Monday 18 February 2013

Work, work, work!

Well, a while back I promised photos of where I work and this is it: XYZ language school in Sulmona. 


 
It is fairly small with 3 classrooms and an office (mine is the middle window), plus we go into some of the local schools on contract teaching all ages from 6 to 18. 




The owners, Anna (Canadian) and Antonio (Italian) are extremely well respected and do a fantastic job running the school ...so much so, they are currently keeping me too busy!!  

It's a fortunate thing to be able to say given the current economic climate here in Abruzzo.  The stress of the PGCE is starting to pay off!

Sunday 10 February 2013

Getting going in the Garden!

So, now well into 2013, we are starting to plan our veg patch and garden improvements for the coming year. The boys are very excited that we are going to designate them an area for their own veg patch and Jake has already made a list of the veg he will be growing!! 

As for us grown ups, in January we moved and renewed our compost heap - 'thrilling' you might think - and yet, we were actually quite excited about it...that's what living in the Abruzzo countryside does for you!!

Plus, after watching a handful of youtube videos, we clearly became experts at pruning fruit trees! Or maybe not...time will tell!

So, what next? Well... I have decided I am going to experiment with an area of no dig veg patch, we are going to modify the hen run for those times when 'the girls' can't be out roaming free for one reason or another, I have started on the design for the new herb garden - which will also house the Pizza Oven, we have made a rough list of the veg we want to grow throughout the year in the veg patch, we want to make a private garden for the rental apartment, plant some more fruit trees, renew the wood shed roof and...well seriously, do we need anything else?

A treasured friend once told me that I need to shorten my list of things to be achieved, that way I am more likely to succeed and feel that sense of achievement...Becks, I am still working on it!