project 52 Week 6

Week 6, and the living is easy...NOT!

Ebony waits at the top of the stairs for me every morning. She will then put her head through the bars to have it scratched- funny cat :-) I want to come back as a cat as cute and as spoiled as her!





Monday started with another Code RED warning. The tides, rain and storm force winds combined to make the coasts dangerous, and the low lying areas prone to flooding.
The community spirit was alive and well, with people out sweeping the seaweed away from the drains to let the water disperse. I left for work early, which was lucky, as I was diverted half-way round the island to get to work. I caught up with some of my colleagues who had been on holiday, and we had a meeting to plan our CPD sessions for the winter. We also started to empty out our old staffroom. It had always been too small and cramped in the summer, but we were at the bottom of the capital spending list. Now, however, it's our turn and next week will see us starting to move.

Tuesday was not much better. My students came from France at the weekend, and are already worried about getting back at the end of the week. It rained all day, and the big Victorians over the road were seen through a mist of rain :-( This is the view from my office window, where I was doing some work on my e-book. I went down to watch Death in Paradise at some point, or I could almost have gone the whole week without seeing family. M came home from his trip to Scotland, bringing some lovely music which he had found on his trip to a big music store in Edinburgh.



Wednesday was dry for a change- but still very windy. The shops are beginning to have empty shelves as they run out of freight. The sea is too rough for the ferries or container ships to dock. The 300-year-old slip near the college has been badly damaged overnight- and the island is looking at a massive clean-up operation. My students are working as normal, and trying not to think about the return journey. One good thing- I paid my share of the flat for IATEFL. It can sleep six, although we are only three- so if anyone needs accommodation...... let me know.


Thursday  was the worst day of the week. First- the French ferry workers decided to go on strike! My students were really stressed, and it was difficult teaching them. The weather was still horrible, and I got home to find that someone had crashed into our front wall, seconds before Cairis left for work. She was shaken, but had the presence of mind to retain the young man, and call her father and the Police. You can image my horror when I got home. They had been dealing with the insurance etc, all day- and I didn't have a clue :-)

Friday dawned clear, cold, but not so windy- although that was only a short-term thing. I received a lovely email- which I can explain about next week. The watery winter sun was doing its best to shine through, so I stopped en route to work to take these pictures.
We decided not to join the others in the pub in the evening, as they were thinking about going to one on the North Coast- and I'd heard the weather forecast!


On Saturday, I decided to have a computer day. I sat down at my desk and finished all the work for the BE course I'm doing. I then decided to redo my e-book completely, using a website which I have an account with.   http://preparationforcerttesol.weebly.com/
My problem now is- if it's on a website- is it still an e-book? Anyway- people seem to be giving it the thumbs up, and I can see the value it will have for my students, so I didn't waste my time. In the afternoon I had 2 online sessions one after the other.
Both my family members were out for meals, so I sat down with the cats for a bit and read my book, before going  back up and adding to my website. It was a very relaxing day after the stresses of the last few. I do feel sorry for my students, though, who are now resigned to spending some more time on our lovely? island.

Here is an artistic photo to finish on. I was viewing the mess outside through the bay window and caught the reflection of good and bad together :-) The weather forecast for next week doesn't look much better, but the tides should be at least a couple of metres lower than they have been.