Categorie: Vanallesennogwat

Just got a phonecall, and all smiling now. Was a colleague from my new school, who teaches Greek and Latin as well. She just read that it was me coming back to teach, and she was so pleased by that that she phoned me to welcome me back. We will prolly see each other on Monday, but as she stated, it will be so busy and loud then, that we wouldn’t have time to talk. So she phoned just to be able to say how happy she was to have me back. She didn’t have to worry about the students anymore now, she said.

Can’t say I like her a lot, but she’s a good teacher. This appreciation really feels good.

Went to bed real early on Monday, I was exhausted… Then mosquitoes came and kept me awake a large part of the night, so no good there.

Yesterday I got up to go to school and examine some students for their re-examinations. Can’t say they did too well, I’m afraid. While sitting there and watching them take the exams, the secretary from school came in and told me I had to phone to another school, being Mariakerke. They have a full time job there for me, and it’s really close (like 3 miles) from where I live. Can’t say I like the school too much tho, been teaching there before. The classes aren’t too great either: 3 times first grade (12 year olds), once 2nd, once 3rd and once 4th. So no seniors for me this year… Too bad, I really love the philosophy and rhetorics I have to teach in 6th grade.
But at least I have a job now, for an entire year, a steady income, only one school, close to home (I can go by bike :-)). I’m happy. We’ll see what next year brings then.

After the exams and some administration issues, I went to Faust. He got this great expresso machine from his parents, so we sat there and drank Caffe Latte all afternoon, talking (for some odd reason most of it was about sex… Yep yep, a woman and her gay friend talking about sex and the sex drive that makes most guys think about every 7 minutes about sex, about favourite positions, etc etc) and smoking some. Had a really nice afternoon, I must say.

At night I watched some telly and did tons of phonecalls, in total over two hours, to various people to tell them that I had a job again, and relate my doings in Scotland and stuff.

Yep yep, I think my life’s back on track.

Home now, and I miss Les… Yet I’m looking forward to the moment Bart will be home, I’m expecting him any minute. Why does this have to be so difficult ? Why can’t we just live in a polygamous society ? Sigh…

Yesterday Les and I went out for a delicious meal, and then we got back home, changed and went for a night walk along the pitch dark rocky coast. I really loved that…
Came back home, and packed my stuff, since the next morning would be really early.

I can assure you, 6.15 IS early when you’re used to having a long lie. Kissed Les goodbye, and took a plane to London and then another plane to Brussels (since the direct flight was full). Kinda made it alive, despite my airsickness… I think I’m getting a wee bit used to it by now.

Heh, can’t wait till the end of November: Les is coming over for my very favourite Larp, he’s gonna join my gang of barbarians, and all that on my birthday 🙂 Yay! Too bad Bart nor Faust are coming…

Gonna snooze a bit till Bart comes home with his new PC… I want a huge amount of hugs from him!

Still in Scotland, and a bit sad now, cos I’m leaving tomorrow 🙁
Friday Les and I slept long after our night out, and then went into Ayr, a town nearby, to do some shopping. Found a nice gothic top (Omen) with long cobweb sleeves, forked and nearly a meter long. Also found a nice litte birthday present for Randall. Bit late, maybe, but haven’t seen him IRL since. In the evening we went back to the Ballast Bank, along the sea side for a walk and some pictures. Too bad the sky was too cloudy for a real nice view. After the walk we went up tot the 24 h Tesco to do some shopping for the next day: we planned a picnic.

Saturday 7.00 am: raining. 8.00 am: raining. 8.30: stopped raining, but all was still very wet, so no use in getting up already to go to Culzean Castle. We hung about the house till about noon, took our stuff and left. Weather had cleared up just fine, so all was bright and sunny again. Had a really nice picnic in the castle gardens, and wandered around a bit, along the Swan Pond, the Cliffs Walk… Nice day indeed ! We drove back home and picked up a curry for me (hard to find decent Indian food in Belgium), just in time for the game. The guys came over at 7.00 for Warhammer, and I played along with John’s character, since he couldn’t make it. Fun evening. crazy gang.

Today we really slept long, and started talking. Had a really serious talk, I might relate some of it later when I’m in a pensive mood. Then we took the car again and went for a long walk. Now we’re just chilling at home, gonna go out for a meal in a bit.

I miss Les already..

I lost my job. Well, kinda… Lemme explain.

A job as a teacher is never very certain (classes can grow, or disappear), as long as you don’t have a real contract. You have to go thru a procedure for that, teach for at least 3 years, and another number of requirements.

I don’t have such a contract yet, so each year I don’t know if I’ll have a job in September. (recess is July and August). By now, after 8 years of teaching, I do have some rights, but still others have priority. I have been teaching in this particular school for 5 years now, decorated (with large paintings on the walls and windows) my classroom, made a lot of friends, took care of the school mag, played school photographer on all kinds of occasions…

But now this other person has come up, and since she’s prior to me, she takes up all my hours. No more work at MY school… They’ll try and place me in another school in the area (this I have a right to, since I’m prior in the area school group). Still it’s not the same. New school, new management, new rules, new colleagues, prolly new subjects to teach. OK, I’ll have an income, that I’m sure of. But I don’t have to like this.

Leaving for Scotland tomorrow (gonna see my love, YAY!) and only coming back on Monday, so I presume on Tuesday I’ll know what school I’ll be working in the next Monday.

Happy happy joy joy. Sigh.

It’s too hot to go outside, or go shopping, like I and Jurryt intended, so I might as well sit in my office and update, no ?

Wednesday was really really nice ! We (Faust and I) left here at 7, picked up my mom, picked up his mom at 8, and drove on, straight to Paris ! By 11 we were parked in La Défense, the Manhattan of Paris. Great flashy buildings, steel blue sky, lots of sun (was a bit too hot to be good, actually) so we wandered around a bit, Sonja took a lot of pics, was nice. At 12.30 we drove to the centre, all along the Champs Elysées, passing by the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde, made a little detour to see the Dôme des Invalides, parked near le Pont Neuf, right in the centre ! Went for lunch in a little bistro, wasn’t too great :-(. The waiter was yummy tho, and eyeing me all the time. When we left, he whispered as I passed by ‘I want to meet you’ in this funny French accent. I laughed, shook my head, and continued. Felt good 🙂 !
Then we went to see Les Halles and the St-Eustache church, continued to Centre Pompidou, made our way to Place des Vosges (and a van with three guys in it stopped along the road, causing a little jam, just to wave at me and tell me that I was beautiful. Heh, guess the French like blond/redheads who are dressed in black and not exactly thin), and eventually returned to our car, by walking along the Seine over both islands and paying a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral. Had another drink there, too bad drinks are that expensive in France. A gorgeous guy passed by, and looked me in the eyes. I couldn’t help but smiling, and pointed him out to my company, as he walked on. When they all looked at him, he elbowed his friend, said sth about me, and they both turned round to take a look… LOL ! Made me blush, especially when he blew me a kiss, and walked on. Then (19.00) we walked up to the Louvre, but by then Sonja’s feet were all painful and sore, so just my mom and me continued through a bit of the Tuileries, and ended up in the Palais Royal. We saw a lot, and we enjoyed the day a lot. Faust decided that Paris was way too Neoclassical for him, and that he didn’t necessarily wanted to go back.

Got home by 1.00, chatted a little (thx Dacey for the nice chat) and went to bed by 4. A day well spent.

Got up on Thursday (national holiday) round noon, only to get a phonecall of my dad that we couldn’t meet in the afternoon because my aunt invited him to a barbecue at 12.30. My reaction: ‘Heh, haven’t had a BBQ all summer yet’, so he told me to come too. I declined, as I don’t crash into parties or BBQs when I’m not invited. He called me back 2 minutes later, saying that my uncled stated that he had too much food and too little people, so off we went in the blistering heat to a real nice BBQ with family. Not bad.

At night I had promised Faust to go to his place, and whereas I had expected to be the only one there, he had prepared a surprise for me, by inviting all the people I often spent evenings with at his place a couple of years ago. Lost them a bit out of sight, but they came that evening, so it turned out to be a very nice evening, lots of talking, laughing, drinking ice tea, and smoking tons of weed. But first I had to shave Faust’s neck a little, millimeter Jurryt’s hair again, and do Frank’s… LOL ! Glad I wasn’t too stoned then yet, I wonder what bizarre hair styles they would have had now :-p

Friday I just slept long, went for groceries, met up with Faust, Jurryt, Dirk, Ilse and of course Bart for coffee (as it was Friday) in the afternoon in this fancy coffee house, then had a delicious dinner there on the terrace, and then decided to bug Pumuky.

He had locked up himself in his appartment since he got home Tuesday, not answering my mails or Randall’s SMSs and mails, so I decided to go and kidnap him. Gave him some time to get decent shoes on, and off we went to the Ghent Birds’ Reservate. Took a little walk and a long talk. It didn’t diminish his pain, or made him feel better, but at least he understands a little now, and he’s prepared to come out of his isolation, as he sees now that that isn’t a solution. Glad.

Today’s too hot to do much. Dunno what I’ll do. I’ll think of sth, I’m sure.

Hehe, looking fwd to go to Paris tomorrow ! Me, my mum, Faust and his mum are going by car, it’s actually only 2.5 hours drive, but never did it before. Not that I haven’t been in Paris before, only not by car. Did it once by motorbike, loved that 🙂 . God I miss my bike !!! Saving up now for a new one, but it takes ages 🙁

Today was a very fruitful day, I daresay. At 8 am the carpenters came to fit in a stairway to our new 2nd floor. Man it looks good ! So happy about it, Bart really needs his office up there. Since we didn’t need the large ladder up there anymore, I took it out and started cleaning the gutter up there, and managed to clear away a huge dead plant that had grown all along the water spout into the gutter. Heh, slash and kill !
Then my father came round to explain me more about his book keeping program. Since the new company started, I’m officially its bookkeeper, even tho I don’t know much about it. The program is really nice tho, once you get the basics of it. Glad he did explain a bunch.

At noon, Bart came home as well, so we had bread and started in the garden. He mowed the lawn (actually without grass, mostly dandelions), repaired that gutter, and did all kinda stuff. Odd for him to be outside. I managed to finish the rose perk, have a big circle (2.5 diameter) around a white stemmed rose, filled with wood chips. Looks nice. Finally sth that looks decent in my garden. I hope the dog won’t ruin it, just like he ruins the rest of the so-called garden…

Tired here now, but happy. Another day well spent 🙂

On Saturday evening, I went with my parents to this special music event: in this awesome castle garden (big ponds, lanes, hedges…) a number of orchestras, ensembles, choirs, musicians were playing all sorts of music by Mozart, at different times, 4 times that night. We wandered around a bit, listened to a sonata for violin and piano, attended a performance of the Crowning Mass, heard bits and pieces (as we walked along a dark, candle lit lane) of the Requiem, and finally ended up at Scene II of Cosi Fan Tutte. All was very beautiful, and the only lights were provided by candles and torches, except on the stages of course. At 11.30 there were really nice fireworks over the main pond, set on music. Was an adorable night out.

Sunday I slept long, and then did some more sawing and cleaned up the garage (finally !), and did some garden work as well.

Today I slept long again and started in the garden, clean out a rose perk, put up a little wooden fence around it, dug a lot, and need to continue tomorrow. Kinda beat now.

All in all, peace of mind is what this gives me, and I like it. Still happy girl here.

Last night, after the game of Nephilim (which was frustrating as usual since we never seem to get on with anything) I finally booked some flights to and from Glasgow !!! Seemed I waited too long to book, since some flights are full already, so I’m heading out to see my love on tuesday 20, and I’m coming back on monday 26, by taking two planes (via London Stantstead). Ugh, I hate flying. Costs me 131 euro all in, so that’s not too bad. Gonna see my love again 🙂

He booked some flights too: he’s coming here for a larp in november, so he’s flying in on thursday and going back home on monday. I just hope I’ll manage to get him to the airport, since I have to work on monday. 🙁 Hehe, he’s gonna be here for my birthday ! Yay ! Me happy girl !

Spent yesterday from 18.00 till 21.30 baking two cakes, both an experiment. One is a big tower of profiteroles, covered in merengue… Lots of work, making the profiteroles, filling them with yellow cream, making the construction… Looks fine tho !
I made a fruit cake too, with banana, pear, apple, grape, yellow prune… This one didn’t start out so well, but looks really yummy now !!! I have to finish it later on with roses of whipped cream 🙂
Just made another cake (hey, 9 people, of whom 6 professional cake eaters), one of my standard ones: cocos cake with frosting and cherries on top. Success guaranteed.

Heh, I can’t stand the smell of cakes now anymore, I get sick of it. When I climbed into bed last night, Bart said I smelled of cakes. I’d hate to be a patissier, I think.

Anyway, some more chores coming up before I’m ready for the coffee party this afternoon: ironing my hand-made chair covers, and cleaning the aquarium. Yuck. But it needs to be cleaned, and since they will get into the kitchen, I can’t but do it. Man, tortoises can make that water really dirty !