WILDLIFE

What a lot of peering at wildlife I’ve done today. First thing was a FaceTime call from my son and his girlfriend in Sydney. Quite funny as initially they tried to Skype us and we could see and hear them but they couldn’t see or hear us. They were having a little argument with no idea that we were watching from the other side of the world. When we finally sorted it out he showed me his latest wound. A BITE. From an Australian Beastie. NOT thankfully a shark or a snake or a spider but an evil little caterpillar commonly known as a “Spitfire”. I told him he wasn’t allowed to die from a caterpillar bite because that would be an embarrassing way to go. He had a huge welt on his arm. I had to email my friend to check it wasn’t deadly. You never know over there. Just lovely to talk to them. The wonders of modern technology – seriously – you should never underestimate the value of being able to have a live conversation with your loved ones almost anywhere in the world. It is truly amazing. What is also fantastic is that he is staying with friends I met when they lived over here and our children went to nursery together. Their son came over to stay with us in the summer. They get on very well. Whilst it’s a huge shame that she and I don’t live closer, it is just such a lovely reminder of how small the world can be sometimes.

I then disposed of my children at school and did a very brief “wun” (which was a pathetic attempt at a run disguised as a walk) in which I managed several David Attenborough moments on my phone. Firstly a woodpecker in flight (you have to look very carefully):-

Shortly followed by a heron gobbling down a frog. I have walked past that heron every day for the last 10 years and it has never bloody moved before. I tell you, it was revolting, I could see this poor enormous frog literally sliding down it’s neck. Such a shame – that Jeremy Fisher must have lasted quite a long time to have grown so big and avoided attacks before. It made me feel a little better about my day though – I kept thinking, it really wasn’t a very good start to the day for that poor frog – things weren’t really going to get any better for him:-

Then I taught my class and rushed about and did some work and was asked to speak at an event on Thursday about I have no idea what which doesn’t give me much time to prepare and then went to pick up the kids. My 11 year old told me that he’s been “put on an island in maths”. Can’t quite imagine what he means other than he’s been separated from all the others in an effort to get him to focus. Seems to have done the trick – he said he came third in the class in his test today. So maybe I’ll build him an island at home as well.

That’s it. Daughter stressed about her French oral GCSE coming up at the weekend and I feel very ashamed that I can’t help her. I don’t speak French. Pathetic. I am spending a lot of time trying to persuade my children that I didn’t actually go to school in an effort to defend the fact that I can’t actually help them with any of their homework.