These are the seats where we sat

This post is in memory of the armchairs at my house in GC. To begin with we only had one of these chairs, but after Imogen's parents dropped off the second one (along with some other bits and bobs) Imogen and I were able to have one each. Mine was the one on the left, and Imogen's the one on the right. They were good chairs. I shall miss them greatly.

Loving being back in London

The one thing that I didn''t really like about living in GC was the fact that it was so quiet. Having grown up living just off a main road and not far from both the police and fire stations I'm used to going to sleep to the sound of sirens! Ok, so sometimes they can get annoying, but mostly it's actually quite soothing. And it was quite helpful when the house opposite was on fire (the nearness of the fire station). This was quite a while ago, so it's not quite so dramatic as it sounds, well it was at the time, but the memory is fading now.

the photos are on the other computer

so I can't post any pictures, and I'm really too tired to write anything, so I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of this post is. And since that has been found out Ihad best end it right away. Goodnight. More tomorrow, but hopefully less drivel.

Doing the tourist thing

HP's boyfriend is staying for a week and he came with her and my mum to help move my stuff home from GC yesterday. He comes from (well lives on at the moment, I'm not sure if he's always lived there, but that's not the point I'm really trying to make) the Isle of Wight (think that's spelt correctly). He'd never been to Cambrige so we all drove into the city, parked along the backs and had a bit of a wander round. Here's Steve and HP and the inevitable tourist picture of Kings College chapel as seen from the backs.

HOME

It's funny how when you're a student, or a 'not long since you were a student' how many places you can call home. I've lived in several different places during the last few years, but I am now officially HOME. That's right, I'm in London and so is ALL my stuff. Which is why I can't actually move in my bedroom, and the reason my blogging will either be very light (as I'm too busy tidying and sorting it all) or very frequent (as I'm trying to escape from the tidying and sorting).

It's also very HOT here in London. I know it's a bit of a, hmmm not sure what the right word is - cliche, myth, whatever; but it really is hotter in London that everywhere else, and I don't think I like it.

I have got several photos that I want to put up at some point, but it may take a while. Also, some of them were taken by Imogen and I need her to email them to me (Imogen, if you're reading this please can I have one of the hedgehogs to put on my blog, and one of us outside the house for me to keep?!)

Looking back to look forward

Having been accused of forgetting how to write on my blog (or something like that anyway) I decided it was time I actually posted something I'd written, and not just pictures.

I'm in a "looking back over my last year" sort of mood now that I've started filling up boxes with stuff ready to move back to London (once term finishes). It's my very last day at school (well this school anyway) on Tuesday the 25th July (everyone else I know breaks up on the 21st, but hey!) and it'll be really sad to leave all those fantastic people I've got to know so well over the last year. Especially the boy I work one-to-one with - he may drive me insane sometimes, but overall I wouldn't want to change it - watching him change and improve at so many things over the time I've been working with him.

This time last year I had no idea what I would be doing, and I'd have probably laughed if you'd have suggested I could do some of the stuff I've done this year - I've worked in the school, home tutored two girls, and worked on a home program for an autistic girl. I've learnt so many skills this year. God's got the plan for my life, and he's certainly been keeping me guessing! Whatever I find myself doing this time next year, I know that God knows already what it is, and He's preparing me so I'll have the right skills and connections at the right time.

It's scary and sad saying goodbye to the familiar, but it's downright exciting looking to the future and working out what to do next. I may not ber in this house to see these beautiful autumn leaves in the garden of our house in GC again, but there's be something just as amazing right round the corner. All I want now is a peek at what it is.

This post had kind of turned out sounding a bit cheesy, but I'm gonna post it anyway. I know that God has a plan for my life, even if that sounds corny to some people, to me it's perhaps the only thing keeping me sane through all the decisions I'll be making over the next weeks and months.

Purpleness outside my door

Goodnight all :-)

Happy Birthday to my Mummy

on my way home

These are the friendly pylons that mean I'm nearly home (to GC) when I'm driving along the M11. Photo one is the first view you get of them, and the second photo is just round the corner when the cables actually cross over the top of the road. At least I think that's the right way round - blogger is being strange and only letting me see the html(? is that what it is?) rather than the actual pictures.

I don't know quite what it is, but ever since we started driving up towards Cambridge to take me to uni I've liked them. To me they look like friendly giants coming over the hill. Back then they were a sign it was nearly time to turn off the motorway, now it's even better cos it means at the top of the next hill I'm really very nearly home. Please excuse the spots of dirt on my windscreen (yes, these were taken as I was on the motorway, but I was being careful, I promise) but I just wanted to share them with you as i won't be commuting on that route for much longer. Of course I'll still be going on the motorway, but not everyday. At least, who knows quite what I'll be doing after the summer. Still not me.

Update: ok, so blogger put them the other way round, and they are really a bit small to see the pylons, but look closely. Cos I'm not gonna take any more pictures of them.

I find that I can't breathe and I can't sleep...

... when the weather's like this. Which is so not good. Thank goodness I've got a day off work today - It's a no pupil, teacher training day, but I don't need to go in cos I can use my hours better when the child I work with is actually there!

Right, this better be about Kentwell cos although unfortunately I don't have any more photos that also means I can write this post where I am without having to turn on the other computer (all the photo software is on the other computer, something to do with not having enough USB ports on this computer, but that's ok).

Kentwell was fantastic. Each school is given a time to arrive, so that each group has a slightly different time to go through the getting in process. We were lucky enough to be the first school in, so we go a bit of a chance to see some stuff before it got really busy. All of our kids did really well at getting into the spirit of the day, and some of the costumes were just outstanding. Compared to some other school we saw later in the day I felt we had done ourselves proud.

The first thing we got to do was to change our 'now' money into (replica) tudor money, at a rate of 60 pence now equals one tudor penny. We were told that one tudor penny would buy us a cake\snack\piece of fruit as we went round, and then that we could visit the tudor shop on our way out. We were also told we had a time that we had to leave. They give you three and a half hours which you would think would be loads of time, but we didn't see have of the grounds or people.

We went into the house first, as we were told it gets really bust later on. The children were amazed by everything they saw and heard, and in fact almost seemed struck dumb when given chance to ask questions. Basically the whole place, house and grounds, is full of people acting out particular roles as tudor people. So we got to see rich people and poor people, we saw how they would make bread, ale, butter, cheese, dye skeins of wool, chop wood, make paint from roots and earth, people training as soldiers, and much much more.

One particular thing that fascinated my group was the camera obscura. I've put a link there cos I probably wouldn't explain it very well. They were amazed to see what was going on outside projected onto the wall, and the fact that it appeared upside down was even weirder!

We had the chance to lose a couple of our boys as woodcutter's apprentices, and were very tempted by the offer! It was great to have lots of hands on experiences as well - I was given a tudor cure for itchy eyes (cos I said I had hayfever) which was some sort of watery paste rubbed onto my eyes with a leaf. Not entirely sure if it helped, but it was a fun thing to experience. (I sneezed the whole way home on the bus, but then we were surrounded by grass all day!).

Overall I would say we had a great day and I would recommed it to anyone. I may write more about it at some point, but I've gotta go now to put another parking permit in my car, and this post is long enough already.

room 101

I was going to name this post 'hot hot hot slow slow slow' refering to the weather & therefore me being hot, and the computer being really slow. But then I realised I couldn't waste my 101st post. And after all this is going to be a post about all the post I've wanted to write, and instead managed to write none.

I will blog about Kentwell, and the hen party (including pictures) and also a few other things, but not just this second cos I've gotta go again now. Just wanted to show that I am still alive really.

It's been boiling hot and just horrible really, but they're predicting thunder storms either tonight or tomorrow. In fact I may have just heard some thunder. Gotta go now cos i'm picking up Adrian's kids from school.