I have been away - enjoying the sun in Greece - Eliana's home is so much nicer than here. It is lovely to stay in a foreign country with someone who is fluent in the language. Over all these years of holidays I feel I have seen so much more of the real essence of what makes it tick - not just the 'little britain' that so many people go to.

Honestly I saw people in Tavernas ordering toasties and asking for ketchup.
I have seen vast changes as they moved to the Euro.
Even traditional dishes are served with chips now! That was a new one on me.

I have done nothing while I was away. I locked my phone, wallet and keys in the safe, watched no TV and just spent everyday on the beach swimming.
Empty mind. No children for a whole week. No shouting, fighting or stress.
I have come to a few conclusions.
I will leave you with one:

We think too much.
We cram our minds with mental white noise from incessant thinking.
It is the cause of so many ills. We see it happen but think 'life is short - I must be clever and have lots of clever thoughts and ideas - that will give my life meaning!'

I am being drawn over the last few years to a simpler way of using my mind.
I have learnt to listen to my body.
Moving away from the pursuit of intelligence (that dominated my 20's) to the pursuit of calmness and mental stability as a result of the reduction of superfluous seeking.

Presently I am even doubting the validity of woodwork and making planes.
Doing a Descartes. Doubting everything I can and rebuilding from the ground up.

So bear with me, might take a few weeks to get my enthusiasm back.
When I go back to teaching I will probably embrace it as my solace from that crazy world. Far too much information for those poor kids heads. Spare a thought for us teachers too in Secondary Education. Results day today. Good luck to my students.