France 2009!

A whole bunch of random pictures this evening!

Returned home from France at around 1.30 in the morning this morning. Quite a record: within 15 minutes, 73 children, 10 members of staff and 2 luxury coaches had arrived, unloaded and vanished!

France itself was amazing again. The kids were great - it was just the staff that caused the problems! (I have to say that as I discovered that some of the staff have found my blog and now read it!)

The weather was stunning for much of the time and the experiences and places visited again caused great memories and it was a privilege to be part of the memories that these kids will have probably for the rest of their lives.
Mussel tasting seemed a bit of a hit - at least for most but certainly not for me!

OK, so there is a soft side to me! We visited a goat farm and I asked one of the children to hold my camera while I held the goat, they took a picture and unfortunately it came out quite well!!

The visit to Honfleur so the children could all sit along the harbour wall and sketch was a lovely experience. One of the staff overheard an elderly gentleman and his wife sitting outside a cafe enjoying their beer and wine and commenting on the children saying, "It makes you proud to be British - those children are such a credit to their school." A great moment for any teacher!

A traditional French street market provided the children with a chance to buy gifts as well as see the sights and sounds. The colours always amaze me.

The more serious moments included a visit to the Bayeux cemetery. Looking beautiful, (if that's possible in a cemetery,) after the recent anniversary celebrations; graves and crosses were festooned with flowers and memories, including this one from Prince Charles.

This sign was spotted painted over an entire window of one of the shops.

A visit to Pegasus Bridge was a great experience for everyone....

....and a lucky chance to see the new Pegasus Bridge being raised fully to allow boats through.

Finally, a couple of water related pictures! First, the view off the top deck of the ferry on the way over.

...and passing the big boys as we sailed out of Portsmouth.

My father was busy back home looking after Simba but also managed to find time to install the lock and canal on Little Foxwood. I hope tomorrow to tidy some of the bits up around it and will post photos next time hopefully.