It's Easter!

Well – here I am again – VERY ready for my Easter break.

It’s Good Friday around 9am right now. Son is in bed giving it zeds and I’m sat here with the laptop on me lap and some Australian daytime show on – the washing machine is whirling away in the background and there’s our scary guest the highly honourable Mr Praying Mantis staring evilly at me from the opposite chair (must get rid of him somehow – but he keeps flying away. This is interesting, but freaky to watch). Here’s a piccie of him:



The weather is predicted to be very amiable over the next few days – sunny and warm at around 23 degrees. Yay.

Well – what have I been up to?

Oh yes – Bob the Builder – do you remember me mentioning that? Well – the news is all good!

Our Junior (infant in the UK) and Senior (junior in the UK) teams both came an impressive 4th out of all the teams entered – but guess what?!!! Our teacher’s team came first! Yeehaa. We even beat the Ministry of Education (they came 2nd – they had one player too many as well– but 2 were men and our DP reckoned that this made the team equal to us due to the fact that 1 man’s brain + 1 man’s brain = 1 woman’s brain). Go us!

We won $500 for our school – each department has been given a cut.

I spent the afternoon at this special Literacy Day and it was great fun. All of the children that were there left with memories of famous people, fun and games and most managed to receive lovely books to read.

Alan Duff gave out some of the books (he wrote Once Were Warriors) to some boys from my class that I pushed forwards towards him – I had no idea who he was – like many of the well-knowns there – they were unknown to me because I still have a lot to learn about this ‘area’ of NZ.

The Prime Minister was there – but she arrived in the morning – so I didn’t get to see her. There were also some NZ All Blacks there – but again I didn’t know who they were, so unfortunately failed to recognise them.

So – there you go – my claim to fame this week is a bit sad as I didn’t know who they were! Welcome to Sue’s world – totally oblivious!

Afterwards, our DP was so chuffed with our quiz results that we were all invited to her house (the full posse of Bobs – Bobbette, Blob, Robert, Boss Bob and Uncle Bob) for a few glasses of wine or two….

Other school excitements this week include:

Assessments

Spending the afternoon at another school in the area comparing the marking of explanation writing in order to ensure we are marking at the same level and in agreement.

Had lovely chats with other Kiwi teachers and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Also partook of yummy choccie biccies and endless cups of tea.

On the way back, during the car ride, myself and fellow teachers had lengthy professional discussions and concluded that the writing would have been far more impressive and more descriptive if the title had been less boring and more appropriate to the children.

We therefore decided that a good title would be: Explain How You Can Make As Many Fart Noises As You Can (real or made up farts) as the kids are really good at this and can relate to it extremely well. Lots of real-life experience here.

On the way back, I also pointed out that the local children must have lots of fun throwing up shoes onto telephone lines in the street, because I keep seeing them everywhere.

It was then explained to me by a fellow Kiwi teacher, that when you see this phenomenon outside a house, it means that the house concerned is a drug house! Oh well – I’m still learning.

Computer Chairs

Had a special meeting after school this week in order to be told how to use the new computer chairs.

These are the ones that have some sort of gas in them and sink slowly downwards (great fun) when the metal ring under the chair is pulled upwards and move upwards when the metal ring is faffed about with again.

The whole staff spent many happy minutes playing with their chairs during which we thought one was broken – but luckily after lots of fiddling by another member of staff under the chair (which looked highly rude and extremely funny because the first member of staff was still sat on it). The said chair was duly mended.

We then went on to seriously discuss next term’s topic whilst sitting on our incorrectly height set chairs – ie some very high and some very low – quite funny to look at whilst trying to be deadly serious.

Boomwhackers

Have introduced these coloured tubes to the children in my class and they LOVE them! I’ve never seen them behave so well in order to be able to have the honour to hold one and ‘play’ it!
Basically, they are different coloured tubes of varying lengths that are tuned into one musical note. I have 8 notes (C to C) and we have had lots of fun playing songs.

Our DP came into the classroom for a gander and chose to play the note G because that boomwhacker had the most goes during the particular song we were playing. She had a lovely time.

Well – that’s school sorted – what else have I been doing?

I’ve been to visit a good friend and her family – according to my son she’s had a vasectomy and I am pleased to say she’s recovering well. Hoping to take her little ones to see Ice Age 2 and have a swum next week.

On the way to visit them all, I saw 3 accidents on the road – it seems that whenever I go out in Auckland, I come across RTAs – they are unfortunately very common over here.

Returning home that evening, I saw the majestic Sky Tower all lit up in blue – I so LOVE driving towards the city over the harbour bridge at night – the skyline is so beautifully lit up.

I also got lost just before I found the bridge (sound familiar?) and had a joyful evening tour of Beachhaven (I think that’s what it was called anyway – have pushed this annoying experience back to the dimmest recesses of my mind).

One minute I was happily singing along to Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat – experimenting whether to sing low with Joe or to use my naturally higher tones (ha ha), when I suddenly did not recognise anything through my windscreen. Several u-turns later and after a variety of colourful language (unbefitting of a highly professional school teacher) I finally found the warm, friendly and glowing sign pointing towards the harbour bridge.

I have also been to Botany to meet up with another new friend and to have a gas over coffee. Had an enjoyable afternoon here and hope to enjoy her company more in the future – movie evenings etc have been discussed at length.

Here are some piccies of the Botany shopping area for those of you who may be interested:





Last night I joined friends in a farewell meal for another lovely friend’s mum (she came over with them when they first emigrated – about the same time as me) and her 6 months are now up, so she’s returning home. Shall miss her lots and will be glad when friend returns from UK after dropping her off.

We went into Howick for the meal – Mongolian. Basically, you choose meats, veggies and sauces and then it’s fried in front of you on a very large hot plate. Yummy! Used to take the kids to one in Hong Kong and they always loved it. Everyone had a lovely time and a catch up with all the gossip. We all took our own bottles of wine (I took a bottle of fizzy Lindauer – I really like it and I don’t care what anyone else says about it) and the atmosphere was very merry indeed.

Came home to son and girlfriend watching TV (very lovely colours on the screen) – vaguely remember having some sort of conversation with them about Little Britain and my telephone ring tone (“I do wish someone would pick up” – from the I’m a Lady sketch) before retiring gracefully to bed.

Roundup

The weather is good at the mo.

Have got feijoas coming out of my ears.

Need to eat more fruit. Have been eating too many choco chip hot cross buns.

The weather on TV is sometimes accompanied by music – very strange phenomenon.

Praying mantis has disappeared and must now hunt him in order to get rid (bugger)

Must now go to do boring housework and hang out washing (in my pjs with hair awry)

Sausages in the fridge really need eating and there’s no potatoes in the house due to son making mash last night and then scoffing the lot along with a huge dose of pizza (bless the growing teenager). The shops are also closed today…. Will have them with beans and egg maybe – sooo healthy eh?

Am going to see Dirty Dancing with the North Shore girlies next week and realllly looking forward to it!

Take care all of you lovely readers. Miss you all loads and will let you know how our Easter breaks pans out.

X Sue

PS Praying mantis has reappeared and the hunt has now begun – wish me luck – I’m going in – over and out.