London 2012 is nearly upon us and I’m feeling quite unpatriotic.  All the build up has kinda passed me by.  I guess I wasn’t overly keen to stand in the rain at some ungodly hour to watch the torch go by.  I am sure I will tune in for the opening ceremony and hopefully I will get into the spirit of things; some sunshine might help!

In the meantime this is my contribution..

Another successful charity event ran by my students.  It was an ‘olympithon’ we set up the Wii on the big screen in the hotel lobby and for a £1.50 donation we challenged guests to take part in the Wii Olympics 100m sprint.  It was quite a sight to watch the guests take part, some took it very seriously! I was asked by one guest which was the best way to hold the Wii remote and which wrist action would get the best result! Followed by is it like a ‘shaking the bottle’ motion.  You can imagine the fits of laughter that were trying to be contained by two of the 16 year old boys! I have to admit as a tutor it was hard to hold professional decorum and once the guest had gone I burst out laughing, to the point of tears (how unprofessional, good job it was the end of term!)  How ever unorthodox his technique, it worked; he got the fastest time!

I am so pleased to have broken up for the summer and can’t believe I have completed my first year of my PGDE already.  I am looking forward to a nice long summer break, come on sun put your hat on!  

Dorset Tales

During the children’s half term holiday we decided to search for sunshine down south and headed to Dorset.  Whilst we did not exactly find the sunshine we were hoping for, what we did find were beautiful ‘chocolate box’ villages, sandy beaches and quaint thatch cottages in abundance.  We stayed at Greenwood Grange in Higher Bockhampton next door to Thomas Hardy’s birthplace.  The cottage was perfect, set in a courtyard with shared outdoor space with access to a fruit and vegetable garden; where the kids loved picking their own fruit, vegetables and herbs.  As well as an indoor swimming pool, games room and outdoor playground we enjoyed fresh eggs courtesy of the resident chickens!

Weymouth, urprisingly better than expected......

We fell in love with nearby Abbotsbury with a great farm, swannery and subtropical gardens.  The village was idyllic with a beautiful café and a great butchers shop! The beach (pebble) was secluded with beautiful blue water and we met a lovely family from County Durham who showed Tamsin and Jude how to fish! Jude has now added a fishing rod to his ever growing birthday list!

Goat Walking!

A little further a field, Lyme Regis was one of the nicest seaside towns we have ever been to with its quirky shops and cafes and a great sandcastle making beach! A comment from Graham ‘I didn’t realise beaches like this existed in the UK’ (result, England scores a point!)  A truly relaxing and enjoyable break, just what we all needed. 

We stopped off for a night at the Poole Hotel Du Vin and were spoilt (as usual) I love the way they always welcome the kids..love the towel characters! 

On the way home, after visiting friends in Horsham we joined Corey for his 6^th Birthday party ‘Pond dipping at Kingsbury WaterPark’ The kids had a great time searching for pond life, a superb venue and a great party idea!