Obviously saying BB was finally getting better on Joanna’s blog gave her the wrong idea – aaarrghhh. SB also had a rare accident! So today harder work really. I was going to try and get us into the pattern of ‘normals’ but have failed totally on this. Feeling typically middle class on this issue, as feel we need to get this to be an easy habit to follow.
Anyway, lets concentrate on what we did do. Hmmm?? Well, we did some more train track, and SB went off to have her haircut – she told the hairdresser that it was to be like a princess, and then to the library with chris. unfortunately the normal storytime wasn’t on. I did get to spend a whole hour with undivided BB attention – which is unusual! She just blossoms with the attention, wreathed in smiles. She is letting go and standing unaided at them moment – so a number of falls! We destroyed the train track of course!
When SB returned we read some of her new library books. I am gradually persuading her that the ones in big print are for her to try and work out the words and read. It would help if they weren’t all the wierd ones!! We then did some more glass painting – so 4 bottles finished for pressies. I made the elderberry and blackcurrent jelly at this time [that the juice has been stored for ages in the freezer]. The usual setting crisis, and Chris went on an emergency pectin hunt. Honestly, they are supposed to have moderate to high pectin content, and I had included some apples.
Beans on toast for lunch, and made a play for some ‘normals’ – some monster maths book that chris couldn’t resist [its bad news that he is getting to be a resource collector as well!!!]. we did half a page! I did my normals too – the adding up one – bah what is it called! – in the Guardian. SB does prefer Sudoku, but I fancied a bit more brain stimulation. BB finally had a nap.
We moved on – she chose which terracotta pot to break, and we went outside and ceremonially dropped. it. it shattered on second drop into6 big pieces with 4 smaller – so fairly ideal. We then glued them back together. It didn’t feel too sharp, and some tiny fragments were lost – adding to the authentic look of the glued together result. I helped obviously since it was UHU. We did get some maths in, as it worked best if tacky on sticking together, so SB had to keep counting to 60 after I had applied glue before she was allowed to stick the pieces together. She was fine to 49, and now to 60!!
archaeology update – in case we forget, has anyone some more UHU they could bring- as that was the best gluer upper! We have half a tube, and will try and remember some more, but as loads of children prob need more tubes.
Poor Chris was sorting out the pantry crisis as I had a strop since with so much stuff around, I had knocked over some eggs I coudn’t see, and then preserving sugar on top, so a nightmare! Its all beautiful now though!
SB helped me with the final Jelly – Christmas Quince Jelly by measuring the juice from yesterday, and also the sugar to add and lemon juice. Even though quinces are high pectin, this was also reluctant to set. I must be going wrong somewhere? So more pectin added and voila! We plan for SB to decorate the jamjars, so trying to decided whether to do glass paint transfers, or paint direct. SB will prob choose to paint direct. [yep, more xmas presents]. OOh completely forgot till looked at piccies that we got SB to do our shredding – she loves this, and the she and BB had fun playing with the bits in a box. [Merry, do you need shredded paper for rabbits??]
Whilst I put the jelly in jars, SB went back to the train track, and made up a rather complicated story about what was going on.
We then played games with BB – more Ta, and jiggledy on lap games. It is nice when SB joins in nicely too. Whilst BB went off to wreck the traintrack, SB and I had read aloud time – 3 stories from the usborne stories from around the world, and the Sonlight Maps and Globes. Both encompassing geography. i then read one of Muzzy accompanying books in German and English, so we practised some phrases about ourselves. We tidyied up [hallelujah!] and had tea.
After tea, SB read me a red nose reader, and has gone to bed. So although no normals, I do think we covered reading OK. When Chris comes down, we need to discuss finances- in Alvin mode as well. [panic - panic - panic!]
it wasn’t actually cold anyway. She helped a bit hoeing some of the weeds on the ‘fruit bed to be’. She was keenly looking at all the stones to see if they are flints as she is keenly taken by the idea that people used them (and ‘it tells us people used to live here ‘ so likes to colect bits of flint. Talked little bit about why people used stones not metal tools, why it is called the Stone Age etc. Convinced that the little bit of glass bottle she found was Roman 
Does have next week off though, and no plans for us to go away anywhere until the weekend)
anyway, been looking at the SOTW Activity book and itching to ahve ago at some of those things – by the time we’ve finished hacking the garden some more should be plenty of long wooden bits and stuff – just right for building a nomads hut . What say you Merry and Tammy – maybe next week?