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It seems wheelbarrows are handy for many more things than I imagined....

12/28/2013

Well we have walked to the cinema from our 2nd holiday abode-how lovely-to see THE HOBBIT. I was a bit underwhelmed by the first one but this one was much more enjoyable I felt....3 hours of swash buckling against Orcs fairly whizzed by. I need to read the book again as it's a long while since I picked it up...it's nice to have the non film copy at home with the cover I best remember above.

Particularly liked the barrel bit. I don't know why but it's always stuck in my mind since first reading 'The Hobbit' as a novel way to make an escape.

Very impressed with Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of SMAUG and also with the handiness of a wheel barrow it seems. Wheeling in and out to annoy said dragon and then body boarding on inside it too ....wow I will look differently at our humble wheelbarrow from now on just in case it is having all those adventures (and more)unbeknown to me.

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A journey of friendship, loyalty, good v evil, knights and adventure in 'The Letter for the King' by Tonke Dragt

12/21/2013

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Amidst the insurance peeps, loss adjustor, temp accommodation peeps from Southend whose job title is emergency re homing, restoration vehicles, de humidifiers and trying to engage with anybody from any agency to believe this small part of Snape has been flooded I have taken solace in 'The letter for the King'.

It is a tale of brave souls, good men and true against an increasingly dark presence and ominous take over bid. Compared with the gadgets, wizardry and fast paced action adventure of today it might seem fairly slow paced but it's worth sticking with for a wholesome tale of kindness and doing the right thing. It's a good yarn about Tiuri, a young lad waiting to be knighted who is supposed to be holding vigil in a chapel all night. He responds to a call for help, unlike his friends who remain steadfast in their concentration on the task in hand, and finds himself on a dangerous adventure with an important mission....the title of the book.

The detail in the landscape makes you feel on the journey too and you feel you are seeing Tiuri grow in independence before you. The relationships with the characters he meets along the way are built up slowly as the story unfolds, this seems much more real as it takes time to trust people. I liked the way this seems true to life - it's not all whizz, bang action but subtly, gradually Tiuri makes true friends on his journey.

Translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson this is a wonderful absorbing tale perfect to curl up for Christmas and beyond.

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Christmassy books from Storyshack; last minute ideas for the last 3 days....

12/17/2013

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AAAAH lovely Christmassy books. When I was little I had a wonderful hardbook copy of DIck Bruna which I remember being rather thrilled with for many reasons; illustrations aside also the extra long landscape shape too. Can't find it now of course but I did come across the picture above.

Had been planning to pop these on the website earlier but events rather over took me! Anyway there are many many beautiful wintery stories around, Christmassy ones too old and new. This is purely ones that we own os very biased towards our own festive season but there are also some in there used successfully for peaceful, absorbing assemblies AND festive writing too. Doesn't all have to cotton wool and glitter after all!!

Tolkien's Christmas letters are lovely and would be great to inspire some writing at KS2. I defy even Year 6 not to be swept up in the North pole antics of Father Christmas-it is really sweet. I think this could be balanced with a previous blog mention on 'lightingcreativefires'....but with a Christmas twist-'The Jolly Christmas Postman'-make your own. Lovely for a whole class book or a different kind of Christmas card with little slots of mini letters in.

Michael Morpurgo is featured on many a blog including this one as you well know but that's because he is such a prolific writer of books to inspire so much more exploring in primary schools. His 'The best Christmas in the world' is about that famous football match played in no man's land during WW1.Perhaps less well known as a book is 'The Christmas truce' by Carol Ann Duffy. Both are wonderful for assemblies (as I've said before) but also to share with a class possibly from Yr 4 upwards to really appreciate this true story. If you're using for assembly enlarging the pics is well worth doing.

So many lovely stories-old favourites abound here but I suppose that's because they belong to us! There are some 'series' favourites such as Harry, Percy Park, Mog and Angelina there. For obvious reasons 'Poppy's secret Christmas' was quite a hit in its day. 'My Special Christmas' was given to us by our lovely friends in Oz....you can have it printed with a child/ren's name and the book explores different Christmas traditions around the world which is really sweet. Of course no Christmas list would be complete with Raymond Briggs though I have to admit to not picking up the snowman very often to read right to the end as it's too sad!

I don't mind reading 'The Box of Delights' every year though (which reminds me I must go and bring my copy back up the road) since I watched the BBC adaptation a loooong time ago. OOOh just remembered have the DVD for that too :-) Kay Harker is coming home for the Christmas holidays but the characters he meets on his return are not as straightforward as they first appear. 'The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe' has, of course, that very magical heart warming description when the power of the White witch starts to weaken and the children hear sleigh bells in the distance.
I think I lost my hardback copy of 'The Last polar bears' by Harry Horse to one of the schools I've visited in the past. I had to seek out another one as this mostly seems to be available in paperback these days. However, the illustrations about an adventure to the North pole with supplies and equipment in a golf trolley are wonderful in the picture book version. This one you could EASILY use in January too-what would you pack in your golf trolley when you went off on your adventures? No Christmas collection would be complete without that oft 'assemblied' 'Twas the Night Before Christmas: Or Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas' by Clement C. Moore. The one featured here is a fairly recent version with eye catching black and white illustrations by Matt Tavares. It's unusual to find something so Christmassy without colour in a way but I think that makes this book all the better-it's a beautiful pairing with this famous poem to share at bedtime or otherwise.

"If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him... give my heart."

Lastly a lovely re telling of the Christmas story by......Michael Morpurgo. Another enchantingly illustrated lovely sized book ( something about those square ish 'holds') from the point of view of a little shepherd who has to remain to look after the sheep when the other shepherds follow that star. However, he doesn't really get left behind, far from it-he travels 'On Angel wings' to make his way to the stable.

Happy Christmas reading (and beyond into winter) and writing I hope....even a little bit this week :-)

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What did the guinea pigs see?

12/15/2013

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Many apologies for my absence....I would like to say I've been on an adventure delivering a letter for the king. Actually I suppose I have been or I am still on my adventure because I have been curling up with a book this week after all the action of the flood.

I'm sure there is a book or two in our flood adventures. Importantly everyone is OK, safe, dry and warm. I'm in no position (being from a sailing family) to express surprise about the power of the rivers, seas and tides!

I can tell you what I saw...I think the guinea pigs saw some of it too. I wonder what they did see?

We had a note through the door telling us we needed to evacuate so we did put lots of things up high. I suppose the most precious things we have are really books and they are the things we stacked up high. We still hoped that the water wouldn't come too far up our way though because we're all optimistic I think.

We prepared Tom the big green truck with clothes and food and parked him up in the pub car park at the top of the slope just in case. Again, I don't think we thought the water would reach up all that way and decided that we would go if we saw the water coming but probably not at 6 pm - the time it said on the piece of paper.

We watched the weather all night, watched tweets, watched online, saw the surge hit the North Norfolk coast, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft. Then watched the news filter through about Mandela. I fell asleep in my clothes with D succumbing to closing his eyes shortly afterwards having stood in a dry road at 2.15pm. I think I must have subconsciously heard the rumble of water that other people actually heard and spoke about afterwards because I woke at about 2.45 and couldn't switch the light on. I think I already knew! I looked out and we were surrounded by water-the moon was reflecting on it all around right as far as the eye could see (well I was having trouble seeing as I needed my glasses). I think I was half hoping my eye sight was failing especially when I told D what I had seen and he just couldn't believe it-there had been nothing just a short time ago.

We shot up, gathered towels and came downstairs to find Robbie dog in his basket floating, looking v worried. When we looked out of the back the water was half way up the door. It was already in the house. We sloshed through to the front where D could see the water about 3 ft outside but trickling in. My mouth had already gone completely dry (like when you have an interview but x100) and we braced ourselves for opening the door. We had, after all, decided to stay put and knew we wanted to get to higher ground and Tom so it was our decision to walk out. We took a confused dog by his collar, our towels and waded across very cold water having managed to shut the door.

It was frightening-genuinely frightening. I don't think I've felt like that since Poppy was born. Think I've been very lucky actually. So I think, when we looked back at the road about half an hour later and our little crossing was clear we were relieved that the water was obviously subsiding and grateful that we were OK. However, when we walked across to Tom we didn't really know whether the water was coming up further at that point as the road was cover completely with 3 ft or so. Lovely Inga at the pub found a spare pair of wellies and made us a cuppa. We spoke about climbing over the fences above the pub if we needed to....bit worried that people would think we were burglars! I have dressed up as Burglar Bill before but never re enacted it. And bit worried that wouldn't be able to actually scale said fences having always been a total galumph!

I don't think any of us wanted to go to sleep so we sat in the pub at about 4 in the morning with the dog and a fire and a whiskey. The water had reached the pub's front room. Managed to go back into the house once we saw that little pathway and, on entering could barely believe that we'd walked out into such a torrent. The water in the hall had all but disappeared back into the brick tiles but bit sloshy across into the garage. I wanted to turn the electric off as that was something advised on this evacuation leaflet. I did manage in the end (we only had 1 pair of wellies as D's were swimming round the garage of their own accord!) but had to push the chest freezer out of the way because it had been thrown across the door by the force of the wave. Got up the ladder to the electric through the watery garage where everything had been in a whirlpool. Phew.
Back out and across but saw lights and what appeared to be policeman across the water. I'm alright I said (though I wasn't sure everyone was, it was dark, I had no idea who was still in their houses and that was a big concern) waving my torch. They said they couldn't come across because they didn't have wellies! And we didn't see anyone else at all again!!

Back to the pub table where Robbie dog had gone missing. Back out into the dark fearing he'd been so frightened he'd run away but got a call from Inga who found him in the ladies!! He'd pushed the door with his snout but couldn't back in...double trauma for the dog.

Think we had about an hour's kip and then awoke to a new vista....the river meeting our gardens and water blocking both sides of the road. Poor poor folk who had slept through it and found out in the morning including lovely Iris and Neville (83) who Inga had tried to wake up by knocking on their door and I'd been phoning at 3 in the morning but they are very sound sleepers! Then the picture became clearer and we realised the force of the water and what had really happened....it was in the form of a wave, not a flood that gently rose up the road. It had knocked down our wall and made a crack in the pavement, thrown equipment around houses and ripped out sockets, taken items back down the garden with it just like a wave does on the beach as you feel your toes being dragged through the sand. Wow-the power of nature and phew we were all OK.

But the guinea pigs I hear you say.... They were chocked up on a garden bench (thank goodness I didn't put them on my first choice which was the chest freezer!!!) and must have witnessed the whole whirlpool wave in action, records, books, bikes being tossed around and then the wave retreating from whence it came-well almost by now with the help of industrial pumps I stepped over on my jog this morning. So I am SURE there is a picture/storybook or two about their adventures. What if they had paddled off on the top of some vessel found floating in the garage, off to adventures a new? I'm just glad we didn't find out whether they could swim or not because I fear it would be OR NOT. They are happily living chez mum and dads' along with one much drier dog who has no loos that open in that way there so will not be further traumatised! (please RSPCA we assure you no animals were hurt in the making of this drama).
BUT I DO WONDER WHAT THEY SAW THAT NIGHT.....SQUEAK SQUEAK

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Need an antidote to celebrity culture bonkers? Try Katniss Everdeen.

12/1/2013

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Phew-Just been through the mill at 'Catching Fire' this afternoon; I've read them all but still found it totally gripping. I do like a film that does justice to the book and think this one really does. Went to see it with avid reader (recently) of trilogy. In fact this is one of the few books I've recommended that hasn't been spurned!! (well I can understand it really so am endeavouring to not say anything at all from now on.....I will just leave them lying around subtly instead :-))

If you haven't read the trilogy DO. I think I found it more sinister as a parent even the 1st one alone. The idea is an appalling one. Interestingly it reminds me of the way stories have ancient themes and re occur throughout time: the legend of St. George and the dragon with its maidens being sacrificed or sacrifices to the Minotaur in Greek myths and legends. The Capitol and all it stands for are particularly pertinent in our celeb obsessed day and age. There are chilling themes in this book but there is hope too. I think the film, despite having to miss out on the details that build an even clearer picture when reading, conveys that well. Certainly got the thumbs up from us even though I am now having to watch "Strictly" to calm my nerves.

GO SEE IT but also READ IT....you can do both whichever way round you want but it will be worth it. 11+ I feel-there are some scary bits in it and the themes explored are, I think, too unsettling for younger.

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Release your imagination......
Explore new worlds.
Make your own stories.

It seems wheelbarrows are handy for many more things than I imagined....

A journey of friendship, loyalty, good v evil, knights and adventure in 'The Letter for the King' by Tonke Dragt

Christmassy books from Storyshack; last minute ideas for the last 3 days....

What did the guinea pigs see?

Need an antidote to celebrity culture bonkers? Try Katniss Everdeen.

Sarah Gallagher

Archives

Categories

Release your imagination......Explore new worlds. Make your own stories.

It seems wheelbarrows are handy for many more things than I imagined....

A journey of friendship, loyalty, good v evil, knights and adventure in 'The Letter for the King' by Tonke Dragt

Christmassy books from Storyshack; last minute ideas for the last 3 days....

What did the guinea pigs see?

Need an antidote to celebrity culture bonkers? Try Katniss Everdeen.

Sarah Gallagher

Archives

Categories

Release your imagination......
Explore new worlds.
Make your own stories.