Author Archives: HHaricot

Wreathed in smiles

Posted on December 18, 2007 | 10 comments

Today also a busy day! We did some ‘home ed’ – Piano practice [she is getting confident at good king wenceslas], maths and writing. BB did some painting. We read books together – a bit on the Saxons and Sutton Hoo with SB, and BB and I read a book where she pretended to sound out words [panic not, she was entirely making it up!]. Both girls have done a lot of singing.

We spent A LOT of time making some festive wreaths to go on various doors. SB really was pleased to do it, and didn’t make any fuss about holly – I did say it wasn’t compulsory! We also had ivy, pine and bay branches. BB decided not to make it, she did some stamping and also playing with various toys.

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We then made some banana and chocolate muffins [to freeze for christmas breakfast – the list is gradually getting ticked off! Just in time for Nana and Grandad to arrive and give BB the wonderful farm for her birthday. [actually it isn’t quite that one, Merry ordered the other one for us [thankyou xx]. BB overjoyed and has played with it non stop since – as has SB.

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Oh, I did manage to take some passable piccies of the girls with tree – see below! And, if you go to the pages on the sidebar, I am gradually doing a craft and bake post!

After BB into bed, SB and I have made cheese scones for tomorrow – we have a VERY busy day ahead! I am making the last curry – phew! Chris is making sausage rolls for tomorrow, all go here.

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, daubing and making, General, geography, history, literacy, music, numeracy, photos, pre reading, Stringbean's HE, writing

Have a Green Yuletide

Posted on December 18, 2007 | Leave a comment


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Posted in General, photos

ding dong merrily and all that

Posted on December 17, 2007 | Leave a comment

yes, we had merry and girls here today – so we hid all the boxes in case merry started automatically packing stuff into them!!

before they came, chris got the stollen started, SB and I did piano practice, we all looked at while the bear sleeps.

So lots of playing, dressing up and chatting ['mongst adults!] And some car maintenance – dunno how Merry gets hers done whilst mine languishes!! BB shew Josie all the bits on poisson rouge.
The girls all made christingles, which they enjoyed – even the little ones [who seem scarily unlittle these days]

I am in the process of making some more curry to freeze – dahl this time

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Posted in General

Musical Memories – sniff

Posted on December 16, 2007 | 20 comments

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.

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Posted in General, Ponderings

tree – tick!

Posted on December 16, 2007 | 2 comments

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!

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Posted in General

A Nice Winter’s Walk

Posted on December 16, 2007 | 4 comments

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!!!

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Posted in Butterbean, General, language, music, noises and sounds, numeracy, Out and About, socialisation, Stringbean

Magna

Posted on December 15, 2007 | 3 comments

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.

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Posted in Butterbean, General, history, Out and About, science, socialisation, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE

cough cough splutter splutter

Posted on December 12, 2007 | 2 comments

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

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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!
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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.
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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.

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, Butterbean's HE, Cooking, daubing and making, General, literacy, online resources, pre reading, socialisation, Stringbean's HE, writing

bleurgh

Posted on December 11, 2007 | 1 comment

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.

Gingerbread house

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Posted in General

at home feelin fluey

Posted on December 10, 2007 | 1 comment

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!!

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, Butterbean's HE, daubing and making, early maths skills, General, geography, history, numeracy, pre reading, science, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE