School is In!!

Wednesday October 18th

Cheerful faces greeted me Monday morning, though none of them would admit being happy to be back at school - including me. There weren't even any moans when I mentioned maths and fractions. In fact today some of them even said that they were enjoying fractions!! I can't remember feeling that way when I was at school!

Term 4 is always an eventful one. The Year 7s are beginning to feel that they are ready for high school and learning tends to take a back seat. This is not helped by the fact that there is so much happening this term. We have a school concert to prepare for, an Aquatics Camp to organise, a school year book to write and publish, Jump Rope for Heart to fundraise for and of course the Year 7 Graduation to look forward to. Heady stuff for 13 year olds! But we will get through it all and even get some schoolwork done. There may be a few hiccups, arguments, dramas, tantrums, but also a lot of fun, laughter and a few tears at the end.

And Spring is really here. The garden is beginning to look lovely. Baby birds are hatching out and we laugh at the fledgelings trying to fly. The warm dry winter has been wonderful for the irises which are looking stunning and the roses should also make a wonderful show in a week or two.

My favourite iris

We still have a fair bit of weeding, tidying, mulching and fertilising to do, but it is coming together and there are some really pretty spots around the garden. I really love this rhododendron behind the birdbath.

Just behind this rhododendron is a lovely pink Dogwood that is just finishing. It has taken years because the soil here is clay, but it has finally taken off and this year it was a picture.

We often sit on the veranda in the evenings and watch the small birds playing in the birdbath. The tiny brown female wrens flirt outrageously with the little blue males and use the birdbath as their courting place. The boys are very splendid, but I love the little girls, so cheeky and pert in their soft brown attire.

Liz Needle