3BT

Three beautiful things from today

• I was on playground duty this morning and it was cool and windy. There really are only two seasons in Kuwait; Summer and Winter, this transition period is short, but it is so heavenly.
• I've opened my small wheelie case and started to fill it with warm clothes for Munich. I texted my friends 'See you soon!x'
• This song

3BT

Three beautiful things from my Sunday:

• A 14km run in the morning sunshine by the sparkling Gareloch. (The Dublin half is still going to be a challenge, but I'm just enjoying running at the moment and not thinking much about times or targets).
• Reading (and finishing) this beautiful love story in the garden.
• Watching and celebrating a Scot win Wimbledon! Get in Andy!!!

I'm now in full holiday mode...a bit of sunshine makes all the difference!

3 Beautiful Things

• Hearing from a friend in New Zealand that I made her day with snail mail. This then made my day! Once again vowing to write and send more letters and cards by post.

• Walking into my little flat and spotting my new, pretty, blue cabinet from the door. Totally worth the four trips to Ikea. (Said completely seriously!)

• Listening to Florence + the Machine as I cook dinner. Dancing on the beach to her on the weekend was also pretty great!

Three Beautiful Things

Life in the sandpit can get very same-same...so it is important to look for the pretty.

• "Do you recognise me? I'm Nasser's mum." A sweet conversation with a parent of a boy I taught 7 years ago.  He is now at university. She shows me photos on her phone and we swap numbers. I walk away feeling proud...and slightly old!
• Muffins dropped off  by one friend and soup from another. Living in in staff accommodation has its benefits!
• Hearing from my friend in Cape Town.He successfully completed the Two Oceans ultra marathon. He has kept the fact that he was running it quiet; he has an injury and was unsure if he would manage the 56km. He completed the mountainous run in 5 hours and 12 minutes. I'm sure he will write about his experience on his blog soon. http://booj.blogspot.com 

I had to narrow them down today...that in itself is a very very happy thing!

I am teaching tomorrow, Easter Sunday...so I have to admit it is kind of bypassing me...but..Happy Easter! x

3BTs

I arrived back late last night after a bit of a high energy weekend (I'll tell you more about that after I have recovered!). This morning I thought it would all be about getting through the school day, but actually, it turned in to a pretty sweet Sunday.

Today's 3 Beautiful Things

• Looking back at some photos of sundowners from last night in Bahrain. Big smiles, beautiful people, great memories. I feel very blessed.
• My lovely friend and neighbour, Kirsten, greets me with gifts; two containers of home made soup, quinoa casserole and home made blueberry muffins. She knew after my weekend away my cupboards would be bare. How amazing is she!? My heart is full.
• Turning reckless ideas into adventurous plans. xxx

3 Beautiful Things

It has been a while since I wrote my 3BTs, inspired by Clare, but tonight I feel like sharing!

1. A friend makes a quick stop during his 26km training run, to knock on my door and wish me good luck for my marathon. I gave him a yoghurt and a glass of water in return.


2. Goodbye hugs from my class. It will only be a few days...and we ALL need a break from each other...but we will miss each other too.


3. Packing for the holidays! Sometimes packing can be a chore...but I am off to Spain...tonight it is a pleasure!

3BT-Arriving, preparing for the afterlife and catching snowflakes

3 Beautiful Things

1. Once I leave my neighbourhood, the road to work, through the valleys, is a quiet one. The muddy roads around the 'w' place are so pretty. I stopped for a moment.

2. My class presented their pyramids today. Tombs filled with photos, food and jewels. They were so proud to have completed their challenge!

3. Run Club ran around the grounds finding snowflakes. Sliding in mud, big smiles and laminated snow. It could have been an Ariel advert!

Rainbow Spectacular

I collected my kanga material, Ugandan made, rug this afternoon, made by Kampala Fair. It is now home, in my little apartment. I love it! It is so colourful and bright...just like the rest of my lounge actually(...I think I will have to tone everything else down a bit). Plus, the bonus is that it is super soft for bare feet!

After all my moaning about shopping in Kampala, I have just found somewhere new to spend my Shillings. Yeaaaay!! I also walked away with two new cute dresses, that are very Mad Men (apparently... I am behind in getting 'into' the show).

This made me very happy today, but here are some more...
3 more beautiful things for today.

Sweet goodbyes, success and spreading it on thick!

• Reading some really sweet messages from pupils in my class to a pupil that is leaving. We created a leaving book today and it is clear that EVERYONE is going to miss this amazing wee boy.
• Successfully downloading my photos from my phone... for the first time.
• Spreading lemon curd on my slice of toast, having it with a cup of tea now - mmm,mmm,mmm!

slowly does it, appreciation and party guests.

Sunday's 3BT - a few of the things that gave me pleasure today:

• "That man is a veh-hicle!!", exclaims one of the security guards as an incredibly fast runner over takes me in today's 7 Hills run in Kampala. I was a bit slower (!), but never the less, I completed the 20km hilly run and dare I say it...enjoyed it!!  I feel SO much better about running the Two Oceans in Cape Town at Easter! Whoop to that!
• I took my hard working feet for a pedicure as a treat. They are now happy again! They have ran over 30km this weekend. Well done feet.
• Reading all my comments on my blog from yesterday's party. Thank you!

swinging hips, job done and long weekends.

My 3BTs

• The Fashion Modelling Club went for a walk on the catwalk at our morning assembly. I think this made everyone smile!
• Reports are completed and being printed.
• An announcement from the Ugandan government, Monday will in fact be a holiday for Mayor elections! I let out a loud scream in the staff room!

International Women's Day

Today we celebrate women. We celebrate being a woman and having beautiful, fabulous women in our lives.

A lovely day.

It is a holiday in Uganda. The only other celebration I know by the governement (apart from the day off!) is a talk on maternal health.But I wonder how many feasts are being cooked today, byyyy..?
What about celebrating the freedom of expression? A thought.

My 3BT -Sleepovers, killer runs and pretty, long dresses.

•  I enjoy having my own place, but it is so nice to say goodnight and good morning to someone. The bed is now messy and the flat is empty; Jane has left.
• A killer 1 hour 50 minute morning run. Not a beautiful thing really, but I am stronger for it. A nice thought.
• It is a holiday, the sun is shining and I'm off to play in a pool and wish my friend a happy birthday. My loud dress says all of this! 

As I am in the mood for celebrating, tonight I will make pancakes!

Happy day!

tingly arms, colourful skirts and express delivery.

My 3BT

• I woke up with tingly arms from swimming laps last night. They might not look toned, but they feel it!
• I chose a non-school skirt from the other side of my wardrobe this morning,  as I'm going for coffee after school with a glamorous friend. The material is from Zanzibar and it is bright and colourful, perfect for a Thursday!
• I signed for a DHL package today. Sometimes I forget that somethings things 'work' here! That is enough to brighten my day!

Game&set, flowers and discoveries

3BT

• I won a set of tennis this morning. It has taken a year with my partner to get to this stage! She won the next - but I am happy all the same.
• I get a text from my special visitor, she is getting on the plane at Heathrow and will be here in a few hours. I go to the shops to get some fresh flowers.
• I found poppy seeds at the shops. The lady at the till laughs seeing how excited I am when I discover them. The lemon and poppy seed loaf is on the oven!

(Oh no! I've just burnt my loaf!!!RRRRAA!!)

surprises, breaking-up and looking forward.

My 3BT. Things that have given me pleasure today:

• Finding sweet notes and messages in surprising places; the fridge, the tin of tea and in my purse when paying the bill.
• "Have a good holiday, see you in 13 days", I say to my class as they walk out the door. Holiday!!!
• Apparently the rains have arrived in Kenya. It may not last long, but for now it is cold and wet. It is so hot in Kampala today. I am so looking forward to a time I can put on a pair of tights and my never-been-work Chie Mihara boots. Eeek!

A stormy February, remember to laugh.

Continuing with my "soaking up, breathing deeply and remembering to enjoy" mantra; today's 3BT.

• Being woken to the sound of rain pounding on the ground and car roofs outside. Knowing it was still early, so I could snuggle further into my duvet and count between claps of thunder.
• The month that has 51 days is over!Pay day is around the corner! We have been rewarded with a shorter and cooler month.
• A guest reader started reading George's Marvellous Medicine to my class; one of my all time favourites. The class were enjoying it so we continued reading about all the ingredients Grandma emptied into the saucepan. We had to stop as one boy was crying with laughter! It was such a fun ending to the school day and gave us all so much pleasure. Book Week is great!

compliments, little bit cripsy and afternoon movies.

Yesterday was a public holiday as Ugandan Liberation Day was celebrated...although I didn't actually see or hear much celebrating...it was still nice to have a day off work!

1. "You kept a really good pace today" says my running buddy. Advice and compliments from a more experienced runner are gratefully received and makes me very happy!
2. I sat by the pool in the morning with my friend for a good old catch-up. It was still quiet and not too hot, but I still managed to get a bit of a pink nose... nice to be a shade not as pale as white!
3. The Kids Are All Right...but the parentals sure aren't. I laughed out loud in my flat.

Weekend 3BT

Yesterday I was sick as a dog. I boiled two eggs and even though they smelt and tasted funny- I still ate both of them. Clever! I think it was because I was distracted by an e-mail I was reading!

• Reading this anytime is always a beautiful thing..."I would like to formally offer you a position at..." Reading this from a school that you would actually love to teach at is even more exciting!  Worries of being jobless, or even worse...becoming a supply teacher are gone!Phew!
• I love watching films and crying my heart out.Yesterday I watched Sex in the City,the movie (the first one of course!)- I thought my neighbour might knock on my door to see if I was OK. I was!
• "Do you want to see what I have extracted",says the beautician today.Mmmm, no thanks but thank you for making my skin feel beautiful!!

Sunday mornings, first fish and delays.

My 3BT from a wonderful Sunday in Africa.

• Waking up early on a sunny Sunday morning, knowing that you are able roll over and sleep more; the whole day is ahead of you..but it will wait a wee while longer!
• I was taken, by my African Adventurer, to a beautiful dam outside of Nairobi to go trout fishing. The rubber boat had a leak so I strategically placed my foot on top of it to stop us from drowning. As I did this I reeled in the first catch of the day and my first ever fish! It was gutted on the water and saved for dinner.
• My flight was delayed...not for long, so really not very bothersome...and I just love watching all the different characters in the airport; safari groups, holiday makers, volunteers, missionaries, families returning to school, the busy and important suits, the muzungus who have been at the beach too long and now have dreadlocks and  braids. Those excited, confused, bored, sad, hungry and tired faces. With this live show to watch, I could only read a page of my book.

hugs, beautiful things and packages

It felt like the start of winter in the UK this morning. A storm seemed to be brewing so Kampala was unusually dark and the cockerels morning alarm clock did not go off. But after checking the time on my watch, my phone and on the Internet...and some strong coffee...I made my way to school for the first day back after the holidays.

• Happy-New-Year hugs and kisses in the staffroom and in the playground. Nice to see people you have missed and to have been missed!
• My class and I shared our 3 Beautiful Things from our holidays; hard for everyone to whittle it down to 3. Some of them..."Falling into the lake when I had a fish hooked on my line", "Building sand hills at the beach", "Getting up early on Christmas day to climb the tallest building in the world" and "Jumping up and down at the visa counter, excited to be met at the airport by someone special".
• Knowing I have two parcels at the post office waiting for collection...guessing who they are from and what might be inside!!!

girl talk, missing out and Ringo Starr

My 3BT for the last full day of school before my safari.

• "I'll tell her in girl talk", says one sassy eight-year old girl to her (boy) friend. They then go on to describe to me what 'girl talk' and 'boy talk' is. My class are happy and excited the holidays are coming. They are having fun with eachother as we make wreaths.
• Catching-up with a great friend in the staffroom and making plans for a girly evening tonight.  So many stories to share; we are meeting early so no details will be spared!
• Wishing my dad a Happy Birthday - I can't wait to celebrate with him when the parentals arrive on Friday!