School Visits: to Watford and Beyond!

On Wednesday afternoon, I took the train down south. I was invited to spend Thursday at West Lodge Primary School in Pinner, but it was way too far for a day trip. Step forward the very kind Mrs Hurcum, who agreed to put me up the night before and cook me dinner. 

Bright and early next morning, we battled our way though the remaining snow to school: a lovely, modern building, overlooking the frozen park. The children had been well prepared and had read loads of my books, and as we walked through the library I spotted the fabulous display at the top of this post!

And that was not all: Mrs Hurcum's Y1 class had taken assembly, acting out Class Two at the Zoo wearing animal hats they had made themselves. The hats and lots more great paintings had been made into another gorgeous display on their classroom wall:

Don't you just LOVE those parrots? 

I started my day by taking assembly, talking about sketchbooks and showing them some of these drawings that I did on the way. Then I did my 'Rolf Harris impersonation' with the flip chart.

I spent the rest of the day having fun, working my way through each of the 3 Y1 classes in turn, telling stories, singing sings and doing lots and lots of drawing with the children.

At 3 o'clock, the local New Leaf Bookshop came into school. They brought loads of my books and I signed frantically until I had to literally dash from the hall, to jump in a taxi and be zoomed back to the station.

I caught my train with ease but, as luck would have it, it was running late anyway, which had the knock-on effect that I missed my connection at Birmingham, so was still horribly late home! Ah well, such is life. I scoffed a pasty while I waited at Birmingham and then, when I got in all I had to do was veg in front of the box with a nice glass of red.