The last pages of my journal tell the story of the last few days quite well.  I’ve learned quite a bit and it turned out to be easy to identify a clear focus each day.  Samuel’s visit on Wednesday revealed what we all know already, but forget: How fast babies grow!  My visit to the dentist on Thursday was a rare reminder of how it feels to leave needing no further treatment…for now.

Friday and Saturday provided the last double page spread of the book and the greenish brown collaged surface was perfect for the photograph of Martin, which featured on the order of service for his funeral.  I was able to tuck the details behind the photo, because at some point in the future, I might look at the picture and wonder who?  what?  why?   But as I recorded in my previous blog post, the service taught me to take every opportunity to listen to the stories people tell of their lives – as well as to make the most of every day we have. 

The large purple splodge on the facing page might have been formidable, had I not created a purple card during a demonstration in the class I taught on Saturday.  Pure coincidence, serendipity, whatever, but with a clear message not to forget to have fun in the middle of all the form filling and administration that’s required in any adult learning situation these days.

The final page records our friend’s birthday party.  She will be ten this week and I provided the craft activity for her friends at her party yesterday afternoon.  When I was first married, I taught in a girls’ school and had a class of thirty ten year olds, so sitting at a table chatting to a couple of them about dragons took me right back to those happy days. 

I completed the journal with a list of the events which prompted the journalling.  I know that at some point I’ll need just that bit of extra information to put the page into perspective, so added a short sentence for each day.  I printed it out in my handwriting font…good fun and just a bit spooky, because although it looks just like my writing, at the same time it doesn’t really look as though I wrote it.  Hmmm.

So that completes the Learn Something New Journal for another year.  Tomorrow, as well as beetling down to Exeter to work for three days, I am going to begin a new project.    I have observed (and indeed, been a little bored by) so many blog posts recording their everyday life in this way, but ultimately, my curiosity has been piqued too.  So, I’m giving it a try between now and the end of the year and if it proves a comfortable and effective alternative to my photo a day, then perhaps it’s something I’ll continue.  Though I bought the “kit” to use during this first stage, I envisage including all kinds of things and will probably break free of the formula at some point.  We’ll see.

In the meantime, I’ve put everything away from the four bags full of things I took to my class on Saturday and now need to begin to pack for the next one.  I really am coming back as a French teacher in my next life.