Time for an update

Yes, as was kindly pointed out, it is about time for an update:

I'm on summer holidays, and if you're the sort of person who is particularly jealous of the extensive holidays that teachers have you should probably stop reading. That said, I am having a great time. A few days after school finished it was time for "midsummer" here in Sweden which usually involves hanging out with family and/or friends, lunch in the sun with accompanying shots of Swedish snaps, followed by a lazy weekend... that's exactly what I did this year (after missing last year's edition due to a week in Lisbon). At the end of that weekend I took myself out to the airport, managed to talk my way to the front of first the bag-drop queue and then the security queue so that I was able to make my flight to Paris. Once there I had a nervous wait for Dino who was delayed flying in from London (what a surprise for Heathrow!), she ran from baggage collection to the TGV station and we thankfully made our train to Montpellier by about 9 minutes. This was to be the most stressful part of my 6 days in France/Montpellier... the other stressful moments were limited to deciding whether to buy a baguette or fruit loaf for breakfast - usually solved by buying one of each. The weather was great and Montpellier beautiful, the old town is predominantly pedestrian with lots of small laneways winding around and leading to tiny squares with cool cafés and bars. A mate of Dino's from Canberra, BJ, was also there for the week so the 3 of us took it very easy... bakery, cafe, beach, bar... you get the picture. BJ is on his way through Stockholm next week so hopefully the sun will still be shining - this week has been fantastic by Stockholm standards: 20-25°C, generally blue skies and light breezes... it's hard not to love it when it's like this.

Since the last post I've also been to the very north of Sweden - trooped off with 40 odd students and 3 other teachers for a 4 day trip to the northern most ski resort in Sweden (literally on the border with Norway - one of the runs takes you across the border and back again!). Skiing at the end of May, with almost 24 hour daylight was a very cool experience. And thankfully the cherubs were neither too spoilt nor too bratty so the experience was altogether different from last year's debacle. After that there were about 3 weeks of school left and it passed by very quickly in a rush of marking and setting final grades, at the end of which I was happy to say "enjoy your summer" to the kids and (surprisingly?!) even happier to say "see you in August" to colleagues... after 10 months it is nice to have a break from school and everything that goes with it.

The rest of summer is looking as good as the start... the next 2 weeks or so I'll be in Sweden coaching the group I've been working with at the swimming club - we've got nationals in a week and a half, and 4 of the 8 are off to Beijing for the Olympics straight after that. So that's giving me a bit of structure to most days! After that I'm heading to London to catch up with friends, including Larry & Martyn's 30th anniversary party which I'm really looking forward to. Then (yes, there's more!) I fly to Washington D.C. to visit Dad, and I think there is going to be a side trip to a beach for a week with them. After all my globe-trotting I arrive back in Stockholm at about 6pm the day before I go back to work... just the way I like it.

Think that's enough for now.
Chilled, rich.

Enjoying London

View of the city which has produced 5 days of brilliant weather, making relaxing all the easier. Hyde park, wahaca, the ship, flat white, soho square, foyles, milk bar... The list goes on!
Relaxed, rich.

a hole in the ground...

Gotta love the Tate Modern... must be one of the world's biggest modern art galleries, it's free and consistently uses its massive hall for installations that get the kiddies talking, if not lost between cubes or falling through the gaps...

Tate Modern, March 08

art,
rich.

Spring again...

So MEP came and went: 2 months work in the space of a month, not much sleep and little socialising. The week after I was particularly zombie like but did avoid falling in a complete heap which was nice. Unfortunately some bug caught me in the middle of last week so instead of enjoying the 4 day weekend we have just had I spent far too many hours in my apartment watching B-grade American TV series and movies, but that was about all I could mentally handle. Like all blokes, I'm not very good at doing anything except feeling sorry for myself when sick - probably a good thing we can't fall pregnant, a week of one of us whinging with a cold is bad enough, imagine 9 months! Speaking of pregnant, a number of close friends have recently shared the big news that they are going to be proud parents in late summer early autumn, and 2 from Beverly Hills High this spring (teachers, not students - they're far to posh to let that happen...).

With spring upon us in the northern reaches it means longer days, sunshine with some warmth in it, and every man, woman, child and dog rushing to all the little parks and cafés in the area I live in as soon as the weekend arrives... most upsetting for this inner-city snob when he can't get a seat at one of his favourite little spots because all the weekenders are crowding. I do wonder where they have all been hiding for the past 9 months. Still, did manage to find a new place that is a bit "off" the main centres of attraction, the next big thing (!) until the hordes find it - gotta stay ahead of the curve. Or whatever marketing/sales say.

Spring also has an amazing affect on the kids at school: "can't we have this lesson outside? Promise we'll work." "Sorry, bit hard to show that film clip. Nice try though." It also means that the final year students are close to graduating which is displayed in different ways according to student. They do have a strange habit of having graduation parties before they graduate - silly season started near the beginning of April. So some of them seem to spend much of April and May somewhere between drunk and hungover, with a few sober moments for the maths test. Wednesday (before the 4-day weekend!) was time for them to officially put on the graduation caps - usually about a month before they graduate, all part of the process! A very civilised singing of the national anthem and the school song whilst drinking non-alcoholic cider is only the beginning. After then leaving school, rumour has it they all congregate on what is very kindly called a beach (aussie bias!) and have a champagne party with dj 'n all! Brats do it in style!

Spring also means that the swimming season is nearing summer (the serious end of business), and this being a leap year (you didn't miss the 29th of Feb?!) is extra special... Beijing, y'know! Our club (I help out as assistant coach to the elite group... and am managing to do progressively less swimming myself) has 5 on the swimming team for Beijing. 3 from the group I work with, 1 at college in the home of gambling (!), and 1 who has a personal coach. So we're pretty stoked that of our group of 7-10 swimmers (there's a few part-timers on their way in/out - sometimes we're not sure which!) we have 3 on the team. This weekend was supposed to be spent at the pool watching the last major meet of the season before nationals, but the afore mentioned bug kept me in bed instead- not going to risk infecting them.

Am going to try to post some photos soon - bought a new digital camera with some birthday money from last year... first digital camera! Finally catching up.

Smiling,
rich.

radio and "Return to Filzmoos"

Sitting in a radio studio listening to "skitsnack 08", a student radio station that Jake and I have organised an hour every second Sunday for some of the kids to broadcast live. We both think it's a great opportunity, unfortunately there doesn't seem to be enough students wanting to do it next year so it will probably end in June... maybe it could continue as the Jake and Rich show! Unfortunately we're not students!

Had a great Easter with Jacqui, Ralf and Chiara (an angel during the day, but not always quite so angelic at nighttime). Went past the scene of last year's accident, more than once, and didn't have any flashbacks or nightmares. And I walked onto the plane to go home! (Although being in a wheelchair did have certain advantages when it came to queues.)

2 weeks until MEP in Stockholm... think I'm going to be busy.

smiling,

rich.

laugh

Working lots, sleeping less, very happy it's Easter! Visiting "ze Alps" for 5 days to hang with the Schörghofers (including bub Chiara), sleep and ski... can't wait. Here's something to laugh at:

Not in Nairobi

Yes... was supposed to be in Nairobi this morning - but if you've watched the news this year you'll understand that taking 18 students to Kenya was not the safest thing to do. So I'm stuck in sthlm for a little longer. Realise this is the first time I write anything in 2008... not much of an update now, just wanted to show you a horrible little piece of propaganda (or an amazing case of being able to stick you head in the sand).



If your Swedish is up to scratch then you might want to see something from the "other" side...

Swedish weather and climate centre (SWC)

if you're Swedish is not great then just look at the pictures and make appropriate noises pretending like you understand. Like the ones I make anytime there is a group of males looking at a car engine - I have no idea! Well, not entirely true. I know where the starter motor is in a 1983 Toyota Corona (two-tone brown... who remembers EVA?), and can even bash said starter motor to help start the car.

Time for school...
rich.