Back at School

Yesterday was our first day back at school and for some reason I felt like I was going back as well.  I had that feeling in my gut that I get on the day before the start and even felt like I had some homework I needed to do.  Perhaps some of this was inspired by the fact that we couldn't find Xyla's reading book and journal.  I even looked under the mattress and in the rubbish bin - perhaps conditioned by the locations of past lost objects.  Turns out the book was misplaced in another student's bag by the teacher on the Friday before break.  We had no inkling that the book did not come home and since we didn't look to read the book until Tuesday night, the night before the beginning of the new term, we thought it must be here somewhere.

Rose and Xyla were excited about the return and it was clear from what was going on on the playground before the opening bell that the kids had a lot to share with one another.  Students talked of their recent trips, of loose teeth and scrapes and bruises.

I shared a couple of words with a few of the other parents, but it's still pretty quiet on that social front.  Haven't been able to look to the group of parents at the school for interaction.  Sure, there are conversations here and there, but nothing too involved.  I suppose at one point I thought that folks at the school would be a social outlet and that we would get an invite here and there, but this hasn't come through.  I have thought that we should be doing the inviting and the stalking, but I haven't been up for it.  Overall, then, our lack of social life is partially my doing.  That or it may have something to do with the fact that we have only been here four months and will only be here three more.  Hell, when we first moved to Lancaster it took forever to meet people beyond the Physics department at the college and in this we were aided by Andrea's membership in the department and the fact that Physics folks lived on either side of us.

Nonetheless, we are leading productive (?)  and enjoyable lives here.  As mentioned above, the girls like school, Andrea is busy and enjoying work and I have found some things to do as well.  For one thing I just pulled ten small toy cars out of the clogged drain in the back garden into which the dishwasher and kitchen sink empty.  I tried to use a bag as a glove, but my hand still smells like rotten food even after several scrubbings.

My activities, and I know I have mentioned them before, include a knitting group (I sit around and knit while a bunch of ladies talk about their ailing parents and children) and a writing group.  The latter has been a wonderful experience and I have written a couple of pieces for this as well as producing small warm-up pieces written on the day.  The group does a fair amount of chatting and I have enjoyed getting my two pence in from time to time.  Actually, my hope was to write a bit of a story this morning, but here I am writing this.  Oh well, writing is writing I guess.

Later today will be my first day back as the lunch guy and it is always fun to hang out with the kids at school.  I have also enjoyed chatting it up with the ladies who do the cooking.  Perhaps I'll touch on that when I write more here later.

Cheers!