all going well – very nice time by all, weather lovely. Some of the blogring [and ex blogring] got sunburned by sitting drinking in one position for far too long [avoided pressure sores though]. A rather close to home member of the blogring forgot to take poles for the tent, so is still be very nice to me to make up!! Thank Goodness that the HEMUK crew took a spare tent!
Busy back at work, so no time to go into any details. Wish you all were there enjoying too though
Posted in General, Out and About, Stringbean's HE
Today at work noticeable for the massive thunderstorm, and my introduction to the NHS IT chaos in the making which is choose and book!
got home just before the beans returned from nursery. I had my dig it out dinosaur fossil from ebay arrive and a book today – SB thought it was great, and with very little finesse, it is done! SHe was most impressed though, so worth the ?3. I have found somewhere that sells them not on ebay for a little bit less [must check postage], so may buy a few and get them out periodically. also does some egyptian ones too. WIll buy one for nephews birthday to go with jigsaw.
We then went out in the garden to play catch – SB getting better at catching a ball [not one of the family's great skills] Then we picked loads of broad beans for tea – yummy. Whilst waiting for tea [mum cooking] we did some of the puzzle bits on webland. oh, and the fairy garden has germinated, so very happy.
SO although i was at work, I think today I still mnanged to touch base with SB in a good way. SHe had fun at nursery with her friends, and they did ‘PE, playing and eating’!!!!
BB definitely getting more determined to get own way – so yet another strong willed girl in the family. She is quite surprised when she shunts herself backwards, but think she’s getting better at it. SHe’s eating more, and feeding less, and nearly sleeping through! I am finding expressing hard going, but really want to keep the BF going. Life is going to calm down a bit, and I need to keep going until then.
Little Nanny starting to walk. The physios doing a good job, but still way off actually walking, and she is getting fed up. She is a bit confused and a bit depressed, but when she gets back to her won home I think a lot will improve.
ANyway, stagecoach tomorrow, and we will set off at 2 ish, so arrive perhaps 5 ish?? save a big khyam space for us. [don't know our number, but we are pretending to be the clarke's] Look forward to sharing a chat with all those going, meeting old and new faces. I’m not as nervous as I was for Melrose, so actually enthusiastic rather than resigned!
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, gardening, General, Stringbean's HE
and what a profound sense of relief it brings! humidity must be getting to me.
must remember to get chris to take wine with us!!
Posted in General
so, to recap!…
well, a fair bit this week we have discussed the aboriginal art in our ‘home ed’ [!] room. So today SB and I made some dreamtime pictures. she was really enthusiastic, and as well as dots and footprints, we had lizards, barramundi and honey ants.
We looked up australia n the map, and some of my photos. ALso discussed different animals – AKA the ones in koala brothers! Her geography puzzle book has a dreamtime story about Uluru [ayers rock].
other ed type stuff was in discussing dinosaurs [a recurrent theme] and how the earth was formed. I am going to have to buy fantasia I think!
A lot of bouncing on the spacehopper, climbing, splashing in pool etc also carried out.
BB spent most of the time in the pool so as to keep cool – still blotch queen, but no longer worrying about it being rubella – phew. SHe also enjoyed playing with bead frame and some sponge balls. On lying on her tummy this evening, she managed to push herself backwards, so I think mobility phase commencing.
Mum and Dad staying as Little Nanny still n hospital, surgery seemed to go well, but she still can’t walk, and she and physio getting frustrated. And Little Nanny starting to loose hope a bit again. i am sure it is early days, but understandably there is some panic/consternation about what happens if she can’t walk.
I had a rough on call this week, but made it to the clinical governance meeting. I have to say I feel pulled in all directions in the moment, and it is difficult to retain focus and determination. Just keep breathing!!
i just want to be able to have more home-ed/family days and less stress days at the moment. I think my SB time is again suddering – though with the family around she seems OK with it.
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, geography, history, Stringbean's HE
Happily the GP gave Butterbean the all clear. It isn’t German Measles, probably a random innocuous virus, possibly an allergic reaction to something. So still gogin to Kessie
Yay! 
Posted in General
mum and dad brought little nanny to our house on the way to their house. she fell over and is hospital with fractured neck of femur and for dynamic hip screw tomorrow.
she is being very stoical – again. we’re wishing for a straightforward op and speedy recovery
Posted in General
After the last day, I thought every so often I would capture a day in photos again, fairly randomly every once in a while to see what happens.
Today started with me making maggie and the ferocious beast stories up in our bed,, until my obvious sleepiness and halfheartedness persuaded SB to get up! She the started making her fairy garden with daddy – its an M and S kit, with marigolds and cornflowers, and some cut out fairies and a castle.
next was stage coach, where they are practising zippedeedoodah and summer holiday and sun has got its hat on for the end of term concert. SB has decided she definitely likes stagecoach, so thats good. Next sept she will go to ballet in the village as well.
On her return we finished the fairy garden, and put it in a heated propagator to get it off to a good start in the conservatory. While there we heard a live brass band, and remembered it was the float procession through the village today, so SB and I nipped out to the village centre to watch the floats and listen to the band.
Lunch was a pittapocket picnic on the lawn. very nice, and BB woke up, so had her puree on the lawn as well. Unfortunately, being nap free she also pooped on the lawn – sigh!
SB then played on her bike, my hammock and the climbing frame before settling down to pasticine and the monster stick in bits. however, when I brought a bowl of water and some plastic toys for BB to play with, this seemed much more fun, so she got her own bowl to do some more float/sink experiments. BB continued playing with the water all afternoon [with some snacking!]
When SB was starting to be a bit more adventurous with the water [over BB] I got out the paints and paper, and we cut out some stamps from sponges and did stamp picutres – very nice! even an alien world with two huge red suns. So I think we’ve caught up a bit on the craft front.
Before dinner she got out the cuisinaire rods and made patterns with them, and discussed with me the different steps you could make, and which ones to put together to make same lengths. She hasn’t assigned numbers to them. We then did some complicated game she made up, with looking at the phonics flashcard with her bouncing on the spacehopper, and me kicking a ball to her that she had to catch in a cup – a la mouse trap! She read out cat and knew it was cat. was really pleased when she red out fox and knew it was fox, until she admitted she had seen a flash of the back! She went off to teach daddy them with dinner.
After bath she got out her leappad and did the mother goose music one, and the richard scarry one. Both her and BB dancing to the music, with me and SB also singing. Bedtime stories, and the end of the day.
BB mostly investigated grass, a few toys, wriggling around and water today, with a bit of da teh and ra practice and lots of feeding. A bit of dancing, throwing about and general larking about~!
Weather was hot – luckilly a fair bit of shade in garden. We had a lovely day. I have got a box for chris for next week with some maths, some phonics and early readers, bit on the body, bit on people/religion, bit on garden wildlife and bugs so that should fit emergency ideas!
photos will be added to this a bit later.
Added by Chris
SB was having boiled egg for tea. ‘So what is egg yolk made from?’
‘Um, well…’ couldn’t think really of any sensible terms to use for 4 year old, so deflected the question by talking about what it is used for instead.
Posted in art and crafts, Blogging, Butterbean, gardening, General, literacy, music, numeracy, SB-PE, science, socialisation, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE
this says for ages 8 and above, but looks interesting – as well as fairly cheap!
hass anyone used them? I only ask, as SB and cousin M had a real thing this hols about excavating dinosaurs.
have done a home ed day on camera today, s will blog again later
I think we may have what is called a mouser!
Does anyone want a mouse to dissect at kessie??
It was POETS day today for a change, so did some good sorting at work – a bit of clinical stuff, and then sourcing as cheap a touchscreen option as I could to use with a questionnaire.
Came home to find Chris had done emergency dash to Lidl, and bought the wooden no-pedal bike and a chair hammock. Ideally we wanted the no-peddler last year, but will still help SB balance, and will bring to Kessie. [we will have 2 cars]
could we have an idea on when any of the activities are planned? we know the wildlife thing on the tues and the lake on the wed. can’t think of anything good that i could do, especially as I’m working half the week. We will bring the lining paper and paints along though. just don’t want to miss basket weaving.
Also, although we are not exactly en route, if anyone wants a stop over on the fri, feel free. [cambridgeshire]
Anyway digression over. SB and BB were a nursery day. SB did some nice piccies there. when she returned, SB thought bike great, but preferred my hammock – we have piccies to upload at some time. Had a nice play in the garden – but very hot! Nice veggie curry for tea and then watermelon. More playing, and bath. both sb and bb being v slow to settle tonight
oh and i was the savador dali clocks, but there was at least 2 options that siuted me for each question, so not too sure!
Posted in General, Out and About, Stringbean