Author Archives: HHaricot

now, if I could take pictures

Posted on October 27, 2006 | 2 comments

I would show you one of the angellina ballerina firefly costume so far. must think about tiara and wings

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Posted in General

Life without a Lens

Posted on October 25, 2006 | Leave a comment

Is certainly very difficult! We have had people to stay and BB has been being unbearably gorgeous, and apart from video – which we rarely use – no mechanism of catpure. Unfortunately we have a 150 pounds excess on insurance, so not sure what to do.

This week was a bit of a stay in week, with Chris on Mon, and his parents came round on Tues, so the ‘match and sort’ has been going well, and SB doing more and more voluntary reading of books. We have also read a lot to her, particulary from the ‘I wonder why…’ series. We’ve thought a lot about seasons and changes. i’ve managed some piano lessons – yippee!
today we went to little Nanny’s. As I drove there we did our usual singing and qwuestions [always helps me concentrate on driving!] pointing out my favourite buildings [and SB's] on the way. She made me giggle by pointing out the roman road, and telling me it went in straight lines so the British couldn’t hide round the corners – she says this MUST be fact as heard on a CD [yep HH] – as I tried in vain to explain it was a joke. We do a lot of car ed.

little Nanny is well, she is having a knee replacement next week [much needed] and hopes to be more mobile aftr that. In her mid 80′s this is not something she takes lighlty, but having been housebound for a year, quality is more important than quantity. I can see though, however much she denies it, she is worried about surviving, so I have suggested she requests a spinal. I think she can take the noise of the orthopod, and spinal’s are better for cognitive function in the elderly – and she is worried about that too, as she hasn’t been as good since last years run of bad luck. SB made her a lovely picture card to take into hopsital with her, and also a beautiful hama star [which we can't photo!] threaded trhough with pink ribbon to make a talisman necklace. Bless her, but Nanny wore it all day. SB and BB were delightful.

When home we had a look at a human body book, and then to bed. I am filling in some dratted form for work to try and get pay progression. it is due in tomorrow, but I am doing it last minute cos it is a right pain. I don’t think I’ll be successful though – they are only going to give the points to 8 consultants in the trust. i should have given the form to Nic! [yep, I am distraction activitying still!]
Speaking of Nic, I have had a number of garbled texts this evening, so I guess they are having fun.

Hmm, I am charged with making a costume like angelina ballerina’s firefly one for halloween. I have bought some ribbons, and am planning to embellish a dress with it. I hope its OK – I am just not as good as seamstress as SB believes!

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Posted in art and crafts, General, history, literacy, music, numeracy, Out and About, science, writing

Another lovely sociable weekend

Posted on October 22, 2006 | 3 comments

We had Katy and B [or do you want me to use other names?]. The girls had a great time. As Jax blogged, she, tim , Big and Small crashed Friday – and were very welcome. This time leaving with nearly all their belongings! The triso of SB, K and Big disappeared instantly to play, and Small and BB had fun with the wacky wigglers again. it seemed very odd to be cameraless though. The girls had a very late night…

The next day there was a great deal of playing, with a judicious use of a DVD as a break, and some colouring time – making things that fly [a rather nice little 'experiment' set for both flight and visual permanence]. Actualy it was all of ours first time with iceage 2, and SB picked up on the Noah’s ark reference very quickly, and thought it very funny. Lots of playing with BB and a great deal of chatting! Home made pizza and a slightly earlier bedtime.

today more fun, particularly with fun blox and hama, so I felt a bit guilty sending Katy on her way home via Merry’s incase the stock cupboard proved too alluring! SB and BB were flaked so more hama and read books before the girls collapsed. Unfortunately BB reawoke and has only just sucumbed to morpheus again, so I am afraid Jax I haven’t looked at my rainbow resources catalogue.

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Posted in General, socialisation

Protected: One day in history – Helen’s

Posted on October 17, 2006 | Enter your password to view comments.

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Posted in General

Jax and co and catchup – edited!

Posted on October 16, 2006 | 2 comments

came to visit for the weekend. we will flickr, but I was a bit lax with my photography. the children disapperaed, BB is desperate to be one of the gang. Sb and Small took a few adjustments as she had him pegged as a BB game wrecker. Big and SB raced around having fun and very late nights! Jax taught us to make the heat little wool dolls. And we nattered. lovely weekend!

will stuff in a flickr photo when I get it though

before her arrival, some friends from leeds popped by on their way past, which was lovely. We all used to be in choir together. Their son is similar in age to BB. Much fun was had with bubbles.

forgot to blog that I had played some lovely games of set and scrabble with SB, baked with BB and done a fair bit of ‘normals’ with SB.

from the garden we have even harvested a pumpkin! Loads of brocolli is ready now as well, as a bonus

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, gardening, General, history, literacy, numeracy, socialisation, Stringbean, writing

one day in History

Posted on October 15, 2006 | 4 comments

istory Matters is asking people to blog on tuesday onto their blog, to get a record of what life was like at this time.

So, must remeber to do it here

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Posted in General

a home ed news story and an NHS

Posted on October 14, 2006 | 1 comment

from monster and teeny [and no, its not monster!] a 14 yr home ed offered a job by wallace and grommits makers. A reminder of how home ed works.

and the public are marching – will it do any good? over 1000 marched last week for our local hosp

And while I am doing this, both BB and SB have been singing along to the legions song!

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Posted in General

The last quiet weekend for quite a while

Posted on October 8, 2006 | 3 comments

Friday

got home to find the kitchen table covered in Fimo – had to explain to SB it was expensive, and stamped out houses and butterflies in the future would be done in playdough… lovely pig and mouse though modelled.

They had also been to another home educator in the morning for a playdate and to bake jam tarts.

Saturday

Basic explode the code and maths done. we are holding a while on adding and subtracting crossing a 10 until SB competently bored by it. She was so proud of her writing in explode the code that she asked me to take a picture of the page!

She spent ages on the latest webland - and that had a wild mushroom bit, so I got out our dried ones and looked at all their diff shapes, and also a nature book. This of course led me to make the mushroom risotto… We are prob going to go up to the webland 5-7 for a bit, and are still debating the education city. Oh for a bit more ready cash!

She coloured in a volcano page and we then looked a volcano book and then got distracted by the ‘universe‘ book we got from the book people. She’s getting good at UNO now. A fair bit of colouring in as well.
The rest of the day was spent playing outside and harvesting things, being ‘messed about’ – ie thrown up and around and using me and Chris as climbing frames.

BB and I played with the lego, did some pegboards and jigsaws, fuzzy felt and she really enjoys a good sing and dance, and also a tickle.

The evening ended with watching 2 epsiodes of ‘the trials of life‘ with david attenborough from the tesco’s rental [3 months for the price of 1 - not bad!]
Sunday

started of with very early cbbc dose, where i was requested to stay – aargh! BB brought me some toast though. both girsl did some playdough play after the glorious pancakes [second breakfast - turning into a hobbit!]

Out into the garden to enjoy the rays of sun when we get them. I did some pruning/hacking back whilst BB and SB ran about. SB did then help me with some de-ivying. Horrid job, spiders, dirt, dust and woodlice. SB enjoyed the woodlice though.

Lunch and BB having a nap and SB doing maths. Dding 10′s onto things – so easier than crossing the 10. Having basic conversations in French at the moment to spark an interest in learning. Still feeling we should be doing more with languages and music. [and perhaps even something!]. BB still napping so have struggled over origami and now we are jointly making up a story and enacting it with the origami animals.

BB awoke and the mayhem began! SB decided not to bake and went out to play, so i baked cookies with BB. When SB realised [despite being told] there was a mega wailing session, which didn’t really end, so she was quietened down with explode the code – I know, mean of me. BB and I jigsawed, built towers and steps with bricks, and then they both wailed! So I read some stories, and then popped them in the bath whilst Chris cooked tea.

om our return, Sb insisted on doing a bit more maths. then tea, and now she is screeching now into my ear for going up to bed, so so be it!

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, gardening, General, language, literacy, numeracy, writing

Mushroom risotto aka ‘The Curse of Quorn’

Posted on October 8, 2006 | Leave a comment

I made a gorgeous mushroom risotto with dried wild mushrooms and chestnuts [not dried!] and parmesan cheese.

It smelled and tasted delicious.

unfortunately, when I became pregnant with BB I had to stop eating quorn as it brought on the most amazingly hideous stomach cramps that felt like labour of the stomach and lasted 4 hours [note to people we might be visiting - no quorn please!]. Had it 2ce and stopped then realising the common ingredient.

Now, last night almost as soon as I had finished the delicious repast, the same happend. Initially i presumed I had eaten a deadly mushroom [I don't ever overreact!], but as CHris seemed fine and stayed fine, and I had the 4 hour stomah labour, eased marginally by maximal doses of all the various antacids/proton pump inhibitors and gavisocn I could find, I presume the curse of quorn.

Aaarrgh I love wild mushrooms. hmmm. Can’t be the porcini ones though as I have them alot

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Posted in Cooking, General

for the garden blog

Posted on October 7, 2006 | 2 comments

way late blogging, but the host has been very variable so i hven’t had access either.

so in summary. we have done particularly well with butternut squash and the festival squash [or was it celebration?] and 1 courgett plant has been great, 1 ok and nothing from the other. the pumpkins don’t seem to have done anything at all. The festival squash has loved rampaging across a trellis that was supposed to have peas on it.

The sweetcorn was OK, but not brill, but have just harvested the now dried out strawberry popcorn sweetcorn, so will give that a go later on.

The runners have bean OK and a good crop of broad beans, given their late start, but nothing much from french beans and peas disasterous – but they did coincide with a lot of missed attention, so probably down to us.

the onions and shallot harvest was good, but the garlic non-existant – not sure what happened to that.

the brassicas are still doing well, as sequentially cropping. the romanescu is a particularly smelly plant, and since we placed in the fruit bed near the house, are garden has smelled of cabbages all summer, so won’t do that again! they have had both large and small cabbage white caterpillars. The younger daughter has happily called them snakes and fed as many as possible to the waiting goldfish in the pond – so organic control there.

Potatoes were put in late, and since no sign of blight yet are still growing, and we will do a harvest later.

We had a surprisingly good carrot harvest considering the overgrowth with weeds. Both daughters have been particularly happy with this, mainly eating them raw.

the figs had a good harvest, and we had a few fruit on this years planting apple [but didn’t let it do too much so establishes. Ditto strawberries. the grapes on our vine are just ready to harvest, and we are harvesting bunches as we use them.

care of the greenhouse could def be better, so no aubergines, few chillis but did get some toms.

A lot of things suffered due to pressures at work really, and these aren’t likely to let of much next year. I think we will concetrate on just a few things next year, and half the patch perhaps, covering the rest wiht cardboard to minimise weeds.

pictures to follow

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Posted in gardening, General