A Teacher in a Victorian Winter (night of 18th April 2010)

1.
I was working as a teacher at a school called Grange Hill. This was, really, the only connection to the childrens programme, as far as I can recall. The school had recently relocated to Liverpool, and this had caused numerous problems. The school, and the surrounding landscape in which the school was situated, seemed desolate and haggard, a winter landscape redolent of old war photographs. With some other teachers, I was overseeing the transferral of a group of children fromone building to another. The buildings of the school resembled vast Victorian factories and gothic churches. The children, who appeared to be of an adolescent age, were crossing a frozen pool. Because they had crossed the pool in the morning, the ice had weakened, and inevitably cracked causing the crossing teenagers to fall into the water. They did not seem unduly concerned by this - the water was not deep - and I viewed this with as if it was some kind of slapstick comedy routine. One girl was sprayed with water when an overhang of ice broke, and a vast plume of water, like a shower spray, soaked her.
In the main hall of the school. Tiled floors. Vast cathedral like interior. Arches and old time. Stained glass windows. There was also the feel of something industrial about it too. The walls were pale and institutional, and there was a ragged decaying air about it all.
The headmistress of the school appeared to be the actress Cathryn Bradshaw. In the dream, I remember thinking that I had known her when she was eighteen - about twenty years ago. She was very anxious about her role as headmistress, an anxiety that had been triggered by the move the school had made to this icy wasteland of Liverpool. She sank down to the ground. The stress was too much. She was having a breakdown.

2.
An alleyway at night. This may have been the alleyway from Drumduan Road in Forres. I was traversing this alleyway, taking longer and longer steps. I realised, that by moving my feet whilst in the process of lifting my feet I could float, and propel myself along. Was this flying I wondered? I was momentarily concerned by the appearance of two dark figures in front of me - threatening teenagers. I floated into them and pushed them out of the way. I was relieved.