Tea, Travels and Terracotta.

I'm sure that anyone who's reading this already knows that revision is my main occupation at the moment. It's House of Lords reform today. Anyway, I'm not going to mention it again, but would like to reassure you that I'm still doing plenty of it (mainly aimed at Mum and Dad...!).

In between books and learning, I've found enough time to do a few interesting bits and pieces. One of them is making this house, which is loosely based upon M&D's house in France. It was originally a present for Dad for Father's Day 2010, but like any construction project, it went drastically over-budget and I was forced to completely abandon the inital schedule. It's now got half-a-roof of terracotta tiles, and is fully-glazed, but the kitchen is still very much a Budweiser box, and there's no front door. I'm expecting a delivery of more clay when my next installment of student loan arrives, and we're hoping to be in by Christmas.

It IS that yellow in real life.

Other nice distractions were goodbye-visits by a few friends who are off on travels to various places around the world. Dave and Chris are going on a grand tour of Europe, while Matt is going to brave The Americas with some friends from school. I'm sure they're going to have a good time - I think I'd much rather be trekking through the Andes and sampling the bars of Bruges than sitting in basement in Reading!

Chris looks like he's having second thoughts.

Looking for Cancun on the ticket machine.

A final note before I return to Lords reform is that I seem to have become competely dependent on tea, in silly quantities. Between reading each page of a book, I treat myself to a sip, resulting in worrying scenes such as this one:

Apparently there's no Earl of Grey in the House of Lords.

Last Week of Lessons.

So, it's over. Today I had my last-ever class. The seven months have gone incredibly quickly, and I don't really want to stop teaching!

A lot of pupils had made me 'goodbye' cards and posters. Some of them were cute and well-written, some of them were a bit last-minute, and simply a scrawled poster. I have a few favourites, though, such as this one, which was done by a particularly inventive pupil. Apparently it shows the Conquistadors invading South America and the Aztec people fighting them off. An obvious choice for an English assistant.


That's maize they're growing in the fenced-area. This is going on my wall when i return to England.

This one, however, is the best of all. It's a joint effort from a class of 10-year olds. It's not artistic, but the message they wrote on it is the best thing i've ever read:



You can zoom in to see the message, which reads:

"For Gavin I go missed you
A feeling which is down at the bottom of l'heart at the bottom of the eyes a good qu it is necessary to have a good qu it is nessecary to give a mistery which give l'friendship. It adore Gavine passes a good voyage."

It does make me wonder if they've learned a single thing this year. Never mind.

With my two favourite classes, it was not a proper goodbye, as i'll be meeting up with them in a couple of weeks in London. They're all going to be there on a school trip, and i'm going to accompany them for a day around various tourist attractions. Apparently they're looking forward to seeing me in my 'native habitat'..!

Joyeuses Pâques!

It's Easter Sunday, and i'm sitting in a shed in France. It doesn't sound very attractive, but you'd be surprised. It's sunny outside, and there were children running around earlier looking for eggs in the garden. This morning, in true Greene-family fashion, I was about to paint a boiled egg, when it occured to me that acrylic paints aren't edible. So, I just ate the egg instead. Never mind.

The best thing about being away from England for easter is that I completely avoid all the 'hilarious' puns which appear at this time of year. This is the poster which was displayed in the One Stop staff room last year:


It actually hurts to read it. And the last part, with 'egg-tra' doesn't even work!

Luckily, the French language is not geared up to such painful punnery - 'oeufcellent' doesn't really work as well, does it? Much as I miss Creme Eggs, i'd quite happily do without them every year if it meant no puns.
And i'm not even yolking.

(Sorry.)

Nantes

I got a letter through the door yesterday, telling me where i'll be going in France next year. It's a place called Saint-Herblain, and it seems to be a suburb of Nantes. It looks reasonable enough. Except for that block of flats. Oh, and the ominous warning that there'll be CCTV watching me all the time...

Still, i'm sure it'll be a very nice place. Now to find a apartment...