i had a compassionate day off work today to go and say goodbye to uncle r. unfortunately he wasn’t well enough for all of us. and when i suggested yesterday at work that i didn’t need it, i think the sobbing went against me, so i was told not to come in. actually i should have gone in, as i had loads to sort out: otoh, actually in my job i need a fully functioning headspace, so could see their point.
SO i have had the bliss of part time working this week, and i really like it! hmm, to whether i will ever manage to negotiate it for a full time thing, and then how the money would stretch, but hey, one thing at a time!
i got up late, after having listened to sb playing her recorder. when i got down, she was doing some Junior Science Book 1
then total mayhem as my amazon order for me arrived. i decided to treat myself to an escape route, so have bought The Clan of the Cave Bear + The Valley of Horses (Earth’s Children series)
I didn’t forget the girls entirely, i bought SB this The Roman Mysteries Treasury
SO BB bashed away with the boomwhackers, sounding surprisingly gamelan or chinese and SB stuck her nose in the flavia gemina book!! i did some work emails. following a melt when BB got rather too enthusiastic with the boomwhackers [Gina, exactly how robust are they] she retired to watch the french is fun DVD and SB did some maths. I read loads of fairy stories, then lunchtime [late!]
Afternoon for SB and I was a long game of Puerto Rico
it being sunny, we then all decamped into the garden, bb had some flower seeds she wanted to scatter across the veg patch, i had cucurbits and beans to get out, and SB was keen to help. so that was what we did this pm. not got all the beans out, as had to spend some time untangling them from each other!
girls settled down to playing and chalking [ie making shapes out of hunks of chalk just like at the sustainability. and i read Honey in a Hive (Let’s-Read-And-Find-Out Science: Stage 2)
A quick yesterday summary:
SB and Maddy had a great time playing together, lots of games where got out and played, and SB loved it. BB also pottered along, either with them or with chris, quite happy. BB had a gym taster session, and was really ecstatic about that. unfortunately M’s ear started to hurt and she went home before i got in from work, and so missed the astronomy night. we, however, all looked at the moon again, and some of the stars, seeing if we could find galaxies [no - must look more at the map next time!!]
and eventually, after some kids gaming mostly happily [though a few injuries sustained!!] we got ready to go out.
SB and BB also had some injuries and needed some tlc – luckilly available from others as i had no plasters. But a great w/e with friends, thanks all.
, but was distracted on looking up lotus flowers and read a book about nefret working for 
and then about 
because the book was nearbye!
and 
Both got to do some recorder lesson with Gina, SB did a little piano, then we had lunch there before heading off to another new thing.
, 
,
and also a map. [i think alison is right, i have too many books! ] Following up on recommendations on the blog ring, we also looked at a bit of 
which i also like very much and would recommend.
kit. which BB was fascinated with for the hour or so i was reading the above books to SB. SB then also had a bit of a play. We are going to do some of our own! and then we had lunch 
since i have no artistry. Speaking of lack of artistry i found all the ‘special’ paintbrushes had obviously been used on a previous occasion and not washed out. what is worse, they have glitter particles and glue – aargh! i think i need a mummy only shelf!
[which frequently makes me cry]. i guess we are pretty much done! chris read 
to SB for bed time, and now, having had a lovely sunny weathered, sunny mood day, it is apprentice time.
and built on that with a bit of conversation and description. also looked at some stone age books 
and i think just generally played in the sun. OOOH I remember!! we went easter egg hunting at ‘the big house’ [which is v lovely!] BB cycled there and back as she is ace now at cycling. she can also get herself going now. she was enjoying skidding on the gravel there, and did come off, unfortunately. the other thing we did was bribe the girls 1p for every dandelion flower they picked. this is chris’s idea to cut down on the seeds floating about. i think 10p per plant with some root might have been a better bet. this has cost us about a fiver so far!! SB did some VR [has finished the NVR book]
. this was about marco polo, and both SB and BB were quite enthusiastic about it, so i read around with 
, and then put up the play tent, and chris got out his spacepacker, so a fair bit of tenting and general play went on. i finished my book 
. actually will recommend this one 
, that i read whilst away, and also this one 
, but i left this one 
in the travelodge as disliked intensly – and gave me nightmares and an unsettled feeling which is no good if there is no husband to cuddle!! [i think the amazon reviewers are in agreement!]
, and 
[obviously one of BB's books!!]