I recently read, with great interest I might add, Tami's slant on American Summer Camps. Now if there was anything that was guaranteed to send me into a fear and flight frenzy were the words, "it's your turn to take Year 6 to the Outward Bound Centre in North Wales!"
Now staffrooms are usually full of the Ranulph Fiennes, scaling Everest without your crampons type, without needing my assistance, thank you very much! In my limited experience abseiling and pot-holing are extreme sports and not for someone who thinks a cagoule is something that needs lancing and a poultice.
It so happened that it was 'my turn' on two such occasions. Both centres that I went to, were extremely well organised and the children had a marvellous time. However, I knew it wasn't for me when I was told to lean over backwards on the edge of a cliff. Some sadistic camp ritual? No, just my first experience of abseiling.
I spent a week throwing myself off cliffs, climbing back up the same cliff, kitten crawling through pot-holes and standing in a forest clearing at 5.00am with rain plastering very unwashed hair, trying to do initiative tests; duh! And all this to ridiculous happy, clappy, snappy, singy songs as we clomped our way from one activity to another.

I have just completed the last end of year report that I have had to write and once they are checked that will be that for another year. I must have written hundreds of these over the years but it was whilst writing comments today that I reflected on what others might write about me! So here goes:

Lynne is an able person who is capable of achieving some excellent results. Unfortunately, her approach to Blogging assignments is inconsistent, some pieces being of a very high standard but others often handed in late or not given in at all. This obviously hampers final assessments and as a result I feel we have not yet seen Lynne's true potential. It is imperative that she remain on-task and be more committed in her approach if she wishes to maintain her present circle of readers. She is a fairly popular person who has formed strong relationships with others. She has an engaging personality and a most welcome sense of humour.

I think a comment on my food technology skills would be fun to do but perhaps I should leave that to others!

I used to live in Khobar. I have very fond memories of times spent there and the wonderful friends that I made. Today I feel saddened by it all. Nothing else to say.

In my early twenties I enjoyed shopping trips to Wolverhampton, in particular visiting the new shopping precinct. It was on such a visit that I was almost pushed forcibly to the side by a youth charging round the walk-ways with a boogy-box on his shoulder singing at the top of his voice. I found this disturbing because I was afraid by his behaviour. On subsequent visits I saw him many times, the behaviour being the same but no violence was ever present. He eventually achieved some notoriety when a local television news programme filmed his odd charge around the paths of the town.
I have just watched a television programme on the absurd things that people do. The incident that sparked the memory above was a forty year old man who called himself something like Welcome Freedom Gladly or was it Welcome Madness Freely? Anyway this guy charges round the streets in a town in the US, hopping, jumping in a kind of mad dance that surely should bring his sanity into question. Or am I just so reserved that I don't see the fun element in this madness?
My brother tells a wonderful story of a man called Jack who used to live in Burntwood. As my brother was getting in the car each morning to go to work Jack would be pedalling his bicycle up the street. One morning, after the good morning pleasantries, my brother asked if he was off to work. Jack pulled along-side and said that yes he had an important delivery to make in Birmingham. Now the city is 30 plus miles away and certainly not the distance that Jack would be able to cycle in a day. Now my brother is brilliant at indulging the little absurd or quirky things in people and bid Jack a good journey and to take care on the M6. Each day the conversation went along similar lines, the journey getting longer and the mysterious deliveries more urgent. One weekend whilst visiting the Post Office, my brother met Jack in the queue. When he enquired as to the deliveries that day, Jack looked amazed and said no one worked on Saturdays! Someone then made the remark that didn’t he know that Jack was as mad as a hatter and lived in the mental institution in the village! On hearing this Jack paused and then spoke to the waiting shoppers like Nero to the gathered assembly; “They give me a roof over my head, a clean bed, clean warm clothes, plenty of food, a bicycle and twenty quid each week to go to the pub every day. So tell me who’s mad me or you?”
It certainly makes you think.

Just as I was getting sorted out Blog-wise, last Wednesday AM, out of the blue, came the most horrendous stomach bug that Monty Zoomer would have been delighted to lay claim to ! It was dreadful! Projectile stuff that left me weak and tearful and helpless and sorry for myself. There just aren't words to describe it and now everyone seems to be coming down with the same thing. Aren't you all glad you're thousands of miles away?
Half term next week so hopefully I will get some R & R, even though it's a stay at home break.

Well it's been some time and thankfully common sense has prevailed and the powers that be have very kindly unblocked my page. So a VERY BIG thank you for allowing me to Blog and it feels good to be back. The bad news is that Miss l's page is blocked here!
Today I took my class to the RSAF museum and we had a great time. It was fun using a computer flight simulator of the Wright Flyer and I crashed only after 6 seconds; most impressive! The thing that really pleased me was that I could take photographs! Here are a few of the arty shots:

I have just this moment finished watching Russell Crowe in Master and Commander, the far side of the world. It was an interesting epic particularly as I find maritime history most fascinating.
I have been aboard many boats famous for their historical endeavours and get a kind of buzz when I imagine the vessel actually in action. I have been on HMS Belfast, The Cutty Sark, the replica of the Mayflower and my all-time-favourite (eight visits in all), HMS Victory.
I've paced the Orlop deck on The Victory, run my hand over Nelson's desk and touched the barrel that they kept his body in on the return journey back to England. I've imagined knocking out those weavils in a ship's biscuit and showing a hairy leg over the side of my hammock; the latter apparently being a command to ensure no women were on board!
On one particular visit to The Victory with a party of school children, our tour finished on the main deck and the Marine, giving the commentary, stopped at a plaque raised 15 centimetres proud of the planking. In a reverential tone he paused, pointed at the brass plaque for dramatic effect and said, "Here on this very spot, Horatio Nelson ...fell!"
The silence was palpable until a voice was heard from the midst, "Well I aint surprised with that thing stickin' up, he must have gone down wiv a right fump!"
Kids!

Sometimes more goes on than I can say!
Just come back from a barbeque where the food and company were excellent. Tomorrow I am going to have a lazy day.

Feeling claustrophobic and longing for July! Confined to barracks again!

Tom Cruise said something that I found particularly profound in an interview that I recently watched. His words:
"Surround yourself with beautiful people who bring out the best in you, who let you grow and who make you feel beautiful too!"
Nice words.

The children made the fruit from air hardening modelling material, painted them and then varnished with PVA. Then they turned their talents to making the fruit plates. These were constructed with papier mache, painted and again covered with a generous dollop of glue.
The results look good enough to eat and we finished them this afternoon.

The AC units are on full blast around the compound villas as the temperature starts to hover around the 100 mark. We attempted our walk yesterday but the heat got to us quite quickly and we gave up. Last night we had to nip into the med centre to get the latest meningitis shot; cases in Kingdom are on the up! We have just returned from town where I have dropped off some fabric and a dress for the Turkish tailor to copy; they can copy anything out here. I also purchased 5 metres of pretty sari material for about the equivalent of 10 UK pounds. This will make approximately 3 sarongs to wear over swim things, good value or what? And finally there has been no decent bread in Astra supermarket for 2 weeks now, see how lucky you all are?

I am very curious to know what 3 things my dearest friend doesn't know about me; only 7 out of 10?

Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com!

Thanks for this Tami; great fun!

Some people out here are blessed with the sort of entrepreneurial skills that leave the rest of us gasping. One such couple who have had the Jamie Oliver magic dust sprinkled over them, have turned their patio and garden into a fabulous restaurant that offers excellent themed menus several times a month.
So last night we scrubbed up and went to the Surf and Turf evening at "Papa Grandes"! On arrival we were offered squid rings as a little appetizer, they were delicious and set the standard for the food to follow. The menu consisted of cream of cauliflower soup, prime tenderloin, tuna steaks, herby garlic shrimp, salad nicoise, apple strudel and fresh strawberry cheesecake. What a most welcome venture this is and provides us with an opportunity to go out and have a fabulous meal in nice surroundings!

I have just read a very interesting piece in a magazine which was both entertaining and informative. I mean did you know that Barbie is no longer with Ken? I'm serious, it's official, Mattel have made an official announcement about this, Barbie has apparently taken up with a new doll named "Blaine," an Australian surfer-dude. He has the kind of muscular physique and a six-pack that we women apparently do not find at all attractive, DUH, give me a man with big shoulders and rippling muscles any day!
I'm not sure how I feel about the Barbie-Ken split. On the one hand, I can see why Barbie would not be satisfied with weak and predictable Ken. In a thriving, teeming Barbie colony, Ken has to see to the needs of many Barbie clones, and frankly I don't think he has ever been up to the task. I always thought the old Action Man would have been a better super-stud companion to the blonde darling of the doll world.
Barbies are not easily spotted on the shelves here in Saudi, however, I would not be surprised to find row upon row of Ken's. The girls in my class have informed me that you can buy Barbies in Jeddah airport but they are totally covered in black abyas from head to toe. How sad is that?

I have just watched 'loveactually' (spelling on the box) and it was right up my street! I laughed with and lusted after Huge Grant, loved the cameo role from Rowan Atkinson, adored Colin Firth and cried buckets with Emmy Thompson. The music had me turning the volume up full blast and dancing round the coffee table with Huge. I am invigorated; girls it's one for you to watch (Well 'actually' I'm probably the only person who has only just watched it) without the blokes, in a girly crowd, with a box of tissues and a space for shaking your tush. Brilliant, fan-flippin'-tastic!

My thoughts are with the families of the people tragically murdered in Yanbu this afternoon. We are here just to earn a decent living and to live in peace and harmony in the community. Will it never end?