Project 52 - Week Five

Being at home with my parents during these 3 weeks away from Abruzzo is really lovely.  There's a nice and cozy atmosphere in my parents' home, which I have always loved.

Cartoon Oxford

As my camera seems to have got a problem with pictures coming out blurred, I have been experimenting with the cartoon app feature. Itook this on the way home from work on Tuesday evening.  I love the Sheldonian Theatre, one of Oxford's most famous landmarks. 

I experimented with fotor.com, a collage creating site and made this heart-shaped collage with photos I took last week.  Not sure I like the very visible logo, but didn't screenshot it this time.

I popped into the EVO session in the evenings and enjoyed reading comments and viewing an impressive array of ebook chapter designs.  It is so exciting to see how all the projects are developing so brilliantly.

EVO ePerfect Textbook Image created by Shelly Terrell

Image created by Shelly Terrell

I used authentic news materials from Breaking News English on Poverty, and then a nice one-minute listening on the theme of 'Chickens'.  I used a picture of my own chickens as an introduction and we had a really nice conversation on this topic.  Quite a few of the Arabic-speaking students keep chickens on their parents' farms, so we exchanged some interesting insights!

Chickens pottering around

We also discussed some famous people in the news and chatted about hobbies.  One of my students said he loved Formula 1, so I brought in this image of me in a Formula One Benetton racing car, and this engendered quite a good discussion.

I made a worksheet of things to be improved from their homework based on 'chickens', and we got through a bit of meaty grammar, which came specifically from the needs of the class.

It was one of my students' birthdays on Wednesday (Mutsumi's) so I created a handmade card for her, and brought in some cupcakes to celebrate. 

Hamdan had also brought in a huge tray of 'Baklava', so we had a lovely and rather delicious coffee break!!

This is my last week in Oxford, and I am looking forward to going back to seeing K & my motley crew again, and to viewing the lovely Abruzzo countryside. I have had a very nice time here, but it's been extremely busy and quite hectic!!

Abruzzo Unspoilt ..........

I don't think you can beat the spectacular views of Abruzzo!  If you click here you can see the latest post from About Abruzzo blog, which contains a link to an incredible video, shot in Abruzzo by Francesco Pacciocco, called Birthplace.

Each evening via Skype I have asked K to show me one of our furkids, and they have dutifully obliged and said a quick hello... 

I am not sure how my garden pots are faring, however, as the cats love kipping in them, as seen in this pot last year.  Amazingly, the tulips all survived the squashing, and I had a beautiful display from them!!

Next week should be far less hectic for me, and once I am back home on Tuesday, I hope to be able to take a few more pictures on a daily basis.