27th July, 2017...Last Days and Llandudno Bay!

Almost a week since we finished for the summer break, and it has passed so quickly! Teacher colleagues everywhere will be wanting to find ways to put the brakes on for a bit!! We did have a bit of a 'zany' end of term....

...refer to my last blog about my colleagues!! I have mentored two lovely new teachers through their first year, which they passed with flying colours, and they gave me this lovely little olive tree as a thank you gift-that was so nice of them!

But, with work over for now, and a small lull in weddings, we did manage to head to Wales in that last little slice of beautiful weather.....

...can't go anywhere without visiting ancient monuments, and this was Conwy Castle with it's fascinating history dating back to the 1200s and welsh border wars. Nearly as old as nana herself!!

Llandudno and the Conwy Estuary are really worth a visit...mildly touristy but quite peaceful and unspoilt...kept the SteveHillmanCamera busy though...

..only nineteen more weddings to shoot in August!!

We can always find time for a peaceful walk to Furness Abbey though.....

...and nice to catch up with Jackie and swap some 'local colour' stories....

isn't it looking lovely and green with all that water that's around...even the beck has risen a little...

...and I've even managed to find myself some 'memory foam' walking boots...thanks Brashers'!

Great reading materials for the summer hols....Matt and Barry....what more could you want!!

16th July, 2017....Mad Colleagues and Englishmen!!!

A beautiful, breezy Sunday so we decided to head to Furness Abbey for a bit of peace and a 'wind-down'...only four more working days of this academic year left.......

....always time to have a spot of morning tea at Abbey Mill Café....

.....with lemon drizzle cake of course!!!

We've had such a mad last few weeks of term, keeping the academic ball rolling as well as fitting in all our community events, so thank goodness for my massively supportive (and totally crazy) colleagues who share the load.....

                                ...couldn't manage without this one, in her Mexican blanket......

...we did have an actual reason why we were all dressed in denim, checked shirts and cowboy hats...it was our annual transition event- hence the two head teachers above-and this year it had a 'Wild West' theme....the KIDS enjoyed it too!

The Steve Hillman Camera has had a quiet, lonely fortnight, editing weddings, so he took a break to visit Grizedale Forest earlier in the week, again with the MAD GJS brigade-it is a lovely place to walk and chill out with the family...no need for arcade games and rollercoasters!. My mum and dad used to chuck us five kids and the dog into the car when we were little and let us run for a whole day on the Grizedale Forest Nature Trails- there were different coloured posts to follow back then-keep us fed with Tupperware-flavoured sandwiches and sausages from a flask, and we didn't half sleep well when we got home!!

Isn't Cumbria a stunning place...we are so lucky!!!

2nd July, 2017....Finally, family at Furness Abbey!

First weekend for a month without full-on weddings and school work....and the chance for a lovely catch up with the Northants and Lancs parts of the family, along with the Barrow contingent and a buffet chez Hillman....

(bit of a height differential with the Hillman Children!!)

...we even managed to escape to Furness Abbey and have morning tea at Abbey Mill Café!

             Furness Abbey, we've missed you!!!! So tranquil and green in the morning light.........

                              ...and full of local people doing what they do best on a Sunday morning...!

We love the Barrow community, and I was interested to read what Phil Huck was saying about plans for the town over the next few years taking it on into 2030...hope we have our new Central Ward redesign by then!!! We were so proud to be part of the Great Community Get Together for the Jo Cox Foundation, last month....

......and we've really used the locality to support experiential education over the past few weeks.....

...and, of course, teachers love experiential learning and away days!!!

We did have a short walk to Furness Abbey during the 'mini heatwave' the other week...

...look at that blue sky......

Stunning, but so OVER now it's July!!!!