Taking time out for friends and sunshine

Today wasn't that productive work wise. I did a bit on my class's reading records and then went for tea with a special family friend at the Bottom Drawer. The coffee shop has a verdant garden and it was lovely to sit in the sunshine and catch up. Came home from there to teach my Chinese student online. He was being a bit of a monkey today and it was quite hard getting him to turn to the right page. He did give me a very interesting version of what happened to five ladybirds. It was the most talkative he has been since moving back to China, which is good. He seems to like songs where the numbers of things decline or go up - The Ants Go Marching is a favourite. His mum is keen for me to try use internet off my phone from school after I finish to teach him at lunchtimes but I am really going to have to see what I can manage as preparation and marking for school will have to come first and I haven't seen my contract yet. Teaching all morning full time is going to be tiring.

I randomly got an email from the Journal of Applied Geography yesterday asking if I will do a review on an article on silvopastoral systems in Morocco. My PhD thesis that I started in Switzerland was on this form of land use in the Jura Mountains in Switzerland. I would be given a six month access to Science Direct for reviewing but I think this is so I can verify references in the draft I am to review. That is a lot of work. I need to speak to a friend who was an academic at the university here to ask her advice on what it all entails as I haven't done a review before. Am not sure if I am entirely the right person to do it.

Sadly the Johnny Clegg concert next Friday at Raintree has been postponed as he is having to undergo more chemo, poor man. This does mean I can go to watch Beatenberg at HIFA though. A few others are keen for the opera gala on Wednesday so can maybe all sit together and have a picnic. Will need to dress warmly as it is getting chilly in the evenings now.

This evening I popped in to my friend Lucy's and saw my still to be christened Godson. Discussed exhibiting at Wild Geese and then the next exhibition coming up at The Corridor art gallery. From Lucy's I went to an exhibition at the Tanglewood Art Zone by Virginia Tattersall McGuire, a parent from the International School. Her portraits were striking and I liked how she had used a gold pen to capture strands of hair in one. She had used Belgian linen as a canvas which I haven't seen before. It gave a nice base texture and sheen to her oils.

Portrait by Virginia Tattersall McGuire