Homework, nits and kids with the shits

I am still doing my teaching rounds and still loving it. I got the good news today that I got accepted to do my last subject by distance at Charles Sturt next semester which means by November I will be finished my degree!

The week has gone well, the kids in my class are great, the only problem is that my class seems to have a persistant nit infestation.

I had just got the kids settled quietly on the floor the other day when one of the grade 2 girls came back from the toilet to announce to the entire class “Someone in the toilets called me Shitty Larissa” My first thought was ‘I must have heard that wrong’, so I asked her to repeat what she said, which she did although this time, she said it a lot louder. If any of the class missed what she said the first time, they certainly caught it the second time. Then we got to have a great discussion about why we don’t use that word at school. I would love to be a fly on the wall at dinner that night. “Hey Mum guess what we learnt at school today…”

So What!

I went to the P!nk concert last night, it was fantastic. Best concert I have ever been to, hands down. She puts so much effort and energy into everything she does, it is amazing. I had to shut my eyes a few times as she was swinging from the roof of Rod Laver, it took my breath away. I think the reason I like P!nk so much is that she seems to be a pretty good role model for women. I mean I know she has a lot of tattoos and was strutting about the stage with not much on, but she has a great body, you can tell she is proud of what she does and I don’t think you would catch her forgetting which city she is performing in.

Recipe: Roasted Chestnuts

Whilst shopping at Safeway the other day I noticed they were selling chestnuts so I decided to add them to the shopping trolley (thanks Dad!) and have a go at roasting them in the fire.  After some extensive google searching I was a little bit concerned about my chestnuts exploding!  I don’t have a fancy chestnut roaster so I decided to put mine on a cake rack straight onto hot coals. Before I roasted them I scored them with a knife to minimise risk of explosion.

The result? They were…interesting. I am not sure they are worth all the effort of scoring, roasting and then peeling them but they might be ok if you used them to cook with. Personally I think I will stick with roasted marshmallows. I think Dad summed it up best when he said “they are just as I remember them…small floury balls of crap”

Winery Walkabout ’09

I have not been able to blog this week as I have started my teaching rounds at a local school but I am happy to say that I love it. I was a bit nervous having not been in a classroom for almost 18 months but it feels really natural and fun. It is nice to finish the day tired but happy, and the kids in my class are gorgeous. I love the way each kid is so different, they all have their own story’s and experiences. The teacher in my class is fantastic too which is a great help, it’s not easy when you have a teacher who isn’t willing to share their advice (or even their resources). I think the remaining six weeks are really going to fly past.

Last weekend I visited the Winery Walkabout for the first time with my sister, her fiance and a few friends. It was a pretty good day in all, but I tried pretty hard not to write myself off, I have a bit of a thing about hangovers these days and the memory of vomiting in a taxi after a big night still hasn’t worn off. I was actually surprised becuase the crowds were pretty reasonable and I managed to find some wines I actually liked. 

Look out in the next day or so for a post on roasting chestnuts and a new cupcake recipe!