Crafty Lanterns and Monkey Puzzles.

I road-tested my new timetable at my other school today.

Mmm, I don't think it works quite as well as I'd hoped for. It definitely needs a few tweaks, but I guess I wasn't to know until I tried it out.

The kids have been very busy with an art project since I last visited. The upper school area was full of wonderful, colourful floor lanterns. The Primary 5 and 6 classes had used broken bamboo sticks grown in the school garden and tied them together to create tee-pee and star frames. Then they had covered the frames with brightly coloured tissue paper patterns and glued them together. The effect of all of the lanterns together was amazing, it was like walking into a Moroccan bazaar.

The lanterns had been made to raise funds, and at £2.50 a lantern, how could I resist..2.

Getting them home did prove to be a bit tricky, but I managed o
it by straddling them over Claire as she sat in the back seat of the car.

Being cooped up inside all day due to the rain, we decided to go to Monikie Country Park for a bit of fresh air.

Growing up in Monikie, i thought that I knew the park really well, after all I used to bug help the Rangers with their bird counts on the ponds, woodland tidy ups and even nurse the odd injured bat.

However the park has changed alot. It's much more activity-based with a high ropes climbing area, extended playparks and a restaurant. Denfind reservoir has been drained
and a conservation sanctuary created.

I spent a while inside a hide at the edge of the sanctuary watching a heron wander about, but even with my telephoto lens, it was too far away to get any decent shots.

With all these changes, I was glad to find the familiar giant trees that surround the Park Lodge.

There are lots of different kinds including some pretty impressive Redwoods but my childhood favourite the Monkey-Puzzle tree was the one that caught my eye.

I remember thinking that it was the most exotic tree I'd ever seen.