Day 2

Day two was a sightseeing and shopping day. We went to the museum and looked at lots of relics. The tour guide spoke English really well.

We went to a resturant for lunch and had heaps of interesting dishes served as a banquet, lots of green veggies and chillies.

The shopping in the afternoon was in a street and the array of things to buy was very colourful. We had some icecream, but stayed away from the octopus on a stick and some weird thing with blood. We saw the silk quilts but decided not to get one today, but we found a jade necklace that we liked - Mum!

We were very tired at this stage, but we went to the 'shamrock' irish pub for a western dinner. None of us were very hungry after the big lunch but enjoyed the spaghetti. The icecream tasted weird however.

Tonight we'll stay in the hotel and relax, we've all been meeting some of the other schools that are here. We'll fit in a bit of poker before a very welcome bed!

China

Well we've finally made it to Hong Kong. We've been sitting in the airport for nearly three hours now while they tried to fix the plane, and then finally got us a new one. We've been back downstairs to the gate three times and they keep revising the timetable.

The plane trip over was really hard for a few of the kids. There was a big patch of turbulance that lasted for almost an hour as we flew over the top of the typhoon that is headed this way. Luckily we will have...hopefully...flown off to Chengdu and will miss it.

The in flight entertainment was great, you can play games against the other passengers. The food was great on the plane, and we enjoyed some noodles in the airport.

Hope to fly out to Chengdu soon...

China Awaits

Well the few days that I've had on holidays have not been wasted thats for sure! We had killed the garden with copious amounts of round up last month and sunday got the rotary hoe working to dig up the lawn. Because we have cooch grass it meant that heaps of dead roots and sticks and rocks were all mixed up in the soil. It took me three days of work but I managed to rake it clean. Mostly.

Its all a blank slate out there now which is really exciting. It means that we can make it how we want it, and we have the edging cut and ready to go in, which means that there is just the sprinkler system and the grass and the red dyed mulch to go until it's done. Then we can research what plants we want and put them in a few at a time. Minimalist garden is what were going for. Because we both work we'll need a very low maintenance garden. I have a few plants in pots and I keep forgetting to water them. (Don't worry grandyma, they aren't dead yet...)

So this morning I packed some stuff, which will need to be revised tonight ready to go tomorrow. Then its just checking the batteries and stuff and I'm ready to fly.

Holidays

Finally, I made it to another school holidays. It got pretty busy there toward the end of term, but I survived...just.

The production turned out well, the audience enjoyed it and the cast really stepped it up in the last week.
Parent teacher interviews were fine, I felt like I just had a big chat with whoever came to see me. Maybe I should be more stressed about due dates and work requirements and whatnot, but those kinds of things function differently in my class compared to something like English or Maths. I watch the kids working in class and use that as the basis for their reports. I think that I could jot a few more things down about work done, or not done, during prac classes. I am considering keeping a notebook with little comments about students that I noticed during the class. I does mean a bit more admin work for me but I have been talking about having a bit more time allowance.

I don't like the amount of work that we have to get done in a day with classes and stuff, and then teach at band after school. I'm going to be having some meetings with the principal about the workload in the music department this term to see if we can have a bit more breathing space during the week to make up for the enormous teaching load that we do. When you factor band on top of a full time teachers load it means that the normal time that others teachers have for planning and having a life I miss out on. When, then, am I supposed to plan? We're signing a new agreement about the amount of hours a teacher can work, and band is beyond that agreement. And I don't like that at all.

Its a windy horrible day today. There is a dust storm going past at the moment, it feels a lot later than it is.

I bought new shorts and shirts today, hurray for Jenny Craig! Size 12!

We're landscaping the yard at the moment, we raked up all the dead grass and weeds and filled a wheely bin with only half the front. We got some redgum sleepers from the sale yards and cut them to fit. If it wasn't so windy and crap outside i'd be weeding my roses. They can wait till tomorrow however. The yard looks pretty dead and bare. We have a long way to go till it's looking pretty. Garden edging and sprinkler systems first, then mulch and then plants. Then BBQ at my house to celebrate the new yard! Yay!

Production Week

Definately time I updated again.

Right now its prodution week. I'm glad that it's finally here, it's been a long trek for Lindy and I. Getting everyone organised to be on stage is really hard work, on top of the enormous workload that we both have just with school. I think it must be easy in other departments but I know that it's not true. Everyone has lots to get done during the day. But then again not everyone has this enormous after school and weekends commitment that makes such a difference to our spare time and time off. I don't have much time off.

This sunday also, I am playing in a brass concert at Eastbank. I've been trying to fit in rehearsals amongst the production camp and performances.

Saturday I'm going out to spend the day at Deca getting my bus licence.

I wrote reports sunday night.

I travelled to Melbourne Sunday for a VCE exam day.

No wonder I always feel tired.