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