Maybe May...

April turned cold, in the end, despite its promising start. Back to winter woollies and boots for the first few days of May. Richard's birthday: a surprise gift of a curry subscription from a daughter who knows her father well...

Birthday boy!

Cat gave this little vase to me several years ago: she painted it on a visit to the pottery in the Isle of Wight...

The pace at school eased temporarily with a Labour Day bank holiday and then, on May 9th, a public holiday to celebrate the Liberation of Guernsey in 1945.

It is an important occasion for islanders, with celebrations around the island, a cavalcade of military vehicles and classic cars, concerts and performances. This year's was a little subdued as it is only 72 years, rather than a 70 or 75. We didn't go into town, in the end: the sun was shining but the strong wind - Force 5 at least - was bitterly cold. Instead, we found a sunny warm sheltered spot outside the front door...

...and Garth and Karyn came round for tea...and we enjoyed renewed friendship. We have known each other for over twelve years now: inbetween, Garth and Karyn moved back to South Africa, and now have come back here. I was remembering how breathless with excitement I was when I heard the news that they would return.

As I look back at the month, it is hard to believe how hectic it has been. I have heard others share the same, wherever in the northern hemisphere they might be living. It is as if, after winter and a slow start to spring, everything suddenly speeds up: we want to get ready for summer at such a rate that reason flies out the window.  Spring cleaning must be done: yesterday. School events must happen: now now now, whether or not they are actually occurring this month or planned for later on in the term. Holidays planned: quickly. Light mornings, the sun rising earlier and earlier, streaming in through the windows; late evenings, dusk reluctant to creep in. All means that every ounce of daylight must be used in the Recipe of Life.

Phew.

Not that I slowed down, of course, except for the first weekend in May when I hosted a breakfast for a few friends. What a pleasure, to be able to sit and catch up on each others' lives, hearing about some amazing answers to prayer.

Add in to the mix: a VERY challenging situation at school; special 'off-curriculum' days; report writing; parents' evening;  training; extra gardening; Guernsey's annual New Wine weekend; friends to supper, to lunch, out to all kinds of events from cocktail parties to a traditionally Anglican Ascension Day service at St Peter's Parish Church...

Now it is Bank Holiday Monday. Typical weather: from a beautiful summer's day last Friday to fog and rain and mist and drizzle...

And a chance to enjoy peace, catch my breath, reflect...and enjoy flowers.

Blooming on the patio...

Pennywort (?) on our daily dog walk

Mallows: geranium family, growing on the bank along the road from the house

Pink campion by the wayside

Foxgloves at the entrance to Wendy's field, overlooking the sea at the edge of the cliffs opposite our house

Orchids

Orchid field

Yellow orchid!

Orchid

April arrives

April suddenly leapt out at us. We had endured the winter so long, but suddenly - with the change in clocks to British Summer Time - the days were longer, lighter, warmer...

Not that I noticed much. The school day is so intense that some days I barely venture outside, unless on duty, for more than a few minutes. We were in the midst of preparing for the school production of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, such a wonderful opportunity to share the Bible story with children and staff alike. A fascinating glimpse into another culture, too. So days were packed with rehearsals and costume preparation. All went well, the children sang, acted and danced magnificently, everyone was happy... and three days later, the end of term. What's not to like?

And with the end of term - glorious, glorious sunshiney weather. The first day of the holidays was like summer: think sunburn, think too hot to sit in the sunny garden; think taking shelter in the shade; think long warm evenings; think GARDENING. Fun.

Phil and Judy (lovely Adele's lovely parents) arrived a day later. They had had a dreadfully circuitous journey, thanks to the vagaries and inefficiences of Flybe. They should have arrived at 9.30 am - instead, it was more like 7.30pm. They were taken to Exeter where, thankfully, they could go into the city and enjoy the sunshine - one of the warmest days of the year so far. But the onward flight to Guernsey was then delayed by another couple of hours... oh well.  They arrived safely and we had a lovely Sunday with them, cycling to church, then via Le Gouffre by the cliffs for a coffee before returning home for a leisurely lunch.

A day later, and we were off to France, leaving them to enjoy the peace of Morningstar.  All the rest of our travels are chronicled in www.travelswithpickle.blogspot.com....

Meanwhile, back at Morningstar, Kareena, Chris and Howie the Boston Terrier (Pickle's best friend) moved in after Phil and Judy had left.They have bravely struggled with renovations but when it came to finishing the floor, there was no way they could continue to live in the house and so stayed with us for around ten days or so.  What fun. It was like having flatmates: casual suppers, some shared, some not; evening chats; a late night glass of wine; putting the world to rights; sharing lives.  Delightful to see how easy it is to have guests, too, as our guest room and ensuite is in a private part of the house on the other side of the main entrance.

It was good to have a friend to share with, too, when I got back to school: this term is incredibly hectic and it started with a bang: the first staff meeting of the term introduced, among other things, two new innovative extra-curricular days with quite a bit of preparation to do for them... more than a little demotivating when there are so many other things going on. For me, it is introducing a 'time travelling' trip to investigate the German legacy from the Occupation, including a spy story resulting from the discovery of a rucksack left at the beach by a British spy on the run... but that is for May. I staggered to the end of a month which had turned rather chilly....