Are you ready for 2013?

We are about to start another year - 2012 is coming to a close.

http://www.allegiance.com/blog/thank-you-for-a-great-year/5639#.UN_4w4nm6uQ

For me personally, 2012 has been a great year.

Lots of travel, meeting up with friends, work, contact with teachers in Spain and abroad.  (Face to face and online.)  Several family celebrations - it's been great to reminisce on the past and catch up on the present.

I've learnt and seen lots of new things.   I've made some new friends in various settings.

And I've written 95 posts on this blog!!  The number of people reading the blog has grown tremendously -

The end of one year and the start of another is traditionally the time to plan to do new things or to get rid of bad habits.

So what new year's resolutions am I making this year?

http://www.havebury.com/tenants/keep-in-touch/

I'd like to keep in touch with as many people as possible and with some especially, more frequently.  I hope to not have too many days when I end up realising that it's too late to phone someone I intended calling all day.

http://www.sewmakebelieve.co.uk/2012/08/27/organising-scrapbook-supplies/

I will get round to organising photos and other records of travel, memorable moments.  I've made a start on this in 2012 and have done a lot of the groundwork, so I hope to push on with this.

http://myturnstone.com/blog/getting-control-of-your-email-clutter/

I will aim (can't promise that I'll make this, judging by past experience!) to write up all the notes I have made when I've found something interesting, to file away useful articles.

http://www.which.co.uk/technology/computing/guides/computer-repair-top-tips/

I must make a full back-up of all my computer files.  I don't do this enough and dread my computer crashing and losing so many files and photos.

All that remains is for me to wish you all a great 2013 - may it bring wonderful experiences, endless laughter and inspiration.

If you've never failed, you've never tried anything new

I was looking at the latest posts on Facebook by friends and pages that I'm subscribed to.

I came across this and liked it (in both senses - I clicked to say I liked it and it struck a chord!)

http://www.facebook.com/HealingwithArt

Then, I clicked on a link on a friend's Facebook page and ended up on YouTube, watching a short video.

I think it would be a great video to use in class.  You could ask them what they know about some of the people mentioned in the video (Walt Disney, Michael Jordan, Albert Einstein, Eminem...).  Ask them what thing the people have in common, then they watch the video to find out.

For more information and material to use in class on this topic, you could try some of the activities on Famous People Lessons, for example, this text and activities about Albert Einstein.


Hope you feel inspired now!!!

I don't know about you ..... but I'm building up to Christmas.

Just spent a great long weekend in London, seeing all the Christmas lights, lots of people wearing tinsel and Christmasy things on their heads!  (See my previous post for more on this.)

I've got over half of my shopping done!!!!

http://festivalsadvices.com/christmas-shopping-women/

On Friday, my daughters will be coming home for the holidays from Madrid where they are at university.  My house is full of decorations (many of them made by myself this year! - really getting into making things thanks to inspiration from the internet and pinterest!!)

Christmas cake is made, more cooking will take place this weekend and next week!!

http://kentcakecourses.co.uk/kent-cake-courses/christmas-cake

Tree goes up today!  (The only decoration we haven't put up yet!)

http://www.homehardwarelloydminster.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/christmas-tree-2.gif
Christmas cards were posted on Wednesday.  Christmas cards from family and friends have started to arrive.  This year, I plan to display them like this:

http://www.bhg.com/christmas/cards/christmas-card-display-ideas/#page=4

I hope to meet up with friends over the holidays, as well as my brother and sister-in-law as they are coming over to Europe from California.

I thought I'd have a look on the internet for what Christmas adverts are being shown in the UK this year and loved the one for John Lewis.

I also found another advert explaining how the advert was made.  I thought it would be very useful for classes next week.

Hope you enjoy watching these videos!  I did!