Staff Xmas Lunch 16 Dec

Well, that's my year over and done with. I thought I would feel this great big buzz about the holidays starting, but it's been rather anticlimatic. Don't get me wrong, I'm still stoked that my hols are here. I think it just doesn't quite feel like it yet, cos I'm still heading in to school to sort and fix textbooks - yes, one of my responsibilities that come with the Management Unit I picked up. A bit lame.

Anyhoo, pictures always cheer me up. I've posted these up on Facebook as well. But I'll go into more detail here.

This is my colleague Narcisa, who joined us in Term 3 after Troy left. Yes, the Troy who replaced Irene who left in Term 1. Poor woman. The lack of continuity with the classes just meant she had an uphill battle. She's got amazing courage and an abundance of self-belief - no matter that the classes were going to shit. And they were going to shit. Sad to say, she hasn't got a position in our school to come back to next year, so we've said our farewells.

I really love this pic, because Rebecca's got such an amazing smile, and Warren's being a doofus holding that carton of beer. I think the way I held the beer bottle is a dead giveaway that I'm not a beer drinker. I'm not an anything drinker. Anyway, the beer is Rebecca's. We're in the Maths workroom, after junior prizegivings, and before the lunch.

Karen and I patiently waiting for the buffet to start. We're at Addington Raceway, the same place where we had the Trots a few months ago. We're one floor up, and by this time I'm starving!

Staff members start filling up the tables.
The usual view of the tracks, but this time it's not horses, but greyhounds that we see. Yeah, greyhound racing! It's actually kinda nice. They go round the track so fast, and they're chasing this mechanical something, a rabbit maybe, attached to a metal rod, but I always thought the greyhounds chase the rabbit to the end of the race and then the rabbit goes away *poof* somehow. But here, the (quickest) greyhound ends up pouncing on it - I guess that signals the end of the race?

Another colleague who's leaving next year, Dave. He's a good bloke, I'll miss him. He's heading back to Oz. Beloved Oz.

Look at the queue of people waiting for food!

Anyway, that's Hanafi in the middle, and Warren bringing up the rear. Warren's leaving for Wanaka next year, him and his wife Rhonda are having a baby. Congrats guys!