Tuesday 30th April

Well, I'm back from my travels to Slovakia and I had a wonderful time.  I am now in charge of the International blog too, so check that out next week for more details of our adventures!

So we were back in the school garden in quite decent weather (though not quite the 24 degrees in Slovakia - sorry I didn't bring any of it back!) There seemed to be millions of jobs - watering, weeding and planting.

Stanley, Macauley and Joshua weeded the polytunnel as it looked like we were propagating dandelions!! Robert and Leon got rid of some dead plants and emptied the old tomato bags.  There was a gang planting up some daisies that Mrs Wright had given us and Rowan and Codie did a brilliant job pruning the herb garden!  The teachers have also been up there in my absence and Mr Gamble and his class of gardeners have been weeding the beds and busy sowing seeds.  It all helps, believe me!

The rhubarb has suddenly shot up, so one of the boys took some home for his mum, a visiting teacher took a bag home and so we made a sign with "RHUBARB FOR SALE TOMORROW" and advertised it in the playground at home time.  We heard lots of parents talking rhubarb and even got advanced orders!!! Brilliant.

The bonus was spotting a female duck sitting in our pond, who later had a swim!  Don't know if there's a Mr Duck and whether we might have the patter of tiny webbed feet later on!!  The kids all crept up and had a peek which was lovely.  Later I disturbed two Jays in the greenhouse.  It was all happening this afternoon!

Our resident duck

Mrs Duck having a swim

Teiser, Leon and Antonio using our compost!

Leon and Robert doing a sterling job

Matthew promoting our rhubarb sale

Our Community Daffodils

Over the last two/three years, we have been planting daffodils around our local area, with help from Groundworks and Councillor Sue Bentley.

Thought you would like to see a few photos of our lovely blooms in Cookridge.

Hillcrest Rise opposite the school

Outside Cookridge Primary

Otley Old Road

This was our very first project!

Otley Old Road, Cookridge

Last year's planting

Tinshill View, Cookridge

Friday

Had a really lovely day in the garden today.

This morning, Class 4 came up for a Bug Hunt and I ended up in the pond area with a small group of children to pond dip. With two trays, we dipped and had a good look at what's in our pond. My pond ID sheet wasn't particularly great, but the children idenitfied several water louse, a shrimp like creature and thousands of miniscule larvae scooting around. They were fascinated.

This afternoon, Class 5 repeated the exercise and with groups of 6 children taking turns to study the trays, it proved to be an interesting half hour.  This time we managed to find a Ramshead snail too!

The pond is getting there - at least there's life in it. Perhaps not the best quality water at the moment, but I dream of damsel, dragon and mayflies and the ultimate - newts!

It was great to have classes there and dropping heavy hints about planting and taking a bed on! I was swallowing hard at the beginning of the week with the task of overseeing the garden without my gardening friend, Kathryn, but I am so pleased with what's happened this week!  Roll on summer!

Now after all this frantic blogging, I will go quiet next week as I'm off to Slovakia on Wednesday! (Read all about our adventures on the International Blog when we get back). Full service will be resumed on Tuesday 30th April!

A touch windy

I spent a restless night last night worrying.

During the evening, the high winds of the day got stronger and stronger.  I went to bed with it whistling around my house and I had visions of the polytunnel already minus a couple of its double doors, losing the remaining doors.  Then I worried about the contents of the polytunnel flying out into the garden and me spending most of the following afternoon chasing it all around the garden. Then I dreamt about the polytunnel being shredded in the wind and it being a bit of a bombsite.

So as I came to work, I peered cautiously into the garden as I passed and sighed with relief to see the doors still attached and nothing scuttling across the beds like tumbleweed.

This afternoon,  Mr Gamble and Class 9 wanted to come up for their "Dig for Victory" project and take a bed over. I was very happy at that news.  I've been surveying several beds full of weeds and feeling a bit out of control - how was I and 8 children ever going to weed and get plants in with us so far behind in the season.

So I went up to the garden before they arrived and had a closer look at any damage.  The only casualties seem to be our scarecrows from last year.  Our jockey and his horse keep falling over as if they're in the Grand National and our other two, who sit rather than stand, keep getting blown across the garden.  After copious amounts of string, I tied them to the spot and hopefully won't move.

The wind is still pretty strong and keeps whipping the plastic on the polytunnel, making a horrendous noise. Class 9 arrived and set about several beds with forks and spades, making a huge difference with the weeds. They then dug over a bed and planted carrots, cabbages, pumpkins, broccoli and mint.  We had to hang onto shed doors and gates with the wind, but they had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  They are planning to make a regular trip every week, which would be great. I can't get all the children up there with my groups, so when class teachers join us, its a huge bonus as children who might of missed out, get the chance to garden. Also it helps me with all the chores of the garden. Thank you, Class 9, you're hired!

It's been lovely this week, back out in the garden and getting reacquainted with it again. With the harsh winter, it has done very well and I haven't had any major jobs to do, apart from tidying, finding stuff again and put bits and pieces in order.  Apart from the wind, its quite very pleasant and reasonably warm, which makes a change.  Lets hope we get a summer in Britain this year!

And I'm going to have a good night's sleep tonight!

Wednesday

Took a couple of children up to the garden as I have a bit of logistical problem.  A lot of the Keystage 2 children do PE in the afternoon and I often turn up to find a classroom empty!  So I managed to grab a couple and we went up to do some sowing (at long last!).

It's been quite windy and the doors of the greenhouse keep dropping from their hinges.  Today, I had one door from each end, completely hanging off.  I had to take them off and lay them on the floor of the polytunnel - there's no way I can get them back on my own and I think we need do some serious nailing.  So the polytunnel is a little open to the elements.  If there's anyone out there who can rejoin doors back to a polytunnel frame, I would love to hear from you.

So we sowed some pumpkins seeds and used compost from our compost bins for the first time!  It's looks lovely soil, full of worms.  I had been meaning to check it out for ages and now we've used all the shop bought compost, it was good a time as any!  Really pleased with it.

Later, I sat down and re-organised my rotas and asked teachers to hang onto kids for gardening, so I get my full teams. 

Next week I'm off to Slovakia on a school trip (that's why this blog will go quiet again next week).  The project is based on recycling and the environment so our garden has come into its own.  I took photos of all the recycling we've got from the children's handmade bird feeders, an old sandpit from reception which is now a water butt, our old class tables and our compost.  I've put it all in a little folder and will proudly show our hosts our lovely garden and all the work we do it.

Finally, Finally!

After a very long winter and many weeks of snow and freezing temperatures, Spring has finally sprung in Cookridge!  Today we are basking in a positively tropical 15 degrees with the sun shining down on us, though we have gale force winds which whip at the polytunnel, making the most alarming noises.

Well, we're now out here every afternoon until July.  I gathered a gang of eight boys and we tentatively went up to the garden after many weeks of neglect.  It was not that bad actually and we ended up having a bit of a tidy up, propping our scarecrows back into position, a bit of litter picking and general re-organisation. 

Daffodils have bloomed in our story telling area, the rhubarb has pushed its way through its winter bedding of straw and looks healthy and the strawberries are starting to regrow.  I'm kicking myself as in the polytunnel, I had planted in pots, lots of daffodils. They are in full bloom and would of made a lovely display in the front entrance.  Truthfully, they were leftovers from previous community bulb planting and I thought they were past their best, but taking my mother's outlook on gardening "they've got two choices, up or down", I planted them anyway.  Well, they look fantastic and I'm cross for not keeping an eye on them!

So tomorrow, the children will be split into teams - the weeding crew and the sowing crew. We are two months behind and we haven't sown a seed yet! Eeek!  So guess what we're doing over the next week!

The children cheered when I told them we were gardening again and it was lovely to be out in the fresh air, getting grubby and working hard.  We're back in business!