Category Archives: General

Dereham, Bird’s Eye View 1966



Dereham, Bird’s Eye View 1966, originally uploaded by suewhite.

sometimes flickr can take you to unusual places. my nan is living here and was then. i can see her house

christmas is coming

how did i start off ahead and then end up behind?? i just don’t understand?
anyway, this week the girls and chris went to his parents yesterday, did some HE stuff, baking and generally having fun. today they went to a christmas party at city2 and really enjoyed that. we mad some sweeties altogether when i got home, and we have all decorated boxes for them to go in [which i am desperately hoping will be dried tomorrow morning!
on the house front we now have the roof insulated and have bought some door curtains, so must get them up, as our elec and gas bills are creeping up!
tomorrow to little nanny’s house to drop presents off [if dry!] as she is off to aunty M for xmas

hearting

today i took my first and second anatomy classes ever! and no-one managed to accidentally dissect off their own fingers either. no fainting, and i think they all did well. we did have some ground rules – if you stopped wanting to do it, stop doing it and tell me. if you want me to do it and show you, tell me, and when you’ve ‘found something’ let me tell you what it is. so we found lots of things. I just managed without gloves as there was only enough for kids by going ‘in role’ and that way i could also block out the smell of the abbatoir! not that i have ever been in one, but still… since the majority of the kids were veggies like me i think we all have a pat on the back. but they did all seem to v much enjoy it, and they found everything. we only had one leaver, and that was after everything found, and i think the smell was becoming a bit much. hopefully no nightmares… the littlies did other stuff as well with listening to hearts etc, and i must listen to one of them again, as well as getting the biguns to do it. this is a rather fab website with various sounds on it, as is this one, and i will revise before next week!.

Michelle kindly took all the pictures this time, as my hands were somewhat too mucky for the camera – though actually they didn’t make much mess at all [to my surprise]. hopefully i will get a juicy big email of them, or something!! ANyway, the piece de resistance came at the end, as one had a lung attached and most people had a go at inflating it with a straw. [ady mr health and safety prob wouldn't think this such a good idea, but they each had their own straw!] anyway, c and SB inflated one side fully to everyone’s delight. i def did not want a go – yuk!

we cleared it all away and opened windows and doors, and maybe i should have taken a scented candle, but the smell did dissipate, and thanks katy for hosting something that wasn’t particularly pleasant! the biguns did latin – sb said it was chapter 4, and v happy with that, and the littlies did french – bb even stayed in the french, which made life easier for me.

J had made a fab cake to celebrate gina’s birthday, so we sang to her and enjoyed the cake! some playing and we came home to find the loft insulators leaving – hoping to cut down on a few bills. must put up the curtains for doors as well.

SB had a brownies party and then received her judo certificate. I have to say the judo cert is fab. i must photo and flickr. it is a work of art [and free]. i am still migrainous, but settling, so back to work tomorrow, so i must do some stuff for work [hence early blog, as a distraction!]

My New Violin Case

thanks sis

thanks sis

I think it ticks all the boxes my sister wanted, including making me cry.

it has been refered to as ‘a pimped up maestro’ :lol:

violin case decisions!

still humming and hawing over this one, or this one [it is being bought for me]

actually, i have read a few violin forums, and I might be decadent and get this one.

Both the maestro and elipe do well, and the maestro is a bit heavier, but i don’t travel with violin in hand much any more…

rievaulx abbey in the snow



IMG_4095, originally uploaded by Scrumbledelicious.

Post camp Day

is always a bit of a psychological low really!
ANyway, the girls were structured by me, and did a fair bit of HE whilst chris got the tree – SB did maths, spelling, handwriting, music theory and piano practice and read a bit about columbus and about about mediaeval food. BB did some maths and before the code, and then loads of letter writing. we read about megs eggs in french alltogether, and also a daughters of eve story
We were all a bit fractious but the girls tree is up and decorated, and the big one has a lights problem, so we grownups are a bit fed up with christmas lights. i did my first opitec order, and may never do one again, their website being so awful. i have been looking at violin cases for xmas pressie as well.
oh, and i have made some tablet. we all watched the first harry potter, now sb says she is ready for it, and she really enjoyed it.

A Snowy Helmsley camp

we were lucky enough to go away with friends last week to a YH in Helmsley. We had a v fab time!
the girls got to run around and play with friends – for SB this included DS and board games, and BB mostly ran around and played, a new group of littlies are finding their feet as a girl posse! i do wonder who BB seems to have acquired the love of all things doctor who from…
Crafting happened too – making candle holders, paper xmas light covers and paper plate angels. Also numerous colouring opportunities, all much appreciated.
games were played, we took castle keep and hisss, and they were both played loads of times, as easy games to set up, get the rules and get going. others brought ticket to ride, settlers of catan, Puerto Rico, carcassonne and blokus. again played, but often with an adult too [often me, the babs or em, as we v much like playing games!!] i think we may get settlers as well.
music was made – this was my highlight TBH, and a v selfish one! Em brought some telemann and bach, and tues am i sight read at various levels of awful, and then thurs am we played ‘out in the open’ i really really LOVED it! thanks SOOO much Em. we moved on to christmas carols, all transposed so that assorted violins and recorders could just play a D for most of them as a drone, and it worked reasonably OK. The other music making i enjoyed was a rendition of abba songs via mamma mia. quite a dreadfully corny chick film, but with plus plus feel good factor, and the singalong rendition. we have promised not to say who projected the film as it may ruin that persons image…
talking of ruined images, Nic Knits!!! [where is that jaw dropping smiley when you need it!]
friends christmas – great secret santa presnets given to us, and we enjoyed making them for others. christmas dinner with friends, carols and mulled wine.
erm, yes, snow!! what a fabulous addition to any CHRISTMAS camp. we adults could take nice photos and the children could – and did – go wild playing in it. for BB it was def the most exciting and fantastic part of the camp.
good hosts! as always lovely spending time with Nic and Ady, and it all went wonderfully. We adults enjoyed spending time together, as well as the children. But i perhaps should have gone to bed a bit earlier!
out and abouting. we went to rievaulx abbey and it was v fab in the snow, and didn’t make it into helmsley castle due to it being too icey. oh well!
A stop with Jax on the way home, and there we are. sure there is stuff to add later though!

musical mondays – advent music

i am sorry, i have a sneaking suspicion that the whole of december will be filled with christmas carols – which i adore! so i will start with a proper advent hymn!
yay! i love, adore etc christmas carols. and my spine starts to tingle, and i smell the cinnamon/cloves and oranges!

packing, and the first scent of christmas!

here it comes, i can feel it in the air!! we spent today tidying, sorting and packing. SB did a fab piano practice, i did a short violin and piano. both girls did a lot of sewing – v cute and homeschooly!! they helped chris make a christmas cake. chris made his secret santa. both girls did some maths. BB did loads of maths, and has insisted on packing her maths books. SB has insisted on some french books for katy to read :rofl:
erm, we did some ballet moves and gym moves. we made more xmas cards, we wrapped the secret santas, we watched merlin. somehow the day seemed busier than that! oh, and they spent ages making polyhedrons. still doesn’t seem as busy in blogland as it did in real life though!