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.

What a nice nice day...for a fire drill!

Fire! Fire! Fetch the engines...

I do not really know how I got through today, but the kindness & understanding of The Chief certainly helped; I had some colour flash cards with me at the gate, where some children connected & gave me a word...a start at least.One or two others resorted to head-butting instead :(

Big assembly and high praise for my mates, as sports day sounds like a success...how could it ever not be?! "Spontaneous", "Sport" & "Surprise" are not words I expect are in the lexicon for organised showcase events.

Be afraid!

Matsumoto's Barney McGrew...

New rules are explained about bikes, trikes & scooters - to be rationed to one class only per day. There are quite a few of them, but not enough to keep everyone happy. There have been breakages and tears, no less. In the red class, whose turn it is to be able to use the bikes etc first, a further explanation of their privelege! In the midst of this I get a call about my best friend's autopsy from his wife, lying to his kids about cause of death & would I like more marbo tofu for lunch. What the hell did my friend eat last? Trying to stare out of the window in case these little mites see me welling up - amused to see a guy 'tuning' the jungle gym. Cool job with Toy Box!

After a recent haircut the children have discovered the spot on the back of my head. I wish it was a reset button, or today a teleport machine.The fire brigade arrived instead and the older ones had a fire drill. Given all the marching practice we've had the last onth, this is very old hat! Homeroom teachers put to task with an extinguisher, and kids given the "Don't play with matches" speech.

A dark, dark cloud over my day which had nothing to do with the children etc...in many ways they helped me keep focus & bless them for that.