Category: Events

The long coronation weekend started early for our children when we marked the national event on Friday morning. The scene was set with the union flag, and a throne and crown waiting for the monarch. The children were so respectful and responsive to the sound of the national anthem.

The crown did not fit any of our children. Clearly, it was not intended for them. So they made crowns of their own to wear for celebration.

At the other end of the month, we had a Czech visitor to share a maypole. Children chose a coloured ribbon with which to decorate the wreath. There was the rehearsing of the names of colours in Czech before the pole was erected.

Then it was time to dance around the maypole.

We were inspected by OFSTED in January, as recorded in an earlier blog post. Now the report has arrived by email. It is gratifying to be judged ‘Outstanding’, but there is so much more than could be observed on one cold winter’s day.

The inspector missed most of the normal activities on the plat because we sought the warmth of the sunshine on the field.

Then there are the log stepping stones in the woods which are so good for the development of balance, strength and awareness of the body. But we hadn’t constructed it in time.

And there has been the processing and spreading of compost – all that potential knowledge of the world.

This activity deserves a blog post in its own right.

Never mind, we are grateful that the inspector liked what could be seen on the day in question. Well done, staff! Thank you, parents for your generous support, and all those who pray for us.

Monday, the rain fell, and the temperature was freezing. It was all a bit of a challenge, but the children coped wonderfully. They are not afraid of being outdoors. The rest of the week, every day was cold, with children arriving on site in minus degrees centigrade.

On Wednesday, we had the dreaded phone call from an OFSTED inspector to say that we were to have an inspection on Thursday. It would be the first full inspection since we moved to Tarly Pit.

We were blessed that day with sunshine and a fire that lit so easily. Between the two we were kept warm on a day when the temperature ranged from -2 to +6 degrees centigrade. All went very well and we were so grateful.

Most memorable will be the boy who was squealing from a tree he had attempted to climb, with another already on a favoured perch. We all assumed that the fuss was a dispute about rights to that branch, until the distraught lad demanded, “Get me down!” It then became apparent that the problem was nothing to do with territory. Unseen even standing immediately in front of him, the boy had caught his hood on a broken branch and could not move an inch. It could only happen in view of an inspector.

All went well. The tree climber was rescued, and the day ended happily. The children went home; the inspector offered feed-back; the staff felt proud.

On Friday, we were doing it all over again, but only under the gaze of heaven.

That was the ultimate week.

In our second year at Tarly Pit, it seemed as if we had sorted many of the teething troubles and had taken off. Of course, we benefited from the country having come through Covid. And so we were able to put on sports day and the end of school year celebration with a graduation ceremony.

Parents mounted a fundraiser which generaated enough for the purchase of four super wheelbarrows.

As ever, children were rising to the physical challenges of over, under and through.

Crops were ripe for harvesting. Garlic and onions were lifted, and tomatoes ripened faster than in years.

There was evidence of children’s enthusiasm for literacy, including what might be labelled graffiti.

But eventually, it was time for just one more hug before farewell for the last time.

Now the silence until September when everything begins again.

We were all prepared for sports day a few weeks ago. Then the threatening clouds began to gather, and we knew we would have to postpone the event.

The intended seed exchange table evolved into a fundraising plant sale, which has proved popular and successful.

The white lines had been washed away and had to be repainted. It is an expensive business at half an hour for each line,

Now we are back on track (if you can forgive the pun) and almost ready for the second attempt at the sports event.

Conclusion

It is evening before the sports and we are set to go.

On the evening of Thursday 24th March, we welcomed parents to a consultation evening at Tarly Pit. For eighteen months, the pandemic prevented us from having these trembly events. The November meeting was held at the Iden Green Pavilion because of inclement weather.

This was the first opportunity for some to enter the plat and see inside the yurt. It was encouraging to have 65% of our parents involved in the process.

In February 2021, we were closed for a week by snow that lay thick for seven days. This year, in the same month, named storms have been the issue. The snow looked lovely; wind just causes damage and work to be done. It is also potentially dangerous for children who would normally be on site.

A wind chime has been torn from the tree and left in pieces. The parachute had already been compromised by storms a year ago and arson last summer; now it is shredded. The canopy over the kitchen window is waiting to be put back when winds subside. The security camera must be repaired. The greenhouse needs restoration after nine large sheets of glazing were thrust from the frames. A water tank blew off its foundation and has been secured against further wind assault. And so the list goes on.

These and other casualties are small issues. What we cannot repair overnight is the damage to trees. The full extent is yet to be assessed. Happily, closure has been for but one day this time.

A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.

A select congregation attended the burial of Bella, the chicken. Bella had laid every day for nine months of the year, almost all her life. Tired out, she died two weeks after laying her last egg.

What had happened and what we were going to do was carefully explained to the children. They were asked if they wanted to participate.

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The perfect white-feathered hen was placed in a cardboard coffin, a grave was dug, and then Bella was gently buried.

Often the children have enjoyed the parables of the lost sheep, the lost silver and the lost son. This time the story was our very own.

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We only became aware of the one-day saga when, on Monday morning, we discovered our two rabbits’ disappearance from their secure run. The chances of recovering them seemed poor. They would have been prey to any night predator.

Their absence was mysterious in that there was no obvious route of escape. We carefully examined the condition of their run and the floor beneath the straw. Then we realised that the guinea pig had gone from her separate hutch, as well. The bunnies had not ‘made a break for freedom’. It seemed that they had been taken. To add to the evidence, a cage used for transport was missing also.

The Sunday evening, the creatures had been fed at about 7 pm. The site had been locked and left for the night. By the morning, the animal food had hardly been touched. We concluded that a theft had been committed shortly after locking up. What we did not know at the time was that on Sunday evening, the animals had been found huddled together in the cage, and they had been taken home to keep them safe.

Once we had discovered the disappearance of our pets, Facebook posts were shared and seen by thousands. By the afternoon, information had been received through Facebook and telephone. Less than twenty-four hours after they had been taken, the rabbits and guinea pig were returned to us. Clearly, they were shaken but safely home again.

This modern-day miracle seemed too good to be true. The lost was found. Grief was turned to rejoicing, and tears to laughter. We were so grateful to everyone for support and encouragement, and to those who restored to us the creatures.

The Easter bunny will take on new significance from this year onwards. Here is a present parable of resurrection: the lost, found, and that mourned as dead, alive again.