Great Days In Schools

Had A fantastic day yesterday for my second visit to Ysgol Llanerchymedd on the Isle of Anglesey (Inys Mon). It was wonderful to see everyone again and to have the opportunity to spend more time working with the Year 5/6 and Year 3/4 classes to come up with story ideas. Last time I visited we had lots of fun working together to come up with story plots and I was amazed to see how much year 5/6 had continued with their story - even adding amazing illustrations... Here's the cover of the book they have made for their fantastic story about a teacher that has big ideas that always end up going wrong... Miss Honey Bee's Brain Waves...

Miss Honey Bee's Brainwaves

   Instead of working together to create, yesterday we came up with a very simple story idea and then everyone let their imaginations run wild as they made the idea their own and took it where they wanted. It was a real privilege to be able to work with Year 5/6 and offer help and advice and a little motivation so they could build on their Creepy Barn, Scary Farm experience... How would you like it if your bus broke down and you had to stay the night in a creepy barn that was filled with rats, spiders and wandering Scarecrows??? HELP... I'M A WRITER - GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!

In the afternoon I was able to work with the year 3/4 class who have been very busy indeed leaning about the Celts - visiting ancient Celtic ruins and writing about them. It was great working with everyone to come up with a story idea that involved time travel, ancient runes and fun and adventure in ancient Celtic times... Well done everyone!!!

Today I'm hard at work on my bigger book and feeling very pleased with the way it's moving along now that I've found the right voice for the story... Exciting Stuff!

Tomorrow I will be spending the day with everyone at Daisyfield Primary School... See you all soon - I'm looking forward to meeting everyone.

Ysgol Llanerchymedd

Today I'm doing a bit of writing and preparing to visit Ysgol Llanerchymedd on Ynys Môn (the Isle of Anglesey) tomorrow. This will be my first visit to the school and I'm very much looking forward to meeting everyone there.

So here's a BIG HELLO to everyone at Ysgol Llanerchymedd.... See you soon.

Happy Anniversary

Today is our second Wedding Anniversary so there will be no writing, texting, tweeting or anything... phones and laptops are switched of and we're spending a lovely couple of days together in the same perfect place where we spent our honeymoon.
Happy Anniversary to my beautiful wife, Vicky...

If you'd like to see more pictures from our perfect day click on Our Wedding on my website.

 

School and Library Visits

Over the past month I've been busy, busy, busy visiting schools and libraries all over the place. I've been trying to squeeze in a little writing too but haven't had time to put anything in my diary for ages. I love getting out from behind my laptop and going into schools and libraries to share stories and work with people on their own writing. It's lots of fun and a real privilege to meet so many keen young writers.

On Friday this week I will be spending the day with everyone at Moss Lane Infant School in Surrey so here's a BIG HELLO to everyone there. I can't wait to meet everyone.

A couple of weeks ago I spent the whole week visiting schools and Libraries in the Vale of Glamorgan - starting with a visit to Llansannor Primary School (the Mountain School).

It took me quite a while to find the school - tucked away as it is down some very narrow country lanes - but it was well worth it.

I then visited schools and libraries with the Vale of Glamorgan Library Service so here's a huge hello and thank you to everyone that came along and joined in the sessions - and a special hello to everyone at Cogan Primary School who sent me this wonderful letter full of self portraits. 

It was great visiting Eagleswell Primary School in Llantwit Major where I got to see some familiar faces and meet lots of new people.

Last week I took a train to Chester from our home in Wales - then a train from Chester to Crewe, rushed across the station to catch another train to Euston Station in London, followed by one of the Underground trains across to St Pancras International and then the Eurostar across London, under the Channel, through France and into Brussels. From there it was a short taxi ride Tervuren so I could spend a couple of days at the wonderful British School Brussels (BSB).

This isn't one of the trains I caught, it was part of the playground at school... great isn't it.

 

The BSB were celebrating book week in a big way and had invited lots of authors, illustrators, storytellers and poets. It was a real pleasure meeting everyone in school - the staff and students were so friendly and welcoming - it was an absolute delight. There was even a little welcome bag waiting for me in my room... perfect.

It was also fantastic to have the chance to meet and chat with the other authors as most of the time
I visit schools on my own. So here's a BIG HELLO and THANK YOU to everyone at the BSB and to all the other authors taking part - including Adam Bushnell, Liz Million, Theresa Breslin, Adisa, Helen Grant and Andy Mulligan.

Here's Adam with megaphone in hand just before we climbed onto the cherry picker and went 30 foot into the air to shout out a big welcome to everyone as they arrived at school.


Driving around Tervuren we couldn't help admiring some of the beautiful houses but we were particularly drawn to this interesting fountain that decorates one of the roundabouts...

That's all I've got time to write at the moment.... but come back soon as I'll be writing more...

Ysgol Sychdyn

Just got home after spending a great day at Ysgol Sychdyn, just up the road in Flintshire. It was great to see some familiar faces and to meet lots of new people too for lots of book and storytelling fun and lots of great questions being asked by everyone...

Looking forward to going back tomorrow to work on some story writing and to work more on the story with Year 5 - An Evil Scientist, Robot Guinea Pig Army and a girl called Georgina Box to thwart his plans - Phew!!!

Robbie's Robot

This morning, and during the week, I've been busy working on my bigger book. I'm very happy with the way it's coming together and am very hopeful that I will have a completed first draft by the end of this week. I've had to make a lot of tweaks and changes to the first few chapters as the story has evolved and developed as it's gone along.

As well as this bigger book I have also worked on a few shorter books for younger readers. One of the books - Robbie's Robot - will be published next year. I've just been sent the finished cover  and the rough layouts for the inside. I can't show you the rough layouts yet but here's the cover - illustrated by the excellent Rory Walker. I think it's great and hope you like it too.

Pendine Sands - Land Speed Records

Whilst in Tenby, a few weeks ago, we went to visit Pendine Sands - just a little drive along the coast from where we were staying. With its long, flat beach Pendine Sands was a popular spot for land speed record breakers in the early 1900's.

Today there is a Museum of Speed at Pendine Sands where you can learn about some of the record attempts that were made there and also see some of the old motorcycles and one of the record breaking cars - Babs.

On September 25th 1924 Malcolm Campbell achieved a new land speed record in his Sunbeam 350HP - the first of many land speed record breakers to be powered by an aircraft engine. Campbell reached 146.16 miles per hour (235.22 kilometres per hour) - it was his first land speed record. The following year, Campbell beat his own record by reaching 150.87 mph (242.8 km/h).     

Then, in 1926, Wrexham born John Godfrey Parry-Thomas smashed this record by reaching 170 mph (273.6 km/h) in his car BABS.

Interestingly, BABS was originally called Chitty 4 (also known as the Higham Special as it was built on the Higham Estate by Clive Gallop for Count Louis Zborowski. The Count, who was a keen amateur racing driver died before Chitty 4 was completed and the car was then bought by J D Parry Thomas. 

The Count's cars and racing adventures later helped to inspire author Ian Fleming to write Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car (published in 1964). You might know Ian Fleming better as the creator and original author of the James Bond books... 

On February 4th, 1927, Campbell beat Parry-Thomas's record in Bluebird II - achieving 174.88 mph (281.44 km/h). Later that same year, Parry-Thomas tried to beat Campbell's record. Unfortunately, Parry-Thomas's car went out of control and the daring speed racer was killed. BABS was buried in the sand and land speed record attempts at Pendine Sands came an end.

After the crash, Babs was buried in the sand on Pendine Sands and there it remained until 1969 when the car was dug up and restored.