Gap Year Day 5

Hi Readers

Well Readers

We left Singapore after just a day of exploring but saw so much in just one day. We have another day there on the way home in a few weeks so we still have time to plan what to do there on our next visit. At the pace we are already going at, we may just want to book a room at the hotel at Changi Airport for a few hours and just sleep!
9ur next flight was just over 12 hours and we landed in.....

Milan!!

We have spent a few days here before, so today was only just for a few hours before we boarded a train to take us to Bern, the capital city of Switzerland.
The trip was really nice and the scenery just amazing. So many small towns and villages perched on the edges of mountains, with massive snow capped peaks as backdrops.
I must confess that I dozed for a bit of the trip which was a shame as I missed a fair bit of some of the best scenery.

Just a few shots along the way from Milan to Bern. One thing that really struck us at the railway station in Milan was how many people smoke over here. The platform was continually enveloped in a haze of smoke which just did our heads in, as we are both ardent non smokers.

Two days in Bern was just not enough. This is just one of the most beautiful cities we have visited for sure, and would not hesitate to come back again to see it in more detail.

We spent yesterday exploring the streets and markets, and were just amazed at how much 

there is to see in this city.

There are a number of cities in Europe that have historical clocks that draw crowds by the hundreds when they chime at different parts of the day, and Bern was no exception.

This particular clock was partly influenced by Albert Einstein, who lived here for quite a while.

We did the obligatory viewing and were not let down, and then managed to find a particular Indian restaurant that my wife had found out about that served really good gluten free meals, which she needs to eat. We were both famished and ordered with gusto. It was only after my first few mouthfuls that I remembered how I react to spicy foods. While I really love them, I always break out in big 

sweats whenever I eat en the mildest spicy foods. Today was no different, and we could see the couple on the table next to us glancing sideways to check me out as I was trying to subtly wipe the 

sweat from my face and forehead while at the same time trying to pretend that all was normal!!

After a great day wandering Bern we were up early this morning and onto a train to Zurich.What really surprised us today was that in Switzerland, everything is closed on a Sunday, and I mean everything! I must admit, by lunchtime a few places were open serving food, but that was it. We couldn’t even head out for tea, so did the room service tonight.

I did find it odd however that one of the few places open near us was a gym that runs in conjunction with the hotel we are staying at, so at least I was able to get a workout squeezed in, something that I was hanging out for for sure.

So, tomorrow is New Years Eve, and from what we have been told it is huge here. A big fireworks display is planned at midnight, and last year they had more than 200 000 people around the big lake that is here for it. As our hotel is walking distance to the lake, we are in a prime position.

Tomorrow is a Tuk Tuk tour of Zurich which should be interesting. The last time we were in a Tuk Tuk in Lisbon, we nearly choked on the fumes, whereas these ones look like they run on electricity. 

Totally quiet!

A few more snaps from today of this beautiful city, there is so much to love about Switzerland!

Y'

 

Tomorrow is our last day here before we head off to our next destination, and of course you are right in knowing that I won’t reveal it here.

Suffice to say, we will soon be doing something on this trip that we have never done before, it will be a first for both of us!

So Readers, until my next post...

Cheers!

( And a Happy New Year to you all!!)

Gap Year Day 2

Hi Readers

Well here we are in beautiful Singapore, very tired after an overnight flight that left Melbourne at 1.05 am and landed here at around 5.20 am local time.
Let me say it has been a long day, but we have done a lot of things because we were able to start so early!
First of all, the thing that struck us like a slap in the face when we left the airport was the humidity. The temp was around 29degrees, but with the high humidity we found it very sapping walking around the streets.
Nonetheless, we powered on and got to see a lot of the city. We even mastered the local train system which is incredibly efficient and well run. People who visit Melbourne must die of shock when they use our rail system!
Something that struck us quickly also, was how clean the streets and trains are. We felt so safe wherever we went, and the people are just so friendly.
After a bus tour around the city ( which I dozed through quite a bit of😴) we headed back to the airport and booked a room for a few hours to have a quick snooze, a shower and a bite to eat.
Amazing how a simple shower and nap can reinvigorate us so much!
We are currently sitting in the airport waiting for our next flight, but as you know, I won’t say where it will be to. Which means you’ll have to read my next post to find out!
The next few days will be busy to say the least, but we are really looking forward to exploring new places.
Short and sweet tonight Readers, as my battery life on the iPad is decreasing rapidly.
Better posts to hopefully follow in the coming days.

My Gap Year Begins!

Hi Readers

Yes, I know I’ve been slack again with posting to my blog, but now there is no excuse!
After spending 2018 as the Co-Principal at St Francis of the Fields, I have decided to have a break in 2019.
I’ll be taking long service leave until the end of March, and after that I’ll try to contribute to the family finances by doing a bit of CRT (Casual Relief Teacher) around Bendigo.
It’s a big step into the unknown as I have left the security of a well paid job for a year to explore other options and to see what else I may find that interests me (and pays me too!!)
We have only been on holidays for 5 days and I can already feel an immense load off my shoulders.
The last few weeks at school were flat out as I needed to clear the decks somewhat for my ‘Sabbatical ‘ and complete tasks that needed to be done before another Principal steps back into the driver’s seat.
As well as organising rosters, hiring staff, taking on enrolments etc, I needed to find buyers for our pigs and get them tagged and removed for sale.
That became a huge task, and in the process I hurt my back when loading the pigs into a truck and missed a few days of school as a result. But at least we got rid of them!!
Then, a few weeks later we needed to reduce the size of our sheep flock, so myself and a beautiful farmer who works part time for us rounded up about 60 of them. Of these, 40 were tagged and ready for sale, so we then had to pull 20 of them out to return to the paddock, leaving us with just the 40 tagged ones to take to the saleyards.
This was easier said than done! Once we had them all penned in a small yard, it was my job to separate the tagged from the untagged. When one sheep bolted around the pen, the rest followed, so I had to jump on the ones to take out one at a time and drag them to a gate where Doug let them into a smaller pen. But when this happened, one or two untagged ones would sneak through as well.
Eventually, after a few hours we got two loads into the trailer and delivered to the saleyards, all the time while there was rain, thunder and lightning.
I mustn’t have learnt my lesson with the pigs, because I did the same injury to my back again, and missed the next day of school as a result. But at least we sold the 40 sheep, which then paid for some much needed hay that we bought for the remaining sheep and cattle.
Not what I’d normally think are the tasks for a school Principal, but that’s how we roll!

So what’s next??

Well, as I’m writing this I’m sitting in the departure lounge at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne Ready to go on a trip with my wife.

Where to I hear you ask?

You’ll just have to read my next post to find out for sure.
Looking forward to some serious R&R after a very tough year, and looking forward to whatever 2019 brings.

So Readers,

Until my next post...

Cheers!!

Well, some changes have occurred lately...

Hi Readers,

Apologies for being inactive for the last month, but there have been a few reasons.
However, I'm not going to try and justify my neglect of my blog, I'll just get back into it!

As I've previously mentioned, my school is on 28 acres and as well as having 570 children, we also have a number of pigs, sheep and cattle and their numbers are growing.
So, as well as being a Co-Principal, there has been a bit of farming to learn this year as well!

Those Pigs!!!

Our pigs have been a constant source of problems as the year has progressed. When they were young they would slip out of gaps in the fences and needed to be chased back in to their paddock. One thing about pigs, they are smart. As soon as they find a way out they keep going back to it. Fix it, and they find a new escape route. This game of cat and mouse (and pig) just continues.
Now that the pigs are bigger (around 50-60kg) they still get out, but don't roam far.
Recently I got called out on a Sunday afternoon as one of them was out on the school oval.
It must have looked a sight, me on my motorbike chasing a pig around the oval!
I eventually got it back into its paddock, but the look it was giving me was clearly one of "The moment you leave I'm out of here again!!"

Looks like a bit of a stand off here, just after I got it back into the paddock.

It has just demolished the newly grown strawberries, not impressed!!












Yesterday I spent time helping to load them on board a truck as we have sold most of them.
Talk about mission impossible!!! We got two sows out of the paddock and into the ramp that leads into the truck. All that the first sow had to do was to take a few final steps and hop into the truck.
But would she? Nope!!
She decided that she had done enough for the day and no amount of pushing, slapping, coaxing or swearing was going to get her to move an inch forward. Even throwing some pig feed just out of her rich was unsuccessful, she was determined to stay where she was.
Two grown men just could not get her to go one step further!!

So we managed to turn her around and get the other sow in the chute, and after only 5 or so minutes we got her into the truck, but there was still no way the other one was going to follow.

As for the piglets...success! It only took us about 10 minutes to get them in.

The worst part of the whole process was standing in a small pen about 2m x 2m and you have 7 pigs jumping around and all you are thinking is how to stop them trodding on your feet, which does happen (and hurts like hell!!)

An amazing sight...

 I was travelling home from school recently when a storm descended over Bendigo. The following rainbow was the most vibrant I had ever seen, the photos hardly do it justice at all!

Sold!!

Our house was recently put on the market, and after some last minute problems with the purchasers, the sale finally went through and we hand it over in 3 days time.

This has been a sad time in a way as this place has been our home for the past 16 years, and really became a home.

However, we do need to downsize a bit as it is just too big for what we need now as it is mainly just Jen and myself at home now.

We moved into a smaller house in inner Bendigo on a small block, which will take some time to get accustomed to. The hardest thing has been deciding what to keep and what to throw away. 

Even today, Jen has been going through lots of what we have brought here and having a second crack at throwing things out.

For example, do we really need two crowbars here? Or 6 rakes?

The next few days will still be a blur of sorting through boxes and throwing out more stuff. Probably better not to ponder about what to keep or toss, just get rid of it!

One of my last days on the deck, doing school work on a lazy Saturday morning. A great view that we never got sick of.

It's officially sold!!

Moving day last week and we are still smiling!

Part of the new house, it will eventually sort itself out!

The removalists rocked up at 8.00 am, and finished unpacking at the new house at 11.15am
They worked like there was no tomorrow.

Stacking a removal van is just like a giant game of Tetris!

















And to make matters worse, yesterday was the day we had hoped to have the previous house all emptied and ready to hand over.
There was just one load of heavier things to transport in the trailer, and as I was getting out of Jen's car, something just 'went' in my back, leaving me unable to lift anything, and barely able to walk.
Today has been a day off work and into the physio where a problem was diagnosed and treatment given which has worked a treat. Some dry needling, which I'd never had done before was a very weird sensation, so if the recovery continues at this rate I should be up and about in no time at all.


And a surprise at work...

Last week I rocked up to work after a few rather busy days, to find this surprise on my desk...

A Kit Kat, a bag of twisties, some bubble mix (I'll look good sitting at my desk blowing bubbles!!), a stress ball, a fidget spinner and some Fruit Tingles. The perfect way to take the mind off the daily stresses.
And one other item...Ear Plugs!!!

Just good to know that there are people who you work with who are looking out for you.





Well Readers,
Once again I'll say that I'll try and make my next post sooner rather than later. The next few weeks, my last ones as the school Principal will be flat out as there is so much to finalise in that time.

So, until my next post...

Cheers!!

Holidays Done!

Hi Readers

Well here we are, Sunday night and it's the end of a two week break that has gone by in a flash.

As you know by now, we have had our house on the market for the past two weeks. Already it is becoming a bit of a pain making sure that it is constantly spotless, just in case some prospective buyers are brought through at very short notice.

But...it is quite nice having it spotless all the same. I just have to do my part in making sure that I don't leave stuff lying around...

Like today!!

I had to duck out today to our other house this morning to meet a bloke about removing a big palm tree removed.
Of course, I missed him as he said he was there earlier and then left before I got there. It just seems I can never arrange to meet him in person, I'm beginning to wonder if he really exists!!

I've digressed. Back to the story!

Anyway, as I got home I saw this big blue ute outside our house, and a couple standing in the driveway talking to Jen, my wife.
I didn't recognise them at all so I presumed they were relatives of Jen's, as they seemed to be getting on famously.

Far from it.

It turns out that they were from Melbourne and were visiting one of their children who lives near Bendigo. They had seen our house online and had been keeping an eye on it, and as they were in Bendigo they decided to do a drive by.
One of our neighbours saw them looking from the court, and suggested that they knock on the door to see if we were home as we would most likely invite them in.
Which is what they did, and what Jen did.

I drove in just as they were about to leave and they were just lovely. More importantly, they liked what they saw and will be ringing our agent tomorrow.

Fingers crossed with that one!!

Cooking Urge!!

For some reason today I got the idea in my mind to make some sushi. Why? I've got no idea, but when I get my mind locked onto something it gets hard to change it!!

So, off to the supermarket to get some gear for it and off I went.
I had to make one that was gluten free for Jen, so that was my first one (ie the one with all the mistakes!!)
This one was fairly large to say the least, and I knew it would fill Jen up, so I made a mental note to go easy on the filling for the next ones which were for me.

It did look more like a massive green sausage rather than a sushi roll, but she loved it.

Even mine turned out perfectly, mainly because I decided against using wasabi this time, as on my last go at making sushi I put too much in and it just about killed every taste bud I own!!

Looking good so far...

They actually turned out okay!!!

And this tuned up at my sister's house as she was moving recently. This was an annual 16.5km race that was held in Ballarat when we lived there.

If you look closely at the bloke running with a pram, that's me and our eldest boy Sam, who was 3 at the time. He's now 27, so I doubt I could push him far these days! I did the same race with each of the boys and made the paper each time. This time spent running with the boys was priceless. I loved it, so did they, and it also gave my wife just a little more respite at home. (Probably needed respite from me!!)

And to finish the day, I got called out to my school as an alarm had been triggered. As it was such a nice day, I rode my bike out to check things were alright, as they were.

However, I was alerted that one of our pigs was out of its paddock and was roaming the school, which it was contentedly doing.

So, here I am, zooming around the school on a motorbike rounding up a squealing pig that did not want to go back to its paddock. Eventually I cornered it, and it pushed its nose under the fence, squeezed through and was back where it belonged. Then it just stared me down, as if to say "As soon as you're gone I'm going back out there"!!

There is no way we can really 'pig proof' the fences, as they always find a way out, but always find their way back later in the day.

Well, it's back to school tomorrow and an 11 week school term that will hold extra significance for me as I'll be taking next year off to do other things. I just need to make sure that I finish it well and do all that I can to ensure that my last term as Co-Principal is done well.

Until my next post Readers...

Cheers!!