Daily Routines

We are slowly getting the hang of how things are done in Britain, and specifically Norwich. It's amazing the little everyday things that you take for granted.

Some things are to do with living in a different climate.



Even on a fine-looking clear morning there may still be thick ice to scrape off the car before you go anywhere.

Then there is our job at the University of East Anglia.




With jobs we have held elsewhere we have been free to do anything - even go home or go shopping - at times when we weren't teaching. In this job we have to stay "at the office" between classes. Nevertheless this room is office for more than 30 teachers, but there are only 15 desks and 5 computers. They call it hotdesking, but we call it not putting true value on your teachers.



This is outside the teachers' room - no great views here - do you notice the bunnies?



We still find it funny to have them hopping about everywhere at the University.

The Secret Garden

At least we have weekends off. Last weekend we opened up a Norwich Visitor Map, to find somewhere to go and see. A place called "Plantation Garden" was recommended.

"A wonderfully restored idiosyncratic Victorian town garden including a gothic fountain, a rustic bridge, an Italianate terrace, an amazing "medieval" wall and hundreds of architectural details fashionable in the mid 19th century."

Well that might be worth seeing.

It was a little hard to find, hidden between the Catholic Cathedral and the Beeches Hotel.



It seemed to be in a bit of a hole. We had been wondering recently where all the flint-stones came from for the magnificent old buildings around town - well this is one place. Flint and lime were mined here, and then the whole thing kinda fell in I gather.



All these amazing walls and stuff were made from oddments from a brick factory.



It's a bit like when someone at a beach resort decides to cover their house with collected shells - interesting for the first few hours and then it's all just a bit much.



We found the gothic fountain, with a massive goldfish swimming around.



We had fond memories of PlaySchool and looking through the arched window.



There were so many of these bits scattered around.



If this had been China there would have been no moss growing on that knob, everyone would have been convinced it was lucky to rub it.



This sign near the garden entrance was a bit of a puzzle.



We saw one little frog - actually, I think it's a toad! - hopping around the gravel by the fountain. Actually, there were at least two, so maybe in Spring there'll be lots.

What can I say. At two pound a pop ... well there was an honour box ... maybe you can save your money now that you've seen this.

Concrete and Rabbits

Working at UEA

We are working at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, teaching English for Academic Purposes to International students who are hoping to do university courses. We actually work for a company called INTO, which operates at three universities - here, Exeter, and Newcastle. Some of our students are preparing to start a degree course, others are wanting to enter the second year of a degree course, and others have completed a degree in their own country and want to do a masters degree here - in English.

The student newspaper is called Concrete. Its not hard to see why:







Its not the prettiest piece of architectural design we have ever seen. Although they obviously have tried to go for interesting shapes ...



... its probably more the overwhelming greyness of the concrete that gives it a touch of 'grim'.

Clearly this is a bad time of year to get an impression of the place. There are sections that will obviously be delightful in sunny weather ...



... when everything has dried out a little and the plants have recovered. There are lots of trees, which will soften the view when they have leaves again,



and the grass will be more green and less muddy and trampled.

At the heart of the campus there is a central courtyard with (cement) steps all around, and a (cement) water feature that presently has no water, and several shops and cafes. When the weather is kind enough for it to be filled with some of the 13 000 students sitting around on the steps - instead of rushing past all huddled against the rain and wind - I'm sure it will be much prettier.

The Broad. You may have heard of the Norfolk Broads - they are of course waterways by another name. The university has its very own broad, a man-made one.

If you slush your way across the muddy grass to the broad and look back at the university, it is very attractive. This, of course, is where all the shots are taken from for the brochures - and, oddly enough, I haven't taken any pictures of that side. So if you go here, for instance, you can see photos that look very different from the ones above.

What about the Wabbits?

The Students Union also has a publication, it's called "Rabbit".

There are rabbits all over the place - anywhere that there is grass - hopping about (digging holes), nibbling grass, quite unconcerned about the 13 000 pairs of feet tromping by.

I haven't got any pics of them - well, you know what a rabbit looks like, and they don't look much on a photo, and they are not stupid enough to let me get that close to them to take a really good picture.

Squirrels too. They know that if they are on the other side of the tree trunk I can't get to them, and I feel a bit daft chasing them round and round ...

Work and Chaos

Funny how the two are linked, isn't it? If everything went swimmingly, it wouldn't be any fun - where's the adventure in that?

Talking of swimmingly ... there was a flood in the Arts building (the centre for our admin until the new 'INTO' building is finished) just before term started. It wasn't the rain (it's a multi-storey concrete building), but a burst radiator in one of the upper floors. What got wet? Well, amongst other things: our contracts, the teachers' induction handbooks - things that would have been extremely useful to us at this time.

So we muddle our way along, discovering important information by the stumble method. People seem to be endlessly saying, "Oh, haven't you got a .... yet?" "Haven't you done your ... yet?"

Oh yes, I know, it will get easier ...