Mall, taking photos in the snow, we passed a nice looking restaurant and decided to pop in. It was a Lebanese restaurant called Noura. Since we are in a credit crunch, I decided to try one of the cheaper main dishes on the menu, Musakaat Batenjan with rice, Baked seasoned aubergine cooked with tomato and chick peas, served with rice. H had the lamb skewers with salad. I have to say, I think I came out on top - particularly on such a cold, wintery night. The succulent aubergines, having soaked up the tomato juices, were just the right texture; soft and a bit gooey, not too oily or slimy. The chickpeas crumbled in my mouth, not like the hard little balls I have eaten before. And the rice, long and wild, each grain separate and special, was the ideal accompaniment.

On the home we took photos in the snow, before having a late night - all the more reason to appreciate a snow day! And, there, we're back to where we started. I'm going to go and catch up on that missing sleep now!

Sociology in Hamleys

2009-01-31T22:16:00.003Z

I thought it would be nice to buy something for my nephew from Hamleys. It was my first visit to that august London institution, and I have to confess that I was disappointed. It was also quite an intimidating experience ... so many people, noise, objects, crowds, a slightly tacky feel. I had expected it to have more of a Harrods or Fortnum and Mason's feel ...

Anyway, this all resulted in me thinking about the stereotypes that society has (ie us, ie me) of boys and girls. Ground floor ... lots of cuddly toys, very nice, gender neutral, I quite liked the colourful parrot hand puppet ... First floor, baby stuff and preschool colourful and noisy plastic ... Second floor ... oh, maybe that was the baby stuff, I wasn't really paying much attention to which floor it was ... third floor was pink, the girls' floor ... lots of nice arty crafty let's make cards and jewellery stuff ... fourth floor was called "hobbies" and I think had trains and cars and stuff (aha, trains, that's something that my nephew might like when he's older, I start to think) ... I begin to realise I am thinking completely stereotypically about boys at this point ... Then the top floor is the boys' floor ... it was about half the size of the other floors, and about one third of that space was taken up with a cafe. There were Power Rangers, cars, something to do with wrestling and - aha! I've got it! - Doctor Who stuff. Yes, I love Doctor Who, maybe N will love it too!

You see, our family has had very few boys, so we are all more used to girls, and I suppose I had some sort of idea in my head about the nice story telling, baking, dressing up as a princess activities that I could do with my little neice. However, she is a he, as mostly everybody else expected, and I - completely excited and madly in love! - have been a bit flummoxed about what to do with a boy! Anyway, as I started feeling much more comfortable with boy stuff while wandering around Hamleys - football, music, Doctor Who, cars, trains, trucks - I thought, poor wee N, he's only two and a half weeks old, he's an individual, he can do whatever he wants and be whoever he wants, and already here I am, putting him in a "boy" box.

Which may all support the idea that gender identity is a social construct rather than a genetic, "natural" one. I haven't really studied much sociology or pediatrics or whatever, so I don't really have much of interest to say in the matter, but I found it all quite curious as I was there.

And the present? Well, in the end there was nothing particularly appealing (unless you count the Dalek Electronic Voice Changer Mask, but I think at 17 days N could probably sit inside it rather than wear it and it might be rather uncomfortable for that), and I think my nephew would probably rather have a cuddle than yet another "thing", and he has quite enough cuddly toys to be getting on with for now since I think it's best to have one or two that you really love and hold on to rather than loads that you don't remember, so in the end I walked away empty handed. Which is probably quite the best option. But full of interest to know what he will eventually be interested in ...

I'm an auntie!

2009-01-15T23:15:00.002Z

My sister had her baby yesterday! How exciting! Can't wait to see him, my baby nephew!!

Happy New Year ...

2009-01-10T15:42:00.002Z

So much has happened since I last left a message ...

We had a very packed Christmas holiday back with my family in Scotland. Here is a quick taster of what we got up to:

Tuesday 23 December

We drove 500 miles north. Arrived fairly late.

Wednesday 24 December

Got my hair cut and dyed, and bought a new outfit for Christmas. Delighted to get dress and shoes heavily reduced in sales. Went to the midnight Carol Singing and Watchnight Service, where I met up with an old school friends that I always swap presents with during this service.

Thursday 25 December

Christmas Day! Woke up earlier than necessary, but eventually got up anyway. Opened lots of lovely presents, including some great Covent Garden Sanctuary Spa stuff from H, a lasagne dish from S, and much needed clothes (and one of the books I asked for, Double Cross by Malorie Blackman) from M&D. We then went to my sister's for Christmas Dinner, made by her MIL. Very nice. It was really good to see S, especially as she is very pregnant, with a big bump, and I hadn't seen her for months, so it was very exciting! We ended the evening playing one of those fun brain games. Cranium.

Friday 26 December

It is a family tradition that we go to the home of a family friend on the morning of Boxing Day, where we have delicious vol-au-vents and sausage rolls, and today was no exception. In the afternoon, another old school friend came down with his sister, wife and daughter to see us. We last saw the family when their daughter was about a day or two old, and she is now about 18 months! Very sweet.

Saturday 27 December

S came through, and while M&D took Gran home, S and I went shopping for baby things. I also used some of the time to plan the Hogmanay party.

Sunday 28 December

I have to confess that I slept in, so no church this morning. However, once up, H and I visited a friend of his who was visiting his parents with his family. They live on a fairly nearby farm, and the scenery was amazing. Only the two men knew each other, but what a lovely family. We all got on well and it was a fun afternoon. He has three young boys, who were very friendly and polite. We drove home, decided to cook spaghetti bolognese for dinner, which we shared with a third old school friend of mine who came by. It's been a great holiday for catching up with old friends!

Monday 29 December

We drove through to Edinburgh to visit my other grandparents, and on the way dropped off to see my cousin who had a baby last year that we hadn't seen yet. That was a treat as well. She is very cute too. Then on to G&G's, picked up Mum's auntie, then popped by IKEA to collect some new baby furniture for S.

Tuesday 30 December

Dad and I went to my sister's with the furniture, where we managed to put up a chest of drawers and a cot. The wardrobe will have to wait for later. Dad went home when it was still light and I stayed with S, where we organised the new nursery. How exciting! Lots of little baby grows, hats and mittens. Can't wait to be an auntie!

Wednesday 31 December

This day was spent getting ready for the Hogmanay Party that we were hosting. This included buying costumes, ribbons, scarves etc, preparing all the quizzes and games for the evening, and getting all the food ready. Everyone mucked in, and I was still getting dressed when the guests arrived. We had a fun evening with a global theme. Lots of pitta breads, hummous, stews, rice, moussaka, stew, fruit salad and cranachan. Delicious. The best game was the Mummy game, where three people were wrapped up in toilet roll. New Year was celebrated throughout the evening, as different time lines were crossed, and with champagne at midnight. Everyone left around 3.30am.

Thursday 1 January 2009

We had a well deserved lie-in, but not for too long, before Auntie, Mum and I decided to go for a New Year walk up the hill. It was cold, so we wrapped up well, and wandered along a mile long circular route among the trees. Great. Then, in the afternoon, some friends of ours who have two young boys, came by. Again, we hadn't seen them for a couple of years, and how they have all grown! Lovely to see them again. We took loads of photos, and it was nice to catch up with the news.

Friday 2 January

Our family friend that we visit on Boxing Day traditionally comes to us on the second, and once again this year was no exception. Mum makes nice sausage rolls and rolls with salmon and egg, followed by tasty homemade mars bar cake and meringues. Delicious! In the afternoon my auntie and uncle brought my grandparents round for dinner. We had a lovely afternoon, which included S and I playing some traditional Scottish music, me on the fiddle, her on the guitar. Great afternoon and evening.

Saturday 3 January

H and I drove south, 500 miles, in lovely weather and on quiet roads.

Sunday 4 January

I got up, began to drive to work, and wrote off the car. So here we are. 2009.

To Do before going back to school ...

2008-12-22T16:59:00.004Z

Mark Year 11 exams (2 sets plus one third of two other sets)
Mark 2 sets of Year 11 books
Mark 2 sets of Year 10 books
Plan A level lessons on Sex and Relationships
Write Year 11 reports
Write revision notes for A level students
Produce homework booklets for Years 7 to 11
Enjoy Christmas!

Right. So I really ought to get cracking then ...

Added on Saturday 10 January: I didn't manage to get much done ... I am half way through marking the first set of Year 10 books, and I still have most of the Year 11 reports to get finished. They are due in on Monday. I have made homework booklets for Years 10 and 11.

Desert Island Discs

2008-12-21T12:39:00.002Z

I thought that after the pictures yesterday, I should include some music, if possible, today. Also, I was inspired by listening to James Nesbitt on Radio 4 sharing his favourite music, and thought that I should try and think of what I would include. I have done some research, and see that I am allowed eight pieces of music. So, what would they be?

1. An Irish Lullaby (Too-ra loo-ra loo-ra). Preferably sung by my Mum or Dad, but I suppose I would have to go with Bing Crosby! This is probably one of the first songs I learnt (well, at least the chorus!), because one or other of my parents used to sing me to sleep with it. It's the lullaby I use if I'm ever faced with a child that needs to sleep. Although that's not often. Interestingly, my parents aren't Irish, and I'm not sure where they learnt it from ... The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen would make more sense, really ... another one of my favourites from childhood. Anyway, here's Bing ...

2. The Eighties were when I first started listening to contemporary music (along with a lot of older music from the forties, fifties and sixties, as well as Gilbert and Sullivan!) The first single I remember owning was probably KC and the Sunshine Band's Give It Up. I think it came as a sort of prize having bought a pair of Clarkes shoes or something like that. But then I think I would have to choose Uptown Girl by Billy Joel as the song that my friends across the road and I used to dance around to, and also one of the first music videos that I remember watching. However, the song I always used to dance around to at home was probably Madonna's Who's That Girl? (Strangely, the video on YouTube is not the one I remember watching ...). Then the two that I associate with singing and dancing to in the playground are Bananarama's Love in the First Degree and The Bangle's (original and best!) Eternal Flame. Hmmmmm. I think I'll go with ... Uptown Girl. (The only one I can't embed here!)

3. Now it gets more difficult. I have already decided on numbers 5 to 8, below, and only have two choices left. And I've just realised that I've been doing this for about three hours, which is a bit ridiculous really, especially since I have loads to do and have to tidy up before driving to Scotland! So ... two songs that will summarise my time at secondary school perhaps? Well, the one's that immediately came to mind were Del Amitri's The Last To Know and REM's Nightswimming. Or Everybody Hurts. Or The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight. (Hadn't really realised how much REM had impacted on my life!) Listening to them is a bit depressing actually!! I think I'll choose Nightswimming.

4. I think I'd like to choose something Scottish for this song (which is actually the last one I've chosen ...). After all, a large proportion of my time was spent fiddling! I've decided on the Bonnie Lass o' Bon Accord by James Scott Skinner. I have to say that I play it a lot more slowly (on purpose!) that you hear in this recording. I love the minor key. Could also have chosen an eightsome reel of some description. Or the Hen's March to the Midden, as played by Grandad!

5. Then I met my husband ... There are three songs that I could include here. First of all, Celine Dion's Tell Him, which we played (although with the other songs on that Let's Talk About Love album) over and over. Then there is the Beatles' Blackbird, which H played on the guitar, much to the annoyance of a friend of ours', and to my pleasure. Finally, there is Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine, which H also used to play to me on his guitar. This is the one I'm going to choose, since this was the first time I'd ever heard that song, so I think part of me thought that H had written it for me, which made it extra special!

6. For our wedding waltz, we had song that I grew up with when I was young. True Love, lyrics by Cole Porter, here sung by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly (ignore the printed lyrics, listen to the song). It was a song I had in my head, but we still hadn't chosen our first dance, which tradition dictates should be a waltz (unless of course there is something else that you really want!). So I asked my grandad, fount of all musical knowledge, and this is the one he suggested. Which, since I knew it and liked it already, seemed like a good suggestion.

7. Still on the wedding theme ... our wedding video featured a few songs. But the one that always stands out is Elton John's Your Song. Not only are the words ideal, since I married a creative person, but every time I hear it, I see the clip from the wedding video which features the best bits from the day and finishes with a slow-motion first dance, where we both look so happy.

8. For the final piece of music, I'll end with the song that I'd like played at my funeral: Be Still My Soul, with the music from Finlandia by Sibelius. Preferably with a full orchestra. I first came across this hymn when at church on the last day of one Scripture Union camp. I'd made some good friends, one of whom I would go on to share a flat with and still see now, and the words seemed particularly meaningful as we parted: "Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last." We didn't know if we'd meet again in this life, but we had faith that we would meet again in the next at any rate. Later, at uni, I played Finlandia in the University Orchestra, and loved its soaring cadences, its rousing interludes. (Sorry, the midi file I've linked to does not do the tune justice!! I see The Priests have it on their CD ...) (Wow, I've also just learnt from Wiki that it was the short-lived national anthem for Biafra as well!) Okay, now we're talking ... I've just found Finlandia on YouTube ...

So, the definitive list is:

1. An Irish Lullaby, Bing Crosby.
2. Uptown Girl, Billy Joel.
3. Nightswimming, REM.
4. The Bonnie Lass o' Bon-Accord, James Scott Skinner.
5. Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Withers.
6. True Love, Cole Porter.
7. Your Song, Elton John.
8. Be Still My Soul (Finlandia), Sibelius.

And if I could only take one disc? Oooh, that's hard. Think I'll go for Your Song. But, then again, tomorrow I might change my top eight altogether!

My book (along with the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare, both of which would already give me a lot to get my teeth into) would be ... I think it would have to be the Complete Works of Jane Austen. I'm sure I could read Pride and Prejudice and Emma a few more times ...

My luxury ... well, that's a bit more difficult ... actually, no, it's not! A digital camera with a BIG memory card, so I could hone my photography skills taking pictures of all those lovely palm trees, monkeys, fish, sand dunes and whatever else I might find on the desert island.

Right. I'm off to my desert island now ... well, that would be much warmer than here, and there might not be as much tidying up to do! Actually, I really ought to start trying to get ready to head north for Christmas, so I have lots to do, and I might not update this blog for a day or two, so, just in case I don't call back for a bit - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Fortnum & Mason's

2008-12-20T16:50:00.005Z

It's become a bit of a Christmas tradition that I visit this well known and loved London department store and take photos of its famous Christmas window display. I've so far written about the Alice in Wonderland windows, and the Twelve Days of Christmas.

This year the theme is the Snow Queen. I went to the shops in daylight this year; this meant I could see the windows more clearly, but there was more of a reflection, so the quality isn't always as good! However, I hope you like them!

This magical mirror a sorcerer did curse
Where good looked bad, and bad looked worse.

The greatest of friends poor Gerda and Kay
Neath rose framed windows they loved to play.

A splinter of mirror glass pierced the heart of Kay
The Snow Queen flew down, bearing him away.

The Snow Queen's palace, so white and cold
To free her Kay, Gerda must be bold.

To find her friend Gerda soon set forth
The reindeer carrying her far to the north.

Her tears of love melt the ice in Kay's heart
And from this day on they will not part.

Entertaining

2008-12-14T00:15:00.002Z

We've just had a lovely evening with friends. Always great to chat to them - she is in the same line of work as H - and it's nice to extend our conversation beyond our usual!

Unfortunately I mucked up my timing a bit - leaving everything to the last minute isn't always the best idea! - but apart from cold lamb and roast potatoes, everything seemed to go down well!

Starter - Olive and sundried tomato hummus with gluten-free pitta bread, cucumber and cherries.

Main - lamb, roast potatoes, and a sort of roasted/stewed veg - carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, fennel, onion and beetroot cooked with chopped tinned tomatoes.

Sweet - fruit salad and cream (pineapple, pear, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, plum, nectarine).

Cheese dish - gluten-free savoury biscuits with 5 cheeses: brie, jarlsberg, danish blue, port salut and medium cheddar.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape was served, along with a Blossom Hill White Zinfandel rose wine. The driver and the cook were drinking freshly squeezed (although not by me!!) lemon juice.

Too full for tea and coffee, which was a shame because I had bought new coffee! Mum and Dad will need to return soon to drink it!

So, all in all, a lovely evening, and a day on which I have done very little else other than do the dishes, the shopping and the cooking.

This was because we were out rather late last night, first of all at the going away party of one of H's school friends who is travelling to Egypt then home, and then we went to the Double Club to celebrate the birthday of another dancing friend. Lots of lovely people at both events, it is nice to get out and about and meet new and interesting folk!

I do have quite a bit of marking to do tomorrow though:

* Finish Year 7 marking (this has been going on for the past three weeks, I think).
* Year 11 Mock Exams (2 and a half sets)
* Year 11 books
* Year 10 books
* Year 12 / 13 assessment booklets
* Year 9 assessments (2 sets; I set them the assessment for classwork to try to get them to do some work, which they haven't been doing recently. Not my class.)

Other things I need to do before the Christmas holiday on Thursday:

* Phone all the parents of the Year 7s who have not brought back their trip letters.
* Tidy up the office!! (A HUGE job ...)
* Write and send the Christmas cards.
* Return a document/booklet/resource to a teacher in another school.
* Write Year 11 and Year 13 reports.
* I'm sure there are many other things .... !!!

Off to bed now. It's after midnight and I have church tomorrow!

Happy St Andrew's Day!

2008-11-30T17:17:00.002Z

No haggis for us tonight, unfortunately, but I hope you are all having a lovely St Andrew's Day!

Just thought I'd make a list, not of what I have to do, but what I have done since yesterday!

I got up around 10am yesterday morning.

I cleaned the bathroom, put the washing on, did the shopping, hung up the washing (grammar???), put the shopping away, made the lunch (spatchcock poussin) and washed the dishes. By noon.

For the rest of the day, I washed those dishes, made dinner (lamb steaks with rice and squash), washed those dishes and cleaned the kitchen. I also produced two and a half powerpoints (I have just finished the third now) for our big RE day. That was quite a big job.

Today, I have been to church, made lunch (beef stew), completed all the admin things for the RE day, including sending some emails, written my A Level mock exam paper, and made a GCSE revision checklist for my Year 11s. That has taken some time, but I'm pretty pleased with my progress.

I still need to do the dishes, make dinner, and mark three sets of books. Will see how I get on ...

Wish List!

2008-11-24T21:02:00.004Z

Around this time of year, sometimes people ask what I'd like for Christmas. So I thought I'd make a wish list!! Don't worry, I don't expect to get any of it really, but thought I'd think about some of the things I'd really like!!

A new mobile phone, that takes good pictures. Don't mind about music etc since I never listen to it on my mobile. I'm not an earphones type of girl. And that tinny sound annoys me.

A new pair of nice shoes that I can wear to school, so are not too high but not flat either.

New pair(s) of trousers, smart enough to wear during the evening but also suitable for school.

New tops that are not too revealing.

Casserole dish.

Richard Hammond autobiography.

The new Malorie Blackman book (Double Cross, I think).

Red pens! (Gel type flowing ink pens for marking.)

Hmm. May add more later - have to go and get some work done now!

Additions:

Wii Fit

Digital camera that will fit in my handbag and may even record video. Good quality.

Terrific

2008-11-18T19:43:00.002Z

I spent all weekend planning an A Level lesson for an observation on Monday. Then I was told that the person who was supposed to be observing me was not in; however, it had also been arranged (inadvertently, mistakenly, I think) for another senior teacher to observe me later this week. The teacher who told me this then agreed to stay and watch my lesson, which I had prepared, as long as he was not needed elsewhere. Which turned out to be all but the final ten minutes.

Later, I asked if that would count as my observation. "Terrific lesson!" I was told. But, no, it would not count as an observation because he had not written anything down!! But it would be used to help write the report about the sixth form ...

Gee, thanks! Terrific!

Martin Creed

2008-11-13T22:51:00.002Z

We went to Martin Creed's flat yesterday. A bit more crowded than that sounds, though! He is using his Brick Lane flat as a mini gallery, and the small front room was packed. I had arrived later than H, and was wondering where to find the flat. However, as I paused on a corner and looked around, I noticed a light going on and off just above me, and knew that I had reached my destination! Other than that infamous work, I could not see Creed's other painting - the works on display in the front room were all by other artists. However, the highlight of the evening was first of all recognising, and then talking to, Martin himself. I hadn't realised that H had met him before, although I am sure that he would have been just as pleasant, down to earth and friendly if we were only all meeting him for the first time. It was very tempting to tell him that he was one of my favourite conceptual artists, but I didn't, even though he is. I think that I particularly like his work since I discovered it first not in a gallery but in the house of a friend, before he won the Turner Prize. I remember trying to explain his work to other teachers at school when he won that! Nice to have finally met him.

Quantum of Solace - Warning: Possible Spoiler Alert!

2008-11-01T00:17:00.002Z

First of all, I'm not sure if I'll give anything away, but my parents have been known to comment that I may have said more than necessary ... so read on at your own risk!

We have just arrived back from an enjoyable evening out at the O2. To begin with, we had a tasty and satisfying meal at Gaucho. We started with a rectangular glass plate of scallops. This time, the scallops arrived as a heap of white, tender and cold baby scallops, mixed with sweet little orange segments, chilli, coriander and thin circlets of roasted purple carrot. Very different from our warm, seared scallops at Cafe Des Amis, and perhaps not quite as delicious, but succulent and tasty nonetheless. The chilli in particular meant that although the dish was cold, my mouth was quite hot by the end of it. However, Gaucho is not best known for its fish dishes; its speciality is Argentinian beef, which is brought to the customer on a wooden board, so the waiter can explain the cuts and show the amount of beef you get for each weight. I decided to have a Bife de Ancho (ribeye steak), while H had sirloin (Bife de Chorizo). Both medium on the rare side. I had a Bearnaise sauce; H had peppercorn. We shared chips and spinach. Absolutely delicious. My steak melted at the slightest touch of my knife, with the barest of blood oozing from the barely pink insides. Succulent, tasty, mmmmm. I think I had the best deal, although H made short work of his, too. We finished by sharing a pancake with vanilla ice cream and a caramel sauce. Highly recommended.

Anyway, you are probably not reading this for my food review. (Well, maybe some of you are!) But my main reason for writing is the latest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

First of all, the theme tune. I saw the premiere on TV, and was disappointed then. I've grown a bit used to it since then, but I still think it sounds vaguely out of tune, although I'm sure it's supposed to sound that way. H says it's supposed to sound like that, and the reason I don't like it is because it's not the sort of music I listen to, and it's more R&B. Now, we listen, I think, to quite a bit of R'n'B, and I think I like most music we listen to. And I'm sure there are other Alicia Keys songs that I like, it's just that this is a bit, well, out of tune sounding. The credits were okay, though. Quite traditional, lots of women and sand and guns.

Next, the plot. Ahem. I wish I'd rewatched Casino Royale before going to see Quantum of Solace! I was able to remember bits and pieces, and occasionally I would think, aha, that is related to Casino Royale, but I was a bit at sea in places. For example, I can't quite remember the details about why and how Vesper Lynd died (I mean, I can remember how she died, but not the events surrounding it). However, that didn't really matter, the main plot was fairly straightforward to follow, and where it was a bit incomprehensible or bizarre, it was still followable. (I don't think that sounds quite as clear as it should be!)

Thirdly, the girl. The main weakness with Casino Royale, for me, was Vesper Lynd. I just couldn't believe the relationship. That the whole plot for this film rides on Bond's love for Vesper seems a bit unbelievable when taken in context with the lack of chemistry in Casino Royale. However, since we never see Vesper this time, that's okay. Instead, Bond has a good, strong relationship with ... excuse me while I go and find out what she was called ... Camille. I don't think it's too much of a flaw that I did not really take any notice of her name, since she is a strong enough character without one. The other "Bond girl", Fields, was very familiar (I have just looked her up and discovered that she is Gemma Arterton, who was recently in St Trinian's, which I haven't seen, but that has made me realise she reminded me of Tess in the BBC's Tess of the D'Urbervilles ... yes, that's who she was). Although not a big part, I thought she was very good. And in many ways, she was also a more typical Bond girl ...

Product placement was one of my main grips with Casino Royale. Omega this, Virgin that, Ford the other ... He kept on using his mobile phone in very conspicuous ways, and as for using a laptop on a boat in the middle of the sea with your girlfriend to check into work ... well. I was a bit worried when I heard Mark Kermode mention product placement on his radio podcast, so I wondered if there was going to be a lot of it, and if it would annoy me. However, this time round, I didn't really notice it as much, even though I was looking out for it (which I wasn't first time round). The first - and only - time I really noticed it was when Bond was drinking in a bar in an aeroplane. Someone asked what he was drinking - the opportunity, in Bond's of old, to say, "a martini, shaken not stirred" - but here he didn't really care so he asked the bartender, who replied precisely, "Two shots of Gordon's, a shot of vodka ... (or whatever the ingredients are) ... and a thin twist of lemon peel", or something like that. I think he said it was shaken, and I think he said it wasn't a vermouth or something. Anyway, Gordon's got their placement. Then when Bond moved out of the way, you could see he was in a Virgin Atlantic plane. So another Virgin placement. Other than that, the product placement was not obvious. In the car chase we were aware that there was an Aston Martin being chased by a ... oh well, I noticed at the time, but I'm afraid I've forgotten. Someone else will need to watch out for it and remind me! Later there was a Range Rover, and a Ford was driven at some point, but those were the main things I noticed. Bond did use his phone a lot, it's true, and I can just imagine that Orange executive saying, "Let's have him taking pictures of the villains with his mobile phone camera!", but when he used it, it made sense - we all use our phones for taking pictures these days, don't we?! - and I did not notice what make of phone it was, because it wasn't important. I have to say, it does seem like there may have been quite a few placements there, but that's only because I deliberately wanted to mention them, and they did not seem out of place, so it wasn't a problem.

Daniel Craig. Still great as Bond. Still either the best or number 2 after Sean Connery ... still tough to place them! Craig's Bond is tough, gritty, violent at times, focussed. He also has a tender side, seen in a couple of unexpected places, which makes him human and likeable. This film continues the theme of trust, started in Casino Royale. He is still working out who to trust. As is M. And possibly the British government ...

The chase scenes are great, real edge of the seat stuff, holding your breath for ages, finally able to breath out and then something else exciting happens. Lots of chasing, lots of fighting. Mostly this all seems very real. My only gripe would be that many of these scenes are so quick, with so much cutting, editing, on the move shots, that it is often difficult to work out exactly what is going on, who is doing what, where things are happening etc. This makes the film dynamic, but it would be interesting to compare it to a slightly slower, clearer cut.

Right. I've been back for an hour or two now, and it's definitely time for bed. So, my final, overall view? A very enjoyable and exciting film, one that made me feel happy, with just enough of a social conscience to raise issues in someone's mind without being at all preachy, Daniel Craig is excellent, and all is right with the world. Roll on 2010.

Ladies Who Lunch

2008-10-30T13:53:00.002Z

I joined that select group yesterday, meeting up with a couple of friends for a delicious lunch at the Boathouse Restaurant, in Little Venice.

We met up at Warwick Avenue tube station, then braced the chilly air (no blanket of clouds to keep us warm, once again!) to walk a short way along a road next to the canal. I would have missed the Boathouse if my friend had not been before, as it is built into the wall, but once inside, we were met with a beautiful view. We sat in the terraced section of the restaurant, next to the canal, and were warmed by the sun, sparkling in the water. As we waited for our order to arrive, we ate olives and french bread (only one and a third slices each, this time).

I ordered, after some debate, the duck confit with black pudding and dauphinoise potatoes. A lovely crunchy skin covered the melting duck flesh, with a succulent black pudding also resting on the plate of tasty gravy. The spiciness of the black pudding was nicely off set by the creamy potatoes. I also had a plate of rocket and parmesan, which made me feel healthy, as well as providing a sharpness to the meal. Delicious, and a good amount.

It is always nice to go out for a meal with friends who are prepared to share their food, especially with desserts as good as these. I think I had the most sublime dessert: roasted figs with lavender honey and vanilla pannacotta. Three different tastes, blended together so eat mouthful was fragrantly different and delectable. I scraped the golden seeds out of the plump, burgundy figs, before I realised I could eat the skins and got to enjoy the figs all over again. Small lavender flowers were sprinkled on the honey, exploding in the mouth along with the vanilla seeds in the pannacotta. The creaminess of the pannacotta was sigh enducing.

I have always had a suspicion of creme brulee. No longer. At least, not in posh French restaurants. Delicious, creamy, caramelly. Not plasticky or thick, but smooth like cream rather than like lumpy custard. And the pot of Valrhona chocolate was equally divine. Yum!

We finished our coffees - a macchiato, cafe latte and a cappuccino - then continued chatting and catching up for another hour, until the waiters had to politely kick us out! As we headed, full and happy, into the cold early evening air, we were able to reflect on how good it is to be ladies who lunch!

First snow and Toni Morrison

2008-10-28T23:12:00.004Z

It's so cold!!! It snowed all the way home from the Southbank Centre, where we had been to see the great Toni Morrison. To be honest, I can hardly call her "the great", because I have only just started reading her first book, The Bluest Eye. However, the first couple of chapters have drawn me in and I am looking forward to continuing reading. Also, she is probably the author that has most inspired H, and he talks about her a lot, so I was delighted to get to see her in the flesh.

It was an interesting evening, particularly when the conversation touched on politics. Toni Morrison never mentioned Barack Obama's name, instead she spoke about "he", and tried not to say too much about the election - as if she did not want to jinx it.

Afterwards, we had dinner at Wagamama ... then stepped out into the snow and ran across the bridge to Embankment. Very, very cold.

On another note, some nice meals recently. These include pasta with pesto, poached egg and asparagus; lamb shanks in a red wine gravy full of root vegetables; chorizo and veg stir fry with noodles. Yum!

Lots of random thoughts and filling ins

2008-10-25T21:49:00.002+01:00

It's finally the holidays! I say finally, but that sort of suggests that I have been waiting for them, longing for them, and actually that's not entirely accurate. They more sort of crept up on me. I'm sure you noticed the lack of entries over the past six weeks or so. It has been a particularly busy time. I'm running the department again, as I may have mentioned, a bit earlier than expected, which has meant a few extra meetings, more admin to complete, more detentions to follow up (from other classes, not necessarily mine), more letters to write home.

However, I have managed to just about keep on top of all the departmental stuff, and still manage to find time to go to interesting events with H. I've also managed to get up earlier, arriving in later, and leave school earlier, getting home earlier, most nights any way. My marking has been a bit behind, and the office is a mess, but mostly the classes have been fairly productive and I am still enjoying myself. Let's see how long it lasts!

So, a few thoughts. Firstly, my cleaner (C). When I am a bit later in leaving, for example because I'm trying to catch up on a bit of marking, he will often arrive and have a short chat about religion before getting on with the hoovering. So it was interesting to learn that he is in the UK completing his Masters in Law, working constantly to fund the study. He's looking forward to going home where he should be able to get a good career as a lawyer, particularly since he will have a British qualification and speaks English. Recently I threw out a few pages of an old textbook, but the next day I discovered it on the table. Thinking that C had left it there in case I'd thrown it out accidentally, I put it back in the bin. At the end of the day, I was writing letters to parents when he arrived. He explained that in Islam, nothing with God's name on it could be put in the bin, it had either to be burnt or buried. That was particularly interesting, since a Jewish colleague had been talking about the same thing earlier with some students.

Secondly, my report on last night. We went out to the Housing Options Affordable New Homes Show, which was informative. Nice to hear a bit more about the options, which being a Key Worker are perhaps a more than for many people. Anyway, we stayed for a bit, then decided to head out for food. I knew roughly how to get to Wagamama at Covent Garden, so we were heading there, but H kept looking in the windows of nice looking French restaurants that we walked past. So I started keeping an eye out too, and just off Floral Street I looked up a little alley way, and could just make out the title, Cafe Des Amis - Restaurant. Let's try this one ...

Anyway, we had a delicious meal. Pretty extravagant, it's true, but every mouthful was a delight. We started with a selection of bread and olives. Three types of bread ... baguette, a wholemeal seeded bread, and a sweeter loaf with walnuts and raisins. Delicious. With lovely French butter. Then we shared a started of scallops with a chicory and chorizo fondue. The scallops were perfectly textured, firm and juicy, seared to bring out the flavour. The fondue, a large scone-sized pinky mound of chicory and chorizo, was also tasty, excellent. I then decided to have a traditional main course, which reminded me of meals at home, of good food, well cooked - poached smoked haddock, with salty crushed new potatoes and a fried egg, and a "pommery mustard beurre blanc". Every bite was heavenly. The haddock melted in my mouth, and came away from the skin with just the right consistency. H had beef fillet with mushrooms. The mushrooms tasted wild, natural and wonderful. Really, we ought to have stopped there (well, I ought to have ... H had a cup of tea, but left dessert for me ...) but I was intrigued to see what would be on the menu for dessert in such a restaurant. Well, the first item seemed so unusual that I eventually decided I just had to try it. Soupe au chocolat (indulgent soup, nonetheless - I'll say!) with black pepper ice cream. How could I not try such a sweet?! I expected a small amount of melted chocolate with a similar sized portion of ice cream. Instead I received a large, hot, soup bowl, full of melted chocolate with a thick blanket of thicker, cooling chocolate, and a small portion of vanilla-looking ice cream rapidly melting in the middle. Yum! Spoonful after spoonful, I engorged myself on this delicacy, enjoying the delicate taste of the black pepper amongst the vanillaness of the ice cream. But I couldn't finish it! I felt my heart beating faster as the chocolate coursed through my veins in overdrive. So, very nice, but only have it if you have a friend or three to share it with! Anyway, it was a wonderful evening, the waiters were lovely, the food was fantastic, and I'd definitely go back ... for a very special occasion!

Anyway, I'm hoping that I might be able to write more this week as I'm off, and it's nice to be back ... but don't worry if you don't hear anything, I'm just really busy!

Blog Action Day: Poverty

2008-10-15T17:28:00.005+01:00

It's blog action day and the topic is poverty.

Where to start?

Well, since, once again, I am very busy, it's going to be short, but the first thought must be to do with the financial crisis we find ourselves in.

In particular, I was interested to listen to a radio programme a couple of days ago which was talking about the possible impact on Edinburgh, home to the Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland. The discussion centred on the premise that if the headquarters of these banks were to be moved elsewhere, then Edinburgh would suffer. The reason I was interested was because I have had the privilege of working under the hallowed halls of one of these headquarters. Indeed, as a teller I had the opportunity to sit at the far end of the hall, under the expansive, highly decorated, rotund ceiling, and watch customers walk towards me, their voices echoing embarrassadly as if in a library. I could then try and help them out, take their money, or give them some. In the evenings I would try to balance my cash before heading home.

I did consider banking as a career, briefly, when I was finishing university, but decided I would not like to be a young whipper snapper telling older men like my father what to do and whether or not they could get loans etc. I made the decision that I would rather do a "social" job rather than one with a possibly better salary. It now seems I made the best decision on both accounts.

Anyway. While the world goes mad, my Year 11s are considering the topic of Evil and Suffering. One asked, why do we always think about people in developing countries? Why do we not think about the poor people in the UK? I think that we do, but it's true, many of our examples are based on developing countries. So we thought about the suffering faced by people in the UK. Young people. And we considered why that is a problem for many people when it comes to thinking about God.

I am afraid that my computer is running really slowly, so this is extremely hard to type out at the moment. So I will finish there for now and perhaps continue later.

Anyway, that is my contribution to Blog Action Day!

Busy Bee

2008-10-13T20:21:00.004+01:00

What a busy week it has been - again! I've hardly had any time in school to think about anything other than teaching or admin, ie no marking, filing, chasing up minutes, phoning parents etc.

Fortunately most of my classes have been fairly straightforward and well behaved, other than one day when my Year 11 class was very poorly behaved, along with many other students from another class. I wrote a long email to their Head of Year, and we are giving them an after school detention this week. Their letters arrived today - so they were not too happy in this morning's lesson!

Other than that, my evenings have also been jam-packed, which has been enjoyable, but very tiring! For example, we had another open evening (the grand total of two parents visited the department), following which I went to the opening of a gallery fairly near the school. H joined me about an hour later, and since he knew people, we then got chatting and stayed until quite late, when we went next door for a Vietnamese/Chinese/Thai meal. Fortunately we had the car, so it was fairly easy to get home!

The next evening we were out late at a reading event, which again was fun and we met up with some friends and relatives. Another late night - we tried to go to Tayyab's for dinner, but by the time we got there, they were closed, as was the Orange Tree, so we settled for a kebab instead!

Friday I managed to stay in and watch Ugly Betty. How relaxing! Now that Doctor Who is off the air, it is the one show I love to watch regularly.

We visited the new Saatchi Gallery on Saturday. Some of the art seemed quite "vacant", like the eyes of so many of the figures on display, but a few pieces were more interesting. Unfortunately my wisdom teeth started playing up at the weekend so I wasn't able to enjoy the experience as much as I would have liked to! However, it was good to finally discover the King's Road, which had a lovely market selling lots of delicious looking food. We had a sausage on a roll each (yum!) and a box of healthy vegetable dishes, which were unfortunately cold, which was quite unexpected having stood for some time beside the (hot) pans. However, we would still like to go back some time.

Sunday seemed so busy from the start to the end of the day (and the beginning of the next ...). From church I went straight to the shops, then I came home, cooked, then marked lots of books (three out of four sets). In the evening we went out to the home of a new friend, and we stayed until midnight. A great evening, loads of good chat and plenty of good food! Arrived home after 1am, so I am pretty tired now.

I got back earlier from a meeting. Another busy day, but at least I have had the chance to catch up a bit on my blog and some admin stuff here at home. Must go to bed now, though - I think I deserve it! (I definitely need it ... !)

Sunny

2008-10-05T11:58:00.003+01:00

I haven't posted anything from the Meme Express for a while! Today's idea is inspired by Bobby Hebb's gold record single, "Sunny".

Is today a sunny day in your spot on the globe?

No!!! It's pouring with rain, and it's cold and overcast. A dull, dark day!

Do you have a sunny disposition?

I think so ... I try to be positive, optimistic and encouraging. I love life, and love learning new things. When things are tough, I try to look for the the positive side, or at least simply say, "Oh well!"

Who is the sunniest person you know?

H is pretty sunny! Most of the time anyway.

What makes that person so sunny?

He tends to look at life in a sunny way, living life to enjoy it, probably because he has faced stormy times in life, so if he didn't look at life in a sunny way, then things would be quite tough.

To Do List ...

2008-10-05T11:53:00.002+01:00

Take back trousers to shop to replace - worn three times, hole in side hem already!
Buy and replace brake light.
Book car in for a service.
Rearrange trip for next week and ensure risk assessment etc are all ready.
Marking.
Finish tidying up the flat.
Lots of visits to people and art galleries etc coming up in the next few weekends.
Post book to S.
Make video for members of our department and for marketing evening.
Write two (or three?) lesson plans on Confucius.
Book myself onto two diocesan meetings.
Arrange detentions for a number of children.
Send letters to parents regarding their children's lack of attention.

So, as you can see, once again there is a LOT to do ... (and that's not actually everything ...)

Weekly Roundup

2008-10-05T11:37:00.002+01:00

Well, I'm glad to report that there do not seem to have been any negative side effects after Wednesday's taxi ride home. Although I have not seen the boy in my form since. But that could be because he doesn't want to return his report card.

Other than that, I had a very positive meeting with our headteacher later in the week, and the department seems to be going well. We are all very busy, though. And I think one supply teacher might want to leave ... Anyway, we'll keep on going, trying to paddle away furiously to keep our heads above water.

Had a lovely afternoon yesterday with my B-i-L's stepsister and parents. She lives in a picturesque little village and we went to a tasty French restaurant for lunch, where we all laughed loads until we started getting looks from the waitress that she'd really appreciate it if we freed up the table. It was a pleasant afternoon, but as we left the rain started, and it doesn't seem to have stopped since. I drove to church today, which is a bit lazy, but at least it kept me warm and dry. Quite quiet at church today. I wonder if many of the parishioners were on pilgrimage to Lourdes, as at least one was, or whether our own life-giving water fresh from the sky was encouraging them to stay at home?

Lots of preparation to do now. I'm in the process of making a video, and it's taking a long time to download where I want it to go ... I think it should be finished now so I'm off to have a look.

Dilemma

2008-10-01T17:28:00.003+01:00

I'm hoping I've not made an error of judgement. In every school there are some pupils that we might call the "hard nuts" or something similar. The ones that every teacher in the school can name, the ones that spring to mind if there's something going on, or rumours of something going on, the ones that like to give you attitude if you walk past them and wish them a nice day, the ones that are to be found wandering around the school site when everyone else is safely tucked up in a classroom. Well, maybe not every school. But surely it's not just mine?! Anyway, today I was walking around the school, making sure that things were running smoothly and removing anyone who was interfering in that educational bliss. And I came across such a group of boys. They ran away from me a couple of times, but eventually one of them had the wherewithall to speak to me slighltly more calmly and coherently, and it became clear that there was more than simply fear of learning that was causing them to behave in such a manner. There is obviously something else going on in their lives, in their community. I went to speak to our school police officer, but the boys did not want to spill any beans, so I took a note of their names and left it, since the day was about to end. They can be picked up tomorrow, and since they are all on report, it will be obvious that they were truanting.

Anyway, by the time I made my way past the office, some of the boys were there, trying to call for a taxi. I was asked to phone, so I did so, and the taxi duly arrived, taking away a group of our least desirables. However, it was while they were waiting, that something said by one teacher made me wonder whether this was such a good idea. I think I am filled with the milk of human kindness (!!!) and naively assume everyone else to be! I hope that the taxi driver and his charges all arrived safely, and that my trust in the boys - they may be toerags but I hope they have some sense - has been rewarded this time. And I hope that they may begin to have some trust in us at school, so that we might be able to help them a bit, or at least point them in the direction of some help, for whatever is going on in their community. I wouldn't like to be a young person today. It's such a shame.

To do list ...

2008-09-28T22:20:00.004+01:00

I can't believe how busy I am. I am now HoD but still teaching a full timetable. Hope that will change this week. The teacher that was driving me up the wall has now left and we have a new teacher ... he seems to be okay so far, we'll see how it goes.

Nice weekend planned this weekend. Brought home three sets of books, loads of good intentions to get lots done. My plan was to get up, do some tidying then spend most of the day marking etc, then out last night for dinner with cousin, then get up early today to do shopping, before heading north to our friends' son's baptism, where we would spend most of the day but arrive in good time to get things ready for tomorrow and have an early night.

Didn't quite work out that way.

H woke up in the middle of the night with some strange symptoms of tightness across the chest etc. Fortunately after taking painkillers it subsided, but we wondered if it was partly caused by the disorganised nature of our flat at the moment, so we decided to really spend time tidying the house the next day. Because our sleep was disturbed, we got up later than planned, then decided to start by doing the dishes. Well, the dishes turned into cleaning the kitchen, including clearing out a lot of food past its sell by date, and cleaning some very greasy items from the top of the cupboard. Pans, dishes, food everywhere. Until about 2pm or so, by which time we were hungry, and couldn't really cook because all the dishes were everywhere. So we went out for some light lunch, then went to do the shopping, then came back, got changed, and went to my cousin's. Great night! They have a nice flat with a good view, and we had a delicious lasagne. Came home on the late side and went to bed. No marking.

I woke up this morning earlier than H and marked some homework sheets. Didn't get started on the books. Managed to plan the homework for my GCSE classes, but no more. Headed up north for the baptism. We arrived an hour early for the baptism and drove into the pub car park to think about having a bite to eat. However, H had the tightness again, so I phoned NHS Direct, who advised phoning 999 to get checked out. So we called for an ambulance, who then took H to the A&E, with me following on behind. ECGs, blood tests, x-rays, temperature, heartbeat etc all checked, and all was fine, other than a bit of inflammation in the chest, so he just has to take painkillers for the next week and he should be fine. Not a heart attack, and not indigestion. But we missed the baptism! We were let out around 5pm, so had a quick meal before meeting up with our friends and going back to their house. We therefore stayed a bit longer than we might have done otherwise, which was lovely, but now that we are back - just - I am too tired to get all the homework done! And still have loads to do. So thought I'd write down my to-do list:

Take back trousers to shop to replace - worn three times, hole in side hem already!
Buy and replace brake light.
Book car in for a service.
Write wish list for department to take to my line manager.
Prepare list of things to do for school trip on Tuesday.
Complete risk assessment for that trip.
Marking.
Finish tidying up the flat.
Lots of visits to people and art galleries etc coming up in the next few weekends.
Post book to S.

Right. Wonder how long that will all take ...

Hello dear world!

2008-09-23T18:03:00.002+01:00

Wow, it's exhausting being a teacher! And difficult to find a few moments to write anything at all. Even now, I want to have a relaxing shower, and I need to cook dinner. I have brought a set of books home that I have not managed to mark for two weeks, despite it being the best class I have ever taught, ever, and I have a bunch of admin stuff to do as well. But I wanted to let you know I am still here and am doing okay! I'm going to break off now to do something for a bit ... Hope to be back later this evening!

Hovis and other reflections

2008-09-12T21:47:00.002+01:00

Saw the Hovis advert just now. Liked it. Very clever, and a good history starter, perhaps!

Ugly Betty is back - well, she was back last week, but I missed her - and as excellent as ever, with some good moral dilemmas thrown in for good measure. Could use some episodes in my ethics class, perhaps ... today we were discussing determinism ... did Claire Meade have free will in murdering Fey Sommers?

Most exciting thing was hearing about my sister's scan. How exciting to be able to see little hands and feet! Can't wait to see the picture! And the real thing, of course!

Thank you ... and goodnight, Sir Cliff ...

2008-09-10T22:47:00.003+01:00

Well, I've just seen Sir Cliff's latest offering, with which he hopes to get a number one in every decade for the last - six? - decades. Quite catchy, but also a bit sad ... If the curtain should fall, maybe even tonight, I may have given you a lifetime, but you've given me the time of my life ... (Or something like that.) And Sir Cliff still boogies and swings his stuff like he's seventeen, rather than seventy (or however old he is now). I just felt I had to write something. It would be nice ... sweet ... if all his fans bought his record to try to give him a chance of that number one, I'm just not sure that would be enough! And it is a bit self indulgent, really. Well, very personal. A message to his fans. Kind of him. However .... Anyway, the second, more pertinent, question is ... Sir Cliff, is hosting the lottery and wishing all those with tickets luck, compatible with your Christian beliefs?

Talking of which, Pupil B as mentioned yesterday has continued with excellent questions and comments. Today she has been asking about what happens to those who belong to other religions when they die. How do you know you're following the right religion? I have high hopes for her.

Other than that, a certain member of staff is continually winding me up. I will see how this goes. Could be a tough year!

Back to School

2008-09-08T22:24:00.002+01:00

No blogs recently, since it's been a busy week, and an even busier weekend! I have met almost all of my classes now - two to go! So far, so good. A couple of interesting classes, to be sure.

Today's interesting exchange:

Pupil A: "Why do Muslims bomb planes?" (Perhaps he'd been listening to the court case on the news, although I didn't think that came through until later.)

Pupil B: "Not all Muslims bomb planes. The ones that did didn't understand the Qur'an properly."

She'll be after my job next!

There is one pupil in my class that can be a bit of a handful. However, he did very well in some exams, so it was nice to be able to phone home about that last week. Then he came in and we had an altercation on the first day about his mobile, so I made a short call about that. However, today he came in looking the smartest he's looked in a long time, with new shoes and a new black jacket. Very smart! In fact there was a long queue at the office this morning of pupils signing out to go home and get changed into the proper uniform. Black shoes, black jacket, blazers, ties etc. This may last ... we will see, and hope that it does.

The end of the holidays ...

2008-08-31T22:06:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow, I go back to school. Last week I had a couple of dizzy spells, so I've been trying not to be on the computer too much. But I should really give an update!

Tuesday 19 August - Can't remember much! I think I was helping H with his work. Packed in the evening to go home. Went to the doctor about the dizzy spell I had yesterday. She didn't know what it was.

Wednesday 20 August - Took the train back to Scotland. Worked on the train. Arrived in time for a late dinner. Good to see Mum and Dad.

Thursday 21 August - Tried to get some more work done. Wrote a bit that I blogged yesterday. Enjoyed being home.

Friday 22 August - My Canadian cousins arrived! Lovely to see C again, and her daugher, D, is lovely! Had a short rest, then hit the town. I showed them the sights, and when we visited the main city church, we got an impromtu visit to the roof!

Saturday 23 August - Visited Discovery in Dundee. Took loads of photos! Another nice day. Visited my sister and her husband, then went to collect H from the station.

Sunday 24 August - Loads of relatives came round. I think C enjoyed seeing them again, and they were all delighted to finally meet D!

Monday 25 August - Went to Edinburgh. H realised he needed to get back to do some more work - exhibition next week - so he managed to get the last direct train to London. Mum took C and D to see the castle, while I visited my grandparents.

Tuesday 26 August - Busy day! First of all we went to the Deer Centre, which was great. We fed the deer - red, roe, fallow, St someone or other - and decided that the Highland Cow was stubborn. Then we went to St Andrews, and went down the mines at the castle, before heading along the pier and then to Janetta's for ice cream. Finally drove to Anstruther, for the best fish and chips in Scotland!

Wednesday 27 August - Took it easy. I got my hair chopped off and dyed, for the first time ever. Visited the castle where my sister got married, then came home and played some card games. Finally, went out for dinner, where we finished with a huge happy birthday ice cream sundae with a flaming sparkler.

Thursday 28 August - Took the train back down south. Sat beside a nice Dutch couple from Pittenweem.

Friday 29 August - Finished the essays I had to write - yeah! H got back late from the Midlands. I decided to lose weight.

Saturday 30 August - Diet started today! Breakfast - bacon, tomato and salad on a muffin. Lunch - Nando's chicken breast on pitta. With shared sides. Dinner - two poached eggs on a muffin with salad. Snacks - mini bag of carrots. Feel very good - until I realise how many calories are in a Nando's chicken pitta. And that's before the mayonnaise ... Went into the city in the evening to try to find a book. Had a really sore head and felt sick. This followed waking in the night with the room spinning round. Not good. Will need to see the doctor. Probably should try to use the computer less.

Sunday 31 August - Well, that's today. Because I felt so grotty yesterday, I switched off the alarms and slept until I woke up, then took it very easy all day. Had spatchcock poussin for lunch, then made a healthy beans and rice with avocado for dinner. When I was hungry I had a bowl of peas from the pod. Tasty. Have been good all day! But have also realised just how much I still have to do for school, that I have not done! And, it's already past my bedtime. So - goodnight!

Scottish Blog

2008-08-29T13:23:00.000+01:00

Wednesday 21 August 2008

No blog at the moment since I am on holiday amongst the beautiful hills of Scotland. I came up by train yesterday and was able to get a bit of work done then - no internet access! I am sitting at my desk now looking out over gardens, trees, fields and distant hills, with a wide expanse of sky, filled with heavy foreboding clouds, bearing down on us. Not raining at the moment though. A lovely hotchpot of red and grey-green slate roofs in front of me, a tall tree with long, droopy, green leaves right in the middle of the scene - our next door neighbours’ - and, in the not too far distance, a Saltire fluttering proudly. What a difference from looking out over a block of dirty flats and a busy main road!

In the corner, the TV flutters - I still don’t want to miss a moment of the Olympics! I have really enjoyed following the Games this year. As I write, the rhythmic gymnastics are on, with girls in sequinned leotards leaping, pirhouetting and barhetting (?) around with ropes and hoops. I am looking forward to the ribbons and balls coming out! It never ceases me to be amazed at their agility, strength and precision. Philips Idowu has just missed out on getting the gold, which everyone (apart from the Portuguese, obviously!) is disappointed with. However, it is amazing that anyone can jump that far at all! Of course, Usain Bolt has been the talk of the Athletics recently, and I was glad to be able to see the race last night - sorry I missed it live when I was on the train. Quite a feat. Two world records. And what about Chris Hoy? Three gold medals ... and it’s possible that his father did my parents’ kitchen many years ago.

Anyway, I need to get my work finished now so I can get on with having a nice relaxing holiday!

7pm: Have finally received news of our exam results. The department seems to have done slightly better than the overall A*-C including English and Maths pass rate. However, it is a big drop on last year. I would be interested to know what our A*-C overall rate is, not including English and Maths, and I’d also like to be able to compare it to the English pass rate. Overall I think it’s possibly a bit better than we might have expected, although obviously we always hope the result will exceed our expectations. I wonder how my individual pupils have done, and also what my class results will be. I expect them to be very poor indeed. After all, a quarter of the students are in top sets and I teach the third set, so I doubt I’ll have any Cs. I just hope the majority have passed. I don’t know how many Us we got.

I have high hopes for next year. I am very tempted to start with the revision ... get the bare facts out of the way before working on the exam questions, the Bible quotes and the details. We’ll see. I am teaching a few members of my own form this coming year. Fingers crossed!

8pm: Having worked a bit and soaked my feet, I am looking round at the books in the study here. Memories of growing up! So I thought I’d record a few for posterity.

Hilda Boswell’s Treasury of Poetry ... The opening poem is called “Firelight”, by Irene and Aubrey de Selincourt. It is beautifully illustrated over three pages, little fairies, gnomes, castles and forests of red, orange, golden flames. I realise that over the years whenever I’ve seen a fire, and watched it flicker and change before my eyes, I have thought of this poem ... although not in the words which I record below.

I like to sit by the fire and stare
At the curious things I can see in there;
It’s better than pictures in a picture book
To sit by the fire and look, and look.

I can’t see the things that Anne can see
(Anne, she’s seven, but I’m just three)
Faces, and rivers, and forest, and all -
(Anne’s enormous, but I’m quite small).

But the fire makes a nice sort of creaky song;
It popples, as it it were running along;
It talks quite soft, and it means to say,
“I know a nice quiet game to play.”

I don’t want to jump, and I don’t want to shout;
Mummy says, “What are you thinking about?”
But I’m not thinking; I just like to sit
Quite still by the fire, and stare at it.

Then there’s Edward Lear’s wonderful Jumblies - they went to sea in a sieve, they did! Each verse of their adventures once again illustrated in greens, reds, blues and yellows.

Far and few, far and few,
Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green and their hands are blue,
And they went to see in a Sieve.

Later is the first poem by William Blake that I learnt: Little lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee? ... Later I learnt that not all Blake’s poems were songs of innocence, as this one is! And then there is the bittersweetness of The Lost Doll, by Charles Kingsley. The prettiest doll in the world ... lost, then found in the heath one day, her paint all washed away ... but still the prettiest doll in the world. That’s love!

Wynken, Blynken and Nod in their wooden shoe ... The Song of the Engine - “I think I can, I think I can ...” (this one is marked with a scrap of yellow paper - obviously a favourite, and I have just realised that this poem by Christine Weatherly is the one I was thinking of some time ago when all I could find was the Night Express (I think?) by Robert Louis Stevenson or someone or other). The Spider and the Fly, and another favourite of mine - The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies (O!). That poem I learnt one year as my Hallowe’en party piece. I was dressed up in a long gypsy skirt, with long hair and a scarf around my head, all in the style of the gypsies in my book. I look again at the ten verses ... this is why I always secretly, quietly, despair at the sorry excuse for guisers we used to get at our old house down south. If you were lucky, the prompting of, “And are you going to say something?” would elicit some half baked, murmured joke about snap, cackle and pop, whereas in my day, we prepared songs, poems, magic tricks, dances, duets ... we could not leave the house without a complete performance. We didn’t expect to make money, we did hope for an apple and some sweets if we were lucky, and it’s probably just as well we only visited each others’ parents, because with four or five of us travelling around together we must have been in each house for about twenty minutes at least! Ah, those were the days.

Anyway, that has been a nostalgic half an hour, and now I really need to complete my work before our visitors arrive tomorrow! So off I go again ...

The Warm Heart of Africa

2008-08-29T11:54:00.003+01:00

I just found this video on the internet. I think the accent is South African, and it seems to be aimed at azungu tourists, but there are many familiar sights on it, which I enjoyed seeing again! Must get my bawo board out ... However, unless I missed them, I didn't see any sign of Zomba, Blantyre or Lilongwe ... Only lakeside tourist resorts and the national parks ... and no mention of the chips at Liwonde!

Weekly Update

2008-08-18T16:12:00.003+01:00

Well, I think I have certainly blogged more than normal this week, but I am interested myself in adding an overview of the whole week, as a reflection on what has been achieved.

Monday 11 August - Looking back, I apparently had a very focused day and got lots done. I don't think I've quite managed to keep it up, though, unfortunately!

Tuesday 12 August - Took loads of photos throughout the day to make an animation of the changing skies. Also spent a lot of time online, posting memes, and thinking about, and enjoying, the Olympics. (Have done a LOT of that this week!)

Wednesday 13 August - Some more memes, surfing and stumbling around on the internet, and watching the Olympics. H was up north overnight, working. Took me hours to get to sleep. Was just dropping off when he phoned, then an hour later was still awake, so decided to switch on the light and read for a bit.

Thursday 14 August - Got up and went into school for a couple of hours. I managed to clear out one cupboard of stuff - I now have a huge pile of scrap paper for any pupil who forgets their book (not that that should happen, of course! I don't plan on letting them out of my sight too much!). Rushed home, worried that H's friend, arriving by plane, might have arrived when we were both out. He hadn't. Didn't arrive at all, in fact - turns out he was staying with someone else!

Friday 15 August - Was back in school again for a few hours this morning. A new colleague came in, and it was lovely to see her. She's really looking forward to starting, which is good. Hope she stays that way!! I now have three bin bags full of rubbish to be thrown out. Unfortunately I then had to come home so H could go out (he's lost his keys - again!), and just as he phoned me the door fell off my cupboard! Fortunately, with a little bit of help from the caretaker, I managed to get the door back on again. Hope it stays! My classroom door is still a bit wonky, and I forgot to check and see if the windows have been fixed (I doubt it). I noticed some new graffiti from during the holidays on the side of the cupboard. Annoying. I don't know who's been in. Came home, H went out, I got some work done. A bit. And some more surfing, I think. Eventually went to bed, no sign of H. He eventually arrived back quite late with his friend. Got up and chatted for a bit before heading back to bed for some much needed sleep and left them to it!

Saturday 16 August - Got up and went to the shops with a neighbour. Nice to sit and have a coffee while she finished her shopping before coming back. Then sat and watched a load of Olympic events for most of the afternoon. H made lunch, I made dinner. Chatted about the past. After taking H's friend back to the place where he was staying, we came back and thought we'd watch the overview of the Olympics, and the preparation for the women's marathon. Then we thought we'd watch the beginning of the marathon. Ended up getting so gripped we watched the whole thing! And ended up going to bed around 3.30am.

Sunday 17 August - So tired I slept in, and didn't make it to church. H got a text at around 11am that woke us up ... fortunately his friend was letting us know that he was running late, so that gave us time to get ready! We went to Brighton for the day, arriving in time for a late lunch. Not quite at Harry Ramsden's though ... we went a bit further, down the pier, then had fish and chips in the pier restaurant. We walked to the end of the pier, where we were amazed at the people who were spending £8 to go upside down and round and round on one of the rides. They seemed really close - it was quite motion-sickness-making watching them! H was almost tempted to have a go on the bucking bronco, but decided not to. I quite fancied getting one of the those getting dressed up photos, but we would have had to have waited, so we decided not to. Instead I had a huge candyfloss, which was good - but maybe a bit much! Then we walked down to the beach, where we took photos next to a giant doughnut, and H lost his hat (although he found it again, on the other side of the wall - he managed to jump over and get it before the wind carried it out to sea!).

The beach is full of pebbles, which are not that easy to walk on in the sort of shoes I had. I kept sinking in and getting little pebbley stones in my shoes, which wasn't very comfortable! However, I eventually made the sea, and walked into the water - I wasn't quite able to jump over the waves, the pebbles saw to that, but I enjoyed standing there with the water washing over my feet.

It was nice to go for a wander along the promenade, taking photos, remembering nights spent in the Grand Hotel, watching the seagulls flying overhead and generally talking and laughing. By now it was getting a bit later, so we began to head back to the car, past the Brighton Pavilion, stopping off at the Colonnade pub for a drink (they don't serve hot chocolate, but they do have muffins). We eventually found the car, which was no mean feat, and I drove home. At some point I deviated from my planned course, but that meant we had a detour under the Greenwich Meridian, so that was good.

Monday 18 August - I haven't managed to do all the things I wanted to do today. As I write this it's now after 6pm. I started writing this around lunchtime. I've had a dizzy spell earlier that has made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I have watched some Olympics and made lunch. I need to go and clear up. I haven't done too much computer stuff today, but I have done a bit. Mostly I've not done much at all, just sat around feeling a bit under the weather. We are going out in an hour. H is going off for a jog. I'll go and clear up. Hopefully tomorrow I can not go on the computer at all and just blitz my essays so we can head north on Wednesday with everything done so I can just relax. How quickly holidays come to an end!

Blog Action Day

2008-08-18T13:23:00.000+01:00

Blog Action Day will be coming up soon ...

Looking back ...

2008-08-13T15:35:00.004+01:00

I was just visiting another site called That's My Answer, and it asked the question,

How often do you take a trip down memory lane and read your own blog?

Well, that was a challenge for me! I do occasionally look back, but normally when there is something specific that I am looking for. So I decided to have a little look back at a few random posts, and see what I was getting up to. And where better than to start with my first post? As you can see, I've been blogging for almost two years now! I started on 15 October 2006 ... I must try to remember in a couple of months to write a special celebratory post! As far as my initial intentions went, I think H has definitely benefited from me writing about my days at school, rather than trying to tell him everything the moment I step through the door. I've felt better and been much calmer, I think, about work since I've started blogging. However, I don't think I've necessarily written much about my actual teaching and teaching methods, as I had originally planned to. I have other places for that. But instead this blog has, I think, become a much more personal blog, a place where I share my thoughts and ideas more generally, and a place where, specifically, my family can learn about all the exciting things that H and I get up to here in London.

A year later, without realising that it was the first anniversary of my blog, I wrote a post for Blog Action Day. I wonder if there will be another one this year? I had to write about the environment. But it sounds as if it had been a hectic day at work! And my car was lightly knocked ... it's been in worse scrapes since.

Some of the posts I have particularly enjoyed sharing have been those with photos, for example when we visited Fortnum and Mason's to enjoy the Alice in Wonderland window display. The following year we went to see the Twelve Days of Christmas in the window. These photos were taken with my mobile ... I still hope to get a new mobile that can take better pictures!

As for a completely random post about teaching ... this one, fortunately, looks at the more positive side of teaching - reading it brings back the memories very clearly! I should also confess that the island desks did not last ... I had to return to rows again to help keep everyone focused. A shame.

And I really ought to be getting on with some work rather than reminiscing! However, I hope you've enjoyed this little wander down memory lane with me. Maybe we'll do it again sometime!

Parents' Day

2008-08-13T12:06:00.003+01:00

Another one from the Meme Express; apparently Sunday 27 July was Parents' Day, so, since I missed it, and it was Mum's birthday yesterday, and Dad's birthday is in just over a month, this can be the focus of my post today.

What special memories do you have of your own parents?

They're not finished yet! Lots of good memories. For example, I remember once being unwell in bed - I must have been coughing or something - and Dad got up to see how I was. (He probably did that lots, but I particularly remember that time, I must have been about thirteen or something, and I think it struck me at the time that I might have expected Mum to come through, but it was Dad.) I remember going to visit Mum in hospital when she'd just had my sister, and later taking a school friend to see her at home when she had flu and she wasn't too happy! (But I wasn't too happy when he told her that I'd poured paint everywhere at school ... not exactly my fault, I'd been blowing bubbles into watery paint, and putting the paper on top of the bubbles to make a pretty pattern, except my paintings weren't looking so good because the paint didn't seem to be sticking enough, so I did the obvious thing ... I put the paper on top of the bowl, then turned the bowl of paint upside down on the paper so that the bubbles would stick more ...) Anyway, enough of me! Back to my parents ...

How about posting a tribute to a parent?

As I said on their Silver Anniversary (I think) ... I always remember the quote that the greatest thing a father can do for his children is to keep on loving their mother. And we have been blessed with that! Mum has always been there for my sister and I; I always assumed that if I had children I would, like her, stay at home, being there for them, doing the housework, cooking, baking, looking after, playing games, teaching them how to do things, listening to them rehearse ... Now that I am older, and realise that may not be possible, I can understand much more the sacrifice that Mum must have made to be there for us, throughout my schooling, until my sister was in secondary school. We really took it for granted - maybe it was easier in those days, I don't know, but as I see more and more of my colleagues coming back to school when their children are six months old or so, I realise how special it must be to be able to stay at home. But then Mum impressed us all even more by beginning to study. An O Level in Biology, a Higher, and then, amazingly, an Open University degree! And this while still working, cooking, cleaning, entertaining, supporting daughters in uni and overseas, organising a wedding ... We were all so proud of her when she graduated! And if that wasn't enough, she changed careers, studied for that new pharmaceutical job, and has certainly made up for all that time she was at home looking after us.

As for Dad, he has always worked hard to provide for his family, and made sure none of us ever wanted for anything. He used to get up really early in the morning, and sometimes during the night if he was called out, without complaining. Despite this, he has always attended every event that my sister and I were in, always been there for any important occasion. He has always been proud of us both - in fact, all three of the women in his life! - and has encouraged us in every way. He has always been funny and game for a laugh, although it used to be a bit embarrassing when he called our friends by random boys' names! He's also a great cook - sprunglegunge! - and a great storyteller. I discovered that he's also a good writer when he wrote about a work based team building activity weekend, which was full of humorous asides and surprising innuendo, and I am looking forward to catching up with his memoirs!! One of the other things about Dad is that he has always been great at being involved in organising parties and events for other people. Whenever anyone left at work, he would write a funny speech and arrange balloons and things. He's also known for his kissograms, although I don't think he's done any recently! Finally, talking of speeches ... his Father of the Bride speech was truly awesome. Even though I thought a number of times that he was about to conclude, it really didn't seem that long at the time! He covered almost every key event in my life from birth until the drive to church ... He's had to put up with a lot of teasing about its length ever since, but I don't mind - it was great!

So, Mum and Dad - thanks for being such great parents! We couldn't have asked for better.

Why not recount a humorous anecdote from your own childhood?

Where to start?! There must be so many! Some quotes that might make sense to those that know me (because I've spent ages on this already and really ought to get on with some "proper" work!): "I do like your babies!", "Middle!" and "At least she lived a long and fruitful life."

Are you a parent?

Not yet! Maybe in a couple of years ...

Want to tell a funny story about your parenting experience?

Since I'm not a parent yet, I don't think I have any ... I've fortunately never had to do any serious babysitting or anything either.

Got any helpful advice for parents-to-be?

Not really! But what I hope I've learnt from my parents ... support your children in all they do, encourage them, don't worry if they want to do things differently from the way you would, love them, and let them believe that they can be whatever they want to be.

Would you like to share a funny family photo or two?

I'd love to ... but not on this blog! Sorry!

Right. So that's my views on parents for today ... Wonder what the Meme Express will suggest next?!

The Olympics

2008-08-12T17:02:00.006+01:00

Another set of questions from the Meme Express ...

How much do you know about the history of the Olympic Games?

Well, this is a tough one ... I am sure if I were reading a history of the Olympics it would be very familiar to me, but I am embarrassed to say that it doesn't just trip off the tongue!! It started in Athens, a LONG time ago ... Did it start as a response to the feat performed by the runner who ran to (from?) Marathon to tell the people that the Spartans were coming? (Or was he a Spartan??) Oh dear. Anyway, the athletes in those old classical times liked to show off their talents, eg naked wrestling in the gymnasium, and they were crowned with laurel wreathes. So that was the classical Olympic Games ... presumably on Mount Olympus ... ummm, is that a real place or just the mythological home of the gods? Oh dear, oh dear. My poor Classics teacher would not be too happy with me! Anyway, later on, in the 1800s, I think, the modern games were revived. Let's see ... it's the 29th games ... every 4 years ... possibly missed one during one of the wars ... so that's about 120 years ago or so? 1880s? (Just in case any poor students being set a research homework on the Olympics happens to pass by, please let me remind you that I am doing this off the top of my head so it's probably hideously wrong!!) Right. So, how many marks do I get for that?!

Have you ever participated in, or attended, the Olympics?

No, neither! Although I have been to the swimming pool that was used during the Edinburgh Commonwealth games a number of years ago. Does that count? I do hope to be able to make London 2012. I'll be really disappointed if I don't get to make those games! I also hope that some of my students might be able to participate in them - you never know. Some are very good athletes. I have met an Olympic athlete, a former student (not one of mine, though, he's about the same age as me!)

What is your favorite Olympic sport?

Partly, whichever one I can cheer a British athlete on in, or one where an underdog is competing, or if a story has built up around a particular event so there's a more general interest in it. But, mainly, athletics. It's amazing how fast some people can go, the stamina they can show, how far or high they can jump. Although, to be very specific, I think I like the races. I love watching them live, for example at school sports' day. It's like my heart stops beating and I stop breathing for a moment as I focus on the sprinters, holding my breath as they run the 9 seconds or so down the track. Although I can't actually be doing that, at least not during Sports' Day, because I'm always jumping up and down and screaming like a mad woman. My form are normally very embarrassed by me! (But I think they like it really ... ??!!)

Who is your favorite Olympic athlete?

Hmmm. If any of my pupils were taking part, it would be easier! At the moment in particular, I don't think there is anyone who stands out. But the names I remember from my youth would be Daley Thompson, Tessa Sanderson, Fatima Whitbread, Steve Cram, Steve Ovett, Seb Coe (am I giving away my age here?!). Liz McColgan. Later, I remember waiting up late to watch Jonathan Edwards perform his world record breaking triple jump. The Olympian I met told us about Bible studies with Jonathan. I was sad to hear that he seems to be going through a crisis of faith at the moment.

Can you think of any sport that you think OUGHT TO be added?

No, not really ... I feel as if I am running out of inspiration here! Perhaps they could add the egg and spoon race or the sack race ... that could be interesting. Or a dads' race? A mums' race? Go on, some of the old primary school favourites could add a touch of drama to the serious work of winning medals!

If you could compete in the Olympic Games, what would be your event?

Oh dear. Anyone who knows me will know what a silly question this is! I am not exactly the sportiest of people. The sportiest I get is occasionally dancing around the room. Perhaps if I'd stuck in at school, then I might have decided to try my hand at sprinting. Only having to run 100m very fast ... if it wasn't for all the training, sacrifices, keeping in shape etc then you never know!

So there you go. Choo choo over to the Meme Express now ... !

Chinese shadow play

2008-08-12T13:45:00.006+01:00

I have to say that I was not at all surprised at the news from the BBC that the little girl in the red dress with the pretty bunches who sang was miming. At the time I thought that the noise was so pure and easy to hear among all the other noises, that it must have been pre-recorded. I also commented to H that a few years ago, she would have had short hair, curving my hand round my face to demonstrate. So it was interesting to read that not only was she miming, but she was miming to another little girl's voice! The actual singer was deemed by a member of the politburo to have buck teeth, whereas the first little girl looked more perfect - together, the girls made the perfect package.

Secondly, the fireworks travelling through Beijing were also pre-recorded. Again, I assumed at first that they were computer simulated, but then the BBC started talking about the fireworks outside, and I realised that they were live. Or at least, supposed to be. Reading between the lines, it sounds as if there were live fireworks on the night, but the footage was pre-recorded (from rehearsals, presumably) and enhanced - which is what gave it the CGI effect, I would think. Anyway, who can blame them? The whole show was fantastic, with so many things that looked computer generated actually having people behind them, for example the ceramic typewriter, out of which came cherry blossom then waving dancers.

I do think it's a real shame that in this day and age the appearance of a nine year old still matters so much - and the seven year old singing girl also looks very cute! - but at least she has been given the praise now, rather than it trying to be hidden forever. Hopefully she will be given the credit in China too and not just in foreign press. Of course many people are understandably angry, and really both girls could be insulted by the decision, one not pretty enough, the other not harmonious enough. Hopefully though they will both be able to show off their talents, as much or as little as they want to, and make good memories out of the experience rather than being bitter. After all, one little girl made people smile in her little red dress, and the other made people marvel at her beautiful voice.

Otherwise, the whole show was a spectacle, and of course China wanted to present everything to the highest standard. Can anyone watching at home on TV really feel let down to know that the fireworks we saw were not necessarily those going off at the time? I don't. I really enjoyed the whole shabbang. What would be really disappointing is if the athletes were shown to be fakes. That's where reality has to be all important. What do you think?

A Productive Day

2008-08-12T00:34:00.002+01:00

I have been indoors all day - we both have - although I have gone outside for some fresh air on the balcony, but it was wet and overcast, so there was no real pull to go any further - anyway, I have been inside and very productive! It's been my most productive day so far. Not too much surfing, mostly very focused. Also made spaghetti bolognese, and the studio isn't too messy, but mostly I worked on finishing my essay, and I did, and I'm happy with it. So that's good. Have a couple more to do tomorrow, if I can keep up this focus. And so, to bed.

Paperback Pleasers

2008-08-10T20:01:00.004+01:00

I am writing this as a response to a meme prompter on Meme Express. Apparently I can use this prompt, along with the images and music of the Beatles' Paperback Writer in order to inspire a poem, song, photo, or other entry ... Well, I do actually have a lot of other work to do, so I'm not feeling particularly creative at the moment! (Although many ideas of photos of my many paperbacks come to mind ... Maybe some other time.) So, because I do want to write something just now before getting back to my essay, I am simply going to answer the questions. Because they are about one of my favourite ways of spending time ...

Do you love to read?

I love to read. Apparently I was a real pain when I was young because I used to stay awake until I had been read to. I was finally able to get to sleep by myself when I was able to read for myself. Although my eyesight has never been quite the same! All those Famous Fives and Agatha Christies read either under the duvet cover, trying to keep the light from alerting my parents to the fact that I was still awake, or even straining to read in the darkness, simply by the light of the moon through the cracks between the curtains. I still devour books, in fact I devour words. It's the only way to describe it. From the ingredients on the side of a cereal packet, through the text messages sent to the free newspapers that I pick up and read on the tube, to novels and biographies with a bit of internet stumbling added in for good measure ... I am constantly reading. Fortunately H is the same, so if we go to a restaurant and happen to have a paper to hand ... well, he can read one section while I read another, and although we might look as if we are miserable in each other's company and are rudely reading instead of making small talk, in fact, we are both happy to quietly read and just be in the presence of the other, and in the presence of words. So, yes, I love reading.

How many paperbacks do you have going at one time?

Hmm. This is a tricky one. I have just finished Fearless Fighter by Vera Chirwa, and have also recently finished a couple of other books as well - I write my reviews on my other blog, Louisa's Library. I have read 20 books this year so far, and most of them have been paperbacks. I have two paperbacks by my bed at the moment - When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin and Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka. Normally I have some others lying around as well, and may have a larger book for at home and a smaller one in my handbag for the tube.

What is your favorite genre of books?

(Is it adventure, biography, history, mystery, romance or another?)

Hmmm. I read a lot of very different genres. At the moment I have been reading a lot of autobiography - this year has included works by Russell Brand, three sisters who grew up in a cult, Henry Hemming, Roald Dahl, Ishmael Beah, Peter Godwin, Alexandra Fuller, Erin Gruwell and Vera Chirwa. So that's almost half my books ... and one of the books by my bedside is also biography. Well, autobiography, or memoir, to be precise. The year before that I read 28 books, five of which were biographical. That year I read a lot of more literary fiction, because I was trying to get through a few of the books in the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. I also quite like a good old detective novel - I suppose the Famous Five and Agatha Christie reference from my childhood indicates that that love has been around for a while! They do seem a bit trashier when compared to Coatzee, Camus and Carter, who were all on my 2007 reading list, but they are fun and necessary at times for some light reading! I also love a bit of Jane Austen, but haven't read that much romance recently.

Do you consider paperback books a scholarly pursuit or a guilty pleasure?

A bit of both, I suppose ... I studied English, and don't feel guilty about gaining pleasure from reading. I also gain a lot of knowledge - especially if it's biographical, I suppose - and find it very relaxing. Much better for me that being on the computer all evening, which is how I more and more frequently find myself spending the evening. So it engages my brain while relaxing me ... It's all good.

Have you ever written a book?

I've written a short story at secondary school! Very hifalutin' (that's what comes up on the spell checker - it's not a word I've ever written before - I hope you know what I mean!), sentimental, quite silly and romantic, but I enjoyed it very much! I tried to write a novel during NaNoWriMo last year, and managed about 20,000 words, but it was hard to do that and work at the same time! I have no great ambitions to write a book, but I do love writing, and, as I said, I love words, so it was fun experimenting during November. I do know someone who has written a book though, so I have seen the experience at close hand. I don't know if I would have the stamina!

If you could write a book, what would it be about?

That's a hard one! The book I started before involved banking, shopping and driving. Very mundane. So I suppose it would probably be an observational book based on everyday life. I'd need to think of a more exciting plot though! I love words, but planning and following through ... well, that's where I would let myself down!

And that's it ... thank you, Meme Express, for that inspiration! Hope it's livened up my blog a bit for my readers (my parents and overseas friend, I think, but possibly other people passing by!)

(PS Not sure why the choo choo image doesn't show up unless you click on it ... May get round to fixing it later, but I really do have work to do now!)

My Weekly Summer Update

2008-08-10T18:53:00.005+01:00

So, what exciting things have happened this week?

Monday 4 August - Discovered a few more interesting websites and computer applications. Played around with those, did some writing, generally inside, tidying up etc.

Tuesday 5 August - More computer stuff, practiced animating cartoons on the internet, went to the shops. Up really late surfing around on the internet. Mostly stumbling around using the StumbleUpon button, which you click and it takes you anywhere on the internet! Very addictive. Also updated most of the phone numbers etc on H's new mobile phone. Which means he can't phone anyone, because whenever someone changed their number, he added it as a new person, whereas I'm putting them all in one place, then he doesn't know which one is the correct number! Oh dear.

Wednesday 6 August - More working from home and surfing. Had a lovely evening though. We walked to Canary Wharf again and went to the Cafe Rouge for a drink, and ended up sharing a plate of bread, pate and cheese. Delicious! And very continental, sitting by the Thames. Relaxing. Watched the world go by ... I had a citron presse, which comes with a very concentrated bitter lemon juice, a jug of water, and a decanter of sugared water, which you make to taste. Felt very adult-like and grown up! (Which I suppose I am, really, although the older I get the younger I feel, I think! Or at least the younger I act!) I think we managed to have an earlyish night this night ...

Thursday 7 August - Did some work, but too much stumbling around again. Think it was tonight we watched No Country for Old Men, a film set near the Mexico border, with a ruthless killer to uses an air gun pellet thing that is used for killing cattle to murder people and to blow out locks. Very dark, but fairly gripping. Then went back on the computer ...

Friday 8 August - Had a long lie in, but got up in time to watch the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony; stayed on the couch from 11:45am to 5:15pm or something like that ... It was fantastic, really eye catching. I loved the scroll effects, and the way the painting started with dancing, continued with children and was completed with the feet of the athletes. The ceramic typewriter with the dancing keys, the thousands of disciples of Confucius in long robes and paintbrush-like headgear, the swirling dove people, the giant globe, the long, almost infinite-like, procession of athletes, the military precision of the Chinese police as the received the Olympic flag, the little boy, survivor of the earthquake, walking alongside the tall Chinese basketball player, and finally the delivery and lighting of the huge Olympic torch, as the Chinese gymnast floated then ran through the air, running behind the unveiling scroll revealing scenes from Athens to Beijing ... And I haven't even mentioned the fireworks. Well. What a start. Having watched to the very end meant that we didn't go into town, as planned. However, in the evening H decided to head to the O2 with his work to write his proposal, and I decided to stay at home and tidy up. I stuck on some nice African music - couldn't find the kwassa kwassa though - and that perked me up, and within the hour the studio had gone from being messy, dirty and a hindrance to clear thought, to being tidy, clean and a pleasure to be in. Made me feel like dancing. But I had some work to do, and with a nice clean studio, I could finally get on with it, and managed to write about 3000 words or so and still was in bed by midnight. (I read until about 1am.) However, when H came home, he was very excited with some news, which kept us both up for a while!

Saturday 9 August - Got up bright and early (ish!) in order to go to the bank, the mobile phone shop, and the bookshop. When I was in the Orange store, the shop assistant went to get another assistant because it was very busy. It's a small shop. He opened the door, and said, "Come out now, what are you doing in here? You need to come and help with the customers now. That's not important - don't waste your time on that now," or something like that. The other person behind the door was not happy. "What are you talking to me like that for? You don't need to talk to me like that." "I'm talking to you like this because there are lots of customers. You need to come and help." The first man was quite rude, and the second man wasn't very happy about it. A bit embarrassing really. It was very busy. But the first man could probably have gone into the back room and spoken to the second man quietly. Anyway. Then I came home, put on the washing, and made lunch. Planned to have lunch, then go to the shops before heading back for an afternoon nap and working all evening, and felt really good because I'd been out for fresh air and was half way through my essay. Then a friend turned up just before lunch was ready. So I divided it between three rather than two, and we sat and talked for a long time. Around 3pm I suggested that I go for shopping, and see them when I get back, but the friend said he'd be going soon, so I decided to wait and go shopping after he left. He left around 7pm ... by which time H was hungry, and I was tired and a bit frustrated that I hadn't managed to get any work done, although it was nice to see him. We eventually decided to go to the Orange Tree for dinner, then I dropped off H and went shopping. Came home ready for sleep! Just before I went to bed H decided he wanted to get a video uploaded to YouTube. The video was on my computer, so I started editing it, but I have new iMovies software, and it's really complicated (when you are used to the old software), and seemed to take forever. Got it eventually, but another late night.

Sunday 10 August - Got up bright and early for church. A different priest was there, talking about the Africa Missionary Society. It was very interesting and informative - he was telling us about the history of Liberia. Came home, made lunch - liver and onions with mashed potatoes - and moved the washing into the sun. Then pottered on and off the computer for a while throughout the day. Suddenly realised just before starting this post that the rain was bucketing down - such a contrast to earlier - and all my clothes are soaked once again. They were practically dry before. Ah well, these things happen. Now I'm going to go and try and finish this essay so I can get on with my lesson plans!

26 Things

2008-08-10T00:55:00.002+01:00

I am intrigued by the concept of memes, and have just discovered a one-off meme called 26 Things. The idea is that you take 26 photos of objects, each beginning with a letter of the alphabet, ie an apple, ball, cup etc. Of course, I would have to try to make them a bit arty. Could be fun ... might try it.

Lots more to write, but it's way passed my bedtime, so I'll love you and leave you. Hope to do my weekly round up tomorrow though! (Had planned on doing it today, but a visitor arrived and stayed about four hours longer than expected, so I got nothing done, although it was very nice to see them!)

One Word Meme

2008-08-05T01:53:00.001+01:00

With thanks to http://frabjousdays.blogspot.com/

1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
2. Your significant other? Drunk!
3. Your hair? Brown
4. Your mother? Home
5. Your father? Retired
6. Your favorite thing? Reading
7. Your dream last night? Clock?
8. Your favorite drink? Water
9. Your dream/goal? Family
10. The room you’re in? Only
11. Your church? Catholic
12. Your fear? Cockroaches?
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Mother
14. Where were you last night? Computer
15. What you’re not? Sleeping
16. Muffins? Waist
17. One of your wish list items? Rest
18. Where you grew up? Scotland
19. The last thing you did? This
20. What are you wearing? Pyjamas
21. Your TV? Off
22. Your pets? None
23. Your computer? MacBook
24. Your life? Wonderful
25. Your mood? Tired
26. Missing someone? No
27. Your car? Outside
28. Something you’re not wearing?
29. Favorite store? Bookshop
30. Your summer? Holidays
31. Like(love) someone? H
32. Your favorite color? Orange
33. Last time you laughed? Earlier
34. Last time you cried? BucketList
35. Who will re post this? No-one!

Busy, busy week!

2008-08-03T22:33:00.003+01:00

Wow, what a busy week! And with so many late nights! I have had a wee sleep, which was much needed, and I hope to have a lazy day tomorrow to catch up on my rest - but also on the tidying up, washing etc! So, what have I been up to this week?

Monday 28 July - Celebrated our anniversary by staying in for once! H was very busy getting ready for some shows, so I did some shopping for him and went to Ikea to buy a new bed, since we were having lots of guests this week.

Tuesday 29 July - My cousin arrived to look at flats in London. It was really nice to see her. She and another friend will be starting work in September. H continued to work on his preparation and I was able to help him. Think we were getting a bit high on the glue he had to use!

Wednesday 30 July - I dropped my cousin and her friend off at an estate agent. At least, that was the plan. Turns out the road she was on was so long, the numbers repeated themselves in different parts, so she was dropped off about a mile or two from her destination! Later, Mum and Dad arrived with my sister and her husband. I went to meet them, then later they met my cousin (who had found a flat - sounds nice!) who then left. After a short rest, we drove to their hotel and had dinner there.

Thursday 31 July - The highlight of the week! Really enjoyed the evening event, which was a great success. Loads of people there, friends, old, new and just met. During the day we had to prepare - it was SO hot, and I stupidly didn't get dressed up in the morning, choosing to come home, get changed, then go back. Silly idea! Anyway, an old school friend of mine had come down in the morning, and he was able to stay and help H get set up. I think everyone seemed to enjoy it. We stayed until we were eventually kicked out, drove home via the Orange Tree for some delicious Lebanese cooking, then stayed up chatting until about 3am, H, F and I.

Friday 1 August - Arranged to meet M&D at Camden Market. Wandered around for a bit, had some lunch, then took the tube to Waterloo, where we had a coffee. It was a cooler and wetter day, although the rain tended to be a drizzle, so it made a nice change. Then we took the Thames Cruiser - wonderful! - from Waterloo to the O2, where we met up with S&B. Kylie was playing, so there were loads of crowds, and the queues were long, but we got a good round table at Nandos, where we had lovely lot of food. It was funny when we got there; S, B, F and I followed the waitress up a flight of stairs to the table, then turned round to discover that H, M and D had continued up the staircase - which turned out to end up with the toilets! Fortunately they eventually found us! We had a really lovely evening, lots of chat and laughter, and all too soon it was time to go home. We took the tube, although H, F and I went to the supermarket before going home, had a nice walk, then stayed up talking again until about 3am once again.

Saturday 2 August - This is the day everyone had to leave and go home. So it was an early start in order to catch the lunchtime train. However, everyone managed to get there with plenty of time to spare. H and I had a wedding to go to in the evening, so after waving off the train we went to Oxford Street to get a present. They do excellent gift wrapping in John Lewis! Also got a new SIM card, and H got a new phone, which I have been playing with since. Quite jealous! We both had an afternoon nap once we got home, then had to rush to get ready to head across London. We decided to drive, and H managed to get through the lights as they changed to amber on Tower Bridge - just before the bridge went up! So that was lucky, or we would have been even later in arriving. It was a nice evening; H met up with some old school friends and I was able to chat to an old friend as well. Then we drove back with a couple of friends which was a good laugh, reminiscing. Another late night for H and I again, as we chatted about the wedding reception.

Sunday 3 August - So tired getting up for church, but made it. Hope my closed eyes looked like I was being particularly prayerful rather than sleeping! Came back and tried to sleep for a bit, but the noise of the Red Bull planes outside alerted us to the fact that the Air Race was on, so we decided to try to get a closer view and went to the O2. When we got there, we learnt that the tickets for the seats were £50 a go, so we decided to forego that and just stand and look up for a few minutes, before taking the tube to meet up with yet another friend at the Serpentine Gallery. Took a while to meet up, since the rain meant we changed our plans and first of all met her at her borrowed apartment, but we got there eventually and saw Richard Prince's work before heading home. For a much needed (and hopefully deserved!) afternoon nap. And then I got up, made some dinner, and here I am catching up with my blog. Hopefully this coming week will be a bit quieter! (Although, somehow I doubt it!)

See you next Sunday - if not before!

My to do for this summer ...

2008-07-27T22:24:00.003+01:00

I just thought I should add this here:

Plan new Year 7 lessons
Rewrite Year 7 RE lessons
Plan GCSE lessons
Make a list of all the departmental things I'd like to do
Update my other blog with the books I've read
Go into school to rejig my classroom and meet the new teacher
May have some extra work from another website company that will need to be done
Try to get some colour on my legs - suntan, I mean, not more bruises!
Visit Scotland
Relax a bit!

My first week

2008-07-27T21:13:00.002+01:00

Right. I thought I'd write a review of my first week on holiday. So here goes ...

Saturday 19 - Played around with some new ICT stuff and surfed the web all day.

Sunday 20 - Church. Helped H get some stuff ready for exhibitions.

Monday 21 - Lazy day, but a lovely evening walk and bus ride down the Thames. Fell and scraped my knee, which still has the marks of the bruises.

Tuesday 22 - Lazy day, I think I did some tidying, and started hoovering and scrubbing the floor.

Wednesday 23 - Scrubbed the floors for most the day; evening constitutional to Canary Wharf.

Thursday 24 - Went to the V&A; paddled and took photos. Visited Westminster Cathedral then met up with H and his friend.

Friday 25 - Didn't do much during the day, but went to see The Dark Knight in the evening.

Saturday 26 - Too hot to do much. I got up to do the shopping and the washing, then wandered around for much of the day in a long top and not much else.

Sunday 27 - Got up and went to the Doctor Who Proms concert this morning. It was excellent! There were Judoon, Cybermen, Sontaron, Ood and Daleks - even Davros was there! Out of the companions, Martha (Freema Agyeman) did most of the presenting, and there were guest appearances from Mickey, Jackie and even Donna Noble (Catherine Tate)! Which was great. As was the music. A nice mix of Doctor Who themes, including some real classics like Doomsday, along with some relevant classical pieces - Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, Holst's Jupiter from the Planet Suite, and Wagner's The Ride of the Valkyries, for example. Afterwards, we went to the V&A so I could show H the pool, and I paddled for a bit as well as having a nice relaxing lunch there. Then we came back and I was too hot to move so slept on the sofa (by accident ...) while H went to buy some materials for his work. Eventually I woke up and have done some focussed surfing, mostly uploading photos to the computer etc. And I can't believe the time already!

Right. We have visitors from Tuesday onwards, so it's going to be a busy week. I might not pop by too much here but instead try to update next weekend, when things have calmed down again. But tomorrow I really ought to get this space spic and span, as well as heading to the shops for a bed and an anniversary present. Can't believe I haven't even bought a card yet! Oh dear. But today was lovely! (Although more for me than H!)

Batman and all that

2008-07-26T01:02:00.005+01:00

Posthumous Oscar? I have to say, I really didn't think it was all that great. Is that scandalous or even blasphemous to say that today? You'd think so, from all the hype. I think the best performance was from either Commissioner Gordon or from Michael Caine's Alfred the Butler. I mean, Heath Ledger was fine, good even, but I think once again the film has suffered from being over-hyped. If "suffer" can an appropriate word to use in relation to the highest opening gross making film of all time, or whatever it is. I mean, we went to see it on the basis of the hype. Well, not only the hype, more the fact that Batman Begins was truly excellent, and this had the potential to be even better. Except it wasn't.

I mean, it was okay, and it was mildly entertaining. There were a few laugh out loud moments, for example: "No, I've to kill the bus driver." "The bus driver?" BANG. It'll make sense when you see the film, I promise. There were a couple of big ideas - sometimes someone has to be bigger than a hero, someone who will sacrifice the hero idea to take the flack, he's the hero we deserve, we have to chase him ... all that stuff. And, in the beginning at least, the coin idea was a good one, even if it was obvious. (That will also make sense when you've seen it.) But it was too dark a film - you could hardly see the action (actually, in some cases that was good, because you wouldn't want to), but also you could hardly hear some of it either, which was more problematic - why are all those buildings being evacuated? Ah, he must have said he was going to blow one up ... I presume that's why they are doing that ... Now, what's going on with the boat ... ? Did I miss something? (Oh, actually, I did - this is one LONG movie, and even if you've got a cast iron bladder you made need to leave the cinema at some point, so if you haven't then I recommend sitting by an aisle.)

Right. So, it was okay, but the love interest was all a bit bizarre, some of the traitors were easy to spot - let's just dwell on that cop for a bit longer, shall we? - the action scenes were too dark to follow properly, both the leads spoke with lisps that made them a bit more difficult to follow and meant I was wondering if all the facial make up and costume was affecting their speech, it was a bit surreal (obviously, the villain was the Joker after all) in places, and the ending was also a bit too open and fluffy (but in a nebulous way as opposed to a soft and comforting way). Other than that, it was perfectly all right, but I'll not be rushing to watch it again.

3 out of 5?

On the other hand, we have watched some interesting films on Sky Box Office recently.

Charlie Wilson's War - I didn't know much about the whole Afghan/Russia conflict, so this was very interesting and informative, with a great last line. Sad.

The Bucket List - Great film, highly recommended. Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson; what more needs to be said? Well, I was in tears at the end. Twice. Very sad, very moving, very funny, very watchable, very loveable. (The trailer doesn't really do it justice.)

I Could Never Be Your Woman - Now, here was an unusual film to be chosen by H. As it started, Tracey Ullman appeared as Mother Nature. Later, the mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) and daughter go to choose tampons together to mark the daughter's first period. It is definitely a womanly film! But very enjoyable nonetheless. A bit bizarre, and it's hard to see that the relationship would last, but quite sweet too.

Spiderman 3 - We love this one! Except for the bizarre middle section with the blue suit where he goes all ghetto. But that bit was quite funny though! Anyway, this one we would really recommend.

So, there you go. If you want a superhero, either stick to Batman Begins or try out Spiderman 3. Lots of angst in both, and you know you'll be getting a good deal.

NOTE: H has just reminded me that we both watched and enjoyed Iron Man at the cinema as well. Very silly, but it never claimed to be anything else. Very funny as well. So there's another hero for you. Just don't expect too much!

Hot holiday day

2008-07-24T23:56:00.002+01:00

We had another pleasant evening constitutional last night. Once again, we wandered along the canal to Canary Wharf. This time, though, instead of getting on a boat we headed straight through to the bars near the tall glass buildings that make up Canary Wharf. It was full of sharply dressed business men, and a few smart women in crisp suits and heels. I felt a bit under dressed in my linen trousers and TopShop flowery top. However, I looked around me, and thought, I could teach your children, I have taught your younger selves. None of you would be here without people like me ... I didn't mean it in a snobby way, but I think it would be easy to look around at all the people who look rich with easy lives and think they've got it all and feel a bit inferior, since sometimes it's easy to get the feeling that perhaps those so-called "Masters of the Universe" might look down on we lesser mortals, but we are all people, and we all fit in one way or another, and none of us are greater or lesser than anyone else. We're just all different. So I felt a little less out of place, and we had a nice drink and some chips and prawns, and enjoyed being in the sunshine, and I used the opportunity to try and figure out what shoes I'd like to buy for this nice weather, that I can also walk (and not trip!) in, and then H pointed out a girl wearing the same top as me, except with a black pencil skirt and heels, so I thought I could try that sometime, and finally we headed back home, once again walking all the way.

Today I decided to leave H to his work (a good decision - he managed to complete the work he had been struggling with while I had been around to disturb him!), and headed out into the sunshine. It was a beautiful day and I didn't want it to go to waste. On the other hand, it was very hot so I didn't want to be outside too much! So I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I've not been before, and I didn't think H would fancy it that much, so it was a good choice. I wanted to do some research for a school project we've got coming up.

I took loads of photos and the art and artefacts I saw were very interesting; however, the best bit by far was when I walked out into a court, into the blazing hot sunshine, and saw a sign - "Do not sit or swim in the pool. Be careful when paddling" - or words to that effect. Paddling!!! I don't remember the last time I paddled. And I had the shoes for it today - easy to slip on and off. It was wonderful to slip my feet into the cool pool, and to feel immediately so relaxed and happy! I walked across the pool to the other side, and felt it was a shame to come out, but it would also be strange not to. So I got out and sat in the sun for a bit, until my feet dried - and then walked back across! Bliss!

From the V&A I had to go and meet H and a friend near Victoria, so took the tube there and visited the cathedral for a while. It was lovely and cool inside, and a lovely place to be. I took some photos, but it was also nice to be a bit contemplative. I have to say, I do like all the candles and the holy water. It's very sensory, I like having things to look at and touch. Then I met up with H and our friend, and we had a nice tapas meal before coming home. And updating the blog.

Another productive day! (As in, I didn't do much, but I did a lot with myself, and it was a definite holiday day.)

Wonder what we'll do tomorrow?!

Evening Constitutional

2008-07-22T10:29:00.002+01:00

(Oh dear, I hadn't realised it had been SOOOOOO long since I last wrote - such a busy time of year, the end of term, there have been dinners and dances and leavers' Masses, and H has been hard at work getting things ready for exhibitions etc, so I have been helping him as well instead of blogging here ... Better try and get back into the habit!!)

Last night, around 6pm, we decided to go for a walk. H managed to get some stuff sent off earlier, we'd had a nice lunch, so were not too hungry, and it was a nice day. We had spent most of the day (in fact, most of the previous few days!) inside working and not exercising, so it seemed like a good idea. Our plan was to head along the canal and see what happened.

It was a lovely evening, still warm enough only to wear a couple of t-shirts and a cardi, and the canal was calm and not covered in fungi like it is sometimes. As we walked along, passing a couple of lads fishing, dodging cyclists and runners, H tried to find some big fish to show me, like he's seen before. However, we only saw small fish in little shoals, but since I hadn't seen those before in the canal, I was quite happy. Then we saw a little family of moorhens or coots (I know, I know, I should know by now! These were the ones with the white bits from their foreheads down their beaks.) The four little fluffy ones were following the mummy one, and all were calling out as they swam, with the mum making little high pitched squeaks every so often, and the little ones eeeking as they dived for food and played around. They were very sweet. Another adult, the dad I presume, brought up the rear, making sure the whole family was heading in the same direction.

The next family we came across were much more serene. Two adult swans, and four or five still downy-feathered but almost adult-sized cygnets. They were resting in the water by the canal wall, quietly preening, their soft brown feathers being fluffed up by the slight breeze.

Further down the canal we came across some ducklings, following their tawny mallard mother. They were still small, soft and fluffy looking. They swam to and fro around the canal, enjoying the sunny day.

Eventually we came to the end of the canal, and decided to take a cruise along the Thames. It's the first time (in memory at least) for both of us to take a boat along the river, so we decided to make the most of it, and headed all the way to Waterloo Pier. It was a lovely ride, very smooth, and great to see all the famous views from a different angle, indeed going under many of them! There are so many wharfs along the banks, and we could see the connection between different places.

By the time we got to Waterloo, it was about 8pm or so, so we thought we'd have dinner. H remembered that the Spanish tapa place was nearby, so we tried to find it - the last time we'd gone from Waterloo tube station, so it's interesting that we now have a very different view of it, from the river to the restaurant. It's called Meson Don Felipe, and we once again had prawns in garlic oil, chicken livers, chips, spinach and deep fried aubergines. I also enjoyed the bread and butter. Nice place, but I think this time we had a bit too much and it was a bit oily. I really should have ordered the tuna croquettes and a salad, I think. Maybe next time. Anyway, this time we had a wee man in a pink shirt accompanying us on the Spanish guitar.

Afterwards, we walked home via the IMAX cinema, which was closed but full of black suited bodyguards and Batman's Batpod and Batsuit. Then we headed back to the pier. Turns out it was the wrong pier though, the Festival Pier, which our boat doesn't stop at. So headed back along to the London Eye and the Waterloo Pier. As we neared the pier, we could see the boat. We thought about running for it, but decided not too. However, it was still there a couple of minutes later, by which time we thought that if we ran we might just make it, and since it was now late, the next one wouldn't be for a while. H took off, and I tried to follow - but tripped on something, either an uneven edge or, more probably, the toe of my shoe. I fell forward, and tried to bring my other leg forward to gain my balance, which I have managed to pull off numerous times, but this time I wasn't fast enough. Instead, I slowly felt myself heading towards the pavement, and then found myself sprawled on the pavement. Ouch! I was flat on the ground, and was just glad I am slightly well proportioned enough to take the blow and stop my facing hitting the street as well. As it was, my left knee, my left hand and my right shoulder were all aching. I slowly managed to stand, and hobbled over to a nearby post as the boat behind us headed off into the moonlight. H had heard my footsteps stumble, and turned to see me on the ground, so he helped me up and waited as I caught my breath sitting on the post. I could feel blood on my knee, so we hobbled down to the pier where I was able to sit down and in some privacy roll up my trouser leg. There definitely was blood - I can't remember the last time I scraped my knee! - but there seemed to be a silver lining on the situation - the blood all seemed to come from the wartlike thing I've had on my knee that has now been scraped off! Hopefully it won't come back and I won't need to freeze it off! I do think I'm going to have quite a bruise though.

We waited, with me trying to bend my knee and move my shoulder, for half an hour, under the moonlight, keeping an eye on the time using the Big Ben clockface, until the next cruiser arrived. Then we had a 45 minute cruise all the way back to the O2, and from there to home. We sat out the back of the ship and watched the wash behind us. It was especially exciting when we got to the bit where the London speed limit stopped and we flew off along the river. Definitely would recommend the cruiser at night, or at any other time!

And so to bed. What a lovely evening, and so much packed into about six hours!

Graduation

2008-07-10T23:31:00.003+01:00

Along with hundreds - thousands? - of others today, I was at my graduation today. Very fun. Although my official photos will have the wrong hood! But I preferred that to the correct one!! Afterwards, we went to an African restaurant, where I had jollof rice and chicken. So much we had to bring some home! So that's lunch sorted for tomorrow. A nice day.

Twisted ankle ...

2008-07-09T18:42:00.002+01:00

I missed work today. My group had to finish their presentation and it took longer so I phoned work and told them I'd twisted my ankle. I've to take in a doctor's note. I've phoned the doctor. They've been very helpful. I told them I'd twisted my ankle and I'm down in London so I can't get up but my work needs a sick note so they said they would send one. I might need to get it seen later. If they say it wasn't twisted, I'll just tell them it was twisted. There's nothing they can say. It was really important that we finished the presentation.

Overheard on the tube ...

To do ...

2008-07-06T00:12:00.003+01:00

1) Buy blouse.
2) Finish writing reports.
3) Plan cover lessons for next week.
4) Send card for new baby!
5) Type up new lesson plans for next year.
6) Remember to take money to church tomorrow.
7) Print out dissertation in order to get it bound (oops, I hope I'm not too late and they still let me graduate!)

Dandies hit the bookshops

2008-07-03T23:41:00.002+01:00

Happened to be in Borders, Oxford Street today and saw Julian Clary signing copies of his book. Then was in Foyles later and saw Sebastian Horsley giving a reading. Very interesting ... More later but can hardly keep my eyes open!

Barriers ...

2008-06-28T18:31:00.004+01:00

... to blogging and on the Thames!

It's been another busy week in the life of Nzeru Louisa at school. We had a review this week of the department, and fortunately it all went well. We went out for tapas at the Mason de Felipe in Waterloo on Wednesday then watched the football in the pub across the road. Then I was at a course yesterday - very inspiring. Lots of ideas for school in September. Then we visited the Thames Barrier again today. Lovely day - sunny, warm, I put on a dress and enjoyed the heat, and we took loads of pictures of each other. Fun!

And, finally, Doctor Who was very exciting! Can't wait until next week!

So busy!

2008-06-22T22:39:00.003+01:00

No time to write a proper post this week ... course on Thursday, followed by late night meeting including presentation, course on Friday, delivering this time, pub quiz on Friday night - fun!, nice lazy day on Saturday spent with H, church then planning today. Still up - had planned to be sleeping by now! I have spent far too long online. But Doctor Who was great!

Parents say the funniest things!

2008-06-18T22:49:00.001+01:00

Had a really good parents' type evening tonight. One mother I spoke to ended up talking about orgasms ... Really, it's not what I expected when I stayed late!

Ordination

2008-06-15T11:42:00.002+01:00

I was at an ordination of a deacon yesterday. It was a lovely day, and the church was very beautiful. The service was very joyful, particularly the Alleluia before the gospel, and the most moving part was when the wife was asked to present the deacon's vestments to the bishop before some of the other deacons helped him put them on. I felt really honoured to be there. It was a sunny day, too, which was good.

Incorruptible

2008-06-13T23:39:00.004+01:00

My Year 7s were as amazed by St Bernadette's incorruptible body as I was ... Lesson went quite well today ...

Origami for Year 8s

2008-06-12T18:19:00.003+01:00

So origami can be used to inspire Year 8s to work ... Many members of my class were a page behind in their work, so rather than rushing on, I decided to complete one more page and spend some time making a fortune teller to demonstrate Hindu belief. But they could only get the square paper once the first three pages were complete ... By the end of the lesson, most of the students were up to date and making good progress on their Hinduism widget. Surprisingly, the boys seemed the most keen to make these widgets. Although they then wanted to make ninja stars or something or other.

Alcohol Awareness

2008-06-08T12:00:00.003+01:00

It's good to know that the message about pregnant women not drinking alcohol is getting through ... during Communion, the little boy next to me said to his heavily pregnant mother, "Get the baby out, then you can have the wine!" Later he suggested they "get the baby out now". Very sweet!

Life Drawing

2008-06-05T21:32:00.003+01:00

I went to my first life drawing class after work today. Well, not exactly a class, but there was a model and a few folk drawing her. It was a bit strange - I hadn't realised the woman was the model at first, and wondered who she was - this was in school - and then I realised that it was Thursday and there is life drawing on a Thursday. (She was dressed at that point!) It was a bit strange at first as she disrobed, because having a naked woman sitting in a classroom is not an everyday occurrence (just a weekly art one!), so I started be sketching the outline of her back and the shape of her legs, and by that time everyone was so intently drawing that I had become used to her nakedness too and it was a very relaxing and enjoyable half an hour or so. I was quite pleased with my finished work, apart from the fact that I had sketched it with the paper on the table at a slight angle to me, and when I lifted it up to look at it, the face in particular was completely different! I will need to remember that for next time! It was like an optical illusion - it looks sort of normal from a certain perspective, but from viewing on a wall perspective it's sort of elongated. (Also, the face is not particularly good anyway, since I'm not a great faces person.) The woman was very striking. She had quite spiky hair, and deeply hooded eyes, thickly covered in blue eyeshadow and black kohl. Her mouth, purposively painted, was set in a calm yet pouting distinctive way. Her eyebrows were black and arched. She wore a purple beaded necklace.

It had been a good day all round. My Year 9s produced some artwork and two of my Year 10 boys, who are on report and often don't turn up at all, took part in some excellent, thoughtful discussion about poverty and wealth. Does money always make you happy? Is it always a bad thing? Can you be happy if you are poor?

Dreams

2008-06-03T21:52:00.003+01:00

I did it again! This morning I managed to sleep through the radio alarm for about 20 minutes, and woke up shortly after a bizarre dream about toilets! There were two doors to the toilets, and the queue for the gents' was much shorter (as per usual!) then the women's toilets. It turned out that the men could go straight in, whereas the women had to pay #1 each to go, so it was talking longer because we had to unlock the door by putting the money in, turning the lock etc ...

I've just had a chance to listen to the Today programme to confirm that they were talking about toilets ... and they were! Interesting to listen to the flow ... they were talking about toilets, then talked about toilets being more catered to men, then talked about paying for toilets ... So gradually my dream was formed! This was a good 3-5 mins discussion, all on toilets!

I wonder what will be on the news tomorrow morning ...

To do

2008-06-01T22:53:00.003+01:00

Here's the most recent list:

Photocopy Hinduism booklet for all classes, and complete answers for other teachers.
Finish Year 10 reports.
Mark three sets of Year 9 assessments. (2 and a half down, half to go...)
Write 3 lesson plans for project. (One planned; two to write, but planned in my head.)
Write Case Study for project.
Send off all project stuff by 14 June.
Write essay for other course.
Plan inspection lessons.
Plan all assessments and lesson plans. (This is done in my head, and will be completed by the end of the week whether I like it or not!)
A whole load of KS3 stuff ... write a yearly plan, make sure all books are up to date etc.

Radio with pictures

2008-05-31T17:53:00.002+01:00

I now know how John Logie Baird came up with the idea! I was resting on the sofa - I've got a terrible cold and had to get up early to have the car MOT-ed and taxed, so it's really taken it out of me! - and I had a very interesting dream. Mum and Dad were there, and we were listening to the radio. The bit I remember most clearly was when there was a man being interviewed on the radio who had caught a whole load of big fish. He was obviously particularly interested in the marlin that he had caught - a long nosed one and a baby one and another type as well - and he couldn't very well go swimming in South Africa, so obviously he caught them instead. As we listened, there were photos - a very blurry close up of the man's face, reclining on a deckchair on the deck of the boat while he fished - which I handed to mum to pass to dad, with a comment that he looked very pleased with himself - and a close up from his photo album showing the fish that he had caught.

I'm not sure what it was that roused me from sleep, but I realised that Evan Davies, who in my dream was about to start a discussion on Agas, was, in real life, really hosting a discussion about agas! So I asked H if there had been a man talking about fishing, and he said he thought so ... I'm about to go and find out, so watch this space for links!

(Mr Gregorak has been named "the Greatest Fisherman in the World" - the link on the radio is 26 mins in, if it's still there!)

Busy Day

2008-05-29T23:39:00.003+01:00

What a day.

Woke up far too early - alarm set for an ungodly hour on the premise that it would wake us up and an hour later we would get up - well, an hour later I finally managed to start dreaming again, which meant that by the time I got up I was already pushing it for my first appointment of the day. Ah well. Got my stuff together, and arranged to meet H later at the MOT place.

Walked to my first appointment, nipped into the shops and post office, headed to MOT place, no sign of H. Asked the man if he had been and gone - no. Tried phoning, eventually got through, he was about to leave. By this time the MOT man had another couple of cars to do, so we'd have had to wait a couple of hours, and we had to drive to Nottingham, so I'll now need to get up early again tomorrow to wait for the MOT man again. And he's a bit strange, so I'm not really looking forward to it! Anyway, off we went to Nottingham. Fortunately the weather was fine, so apart from the fact that I'm a lousy passenger - and even worse since the accident a couple of months ago - it was a fine drive. Tried to arrange to meet a friend for lunch, but she's in Spain so no luck there.

Had a typical Wagamama meal, then H phoned the man we were meeting to see about a space. Turned out he'd phoned the house this morning - must have just missed H, we weren't that early - to say that we couldn't see the space. So we decided to go round to his office anyway.

Had a good chat, and H decided to make the most of the meeting by transferring some data from his laptop. Opened the bag - no laptop! It was still on the desk back home. Anyway, we managed to get quite a bit done from the internet, so it was fine, and we headed back home. However, arranged to meet another friend for a drink first, which was nice, at the uni, so a hot chocolate, two buds, a cafe latte and a piece of pecan pie later, off we went. I drove back - in the dark and in the rain, with that horrible feeling of the beginnings of a cold. It's always strange when you can actually feel it getting worse. The sore throat, aching head, nose a bit runnier, glands beginning to feel swollen, neck and throat getting worse, back of nose getting blocked, throat sorer, nose running ... H was feeling a bit under the weather too. Could it be the car?

Anyway, we're home now and it's been a long day and I have to get up and go to the MOT place tomorrow, so I'm off to bed now. Goodnight!

To do over half term

2008-05-25T18:08:00.009+01:00

Complete Hinduism booklet and photocopy it.
Write Year 10 reports.
Mark three sets of Year 9 assessments. (2 down, 1 to go...)
Mark books: Year 7, Year 8, Year 9.
Write 3 lesson plans for project.
Write Case Study for project.
Send off all project stuff by 14 June.
Write essay for other course.
Car insurance, tax, MOT stuff - asap.
Plan inspection lessons.
Plan all assessments and lesson plans.
Financial stuff.

I'm sure there's also all the admin and housekeeping stuff too. We'll see.

Busy Day!

2008-05-25T02:56:00.003+01:00

Woke up around 8am. Got up and ready, out by about 8.40 am. Headed into the city for my conference. Spent around seven hours finding out what has to be done by 14 June ... quite a lot, it seems! But fortunately I might be on my way there - although I'll have to use my week off wisely! Lots to do!

Left around 3.30pm or so and came back home. We had already decided to go and see Indiana Jones and the whatever, so I sat and read half of my recently purchased book, before heading out towards the O2.

When we got there, H thought it would be a good idea to see if there were any tickets left for the Chris Rock gig. He had tried to get them on the internet, but to no avail. There were! And they were in the third row. So off we went into the Arena.

Chicken nuggets, cheeseburger and chips all went down well, and the people on either side of us in the arena were friendly. Since the last time we were in the arena was on the back row of the gods for the Prince concert, this was a little different! Front row seats for the record breaking comic. We were there until around 10.15pm or so. Rock was funny, funnier in some places than others. His observations on the difference between jobs and careers were, for me, the high point of his act. The relationship bit is funny if a bit on the crude side, but his observations on language and politically correctness weren't so hot. So a bit up and down, although we all laughed a lot.

We had paid for our Indy ticket on the internet, so H thought it would be worthwhile to see if we could exchange it. I didn't hold out much hope, but thought it wouldn't hurt to try. So we went and asked, and there was a show on at 11.30pm. So we had an ice cream and waited until we could get in.

Well. The music is still great, and it's nice to see Harrison Ford as Indy. However, it was all quite daft! I mean, aliens and flying saucers. The supernatural is one thing, but this was something else entirely! And a couple of the subplots were a bit silly too. Anyway, it was all fun - and it was nice to see the glow of the ark of the covenant in an early warehouse scene - but not as great as I had hoped.

On the way out, the square outside the O2 had been filled up with barriers. We wondered what sort of queue would necessitate that type of organised system, so we asked - the X Factor auditions. Some people were already there, waiting in the rain! Madness. On the way home we had to wait in another queue, this time of traffic, to go through the Blackwall Tunnel, which was closed in one direction. Glad to be finally home; very tired!

Almost the holidays

2008-05-22T23:04:00.002+01:00

Handed out certificates to Years 7 and 9 today - they seemed happy to receive them.

We received the sad news that H's sister died this morning.

No more words now.

A good day

2008-05-20T18:59:00.003+01:00

It's been a good day - a great day - all round! H has received the firstfruits from the printer, I had a lesson observed that went well - a "Good" lesson - and our school trip was also quite successful and enjoyable! I got a book and some posters for the class, which we will use as part of a display of our trip. Nice weather as well - a bit hot on the tube - all in all a good day. Managed to tick off a few things too!

To do this week

2008-05-16T19:09:00.006+01:00

1. Finalise lesson plan and resources for observation.
2. Write up all lesson plans and produce resources for project.
3. Complete Hinduism booklet.
4. Produce mark scheme for Y9 assessment.
5. Send off all car insurance stuff.
6. Pay bills, MOT etc.
7. Go on school trip!
8. Attend course.
9. Write a resume of St Paul's letters for Year of St Paul stuff. (Wasn't needed in the end!)
10. Produce subject specific ICT links for teachers.
11. Write Year 10 reports.
12. Plan all lessons, including cover lessons.
13. Plan homeworks (for over the holidays ...)
14. Produce KS3 review of schemes of work for inspection.
15. Mark Year 7 books.
16. Write essay for course.

I'm sure there are more things I need to do! But this will more than keep me going!

A much better week with some good lessons

2008-05-16T17:27:00.002+01:00

I'm sure the beautiful, hot, sunny weather we have had recently has helped as well!

I am getting observed next week, and this week have planned a few lessons with another teacher, which I have really enjoyed. I hadn't realised how much I miss joint planning!

Took my Year 9s then my Year 8s onto the computers - and, of course, many of the things I wanted to use with them wouldn't work! Ah well, at least it's given some ideas, hopefully!

Most of all, I have enjoyed my Year 7 classes. They've done loads of work, and I'm really pleased with them!

Now, I had loads of other things I was going to write about, but now I can't remember what they were! I slept in this morning ... very tired. Lots of late nights planning lessons.

Busy Weekend

2008-05-11T21:45:00.003+01:00

I had my course yesterday - very interesting, great speaker, met up with a colleague from another school and went out for coffee - great to chat. Shame to be indoors, but at least some sun at lunchtime. Today - after a lovely walk to and from church to celebrate Pentecost, I have been on the computer ALL DAY working NON STOP (other than cooking up a lovely lunch of tilapia and butternut squash for H and I - made the leftover squash into soup later) on the computer, so have a sore back now, and still haven't finished!

Here's my list, with the completed things in red:

1. Revision overview stuff for Years 10 and 11.
2. Plan ICT presentation for Tuesday / Wednesday slots.
3. Email mentor about project.
4. Amend Year 9 assessment.
5. Write Year 7 reports.
6. Write lesson plans for my project.
7. Complete booklet on Hinduism.
8. Plan lessons and homework for this week, including some cover lessons.
9. Plan lesson for observation next week. (Mostly done ... some tweaking left.)

I'm sure there are loads more things ... as well as all the other non-school stuff on my other list. But I suppose that's not bad for today ... Will get off to bed now. Have to wake up H and move him to the other room ... he was in France last night, and has slept most of today!

Off to bed

2008-05-10T00:17:00.004+01:00

Droopy eyelids, dodgy typing (you should see the mistakes I'm making as I go along ... in fact, it's much better that you don't!), and I'm about to head to bed. We've been to see Iron Man tonight. I had resisted for some time, but eventually relented. And, because my sights were set low, it exceeded my expectations! Very silly in lots of places, and a bit simplistic as well, it was also quite a lot of fun, as well as a pseudo-serious undertone for us all to take away and reflect on.

Right. Must go to bed. Big day tomorrow. Another course. Goodnight!

PS Another hot day ... I have worn three of my summer dresses now. Pink, brown and today, green.

Yet another sunny day!

2008-05-08T17:01:00.002+01:00

It just keeps getting warmer and warmer! Which is great, apart from the fact that the pupils get wetter and wetter, then thirstier and thirstier, then need to go to the toilet more! But at least doing my break duty was wonderful for a change!

Strange occurrences today ... First of all, I have received a penalty notice for failing to comply with a give way to oncoming vehicles sign. Which is strange, because the photo they have sent to highlight this infraction of the law clearly shows me stopped (I think with my brake lights on) behind another car, as we wait for a bus to proceed. The woman I phoned says that there is no problem, so I should not have been sent this. Interestingly, I've never noticed the camera before, but I will tomorrow! ....... Actually, as I typed that, I have just remembered a little CCTV car that was parked near there one day ... perhaps that was the day! Well, in that case, I shall certainly take more care of those little cars from now on. Little periscopic smart cars. Or not so smart cars.

Secondly ... I have just received a letter from my bank, inviting me to take part in some sort of "spread trading", with the enticement of a Nicklaus Dual Point Driver* if I take up this offer! Now, I'm not planning on getting involved in the stock market just yet, but I was curious about what I could receive ... I know, the clue should have been in the Jack related title, but it took looking on the back of the letter to find out that this great gift is, in fact, an expensive golf club. Hmmm. I wonder what sort of info they have on me that means they think that might interest me in the slightest? Have they confused me for a middle aged, balding, gently spreading and almost portly bank manager? (apologies to anyone who resembles this description, and I wasn't thinking of anyone in particular since the only person who might begin to isn't balding and hasn't played golf for many years, although he did win a bottle of whisky (miniature) and perhaps a wooden spoon?? once a long, long time ago!) Unless they know my uni and have decided that I must have partaken of the local services at one point a long time ago! Anyway, that's another one for the bin.

And the tax disk is due ... which presumably means it's almost also time for the MOT as well. So that's something else for the to-do list! (Which hasn't shrunk recently, but instead has got longer!)

Lessons? Well, the Year 10s could listen more, but at least they were there, with one lesson to go now before their exam; the Year 9s had a rowdy student who eventually had to be removed but at least are friendly and funny; the Year 8s are far too noisy but at least the three loudest ones did turn up for their detentions; and the Year 7s are still quite lovely, with a couple of exceptions, but then it's just about talking to their neighbours too much instead of listening rather than bullying each other or deliberately making silly noises.

Now I am a bit dehydrated so must go and get a drink!

Another sunny day!

2008-05-07T22:21:00.002+01:00

What a deliciously lovely day! I wore my first dress of the year (I ate my first ice cream of the year last night on the way home), and hardly needed to wear my cardigan. The sky was blue, the air warm and balmy; at lunch I headed outside to be greeted by that warm musky smell of plants, grass and heated earth, mixed in with that familiar smell of melting astroturf as I headed towards the canteen. Then at the end of lunch the heat of the midday sun was refreshed as I was splashed a number of times by teenagers throwing water at each other to kindly cool each other down. One of those lovely school days, where everything seems bright and happy, when things look positive and the thought of staying on seems like a really good idea ...

Blue Skies

2008-05-06T22:49:00.001+01:00

Lovely to have clear blue skies today, loads of sunshine, warm and glorious.

Bank Holiday Blues

2008-05-05T15:57:00.002+01:00

What a lovely day it is today! But here I am, stuck inside, trying to get all my admin done! Woe is me!! And we've just had a powercut for the past two or three hours, so no internet access - which has been good, in that I've managed to mark some assessments - but not so good in that I kept thinking, "I should ... look up my new classlists on the internet ... Oh no, I can't. I should ... find out more info about that job ... Oh no, I can't! I should ... look up some info for the new scheme of work I'm writing. Oh no, I can't!"

Had a lovely day yesterday visiting friends, which it makes it all worthwhile though. They now have three lovely children, so I took 140 photos (ah, the age of digital photography!) a few of which I've uploaded to Facebook. Very nice to see all the family, more so since they will be overseas for a year, leaving in a few months time. However, with blogs and Facebook and Skype, I am sure we'll be able to keep in touch and see how the children are growing!

Now, where was I? ... Marking, that was it. Bye!