Calm before the Storm?

Rumour has it we are to get a cyclone at the weekend. Hard to imagine at the moment. But if we don't get snow, the ski season will close early. There is also an increased danger of Avalanche just now and there have been 3 deaths from them this year. (None at Cardrona).

Finn is still fervently chasing his tolerance pay, for lack of other opportunities.

Meg is working extra this week to help Pip who is covering for Cathy, who is on holiday.

Spook went to work at 6am, came home at 6pm and went back to work again. There is little opportunity for photos other than sticking the camera out the window. I do take mine to work sometimes, thinking there will be an inspired moment, but it's heads down and on with it. Neither Mary or Sarsha are particularly well. Mary is suffering wear and tear from more cleaning than people are meant to do. The sale is looking good and she is loving her Propagation course with plans for the new 20 acres at home. Sarsha has been run down for a week and a half and just has to keep it going until she goes to Fiji in 3 weeks. They figure I have to get my work ethic up to speed before going home as I will need to work much harder there, so there is no sympathy for me.

It's cross country week at school, so the children have been in training and the final is on Thursday. Spook and I are both off, but have to go in disguise as Meg is forbidding us from being there.

I was asking Finn how his day is broken up. He reads after his Whanau (fano = Maori for family = registration, but has children from all age groups so that everyone knows a big variety of people, encouraging support in the school for younger kids). Then they do a bit of work, then they get some brain food and eat it while reading again (the teacher also has a snack and reads her book at the same time), then they do some more work, there are various breaks and lunch, and then more brain food later in the afternoon along with more reading. The children all seem to get through a lot of books. I asked him if his literacy class had helped his reading. He didn't know, but said that it was great to do your work in a class where others understood the struggle and never looked stunned at the stuff you didn't know.

Wimbeldon College is visiting today and there have been various sporting competitions between them. Mary left work early to go and see if her daughters netball team could beat 'The Poms'. Be good if Lochaber High School could come over!!

grateful for:

Sam Turner for introducing Finn to Robert Muchamore books - there are 10 in the series and he has almost finished the 2nd with the 3rd lined up waiting to go. He can't wait to find out who gets expelled next and who snogs who.