24th, July, 2014...Abbeywatch and The English Lakes!

Phew...what fantastic weather!! My garden thermometer hasn't read lower that 25 degrees Celsius since we broke up for the summer holidays!

Luckily for us, we had booked a short break in Windermere, at the Marina Village (no way were we going to the sea side after last year's Scarborough fiasco!).

 

And what a beautiful place for a short stay... I would highly recommend it (and so would nana!)!

 

 

We even managed to catch sight of that elusive heron, fishing!

 

 

 

Yes...it is there...zoom in!! An a visit to Blackwell Arts and Crafts House is a MUST if you are in the vicinity of Bowness!

 

 

 

 

We did sit and pretend we owned the place, and this was our morning sojourn to the White Drawing Room! Hayes' is looking pretty good at the moment too!

 

I've got six weeks of this messing about...argh!!

 

 

I tried to get him to go to the 'Golf' School' that Furness Golf Club are running next week, but he won't go on his own....not after his YMCA experience!!

 

 

 

The Steve Hillman camera never fails!! And here we all are on the last day of term....another group of fantastic kids waved on their way!!

 

 

 

Time to give the meadow a bit of a haircut.......

 

.....if you don't do anything else this summer, get yourself down to Abbey Mill for a cup of tea in the glorious English countryside..... can't beat Cumbria as a venue, can you!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13th July, 2014...SF Said and the end of the school year!

Phew! Another fantastic week, and we are heading rapidly towards the end of the summer term too! Came down to Abbey Mill for a quiet cup of tea and a chat...it's a bit breezy, but a lovely day...

 

 

Frank is testing his new boots out for the YMCA tomorrow....it will be the first time for thirty years that we have not had one child or the other with us...he's away for four days!!

 

 

So, Monday..... well we went to Lancaster station in the morning and waited.......

 

 

....I was so on edge when we left school, I think I must have bitten at least ten people's heads off...

 

 

....finally he arrived! SF Said, our favourite children's author, all the way from Euston on a one-day-only visit to our school! My kids so wanted it to happen and it has taken all year to fix it up! I didn't quite believe it until he got off the train! And what a lovely guy he was. We chatted all the way back to Barrow, and took him to school via Furness Abbey of course!

 

 

Here he is outside school, with the head and I! The children loved it, they were so in awe of him, mainly because of his martial arts cat, Varjak Paw (read the books if you haven't already!).

 

 

 

He signed lots of books, and talked to the kids in a very entertaining way...I was hooked (but I was already)! A class from Barrow Island School came to join us because they are equally smitten, so it was a lovely, community afternoon! Thank you so much SF Said! Other staff a bit 'in awe' too!

 

 

(And I actually couldn't have got it sorted without help from the Mr/Mrs in the photo).

 

We had a superb afternoon...it lifted me up yet again from that place people

  keep trying to put me...karma!!!

 

 

It was lovely down here today, the true English countryside on a July afternoon...doesn't get any better.Water levels are a bit low though...who would have thought it!

 

 

Farewell assembly with my class this week...they were hilarious...they have been all year....some superb characters in there, and they are only eleven! It won't be long until the autumn and it all starts again...blackberries are developing nicely already!

 

 

Thanks SF, you certainly did.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6th July, 2014...thank goodness for the nice guys!

Ok, so 'Sports Day' was cancelled on Friday, but the Greengate kids had a great day at Furness Abbey and Abbey Mill on Thursday! And just look at the weather today!

 

We brought the whole of year six down here on Thursday for a final treat before they leave....I hadn't done it before, so didn't know how it would work out.....but it was great. We set children some boundaries, Abbey Mill provided a base, ice cream and drinks, and I got us a permit to visit the ruins in the afternoon. The kids had a bit of freedom and a great time.......!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the boss turned out!

 

So, thanks to Jacquie and the Abbey Mill staff, and to English Heritage of course! And to our PCSO and neighbourhood warden Phil, who turned up to help...your support was very welcome guys, believe me!

 

 

And well done Mr.Abs and Woody, you made it to the blog!

 

 

 

And here's Mrs. Robs and the girls!! She's been one supportive lady this week!

 

 

 

SteveHillmanPhotography treated himself to a new Land Rover this week....Raymond Hillman himself had the first drive out in it....

 

 

.....seen a bit of life has the old Raymond! We are travelling to Lancaster to pick up a very prestigious guest in it tomorrow...watch Twitter and the blog for more information as it happens!! Can't wait!