Project#366 week 12

 Week 12, and what a difference in weather from last week. This week we've had blue skies, easterly winds and warm -ish temperatures. My trainees have done lots of their preparation outside in the college garden and I have been able to get out into mine and start to make a difference to the wilderness!

Sunday 18th March

Today is Mother's Day and I was sent a voucher to use on Amazon by my daughter in London.  Yesterday I bought some ticking to recover the chairs in the kitchen, and Miles who normally comes to dinner on Sunday, isn't coming, after he came off his motorbike and ended up too bruised to drive. My husband decided to work on his boat and  it was nice to see the boat bits disappearing from the back of the house and making their way back to where they belong. Suddenly it feels as if Spring is here.

Monday 19th March

Week 3 of the Cert TESOL and the first morning is given over to looking at advances in technology which can be used in teaching. I use lots of tech during, and even before, the course, and this group of  trainees are really switched on! This is them doing a collaborative task on Google docs.

Tuesday 20th March

Today at lunchtime I wandered up the hill from the College and took a picture of the Shell garden. As you can see, there is very little surface left to decorate. Tourists always stop to have a look and you can now have a look round on payment of a small sum to charity. This was one man's passion for shells- and an idea that became an obsession.

Wednesday 21st March

I came across these beautiful animals on their way to be milked. The lane is very beautiful and colourful at this time of the year. You can just see the farmer in the background.  He gives all his farm-workers pocketfuls of bulbs and tells them to plant them on their way around the farm and surrounding area. When the daffodils come up the island is golden in the sunlight.

Thursday 22nd March

Today I managed to get a colleague to take over my class. This freed me up to do some paperwork - and to check out the #ELTchat symposium at IATEFL during the afternoon. It looks as though they had a full house. I also managed to catch the Pecha Kuchas in the evening, which were super as always. It is great to be able to join in from a distance, although I was really disappointed that IATEFL was happening in March, and would have loved to have been there in person.

Friday 23rd March

What a beautiful sunny day. I spotted these flowers from my classroom window, and I don't know what they are. They smell lovely though. There are lots of them on the bank. The college sits in a valley, and the gardens stretch up on either side, so the view from the windows is always interesting. 

Saturday 24th March.

 Today I'm supposed to be busy marking. The moderator arrives next week and I like to have everything prepared. Unfortunately Ebony, my cat, decided to help me so I wandered out into the garden instead. 

Staring to really warm up now

Both sides of the garden wall

Buds on the vine

It's warm and sunny and the flowers on each side of the garden wall are in full bloom. The neighbours magnolias make a lovely backdrop for my camellias. I also noticed that there are buds on the vine. In a few short weeks, the back wall of the garden will be completely covered in green. At the moment you can see the pink granite and shale which it is made from, and which makes the garden look, and feel, warm even in the middle of winter.