The final concert

Our final day was amazing.
We.visited the Dali museum and were entranced by the diversity, whimsicality and sheer genius of the art work we experienced.  After leaving the museum itwas just a short walk to the venue and we were greeted by a lovely sandwich supper that was laid on for us.
We unpacked in record time and set up on the floodlights raised stage in the square. This was the most beautiful place we have ever played. The girls demonstrated their love, resourcefulness and teamwork to great effect . I was incredibly moved and proud of them.
The concert was fantastic. The Catalan audience gave them a standing ovation . For the encore a number of the largely mature audience came up to dance and play in the Blues Brothers medley. Apparently they are a notoriously difficult crowd to please.
Now all we have to do is say goodbye to sunny Spain and drive home.
See you soon.
Adios amigos.

jellyfish pedalos and surprises

We started our day with our last visit to the beach. We took out pedals and canoes and swam and sunbathed.
Jack thought he had been stung by a jellyfish but it was just a sandwich bag! However after that we did have some real jellyfish whose stings were a bit like nettle stings. Apparently the much vaunted cure of peeing on it really works! At lunch we had a lovely surprise as we were joined by  Amelia, Lucinda and Gemma's mums.
 Currently we are having a short fiesta before heading off to our final concert and the Salvador Dali museum.
Adios

maritime museum and la rambla

It has been a long and eventful day. We started with a swim in the pool before setting off to Barcelona.

The trip was quite long but we wiled away the time watching movies. The weather was really hot and we were fascinated by the street performers who must have been boiling. The market was great and,we all bought lots of souvenirs and gifts. No one was pickpocketed and we all laughed to see the illegal street vendors disappear every time a police bike rode down only to reappear as soon as they had gone.

At the concert we were joined by Mr and Mrs Davidson which was,a lovely surprise.
The concert was excellent with a huge group of ninosnors joining us for the Blues Brothers medley.

The venue itself was beautiful being enclosed on one side by the museum and on the other by an ancient stone wall. The central pool was stocked with moisture and to our delight, turtles.

Thee long drive back was made to pass more quickly by watching West Side Story, Mr Goodwin's favourite film.
Back in Tossa we had dinner at the seafront except for a small select group who were too tired to go out so had a kebab party on Mrs Selmes's  balcony.

rest day

Rest day sounds as if we just lay about all day. Far from it!

Firstly it was Aiden's fifteenth birthday today and he was greeted with a rousing cheer and a chorus of Happy birthday and a present and a hug from Jack. 

 After breakfast we headed off to the beach to pick up the boat. We sailed leisurely around the coast to Santa Susanna where we disembarked and launched and shopped in the local market. We returned around three and swam in the pool. We seem to be gathering lilos which are an endless source of amusement.  After swimming we repaired to our rooms and dressed in our best for the evening.

At dinner Aiden was surprised with a huge cake and more singing. Even the coach drivers had a piece. It was baked especially by the hotel staff who have taken a real shine to the band. We then saw a fabulous flamenco performance in the next town across . It was really excellent ! We all leapt up on the stage afterwards to have a try ourselves but we were seduced away from flamenco with the Macarena YMCA and other classics.After a good dance we drove back to Tossa.
The students didn't want to go to bed after such an exciting day so we all stayed up to catch the last session of the hotel disco and dance once more to such great hits as the Macarena and YMCA !
Adios!

Concert in Pineda de Mar

Ola!

The weather was really hot as we travelled on the way to the concert and as promised we received a police escort to the town. We were at one point concerned that we might not be able to perform because of the heat and this caused some serious discussion. Miraculously as we arrived the skies clouded over and the temperature dropped. The team handled the kit down the hill to the venue.

We set up in a little square near a cafe. The customers watched with great interest as we set up to perform and shouted encouragement over their coffees. The set up took place in record time.

The choir sang to seed the crowd and soon enough they began to gather in the little square. The sound was beautiful as the music soared into the balmy air. The audience loved the music and were genuinely enjoying themselves.

The venue was warm, and the students tired. Their good cheer and genuine enthusiasm for the concert despite the hot journey and the tiredness made me genuinely proud to be part of the tour. I can truly say I have never been prouder to be part of Woking High!

Afterwards we broke down, again in record time , as we were going to the nearby town of Malgrat de Mar for dinner. The coach drivers, Mick and Darren, were serenaded by a song battle all the way to Malgrat. The dinner at the hotel was excellent and back on the coach the song battle continued, this time with the drivers joining in!

Back in Tossa, Year 10 and 11 went with Mr Goodwin and Rev Lacey for a moonlit walk to the castle while 7,8 and 9 danced at the disco. ( You would think they would be tired!)
What a wonderful day!

The broadband seems to be thinner than expected and pictures are difficult to load. However I will keep trying and see what we can manage.

Adios

day on the beach

Today we have been to the beach. It's beautiful but busy. The sea was crystal clear and Daniel saw a shoal of little black and white fishes. We also saw a strange creature buried in the sand,  (pictures to follow.)
We are just off to our second concert and then to the castle.
Everyone is very well. No sunburn or tummy upsets.
Everyone on tour is happy and sends their love home.
Internet coverage is good so students may well be in touch.
Adios amigos!

thank you

For the lovely croissants Mrs Puttock. They were delicious and Mr Goodwin had four.

Safe Arrival

• We have arrived safely after a long and arduous journey. The weather was poor with much thunder and lightning. None of us got much sleep. 
• The sickness record was not broken. Only one very average effort from Jack and a slightly better attempt (5) from Emily. 
• The arrived was very welcome. The hotel is excellent and after unloading we all went into Tossa for lunch. We returned and swam all afternoon in the rooftop pool. The pool is amazing with views across the town and to the sea. 
• The first concert was excellent. We performed to the hotel guests and received riotous applause for every number. The Blues Brothers as always went down fabulously and the rendition of Espana  was particularly well received. The audience was especially impressed with our lovely comperes, Sara and Elizabeth, who spoke in English and Spanish. Mrs Richardson and I both had a good cry . It was lovely! 
• Oh and of course we flash mobbed the town with Shosoloza. Very cool. 

Update on travel plans

Welcome to the 2014 Windband Tour blog. Thank you for coming to the information evening. We have a fabulous tour to look forward to. Notes: Please hand in any passports and ehics if you have not already done so. Please bring any medication clearly marked with your name in a bag with a clear note of when you should take it. An email will be coming out to you shortly with a PDF of the tour brochure. Please note the new meeting time of 10am. Please do not be late.