Any Dream Will Do?

When I was in Kenya I spent most weekends in the swimming pool. I love swimming and I always have done and one thing that I have always wanted to do is to be a synchronised swimmer. My mum and dad used to call me a little dolphin because you would rarely see my head above water, I was forever doing handstands and rolls and flips and holding my breath for as long as I could. A couple joined us in Kenya for about a month, Lorna and Ken. Lorna would tell me how I should grab every opportunity and not let something pass because I didn't have the time - if I wanted to do synchronised swimming I should look to find my nearest group and join in! Good advice perhaps. The only problem is that there just is no time to do everything that I would like to do! When I get to be 70 and I look back on my life and think of all the things I didn't get the chance to do, will I be sad at what I have missed out on? Or do we ultimately have to choose just a couple of things that we really enjoy and do them well?

I love to sing, I love to perform. At university I played a part in an amateur dramatics performance of Godspell. I absolutely loved it, after a weekend of performances it was all over and 2 months of rehearsals had come to their conclusion. What a dream it would be to sing and dance and act in a musical...

I love to sing. At university I was a member of 2 college based choirs and the thrill of rehearsing and perfecting a piece of music as a group then to perform it in a church or a cathedral or a chapel was so rewarding. I have happily continued to sing in choirs since leaving college and thoroughly enjoyed my current choir's performance of Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man just before Christmas. Next year I hope to join a huge number of people from choral societies across the country to perfom the whole work at the Albert Hall. Now that is a dream come true!

I find history fascinating. I studied it at university along with teacher training but really miss studying it now that I am working. I have always been fascinated by Time Team and archaeology and even researched the possibility of studying archaeology through the Open University last year before I got my current job. I doubt I would ever have got so far as applying but it certainly crossed my mind!

Yesterday I was looking at the books on my shelves in my bedroom at my parent's house and took down a book called Krabat by Otfried Preussler. I won it as a prize for throwing myself fully into my German exchange trip when I was at high school. I began to read it, but much like children who choose books that are beyond their vocabulary range, I soon became tired and put it back down. I would love to study German again, go to Germany and get to grips with the language properly, something I never managed to achieve at A Level.

I love church and I love God and I love telling children and adults alike stories from the Bible and helping to make them come to life. How often do I sit in church, itching to get involved more, reading, singing, preaching. It would give me great joy to learn how do get better involved and to be involved officially.

But finally I love children and I love teaching. And that is what I do for a living and, for the moment, what I adore doing.

How is it possible to do all the many things that I would dream to do? Or yet do I combine all the things that I enjoy best in a job that I can do well and put my heart and my soul into it.

Irn Bru Advert

This advert is the best Christmas advert I've ever seen! Classic line - I'm falling through the air, I wonder where I'm going to land?

The Christmas Card

So, the finished card displayed for all to see. I wanted to wait until people had actually seen it up at church before I posted a picture of it, but here it is now!

Dodgy lyrics

Sophie and I were just watching Max and Paddy which caused me to play some Cliff Richard... it did, really it did! In Wired For Sound I was convinced as a child that Cliff sang 'Cowabunga', too much Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles clearly. Listen, I'm sure you'll see I'm right:
Cowabunga needle to the plastic!

Makes as much sense as Sophie's convinced rendition of I've Had The Time Of My Life I think:
Now with passion in our eyes there's no way we could disguise chickadee.

Because chickadee's a word, obviously.

Any more classic mishearings out there?

Update: Couldn't remember Sarah's classic mishearing of I believe in Miracles when I wrote this but she reminded me for a giggle:
I believe in Milko!

Dad, the loonatic

This is evidence of my dad being weird. The camera shakes a lot because I was having hysterics at the time... Love you geeky dad!

The Amazing Christmas Card Number 2

A few weeks of creativity culminated in the second amazing giant Christmas card going up at church. Tis late now, and I'm not giving anything away yet, but here's the beginnings of a creation...

A declaration of stupidity

Yesterday I went to a women's service at church run by the Oasis for Women team. I ummed and ahed about whether to go for a while, I had a headache and had got back from school late after a school trip. It started at 7.30 for 8 but by the time I had decided to go and walked into town I didn't arrive at church until 8 o'clock. And the doors were shut. So I dillyed and dallied outside wondering how I was going to get in. I tried to prise the doors open with my fingernails but couldn't. I wasn't really wanting to go in the back entrance in case things had already begun and I would walk into the midst of things. I contemplated walking back home again. Then I rang Sarah, thinking if she was in church she could come to the door and let me in, but she hadn't arrived yet. So I thought I'd give the door one more try and maybe push on the door a little to see if I could get a better grip with my fingernails... and the door pushed wide open. I thought the doors opened out when they opened in. It is official, I am stupid!

A challenge for Mike

At school each class is to make a Christmas display for the hall based on a Christmas song, it is not to be a carol. I was struggling with ideas for this one until Sarah suggested the song 'Christmas Wrapping' covered in recent years by the Spice Girls. I couldn't remember the song but began to plan how we could make wrapping paper for our display and this would fit in nicely with our ICT topic of repeating patterns. Cunning I thought. Until I went on the internet and discovered that Christmas Wrapping is the annoying song that goes 'Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, but I think I'll miss this one this year'... not exactly conducive to putting the words up in a Primary School hall I think you'll agree!! So now I'm on the search for another song about wrapping paper or present... any thoughts at all in the comment box please!!

Makin' Music competition

I promised a link to the video of my school singing Karl Jenkins' Cantilena when it was on the internet so here it is. Click on Goosnargh Oliverson's. I'm rather unfortunately in the shot looking like a twit in my over exerting myself conductoryness and for some reason they've posted both our first and second attempts. Don't bother watching the second one though (even though I'm cunningly out of shot) because it's the same but somewhat less in tune...!!! Votes are by buying the Lancashire Evening Post only though it would seem. So go out and buy the newspaper! Then send in your voting coupon for Goosnargh Oliverson's! (not Scotforth St. Pauls noooooo no no no no)

God's blog

I often sit wondering about my life and what I shall do with it and, more to the point, what God would like me to do with it. I sometimes think it would be helpful if God had a blog, or if I could type into google and ask what I should do... Unfortunately God seems to have this irritating habit of not being terribly prescriptive when I want him to be. Sometimes I even find him rather vague. I had an interesting picture of God once, wearing his Regatta waterproof coat and a pair of sturdy walking boots flashing an OS map in my face along with a cheeky wink and a smile and pulling me over a stile and through a field. Being the geographical map geek and (when it comes to navigation) control freak that I am I have an urge to wrestle the map out of his hands for a proper look myself, even if not to know the route we are walking on at least to know what the possible surroundings will look like. If God blogged... I think it would be a spraffy one.

A reflection on studentdom and my oldfogieness

This week I have been to visit Cranmer Hall in Durham. I loved the place and I loved the people but it caused me to think about being a student and how I am not one anymore. I had thought that I would love to go back to the student way of life, I'm not long graduated in the first place and being a student was brilliant. For some reason when I arrived I expected that my bedroom would have a bathroom in the near vacinity, which it did, but without a shower. When I woke up in the morning I had to think about where I could go to find a shower? would I have to queue when I found it? did that affect how early I should get up? would it be alright to go in my pyjamas and return to my room only wrapped in my towel? Such are factors of studentdom that I had conveniently forgotten, particularly as I lived in a shared house and not in a hall of residence since I was in my second year and even when I was in my first year the halls were arranged into flats so the issue wasn't quite the same.

On leaving Durham I travelled north to Newcastle to visit my friend from home who has just started university there. She is living in the largest and most sprawling hall of residence that I have ever known... there are over 1000 first year students all living within the same complex. This caused me to reflect on different aspects of studentdom... Slumming it has never really been a problem for me, I enjoy camping and I'm not adverse to lying on the floor, so spending a night on the floor of my friend's student room didn't phase me. Until her fellow corridor dwellers arrived home in the early hours of the morning a little worse for the wear. Clearly they have never learnt that when you arrive home late it is polite to whisper so that you don't wake up those of us who went to bed at a more sociable hour. There was much slamming of doors and loud drunken conversations right outside our room about why another girl who was clearly far past her best should be left to sleep. I was not best pleased. And I was sore from lying on the floor just to add to the joy. My friend slept soundly through it, she has obviously become a heavy sleeper in response.

As a result of these experiences I have discovered that:
I don't like sleeping on the floor,
I don't like people who talk loudly when they should be sleeping,
I DO like living in a house with its own bathroom,
I have become old and grumpy.

Not good.

In other news

Thanks to Steve Tilley for mentioning this blog in his Church of England web column which you can read here. Dead chuffed I am!

Half term has arrived

This week in school we were visited by the Lancashire Evening Post to film our choir. They arrived as planned on the Monday morning, we rehearsed well and after a couple of takes we made a half decent effort. And so that stress was off my shoulders. Then on Wednesday we had a phone call - the disc in the video camera had been corrupted and they would have to come and film us again. What joy. So on Friday afternoon, having not practiced the infernal song all week we found ourselves back in the hall warming up for yet another filming. Half of the children were in non-uniform and had to go around the other classes trying to find jumpers to disguise the fact. And so we were filmed again and after two takes said goodbye to the lady from the LEP. I won't say what it was like in the end... unless you talk to me in person that is, but I will post the link to the video when it is online for you to make your own judgement!

And now it is finally half term. It has been a very busy term indeed, and I get the impression will remain to be busy in most aspects throughout the year.

Sarah and Kieron have been over for their tea today which is lovely :) and Sarah can still wrestle me to the floor without any effort which is quite sad. I need to work on my... err... strength. I think it's fair to say that I'm weak in all aspects and even when I started to fight her she still had me pinned to the floor within seconds! Sad that. Oh well, nothing like a good bit of fighting :)

School choir?

Time flies when you're having fun - there's just no time to faff about on the internet anymore!

Last week in the staff meeting at school it was suggested by the headteacher that as music coordinator I enter a competition for the school with the Lancashire Evening Post. It is a singing competition. Our school has no choir yet but I am doing singing for half an hour every day with a different class each week so it's not such a huge jump. Sounded like a good idea, so I entered. The choir are going to sing a song and the newspaper are going to come and film us perform it and then post it on their website. Anyone can then vote for their favourite school and the top 10 win prizes. I chose Karl Jenkins' Cantilena (from the Cheltenham and Gloucester advert). Only yesterday I was rung by the newspaper, they are coming to film us on Monday morning...!! Argh! Manic rehearsing over the next couple of days for us and then we go live on the internet. When it goes live I'll post the link and you can vote for us, please!

The tapestry

A Day of Creative Expression

We had an interesting day yesterday at our church. The women’s group, Oasis, runs occasional events specifically aimed at women. Yesterday’s was ‘A Day of Creative Expression’ involving weaving and movement (not at the same time!). There were 2 giant looms set up between pillars in the church and piles of strips of different types of material for those that fancied working in a team and creating something large and smaller looms on forked sticks for those that would rather create individually. I gravitated towards one of the large looms and we started to create… slowly at first and not quite knowing what we were wanting to make or how it was going to come about. Gradually our weaving started to take some kind of shape, an observer commenting that part of it looked like a waterfall, and so a picture emerged. Debbie spraffed extensively about the meaning behind the colours and shapes and over 2 hours a cave, a waterfall, a sun and a pool of water (complete with fish and sea weed) emerged. It was so much fun weaving and creating and I particularly enjoyed being a part of something greater, working together and chatting as we went along. Besides which, our final creation was rather wonderful! Photo to follow when my computer will allow!

In the afternoon was a ‘movement’ session… not normally my thing really and at times I did struggle not to giggle but everyone joined in and danced the routine at their own pace but all together. Relaxing and calm. A very enjoyable day.

God outside the box

I have started to read 'God outside the box' by Richard Harries this week. A friend of mine picked it up for £1 in a charity shop and has lent it to me to read. It is an interesting study into the reasons why spiritual people object to Christianity and goes through each objection systematically. This morning I have been reading the chapter on Eternal Punishment. I am finding Harries' arguments compelling, and his opinions about what he considers it means to be sent to hell. He considers that 'If, coming into the presence of perfect goodness and sublime beauty we turn in on ourselves with a mixture of self-pity and resentment, that is hell' (p22). I am agreed with him that I cannot believe that God deliberately sentences people to unending fire, but I wonder about the weight of his statement about the nature of hell being a state of mind. He says that we are free to choose and that this kind of hell is logically possible. However, I am struggling to combine this argument with the possibility and likelihood of all people choosing to be self-pitious and resentful and wonder what the saving power of Jesus has that would save us from this self-centredness?

Dreams

The holidays are coming to an end and the new term at school is coming ever closer at a rate of knots. I seem to have spent much of the last week sat at my computer planning and fretting about all the things I probably have to do before starting school that I don’t know about. I often find that when I am stressed I have dreams about school. At my last school I remember having a dream where a group of children just wouldn’t go out for play and let me go up to the staff room at break time, no matter what I did they would sneak past me and go back into the classroom or they would out and out defy me and stay where they were in my way. I was clearly insecure about my behaviour management at the time. Though thankfully I found that my behaviour management was never that bad when I actually stood in front of the class. Last night I had a dream that my classroom had been extended and that the corridor outside had been knocked into my classroom as well to make it bigger. I was most upset because of all the work that I had put in to make the room look good and now it looked a mess again and wasn’t in the state that I had left it. I don’t think I have anything to worry about here either, there is nothing that will make me quite as ill prepared for school starting as that!

It's a Knockout video

Check out a video of the It's a Knockout competition I was in a couple of weeks ago on the Blackpool Gazette website. You even get a couple of glimpses of me, see if you can spot me!!

http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/mri/20000-raised-in-day-of.3105179.jp

Shopping list

Today I made a shopping list, and ticked off what I had bought.

It's A Knockout!

Today I was part of a team from Blenheim House in Blackpool competing in an It's A Knockout tournament to raise money for MRI Scanner facilities for children at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. At the moment children who need an MRI scan have to go to Preston. Although the afternoon got off to a late start (we were there at half 12 and didn't get to do anything until half 3...) once we got going it was fabulous fun! There was a lot of water, lots of inflatables, some foam, some injuries... Our team was up against Radio Wave and The Gazette, which was helpful because they kept sabotaging each other and we kept winning! I admit to having been somewhat competitive and eager to win... The photo above is of the last race, we had to run up and down the hills on the inflatable which was covered in foam and water and into a pit of muddy water at the end, run to pick up a piece of luggage and then carry it back. It was really difficult because it was so slippy you couldn't stand up...but I made a significant lead ahead of the other two teams if I do say so myself! We went on to get second place, only one point separated us from first - gutted! But we did ourselves proud.

Friends and weddings

I have been up to Newcastle this weekend for a friend's wedding, and most beautiful it was too :)
It was lovely again to catch up with friends who no longer live in the same place, talk about times past and one another's lives, marvel at how things change and yet stay the same and part looking forward to the next time we will be together...

New Wine

I have returned from a very wet week at Newark - New Wine North in the Midlands... It has been a fabulous week despite the weather.

I have been working on team again, working in Boulder Gang, the kids groups for 10-11 year olds which joined up with Rock Solid (8-9s) in the evening. This year I was given some responsibility after 2 years of being a group leader and was this time round an age group leader - taking responsibility, along with another, for the 10 year olds and their leaders. In some ways I missed the daily contact with the same 30 children, learning their names and really getting to know them, instead I found I learnt very few children's names. A week is a very short period of time to get to know so many children even as a group leader when you fill in the register every morning and evening, but learning 4 times as many names without this advantage is somewhat of an impossibility. However, I did feel that I got to know the team this year. In previous years I have only turned up to do my bit, got to know the children and other leaders in my group and then gone back to the tent at the end of the session. I have never really felt to have been a part of the team before, and as such was most surprised to have been asked to take on an age group leader's role. It has been a real privilege to get to know other members of the team, where they are at and a small part of their story.

Most of all, though, I have learnt so very much from the children. As the week progresses you see them settle into the programme and the worship and can almost visibly see their faith grow. One girl in particular made an impact on me, I prayed for her in the morning as she was distressed about her home situation and at the end of the evening session she came up to me to tell me of how God had spoken to her that night with words and pictures of encouragement that he will always be with her. It bowled me away.

It has certainly been a tiring week, working on team doesn't leave a lot of free time and I have spent next to no time with my church at all, but I wouldn't have swapped it for anything.

Generous God

I volunteered myself to do the All Age Service at church this morning. Two weeks ago it seemed like a good idea, and it was, I enjoy doing them, but it didn't seem like such a good idea when I was still at the cinema at midnight last night!! I told the story of Zacchaeus using a few volunteers from the congregation to act it out as I read it. I particularly enjoyed choosing a little 4 year old girl to play Zacchaeus who then stood on a chair in the pulpit when she was climbing the tree. My volunteer for the crowd was hoping for an Oscar I think - he really put his all into the performance - it was fabulous!! I love storytelling, though I still very much rely on a script rather than being spontaneous, it keeps me on track! As part of my talk I gave a bunch of flowers to a random member of the congregation, I had been going to use balloons and children, but due to the lateness of actually finishing my talk and then getting to the corner shop half an hour before the service, they didn't have any balloons and I had to rethink - but actually I think it worked better with flowers, and I really enjoyed being able to show that lady a small snippet of God's generosity to her.

Busyness

I seem to have been ridiculously busy over the last few weeks, just when I thought all was starting to get quite boring back at home. I can't really complain because I hate it when I have nothing to do, but I'm starting to long for an evening in front of the telly...!!! Starting a new job in September seems to mean a lot of travelling up and down the motorway at the moment trying to sort things out, though even up until yesterday I still did not know what class I had so there wasn't a great deal I could do to prepare. Now that I know my class (year 4) I have very little time before the summer holidays in which to collect all the information that I am going to need to prepare for the new school year. Tomorrow afternoon I go to the new school in case any parents would like to know who I am before I start to teach their children!

In the morning I am going into a school that I did supply in before going to Kenya and I have been given a half hour assembly to tell them all about it. I'm quite looking forward to it, though I have to consider that there will be children in the room that are only 5 and then ones that are ready to go to High School - so quite a broad range to entertain for half an hour! I'm sure all will be well though.

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Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Assemblies and all that jazz

I seem to have had no thoughts worth blogging of late... only thoughts of support work and whose facebook profile I can look at next!

Today I was at Ripley in Lancaster as a guest speaker, giving an assembly about my time in Africa. High School students don't give any instant feedback when you speak... no smiles, no laughs, no obvious sign that they are taking in anything at all in fact, or any indication that what you are saying is vaguely interesting - though maybe it wasn't! Quite a lot harder than any of my talks so far, but it was good to do it nonetheless I think. On my way in I did meet 2 old friends about to help out at the Year 10 spirituality day, though, so that was nice :)

The speaking tour continues

Last night Young Families (read my mum and her cronies - not exactly young families any longer) at church put on an evening with Emma Swarbrick - me talking about Kenya. We booked the meeting room and I got in touch with the diocese to borrow a data projector (let it be said at this point that Blackburn is THE most ridiculous city to drive around, I seem to view the cathedral from every angle in ever decreasing circles before actually making it to church house). I showed a DVD, my photos and I talked, a lot. Lots of people asked questions, some people asked difficult questions, some people asked lots of difficult questions, I didn't attempt to look more knowledgeable than I was. I enjoyed myself and everyone said it was interesting and well presented :) and they raised £70 for Education for Life - all good! Next stop Ripley St. Thomas. And today I was booked by one of my primary schools to do another assembly :) yey!

Being a TA/SSA/LSA take your acronym pick

I have recently started work as a teaching assistant, a stop gap until the summer before starting a teaching job in September. There are various pros and cons to the job, obvious cons being the rate of pay (doesn't even come close to being a supply teacher) and the obvious pros being the lack of responsibility - I turn up at 9 and leave at 3.15 guilt free.

I love the work that I am paid for - to support a particular child, he responds well to me and I can see how my supporting him in the classroom is enabling him to participate more fully in classroom life, but as he is currently in a reception class the opportunities for me to work one on one with him are not so easy to come by. Consequently, I probably spend about an hour of the day actually working with my specified child and another 4 hours cutting and backing and trying to find other ways of supporting other children in the class. There are already another 3 adults in the classroom, one of whom being the teacher, and the other 2 support assistants have been working there for a while. As a result I often feel at a bit of a loose end, everyone else seems to know what to do when the children are on the carpet and I seem to faff about trying to look like I know what I am doing when really I don't!! After 2 weeks I have learnt today that there is a list of jobs for us TAs to do when not working with the children, but even that I found hard to decifer! It's all about starting a new job and finding my feet I think!

Despite the enjoyment of not having to worry about planning or assessment or acceptable working hours, I am very much looking forward to having my own class again!

Red Arrow spotting

I saw them again, flying over Blackpool on Friday. Unfortunately I was driving at the time and couldn't pay them great attention...!!! It was cloudy though, so no loop the loop :( Seems they were doing a display at Whitehaven.

Interestingly, if you do a Google map search and select a satellite image of Blackpool airport you can see them in perfect parked formation! (The search takes you to an office just north of the airfield, scroll south slightly to see the airport.)

Theological worldview

I was curious about what this would come up with for me, it was interesting, and it said:

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan,You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists.

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan		71%
Emergent/Postmodern		71%
Classical Liberal		61%
Neo orthodox		61%
Roman Catholic		57%
Modern Liberal		50%
Charismatic/Pentecostal		46%
Fundamentalist		21%
Reformed Evangelical		18%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Red Arrows

One good thing about living in St. Annes is the (fairly) regular visitation of the Red Arrows to Blackpool, even if only to use the airport. Many summer days are spent running out into the garden to see them fly by and land in a spectacular manner on hearing a loud aeroplane-like rumble. Today I saw them fly by in formation and ran to the front of the house in the hope of seeing them do a hoopla-loopla (which I have been assured is a loop-the-loop, but hoopla-loopla seems like a much better name), but they didn't, I think because it was cloudy. So they split off in a less impressive manner. The sad thing is that for the rest of the day, having seen them, at the even slight incling of a possible sighting I have to run to a window, only to see a passenger plane or a typhoon (grey and on its own - far less exciting). I did, however see them again - yey! And this time it was clear and they did a hoopla loopla to land! Our house is in a good spot for seeing them and one always flys right over our house after they split at the bottom of the loop. Fab.

Update: Just seen them again, 3 times in one day, I am indeed a lucky lady :) Sophie and I stood on the garden table and waved as 2 of them went right over the garden and over our heads. No photo though, there's not enough time to go looking for a camera!

Local news - got to love it

I was particularly amused by this article in the local newspaper this week... leads me to think "Only in St Anne's".
On first reading I thought hmm.. Old man driver... and lo and behold.

Whoop whoop whoop!

I have a job! Cest tres exciting!! It is at Goosnargh CE School in Preston and I am bouncy bouncy bouncing!!

The Great Adventure's Great Speaking Tour

The speaking tour got off to a start today, I have been into St. George's High School in Blackpool to talk to their CU about Kenya and the great adventure. I was really nervous about it, I was never quite sure whether I would have enough to talk about (though I was more confident after the success of the Guide evening last week) or indeed whether a bunch of teenagers I had never met before would care enough to listen. Again, I needn't have worried and I really enjoyed myself. I didn't manage to get through all my photos and the kids were responding really well to it and asking questions etc and so I'm probably going to go back again after half term and they might even consider sponsoring! So all in all it was a most positive experience! My next speaking engagement (teehee!) was going to be Ripley, but interview has meant it has had to be postponed. Excitement abounds!

Sunny disposition

Whilst I'm scanning, there might as well be evidence of my year 7 sunniness!!

Mousey evidence

I have been looking through my photos trying to find one that shows my pre-brace teeth at their best. I found one when I was a brownie but it is too small to show well when scanned into the computer. I did, however, come across evidence of the 2 Mouseys debarcle... note noses (also grey fur, they look distinctly pink nowadays) and matching dresses.

School report

I was greatly amused by this comment in my Year 5 school report that I came across today:

"Emma is a very able girl, but she can be resentful of criticism and does like to have her own way."!!

Also:

"Emma sings confidently and usually maintains the pitch accurately" Eek, I hope I've improved!

Sorting out and throwing away

Why is it so hard to throw things away? Whilst I was in Kenya my dad decorated my bedroom and so all my stuff was moved out and then back in again. Well, most of it was moved back in again but some stuff was left in my brother's room for me to sort through on my return. It was great actually, I went away and came back to a tidyer, newly decorated, clutter-free room and I hadn't had to do anything about it!! Today is sorting out day, though, and what junk I have kept! When I moved out of halls and into a house at college I boxed a lot of stuff up into shoe boxes that never actually found their way out of the shoe boxes into new homes. When I graduated and moved back home the shoe boxes came with me and found a new home on the top of my wardrobe. Going through them now I wonder why on earth I have carted so much junk around from house to house! Some things I can't throw away though, like the teeth I had extracted before I had my brace put on (fantastic roots, I'll have to get them out in school some day!), or cards from various classes that I have been on placement in. Other things I'm thinking, will I ever actually need this again? Probably not, throw it away. And yet more things distract me from my sorting out process, like school reports from when I was still at primary school... always fun to read!

Kenyan evening

I'm just back from doing a Kenyan evening at Guides. I have been a bit worried about it because I did not have an activity for the girls to do and I thought that I wouldn't have enough to fill an hour. I didn't need to worry. I spent most of the afternoon preparing Kenyan food, chipatis, sukuma wiki, beans and maize, ugali and a nameless tomato soup thing. I couldn't stand the sight of them by the time we actually got to Guides and I didn't think anyone would actually try anything, but it went down a treat. The girls were all crowded around the table having a try of each of the foods, including the ugali (even after my quite less than encouraging note about the ugali which even I wouldn't try because it looked so disgusting). I showed them the new Education for Life dvd and my photos and talked about my experiences in Kenya. I showed them unsorted beans and they passed it around, two girls sorted them for me :) and then I unsorted them again :D then I showed them how they tie babies on their backs with kangas and some of the girls came up and had a go at tying a doll on their backs. It was quite amusing!! I got through everything but there was no time for questions at the end because it was already time for taps. A fun evening, an informative evening, and another tick towards my Queen's Guide :)

Facebook and other musings.

It is taking over my life. I do seem to go through these phases... the only problem is that I don't ever lose the old phases, it just means that I have more websites to check and thus waste many hours of the day perusing them. Sad I know.

I have also been reading through my inbox today, some emails make me laugh so much :) I was intending on tidying up my inbox, particularly in Outlook which I no longer use and has over 1900 items in the inbox... failed miserably though and I still have 1955 items. I am sure I can probably happily delete 900 of them, but it will take forever and for really rather little purpose.

I took something off my shelf today and came across the cards for when I left Stanley last year. I really smiled at the card from the second naughtiest boy in my class and probably the most troublesome (though utterly lovable), he wrote "Miss you lots. To Miss Swarbrick I will miss your voice and your face. From Aaron". Bless. I've been to see the Boyds this weekend and it seems that it's still not a happy place to work - the farcicle permanent/temporary contract applications begin for them again. I saw the job advertised on the internet and had to remind myself that I'm not a masochist before I was tempted to apply. No, Emma, just no.

Look, I can teach :)

Dog eat dog

I miss Kenya. I have started the job search again and today went to visit a school. It was a quick reminder to me of what it is like to work in England, and all that I think is wrong with the way things are done.

Before I went to the school I already had the application pack, I was quite looking forward to visiting what looked like a nice school to work in. I wasn't disappointed when I arrived, the staff were all friendly and smiling and welcoming even though they have probably already had lots of prospective applicants come looking around. As we went on our tour of the school we stopped off in one of the infant classes and there teaching was one of the girls from my year in college! I said hello and she asked how I was and it was all very brief because she was in the middle of teaching a lesson and I was in the middle of a tour. Then as we stepped back out of the classroom the head teacher said how that teacher (the one that I knew) was on a temporary contract and the job that was advertised was for possibly that class, though if the best teacher that they interview is key stage 2 then there would be a move around and they would go into the juniors and someone else would move down to fill the key stage 1 class. Immediately I went from feeling happy about the place to feeling decidedly uneasy. Who deserves the job? The girl who has been teaching there all year already and is probably very good at what she does, or another teacher to be chosen on the basis of an interview?

The problem as I see it is that there are too many teachers for schools to choose from, as a result, they are able to give a temporary contract one year and then the next year hedge their bets and advertise externally again instead of making permanent the teacher they already have. I lost my job as a result of this way of doing things last year, and I'm reluctant to be party to another school doing the same to someone else this year, particularly when I know the teacher they are doing it to. Is that the kind of school I want to work in? The problem lies in that all schools do it, and that I need a job. Somewhere along the line am I going to be the one that steals a job from someone else who probably should have it over me just because I perform better on interview day? I don't like it.

Is it the best way of employing people? I doubt it. Surely such an approach only serves to keep your workforce unsure of their jobs and forever fretting about losing it to someone more qualified/cheaper/more outgoing/with music skills/with sports skills/add in another level of expertise here.

Will I apply to the school now? Probably not. Will it make the blindest bit of difference to the chances of the girl that I know getting a job that I think she deserves? Probably not.

Productivity

Much to my own shame I have made a list. I hate lists. Lists make me think of all those things I haven't done that I should have. Or when I've ticked everything off a list and feel good that I've done everything I need to do I think of something that I didn't put on it that really needed doing and I haven't done and I stop feeling good about my efficiency. But nevertheless I have made a list. I decided in the end, that not writing a list would only perpetuate the endless procrastination by way of the internet under the illusion that I did not know exactly what needed doing so I could get away without doing it. As a result of my list I feel I have been adequately productive today, I have managed to tick 4 and a half things off it. Sorting out Kenya photos really needs to go higher up the list though, I am avoiding it because I know it is going to be a mammoth task and will only constitute one tick when it is finished. But without it I won't really be able to start the Great Adventure's Great Speaking Tour as planned. Best get on with it then. Another picture to whet your appetite for when I have actually completed the photo audit and you can see me for the whole schebang!

Cleaning the relatively small pot - Nelly didn't take the picture of me cleaning the big black one on a digital camera unfortunately :(

The adventurer returns

I am now back from my adventuring in Kenya! I had an absolutely wonderful time, am missing them all already, and Hannah, me wee flattie. I didn't have the most enjoyable of flights home and am still feeling the after effects of no sleep on the return journey. Over the next few days I plan on sorting through all my photographs and putting together some kind of slide show for showing in school and at the Ladies Evening Guild at church. I'll put some more pics on here too, but not yet, I haven't unpacked yet!

Long time...

It has been a long time since I updated this blog, for which I apologise. I thought I would have more opportunity to blog but have neglected my blogging duties since arriving in Kenya! Blogging will recommence on my return! First a few photos of me in Kenya!

Feeding giraffes is revolting

At Shimba Hills

With Jardene outside her house (plus Hannah and her parents)

Trying Ugali (officially disgusting)

Karibu!

Karibu!

So here I am in Kenya.

This week I have begun to find a place for me in the school, Tunaimi Timbwani. I have been giving one teacher ideas to help her make her maths more enjoyable and to help the children to learn more (at the moment a lot of the learning is done by rote so the poorer ability children never get any better). And I have been given a job of taking out the poorer ability children in the lower classes at English and giving them extra support. I just had them out now and some of them didn’t know their initial letter sounds so I am really having to go back to basic phonics. I only had them for a short while. I think I was meant to have them for the whole afternoon but I was unprepared and had no resources, besides which an hour and a half is too long to slog on with letter sounds, one of them was only 5. So I left them back at their class so that I could go away and find some more appropriate work for next time.

The weather is luscious at the moment and I am living in strappy tops and skirts. It gets ridiculously muggy in March apparently but it is pleasantly hot at the moment. Yesterday I found myself taking a class to the field for PE (it was sprung upon me, as many things seem to happen here) and realised on the way that I didn’t have any suncream on or indeed a hat. The lessons are only half an hour though and so I managed not to get burnt. It wouldn’t normally bother me but the sun really is strong when you are not in the shade.

Anyway, has to be a quick one, here’s a photo of the kids for you all to enjoy.

Packed!

Thought I'd take a picture of my packed suitcase before I left. Then realised it said rather more about me than I had first realised... Diddl (no Mousey boo hoo) and Dutch Blitz cards on the top... oh yes!

Fancy a laugh?

I have been for a second dentist's appointment today. Always fun! She took some x-rays last week and the results weren't good so she's numbed me up, drilled and scraped and filled. It isn't hurting yet, but if you fancy a laugh just give me a ring, I can't talk properly and I sound hilarious! I was planning on making a few phone calls today but I think I will have to wait for a few hours... I also took my phone into the shop to be unlocked yesterday and am suffering from phone withdrawal but can hardly go in and get it back with a saggy lip and an inability to speak!! I may have to send my mum!

Walking, praying, walking

I really enjoy going for a long walk along the beach. I find it such a blessing to live somewhere that I can nip down to the beach whenever I like for a stroll. Often I only share the beach with dog walkers, but it is so vast that I rarely need to worry. The last 2 days I have been for a walk on my own on the usual route, a circular tour down to the beach and along towards the town centre, past the pier and along the promenade then back towards the square and home. Tramping along on my own is just about the best time to converse with God, observing things and praying for them as I think of them, a long rambling conversation. I love it.
This isn't a picture from today, I didn't take my camera with me, but I think it reflects today's beauty nonetheless. I invited Sophie to join me, but she doesn't appreciate these things yet, the internet is far more appealing. Yesterday she sent me with her sock, which I thought was rather cute in a way, so I took it with me in my pocket and prayed for her as I went.

I have been reading Rob Bell's book Velvet Elvis and thinking about the everywhereness of God and those times when you really feel that it is a holy moment in the midst of the ordinaryness. I felt that on my walk yesterday. Beautiful.

Tablets of doom...

I took my first Larium tablet this evening. Sophie took the kitchen knife off me and told me to stay away from sharp things in school tomorrow...!!!

Forget Norway, Kenya!

The great big monolith of a task has been done and for the 3rd time in the space of a week my adventure plans have changed significantly.

Today I have booked my flights out to Kenya for the 29th January, a week tomorrow.

I would like to explain the events surrounding my move from Rwanda (via the Philippines - that's another story) with Signpost International to Kenya with Education for Life but frankly I've explained it that many times over the last day or two that I can't be bothered to write about it as well!! Enjoy this though:

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/kenya/

Forget Norway, Kenya!

My life at the moment...!!!

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

This cartoon needs no more explanation I feel!

Human pin cushion

I have now had the last of my injections at the doctors, my final HepB and Yellow Fever. I was a bit worried about the Yellow Fever one because the nurse wouldn't give it me before Christmas because it might make me ill... I am quite well though and it didn't even hurt a little bit so there was no need to fret. I also talked to her about the anti malarials I should take when in Rwanda and left thinking I would take Malarone but have changed my mind and have decided to go for Larium which according to my uncle might turn me into an axe wielding maniac... watch this space!

Fund raising

My trip to Rwanda with Signpost International is fully paid for, but when we are there we will be undertaking a number of projects which themselves need funding. See the Rwanda Update post for details of the projects I will be doing. I hadn't realised I was meant to be fund raising until recently and now have very little time to organise anything before I go at the end of January. Please please please post ideas of what I might do sponsored event wise that I can use to raise money! It needs to be mildly challenging, but not ridiculous considering the time constraints.

Happy New Year!

Mum and I went for a walk yesterday. We decided that we would park at Fairhaven Lake and then walk by the beach and then along Lytham Green. It wasn't the most sensible of plans...!! I was in hysterics for the first 10 minutes because the wind was so strong we couldn't even stand up straight! I wanted to take a picture of the sea coming in over the sands because it was so stunning to watch it coming in at speed with the wind blowing over the surface of it too but it was rather too windy to get the camera out, I was scared of it being blown out of my hands. I was very glad, however, that we had decided not to go for a walk along the beach or we would have resembled sand-men by the time we got home. We cut our walk short and came back in the shelter of the houses along the main road.