My Top Ten Photos of 2012

Here are my top ten photos of what has been a quite extraordinary year.

1. London 2012 Olympic Stadium,12th July 2012.

Rain lashes down on the poncho attired opening ceremony volunteer cast for a marshal rehearsal. We were there for approximately 5 hours dancing (and singing) in the rain. It was the first time we had seen the seat lighting in operation and couldn't resist taking this photo on my HTC phone. The glorious British summer couldn't dampen our spirits and the drummers/marshals thrived in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of participating in the Olympics.     

2. London 2012 Olympic Stadium, 25th July 2012

This picture was taken by my wife who attended the second opening ceremony dress rehearsal with my mum. All cast members (and many games makers) were given two free tickets for their families. This picture shows the end of the 'Pandemonium' opening scene where the industrial revolution chimneys retract back into the stage and the forged centre ring is hoisted up to meet the other Olympic rings for a dazzling finale. I am somewhere on the far side of the stage towards the right of the picture with my drumming group - 49. 

3. London 2012 Olympic Stadium, 9th August 2012

As well as being a cast member of the opening ceremony, I had managed to buy tickets for the evening athletics in the ticket ballot. The evening in question had men's 200m final which would feature Usain Bolt and a Jamaican gold, silver & bronze and the men's 800m final which provided a world record! As athletics fans from childhood (my dad was a sprinter in his youth), it was a dream come true to be at the Olympic games athletics and one I was able to share with my sister Debbie. This photo is not only one of the best we've ever had taken together but it shows us in the stadium in our Team GB colours. A very special picture. 

    

4. Backstage of Olympic Stadium, 12th August 2012.

This picture is special for a few reasons. Firstly it is taken just before I entered the Olympic Stadium for the last time as a cast member of the closing ceremony, secondly it was taken on my 39th birthday and thirdly it is with one of the great new friends I made during the Olympic ceremonies, Natalie. I wasn't overly keen on the costume of shorts, sock suspenders, jacket and blue bowler hat with lightbulb but I wasn't going to complain - after all I was in the centre of the stadium for the closing ceremony. 

5. Table Mountain, 23rd August 2012

Laura's prize for winning The Guardian's 'Been There' travel photography competition (http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/gallery/2011/dec/28/been-there-photographs-year-2011#/?picture=383572093&index=10) was a 5* safari. We decided to make the most of it and travel around South Africa for a week or so before heading to the game park. The weather was gloriously sunny upon arriving in Cape Town and with no 'tablecloth' of cloud on top of Table Mountain, we dumped our bags, jumped into a cab and headed up there. I had previously been there in 1999 so it was very special to be with Laura this time. 

     

6. Ngala Game Reserve, 2nd September 2012

The only one of the 'big five' that I hadn't seen in previous safaris was a leopard. 30 minutes into our first game drive we encountered this beautiful creature up a tree. We sat mesmerised for another 30 minutes during which time she turned her head and I was able to take this picture. We were so lucky with the rest of the safari too and managed to see not just the big five, but as our driver called it, 'the magnificent seven' 

    

7. Mud Baths in Dalyan - Turkey, 26th September 2012

My wonderful parents kindly decided to take the family away to Dalyan in Turkey in September. It was brilliant to spend time together in a wonderful place. The highlight of the week was hiring a boat for the day which took us out to sea, to the beach and up the Dalyan river finishing at the mud baths. 

   

8. Star Wars set near Tozeur - Tunisia, 29th December 2012

As someone who went to the cinema to see the original Star Wars movie in 1977, the opportunity to visit the set built for The Phantom Menace was one to take. After a 4x4 ride over sand dunes in the Sahara, we arrived at Mos Espa. To say I was excited is an understatement.   

9. Chott el Djerid Salt Lake - Tunisia, 29th December 2012

This is a special picture to me for two reasons, firstly it was sunrise on the amazing salt flat in Tunisia but mainly because Laura and I have had an amazing year and I am so proud of her and her achievements this year including her published article in the Guardian  (http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/oct/05/safari-south-africa-been-there-photography) and subsequent photo assignments and awards. 

    

10. Sahara Desert - Tunisia, 28th December 2012

The perfect end to my top ten pictures, the sun sets on 2012.

  

Ten Things I've Learned in 2012

1) I learned more about education in less developed countries. 
I thought education was in a bad way in England until I was invited to Nigeria for the Every Nigerian Child Project Summit. Little money feeds down to the schools and teaching quality in many places appears dire. A DfID project in one area found that 86% of Year 4 teachers could not complete the work they were asking the students to do. I also learned about some of the strategies and attempting to improve education here. 

http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/encp-education-summit-abuja-nigeria.html 

2) I learned that I can remember some weird things. 
In April I was listening to The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show in the car and heard a caller regale 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' to prove he was a 'child of the 80's'. "But that's the 90's" I thought and from somewhere in my head I suddenly remembered the old 'Um Bongo' advert. I sang it to myself and then called the radio station. 5 minutes later I was singing it live on national radio, twice. And guess what? I won tickets to see Kasabian live and acoustic in a tiny 180 capacity venue in Soho.  

http://podcast.as34763.net/oconnell/20120423103059.mp3
(from 30:51& 49:45)

With Underworld's Rick Smith. Earphones not in.

3) I learned how mass choreography works at events like the Olympic Games ceremonies including hours of rehearsals, hours of hanging around and using radios and in ear headphones.

http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/my-story-london-2012-olympic-opening_29.html 






4) I learned that I have a great deal of tolerance of the British 'summer' weather and patience when required to hang around for hours on end as part of an ensemble.

Practising dance moves in the Olympic Stadium during the English 'summer'

Hanging around in the Olympic Stadium

5) I learned that I have no tolerance or patience with drummers who feel the need to tap or bang incessantly on their plastic/metal bins/buckets. It drove me nuts.  

6) I learned that working with Danny Boyle, Rick Smith and Mike Dolbear (opening ceremony) was infinitely more rewarding than working with Kim Gavin (closing ceremony).


7)  I learned that driving around South Africa in winter is a joy, both beautiful and with hardly any other cars about.

8) I learned the difference between a leopard and a cheetah.

leopard

cheetah

     














http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-safari-diaries-part-1.html


9) I learned that despite doing the world's biggest bungy jump in 1999, I have no desire to do it or any other again. I did however meet the guy that tied my feet up in 1999. 

10) I learned that God really does answer prayers. 

The opportunities that have presented themselves to Laura and I in 2013 are answers to some big prayers. Since leaving the English education system in 2010 I have been searching for opportunities where I can develop/create/influence an education system/structure that;

a) is not purely about academia and obsessed with grades.
b) allows every child to flourish, whatever their academic ability.
c) offers opportunities in enterprise, creativity and other intelligences.
d) is ultimately child centred and is not burdened by league tables and dubious judgements.
e) is free of morons that believe every lesson must be a prescribed 'formula' and accompanied by a three page learning plan,data demonstrating progress and a seating plan.
f) respects the professionalism of good and proven teachers.    

The opportunities at The Craig Bellamy Foundation in Sierra Leone answer my prayers and fulfil Laura's long time calling of working overseas. She will be able to further her visual communications career and we will both be serving God.
We start in September 2013. http://www.craigbellamyfoundation.org/ 

Iceland: Volcanic Multicoloured Mountains

Landmannalaugar is a region near to the Hekla volcano in Iceland's Highlands. 

It is stunning. 

Volcanic activity can be seen as steam rises from the surrounding rocks.

Near the lodge there is also the opportunity to have a dip in the hot springs. 

 

Hope you enjoyed! 

 

Work & TRAVEL: Malta

I received a call in late November from one of the teacher training providers I work for that went something like this:

Company: Hi Stephen, would you like to do some delivery in Malta? It's very soon though, between 2nd to 5th December?  
Me: Yep

So after scraping ice from my windscreen at -2 degrees Sunday morning just gone, I arrived in 18 degrees sunny Malta in the afternoon. 

A lovely welcome

Malta sits in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Italy and east of Tunisia. 

I delivered training on Monday and Tuesday 8.30 am - 1.00 pm and with my flight home booked for Wednesday evening, I had just over a day to explore.

Valletta 

In the capital Valletta I mooched around and visited the very good war museum. In 1942 the island was awarded the George Cross from the King for 'heroism and devotion' for their war effort. 

Mosta

Mosta is dominated by Rotunda of Mosta (Mosta Dome) which is also the third largest unsupported dome in the world. 

        
Mdina

Situated right next to Rabat, the 'silent city' of Mdina is a small fortified town which was also the old capital of Malta. narrow streets divide the fabulous architecture.

  

St Pauls Cathedral, Mdina

Mosta Dome from Mdina

And finally, I met Miss Malta 1984 who is now one of the teachers at the school I did the training at. Here we are with footage from the 1984 Miss Universe competition behind! 

Happy Birthday Blog!

First ever post: The Masterplan http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/november-2011.html


It's one year since I began Life Begins @ 40, which was designed to tell the story of Laura and my journey from employment in UK to travelling and working overseas. My story started in 2010 by leaving teaching and resigning from a senior leadership position in a secondary school to reclaim my life back and it is fair to say that it the last year has been one of the best I have ever had.

In addition to my story, I have blogged (sometimes ranted) about education in England but have also blogged regularly about travel and the amazing places I have visited on this stunning planet of ours.   
In one year this blog has had over 17,500 page views which averages out at 48 per day. I am so delighted that people like it. The most popular blogs are:

Leaving teaching:What next;
http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/leaving-teaching-what-next.html
Leaving teaching: 
http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/leaving-teaching.html
Measure THAT Gove
http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/measure-that-gove.html
My Story of the London 2012 Olympics:
http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/my-story-london-2012-olympic-opening.html
  
I'm still not 40 - that happens in August 2013 but we are much clearer with what is going to happen in approximately 9 months time. 

Laura and I have been accepted to work for the Craig Bellamy Foundation in Sierra Leone (http://www.craigbellamyfoundation.org/about-us/) - which comprises of two main projects, firstly the school where the best young football players in Sierra Leone live and attend and secondly the male and female youth leagues that have been set up in the country. The youth leagues have had a significant impact on increasing attendance at school for boys and girls. We are so excited to be involved in a education/development project where we will be able to utilise both our sets of skills and do work in what we believe in.   

But there is much still to do. In the first blog I wrote:  

"With 21 months to go, there is a lot to do. Sell the house, sell our stuff, for me it means gaining another qualification (in addition to my degree, PGCE and M.A.) where I intend to do the CELTA (tefl) qualification to further improve my chances of employment overseas. The plan is to do this in London during August 2012"

Today I can confirm:

• We still want to sell the house but things have been a bit slow in that department. Realistically we have until July until we reach plan 'B' which will be to rent it out. If this happens we won't be able to utilise some of the sale money for an amazing trip before our 'work' starts.   
• We thought about selling some of our 'stuff' but currently most has gone to local charity shops. 
• Regarding my plans of doing the CELTA qualification, the reason I looked at it was to increase employment opportunities overseas. Thankfully the opportunities that have presented themselves to us are in development & education which is exactly what we wanted to get involved with. I was also quite busy this summer with the Olympics. 

As this is a celebratory blog I am going to celebrate my favourite moments in the last year in line with the blog tagline 'Education, Travel & Happiness'. 


1. Being Invited to Every Nigerian Child Matters Summit - Abuja, Nigeria.

I was delighted to have been invited and learned an enormous amount about the current situation in Nigerian education. I hope that I will be able to contribute further in the coming years.

http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/encp-education-summit-abuja-nigeria.html

 2. Inspiring Students with 'Countdown's' Rachel Riley. 

In February Rachel Riley agreed to come into a local school with me to inspire gifted and talented maths students at a school I do some work in. Her story of 'success through taking opportunities' inspired these students who were pretty shocked at seeing her as I'd kept it a big secret. 
http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/measure-that-gove.html

3. London Olympics - as a performer & as a spectator

Even now I find it difficult to find words to describe my Olympic life from May 24th 2012 when we started rehearsals until August 13th, the day I got home from the Olympics...at 7.30am after a night at the pub. We rehearsed A LOT, made new friends, met Danny Boyle and Rick Smith (from Underworld), were in the stadium from mid-June and then performed before a worldwide audience. In between the opening and closing ceremonies I went as a spectator to Wembley for Team GB's women's football team (we beat Brazil 1-0) and then at the 200m mens final night which also included the 800m men's world record being broken.

Rehearsing in the rain...again

My sister Debbie and I at the Olympic Stadium 9th August

At the end of the closing ceremony with a Kiwi gold medalist

http://www.stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/my-story-london-2012-olympic-opening.html

http://www.stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/destination-london-watching-history.html

http://www.stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/my-story-london-2012-olympics-closing.html

4. South Africa: Travelling & Safari with Laura

Two weeks after the Olympics we drove from Cape Town to the Wild Coast before jumping on 2 planes and heading to Ngala Safari Lodge which was Laura's prize for winning the Guardian 'Been There' travel photography competition. A really amazing trip.

At the top of Table Mountain

http://www.stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/travelling-cape-town-city-in-winter.html

http://www.stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-safari-diaries-part-1.html

5. Family holiday to Dalyan, Turkey.

Dalyan is a wonderful town in the south east of Turkey perched on the Dalyan river but very near the coast. With Roman remains, ancient tombs, mud baths and excellent boat trips, there was plenty to do and explore and a great chance to spend some quality time with the family...and especially my nephew.

Happy Birthday Blog!