Western Primary Blogs

On Thursday we went on a bus to get to Beaulieu Study Centre in the New Forest. We saw some pretend animals in the tree house. We went pond dipping in our groups and we caught some newts. We went up the tower in thee tree house and could see lots of things from the top. We built nests for doormice to keep them warm.We pretended to be moles and had to use the sense of touch to help us get around a course. We also pretended to be rabbits and crawled through a tunnel. It was a really good day and we had lots of fun.

On Saturday lots of parents, staff and children came together to help develop part of the Reception Outside Area. It was definitely a case of ‘people power’ and by the end of the day the bare earth was transformed into an amazing garden area. Thank you to everyone who gave up their time to help build, carry, dig, plant and lay slabs, you were brilliant!

Flannan Isle Lighthouse

Scotland

14^th December 1900

Dear Rose,

Tonight, I fear for my life. The waves are relentless, the wind shrieks and the sea boils. Despite my many experiences of winter storms, this one is truly the most horrific my eyes have ever witnessed…

As the waves strike, the foundation of the lighthouse is beginning to split: I feel like my life is crumbling beneath my feet. Overcome by powerlessness, my nerves are failing.

From many a year together, you’ve always known me as a wall between yourself and peril – remember the time I whisked you away from a charging bull; you always did like to wear red! I’m not that man any more – your wall has been knocked down. How I wish I had given our children one more hug, told them I love them one more time. If this letter, my outpouring of fear and sorrow, ever reaches you, please let them know that however neglectful I’ve seemed, I have always loved them.

The mundane, yet eerie echo of the bell seems to creep its way into my heart and out through the melancholy island, smothering everything with low spirits.

You wouldn’t believe the conditions in which we are surviving: our supply of fresh water is frozen and we have to hack it open with an exe in order to obtain a drink to drench our thirst.

Whilst the weather is obviously out of my control, I cannot help but feel responsible for my two loyal companions (Donald Macarthur and Thomas Marshall) – this feels like a crashing boulder perpetually pushing upon my shoulder.

This disastrous calamity surprised me; I feel like death is pushing with all its strength against an innocent man. But if that be God’s wish, then let it commence.

Goodbye, sweetheart, goodbye.

Friday 14^th December

Dear Beloved

I know this may sound over dramatic and possibly bring you to tears, but I must announce regretfully that my life is at tremendous risk and I may not be able to see your beautiful face ever again. Behind me lies a photo of you that I will clasp until my final breath.

 Tremendous waves rage out on the choppy waters and swelling, grey clouds release mounds of water onto our barren isle. Devastated animals scatter in peril as gargantuan wave’s crash into the jagged rock face and spray the deluded, ugly birds that jeer, as black as midnight, on the rotten log. Crashing down outside my frosted window pane, the faithful crane lies defeated next to the crooked barriers- now a defenceless heap of waste – yet another tragedy of the treacherous storm. If you were in my place would you be braver than the shivering wreck that I have become?  My thoughts are flooded with the fear of what lies ahead but I don’t want you to worry for me because you are my rock who keeps me together!

 Donald Macarthur (who replaced William who has become my fond acquaintance) prays to his god but I pray to you my love!  This might be the last letter you will ever receive from me therefore I have decided to tell you all the late happenings on this lifeless place. Remembering the past brings terrible memories, but I shall remember it for you my dear…

 Like a streak of bad luck, strange happenings have surrounded Flannan Isle for many a month, engulfing the lighthouse with an ominous silence. Firstly, my great friend Thomas Marshall has been depressed for what seemed like a decade, consequently I have comforted him knowing the remorse he was going through, like I used to with our darling daughter, when she lay in fear of the ever darkening night.

 Unfortunately, the treasured memories of our time together has faded through your absence, so in order to know that your presence has not just been a myth, I have relied on the joyful picture of us enjoying our life around the magnificent fire, the memory reminds me of the warmth that filled my heart.

 Finally, the memory of the last fatal incident reminds me of the deaths that created this unsolved mystery. Do you think that shall happen to me? I shall banish the thought from my head but it will always lie in my heart.

 Our situation is perilous but I still hold on to my last thread of hope. If anything happens before dawn, I want you to know that however far away I am I will always love you with all my heart and I hope you feel the same way about me. If I fall, I fall in the performance of my duty with pride and honour.

 Yours for ever more,

James

 P.S. In this letter I enclose my last wish: for you to be happy if possible and keep strong for our family and rest assured I will always be with you.

72 MacArthur Road

Edinburgh

Scotland

ED13AS

Dear beloved family

Whatever happens, you will all always be in my heart!

Disastrously, a tempestuous storm attacked Flannan Isle in a ferocious manner last night.  The murderous wind grasped the vulnerable island, and then with its claws it tore the metal bars and tracks, savaging many plants and trees; it was like a tiger shredding meat. Pounding viciously onto the island, freezing rain shot down like bullets, consequently the raging sea that surrounded the island rose 70 feet above average, which is worryingly high.

This horrifying situation is increasingly growing worse, not only for me and the other hopelessly stranded lighthouse keepers, but also for the massive number of ships counting on the lighthouse for a safe departure from the mainland. The chances of survival are decreasing.  Ice is occurring regularly which only means more problems to deal with. 

Significantly, the once beaming lamp, proudly sitting at the top of the towering structure, has frozen over. We are desperately trying our best to keep the lamp alight, however we are struggling under the unfortunate circumstances of the roaring storm. Alarm bells are constantly ringing, therefore sleep is impossible. An awful feeling of seasickness is taking over and a dangerous illness is creeping into our shadows; I don’t know how long I can take this endless peril!

 I wish I could promise my safe return, though that eventuality is growing ever more unlikely. But what is certain is if I perish in these unnatural events, I will go down with my job of leading ships to survival! The backup crew on the Hesperus will bring you the news if I don’t report again…

Your always loving husband Donald

P.S.  Remind me not to replace ill lighthouse keepers in future!

And super Easter bonnet entries are pouring in!

Some fantastic entries are coming in already for the egg decorating competition!

Tuesday 14th of December

 The Lighthouse,

Flannan Isle,

Scotland

 My dearest Emily,

As a result of the perilous storm that I am in the midst of, I might never see you again, therefore I want to make these last words special. At the moment the murky water is cascading at the base of the lighthouse, completely devouring the rocks adjacent to it. As I write, the paper is shaking beneath me as if there’s a giant monster raging under it. Like a colossal drum beating continuously, the thunder claps are so deafeningly loud that I can barely think. 

The wind’s immense strength and power means I have to hold onto the railing surrounding me – I’m too afraid to let go. Dark, misty clouds are swallowing up the glowing moon into the velvet sky, leaving me no light but an old lantern sitting beside me. Biting at my numb fingertips, the freezing air hangs around me like a dead man’s shroud. All I can think of is a warm, cosy place at home with you. 

Glancing at the golden ring encircling my finger, I remember the day we got married as if it were yesterday. I knew from the moment I first looked into your eyes at the party that day that we would always be together, no matter what obstacles came in our way. I hope that’s still true. Thinking of all my darlings tucked up in their warm and safe beds at least gives me some peace. I know that they will grow up to make me proud – whatever happens. Despite the wildness of the storm, I am determined to conquer my fear and come through so I can see your beautiful face once again.

I must break off from writing now as it is my turn to hack the windows clean of ice. It’s very dangerous but it’s just something I have to do. God be with you my darling and always remember that our love will live on forever, no matter what my fate.

Ever yours,

James

P.S. Wish Katie a happy birthday from her loving papa.

The Lighthouse

Flannel Isle

Carloway

Outer Hebrides

Great Britain

14^th December 1900

Dear Elizabeth,

These last weeks have been dreadfully horrific. To my dismay, the first day on the ominous Flannel Isle was a dull overcast one, the dark clouds had swallowed up the glowing rays of sunshine, consequently it was as if a grey blanket had replaced the sky. I had a sense of foreboding in me that ripped my nerves constantly. As the days slowly passed, the wind became sharper, rain became more frequent and red skies in the morning began to appear. I knew these were signs of a storm approaching but I was unsure when it would come.

Suddenly, a storm brewed on my sixth day on this isolated island. It was terrible! Possibly one of the worst ever! (I am speaking the truth Elizabeth, believe it or not!). Forceful waves from the uninviting black sea crashed into the Isle, drowning everything in its path, including sharp rocks that had the appearance of sharks’ teeth. The lighthouse swayed almost two feet in the powerful wind as its  freezing breath banged on the windows like someone trying to smash a door down. Our hazardous position was critical. However this was only the beginning. The storm quickly developed. Rain, hail and soon snow battered down on the island forcing everything to become dangerously slippery.

It was especially important in such grim weather to turn the light on because ships could not see the Isle so clearly in these appalling conditions. So, as I forced myself outside onto the lighthouse balcony to do so, the icy wind bit into me in and it felt like a freezing lightning bolt shooting through my body. As I struggled back inside the warm lighthouse, I began to wish I hadn’t taken up such a preposterous job.

I am missing you dearly, Elizabeth. Every day that I turn the light on, which strains a bright glow out into the gloom, reminds me of you laughing on the day I left to do my duty. I remember you fondly and affectionately each day I spend on this miserable island. It is the only thing that keeps me going in such a god-forsaken place.

In such a life-threatening situation, I feel at the mercy of many different things; I feel endangered and lonely. I do not only worry for myself, but for my men. I have to always put on a brave face, even in the most formidable times, for I am the head lighthouse keeper. What if none of us survive this ghastly experience? I daren’t think about such sinister matters, Elizabeth.

Although these circumstances are alarming and risky, please do not worry dreadfully. I love and adore you with all my heart! If I don’t make it through this horrific storm, I fear not for I know we shall meet in a better place someday.

Yours Sincerely,

 Your only James

P.S. Please do not show this to the children, I fear that it shall worry them terribly!

The Future

I had a dream, a vision. Of…empty deserts, of mounds where trees used to sway and stand like giants. A dusty canyon that used to be a flowing river. A skeleton lying half buried of a tiger on the plains of Africa. The bottom of the sea, where a coral reef lay dying and littered with rubbish, I dreamt of a bleeding sperm whale being winched out of the blood coloured sea. A green sea turtle caught up in vast fishing nets along with grey reef sharks and bottle nosed dolphins. There was an albatross too, hanging there limp and lifeless. I dreamt of the ice cliffs of the Arctic falling away into the sea and a polar bear watching her home melt. She wandered the ice, thin and hungry.This is what I will see unless we do something about it.

By Jasmine Luntz who was inspired by Michael Morpurgo March 2013