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2020vision Merchants Connected ArchivesThe World Famous Patterdale Blog - October 2011
We're back! Merchants are invading the peace and quiet of Ullswater as Year 4 spend three days at Patterdale Hall.
You'll be able to keep up with all of the goings on up at Patterdale - things like 'what's for tea?', 'who is doing what?' and 'who has the worst PJs?' (It'll probably be Mrs Rogers or Mr Benbow - they have no style whatsoever!).
We'll post pictures galore, amusing anecdotes and other such nonsense for your delectation....and you will have the chance to get in touch by using the email form at the bottom of the page. We hope that loads of you do get in touch and, whilst we can't promise to reply to all your messages (or indeed to pass on greetings in case it causes a bout of homesickness) we can assure you that we will read them all and laugh at the funniest ones. Poems are particularly welcome!
The latest stories will appear nearer the top of the page. Scroll down to read more...
Enjoy... Please use this form to send an email to Mr Wardle (Webmaster)
Some of the boys have written reports.....here is one of them from Harvey Locke-Edmunds.
Outdoor Baking at Patterdale
On our second day it was raining first thing in the morning.
Today we made bread .
But first of all we practised how to make a fire with cotton wool and steel sticks that we rubbed together to make sparks.Then we all as a group collected dry sticks for the fire, also the man
gave us some dough and we had to wrap it around our stick.Then we put the dough over the fire to cook. We knew when it was ready by looking at the bread and to see if it had gone a little brown.
When we were finished we were able to put jam on it or eat how it was and Mr.Benbow's was the best.
I put Jam on mine and it tasted very nice. Mr.Benbow's was the best because he folded his all around the stick and it was not fat as his was the thinnest.
We then all returned to Patterdale Hall.
By Harvey Locke-Edmunds
Friday 7th October - 22:30
Well, that was Patterdale for this year....and what a trip it was. We arrived back to be mobbed by adoring fans (well mums and dads) who whisked the boys off their feet, suffocating them with enthusiastic embraces. We arrived back just on 17:00 - we made good time as we were just a little late leaving as we were making the most of the sunshine.
There were no problems on the bus and indeed it was a lot quieter than it was on the way up to The Lakes.
There are a lot of thanks to be given - the wonderful Patterdale staff, including Sean, Rick, Tim and the gang; Joe our long-suffering (and very entertaining) driver who went above and beyond the call of duty, making us laugh until it hurt; my wonderful colleagues Lisa Rogers and Nick Benbow who were the butt of so many of my comments but were SUCH good sports - and finally to our wonderful parents who trusted us enough to let us take their boys on what, for many, was their first trip away from home overnight.
Patterdale is a rite of passage and they are able to learn to fend themselves a lot more in a relatively safe environment. Bumps and cuts do happen but it is important that they should be allowed to take risks - that is what life is all about and if we have prepared the boys, in even a small way, to take risks in the years ahead then it is job done.
So that's it - the Patterdale Blog is at an end. We took a photo just before we left - I think is sums up everything about the holiday and hope you like it - Mr Wardle (PS I'll pop all of the photos on a CD ROM for all of you so you can have a complete set of high resolution photos to look at on your DVD players and PCs to print off willy nilly....actually I may omit the ones of Mrs Rogers in the wetsuit as I wouldn't want to put you off your food, though you could put one of the fridge if you were on a diet!! ..just a thought....).
Friday 7th October - 12:30
It is all go here now, getting ready to pack up the coach, find clothing left in ball in the drying room, pack up, unpack, pack again...and eat some of Hugo's birthday cake too. Two groups went to the ghyll this morning so there are some wet boys on their way back to the hot showers. Sandwiches are all ready for them and we hope to eat them in the gardens. The weather has been good today - lots of sunshine and no rain, if a little chilly.
This wil be the last weblog before we leave, I'm afraid (boo hoo) but there'll be another one tonight if I haven't fallen asleep in my tea.
***IMPORTANT*** We expect to be back between 4.30pm and 4.45pm and the boys are looking forward to seing you there at the school gate when we arrive. PLEASE be prompt as they will be disappointed. Thanks for your support..and make sure that you clap and cheer them off the bus as they have been fabulous - every one of them!
Friday 7th October - 09:45
We have had a brilliant night. The boys woke up at about 06:45 and those who weren't already awake were awoken by a beautiful version of Elton John and Kiki Dee's ‘Don't Go Breaking my Heart' sung by Mrs Rogers and myself. Mrs Rogers has a voice of an angel....impaled on a barbed wire fence.
The boys have stripped their beds, sorting out quilt covers, pillow cases and bottom sheets. That took some time. They have now packed - well sort of - and they have gone off out on activities. There are two lots of ghyll scramblers so they will have wet clothing when they return.
The weather has improved quite significantly and we were able to go outside into the gardens to discover the delights of the dens and grass. The lads will return at about 12ish and then we'll have some lunch before doing a final pack-up, load the coach and then go for a walk to Glenridding.
We hope to be back by 16:30 -16:45 so Joe tells us that we will be leaving at 14:30. We are hoping that there will be some sleeping on the way home...your boys are shattered (and their teachers are too!) but VERY happy and that is what it is all about!
Thursday 6th October - 22:00
The boys went up to bed at about 21:00....and it is all quiet in both wings. The boys are shattered after their two days and were ready for their beds.
It was Hugo's birthday today and we had a birthday cake for him. However, we still have the cake as, with the agreement of Hugo, we are going to have it tomorrow - the boys are so full after their tea and it seemed like a good idea to have it tomorrow lunchtime. It is sitting looking at us as I type but we are resisting sampling it..no, no NO!
We will be up at about 07:00 in the morning and we will have to strip beds and clear rooms out...that should be fun! All of the boys have had a shower and have half attempted to pack their cases but their clothes just don't seem to be going very easy into the cases. They like to look at their belongings & hope by some miracle they will make their own way to the case.
We'll sign off for tonight then as it isn't only the lads who are in need of sleep. We are hopeful of another peaceful night with these fabulous lads. See you tomorrow
Thursday 6th October - 20:00
Now I know we go on about food all of the time but you should have seen the offerings tonight: garlic bread, chicken and tomato pasta, steak and ale pie, macaroni cheese, all served with some lovely mashed carrot and swede, cauliflower and brocoli mornay and sweetcorn. Again there was a lot of eating going on - and not just on the staff table.
Patterdale Hall is such a lovely place and has vast gardens. We haven't been able to get into the gardens so far because of the terrible weather - we've had gales and rain and hale....not the best place to be in such conditions. However, it isn't stopping us getting out and about.
At the moment the boys are packing some things together in readiness for tomorrow's departure (can you believe that we'll be coming home so soon?). The drying room isn't looking half bad and, as far as I can see so far, the clothes are being reclaimed without too much bother....and some of it is even dry!
The games room is in full swing and table tennis, pool and table football are being played as I type. There is a really nice atmosphere between all of the members of this year group and the staff haven't needed to raise our voices at all.
The boys are particularly excited about tomorrow as they will not only have me to wake them....a duet is planned with someone else. I can't say too much really...Mum's the word on that one.
We have been so lucky to have Joe Campbell stopping up here with us. He is the driver of our coach from Aintree Coaches and he has become a firm favourite of the boys, joining in, lending a hand and really getting along with them.
Nothing much else to report at the moment. More later.
Thursday 6th October - 16:00
The boys had their sandwiches in the games room. They made their selection yesterday (ham, turkey, cheese, egg or Nutella - lovely). After that was cleared away they met up in the common room ready for the afternoon sessions.
The weather has been less than perfect so far - we had hailstones again before. However, the weather certainly isn't dampening any spirits and there are so many smiling faces - that is good to see.
The staff (that's Mrs Rogers, Mr Benbow, Joe the Coach Driver and myself) decided to go canoeing this afternoon. However, it seems that we were the worst behaved group so we weren't allowed to have our own canoe. However, we got to ride on the rescue speedboat but I have to say that I could have swum faster than the boat was going. It was good to see the boys organising themselves so that after a while they weren't simply going around in circles.
We landed and were ceremoniously dumped in the middle of Glenridding and had to walk back - still wearing wellies, life jackets and all. I think that people must have thought that we had lost our boat as we wandered along the lane, single file.
There has been a debate about Mrs Rogers and the wetsuit....so we did a test to either prove or disprove that she looks good in a wetsuit. We managed to persuade the instructors let us into the changing rooms (it was a bit like Mr Benn, if you remember that far back) and we tried on some wetsuits to find one that fitted. Mrs Rogers squeezed herself into hers....and Mr Benbow and myself managed to easily get into ours (mine was XL though!). Then came the difficult bit: posing for the photos. The idea was that we were going to lift each other up - Baywatch style. It was fine lifting Mr B, Mrs R caused a bit of a problem but the two of them couldn't manage to lift me off the floor. I like to think it is because they aren't as strong as me or because muscle weighs more than fat, but I may be fooling myself. Does Mrs Rogers look good in a wetsuit? Make your own minds up but I think she looks like a Cumberland sausage.
Mr Benbow was easy to pick up
Mrs Rogers was a little more difficult to carry
They had no chance of picking up Mr Wardle!
Thursday 6th October - 12:00
Mrs Rogers writes...
Mr Wardle has kindly given me a go on the laptop I can't believe it.....revenge is sweet! Actually the real reason he has let me have the laptop is that he is in the process of eating a pack of fruit shortcakes and doesn't want to get crumbs on the keyboard!!! He has eaten that much he is finding it difficult to balance the laptop on his knee as his paunch is in the way. Action Man Benbow has been Robin Hood this morning and has taken part in archery and has also been Tarzan on the ropes course. Mr Benbow has become the boys best friend and was even awoken this morning by a knock on his door from Brendan asking if he wanted a game of table football before breakfast. We are awaiting the boys' arrival back from their activities. Then its lunch and back out to our afternoon activity in which myself, Mr Wardle & Mr Benbow are participating..........watch this space - you could be in for a treat! Keep checking the blog - you won't regret it!
(Mrs Rogers won't be blogging for a while as we are wrapping her in cling film and putting her into the drying room so that she might stand a chance of fitting into her dress at the weekend. No chance of that, methinks!)
Thursday 6th October - 09:45
Breakfast went down well - clean plates and smiles all around, it is pleasing to report. Breakfast is always a Patterdale highlight but is the most important meal of the day when we are out and about doing our activities in the wet and wild Lake District. It is very wet and wild up here - it was hailstoning before and the temperature is not as good as we had hoped for.
Because of the poor weather, some of the activities have been changed - the ghyll is high this morning and too strong for us to cope with so we are having to do something else - orienteering and archery. Also, the rock clombers are going abseiling a little closer to the hall. After they have abseiled they will be making a den and heating up some juice - that sounds like fun.
Mrs Rogers, Mr Benbow and I are off in a canoe this afternoon - I'm a bit worried about being in a canoe with Mrs Rogers as it will no doubt sink because of ‘excess baggage' .....she'll have her make-up bag with her as well as her spare tyres!
So far, all is going really well. We are just desperate to get into the magnificent gardens to have a play in our free time. Let's hope the sky turns blue and that the sun makes an appearance. Earlier, there was enough blue sky to make sailor's shirt (as my Nanna used to say) but it would have been a very small sailor!
Happy Birthday, Hugo!
Thursday October 6th - 07:30
It was a good night! All of the boys slept soundly and there were no criers heard on my 2am and 4am wanderings I am glad to report. There was noise heard at about 06:30 but they all remained in their rooms until the moment that they had waited for with frenzied excitement. They were given the signal to get up by, in my opinion, a West End standard performance of "Oh what a beautiful morning" which was met with shouts of "ENCORE!" by just about everybody. (I like to think that they were shouting "ENCORE!" rather than "NO MORE!". Surely they couldn't be that ignorant of good music!??
As I write the boys have just discovered what a shower is and are plunging themselves into the warm stream of water. I'm not sure if soap is getting involved though! There is certainly a lot of Lynx around...they are all wandering around like human pomanders!
Breakfast is at 08:00 - cereal, Full English, followed by toast and marmalade. There is something fr everyone and they will need a hearty breakfast with all the activities that they will be involved in today. Not sure what our excuse is though...
PS - we forgot to publish Sarah Maitland's poetry effort so here it is. There are some more to come too...
Your Name: Sarah Maitland
Subject: Patterdale
Message: I would like to be first to spring to verse as we have just waved you off to the Lakes. Enjoy your packed lunches, your drinks and your crunchies and mind that you share all those cakes! Our boys are clean and excited - I just hope thats not blighted! Mr Wardle's guitar seems to be travelling far. There will so many moans and so many groans and people left wondering who invited Tom Jones? Please have fun and enjoy - its going to be great take care and enjoy all that time with your mates. canoeing, rockclimbing - the lakes are your oyster the nights will be late and the haribos nicer!! we cant wait to hear of what you get up to midnight feasts, hiding speedos and time in the sea canoes, we hope the sun shines and the rain stays away and the next 3 days are full of play, play and more play!!!!
....and one from Mrs Bayliss
Your Name: Carina Baylis (Richard's Mum)
Subject: Patterdale Poetry
Message: The sun is shining, the birds all sing But something, someone is missing No mysterious thuds from up above No shouts of "I can't find my gloves" No "I'm not eating that, it's foul" No "not bath-night!" your regular howl No boy to kiss goodnight and tuck Into his bed with one last look before retiring to my bed .... I think I'll go drink wine instead! Maybe a fancy restaurant I can go anywhere I want Without the fear of arguments Or snotty looks from older gents Who'd rather eat their meal in peace Without the noise from a DS! But once the novelty wears off (And I've washed all those smelly socks) I'll realise how quiet and calm This house can be without you home I think that I prefer the noise, The mess, the chaos, all the toys Strewn around for me to tread Upon if I don't watch my step So have lots of fun, enjoy your stay I can't wait to see you on Friday! Have a fantastic time guys (and poor, outnumbered Mrs Rogers!)
Thursday 6th October - 00:10
All is quiet...the boys are fast asleep and the sound of zzz coming from the rooms isn't exactly a pleasant sound but at least it means that they aren't talking - OMG how this lot can talk!!
We have been inundated with emails - thank you for all the messages that you have sent. We haven't passed them on as we want to avoid making them homesick - which hasn't happened you'll be pleased to know.
As we said before we have had some poems sent. Unfortunately, all of the formatting has been lost when it was sent over so we have published them below ....but we haven't added commas, new lines etc....please forgive us. We could blame technology for not amending it - really it is that we couldn't be bothered.....sorry! There are some good ones and we will be putting even more on tomorrow. Keep ‘em coming.
In the meantime we wish you all a very good night and hope that you will join us again for more tales of fun and frolics from Patterdale. Night Night!!
Poem from Helen O'Sullivan
Subject: Poem!!?
Message: I'm definitely no Poet Laureate but you did ask, so here's my attempt!! I'm rubbish at poems But I'll give it a go Hope nobody laughs I'll suppose I'll never know I'm writing this poem While I making the tea It's never the same When I'm cooking for three James is away And taken his chatter It's unbelievably quiet He's as mad as a hatter We all miss his smiles And his big cheeky grin Although not Disney Channel And it's annoying din Hope he's behaving And having a good time I'm sure he's covered in mud Head to foot in grime There's loads of activities It sounds so much fun All that's missing Is last week's sun The photos are brilliant It's lovely to see The fun that they're having And what they're eating for tea That's all I can manage My rhyme's at an end The only thing now Is do I dare hit 'SEND'?! Hope the weather improves for you, although everybody looks very happy. Thank you for the lovely smiley photo of James - it is great to see him so happy. Hope they sleep tonight!! Helen
Poem from Ruth Hogendoorn
Subject: A Patterdale Poem
Message: Up the M6 to Patterdale, The boys arrive and it's blowing a gale. Fighting over bunk beds and hiding cuddly toys, And that's just the teachers, what about the boys? Out in the rain our action men go, Getting muddy and wet as only young men know. Mr Wardle meanwhile is hoping the moment is near, When the lads are snoring and he can crack open a beer! (oh yes you will!) Meanwhile at home mum is filled with glee, No homework to supervise, oh lucky me! The next few days will be a young lads dream, And a nightmare this weekend for my washing machine! Enjoy your holiday Teachers and Boys! (And I await the grammar corrections from Mrs Rogers!) PS, Mrs Rogers will look as beautiful as ever in her wetsuit but I demand pictures of Messrs Wardle and Benbow in theirs!
Poem from Natalie Coulter
Subject: Poem For The Boys
Message: While you Boys are out Sailing & Bailing Think of your mums at home wailing! Thinking of you in wetsuits & boats Did you remember to take your raincoats! The house is so quiet to say the least. But we don't have to clean up after the midnight feast! So, enjoy your adventures in the wild And please try to come home a very dry child!!!
Wednesday 5th October - 22:00
The lads have gone to bed after a busy evening. Tea was magnificent - we started with a homemade tomato and basil soup, a choice of fish or pizza, served with new potatoes, homemade chips, carrots, peas, broccoli, cauliflower and salad. There was something for everyone. If that wasn't enough, Sean (our chef for the day and an old friend of mine) served up a homemade sponge, topped with a dollop of jam and some thick custard. All good low-calorie stuff, of course. There were piles of clean plates and full boys at the end of the meal. They know what our boys want food-wise.
Following tea, we did a big tidy-up before getting changed into PJs ready for the best and worst pyjamas competitions. The catwalk was prepared and the entrants paraded in front of an appreciative audience while the X Factor judges looked on - Mrs Rogers, Mr Benbow, Joe (our driver) and myself (Mrs Rogers looked a little like Cheryl Cole but more like Susan Boyle!). Some of our entrants decided to go for both contests but we had clear winners: the best PJs this time were Hugo Carvath - a very fine sleep suit that even a style guru like Mr Benbow would wear (I would but I'm not sure that they make my size!!). The worst PJs were worn by a clear winner - Ben Hollington - they were a truly gross pair of Spongebob Squarepants bright yellow things which reminded us of the custard that we had for tea.
The lads have now gone up to bed and lights are out. So far so good and they are settling well. WE have put trainers in the doors to let a little light into the rooms so that has made a lot of them happy.
We hope that you are enjoying the blog - please keep your emails coming in....some good poems so far - we are just correcting spelling and grammar now!!!!!
Wednesday 5th October - 15:40
The boys have gone out - and there are loads of smiling faces! They are off canoeing, ropes course, archery, rock climbing and ghyll scrambling. There is also an orienteering session going on somewhere...but we have only come across a couple of those boys so far so they could be anywhere. Sadly, it is bucketing down so not just the ghyll scramblers will be wet. On the bright side, at least they will have had a wash!!
The hall is full of the aroma of cooking and we haven't quite worked out what is for tea yet. We will of course let you know....we like our food!!
I would like to set a little challenge and pose a question to you:
1. We are looking for some good poetry from you, dear readers. Anything to do with us being up here and you being down there would be brilliant (although we know that you will all have booked expensive, child-free restaurants because your boys are away so when you get in will be fine).
2. We need your vote on the following question... Would Mrs Rogers look good in a wetsuit? Answer ‘yes' or ‘no' please....I bet you know my views already!!!!
Some action pics to give you an idea of what's going on...
Wednesday 5th October - 13:40
We have arrived safe and sound, thanks to Joe our driver. The journey was fine - no sick to be seen, you'll be pleased to hear. We had a brief stop at Tebay (well brief-ish as Joe needed to have some breakfast) and we were about to have a walk to see the ducks....but the rain started with gusto and we were blown back into the visitor centre. Mr Benbow was concerned about messing up his hair - Mrs Rogers didn't need to worry as hers was a mess already.
The boys have found their rooms, after dragging their cases and bags up to their rooms...that was quite an experience. It is amazing how much stuff some boys have brought. Sadly, Sherpa Tensing wasn't available to do the lifting this year!
We are now gathering in the lounge ready for the afternoon activities. It is looking like sailing is off due to the bad weather on Ullswater. By all accounts the steamer has stopped sailing because of the wind - and that's not due to the chilli that I had for lunch either. We do have ghyll scrambling, archery, canoeing, ropes and rock climbing on though so there is plenty to keep us busy.
There will be some photos in a bit when I have found the camera (it's my age) so keep checking back to see. We will try to get as many photos as we can onto the website as we can. However, if your son is missing from the photos it is just that he is in the wrong place when we were taking it. (It could also be that he is too ugly and we thought that he would scare people away from the blog....or simply that we have lost him (joke!!).
Tuesday 4th October - 21:00
What on earth has happened to the weather? After basking in the sunshine last weekend Mrs Rogers has spent ages washing her bikinis ready for the trip. She'll need to leave them at home now - Oh well, every cloud has a silver lining!
The forecast isn't too great - a friend has just been on the phone to say that there is a hurricane on the way. Thanks for that!!??
We are due to set off sometime after 09:00 and we will make a brief stop at Tebay - we like Tebay services...nice people - for a quick toilet break. Once we arrive at Patterdale Hall we'll have lunch (don't forget mr butties Mrs Rogers!) and then straight off to activities.
The boys will be well looked after so worry ye not. They'll come back a lot more independent and, if previous trips are anything to go by, well fed as well as a little dirtier and a lot tireder.
Now to get packing myself...now where did I put my Speedos?
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