Wonderful Wednesday

An early rise presented a challenge for a few this morning.  However, when we watched a sweet maker hand-make some delicious rhubarb and custard hard sweets, before our very eyes, the spirits lifted.  The mood further improved when we were presented with an enormous supply of warm, fresh sweets, free of charge!  When the doors opened to the shop, we brought to life the phrase ‘kid in a candy shop’.  Money was certainly spent! 

For the very first time in the history of Whitwell Primary School trips to the Isle of Wight, it was a beautiful, clear day and we saw the full glory of ‘The Needles’.  A picturesque row of three stacks of chalk that rise about 30 metres out of the sea.  It may be worth mentioning that on more than one occasion I was asked: “What are we looking at?”  Tough crowd!

Following that, we watched three talented glass blowers create a number of very impressive pieces of glass art while they gave us an in-depth overview of the whole process.  After talking to a pair of our children, they stated that they “thought it was going to be right boring, but actually it was really good!”  High praise indeed!  Most bought souvenirs to remember the experience. 

After a lunch in the sun, we made our way to the Robin Hill park.  This was amazing!  The children rode the pirate ship; raced on the slides; navigated the ‘Squirrel Trail’; and rode the toboggan. They ate ice-cream in the gorgeous sun and were treated to an exclusive tractor ride on the way out.  All agreed this was the best bit so far!

After our daily evening paddle and our customary shivering, sandy walk back to the hotel, we played Uno, sang songs and chatted over our drink and biscuits.  All in all - a truly fantastic day!