Lakeview apartment BBQ with friends

The weather has become a lot warmer and it seemed a shame not to make use of the apartment blocks BBQ pits.  So Dan treated us all to his home made sausages from scratch and the weather was warm and we all had a good time.  Plenty more to come with use of the outdoor pool and the badminton/volley ball court some good times ahead.

 

Beijing 5 day trip on Wednesday....looking forward to it and seeing all the places I have only ever dreamed of seeing, now I can see them for real so excited.

 

 

Visual & Performing Arts Dept

 

 

The Visual and Performing Arts Department staff (Art, Drama, Music) and the 12 Ambassadors of the subjects from IGCSE and AS who were chosen because they are supportive, good at the areas and will support the departments in things that we run.  I am the coordinator for the V&PA dept and it is great to be working with such enthusiastic staff as Colin and Rebecca with such good kids.

Hardest Decision

 

Yesterday I had to make one of the hardest and saddest decisions I have ever had to make in my life, to agree to have Brook put to sleep as he was not recovering from his stroke.

Brook my gorgeous poorly dog

I am very sad at the minute as my gorgeous dog Brook seems to have suffered a stroke the other day.  It is so hard when I so far away but I know he is being taken care of by the best people my mum and my dad.  24 hours have passed and he seems to be no better lets hope the next 24 see an improvement.

 

 

Qualifying Shanghai F1 Grand Prix with Dan Dorrington

An amazing experience at the qualifying, very close, very loud and the race tomorrow with hamilton on poll cant be bad.......

 

 

We are in B2



 

...something that just had to be done. :-)

 



mock exams, being ill and grand prix

Its been aa week of whole school mock exams whcih is strange but as we are GCSE and A level centre the whole school is on exams and invigilation time for staff.

Today (Thursday) i am a little frafragile after being sick till 3am this morning think it was the meal I had out that did not agree with me but hopefully I will be better tomorrow.  Spent the day in school doing everything gently and tentatively thank goodness it was invigilation, fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Saturday and Sunday I am off to the Shanghai Formula One  grand prix so fingers crossed I am feeling 100% for that.

I ahve a new agent for the apartment and she is a star within a week she has had my cooker, toilet, gas and tv all fixed and is organising for the 2 balcony windows to be re sealed and sorted over the summer holidays whilst i am away ready for the next winter.

Sorry this is a boring blog no pics today but watch this space for grand prix ones...............oh and the weather is glorious here I wish it could stay at this temp but we know it is going to rocket the humidity really step up.........................Night

Sam and Irenes visit to China/Shanghai and Suzhou

 

It was lovely to have Sam and Irene here and boy did we pack things in for them to see.  Think they both went home yesterday for a rest lol.

 

 

Sunday 24th - Wednesday 27th in Shanghai

 

Wednesday 27th collected by car and driven to my apartment in Suzhou from Shanghai about 90 minute drive.  Went to Wawa Wewe for dinner

 

Thursday 28th - lazy morning for them and then driven into school to meet people and see where I worked and Sam sat in on an English lesson to see how English is taught to a class of Chinese students.  Traditional chinese meal in a restaurant by school called Big pot with Colin, Jake, Annie (Chinese) and May (Chinese)

 

Friday 29th - I was still working so they had a chilled day and went for a walk around the lake then we went to the infamous CASA ZOES for mexican and margharitas.

 

Saturday 30th - Pingjiang Lu, met Michael and his mum and brother for lunch, then went to the Silk museum, then on to Auchen to experience the madness of the place and then a home made tea and a DVD.

 

Sunday 31st - Sunday Brunch at Perbaco with unlimited Persecco with friends, lovely warm day then a walk into Times Square.

 

 

Monday 1st April - Tiger Hill, beautiful gardens, pagoda, boat trip and then a boat trip down through the old Suzhou Canals to Shantan street (7 mile street)

 

 

Sam and Irene being asked for their photo with chinese

 

Tuesday 2nd April - Luzhi water town with Jake and his mum and Jackie Shi.  Hour long bus journey to the outckirts of suzhou.  Then an evening meal with Dan and Julie at the Korean that Charlie and Beattie went to with Dan and Julie when they were here.

 

Wednesday 3rd April - Humble Administrators Garden, Suzhou Museum, Animal and Plant market where I fell in love with this gorgeous puppy.

 

 

Thursday 4th April - Brunch at Casa Zoe with Michael and family, then to Shiquan Jia, master of the Nets garden and Yang Yang for dinner with Michael, his mum, Mathew his brother, Dan Williams, Travis, Feifei and Imri.

 

 

Yang Yang

 

Suzhou Squirrel Fish

 

Friday 5th April - train to shanghai thought I would treat them to business class

 

 

Hotel then shop for a little while and then back to hotel to chill before the early morning airport trip in the morning.

 

It has been great showing family and friends around with Sam, Irene, Charlie and Beattie.



Apologies

Apologies to anyone who reads this that it has been a while since writing anything new but so much has happened and I will have to give you some snippets

 

On March 8th went to see the Shanghai Orchestra in the Suzhou Arts Centre some very stirring music

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H82QHiUvY5E

 

Saturday 9th March - Watched the Wales v Scotland match - 10.30pm my time, how dedicated am I :-)

 

Sunday 10th March - Skype call to Wales on Mothers day at 1am to say hi to everyone and wish my wonderful mother a Happy Mothers Day

 

Monday 11th March - Trip to Shanghai with 2 coaches of AS students to the University Fair not back until 11pm after a days teaching

 

Tuesday 12th March - Professor Yu from Hong Kong University came to talk to AS students but also gave an Art workshop on painting pandas the chinese way with my AS students which they seemed to enjoy.

 

Friday 15 - 18th flew to Zhuhai with Jake to see Dulwich Zhuhai.   Zobon Art Hotel.

 

 

 

Into school saturday morning, early hours of Sunday morning I watched Wales hammer England in the 6 nations, worth waking up for.

 

 

Jake and the Pearl woman

 

Gifts of dried fish

 

Snack bag of star fish and other delights

 

Fake Ferrero

 

 Stream teaming with carp

 

 

 

Sunday went into Macau, waited in the queue to get out of china and then in another queue to get into Macau and the same on the way back another 4 stamps in passport and macau and hongkong money acquired.  Macau is the Las Vegas of China.

 

 

 

Monday went into school and some lessons and flew back to Shanghai.

 

Sunday 24th Colins Pre birthday meal - Champagne Brunch at the Intercontinental in Times Square (Suzhou not America). 

 

 

Colin

 

Colin and Jake

 

Also and most inportantly Sam and Irene arrived in Shanghai :-)