Not they zig-zags again mind!

So here we are, the second annual BLOG-FROM-CAMP. The weather has been kind, by which we mean it hasn’t killed anyone we know, the food has once again been quite exquisite, and the staff at the camp have, as per usual, been legendary.


I always begin camp week with a little worry, trepidation and concern, especially over whether or not I still have enough energy for this kind of nonsense. (At the time of typing, my aching back, bruised shins and sunburnt face are all crying out “No old timer – you haven’t!”) So how has this year’s gone? Well, more from me later. Let’s first of all offer a shout out to all the amazing people who contributed so much to this week.

Elizabeth, for doing our washing and making our cream teas; Phil and Dave for ensuring our tents don’t fly away in the middle of the night; Rosie, Doug, Kieran, Andy, Mark and the boys for all the brilliant activities, and Nadine for running the whole shebang. Last, but by no means least the children and staff of Fairfield school, who were out of this world!

And the best bits? Too numerous, random, private and special to mention. So, over to our other campers.

What was the best bit kids?

Jessica – Trying to get up on the surfboard, and holding my fingers in a weird way to get arrows out of the targets!

Blake – My favourite part of camp was building the raft, because we learned all different kinds of knots, and it was fun on the water.

Alex – The disco, because it brought two different schools together, and we all had loads of fun!

Aaron – I loved the body boarding.

Ashleigh – Rifle shooting, because it was awesome!

George – My favourite bit of camp was skim boarding because it’s kind of fun when you slide across the floor.

Macy – My best part was the body boarding because it was easy and you could jump over the waves.

Finlay – The raft building was best, because we got to jump in at the end.

Lamarrah – I like the body boarding because it was something new to try.

Sandra – My favourite part was the water sports, because we got to play around in the water.

Morgan – I liked the part where I was the first one to stand up on a surfboard.

Kacper – I loved the zip wire.

Ethan – Almost all of it – every dessert, every bit of food, and I loved all of it except where I had to jump into the freezing cold water

Ellie P – Archery and the disco were the best bits.

Holly – I loved the archery.

Elisha – I loved all of the adventure day; building rafts and bridges, and going on the zip wire.

Ellie G – I loved the zip wire.

Kelsey – My favourite part was the archery because I’ve never done that before.

Miss Correia – Learning a new dance in the disco, and being part of the gang and school camp experience.

Mrs Brown – I particularly enjoyed the food, not slipping of the mattress, laughing at the bedtime fashion parade, body boarding with Lamarrah and Finlay, and helping Ashleigh surf.

And Mr Willis? The usual: having a huge lump in my throat every time one of these amazing individuals pushes themselves over the edge and succeeds. I don’t mind confessing to a few quiet, private moments at the end of the water sports today when I saw children from Badock’s Wood skim boarding, surfing and pushing it to the limit, when my shades were not just for the sunshine.

I began the week thinking it would be my last camp. Now, aching back listen up, I’m not so sure.

From another privilege-to-be-a-part-of Exmouth, that is all.

Soon, my son, shall come the rain...

So I'm sat in my kitchen, out at the washing, feeling sure my wife said something about washing and rain....  hang on a sec, it'll come to me....  nope, it's gone.  Never mind.

So dear blogbuddies, how goes it since last we blogstrutted?  We have made a sure and firm start to term 6, with the vast majority of the school taking up where they left off at the end of term 5 - hard work and high standards.  Books and displays continue to impress (and the governors have been into and around most of them already this term) and displays of our children are finding their way into the children's centre, and vice versa.  Ms Lacey's class even found the time to sneak down there last week to share stories, without even telling me! 

Therefore, what have we learned since the last intrepid meanderings of an inexperienced blogmasher?

Quite simply this - when in the right frame of mind, and with the right expectations from the grown ups, our children are quite amazing.

As for the small minority to whom this does not apply, watch out.

Short one this week folks, but next week I am hoping to bring you only the second ever blog-from-school-camp, which last year won some kind of Perrier writing award (or so I'm told - it'll have to go on the shelf behind my Little Chef Best Colouring 3rd Place certificate 1986 and my 2 Michelin stars).

So for now, from someone who looks as if he's about to get wet and in a whole heap of washing related domestic disconcord, that is all.