Long summery days :)

For once,  I feel justified in boasting about the weather!  23 degrees yesterday, 21 today...not dark until 11pm, light again at 4am (ok, that one is a bit annoying...6am would be a bit more reasonable).  Tucking a blanket around the window before going to bed is becoming a normal thing to do now :)  Before I get too caught up in summery-ness, here are some lovely pics of the cherry blossoms outside the church.  They were there such a short time but so beautiful!



Beautiful Blossoms!

Hilton Parish Church









The Lighthouse Cafe







So, what has been happening I hear you say? Well since you asked, it's been a pretty full-on two weeks.  I've been teaching 3 days a week for the last two weeks at Kilchuimen Primary, and will do again this week.  It's so good to have some continuity and really get to know the kids and school. 
It takes about 45mins to get there, but since the drive is along the edge of Loch Ness I'm not complaining! For those of you who are teacherly, I just have to put this out there: Class teachers in Scotland don't do playground duty! All duties (including before and after school and eating supervision) are done by senior staff and classroom assistants...yep, 'lunch hour' actually means a full hour to have lunch!!!!

So far, the schools I've taught at have been great. Once you are at a school for more than 5 days, the pay goes up and you are then expected to take on curriculum planning and have greater involvement in organising resources etc.  Having a longer stint at Kilchuimen has been a really good opportunity to get my head around how things work here.  I've been teaching a class of 14 P45 (gr 3/4) students who are all so polite and lovely....yay! 

Well, enough about school stuff...this weekend has been all about relaxation and enjoying the beautiful sunshine!  On Friday I'm off to Switzerland for 5 days to visit some lovely swiss friends, so will write about that next post!  Have a wonderful week and make sure to keep me up to date on what's happening for you :)


Today's adventure: Horseriding with my
lovely housemate Bregtje!

 


My latest cute thing - Heilan Coo, and my latest
hobby - crochet!











My trusty companion Moss and I in
Loch Ness (obviously not a deep part...wouldn't
want to get eaten by Nessie)
What an experience!

And finally, on a beautiful sunny day - my favourite place
for relaxing: the lovely/weird window in my room.
(Thank you Claire for the paper garland!)





Skye adventures

Hello there, I hope all is well in your part of the world.  Here it is raining and windy but otherwise a lovely Sunday afternoon.  I can't believe how fast time is passing....I've been here 3 months now!  I'm enjoying the rhythm that life has at the moment, but know that there are more changes just around the corner.  In a month I will move to the Isle of Iona, where I will be spending the summer break, before returning to Inverness in August.  More on that later! 

Last weekend there was a bank holiday on Monday so I decided to take a long weekend on Skye.  I'm still learning the art of relaxation, and finding the motivation to take solo holidays can at times be difficult but this was definitely worth it.  In short, it was absolutely amazing!  Skye is kind of known for changeable weather..I've heard some people who have visited and seen nothing but mist.  But for me, I feel I got to see the island at it's best....three days of beautiful sunshine! 

View from Dun Flodigarry hostel

Although it's connected by bridge now, the island itself has a very different feel from the mainland.  In distance it doesn't take long to drive around, but the amount of times the scenery changes is crazy. 

There are spectacular beaches with turquoise water.....


Sandy Beach at Sleat Point



A cafe I spotted on the hr long walk
to Sleat Point 

....huge jagged hills with hidden lochs...




View of the Cuillins from "Misty Isle" boat on the way to Loch Coruisk



At Loch Coruisk

....brilliant hill walking with even more brilliant views....



View on the way up to Old Man of Storr (Isle of Raasay in the middle,
 Scottish mainland in the background)



At the top!












...beautiful buildings...





Dunvegan Castle




Portree Harbour

....and lots of not always road-aware sheep and cows.





Moo!



Baa!






  There are good main roads but also lots of single-track roads (a road that is the width of one car, but is for traffic travelling in both directions).  Actually, I decided I love driving on the single-track roads for a few reasons: Firstly, I had to travel slower because of possible oncoming traffic, which meant I could enjoy the scenery more.  Secondly, it is lovely when another driver is courteous and pulls over and lets me pass first, and when I pull over or reverse for them I get a wave and smile and feel that I've made a new friend!  All in all it makes driving a more pleasant experience :)  The pictures really don't do this place justice....so come and see for yourself!  Here are a few more favourite pics.  Have a lovely week :)