Blackbrook School, Taunton

You wait for about two years for a new school in Taunton to book you, and then two turn up in the same week! After the fun and games of going to North Town School on Wednesday, here I was on Friday off to Blackbrook School. It was a bigger group today - about 140 children and they were very, very excited about Henry's visit!

It was a tremendously fun start to the day with the opening talk going down a storm, but I had to break at 10am as they were having an assembly in the hall and then the kids had a morning break, so I wasn't on again until nearly 11am. But we got through it. After a lunch of what were either perfectly adequate chicken fingers, or hugely over-cooked fish fingers (you could have wiped a chalk board clean with them!), it was on to the afternoon session. There was a great reply when I was getting the stocks session set up. I always tell the children that being drunk and disorderly could land you up in the stocks, but it was particularly frowned upon if you did it on a Sunday - I then ask them why it was so bad to be drunk and disorderly on a Sunday. The best answer I ever had was from a school boy in Essex who told me it was bad because all the football was on Sky on Sunday's and you'd miss it. But today's answer was: It was bad to be drunk and disorderly on a Sunday because the pubs weren't open long enough. So that told me!

We finished with a deafening jousting tournament that a very good gents side walked away with. I was just winding the show down and getting ready to leave when a load of the staff from the school came in with a birthday cake for me, complete with candles and a rousing singing of "Happy Birthday" for me! I was really touched!

I got home this evening with fine intentions of wandering over to the Duke of York pub in Shepton Beauchamp to watch the France v Wales rugby match on their big screen. But I have to admit that my bottom hit my chair in my front room and it was just too damn comfortable to get up and go out again. Sorry.

Tomorrow I am back at Barrington Court for their opening weekend of the season. I will be on parade between 12 noon and 4pm. I hope to see some of you there!