My day was actually quite nice, despite the weather!
Exercise:
I didn’t run this morning, but did get a workout in this afternoon with my friend Lyndsay which means I was sweating like a pig by then end of it. Twenty-five minutes of treadmill intervals and then twenty minutes of weights. I’m sure I’m going to feel that tomorrow!
The view on my way home from my workout:) We had had hail, thunder and lightning and torrential downpour within the half hour before this!
Teaching:
Today was a professional development day and normally I find these horrible. I would rather spend the day teaching as I often am overwhelmed and feel like the worst teacher ever by the end of ProD. I don’t sit and listen all day very well and then to be told of all these amazing things I should be doing in my class, but yet not given a simple place to start or any time or resources to start with usually leads to a disheartening and throughly miserable day! Well today I did something different! I went out to a local nature reserve with the primary team from my school. One of the teachers who doesn’t even work on Fridays, but is incredibly knowledgeable about nature prepared a package of resources for all of us and took us around the park and explained things we saw and could communicate to our classes. We discussed good areas for certain activities and learned lots of interesting facts, like did you know that mushrooms only grow on trees that are dead, that beavers only come out at dusk, and that bared owls can be identified by their stripes??? Even with it pouring buckets on us the entire time (my outerwear is still dripping wet seven hours later), it was better ProD than I’ve ever been to before! I have resources I can use immediately. I was not overwhelmed by the amount of information given and was given simple ideas I could start using immediately to improve my teaching practice in this are. I also got to spend the day in nature and moving:)
Sorry for the poor pictures today. It was pouring so my phone had to stay in the locksac!!!
Eating:
I just had to share how I started my day. I have quite the collection of mugs – tea and a mug seems to be the usual teacher gift that I get. This morning though my first cup of tea was enhanced by this awesome mug:)
I got to try a new Pho restaurant called Pho51 after our outdoor adventure. I’m sure the owners would have liked to deny our group of drowned rats entry, but we invaded anyways. I always get the seafood with rice noodles, but this time I changed it up by having hot and sour seafood with rice noodles. I have to admit I was not impressed by the fact that as they were bringing the orders out for the rest of the table, they informed the four of us who originally ordered the Sate Seafood soup that they had run out. The other members of our party were done before we ever got our food. It also seemed a bit more greasy than what I’ve had at Pho99 which is my regular pho place. This restaurant was very busy, but with the long wait for the food, and the greasiness of the soup, I won’t be rushing back:( And sorry, I was too cold and hungry to stop to take a photo before I inhaled my soup!
Knitting:
I have begun a new cowl to use up my bulky yarn ends, but am only done the first section so I can’t show it to you yet. Hopefully tomorrow🙂
Reading:
I HAVE FINISHED THE BOOK!
I finally completed Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
This book tells the story of Daniel who at the age of ten has lost his mother and lives with his father who owns a bookstore. On a night when Daniel is very upset as he can’t remember his mother’s face, his father cheers him up by taking him to a secret place. Here, Daniel finds a book that changes the course of his life!
I found the first fifteen chapters (of forty five) quite long and difficult to get through. Then at chapter sixteen the book hooks you with murder, mayhem, romance, mystery and revenge. I liked how the characters were well developed and complex. The plot had so many twists, turns and red herrings that I ended up being completely surprised! It even ended on a happy note (which I doubted would happen right to the page before) with well wrapped up and resolved story line. I like how I feel satisfied! The author didn’t leave me with questions or any unanswered questions of what happened to so and so.
I really liked this quote from the end of the book:
” the art of reading… is an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already. Art inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind,…”
I think that anyone who likes a good mystery or is obsessed with books would enjoy this novel. There is a hint of romance, but it is by no means trite or a chick flick in the making.
I didn’t think I would say this, but I enjoyed the book and would recommend it!
I also have to admit loving that it takes care of the “z” author on my A-Z Book Challenge:)
Well I have to get up early to help out a friend in the morning so I think I’ll leave you now.
Have fun!
AJ
I do love all the colors of fall. I miss that in Louisiana no fall colors. Have a great weekend
Thank you:) The colours are one of my favourite parts of Fall:)
Lovely photos, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for reading:)
Wonderful and fun blog!😊
Thank you:)
You’re welcome!😊
Lovely. …
Thank you:)
It’s beautiful there! I didn’t know that about mushrooms on trees. Sorry it wasn’t up to par at that restaurant too!
It is beautiful at that park! It was still good pho, actually any meal I don’t have to create is good:)
That book sounds great! I don’t know that I would have discovered that though. I have a hard time slogging that far in before getting hooked:)
The professional development sounded like fun. I never knew that about mushrooms.
Yes I probably would have given up sooner as well if it hadn’t been a book club read. I used to finish every book I started whether I liked it or not, but then a librarian said there were too many good books in the works for that:)
What a great post. I read that book about 10 years ago and absolutely loved it. Great photos. I really like the quote on your mug, a nice way to start the day.
I hadn’t even heard of the book until it came up on my book club list for this month, but it was a pleasant surprise:)
Yes I only keep the mugs I love now. They are a great way to start the day:)
🙂
Drowned rat, you were rewarded by a day you had not looked forward to. Marvelous! Thank you for sharing your experiences.
I was fine as I’m fully outfitted for rain- the only thing I forgot were my waterproof gloves:(
It was definitely better than I was expecting:)
Thank you for reading!
I NEED that mug!! I never see any mugs that say tea instead of coffee on them. Love that one so much!
I know! It’s tough to find “tea” mugs! It says tea forte on the bottom so you may be able to get it from their website:)
It also comes with a strainer and lid so it really is perfect:)
That’s awesome! I’m definitely going to see if I can find it online 🙂
It was a gift from a student. I get a lot of mugs, but only keep the ones I love now. I’m figuring on sharing a few more on my blog in the days to come:)
I’d love that although I think my boyfriend would be less than pleased lol. Our small kitchen is not made for endless mugs 😉
I have a small kitchen too which is why I can’t keep them all:(
Girl, I feel you on that struggle. I have to stop myself from looking at mugs whenever I’m in Target or TJ Maxx/Home Goods. Why are mugs so cute?!
I know! And when you drink as much tea as I do everyday in the battle to stay warm- I need mugs😁😫😀🤣
Love it! I’ve had two mugs today and I’m sure that’ll increase once it is actually cold during the day here.
It’s pouring rain here and I’ve been out in it so my tea consumption is large today!
Rainy days are the best for cuddling yo with some tea and a good book 🙂
For sure! One of the reasons I like Fall so much:)
Sounds like a good book….worth sticking it out! Always great to get a Z! I’m worried about the X haha
That’s awesome you could go around “playing” outside…bummer you were so wet. But it kind of makes it exciting💦
Ugh I never thought about x😫.It was worth sticking it out and I really didn’t think I’d be saying that! Lol
It was awesome and I wasn’t wet as I have a lot of good rain gear:) the only thing I forgot were my waterproof gloves. Felt bad for the rest of the group though.
I know😖 Well that’s good though, because you could have made it to the end and it wasn’t worth it lol
Yeah I bet! Waterproof gloves would’ve been nice to have!
I like the rain, lucky for me. I am a walker and not a runner. Sometimes I am a bicyclist. You can never own too many mugs either!
Thankfully rain doesn’t bother me:). And I have a full set of awesome rain gear thanks to growing up in this rainforest so I happily go play in it:)
Lol my cupboard might say you can🤣
Love all the colors!
Yes they were gorgeous!
What beautiful scenery!
Yes there are some pretty sights around here:)