Space Day.

It was a Space themed dress-up day at school today. I was only going in for the afternoon so I quickly made a token effort, a wacky hairstyle with lots of pink, blue and purple (which you can't see in the photo) and an alien 3rd eye. I told the children I was keeping my eye on them. Lots of the children had made space suits or alien costumes while others just turned up in fancy dress or stayed in their school uniform. I was teaching a Year 1 class and after phonics they had a story about a boy and a martian after which they had to try and make a rocket to blast a picture of the boy on a paper cone using plastic bottles. The idea was for them to place the cone over the top of a plastic bottle and then squash the bottle to fire the cone but they were given a selection of plastic bottles and no instructions to see what they would come up with. Not a lot until I gave them some hints with pointed questions. After that they had loads of fun. 

On my way home I could see a helicopter hovering over the opposite side of the valley. It wasn't the coastguard or the air ambulance and I don't think it was a police helicopter. It stayed there for quite a while before flying away. I wonder what it was doing?

I got in more gardening both before and after school so now it's a lot safer on the steps up the rocky bank as I've cleared most of the long grass and the main part of the grass cutting on the bank by the drive is also done. Just a little tidying up to do there underneath the azaleas.