DJA

November had flown by. Much of it had been wasted teaching 'Football 101' to wannabe Arsenal Footballers. It dawned on me that my time on these lands were numbered, so I decided to exploit the beauty of being a supply teacher… so I took the day off… and spent it in Paris. Unfortunately all the boys I had set out with were no longer on British soils, and with Louisa’s head buried deep in the hard-covered laps of uni texts, I would - for the first time - be traveling solo. Pete was not there - so no itinerary existed. Jonesy was not there - so his new found knowledge of snails could not be exploited (Buy his Book). And Azz, his absence would perhaps be felt the most. I would miss the pressure he would ... read more

Here's another account of my work in this, the London Education System. The Incident Report read something along the lines of: Period 4 Physical Education; Year 9 Boys Basketball; A relatively simple lesson plan: a game. A nearby gymnastic mat had not been put away - so some of the students awaiting their game thought rather than sitting as requested, class time could be better spent using the mat in a slip-and-slide type of fashion. Alert to the imminent dangers, but more so to the distraction, this would cause to the players on court I asked them quite sternly to sit down. To my surprise most of them did. Except of course the class-hero who thought he would show his mates one final time how far he could run up, dive, and slide the mat across ... read more

... No, I'm not back in Melbourne. Although after what happened this weekend, I really wish I was. All the destinations I've travelled; all the memories I've collected; and all the life experiences I've gathered over the past nine months almost pale into insignificance when learning what I missed. At 5:22am London time, I learnt that the boys at Pantherland had knocked off a team that hadn't been beaten in two seasons. And whats more, done so in a Grand Final... to win a Flag. In 2004 and 2005 I played in two gallant, but at the same time unsuccessful grand final teams. Losing on both occasions absolutely gutted me. Afterwards, the possibility dawned on me that I may never get the opportunity to expereince Premiership success. And now, after 6 consecutive seasons at the club, ... read more

San Sebastion is a largely arrogant city that knows it is good. The beaches exude cool and the nightlife is rampant. We hadn´t had time to do our homework on this city - but San Sebastion offered more bars per square metre than anywhere else in Europe... and we thought it was only fair to put that to the test. I learnt two things from visiting this northern part of Spanish coastline. Firstly, that St.Bedes boys, are travel sluts. For the third time in as many countries we shared a hostel with boys that either knew us, our brothers, or one of our former girlfriends. Small world. Secondly, I believe that there is a real market for the sale of bikini tops in this part of the world. It became increasing obvious that women come to ... read more

It was our war torn livers that were most thankful of our escape from Ios to the scenic Santorini - an island somehow shaped by the biggest recorded volcanic eruption of all time. Santorini is said to be the most beautiful of the islands, a getaway from fast paced living with postcard perfect views; a romantic retreat where honeymooners hold hands, and sunsets are simply to die for : I ventured to Santorini with, Azz, and Alex the Frenchman. For the first time in 28 illustrious years, my Birthday was not celebrated with my family in Melbourne - and despite not getting a chance to cut the cake and make a wish, from what I remember (very little) - the boys ensured it was a memorable evening. Oia, at the far north of the island, lived ... read more