Today I've mostly bin...

[Bunnylump]

Another quiz night, this time we came joint first!

Here is one of the dingbats - can you get it?

d
n
a , D
t
s

[LAT]

yes!

[clvrlad]

. STAND
. . . I

[MBH]

I'm laughing so I must have got it

[Bunnylump]

...Measuring maggots' speed as they walked across the desks in between metre rules. Like you do. We weren't ACTUALLY doing it for fun, we were doing distance-time graphs!

You can say a lot of things about my job (undervalued, ridiculously low pay, etc.) but nobody could accuse it of being boring.

[giraffe]

.......speaking french.....badly! Lally's french exchange student arrived this evening and I don't think she has understood a word we have said in either language. This is going to be a very long week. Fernando was very amused when I invented a new verb.

[LAT]

best of luck!
You could take her somewhere touristy where they have headsets explaining it all in French for her!

We found playing simple card games etc helped at first as that helped to fill the time with only a small amount of talking needed.
In the end K and her French exchange got on really well and they had several repeat visits over the following years. They are even still vaguely in touch now I think.

And if Fernando is going to laugh at you get him to do the talking!

[gill216]

... woken up by the postie delivering letters- at 3AM!!!

[giraffe]

We have had tears this morning from our little french girl. They are going to make gingerbread this morning, so I'm hoping that doing something together will help.

I had planned all sorts of exciting outings for tomorrow, but as snow is forecast we will probably head into Birmingham by train and go to the sea life centre or think tank.

[giraffe]

Aagggh! Now she has dropped her ipod and broken the screen. More tears. This is too stressful. Last week's german student caused no problems at all.

[LAT]

Oh dear, the excitable Gallic temperament? The Germans are much more phlegmatic!

[giraffe]

The german was 2 or 3 years older. This one is only just 13. We have invited one of Lally's friends and her French boy over for tea tonight in the hope that a familiar face will improve matters.

[LAT]

At least they can natter to each other in French a bit which should make it easier for her to relax.

[giraffe]

Lally told her who was coming. (The only one who lives within 10 miles of us) and she said she thought she knew who the boy was. Not entirely promising, but I'm sure any familiar face will be an improvement on our ugly mugs!

[Wulfruna]

... woken up by the postie delivering letters- at 3AM!!!

Did I read that right???? I have serious doubts that it was a genuine postie at that hour . Maybe you just have some kind (or nasty????) neighbours who decided to redeliver something the had received earlier in the day by mistake??????

[gill216]

Yes, that is exactly what happened. Post was delivered next door and my neighbour starts work at 4am. He posted in our door as he left for work.

[Wulfruna]

Giraffe - I think that school exchanges are often far too insensitive to the trauma of sending young teenagers into a strange family when they may not be able to communicate. It is not your fault that she is weepy and frightened! 13 is an awfully young age to cope with this and they really ought to have organised some communal activities for the youngsters all together rather than leaving them isolated in their host families - some of whom may well have had less experience than you have had.
It certainly sounds quite demanding if you already a different youngster last week!!

Mind you, German kids aren't always so laid back - it takes me back 50 years (!!!!) to my own first experience of going to Germany on such an exchange with a German group when we had some really weepy sessions with traumatised girls. I know I found it difficult myself - but survived and in the end gained an enormous amount from it all.

[giraffe]

Last week was K's school, this week is L's . It is just unfortunate that the timing is so close, and fortunate that it doesn't overlap. I had 48 hours to change the bed! Last week they arrived on the Wednesday and so had Thursday Friday and a day trip on Saturday before we were left to our own devices with them for Sunday. The timing of this one s bad because they arrived last nght, having set off at 3am UK time, and arrived shattered, to be faced with two days of complete solitude with the host families. Also last week was the return leg, so the children already knew each other. Lally goes to France next week for the return leg, and the day she comes back F sets off for a week of work experience in France in a restaurant, so we are having a bit of an intense month one way and another.

Today has gone much better after a dodgy start. The girls made gingerbread men this morning, and then did some craft activities. Then Lally went to gym and our visitor decorated the gingerbread and I played board games with her. This evening her friend and partner have come over for an evening of wii, pizza and TV. There has been a lot of shouting and laughing from the other room, and most of the food vanished, so I think things are looking up.

[gill216]

... Packing

Off to Spain for 17 days tomorrow. Two birthdays while we are there, one noughty one and the other is mine. I get to spend in the shops and see my daughter and grandson at the same time.

[giraffe]

Sounds lovely. Hope it's nice and warm.


.....to the Sealife Centre in Birmingham. It snowed all day and was freezing in the wind. If number of pictures taken of the fish is an indication of how much she enjoyed it, our visitor had a whale of a time.