IATEFL - brain full!

Over the past couple of days, I've been downloading my thoughts in the evening - dumping all the ideas stirred up by a day of sessions, discussions and conversations here before I go to bed. Today I'm posting early, because I only got as far as lunchtime before I decided my brain was full and I just couldn't maintain my concentration through another session! Over the years, I've realised that, for me, the best way to deal with big conferences is to be selective and to take plenty of breaks. 3 or 4 key sessions a day is usually enough, otherwise I just get a bit tired and overwhelmed and it all starts merging together. This year I seem to have reached my threshold relatively early. And as I've got my laptop with me and other work to get on with, I decided to spend most of the rest of my time down in Brighton "at my desk" or for the moment, out in the sun on the balcony of my apartment!!

As for this morning's sessions, I went to a fun and thought-provoking talk by Jim Scrivener about how the internet might be changing the way we read. Then continuing the trend of going to talks by people who I know are going to be good speakers (because I'm tired and no longer have the patience for poor presenters!!) I opted for a presentation by Mike McCarthy, Anne O'Keeffe and Geraldine Mark about their corpus research for English Grammar Today. They didn't really tell me anything much I didn't already know, but it was an interesting, if rather frustrating session for two reasons.

The first thing was the dynamic between the three speakers. Mike started things off and remained very much 'in charge' through the whole thing. It felt rather as if throughout the session, he would ocassionally summon his two females colleagues, almost like a teacher asking a student to stand up and say their piece! Unintentional I'm sure, but rather uncomfortable to watch once I'd picked up on it.

I also found the conclusions they drew from the learner corpus a bit shaky in places. I've been working with the same corpus (the Cambridge Learner Corpus) for the past 12 years and I know it inside out. I'm also very aware of its weaknesses. And while Mike did acknowledge that the data is skewed, to an extent, by exam tasks and questions, he still went on to make some generalisations which I'd feel very wary about making. It would've been nice to question him further about it, but I don't move in such rarefied circles! An entirely different issue that I think I'd better leave for another day!

Keeping up - update

One solution to fitting in a bit of professional reading:

I rarely get round to reading the IATEFL magazine I get sent every couple of months, but this afternoon, I happily spent half an hour flicking through it in the sunshine on the terrace with a couple of tea and a bit of cake from the local deli. If this weather continues, I could become distinctly better informed!

The joys of freelancing ... #4 Sport

I'm a big sports fan and, despite England's ignominious exit from the World Cup at the weekend, I'm still loving all the summer sport. I always work with the radio on anyway -- if I try to work in silence, my mind just seems to wander -- so keeping up with the football and the tennis doesn't seem to have a negative effect on my work rate. I generally follow online, listening to the commentary as I work and flicking to the video when the commentator's voice goes up a notch!

What's more, a recent patch of overwork has caused my RSI to flare up, so I'm trying to be strict about limiting my hours. Thus, a mid-afternoon break on the terrace with the TV set up just inside the doors is perfect for keeping me away from my desk for an hour or so. The heat's great for easing my aches and pains -- the tan's not coming along too badly either!

Leaving on a jet plane ...

No, I'm not off on holiday again! But this afternoon, when I was out having a tea break on the terrace, I noticed the most spectacular pattern of vapour trails across the perfect blue sky. I just couldn't resist a photo or two ...

The positive effects of sunshine

After endless months of cold and snow and rain, today is finally sunny. And I don't just mean a bit of brightness, but proper warm sunshine with not a cloud in the sky. And I can feel the mood has changed, even sat here at my desk I can see people walking by in t-shirts, smiling and chatting. Even the sounds are different somehow, with the window open next to me, it almost sounds like summer out there, something about the way sounds carry through the air differently ... or perhaps I'm imagining that bit!

This morning I spotted these workmen on scaffolding, high up at the back of a building nearby, out enjoying the sunshine. What you can't see in the picture is that they were all swinging their legs, just like little kids sat on the edge of a jetty!

Today also marked a milestone with my first lunch out on the roof terrace - hooray! A big bowl of salad nicoise, followed by the crossword, a cup of tea and a bit of a snooze in the sun - yes, it was really that warm! I'd have stayed out there all afternoon had the sun not moved behind a nextdoor building, leaving me in shade. I think I'm going to definitely have to get a table out there and an extension lead for my laptop or I'm never going to get any work done this summer!

The joys of freelancing ... #2 Tea on the terrace

Those of you who know me or have followed the blog for a while, will know that I moved house back in October. One of the draws of the new house was its little roof terrace (actually just the top of the garage, accessed through double doors from the living room on the first floor). Sadly, soon after we'd moved in, I realised that it was actually in shade for most of the day and as the winter sun's got lower in the sky, it's been completely in shade even on the odd sunny day. Today though, I noticed for the first time, that the sun is creeping back into a sliver in the corner. It's no more than a foot or two at the moment, but it's given me hope of greater things to come as the sun gradually climbs higher in the sky over the coming months and hopefully clears the surrounding buildings.

It also provided the perfect excuse for a joy that I hope is to come; tea on the terrace! Because of my RSI, I try to get away from my desk at every excuse and there's surely no better way to take a break than with a cup of tea in the sunshine! The tea, by the way, for any tea connoisseurs, is teapigs Morning Glory - my favourite post-lunch brew.

And while I was out there, a glance into my neighbour's garden revealed some beautiful crocuses showing their faces to the sun - spring must be on its way!

Autumnal tredpidation

Autumn has definitely arrived. In the past couple of days I've been buffeted by wind and rain, mixed in with spells of glorious sunshine and bright blue sky, and this morning I picked up my first conker of the season. It was sat on the pavement looking incongruously shiny on the grey concrete and I couldn't resist picking it up and slipping it in my pocket. It'll no doubt stay there for the next few weeks until it loses its shine and finally shrivels up.

For me, autumn always seems to be a time of dread. I truly hate winter - I've always suffered from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and find the winter months a struggle. The cold and damp also exacerbate my aches and pains, adding to my general grouchiness. So every year around this time, I determine to head off and sit out the worst of winter in warmer climes.

One year I had quite advanced discussions with an old friend who lives in New York about a plan in which both of us would spend 2 or 3 months in Buenos Aires, sharing a flat, taking laptops to work from, learning Spanish and perhaps a bit of tango too. Somehow, we've never quite got round to organising it though.

This year I had thought of a couple of months in Australia. Quite a few friends seem to have emigrated that way recently, so again, I'd considered heading South with my laptop to work from the other side of the world in the sunshine through the worst of the British winter. And when the cost of that worked out to be rather prohibitive, I toyed with the idea of renting an apartment somewhere in the Med instead through October to at least catch a last dose of late sun. I'm still mulling over the last option, but haven't quite found the right spot at the right price yet.