ON THE COUNT OF THREE, SUBMERGE

OI! I've learned that this is NOT the polite way to get someone's attention. If a child comes up to you and yells this, I think that it is equivalent to you saying "Yo Buster!"

I'm starting this week's blog off with something that has had quite an impact on me. That is swimming lessons here at Dundry School.
First we all load onto a very nice coach with overhead bins. Man, why can't yellow school buses be so nice? Then, we turn and wind our way down to the pool. Great views of sheep grazing lazily on the thick green grass! I'm used to cows, but 'furry bums' are SOOO much cuter. So, we arrive at the pool, and my blessed teacher's assistant helps me figure out what's happening. We get the girls changed in the dressing rooms, and then to the poolside.
Well, if I've never seen fear instilled so quickly! And, I'm so damn glad! Swimming with 9-11 year olds can be a frightening experience at the best of times!
The instructor who marches out to the deck is an awesome sight. Suddenly the whistle sounds and children are asked to line up in an order. Some are confused and I look into their eyes, knowing that if they step into the wrong lineup, that they will never be the same.
She shouts in decibels that are foreign to my ears. LINE UP!!! JUMP IN ON THE COUNT OF THREE!! SUBMERGE ON THE COUNT OF THREE!! SWIM ACROSS ON THE COUNT OF THREE!! Well, swimming does not mean splashing around and moving about. It's fierce, it's controlled and it works. Suddenly I am supposed to teach the least experienced swimmers. I fear for them and me. And, to boot, I'm not allowed to go in the pool, just instruct creatively from the deck. I'm thanking my dear parents for all of those years of swimming lessons. I do believe that this is the moment that I was planning for.

Right then, back to our week. I've been getting to know the class better. They are a colourful group, full of vivacious energy, similar to that of a crowd just before a game in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Love 'em and still can't get enough of them saying...'But Miss, we's just doin' what you asked'. Then there's the boy who is ADAMANT that in England they do write 'Me and my Mum' and not 'my mum and I'. But, Miss, that's how's we say it in England! Hey, I thought that England is where English originated! And then, the dear little Sammy, from the neighborhood asks if our clocks tell time backwards and if women have babies out of their stomachs in Canada!

Emma has been doing Netball afterschool, joined the Roal Dahl quiz team and the science club. They will be making gunpowder and dissecting things. I guess then she'll be blowing up cow eyeballs!

Here's a picture of us travelling our lanes and our hangin' with our neeeigh...bor, Lady!

This week has been very fun. I figure, the Monday to Friday stretch is dedicated to my first priority here--teaching, and then on the weekend, we'll be tourists.

So, last Sunday, we headed off to the Bristol Gardens Zoo. There are many animals that we've never seen and their exhibits make the zoo in Edmonton look like a cheap habitrail. Here's a beautiful female Asiatic lion and a fruit bat. The bat enclosure was just an open place where you could walk into. Imagine this beauty with about a 2 foot wing span. I wonder if they let you have them as classroom pets.

Then, last Sunday, we went for a Tudor History walk in Old Bristol. The guide was dressed in era costume and along the way, people would jump out and be role playing the parts of vintars, merchants and rat catchers! Loved it! Emma and Bonnie are so kind...they gave an old beggar women all of their King Edward coins, even after the guards told all of the kids to not give money to the ragged street urchins!

And then today, ahh, today, we went to Bath. Just the sound of this should make one feel like they are sinking into a warm bubbly tub of relaxation. What a marvelous place the Roman Baths are. We were awestruck at the beauty and ingenuity of the Romans to create such a magnificent and complicated place. Over 1 million litres of hot water bubbles through this oasis daily. And the museum had personal audiophones to carry about, even equipped with a child's version of the history. This is almost as important accomplishment as the baths themselves, because not once did Emma or Bonnie complain about being bored! The next cat I get is definitely going to be named after the Roman goddess, Sulius Minerva--goddess of the Baths.

I don't think that the girls really comprehend the amount of time that has passed since people actually bathed here, but they did enjoy the pigeons that were refreshing themselves in the two thousand year old facility.

Then, we wandered through the narrow streets, exploring the goodies to be found like cornish pasties (still not as good as my grandmother's though), a rugby match, an Abbey, and century old trees.

Now, I must add this week's quiz question. Here is a picture of the only yellow door on the Royal Cresent in Bath. It belongs to a famous movie star. If you know who it is, I will send you a postcard of the Roman Baths.

And of course, what would be a post without a picture of the lovely Mousse! And, she has caused us some alarm today she got her collar off. Just to let you know, her cat door is activated with a little magnetic mouse on her collar and that is the only way she can get through the doors. Funny though, because it takes 2 people to get it back on her. Helen tried, I tried, then we finally succeeded by catching her up in Bonnie's poncho.

By the way, the Marko girls in Edmonton won the Cat's Eyes prize. They should be receiving their prizes in the next few weeks!

Now just to leave you with a little double decker bus car sickness, watch the video!