we are back from a fab week at Christmas Camp. One of the surprising joys of home education for me has been the finding of firm friends via the internet, who crossed over from imaginary to real friends by the home ed camps. These were initially Muddlepuddle camps at Melrose and Kessingland open to allcomers, but the Nic Christmas camps are friends only and we are happy to be on the invite list 
. This year we were in Okehampton and it was snowy
We went down via mum and dad’s, said farewell to some of our baby bunnies – Olive, Tweedledum and Hamster. Tweedledum and Hamster being a last minute rehoming I hope they are all settling in well. The girls were rather devastated to be losing the babies, as they were hoping to keep them all – but I am v happy knowing that they have happy homes to go to. . I stayed up late chatting to mum and doing family hugs.
SO an easy drive down to Okehampton, third there, just pipped there by kirsty and co and we were sorted. Hugs, hoorays and beginning the dinner. we ran bets on the order of arrivals, and we were mostly right. Nice to see everyone in real life and give and receive hugs and benedictions . jacket potatoes cooked – amazing for a youth hostel – and eaten in convivial style and game on for holiday
we played games and drank mulled wine [diet coke mostly for me], ate cake and caught up. Children raced around like loons and also caught up . Actually SB mostly spent the evening with Kirsty’s A – which isn’t the most common exclusive pairing – and they made some really fab christmas cards for everyone between them, and were really lovely with the drawing and sharing.
So most of the week we only saw the girls at meal times and bedtimes, tho we both periodically wandered to see what they were up to and make sure happy. They always were and seemed to have had a fab time. Nice to see BB with her own posse of friends – J, R, J in partic. SB was far more fluid with who she spent time with. Both played many games tho with many friends and had a fab time with no fallouts and flounces [that made it to my ears ]. SB has said that she missed C and B, both in france on en famille trips, and is looking forwards to seeing them again.
So what did we grown ups do then?? well, a reasonably large amount of kitchen and catering – i enjoy cooking for a group, so this is no hardship, partic when giggling with the other kitchen krew. We played board games, ate cake, drank tea, ministered to each others worries, prepared activities and gossiped. I didn’t get to play music with Em – due to migraine 
I begin to think hostels have a something or other that triggers migraine, as cleared as i was driving home – and i was v stressed then! but we did spend an evening writing out carol music and teasing each other, which was v pleasant. i didn’t get to see my friend Shaula either, as snow stopped play
communal things were common tho Monday we had a geocache walk with our girls, lecielrouge family and a number of friends. I felt fairly honoured that I got to take out ‘wherethedaysgo’ F as well. Failed to find the first one, and I had to return with the youngest walkers and the coldest walkers – 
The others found the second geocache, and then found the first one on the way back. It was a beautiful day tho for the walk, bright and crisp and even. Looking forward to seeing our pics [daddybean is in charge of those, as much more brutal with the final cut] In the eve we had the birthday parties. A and J were near enough 40, BB at 6 and S at 8. 17 cakes on a table to celebrate that [photo to add of course ] and they were fairly swiftly polished off in order of chocolateyness. BB was ecstatic with the cake, the general singing, and particularly the fab presents ppl seem to just know what i like – she said – big grin . I was v pleased J and A liked there presents too, and they had seemed to work. Their fav pics of kids on large canvas bought with love from all of us [and a little bit of panic!] Camp Curry night, which went really smoothly, except the hostel had a distinct lack of big saucepans, so we did 3 rounds of 5 small saucepans.
Tuesday was a camp historyetc, predominantly on phoenicians, but with added plague of frogs we tiedyed canvas purple – as they developed purple dye from snails. we used red cabbage tho . we made bracelets out of ‘glass’ beads, as they also developed glass. We made tanit charms from fimo – isn’t fimo fab and also made a plague of frogs from paper plates – and it did look like a plague by the end. we didn’t get to the peg dolls, and we didn’t get to do geologyetc either, but loads of kids did some of it, and loads did all, so chalking it up as a success . I didn’t get to go geocaching in the aft, having persuaded ever so many other ppl to go, as BB decided to stay in and make more [and more] frogs, but daddybean went out and all seemed to be great fun. gallons of hot choc drank on everyone’s return tho. Stew night, which was delish, and Z and I did some v genteel dumpling throwing, then wrapped the veggie stew up well whilst the chaotic and crazy meat dumpling throwing went on 
Weds was the Pennywell Nativity. We did this 5 years ago, and SB was spectacularly sick on the way, so we took a longer but straighter route this time Arrived in good time to eat packed lunch in FREEZING barn. the kids looked at the animals, and I sat by the only source of heat lots of ppl migrated towards it. it was almost like being by one of those bins on a picket line. the nativity was great, SB was the angel gabriel and BB sat with me. I loved that SB asked 2 diff staff members why she couldn’t have been able to say the words, as they weren’t difficult. SHe didn’t get much of an answer i was told several times i did a beautiful descant – giggle! not the only one tho. I think the HE parents much more of a rousing joining in crowd than school teachers and parent helpers. Lovely Father xmas was slightly ditzy doling out pressies, but both girls happy. I was v much bemused by the reindeer head singing country – odd!! We went home via marble place, bought some marbles, looked at the history, watched the demonstration, and pressed as many buttons as poss for the fab marble runs . unfortunately on way home migraine started to be pretty awful, so didn’t help with dinner, and instead had short nap. SB loved doing the bells with E in this time, and BB played with J in our room with their new lorries. E and I then wrote out our carol extravaganza, making them all in G, with tune, cello, easy violin, easy recorder and clarinet parts. 6 carols in total. took us ages [and then the next morning, realised gone wrong with transposing for clarinet so redid 3 of them]. finally set about gaming, but ended game when spilled the coffee – at least all over our game rather than someone elses . v late night.
Thurs unfortunately for me, migraine no better. SB rehearsing a play for most of the morning, BB watching films and being a bit under the weather. Lots of cuddling required. Daddybean in the kitchen for this meal, I just helped with plating out. this was the grand christmas dinner, and delicious it was too particularly the nut roast. lots of chatting and noise and cheer. We unwrapped secret santas, and were all v happy with those that we received, and the recipients of ours seemed to be happy too – always a relief .There was a play by the children, which had much more of a plot than last year, and we all enjoyed watching, then the christmas carols, sung and played with gusto and occasional correct notes admirably held by E as conductor and encourager. finally a grad shift of children to bed and initial tidy and pack ready for the morning.
i am unkeen to blog friday as it all went disastrously wrong for us, with SB slipping and breaking both her front teeth, and will poss need to lose one of them and have the other rebuilt. 
i feel so bad about it, she is trying to be so brave and it was so scary for her and is still v painful. deep breaths. But i do want to say a BIG thankyou to KIRSTY for asking for a classicfm request for us as we drove home <3 x x x
in true oscar fashion, would also like to thank Nic and Ady our hosts, and our other friends that made another memorable holiday.
photos on flickr
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