Rollercoaster January

When I started blogging a month by month account last year, I thought those twelve posts would form the basis of our annual family newsletter.
I was wrong.
Somehow, when I came to write the letter, I disregarded my twelve little snapshots of life.
And perhaps that was right. Because including all the little details would have been a) boring and b) repetitious.
So recording the little details each month is just for fun. A little time of reflection.
This year beginning was, indeed, somewhat of a gentle rollercoaster. January, named after the Roman god Janus who looked backwards at the old year and forwards towards the new.  Double-headed, double-minded.
The highs and joys of having Cat and Jonny here over Christmas and New Year soon changed to lows as they left.
Norwich isn't the easiest of places to get to from Guernsey.  Auckland, New Zealand, is somewhat further.
Distance hurts.
Then, just a few days later, snow arrived, briefly. Fun. School was an adventure as we waded through the slush and made a huge snowman.
A week of 'normality', then flu hit hard. First the children: how generous they were, as they shared their coughs and colds and bugs with me.
Two days off, drag back to school and a week of weirdness before I started to feel 'normal' again. in the meantime, Richard managed to crack his nose surfing and catch the 'flu' at the same time. Who says men can't multi-task?
Now it's February.
A new month.

Christmas present ideas

Just seen all these wonderful ideas for Christmas presents...didn't get time to make them, but you never know. One year...

End of year greetings...

2nd January has rushed upon me.  Christmas seems such a distant memory, the arrival of 2013 somewhat horrifying.  Time is a mystery.

Back in December I had meant to put on our yearly roundup of news.  Trying to get the balance between (too) brief and (very) boring, i.e. in lengthy and unnecessary detail. Here goes... 

"Woohoo - time for a yearly roundup again! Looking forward to hearing your news, but meanwhile...Pollards' “life at the movies"...

During 2012 we attended Four Weddings and a Funeral: as we enter the season of our friends' and relatives' children embarking on marriage, Angie's mother, aged 88, died in October: she slipped gradually away, gently and peacefully.

The Princess Bride is a story of true love: Cat was a stunning bridesmaid to her school friend Hannah. It was a beautiful Guernsey wedding: gorgeous weather, great fun.

Then there was Love, Actually...yep, Jonny. And the gorgeous Adele. Both of them in Norwich. Lovely to have her visit this year, and we were able to meet her parents while they were on holiday on The Other Island. (Jersey).

In New Zealand, Cat has explored the film locations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, in between working for Christians Against Poverty. She's popped up occasionally in CAP's own film clips, too.

And for those of you who have come across the wonderful British film Nativity, which features a creative and charismatic teaching assistant- yes, Jonny is presently working as a TA in a primary school.

Richard continues to appear in his own version of Airplane, happily back at work since time off for illness. Fit and healthy as long as he avoids eating wheat products. He is still surfing the waves... (just don't mention Jaws).

Angie is still teaching: at various times she feels as if she could be on the set of Harry Potter /Shrek/High School Musical/St Trinians/. Still enjoying inhabiting the quirky world of children, who manage to make her snigger several times a week. As for The Social Network, our Bible study with a group of friends is a weekly highlight. Angie meets with a group of friends for a regular breakfast slot - not exactly Calendar Girls, but close - some of whom are part of an online Bible study too: the joys of Facebook!

And, of course, through the year it has been great to meet up with friends from near and far, present and long-distant...over twenty years in some cases. We love sharing our home and sharing Guernsey, so please come and see us!

Must Love Dogs. Pickle lives up to her name, quite happy starring in her own dramas at home: adaptations of In Golden Pond; Eat, Chew, Love or The Great Escape.

We spent the hottest weekend of the Summer Holiday camping on Jersey. Then, in October, we enjoyed the warmth of Lanzarote - its stunning volcanic landscape a superb setting for various sci-fi movies.

As for Christmas: It's a wonderful life - Cat and Jonny both came home for a Christmas visit."

Definitely December

What can I say?
School:
Explorers Day - dressed up as Tudor sailors, map-making, experiencing life at sea...
Christmas lunch and party games
Carol Service
END OF TERM!
Home:
Christmas cards and yearly news letter
Preparations for Christmas
Catching up
Christmas shopping
Away:
Family visit: Cambridge
Family visit: Norwich
Proclaimers Church
Arrivals:
Jonny. Cat.
Adele
Christmas!

Christmas

Christmas Day comes rushing towards me. School is now finished, and I have a blessed free week to catch up on all the things which have gone neglected over the last term, clearing up the detritus of a teacher's life.
Blessed week.
I have learnt not to stress with a 'to do' list. Yes, I make the list, I prioritise, yet if something doesn't 'get done' then perhaps it didn't NEED to get done in the first place. Perhaps 'it' was one of life's little optional extras. Nice if it happens, not the end of the world if it doesn't.
Because there are indeed only few things in life that are really important. Like breathing. Loving. Laughing.
This coming Saturday is important. Saturday evening Cat and Jonny return home, landing within minutes of each other, flights permitting.
Saturday afternoon my dear friend Kareena brings her dog Howie to play with Pickle. Best of friends, these two little dogs know each other's names.
Saturday morning friends gather here for breakfast. A brief pause in their Christmas rush, a reconnecting.
Loving. Laughing.
So I thought I might show these cute little films which have been doing the rounds. Coincidentally, they are from a church in Auckland and Cat has seen a live showing of this year's offering at their Christmas celebration GLOW.
Look at this fresh take on an everlasting story.


What I love most about these brilliant films is the last line of the credits: BASED ON A TRUE STORY.
Indeed.

PS Tammy Maltby has some great insights about what is IMPORTANT about Christmas. It's Jesus. Obvious, but we forget it.

No...vember!

Where did November go?  Washed away in fog, gales and torrential rain. Driving home one night, we crawled through the lanes as the rain lashed down, reducing visibility to just a few yards. Flights were delayed or cancelled and my bike barely saw the light of day some weeks. WEATHER!

In many ways, I barely noticed. The pace at school accelerated to breakneck as we struggled to get reports written (8,500 words) and parents meetings (more than 6 hours in total, spread over 2 evenings on the same week of report deadlines) fitted in. Add to that the start of the build-up to Christmas!

Inbetween, I fitted in the breakfast I host every month for a small group of wonderful friends. Brilliant to get together over the croissants and share our lives as we follow Jesus. We're even in touch on facebook as we are part of an online Bible study with Good Morning Girls.  Then there was school open day; catching up with old friends; coffees and lunches; and, of course, Pickle's weekly playdate with her best friend Boston Terrier Howie and a walk on the beach.

It seemed as if November passed me by: yet it was an unusually packed month.  Certainly NOT a non-event!

An Odd October...

Bereavement. Starting October with my mother's last days was not the best way to begin the month...She died on October 3rd and the family gathered to celebrate her life on October 11th. Gladness and sorrow.
Illness. Nothing serious, just an unpleasant feverish cold...which went on for weeks. And weeks. Struggled through school somehow.
Half term and holiday. A welcome break - and recuperation - in Lanzarote. How we love that arid island.
Friends. Pickle and Howie's walking date is a highlight of most Saturday afternoons. We owners look forward to the tea and cake and chat while the dogs play. Thursday evenings are small oases of refreshment, too, as we meet with our church home group. Plus various others...lovely.
Was October odd?  Yes, and no.  The unexpected, the strange, the familiar... yes.