Monday 12th January 2026

My granddaughter Isabella was 12 today, so I sent her a 'Happy Birthday' message when I woke up, then recorded a message for her with some of my Trainee Teachers at Tea Leaf Centre Nuwara Eliya, and finally caught up with her for a chat just before I went to bed, and just before she went out for a celebration pizza with Mum, Dad, sister Esther, Grandma (Valerie) and Abuelita (her other grandmother). She has been on my thoughts all day!

It was Registration Day at Tea Leaf Centre Nuwara Eliya today, so I sat chatted with a few prospective students and their families, sat in on a couple of interviews, and took lots of photos! I also found time to have a meeting with Miss Vijayan, the Teacher Trainer, about lesson observations, which she was very clued up about, but I hopefully gave her some helpful tips to develop her skills in what is a very important aspect of her monitoring and evaluation role.

I left early afternoon and took the bus back from Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya. I sat right at the front of the bus and when the bus stopped at Blackpool Junction a familiar face got on and stood next to me - a lovely lad called Singkoguls, who used to work for Tea Leaf, then moved on to train to be a government teacher. He has almost completed his Basic Teaching Diploma now and he will eventually be teaching Design Electrical and Electronic Technology at a school in or near Matale.

We got off the bus at Nuwara Eliya bus station, then I took Singkoguls to Remarko for a coffee and cake, and a good catch-up about his teacher training. I then had a last potter around Nuwara Eliya before getting a lift from Krishan's brother Wathsala to Shanthipura, the highest village in Sri Lanka. I had a lovely catch-up with Sutharshan and Jesmin there, two of Tea Leaf's most senior managers, including being treated to a most delicious dinner.

Today's photos show a selection from today's Registration Day at Tea Leaf Centre Nuwara Eliya, one of Singkoguls on the bus, then with me at Remarko, and a lovely picture of Sutharshan and Jesmin with their daughter Adhira and their recently arrived son Adhav.









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