we started with the village lights display and mince pies out by the crossroads, and the brass band playing carols. all very festive. SB struggling to keep up with the gcse workload, and me feeling like the not-mother from tangled nagging and moaning at her. at least i really do love her! i just know how time just seems endless and then disappears when you are working for exams! both girls completed their secret santas – which i didn;t take pictures of 
. BB got terraria for her computer, and has been fixated playing that!
wednesday we did have a wed ed, and have moved on to chromosomes and genetics for science, so this time we extracted some of our own DNA and answered a few questions about its structure and how it works. Since biology is a common igcse for home ed kids to do, i have been slowly working my way through experiments around lots of the subjects at gcse level, using a variety of sources. the kids might even remember some of them if i am lucky 
, tho we have been doing this over a 3 year period on and off.
k did some work on a new artist- klimt – and did some tree of life designs. they all looked very beautiful. we missed em and music, tho played games instead.
multisports , clarinet and french on thurs and dh only made it to wild place on friday whilst sb caught up on classical civ work. sb also dyed her hair with a semi permanent blue. it looked really good! she has also had a fringe cut, and this really changes the shape of her face, and i have several times not quite realised it is her! cake making for christmas camp also happened.
saturday tho we went shopping into town 
. I had promised the girls a christmas shop, and am attempting to do high street and local sellers predominantly for xmas and avoid the big A due to tax avoidance and workers on zero hours contracts. we had a fab day got lots of shopping done, no fussing or whining, easy food options found and generally were very happy :). SB did buy herself something already bought on the xmas list – argh! and BB did buy herself another cuddley…
a great day, thankyou girls I think we could do this every year
Christmas shopping trip sounds fun, well done on that especially avoiding big A – think you are fab managing that, as I am still largely A-dependent so need to work on that for next year I think. Fab biology and 3 years of experiments around subject must be great to look back on. Trees of life look lovely too. Hope you are feeling Christmassy xx
thankyou Ali. we aren’t completely big a free! but significantly bought at other places. it feels good
.
I am free so far tho M bought glue sticks through a after trying to find in a couple of physical shops and becoming time pressed.
It’s easier if people have only given you ideas easily found in stores other than a. I bought a lot from Charlie’s direct – I think an independent welsh company (hard to know for sure when shopping online who owns who). When they want specific things only available online through a or any of the associated companies, it’s harder. I have tried and failed to find Vosper MTB books for Dave as on his a wish list. There are CDs there too so going to an independent music shop later to hopefully find them.
Cross with independent music shop as a sell for £9 and cost £13. I knew the independent would be more expensive but that’s a big % increase.
But what I’m really grumpy about is that they slice the plastic to get the CD out and then slide it back in at the till. It looks second hand now!
Next time I will try and allow enough time to order a copy through them and they can keep it behind the till unopened.
hmm
that’s not so good is it 