Friends of Sebert Wood School Summer Fayre

Yesterday was the annual Friends of Sebert Wood School Summer Fayre, last featured on this blog in 2006. After lunch I took the kids down there. They had the usual tombola stalls on, but this year we didn't win any booze.

Little Miss, though, did win something on the Spin2Win stall.

The biggest queue was not for the popular barbecue bar, but for the face-painting.

Although it's 4 years since Big Miss left the school, she still enjoyed it; she and her mate got a coaster made each from a photograph of them with the giant hedgehog, here seen sparring with a pupil.

There was the usual Dad's soccer tournament, which I carefully avoided, instead I eyed up the cars on display - a red Ferrari, an Aston Martin DB7 and this Audi R8.

Little W, though enjoyed a different car the best. He got to sit in the driving seat of the Police Car...

...and was allowed to set the siren going! So we were all well entertained and went home happy.

Last Violin Lesson

Today was the last Cygnets String Orchestra practice session and Violin Lesson of the academic year, and Mrs P decided it would be a good idea to combine the 10:00 and 10:30 classes into a single session. So there were 7 in Little Miss' lesson today. They played their way through their Fiddle Time Joggers book together.

It was an impressive sound; they have learnt a lot since September.

Then each of them got to play a solo to everyone else. When it was J's turn, he announced he would play "Down Up E String" with his eyes closed. Cue some tiptoeing round the room from the girls to all stand in front of him and check he wasn't looking!

They then finished by all playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" together and taking a bow to the assembled Mums and Dads.

Great fun - you can find more pictures of the lesson here on Flickr. So violin lessons are over now until September, but next week they'll all be performing in the Cygnets in the Shoppers Prom in the Corn Exchange from 10Am to midday. Do drop in if you want some morning entertainment.

Stokesay Castle

Well I'm still in Shropshire tonight, so here is another Shropshire Day Out from last summer. We took a trip to Craven Arms here on the A49 between Shrewsbury and Ludlow. After a visit to the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, where we had an early picnic lunch in the Onny Meadows, we went to the very picturesque Stokesay Castle

Here is the timber-framed gatehouse, which dates from the 17th Century.

It is an English Heritage site and they provide an audio guide which explains the history as it takes you round the manor house. Little W obviously found this bit of the guide funny!

We were in the Welsh Marches here and the Castles of Wales site provides a good description of the history of the castle.

In the eaves of the rooms we found birds nests with little fledglings hopping around the floor.

They also have bats, but we didn't see them.

From the top of the tower you get a good view of the scenery.

Ah. The hills. Yes we like the hills; we stopped off at Carding Mill Valley again for an afternoon walk on our way back to The Barn.

How to Have Fun in Meetings

As my schedule tomorrow suggests I'm going to suffer death through meetings, I can't resist repeating this from my email box today...

Brighten up your boring meetings!

Discreetly clasp hold of someone's hand and whisper: "Can't you feel it?" from the corner of your mouth.

Wear a hands-free phone headset throughout - once in a while drift off into an unrelated conversation such as: "I don't care if there are no dwarves, just get the show done!"

Write the words "He fancies you" on your pad and show it to the person next to you while indicating with your pen. This works best in an all male meeting.

Reconstruct the meeting in front of you using action figures. When anyone moves re-arrange the figures accordingly.

Draw a chalk circle around one of the chairs prior to the
meeting, conspicuously avoid sitting in it and when someone does, cover your mouth and gasp.

Turn your back on the meeting and sit facing the window with your legs stretched out. Announce that you "love this dirty old town".

Reflect sunlight into everyone's eyes off your watch face.

Pull out a large roll of bank notes and count them conspicuously.

Gradually push yourself closer and closer to the door on your chair.

Bend momentarily under the table and then re-appear with two half ping-pong balls in your eye sockets.

Drop meaningless and confusing management speak into conversations such as: "What's the margin, Marvin?" “When's this turkey going to get basted?" "If we don't get this brook babbling we're all going to end up looking like doe-eyed Labradors."

Announce that you've run off some copies of the meeting agenda. Then hand out pieces of paper that read:

o MY SECRET AGENDA
* Get the next promo video made by Leni Riefenstaal
* Trample the weak.
* Triumph alone.
* Invade Poland.

Re-collect them sheepishly and ask everyone to pretend they
haven't seen them.

For a really serious meeting, bring along a bowl of jelly babies and insist they are handed round.

Make your presentations more engaging!

Chew tobacco.

Respond to a serious question with: “I’m flattered, but it's all happened so fast."

Use 'Nam style jargon such as “what’s the ETA?", "who's on recon?" and "Charlie don't surf." For best effect try: "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" whilst playing the Ride of the Valkeries in the background.

Shave one of your forearms or even better one of your eyebrows.

Attempt to hypnotise the entire room with a pocket watch.

Don't drink the water, gargle.

Use a large hunting knife to point to visual aids.

Leave long random pauses in your speech. When someone is prompted to interject shout: "I'M NOT FINISHED". If they persist, sit down and invite them to take over the presentation.

I wonder how many of these I can get away with tomorrow?

Shotley Point

After our morning walk and Butt and Oyster lunch, we headed back to the B1456 and along to the end of the peninsula at Shotley Point. We parked at the marina.

The beach there is covered in seashells, so the others did some foraging on the sea-shore while I enjoyed the views.

From here you can see Felixstowe docks on one side and Harwich on the other. In the distance we could see the tower at Landguard Point, where we were 5 weeks earlier. This is also the far end of the route for the Foot Ferry that we saw there, but it wasn't running today - too windy, I expect.

At the end of the marina you get an amazing contrast in scenery - turn a few degrees from facing across the Orwell to the docks and you get a timeless marshy river estuary landscape.

And it's not just huge container ships, ferries and pleasure boats you can see on the water. There are still several old London barges on the river.

A fascinating spot to visit and we had a good family day out too. Furthermore, Big Miss got the material she needed for her school art project - she was going to make a picture out of the seashells we collected.

Shotley Peninsula - Pin Mill Walk

Today I didn't have to drive to The Barn in the evening, for a change, so we were able to have a full Sunday out. Hooray. "I think we should go to the sea", said the Missus. That gave me an idea; it's not far to the Shotley Peninsula, but it's nearly three years since we were there, and there's somewhere there I've been longing to visit for lunch since we first went.

Situated between the Orwell and Stour rivers, the Shotley peninsula is a little off the beaten track, but easy enough to get to - down the A14 from Bury St Edmunds towards Ipswich and at the A137 turn-off, just before the Orwell bridge, turn left and then right at the next roundabout onto the B1456.

We followed this along to Chelmondiston and turned left down to Pin Mill. There is no mill there now, but the name is said to be derived from the wooden pegs or 'pins' that were made there and used in boat-building. The tide was out when we arrived and there are pleasant views across and along the Orwell.

The woods on the cliff at Pin Mill are owned by the National Trust and there is good circular walk through them, starting just across the road from the car park. In places the path goes down to the river front and you can find boats along the edge.

Here are the walkers coming up the hill from Clamp House, before returning through the Cliff Plantation. If you go there in early autumn you should find plenty of balckberries along the way.

We finished the walk in good time for an early lunch at the renowned Butt and Oyster Inn.

It dates back to the 17th century and is associated with smuggling and the stories of Arthur Randsome. As their website says...

The Butt & Oyster is one of the best known public houses in Suffolk renowned for its good beer, good food and great views, situated in the hamlet of Pin Mill on the river Orwell.

Let the sounds of the Orwell seduce you. Watch the changing tides on traditional timeless shores. Understand an artist’s inspiration with Thames barges, swans and the river, enjoying the finest Suffolk ales whilst being tempted by the wonderful aromas which welcome you.

Pin Mill, once a smugglers haven offers beautiful walks and amazing scenery, the name of the pub commemorates the oyster fisheries originally a major export from the river Orwell.

In the old days the pub would be full of bargemen and sailors enjoying a pint. Made famous as being the setting for Arthur Ransomes “we didn’t mean to go to sea” book. “It is a fantastic pub” with a welcoming and traditional atmosphere.

Hear hear! The food was good and the Adnams Broadside beer excellent!

Pizza Boy

Little W says he wants to have his own pizza shop when he grows up. The things is, he doesn't like pizza because he doesn't like cheese. So whenever I feed the girls bought pizza, he has to have something else. The solution - let him make his own without any cheese. Well after last week's butter making it was his turn to do something with Dad in the kitchen. So I got some pizza bases in the food shopping and he set to work to practise being a pizza-maker.

Leftover pizzaiola sauce made a good base and he put salami, ham and sweetcorn on his half, with the addition of cheese and pineapple one the other one and a half pizzas. Here they are in the oven.

And the verdict? Yummy. Little W's was perfect. "But a bit too much cheese", said Little Miss. "No. Not enough cheese", said Big Miss. Well there's no pleasing all the people all the time!

Bury St Edmunds Shoppers Prom - Coming Soon

It's getting towards the end of the summer term and time for the summer version of the Open Morning of the Cygnets String Orchestra and the rest of the Bury St. Edmunds County Music School. It is going to be a concert in the Corn Exchange a fortnight from today (see details by clicking on the picture of the poster). The Cygnets have been practising hard and are coming along well. They will be playing Open Country, Boogie Bass and, along with their elder brethren, the Junior String Orchestra, an arrangement of Vivaldi's music featuring Ben and Matt, their two brilliant "helpers" throughout the year as soloists. It should be good. Do drop in and hear Little Miss and her pals; I'll certainly be there to cheer them on!

Social Networking for Families

Here's something from work I just had to share. I use the excellent Techcrunch as a source of information about new start-up companies. One that featured this week is Cozi which, as Techcrunch's Michael Arrington says

...is most easily described as a social network for a family unit... Cozi lets family members keep a group journal, share photos, organize chores, share calendars and create todo lists.

I couldn't believe it. We share digital photos on the family PC, we have a family calendar in the kitchen, we leave notes on the fridge about things to add to the shopping list. Why would anyone want to use the internet for that? But maybe I'm just an old fuddy-duddy. Michael reports that they have 600,000 subscribers already and are gaining 2,000 more a day. No. I still don't believe it. Maybe I should sign-up and try it out.

Wroxeter

Tucked away here on the minor roads between Telford and Shrewsbury is the remains of the Roman City of Wroxeter. Wroxeter is just a small village now, but in Roman times it was the fourth largest city in Britain. We went to have a look. English Heritage run the site and provide an audio guide to bring the place to life. There is not a lot still standing. Here is Big Miss listening to the guide by the wall that used to separate the baths form the exercise hall.

You can see from the remains of the baths that they must have been quite impressive...

...but you need a good imagination. Not nearly as impressive as the real thing in Bath. Personally, I was more excited by the view...

Big Miss enjoyed it, but it's not really a great place for little ones, so I don't think we will be rushing back.

The Long Mynd - Carding Mill Valley

Meanwhile, back in Shropshire... After our walk on Wenlock Edge we had lunch at the Bucks Head in Church Stretton and heading on into the Shropshire Hills to Carding Mill Valley, just up the hill from the centre of Church Stretton - here on the map.

We parked at the top car park and, after cooling our feet in the stream, walked on up the valley.

Now this is the sort of countryside you don't get in Suffolk! We went up to the top of the Long Mynd via Motts Road and back via the Lightspout Hollow. This route has quite a steep scramble...

... to get down past the waterfall...

It was, by now, quite a warm day, so we stopped again for some foot-cooling paddling...

... before heading back to the barn. Excellent walking and scenery, and good exercise - the kids slept well that night!

Kings Forest - West Stow

I spotted an article by 21st Century Mummy in the latest Moreton Hall Directory entitled Getting Back to Nature", where she describes a trip to Lackford Lakes. She finishes by suggesting that the kids take their Dad out for a walk to enjoy some peace and quiet on Fathers' Day.

Nice idea, Karen, but in our house it's me who gets everyone else out. With the Missus frantically gearing up for her final assessment on her course, I took the kids out to Kings Forest at West Stow (here)- not very far from Lackford Lakes, on the pretext that we might find some raspberries. It had been ages since we were last there and the potholes in the access road have become much bigger. We parked at the end and did the waymarked 2-mile walk, but in the reverse direction for a change. This was so we could get to the raspberries early in the walk. Well, actually we were about a month too early to find any raspberries, but we soon forgot our disappointment and had a lovely walk through the trees.

No raspberries and no plague of frogs either, but there are wildflowers out everywhere along the trail and the woods echoed with birdsong. We found honeysuckle growing everywhere (including over the raspberries). But the most impressive sight was the foxgloves.

Not just one or two of them, but whole swathes.

Yes I did enjoy my Fathers' Day walk, although it wasn't always as peaceful and quiet as it would have been if I had gone on my own!

Making Butter

Little Miss had been learning about making butter at school and wanted to show us how to do it. When she saw the special Jersey full cream milk while we were food shopping, I just had to get it for her. (If I hadn't, my life wouldn't have been worth living, believe me).

So here is the method. Put your milk in a screw-top jar. (Tip: Make sure it is screwed tight shut). Then shake the jar vigorously for a few minutes. Empty the jar through a tea strainer, put the strained milk back in the jar and repeat until you don't get any more solids forming. There you have it - easy-peasy. We all had a taste. Yummy! The left over butter got shaped into a little pat and put in the fridge. It was just the thing for our steamed baby new potatoes at lunch today.

Fathers' Day

It was Friday night. I'd just got in from my long week away and Little Miss was ready for bed. "Dad", she said. "What would you like more than anything else in the world?". "Not to have to go to work any more", I replied instantly. "No. Not that", she said crossly. I pondered for a moment and then realised what day it would be on Sunday. "A kiss from you on Fathers' Day", I said. She smiled and fluttered her eyelashes at me. "Nearly right", said the Missus. "You were supposed to say a hug and a kiss". Little Miss was asked to go upstairs. "Can I have a hug and a kiss before you go to bed as well as one on Sunday?", I asked. No I could not. If I had one then I wouldn't be allowed one today. Oh well. At least I got a hug and kiss this morning!

Underwater Backstroke Star

Yes it's Saturday and that means Swimming Lessons at 8 a.m. Little W has now graduated to become a "frog", while Little Miss is still a "sealion". But it was Little W who had everyone laughing at the poolside today. I don't know how he does it and I've never seen anyone else do it, but when he tries to swim backstroke he sinks and somehow manages to do the correct action for the stroke completely underwater. Unfortunately I can't bring you pictures of this amazing feat as cameras are banned at the pool, so you will have to make do with this picture of the locker we use every week. Yes I am a fan of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - it's No. 42!

Big Miss Gypsy Rose

It was time once again for the Summer Fayre at Hardwick Middle School and Big Miss and her pals again had a stall to raise some money. I missed it as I had to be in Telford today, but I was there when she was delivered back home. No gunky porridge-dipping this time. Instead they ran a fortune-telling stall complete with Gypsy outfits and tarot cards. I've no idea if she's any good at it - I'll have to get her to tell my fortune and see, but they did raise £25 for charity, so well done!

Wenlock Edge

Of course we couldn't visit Much Wenlock without taking a walk along the famous Wenlock Edge. From Much Wenlock we took the B4371 towards Church Stretton and stopped at Presthope. We followed the waymarked trail down from the car park and along through the woods, before turning uphill to join the path along the top of the ridge.

This goes along the top of a large quarry and the views are mostly to the south east. The quarry is still operational and there are signs warning to watch out for blasting...

...but there was none while we were there. But what is it that Little Miss has found here?

There were lots of little wild strawberries for the picking.

Yummy. Eventually we got to a place with the view we were looking for...

...across Hope Dale to the Long Mynd. Can you guess where we wanted to go next?