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Sunday, 29 March 2015

29th March, 2015...Busy build-up to Easter!

Well, the Easter holidays have arrived...hardly a moment since Christmas, but here we are. We've certainly had an action-packed few months. The Steve Hillman camera headed out for a walk earlier this week, on that lovely sunny Wednesday!

 
 
 
He found a bit of competition down here though, from GB Bootcamp!
 
 
 
Phew...far too energetic for me....I'd rather walk...here's my colleague though, who thinks nothing of running SIXTEEN miles on a Sunday, and still finds time to get to the hairdressers!
 
 
It was a bit of an emotional finish to our Easter term, as one of our long-term cleaning team was retiring, and during the week we'd also found a replacement for our site manager who is soon to retire too....she's been tied up with our school for most of her life one way or another and is part of the fabric of the building. Here's our retiring cleaner saying her good byes!
 
 
And a lovely finish to the term too with decorated eggs and spring like dressing up!!
 
 


A local celeb came to judge our competition too, which was great!
 
 
The Steve Hillman camera spotted lots of colourful wildlife down here this week.....
 
 
 
 
 
 
....but not the wild deer that had obviously done this, and been spotted earlier in the week!
 
 
Looking great at Abbey Mill Café with their new signs, windows and a roaring wood burner going....a chilly Easter weekend is the perfect time for a bracing walk and tea with hot cross buns....a few of us colleagues are going to do just that next week! We don't need the excuse of a birthday!
 
 
 
 
 
Come down and join us!
 
 
 
We did pop down to the Coast Road today too...in the vain hope that we'd see Poldark.....
 
 
...but no....just the ice cream man and Frankie!!
 
 
So, the Hillman clan are heading further south this week, for some Tudor Time Travel....as long as there's WiFi, says Frankie!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, 21 March 2015

21st March, 2015...Suprisingly Sunny Saturday blog!

HOORAY! At last, some lovely weather.... a crisp day of sparkling sunshine and dazzlingly blue skies!

 
 
 
And NO coats!!
 
 
Lovely Steve Hillman photo to promote tomorrow's Wedding Fair...no blogging tomorrow as he is there with his creative director Gracie, and very creative she is too....
 
 
.......here she is at her creative best with some crazy colleagues at our school's fashion show earlier this week! 'Bye Bye Baby' from the 1970s brought back such happy memories...I was in love with Les McKeown back then as I'm sure most fifty something ladies were! Hilariously, I had a LinkedIn invite from a guy this week that I had a serous crush on forty years ago...he won't have had any idea and in another life I might have told him, but I don't really know him now so he may not find it funny!!
 
 
Furness Abbey went rather dark yesterday....the Steve Hillman camera couldn't resist coming down to try and capture the 'eclipse'!
 
 
 
 
Pretty stunning!!
 
 
 
Lovely down here today......! In fact, we have lots of stunning views to enjoy in Barrow....
 
...the Steve Hillman Camera does justice to them all! Why would you not book him for your wedding!! Shameless advertising....better be careful not to get closed down!!
 
 
So, here's MORE shameless advertising.......here are Furness Flames Netball Club in their new (Steve Hillman) promo photo, and WOW! can those girls play!! I'm promoting my colleagues here.....
 
 
....and here......
 
 
....Steve Hillman took a sneaky shot of last night's Abbey Musical production of Hairspray! It was superb....especially the members of the teaching fraternity that were cast members, and all credit to it's producer and director....it was a really professional and fun show!
 
 
Full of the joys of Spring this weekend!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, 15 March 2015

15th March, 2015...Market towns and Mother's Day!

The end of another terrifically busy week....still got the flat, grey skies and chilly air, but heading rapidly towards Easter!

 
 

My sister-in-law Lou has finally made a guest appearance on the blog...she's been waiting for two years for the right moment! They did enjoy their walk around the area on their sojourn from Northants!
 
 
And still quite a lot of standing water down here today! The SteveHillman camera visited Skipton this week!
 
 
That is an incredibly busy market town, with a much more 'bustling' town centre than our own, which seems to be just a mecca for charity and discount shops at the moment!
 
 
Kids enjoyed their visit to the castle though!
 
 
We also did our bit for Comic Relief, especially since the government had promised to 'match fund' everything that schools had raised this year!
 
 
Well done Mr I.....you made in to the blog at last! Good luck to all those appearing in Abbey Musical's performance of Hairspray this week....the Hillman family are having a rare night out to watch on Friday!
 
 
And, as always, 'grumpy teacher' (well, one of us) was out on the playground with a cup of tea throughout the Comic Relief festivities! Fun and games with the mother and mother-in-law at our house on this Mothering Sunday too!
 
 
In fact, we had yet another giant family gathering and giant buffet!
 
 
Just time for a late walk to view the ever expanding daffodil display as......
 
 
 
.......winter turns to spring!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, 8 March 2015

8th March, 2015...Tudor ruins,tubing and three types of sheep!

So...Sunday, and a definite feel of spring on the breeze. Some of the Furness Abbey daffodils have opened up, and the sky was actually BLUE, rather than the flat grey we have had for weeks!


 

 
We took a sixty strong party to visit Kendal earlier in the week....the diversionary trip up to Kendal Castle proved fascinating, the skiing was enjoyable, but the TUBING...that went down a storm!!!! It was bitterly cold, especially on top of Castle hill, with the icy Lakes wind blowing down on us from all sides, but the views were spectacular!
 
 
 
We did get caught in a torrential hail storm as we descended!! Had a great team of staff making sure kids were warm and safe though.....none of this 'roughing it' nowdays!!
 
 
But the sun came out again later, so all was well!!
 
 
I hadn't realised the castle had been a ruin since the end of the Tudor era, when the barons of Kendal ceased to own it. The kids though Henry and Katherine Parr must have been buried in the cemetery that flanks the side of Castle Hill!
 
 
 
A hail storm added authenticity to our tubing escapade....staff enjoying it as much as the kids!
 
 
It is well worth a visit to Kendal Snow sports club:
 
 
Scaffolding has appeared on the Abbey Tavern, so hopefully someone is going to at least make it water tight before it rots anymore.....
 
 
 
 
 
Three types of sheep making up a large flock that have been moved into the field by the beck...those brown and white Jacobs, Black Faced and White Faced varieties.....
I've been watching too much Country File!!It's Adams fault!
 
 
Lovely day for a walk though!