Well it did become a bit of a blur with Sat Nav moment in between. Seven days of Library visits is really quite exhausting. It’s lucky I was staying with my parents-in-law, who gave me lots of care and food and cold beers in the evening.
It may have been a blur, but it was good fun and I met a lot of wonderful and dedicated people all week.
I had great fun on Friday morning with St Joseph’s School. They had been writing fairy stories with a modern twist and several children read out their own stories. One lad was a star – I think he will have to be a politician when he grows up. All I had to do was draw some illustrations to go with their stories, so it was both easy on m at the end of the week and very enjoyable.
Rossmore is a wonderful new Library. You will see from the picture that someone has managed to decorate the post modern frontage with a basket ball!
Leslie, Tricia and Leo at Canford Cliffs
Many thanks to Laura, Tricia and Julie for looking after me all week. Hope to see you all again in the Orange Box in March for the opening of the fabulous new Hamworthy Library.
This morning I visited Branksome Library, where I met children from Branksome Heath Middle School.
Wendy, the library manager, didn’t want to be pictured a d i’m not allowed to take pictures of the children without permission, so I made them turn around and took a picture of the back of their heads!
Sandbanks looking across to Old Harry
The Lifeboat guys were practicing holding their position in the waves, sending diesel fumes across the beach. Mmm! The strand was thin and not very interesting, but I did find this little bit of seaweed beautifully arranged for a photo.
It’s such a different place in the autumn. In the Summer months the beach teams with life and ice creams and sandcastles and jetskiers and paragliders – pretty quiet today.
Scooter Park
Only two sessions today, to let me get my breath back.
I walked down Poole High Street on Sunday Nd came across this sign. The picture doesn’t do it justice. The paint had peeled off the background giving avery pleasing 3d effect.
This afternoon I entertained the year threesvfrom Old Town First School who wouldn’t believe I’m a Viking and prefered to think I might be Roman or Italian!
Very tired afterwards I retired for a quick kip before meeting some young carers this evening.
This morning I visited Hamworthy Library where I had the pleasure of reading to 90 year 2s from Hamworthy First School, frightening them with terrible tales of The Pizza Man! They said they weren’t scared, but they were!
Charmaine and Suzanne, the Librarians, are temporarily camped in the old school gym. Books have to be put away at the end of the day to make room for the judo club. Screens have to be put up to make quiet and private places for the advice centre.
But it will not always be like this because they are having a fantastic new library built across the road.
Even better – I will be telling stories on opening day, so put Saturday 6th March in your diary as it’s going to be a great day and a great end to World Book Day week.
Badbury Rings - Dorset
It was glorious. Not a soul around and a whole wild and wooly wood to myself – except for the sheep, but coming from the Forest of Dean, I can handle them!
I’m in Poole for the whole week this week. I started out in the Lighthouse Arts Centre Yesterday, storytelling, along with Children’s Librarian,Julie Noble, for their Open Day. It was very busy and quite noisy, but we persevered. Julie read stories for the young ones and I found myself doing drawings of the Gruffalo and the rainbow fish and Maisy the duck. Luckily the under fives aren’t to worried about copyright or who the blokes is that’s doing the drawings!
Creekmoor Library
Today I visited Broadstone Library and Creekmoor Library. I forgot to take a picture in Broadstone, but Will be back on Saturday at 10.30 for an open session if you want to come along. I had a great time and think my throat might last out the week if I’m careful. Very tiring though.
I had a great time last night at Gloucester Royal Hospital. I was asked to help present copies of a poetry anthology to the poets involved, all of whom have been looked after by the education department of the children’s ward.
The children had all been through the ward at some time. Some for broken bones some for more life-threatening reasons. It was a joy to meet them all, as I’d been reading their poems for a while, as I was deciding which ones to read aloud at the event. There were clever poems and sad poems and happy poems and funny poems. Matching up the writers to the poems was interesting and I felt very pleased when assumptions I’d made about the poet and their inspiration was correct.
The book was illustrated by Poppy Roberts, a sprightly young woman who is now doing Fashion at Uni. Her designs will be used as the Hospital Trust Christmas card. Good luck to her. I feel we will hear more from her.
I was really impressed by the poems. It’s good to read poetry now and then and be reminded of what it has to offer both to the writer and the reader. We don’t read poetry fro fun much. maybe it seems to much hard work, but like most things a bit of hard work usually brings its own rewards.
It was a bit of a party and I think everyone had a good time. The Staff are all lovely and obviously very caring and involved in the well-being and continuing education of their charges, who at times must not feel like doing school! Then again, a bit of school might be a welcome relief from the day to day routine of the ward.
Thanks for having me!
