Education - where we sit internationally...

From the NZ Teachers Council:

"New Zealand parents should be assured that our education system is high performing", according to Dr Peter Lind, the Director of the Teachers Council.

The latest OECD Report (2012): OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: New Zealand has confirmed this view.

Emeritus Professor Warwick Elley was reported recently as saying, "the reason it should provide us assurance is because the authors of this report are top experts from other OECD countries... Using a set of rich data, they are able to provide an independent, comparative perspective and are ideally placed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the New Zealandeducation system".

This view is confirmed by our rankings on The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). It is a worldwide study by the OECD of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading. New Zealand consistently scores in the top half dozen OECD countries, even though, according to the evidence gathered by the OECD, we spend far less per student than nearly all of the other 34 OECD nations.

 The great majority of our students are repeatedly up with the best in the world. In the latest survey, New Zealand students were ranked fourth in reading literacy, fourth in scientific literacy and seventh in mathematical literacy.

"It is not easy to maintain these rankings andNew Zealand has consistently maintained its overall ranking on these measures since they were first introduced in 2000," said Dr Lind.

Three examples illustrate the significance ofNew Zealand's achievement. Australia has recorded a significant decline since 2000 on all the skills measured. England has slipped from seventh in 2000 to 25th in reading, eighth to 28th in maths and fourth to 16th in science. TheUnited States only rates around the average of all OECD countries.

"This reflects very favourably on the quality ofNew Zealand teachers."

However, it is true that the latest PISA survey still shows a wide dispersion of scores amongNew Zealand students.

"Lifting the performance of those New Zealandstudents that are underachieving must be a priority for our education system, but without allowing the slippage in our overall rankings as has recently occurred in Australia.

"To achieve this requires a strong commitment from the teaching profession and the Government in partnership. There are no silver bullets and a focus on a single variable will not achieve the goal intended. It will require dialogue and detailed consideration of any initiatives proposed," said Dr Lind.

I have nothing to add really... 

We can. We are. We do.

Performance Pay for teachers

I want to post a thought (or 3) on this one. It is a result of a comment made on air (source unknown) where it was suggested that the national standards would be a good way to measure teachers' performance. (Please remember the National Standards were NOT developed with the full involvement of teacher professionals and were NOT trialled to see if they were any good or would even be successful.)

So, here's an hypothetical situation...

Teacher A has 20 11 year old students who have good literacy skills. In fact they all have a reading age of 11 years when they hit his classroom. Let's assume for the sake of this argument the national standards require all these children to be reading at 12 years by the end of the year in which they turn 12. Not unreasonable?
Teacher A works hard and moves all his charges on by that year of growth and all achieve the standard by the end of year.

(Stay with me here...)

Teacher B also has 20 11 year old students, but these children have a poor background in literacy and have reading ages ranging from 7 to 9. Teacher B works just as hard with these children and manages to get them ALL up to an 11 year reading age. Some have improved their literacy scores by the equivalent of 4 years over the 12 months!

However the standard says they should all be reading at 12 years. Teacher B has, therefore, failed.
Performance pay goes to Teacher A as his students have all reached the standard.

I know, it's simplistic, but it is another example of why performance pay needs to be treated with extreme care. I mentioned yesterday the experiences students come into the classroom with - some have wider, more developmental experiences than others. No matter how 'good' a teacher is, you cannot guarantee the same can of baked beans at the end of the process.

Many of the public are not aware that we ALREADY HAVE excellent, robust appraisal systems in place. (The government doesn't want you to know this... spread the word!) Registered Teacher Criteria have been 'upgraded'.

Good teachers are right there in front of your children every day. Ms Parata wants you to believe every teacher a child works with should be remembered, as adults, as a great teacher. They probably already are, but I respected and liked teachers in different ways. Some made learning easier, some 'taught' well, some made contact on a level that can't be easily described, helping me grow and guiding me as I grew, others inspired me in their subjects through their own passion.

It doesn't mean they didn't perform because I didn't get a pass in Latin. Maybe the teacher was great - and I was just c**p at Latin?

Tread carefully on performance pay. Yes, we all want great teachers.
But consider this... are they already there?

Here's a thought...

"This a shoot first and ask questions later government." I like that quote.
Here's an idea Ms Parata. Treat our country's professional educationalists as just that - professionals. Actually consult with us BEFORE making decisions that affect the education of all New Zealand's youth. We can contribute more than you want the public to believe.
Then you can make informed decisions based on what's best for education, not what's best for party politics.

Just a thought...

This post is a result of reading the following online link:
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/opinion/political-report-06june2012

Education in New Zealand. A few thoughts.

Can our Prime Minister explain why he supported an increase in class sizes in state schools (where the vast majority of NZ children attend school) when he is on record as saying that he would send his own children to a private school because they have smaller class sizes and are better resourced than state schools?

Also, why are these "well resourced" private schools given additional state funding by our government - money that could be saved without detriment to our state schools?

Unfortunately education in New Zealand has become a political football. We are in the top group of OECD countries for our education system and yet politicians, particularly around election time, keep telling us we are failing our children, our teachers aren't up to the job and, if we will only vote them in, they will fix everything.

Much has also been made of the fact that 1 in 5 children are 'failing' (sorry, I really don't know the source of that statistic - I only know it is quoted just about every day at the moment by just about every politician I hear speaking about our schools)

FACT: We have a very good education system
FACT: No education system will ever get 100% success

This is not because we have poor teachers although the politicians would love to make you think this is the case.
Each student is an individual. They have their own strengths and abilities. They come to school with different backgrounds and skills and experiences. We cannot produce identical cans of baked beans from different raw materials.

We CAN help each student to be the best they can.
We can. We are. We do.

Last thought... I honestly have yet to meet even ONE person who is critical of teachers (you know the comments - good pay, 9 to 3 work hours, awesome holidays) who would actually do the job.
They don't want a bar of it.

"Those who can, teach. Those who can't pretend to be experts in education and try to tell the teachers how to do their job."
Anon

At a politician's whim...

The NZ Government has reversed an appalling decision to increase class sizes as a money saving idea in the latest budget. What bugs me is why we have to kick up such a fuss to get politicians to do the right thing. They should be doing it anyway. This U-turn is not an educational one, sadly. It is a political decision. Our children's futures are being decided based on the ambitions of a group of politicians. (That's my rant for today!)
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/7060055/Class-size-U-turn

2012 - and a fresh start!

2012... Okay, a little behind the times... but hey, we're back.
To be honest this is just a placeholder while i get my head around the changes in look, organisation etc here at Blogspot (Blogger).

I'll back soon...

Gee... this account is still going? I was going to set up a new blog but on the off-chance came looking here...

Since my last entry I have traveled to Melbourne - lovely place, very like Christchurch. Only spent about 5 days there, but it was a lovely flight, quick and comfortable, great weather (most of the time) we were there and lots of good memories. The wildlife farm was awesome!

Now, The Welsh Kiwi is on the road again later this year, and so are other members of the family. Later this year we are sampling the delights of a pacific island (another tick on the Bucket list!) This time my daughter and her husband are joining me... They've been before and it was their suggestion to go back.

While winter makes itself comfortable in the deep south of NZ, I'll be relaxing on a warm beach in the middle of the Pacific, sipping on my drink as I watch the sunset through the palms... Or something like that! *grin!* I can't wait!

Catch ups...

The school year has well and truly started, and we are nearly at the end of the third week. I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of relief (supply) teaching work I have been able to pick up, with 4 days a week at a time when I wasn't expecting anything at all, to be honest!

It's not even the time of year for coughs and snuffles, but then, of course, some schools have banked staffing to burn off and teachers do need that CRT release. I have picked up a few other spots as well and have enjoyed a variety of teaching as both secondary and primary schools have called. (Long may it continue!)

Today I was thumbing through the diary, and I was looking at a quiet week next week with no bookings - and then, just this afternoon, I received a request for ten days this term from three schools. Very satisfying! Looks like I will be able to pay the phone and power bills after all... (Just kidding...! They are covered - but I can now also pay the finance bill on the car! LOL)

Elsa is hard at work and her hours seem to get ever longer and longer... I'm actually looking forward to a day off over the weekend - maybe we get get out after some of those blue cod skulking around the coast! 

Jack is back at university, with a more satisfying placement in his flat with a larger room, and the prospect of a year's academic study looming... heheh! Sarah and Rob are starting to think more of the wedding and Jen is feeling her way into her new job.

Sorry, I haven't yet won the Lottery, but I will keep buying tickets! I look forward to winning enough to travel first class back to the UK in the next year or two (yeah, right...!)

Drop me a line or a comment through the blog if you feel so inclined. Keep in touch!

Thoughts...

Well, it all seems a bit of a blur, really! Kind of hard to believe that it all happened! The jet lag is (slowly) fading although the sleep patterns will take a while to settle yet (not that I had great sleep patterns in the first place!)

However, it did happen, and one certain thing is that I WILL go back!

As this will be my last Welsh Kiwi blog entry, I want to thank all those who took me under their wings during my stay, and who spent so much time organising my trip.

Julie & David, Anne & Pat,  Sandra & Alun, and Glenda & Mike in particular, as they hosted me in their homes, took me round their home areas (and beyond), giving up their own time to make sure I met family, and saw my parents' "home" as much as possible, and gave added value to the trip as they introduced me to other parts of life in Britain.

Thanks to Alun and Sandra for their patience as I tracked down a slice of history through the castle ruins I visited; to Julie & David for that wonderful trip to Paris; Marilyn and Len for the dinner in Cardigan - a lovely way to meet people.

There were lots of others involved in small ways - Mavis and Edna for their knowledge of the families immediately spring to mind, and Ceris for your help with the artwork - but if I haven't mentioned you by name, please don't be offended.

My appreciation of the trip will never fade. Thank you!

I'll be back!

Keep in touch via email! It's wonderful knowing you now!

...And do let us know if you are coming out to New Zealand - there's a bedroom here at our home for you too!

Home again!

The flight to Dubai was easy, and I had the company of a very amiable passenger in the seat next to mine. The arrangements that had been made for my stopover went very smoothly and a short time after arrival I found myself comfortably ensconced in the Pearl Residence. 

Arabian Adventures had a lovely contact person arranged for visitors (Dounia) who was quick to listen to her clients' needs, and signed me up for the Sundowner Safari (otherwise known as the 'Dune Dinner Safari'). This involved being picked up in mid-afternoon by a wonderful driver (Kalid) in a very comfortable 4 wheel drive and I joined 5 others who had signed up. 

An hour out of Dubai, we joined the convoy of about 39 other vehicles (I had been mentally picturing about 6 vehicles, not 40!) and drove out into what I consider REAL desert - sand, sand and more sand! Here we drove over and round and up and down sand dunes to a meeting point for photos and a drink, then on to the camel farm for the next break. All great fun - although they had asked me to sign an indemnity form because of my back troubles. However, it wasn't a problem...

The next stop was seemingly in the middle of nowhere to watch a lovely sunset as the sun disappeared behind the dunes (hence the name of the safari) and then on to a bedouin camp setup. Here we had an opportunity to ride camels, drink Arabic coffee (I'm not a coffee drinker, but those who were said it was very good!), and we sat under bedouin tents eating a lovely meal, watching a belly dancer and drinking wine. Some of those on the safari tried the 'hubbly bubbly' pipes (apple flavoured tobacco?) and then it was away and back to town. (if you are going to visit Dubai, I seriously recommend this evening!)

Dubai has construction happening seemingly everywhere! Kalid did say they were building, amongst other things, a theme park that will eventually be bigger than even Disney World!

A wake up call at 5:45 the following morning had me stumbling round to find the shower, then I was whisked off by bus back to the airport for the long haul to Sydney, and then finally back to Christchurch, where Kevin and Andrew met me...

A short stay later and it was away on the final flight home, where my family met me and a short time after that I was sitting back comfortably in my own home, wondering where on Earth the last 5 weeks had gone!

To Mum and Dad

I will come back.

Hwyl fawr.

Last blog from the UK

This will be my last online entry from the UK, and don't know if I will be able to access on the way back, but I will try. We take the train to Heathrow tomorrow (easier than driving) and I fly to Dubai where I stay until Tuesday (local time). The remainder of the journey will take me through Sydney, and then on to Christchurch, before flying the final leg home later that evening.

Had a quiet day today with just a walk in to town for some bubble wrap for the last few items in the packing, and tomorrow morning sees me trying to squeeze everything into the suitcase and under the luggage limit at the same time! (Miracles I perform at once... The impossible takes me a little longer.)

It has been a marvelous adventure (as Aunty Mavis called it) and Wales was the heart of it all.

To Julie & David, Anne & Pat and Sandra & Alun: without you this trip simply couldn't have been as wonderful as it has been.
You have made me feel very welcome, and you have been fantastic hosts, giving me a wonderful introduction to my extended family, showing me around, and bringing me 'home'.
As I have said before, I feel something has been completed inside - and you can take the credit for that!

Thank you.
Everyone has been very patient with an, at times, utterly bewildered Kiwi, and I still feel I am wandering around with my eyes wide open like a kid eying up the presents under the tree on Christmas morning, even after nearly six weeks.

To the family I was privileged to meet, to those I have talked to by phone because we couldn't meet, and to those I have yet to meet - thank you for making me welcome. I look forward to keeping in touch!

This time tomorrow I will be high in the skies and heading away. I have mixed feelings about that. Part of me wants to stay and keep going. Part of me wants to be back at home with my family I am missing terribly, but being home means the adventure is over, so I want it to continue, but home is calling, but...
Do you see my problem...?

* sigh! *

I guess the only solution is to find an opportunity to travel to the UK again! Next time Elsa will come with me and I can show her the places I have seen - and we can explore further... Scotland, North Wales, Ireland...

I will have to sign off - if I can't make a blog entry on the journey home, I will certainly put an entry in when I do get home (and get over the jet lag!)

Take care all, and thank you for reading.


The Welsh Kiwi

Baker Street

We set out this morning with the intention of visiting 221b Baker Street where the Sherlock Holmes museum is situated. Also we had the British Museum in mind, but in the end we were sidetracked by things Sherlockian, so to speak!

After riding the train to Liverpool Street station, then the underground to Baker Street station, we entered the building to find a very 'touristy' but fascinating set up. The rooms had been designed and furnished very much according to the books and stories, and there was even an actor dressed as Dr Watson to greet us. They had figures from some of the stories set up including a figure of Moriarty. Even the girls serving in the shop were in a costume reminiscent of the period.

There was a beautiful edition of the complete Holmes stories, but it was too expensive and heavy for my overloaded suitcase! We popped into the Beatles shop almost next door, then walked out past Madame Tussaud's waxworks (but didn't go in).

A quick discussion ensued and we decided on another trip on the tube designed to take us all the way to the Sherlock Holmes pub for a light lunch, but then, at my suggestion, Julie and I alighted at Westminster instead, right alongside the Houses of Parliament and 'Big Ben'. We walked over Westminster Bridge, and back, then round to have a look at Westminster Abbey, and the smaller St Margaret's Church alongside.

We caught a London black cab to finish the trip to the Holmes pub (my stomach clock had gone off a while back, and the wind was bitter despite the warmth from the sun). We had a lovely roast beef sandwich and I sampled a pint of Sherlock Holmes Ale, before we walked a bit further round to Trafalgar Square.

By now we had agreed to miss the British Museum for today rather than try to cram it into a less than adequate time to do it proper justice... and put it on the 'list of things to do next time when I come here with Elsa'.

We decided on an early return home and took the underground to Liverpool Street station and then home to Shenfield. The list of things to do has some excellent sites for the next trip... the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, a full tour of Westminster Abbey, the London Dungeons...

Indian takeaway for tea, tonight, I am told! Tomorrow I regrettably have to start the sorting and packing process for leaving on Sunday... :o(

A quiet day in Brentwood

To be honest, I didn't feel like doing much today! I walked into Brentwood to get a few things posted, and then declined an offer for more local sightseeing this afternoon. I sat down with a good book, a glass of coca cola, and snoozed a bit!

Mixed feelings at the moment. The end of the trip is close, and I'm torn between really looking forward to getting home and regretting that going home means this trip is over. There are only two days left here in Brentwood, one of which we will use for a trip to London to catch up on one or two other things I didn't get done, and the other will be a lazy day to sort, pack, and figure out what fits in the suitcase and what doesn't!

Part of me just wants a TARDIS to zap me back home without hassle, part of me wants those 2 days to extend out another couple of weeks.

However, on Sunday (UK time) I go to Heathrow and fly to Dubai - another new experience. I fly from there after a day or so giving me a chance to look around, and then I'm back in NZ late next week.

I feel like I have been eating for five weeks... My hosts all through this time (and the various pubs and cafes I have been visiting as I traveled) have all provided me with excellent food! As Julie put it today, it is kind of like an extended Christmas dinner!

Time to join weight watchers!

London

A cold but sunny day saw us traveling to London for a spot of sightseeing. Catching the train from Shenfield, Julie and I traveled as far as Stratford, then switched to the DLR (Docklands Light Railway) line in to the Tower Hill station. A short walk from there took us to the Tower of London. We started off by taking the official 'tour' which gave a lot of background about the Tower's history and it's current day status. Contrary to popular belief, the Tower was not a place bathed in the blood of criminals, although some traitors did indeed meet their end there.

We heard about the Yeomen and their duties, and had a chance to look around the chapel there, the 'Bloody Tower', and I can say I have now seen the Crown Jewels! They have a wonderful history, well presented, as we walked through the White Tower and looked at the historical armoury.

We walked from there past St Olaf's church, where, reputedly, Samuel Pepys is buried. The gateway to the church is notable for the rather gruesome skulls above it! After lunch at Pizza Express (oh, that's not very English!) we went to All Hallows church where I had a taste of brass rubbing. Places for doing full sized brasses are not easily found these days, but they had smaller miniatures of the real thing available there.

From All Hallows, we caught a double-decker bus, Number 15 - the 'Heritage bus', which is the only line with the old-fashioned buses still in service. These are the ones with the conductor at the back where you can hop on. We took this bus all the way to Trafalgar Square where I saw Nelson's column, and the National Gallery, and looked down past the Admiralty down the mall towards Buckingham Palace, and then walked on to Picadilly Circus. Charing Cross Station was also on our way.

A little bit of shopping followed, with a walk down Regent Street, and included visits to the London Apple Store (eat your heart out, Jack!), Hamley's toy store (5 floors of toys... * wow! *) and TopShop. The crowds were h-u-g-e, and it became almost claustrophobic! When we emerged from TopShop, the Underground was closed due to some problem - right on rush hour and people were crowding the streets shoulder to shoulder as they waited for access to be reopened. A visit to Fortnum and Mason's could not be ignored

"Mind The Gap" - this is a saying used for train and tube travelers as they alight from the trains, and refers to the gao between the train and the platform. Well worth a t-shirt price heheh!

We caught the number 23 bus back to Liverpool Street, where we were lucky enough to basically walk into the station, walk on to the train we wanted and we were on our way in just 5 minutes to Shenfield and sanity!

Yet another visit to the photo store is on tomorrow, and a quiet day, to follow as I try to absorb everything! Friday will probably see me back in London to follow up on a visit to the Sherlock Holmes museum, the British Museum, and maybe look for an army surplus store (??? this will depend on the budget and what remains of it...)

With regards to the medal search, I have to quote Victor Meldrew: "I don't believe it!"
We contacted the National Archives, who had been closed for the couple of weeks before Christmas. I had left the search over the Christmas / New Year period, thinking staffing would be at best at a low level, and we set aside this week to try to track the citation... The National Archives has chosen THIS week to close to the public again for renovations. They reopen next Monday - the day after I begin my journey home! * aaaaaargh! *

However, I spoke to a very sympathetic worker there, who gave me some good information about the medals. Apparently, if there WAS a citation, it would have been sent with the medal, which did not happen, according to the info I have, so this may be the end of the search. She did warn that a citation for the medal I am looking for is, at best, RARE. Sounded like close to 100% of the medals fall into this category. The best I can probably hope for is a copy of the Gazette notice stating that the medal was awarded. This is, apparently, the case with the vast majority of medals.

However, she also gave me more leads to follow up online, so I have more homework to do.
Shame really.

Catch you tomorrow night!

Oh, last word - "EXTERMINATE!" I am now the proud owner of a Dalek! heheh (I did mention Hamley's, didn't I?)

Back from Paris...

Had a quiet day today, going into Brentwood to sort photos and posting and then, after a wonderful pub lunch (steak and ale pie - there is a business opportunity in there somewhere, for in NZ!) a drive to a quiet little village called Writtle, just to see something different.

Tomorrow Julie and I are going to go to London, the first port of call being the Tower of London, then traveling on a double-decker bus to Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus. The bus is actually called the heritage bus and is the only double-decker kept on the streets in the old style - where you get on the back of the bus and there is a conductor to take your money (think Harry Potter‘s Knight Bus). All the others are just double-decker versions of a single level bus that we have in NZ - pay-the-driver-as-you-get-on style, although they do have the 'bendy' bus, which is much longer and 'bends' in the middle!

We have been discussing things to do in London, and have thought about (in addition to the ones above) Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks, Tower Bridge, Lloyds, Guild Hall, Globe Theatre (Shakespeare), going to a West End show (‘Stomp’ is currently on, as is ‘The Mousetrap’ - Agatha Christie), Canary Wharf, Sherlock Holmes museum, British Museum, Hanleys (the largest toy shop in the world!) parliament buildings (including Big Ben), Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, Natural History museum, St Paul’s Cathedral… So there is lots to do (apart from shopping in some of the great shops!) and we will have to make a slection - and do some of the others when I come back!

The weather today was great, with wintry sun and blue skies. I was also chuffed to see some foxes today racing around in the field next to Julie and David’s house. They are bigger animals than I thought, and these ones were looking very well fed, which is unusual at this time of year. (Haven’t seen a badger yet though!)

Will log in tomorrow and update. Keep in touch!

Paris - Part 2

Occasionally, and particularly around the Louvre, I spotted fully armed soldiers strolling through the crowds with their automatic weapons, not a sight you are likely to see in Invercargill even on a bad day! The terrorism threats are very real here. Scary stuff…!

Our days started with a taxi ride up to Sacre Coeur, a church in the Montmartre district. After, we strolled round through the artists’ market (where a nice gent reckoned I looked like one of the three musketeers and wanted to paint my portrait - for around 70 Euros!) and then sat for a coffee (or coca cola on my part in a quiet square. We caught the Metro (French version of the Underground) to near the Notre Dame cathedral, and went in there to look around.

This place absolutely blew me away, with it’s massive ceilings, stained glass windows, and the most amazing sense of peace and tranquillity, despite the throngs looking through the cathedral at the time. Like the Louvre yesterday, I was surprised at the amount of flash photography that was happening in these monuments (particularly the Louvre with the paintings) but no-one seemed to be too worried. It was a pain at the Mona Lisa as everyone tried to get their partners / friends to photograph them standing in front of the painting! The queues became a little clogged when this happened!)

We lunched at a lovely little slightly off the main street café (with a delightful waitress who was very patient with my inability to read a French menu!) and then we strolled back to the hotel. In the evening, we found a small café for a sandwich.
It has been funny seeing the reaction of the French when David explains I am from New Zealand... (actually, I think he was doing it deliberately after a bit). They would pause and say, "New Zealand? Ah, rugby! The All Blacks!!" heheh

Back to London tomorrow where I can offload the Paris photos, and start the process of tracking the citation for the medal!

I’m into my last week here now :o( I leave this coming Sunday, but have a stopover in Dubai before I arrive back in NZ late next week (bearing in mind that I lose the day moving through the dateline… confused? You won’t be after the next episode of ‘Soap!‘)

Back again tomorrow night! Hopefully with some encouraging news on the medal…

Paris - Part 1

Hi folks… back from Paris! We took a taxi to Shenfield last Friday, and then a train to Liverpool Street Station, followed by a trip on the Underground to St Pancras Station where the international train departs from. It travels at up to 200 MILES per hour apparently and it certainly seemed fast enough as it took a mere 2 hours 15 minutes to travel from London to when we alighted in Paris. The tunnel goes underneath the channel - a strange feeling looking up at the ceiling of the carriage and knowing what is up there above you!

It is weird sitting in a taxi with the driver on the left hand side, and made even worse as the roads don’t appear to have any sort of lane marking and cars seem to drift around as suits the whim of the driver.
After booking in it was time for a bit of shopping at ‘Galeries Lafayette’ - a HUGE department store - NZ has nothing even remotely like it!

Dinner that evening was at a ‘posh’ restaurant called ‘Julien’ where the food was nice, but horribly expensive. I encountered the beggars for the first time and, with David’s help, manoeuvred round the odd scam that they try on you.

On Saturday, after a very civilised continental breakfast, we strolled off. We eventually reached the Seine and walked along it until we reached the Louvre and the Jardin de Tuilleries, which we walked through and then up the Champs Elysses to the Arc de Triomphe. The Arch was started by Napoleon who wanted a grand arch for his armies to come back into the city through, but Trafalgar and waterloo kind of got in the way, and it wasn’t actually finished until 1836.

The Champs Elysses is home to many of the big names in consumerism and fashion - and they are very expensive. I saw a nice top for Elsa that I saw was a ‘mere’ 570 Euros! (Ouch! No, Elsa, I didn’t buy it… Sorry!)

The walk up the Champs Elysses is about half an hour so we were tired at the top end, and decided to catch one of the sightseeing buses which travels round Paris. This took us to the Eiffel Tower, where we got off. David & Julie went off to find a cuppa while I took the lift for some breathtaking views of Paris.

The weather was kind to us and Paris was very mild, considering it is mid-January, but the views were better without heavy grey cloud or rain. Climbing back on the red bus tour (Les Cars Rouge) took us past some wonderful architecture (including the Grand Palais built for the Universal Expo in 1900) and we got off again at The Louvre. The entrance is under the pyramid in the courtyard (think ‘Da Vinci Code’) and will blow you away when you see the art they have on display!

Quite frankly, it was simply too much to take in on one afternoon, but I can now claim to have seen the Venus de milo, and the Mona Lisa (the real thing! Heheh About A3 size, Sarah...) (As for the other artworks, no, I’m not going to give some in-depth artistic, critical observations… I’ll stick with a simplistic “Man, those guys could paint!”)

By now I was flagging (it had been a very full day) so we headed back to the hotel…

Emsworth... and back to London

Traveling by train is scary in the UK. Well, no, travelling is very good - it’s the finding the right train at the right time in the right place that is scary! Itravelled from Cardiff to Southampton, changed trains and travelled on to Havant, where Glenda met me.

Glenda and Mike hosted me for two nights. After picking me up, Glenda introduced me to Mike and the comfortable surroundings of the Emsworth Sailing Club, particularly well-known to many New Zealanders because of Sir Peter Blake's connection to the club, and that of his wife Pippa. After that, I met my Aunt Edna for the first time! It so wonderful meeting family I have heard about for nearly 50 years... I'm only sorry I wasn't able to spend more time talking to her, as she knew my mum very well, and talked a lot about her visits to the UK.
(Message to Edna and Mavis - I'll bring Elsa in to see you next year!)

We had dinner with daughter Emma and her family - a great, fun evening (Hi Georgia!), with good food and drink and great company!

Glenda and Mike took me to some historic parts of the South of England on Wednesday. Emsworth is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Portsmouth, where I toured through Nelson's flagship "HMS Victory". After the official tour, we discovered a little side exhibition that had the main topsail from Victory preserved - complete with shot holes from the battle in Trafalgar. There was also a description of the making of the sail. A very interesting interlude!

Next up was a visit up the Spinnaker Tower with views of Portsmouth and the harbour. They have a piece of glass floor there, much larger than the small window on the Sky Tower in Auckland, and I’m sorry to say I chickened out of the opportunity to walk across it! After lunch in another cosy little pub, they took me to the D-Day Museum, a wonderful experience, looking at the history leading up to and including the invasion of Normandy.

Uncle Don was involved in the first wave, I understand, and the multimedia and static displays the museum have really brought the reality of that home.

We dined at the Blue Bell pub on haddock and chips, before heading for a good night’s sleep.

This morning Glenda and Mike dropped me at Guildford where I caught a train to Waterloo Station, then a short trip in a London black cab took me to Liverpool Street Station, where I caught another train to Shenfield, where David picked me up. A walk into Brentwood this afternoon enabled me to (finally) offload the pictures on the camera to CD, and we have spent a quiet evening getting ready for the trip to Paris tomorrow.

The next email / text / blog entries will be next Monday. Have a good weekend , folks and I will tell you about PARIS on our return! Keep in touch! Only 10 days left before I start the journey home… :o(

Trelewis...

Time for an update! Monday was a wet-grey-wet-wet-grey sort of day, but Alun and Sandra took me out to see an area of the Rhondda I had not yet visited. We went through Aberfan, where the Pantglas School disaster occurred in 1966 (October 21st). A coal mine tip
collapsed and crushed the school. 144 people (mostly children) died in the disaster. In Aberfan there is a wonderful memorial to the children in the form of a series of arches in the cemetery there. Visiting the site is quite heart-rending as you walk along the rows reading the ages of the victims... 9...8...10...9...

I was feeling a little subdued, but we moved on, and visited Caerphilly Castle, walking around the outside as the afternoon was getting on and there were renovations happening which meant the main hall was closed anyway (Elsa - here's another place for us to visit next year!)

Tuesday started with a visit to Alun's workshop. He is a farrier and very skilled - I commented how he made the work look so easy, but he just pointed out "I've been doing it for a long time man!" Sandra, Ceris and Rhys took me into Cardiff to catch a train to Portsmouth (actually Havant but close enough) where I was met by Glenda...
(Read on in the next post!)

To Alun & Sandra, thank you so much for the last 8-9 days. Awesome! You showed me parts of Wales I would not have reached without you, and gave me the opportunity to meet family who would have been out of reach otherwise.

Thank you for hosting me!!