Tuesday, March 11, 2003

What I did today Today, I... Was on duty at lunchtime, and had to go without lunch because the mobile cake shop didn't turn up; Went to Akizuki Elementary School; Got inundated with a flood of wet wipes (one of the ladies in the office came back after lunch with a tub of wet tissues, and decided it would be fun to get rid of the whole tub before the end of the day!); Made the title banner for the Ogiri event; Went to buy some Calorie Mate (I didn't get lunch, after all!) and ended up buying ice-creams for three junior high school boys (whose grins and effusive, baseball-club-style thanks made my 300 yen all worthwhile); Chaired the second study meeting for the five high school students going to England for two weeks at the end of the month; Went to Romantei for dinner (or was it lunch?) with Wendy.

I went to Akizuki Elementary School today for a special lesson with the third years (all three of them). They'd asked me about British cakes and sweets a while back, and they invited me to show them how to make scones. In lessons like this (especially given that using ovens at the schools is like trying to heat a concert hall by rubbing two sticks together) baking is not normally a good idea, so I went with my special recipe for griddled scones. The children made the dough, kneaded it and shaped it into balls with a little help, and then we (effectively) fried the scones on a hotplate using plenty of butter. We then had a mini 'afternoon tea', with tea and the scones. They were very good indeed- better than when I make them myself! The third-year children, too, were fun- they'd all insisted that they hated raisins and didn't want me to include them, yet they all tried them in the scones and enjoyed them. Also, the boy in the class apparently never drinks milk at school, but when he saw the girls and I putting milk into our tea, he decided to try it himself, and ended up with more milk in his cup than tea!

The five children going to England this year really deserve their trip. They might not be the best speakers of English there have been on this scheme, but they are actively and positively interested in the UK and in their visit. In previous years, it's sometimes felt like at least some of the participants have only been interested in what fashion and souvenirs they could buy; they didn't even pretend to be interested in the country and its history, culture, etc. This time, though, it's different.

Pick of the Photos A view across Etajima Bay to Nomijima, as seen from Hachiman Jinja, the shrine in the centre of Etajima.