group skiing and singing

Well yes it did rain again today. However, before the really wet stuff this afternoon, things got started at the centre with some team building activities. Once divided into two groups the centre staff took the teams through a series of activities that had been set up for them: water-balloon volley ball, spiders web, river crossing, sheep herding, group skiing and the sinking island. Both groups took different approaches, sometimes opting to charge straight in other times spending a little time weighing thing up. The different personalities really stood out as the need to work together became apparent.

Unsurprisingly the team that listened to each other were much stronger and surprisingly in this group it was the boys actually listening to the girls that made the difference. In fact, the assistant head-of-centre was gob-smacked by how well they worked. Having mastered walking in a straight line with the group skis they decided that it would be more of a challenge if they could turn themselves around, which they did. Henry calmly ordering everyone about, "weight on right ski, up on left, weight on left ski, up on right."

By 10.30 Jonny proudly announced that he was on his sixth cup of tea of the morning, slightly less proud when he was reminded that he would be sitting on a bus at the end of the session as we went off to Hadrian's Wall. The whole concept of hot drinks that they can make for themselves and put in their flasks is a real novelty and has not yet worn off. Toby nurses his little red flask, with either tea or hot blackcurrant and Olly D proudly shows off the battle damage - two little dents - in his flask (hot chocolate).

As noon approached we then had a mad scramble to gather all the necessary bits of kit: boots or wellies, rain coats, bags, clipboards, lunches, re-fill flasks, go back for coat, go back for clipboard, go back for Phoebe, oh no, Phoebe is already on the bus. Count everyone, 24 pupils two staff, driver we can go now. Then it is on to Hadrian's Wall.

The Hadrian's Wall stop was brief. We shared the coach with The Opposition (8b) and split at the Roman Army museum to check out different parts of the wall, I think we got the best bit. Score 1-0. It was a short walk which was embraced heartily after an hour or so on the bus and we made the climb up a steep slope to the wall with short shrift (and short of breath at the top). However, having attained such a height there was only one thing to do and that, after looking at the Wall, of course, was to run down again... and then carry on running because we were now late for the bus. Anyway, running along the road below the wall we were able to experience what it was like to be a Roman legionnaire driven along by a hard task-master of a centurion (me).

Vindolanda is not an Indian restaurant theme park, but a Roman fort, bathhouse and surrounding village. Forty years of digging has revealed a load of stones and something like four thousand sandals; the archaeologist could have just gone to Aldeburgh on a hot summers day! We were given a short talk by one of the archaeologists (interestingly no beard). Short because now is was raining properly and we were standing outside by a second century butchers shop. Disappointingly, our guide was not wearing the full Roman outfit of skirt and leather armour, although the girls were already aquiver due to the rain and cold. In twenty spellbinding minutes he made the settlement come alive with his descriptions of building and people who lived there and how they'd discovered what they knew. When it came time for questions, 8d offered them up quick and fast, The Opposition were unable to match us: score 2-0.

One can see how easy it must have been for the Romans to conquer us. The level of technology and engineering that went into their buildings and weaponry far outclassed anything we could do up until the middle ages: underfloor ventilation in their grain stores, hot and cold running water in their bathhouse. Really quite remarkable. Then set free for forty minutes, the boys headed for the reproduction towers, which they were able to shelter in, or play in. The girls dashed for the only other shelter in the site a solitary tree, before discovering the path that led to the museum and shop.

The museum caught most pupils attention for the adjoining shop, which parted some of them from their money and for the phallus fertility symbols in the museum; they were particularly amused by them. It was then time to dash back across the site to the bus and once counted on we set off home. Fifty wet bodies on the bus made the atmosphere rather humid - I'm surprised the driver could actually see out of his window, but then he managed to find the warp drive setting on the de-mister. Various parties attempted singalongs on the return trip, in most instances whilst another quarter of the bus had already started up, but notably Morgan entertained us and Marsha, the youngest pupil on the bus, sang a beautiful melody which drifted its way to the front. Score 3-0.

The evening had a different flavour to it with the one of the centre staff organising a egg-drop competition. With that, logs and workbooks all to be done everyone was kept busy until about nine, when a little free-time was followed by a welcome bed.