19/8/12: we spent the day at Catamaran with some lovely friends. We had a picnic and Monte went diving. It was a great day.

18/8/12: Matthew had a friend to sleep over for the first time. My goodness, they are so adorable, these little boys, with their games and their chatter and their excited play. I am just enjoying seeing this side of my son, and I am so proud of him for being such a compassionate friend!

17/8/12: this is my job. The best job in the world. I work with the best kind of human beings: children. Every day is a bit of a challenge but there are rewards aplenty. Today we had a little art session in which I talked to them about zentangles. I love doing zentangle doodling. I also showed my students some images of henna hand tattoos. I showed them how I do some zentangle doodling inside the outline of my hand. During the instruction session, my students were literally bouncing up and down on the carpet, bursting to go to their desks to begin the task. They had become so inspired by the images I was showing them on the big screen (via my iPad – so useful) that they just wanted to do the task. And, when doing the task, the class was quiet and serene. They created gorgeous drawings and we will be making a big collage of our work. I am so proud of them. This is my zentangle.

16/8/12: quiet dinner with husband + children playing together happily = joy

15/8/12: well, a simple dinner. Eggs, poached, from our own chickens (we are currently getting 2 eggs each day!) and bacon cooked on the grill on the wood stove.

14/8/12: I love my job. Yes, I am tired and I have less time with my family these days, and those things break my heart, but I have so much fun at work. Today we played parachute in daily PE. It was a warm, sunny morning and everybody was laughing and playing happily. It was a great day with my class and I can’t imagine doing any other job in the world.

13/8/12: I had such a long day at work. My highlight was coming home to a tidy home and a delicious dinner, and dancing and playing with the family afterwards. (my photo today is a real action shot – no time for focussing or even spending the time to take a proper photo – just click and continue the fun!)