I think one of the most fantastic gifts my parents ever gave me was the gift of music. I asked and receive a violin from father christmas aged 5. my mother made sure I practiced all the time, and being a musician, and teacher at the local music centre, we frequently listed in to the lessons there and also to show rehearsals in the evening whilst dad worked shifts. It was a wonderful opportunity. I got to join an orchestra by the time I was SB’s age, and just went on from there, every saturday morning.

I got to have a fantastic musical childhood, residential courses, international travel, solo’s at the royal albert hall, playing concertos with various orchestras as well as being in the orchestras for all sorts of stunning occasions.

The perhaps most magical thing was being involved with initially the setting up of a baroque string group and then a full concert orchestra with my mother and her friends. At the time I was the only student allowed [I was rather good] and it was an experience of ‘high performance’ orchestral playing. Being in an orchestra consisting entirely of music teacher peers and some semiprofessional orchestral players was something else.

My mother says I was lucky enough to catch the dizzy heights of musical ambition by LEA’s and then a wave of local optimism.

What reminded me of this? A programme chris found of the orchestra’s 10th anniversary in 1996. Mum, me and my sister in the same orchestral concert, with loads of old friends and teachers. how fab was that. My Mum has ‘retired’ this season from the orchestra, my sister and I don’t practice enough, nor live geographically near each other. The experience wont happen again. [well, we did all play in the 20th reunion concert! ] One day I would like to be able to perhaps sit with pride in an orchestra with my girls.

I haven’t followed my own musical dream, and I can’t believe it is right to impress it on my children, but it would be lovely.

our other tree is now decorated. we must have had a smashing time last year, as we have far less baubles than I remember. must remember to bauble hunt in the sales!! I guess 2 trees does use up a fair number of baubles! Whiskey - grrr- is presently attempting to reduce the bauble numbers yet further! Hmmmm

Oh yes, lots of playing with the train track - with farm animals in one bit, zoo animals in another and a fair old story going on. We read the next bit of while the bear sleeps - all about Hannukah and then SB read some more about it in a festivals book. [ a bit late for this year, as HannukaH i think was at the beginning of Dec?].

Chris meanwhile had finished putting a new light into the kitchen as we were both totally fed up of not being able to see anything at the table. SO a festival of light here indeed.

SB, BB and I then did some baking - mincemeat muffins and marmalade muffins to freeze for Xmas day breakfast. Actually it has been quite a baking day as they ’sort of’ helped with Chris making a creole cake [against his designs!!]

Both girls did a bit of webland [not much] SB has read the first magic tree house to me, and we have looked at the why its dark book. She is hopefully now asleep, and I have made the mutter paneer curry - see the pages for this years  christmas plan!

Must get on with some more of it!

yesterday we met up with Michelle and family for a woodland walk and hopefully some bird viewing. It was a bit chilly, so we were all well wrapped, and arrived with not a huge difference between us - so not bad!

both girls were laden with cameras as part of the idea is that they are going to record what interests them on the walk, and be able to see some seasonal changes.

We did go in the bird hide briefly - but BB’s gentle rendition of away in a manger was annoying the other chap there [though not the birds!] , so we decided to mostly walk. It was a lovely walk, and we had a good terrain change with a disused quarry to walk down and up as well. Somewhere near the bottom it was apparent that the sun was likely to set before we made it back to the car, so we did less photography and more walking!

It was indeed quite dark by the time we got back to the car, but the dark walking had been on an easy path rather than quarry steps, so OK there, and we were alll set for food cooked by Marcus.

It was delicious - as always. And a lovely evening at their house before getting home far too late! The girls did great HE box ticking, by reading loads of Michelles interesting maths books, looking at Chloes tornado and twister facts, and drawing! BB was mostly adorable, but has left orange lizard behind. In the car she was making up songs for it ’snakes aren’t interesting but lizards is’, and we did lots of carol singing. BB really does have a lovely singing voice and can hold a tune beautifully. Both girls enjoy singing and making up tunes and words. SB and I did latin in the car on the way home - car ed at its best!!
Thanks to our hosts!

I think I will add my photos to this blogpost, and at some point see if SB wants to do her own!!!

we have been here.

It was not one of our more trouble free trips. those that twitter may have noticed that on my first attempt, I was aware the seat of the car seemed wobbly. It seemed wobbly from when I first got in - the girls put it down to chrs always leaning back to pick things off the floor for BB [i hope not when driving!] By the time I had gone 20 mins down the road, pulled into a laybye to give it a wiggle, I was quite clear I wasn’t dong a 4 hour drive in that car!.

A return, and apparently some plate thingy is cracked. so got all gear accross to my v old but mostly trusty work car! Mentioned the heating been a bit dodgy - chris thinks thermostat, but is going to try coolant top up - aargh! we have spent a fortune on these cars this autumn.

oh, btw, the first drive out was fab with all these heavilly frosted arable fields and low sunlight!

Had lunch [which we should have been having in magna!] and tried again. This time straight to Kirsty’s, delaying magna for next day. Despite work car having no entertainment of any sort, both girls were fab on the journey up, the traffic OK, and we got there without a hitch. Te children ran off to ds and multiplay ds for most of the time, BB was a bit fish out of water, so snuggeld, read, cbeebied and corrected my drawings [hard taskmaster] whilst Kirsty and I managed a chat between interruptions and mediations [not that many actually]. M was particularly nice to BB, and also gave me a violin demonstration. i was relieved that my tuning agreed with kirsty’s dooberry thingummy whatsit!. SB wathced her inaueral simpsons - rofl!

The children were all particularly awful at going to bed In the end we split them all up. BB a pest, but then…
So not the brightest and earliest of parental starts, though BB was up with the larks! we did go to Magna though and really enjoyed it. It was COLD in there - thank goodness we were all winter wrapped!! and dark and noisy, so at the time BB required a fair bit of ‘managing’ but in retrospect thinks it was fantastic and wants to go again! Sb also enjoyed it, and wants to see the river of fire next time [note they are both planning a repeat!] Most of the time, we had the place to ourselves by careful avoidance of the school group there. [i think i might have slightly annoyed one of the teachers by adopting their tone and suggesting my group be ready to come with me - and the children in my group were much more easy to manage!]

Thanks Kirsty for a lovely stay! Flickr to follow - halfway through but do need to go to bed!!!! must try some of these.

which has been my scintillating conversational skills!

Me and the girls have been very busy today. First off we read the St Lucia bit from while the bear sleeps [barefoot books]. I know the day is tomorrow, but we are out, so we did it today. After reading, we went on to make some St Lucia crowns

And then the girls went on to do some christmas stamping - allegedly to laminate and turn into table mats, but BB’s were just playing a game with each other, and SB’s is ‘minimal’ so we shall see!

Whilst they were doing this I was making the lasagne filling. I am v happy being a vegetarian, and no desire to eat meat, but sometimes chopping veg just takes TOO long, especially when you are making 4 lasagne [for 14]. because my attention was distracted, the children became distracting, so I bailed out of the last few veg, and we went and labelled the christmas cards. Muddlepuddlers be of good cheer, your cards are on the way - and open over the sink! Since with family cards we were talking of 50-ish, this took quite some time! BB also played with playdough. Chris took the difficult things into the post office and managed to cause a nice jam!

We had a late lunch [3-ish] and SB hurried off to rainbows. BB and I did some playing with her duplo, and then made her gingerbread man kit she got for her birthday - with lots of run run… Whilst it was cooking she did some starfall, starting with the gingerbread man one but then dotting about.
 

When Sb returned they both decorated them, had a bath and then a light supper. SB has done some more of ‘the surprise’ with me, and read to me magic tree house and thomas the tank books.

i must look up tomorrows route and get an early night.

but improving, so should def be on for end of week jaunts!!

girls with chris#s parents and made a gingerbread house

SB had a gymn taster session which she thought was absolutely fantastic.

Both SB and I have felt under the weather today, and taken our relative doses of nurofen. Unfortunately it meant that she missed the local group Xmas party, which is usually fabulous, and certainly the thankyous on the list suggest it was again.

Instead we have had short bursts of activity and lots of cuddles. BB wanted to make fimo Xmas trees like SB made last year, so we sat and made some, and some stars, and they are now hanging on the girls tree. SB then cooured in a SOTW map about the saxons whilst BB and I played a number counting game with frogs [or ribbets]. Both got grumped at fr playing so hard with the xmas decs that they were breaking left right and centre - nothing that a bit of glue wont sort though.

SB and I read some of the saxon pages from out english history series, and discussed the pictures, what it must have been like to live in raiding times. Moving on to war in general, she couldn’t quite understand how it could still go on. I reassured her that we weren’t imminently likely to be raided here [noting how sensitive she has been of late - she hasn't played animal crossing again...]

erm. general milling about and playing! I read Sb and BB some read alouds. BB particularly likes anything with a duck or egg in it. We then made some more 6 point stargodseyes I played a bit of scrabulous - the only bit of facebook for me I think!! [Tim is about to finish totally thrashing me!! - at present 482:330!!]

erm, I went and had my annual appraisal at work - and so the process begins! Whilst I was there, SB went swimming, and came out of the pool early as not feeling well. Good on her for trying anyway. When I got back, BB was asleep, and CHris was reading SB a science book [the usborne lift the flap we bought from Joanna which she enjoys v much. BB had fallen asleep and has not woken up from that yet!
We then snuggled in front of the TV on a programme about the earths atmosphere - so riveting we both fell asleep! So SB in bed, and I am drinking lots of fluids to try and drive this lurgy feeling away - or at least not get a migraine on top.

Thanks Sarah - the books arrived today, and SB has had a look at the 2B already. oh. and in ne of my scrabulous games i have all vowels  humph!!

has come down in tears because she dreamt that the earth lost its gravity and it was all so sad. bless her. and also she missed her appt with a ac:ww villager. I told her it would all be OK - will it????

so she is snuggled in our bed reading thomas the tank engine, and I will shortly go up, but thinking work might ring again shortly…

we still haven’t posted the early years cards = must do that!

Sb still happy with her timetable

christmas seems to have got here v quickly

I got the job! [co-ordinating some workbased education - but get to be called a programme director!]

Hmm, chris and SB have done some SOTW, she has doen computery things - such as the DK science explorer, and some solar stuff. Actually, today, she got off a chair, and said she knew why she jumped and came down. when she jumped she had enough energy to woosh her up, and then gravity pulled her back down. on the moon she would woosh up further. [i suggested she may even woosh off potentially!]. she;s done some maths and handwriting, made a cracker for xmas. together we have a secret project for daddybeans xmas present. i PROMISE it is better than the girls world head he got last year! She had a raucous playdate yesterday with R, her village-friend.
today I  was at work for part of the day. Chris says SB spent nearly all that time DS-ing on animal crossing - i gave it to her yesterday. she ds-ed for a further 2 HOURS when I got home - at which point i said she had had enough. Meanwhile BB and I played Hiss, with the lego and with her dinosaurs. SB moved onto a violin practice - consolidating notes! and then some webland [well rather a lot of webland] followed by rather a lot of jump ahead year 2. It seems to have been a v computery day!

BB and i made some 6 spoke godseyes - known as stars for Xmas tree, and SB also joined in. we have hung them on our ‘tasteful’ tree. chris bought the 2 real trees, and they will be put up tomorrow while I am at work. BB and I read books together, SB read books herself. BB and I played a number counting and matching game.
ermm, we watched ‘mary on the prairie’ and SB and i did some more secret project! bedtime books and she has ds-ed!

SB addicted I think. she thinks it is totally fab. I, however, have messed up. big time! I had no idea they could really read the letters. SB’s letters have been ‘experimental’ so she got back 4 letters today, all telling her she was mean and nasty because the animals couldn’t understand them - cue severe attack f wailing. I deleted their letters, and said the first ones were usually like that, and have written her some. sigh! Als she has Chow - who I also had, and he is a grumpy whatsit - again no good for SB! oh well. she’s still keen to play, and do a wireless visit to anyone that she knows that plays!

It seem that that blog readability meme that has been doing the rounds over the last month is not quite what it seems.

Short version for those that don’t want to read the whole article: The ALT tags for the image contain text referring to a US loan site, which will have pushed them up the Goggle ratings.

Off to delete that post then.

Surely this is the daftest thing from the whole thing, a photo of you and your spouse, complete with Christian names, location and date……

honestly, who didn’t think of reginald perrin when they saw the first news story!

if it does turn out to be an insurance job though, I’l still be shocked.

Think i might be hoping the other guy did better. not sure - so indecisive!! It was midday though, so kinda ruined the whole day. the morning with the preinterview worries, and the afternoon coming down from interview high - poor buggers, having to listen to me on my soapbox expounding on education!! [btw, this is just a tack on to present post, no radical huge change! more hours though]

The violin strings game from bonners, so the violin is restrung. so had lost her music book - so have looked at the first tune a day book, and done lesson 3. rather stupidly [especially since I spent a proportion of the day saying I was god's gift to education] it hadn’t crossed my mind that SB’s reading of music is situation specific - ie she can find the piano note associated with the musical representation, but has ‘not a single clue’ [how she put it] what that note may be for violin. Her first violin basically uses the letters rather than the musical representation. Its obvious NOW of course! However, lesson 3 starts with d string notes, and actually she is quickly stringing them together.
Oh well, also today there was lots of playing with duplo and lego - S built a pyramid amongst other things, and both girls enjoyed both sizes, the kids k’nex also made an appearance and the marble run.

SB read a book about 5 brilliant scientists from scholastics great black heroes set, and was partcularly taken by how many things you can use peanuts for, and wants to make peanut soap. recipes please!! She also did some singapore maths [having done on line CIMT yesterday - sarah, do i need to send you money [how much] and address??], french on education city - leading to a discussion on whether it counted as french or education city - chose to tick education city on timetable!

we read a story about st nicholas, the st nick bit from while the bear sleeps, and have slippers out in hope. Also the usual bedtime reads. Have found my 13 days of christmas as a read aloud this year. Obviously a MUCH older book - the one I had as a child!

BB and I did some more christmas stamping -v over the top coverage of the card! in the end we were playing some complicated game where the stamps were friends, having picnics etc… SB was at rainbows. Fair bit of christmas carol singing. SB reprised her solar power experiment [under desk lamp] and we talked about electrons again - she seems to have got atoms comfortable in head, and electrons moving along like newtons cradle [well, ok, its not quite, but it sort of makes the flow of current make sense!]

BB still awake. she is such a cutie - i was singing and stroking her forehead n a sleep encouraging way, so she stroked my forehead and gave me lots of kisses!

Think thats it?

totally amazing isn’t it! well, when I say done, we obviously haven’t written in them, addressed and stamped envelopes and sent them off, that will take another 2 weeks! No, we have finished the artwork. when i came home I did stamping with B then with SB and after she came back from swimming, and a final glitter fest! Sb has mostly been at the home ed sports session, and then went to the park afterwards. SO a very fit day for her today!

When we were at home, I was going to do a piano session, but the fgirls were playing so fantastically with the bob duplo together, that I just enjoyed it with them.

You Are Upper Class

Class isn’t always about money, and you’ve at least got the brains, manners, and interests of an upper class person. You don’t have a trashy bone in your body, and you don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. You’re comfortable with your station in life, and class issues don’t really bother you. The finest things in life are within your reach, and you’re comfortable enjoying them.You may end up: A business leader, corporate lawyer, or philanthropist Other people who share your class: Bill Gates, Oprah, former world leaders like Bill Clinton, and those reclusive billionaires no one ever talks about.

Your Karaoke Theme Song is “Margaritaville”

You are a true party animal, but your style is mild and chill. Kicking back with a few friends and a few drinks is all you need to be happy.You certainly don’t feel pressured to be a part of any party scene. In fact, you avoid trendier spots. You’ve been known to kick loose anywhere and everywhere. All you need is a cooler. You might also sing: “Gin and Juice,” “Love Shack,” and “Red Red Wine” Stay away from people who sing: “Wind Beneath My Wings”

What’s Your Karaoke Theme Song?

You are an Atheist

When it comes to religion, you’re a non-believer (simple as that). You prefer to think about what’s known and proven. You don’t need religion to solve life’s problems. Instead, you tend to work things out with logic and philosophy.

and now i think thats enough quizzes - bedtime before Nic tempts me to do more!!

for those looking for some education - i did do a proper blog tonight! its down there - go on, scroll for it!

Also firmly wrapped in duvet - its winter you know!

Had a fun day today, though we didn’t do what was planned - which was to go to a Christmas market. the weather earlier today was yukk and by the time it had improved we were stuck into other things.

SB quickly had done some handwriting practice this morning, and had stuck on Muzzy german by the time I went downstairs [had been playing sill games with BB in bed]. She was waiting for me to print off the next timetable - so much for it being a one week wonder. Realised this is a bad time of year to start, as it is the month of christmas ed! Might try some ‘customisation’ of the timetable.

BB’s mind has really been duplo oriented since she got the Bob duplo for her birthday. today we made houses, fixed things and were more or less trapped by bobness! SB also enthusiastically joined in.

SB did some piano practice. we are going a bit slower as now she has to actually know what the note is, as the hands move slightly. so e tend to have some free play making up a tune and then some practice. She was so proud though when she played twinkle twinkle all the way through!

More bobness for the girls whilst chris and i prepared for the start of christmas card extravaganza! we have gone for potato printing plus glitter and stuff this year - early years card list, you have been warned! so much fun doing that.

and then MORE bob duplo for BB and I read SB about grasslands. She then did some dot to dot and a counting book with BB.

the cards being sort of dry, it was time to start the glitter fest - even chris couldn’t resist the lure of glue and glitter! half are done. they are planning to stamp things inside as well, so our usual OTT ouvre!

we finished with hama beading and then some little house on the prairie eating hot chestnuts. SB has read me some magic tree house, and I have read her the next chicken soup for the soul story.

well, so its the end of the timetable week. I took a picture of it, but we’ve then done a few extra things so need to do it again!

So today, excitement at getting a chocolate from an advent calendar. Even more excitement when chris’s parents came round and gave them each another one. Game playing with grandparents, then SB was going to do violin - and we found the snapped string! So she did some singapore maths 2B, and then spent ages on education city - we had a huge wobbly over telling the time, so practiced over and over again, and think she might now have got it! She also did some writing practice and then more playing before grandparents left.

BB was mostly playing with her bob the builder duplo, but she also likes making patterns with the connect 4 game, and did some playing with poisson rouge. we read books - she now reads some to me too, mostly describing the picture, but she is good at red nose readers.

We put on some xmas music and gave the playroom a good tidy whilst chris was out getting some bits and pieces. looks much better! BB did her ‘match and sort‘ drawing round shapes and numbers. she did an amazingly perfect dot to dot as well - from 1-10 in order! [think this might be a fluke...] and had some lovely strops and eye rollings.

ermm, we read the first while the bear sleeps story - always nice to get back to that. SB and I did the questions and narrations for the SOTW chapter we did this week - she had remembered a lot actually from other books too. we had a french conversation, and looked at our usborne le ferme des pommiers! quite a discussion after that and also singing away in a manger on polite and friendly yous [rofl!].

BB and I baked a chocolate cake whilst SB did some colouring and then piano practice. it was a bit of a scramble then to get out of the house.

SB was helping the rainbows deal out mince pies [free] at the grand light switch on in the village. She was really proud of being so helpful. The local brass band played carols, and most of the houses got their lights to go on at roughly the switch on time. we - of course - did not. on returning home i found the socket switched off. sigh. I had tried to persuade chris to walk all 10m home and check! The local car driven sleigh made an appearance with sweetie wielding FC. It was cold then, and I had totally forgotten we were supposed to be going to ‘the big house’ afterwards - though we did meet them and R and had a chat, and also the couple and children who used to be know on blog as home-dad [long since back at work!] so very nice.

Got home, BB into bed and SB and I made chocolate cornflake cakes before watching a to the beginners guide cosmos -about black holes etc. v exciting. I think SB enjoys them! She is now in bed and we have moved from the balloon book to chicken soup for the soul - a story for each advent day.

SB does want to continue on with the timetable.

catch up violin practice abandoned as lost the spare violin strings and so have ordered some from here. Hopefully will arrive quickly as we need to practice our carols! Oh well, the play room is lovely and tidy now anyway.