Back to work

Just a quick update...

The rest of the week has flown by, & it's back to school tomorrow. I can't really complain though, as we only have 3 & a half weeks this half-term, then we break up for our 3 & a half week Easter holiday!!! I know, it's a bit mad really...

My birthday on Wednesday was really nice. Will spoilt me with a cushion for my big reclining wooden sun-lounger, & also a very cool wood-burning Chimina for the patio, both of which will be fantastic for the summer. He also got me Jack Johnson's latest CD. We have tickets to go see Jack at Hyde Park in the summer which will be cool. Wednesday night I bunked rugby training (we didn't have a match on Sunday, & it WAS my birthday) & we had take-out Chinese with a nice bottle of wine. Yum yum yum! Earlier that day we had our interview at the registry office, & formally gave notice of our intent to marry, so there is no backing out now!

Thursday I had a visit from Claire who bought me a bag of birthday goodies, plus cake! That night Will & I went into London to see Nada Surf play at Scala, which is a venue a couple of minutes walk from King's Cross station. They are an American Indie band that Will likes, & despite the fact that I was pretty tired, & didn't really know any of their songs, I thought they were good. Will obviously really enjoyed it.

Friday I bought my wedding dress. Yay!!! I really love it, & not being traditional at all, am showing it off to anyone who is around! In fact I tried it on for Will in the shop on Wednesday afternoon to make sure he liked it. Friday was also a sad day for little MOF, my car which I've had for the last 5 years. Poor old MOF didn't pass his MOT & needs a bit of work done. Expensive work by the sounds of it... We've decided to go ahead with it, & try & get 1 more year out of him. I haven't actually spent much on him the 5 years I've had him. When he dies I won't buy another, as I think we could get by with just Will's car if we are only going to be here for another year or so...

Saturday was our booze-run to France! It was all very easy crossing on the Chunnel. There is something a bit odd about driving onto a train, then being whisked under the English Channel for half an hour, then being in France. We bought all our wedding wine & saved loads. We went for a Montana Sauv Blanc, & a Rosemount Estate Shiraz, both of which cost £7 to £8 over here. In France they were just over £3 each & we got LOADS, so no one is going to go thirsty... Steve came with us & we had a good day out, with a nice lunch in a small French pub (the same one we ate at when we went with you Rich). Even taking into account the cost of getting there, we reckon we saved several hundred pounds on buying our wine in the UK.

Today was report day, as all juniors are due tomorrow. I had 5 classes to do, & pretty much knocked them all off in one foul swoop today. I did start the week with good intentions of doing a few a day, but I ended up being far too busy enjoying my holiday! I've got the odd one or two still to do, but they aren't due till 5:30pm tomorrow, & I have a non-contact before then...

That's all my news... Tomorrow we lose our house guests, my cousin Renee & her fiance Jeremy who have been staying with us on & off over the last 3 weeks. Jeremy has a job starting in London tomorrow, so he left this afternoon, & Renee is flying back to NZ tomorrow for 3 & a half weeks for her sister's wedding.

Brecon Beacons

My trip to Wales with the gold Duke of Edinburgh group was very enjoyable. We left early on Thursday morning. Giles drove the minibus with the 11 kids, then Steve & I followed in my car. Well, I took Will's car actually, but in less than a couple of months, what is his is mine!!! The nice thing about gold DofE is that you can pretty much leave the kids to it, you really only need to check-point them once during the day, then make sure they make it back to the campsite OK. They are supposed to walk about 2okm per day for 4 days. You'll probably notice an improvement in the quality of photos in this post. That's because most of them were taken by Steve who teaches Art & Photography.

When we arrived, Steve & I set out for our first walk. The weather was pretty good, although a bit cold & windy on the tops. It was amazing to see that sides of the hill that didn't get any sun were still covered in ice, & a lot of the reeds were covered in a sheath of ice which we found fascinating.

We did come across a very cool 'icicle tree'. The photos don't quite do it justice.

On the Friday we went up Lord Hereford's Knob, which I think is my all-time favourite name for a hill! Now today was COLD. There was an icey wind which chilled you to the core. Apart from the quick dash up the knob & back, we spent a lot of the day keeping warm in the car, feeling sorry for the kids out walking. The top of the knob was a bleak & blustery place, we only hung around long enough for Steve to take a few pics. The wind was almost strong enough to knock you off your feet. I think the official temperature was about 5 degrees, but the wind-chill probably took it down to at least -5. The cairn on the top was very cool however, with lovely ice formations. We also got lots more iced up vegetation as well. That night we were staying at Llanthony. I know the area pretty well as I've been there a few times on other DofE trips, & also, 3 years ago I hired the bunkhouse there for a birthday bash. This time we were camping in a farmers field, & we looked on enviously at the smoke coming out the chimney of the cosy bunkhouse... There is a lovely old ruined priory at Llanthony which started falling down in 1800. One nice thing about the location is that there's a pub about 3 minutes walk away, so while the kids were cooking their boil in the bag meals over their stoves, the staff retired to the pub for a meal, a couple of pints, & some cards.Saturday morning we all woke up feeling a bit rough. We hadn't had much to drink, but the barman had commented that the pints we were drinking were a bit cloudier than normal, so it might have been a duff batch. We had a relaxed morning, & took our time striking down camp. That afternoon Steve & I did our last walk up Sugarloaf. We were camping at an army adventure-training base not far from the hill, so Giles dropped us off at a start-point, then Steve & I walked back to camp. That night was seriously cold, it was down to -8 degrees! I was OK, but I did sleep in long-johns, 2 thermal tops, socks & hat, inside my cosy 4-season down sleeping bag with the hood pulled right up over my head! Sunday was an early start, as I had to get back for my rugby match. We got up around 7 to find our tents totally covered in ice! Steve & I were on the road by half-7 & had a good trip back. I just had time to grab my rugby gear & wish Will a quick happy birthday before getting to the club in time for the coach which was departing for Thurrock at 10:30.

The rugby itself was bit of a disaster, we were totally outclassed, & in the end the score was something like 50-odd nil. A bit different from when we played them at home & they beat us 5-0! They are a very good team however, & will almost certainly be promoted from South-East 1 to the Championship for next year. Despite the heavy loss, people were in good spirits on the coach trip home. I got in at about 8pm, absolutely shattered & looking forward to a nice warm bed.

Yesterday I started my week off with a nice sleep-in. Later I took Renee & Jeremy for a tour of my school. It was the first opportunity for them to see it with the kids not in. Last night I cooked Will a nice birthday dinner, as the actual day on sunday was bit of a non-event! My birthday is tomorrow.

Survived my rugby!

Today I had my first game back after injuring my knee a few weeks ago. It was just a 'friendly' against Witney Angels, who play in a league of a similar standard to ours, but in the Oxfordshire area. We won 15-5, & that was with 14 players! In fact we only had 13 players for the last 5 minutes or so after one of the opposition decked our hooker with a great punch that she caught right in the face! It was then that they scored their try. My knee came through unscathed. It helps that one of the girls in my team is a physio, so she strapped it up pretty good. I'll probably strap it for every game from now on... Next week is the biggie against Thurrock, away. They are top of the table & beating teams by an average of 20 points plus, but when they played us at home they only won 5-0.

Friday night I helped supervise a Valentines day ball at school that the kids going to Borneo had organised as a fundraiser. They did a really good job, & it was an enjoyable night for all with no trouble. The staff were having a few drinks in the common room as well, so I spent my night going between the two. Saturday I was on mansion duty at school, so was there from 8:30 in the morning till detention finished at 2:30pm. It's my only school duty this term, so I can't really complain... The rest of the afternoon I spent watching the six nations rugby. The weather here lately has been pretty good, Will has cycled to work most days in the last fortnight. It's also getting lighter in the evenings which is really nice. It's just about still light when I walk home from school most days at around 5:30. The bizarre weather is playing havoc with my flowers once again. All my daffodils are coming out, & it's only the start of Feb!

Only 3 days of school till half-term! I'm looking forward to my trip to wales for 3 nights starting Thursday, even if it does mean deserting Will on Valentines day!!! I arrive back on his birthday on Sunday, but will only have time to grab my rugby gear & head straight to the club, as we have a coach booked for Thurrock. My birthday is then on the Wednesday of half-term.

2 weeks till half-term!

Not that I'm counting or anything... It's actually more like 1 & a half weeks since I'm off on a Duke of Edinburgh trip for the last Thursday & Friday of the half-term. We're walking & camping in the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons, Wales, so it'll be a bit chilly I'd imagine...

Today we had a visit from Andy, Will's twin brother, who bought along his 3 kids for Sunday lunch. His wife Jo was marking A-level papers, so this gave her a few hours of peace & quiet! Ellie is 5, James is nearly 4, & Katie is 20 months, & the highlight of their day was discovering the exercise ball which they loved rolling around the house! That, plus Will's guitars... We took them for a walk around my school which they really enjoyed. Andy teaches in a state school & he was rather envious of the fact that not only did I have my own classroom, but there is only 22 desks in it! He asked where the other 10 students sat!!! It was a very nice (if manic) afternoon, we don't see much of the kids.

Nicola was in Reading for the weekend so on Saturday her & Claire & I went into town to try on a few potential wedding dresses. There are some lovely dresses around, but I'm not convinced I've found the right one yet. A gorgeous brown silk one isn't far off though... I definitely don't want a proper white 'wedding' dress, but would rather have something I loved which I could wear again. We still haven't made any progress with invites yet, at this rate people might just be getting an email!

I enjoyed the start of the six nations rugby this weekend, especially seeing Wales, under the mighty Warren Gatland, take down England. Waikato's loss is definitely Wales' gain. Italy ran Ireland quite close too. My brothers friend Josh Sole has managed to keep his place in the Italian team & he looked in good form.

Tomorrow afternoon we have a couple of house guests arriving... My cousin Renee & her fiance Jeremy have been living in Ireland, but are now trying their luck in the UK. They'll stay with us for as long as they need to find their feet & get themselves set up over here.