The Rainbow Light School

A workman with a fierce circular saw came to cut through the wall into the area where our greenhouse will be built. Plenty of noise and ’stoor’ when slicing through concrete! It took a few bangs with a big hammer to topple the section leaving a gap for a gate. Lying flat the slab makes a good step.

It has been another creative day designing stain glass windows to reflect the inside of a traditional croft house.  The finished pictures are in the post to Fiona Foley, our stain glass artist. She will used them to help her design the real windows for the old croft house.

We could have used a SAD lamp in the school today. It has been dark, rainy and windy. We have been inside all day, a day for heads down working at desks. The archaeologists are due back to the iron aged house at the Easting in May this year so we are looking forward to that. Check it out at www.shorewatch.co.uk/unst/index.html

 Well everyone seems to be back to normal.Well as near normal as Uyeasound gets.We are still trying to figure out the best way to display the Up-Helly-Aa photographs. We have to contend with the technical challenges of a filter system and our inexperience of using blogs.So if anyone has any ideas let us know.

We have purchased a large paper shredder for the office with our extra cash.We are now shredding all paper that comes in to the school.One of the Dads who has a byre full of kye is taking all we can produce to help with bedding materials.THis means all our paper waste is being recylced in his midden and will be spread with the manure onto the land.

 We are now recycling paper,glass,aluminium cans,paper and garden waste.Oh what a pity we don’t want to have an ecoflag.We don’t believe in a check list .We believe in a change of attitude that reflects our crofting heritage,People in Uyeasound have considered themselves stewards of the land and sea for generations.As one child said.”We don’t need a checklist we have my grandad.” As far as we are concerned you can keep your ecoflag.

 Sorry for that short political rant.

Mrs Coutts tries to deal with Up-Helly-Aa in Uyeasound!

Hopefully many more images will be on the blog soon. 

Another productive day - still life completed and set against wallpaper, lace curtains and window frame. The music teacher has been inspired by the pupils’ pictures and planning composition work.  Oh, and amongst it all, shields and helmets for the pupils were finished off ready for the big tomorrow. Here’s hoping the wind eases.

What a busy, creative day it has been! Day one of a three part project between now and the summer holidays.  It’s always exciting when we work with stain glass artist, Fiona Foley. First stop - a visit to a roofless but-and-ben cottage to take measurements, photos, sketches. It was freezing so we were glad of stop two at the local heritage centre to see a recreation of such a cottage and compared it with our houses. Back at school, we created a large still life using old household utensils, old branches and material then we brainstormed and mind mapped our morning visits. What concentration for the black felt pen drawings of the still life! A break for BrainGym in the middle provided the boost to see it finished. Fiona will use the pupils excellent drawings to design the porch windows so that passers by will once again start to notice the house. We have to think about colouring in tomorrow.

A morning of work,normal ordinary bog standard work.Yes we do that as well .We might not get the peace of this morning for the rest of the week.

 Off to Baltasound in the afternon for some physical activity,Home Economics ,French and library.

Shields and helmets are the order of the day.We usually make one for each pupil.These are worn when the squad visits and in the galley on the way to the hall.

All the hall decorations are complete.

Shona did her birthday bake of marble cake to keep us all going.

Our Jarl came to visit today and collected the shields for the galley.He seemed pleased and rewarded everyone for their hard work.We know he will be very busy between now and next Friday.

We have checked over everything and only have a few things to finish.We have sent our spies out as we need information about the Jarl Squad.

 A beautiful winter’s day in Uyeasound.

Mrs COutts has been away in Orkney helping to deliver their coaching and mentoring project.She is amazed at the work that has been completed for Up-Helly-Aa.We keep in contact by email and phonecall all the time she is away.Mrs C loves to read the blog when she is off somewhere it makes her feel at home.We think it would be an idea to invest in a blackberry for her.Then we can really keep track of her.

 Another peerie body went down with Chicken pox today so hopefully everyone will be over and by with before Up Helly Aa.

 There seems to be lots of exciting things ahead in the next week.