Monday 16th February 2026

It was the start of another week of working with the Section Heads of Grades 5 and 6 and Grades 7 and 8. I observed 3 lessons in Grade 5 this morning - one English, one Science, and one Maths. I then observed a Science lesson in Grade 7. My final task of the day was to have a discussion with Lalanga, the Section Head of Grades 7 and 8, about a recent Maths test taken by Grade 7, which I wasn't the least bit impressed with when I looked at it for a number of reasons.

Having put in a solid days' work, I had a good rest in the apartment, which included an afternoon siesta, as it was surprisingly hot again today. I can fully understand why people in very hot countries need to shut down in the heat of the day to recharge their batteries before coming to life again in the late afternoon and early evening. I thought it might make it harder to sleep again at night but that doesn't seem to have been the case at all.

Madame Sandra sent her driver, the lovely Gayethri, to collect me around 18:00 and I spent the evening sitting with her in her garden, which was a rather lovely experience. She has become a very good friend over the past two years that I have known her, and it feels like I have known her for much longer. She has led a rather extraordinary life, but so have I in many ways, so we always seem to have plenty of things in common to chat about.

Ravi came home later in the evening and joined us for dinner, which was a tasty affair. I do enjoy Sri Lankan food very much, and it's a pretty healthy diet generally speaking, so it does me good! I have been losing weight quite steadily throughout my time in Sri Lanka and I hope to maintain that weight loss when I get back to the UK. I was too tired to complete my blog by the time Ravi drove me back to the apartment, so it was left until the next day.

Today's pictures are a handful that I took during today's Science and Maths lesson observations.