School visits and RSPB Birds 18th January 2010

Hello everybody!

At last some school visits and each school was a truly wonderful experience.

8.00am arrived at the Hundred Hoo Secondary School. Greeted by Jade, made my way in and had the privilige of talking to some pupils and staff. My sincere thanks to Tony Mason, Harry, Amy and the others for making me so welcome. I knew I should have grabbed a bacon bap but I was too busy talking as usual. I'll post on the badges I promised you!

A very quick cyle ride to Strood Academy but the wrong site. I love split site schools.

A brilliant reception with Ross, the head boy greeting me [thanks Ross] and straight into a very full conference room. It seems I wasn't what they'd expected. Probably thought a twee little man with a long flowing Dumbledore beard with binoculars and an owl on his shoulder was coming. Instead they got me and my Roz Savage powerpoint. Once again, as at Hundred Hoo it was a wonderful session with great questions and answers, great interest and a great group of young people. Their farewell after a few photos was sincerely warm and I'm very grateful for the promised sponsorship for AsthmaUK. Thanks Strood! My sincere thanks to Ross, Shelbie, Becky, Franchesca, Daniel, Lucy, Brook and Ben [Up the Villa Ben!] and everybody whose name I've either forgotten or wasn't told. Thanks to you all. [How could I forget Lydia - the tattoed lady]

Now for something completely different. An assembly of 200 plus children at Bligh Junior School. Once again a lovely reception [Oh you're the bird mad man] and into the staff room for water and get to know you more chat then woosh, in for the assembly. I know I had fun and I think the staff and children did too. Charlotte with Albert the albatross performed an albatross flight across the stage, repeated by the whole school and Leah/Leia [sorry for the spelling] was a tropical rainforest frog, poor girl. She hopped across the stage but I cruelly said no it doesn't do that and told the story of the frog that climbs a tree the equivalent of the height of the Empire State Building to deposit a tadpole in a bromeliad pool. The children were just about to perform this when I noticed that the staff hadn't stood up. No problem, they did the frog climb first, follwed by the children. The children were wonderful. So many thanks to Daniel, Mitchell, Rhiana, Scott, and Laya/Laya et al. In class with year 3 and then year 5 afterwards with children drawing my route for a geography lesson with Mrs King, and oops I didn't get the name of the teacher in year 5 but thanks both the children and the staff. The school is lonked with Mallaig and I hope to be able to drop in a message from Bligh to them. Very sincere thanks to Rob the Head Teacher and everyone there.