Abbeywatch: 11th May, 2014...Maythorn and SATs!

Where is the heat wave we were promised? A few days more to wait, they say, but I'm not sure. It is SATs week from Monday for year six children, and usually by then the roses are out in my garden, and teachers and kids have donned 'summer uniform'. Not this year!!

Look at the sky!!

We are still wearing winter coats!!

Frankie's been let loose with a camera today! If he'd have been born a week later, he would be in year six now, taking these ridiculous tests along with all the others. We have a hilarious, quirky, bold and 'crash and burn' set of kids in our year six this year, and SATs would never be able to give an accurate measure of how they are...oh, they can recognise the 'definite article', complete a 6000 word reading test in an hour and tell you the ratio of apples to pears in a fruit salad, just like most other year sixes!!! But they are SO MUCH MORE!! Look out year seven staff in this town, and make sure you give them everything they need, and use their talents! Rant over!!

Here they all are!! See what I mean!!

Lovely smell of Maythorn and wild garlic when we got down here today. SteveHillmanPhotography was in Grange yesterday shooting a fun wedding....and still working today!

I'm so old and decrepit that my legs sometimes don't work on a Sunday....I act youthful all week, but Sunday is a 'no makeup and creaky joints' day!!

People who completed the Keswick/Coniston to Barrow yesterday have my upmost admiration, especially Mrs L and Miss R... they have to come into work tomorrow and teach enthusiastically after walking/running all day Saturday! I've done the K2B once, when I was 16, and that was enough!!

Frank's turning into his dad!! We had a walk around the old Salt House Village area of Barrow today...just a small hamlet when the Abbey was in power, but there are still some remnants of that time left behind down there....

....and the depressing 'Sandgate' pub of course!

I've lived in the East End of London, and found that depressing....I find places have an effect on my physical mood...is that normal???? Furness Abbey is uplifting, Tower Hamlets turns my mood black instantly...anyone else??

Those cute little bullocks in the fields down here have suddenly 'beefed up' so we didn't dare cross the bridge today! When you see the size of some of the spring flowers down here, you realise how good the meadow pasture must be for them at the moment...market will come round quicker than normal for them (not that I eat them)!!!