A different venue

Usually, when we return to England to visit, we fly to Manchester and stay somewhere near Sale. Whilst we are over, Jemma usually drives up from Wolverhampton to see us and spend at least a weekend with us.

This time though is different. We flew into Birmingham this afternoon and will be staying at Jemma's house.

The main reason for this change is that tomorrow Jemma will be attending a graduation ceremony for the third time. To add to her BA Hons, and MA, Jemma has recently passed her PGCE course with flying colours.

For those who are wondering what these names mean; BA is the first degree (Batchelor of Arts) which Jemma took at Sunderland; MA is the second degree (Master of Arts) which she passed at Lancaster. PGCE is a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and is a prerequisite for anyone wanting to teach. Jemma worked for her PGCE at Wolverhamton.

So now Jemma is a newly qualified teacher in her probationary year teaching nursery at Oakham Primary School, Oldbury (West Midlands). She has two groups of 30 three and four year old children, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

Having been graded OUTSTANDING for practice of education on her PGCE course, we fully expect that she will prove to be similarly outstanding as a teacher. Judging by the photos of her classroom and the work she has put into creating a stimulating environment for the children, we know she is off to a good start.

After the ceremony, we will be enjoying a family lunch together and then the work starts on Sunday to help tidy up Jemma's garden. I am sure there are a few other jobs that have been lined up to keep me busy! That apparently is what dads are for.

Also, whilst we are here, a few of our friends are coming to stay nearby which will be nice. We throughly look forward to spending a little time with them.

So a busy time is in store for us. I think we will have earned a rest on our return to Bigastro.