Saturday 20 September 2008

Back to School




One of the pleasures of my life as a lawyer is that my work has introduced to me to a great many fascinating people. My clients include a wide range of organisations, large and small, who are a delight to work with.

Among that number I'd certainly include Windermere St Annes School, based in the heart of the Lake District. It's a private school, with pupils from all over the world, and there can be very few schools which enjoy such a beautiful setting.

So I was very glad when Paul Flint, the School Bursar, invited me to participate in an Authors' Evening on Thursday night. And of course I'm glad of any chance to visit the locale of the Lake District Mysteries - especially when working on one of the books. It all helps to create the right mood, even if I never seem to get enough time to write at present. I arrived in early evening, just in time to take a few photos of the school and its setting - before joining in the school dinner!

The dining hall takes some beating, with stunning views and very wholesome food. It is very different from the school that I attended in the 60s and 70s (quite a nice school, but some of the worst food of all time, served in a depressing canteen.) It is festooned with flags representing different countries which send pupils to the school, and boasts a new mural depicting Arthur Ransome's Lakeland, together with the actual dinghy that Ransome used to sail, which is now there on loan.

Quite a place.

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