we went to christmas camp last week with loads of friends. allways a much looked forward to event! we had plenty of cakes and snacks to contribute, and also birthday party stuff for BB, and secret santa stuff for the pretend christmas day! SB had done some fab baking herself, and everyone complimented her or me on her millionaires shortbread as well as cookies.
monday was BB’s ‘party’ and she was v happy with the party games, the prizes and the dalmation birthday cake. she was also lucky enough to receive a variety of lovely presents – i think she just about murmured a thankyou to at least one family member of each of the families giving gifts! the children stayed up late, and the adults even later, catching up with friends and gossiping!
for the adults there was lots of chatting – friend based, advice based and also political – particularly around the shameful eo debacle; game playing – caylus, race to the galaxy and agricola; and just general chilling! the children played in v fluid groups and really nicely, there seemed to be a mix of big groups and then splitting to smaller groups or dyads and then rejoining – all v friendly and natural. SB had a great time, playing with everyone she wanted to! i saw her dsing, racing around, game playing, small dyad playing in private, all seemed v v happy and so i was too. BB took a little longer to warm up, but also enjoyed playing in the bigger group of littlies, with gwenny [aww] and particularly with J from SoTP – v cute!!
crafting was mainly done on the tuesday, with crafts brought by wednesday friends and em in the morning and then by merry and me as TA in the pm. i loved helping with the sorting, painting and stringing up, but the glueing was particularly tedious due to the pva rather than uhu! anyway, they were fab kits! similar to these in fact, and there were lots of puppet games thereafter! chris took the girls and any others for a bike ride as well.
wednesday was a trip out to the south downs planetarium. unfortunately the satnav postcode doesn’t take you there, so we were late. the other unfortunate thing is that one of the rudest volunteers on this planet works there, and was particularly sarcastic and snide and really spoilt the whole trip for at least 1 person, and seriously annoyed several others… but the actual planetarium show was fabulous. we really enjoyed it, and the chap doing it was v skilled in both that and the questions afterwards. Liked SB’s question, which was on whether if you had a big enough star its light could escape black hole. we went off with merry and family for a restorative cafe lunch in chichester in a crypt. lovely food, great behaving girls, and think a charming elderly couple were convinced we were mormons! back intime to get veggie curry going [yum, my favourite!] and watch the talent show, despite merry’s rather temperamental [or just plain mental] satnav! i was really proud of SB playing her clarinet, as she can’t have had it much more than a month [will check back in blog and see] and crazy play by some of the other girls had us in stitches.
thursday is pretend christmas – yes!! lots of fun, a walk across the downs [i am migrainous so stay behind with bb] chatting, baby cuddling etc etc. getting dinner started, putting the world to rights etc etc! kiddies watch a film whilst we adults continue with serious chatting elsewhere! then carols. i love carols, but this year, when playing the carol cd’s for the first time on the way down to sussex i just howled with grief, that this is the first christmas without little nanny, and that it is little nanny’s christmases that set my personal bar and template for what christmas should be. i really really miss little nanny. and that this year my sister will be in florida for christmas, and whilst i am really happy she is having the holiday of a lifetime, i will miss this too… so it was good to play carols altogether in fun and happiness, getting a way for everyone to join in – thank goodness for jan, as i have no clue whatsoever about guitars! christmas dinner done with minimal fuss and angst, and secret santas went with great joy and happiness, we were all happy with both what we gave and what we received – must be the best way really! packed a tired bb into bed, and suggested to sb that if we didn’t notice her, we wouldn’t chase her… [1 am!!] final game play and chatting eve, and sorry to nic and asilon that a maudlin moment was nearly had!
friday a pack up and away, not too painful for anyone but me, miserable with migraine. i do so hate having migraines. sad to be at the end of the week so quickly, waving everyone good bye. thanks to nic and ady for organising, as well as the variety of friends, helpers etc that make it all work
That was a perfect round up
Loved spending the week with you – actually i had a most surprising week really, but enjoyed (mostly!) it all, grumpy old gits and sat navs excepting 
F told me that sb’s clarinet playing was her favourite item in the show.
And mmmm Millionaire shortbread x
Boo to grumpy git.
awww, thankyou f! [have done an edit btw to sb!!]
always surprises me (though it shouldn’t) how grief suddenly can hit you over again especially when facing things that have memories attached or are the first time doing it without someone. Lots of love for that.
Glad the rest of the week was fun – where are your photos?!
really enjoyed seeing you all again, I also thought sb’s clarinet playing was fab
Aw, sounds mostly lovely, but hugs for the grief bit. There’s no way round it except through it.
giggle @sarah. photos on sort!
Sounds lovely. Much sympathy on first Christmas without your nanny. Also on migraines. Have you tried lemon balm tea? I know someone who swears by it.
What’s the eo debacle?
the petition is an eo debacle. don’t get me wrong, i think the petition is a great idea, i would have been co-ordinator, but pipped by someone else
did sign it, and cheered graham stuart on last night…
BUT
how divisive has it become? there were 5000 responses to the dcsf, and prob at best [from doing rough maths from the petitions we know about a best average of 20 sigs per 120 petitions] 2400. But also made ‘the community’ look mad and crazy in the peoples front of judea way. and i do think this was an eo fault, by being so secretive, that the petition was presented in an underhand way, guarenteed to inflame that rather large proportion of the home ed internet community who have issues with eo. it would have taken v little diplomacy and upfrontedness to have made this work much better without causing apparent schisms at a time that really can’t afford it.
Thanks for the explanation… I’ve been dimly aware of dissenting voices but was just glad that someone had got round to organising something… And who knows, it might actually do some good… I don’t think the schisms would register outside the bonkers little world of home ed internetters though…
I’m not at all sure discounting it as home ed internetters being affected by schisms and it therefore not being an issue can be done to be honest. Regardless on what the ‘world at large’ thinks I am aware of many personal relationships that have been hugely compromised by the whole debacle.
I agree the petition may do some good and as such was right to be supported but the way in which it came about can only fairly be described, as Helen rightly did, as a debacle.
Politics aside, and back to the thrust of your blogpost, it was lovely to spend time with you and whilst I only wish I could alter the circumstances and the need to be an ear and shoulder to you, I am always there to do so. xxx