Armadale, West Lothian

Thanks for all the comments. I can't believe the weather in Scotland, 27 degrees yesterday and looks the same today. Yesterday I visited three different schools - all very different. Uphall, Toronto and St JJoseph's in Whitburn. I saw a music therapy session and got to conduct the orchestra. We went to an assembly and presented certificates for brass exams. We saw the most amazing toilets ( yes really) at St Joesph's - beautifully painted with murals - have an idea....... about this.



I have met some amazing teachers and head teachers ( that is what principals get called here) and really neat kids. They are very interested in us.

Last night we caught the train into Edinburgh and went right past Edinburgh Castle. They are ripping up the main street in Edinburgh to put in trams, I wodnewr why? This is not the first place that has done this.

We are off to Pithlochery tomorrow for two nights and thenhead back to London until we catch the plane home. I think Bumble is ready to come home now, he has had so much fun adn learned so much but I think he misses school and everyone there. Hopefully he will back in time for the senior cross country.

Well best get going again we are off to Linlithgow to do some shopping.

I heard teh SING OFF was fantastic, am really sorry I missed it - did any one video it?

Miss you all - hope you remembered Mrs Donaldsons birthday last week too...

Hi there from Chipping Camden - can you find it?

I am really sorry it has been so long - we have just been so busy!! Bumble, Pauline and I have been all over right to the bottom of the country - no not the famous Land's end but "|The Lizard".

We stayed a night in Clovelly which is famous as it hasa steep street adn donekys are theonly things other than people to cart thigns up and down the hill. It is also the place where Charels Kingsley came from. Last night we stayed in Burford adn it has the most amazing array of houses. We are a day beign our plans as we satyed longer in Bath - it was 27 degrees.

In Bath I visited Jane Austin Centre - she is a famous author - do you know any books she wrote.
It was my birthday last week and I was given a beautiful book about an artist called Sue Dove, I saw some of her work and |I am going to try some out.

We will be heading off to Scotland at the end of the week and then we will be int he same place that the famous singer on Britains Got Talent is from - Susan Boyle. In fact I am visiting two schools there. The finals of Britains Got talent are this week - everyone here is talking about it - it seems really strange.

Hope the junior Cross coutnry went well and you all tried your best, the rest of you will be all training hard as well. I might be home in time to come and watch the senior one!

Keep working hard - Kakite

Bumble Bumble where have you been? I've been to L..........n to visit the Queen.

Bumble has had an amazing day. He,Pauline, Sarah (Pauline's daughter) and I took the train from Staines into Waterloo Station. We all had lunch in Covent Garden. The weather is better, we were worried Bumble would feel the cold but the temperature has improved as it is Spring here. We looked around the market and walked back through Trafalgar Square and past Nelson's Column. We walked back to Waterloo Station and were just in time for the changing of the Guard. We went past 10 Downing street, someone important lives there. (do you know who?)

Bumble was so excited about being in all these famous places that he forgot to get a photo but he also saw the L............ Eye, Big Ben ( which he felt rather overwhelmed by) and the wind picked up as we were crossing the large river that runs through L.............. and he was so pleased to be holding onto to my hand or it would have been a near catastrophe.

We had to "spend a penny" at Waterloo Station except it wasn't a penny it was 30, think that is inflation. ( You often have to pay or"spend a penny" in foreign countries!! New Zealand is lucky.)

Before we got to this huge city which is also the Capital of England we came from Zagreb having stayed in a Hotel famous for having guests of the Orient Express. It was very flash and Bumble really liked the luxurious corner room we had that overlooked the promenade. Before that we stayed in a place called Bled which was in a different country to Zagreb. It was in Slovenia. We really liked that as we had a beautiful lake to look at and we biked around it. We had visited the Castle at Bled and were enjoying a nice coffee in the sun when a tourist asked if they could take Bumbles photo. The tourist took 4 photos of Bumble with the lovely little island church in the background. Bumble hasn't stopped smiling since he was so pleased to see the look in Pauline's face as the tourist didn't ask her.

As you can probably see Bumble has been having the time of his life - I hope he settles down as we are visiting two schools on Thursday and Friday in a different country ( to the west of L............) and he needs to be on his best behaviour as he is representing all the Wai Learners from Waimataitai.

Plitvicka Lakes , can you find us?

We are in an absolutely beautiful place which is part of the National park. I saw a snake - it was about 15 cm long and it was quite fat. I was told it wasn t really a snake but a ˝blind snake˝ as it doesnt have any fangs or teeth. We were walking along havigng just finished awalk through this forest and by these very famous lakes and waterfalls and I just saw it in the grass. It gave Bumble quite a fright and I was little surprised also. At lunch today we vitisteda place with a restaurant and out the back they had two bear cubs. Their mother had been killed and they had been given special permission to keep them. I felt a little sorry for them.
Last night we stayed in a place called Split and tomorrow we are off to Bled. I have been texting lots of people but it seems that only some of their texts are getting through but I will keep texting just to let people know Bumble, Pauline and I are getting on okay. Pauline and Bumble have become quite close friends adn she ahs introduced him to anumber of people who have wanted to know about him. He squeaks away quite politely.

I hope everyone is working hard at school and having fun learning.