Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

This will be my last blog post until the new year - I will have access to my e-mail and facebook if you want to send me messages.

Christmas morning traditions - Phillip waking us all up, opening presents together



Boxing Day with the Barricks @ Aunt Audrey's

Cara, Katharine and Joel ........................................Mama, Aunties and Granny

Lots of love - I miss you all back home. On to new British traditions...

xo

Back to Oxford

Hello...

I have made it back to my bed - I have had a lovely long weekend at Catherine and Gareth's in Wallingford - although poor Amanda has been living a nightmare trying to get home from England. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers that she can get home to spend Christmas with her children.

Gareth found a Canadian flag - we felt right at home!

It was very cool to spend so much time with Catherine, Gareth and family - they all really feel like family. I have noticed so many differences in the babies as well - Oscar has added new vocabulary - sometimes too hilarious and cute. Jessie is getting close to crawling, and is making a ton more noises. They got to meet my parents over Skype this weekend as well, so that was neat. My dad asked Oscar something about Santa, and Oscar corrected him that it was "Father Christmas".

Amanda took this pic on the weekend - This is just before the snowball hit her camera

When I got home today, Marcus and Tess had decided to leave a couple of days earlier for Bristol because of the "bad weather" that is being called for. So it's just Sam and I for the next few days. I am heading up to York on Wednesday afternoon, so have a LOT to get organized for tomorrow as I will not be coming back between Christmas and Scotland!

Heading to bed EARLY tonight...has been a busy busy week and although lovely weekend, not much sleep.


Much love to everyone! xo

PROPER SNOWED IN!!

Hello!

I have had a busy busy end to the week. My supply days are officially over until at least April (which is VERY exciting!). I spent Thursday working at a new school...and it was a tough day, but very rewarding. The staff was brilliant and I enjoyed my day. Straight after school, I took the bus out to Wallingford to babysit the babbas for Catherine and Gareth. The train that Catherine was meant to take into London was delayed due to technical issues, so we ended up having a nice visit!

These signs were all over stores in Wallingford today - hilarious

Catherine and Amanda reliving their childhood

Friday, I had a LONG, but good day. I left Oxford about half 6 on the train for York. Amanda and her dad picked me up at the train station and we set off to pay our last respects to Gladys. Was nice to meet the rest of the family (unfortunate under the circumstances) and visit with a few I had met already.

Thames River - gorgeous

After the reception, Amanda and I went over to Thirsk to have a quick visit with Ruth and family before we had to head back to York to catch the train. It was a nice visit, and great to see the kids all excited to be done school and getting ready for Christmas. Her girls were asking how Santa knew I was going to be at their house instead of Canada this year, and I told them I wrote him a letter so he knew. Evie (5yrs) said that she would put a note on the window just in case Santa needed a reminder - how sweet!

Bridge into Wallingford

Group shot after playing outside

We had a bit of excitement on the way back to Oxford - we ended up missing our train (through no fault of our own). Long story short - Gareth was heading back from the north (to Oxford) and had JUST passed the turn off for York...so he came to our rescue!! It was so sweet of him to come back and save us! Really felt lucky that there are such great people in my life over here to take good care of me :)

It was SO lovely to visit with BOTH Catherine and Amanda (as they are old chums - and obviously my connection to Catherine). I had been wondering if I would ever get to visit with them both. Very special and lovely to see them together.

We woke up this morning to PROPER snow!! There was a foot outside when we looked out and it was still coming down. I know by Canadian standards this doesn't mean much - but to a country this SMALL, a foot of snow is a lot to deal with. Heathrow and Gatwick airports were closed today so we are hoping that Amanda is able to catch her flight tomorrow.

Had some fun playing in the snow today - had a good snowball fight. Amanda, Catherine and I went for a walk into Wallingford. Was VERY cool to go into the village with both of them. I had been wanting to be in England at the same time as Amanda for a long time, so it was very cool to actually experience it today!

Fingers crossed that all works out for Amanda tomorrow.

Cannot believe how quickly Christmas is coming up! I am off to Thirsk on the 22nd and then Scotland on the 30th til January 3rd. My blogs will be few and far between during those days.

Hopefully those of you in Canada are not buried under too much snow!

Much love! xo

Snow Days? Feels like Spring here!

Okay, maybe not QUITE Spring...but we have been having above 0 temperatures here since the weekend...and rain at night.

I found myself a BIT (don't get excited mom) homesick today for the snow. Amanda posted some pictures of ALL the snow in Owen Sound...made me sad, as I won't experience that over here. I realized that Canadian winters are very much a part of who I am. I am looking for a nice, affordable weekend deal to Switzerland, Austria or France to hit the slopes (I might actually go crazy if I don't get out snowboarding this winter after spending ALL last winter on the hill). Have found a few wicked flight deals for January, so hopefully something works out. In the meantime though, I am struggling a bit to find my winter niche over here...I am sure that I cannot financially afford to be a winter traveler...

I have had a challenging week - combination of many things...but early on, I learned never to take it personally, and you can't take it home with you. That strategy seems to work. Although I did have to go for a destress run tonight, in the rain.

Looking forward to tomorrow (hopefully) being my last day of supply work for a while. I am ready for the new challenge of having my own classroom in the new year.

Stay safe in all that snow! :)

Much love! xo

Cambridge, Round 2

Hello!

Just got in from Cambridge...feeling very tired tonight. However, the X Factor finale is on tonight, so I will not be going to bed as early as I would like!

Had a good weekend with the girls - got some relaxation in and got to meet some of their Australian and Canadian teachers they have befriended. The girls hosted us all at an Ugly Jumper (sweater) party. I had a little scramble on Saturday afternoon to find an Ugly Jumper, but ended up finding a good one at a little charity shop. When I put it on, the girls were in hysterics, saying I aged about 30 years....so I had to make some adjustments!

My Ugly Jumper, and Flat Cat

My angel earrings that lit up...Aussies teaching me British words....Kendle & Meaghan

Learned a couple of new British words, from the Aussies (go figure). We also figured out yesterday, that the February trip we had been planning to the Canaries was on the wrong week!! Luckily, we hadn't actually booked anything yet, so we got that all sorted. Unfortunately since its a half term break, the prices have gone up, but I'm sure we can still find something good. We are determined to go somewhere nice and hot!!

Getting very excited for Christmas! Seems like December is just flying by. I am SURE, however, that this week will crawl along, as it is the last week before holidays start. I am booked in at a secondary school for M-W, and then Thursday is open, as of now. Friday I am taking the train up to York for the funeral, and then back down to Oxford with Amanda. Will be nice to have some quality cousin catch up time!

TGIF

Hello all,

Wow - I cannot believe how CLOSE Christmas really is! I am reminded everyday I am in a school by about 50 students who are updating me on how many more "sleeps" until Christmas. I wasn't teaching today, but last I heard, there were 15 more sleeps?

I have gotten most of my Christmas cards and package (yes, only one package) sent away - feel like I was very behind on that whole process. Christmas just keeps sneaking up! I cannot believe it is December 10th! Another week and it will be my 3rd month here! Crazy!

Oxford City Centre - Thursday Night

As I said, today I didn't work. I decided I needed to see those lovely babbas - especially since I probably won't see them as often once I start working full-time in the new year. Had a lovely visit with them this afternoon. Oscar just continues to say the most hilarious and cutest things possible.

I was going to leave for Cambridge tonight to visit the girls, but decided that I should take the opportunity to have some down time. I have a busy few weekends coming up, so I am going to take the bus over tomorrow morning and spend Saturday/Sunday with the girls.

Next week, I am pre-booked in for M-W at a secondary school, and Friday is Gladys' funeral service up in York that I will be making the trip up for.

I think of Amanda flying over from Canada, and the fact that I am now living in England - its a nice symbol of Gordon and Gladys' efforts in ensuring the English and Canadian cousins kept contact. I was telling Amanda, that I may not be over here, living in England right now, if it wasn't for those two. Amanda and I may not even know each other! I wouldn't have all of Amanda's lovely contacts and friends that I have over here...it's a very lovely way to think of a simple thing like a letter and the snowball effect of love and adventure that it created for generations after them...

Well done Gordon and Gladys.

Much love. xo

My First P.E. Contract!

Hello all!

The spoiler is in the blog title, but I will make you wait for details until after I tell you about my day with the Foundation Students (age 4 and 5).

I wasn't particularly keen on doing this age group - but it was a good learning experience. It is run similar to my understanding of how the Montessori system works - lots of free time and planning their own learning. The funniest part of the day, was a little girl asking me what my name was. I told her Miss Parkin...she seemed to have trouble saying Parkin - I think it was due to my accent and how I was saying it (compared to how someone with an English accent would say it). I tried explaining it like going to play at a park...but to no avail. She ended up calling me Miss Pumpkin for the rest of the day. Better than thinking I was Australian I guess! Never a dull moment over here...

I also forgot (didn't actually forget) to mention my lovely weekend spent with my fav adopted cousins this past weekend. It had been so long since I had seen them, so it was lovely to spend time with them. The babbas continue to be completely gorgeous and make me smile! They were "rowing their boat" on Saturday night, and it was just TOO cute, Oscar looking after Jessie in the boat...and offering to help her get out when I asked if I could go for a boat ride...haha. It was very cute - the moment reminded me of when Benji (Amanda's) was that age, and Phil and I would pull him around our house.

The cutest babbas!

Benji, Me and Sabi last winter in Owen Sound
xx

Anyway - to the BEST part of my day...I got the call about a full time P.E contract for a school in Oxford, about a 20-30min walk from my house! It is just from January to April, but who knows what will happen after that. I am excited for the challenging experience that lies ahead for me. I know it will not be easy, but nothing worth having ever is!

Much love! xo

Back to Carpe Diem

Hello all...I woke up and didn't get a call today. At 9:30 I decided what I really needed: some carpe diem.

I somehow came across Windsor Castle, and decided to go check it out for the afternoon. It was a short train ride away (this side of London).

I will let the pictures do the talking. Enjoy.

I have had my nerd fill of the day :)

Much love. xo

The Glue

I wasn't really sure when I would write this out in a blog...I guess I always thought the time would be right...

Before I moved over to England, I had a very busy summer of traveling and working all across Canada. Shortly after my abrupt flight to western Canada - my (great) uncle Gordon's health was quickly getting worse. Shortly after my grandpa passed away, I had a very special visit uncle Gordon. It was a conversation and an evening that was so utterly special - I will never, ever forget it.

When I was traveling this summer, I became very worried that I would not get a chance to visit with him again.

I ended up being home for a week between my travels. In that week, I got to visit with him, tell him all about my upcoming move to England and sadly, say goodbye. He passed away a few days after that visit.

I got the news today, that Glady's (my cousin Amanda's Aunt in England) had passed away. Amanda and I got to chatting this afternoon about how lucky our family is to have had Gordon and Gladys (cousins) act as the glue between the family in England and Canada. To think today how easy it is to stay in touch...and how much effort it would have been for them to stay in touch 60 years ago...

I am really fortunate that we had Gordon and Gladys go to all the effort of ensuring the family stayed close, even with the divide of an ocean. It was very special for me to be able to share my upcoming travels to England, with the man that really began my intrigue and curiosity to visit the country that has so much family history and meaning to the Parkin's.

xo

Fa La La La Laaaa

Hello!

I have had a GREAT week! I have been at the same primary school! It is one of the better in the area (according to me, at least), so I have enjoyed my time there thoroughly. Some of the parents of the students I have been teaching are starting to recognize me outside of the school now, which is nice. I guess I better be on my best behavior!

There were some really great moments I saw this week at the school; from inclusion fulfilling it's purpose to being reminded why I love teaching. I was covering a Year 4 Maths (they add an 's' over here) class - after my group teaching, they went off and did worksheets...about half way through the class I had a student say "Oooh Miss! This is finally starting to make sense!" and they were EXCITED! Wow...put a nice big smile on my face.

I am doing KS1 again tomorrow, but at another primary school (one that I have been to). The weather has been chilly here this week. I have finally started wearing my winter coat.

Have been doing well to walk everyday as well. It takes about an hour, give or take to get there...so I have left nice and early each day. You may think I am crazy for walking so far, but its been a nice way to spend and appreciate the morning. There is a Costa (coffee shop) on the way, so I have grabbed a coffee each morning to get me through the cold journey. Walking through different neighborhoods this week has been a nice way to get to see more of Oxford as well.

This was on my journey home on Wednesday
I spent most of the walk home sliding on the ice! Had so much fun.

Off to do some photocopying and grabbing some things downtown.

Much love! xo

Snow in Oxford!

Hello...Oxford finally got some snow this morning. I was out of the house early this morning, and forgot to check out my window...so I unfortunately did not have my snow boots this morning. There was only a few cm of snow...not much by Canadian standards - but enough for me to get excited about!

On Rivermead Road - Still dark out!

I was teaching Year One again today (same class I have had about 5 times prior). I am growing quite fond of them. All the KS1 (Grade 1-3) students in the school are practising this week for their Christmas play, so I have been involved in that the past 2 days, and even teaching some dances! It has been good fun and of course, good experience.

Back at the same school tomorrow, and then hopefully get some work for Thursday and Friday!

I hope all is well back in Canada - I was able to Skype with my mom and sister the past few days, which is always nice.

Much love! xo

Yorkshire

Hello....I made it back to Oxford tonight around 7pm.

I had such a lovely weekend up north in Yorkshire. It started snowing on Friday night, and it was just so beautiful. There wasn't a ton of snow (by my standards), but the kids did manage to make a couple of good snowmen on Saturday.

On Saturday, I took the train into York (took about 12 minutes) and met Christine and her daughter Tamzin (cousins). They took me for coffee at the Archeology Building of the University campus - very nice building - and then we decided what we should spend the afternoon doing. York was CRAZY busy on Saturday...probably not the best time for me to have visited, but we did well to get around. I saw the Minster, a few abbey ruins, The Shambles, the St Nicholas Fair market and we went to the Jorvik Centre - all about Vikings. The Jorvik Centre was VERY neat. In addition to being a museum with artifacts and information, it actually recreates what life was like for the Vikings a thousand years ago in Yorkshire...from smells to tools to community life - I highly recommend it.
We went for lunch at Betty's, and spent the rest of the afternoon in the warmth and visiting!

I got back to Thirsk in time to have dinner with the Choir, and then the concert started about 7:30. It was really quite lovely. They all did a fabulous job. The children's school choir also did a few songs, which was very impressive! Ruth had about 25 people staying at her house, and a few more at the hotel, so it was a busy weekend and lots of people around.

Today, a few of us went for a walk before lunch. It ended up being more of a snowball fight the whole time, which was very fun and felt very Canadian!

- Right after I took this picture, Archie jumped out from behind the snowman, and got me square in the face with a big snowball!

The drive back tonight, was very snowy and not such great conditions for the first couple of hours...but we made it!

Much love. xo