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The orchard had been strimmed over the holiday so we did some raking, litter picking and started clearing the bases of the trees to remove weeds and grass. We checked on our stored apples in the greenhouse. we also submitted our OPAL survey results collected before the holiday. Miss Warden's ponies got the windfalls again!

11 Sept our first John Muir adventure! Exploring and discovering the fruits of the woods.

A small group today. We went down to the beach and picked up some litter. we then collected some stones which we painted back at school

11 Sept...So, we were intending to boil our water on the camping stove to have pasta pots in the woods... Got everything packed up and went to the woods! Got everything set up then realised....we didn't actually have everything after all! The stove had no gas in! So we ate the rest of our picnic and enjoyed a little explore of the woods. Then we called in at home to get the gas and went to Parton. The plan was to make the pasta pots on the beach and meet Jon off the train there after work. The plan worked and as a bonus we found some friends and Alison of Cumbria Coast Saunters at the beach. We made a cup of Yogi Tea to share with her and had an impromptu John Muir meet up. All's well that ends well.

2 Oct 2019 Here is the selection of sea glass picked walking south of Parton bay on a journey to North Shore with year 6 pupils from St Bridget's school. Delicate shades of green and aqua worn smooth with hundreds of years of wave action. A treasure to find, touch and collect. A close look at the lettering gives clues to local origin. An information board on the wagon road details industrial history of Parton, explaining about the 17th century glassworks in Parton which shipped glass to London. More information was found on the internet about Parton breweries established 1752-3. Parton like most towns and villages of the time had at least 1 brewery as it was difficult in those days transporting large quantities of beer. Details uncovered in 1844 when the Parton/Harrington breweries company owned by Thomas Dalzell was for sale, capable of brewing 14 barrels (35 gallons each) and in the 1881 census, employing 24 men. Brewing ceased in 1906 when Dalzell had a supply agreement for their pubs with local brewers Jennings. During the 20th century the larger local breweries, such as Jennings, were taking over their smaller neighbours. Now in Cumbria local microbreweries are on the increase and competing again with the larger companies.

The Bellshill Academy John Muir Group 2019/20 met for the first time this term to learn about the Explorer award they are going to take part in over the next 6 months and to discover more about John Muir himself. The group took part in a scavenger hunt around the school grounds to find hidden facts about John Muir. The group then shared the information they found, including: - His early life in Scotland - His love of outdoor pursuits and nature - His family and life in America -His temporary blindness and the impact this had on his appreciation of the natural world - His time spent with President Rosevelt and the impact this had on the creation of National Parks - His death and legacy The group then started work on their John Muir display board. The group plan to add to the board over the coming months, with pieces of work and information they gather whilst exploring the outdoors around Bellshill.

Organised a family friendly beach volleyball session today. As it is Cumbria in October, duvet coats and beanies replaced bikinis! 3 families played and after some practice we played 2 games. It was evenly matched and competitive with both teams winning 1 game each so we finished on a draw. The rules were loose, we all had lots of fun and it was great for all ages, the youngest being 4 after a little persuasion and watching first. A great reason to get together and get outside for fun in the outdoors. A good chance for beach exploration and impromptu frisbee and beach football after the games. It was low tide exposing some nice level sand to play on and an on shore wind made ball retrieval easier. It was a little windy for my favourite soft ball to use so had to opt for a slightly heavier one. Nice to be on the beach as sun was going down too. For the set up I used 2 tarp poles in the sand with a light rope strung between, 2 guy lines anchored each pole and I marked out the court lines with my wellies.

The group first met in the morning, in the school outdoor classroom, to review who John Muir was. Pupils then evaluated their skills and set targets and goals for the weeks ahead. The group then walked together from Bellshill Academy, along the Greenlink Cycle route, into Strathclyde Park. Along the way, the group stopped to collect twigs, leaves and conkers for projects later that day. The group spent the afternoon creating leaf drawings from the fallen autumnal leaf litter and painting pebbles from the nearby lakeside. Each pupil created personal pebbles to take home with them, as well as creating painted stones to spell out 'Bellshill Academy John Muir Award.' The pupils walked over 20,000 steps today, discovering the forest trails around Strathclyde Park. The group plan to rest their feet over the coming week and are looking forward to getting back outside next week.