Chickiepigs.

It felt like summer again today. Perfect weather for taking my class down to search for mini beasts. It was the usual selection, ants, worms, slugs, snails, flies, bees and ....... chickiepigs (the Devon name for wood lice). After a hot lunchtime I set up an afternoon of art activities and I sat with a group of children creating beautiful pen drawings based on the illustrations in The Hidden House by Martin Wadell, of swirling lines embellished with leaves, flowers and mini beasts. We hadn't brought our mini beasts back into the classroom but I had strewn a selection of leaves, flowers and blossom across the tables to provide inspiration. This was a very successful activity with some children becoming totally engrossed in adding lots of detail. (I had fun too drawing my own picture.) After school we were tantalised by the smell of a barbecue drifting across from the junior school who were having a fund raising event. I was too busy to go over as I am trying to get things ready for next term and do not intend to go into school during the holidays.

Speaking of holidays, I paid for our summer trip to Lundy so now I can start the pleasurable activity of planning for the holiday, which clothes (wet weather gear as well as sun block and swimming things), books (there is a good selection already there) and food (to supplement the excellent food available in the Marisco), to take. No tv, Internet or phones and the electricity goes off at midnight. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful place nearby, No long drive to the airport, only 15 mins to Ilfracombe. No long wait at the airport though there is a bit of hanging around on the quayside which only adds to the fun and then you are off for a hopefully bouncy trip first passing all our cliff walks seen from a new angle and then ever closer to Lundy. Perhaps this time we will get to see the famous puffins (Lundy means puffin in ancient Norse). I spent many unsuccessful hours hanging off cliffs in search of them last time. Meanwhile there is one more day until the Easter holiday and then another term to go. And plenty of work to do as always. This evening I cut down the last of the leylandii branches which hopefully will dry quickly so that I can burn them up and get rid of the two big piles of branches that are left. Everyday more flowers appear and now the magenta pom-poms of the rubus hedge glow like paper flowers.

Cake For Tea.

It was roasting hot this afternoon as I sat in the staffroom with a pile of work to mark. To tempt me from my task were 2 luscious cakes baked for us by our ex-Head teacher as after OFSTED/end of term treat. I will admit to having an extra slice of the coffee cake halfway through the afternoon. We are all keeping our fingers crossed that the good weather lasts into our Easter Holiday which starts on Saturday. I have got a few garden jobs planned though I will try and have a rest as well. Even though I didn't get home until 6.00 the evening was nice enough for me to spend an hour and a half cutting grass and then taking off a few more branches from the leylandii. Something I do need to do is to tidy up the paths on the hillside as the winter flowering heathers are creating a lovely splash of colour up there. Finally a shot of my classroom before the children wore their amazing creations for the Easter Bonnet Parade.

Hat Making Chaos.

I'm feeling worn out after a fairly chaotic day in class. First the people that were supposed to come and run sessions of kids athletics type activities cancelled because the conditions were too wet. So suddenly all my excited children had to be found alternative tasks to do. For the rest of the day the children have been making their Easter hats based on their own elaborate designs. Usually they make them at home or rather their mums make the hats so it was decided that it would be fairer if they made them in school. My classroom has felt like a sea of card and tissue paper while I have been juggling all the children not making a hat at that moment. And still 5 hats to be made tomorrow morning. Despite the damp conditions I took most of them out into the Secret Garden to collect leaves to identify and draw in class. The clouds were down low as I drove home and I didn't feel like walking in this wet drizzle. So it will be some housework and an early night for me.

We're Going On Holiday.

It's been such a good evening. First I came home from work to find this beautiful Mothers' Day card which had arrived in the post from Vytas. Then although it was wild and windy the morning rain had cleared and I was able to go for a bracing walk up the hill. It felt so good to be able to stand in this field enjoying the view and the roaring wind.

Reluctantly I returned back down the hill and there was still enough light for me to spend an hour cutting back about half of the remaining leylandii. Finally Peter came home with the news that he had been able to book the August week that I had been hoping for. I've already been on line and booked a week's holiday for us on Lundy though I won't feel secure until I've spoken to the booking office on the telephone and the holiday is all paid up. A whole week, what bliss.

Happy Mothers' Day.

I was woken this morning with roses, chocolates and hot croissants. All thanks to Peter in honour of Mothers' Day, which actually I didn't expect. The boys were never too good at remembering when they were at home so today I was happy enough with phone calls from 2 of them and 2 e-cards as well. But I did enjoy my treats and the roast lamb dinner Peter made tonight. I might treat him to a meal out next week-end (it's OK, he doesn't read this blog). The day started with sunshine and showers and the washing I had forgotten out on the line overnight being even wetter than when I took it out of the machine. We decided not to go for a walk so I set to work in the garden. Having decided the arch must go I got out my trusty bow saw and started sawing. The 'before' picture shows my problem with the arch. The first 7 ft is closely trimmed and looks quite neat. Then the next section is looking rather ragged as I have to balance on a ladder with its feet on ground that is sloping in 2 directions. Finally the top bits are really messy as it's a matter of balancing and praying that the ladder won't shift as I lie on the arch cutting at full stretch. How I have never fallen off the ladder I don't know. Here one side has had all its branches lopped off. I don't like cutting down trees so it does look sad to see it like this. As I cut the branches I wondered if I could salvage the trunks to use as supports to create an archway with something growing over it. If we were planning on staying here long term I would be thinking of roses but as we are not I have a very good honeysuckle growing on the house which roots very easily. I know that leylandii does not grow from old wood but I need to check that I won't build up any fungal infection by leaving the stumps in the ground. (Anybody know if that would be the case?) I could ask a tree company but I wouldn't be sure if they just wanted my money to drill out the stump and roots.

Having worked hard outside I then bravely togged up (overalls, scarf, hood, gloves and safety glasses) and ventured into one of the lofts because we have seen the jackdaws sneaking in under the eaves. That part of the house is very old and there are gaps at the top of the stone walls under the eaves. I did put in some wire netting from the outside but it is rather too high to work comfortably. Instead I climbed through the tiny loft hatch, 12" x 18", and then painfully crawled over the rafters (my poor knees) being absolutely terrified that I would put my foot through the ceiling. I was wearing my head torch which was perfect for this job as it left my hands free to hold onto the rafters. I jammed lots of wire netting into the gaps but even as I worked a twig appeared through a gap further along as a jackdaw tried to carry on with its nest building. Apart from the noise and the yearly increase in population the amount of twigs in the loft would create a fire hazard. Hopefully now they have no way of getting in. I only hope that the little pipistrelle bats that live in the loft in the summer can still get in.

A Good Saturday.

It feels like spring is really here. Bright sun, warm winds and early flowers cheering the place up.

I started my day in town meeting up with a friend for coffee, cheesecake (mixed fruits this time) and a good long chat. Then I had a pleasant shopping morning dropping into most of the charity shops as well as quite a few clothes shops. I'm now being really strict with myself (due to somewhat bulging wardrobe) and only buy clothes that I would be prepared to wear to work straight away. No 'this will be lovely when I lose this little bulge' or buying clothes for non-existent special occasions in the future. So today I restricted myself to 2 tops from charity shops, both of which I will wear this week and 3 packs of brightly coloured men's socks in Primark which had been reduced from £4 to £1 a pack of 5 pairs of socks. A few other essential items and another non-essential solar powered garden light along with a visit to the library completed my shopping.

Back home it was out into the garden to test my new daisy grubber. It works well though I was using it to grub out everything but the daisies which I don't mind in a lawn. I went on to weed the only flower bed which actually has proper soil (everything else in the garden grows in clay subsoil) when I realised that cutting down the leylandii arch will give me the chance to almost triple the size of that bed and have another go at growing vegetables. I have never been too successful at growing vegetables here partly due to the lack of soil but mainly because of the legions of slugs that emerge from the surrounding fields and munch their way through everything. Any suggestions for the best crops to grow in our short and wet growing season would be gratefully received.

Just returned to my blog after taking a supper break combined with watching a televised episode of The Goon Show on BBC2. I used to listen to it on the radio but it was even funnier watching how they actually recorded it in front of a live audience. Peter tells me he went to see it being recorded several times.

Here's hoping for another lovely day tomorrow.

Signs Of Spring.

The day started off wet and windy but somewhere along the line, without me really noticing, the sun came out and we ended up with a lovely warm afternoon. In the school grounds the blossom and daffodils are already past their best,

..... while in the Secret Garden the big old weeping willow has turned a delicious shade of green.

Driving along the country roads I have been noticing more and more trees and bushes breaking into bud. Already the hawthorn is covered with tightly curled green leaves and there are more subtle colour changes in other species as the new buds impart a pink or yellow tinge to the branches. The biggest and most looked for change will be when the beech trees/bushes/hedges open their buds. The bright lime green of the new leaves is such a refreshing change after so many months of dusty browns and greys.

This morning I played a mild April Fool on my class asking them in the most upset tones I could muster why I didn't have any birthday cards or flowers. They looked shocked for about 30 seconds before laughing at being caught out. A couple of their mums had tried exactly the same trick on them.

As it is Mothering Sunday this weekend my class have been busy making cards and gifts for their mums. Their cards included a description of their mum which they had typed up and printed in different colours and fonts. Most of them chose to write similes (I so wish I had kept a record) which were so personal and lovely that I'm sure their mums will love them. Some that I remember are;

My mum is as brave as a hamster.

My mum's hair is as smooth as a bit of wood.

My mum's smile is like mine when I'm eating cakes.

My mum is as strong as a gorilla.

My mum's skin is as soft as 10 kittens.

The cards were all watercolours of spring flowers but the children had mounted them in different ways and they had thought carefully about the colours and materials they used so each was unique. And to finish them off they made giant decorated envelopes. We have been told (well it was discussed at a staff meeting) that we are not making Easter cards. Some people felt strongly that every class should be doing the same thing and with it only 1 week until we break up it is quite close to the Mothers' Day card making. I would have liked to make cards because I feel it motivates the children but I can sympathise with those who find it stressful having to make sure that everyone has made a card by the end of the week. None the less I have got some small polystyrene eggs for the children to decorate and take home and I bought enough for the other Year 2 class as well so I can't be accused of going off and doing my own thing. I even have coloured Easter Eggs hanging from some branches in a jug alongside a display of books about Easter. True most of my children do not follow any religion actively but I told them that even if they only have chocolate Easter eggs then in a small way they are still celebrating Easter.