Author Archives: HHaricot

Feeling blah

hmm, i spent most of last night awake or having parent type nightmares, so not full of any joys today, and have found it hard to engage. this on its own annoys me, as i have so little time with the family that i should use it to the full.

Girls did painting and playdough, handstand practice. SB can do that climbing up doors thing that Pea did with the portico walls a couple of years back. SHe read a DK book called time travellers, we did the roman and viking bit, then went to the exploration of america book about the vikings, and the eric the red and leif the lucky sonlight book. [i read those]. girls did lots of self directed play whilst i mooched.
piled out into the garden. chris mowed the lawn, i planted out some runner beans, and the girls helped/hindered each of us in turn. I mostly snuggled bb as she didn’t like the unaccustomed noise of the lawnmower!

thats about it. i made up a bit at bathtime and bedtime though. Sb and I are having a break from britannia and reading roald dahl

forgot, Sb has been goign on a bit about improbabilty of tooth fairies. and she noticed that father christmas seemed to have got some things from yellow moon. So she begged me to tell her the truth about tooth fairies. i temporised, but now after several days, with a direct tell me the honest truth, i have. so much desolation.

New Laptop Keyboard

it came under the category of essentials! Hoping for good weather this weekend. In end of week totally shattered mood – have already fallen asleep 2ce – once with SB, next time on sofa. should wander to correct bed!

Thanks to Jax for introducing us to numb3rs.

Boughton House Open day

We all went with the not very local group yesterday to the open day of Boughton House – looking at how an estate works. weather so so! Very interesting.

The girls particularly loved the dogs I think, gun dogs and hunting dogs, sheepdogs etc. They stroked ferrets, grassnakes and slowworms as well as all the dogs, and also some owl chicks and an owl [all supervised!] SB was v good at asking questions, whether it be about dog training, bees, logging or sheep shearing! There was a good not quite enactment of the problems with the enclosures act – something not commonly done, and sparked a few conversations. SB was most happy to get a freshly logged mushroom! Good chris comment – you know the dog chap sounded scottish [yessss] well, thats because he came from scotland [duh!] Apparently chris meant their scottish estate! I chatted to what was prob the duchess about the wonders of home-ed whilst BB played with her dog.
Anyway, pictures to follow on flikr.

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We got home and SB did her violin practice and read books. We britannia-ed at bedtime and read when the tiger came to tea.

Today BB has been to baby gym, they have shopped, and SB has been to ballet and done violin. not sure what else. We had lychees and asparagus for tea [separately] 2 treats! yummy. Game playing and more britannia and tut’s mummy at bedtime. we are with sir francis drake in the first, and about to enter the tomb in the second.

Help Find Madeleine McCann

Madeleine McCann went missing from her hotel room in Portugal on 3rd May. It is believed she may have been abducted in order to be trafficked for adoption or abuse. Please publicise this photo on your blog or flickr accounts in the hope that someone may recognise her. She has a distinctive right eye flash which may help identify her. The international number for Crimestoppers is +44 1883 731 336

Help Find Madeleine McCann

I’m not sure my blog has a wide readership at all. I’m not sure that this will help, but cynicism certainly wont. It’s simple to do so I urge you to do it too. Photo from flickr by searching for her name. First seen at Patch of Puddles Blog.

There is a new flickr group called missing children.

languishing laptops

grruble grumble. chris took my fragile laptop to his parents and now keyboard? not working. i am using that dreadful on? screen keyboard.

girls watched cable there – a treat. i think sb did some maths and reading. when i and they got home we did violin. also read some egyptian stuff.

in the garden the coldframe lid has? been pushed or blown in and beheaded french beans – cry.potatoes coming up.

rainy day

well, we have had a fun day, though it seems unusual not to have been outside much! When I got up [i know, I know, really late!] SB was copying out the caterpillar poem from first language lessons for the well trained mind [lesson 2!!]. She really wants to improve her writing, but it doesn’t come easily to her. SO we are doing writing and getty and dubay to help.

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Hmm, trying to remember! SB certainly has done a fair bit of reading today. Ah, that’s right, she then got out an M and S body book and the DK pop out body book. SHe was particularly enjoying the fun facts. She has always had an interest in how the body works. I was reading to BB, who has been my little limpet today. SB also finished the polar bears magic tree house book – which she was very impressed with.

We had pancakes for lunch [rofl!] and then the girls did lots of playing with bricks. SB did a bit more writing, and BB and I sowed some melon and more runner and french beans. BB got a bit sleepy, so I read to her, and then she snuggled and fell asleep. SB did her gym practice – handstands, shoulder stands and trying backwards head over heels. SHe also did her violin practice.

I read the page of underground rivers from our lovely active geography of rivers book. We discussed the piccies, caves, what an acid was – remembered the coin in acid experiment! When BB had woken up, the girls played whilst i found the ingredients for the next experiment – making stalactites and stalagmites. Luckilly ours should be done within the week, rather than in years! SB did a line of writing on and off through the day. BB was keen to get out the gears, so we all ended up doing gears gears gears!

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don’t know what to blog

me and blog me are getting more dissociated these days. SO I apologise about the humdrum nature of my blogging!

Anyway, as Chris said, I have had a tough week this week. Wasn’t helped by insomnia for part of the week, and on thurs, waking up at 2am convinced I had missed a call from work, so ringing in – to their bemusement. i spent 2 days interviewing. on the thurs we interviewed for 11.5 hours, with a sum total of 50 mins break spread out amongst that! I could have cried for some of the candidates. these are those that we didn’t shortlist, but everyone now has an interview at their first choice. i think when we do the specificity and sensitivity we will have good specificity, and reasonable sensitivity. Well, in our area [geographical and discipline] anyway.
[ps I am watching the eurovision while I type - which may cause neural disturbances!]

so today was a lovely rest. i have done bits with SB in the week -mostly games and reading, but violin hasn’t happened! As well as the magic tree house [and yes, you can borrow some books merry if you want!] i also got some leap through time books, one about pompeii which I think is partic fab. SB and I have read britannia at night, and she is working through reading sonlight tut’s mummy lost and found to me. i loved my present. I think there is real artistry in the gold shapes on the silver tinfoil. She has also done handstand practice [rofl] every evening.

So to today. I had my saturday lie in, both girls were reading books on the bunkbeds, and then stickering. SB did some maths. it was a revision adding /subtracting/ number bonds type bit, so she raced through it. BB and i were making walls and towers with bricks, and reading. SB also did some lovely brick building – though BB knocked down as fast as they went up! I read SB and BB another story from the barefoot mothers and daughters book. SB and I the read some of the Xray buildings book – starting with pyramids. [i might link some of these books!]

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We had lunch and then spent most of the rest of the day outside working and playing in the garden. I failed to do some violin with SB. I weeded, chris and the girls spread much for the french and runner bean trenches, chris put in the canes. We looked at the fish, a waterworm and various garden beasties. SB and BB sowed some round carrots. Actually there is a half price seed sale on the thompson and morgan site! [cough]SO I bought some more seeds [cough]. SB was ecstatically happy with the round carrot seeds as she has wanted some for ages, as well as the dwarf french beans that can go in her plot! That’s my girl. She danced about with the packets in excitement! Actually, the carrots they sowed in their plot ages ago have started to come up, as have the runner beans [goodness knows where they will run too! might give each a cane!!]

sowing 'round' carrots
Anyway, lots of outdoor play, handstands and headoverheels practice [BB also determined to learn!] races, climbing and messing about. After a grump about whether SB could be naked outside like BB [I sort of feel she is at the age of knickers, but admit that I don't have much of a defence here] we then cheered up with a hand of rummy together, and then all painted outside. SB did mirror paintings of butterflies and caterpillars. BB painted a caterpillar too.

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We had a raucous bath as the girls insisted i got in too as my feet were dirty [they were]. Thank goodness for an enormous bath hey!! We even put the bubble machine on – not for long as BB wasn’t convinced by it. tea and more tut’s mummy and britannia [liz 1] and bed.

so, now well into the voting for eurovision -rofl still. Oh, and it turned out quite well for a not knowing what to blog blogpost!

bulgaria

its got to be

oh, maybe slovenia

potentially interesting things

kirby hall knights and princessess 26-28 may

rockingham castle jousting 19th june

festival of history, kelmarsh 11, 12 aug

audley end apple day 30th sept

so the rest

typing this round bb – so difficult!

I had a lie in. I’m not sleeping well, and tend to fall asleep 4am and wake wake up with BB at 6-ish and then where possible have a second shot at sleep. I am lucky that chris lets me do it, but it does take more time away form the children.

Whilst I was snoozing, both girls had a wild hama-fest. even BB did a lovely job with the midi beads. SB did me a pattern and put an M in it for mummy, and a lovely wrapping up [luov to mumee from SB]. BB also proud of hers, and we took a picture.

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Both girls also did some colouring in and then some drawing. I read some apple tree farm books to BB, SB read some to herself and then some magic tree house to me. SB then did some violin practice – she declares this new violin is too heavy to hold!
BB did some playdough before lunch and I read to SB some of the rivers book described below. We did the ill fated experiment after lunch! Weather ed indeed!!

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The girls then did lots of outdoor play and running about – getting v wet! Chris finished sorting out the greenhouse, so I moved loads of things there ready to get ready for the great ourdoors [toms for indoors, cucurbits, runner and french beans and sweetcorn] I gave them a good water and some rooster feed.

BB wanted to do happy maize [do you still have any Merry?], so she started on that, and SB did some fimo – she made a face pencil topper and some beads. When she did the hair with our garlic press [thanks merry!] BB also wanted a go. luckily BB made a nice colour rather than brown out of her bits squished together, and lot of hair!

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The girls watched some TV and I hoed the onions and chris made tea. BB fell asleep and had to be jiggled awake – and why I have been blogging with her in my arms! oh, we joined up the princess hats!
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obviously finishing this blog a bit later! SB had britannia and read me a story from usborne young readers for bed. i am getting mentally prepared to go back to work tomorrow. Have a presentation to write as well!

Anyone who hasn’t stated a castle day preference, either email me or go to the protected post below. Thanks