Blakeney Point

This is a post by my daughter on her school blog

Seals

Blakeney Point seals are what draws many to Blakeny. The colony at Blakeney Point is made up of Common and Grey seals and in the Winter of 2014/15 became the biggest colony in England. This is because common seals have their young between June and August, and the Greys between November and January. Both suckle their pups for about three weeks during which time they grow very quickly.The seals are very inquisitive and often pop up and swim around the boats which can usually sail close to the basking seals on the beach.There is a significant colony at Horsey and you might also see seals turning up in the water or on the beach around the Norfolk coast, in Wells harbour or on the sandbanks at Holkham, or you might spot them bobbing around at Sea Palling and other beaches on the eastern coast. The seals travel on land at just 3 or 4 miles an hour but can reach 30 to 40mph when swimming submerged!

Birds

All year round there is plenty of wildlife to see, whether the nesting Sandwich Terns or rarer Little Terns, oyster catchers, the pink-footed geese, barn owls, birds of prey such as Hen and Marsh Harriers and Peregrins.  The list could go on and on.  Whether you’re an avid bird watcher or not, there’s always something of interest to see at Blakeney Point.On the sands you might also see Oyster Catchers, Ringed Plovers, Turnstones and Dunlin. During the winter months, you might see numbers of duck and geese including Mallard, Widgeon, Teal, Pintail, Pinkfooted Geese. Greylag and Brent Geese usually arrive from October onwards. In the summer you might see'll Common Terns, Sandwich and Little Terns and also Arctic Terns. Many of them begin to arrive from West Africa in April and breed into the season. They make a small scrape in the shingle where they lay their eggs.On the sands you might also see Oyster Catchers, Ringed Plovers, Turnstones and Dunlin. During the winter months, you might see numbers of duck and geese including Mallard, Widgeon, Teal, Pintail, Pinkfooted Geese. Greylag and Brent Geese usually arrive from October onwards.

  

Do it anyway

It has been a while since my last post.  I am better now, as are the rest of the family after our weekend of being ill.  As it was, I was not back to 100% on the Monday which surprised me as normally, if I have a flu like illness I am normally back to normal within 72 hours.  The following weekend my son and I went to London as my mother was featured in a literary meeting.  Jeremy Corbyn was meant to attend, but with the leadership challenge that he is facing, he had to cancel.  Still it was amazing to be reminded just how amazing my mother is.  I forget her work as a feminist, nurse, author, midwife, grandmother, health visitor, political activist, film maker, single mother and human rights campaigner.



And this weekend, was a trip camping for my son, and for my daughter, the eleven plus.  My daughter has been amazing at working hard, though I imagine that there have been many times that she wished that it would just all end.  After our return from France, she seemed to have made steps backwards, missing out questions and making silly mistakes in the practice questions that she did.  But once she got to school, things improved.  And on Saturday, she sat the paper.  Her brother had left for camping on Friday, so we did our best to relax her the night before the exam.  In fact, I stayed with her in her room until she fell asleep.  We walked her to the exam in the morning after my wife made her an excellent breakfast, and then it was off to work for me.  After getting back to collect her, we had the after exam chat, and spoke to others from her school who sat it.  Or rather she spoke to them and we spoke to their mothers.  After this, it was a trip to an Italian restaurant later that day where she had one of her favourite foods.  It was not made exactly how she wanted it, but that is something that I may have to rectify tomorrow!



And last of all, a story about the children that made me smile.  As all parents know, there are times that the kids do something naughty that we as parents are proud of.  Well, yesterday after getting back from work, I found my wife having words with my daughter.  It turned out that she had 'sold' my son a small magnet and two rubber arrows for two expensive board games.  My wife, when she found out made them give back the items that had been traded, but it got me telling the kids of how I was when I was a child.  I used to sell my brother ten coins for one.  It would be that I would sell him ten pennies for a pound, but it worked for me, and he felt that he had lots of cash as he had more coins.  Explaining this to my son hopefully will stop him being taken for a ride by the older sister he trusts and admires so much!