Short shadows

School's out for summer!
School's out for ever!
(six weeks, anyway...)

and I have three weeks off from teaching at the rehab, which is a long enough break.
I will be teaching aromatherapy to Japanese students instead.

To celebrate the start of our holidays, CleanSteve and I drove up the hill to Rodborough common, to Wynstones ice cream factory, to sit in the sun, munch cones of coconut ice cream, and watch the world at play on a roasting Friday afternoon, the day all schools broke up. I watched as one boy, old enough for school, began to cry and wail when his mother said he couldn't have a flake in his cone this time. She ignored him.

This little girl and her low-slung dog caught my attention, so I snapped them. The light was very strong, so I've altered the colour a little.

Back at school, earlier, I remembered how on this day last year, I was just being offered a job, starting in September. Then, I walked along the canal towpath (which was closed off) to rejoice in the news and buy pecan pastries. Now the towpath is open again; I am trying harder to avoid wheat and therefore Danish pastries; and I have completed a whole year in the same educational setting! That is a huge milestone for me. It's the first time I've done that. Before, I was usually attached to after school club, and never managed to start in Sept and work right through. Last year I drew closer to that ideal, but this year I made it, and did not have to commute!

I should be drinking prosecco! Instead I am wondering about how to put up the giant paddling pool I have just been given, and sighing with relief that I have successfully filled 81 pots of lotion base for the Japanese students I am seeing in August. Maybe I should just fill the pool with prosecco and dive in.

We leave for Scotland on Monday. I cannot say that often enough.
We leave for Scotland on Monday.