Beer Share

This post is inspired by Tammy B at Tammy's Reading and Writing Life, who today used the Coffee Share format. I, however, am in Belgium, so we will be drinking beer. Today we are having a beer at a fancy Belgian beer bar where they have about 30 beers on tap. You select your beer … Continue reading Beer Share →

Pillow Talk

"Oh and my Dad only eats oats for breakfast." "We have some." "What really?" I ask, suspiciously. "Where?" "I don't know, in a box somewhere." "Oats, not barley." "Yes, oats." "Oatmeal oats." "Yes," he replies, exasperated. "Goldilocks oatmeal oats?" I press further, now teasing. "I'm sorry, did you say 'goats'? Your father only eats 'goats' … Continue reading Pillow Talk →

What I learned about teaching from my favourite teacher

Today I gave my grades 3/4/5/6 beginner English Language Learners an assessment and, as I often do when I give an assessment, I was thinking about my favourite teacher. My favourite teacher was my university Arabic professor. Her name was Ghada. She was a Palestinian woman from Jerusalem. It was really difficult learning a new … Continue reading What I learned about teaching from my favourite teacher →

The Talking Circle

In this story I am including a short story that I wrote with my grade 3 Foundational English Language Learners. I would like my students to join the SoLSC classroom challenge in April, so I am setting them up with an account through Kidblog. I am not sponsored by Kidblog in any way, and I … Continue reading The Talking Circle →

A new friend

(Blackout. Lights brighten to reveal a middle-aged woman in a hoody and pyjama pants curled up on a couch. She grasps a mug of tea with the tea-bag string visible. As she speaks, she uses her hands to emphasise her words, which is made comical or awkward when she she holds the mug. She speaks … Continue reading A new friend →

Currently…

I’m currently… Listening to acoustic covers on Spotify. Loving the rice my husband just made. Each grain was perfect! Drinking not enough water. Thinking about having to leave in a few minutes to buy flowers and then take an Uber to a place kinda far so I can see two of my students in a community theatre production … Continue reading Currently… →

JOMO

I am JOMO. Ok, that is grammatically incorrect (JOMO is a noun), but it feels so much like my experience that it's hard not to fully embrace it. I've only just learned about JOMO, and hearing about it felt like, "There is is! I've been waiting for this!" I will explain JOMO. FOMO or Fear of … Continue reading JOMO →

Clementine

Oh my darlin', oh my darlin', oh my darlin' Clementine, Oh how long you've been neglected, dreadful sorry Clementine. I first saw you, in the Anspach, and I knew you would be mine, Though you cost a pretty penny, you were worth it, Clementine. How you gleamed there, in the window, with a sunburst you … Continue reading Clementine →

Death’s Door

Head pounding. I type these words with my last remaining reserves of energy. Achy everywhere. So hot, feverish. Exhausted. Nauseated. Sinuses twinge. Throat tickle. Cough, cough. My neck is stiff and sore. *Gasp!* Do I have meningitis? I expected to be tired after a week and a half of one-on-one assessments and portfolio preparation and … Continue reading Death’s Door →

The Throwback

Hanging on the blue wall, in a translucent frame that exposes the withered edge of the paper, is an etching. A genuine "come up and see my etchings" kind of etching; a bygone style, rarely recognised, unfamiliar, barely worthy of nostalgia. The mood of the piece is gloomy, oppressive. The heavy shadow of trees obscures … Continue reading The Throwback →