Thursday 1st September

First day of a new month.  A new school year about to start.  I used to have a real buzz as a Head at the start of the new year, good induction of staff in the few days leading into the students arriving, high hopes for improvements. Looking forward to that first assembly of the school year.  It was good to stand infront of the whole school knowing everyone was listening.   In Boreham Wood though new ideals were often shattered by poor behaviours and attitudes amongst some students.  It was a continual struggle there to maintain the upward trend.  We did OK and I look back now and think what we achieved and the First Schools paved the way for the new two tier system post re-organisation to be a success.

Now I do a little bit each day supporting the US schools from afar via the internet.  I know which I prefer.  Part-time via a computer with one more big trip planned or the intensity of being in school daily.  It was interesting last week in Boston to watch the stresses and strains a Head and senior staff are under at the start of a school year, especially when things do not go as planned.  Timetable changes because a parent does not like a grouping, reports to be re-written because a parent complained at the end of the year.  Customer satisfaction has always been important but within private education when the only income is the fees that the 'customer' pays.  It is crucial to keep parents and students happy.

The new path.

An early morning walk with Lillian towards the lighthouse and back along the beach. Stones to collect. Whilst I have been away Lillian has made a new path to match what was placed when the garden was landscaped just by collecting flat stones from the beach.  As ever, always seeking perfection changes were made and some replaced on our return to home.

Our walk was actually cut short as the 'satellite dish' man called to say he was coming.  An expensive operation now gives us a mixture of 'free to air' channels which surprisingly includes Abu Dhabi Sports which show premier league football.  However the remaining channels are not really 'compulsive viewing' and of course local channels are in Greek.  Cant think we will actually do a lot of watching but I do like to be able to 'flick'.


Swimming, lounging and an evening drive along the coast towards Zygi where we stopped at a fish taverna looking out to the sea as the sun set.  A fish meze for two left the three of us 'stuffed'.  Emily enjoyed it very much and we chatted away for a long time.  We were the only eaters in the taverna, even though there was seating for at least 100.  Does September mark the end of the year here?