Volcanic fall-out from sports day

Tanjobi day; everyone looks relieved to be done with sports day! Talk about wasted opportunity for sport - event obviously much more important for PR

Minii among others on stage. Nicely controlled by Minnie; iLeader glows.

Volcano eruption on Gifu/Nagano border killed 31 during sports day; IMHO no such thing as 'unexpected eruption' if a volcano is active. News has been fairly horrific, but our doctor students calm and candid. Bodies with massive holes blasted through them by high velocity/super heated ejecta. Micro-layer of ash reached town here.

Bored witless, arse prodded, lunch in Madge's room; usual suspects being twats. Aggro behaviour not reined in.

Song practice = 50% at most involved, rest lipsyching & distracting each other: really dislike the shoutiness. Anyway, Legs11 rescues the group & then rice-picking briefing by Madge. Harvest is tomorrow.

The big gig: Sports Day

Both ends of the 'stadium' rammed with parents & grandparents, dads on step ladders along the touchline dangling cameras & videos.

Next year's intake get a run, as do alumni - tears from toothless loser, poor thing. Something to remember forever?

Littlest ones sat in the sun, no shade or hydration. Job I have done with the drums etc taken care of by dozen extras - trainee teachers & pinch hitters. Their efforts very much appreciated.

As I can't even really see in, with the weight of parenthood and camera anguish, all I can really do to wander around behind the crowd & say 'Hi' to a few people who notice. Could be so much more if they wanted it to be - stopped & asked my opinion once in the last month?

But that would be far too much. This is all about the show, and in the days of film I am sure how Fuji made a bloody fortune. It's the ritual, the rite of passage and the precision of the schedule - familiarity & security of life moving on but nothing really changing? It is absolutely not to do with anything sporty, a celebration of speed, skill or ability. All about the group think, the homogeneity, the malleableness. Celebrate the job the teachers have done to produce this tightly choreographed mini-drama, when nothing has actually happened.

And everyone goes home happy, the teachers frazzled, cameras full. Sunstroke cases I am sure, and another notch in 'my childhood' notched on mums' Facebook pages.

Happiest of all, likely the in-house photographers' boss. I gave CD-roms of all my photos to Boss to give to the teachers; no one said thank you, so I guess he didn't.

Are we nearly there yet?

Typhoon coming?

More f%@*ing sports day practice. Inane bollocks achieving square root of sweet f. a.

Scotland said No

Morning spent with my long lens actually shooting the sports day practice. Afternoon ditto the taiko.
Lunchtime bento outside, betting & winning on Hina finishing last.

Legs11 & iLeader frisky, but lots of tired looking kids.

TV wants to see English school talking about the referendum - my friends & staff interviewed on the subject at my school in my abscence. Gormless set up, as it turns out - glad I wasn't there! Doubtless "Igirisu" continues.

Turns out wasn't the only one startled at size of iOS 8 download, glad I stopped uninstalling apps!

iOS8 or Scotland; which is bigger?

Til 11 outside drilling sports day; keeping out of the way in photographer pose, but need to keep out of actual photographer's shots lest somone notice I'm trying to keep track of the Scottish Referendum on the sly. Must be 'No' for me - UK & European progress knackered otherwise.

Double dipping Legs11 this week; suits me!

EdTech news =  iOS 8, requiring enormous 4.6GB space. Costs me how many apps?

Punch bag

Minnie's = "no touch" (meaning she did not want o get involved!) comment as Allan makes a total hash of a simple job with the chalk, drawing out the playground lines/circles -  rolled her eyes in dismay as she left the yard & made my day. First ever mini-chink of fractions in the ranks!

Watching Legs11 calmly manage her class as usual; piece of poetry in motion.

Kaisei variously stood on my hand, kicked me in arm & head, called me bakayaro ("stupid idiot") loudly half a dozen times & hit me in the face (reflex I regret but he deserved harder). He's now wrecking a nice card game for other boys. The flashcards they are playing with demonstrate the wrong sounds eg 'o' for Gorilla, katakana o not schwa - hard to explain without a phonetic keyboard.

Kaisei does have issues, developmentally, but I do not think that gives him carte blanche to be an absolute bastard to me or anyone else he lines up as his target. At least I can walk away; I guess the kids have to find their own way of dealing with him.

Nine Eleven

Large buses blocking the street carelessly, not an issue during the day, as it is empty, but is a rat-run full of distracted mums at this time of the day.

The lad Anji back at school, but off colour = fine with me ...lots more kids have joined in football with his absence. However, I'm feeling stiff & immobile (autumn chill creeping in); runny noses & coughs started Tuesday :(

Lots of mums around, for some reason - big deal today = sports day practice. Erm. Think we know what I think about that! Avoided action (aerobics to inane loud J-Pop far too fast & incomprehensible steps) pretending to take pics.  Little kids scared of running into the finishing tape, others can't run straight or handle the corners.

Four teachers (inc. new face Akio-sensei) in Minnie's room today. As usual, look forward to her relaxed, competent teaching.

Occurs to me that this is my mate Ant's birthday, but also the fact that none of this school's kids were anywhere near born when the Twin Towers attacked.

On that note, would Union Jack ever feature in a sports day uk? Stars & stripes would be all over an American one; marching behind hinamaru (Rising Sun flag) bit worrying here.

10 min lunch with pink then moving drums & stuff back. Belted in the head by kid called Kai (an odd sort to be sure) but while holding a box for drum stick returns & unable to defend myself; well pissed off.

At a loose end, playing & sharing my iPad app failed again - overwhelmed with pushing & shoving, climbing on any part of me available & jabbing fingers from spoilers. Solution would be project to a screen, but we know that is not going to happen, as it is not my call and they are dead-set analog.

Legs11 giving a nice debrief of her class efforts this morning, praising all for having a go & not about winning - keep going to the end. Asked them what felt good etc. Nicely done.

What is my time worth?

Dozens of 'must do' jobs hanging over my head for over a week & no chance redemption while I continue with this waste of my time/Luna's MVP. NOT minimum cost utility player on a free.

Sports day jog out practice, needless to say. At least nice weather, taking photos to keep me out the way.

So England qualify for Euros after first game beating mighty Swiss away? Since when has that had to count as a footballing achievement?

Wrong notes!

• Mild, sweet and rich lamb dhansak

• Spiced lamb burgers with herbed yoghurt

• Grilled lamb chops, wild garlic pesto and Jersey Royals

• Parsnip-stuffed roast saddle of lamb with a red wine sauce

Souvla - Greek or Cypriot grill to roast skewers of lamb, kid or chicken

This is my notebook for today, so it must have been an out of body experience or one awesome hallucination, because lunch this was not!

Drip drop drip like an April shower

Pre-camping, in tiny tiddlers class.

Sports practice "rained off" by couple of drops! What is it about Japan & inability to endure a bit of rain? I could understand if it was torrential/yard flooded, but so very not the case. Put on macs!

And now it isn't raining even that little bit at all; Jim time was spontaneously requested (grumble, but can do and will do with a smile...but then mid-planning now being ditched for 'maybe later'. Not sure how they'd view their educational contributions being mucked around/sidelined like this. Guess this confirms that my part in the grand scheme of things very much the afterthought. Outside to boredom after all. 

Jim Time re-requested but for after lunch. Not a copy/paste job because this is the back of an envelope (no wifi, still) and it needs to be a completely different plan as they are low & slow after food - just before sleepies for this crowd.

Make a circle, ss1:2

One little finger, ss1:4 

Skiddamarink, ss3:14

Not a killer plan by any means, but need to have the resources handy and flexibility to slip it into action regardless the kids' situation. All sitting down on chairs? Still sat at tables? All standing up & no furniture? Need to be done in 5 minutes or stretch it to 15? Revving up or revving down? A capella or has the CD player turned up? 

Groundhog Day

So here we go again, wasted mornings doing sports day drills - not the sports, the admin. Last year was dreary, so I'm thrilled at this next month's prospects.