Who knows where the Blip goes?

Today was my big day for teaching aromatherapy to no less than 59 Japanese teenagers and eight English companions, plus their English teachers and Japanese leaders. There were two sessions, held in the local boys' grammar school hall, where I'd recently taken part in a quiz night.

Never before have I demonstrated hand massage on a stage with a most un-relaxed volunteer, and it's safe to say I won't be doing it again, as the audience really needs to be looking down on the process, not upwards!

However, I did a lot of bowing and received handsome payment, and there were no more cock ups than you would expect with foreign-language groups of that size!

(Did I ever mention that in my first ever job in English language teaching in the 1980s, the Italian students were found to be throwing bibles out of the windows of the church hall, while the adult leaders of the Turkish students were openly referring to the Yugoslavian students as "Communist pigs"? I was also accused of racismon that course, as it appeared that I was allowing the Yugloslavs to throw chalk at me, but not the Turkish students!!!)

Another nice thing that happened is that Dana, my Czech friend, who is a bliplurker, has asked if she can use some of what she calls my "poetic language" on a website that provides English language exercises for Czech teachers of English. If the students all end up speaking or writing like me, questions may be asked...

The upshot of all of this was that, having spent all day Thursday travelling, and all of Friday doing massage or teaching, it got to about 9pm and I was nearly asleep in front of the TV when I realised that I had no blip. (No Japanese photo sessions this time, but I am a video star, I assure you!) So I bring you this blip of Fairport Convention from the Sandy Denny era. They look as if they are in one of their more folky periods, but that was the clothing of the day.

Hear one of their most famous songs here, and check out the vintage photos of the band

I promise to catch up with all the gaps in my journal, and to bring you something less static for Saturday.