Couldn't resist this one!!
Happy New Year to you all...
And all my best wishes for 2015.
Jx
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Happy New Year!
Couldn't resist this one!!
Happy New Year to you all...
And all my best wishes for 2015.
Jx
Friday, 19 December 2014
Updates...
Happy Christmas to all of you who work in teaching and finished work today! Thank you to everyone who has been thinking of R. (the Year 8 lad) over the past few days. We have been told that he is in a stable condition in hospital, but he is still on a ventilator so he's very ill. Hopefully the Head will contact us via e-mail if there is any further news over the holidays.
Today's been a strange sort of day.... My lovely music colleague (who is currently on Maternity Leave with baby No 2) came in for a 'keeping in touch' day. I text her all the time so she knows all the reasons why I'm leaving. Nevertheless, pretty much the first thing she said was "Are you seriously going.." then promptly burst into tears on me. Hmm - I blame sleep deprivation for that one!
Anyway -later in the day - the Head informally offered her my job role for the Autumn if she wants it. We both felt that this was a huge compliment, but she's really unsure about whether she should accept the offer. She's in quite a difficult situation at the moment. I think she expected to be the one leaving me, rather than the other way round. She joined me as a newly qualified teacher 7 years ago and we have developed an immensely close working relationship over these past few years. She's not sure if she wants to run the department...but she knows that she doesn't want to work for anyone else. I advised to mull it over through Christmas. It's a big commitment when she also has two little boys under 3 and currently works part-time.
On another subject entirely - my harp has had to go to London for some more significant maintenance and won't be home until the New Year. I think it's going to be worth the wait. I'm just going to have to content myself with some serious piano practice over the Christmas holidays instead!
Holidays!!!!!!!!!!! Woop woop!!!
Jx
Today's been a strange sort of day.... My lovely music colleague (who is currently on Maternity Leave with baby No 2) came in for a 'keeping in touch' day. I text her all the time so she knows all the reasons why I'm leaving. Nevertheless, pretty much the first thing she said was "Are you seriously going.." then promptly burst into tears on me. Hmm - I blame sleep deprivation for that one!
Anyway -later in the day - the Head informally offered her my job role for the Autumn if she wants it. We both felt that this was a huge compliment, but she's really unsure about whether she should accept the offer. She's in quite a difficult situation at the moment. I think she expected to be the one leaving me, rather than the other way round. She joined me as a newly qualified teacher 7 years ago and we have developed an immensely close working relationship over these past few years. She's not sure if she wants to run the department...but she knows that she doesn't want to work for anyone else. I advised to mull it over through Christmas. It's a big commitment when she also has two little boys under 3 and currently works part-time.
On another subject entirely - my harp has had to go to London for some more significant maintenance and won't be home until the New Year. I think it's going to be worth the wait. I'm just going to have to content myself with some serious piano practice over the Christmas holidays instead!
Holidays!!!!!!!!!!! Woop woop!!!
Jx
Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Yesterday the Air Ambulance Came...
Yesterday one of our Year 8 pupils collapsed in school with a massive asthma attack. Fortunately our school Matron and Nurse were on hand very quickly because he actually stopped breathing. They had to do CPR. The Air Ambulance and several other Ambulances came to school immediately and he is now in hospital, critically ill.
Everyone at school is thinking of his family and praying that this kind and friendly young man will be home for Christmas.
It would be lovely if you could also remember him and his family in your thoughts over the next few days.
Jx
Everyone at school is thinking of his family and praying that this kind and friendly young man will be home for Christmas.
It would be lovely if you could also remember him and his family in your thoughts over the next few days.
Jx
Sunday, 14 December 2014
Following my Dreams
Yesterday we started to make my new life dreams come true
when we took my harp to Clive Morley Harps in the Cotswold for a service.
I was so excited that I woke up stupidly early like a little kid at
Christmas. (Then - wouldn't you know - fell asleep at 5.45 and woke up
feeling all 'discombobulated')
We
found the little hamlet of Filkins and followed our directions down the
lanes. Eventually we came to the converted barns that house the
business. Here are some of the gorgeous harps in the pedal harp sales
room...
The harps on the right are modern instruments with attractive gilt finishes
on the soundboards and carved details on the towers. The harps on the
left are much older. The first one is exactly like my first harp... a
19th Century French instrument made by Erard. It was lovely to see a harp
like this in good condition (generally harps don't age well).
We left my harp, all wrapped up in its covers, in a side room. On Tuesday it is going to have a complete new set of strings, the pedals will be re-wrapped and the mechanism is going to be checked. They are also going to tidy up some cracks in the varnish on the soundboard. It's going to be as good as new! If all goes well, we should be able to go back and collect it next weekend. You can probably guess what I plan to do with my two weeks Christmas holiday!!
I also had a phone call this week - completely out of the blue - from someone wanting harp lessons. I'm meeting her over the Christmas break. It all feels really good......!
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