Easter Holidays

Greetings from London, where the weather has turned rainy and cold this week again, after taunting us with sunshiny weather and highs in the mid-to-high teens for a bit. Never mind, it's supposed to be sunny and warm (14-15 C) by mid-week, I just have to endure rainy and gray for the duration of the Easter weekend.

My biggest news is that I am now on Easter holidays for just over two weeks. This last half-term has gone much more smoothly and less stressfully for me. Going back to supply work was definitely a positive move. Even if I have a rotten day here or there, when I walk out the door at the end of the day, I can learn any lessons I can from it, then forget about it and move on. I have also enjoyed the tutoring work. While I haven't gotten quite as much work as I'd hoped (which essentially means a slight pay cut from supply work), the work I have gotten has been really rewarding, and I have truly enjoyed working with the kids.

We had a Passover Seder meal (what my Mennonite friends and family would call a Maundy Thursday meal) on Tuesday this week at the London Mennonite Centre. With 15 people there, everyone had to take a part in the readings, either as a host, or narrator, or child (we had several teen children and a 20-something year old "child." After the ritual eating of the cilantro with salt water (symbolic of the Israelites' tears in Egypt) and matzah (unleavened) bread, among other things, we sat down to eat the matzah lasagna and nut roast. I made the nut roast using a recipe that was given to me...very interesting food, containing walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, celery, tomato, mashed potatoes and onions, and egg to glue it together like a giant veggie burger. I wouldn't have thought to put nuts and tomatoes in the same recipe. It was a good evening of food and fellowship and worship together.

Today, I'm leading the music at our Good Friday service at the LMC, and then my friend David and I are going to hear the Bach St. Matthew Passion tonight. Tomorrow is a pretty quiet day, I think I might make cinnamon buns for Easter, and then on Sunday I've volunteered to be the Wood Green songleader at a joint service between Wood Green and the Westbury Avenue Baptist Church whose space we use every Sunday.

I plan to spend the early part of next week doing some cleaning/organizing in my room, as well as planning for my tutor students and accomplishing some things that don't get done when I'm in school, like visiting the dentist. Also, my housemate Kim has gotten a new job in Colchester, teaching a Yr 4 class. She is very excited about it, and will be moving on Tuesday. Since she doesn't have a car/van to move her stuff, I've volunteered to help her carry stuff on the train on Tuesday. I will miss her, but it will give me an excuse to visit Colchester now.

On Wednesday, my K-W friend, Karen will be arriving for a week-long visit. I ordered two London Passes, so we can travel around and see as much of London as we can. I will try to post during her visit with photos and notes about where we've been.

Happy Easter, everyone!