The flagpole on my bike has been looking a bit bare. I’ve had just the Canadian flag, and not a very big one, with lots of space un-used. That has all changed now with two surprise gifts.

Firstly, Susie hadn’t told me that she had been making a small SOS Children’s Villages flag, ingeniously using an aertex shirt with its hem as a sleeve:

I love this retro look. I still don’t quite understand how she produced such a convincing logo, but it has something to do with stencils. Ironic, given friend-of-the-blog Naomi Candlin’s comment after the Art Treasures Damaged post about Susie (her cousin) being the new Banksy.

Then on virtually my last trip to teach at Beechwood Park School yesterday I mentioned in passing to Mr Winn that I needed more flags, who mentioned it to Mrs Rouse in the library, who thought “Hmmm…I know someone who can help…..”,

…and who then asked Mrs Davidson in D&T if she’d lend a hand, who said she would, and who then got down to using all the very impressive artistic-but-hi-tec facilities at Beechwood to create something wonderful…

…and before you could say “O Canada” there was a new Beechwood Park School flag in my teaching room ready to flutter it’s way across the mighty continent.

I’m so grateful to everyone involved for making this happen, all whilst I was teaching my students and blissfully unaware of the plot unfolding all around the school. I hope that lots of people ask me about it in Canada and that I get to tell them what a great place Beechwood Park is.

Meanwhile, there was also a quick photo shoot going on in the courtyard during the coffee break to let everyone know about the charity I’m supporting and also to muck about with two of my favourite things: bikes and ukuleles! Mr Coleman, the famous trombonist and racing cyclist, very skilfully held the saddle of my bike like the start of a Time Trial so that I didn’t fall over and have to cancel the whole trip before I’d even left home.

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