Parents and Teachers Association!

Tomorrow is Keith's Annual Big Day Out! I'm so excited for him and can't wait to find out what happens this time. See, every year the Parents and Teachers Association at Keith's school honour the teachers by giving them an Annual Outing. They aren't told beforehand what is to happen since it's meant to be a surprise. And, yes, they get this right because it always is more surprising than you can imagine!

As you know, Keith teaches at a school for the mentally handicapped and having any dealings with the parents ... well, um, how do I say this? ... you kinda realise where the kids get it from. They mean well, they really, really do, but these Annual Outings are LEGENDARY!

Here's a taste:

2007, the teachers were taken to an island for a barbeque ... only no one thought to bring food, so the parents lit a fire in a barbeque pit and everyone stood around it for a few minutes, and then the parents wandered off to find a quiet spot to read the newspapers.

2006, the teachers were taken to a lizard zoo on a farm in the New Territories, only there were no lizards since all had died several years earlier, so the nice farmer - who seemed like he should be one of the school's graduates - took the teachers around all the empty cages and told them what had once been in each cage. Meanwhile the parents had wandered off to find a quiet spot to read the newspapers.

2005, the teachers were taken to the Wetland Bird Sanctuary in New Territories, only it turned out that it was only a proposed Wetland Bird Sanctuary and work on it was to begin in three months, thus it was still what is usually known as "a swamp", but it was OK because there were heaps of quiet spots for all the parents to go read their newspapers.

I could go on ... but I think you get the picture! And tomorrow is the next big one. I've told Keith that this time he has to photograph everything and I'll post it all up here and you can read all about it for yourself.

KEITH'S BIG DAY OUT

2008

This year they were taken to the Hong Ning Dairy to watch cows being milked.

Although, for a Kiwi boy raised in rural Auckland, this wasn't as riveting as it may otherwise have been but you will be pleased to know that there were indeed ...

... a farm ...

... cows ...

... milking sheds...

And although they were too late to actually see it being done ...

... they did see evidence that it usually did occur here.

So, as you can see, this year P&F was waaayyyy ahead of its game.

Actually, Keith says he kinda enjoys these outings because he sees parts of HK he would never normally see. And since it always takes place in Spring, it's nice being out of the city and and seeing evidence of it, since spring here is genuinely beautiful if you ever get a glimpse of it:

Bet you never knew HK looked like this!

P.S.  I've been censored.  Keith hates that I've posted this blog and says I have to say that the P&F are totally charming and very nice people and that they've indeed had wonderful outings:

Like:

1) A trip to the Big Organic Strawberry farm somewhere in the rural wilds on a 1/4 acre among the usual rusting sheds and decaying vehicles. But I'm not allowed to mention there was no shade anywhere and fierce heat meant Keith elected to read a newspaper under a mango tree with the rest of  the P&F and let other teachers experience the joy of paying to pick your own strawberries ( "sea dough ballets" in chinese) and cherry tomatoes. 

2) A very nice trip to the Lavender Garden near Hok Tau ( Bird's nest) Country Park. And I am allowed to say that this is a great place to take the kids - fields of herbs and flowers, loads of fish ponds with coloured carp and giant catfish, barbecue facilities, chidren's playgrounds, canteens, and plenty of shaded areas.

3) A trip which would have been interesting to Ping Shan historical trail only we had already done it on one of The Redoubtable Mrs Walker's Obscure Tours. 

So there! Hopefully now Keith won't be so cross! Especially if I mention again that the P&F are charming and delightful souls who put together a wonderful Annual Big Day Out.