The week that was

I went back to work this week; on Thursday. OK, I know it's not a full week, but I'm still blooming cream crackered. I had to sit through meetings, I have a student teacher, I'm working with a new teacher to the school and my classroom has moved to another building.

It was a funny old start to the year though. For a start it just felt different. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's different. Every September for the last ten years I have faced September 1st with a kind of dread and usually a bottle or two of wine. This year I watched the Mentalist.

Then the actual day arrived. I got off the metro and yet again was blown away by turning that corner and seeing the Eiffel Tower stretching up into the blue sky.

I skipped through the park pleased that I was wearing my Birks and that I would feel the grass between my toes. I was hoping that the grass would be wet, but you can't have it all.

I drank two glasses of wine over lunch safe in the knowledge that I was a) going to walk it off and b) work it off as I unpacked all those blooming boxes in my room while listening to the Foo Fighters. Even after getting all hot and sweaty and missing quite possibly the best day of summer because I was indoors I was still not totally pissed off.

Then I came home and it hit me. I was in the kitchen cooking after having done all the other chores that needed doing and I realised: that's it, another ten months before I can be ... and it ended. I opened a can of beer, finished cooking dinner, gave myself a mental kick in the shins and reminded myself that I am a teacher and I am a writer. There.

I'll finish off with this. I'm very bad at listening in meetings. I had to confess multiple times to the new and student teacher that I just wasn't listening, but I listened to this. Not because of the horrible screechy noise or because of the pretty pictures (but that helped a lot), but because Sir Ken Robinson has some very interesting things to say. And yes, of course I find them interesting because I agree with him. But I also find it interesting because I'm lucky enough to be able to do some of the stuff he says.

If you're not at all interested in changing education and the world, I get that. So did I mention my recent Foo Fighters obsession? Or that I saw them at Rock en Seine the other week? No? Oh, well this video is for you guys then.