Snow!

It's the end of term - last day of teaching was on Friday, followed by a completely accidental night out. I nursed one beer for well over an hour and a half, then for some reason caved to a couple of glasses of wine. Food followed with more wine, then amaretto before I decided to go home at about 10 pm. However, on my way home, I bumped into a student who persuaded me (or should I say, invited me, to which I said yes), to go to the pub with her and a few other folk. Pub closed about midnight, and then we went onto some student digs in the centre of down, me attempting to give directions... and I got home at 2am. OH DEAR!!!

Felt rubbish yesterday but had to get up early to sign paperwork at the estate agents along with my new housemate. I felt so disorientated and strange that I actually corrected a punctuation mistake in the document without even realising. Went for a fry up which definitely helped, then spent the rest of the day feeling sorry for myself, napping, and watching stuff on iPlayer!

Today I finished reading Harry Potter 7, now just really excited for the second part of the film to come out!!! Only 7 months to go... I've also been packing up my room ready to move my stuff over to the new place, hopefully on Tuesday.

The weather's been pretty cold, and we've had a fair bit of snow in Bristol but other places have been much worse hit. I'm starting to get worried about Pete coming home - if he can even land at Heathrow (which has been closed for most of the weekend) it won't be so bad but Aberdeen airport's been shut for the best part of the last few days so just having to keep fingers crossed and we'll see what happens. I don't think I should have too many problems driving home, but Adam's not sure how easy it'll be for him and Nic to get down from Manchester, but again trying not to worry too much and we'll all just have to cross those bridges when we come to them. Stressful though!!!

mid December

More time passing! Just over a week until I'm on my Christmas hols, hurray!!

Last night was our work Christmas do which was fun, nice and sociable!! Spent the day in Bath with a friend and met my parents for lunch. Lovely day, the Christmas market was great too!!

It's been really busy at work so we're all looking forward to some time off. I'm looking forward to this week as I'm hoping to move out at the beginning of January, I haven't had a hot shower this week (boiler problems), and I've woken up a coupla mornings with no heating (housemates turning it off). So I've found a new flatshare, and will be sorting out the paperwork and money side of it this week sometime. HURRAY!!!!!!!!

2011 is going to be a good year I think.

A busy week

The weeks are flying by, now I'm teaching again, I can't believe it's only about 3 weeks til Christmas!! Madness!

This week has been really busy. I went on a Social Programme trip to Wells and Wookey Hole which was good (and a good job it wasn't this weekend!!). Sunday I went with some friends from work to see Harry Potter!!!!! It was so good!!!! I must recommend it, even if you're not a Potter fan. Something for everyone. And the acting is so much better than the previous films!! Then was out every night this week, with French on Monday, Spanish exchange on Tuesday, dinner with some Italian friends on Wednesday and choir on Thursday. Friday I was looking forward to a quiet evening and early night. It started off well with a curry and a bit of wine, watched 'The Reader' (which I must recommend), then was just getting ready to sleep when my housemates decided to have a party in one of their rooms. Until 2am. I was livid. Especially when I was then woken up at 9.30 am yesterday morning. Seriously.

Anyway I got some things done at the bank and chilled (literally) for a bit, looked in the charity shops and then I came home, had a nap ( :) ) and then headed out for some drinks at my friend's new flat!! It was really cool, a lovely Spanglish get-together, delicious food and great company!! Headed home about midnight thought and managed a decent sleep before getting up, finishing the 4th Harry Potter book hehe then going down to collect my car from my friend's, and heading over to St. Bartholomew's Church where the Gurt Lushers were performing as part of the North Bristol Arts Trail. It was really fun, quite informal concert but good to get my first live concert over with in a relaxed atmosphere!! Think I blagged fairly well the songs I didn't know, too! Win.

So I'm feeling much more settled in Bristol. Been looking at flats to rent, I'm absolutely fed up of sharing so trying to find somewhere reasonably priced on my own. I may have to concede to sharing again though, but ideally just with one or two other people. At least until September when I'll know a bit better what the long-term is looking like.

That's all for now anyway!

Oh dear

I need to seriously buck up my ideas with this blog!! Disaster!! I'm finding myself either really busy or exhausted these days!

I've been thrust back into the full-time teaching, from between 7.5/ 15 hrs a week to 23ish, including observations of trainees, all the planning and marking and IELTS exam class. I'm totally pooped, but it's EXCELLENT, exactly what I wanted to be doing (which is a relief after all the fuss I was kicking up ;) ) and I'm trying to be more creative and use the IWBs and IT and stuff to become a better teacher. It's so good to be mentally tired from really thinking about stuff and I'm really lucky with my classes, great bunch of students (although we collectively can get a bit chatty... oops, but it's fun!)

I have my last (ever??) Saturday trip this weekend, to Wells & Wookey Hole! I haven't been for years and years, so I'm looking forward to that, gets me out of the house!!

Monday evenings I have my French class, which is going OK but I'm not feeling as challenged as I'd like.. I'm going to give it a few more weeks but I'd really like to move to a higher beginner class if it's possible. Also on Mondays for the last coupla weeks I've been doing a Spanish/ English exchange with some students. It's really cool, and I think we're going to merge with another exchange probably to a Sunday which'll be more chilled!! Tuesday and Wednesdays get filled up with stuff, and Thursdays is choir. Really enjoying it, and if you're interested its http://gurtlush.yolasite.com/ - check it out!!!

Weekends are taken up with going back home to Bucks, seeing friends or just doing absolutely nothing, which after a busy week of thinking and brain exercise is MUCH needed. I'm trying to motivate myself to go to the gym or take up some classes but honestly I don't know if I could mentally or physically cope at the moment!!! Really should do something though...

Anyway, all is well, I'm feeling much more settled, content and just looking now for a nice one bed flat or studio for end of January/ beginning of Feb. Fed up of living with people so I'm looking forward to having my own little space for 6 months or so by which time I'll probably be driving myself mad, but we'll see!!

:)

November, remember?

I'm so rubbish at keeping this blog up to date.

What have I been up to the last few weeks?

Well, I went to Stratford again, with 103 german students we had, which went really well considering the size of the group and the numerous last-minute changes that were made. So pleased with that. Also I've never dealt with a group of students so friendly, organised with excellent time-keeping and speed of walking. Hugely impressed. Love Germans! The group leaders were also really helpful, kind and appreciative which goes a million miles. Thank you!!!!

The following weekend, I took my Pete to meet the parentals. Had a busy day at work but got home in time for fish and chips for dinner, wine, chilling and chatting. On Saturday we scooted over to Marlow to wander by the Thames, back home for lunch before heading out for a big walk in the lovely Chilterns countryside. A short stop for a cheeky drink en route was also necessary and excellent!!

We went to see The Social Network in the evening, really interesting film but not one I'd necessarily want to see again.. But I enjoyed the way events panned out, and the slightly unnecessary shot of people at Henley, dahling.

Dropped the lad off at Heathrow on Sunday morning and spent the rest of the day crying. Haha not really, we had a lovely roast dinner, and a relaxing afternoon before heading back to Bristol in the evening.

A busyish week last week was interspersed with me coming down with a horrible cold/ fluey thing, aches and pains and Thursday off work. I shouldn't have gone back in on Friday but had a lot of things to sort out, including running the Halloween karaoke/ bbq party in the evening. I left at 10.30 though and went back to Bucks to recuperate!!! It took ALL WEEKEND. Horrible sinus infection I think and after another day off yesterday I am just today starting to feel better. Ridiculous. Tomorrow I'm going to buy as many vegetables as I can and just eat them all immediately.

This week work situation's starting to change, I'm inducting a new social programme chap who has lots of experience and will be focussed just on SP rather than trying to do teaching as well - really exciting as he seems to have loads of initiative and knows what he's doing. It'll be good to see what he can bring to the table, although I'm still waiting to find out where that leaves me, contractually! Give it a few weeks and it should all start to settle down.

Not too many plans for this week really, trying to make sure I'm fully recovered before doing anything too crazy, and a weekend here in Bristol so I need to do some sorting out, cleaning and that sort of pottering about really!!! I've just done a bunch of Christmas shopping online, so that's half (or more) done... Gonna get some cards written out too in the next week or so. Phew!!!!!!!!

Scotland!!!!!

To quote the great Robert Burns;

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here;
My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer;
A-chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart's in the Highlands wherever I go.

Aahhh that really reminds me of my lovely late Grandma.

But is also appropriate since I've just got back from a fab few days in the Highlands. I flew into Inverness on Thursday then after a few hours I took the train across to Aberdeen through some amazing landscapes at sunset. Picked up by my lad, and we went for a big family dinner!! Mad, there was a whole houseful, and I met the rest of the family which was great!! We stayed at Pete's brother and sister-in-law's, very comfy and warm! On Friday I was taken on a tour of Aberdeenshire (sort of).. the weather was pretty dreich (overcast) and so we didn't see alot. I had to buy lunch after losing at Crazy Golf, we also visited the (highly cultural) Union Square shopping centre before heading to Westhill's Tesco, Post Office and Golf Course hehehehe!! Then we popped into see the bride-to-be and family, and later I was invited to the pre-wedding girly night, yay! We drank wine and had our nails done and looked at pics from when Alison was little!! Jenny and I then headed over the airport to pick up cousin Sarah at which point I was made aware just how many cousins there are!!! Arrrhh!!!!!

After a chilled cup of tea we hit the hay for the night in preparation for the big day on Saturday!!! Had a chilled breakfast and morning before getting all dressed up and heading to the fantastic Maryculter House Hotel. Alison and Gareth's wedding ceremony was really simple, with lovely readings and the weather cleared up so all the photos could be done outside! Met more cousins and Granny, and chatted to lots of people while Pete was busy ushing! Brilliant speeches, moving and funny - the perfect combination of emotion and hilarity! Dinner was great and the first dance was a total classic - the Wannadies' You and Me Song. Brilliant!!!! The reception was a massive ceilidh, lots of energetic dancing involved, it was great!!

On Sunday we headed to Westhill to see everyone post-wedding. Luckily everyone feeling a little the worse for wear, so we had a chilled catch up, looking at photos and meeting more cousins I hadn't met before!! hehehe. We headed over to Inverness around 2pm and had a wander around and a drink in the famous folk bar, Hootenanny's. We had dinner both nights at the hotel which was delicious and very convenient!! On Monday we did SO much.

We visited the site of the last ever hand-to-hand battle on British soil, in 1746 between the British Government and the Jacobite rebels under Bonnie Prince Charlie, at Culloden. There's a fantastic visitor centre that shows the timeline of events leading up to the battle (that lasted less than an hour but totally decimated the Jacobites - quite horrific), and then you get an audio guide to go out onto the battlefield. It's so marshy and heathery, it really hits you what conditions must have been like.

We then went on to Urqhart Castle after stopping at the Clansman Hotel en route, on the banks of Loch Ness for some lunch. This is a fantastic castle but it's a real shame that the government people that abandoned it also took the decision to set light to all the gunpowder, leaving the castle in ruins. It had so much history - there had been some sort of structure on the site for over 1,000 years. Really fabulous views over Loch Ness too. No luck spotting Nessie though :(

We then headed south to a little town called Fort Augustus which links the Caledonian Canal with the Loch. There are a series of around 7 locks going down through the town, which was quaint and pretty! We rounded the bottom of Loch Ness and went up through the countryside alongside another huge loch, through small towns and we stopped off at Foyers where there is an amazing waterfall! We walked down the precarious path dotted with quotes from Robert Burns, who was so inspired by the waterfall that he immediately wrote a poem on the spot!! Really impressive, so much power!

After getting back to the hotel we had another delicious meal, and had a couple of drinks before an early night. Today we packed up, had a walk around Inverness and then headed to Fort George. It's a military base built on a remote promontory shortly after the Battle of Culloden to ward off any further attacks by the Highlanders who were hugely repressed following the rebellion (they were banned from wearing tartans, playing highland instruments among other persecutions). Still, Fort George is an impressive, organised structure that is still used today as a military base!! We were again given audio guides with which to walk around the base, it was so interesting, with amazing views across the Moray Firth. On some days you can even see dolphins!

I had to be at the airport for about 2pm so we just had a drive around the countryside, through Nairn, towards Cawdor and then back to the airport :( My flight left on time and I got home to Bristol around 6.30pm. I'm not going to say anything about my feelings about tomorrow! So I'll post more on that later. Suffice to say I had a fantastic break and we had a great time exploring the beautiful Highlands. Looking forward to going back there for a holiday early next year! Yayy!!!!

xx

A catch-up

Ooops, it's been ages since I blogged.. Not sure anyone reads this blog anyway hehehe.

So it's been 2 weeks since I was in Scotland! I flew up to Edinburgh, and was delayed by two hours so didn't get to Glenrothes until after midnight. After some sleep, we got up early and Pete's parents dropped in to see us! Really good to meet them, although it was brief, then we had to go off to see the groom & his ushers and get ready for the wedding. It was so great to meet Pete's friends and really funny to see the guys getting all kitted out in their kilts - it took longer than for us girls!! We all then headed off to the Balbirnie Hotel - a beautiful country house hotel, drank some tea and then shortly moved onto gin!! I met Pete's sister and her fiance, along with other friends and family. The ceremony began around 2pm, and was a simple, humanist ceremony - really moving. I love a good wedding (even when I've only met the people involved that morning!!) They were lucky with the weather and had the photos done outside. Whilst they were having the rest of the photos taken, we supped champagne and ate yummy canapes (including haggis!) before moving inside for the cutting of the cake and a speech from Chris' dad.

Then it was into the dining area for speeches and dinner (very delicious!), and onto lots of dancing. I survived the ceilidh, too!!! Hahaha. Went to bed rather tipsy and had a ridiculously comfortable night's sleep before heading down to a delicious Scottish breakfast with lots of people from the wedding including Mr. and Mrs. Craig themselves. Pete and I then headed off to Edinburgh with Alison and Gareth and walked up the Royal Mile, had some lunch before going to the airport to fly back to Bristol. Luckily no delays this time!

Pete headed off on Monday, and in the evening, Adam and Nic came to stay the night before going off on their holidays. Busy busy!! Last weekend was a fairly quiet one, after a few drinks on Friday night, and spending the day hanging out with Jo on Saturday.

Work's been pretty busy, I'm flat out with organising social programme for 103 german students arriving next weekend, with the added pressure that I'm going to Aberdeen on Thursday for almost a week. So it all has to be ready to go. But I had a really positive appraisal on Wednesday which was great. Weighing up options at the moment and especially a bit of uncertainty as to where I'll be this time next year, but many doors are open at the moment which is good. Getting busier in general too as I have my French classes on a Monday, and joined a community choir on Thursdays with a couple of colleagues - really good fun!!! I am looking forward to November being a little less manic on all front though - even though I know it's only the 2nd October!!!

Last night we went out for work drinks, then I met up with a friend, and we ended going for dinner with a new colleague of mine, and some of her friends! It was really fun, lots of wine and good conversation. Felt a bit rough when my alarm went off at 7.30, but I had my last one-to-one French class at 9am. Then I went off to pick up my car, and met up with Mum and Dad! We went down to south Devon for the day, it was so nice, we were really lucky with the weather and had a good walk around in the sea air. We also went to Honiton before heading back. They were going to hang out with me in Bristol tomorrow but it looks like the weather is going to be dreadful (I think it's already started raining) so they're going to head home instead and I'm going to have lunch with my housemate :)

Like I say, I'm off to Aberdeen on Thursday for Alison's wedding on Saturday. Looking forward to meeting the rest of the Currie clan, and having a tour around the area! We're heading off to Inverness for a few days on Sunday, which'll be great. I have every intention on finding Nessie and really looking forward to some fresh Scottish air, good food and some time off work. It's been 4 of the busiest months ever since I had a day off. Ahhhhh.

After that, it's gonna be a busy busy few weeks, and Pete'll be back for one weekend at the end of October. Phew.

Things are ticking over fine for now, I'm applying for my PGCE, still debating whether to do secondary or middle years.. I'm not sure what's best. There are lots of possibilities in the offing so I'm going to apply anyway and then see what happens. Eee!!!