Fishing trip

Great weekend fishing... though I only caught one fish. Hey ho. And we put it back. Still next time Trout on Toast!

Fishing

Caught a grayling. Whoopee. But no trout. Sad really as was looking forward to using the new smoker to prepare a freshly caught supper.

Grr.

Beautiful day on the river though and lovely place to stay. And no children! Missing them but also rejoicing at the peace!

Home from Bohemia

Wonderful week. Most restorative. It is 5 years since I first started teaching at Zeliv, and slowly but surely great friendships have developed. A great number of Czech and other students and colleagues have become friends for life, I am sure. What really made this year though, was taking Spouse and the Winks. It made everything seem so much more real to me! For the children it was a spectacularly wholesome experience, I think. (although they may have a rather unrealistic notion of life in Czech Republic, living in a monastery with lots of musicians, having their food served by monks and attending a kindergarten and childrens' events that included singing early music in a singularly un-dumbed-down sort of way. ) It was so splendid to have the whole family there. And how profoundly joyous to sing Faure, Smetana and Dvorak with Vincent playing after years of promising ourselves the treat!

Ahhh...

Zeliv

Well, here we are, all the family in the Czech Republic. It's a teaching week and we're here living a monastic life in Zeliv. Luckily thi s is a brewing monastery so the hardship is not too great. The winks are attending Czech Kindergarten and adapting well and Spouse is teaching Anglican music. I have my usual studio with mostly familiar students whom I have taught before. The children are happy as Aneta and Petra are both here, as well as a colleague from blighty, so they feel at home.