ALL WORK AND A LITTLE BIT OF PLAY

Having started work the day after we arrived, we feel as though we have settled into our new lifestyle very quickly. Julian is teaching Music three days a week at a Roman Catholic school in East Croyden, while I have managed to secure myself a Biology position in a really good government school in Upminster. My position doesn’t start until July however, so I could be in for a rough time until I am due to start. So far the schools I have been teaching at have been a mixed bag, from kids jumping from desk to desk, putting each others’ books under the classroom taps, physically pushing me out of the way of the door so they could run outside etc… to my nice school- with students actually sitting quietly (sometimes) and being polite- pleases and thankyous etc. I was seriously considering giving up teaching here after my first week.

Interestingly, a teacher at one school I was teaching at came into my classroom to help me gain some control back, but when he entered the classroom, the kiddies began to muck up further... he did not have a great presence. After some conversation, I discovered that he had once been PC Bolter in "The Bill" (1993-94). His character was killed off for being too agressive- slapping around suspects etc. What a strange world.

We have been trying to get out and about as much as we can on the weekends, and have been exploring around the city by tube and foot. This weekend, we went to the Borough markets at London bridge, and wandered around the southbank area. It is a really nice place with a great atmosphere. We found some lovely cobblestone streets that had a very Yea-old feel about them. Anne and Fred took us to the Tate Modern on Saturday evening, where we enjoyed a nice meal while looking over stunning views of the city. We were also introduced to the National theatre, where it seems there is always some free exhibit/ musical act going on. It is definitely a place to spend a lot of time at. We were going to do a tour of Bath/Windsor/Stonehenge yesterday, but Julian has been unwell, so that has been postponed until next weekend. We’ve got a lot to look forward to.