The two weeks have flown by, as always, and tomorrow, it is time to return to work. It is going to be a period of intense work associated with the Centenary, beginning with work on the Tower of London. To anyone who is unaware of what this is all about, you are in for an absolute treat.
Wishing a Happy Halloween to anyone who will be partying today. I am expecting the kids in the village, trick or treating this afternoon and knocking on my door, wanting some sweet treats. Everything is ready – I wouldn’t be wanting them to play any tricks on me now !!
Halloween is not the main focus of this date for me and hasn’t been for the past twenty-two years, for the date has another significance in our household. My husband and I got married on this date in 1992, so it is our wedding anniversary today. Twenty-two years is apparently a COPPER wedding anniversary. Hmm, that is a tricky one, isn’t it ?
I just found this on the internet :
22nd Anniversary Gift Ideas
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I wonder if Mr Léger would really appreciate a copper money clip ? I can state quite categorically that as far as I am concerned, he can forget about giving me kitchen goods for cooking an anniversary dinner !!!!!!!
So, quite simply, a pretty picture to celebrate our wedding anniversary: 
and perhaps the best gift anyone could give us for this weekend :
How beautiful is this “Seas of Red” tribute to all the fallen during World War One, currently being built at the Tower of London ? I’m going to see it for myself on Thursday with my youngest son, then off to the theatre to see Joey in War Horse. It is going to be an unforgettable day. We hope to take in the Animals in War memorial too – will one day be long enough ?
Enjoy your break, everyone !
One of the parts I really enjoy about my job is working with the English language assistants in our area. This year there are 75 of them and they began work on October 1st. I am proud to be part of their training programme and I enjoy accompanying them along this road they have chosen. It is indeed a road that is so very close to my heart because I started out at that very same point. October 1986 saw me starting out as a language assistant in a collège in the Vosges. Speaking very little French and with hardly any knowledge of French life and culture, I arrived on the ferry from Calais and set to work in the school in the middle of the Vosgian countryside. Within two weeks, I had met my future husband and life had changed forever !! But at the time, I didn’t know that, of course.
I am therefore always excited to meet the new intake every year and it is a challenge to tackle the blank canvases that they represent. Our language assistant for the year, Cherie, is in this photo – welcome to her – and a very good year to all language assistants everywhere in the world.
It is the beginning of October already and it feels like the term only began yesterday. In two weeks time, it will be the half-term break again. I wonder if the time goes by so quickly for the students ?
I have changed my header image from Fish and Chips to English Breakfast. The reason for this is simple – some of my Terminale students (I will not name them here, but they will know who they are) thought that the fish actually looked like chicken. They thought it was chicken nuggets. And with me triumphant about the arrival of our first egg from our hens, the thought of transforming my hens into chicken nuggets was just too much for me to bear. So, change of plan and now we have English Breakfast and a lovely way to consume those lovely eggs !!
If you follow my blog, you will understand why …
A “relooking” for my header image today as I celebrate 25,000+ hits on my humble little blog. Very excited to have passed the mark, as it was an objective I had fixed myself and kapow, here it is – been there, done that !!
I have chosen to deviate from the image of the Hampshire coastline and to go for fish and chips. There is a reason for this. I have never been a huge fan of fish and chips in recent years. It was always our Saturday night treat after swimming club as kids and they were, of course, wrapped up in newspaper. But I was somehow never able to re-create the same images as an adult. Fish was nice but could have done without the batter – and the chips, well, I guess I have developed more of a taste for allumette-style French fries these days. HOWEVER on our recent trip to England, we discovered a lovely old-fashioned pub in the heart of Chichester and their fish and chips were divine !!!
So, thanks to all who come regularly from all over the world. The list is impressive. Welcome to any new people and please keep on coming !!
The Big English Blog 