WELCOME TO THE P6 DELAMONT 2015 BLOG!!!!

We will try and keep you up to date with our adventures while we are away!!

Please note - this is an experiment and the first time we have done a blog. So please be patient and accept our apologies if things don't work!!!!

This year's trip is from Monday 13th - 15th April and Wednesday 15th - 17th April.

WEDNESDAY 15TH 10.20AM

Crew 2 have launched!!

We are jammed on to the bus and on route to sunny Delamont!!! A lot of excited little people (and 2 excited bigger people! )

11.00am

First briefing and rules!! 

11.45am

Boys struggling to make beds! Disaster zone!! 

12.45pm - feeding time at the zoo!!!

.45pm - all wrapped up like onions!! We're off to tollymore on our adventure walk!!

5.00pm - cold, wet and weary but having a blast!! The adventure walk was brilliant! Tunnels, mud piles, swimming in pools, crawling through pipes,  waterfalls, jumping off rocks, squelchy wellies and freezing water!! Heading back in bus for showers and then some yummy grub for tea - chicken curry tonight!! More photos to come.  

6.30pm - doughnuts for dessert!! Yum yum!! 

7.30pm - We have just done a major tidy up of shower blocks and drying room!! We are about to head down to the massive adventure playground in Delamont. Time to burn off some more energy!!! Kids are all doing great and are having a great time!! Tonight's plan is to go to the playpark, go for a walk to the Millenium Stone, do some star gazing (apparently we should be able to see the International Space station about 9pm), do the night line once it is dark and have a bit of a snack for supper. And then all the kids will pop off to bed to fall straight to sleep with no fuss and no midnight feasts!!!!!! Yea right!!

10pm - We have exhausted oursleves at the playpark, been eaten by midgies, stargazed, saw Venus, discussed light pollution, St Patrick, granite and tv antennae!! There's always a learning opportunity!!! The kids are currently munching krispie buns for supper before we do the nightline! This is the activity the kids have not stopped asking about for weeks!! Time will tell if they are all brave enough to go through a pitch dark wood holding on to a rope!!

7.15am - It's a beautiful, peaceful, calm morning here!! That's at least until the kids get up!!! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and Mr Cousley is getting his first coffee caffeine boost before going and waking up the sleepy heads!! That includes Miss Bell who hasn't surfaced yet!!!

We will have breakfast at 8.15am and the plan is to go canoeing this morning out on Strangford Lough.

Will keep trying to post more photos (the internet coverage is very patchy and it's proving tricky at times!!) Great to see that the blog has had so many views!!

7.45am - Mr Cousley had to use his pot lid clangers to wake a few dorms up!!! More than a handful were dead to the world and needed to be awoken by the gentle soothing sound of me banging pot lids to help the wakening process!!! Who says teachers are cruel?!!! 

9.45am - We've all had a good breakfast. Interesting discovering the weird and wonderful cereal mix-ups that we like!! Mr Cousley had shreddies and rice krispies but the weirdest has to be a boy that had weetabix and coco pops!!! Whatever floats your boat I say!! Talking of boat floating - it's time to go canoeing!! It's a perfect morning for a paddle along the lough. 

2Pm - we had a brilliant morning canoeing!  A gorgeous day and the children had a good paddle over to Rat Island to look for seals and have a picnic. One group saw a seal briefly! We have now had lunch. The best meal yet apparently - sausage rolls and beans! Now we are about to do archery and the low ropes course. Good times! Another chance for Robin Hood Cousley to show maid Marion Bell how to really fire arrows!!!

    Somebody didn't get enough sleep!!!!

Best meal yet!! Sausage rolls and beans!!

6.00pm - We're in  mad rush to get to the swimmers for half 6!! They all really enjoyed the ropes course and archery!! And of course Mr Cousley hammered Miss Bell at archery!!! 

After our swim it's off to McD's!! 

The children have been absolutely brilliant so far and have tackled everything with enthusiasm, energy and determination!! A great bunch!!

8.50pm - You would think they had never seen food!!!

10.40pm - Is it nearly bedtime?!!! Back to the house after swimming and McDonald's and we're all watching half an hour of dvd before bed. Another jam-packed and fun-filled day!! There's definitely a few sleepy heads tonight. Won't be long till lights out. I think Miss Bell has fallen asleep already watching Penguins of Madagascar! These youngsters can't hack the pace!!  

Friday 7.30am - A bleary-eyed good morning from Delamont!!! Bit cloudier this morning here. The children haven't surfaced yet - nearly time to the Cousley alarm clock! I might need bigger pot lids this morning for some of them!! Or Miss Bell can go in singing Morning has Broken - that'll do the same job!!

Tha plan for this morning after brekkie is to do a major tidy up, return all the gear to the store, clear the drying room, brush up and pack our bags. 

Without fail two things will happen:

1. all of the children's stuff will not go back into their bags because it isn't being expertly packed by mummy!!

2. we will be left with a massive pile of left over tshirts, pants and socks etc... after the packing is done and we will have to try and find who owns what!

Then the children have decided to head to the adventure playground before an early lunch and then the bus will pick us up about 12.15. We should be back to school about 1pm! A bit more tired, a bit more dirty, a bit more rosy-cheeked but having had a brilliant few days!!

One is fresh-faced, youthful, wide awake and full of energy........

....... and the other one is Miss Bell!!!

11.45am - It's our last meal at Delamont. Hot dogs are going down well. 

Will soon be time to hop on the bus!! 

12.20pm - bye bye Delamont!!!

ALL HOME SAFE AND SOUND FROM DELAMONT!!!! 
A FEW DAYS FULL OF FUN, CHALLENGES, TEAMWORK, MUD, TRYING NEW THINGS, FREEZING WATER, MIDNIGHT FEASTS, BANTER, WET CLOTHES, DETERMINATION, LOADS OF FOOD, MR COUSLEY'S ENDLESS SUPPLY OF BAD JOKES, GOOD MATES AND SOME MORE WET CLOTHES!! 

WE HOPE YOU LIKED THE BLOG AND FOUND IT ENJOYABLE AND HELPFUL. 

GO TO THE NEW SCHOOL WEBSITE TO SEE A STACK MORE PHOTOS. 

www.orangefieldprimary.co.uk

I WILL TRY TO GET THEM EDITED AND UPLOADED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!! 

NOW, I'M OFF TO FIND A DARK ROOM FOR A FEW HOURS!!!
Thanks, Mr Cousley