Princess Royal Visits the Academy and plants us an apple tree! Also DiGGers attend St Clement's Harvest Festival.

On Tuesday 1st October Princess Anne visited the Academy.  

She landed on the playing field in the Royal helicopter.

Our main garden was pointed out to her as she walked past the top of it (there's no direct path in from the playing fields, so she couldn't walk through it).

 She was then "piped" down the path...

...and the steps...

...where pupils were lining the route round the school and into the front entrance.

At the end of the two hour tour, she came into our new garden which we are still creating (with the help of inter-disciplinary classes and Miss Swallow's 2W2 tutor group).  She was introduced to Miss Swallow, who then introduced her to the Blakes - Philip and Henry from the wood yard, who make the Woodblocx seating and raised beds.

Some of us ready to go down to the new garden to meet the Princess Royal

Lewis and his grandfather Alasdair spoke to her as well.  This was a well-deserved opportunity as Lewis who has now left school was our "founding member" - without his enthusiasm for starting a club, there would be no gardening at the Academy today!

Left to right: Lewis and his grandfather Alasdair, Philip and Henry Blake await her arrival.

Planting hedge plants in the new garden in glorious sunshine.  

We had rather a daunting audience as a crowd was gathering for the finale of her visit!

Weeding the seating planters and adding some more plants - for example a curry plant went into the "smell" planter and a banana mint into the "taste" one.

Dale, Danielle and Connorhan are ready to hand her the spade for planting the apple tree.

** Video footage to follow! Mr Dolan filmed us with the Princess and is going to edit a clip for us to include here. **

Erin and Simona showed her the plan of the garden and explained what we hope to do next.

After Mrs Cormack had given a speech, Dale, Danielle and Connorhan chatted to her and then she finished planting the apple tree that we had put into the ground last week.  She said: "you've not left me much to do!" and Connorhan replied "we left you a big pile to add on - but you don't need to use it all!"  She enthusiastically added the top layer of soil and the crowd clapped.

A plaque commemorates the occasion.

For more details of her visit, click this link: Highland Council news article - there are some good photos in the gallery (link at the top left of the article).

 

Meanwhile, at lunchtime that same day we sowed some winter peas...

...these should be ready to crop in May next year.

 On Wednesday morning, Danielle, Aimee, Vicki and Simona walked with Mr Macfarlane to St Clement's.  They were invited to their harvest festival...

 ...and Danielle presented them with the Lewis MacKenzie Trophy (given each year to a primary school for winning a competition that we set them).  They were the winners this year by growing the potato plant that produced the most potatoes.

 They enjoyed chatting to everyone after the service.

 Home made and some home grown refreshments were on offer.

  Simona enjoys a drink

 Also this week, a couple of volunteers came in to start building a tool store for us as we have outgrown our shed!

Unfortunately, rain swept in and halted their efforts for now.

Finally, a busy week ended with a delivery of tools for setting up a course for senior pupils: Certificate in Practical Horticulture - certified by the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.  We hope soon to have a poly-tunnel classroom set up so that we can practise horticultural techniques whatever the weather!

On Friday, the school are doing a sponsored walk - ten miles - so please keep your fingers crossed that the rain stops for a while!  Then, we are on holiday (half term) for two weeks, so see you all again towards the end of the month.  In the meantime...enjoy your gardens!