Come Gather Round...

Imagine 1992 and MTV's 120 Minutes. I fell in love with a man and his guitar that year. His name was John Wesley Harding and the video was "Kill the Messenger." I quickly bought the tape, "Why We Fight," and memorized every song. He told amazing stories, very imaginative and a bit odd (I think that's what I liked most about his lyrics). There was "The Original Miss Jesus," where lyrics claimed "Born before her more famous little brother Mister Christ. Sure, there were miracles but out of the public eye. So they didn't think even to have her crucified. She just wrote some novels and then she died. And only her family cried for her, The Original Miss Jesus." And my favorite line of all times comes from his song "Come Gather Round, "We're so convinced we're different, it makes us all the same."

In 1993, this British Modern-day folk singer came to Knoxville with Joan Baez. My sister and I went: my sister excited to see Joan Baez, myself excited to see JWH. It was an amazing show and the little theater venue (Knoxville's Bijou) made it quite memorable. Eventually, my JWH tape wore itself out (it was eaten in my car stereo) and I had a hell of a time trying to replace it. Last year, Krissie found a CD version for me (isn't she wonderful?!) so that now I again have access to my favorite songs.

Last week, while looking for something interesting to listen to while I marked papers, I visited Nashville's Lightening 100 website. They have a radio show on Sundays that broadcasts live from 3rd and Lindsley and they have mp3s from previous shows. John Wesley Harding was on that list. He has a new album, "Adam's Apple" out. So, in my attempt to find something to listen to while being productive, I spent the rest of the evening playing on John Wesley Harding's website (which was quite interesting - we're talking hours of entertainment!). The man is very creative and has recently published his own book under his real name, Wesley Stace. It sounds like a fun read, Misfortune. It is described in an LA Weekly article as a “Gothic soap opera, but clever, one that uses the conventions of 19th-century fiction and gives them a modern twist." (The website even has audio excerpts read by JWH! It's great!)

Check him out for yourself: www.johnwesleyharding.com or www.wesleystace.com

Another damn survey...

This is totally not my idea. I have nicked it from someone else (thanks, D), but I thought it was such a good one that when someone sent me one of the damn things, I just couldn't help myself.
1) Ever been so drunk you blacked out? No, but I have done many other things while intoxicated. Some I do have to be reminded of the next day... "Oh. I did what?!?"
2) Missed work because it was raining? No, that's hard to do that around here. I'd never make it into school!
3)Put a body part on fire for amusement? Not on purpose, but I have caught hands, nails and arm (hair) on fire by accident...
4)Been hurt emotionally? Hasn't everyone at this point in our lives?
5)Kept a secret from everyone? I am horrible with my own secrets, everyone knows in a matter of hours!
6)Had an imaginary friend? I had "pinch bugs" when I was little that I used to feed by tearing up tissue and leaving it all around the house. Mom loved that!
7)Wanted to hook up with a friend? Oh goodness, yes!
8)Had a crush on a teacher? I always had old, ugly teachers. But if I had to answer the question based on co-workers, that's another story.
9)Ever thought an animated character was hot? I so loved G.I. Joe!
10)Had a New Kids on the Block tape? No! Never! Well, okay maybe one, but I never had the buttons pinned to my denim jacket...
11)Been on stage? Other than dribbling beer down my face at a Uphonik show?
FAVORITES--------------------
1)Shampoo: Found a new favourite brand over here - Tony and Guy Fizz Reducing Shampoo. [I am sure this is really the type of stuff you want to know about me]
2)Body Wash: I miss Bath and Body Works!
3)Hair Color: I've always been a fan of red hair - even though mine doesn't look red anymore.
4)Day/Night: I am such a night person it is not even funny! I have such odd sleeping patterns - How do you think I can watch such crap tv? Hooray for 2 am HBO!
5)Summer/Winter: Too hard to choose. Can I call myself an autumn/spring person?
6)Lace or Satin: I guess lace.
7)Favorite cartoon person: Dot from the Animaniacs.
8)Favorite Food: Anything ethnic: Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Indian, and especially Ethiopian!
9)Favorite Movie: Sliding Doors, Time Bandits, Amelie, Jaws, Indiana Jones (all three), Lord of the Rings trilogy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, there are too many to name.
10)Favorite Book Anne Rice's Interview with A Vampire will always be my favourite, but I also like Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Murakami) and The Time Traveler's Wife.
11)Favorite Ice Cream: coffee flavoured. Mmmm!
12)Favorite Subject: Anything that's not maths.
13)Favorite drink: Beer!
14)Favorite drink with alcohol: Beer! Or a Stoli Vanilla with Diet Coke.
15)Favorite Word(s): "road trip?" and "adventure"
16)Words that bother you: "No" and "I can not"
DO YOU BELIEVE IN------------------
1)Your friends: Of course.
2) Santa Claus: Does Hanukkah Harry count?
3)Tooth Fairy: yes.
4)Destiny/Fate: no doubt.
5)Karma: more than anything.
6)Angels: yes.
7)UFOs: yes.
8)GOD: I believe in something, whether you want to call it God, Allah, Buddha, or any of the other millions of names world societies have given her.
FRIENDS AND LIFE-----------------
1)Like anyone? Yup.
2)Who have U known the longest of your friends? Kristin - met her my freshman year.
3)Who do you go to for advice: Everyone!
4)Who do you cry to? Mostly my mom, sometimes my friends.
5)When did you cry the most? Dealing with a break-up almost four years ago. Looking back, I wouldn't be the person I am now without having gone through it. I also wouldn't be where I am now without having gone through it.
6) When are you (happy) laughing: My mother and my sister put me into laughing fits! Plus, my friends - they are always make me crack up!
7) Best feeling in the world: Spending time with good friends.
8) Worst Feeling: Making someone else late when you know how much they hate it.
9)What do you do when it rains? Not much else I can do, grab a brolly and walk out the door!
10)What do you do when your favorite song comes on: Sing
11)What's the newest thing you have done or tried lately: I watched my first Rugby match on Saturday.

Exhausted, but still smiling...

We passed the Ofsted inspection. It was a little touch-and-go for a bit. Two teachers walked out and the number of 'unsatisfactory' inspections kept rising, but in the end, we pulled through. It was an exhausting and stressful week, my observations were complete on Monday, but there was still the fear that an inspector would enter my room at any given time. The worst part was Friday afternoon when the Principal called a staff meeting. Why would you get up in front of a group of people after a week like that and say, "Good job, but I know we can do better next time. I know this isn't something you want to think about, but we have to prepare ourselves for the next time they come..." What sort of motivation is that?!?

I have spent the better part of my weekend on the other side of London, taking it easy and relaxing. Now we only have a week and a half before our Easter Break (and my big trip: 8 countries in 12 days!! WooHoo!!).

One down, three days to go...

Unless they decide they want to stay for Friday (but they won't do that unless things aren't going well). This is Ofsted I am referring to, btw. And I wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy. Don't get me wrong, the inspectors are nice enough, but there's just so much pressure and so much stress attached to this whole experience.

I got up early this morning and took my time packing my bag for school, but somehow my geography lesson got put in the wrong pile and ended up underneath a bunch of crap on my bedroom floor. So, what else could have happened when I've left my lesson plan at home? Yup, as you've probably guessed, I was observed first lesson (geography). There's me feeling like a big old goof trying to explain why I do not have my lesson plan with me. Then a couple of the administrators stop by asking if I needed to call home and have someone bring it to me... Umm, it's just a piece of paper and it's a bit late don't ya think?! Anyway, other than feeling like a complete fool, the lesson was okay and I got my 'satisfactory' mark.

So, feeling a bit better having faced the firing squad, I went on with my day. That is, until my last lesson when the science inspector walked into the room. Now, I teach a wonderful group of very low ability year 7 students on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. I say wonderful because they really try hard, but they are climbing the walls in the afternoon lessons. And they were in rare form today! The lesson sucked. It was horrible. But the inspector said that I was persistent about their behavior, so I made my second 'satisfactory' mark.

Now, both lessons were horrible and I feel that on any given day, my lessons are SO much better than what I have just shown. I just don't think I am one who performs well under pressure. Oh well. I have my marks and there's nothing I can do about it. Other than work a bit harder tonight in case I see the inspectors tomorrow... Or the day after that... Or the day after that... Ugh!!

I can't wait for this to be over!!

I can not seem to focus today at all. This is my horoscope for the day and it is very fitting:
As of this evening, you'll be thinking specifically about one person -- just the one. You may need to spend your time with others, or be duty-bound to take care of responsibilities, but your mind won't be there.

There are about a million things I'd like to say right now. Instead, I will try and work on Ofsted preparation (through my cheesy smiles that don't seem to disappear)...

What happened to the weekend, is it Sunday already?!

I was looking at the most recent Time Out Magazine and there are a TON of US bands touring England this spring! I was quite surprised to see G. Love, North Mississippi All Stars, Gov't Mule, Drive By Truckers, and Me'Shell Ndegeocello. There's also some bigger names on tour like Jimmy Eat World, Jack Johnson, Ben Folds, and AudioSlave. Then, there are the groups that I had to stop and think, "are they really still playing?," like the Spin Doctors, Presidents of the USA, NIN and Hanson... [Ha! Sorry, but I can't help but laugh when I think of Hanson!] I haven't tried to make it to any shows since I have been here, but I want that to change. Consider it a very late New Year's resolution. Anyway, Particle and Keller Williams are playing the weekend after next and I am going to go ahead and get tickets. Hooray for Spring!! I just wish the weather would feel a bit more like spring...

So, I spent Saturday evening in the same spot as last Sunday - freezing my ass off, snogging (kissing) on a park bench along the Thames. I met him at noon and we spent the day wandering around London (I finally saw Buckingham Palace). We walked a good portion of the city and I have the blisters to prove it (Damn Skechers!) I had a really nice time with him, though, and we've made plans for next weekend...

Ofsted inspection starts tomorrow. I've already spent my morning at school (I wasn't the only one) and still have lots to do! Ugh!

What a long, strange day!

It's been a rather odd day. I've mentioned the strange weather in an earlier post, but truly we've had snow, in some form or another, every day for the last two weeks. Today, there were a few flakes on my walk to work. By mid-morning most everything had a light cover, and the streets were slippery. They cancelled school by 1:00 and sent all of the students home. Most teachers stayed to prepare for our big inspection next week. So, by the time I left the school at 4:00, the sun was blazing and there wasn't a drop of snow anywhere. Weird.

This, compounded by the fact that I was up late last night, has made the day feel entirely too long! Yesterday feels like weeks ago and tomorrow will not get here soon enough.

Another one...

www.overheardintheoffice.com

I love this blog!

Have you seen www.overheardinnewyork.com? It's really a fun read!

My favorite so far:
Girl on cell: I knew it was over when I grabbed his shirt and he told me I was pulling his hair!

- Bleeker & W. 11th
Overheard by: Alaska

Desperate housewife, I am not. But the show still rocks!

I have just finished watching another episode of Desperate Housewives - I love that show! We are a few episodes behind the US right now. Tonight's episode was the one with the fashion show and ends with Carlos being carted off by police. I can't really explain why I like the show as much as I do, but I can't seem to skip an episode either...

It has been snowing here off-and-on for a week and a half. Although it never seems to stick, it is still quite pretty to walk through. Today it snowed rather hard and they even sent the primary kids home early. By mid-morning it was a mixture of rain and snow and by afternoon most of the snow had melted. Grr! Funny, the towns around us are covered, but not us. Still, it is nice to watch it fall - just wish I was watching from indoors instead of walking to work.

I don't know what I was thinking last night...

... but I totally I made out with a boy sitting along the Thames with the London Eye illuminated on my left and Big Ben across the river!! :)

Love actually is all around...

God I love that movie!!

Today According to the Stars:

That woozy, dreamy feeling you were toting around last week? All the while you were wondering if you were doing the right thing? Picture the best of that -- the romance and idealism -- without any confusion. Congratulations! That's your day.

Why Are We So Hard On Ourselves?

A senior manager at the school stopped me today and asked how things were going. He said, "you really seem to be doing well." I told him it was all a front, but thanks... The Head of the Science Department was walking behind me, so he stopped her and said, "she seems to be doing very well." And she replied in agreement. Why is it that I feel like I am a crap teacher, why am I so hard on myself??? Anyway, Good is nice and the compliment is nice. :) Someday I want to be called an outstanding teacher... But for now I will settle for "good."

Snow... Maybe!?

It has been snowing off and on all week, but never enough to amount to anything. I seem to time it just right where I get caught in the snow/rain either walking from one building to the other at work or walking to and from school... Today, which was the day they were predicting to be the worst for snow, it was just rain (with an occasional flake here or there). I was so disappointed. That is, until I just looked out the window. There is a light accumulation and if it stays cold enough and if it snows a little more, we still have a chance for a snow day!! Long shot, I know...

I swear I am such a kid!!

So, it has been snowing off and on all day!! It will only last for 5 to 10 minutes, but it comes down pretty hard. It was a frustrating day at school - first day back after half-term and I can already feel my voice going. I don't think the snow helped any. Why is it that kids will go absolutely NUTS if they see the sky spit flakes?! (Of course, I am secretly jumping up and down, but I don't scream and run to the window!) Outside it has started again. Fingers crossed, maybe it'll stick!!

I don't want to go to work tomorrow...

They are predicting snow. Actually, they are predicting flurries off-and-on all week, but somehow I don't think we are going to get more than a dusting. It would be nice to experience a snow day in the UK so that I can compare it to home. Aw! Who am I kidding?! I just like having days off from work!

So, it has been a fairly quiet weekend. I tried to go into London yesterday, but the train lines were down. I could have taken a bus, but instead I just hopped a bus to Bluewater. I was in search of shoes, but decided to hold out for the open-toed variety (once the weather gets nicer). Winter should end eventually, right? I did notice Friday that it is staying light out much later in the evening, like 5:30...

We had English Pancakes for dinner this evening and boy were they delicious!! They were thin, like a French crepe and you roll them up with toppings inside. I ate mine with some sprinkled sugar and some lemon juice, a "very English" style I was told. They were lovely!!

I've been reading in the news that Israel is pulling out of the Gaza Strip. I know there is a lot involved and the Palestinians are not entirely happy with the way Sharon is moving ahead without a proper peace accord, but this is big folks!! Who knows?! Call me an optimist, but we may actually see peace in the Middle East (and a Palestinian State) during our lifetime!!

I got my hair cut yesterday and the woman dried it out straight. It's REALLY long! Just thought I'd share. 

Home from the whirl-wind Tour

Where to begin? It was an absolutely amazing trip - lots of fun!! We saw SO much and did SO much in the short amount of time that we had - it was a blast!! I met some really cool people and enjoyed spending time with Krissie and her friends!! Good times and lots of memories!

Day 1: Met Krissie at Victoria Station, London approx. 4:15 pm. We made our way to Luton Airport. After riding the tube, a train, a bus and eventually a plane, we arrive at Paris' CDG airport. Then we made our way to the Hotel Mayet. A train ride and two metro transfers later we check in, eat some cheese and crackers and fall fast asleep.

It was exciting and a little weird to see Krissie standing at Victoria (like it was normal for her to be in London or something). Somehow, the reality of our trip still had not hit me. We caught up on gossip and swapped stories, just like old times.

Day 2: Paris: We woke up and made an attempt to use the funky French shower (it was a tub with a hand-held piece, no curtain). We ate breakfast and met Emily and Nico in the hotel lobby. Nico drove us to Sacre-Coeur for the start of Emily's wonderful tour. Here was our day in Paris:

• Sacre-Coeur: We climbed to the top of the tower and could see the whole city - such a beautiful sight!!
• Hotel de Ville and Notre Dame: Very cool buildings! The figurines carved into both buildings were very detailed and very beautiful! Don't know why I was obsessed with Notre Dame, but I took a ton of pictures of it.
• Lunch: Take away sandwiches on good French bread - Mmmm!!
• The Louvre: We walked through the courtyard (not enough time in the day to see the inside) - such a huge and amazing building!!
• Jardin de Tuleries: Winter and a little rainy, but I can see why it is such a neat place.
• Angleina's: Famous for hot chocolate, we enjoyed the specialty and dessert - Mmm!!
• Champs Elysees: We walked along the well-known street and even did a bit of shopping (or at least tried to).
• L'Arc de Triomphe: We climbed more stairs to see the city!! I never knew you could do that!
• Eiffel Tower: Bad weather kept us from going to the very top, but we saw plenty from the second level.
• Bataux- Mouche: A river cruise along the Seine - very cool!!
• Dinner: St. Germain area for dinner at La Boussole and drinks later.

A very cool day! It was great to meet Emily and to spend the day with her in Paris! Hard to choose a favorite sight, but I loved looking down on the city from at least three different places. The restaurant where we ate dinner was spectacular! I have found myself dreaming of the salmon with coconut sauce... Guess I will have to find my way back to Paris soon.

Day 3: Nico and Emily drove us to the airport for the second leg of our trip. I can't say this was the BEST travel day, but we made it and that's all that matters. First, the airport had only one line to check in for the flight to Barcelona (while other destinations had at least two lines) which meant that the line itself was rather long. Passengers started to get anxious about making the flight, so there were a lot of angry/stressed-out people in line... Never a good thing. Then, when we finally checked-in and hurried to the gate expecting to board the plane immediately, it hadn't even landed yet! The company probably could have saved quite a few customers from stressing -out if they had only informed us while we were waiting. We made it to Barcelona without a problem and caught the train to Estacio Sants where we were expecting to catch a train to Alicante. Unfortunately, there were no seats on any train to Alicante... Uh Oh!! The guy told us we could either take a bus or catch the 7am train the next morning... We opted for the bus and arrived in Alicante at 2:20am.

I am sorry for that, K. I really did try to book tickets in advance, but the website wouldn't let me and I NEVER expected the trains to be full!! It was a long ride from Barcelona, but was cool to see the Spainish coast (well, at least until the sun went down). The bus was a new, fancy one that had a toilet on it (you actually stepped down to get to it). We even watched a movie - too bad neither of us know Spanish... Caroline and Lee met us at the bus station at 2:20am and took us to their house in La Marina. We drank champagne and ate strawberries and didn't go to bed until 5 o'clock.

Day 4: La Marina, Spain We woke up around noon and got ready for the day. Unfortunately, by the time we were ready to leave the house, it was time for siesta, so we went to the beach and enjoyed a picnic along the Mediterranean. It was a beautiful day, a little chilly, but lovely and bright. I was thrilled to be able to wear sunglasses. About 4:00 we headed into Torrevieja. Siesta is a new concept for me - the idea that people take a break in the middle of the day to go home and spend time with their family is cool. They slowly make their way back to work sometime between 4 and 4:30ish to open shop and continue with the rest of the day. It was very odd to walk around the town of Torrevieja and see the shops closed in the middle of the afternoon... Just a very different way of life. We left and headed back to La Marina for dinner. We had a few drinks at two of the local bars, then enjoyed a huge Chinese feast. It was great. I think we were all a little drunk by the end of the evening, I know I was! We walked home and sat on the roof-top terrace for a little while before heading for bed.

Caroline and Lee were great fun! I have loads of admiration for them to leave Wales and move to Spain where the life and the language is completely different. I really liked the Costa Blanca region. There is such a completely different way of life in Spain, so mellow and relaxed. It would take a while to get used to life there, but I think it could be a lot of fun.

Day 5: We woke early so that we could attend the San Fulgencia Market, hopped in the car and drove to the town only to find that the market was not quite what was advertised. It only had about 8 stalls, mainly fresh fruit and veg. We decided to drive to Elche, the shoe capital of Spain. We wandered around the town looking for shoe shops but had no luck. We found a really cool bridge and snapped tons of pictures. We ate lunch at a cute little Spanish restaurant. We left Elche to find orange and lemon groves and snapped more pictures. We spent loads of time in the car, seeing a lot of the area. It was really cool to see the salt lakes and citrus groves - such a beautiful area!! Then it was back to the house for dinner and then off to the Alicante airport. We were in the immigration line at Gatwick with some really shady characters. Caught the shuttle to the hotel and crashed by approx. 1am.

Elche was really cool. It is a good-sized city and you could get a good feel for Spanish life. Compared to Torrevieja, where tourists frequent the area, Elche did not speak much English. So it was especially nice to experience. Driving through the area with Caroline and Lee was nice. We have some fun pictures where we stopped to photograph ourselves with the San Miguel sign. I can see why they are such a special couple for Krissie, they are just really great people!! Lee bought Krissie and I stickers and magnets and even a box of Sangria!! Caroline insisted that I take a juice-box sized wine home with me as well!

Day 6: London, England We caught the 8:15 shuttle to Gatwick. Big hugs before Krissie went through security to find her gate and I caught the Gatwich Express to Victoria, then the Green line to Embarkment, walked to Charing Cross and finally caught the 10:02 train back home.

I had a blast K! Thanks for coming!!

Krissie and I in front of Sacre Coeur

Caroline, Krissie and I enjoying a San Miguel along the Mar Mediterraneo. 

Pancake Day

"Did you know today was Pancake Day?" That's what I was asked on several occasions today. In the UK, since tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, today is the day that you clean out your cupboards. They call it Shrove Tuesday. It seems that traditionally observing Lent meant abstaining from all dairy products, including eggs (in addition to meat), therefore you would indulge the night before... Kinda like Yom Kippur where you enjoy a feast before you fast for twenty-four hours. Pancakes here tend to favor crepes rather than the pancakes I grew up on, but they still taste nice nonetheless. In the British Isles (and some other parts of Europe) Shrove Tuesday is also a festival-type day with Pancake Races (where women run through the streets with frying pans, trying to flip pancakes as they run) and other games. Forget Mardi Gras beads and wild parties, bring on the pancakes! Somehow it just doesn't have the same effect.

Anyway, Happy Pancake Day all!!

Monday

A pretty boring week. A pretty boring weekend... But not for long!! I am getting more and more excited about the trip to the continent - it's going to be a blast!! I just have to make it through the week - Ugh! School is really stressing me out and keeping me really busy. This trip is a welcomed escape. Are we down to only four days, K?

This was a conversation I overheard between two 17 year old boys today:

Boy 1: Did you watch the SuperBowl last night?
Boy 2: Nah. I can't get into American Football.
Boy 1: Yeah. It's like when they film matches here everything looks a little gray. Over there it's all lit-up and has a bright haze, kinda like a Hollywood movie. So I watch it, but it is dull. I keep looking for a plot, but there isn't one.

Could Be Promising...

I recently had a conversation with the Head of Science about a going on a training course for a program we are using with our year 10 and 11 students. At first she was a little apprehensive, it seems that the program will be replaced in 2006. But then she said, "Well, you'll be working with the program next year, so it would be beneficial." Is this a good sign for a job for next year?

Nightmares

I had two disturbing dreams on Friday. The first was about Ofsted. I was in the middle of an absolutely horrible lesson to find an Ofsted inspector at the back of my classroom. The school has me so worked up that I am now dreaming about the visit - Agg! I couldn't wake myself and was almost late for work... The second dream was early evening when I was napping. It was about being beaten and abused. I can't remember exactly what happened, but the most disturbing bit of the dream was waking up and feeling like it was not the first time I have dreamt it...

I just purchased my ticket to see REM at Hyde Park on July 9, 2005!!

I wish I had taken my camera with me...

I didn't think I would need it. Most museums don't allow you to photograph things, anyway, so I thought I would save some room in my bag. BIG MISTAKE!

Yesterday I went to the Museum of Natural History, which was rather disappointing. I guess, living in a town without major museums, I had high expectations. Everyone said, "Skip the Science Museum, it's boring, instead go to the Museum of Natural History." I guess we have different opinions of what is boring... It was a lot of animals, sprinkled with some bones: in other words, it was taxidermy heaven with a Darwin exhibit here and a Dinosaur exhibit there. I can see where people might enjoy it, it was much like a zoo except with perfect views of the animals, they weren't hiding and they weren't sleeping. I'd prefer to see the animals at the zoo - alive!! But that's just me. Even the Ecology exhibit had loads of animals, like the museum had SO many that they just put they wherever they could... I can just imagine their basement piled high with the leftovers...

The museum itself was a huge maze and it was very difficult to get from one section to another. I think that added to my frustration. Before leaving, I decided to give it one last go, and found the Earth Room, which was really cool. It was an exhibit on volcanoes and plate tectonics - more my cup of tea. Plus they had a huge room full of rocks and minerals, and even a special exhibit on Meteors which was cool. Not that it was a bad experience, just one I will skip next time... I will say that the Museum building is absolutely gorgeous!! It reminds me of a building in a Sherlock Holmes movie, just large with a breathtaking design. Inside, the detail was wonderful. The first room was three stories high and there were small monkeys carved along each of the arches, everywhere. It was fabulous!!

Leaving the museum, I decided to try and find Harrod's (hugely expensive, well-known department store). I remembered driving past it when we returned to London on my trip to Wales, so I was trying to find the right block... I walked around the exterior of the entire museum, but could not find the right street. Somewhere along the way, I got distracted my the impressive buildings I was passing, until (in the middle of the block) was this spectacular one that was round and had many stairs leading to the entrance. Overtaken with curiosity, I immediately crossed the street and started to climb the stairs. Come to find out, it is the Royal Albert Hall. That's where Cirque du Solei is performing now and where many operas and symphonies take place. Across the street is Kensington Park, where there is a beautiful monument with spectacular sculptures. Nearby is Hyde Park, but I was getting short on time... It took me a while to find a tube station and get back home...

Long-story-short, I now will have to go back to this area and snap loads of pictures, because my words do not do it justice. OH DARN, I am so upset that I have to go back to something that just completely impressed me... :)

Books, books and more books...

I have been spending a lot of time reading since I have been in England. I can't say that I have always enjoyed reading, but in the last few years I have tried to do more and more of it. My problem is that when I walk into a bookstore I freeze up. I panic. I stress about finding a new book to read. It seems to take hours and the stores make me claustrophobic.

Long story short, I am looking for suggestions for books to read. Any suggestions? Please share.

Here is my most recent: The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger - This was such an easy read. The story was interesting and different - a love story with a twist. I loved this book!

Sisters are always good for a laugh...

I got a package today from New York. My sister always sends the silliest stuff. This one contained a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, a luggage tag (bright orange with a NYC tube map on it), two notecards (one says "My driving is fine but I walk like a maniac."), and a People Magazine. So, I have spent my afternoon reading about Jennifer and Brad. That is until I had my tea (my dinner) and watched ER.

My sister also sent me a "grow a boyfriend" - I guess she worries about me here. According to the package, he grows 6 times his original size (wouldn't it be nice if they all did). Apparently he will reach full size in 72 hours, but will slowly shrink when out of water, "then you can grow him again and again." God, that girl makes me laugh!

Why is it whenever I visit London my boogers turn black?

Just got back from a day at Windsor Castle. It was just what I needed: a nice day out to remind me why I am here. I have been so caught up in school and what's been going on in the house that it was starting to get me down. After today, I am energized. The town of Windsor is great and the castle is just amazing, especially because it is still used on a regular basis. Hard to imagine that something THAT old is still actively used by the Queen today. The rooms were great, all very ornately decorated - very gold.

I guess the only thing I have to compare it with is the Biltmore Estate. (My sister and I toured the White House when I was 8, but I can't remember anything about it...) The tour was similar, view the rooms/view the grounds, but there's something to be said for a piece of architecture built in 1080 that the Biltmore can not be compared with... And the artwork, each room was covered in beautiful paintings. The most impressive room was St. George's Hall, an enormous hall with a vaulted ceiling that is covered with coat-of-arms for all of the members of the Order of the Garter. This is where the Queen holds State Banquets.

Entering Windsor Castle...

Random Bits of Information

The last two weeks have been... Well, I guess the best way to describe them is shite. There have been some things happening around the house that have caused me to spend more and more time in my bedroom, out of the way. Unfortunately, in retreating to my bedroom I am becoming more and more of a hermit and am starting to feel sad about not having a social life. Nothing is in place yet, but I am working on getting myself out of this "downer" situation. I am thinking that a change in scenery is in order. We'll see...

At school, there's a big push to be prepared for our Ofsted audit in March. Ofsted is an government agency that evaluates schools and publishes reports based on these evaluations. My school did not get a very good report the last time they were audited, so there is a big push to be successful this time around (otherwise, I've heard they shut down your school or something). They are in and around the school for a week, visiting classrooms, assessing teachers and auditing the overall success of the school. It seems to be a highly stressful time and preparations have already begun. This being my first Ofsted visit, I am especially concerned how things will go. If it is anything like today, I am screwed.
(On a sidenote, I am concerned as to why an Ofsted audit is announced. There is so much time spent in preparation, that all the auditors end up seeing is a big song-and-dance. How is that REALLY evaluating the success of a school - how well they can bullshit?)

My weekend, overall, was uneventful. Friday, I picked up a couple of movies to watch: "Bend it Like Beckham" and "Italian Job." Saturday, I rode into London hoping to hit a museum, but I had a late start so I just wandered around. I have my favorite places that I always go, but there's still so much more to see. This time I thought I would just get on the tube and explore another part of the city. I ended up on the Bakerloo line, and rode it to Paddington Station. The area was mainly residential, but very cute. Next time I will consult my guide book and make sure the area I choose is a little more interesting. Not wanting to leave London too early, I made my way to Trafalgar Square with a chai tea in hand. I figured that I could sit and watch the people for a little while. It turned out that there was a huge Russian Festival and the square was packed! So, I watched some band perform and watched the people while I drank my tea - it was wonderful! Maybe I'll try Notting Hill next weekend.

This is my horoscope for today:
The authority figures you've been dealing with lately are quite happy with you -- not only with what you've done, but with the reputable qualities you've displayed. They're not quite ready to show that to you just yet, however. So you'll need to be patient, or at least fake it for just a little while longer. You won't have to pretend you're happy once they offer you a bit more responsibility, though -- and that's what's coming. Oh, admit it. You just love this. Get some sleep. You'll need it.

The Smart Car

r
It's just TOO cute!! Of course, I'd hate to be in it on the highway.

I don't think I am adjusting well, this time around...

Well, all of my luggage has finally made it back. And, I made it through another week of school... Then, Friday the bug hit and I've been in bed ever since...

It was a lot harder to get on the plane this second time around. All of the adventure was gone, I knew what was waiting on the other side of the ocean. So, the saying "goodbye" part was a lot harder, especially the saying "see you in 7 months" because that seems like such a LONG time.

Then, the luggage crap happened and I was greeted with some bad news about my living situation. Plus, I had to dive right into school (which was both good and bad). So, by Friday I was completely worn out and was starting to feel sick. I came home and went straight to bed and have been there ever since.

Problem is: Because I have been sick and in bed, I have spent this weekend back on American time - get up at 5pm (noon at home) and go to bed at 5am (midnight at home). Which, unless I can correct tonight when I go to bed, will set the stage for all of next week... Ugh!

Luggage Update

One bag has been located. It arrived in Paris this afternoon by mistake. WTF!?! It should arrive in London tonight and will be delivered tomorrow... This sucks!

We missed you Little A!! 

I'M BACK!

The trip home was nice. I can not think of a single thing that I wanted to do and just didn't. Of course there are many, many people I wish I could have had more time with. But at least I got a visit in, even if it was only for a couple of hours. I got to spend some time running around with my sister in NYC - that was fun! I love that city!! I got to spend lots of time with my parents and Sassy - that was nice! I spent time in Charlotte and hung out with friends - not enough time, but it was worth the trip. And I got some good time in with the grandparents - that was important. So, all-in-all, not a bad vacation.

Of course, I arrived at Gatwick yesterday morning, completely exhausted, to find out that my luggage did not make the flight with me - ugh! That is half my life right there - all of my gifts, all of the items I'd purchased with gift money, and almost all of my underwear that I have (TMI, I know)!! I had gotten rid of so much when I moved, that the items I kept are truly my favorites and, unfortunately, they were all packed in two bags heading from Atlanta to London that were somehow misplaced along the way. Needless to say, I am very unhappy about it all! They told me I would hear something in 24 hours - it has been 28 and no word - Grr!

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

Well, not exactly. I still have a few more things to shove into the suitcase. I had a brilliant plan to only pack a carry-on so I could get in and out of LaGuardia easily tonight (and then again in and out of LaGuardia tomorrow night), but that plan went out the window about 8:00 last night. So, instead, I have my trusty rolling suitcase. I will check it... Everything will work out okay...

So, in approx. 15 hours I will be hugging my sister and diving into her new futon to get a few hours of shut-eye before we tackle NYC shopping. I know, I know... What am I thinking? I just finished complaining about London crowds... But crowds are much more bearable when you have company.

I have survived my first term...

Only two more to go! It has been an extreme learning experience. And I chose to celebrate it by sleeping for almost 18 hours. I slept through the staff party last night and probably could have slept all today, as well, but there were Christmas presents to buy. So I forced myself out of bed to fight the huge crowds on Regent Street. Ugh! Why do they make crowds look so nice in the movies? No one ever seems to bump into anyone else. No one ever seems to just stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

Hooray for British Pubs!

Haven't had much of a chance to be out and social, but tonight was the Science Department Christmas Dinner... I was not banished to the "boring" part of the table (always a good sign), they were cunning when they made the seating plan. I enjoyed my sea bass and my John Smith pints. At one point I was feeling a bit tipsy (I've lost my tolerance over the last few months), but recovered (graciously, I think) and continued with my glass of wine... Can't wait to visit Charlotte, where I have (or used to have) a fun social life. Until then I am just going to have to meet some REAL drinkers in town (other than the students at my school)... Six days and counting, not sure if there's time before the new year...

Maybe that should be a New Year's resolution...

So far, my resolutions are pretty lame:
#1 - Lose weight (I could sound like Bridget Jones and start talking about the number of stones, but I'll spare you)
#2 - Make some friends (because YES, I am really THAT pathetic)
#3 - Work on classroom management (I have some ideas for the new term)
#4 - start working on what I want to do with the rest of my life...

Bruges Christmas Market

Woke up early Saturday morning to catch the bus - we had to be at the stop at 6:54am. Ugh! Everyone at school said that the coach would have tea and coffee, not my coach, so I spent the first part of the trip sleeping. In Dover we boarded a ferry and made our way across the channel to France. I finally got a cup of coffee on the ferry. Of course every British person on the boat was drinking beer or "spirits" (at 8:30 in the morning!?!) It was an uneventful ferry ride - too cold to go outside, too foggy to see anything and too early to do much else. So, Catherine, Claire and I just lounged around for an hour and a half. Once in France we had about another hour and a half to get to Bruges - more bus time. Finally, around 12:30 (1:30 local time) we made it to Bruges. We were given four hours to see the market and the town and buy as much chocolate as we could...

There are so many things that I loved about Bruges and I don't even know where to begin. First of all, there are tons of bicycles (people ride bikes instead of driving cars) and you'll be walking along and pass a bike rack with hundreds of bikes attached. Next, the architecture is interesting. You can see the German influence - all of the buildings, houses, etc. Look really cool. Then, you have the river running through the town and all of the houses and buildings are built along-side it. There are four languages spoken in the town: French, German, Flemish and English - and most people who live there can speak 3 of the 4!! I could go on and on. My point is that it was a wonderful town.

We made our way to the Market Place - very big, with a large church/clock town on one side and many stores all around the sides. We were trying to find a place to eat - a place with "good French bread" - and decided on sandwiches, to go, so we would have plenty of time to explore. Catherine and Claire were so excited to see all of the French influences in the town. They were thrilled that they could speak French in almost every store we visited. After lunch, we decided that we needed chocolate (since Belgium is so well known for its use of the cocoa bean). We found a store that sold waffles and ordered ours draped in chocolate - it was heavenly! We spent the rest of our time shopping. Then rushed back to the bus for the four hour trek home - (it was a long ride home and we slept most of the time).

The bus stopped in Calais at a huge beer and wine warehouse. We were given 45 minutes to shop and the majority of the bus filled their carts. I would have much rather had the extra 45 minutes in Bruges. But if you say "France" then the British start to drool - there are so many huge shops like this all over the French coast and the Brits go nuts over cheap beer, wine, cigarettes and groceries. So many of them haven't seen past Calais or these huge mega-marts. Um, hello, there's so much more to see than a neon sign!!

Anyway, getting back into England was interesting. The bus stopped at the Border Partol gate and replied "all British" to the patrolman when he asked, "What nationality are your passengers?" The patrolman decided to spot-check our passports and when he found an American and two French girls on board he got a nasty attitude (myself, Catherine and Claire). He looked at my passport and started drilling me, "What are you doing here?" When I showed him my Work Permit, he started drilling me, "Where do you work? What do you teach? Where is your school? How long have you been here?" It was a little disturbing.

I really enjoyed myself, it was just a very long day. The funniest part of the trip was when Claire and I decided that we wanted to learn how to say 'Hello' and 'Thank you' in Flemish. We met this very nice vendor and asked her. It turns out that the way to say 'Thank you' in Flemish sounds like the way you say 'take it in the ass' in French.

I don't really know what to say about the Christmas Market, we kept wandering around the town trying to find it. We'd find a little area with a few booths set up selling t-shirts or food, and say, "Is this it? This can't be it." Turns out that when we got back to the bus, our driver said that the market ended at 1:00 (and we arrived in town at 1:30). So, I missed the Christmas Market, but I really couldn't care less - I loved what I saw of Bruges. It is a great town - with or without the Christmas Market.

I don't even want to think about the time...

It late and I am exhausted, but am feeling pretty happy about what I've done this evening... Check it out for yourself: http://www.myadventuresinengland.com

It's not exactly what I had it mind (and I really don't think it is all that nice looking), but at least it is something more than I had before and I can always go back and change it when I want.

My plan is to use it for communication with family and friends, and update every-so-often. My blog I'll keep updating regularly - it's for the things I don't want my grandparents to read. Of course, with the way my life has been lately, I FEEL like a grandparent myself.

I am heading to Bruges (Belgium) on Saturday and I am counting down the days until I get a break from school. It hit me this evening that I will be on a plane to New York in a week from Monday! Then it hit me that I only have two weekends left to do my Holiday shopping - agg!! I just have to make it through next week with school, then I can go crazy with the gifts!

Rochester, twice in one weekend...

Friday night I went with Chris and Jenny to see the second Bridget Jones movie. I've heard good and bad reviews, all-in-all it was a good film. Mostly, everyone just said that it was "more of the first." And that it was. I still love Mark Darcy, though, and hope I can one day meet someone who will love "all of my wobbly bits" and love me "just as I am."

Enough sap. Moving on...

We drove to Rochester to see the flick - nice town not far from where I am. It was a new area that has been built-up and looks quite familiar to many complexes I've seen in Knoxville, Charlotte or any other American town. There was a Mexican restaurant, an Italian restaurant (advertising its 'American Italian' cuisine) and the movie theater.

Saturday, I took the train to Rochester for the Dickens Christmas Market, described as:

An hour south-east of London, this compact city beside the River Medway,
celebrates its links with Charles Dickens - he lived and wrote there for years -
with a Dickensian Christmas celebration. The free annual event includes a High
Street parade of his fictional characters, with top-hatted gents, ladies in
bonnets, chimney sweeps and the ultimate Dickensian character: the street
urchin. There are also carol singers, ice-skating, roast chestnuts and mulled
wine to enjoy.

It was nice. Historic Rochester is beautiful! The old streets and buildings were amazing. There is even a castle, right in the corner of town! I'd love to go back and explore more, but as for the Dickens Christmas Celebration, it was too crowded to really enjoy too much. There were lots of people dressed up and lots of people selling mulled wine and other treats. There were carnival rides one the grounds in front of the castle and there was fake snow drifting around in the air. They even had a night-time parade where everyone sang carols and carried candles. With the 'snow' and the candles, it really was magical.

I've heard really nice things about Rochester, even as a place to live it is supposed to be very nice. I am impressed with how there is plenty of old stuff, even with the amount of new stuff that is being built-up in the area. The reason I haven't made it to see Rochester until now has to do with the fact that they've been doing work on the railway since January 2004 and that you have to take the train to Higham, then a bus from Higham to Strood (that's the part of the tracks they are working on), then catch the train from Strood to Rochester. It was not horrible, but I think I will wait for the train to start running again before I attempt to explore the rest of Kent. Guess Canterbury and Dover will have to wait until the tracks are fixed and running again...

I'm off to daydream about meeting my own Mark Darcy... You never know, it could happen.

All I Can Do Is Smile...

This was my practical in class today:

I teach three year 7 classes (a high ability class, a middle ability class and a bottom set). I have limited the about of experiments or practical I do with my bottom set because (although I absolutely adore the students) they tend to get a little over-excited, don't follow instructions and break things. Today we started a new topic, energy, and the first lesson is to practice using a thermometer. So, I decide to keep it simple with this class and we'll measure the energy loss when hot water cools... Basically they measure the temperature of the water throughout a 10 minute period and record their results in a chart.

I drew the chart on the board for the students to fill in: two columns - very simple: minutes and degrees Celsius - I even filled in the minutes for them (1 min, 2 min, 3 min, etc). So all they had to do was watch the clock and write down the temperature of the water...

Once the students started, I walked around the room, monitoring each group to see if they needed help. This one group of girls caught my eye because they were talking and laughing and not really concerned about time. So, when I checked with this group, they assured me that they were watching the clock. It seems that they recorded the temp after one minute without a problem. Then, they watched the clock for two minutes and recorded the temperature. And then three minutes before they recorded the temperature, etc... They were up to five minutes when I spoke with them...

This is usually how I feel by the end of the day on Monday... You? 

March Vacation Plans

So, I booked a tour for March. Here's the 14 day itinerary (see picture below). I'll have two nights in Paris, two night in Antibes (French Riviera), two nights in Rome and two nights in Amsterdam, along with many other cities throughout Western Europe.

It is a bit less expensive than the 12 & 16 day tours I was looking at before, but we will be staying in hostels and I will need to bring a sleeping bag. I asked the Travel Agent about her thoughts between the"Time Out" tours (the ones I was originally looking at that stay in B & Bs and Hotels) and the "Concept" tours and she said that the "Time Outs"tend to be older (28 to 35) and tend to be couples. She said that if I was a young 28 then I would enjoy the "Concept" tour better. So I took her word for it. It means that I get to see the cities in France that I wanted to see for a lot less money... As long as I can handle community showers for two weeks!!

Contiki European Highlights 

The Dinner...

So, Thanksgiving dinner was a success. I altered the pie recipe and it tasted much better for Saturday. And everything else turned out okay. Not as good as when my grandmother makes it, but the French & British guests wouldn't know that! After dinner I went out with Catherine and Clare for a drink. We were suposed to meet some of their assistant-friends but they never showed, so I was home by 10:30. What an exciting way to spend a weekend - cooking (which I'm sorry to say, just does not do it for me) and home before the bars close around here!! Considering the bars here close at 11, it was a really pathetic night!!

Pumpkin Pie...

I made my first-ever pumpkin pie (from scratch - they don't have canned pumpkin here)! It was quite an experience. This one I made for the people at work. I will be making another one on Saturday, along with the rest of my Thanksgiving Day menu, for the people at the house. I'll try and take pictures (since I don't usually do things like this, I want proof that I can cook).

Not a particularly special day, some of my kids made an effort to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving - that was sweet! Otherwise, just a typical school day...

Hope everyone had a nice holiday! And for those of you shopping tomorrow - be careful - "Day AfterThanksgiving" trips to the mall are hard-core! I've seen the sweetest looking ladies take others DOWN for sale priced clothing. It's a dangerous world we live in... (and suddenly I'm stuck with Genesis' "Land of Confusion" in my head.)

Happy Hump Day!

I have almost made it through another Week One timetable. You know it's bad when the guy who hired you says, "Yeah, you've got the worse timetable in the whole school!" So, in addition to having a full timetable (when other unqualified teachers have more free lessons for planning, etc.) I also have the worst in the school - thanks a lot! It's a wonder I haven't completely lost it yet... or maybe I have and they are just humoring me...

I had a good conversation with the acting Head of Department yesterday. She asked me about next year, and what my thoughts were (I seem to remember having this conversation with her once before). I told her that I'd like to stay. Of course, wanting to do something and being asked to do something are two completely different things in the world of employment. I've been reading up on expectations for getting my Qualified Teaching Status and it is going to take some serious work. Plus, the big, bad OFSTED will be paying a visit before the end of February.

There's a lot riding on performance right now...

Triple Challenge... And Now I'm Pooped!

It was an uneventful weekend. Nice, peaceful, but uneventful. I worked on school stuff, tried to make stuffing (but was missing some ingredients) and chatted away to various friends and family. Sunday night I played a game of Scrabble with Krissie - that was fun (even though I am convinced that Yahoo! tries to give you the worst letters for fun, just to see what you'll do with them). We played checkers, too, but she beat the crap out of me, so I wasn't going to mention that right away. Kristin caught me online in the wee hours of the morning and we chatted for a while.

Today, I went to the gym with Catherine and Claire. We joined the "Triple Challenge" class: step aerobics, weight training and conditioning. It was a good class, but I am worn out now! It was a nice way to forget about the crap that goes on daily in the classroom! I came home, worked on some school stuff, and just finished an online conversation with Laura. I haven't spoken with her since the trip to Wales, so it was nice to catch up.

Everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving there. Here, it's just another week. Of course it's one week closer to Christmas... one week closer to a break... one week closer to my trip to Belguim... one week closer to my trip home. Someone asked me if I was homesick, and really I'm not, I just miss my old life (the social one) and am ready for things to pick up a little around here. Plus, school is stressing me out and I am ready for a break. This work-thing is getting in the way of my having a good time...

Kids exhaust me!!

Try arguing with a mentally challenged 11 year old that just because I have no boyfriend, does NOT mean that I have to like women. The poor kid just could not rationalize it. And that was a conversation I SO did not want to have...

Time to Look for a New Place to Live...

What ever happened to being embarrassed to see a teacher in public?

Every weekend I walk into town and every weekend I see the same four year 10 students. They are sweet girls, but they really drive me nuts in class. Every time I see them in town, they always say "hello." Then I say "hi" and Monday I get to hear, "Miss, we saw you in town on Saturday." It's always the same routine.

Today, in addition to seeing my four regulars, I got to see two of my year 7 students (who are not at that embarrassed-in-public age). I heard "Hi Miss" from the older girls, then "HI MISS!!!" from the two younger ones who insisted on RUNNING up to me. One little darling decided to follow me down the street and attempt a conversation. I indulged her for a while, until she just became silly and wouldn't leave me alone. I'll say it again, what ever happened to being embarrassed to see a teacher in public? Instead, I was the one feeling embarrassed... Can't a woman be left alone to shop???

I need to get out of this town!! I need to live somewhere closer to the city where there is a nightlife and where I can walk the streets on the weekend and not fear harassment from an 11 year-old child. Ugh!!

Plans, plans and more plans

I am not usually a "plan" kind of girl. I like to see where life takes me, but lately it's been much more fun planning than working, so this is how I've spent the last few days:

Thanksgiving Menu:
Turkey (duh!), Cranberries, Cornbread Dressing (my grandmother's recipe that rocks! Plus, no one here knows what cornbread is...), Sweet Potato Casserole, Campbell's Green Bean Casserole (not my favorite, but very American Turkey Day tradition) and Homemade Pumpkin Pie (they don't have the canned stuff here, so it will all be from scratch).

Nothing spectacular, but I tried to keep it very traditional considering my "guests" have never enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal. Have I mentioned how little I actually cook/bake? This could get interesting...

Christmas Holiday:
Things are starting to come together for my trip home. When I originally booked my ticket to the UK, I could not get a hold of anyone at the school to get specific holiday dates, so I assumed that they would be out for the week of Christmas (it being a Catholic School and all)... Nope. I was wrong. So, I have been approved to miss the last two days of school (without pay) so that I can fly home to the States... Whatever! I will arrive in New York late on the 20th, spend Tuesday with my sister (who is off from work that day!Yea!), then fly to Tennessee on Wednesday to spend the holidays with the family. I am trying to plan a little trip to Charlotte on the 27 - 29 to visit friends and maybe get my RiRa Trivia fix for another 4 months. Then, it's back to the island where the skies turn black at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

February Half Term Break:
The plan is to visit Paris and AliCante, Spain. So far, I have found that Eurostar is too expensive, so I have been looking at flights. I have found a flight from Paris to London for 9.49 Euros (£7.90/ $14.22) and a flight from London to AliCante for £47.99 ($86.38), but no flights from AliCante to Paris... By train, it will be 11 hours and we could travel overnight, but I haven't been able to confirm a price (website difficulties). It's still early in the planning stages, so there's other options to research. This is much more fun that grading papers or planning lessons...

March Break:
This is the break that I'd hoped to be touring the Mediterranean, but fate had its way with me and I had to find colder places to visit. So, I've narrowed my choices to two tours. The first lasts for 12 days and explores 8 countries. The second (which I would love to do if I can pull together enough cash) lasts for 16 days and explores 10 countries. These are my options: Tour One - Amsterdam, Rhine Valley (Germany), Munich, Tyrol (Austria), Venice, 2 nights in Rome, Florence, Lucerne (Switzerland), 2 nights in Paris and back to London; Tour Two - 2 nights in Amsterdam, Rhine Valley (Germany), 2 nights in Engleberg (Switzerland), Innsbruck (Austria), Venice, 2 nights in Rome, Florence, 2 nights in Nice, Avignon, Lyon, 2 nights in Paris and back to London. They are similar, but the second spends more time in France. :)

Guess I should really make an attempt to get some work done... I'm out of things to plan. Of course there's always lists to make: Thanksgiving shopping list, things to pack for the States, etc... I am the queen of procrastination.

Poppies Make an Impression

It's been a quiet weekend. Friday I watched tele all night - it was wonderful! Saturday I slept in, did a little cleaning, chatted with some friends (I love Yahoo! Messenger) and went to Bluewater. Chris & Jenny (the couple I am renting the room from) were having people over for dinner and I didn't want to intrude, so I thought I'd go see Bridget Jones... Somehow, when I got to the ticket counter and asked for my ticket, "Finding Neverland" came out instead. And, I am so glad that it did!! It was an absolutely WONDERFUL film!!!

I went to see a movie with Catherine and some of her friends Thursday night. We saw "Alfie." It was good, but I'd really like to see the original so that I can compare. The group that I was with consisted of three French girls, one German boy and one boy from Chile (I say boy/girl because they are all 21). They were all very nice, but I don't think they completely understood the film. That's gotta be hard to sit in the theater for two hours and not really understand what is going on... The three girls kept talking in French all night, which is cool - I know it is their first language and is much easier for them to communicate, but it left the rest of out of the conversation. When I am with Catherine and Claire, the same thing happens, but Claire makes a point to translate everything and keep me included. It's just a nice thing to do.

Anyway, a couple of interesting things about my two trips to the cinema: 1) they really do assign you seats in the theaters here, 2) every trailer I saw was for a Hollywood (i.e. American) film, and 3) I learned that American English is easier for international people to understand. They say that the British accent is hard to understand (I agree to an extent - especially the area that we are all working in is tough).

Today is Remembrance Day, A day to honor all of the people who have died in war. About a month ago I started to notice all of the red Poppy Appeal signs appearing around London and on the train. I didn't realize the significance the Poppy had in England, until I heard that they only grow in distressed earth and that after WWI areas (that saw lots of fighting and lots of death) were completely covered in poppies (and again after WWII). The Scarlet Poppy is the symbol of this day. On Thursday, November 11 (11/11) the school (along with the rest of the nation) has a two minute moment of silence. This weekend there have been parades in London. Today, churches had special ceremonies. The BBC some some great information about Remembrance Day, if you're interested check it out: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/remembrance/history/index.shtml

My day yesterday absolutely SUCKED!! Here's why:

1. My lesson for Geography sucked... I planned to show a video, but the recording was horrible and you couldn't hear it at all.
2. So, when I taught Geography for the second time that day, I had nothing planned and my "wing-it" lesson sucked...
3. In that class, my students were absolutely horrible...
4. In that class, the classroom assistant decided to "take over" by writing things on the board, giving students answers and doing one girl's homework for her (the homework that she hadn't turned in two months ago and was reprimanded by the Head of Dept to have it in TOMORROW!!)
5. I didn't get to eat lunch because I was tutoring...
6. I didn't get to eat breakfast because I was running late...
7. I didn't get a break because I was running around between the two buildings...
8. It's time for grades and everyone is in a panic...
9. I've got a TON of stuff to mark (stuff that I have been told to wait and test them this week), so its not even like I've had it and have just been lazy about grading it...
10. My week ones are rough, anyway...

If you add to it the fact that the computer network died two weeks ago and I have not been able to use my laptop since before I left for Wales. The guys came out Tuesday to fix the problem, and it was working fine when they left, but somewhere between 5:30 and 9:30, my laptop connection pooped-out!

Then, I found out yesterday that the Mediterranean Highlights trip has been cancelled by the company that runs it. I'm sure I can find something else to do, but I was really looking forward to that trip!

It was a very disappointing day all around, but I survived. I layed on the couch and watched "Sex and the City." And today, I still have plenty of marking to do, but my computer is up and running (for the time being) and I don't have to teach any classes tomorrow!! Yea!!

Good Week at School

It's been a pretty good week:

• My year 10s actually behaved themselves long enough for us to have a "proper lesson" on Wednesday - I was completely amazed!! Then they were little shits again on Thursday.
• The classroom assistant called in the special forces on Thursday for a unit test I had with my year 7 class (the one that has lots of special needs children in it). There's usually two, sometimes three of us in there. I had approx. six extra teachers in that class - it was wonderful!
• I was asked to cover a lesson for a science teacher that was out on Friday. The class was a low-ability year 9 class that only had about 12 students in it (and two assistants). We did the work given, I made a few adjustments to the lesson, made it more my style... It was a rough class, but we made it through without any major problems. At the end of the day, I was passing an administrator's office and he complimented me on how I handled the class. He said he poked his head in twice during the lesson and was impressed. YEA!!!

I'm feeling much better about the things that are going on at school. The teacher that I was continually comparing myself to has made some really serious mistakes (some REALLY serious mistakes) and I no longer feel the need to compare myself to her. I can only do so much and just continue to try... Good news is that it is getting easier and I am feeling much better in my (many) classrooms.

I am coming home for Christmas. I looked into extending my airline ticket and just traveling around Europe for Christmas, but it would be less expensive to fly home. I may try and fit in a visit to Charlotte while I am in the States. I also booked a 13 day tour in March called "Mediterranean Highlights" which goes through Spain, France, Monaco and Italy - along the Mediterranean Sea. That should be fun!

Wales...

It's been a very busy week and somehow Monday turned into Thursday... That's okay considering most of you saw the pictures and got the story, here's the stuff I couldn't tell my Grandparents:

The trip to Wales was awesome! The countryside is absolutely breath-taking and the people on the tour were a blast! I caught the 6:30 train on Friday (that's AM) into London and met up with the rest of the tour participants at 8. Everyone was talking and laughing and I knew right away that this would be a good time! We boarded the bus and I sat beside a nice Australian named Anne. Our tour guide, Frazier, insisted that we all go to the front of the bus and introduce ourselves, and lucky me, I had to go first. I gave my little spheel, then had to tell an embarrassing story. I told about my first month teaching, when I had a HUGE split in the back of my pants and I didn't know until I went to the loo about half-way through the day. No one had said a word and I had been walking all around school with bright red undies showing for half the day!! (I figured that would be a safe "I barely know you" embarrassing story for the group) Anyway, as soon as I mentioned Tennessee, Frazier said that his favorite place he'd been in the States was Knoxville, TN. First, let me say that Frazier is Scottish and has this wonderful accent. Then, he tells me his favorite place is Knoxville... I was instantly smitten. Everyone else did their intro. song-and-dance and their embarrassing stories were lame! Not that mine was great, but one girl said "I walked to the wrong car in a parking lot!" There's gotta be better embarrassing stories than that!! Anyway, from everyone's intro. I found out that the majority of people on the bus are from Australia/New Zealand. There were two people from Canada, two people from South Africa, two Scotsmen (Frazier being one of them), one Italian and five Americans. Four of the five Americans had ties to Tennessee. I can't get over the fact that everywhere I go, here, I meet Tennesseans!! There were a handful of 19 year old girls. Most people were 22 to 26. I was on the upper end of the spectrum at 28, but there were a couple of others that were older than me. There were also a good handful of people living and working in London, and everyone else was doing the backpacking-across-Europe-thing.

Frazier announced that our Saturday night hostel is attached to a nice little pub that will be having a Halloween party, so sometime before Saturday night we had to pull together a Halloween costume. Our first stop was Stratford-upon-Avon, where most of us found Halloween duds - thankfully, because we really didn't spend much time in a place where we could have bought anything after that. We all split up, but somehow found each other at Shakespeare's house and a group of about 10 of us when to search for Anne Hathaway's cottage. Anne (the Australian) had her Lonely Planet: Britain and told us it was only a mile away. We were given an hour and a half in this town and by the time we finally made it to Anne Hathaway's cottage we had about 15 minutes to high-tail it back to the bus (plus find some lunch on the way). I was not smart enough to use the loo before getting back on the bus. However, I was smart enough not to be the last person on the bus. Poor Reagan and Olivia had to sing to all of us their favorite 80's song.

Three hours later we stopped at the Pontcysyllre Aqueduct. At that point I was absolutely dying, and before he let us off the bus, Frazier announced that the toilets are on the OTHER side of the aqueduct. I tried to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but gave up and power-walked the rest of the trail to the loo - which ended up being a port-a-john in the parking lot. Every once in a while I would stop to take a quick picture and then start walking again. Not the best way to enjoy the beautiful Welsh scenery!

The first day was our longest day on the bus and we were all getting restless. Frazier stopped at Conwy Castle and gave us a little while to walk around. In the town of Conwy there is the "world's smallest house," so we walked down to take some pictures. One girl, Jo, wanted her picture taken with the sign. She's probably 5' and she was as tall as the door. Then, Mark (the 6'8" Australian) wanted his picture taken with the sign - THAT was hilarious! We got back on the bus, heading to [the city with the longest name] to watch the sun set when we got stuck in a horrible traffic jam. Two hours later, when the traffic started to move again, we decided to bypass the town and head straight for our hostel in Caernafon.

By the time we reached the hostel we were all starving, so we quickly unpacked our bags from the back of the bus and found our rooms. The landlord just counted us off into groups of 4 or 6 for the bedrooms, so I ended up in a room with Anne, Olivia, Mark (three Aussies) and Brent & Austin (with myself that makes three Tennesseans). We spent most of the night laughing - I feel sorry for the other rooms, we were quite loud! Olivia and Anne decided that they loved Austin's southern accent and went on and on about it. They were pretty damn funny about it, too! Both nights I ended up in a room with the three guys. Two nights in a row I got to see a HOT 6'8" Aussie in his tiny boxers, I was in heaven!!

I won't bore you with details of everything we saw on Day 2 or Day 3. I will say that Northern Wales is beautiful and that Snowdonia National Park is breath-taking! Saturday was a gorgeous day and we hiked part of Mt. Snowdon that morning, then spent time at Castle-y-Bere that afternoon. The ruined castle was especially cool because of its location. It sits in a valley and the view from the castle is amazing. Day 3 we hiked in Brecon Beacon's National Park (in Southern Wales), but it was rainy and hazy. Just wasn't as nice as the day before. With everything we did, there was a chance to talk to the various people on the tour. It was nice to meet all sorts of people from all over the world. I wish I would have been one of those people that just packed a bag and flew to Europe when I graduated from high school or even college. The stories these girls had were amazing!!

Our second hostel was in a town called Abergavenny. The pub was literally "just down stairs" so most of us started drinking as soon as we put down our bags. At 9:30 three girls on the tour had to perform for us (they were late getting back to the bus in Dolgellau and this was Frazier's punishment). They had choreographed this whole skit to "It's Raining Men" - they were great!! Then the pub started kareoke and that was it for the rest of the night!! Anne was the kareoke queen, she had everyone up with her at least once during the night - including me. (It's a good thing that you can't hear yourself sing with kareoke... I'll never know exactly how bad it was!) Frazier and Mark sang a duet - they were great - imagine a cute, nearly bald Scotsman dancing like he's in the 80's - I wish I had taken pictures!! At midnight, the bar closed down, so a group of us went wandering into town to see what we could find.

This is usually my favorite thing to do: wandering around at night, looking for trouble. We found Abergaveny's Castle and the kebab shop (only thing open in town after midnight). We noticed security sensors in time to not scale the castle walls (getting arrested in Wales would have been a bad thing). We met a couple of "locals" - two Belgium men who were drunk and trying to find their car. Oh! And we flashed a few cars driving down the main road...

Sunday was another long day on the bus, but we exchanged email addresses and the London group exchanged phone numbers. Not really sure if anything will come of it, but it was a great time!! I am ready to sign up for the tour of Scotland, maybe Frazier will be the guide...

Two months to the day...

And I FINALLY have my own computer up and running. This may not seem like much, but it really means a lot to me. I purchased the laptop back in August. I had been needing to replace my old desktop for over a year - the modem died right before I moved in to the apartment with Krissie. At that point, I couldn't afford much and I started to think about going abroad. Obviously, going abroad would have affected my decision between desktop or laptop computer, so I put it off, waiting for a green light on my future residence (among other things). When I ordered my laptop I really didn't think about HOW I would use it, only that I wanted one. (A decision made in haste, now that I think about it). Arriving in England, I was disappointed to find that there was no phone line in my bedroom - not for a phone, but for my computer. So, it has been a long two months of only using my own computer to play music... And, finally, I am up and running with my Yahoo! Messenger and my Microsoft Outlook... I am such a happy girl.

France

We have just unpacked the car from our trip to France. It was late last night and we figured things could wait. We left the house at 8:00 yesterday morning and drove to Dover to catch the train. We had to line up (like you do for the ferry) and drive on to a double-level train. Once all of the cars were on, they closed the doors to each section so that it looked just like a subway train. It only took 35 minutes to get across the Channel (it would have taken 1 1/2 hours by boat) - it was cool!

Once we arrived in France, we drove to St. Omer (approx. 45 km) to wander around the town. Driving was neat, we mainly passed small villages and lots of farms. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of back roads I've been on at home. However, at home they do not have fresh game - rabbits - hanging outside of Butcher shops! Agg! That was a shock!! Once in St. Omer, we walked through the Cathedral and had lunch at a nice little café. Then we drove to Arques, to the glass factory, ARC International. There were so many beautiful pieces and all I could think was,"I wish I could carry these home with me!!" Of course everything I liked was either too big or too heavy to take on a plane - grr!! After Arques, we drove to Boulognes for some grocery shopping at Achaun (think Super Wal-Mart, only bigger) and then into town for dinner. I bought some beer and some stuff to make Taco Salad for dinner (I've been craving Tex-Mex and that is the only thing that I know how to make). The town center in Boulognes was beautiful, I wish we had time to explore. There is a wall around the city and cobblestone streets. :) The streets were dark and they had soft yellow bulbs in the street lights - it was amazing, I felt like I was in a movie.

On the way back to Calais (for the train) we drove along the coast. The moon was almost full and the sky was clear- you could see everything!! We stopped at this one spot, had to drive up a hill to get there. There was a monument, a large cross, and you could see England across the Channel. I can't remember the name of the place, but I am sure it had something to do with WWII. I'll have to look into it more...

I enjoyed the day-trip to France. There is so much more I wish I could have seen - guess that means I have to go back... :)

Not your typical Sunday afternoon...

I have two new favorite places in London, both involve shopping. How sad am I?

I took my time getting out of the house this morning (the sky was gray and the streets were wet), but as soon as I walked out the door, the sun started to come out. Of course, I was dressing in full wet-weather gear (including a warm sweater under my parka and a scarf in my bag - in case it got even cooler). I knew I had made a huge mistake when I passed several people in town wearing t-shirts, but I had no interest in turning around, so I shoved the parka in my messenger bag and rolled up the sleeves of my cotton sweater. I was determined to get out of this town today!

Camden Market is an absolutely wonderful place - crowded, but wonderful!! Where else can you find fetish booths right next to hand-knitted sweaters and jewelry that spells out your name? It is this huge market of absolutely EVERYTHING and caters to every sort of client imaginable. If I took my grandmother and the Goth kid next door, we'd all be happy campers, finding all that our different tastes desired. Oh! And the food was amazing, imagine every ethnic cuisine you could possible think of - Mmm!! I don't really know how to describe it other than UNCC's International Festival meets hippy festival meets any UK town market and multiply it by 1000. Needless to say, I was in heaven. I didn't really buy much, just a few Christmas presents, but I loved the atmosphere and the people-watching. There were moon boots and purple hair galore, and scattered between the London postcards and "Mind the Gap" t-shirts were fuzzy handcuffs and crotchless panties. My favorite product was the "Magic Mushroom." There were several booths that were selling these fungi. They had varieties from Thailand, Hawaii, and many other exotic places, but they were packaged like the mushroom you'd buy in the grocery stores and all I could think was, "What poor sucker bought the magic mushrooms, hoping for something 'exotic' and got the fancy pizza variety?" Because they can't really sell the 'exotic' kind on the street corner, or can they? A place like that, they probably could, maybe... I'm really not giving this place justice - it really just blew me away!! The ONLY draw-back was the crowd. It reminded me of Adams Morgan (remember Robert & Ashley?), just massive amounts of people everywhere!!!

When I left Camden Market, I found my way to Covent Gardens (which I have been trying to find for some time now). Covent Gardens was much quieter than Camden and not nearly as quirky, but I have a feeling (considering it is so close to the Tube Station that I frequent) I will be making it a permanent "when-I-go-into-London" stop. There were many street performers, as I have been told there would be, and most of the shops were of the Bluewater variety, but it is still a WONDERFUL place to visit.

I made it home in time for dinner. A German assistant that stayed in my room last year when she was here, was in town and had dinner at the house. She invited a friend that is teaching at one of the other schools in town. Both girls were extremely nice and I REALLY enjoyed meeting both of them!! We've exchanged numbers, so (for those of you that are worried that I have no friends here) my social life may actually start to pick up soon.

If you get a chance, check out this artist's work: Tina Maas. I saw her booth at Camden Market and her photographs are really amazing! I especially liked her polaroids and the effect she uses - it almost looks like the image is projected on a silk scarf or a piece of fabric - really cool!!

I love NOTHING days!

I have done nothing all day and it has been wonderful! I slept in until noon, finished reading another book and have been daydreaming about how to spend my holidays. [They don't call it a vacation, here.] Around 2:00, when I finished my book, I wandered into the study to check my e-mail and see what has happened on the other side of the Atlantic (I read Krissie's site daily, along with other favorites). To my surprise, her journal entry was a message to me, "Please send e-mail with number so that I can call you!" It made me chuckle. We chatted this afternoon - I'm afraid we chatted for much longer than we should have, but is was so nice to talk that I didn't want to hang up. We used to talk everyday, multiple times a day (and that was BEFORE we became roommates!) - I miss you, K!! All-in-all, it was a very relaxing day.

Tomorrow I am going to London. I was thinking about Canterbury, but the weather was so nasty today and at least in London, there are lots of places (out of the rain) to explore. I'll save Canterbury for a nice (i.e. dry) day. Tuesday is my day-trip to France - Yea!! I'll probably spend Wednesday or Thursday at school trying to get myself organized. And, Friday morning I leave for my tour of Wales - :) !! I should have lots of pictures by the end of the week.

I watched "A Night With Rod Stewart" on BBC1 tonight (that's the second-most exciting thing I've done today). I'm such a lazy bum!

Just in case you didn't know...

I'm a bitch! Or at least that's what I was told today in class. It doesn't phase me, really, I've been called a lot worse. He did it in a quiet classroom, just called out "bitch" because he didn't like the way I was handling a particular situation his friend was involved in. I had a sneaking suspicion it was him, but didn't have proof, so I played it cool, moving on with the lesson. When I made mention of the comment in passing to the class, he was one that started questioning and just wouldn't let it go, "... Do you mean when I coughed, Miss?" After about the fifth time, I sent him into the hall. As soon as I got out there, he said, "I said it. Don't get the other boys in trouble." So I asked him if that's what he called his mother or his grandmother? By the time an administrator got to the class, he was already starting to change his story. Weak little prat! This is why I am pissed... I've been called a bitch before, but never did the story change. Two administrators stopped me today to investigate the situation saying that the student says that he "just coughed" and that I mistook what he said. I am a twenty-eight year old woman who KNOWS the difference between a cough and the word "bitch," it was clear and it was loud. There was NO coughing going on in that room and some snide little prick thinks he can get out of calling his teacher a bitch in a classroom! Arrggg!! Hell, if you've got the guts to do it why change your story at the last minute? Did you really think you could get away with it? Have you gotten away with it before???

That wasn't the end to my day. Let's just say that something metal came flying at me from across the room in my last lesson. Call me a bitch all you want, but don't try and cause me physical harm. Hell, if you're going to do that, then BRING IT, don't hide behind the rest of the class!!! The joke at my old school was, "go ahead and hit me, it'll give me some time off from this place!"

(In my head, I keep seeing Kirsten Dunst and that stupid movie, "Bring It On.") I've got too much aggression built up right now. I need to go find a wall to climb or something physical to do. Sex would be nice, but sadly it is not a possibility at the moment...

If I spend all of my time complaining, I'll just put myself in a horrible mood, so I'll leave things on a positive note. I had an observation today that was not-so-horrible. Of course, as someone in the department said, "that observer is always positive." I know she may have meant it as encouragement, but that kinda took the wind out of my sails as far as feeling good about what the observer had to say... Oh well, only two more days before half-term!! And, boy do I need it!!!

Happy Days Are Here Again...

I can't really say that the "skies are clear again" because that just doesn't seem to happen much this time of year in the UK, but I am feeling much better (both physically and mentally). I have spent a lot of time this week on the phone, probably doubled the number of calls I've made since August, but sometimes you just gotta reach out and touch... Ya know? I've tried to keep myself from feeling too lonely here, but I've been on a downward spiral and it finally hit hard this weekend. My grandfather went into the hospital early in the week and had a pace-maker and defibulator put in to his chest. He's fine, but it made me realize exactly how far away I am right now. I caught a nasty British bug that knocked me on my ass for a few days. I'm better now, but those are the times I wish I was in familiar territory - I know the right drugs to buy at the store to get better, I know the good television programs to watch when I am laying on the couch and bored, I can hop in my car and run to the store without it taking much work (instead of packing a bag with an umbrella and rain coat and trekking into town), I also have a box of movies that I like to watch when I am bored or sick, but they are in an attic in Tennessee... You get the point...

So, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I have spent the weekend thinking about Holidays and vacations and trying to prepare for this trip to Wales. Today, I bought good trekking shoes and a larger pack. And now I have a list of a few smaller items that I "need." The most important being flip flops for nasty hostel showers. In December there's a bus tour that leaves from town and goes to Brugges. The French assistants (Catherine and Claire) and I are talking about joining that tour. It's only one day, but I've never been to Belgium before... Then, there's a Half-Term break in February, which I may have some company that week, can you say "Krissie and Andrea take Paris by storm?" I am also looking at a big trip in March (I have 18 days between Winter Term and Summer Term) and there's a company called Contiki that has these GREAT itineraries: Barcelona, Nice, Florence, Rome... I can't remember them all, but it sounds wonderful!! They are a little on the expensive side, but it includes all accommodations and some meals... Can't hurt to look (and start saving now!) In May my parents are talking about coming to visit and they've mentioned an interest in visiting Scotland. That leaves the summer, which depending on what happens I may or may not be packing a suitcase to head back to the States... Either way, I have found a tour of Morocco that I am just dying to join, so I may have to stick around long enough to travel to Northern Africa... Lots of ideas, lots of possibilities, who knows what I'll actually follow through on there's a lot of time between now and the end of July.

This Sucks!

I have spent the last three days in bed and miserable. I was miserable with a cold on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday I was miserable for being stuck in the house for so long. And now I am facing the same dilemma that I do every weekend: I want to get out of the house and do things but I also have about 12 hours of school work to do. Do I work today so that I can enjoy a Sunday afternoon out and about? Or do I go out today (because the thought of staying in just one more day irritates me) and just hope I can get everything done tomorrow? The problem is that I usually choose the later and I never seem to finish all that I need to do... Ugh!! This sucks!!

Half-term break is coming up. It's the week after next. If I can just make it through next week, I'll be a happy girl. The couple that I am staying with have invited me to go on a day-trip to France with them on Tuesday. The next Friday I am leaving for a "backpackers tour" of Wales. There's a pretty jam-packed itinerary for the three days, but it should be fun.

Day 1 London - Caernarfon : We leave behind the hustle and bustle of the big city and fill our lungs with fresh air en-route to the quaint little town of Stratford-upon-Avon, where Shakespeare was born and finally laid to rest and where historic and medieval English history comes to life! Then we head straight for the Mountains and Valleys of Britain's only Principality, the majestic Wales. We'll wander along the spectacular Pontcysyllre aqueduct, stop off for a walk in the forests and hills, and even try to teach you a bit of Welsh along the way -some say Europe's oldest language! After passing the magnificent monument of Conway Castle, we'll take you to the famous ''Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch', arguably the longest place name in the world, get your passport stamped and we'll not be leaving until all of you can pronounce it perfectly! We end an action packed day in the walled town of Caernarfon, which sleeps in the shadow of one of Britain's most spectacular castles, built by the invading King of England, Edward I and where the original and current Prince of Wales was inaugurated.

Day 2 Caernarfon - Abergavenny : We leave the amazing castle town behind and head into the Snowdonia national park, home of Wales' highest mountain, Snowdon. We'll take in the spectacular (and eccentric!) village of Portmeirion, home of many television shows, the spectacular coast-lines of the Cardigan heritage coast with its long golden beaches, and tiny mountain railways. Lunch is in the ruined Castle y Bere built by the last Welsh Prince of Wales, Llewellyn the Great. We then enter the Brecon Beacons National Park, which contains some off this country's most dramatic scenery. Tonight we stop in the historic town of Abergavenny, where we'll hear about the Ogre,and the brutal murders he committed. You also have the chance to try some traditional Welsh food!

Day 3 Abergavenny - London : Before we start making our way back to London, we'll stretch our legs and hike around the Brecon Beacons, then drive down some of the industrial valleys of Wales where the coal and steel industries once thrived. We then head for Caerphilly, home of the largest ruined castle in Europe, with its famous leaning tower. We'll then explore the Wye valley and visit the romantic Tintern Abbey, inspiration to poet William Wordsworth and one of only six cathedrals to survive the wrath of Henry VIII during his battle with the Church. We then drive up the border through the Forest of Dean and cross over into England arriving back in London at approximately 5.30 - 6.00pm.

I'm excited about Half-term and want to find something to do the first weekend, before we leave for France. I am also starting to worry, when will I find the time for the 12 hours of school work I'll have do before we start back...