Well this last week of school the weather was so hot that the headteachers decided to make Tuesday an optional last day! So rather than having to teach right through until Thursday, teachers were able to enjoy two teacher-only days before the big bash Thursday evening.
I went for another midwife appointment yesterday and this time Stephen was there to hear the heart beat as well. He hadn't heard it the first time round and so was surprised that it was beating around 140 beats per minute. It is quite cool to hear the muffled swooshing of the baby's heart and this time the baby was nice and still so they didn't have to chase it around my tummy!
My mum is coming on Monday to bring us back to Canada. We have been looking forward to spending time at the cottage for what seems like forever! I am also looking forward to seeing friends, family and having a last summer sans responsibility! (or with only responsibility for Stephen ;P )
I will say good-bye for now... the next time one of us writes this we will be lazing around with a drink on the dock in the sun!
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Finally - what you've all been waiting for...
I've managed to get Tara at a weak moment and photograph the bump!
This is at 23 weeks - only just past 1/2 way!
We've just had the hotest week on record in July in England. Temperatures stayed above 30 celsius all week - and now that it is finally the weekend all that hotness has turned into thunderstorms and rain, typical english behaviour!
It was so hot at school - I measured 38 degrees in my classroom at 10am on wednesday - that most primary schools and some secondary schools closed at lunchtime on wednesday. Kings is made of tougher stuff so we soldiered on regardless - all students and male staff wearing shirts and suit trousers - female staff seemed to be wearing considerably less!
We have 4 more school days before the end of the term - one is sports day - and then we have 5 weeks off before starting all over again in september. I do prefer the english system of short holidays every 6-7 weeks throughout the year - but stil get jealous in July when its stinking hot and I know that Canadians are already safely at their cottages for the summer - and all the private and independant schools in england have finished as well!
Got to get going - am having a very lazy saturday watching the Open golf on TV, and pretending to write the schemes of work for one of the new courses we are offering next year!
See all you crazy canadians soon eh,
Stephen
This is at 23 weeks - only just past 1/2 way!
We've just had the hotest week on record in July in England. Temperatures stayed above 30 celsius all week - and now that it is finally the weekend all that hotness has turned into thunderstorms and rain, typical english behaviour!
It was so hot at school - I measured 38 degrees in my classroom at 10am on wednesday - that most primary schools and some secondary schools closed at lunchtime on wednesday. Kings is made of tougher stuff so we soldiered on regardless - all students and male staff wearing shirts and suit trousers - female staff seemed to be wearing considerably less!
We have 4 more school days before the end of the term - one is sports day - and then we have 5 weeks off before starting all over again in september. I do prefer the english system of short holidays every 6-7 weeks throughout the year - but stil get jealous in July when its stinking hot and I know that Canadians are already safely at their cottages for the summer - and all the private and independant schools in england have finished as well!
Got to get going - am having a very lazy saturday watching the Open golf on TV, and pretending to write the schemes of work for one of the new courses we are offering next year!
See all you crazy canadians soon eh,
Stephen
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Gay Paris - Not Quite!!!
So - Tara's passport wasn't found! Despite frantic searching on Sunday night and monday morning it did not show up! So, her night(sic) in shining armour had to step in and go in her place. Schoolboy french was desperately polished (une billet pour le metro, silvers plates!!!) and off I went - with 32 students and 3 other very apprehensive staff!
It took all of the first day to arrive at "Le Chateau Romaine" once the site of the Brasillian team base for the '98 World cup in France - now a rather less classy establishment with accomodation for 300 excited school students!
It was so hot on the first night that the heat sensor (apparently set to 45 degrees celsius!)in the one of the student's rooms triggered the fire alarms - and we were all evacuated!
The second day was spent fighting our way through paris traffic to the Eiffel Tower - and then through hordes of sweaty tourists to the top via the stairs! We then went on a relaxing boat ride on the Seine!
The next day, for my multitude of sins, was spent trying to make sure that I and the rest of the staff knew where 32 overexcited students were inside Euro Disney! Unfortunately we were able to bring home the same number off students that we started with - and copious amounts of plastic tat and numerous and wonderful ways to consume large amounts of sugar!
The fourth and last day was spent on the coach again making our way back to good old England.
The highlight of the trip for me?
The amount of "misinformation" we managed to feed our students:
It took all of the first day to arrive at "Le Chateau Romaine" once the site of the Brasillian team base for the '98 World cup in France - now a rather less classy establishment with accomodation for 300 excited school students!
It was so hot on the first night that the heat sensor (apparently set to 45 degrees celsius!)in the one of the student's rooms triggered the fire alarms - and we were all evacuated!
The second day was spent fighting our way through paris traffic to the Eiffel Tower - and then through hordes of sweaty tourists to the top via the stairs! We then went on a relaxing boat ride on the Seine!
The next day, for my multitude of sins, was spent trying to make sure that I and the rest of the staff knew where 32 overexcited students were inside Euro Disney! Unfortunately we were able to bring home the same number off students that we started with - and copious amounts of plastic tat and numerous and wonderful ways to consume large amounts of sugar!
The fourth and last day was spent on the coach again making our way back to good old England.
The highlight of the trip for me?
The amount of "misinformation" we managed to feed our students:
- "We are in France now, they all drive on the right hand side of the road, so they all wear their watches on their right wrists to remind them of this. Please move your watch over to fit in with french society"
- "On the left hand side of the bus you can see the "Paris Cloud Machine" (a large factory!). This machine makes clouds in the summer months to try and keep Paris cool!"
- "We are now entering the L'Arc de Triomphe roundabout. Once we cross over the blue line on the road (put there for the Tour de France) we are no longer insured - so cross your fingers and hope we don't crash!"
- "This is the Calais cloud machine. It has caused an international incident because when the wind blows in the wrond direction the clouds get blown over to england - this is why our weather is so bad!"
Thankfully - for our future travel plans - Tara's passport has now been found - safely hidden between books on the bookshelf!
I'm now looking forward to the last 2 and a half weeks of school being nice and quiet - and me not being on any more courses or trips!
Au Reservoirs,
Stephen
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Gay Paris
My bump seems to be growing my the day now and there is no way anyone could fail to notice I am expecting now. I will be seeing many of you shortly so prepared to see a whale-like version of me!
Next week is what is known at our school as Project Week. It is a time when all students are off timetable and enroled in special projects run by various departments or off on trips. I am going on a trip to Paris from Monday to Thursday.
I am hoping I will enjoy the trip and that it won't tire me out too much. The first day will be spent on the coach driving to the Chateau we will be staying at just outside of Paris, the second will be a whistle-stop tour to all the major attractions, the third a trip to Disneyland Paris, and the last will be driving back again. It will be nice to see Paris again, and from a different perspective too. And I have never been to Disneyland Paris before (although I won't be able to go on any rides and will just have to wander around after students all day!) so that will be nice, but I am a bit nervous about having to do so much walking and getting too little rest. Luckily the school's health and safety person will be coming along with us as well so all I will have to do is mention that I am a bit tired and he will make sure I don't over-do myself!
Next week is what is known at our school as Project Week. It is a time when all students are off timetable and enroled in special projects run by various departments or off on trips. I am going on a trip to Paris from Monday to Thursday.
I am hoping I will enjoy the trip and that it won't tire me out too much. The first day will be spent on the coach driving to the Chateau we will be staying at just outside of Paris, the second will be a whistle-stop tour to all the major attractions, the third a trip to Disneyland Paris, and the last will be driving back again. It will be nice to see Paris again, and from a different perspective too. And I have never been to Disneyland Paris before (although I won't be able to go on any rides and will just have to wander around after students all day!) so that will be nice, but I am a bit nervous about having to do so much walking and getting too little rest. Luckily the school's health and safety person will be coming along with us as well so all I will have to do is mention that I am a bit tired and he will make sure I don't over-do myself!
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