December 20th 2008: Hong Kong

This is on the PEAK. We went up on the Tram ( funicular) which is an event in itself and stopped off for a drink on the terrace. I call it my wine wasting day as the waiter managed to drop the tray down my back with the open bottle of wine on it soaking me to the skin through my cardie and my top. The PEAK loos must be the only ones in the whole of HK NOT to have those horrible hand driers so I could not dry myself off. However they took my clothes to a tumble drier somewhere and I ended up all dry and snug despite the raging winds up there.

Look at that view!

December 13th- 22nd 2008: Hong Kong

I had bid for a writing job with the British Council in Hong Kong for one course in their summer School 2009. As it turned out they gave me three courses to write and offered me a scoping visit to Hong Kong to observe classes, get to know the history, meet the TDU ( Teacher Development Unit) and familiarise myself with the latest developments in the EDB ( the Education Development bureau) which is including electives in the state secondary schools like English through Drama/Song/poetry/Short story/Social issues........... Just up my street.

Had a busy week packed with meetings, met Barbara Webb, the other consultant and had 2 days extra to look around and enjoy Hong Kong on my first visit ever.

December 10th-12th 2008: Paysandu

December 6th 2008: Opening of Caucasia!

December 29th 2008. TSP Shirley extracts

November 29th 2008: Rolo Disappeared

October 28th 2008: Sue's b.day at Kilkenny and Party at home,plus children leaving home

October 19th 2008 Mother's Day at Lai Lai, Bs As

October- December 2008 House Improvements

September 27th 2008: Jamie´s Wedding

September 25th 2008: Jamie and Mel Registry Office

August 17th-19th 2008: FAAPI Santiago del Estero

September 13th 2008: Big Ben with Charlie lopez

August 31st 2008: Jamie´s Birthday

July 2008 John and Dorothy

July 2008 Charlie Labone

July 2008 Auntie Marg

July 2008 Trish and Don

July 2008 Barbie and Ken

July 2008 Florence

July 2008 Naples

July 2008 Capri

July 2008 Sorrento

July 2008 Rome

June 13th 2008: Set off for NILE 2008

June 12th 2008 early Anniversary Party in Lai Lai Bs As

June 7th 2008: Trinity in Cordoba

May 31st 2008: Trinity in Bs As

May 17th 2008: Trinity in Rosario

May 8th-10th 2008: Workshop in Concepcion, AR

May 5th-6th 2008 Porto, Portugal

April 29th-May 6th 2008: APPI Conference Aveiro, Portugal

April 26th 2008: Trinity in Tandil

April 10th-12th 2008: CATESOL Conference, Sacramento, USA

Aplril 1st 2008: Hols in Sausalito with Are Al

March 28th 2008: Trinity in Tucuman

March 18 2008: Let´s Live Liverpool at the UWC

March 14th 2008: Conference Call Nº 2, Pearson New York

March 2nd 2008: CRADLE Project Quito, Ecuador

29th February 2008: Conference Call, Pearson, New York

February 26th 2008: Sarah's 23rd BD at Lai Lai, Bs As

February 21st- 23rd Trinity at ABS, Buenos Aires

February 16th 2008: ALL, Maria Marta Suarez, Write ON!

January 26th 2008 Ixtapa, Mexico with Pearson

January 26th 2008 Ixtapa, Mexico with Pearson

January 25th 2008: Korean Dinner party for David Hill and BBJ

January 21st 2008 English in the World, NSNY

January 19th Hornby School, San Nicholas, AR

Jan 2008 Hols in South Africa with Gavin Hillyard

Dec 31st 2007 New Years Eve Party in Bs As

Dec 31st 2007 MATESOL NSNY Sent Manu

Christmas Day 2007.......Return of the Prodigal Son

ORT: English Prize for Best Students....December 2007

Bad News from Home.......November 22nd 2007

Chile: Three City Tour........November 2007

Colombia, Pearson...............November 2007

San Luis, Argentina.......October 2007

Trinity College, Pilar, Buenos Aires........October 2007

The British School, Punta Arenas, Chile......October 2007

Poplars School, Rio Gallegos, Argentina.....October 2007

British Council, Mexico September 2007

Speaking Your Mind at FAAPI, Jujuy, Argentina .......September 2007

Marcela Pawlack and the GIRLS on the organising committee for the Conference on "Intercultural Awareness in EFL" where I spoke on "Speaking your Mind" the importance of discussion skills in encouraging cultural awareness and diversity in EFL. I was in the main auditorium and managed to keep about 500 participants thinking in silence for 10 minutes!

NILE, Norwich, UK July to September 2007

Once again I went off to train hundreds of European teachers at NILE in Norwich, either at the University of East Anglia or at Hales Court in town. Had exceptional groups from La Communidad de Madrid, doing primary methodology for CLIL, another huge group of French Secondary for the Speaking Skills, the wonderful APPI Brit Lit group and the APPI Dream Team for a Train the Potential Trainers course which proved perhaps my best course to date.

Enjoyed staying at the trainers`s house in Constable Terrace with the usual crew from all over the world and running round the lake every day before class. See pic of David Hill doing his Romeo to Claudia Ferradas´Juliet.

Claudia Rey arrived for July so it was great fun to have a best friend with me and to see how she coped with the vagaries of adapting to training at NILE!

The admin staff were wonderful as always and the social programme was great fun.

Mick came over from Argentina for a fortnight and we stayed at the Black Horse Pub in Norwich and toured around a bit.

I visited Mum in Leicester every weekend and tried to make her as comfortable as possible with all the help from the social services one gets in the UK. She was thrilled to have us there and especially loved having her only son (see pic) to herself while I was training at NILE.