A Hole Lot Of Fun
Yes. It’s been a hole lot of fun. Boom boom.
Another day, another bunch of tired-out kids. Or so you’d think…
Despite 6 hours of non-stop action – Kilmaurs out on the water, the others around the various halls, gyms, studios and pitches of Inverclyde, your children are presently bouncing around doing daft dances and well-rehearsed routines in the cafeteria which has been transformed into some sort of Ibizan night club for the evening, the summer sun streaming in from the gaps in the blinds and competing with the light show from the disco.
150 ice creams (below) are at this very moment making their way from Nardini’s to the centre, so a great wee night is in store.
As this is Lainshaw’s last day at Inverclyde – we are at Cumbrae again tomorrow, we had our own ‘mini Olympics’ in the sports hall this afternoon. Traditionally this is always held on the last day, so the other 3 schools will do this tomorrow. We return tonight to the island where we’ll have an awards ceremony to honour our best Olympians, after which we’ll have a surprise bonfire party on the beach.
While all this is taking place on Cumbrae, the disco will be just about reaching fever pitch. If you open your upstairs window and listen carefully you might even hear it.
There will be loads of photos taken as the night goes on, so if there’s time in the morning we’ll do our very best to get them all on here, unless of course that old adage about ‘what goes on at Inverclyde stays at Inverclyde’ comes into play.
For now, here’s a random selection of pictures from throughout today…
Just a few photos….part 2
On Target For Our Best Trip Ever
(Sorry! Very late tonight!)
What a great week so far….perhaps the best Inverclyde week ever. It’s been brilliant to read so many comments. The children have enjoyed hearing them too, so please keep them coming.
The teachers were talking over dinner tonight about the sheer volume of food we’ve managed to consume between us. D’you know that Christmas period, when you sit around in comfy clothing, stuffing yourself silly with everything on offer, just because it’s there? That’s us this week at Inverclyde. All that’s missing really is the rubbish telly and snoozing relatives taking up too much space on your couch. Despite taking part in most of the activities, I personally will be rolling off the bus on Friday afternoon. And I won’t be the only one to return from a week of intensive sports (6 solid hours a day!) a stone or two heavier.
As for today’sprogramme, it was more of the same with a few differences. The remaining Nether Robertland children had their turn at the water sports on Cumbrae. The weather wasn’t as kind as it had been to the others at the start of the week, but that was hardly noticed.
Over at Inverclyde, the children were mixed into slightly different groups from yesterday and participated in a mixture of; (deep breath) handball, archery, hockey, athletics (track and field), volleyball, table tennis, netball, the gymnasium and trampoline and judo, the big winner of the day.
 
There were possibly others, but it’s hard to keep track of who’s done what and when.
In the morning at some point, when the wifi is being kinder, I’ll upload a whole set of pictures again. There are hundreds of brilliant pictures we want to share with you. It’s a very time-consuming job though, and if I want to shift some of what I’ve eaten so far this week, I need to be jogging rather than blogging. I think Robert Burns maybe said that when he visited Inverclyde a couple of hundred years or so ago.
Tomorrow brings yet more new activities before the main event – the karaoke and disco. 120 excitable children dressed to the 9s, smelling like Boots’ perfume counter the weekend before Valentine’s Day, hopped up on Haribo and Lucozade Lite. Who wouldn’t enjoy being a part of that? I think that’s when I’ll slope off and update the blog again….
Just a few photos….part 1
Sorry, no slide shows – it’s not for the lack of trying, honestly, but there are grrrrremlins at work in Glow. Instead, here’s a wee selection of pictures. No particular order. Hopefully you’ll spot your loved one(s)….
More to follow…
Smash! Crash! Splash!
We’re in the fitness suite and the music is pounding. We’re bending and stretching in time to the beat, working ourselves into a right sweat. Doof! Doof! Doof! Pound! Pound! Pound! I’ve began to discover muscle groups I didn’t even know existed and, spotting my once-proud (circa 1995) body in one of the mirrors that surround us, I’m close to admitting defeat. Actually, scratch that. I am defeated. Then the instructor delivers her punchline
“OK guys! Warm-up over! Take 5!”
That was the warm-up?!? Jings.
Where do your kids get their energy from? Seriously? Today, they’ve ran, jumped, vaulted, dangled, bounced and, as this is being written, are out on the sports field involved in some vigorous activity or other.
Clearly, the food helps. It’s excellent; soups, salads, pastas, grilled chicken, juices, even the odd bit of gateau. Earlier on this evening, Mr Hyslop was raving about the sweet potato and ginger soup – “It’s one of the best soups I’ve ever had!” he exclaimed, with all the authority of a Masterchef judge.
The children at Inverclyde today got stuck into 6 different activities and food is clearly needed to refuel.
The Dunlop gang and half of the Nether Robertland group had their turn at the water sports centre in Cumbrae. They’ve returned with faces aglow and plenty of tales of water-based shenanigans.
The others took turns at table tennis, volleyball, trampolining, the fitness suite (don’t remind me!), tennis and gymnastics, by far the most popular favourite on offer.
Every year we come here I never fail to be impressed at the fearlessness of the children who hand spring and somersault over vaults and beams and bars with the casualness of Olympians. They’re amazing!
We have taken hundreds upon hundreds of photographs. Iffy wifi has meant we’ve had to do this blog via the phone and not the laptop as planned. Once the wifi starts talking to the laptop, I’ll put on a slide show of as many pictures as possible. Until then…. 
Day 1, So Far…
Ahoy there landlubbers! A bit of a one-off blog for a first day, as the majority of the children are at Inverclyde whilst the Lainshaw boys and girls are over on the Isle of Cumbrae.
There was no time for unpacking, as the minute we arrived at Cumbrae it was straight to action. The group was split into 2 smaller groups; a group for kayaking and a group for sailing.
 
After lunch (pasta, soup, salad, fruit, yoghurt) the groups switched.
The kayakers took to their role like the proverbial ducks to water, cutting across the waves as if they’d been doing it for years. Games of water quidditch and daring one another to stand up in their kayak (under expert supervision, of course) made for a very enjoyable session.
As I type I’m watching the sailors glide around the Firth Of Clyde in 4 man dinghies with the help of an instructor. Some of the sailors had the added bonus of being taken out to their dinghy on the RIB – the high-powered speedboat, above. A real treat! The occassional excitable scream carries back easily from the water to my position on the balcony of the Water Sports Centre. The sailing looks like really great fun and the weather couldn’t have been kinder for us. It’s idyllic.
Meanwhile, over on the mainland, the sports sessions were well under way. Here’s the itinerary for the week…
After beng shown our rooms, we were given a tour of the impressive new facilities. The children were put into their groups and participated in a mixture of badminton, basketball, gymnastics, trampolines, hockey and rugby.
After dinner (round about now) we will be settling down for a quiz. The Cumbrae gang are heading into the rolling hills (!) of the island to watch the sunset and hopefully catch the Northern Lights! Really! Pictures (hopefully) to follow….
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Welcome one and all!
This blog is a living, breathing, working thing. It’s been designed with the main aim of keeping parents and carers of the children from Dunlop, Kilmaurs, Nether Robertland and Lainshaw Primaries informed about what’s happening as their week at Inverclyde progresses. Why a blog? Well, not everyone has Facebook/Twitter, and a blog is more user-friendly and looks nicer.
We aim to update things here around 8.00pm each evening, although we might have to be a wee bit flexible with that.
We take internet safety very seriously. The blog should be hidden from Google and other search engines. The only people who know about it are the people who have been given the web address. We’ll publish pictures of the children participating in the various activities, but will respect those who do not want their picture online.
As our daily posts appear, feel free to comment on them. In fact, you must comment on them. That way we’ll know if anyone out there in the land of peace and quiet is reading.
Depending on the success or otherwise of the blog, we may choose to delete it at the end of the week.
