11 July It has been a while, so I need to catch up on what has been happening! Life is now becoming routine, with a few funnies added in just to keep you on your toes! Went to the cricket last weekend. It was a test match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It was good to go and see and hear all the trumpets and noise makers in the stands! All other countries seem to do it so well. No one really drinks at these games even though there was a mobile bar! Tests are not the most interesting of games to watch, but hey while in the country! Last Monday was a Poya day (full moon day). Every full moon there is a public holiday, so every month there is a day off! The amount ... read more

28 June Much better weather today. I went for walk to the pagoda/temple this morning and sat at watched the water blowing into the blow hole, which is where Sunset Point is as well, a very nice spot to watch the sun setting, could be very romantic if I wasn't on my own! Will have to bring Bertha, Trin and Sal up when they arrive! Met a local man along the way who listens to ABC radio and knows an incredible amount about Australia. He was naming politicians left and right, along with long past ones, like Bob Hawke, Gareth Evans. The man is a coconut farmer and his father is a teacher and they have a library, which he is very proud of. His English was great and his knowledge of Australia from politicians, to ... read more

25 June No more Sri Lankan army wake up calls, just the monkeys as usual! For the past few days I have been at the pool with the Sri Lankan coaches and Dharmadasa! The coaches are really nice guys and so interested to learn new things, we are getting pretty good at broken English and Sinhala. They are amazed that my teaching is quite relaxed and fun for both teacher and students. The way they have been taught is very rigid and repetitious, so I think they are relieved to add some spontaneity to their classes. Today Sumit excelled and ran his classes in a very relaxed style! I told him he was doing a great job and his smile was enough thanks! I am still a novelty for most of the kids coming in for ... read more

19.6.09 All good here, just working out my timetable and how things work, as in where to buy stuff. It has been quite fun! I generally go to the pool in the afternoon, on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next couple of weeks I am teaching kids from the international school and they speak english so that is much easier for me to teach. With the other classes I am trying assist the coaches to teach, however they don't speak much english, but in saying that one of the coaches yesterday speaks a little english and between that and sign language, we worked each other out. He wanted me in the pool with him to show him how the toys I bought with me work etc, so it won't be as hard as I thought, and ... read more

Journey into Sri Lanka 13 June After an odd start at the Sunflower Hotel, Negombo which is no longer the Sunflower, but the Paradise (they changed the name but didn’t tell anyone, even the taxi drivers….) Anyway, turned up there at midnight to a very dark and odd looking place, upon further inspection I realized the place looked like a building site, they were doing renovations, another thing they forgot to mention. So I head into what would be a reception desk to 5 guys hanging around all trying to help me, one with a folder looking official, but having no idea if I should be there or not! At this stage I was getting concerned for my safety, I asked if there were other guests, to which I received no reply, I then asked if ... read more