Minibeast topic is well underway. Am constantly being shown a variety of them in various forms of death – with legs or wings missing – in scruffy little hands – usually accompanied by a proud chorus of ‘look Miss – a minibeast!’

Gross.

Had a school trip on Monday to the Auckland Museum (Tony Blair was there today – 2 days after me!). The kids were soo good – noone got lost or fell down the marble staircase or got runover etc. Whew!

I slept really well that night.

Was given a praying mantis in a jar to show my class today – they are funny creatures!

Have found the elusive feijoa – in my garden! Next door has a tree hanging over and there are loads of them falling in. Very nice they are too – also very difficult to describe due to having never tasted anything like them before.

Here’s a piccie or two. They taste luverly. You can eat them by scooping the fruit out with a teaspoon.





Were discussing them in the staff room today after getting the other newbie foreign teachers to try them. The local staff do think we’re funny.

Am reaaaally enjoying the chocolate chip hot cross buns you can buy over here – absolutely gorgeous warm with butter melted on. Yum.

We’ve got a special literacy day next Saturday along with lots of other primary schools in the area. Apparently I’m on the quiz team along with the Deputy Principal and the Principal. For some unknown reason they seem to think I’ll be an asset to the team – they don’t know me very well. I’m rubbish at quizzes. Can’t even remember what I did this morning – never mind the contents of a whole book or cartoons etc.

Have been asked to dress as characters from a book – so we are all going as different versions of Bob the Builder. I’m Robert the Builder due to my posh pommie accent! Apparently the New Zealand Prime Minister will be there. So not only am I going to seem stupid (quiz) am also going to look stupid (Bob Builder) and all in front of bloody TV cameras and PM too.

Have decided to hide whenever something like the above approaches our space.

There’s a drink over here called L&P (lemon and peiroa – spelling wrong probs) and I spent a lot of time wondering what kind of fruit the peiroa was, because it just tasted like lemonade to me - only to be told, amidst fits of laughter, that it is a place in NZ where the drink is made! Oh well.

Coronation Street is now on the bit where Ian McKellan (sp?) is the writer – still got ages to catch up to where I left off! A new series of Jamie Oliver in Italy has just started and the second series of Lost is on. CSI is popular here too. Oh yes there is also Top Gear on here and Little Britain.

There was an ad re Little Britain on the bus that took us to the museum. It was a picture of Vicky Pollard saying ‘Don’t be givin me no evils’ and ‘I aint done nuffink’. The scary thing is that the kids had seen the programme (7 year olds – 9.30pm) and thought it was hilarious to hear me say the words in my pommie accent. Passed the time on the bus journey.

Glad I shaved my legs today. Was sat in my chair with the children all around me – talking about – let me see – oh yes – Minibeasts, when I felt a little hand stroking my leg. Upon looking down I came upon a conversation going on – it went something like this:
(child 1) ‘Aren’t Miss’s legs soft? Go on, you have a feel.
(child 2) ‘Oh yeah – you’re right!’.

A swift reminder was required at this point, before any further grubby hands came forward, about listening and staying focussed.

My arm muscles were the topic de conversation last week and I was also told that I shouldn’t be sweating because white people don’t sweat. So, there you go – bet you didn’t know that!

Bless em.