Hockley Heights Gazette

One day to the weekend but already I'm, as they say over here, "shattered". On Monday I returned with 100 year 7 students to Colchester Castle (you may remember from an early blog). The weather was great (see picture taken out in the "backyard" of the castle) and it was certainly another great visit. Tuesday and Wednesday were "normal" days at school; that is, frantic full days of outrageous outputs of energy. Today we took 100 year 8 students to Walton-on-the-naze for a Geography excursion. The weather was kind, and it was great to wander around this very typical English seaside resort. Quite sleepy at this time of the year, the population swells over July and August, and the beach huts (see pic) are full of merrymaking Brits and their sunburnt offspring. The local shops are stocked with rock candy, sand buckets, magic trick puzzles and all the other paraphenalia of what is considered to be the normal British summer holiday. Quite mad, and stacked full of class divisions many of the locals, when questioned, just cannot see. But who owns these very expensive beach huts? Why, the posh tourists of course!
I do remember change room huts on the beach in Portland many years ago, but the iconic huts here on the British coastline can contain beds and rudimentary cooking facilities. In the main though, they provide respite from the harsh British summer sun! Huh?
As the weekend looms we are looking forward to playing host to three Aussie "gap" students who are a little bit homesick at the moment. We will arc up the Sunday lamb roast lunch, complete with beer, cricket and perhaps a snooze in front of the telly in the afternoon. Bliss!
News just in from Bromfords and Jackson has been accepted as an "associate" member of National Programme for Gifted and Talented Education. He will obtain full membership when his entry is ratified by the school sometime in April. He also has received some really sensational results in recent subject tests, actually topping his class in French - and that is against kids who have done years of the language. He continues to enjoy Russian after school once a week - what a lad! Both the boys continue to do well with guitar lessons, but Mitchell asked us to hide his guitar during the week because he said "It's taking up too much time away from my studies". Needless to say, we didn't comply with his request!
Catch you later! Ant & family