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Wednesday 24 July 2013

Up-dates and Other Stuff....

First of all, an up-date on D.  X-rays confirmed that he'd been by an air gun pellet.  The pellet 'skimmed' his skull rather than hitting it - which is why there was so much blood.  He came to school on Friday because he didn't want to miss the fun of the last day - brave soul.  Naturally all the adults in his life are horrified by the incident and 'what might have been' - but we are playing it down as a 'lucky escape from an accident' with D.  I understand that the local police are now involved, but I'm going to have to wait until September before I hear anymore because I live too far away to get local news for my school. 

So............... it's the holiday!!  To be honest, it feels a little weird.  I think teachers use so much adrenaline to get to the end of term that the first few days frequently leave you feeling over-tired and deflated.  Don't get me wrong - I'm having a great time.  It's just that my brain hasn't quite caught up with the concept yet!!!

On Sunday I took Mark to Broadway Tower Country Park, about 20 miles to the east of us and on the edge of the Cotswolds.  I'd been planning a return visit ever since I met my friends there in June (see 'Catching Up' post). The weather was still warm but cloudy enough to make walking comfortable.  We parked the car by the visitor centre and pottered off along the lanes.  After a couple of miles we started to cross the lavender fields of 'Cotswold Lavender'.  We stopped at their tea room for a morning coffee and to try their lavender shortbread (seriously nice!).

 
After another half of mile, we arrived in the tiny village of Snowshill.  It's one of those 'perfect' Cotswold villages where time appears to have stood still.  I imagine that it must be very difficult to live there..

 
Here's the church, with the pub in the background...

 
When we got back to the car we spread out a rug the shade of a large tree and enjoyed our picnic lunch.  Then we came to the REAL reason for our visit.  A little past the Tower, in a small compound, is the entrance to a NUCLEAR BUNKER!  It's only open a few days of the year so we'd made a special visit to find out more.  My husband is absolutely fascinated by these types of holes in the ground and the history round them.  The entrance here is the top of a 15 feet 'rung ladder' that leads to the small room, complete with all the artefacts of the period.  Against my better judgement - as I really don't like being in enclosed spaces underground - I was helped down by the guide.  He let me stand at the bottom of the shaft for the 30 minutes presentation.  It helped immensely that I could see the sky and feel a little fresh air on my face, but I would NEVER voluntarily go inside one of these things again!!!!!!


 
After I'd recovered from the ordeal (ha ha!) we also visited the tower.  There's just three rooms - one on each floor - and they deal with different aspects of the tower's history.  My favourite was the middle room, which explored the links with William Morris.

 
The room had been restored with a Morris-deign wallpaper and fabrics.....

 
And then we reached the top of the tower.  After my time underground I particularly enjoyed the fresh air and the panorama.  Unfortunately it wasn't very clear and visibility was limited to about 5 miles.  Nevertheless, it was definitely worth the entry fee and the climb up all the stairs!

 
Wishing all you fellow teacher+bloggers a very happy holiday!
Jx

15 comments:

  1. Hi. I've missed a few weeks as I just haven't been able to get it together somehow! I love this area and the village of Snowshill. It's so picturesque! I've never managed to get to the lavender fields when they are in bloom....only when they look like rows of boot cleaners so it was lovely to see your pics! Likewise I've never been inside the Tower so it was lovely to get a tour. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole walk. Thanks. I was horrified to read about D. I went back and read your last post to see what happened. How awful! Really unbelievable! It must have been a terrible experience for all who were present....children and adults! I do hope the police are able to find out just what happened! Enjoy your first few unwinding days. You deserve to! Joan

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  2. I'm catching up too and love the photos of Snowshill, such a lovely place. I'm at a loss for words regarding that incident, just terrible and unbelievable!! xx

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  3. You are brave I certainly would not have gone down that hole....even underground car parks gives me the shivers!!!

    So very glad your pupil is on the mend, Who shot the pellet though?

    Take it in your stride and let your body adapt to holiday mode and relaxation......you are so going to benefit from it :-)

    keep well

    Amanda :-)

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  4. Oh, the lavender field looks wonderful! Glad your student was recovered enough to spend the last day of term at school. Hope you havea wonderful break:)

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  5. Breathtaking photos...love the little village!

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  6. I do hope you have a wonderful holiday. I will be headed back to the classroom in a few weeks. I have already begun working on curriculum a tad. Enjoy! Bonnie

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  7. So glad "D" was only scalped a bit. Your Holiday doesn't seem to be very long. Our teachers are off from early June to after the first Monday in September--a little over two months. I love the Cotswold villages and fields of Lavendar--I may have been tempted to pick a few sprigs!!! As for the bomb shelter--I think I'd rather take my fate up on the ground because, if everyone was killed and the earth destroyed, would you really want to climb out of your "mole hole" to find such devastation?

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  8. Enjoy your break Jan, sounds as though it couldn't come soon enough. I love the Cotswolds and this village, like many others is so pretty. Glad D is recovering.
    Patricia x

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  9. I would rather go up higher than down lower, Jan! When we were flying over England recently on a wonderfully clear day we saw patches of purple (as well as yellow). I realised the yellow was rape seed flowers and now you have confirmed that the purple patches were fields of lavender as I wasn't sure. Happy holiday!

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  10. Amazing views... Please explain to me, because I'm not sure, it the Cotswold an area in England that has many towns? Or is it a town itself? I'm only familiar with a very small part of England and it's all very interesting to me. I'm really glad that young man is okay, he will probably just forget about it, but us adults know how blessed he is. I hope you have a great holiday, after all you deserve it. I worked an hour away from my school and I just found out last week that I got a job closer to home, only 5 miles away!! Is there any way that you could transfer as well? Again... Have a wonderful holiday, as soon as your adrenaline dies down, you'll enjoy it more!
    Tammy

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  11. I'm glad to hear D is recovering. What a lovely day. I'd love to visit Broadway Tower. Your mention of the bunkers reminded me of a Stephen Booth book I read not long ago - the kill call - as there are some mentioned in that, I'd quite like to go down one but I would be really uncomfortable while I was down there as I do get claustrophobic, especially after what happened with one in the book!

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  12. I'm glad your student wasn't seriously injured. It's too bad that things like that happen to innocent victims and the culprit is never caught!

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  13. I am really pleased too Jan that D isn't seriously injured. There are some idiots about who don't realize what can happen.He was very lucky. Enjoy your august break!!

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  14. Hi Jan, Those images you show us are really beautiful I love those kind of villages.

    (I'm glad everything is better and I hope everything be clear in a short time)

    Marina from Jerez

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  15. That was a very lucky little boy. So good that you were able to get away to start your summer break. That village looks like a wonderful place to visit. Either you are in great shape to do so much walking, or your destinations are closer than I imagine. Thanks for the tour, I enjoyed seeing it through your camera.

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