Something is rotten in the state of Denmark...I STRONGLY disagree Marcellus. In fact, I bite my thumb at you sir!

And really, I think I like who I'm becoming
There's times where I might do it just to do it like it's nothing
There's times when I might blow like 50k on a vacation. 

- Crew Love, Drake. 

"Copenhagen better be awesome." 

That was my thought as I pealed? back my blanket and opened my eyes to the pitch blackness that surrounded me at 3:30am. Agh!

I arrived in Copenhagen at 10:30am local time. It was cold! Colder than London cold. I grabbed another layer from my bag. A shirt, a jumper, a jacket. This boy from Australia is still not used to Europe cold.

I caught a bus to Central station, stored my bag in a locker and left to explore the city.

Ah-may-zing!!!

I loved the architecture, the people, the colours, the city. The cold, the early start 

they all faded away, it was insignificant to the beautiful city I had before me.

Before I could fully explore however, I needed a coffee and a danish...

Being a lover of palaces my first stop was Rosenborg Castle. It was built in the traditional dutch style of Christian IV. Construction beginning in 1605 and ending as it stands today in 1624. 

The palace was amazing. So much detail everywhere you looked, it was overwhelming. I LOVED IT! Maybe that's what happens when you work in Essex but gold and bling excites me!

 This joke chair was one of my favourites in the palace. Once a huest is seated in the chair an assistant opens a valve that allows water to run in from a tank. The water sprays onto the rear of the person on the chair, wetting also his socks and leaving a puddle beneath the chair. A small nozzle also drips onto a brass tray inside the chair, to represent the sound of someone weeing. 

If the palace was not amazing enough already the great hall with the thrones were memorising. As soon as I entered I felt small, insignificant, yet honoured to be there. I wanted to bow, yet I knew no one was sitting on the thrones. 

I thought to myself, wow, if this is what I feel like here, in a man made room, how amazing, breathtaking, awesome must God's throne room be, where Christ is seated on His right hand. 
I got chills.


The King's Garden just outside the palace was really lush and beautiful!

Made me feel like a king! 

The amazing thing about Copenhagen is how friendly the locals are. Every time I stopped and pulled out my map a local would stop to ask if I needed help and then give me directions. SO FRIENDLY!!!

The Church of Our Saviour is part of old city. 

It has a spire that is 90m high and I climbed it. 

It was a beautiful view of the whole city, up high, looking down at God's creation!

I then ventured a little further out to Christiania. 

A separate state - not part of the EU - set up as a social experiment. 

The town has its own society where drugs are legally bought, sold and used. It is a place where the 'down and outs' can find a simpler and judge free way of life. The area is covered with beautiful street art that makes you feel more comfortable in an area with quite a 'creepy' feel. I was quite happy to return to the safer and beautiful streets of Copenhagen.

I ended my night with a visit to the peaceful fishing village of Nyhavn. Where I strolled down the streets, visited small shops, people watched and just relaxed.

I loved this place so much I decided to eat here. I stopped for a delicious dinner of oven baked cod and baby potatoes. So scrumptious!!!

The next morning I headed out to Copenhagen's National Museum for the Viking exhibit. 

It was an interactive -game based- exhibit, with wonderful artefacts too.

I proved myself to be an excellent Viking. (Not bad for a boy who refuses to sleep in hostels, maybe I'm no longer such a princess...I doubt it though, Ha Ha!)

I also took a walk around the Danish History and Stories exhibits. Was a great concise background to this city I had already fallen in love with.

Of course for me Denmark is always connected to the marvellous Hans Christian Anderson.

I couldn't wait any longer I had to visit the World of Hans Christian Anderson. 

Wow! Fantastic. So many interactive and bright displays. 

It was pretty much story hour. 

Which I love. 

Walking around listening and reading many HC Anderson classics and a few I had never heard of before. I so enjoyed my time here. 

So many people walked passed me but I stayed in my little world taking my time. When I left the lady said people normally spend 15-20mins walking through not the hour and a half I did. But it was like a mini-Disney land for me. I didn't want to miss a thing.

Afterwards, I headed over to the Little Mermaid statue. Is there anything more Copenhagen.

That night I strolled around the city just soaking in the atmosphere. 

The city was not very well lit but I felt so safe the whole time and so enjoy the atmosphere of the town. 

That night I ate a modern twist on a 'traditional' Danish burger. 

This amazing Danish burger contained: beef, bacon, cheese, red onion, white onion, tomato, lettuce, cheese sauce, cucumber, carrot, capsicum, smothered in pesto on a herb roll. Delicious!!!

Now you should all know by now I am all about food when I am away so let me share with you some more of the amazing things I tasted...

Chocolate kebab.

Mine contained: fudge, banana, marzapane, strawberries, marshmallows, swallowed in white choclate and coated in crushed nuts. 

SO GOOD!!!!

My feasting also included Danish feta, Danish Salami with black pepper and freshly cooked seed bread. 

Copenhagen, Denmark. Put it on your list. 

IT IS AMAZING!!!! 

A London Autumn.

Cuz even accolades someday will fade away,

                              Oh just like me,

Yes everything but You, 

And many years from now,

It won't matter how 

How I write the rhymes I do, 

Help me get back to the reason I sing for You...

- Jimmy Needham, The Reason I Sing. 

Autumn is here and it is beautiful... 

The only thing is...it is definitely getting closer to winter. 

The sun isn't coming up until 8am and is going down around 4:30pm. It is also getting much colder and gone are the days I leave the house in thongs, t-shirts or shorts. 

Luckily, to distract me from this depressing fact, I am still having AMAZING people come and visit me. 

My Uncle and Aunt were here at the end of September and we spent a fun filled few days. 

Walking along beautiful South Bank.

Playing at the fantastic Hampton Court 

Exploring beautiful Notting Hill

And enjoying traditional fish and chips along the Thames. 

The Lovely Lees (my second parents) came for a visit. 

We had a lovely meal in London Bridge and they came baring gifts from my beautiful sisters (Court and Emz), complete with Vegemite! 

And Just when I thought I'd have to return to life as normal a few weeks later my good friends the Sanders' came for a visit. 

We had such a fun few days! Going out to eat, seeing the epic Phantom of the Opera and exploring the beautiful city of London. 

I showed them Joey's London... 

Lunch at Borough Markets, 

The funky Seven Dials

A glass of Pims of course! 

We walked through the beautiful (before winter comes) gardens:  St. James, Hyde and Kensington. 

and of course Haagen Dazs ice Cream!

Over at the 02 Arena, I went to the British Music Experience. 

They had a Spice Girl exhibit with costumes from their recent reunion tour...

And if that wasn't enough I also had a dreamed full filled - being in the same room as a Spice Girl - while seeing Jesus Christ Superstar! 

Mel C, Sporty Spice

And just when I thought I had enjoyed the end of a great night, you'll never guess who pops on stage... 

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice!!!!!!

I was blown away, talk about SUPERSTARS!

And so half term begins tomorrow and I am off to Denmark for four days to enjoy the break. Thanking God everyday for this life! 

Thank you all so much for your love, support and prayers - especially in recent times - they mean so much and truly do uplift me! 

Enjoy the sun Australia, 

Joey!!! :P 

Open wide, Come Inside, It's my school....

                                                                                                                              .

There's a bear in there,

And a chair as well
There are people with games
And stories to tell
Open wide
Come inside
It's Playschool

                                      - The Playschool Song.

The first day I came to school my classroom looked like a bomb has hit it. There was stuff everywhere. Nothing was in any order and I had no idea what I did and didn't have in the classroom. 

I began to question myself a little bit; Had I done the right thing? Made the right choice? Should I have kept teaching supply? 

And then I saw, green backing paper all around my classroom, green chairs and green edging around all the furniture. My classroom was the green classroom. I hadn't told them green was my favourite colour, I hadn't requested it at all. Yet here I stood in a room decorated in my colour and a smile began to creep across my face. I know it sounds so silly to think green could be such a comfort, but for me it was as if God was saying, 'I got this, I have it planned perfectly for you. Just trust me, I am guiding your every step.' 

I want to thank everyone who has and is praying for me, because this really was an answer to your prayers. God is my guide and He is blessing and comforting me! 

It took us four days to clean, organise and set up the classroom. 

So come inside and I'll show you my room! 

This is our discovery display. 

In RS we are the grasshoppers and so we begin by exploring grasshopper and other Minibeasts...

Students can put their hands under the table where leaves, bark, dirt and plastic minibeasts are. 

Students can then feel, touch and explore.

I wanted to make our maths section very colourful and enticing for the students. 

We set up a mock sweet shop where students can count out objects and role-play with money. 

We could also count out more and less and count totals with the paper jar and sweets below. 

That doesn't look right?!?

That's better!!!

Numicon is a FANTASTIC new resource that the students just love to play with. 

The pieces represent numbers from 1 - 10 and are used to encourage students to recognise pattens within numbers. My class are really enjoying them and by week 3 of school students are now able to recognise which number each piece represents just by looking at it. 

***

My English corner provides students with an opportunity to do some writing or drawing and then explain what they have been working on. 

                             

I had some extra money in my budget if I wanted to buy any resources for my classroom. I spent 80% on much needed cushions for my reading area. 

Money well spent, not only has it made the reading area a warm and inviting place. They also came in handy when a student so exhausted from his first full week at school fell asleep during carpet time and spent the remaining hour of the day having a sleep. Bless his socks! 

Having the puppet theatre in the book corner so valuable. Students have been able to use it to retell and reenact stories read. 

Some of you might remember me raving about a 'wonder wall' I saw when supply teaching. 

The idea is that if students are wondering something random or that we don't have time to explore right then we can write it on the wall and find an answer later in the week. 

I loved it so much I have placed one in my room (I'll let you know how it works practically.) 

Lastly, is our 'Thinking Chair', Where students will need to think and explain what happened.  

So, yea. That's my room. 

I honestly have the best class in reception though. My students are so beautiful and wonderful. They are very good at tidying up and sitting beautifully on the carpet. I have a range from one boy who is very clever, already blending words, counting and writing number to 100 and teaching me things about the computer. To students who need much more support. I am very much looking forward to watching them grow and change this year though and to see how far they have come by the end. 

Last week I had to take our class teddy, Frankie, to Westfield shopping centre with me. 

Over the coming weekends the kids have to take him home and write what they have done with him. I took him first to do an example for them.  

I don't think I ever told so many people, "I'm not crazy, I'm a teacher" in the matter of 3 hours before! 

It was nice to finally have an excuse! 

As always, my love and prayers are with you all, 

Joey!