Future All Mapped Out!

That's me passed everything I need to pass to start teaching. Inevitable, but certain factors were out of my hands, until now. I have 2 weeks back at Uni, just tidying up paperwork and rounding things off, then that's me through till August. One small thing, to pay a visit to the school where I'll be teaching, meet the Rector, scope out my classroom and evaluate the teaching resources and equipment, see what I need! There are of course several unknown variables; who will be my mentor, which courses I'll be teaching and what level of support I will get, as a newly qualified teacher. I am looking forward to it, but of course there's a sense of trepidation. A visit next week should hopefully address my primary concerns.

I've started reading again as well after a prolonged period of book-abstinence. My choice of tome for re-entry into the World of literacy is "Spartan" by Valerio Massimo Manfredi, and Italian author, but translated into English obviously. I'm not that cultured! Of course I'm familiar with elements of the story of the Spartans and the book weaves in and out of the common legends. It's quite gripping, I've read a couple of his other books and he's fast becoming one of my favourite authors. I also have his "Alexander" trilogy, sitting patiently, awaiting my attention.

I'm planning bagging another couple of Munros tomorrow, but it's a bit up in the air at the moment, as the weather forecast keeps changing, and what was promised fine weather, may now well be low cloud and poor visibility. Can't have that, as I was intending to go off the beaten track, in which case I will be reliant on map and compass, but without visible landmarks a map would be no use. So, hopefully, the forecast will alter yet again, and I'll be able to have a grand day out tomorrow!

I Got Me Some Bargains!

I picked up a couple bargains this morning, when the wife and I went on our bi-weekly grocery shopping trip to Elgin. I always look at the book section in Asda's because quite often they have some decent novels for £3.50 ish. Harking back to my Italian holiday in July, if you were keeping up, then you would remember that I read "The Tower" by Valerio Massimo Manfredi while I was there, and that I promised myself to buy his other books once back home in Scotland. Well I did have a look on ebay, but then the focus went elsewhere and I forgot all about it. Anyway, there I was this morning, looking at the books in Asda's when I saw "Spartan" by Manfredi for £1. Woah... bargain book buy or what? So, I snapped that up and "Wolf Of the Plains" by Conn Iggulden for £3.50. That's a novel about the life of Genghis Khan. Yep, you're starting to see just what type of novel I go for, aren't you?

Following that coup, we had to go and try and get some music book for my daughter, for flute, which of course wasn't in stock. They never are! My wife decided to look in some clothes shop and waved me off to Ottakers book-shop, although I wasn't really intersted, but then I found the best buy of the lot, despite costing me £10 this time. I looked under education, you know, just on the off chance that I might see something worthwhile buying, when I spotted a book called "The Trainee Teachers Survival Guide" by Hazel Bennett. After 2 or 3 minutes flicking through it, I relaised that this book might just save my life. Not only has it a wealth of pointers on all aspects of Teacher Training within the Uni, but it also has lots of helpful tips for what to expect and to do while on school experience. I should have had this book a few months back, but better late than never, as they say!