We celebrated signing our contracts this week by getting out in the great outdoors via Youbike! The days were crisp and dry, the sun tapping a steady rythm on skin and the breeze just a zephyr to fan the sheen of sweat we produced: ideal bike riding conditions! We are often neglectful of the many incredible resources and services available to us as residents of this great city, so wanted to get out and experience the combed lawns, riverside gardens and smoothly paved networks of bikeways all in close proximity to our apartment.
It's a crazy hectic year. Cass is doing an enormous job running our curriculum on Grade 8 English and I am trying desperately to wrap my head around the day-to-day demands. I did teach the course last year, but to a boutique class of only 5 kids: now I have 92 kids spread across five classes! The teaching is quite Utopian in that the default kid is hard-working, respectful, delightful and eager to take part in everything we present. The difficult part is the grading and now, coming up, the report writing...should be interesting!
We've been busy to such an extent that we've flopped exhausted into the bosom of the weekend in the many past weeks and not given a further thought to anything resembling planning or scheduling. For that reason we haven't organized any holiday for the Christmas break as yet. Normally at this time of year, we've planned, scheduled, paid for and almost started to enjoy the feel of our chosen destination. We're hoping that our agent can work some magic and squeeze out a flight to Paris for us: it's been a long stint since my last visit and Cass goes there like it's a weekend away....we know it almost as well as Taipei! Anyway, hopefully a couple of weeks in our second favourite city (if we can arrange it at late notice) will get us revved up for action in second semester.
Mary is slowly coming to terms with the loss of her life-long partner and sister. She still flares up at night sometimes and wails for her, disturbing our sleep, but the incidents seem to be waning. She seems more relaxed in her waking moments and is slightly more attentive, even though still wary, even after 15 years! We brush her constantly and pet her if she seems distressed and she's slowly responding. If it wasn't a little tragic it would be funny: we've caught her snuggling with a tiny teddy bear that Cass put near her basket...so she definitely yearns for her companion.
Photos: One of my kids has a sense of humour with their copy of F451!. Interesting signs and doorways on our way to the supermarket. The idyllic waterside bikeways and our favourite little coffee shop, Ruelle (complete with Aussie "flat whites"!).