Holidays

Well, the holidays are coming to an end- and I had a relaxing and enjoyable break. Things started off with a steam train trip from Feilding to Taihape- very well run, and a chance to indulge in some nostalgia. My father had been a guard on the railways, and I remember the steam train running past our place in Waitara when I was a child, before the switch to diesel.

Week 1 involved catching up on paperwork, and tidying up the school desk, shelves and cupboards that had become waaayyyy too messy. Then Thursday of that week I was off to Wellington for WOW, which was truly amazing. The staging for each segment of the competition was wonderful- the technical side of it was very impressive. Such creativity and expertise.

Even doing marking etc I wasn't alone at home. This tui kept visiting the kowhai tree and singing its heart out.

On Saturday I was invited to the wedding of a Bhutanese couple who came to NZ from a refugee camp in Nepal, and there were lots of siblings and cousins there from amongst the children at school. Beautiful event.

Two of my nieces came to stay for Week 2, and that gave me an excuse for all sorts of childhood expeditions, like a ride on the train in the Esplanade.

I couldn't interest the girls in staying up late to see the eclipse of the moon- but I watched, until things clouded over once the moon had turned red.

 And there was time to have friends around for a fancy afternoon tea in my 'new' kitchen.

And now it is time to turn my thinking back to my class of children at school....