what a send off

I shaved this morning. I never shave on fridays - it's a quirk. But today is my last day at this school and they arranged for someone special to be here to mark my leaving - the President.
It seems they were in the UK on business anyway so it wasn't such a big deal for them to drop by for Mr C's swansong - it was the least I could do to shave.

Okay, it isn't Barack Hussein Obama II, it was the Irish President, Mary McAleese. And she isn't visiting because it's my last day in the school. I don't actually know why she's here; truth be told I'm not sure anybody knows why she chose to come here. I heard someone or other mention that she was attending some function or other somewhere... or other. But why the Irish head of state, the figurehead of Eire, Uachtaráin na hÉireann, the eighth President of the Republic of Ireland, then chose to visit a tiny town on the coast, go past the big shiny convent school, and stop at the tiny little state school with its crumbling buildings, cramped corridors and only three hundred and forty one (I counted) pupils - I can't think why she'd do that. I just checked her schedule on her web site and the visit isn't even listed - but she's here. Intriguing.

Not that it makes much difference to me. While most of the the teachers are attendinga meet and greet with President McAleese I'm out in a mobile covering two classes merged into one. The life of a sub, eh? I won't see the woman let alone get the chance to ask what she is actually doing here. My life will be unaltered.

Actually, that's not entirely true - I will see one benefit. You see I am on bus duty again today (and yes it is raining.) But today I will have a few big men in shades and sharp suits giving me a hand - I'm thinking there won't be any trouble.