Espace Killy - as good as it gets

The last week of term spent skiing in the Alps was ample reward for having had to have worked almost full time for most of the second half of term. The Espace Killy at Tignes and Val d'Isère is about as good as it gets and I loved the blue skies and crisp snow although it was extremely cold and, at times, almost too cold.



The visibility was amazing and we were able to cover a huge amount of mileage and even saw some of the World Cup events at Val d'Isère - a first for me.



A nine hour wait at Chambery on the way back was not quite as bad as last year's delay as we at least had seats to sit on this time.

Came back to snow in England which lasted through to Christmas day.


View from the bathroom window

Autumn Term

This term has flown by and I almost risk it ending without making an entry to my blog. Most of my time has been spent taking photographs and putting them on the web. The best of them are illustrated by the links below:


Slideshows or collections

Lower Sixth Induction

1st XV v Kirkham Grammar and Bishop Wordsworth’s on Photobox

Girls' U18 County hockey tournament

Blackrock College Rugby Festival

1st XV v Millfield

Grimm's Tales

1st XV v Blackrock College

Webpages

(Warning these links take you to Colston's web site and you get thrown from this blog - so still working on this !)

Year 7 Integration Morning

New facilities

Open Morning

Sixth Form Open Evening

Charter Day

Colston Day

We haven't been to see much. Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick at St George's Brandon Hill was enjoyed more by Wendy than me and two early evening concerts at The Church of St Salvator in Prague (Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Mozart's Requiem) is about all we have managed.
Our short half term trip to Prague was fabulous: we were very pleased with the hotel which was well appointed, comfortable and really suited us in every way.

We loved the transport system and all the sightseeing. The restaurants were not too expensive and the food was okay but, because we tried the Czech cuisine, a litle dull. We also tried a few local beers which were great and even the local wine wasn't too bad.


Images of Prague

I have not practised my saxophone as much as I should have done but managed to pass my Grade 1 examination in November.

I have enjoyed listening to Karl Jenkins's The Armed Man (Review of The Armed Man http://www.adiemus.f2s.com/armedmanrev.htm) which I discovered thanks to the iPhone App Shazam. Because I can now read a note or two I am encouraged and have decided to have a go at Colston's Choral Society (but wonder if I have overstretched myself after the first rehearsal!).

Summer Reading,TV and Music

The best of my summer reading has been William Boyd’s “Restless” an intriguing Second World War spy story which promised so much but didn’t quite have the ending to match.

Kate Atkinson’s sort of crime novel “When Will There Be Good News?” was quite gripping, complex and enjoyable. It was well crafted but seemed rather too contrived at times.

“The Other Hand” by Chris Cleave also features in most best-selling lists and dealt with a worthy subject matter. The story was quite powerful and I was able to romp through it but somehow the dialogue didn’t engage me and I felt disappointed in the end.

The best TV has been Jimmy McGovern's drama series "The Street", although I haven't yet seen the last episode which I have recorded and am waiting for the moment to savour. I continue to enjoy "Coast", especially the one on Norway. I was initially disappointed with Griff Rhys Jones's "Rivers" but have warmed to it. I thnk the success of "Coast" is that it has several different presenters.

I discovered a new album by Van Morrison "Down The Road" (new to me as it was recorded in 2002) and on one hearing I have been very impressed.

Summer holidays come to an end

A celebration of someone’s life at a funeral is not easy for close relatives as emotions often overwhelm them. The family of Ray Baxter - the father of Wendy’s close school friend Rita and old friend of Wendy’s mum and dad – did him proud at his funeral which we attended recently at Bramcote Crematorium in the East Midlands. There was a mixture of loving memories and tributes from Rita’s brother, Rita herself, a teacher colleague of Ray’s and Rita’s two daughters. They all spoke well and illustrated his full and notable life. The splendid occasion was completed by Ray’s great -grandson who sang Ave Maria and Nella Fantasia so impressively.

Wendy was able to support her friend and have a few words with Ray’s widow Friedel at the reception which followed at Beeston Fields Golf Club. It was good that Wendy could have time to recall some of the memories from her earlier days in this part of the world.

The Peak District is very pretty but this was about the best of the weather

We took the opportunity to spend a night in the Peak District. The Charles Cotton hotel in Hartington was a good place to stay. It was comfortable and we had a good meal in their restaurant. We had a chance to have a look around the quaint village of Hartington in between the showers and the next day visited Bakewell before going on to spend the weekend with another of Wendy’s close school friends Chris, and her husband Andy, in Sheffield.

This was a special treat for me as Andy is a Sheffield United supporter and he had got me a ticket to see the home match against West Brom. Both sides were unbeaten and although United had to come from behind twice they deserved the 2-2 draw. It was an entertaining match and I really enjoyed the spectacle of a live match in front of more than 25,000 spectators at Bramall Lane which is a fine stadium. From the experience of this match I do not subscribe to the thinking that football is the preserve of the middle classes – there was a good social mix at this match and, very encouragingly, there were many families. Although the walk to the stadium was through an immigrant area of Sheffield there wasn’t however much of a racial mix at the match.

I felt just as grumpy as Arsène Wenger when we watched Manchester United against Arsenal on the television in the early evening. Arsenal again played great football but I could not believe my eyes when Arsenal gifted Man Utd two goals to lose a match they should have won. A lovely meal cooking different fish and meats on a hot stone at Chris and Andy ‘s was fun and accompanied, as always at their house, with lovely wines.

On Sunday we enjoyed a walk at the National Trust’s Longshaw Estate, on the edge of the Peak District, although the weather was cold and dreary. The colour of the heather was not as impressive as I have seen at this time of year but the streams were interesting with their strange treacly colour due to the local peat.


Andy fighting off the hover flies on the old packhorse route on the Longshaw Estate

When we returned from Corsica at the beginning of the summer holidays I thought that I wouldn’t like to spend all summer in such heat. Having had a really miserable spell of weather throughout July and August, I am now thinking differently.

Summertime

After 50 years or more of watching tennis at Wimbledon on television it was a treat this year to experience the real thing. The whole experience was fantastic - from driving through Wimbledon and parking on Wimbledon Golf course to watching matches on Court No 3 (where we had tickets) and wandering around other out courts and then to watching Andy Murray on Henman Hill. We resisted the strawberries but savoured every other moment including a jazz band in the Champagne bars before going home. The rest of the Championships on television was even more exciting than usual, especially Murray's match under the new Centre Court roof and floodlights until well after the 10 o'clock News should have finished.

The view on Court 3


Relaxing on the Hill

The last week of term was all about photographs - Parents' Society Dinner Dance, Year 8 trip to Techniquest, Sports Day, Leavers' Service and Lunch, Leavers' Ball, Lower School Prize Giving - literally thousands of photos (the best of which are in web galleries on the school website).

I was so pleased to be setting off on holiday to Corsica so early in July-a really good time to visit this wonderful island. A bad back (probably caused by the hire car - an experience I don't wish to mention here) took the edge off a wonderful holiday.

Corsica's main appeal is its scenery; a wildly beautiful landscape of mountains, forests, myrtle-scented maquis and countless miles of sandy beaches. We managed to experience all of this and, especially thanks to our stay in the second week with our Corsican friends Thierry and Jeanine, in great depth.

The first week we stayed at the Hotel du Golfe in Tizzano, an idyllic venue on the south-west coast of Corsica 18 kilometres from Sartène. The hotel was literally "les pieds dans l'eau" with a comfortable room and balcony looking out to sea.


View from the balcony of our room at the Hotel du Golfe


The beach at Tizzano in the background

The beach was only 5 minutes away (but with my bad back not manageable in the first few days). Apart from our hotel and the beach there was only one other hotel and four restaurants which, although expensive, gave us a good choice. Corsican cuisine, surprisingly, is not fish based but modern tourism has had an impact and here in Tizzano there was plenty of choice - the best of which was moustellle.

From Tizzano we visited Sartène, a medieval fortified town, and like most villages and towns in Corsica, perched way up the mountains; Bonifacio with marvellous views to Sardinia; and the pretty port of Propriano but which, as a seaside resort, was not really to our taste.

Sartène



Bonifacio

After our week in Tizzano we headed north stopping for lunch and a dramatic haircut in Ajaccio.


The haircut

We would have liked more time in Ajaccio as there were lots of touristy things to see but we had set our sights on reaching Corte for an overnight stop.


Napolean was born in Ajaccio and there are monuments to him everywhere

The mountain drive from Ajaccio to Corte was stunning - we even spotted a wild boar grazzing in the woods. A night in Corte (and the following morning sightseeing) was definately a better choice than Ajaccio. Corte isn't a pretty town but it's old buildings with peeling facades are fascinating and Corte seems to contain so much of the Corsican spirit. It is home to the University of Corsica but in summer it is full of tourists and, in particular, its is a hiking centre (half way along the Mare a Mare Nord trail) and a great place from which to enjoy day walks. The citadel is well worth climbing up - just to enjoy the magnificent panorama.

Our second week was spent in equal parts in Thierry and Jeanine's home (in their magnificent appartment looking over the town) in Bastia, in Jeanine's village of Santo-Pietro-di-Tenda and finally in Thierry's grandmother's house in Mausoléo next to Olmi Capella in La Balagne region. The highlight of the stay in Santo-Pietro was the village fete on the 13th July with its calf roast, fabulous Corsican folk music group and firework display. We also had a great trip out in their boat from St Florent swimming off the beach near the Punta di Curza, visited their olive grove and swam in their uncle's swimming pool in the village.

Santo-Pietro seemed quite isolated to us until we reached Mausoléo, which has a population of 8 in winter! However, we were not at all lonely as we seemed to be on a major hiking route and hikers and their donkeys passed by the house in the evenings as we were having our apéritif. We had a wonderful walk following one of these routes through the gorges de Tartagine (but without the donkeys!). All of this was so different from our normal lives and the memories will stay with us forever.

Temperatures consistently higher than 30 were also so far from our normal existence, especially as we came back to Bristol which had a new record high rainfull for July of 162.1 mm. The previous record was in 1888! August has not been so wet but just as dreary.

It's been a busy time since the holiday to Corsica getting the Old Colstonian database ready for a telethon, then the actual telethon and the subsequent changes, and more recently examination results.

Photographic opportunities have been few and far between but the most exciting was a flying visit to Colston's by Andrew Flintoff only days after his heroics at Lord's and Bristol Balloon Fiesta. The back has got better with the help of my osteopath Martyn Morgan and I now seem to hit the golf ball so much further.


Bristol Balloon Fiesta

It's been fun seeing so much of our godchildren this holiday - and we are especially pleased about Lydia's 3 As at A level.

I really enjoyed watching Y.E. Yang's victory in the USPGA Championship but not as much as the last Ashes Test at the Oval - I haven't watched so much of a Test Match before, including nearly every ball on the Saturday - pure decadence!

If you have time on your hands a selection of photos of holiday to Corsica can be viewed here:

Corsica Selection

Golf and work

Golf and work have dominated the last month and left little time for other activities. However, I have finished "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" by Alison Weir and was hugely impressed by the depth of her coverage. By the time I had finished reading this tome I couldn't remember which of the wives I preferred - I wonder if Henry could make a decision? As I came to the end I pondered how much research Alison Weir had done - the 38 pages of bibliography at the end gave some indication.

The run of golf started at half term when, along with 7 other colleagues from Colston's we challenged Clifton College Prep School Staff to a Ryder Cup type challenge. On the first day at Dewstow Golf Club I partnered Keith Watts in the first series of matches (18 holes of foursomes) on the Park Course and we won quite comfortably. In the afternoon it was a different kettle of fish in the 9 hole four ball match on the Valley Course when Dylan Kaye and I went 4 down after 4 holes, but we were more than chuffed to halve the game on the last hole. We then drove to Brecon and spent the night at the Wellington Hotel. The next day we played 18 holes of singles at Cradoc - a fantastic course in the Brecon Beacons that we have played often in the past when on staff camps over the summer half term at Llangors. Another exciting game which I won on the 18th and secured the points to win the overall competition. Not the best of weather as it rained all day but the comaraderie of the event and the lovely golf course more than compensated.

Whilst I was playing in Wales Wendy had an enjoyable day at the Ladies Open at Saltford as a guest of Hilary Griffiths. Wendy is growing in confidence with her golf and now regularly plays in the Ladies friendly teams for Filton. She was delighted to win her first game against Shirehampton but was teased by me when she confessed that one of her opponents was 88 years old. Not the oldest lady golfer we have heard of - when we played at Cirencester in a charity golf day (as guests of Capita who supply the software for our school database) there was a lady member who was 100 years old and still playing regularly. She had no difficulty in getting around but needed partners with good eyesight to spot where she was hitting the ball! The Charity event was a fantastic day in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and particularly enjoyable for the company of the Cirencester members Debbie Organ and Barabara Pellow from Capita.

Wendy and I have also played at Henbury recently, although Wendy's knees did not appreciate the steep hills (particularly going down) and had a very enjoyable day in the Open Mixed Greensomes with Howard and Hilary Griffiths at Filton. Wendy has also played at Lansdown recently and produced her best score of 111 (35 points) in the latest medal at Filton.

I have played more regularly at Filton and even played in the Seniors Open. Although not achieving my best score I really enjoyed the company of Bristol Rovers legend Harold Jarman in this event. Harold is a member at Henbury and at the age of 70 is very fit and playing well.

Despite all this golf I have been getting more than my 3 days a week in at Colston's, in particular working to get the school's database ready for the next academic year. Plenty of opportunity for photographs but would have liked to have spent more time on cricket photos for which I have had only limited opportunity. It was good to see Chris Taylor and a number of his contempories in an Old Boys XI in a match against the Headmaster's XI.

Only two weeks of term left: assessments to complete, a trip for Wendy and me to Wimbledon, another school trip to Techniquest in Cardiff, all the end of term events including Parents SocietyBall and Leavers Ball and it will be a holiday in Corsica. Can't wait!

May blossom time

I was absorbed by the second legs of semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League (not that I missed much of the first legs) but disappointed by Arsenal’s performance (or rather impressed by Manchester United’s performance) as this semi-final was soon settled with early (“away”)goals. I was convinced after the results of the first legs of both semi-finals that the “away goal” rule would have an impact: and so, although Chelsea put in another fine defensive performance against the stars of Barcelona, I never thought the one goal lead that Chelsea held for most of the game was going to be enough. However, I have always wondered why a top professional side cannot employ tactics to ensure possession of the ball for the very late stages of a game and deny the late goal which seems to settle so many games. I must be missing something. Miss the post match antics of Chelsea I didn’t: as poor as the referee was, I was appalled by the behaviour of Didier Drogba (and of Michael Ballack during the game). Disappointed as they must have been there is no way that this behaviour should be condoned. I turned to “The Times” columnist Simon Barnes as I thought he was bound to make some comment on it all and sum it up so much better than I could. I was quite shocked to read that he had a completely different angle on it (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/simon_barnes/article6244418.ece), and although I agree with much of what he had to say I still feel that Frank Lampard’s reaction was more suited to a highly paid and high profile professional than some of his team mates.

Sex, drink and debauchery are just the thing for a Saturday night and I was not disappointed with the fine performance by Colston’s Choral Society of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. This opening piece of the 20th century German composer’s work based on a collection of 13th century songs discovered in a Bavarian Monastery will give a taste of the performance. (Not worked out how to upload audio files yet !)


I often marvel at the talent of youngsters (not only at Colston’s) but on this occasion it was the ability of two young members of staff Tom Arrand (baritone) and Rachel Vaughan (soprano) which impressed me. The Chatterton Hall at Colston’s School is a very good venue for a concert such as this.


Rachel Vaughan (soprano) and Tom Arrand (baritone) and Colston's Choral Society

I was a little nervous that afternoon to have to speak at the memorial service for Wally Feiner , a colleague at school for nearly 30 years. In fact it turned out to be quite a joyous affair and I was very pleased to meet up with many ex-colleagues, one of whom I had not seen for 40 years, and many Old Colstonians who represented the whole range of years that Wally has taught at Colston’s. It was also fun getting my thoughts together as it brought back to me all sorts of good memories of the last 40 years.


After the Memorial Service

In the garden the camelias are passing over and now it is the time for the azaleas, and what a picture they are. But not as splendid as those we saw at the wonderful National Trust property at Kingston Lacy which we visited on the way back from a few days in Dorset.


Kingston Lacy


The acers were pretty amazing too!

We had gone to Dorset for a lunch to celebrate the 40th Wedding Anniversary for Graham & Maggie Ferris (I had been Graham's best man at the wedding). It was a fabulous lunch at Gordleton Mill and we really enjoyed meeting all the family and especially catching up with my godson Robin and his wife and 3 daughters, and enjoyed the company of a diverse (ages mainly) group of very interesting people on our table. To avoid staying in an hotel we had booked a National Trust Cottage near Studland and we had very enjoyable vists to Lulworth Cove (in the rain),



Studland, Corfe Castle (including splendid lunch in The Greyhound) and the RSPB Nature Reserve at Arne. Even more rain here but, as well as seeing some birds we came very close to a deer (see video below).






From Corfe Castle

It was even exciting catching the ferry from Studland to Sandbanks on our way to the New Forest. In the evening we had a stroll on the beach at Studland and saw various gulls, oyster catchers and, to our great surprise, another deer.


You might expect to see these gulls on the beach but not this ...




Kingston Lacy on the way back finished off a great 4-day break.

It seems as though this mini-break was non-stop activity but what added to the enjoyment was the fact that we had plenty of time to sit and read. I must confess to delving into the notes of the 3-day Dreamweaver web design course that I did in the previous week but for most of the time I was engrossed in Alison Weir's "The six wives of Henry VIII". Being so ignorant of history it is a real page-turner as I have no idea of what is coming next. I have only got through Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn so far, but it is pretty gripping and enlightening. Alison Weir's style makes it so accessible, just as in her book on Eleanor of Aquitaine and her first novel about Lady Jane Grey "The Innocent Traitor", both of which I really enjoyed.

Sax practice took a knock and the subsequent lesson was rather disastrous.

The stress of sax and golf

Saxophone practice has been most enjoyable and the incentive of hour-long lessons during the holidays has been quite motivating. However, an element of panic crept in when I couldn't play a bottom C in preparation for a workshop and concert I had subscribed to. It might not have been so serious if I was going to make my debut with a tiny local wind band but the thought of performing with the National Sax Choir of Great Britain (even if it was the most minor part possible) was quite daunting and the whole experience was then not only challenging but stressful. I kept telling myself that it was good for me to be out of my comfort zone but I was not too sure when it came to the day. The National Sax Choir were fantastic and I really enjoyed the concert which was pleasing from an aural and visual point of view and convinced me that I had chosen the right instrument to attempt to play.


Hiding at the back of the National Sax Choir

A good spell of weather encouraged us on to the golf course more regularly and I was gratified by the leap Wendy has made in her performance even if it means she has now beaten me on four successive occasions. Losing to Wendy is less stressful than playing in medals which always reduce me to a quiver. The most recent medal I was 11 over par but didn't lose a ball or go out of bounds once (although having to play provional balls 4 times showed how often I skirted with danger) it was just that my putting was abysmal.

We discovered a new National Trust property (new to us at it was a 15th-century Manor House) at Great Chalfield Manor and enjoyed the garden so much that we returned before the week was out - and we weren't tempted by cakes or teas as there is no catering provided (although The Courts and Laycock are not too far away).


The gazebo and reflection in the Lower Moat at Great Chalfield Manor


The stained glass window at the parish church of St Ann at Great Chalfield Manor


Honeysuckle


Water Avens


The year of the bluebell?

Easter

Easter brings the first of the golf grand slam events. The Augusta Masters is always worth watching for the horticultural display alone. The final day of this year's event was most rivetting. The main attraction for so long was not the leaders themselves but the charge through the field by Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. When the challenge of these two died away the drama of the three who had been leading for some time - Kenny Perry, Chad Campbell and Angel Cabrera - as they reached the 18th and then the subsequent play-off was most enthralling and forced us to stay awake and keep tuned in to the finish. It was also encouraging (to me) to see these three golfers who had the athletic build of so many amateur golfers competing at the very highest level.

More TV drama later in the week with the quarter finals of the Champions League: the second leg of the Liverpool-Chealsea encounter was football drama of the highest quality and even had Wendy fixed to the screen.
I chose to watch Arsenal-Villareal the following day and was pleased with Arsenal's progress in the competition. I must confess that when they were 3-0 up to switching to Man Utd-Porto to watch the excitement of the last 15 minutes. With all the TV I have watched this week I am amazed that I have managed to miss the brilliant goal by Ronaldo. I loved Simon Barnes's article in The Times about Ronaldo.

It's not been all TV, we have had a couple of visits this week. The first to Avon Valley Country Park was very good value with little people. There was loads to do and see and we will need a return visit to do it all. I was disappointed that we didn't see the hawks in flight.





The railway theme is all around



The second outing was to Bath and an impromptu visit to the American Museum at Claverton. Wendy has been doing a "Patchwork and Quilting" course throughout the winter and she was truly inspired by the fabulous collection of quilts.


Claverton Manor

The collection of folk and decorative arts in the museum in Claverton Manor is remarkable and shows the diverse and complex nature of American culture but there is also a very good exhibition centre (currently showing American Folk Art) and beautiful gardens with splendid views of the Limpley Stoke Valley and River Avon. There is also a very pleasant café in the Orangerie (with tastefully built modern extension) and the "George Washington" cake is highly recommended!


Still masses of blossom on the trees and the first bluebells in the woods

A grand day out on a dismal Good Friday

Upton is home to the National Collection of Asters

Even though the weather looked miserable we fancied a day out on Good Friday and so decided on the safe bet of Hidcote. However, en route Wendy spotted Upton House in the National Trust handbook and we altered our bearings.
What a surprise and what a delight! Even the journey through the drizzly Cotswolds proved to be a spectacle with so many variations of green as the new leaves were making their appearance and so much blossom in hedgerows and trees.

The hat is to prove what a dreary day it was.

How come we've never heard of Upton House before? Not much from the outside but you get a taste of country house life as you step into the home of the 1930s' millionaire Walter Samuel, 2nd Viscount Bearsted, who was Chairman of Shell and son of the company's founder. He was a passionate art collector, and there are works by artists such as Hogarth, Stubbs, Canaletto, Brueghel and El Greco as well as a fascinating collection of artwork produced for Shell advertisements. The extensive porcelain collection which includes 18th-century Sèvres porcelain, Chelsea and Derby figures was mind blowing. Upton has all the elements of a millionaire's country home – with swimming pool, squash court (currently being renovated) and a glamourous Art Deco interior in Lady Bearsted's bathroom. Even on a dreary day the garden is worth visiting with the sweeping lawn which gives way to a dramatic series of terraces and
herbaceous borders and descends to a kitchen garden and tranquil water garden.

Blog off the back burner

The last month has been very busy and something had to give - and so it was the blog. So let's try and catch up.

Entertainment wise two events stand out: the first was a concert at St George's - Brandon Hill with Courtney Pine and his Jazz Warriors - Afropeans - the band (and the sound) was much bigger than I had expected with 14 musicians on stage producing a very wide range of jazz music which was quite challenging but very enjoyable; the second was the film "Il Divo" - the story of Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, who has been elected to Parliament seven times since it was established in 1946. It examined the corruption, excess and self-indulgence of the post-war republic, focussing on the particularly turbulent 70s and 80s. Toni Servillo's stylish performance of Andreotti was hypnotic but didn't improve the worldwide image of politicians, many of whom seem to be tainted with a whiff of corruption.

Lots of opportunities for photographs: the most challenging of these was the workshop of the Japanese dance form of Butoh by Marie-Gabrielle Rotie and then her solo performance of her own work ‘Black Mirror’ in the Harry Crook Theatre in the evening.

Hundreds (if not thousands) of pictures of rugby 7s from the following tournaments:West of England (Taunton), Surrey (Richmond) and the Nationals (Rosslyn Park). Great weather throughout and exciting matches and good performances from Colston's (finalists at two - boys at West of England and girls at the Nationals and boys semi-finalists at Surrey and the Nationals).

So many other photos: leavers (lots of editing needed to keep vanities intact), prefects, netball teams, rugby teams, shoe cleaning, readathon, cross-country, house music, castles!

Abandoned the "Northern Clemency" for the moment after 600 pages - still 100 to go. More into factual books. Currently reading a fascinating book "The Discovery of France" - the splurge on the back of the book says "Certain books strain the patience of those close to you. How many times can you demand: "Look at this! Can you imagine? Did you know that?" without actually handing over the volume? This is such a book". It certainly is!

Have dug out all the travel books on France (and invested in yet another one) to prepare for holiday in Corsica in the summer. Have booked hire car and hotel for 6 nights in Tizzano in the south of Corsica (Hotel du Golfe) before spending the second week with Jeanine and Thierry in Bastia and the north of Corsica.

Played some golf. Wendy seems to have broken through a plateau and had her best score ever (111) last week. The course is magnificent in it's centenary season due to some lovely Spring weather and to the talents of head greenkeeper Marcus.

Spent some time improving the garden with even more pots and "potted up" 88 geranium plugs and put in cold frame.

Flowering cherry in back garden - 8th April 2009

Magnolia in front garden - 8th April 2009

Crab apple in front garden -8th April 2009

The garden room is now getting plenty of use, especially for practising the saxophone which is still great fun and for breakfast.

The garden room - 8th April 2009



It would be good if these lemons were ready for G&T this summer!

Photo opportunities

Photo opportunities since half term have been restricted to indoors. The first of these was in the Sports Hall which presents a huge problem with the strange lighting (it's obviously not tungsten!). Pupils in years 7 and 8 had great fun taking part in a martial arts workout during their lunch time and raised over £1200 for Lepra. It's amazing what difference this amount of money will make to so many people - see lepra.org.uk .


Martial Arts workout

The second was a talk given to year 8s from an illustrator of children's books. Marc Vivyan-Jones was a very interesting speaker and fun to photograph.


Marc Vivyan-Jones

I just caught the tale end of Dave Alred, Jonny Wilkinson's kicking guru, but he seemed to captivate his audience of boys and girls who are about to embark on sports tours. Dave leads the field in mental preparation, skills acquisition and performing under pressure. It must be very rewarding working with sportsman and women in so many different sports. I didn't realise how many he worked with.


Dave Alred

Looking forward to better light conditions outdoors and to get back to some sports photography.