Where did the summer go?

Actually, that's a misleading title.

If we're talking weather, then the summer is well and truly here this week, with very warm days and the threat of thunder. By 'summer', I'm talking about the holidays. Long, leisurely lazy mornings and nothing much planned. Instead, we're back at school (Leicestershire goes back immediately after the August Bank Holiday) and hit the ground running with new timetables, changes to after-school clubs, scouting, meetings...it's a bit of a shock to the system.

Add to that a wedding (more of that later), the Festival of Writing and a NIBS meeting, and I've not really felt much like blogging til now.

So let's start with the wedding. It was held in the Roman Baths in Bath, and was a beautiful occasion, full of love and very emotional. I'm only going to share one photo with you though. This one, taken outside the door of Bath Abbey by an obliging passer-by:

An ageing hippy/intellectual type with an armful of paperwork offered to take the pic for us. As the four of us (sis, Mum, Dad and me) posed, we started to giggle because our well-meaning photographer had the camera at a weird angle. It seems to be the trendy thing to do, to slant your photos, but we just laughed and let him get on with it. Look to the right of the photo too - he managed to get his pile of paperwork in, even if he did chop mum and sis off... 

The Festival of Writing...always a fab experience, and no less special this year than in previous years. The best bit, as always, is meeting friends old and new, and catching up on how everyone's doing in their quest to be published. I will blog about some of the sessions I attended and what I learned about myself and my writing this time, so more of that later...

And NIBS. Our little writing group met last night to get in touch with our inner child (inspired by a couple of York sessions). One of the exercises we tried was to produce something in the style of a well known children's author. When the Squidgelings were small, one of their favourite bedtime books was Peepo, by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, so that's what I used as a starting point. Thought I'd share it with you...

Here's a little schoolboy

One, two, three.

On his way to school

What does he see?

He sees his neighbour sitting

in a chair all alone

But he carries on by 

Cos he's kicking a stone

He sees a little lady

With a big black dog

And then he pretends 

To be a green frog.

Here's a little schoolboy

One, two, three.

Gets to the playground

What does he see?

His friends Ben and Jerry 

are running round and round.

Chasing little Katy

With a leaf they've found.
He sees the dinner trolley
With packed lunches piled high
And the mums and dads all talking
as a plane flies by.

Here's a little schoolboy

One, two, three.

sits in the classroom

What does he see?

He sees the teacher smiling

as she ticks off names

and a table in the corner

where there's lots of games

He sees the coloured pencils

in the pencil pot

And the numberline and playdough

and a book he's got.

Here's a little schoolboy

One, two, three.

Eating his dinner now

What does he see?

He sees the dinner ladies

in their aprons blue

and chips and bananas

and fishfingers too.

He sees his squished up sarnies

with the marmite in

and the juicebox of orange

with a tiger's grin.

Here's a little schoolboy

One, two, three.

outside for P.E

What does he see?

He sees a bag of footballs

and some bright red cones

A running track of nice green grass 

and no sharp stones.

He sees the teacher's stopwatch

hears the whistle too

And remembers - should've gone before!

He needs the loo.

Here's a little schoolboy

One, two, three.

The schoolday's over

What does he see?

He sees his mummy waiting

With a smile on her face

And there's his little sister

in the usual place.

He sees the clock hands moving 

Til they point to three

The door opens - out he runs

It's nearly time for tea!

So if you had to write in the style of a children's author you love, who would it be?