we’ve been camping. All weekend in our little vango. And the reason was so that we could have 2 long but easy days at kelmarsh. it didn’t quite work out like that, but the theory was good! we had friends, romans and countrymen – what more could you want??
will do proper blog with photos perhaps tomorrow
Posted in General
I did an incredibly tedious but of market research, and now have ?40 amazon vouchers. going to see what of the approx ?800 basket I might choose!!
Posted in General
What have we done today? ermmm. I did get up late. I am just sooo tired at the moment.
Anyway, BB and I read books and did jigsaws – she is quite happy to do a 12 piece jigsaw, but likes me to give help if bigger. she has a cute celebration dance when they are finished! Through the post I got a rainforest challenge game for SB [rather excellently for 1.50 from ebay!] And we did the first section on animals. She has quite enjoyed tying in with the magic tree house book – she reads a chapter alternate days.
chris’s parents also popped round as they are about to go on hols to greenland and iceland. Needed some help with the automatic fish feedr
it was then time to go to SB’s hip hop dancing at the liesure centre – third and final one. SHe has really enjoyed this. they have done routines made up by the isntructure, and routines made up by themselves in small groups – not as complicated as sparkies! We went to the supermarket with BB to top up on suncream, buy her a treat, and generally use up time before the ‘show’. SB very proud all her family there, and really enjoyed doing it. In fact all the children looked like they had had a fab time. of different ages, and had differnt bits to showcase the different ability levels as well – what a good instrcutor with plenty of enthusiasm.
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When we returned, BB played with beetles, SB did some more of her rainforest book. SHe then did some getty and dubay writing practice.
I then read loads of library books to BB, and SB read loads of library books herself. SB and BB also had a spell of cutting things out of newspapers, and helping Chris fix the lights on my car – rofl. SB then made sandwiches for a picnic outside – PB and jam! So playing outside, and I picked yet more beans from the garden and some toms.
BB is in a lovely phase of making up songs all the time – often describing bodily functions, but not necessarily! But a particularly nice song was the i love mummy and daddy song in the car today.
Had tea and BB now in bed, and SB doing zoombinis. She has done the practice ones a lot, so is now doing adventures – on the easiest setting. My migraine has finally settled with huge wallops of tablets!
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Dance/drama, General, literacy, numeracy, science, socialisation, Stringbean's HE, writing
as I’m doing something else!! [writing talk]
SB did maths, BB did happy maize [no longer supplied by bead merrily!] then SB wailed as we hadn’t signed her up for any of the clubs at the sports centre – because she said she wanted to make her own mind up and hadn’t! she decided that after all she wanted to go to the one I had suggested – hip hop and street dance [i was guessing sparky party dances!] . it started today. luckilly there was spaces, so a quick drive out. SB has really enjoyed it. 2 hours x 3 days. maybe she’ll also do the cheerleading one in a couple of weeks time?
When she got back and I got back from work i had a short demo, we did jigsaws, SB had a complex game with her paper dolls [another benefit of the start of room of doom 2] and BB was keen on the ABC book and cards, and the ABC animal puppets. she is desperate to read.
We made heaps more mess with trying to sort out the books though – oops. DId read some more rainforest stuff, and played a rainforest addition game with SB.
BB did some poisson rouge and starfall. she knows how to start up the computer, wiat until the personal setting screen comes up, ‘press snowflake’ and then the ‘firefox’ – rofl at a 2 year old knowing the browser we use. SB? expanded – its the mosaic firefox [close!!]
Both had a short violin lesson. SB picking up london’s burning. Happy to have had a break after stress of thinking she was going to play at kessie. SB then wrote me a letter on the etchasketch about how? ‘ I lic plaing with you mummy. love from elinor ++++++++’
BB fell asleep at the dinner table – bless, and we had such a nice snuggle then on the sofa that I fell asleep too – oops. woke up to find SB happily playing with zoombinis.
both girls filling me with lots of rewards and blessings as they are so loving and affectionate – well, when BB isn’t being awful to SB, and SB isn’t wailing in repsonse, or winding BB up!!
Posted in Butterbean, Dance/drama, General, geography, literacy, music, numeracy, socialisation, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE, writing
On and off during the day the girls are playing at being dogs, SB has been Fido, and BB Brutus. SB particularly has been a gorgeous child today. She is usually gorgeous, but some days i am reminded just how lovely she is more than others. today she has been so caring and loving to BB, trying to think of things to do with her that she will enjoy.
the taming of room of doom has again had benefits, with both girls hama-ing first thing in the morning. I didn’t know where the big hama beads were, but BB unerringly found them She is very good at just finding things – when she wants to. Has a better memory than me, thats for sure.
Actually, that reminds me of a game they were playing that chris overheard. SB was being mummy going to work, and Chris said she was very good at the intonation of ‘i can’t find my shoes, anyone seen them? I can’t go to work without them’. yes, I do tend to have shoe crisis on work days. Maybe i should have more than one pair, but they have lasted nearly 8 years now! Actually, maybe BB should be in charge of my shoes!
We started filling up the pool [its about 11 foot] and SB and i made a start on room of doom 2 – ie the playroom. It took for ages to get to the point of maximal mess, when you’re just about to logically put it away, when i was abandoned as the pool was ready!
SO we have all had much fun in the pool. i still need to give the playroom a sort out – will do that with both girls in bed. SB and I have also played a few games, and read a book about the rainforest – ties in with her magic tree house book, and she wanted to learn a bit more. i also have a DK search for eldorado book as a rainforest theme, so maybe will read some of that to her too. All these books she can read herself, but its nice to be read to, and I like reading aloud. We chatted about my time in borneo, and how it is like to be living [albeit temporarily] in the rainforest. Mostly whilst she mimicked sloths and monkeys on the swing and trapeze. she has rigged a rope to the 2 person swing, so that i can sit on a chair and read a book to her whilst pulling the rope and swinging her!!
The room of doom 1 has a new shelf for not finished art/craft projects, so she picked up a painting project present from big that we hadn’t done for a while, and happily painted together various insects. BB by then was fast asleep from so much playing in the pool. You know, I might even try to stay tidy [faints to the floor].
Sb and I then had fun picking french and runner beans, looking at the different flower colours of the different varieties. We have Blauhilde french beans so they are a nice purple – though green once cooked. I think beans are going to be a staple of our summer food this year.
SB did then a bit of diego on nick junior, and BB woke up with lots of books. both girls are now playing in the pool with chris looking on. past both bedtimes, though BB not going to sleep due to long sleep earlier, and it seems a shame to spoil SB’s fun as she has been such a blessing today.
this eve i must write a talk I am giving, as next week might be rather hectic.
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, geography, literacy, SB-PE, Stringbean's HE
ever since SB saw the squared circle group on flickr she has been keen to find pictures to take. she thinks I should be able to get the pool from our bedroom, hanging out – i don’t think so!!
Posted in General
One of the nice things about living here, is all the people round us growing things, esp. the orchards. A common situation is a house built in an orchard, which is always rather appealing. There is one place outside the village whch the woman runs as a buisness, she seels various plants for gardens, as well as apples and pears from the orchard, and some veg and top fruit she grows there as well, eggs from the chickens etc.. She has couple of fenced off areas as fruit/veg beds, and a nice big polytunnel. It’s Helen’s perfect place really, and it always looks nice, well maintained, nicely mowed bewtween the trees etc.
Yesterday popped in there for a few bits, got some nice plums – always much nicer as they can be picked much riper I think as they don’t have to travel. – BB eaten most of them this morning, Raspberries, which the kids devoured, also got some of the first English apples of the season – some Discovery and Beauty of Bath, which were lovely and crisp and fresh (the BoB were pretty sharp actually, I quite like that though). I only really buy imported apples in the English off season for the kids, I try not to otherwise. This makes those first apples taste so much nicer.
I do think we miss something when we can just go and buy anything at anytime, imported from somewhere or other in the world.
Down side of those first apples, is that it reminds me that Autumn is lurking a little way over the horizon
Posted in Ponderings
Girls woke up way to early and bounced and screeched round our bed for a bit, eventually chris got up and I had a lie in.
our room of doom tidy has already paid dividends, as when SB went downstairs, she easily found the bead/bracelet kits that she now remembered we had. SHe and BB spent a while making bracelets that they wore for the early part of the day, and are now deposited in various corners of house and garden. ritual offerings again. future archaeologists are going to be stunned by the wealth of tat they find in our garden – hama beads, fake jewels and now bracelets. posibly bits of plastic food too – almost certainly ritual offerings for the afterlife!
oh, and once they had done that, more autonomous entering the room of doom to the science shelf to get out all the magnets, and play with iron filings and what might be magnetic. Hooray!
when i got up, this spontaneous learning activity was over, SB was playing a diego game on nic junior and BB prob poisson rouge! i read some books to bB, SB took ages to get dressed, and decided she wanted to do more science, so found a science chemistry experiment kit, and we went outside to do that. BB helping. we mixed up sand and iron filings in water, and the worked out how to separate them out [second part best done after sand an iron dried out]. We also proved that the bubbles in fizzy drinks were gas, and we could separate them out too. We nearly but not quite made sticky ice, and discussed melting points.
This took up quite a bit of time, so BB also did jigsaws on the side, and Chris realised our freecycle pool has 2 holes – now repaired, so we couldn’t put it up till tomorrow – cue wailing and gnashing of teeth from children! I trimmed SB’s hair – looks much better, about 3 inches shorter. ANd then we had lunch.
After lunch, SB played a lot with the castle, and BB and I read and did jigsaws until SB fancied painting. She sorted BB out with magic painting, and did some herself too. fantastic this new organised room of doom!! I flickred. Chris abused the washing machine some more. SOme more maths went on, and a map of the world jigsaw.
Erm, mind hits a blank? I think we played a game outside, and the girls ‘putered a bit, then bath early as BB looking sleepy. After bath, BB flung herself off the top bunk slightly wrong, so fell onto the floor rather than gracefully landing. SO we watched tell, she chose bonjour mes amis, and then wanted ‘the one with the bottom’ [sigh] ie first fun with french.
We had dinner – rather yummy frittata. just needed chickens to supply own eggs. BB went to bed, abd and I played games and the she went out for a last swing and tapeze as cooler.
Another lovely day! last prison break tonight
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, geography, language, literacy, numeracy, science
Chemistry fun
Castle fun
Weald and Downland museum
cool playpark
portsmouth historic dockyard
we love camping
triclinium at fishbourne