Omar

Day 10: Train in Yangshuo, Guilin. I do like the Chinese train system. Completely different to the UK, more like taking a plane. You wait upstairs until shortly before departure and then head downstairs to your platform.

Day 9: Crisp fat. It’s not British bacon but it’ll have to do.

Day 8: Prevention. Moved this guy away from a place many students walk today, to somewhere that was hopefully safer!

I had an idea to record something about each of the words of the days, but I’m not brave enough. I was going to write instead. That well-being, for me at least, is tied into the things that are important to me. Though, in a sense, the things that are important to me I don’t have any choice about. These things come first. Inevitably, my mind goes to this poem by Kennith Koch that Austin Kleon posted. You want it all? You can’t have it all. Don’t try!

Day 7 well being is eating delicious food.

Finished reading: How Children Fail by John Holt 📚
So many thoughts about this. He’s very critical of schooling as a whole and I’m part of that. Yet, I feel like I agree with lots of what he says. And I don’t know where that leaves me.

Day 6: Windy. This location is the first place I thought of when I read the prompt for today. Stood on a windy hill in Devon with Elise 7 years ago.

Grateful for getting out and doing my Saturday morning ruck this morning. Started a little later than usual and was still sore from going hard on Thursday but that’s mostly gone now. Funny that.

Day 5: Serene 📷 Always loved swings. Such a simple pleasure.

We, as a family use Apple Music because that’s what I pay for and we’re happy enough. The only thing that tempts me to switch to Spotify is that shared playlists online always use that, never Apple Music.

Day 4: foliage 📷

Breaking routine loops
Stepping outside well worn habits
Finding something new!

Have finally logged out of Twitter. The line I was giving myself that there was useful info about teaching just feels hollow now. So much disagreement. My time would be better spent elsewhere, offline probably.

Day 3 📷 Card. Hua Hua is famous in Chengdu for her antics. The sign said the queue to see her was 2 hours so we skipped it. Overheard the queue was only an hour… But they just saw her butt! A postcard had to do.

Day 2: Flowers 📷 We went to see the pandas but just saw lots of panda butts.

Day 1: #toy Elise’s skateboard coach gave her this toy. I guess it has a proper name? Though I don’t know what. Can catch it like this now!

Very much enjoying The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin on Apple TV+. Noel Fielding plays himself and I’m ok with that. It’s very silly and full of well know Brits. 📺

Getting up at 4:45 to ruck 6km with 20kg in my overly expensive rucksack (get it?!) followed by a Gatorade outside the little shop by the bus stop is one of the highlights of my week.

On a side note, i really need to finish the non-fiction books I’ve started and never finished. Fiction provides an escape and non-fiction is just harder to pick up and read.

Finished reading: Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron, author of the Slough House books. Enjoyed this a lot. Nothing too heavy. I think I just like his style. Will continue reading the rest of the series.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells, a quick read about a self-aware robot. Loved this.📚

When the dish is served with more chilli than meat… So good though and not even the spiciest thing I ate yesterday.

Finally finished Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I realised if it was released on a weekly basis we would have finished it around now. Yet, that feels like forever. I still prefer weekly releases. I don’t have the time to binge in any case!

This week will be all about writing reports and supporting new students with vastly different needs to the rest of the class. On top of everything else, of course.

Q. What’s the maximum distance I can outsprint a 5 year old on a bike?

A. Not as far as I thought. Also, I tired a hell of a lot quicker. Also, I feel a bit sick.