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.
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.
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.
For a week, no car travelled the track; no child’s cry of despair or delight was heard. Everything lay in silence broken only by the sound of the birds singing and rabbits scuffling on the white carpet.
In over 25 years in Iden Green, there was only one day of closure. This year we have lost a week due to hazardous road conditions and obstacles to accessing the site.
Doubtlessly, children and staff will return with renewed enthusiasm after the extended half-term break.
The new year began with an icy week for the children. Every day a temperature of minus degrees centigrade was registered. The conditions determined some of the children’s activities.
The children learnt how to keep warm in cold weather: layers of clothing, hot drinks, keeping moving, holding the hand of another, and feeling the warmth of a fire.
There are some vegetables that cannot be left in the ground in the frost without some damage being done to them.
So we had the first crop to be harvested at Tarly Pit. Radishes were pulled and sampled. The rabbits had a feast. It was a harvest worth recording.
Children enthusiastically collected wood for the fire pit. They got warm on the coldest day just by gathering fuel.
Then they learnt to treat the fire with respect without being afraid of it. They safely stoked it with fresh supplies of wood.
Our little people would miss out on so much learning without the experience of that freezing cold week.
An unexpected fall of snow in the night made for a very different experience for everyone.
We started the day by finding tracks in the snow made by birds and animals.
Then we followed the route of water (from melting snow) being diverted from the plat to the woods where waterfalls thundered.
Then a warming fire with melting marshmallows went down so very well.
Children were keen to help to prepare a display of poppies for the act of remembrance on 11th November.
Using scissors, glue sticks and paint was a valuable exercise in basic skills.
Then, a little earlier than 11 o’clock, they gathered around the display for an explanation. Of course, they cannot understand much of what it is about, but they can begin to form impressions that they will carry with them to a later stage when they can grasp the meaning of the annual commemoration.
The seriousness with which the occasion was greeted by little ones was impressive. And, of course, they could see that cutting and pasting can be useful and purposeful.