So, back to the Togo trip.... On day 7 we finally managed to get organised the much-anticipated, extensively hyped, full 11-a-side match with the older children of La Pierre du Pauvre orphanage. The latter team wore Liverpool tops that 2 of our Scouse members had brought down with them (Paddy was most certainly not one of them!) and we wore a mixture of light coloured tops that were aslo amongst the many large bags of football tops that we had collected and brought with us to donate to the orphanage and 2 other places we visited once we returned to Lomé on the coast later in the trip. Quite a sizeable crowd gathered to watch an end-to-end spectacle of flowing, one-touch football ("yeah, right!" :-) that saw us run out 2-1 winners. Although some of the local boys certainly punched above their weight when it came to their energetic tackling, the match was played in a very good spirit. Later that day, basking in the glory of our ...
I sent the below message to my teaching colleagues in school this evening, braced as we are for the arrival of “those-who-shall-not-be-named” (i.e. OFSTED, national school inspectors) sometime between now and Easter. For those of you who live outside of Britain their job is to monitor and ensure high standards in all schools… the problem is that they keep moving the goalposts. Anyway, enough of that. Here’s what I said: I think that the attached video teaching is for us right now, to help us not lose sight of who we are and why we are here in a Catholic school. It's too late for the weekend just gone, but try to take on board its message of "wasting time for God" over the coming weeks, despite the pressures that we are all under. Even if you are not a believer yourself, give yourself some time alone with your thoughts, if you can… even just a few minutes. The video teaching is by one of my favourite bands, Tenth Avenue North, and it accompanies a song of ...
** MILD SPOILER ALERT** Apologies to those who are ignorant of the landmark sci-fi tv series that came to an end in the US last Friday (with us Brits having to wait until tomorrow - think Moses leading the Israelites to the Promised Land with the Egyptians not only hot on their tails but also infiltrated into their ranks), but this exchange between Admiral Adama (Moses figure) + crack pilot Starbuck was one of many tear-inducing moments during the 5-year long serial's finale. Tear-inducing because of the fact that these two characters (like a father + daughter) have had this same exchange at key moments since the first series and it has acted as a pointer to the complicity, mutual trust and deep affection they hold for each other, and because of the context in which it happens (can say no more for now!). I will say little more for now until the British showing has aired tomorrow. How do I know what's in it? I have to confess that I downloaded it Saturday and watched it l...
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