The day started at 8.00am without a pair of gloves on Horns Lane with a sheep (which I have now been told is something called a tup) slipping around the road on the ice having escaped from a field. Obviously, it was my first important job of the day to get the sheep off the road and back into the first field opening I could find before the morning traffic began. Just to inform you all, I am still trying to get the roads outside school gritted by the highways agency. Please do drive very slowly and carefully.

During my time at St.francis’ I have herded many sheep, cows, a parrot, bats and other small creatures into various places but today was very tricky indeed. I decided to gently pull my car in to the frozen side of the road near the field gate, calmly get out, make some clicking noises whilst opening the gate and the sheep would naturally wander back in with a grateful look because it was back where it belonged. Whenever sheep are on the road, we usually get a call to school from local houses to let us know and it has now become one of my jobs to sort it out. By this, I go out to the road, assess the situation, open the nearest gate to a field and slowly walk them back in-usually with little fuss.

How the grass verge was not completely frozen I do not know and my front wheel quickly sank into the mud. I have seen ‘Ice Road Truckers’ and I should have known to stop trying to drive out of the mud because I was sinking deeper. I couldn’t reverse either so that was that. Car left on the side of the grass verge, the sheep in the road was the priority-but not in those shoes! Skating on a blanket of ice wearing anything less than industrial boots was not a good idea. Sliding my way back to the school entrance, I made my way down the path to the building.

I had to go into school to put my wellies on and walk back to the road to start again with the sheep. A car came along and drove down the road causing the sheep to try to run further away from the gate so now it was near the Horns Dam. The sheep and I had a nice walk around the fisheries and it eventually came back out. By now, Mr Gilmour’s car could be seen coming down the road and he was wondering what was going on! He had just passed a sheep heading toward the top of Horns Lane and I couldn’t do anything about it apart from wait for a friendly parent who might be able to find the owner and come to the sheep’s rescue! I am able to confirm that the sheep was sighted in various places but it is now safe and sound.

By this time, staff were pulling in to our school entrance, where I was waiting for Mr Gilmour to come back to help me move my car from the side of the road. When Mr Warren and Mr Gilmour pushed me out, Mrs Blair came walking down the drive to apologise for not stopping to help because she thought I was being a ‘meet and greet’ to welcome everybody in at the bottom of the drive-a meet and greet!!

I then got to school and Mr Gilmour and I decided that we needed to grit another path to pre-school and we began emptying the bags into containers to make a new path. By this time (8.30am), my hands were too cold to press the buttons on the outside lock and some girls let me in. Whilst in the hall waiting for a jug to scoop the grit, I was asked a question that I am asked every day by our lovely children…

‘Are you having a nice day, Miss Deakin?’

Let me see…was I having a nice day at this point? I have to say that far worse things  happen in the world and this was one of the most interesting starts to a day I have had at St.Francis’ for a while now. Yes, I was having a very nice day. I have had a very nice term so far and I will now put a few things on here to show you why.

As always, our children have been involved in all sorts of learning experiences and they have represented school brilliantly at sports competitions. They have continued to be kind and hard-working individuals with so many talents and it really is a joy to be a part of our school…even in the ice! Listening to the choir and band rehearse for Advent services is very special and I know that Glee club will be performing soon in an assembly-they will certainly ‘Sparkle and Shine’-not to give too much away!

As we enter this increasingly cold weather, we are appealing for gloves, hats, scarves and sleeping bags for the homeless and those in need of warmth and comfort. Please help us collect as many of these items as possible. They will be directly given to people who need them and those who have fallen on less fortunate times than ourselves.

We also have a collection box for food items in our school hall for Ribble Valley food bank. Again, any help would be gratefully received. Our thanks for your kindness so far.

Have a lovely weekend all.