Casa Rosales

Casa Rosales

Wednesday 11 February 2015

I lapsed....

I really did intend to get back into blogging as we began the new year. But I am already sadly behind with reading those blogs that I love to read, written by people I now consider to be friends...you know who you are! I apologise and will get back to it post haste.

My excuses are varied and many but I won't bore you with all of them, only to say that January has been a time of preparation and thinking and it hasn't left me much time for anything else.

The preparation has been for two main things - one of which has taken place with great success - and the other which will begin properly next week.

First thing was the trip I had planned for Romy and I to visit our friends in Scotland. Ostensibly for Romy's birthday this year, I cannot possibly pretend that I thought it was the most perfect idea for both of us and I booked the tickets in August last year - and managed NOT to tell Romy until just after Christmas. She was thrilled, although we did have a minor hiccup when I discovered on 13th January that her passport ran out on 14th January. Despite FR's confidence in being able to get her a Spanish one through in time, when we got to the 20th I was beginning to panic and had had several recurring anxiety-fuelled toilet dreams - years since I had the last one! (Apparently, I am not alone in having this particular dream and I even wrote a blog post about but decided it was not the best idea to publish it!)

Sunny day in Malaga.....
All was resolved by a single visit to Malaga to the British Consulate, where her passport was extended for one year without problem. A very big phew.....

Sunny - and very windy! That's Romy on the beach causing a seagull riot!

And this is Riofrio, where we stopped on the way home to get fresh trout....
not directly from the river but from the trout farm here.
SO delicious!

Our visit to Scotland deserves a blog post of its own and will get one very shortly! We had a ball.....

And amazing weather!

The second thing that has been preoccupying me has been the waiting to start teaching again. A new Director has been appointed at the place where I teach and she is in charge of Human Resources, so my existing contact, the acting Head of HR has been deferring to her all during January and it seemed the English classes weren't high on her list of priorities. At least that's what I suspected.

Eventually, I was introduced to her and was a bit taken aback when she said she wanted to see that the classes were worth the money (not in as many words) and that she wanted the staff to take exams. I don't really like teaching where the main purpose is to pass an exam so I was a bit upset and concerned. However, several conversations later and finding that I really like this new woman very much indeed - she's great fun and very committed to English learning - and I now have a group of students who would like to take an exam. And I also have a group that don't want to; a group that don't need to and an advanced group that will take a high level of exam next year.
I am delighted and it's going to be just as much fun as it was last year, I can tell! I have started with one group this week and will get going 'proper' next week. And the teaching will be mainly in the mornings and early afternoon, which is fantastic as it means I can be at home with the children in the evenings. I'm feeling very good about it all. It's obviously been playing on my mind a bit because as soon as it feels sorted (now) - here I am blogging again!

FR has been very busy, with the help of a builder, adding the summer kitchen and a new storage place nearer the house, where we will put the freezer and make a bit of extra space in the kitchen. We have still quite a big mess and a lot of work to do in the garden but the hard work is beginning to give us an idea of how it might be - one day!!

Delivery of roof tiles. Can you see a difference...?

One day, all this will be sorted. One day. Just not very soon!!

Watch this space. There will be more, I can feel it in my fingers. Axxx



14 comments:

  1. So much news ! First of all, I am really looking forward to the Scottish blog...Sam....and Celia...and with Romy....how wonderful. Secondly, the photo of the scared birds on the beach is fabulous, and thirdly, I do not recognise your garden....so much has been going on. FR must have been so busy. I cant wait to see what it looks like when its all finished.
    Then...fourthly...the teaching developments sound perfect. I know how you prefer the non exam approach to language learning ( and teaching )....but this combination sounds excellent. The new woman sounds as if she has a brain, and she clearly recognises what a gem she has in you.
    Dont work too hard though Annie...and once again, thankyou so much for my beautiful zentangled heart. It has pride of place , hanging from the mantlepiece in the Hebden house...but will be travelling with me to Caunes. Jxxx

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    1. Scottish blog post to follow, Janice! The morning in Malaga was fantastic - we'd stopped to have tapas next to the beach. I had heels on so didn't venture onto the sand... and the birds weren't scared as much as disturbed because they never went far and always came back to the same place. Whereon Romy ran at them again. Nice being 11 still!
      There's a lot been happening in the garden - still happening and I'm with you! Can't wait to see how it will look finished...
      Loving the teaching! And have really taken to the new director - she has some fantastic clothes too...nothing very formal and some scarves to die for!
      I'm so glad you like your heart. I was delighted yesterday when one of only two shops in Alcala that sells 'nice things' bought several of my decorated wooden ornaments and would be happy to take more. He paid me for them there and then, which felt really good!!
      When do you leave for Caunes again?
      Axxx

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  2. Hi Annie,
    Wonderful to catch up on all your news and very pleased that your work situation is more settled. Although we know that exams aren't the 'be all and end all', they are important to some people particularly those who want to show that their study has better prepared them for something.
    Looking forward to reading about your holiday.
    Take care xx

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    1. Yes, you are quite right, Gaynor. I have really enjoyed the informal conversations classes that we had last year but I can see how it does help to focus the classes when there's an end in sight. I am quite determined that we'll have just as much fun - and with the group I have, there's not a chance it will be anything else!
      Posting soon - we had such a great time. I will be catching up with all your news very soon. Axxx

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  3. All good reasons to miss a few blog posts - we're still here enjoying reading the confession of a lapsed blogger.

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    1. I love that you managed to say SO much in so few words, Annie! Thank you. Axxx

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  4. From one semi-lapsed blogger to another, I know only too well how life can just take over sometimes, Annie, and leave no time or energy for blogging. As Janice says, you have so many good reasons why blogging has had to take a back seat recently and it's really good to hear your lovely news. You and Romy obviously had a super trip to Scotland and I'm truly delighted that your teaching work looks like being so varied and satisfying and with an excellent new director overseeing it all. :)

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    1. Thank you Perpetua. I think I have lapsed a bit more than you although some of us are definitely not posting as often as we once did, are we? I like B2B's comment though....it does feel a bit like getting back together with old friends and things being just the same despite the gap in communication.
      I'm so glad to be back teaching - it has restored my energy and brought me out of my state of semi-hibernation.

      Axxx

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  5. Always, always good to see a post of yours, Annie, whenever it comes along. Life often gets in the way, doesn't it? Looks life a splendid trip to Scotland. :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Penny! Life is very welcome and has been good fun recently. There will be some photos of sunny Scotland coming soon too - definitely not to be missed!!
      Axxx

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  6. Lovely to hear your news, so much going on for you, glad you are feeling happier with your work. A lovely girlie trip, look forward to hearing about your trip to Scotland xcx

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    1. Thanks Chrissie - good to hear from you. It was such a pleasure to have a girly trip with my lovely, fun and fast-growing up daughter. I am rather hoping it will be the first of many!.
      Axxx

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  7. Hello Annie,

    Such a lot has been happening in your life. It is hardly surprising that you have not had time to be at the keyboard. Real life often goes at such apace that something has to give.....but it is reassuring that everything is becoming more settled for you.

    The lessons sound to have really taken off. We imagine that it is a good thing that the classes are now more defined in terms of outcomes. It will be much easier to target the work and more satisfactory for you as the teacher. Good luck with it all!

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    1. Hello and thank you, Jane and Lance. I suspect that having a smart phone is partly responsible for my blogging absence. I use it to keep in touch via Facebook, but it's not conducive to writing posts...and as my children get older, they have started hogging the computer. All excuses...

      I am looking forward to pushing my students this term...I have no doubt they'll pass the exam but it would be good to get some excellent marks as well.

      Thanks again
      Axxx

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