Firstly, apologies for no day three update; I was too busy pushing children off their paddleboards.
Day three was a hot one! And we were on-site, down by the river and in a sun trap – the local hospital was put on alert for the burns Mr Evans would probably be getting.
The children were all placed into one big group for a carousel of activities: High-Ropes (Sky Trek) course, low-ropes, Zip-Line and leap of faith. The High-Ropes took serious courage and balance to get all the way around while the low-ropes needed teamwork and cooperation. The zip-line flew through the trees into an opening which was pretty cool, and the leap of faith tested the confidence of the children.
The children again had made their own lunch which we took in the Hive in order to get out of the Sun.
After lunch, we all donned a wet-suit each (even the adults which was a sight – mainly Mr Evans) and headed to the pool down by the River Monnow. We then spent what can only be described as 2-hours of chaos/carnage/organised mayhem (delete as appropriate). Some children paired up and went on a standard paddleboard, while others jumped onto the brand-new Mega Board which Longtown Centre had just received delivery of.
The children played games in the water as the temperature soared. Luckily for the children, they were so bad at paddleboarding they spent a fair chunk of time in the water. Also, unluckily for the children, Mr Evans was appointed as a siren (always knew he had a voice of an angel) for the games. His sole job was to sabotage the children no matter which team they were on – Pirates or Treasure Islanders. We have never seen a man so happy when flipping paddleboards.
In the evening, we had spaghetti bolognaise and some children ate so much they are now fluent Italian speakers. The pudding blew the children’s mind: bananas in cream or a second option of peaches. All was devoured.
After the food, we had a campfire where Dave cooked us popcorn and told us a few stories. There was a joke competition as well which really isn’t worth reporting on with exception of these two:
Annabel: Why do squirrels swim on their backs?
A: To keep their nuts dry.
Zayn: Who is a horse’s favourite footballer?
A: Neigh-mar
By now the some of the children were tired and were looking for an early night; unfortunately, the rest of the children didn’t get the memo! Miss Sartain went to around 1am to sounds of laughter, inane chat and the sounds of the local wildlife (Mrs Reeve snoring).
Today began slowly. Very, very slowly (see the previous paragraph for why).
Breakfast was just about attended by the children – Mr Evans waits for no-one when it comes to food.
Much to Mr Evans, Miss Sartain and Mrs Reeve’s delight, it was another day wearing a wetsuit. This time for Gorge Walking.
We headed to Blaen Y Glyn in the Brecon Beacons and spent several hours challenging ourselves by walking up waterfalls, sliding down waterfalls, jumping into cold pools and generally just falling over on slippery rocks. But what a day! Everyone enjoyed their day immensely. Miss Sartain may have warmed back up to normal body temperature by Sunday.
Chicken and chips with loads of salad was the dinner followed by chocolate tiered cake with cream. Dorris the chef sent extra chips for us and it was a good job she did otherwise something akin to the French Revolution would have kicked off and Florence would now be in charge.
This evening, we have had hot chocolate, time at the shop, a pillow fight and some time to pack; as I type, Mrs Reeve is running a sweat shop where all of the girls are making friendship bracelets.
Highlights of the last few days:
- Amber is now called Paxman (after Jeremy Paxman) because she is full of questions. None. Stop. Questions. Even the instructors: Are there any qu…. Her hand is up.
- The girls run a very efficient spa however their delicate touches need to be worked on.
- Mimi is wickedly funny and cheeky.
- Most children struggle with a single instruction; so multiple instructions were a no-go.
- The leadership shown by the children in the gorge was amazing.
Is it Friday yet?
See you tomorrow,
An even more tired set of teachers.
