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this week was a bit of a get house presentable rather than diy SOS central. so not so much to update there, but at least ok for guests BB was amazing, she actually tidied her bedroom and the playroom. She did the playroom with no fuss!! exceptional! tues was art again – and no, no photos yet, but should i get some i will add them. fri was conservation group and weds was film ed day. so i am going to skip over the whole week and go straight to the weds film

we saw monsters university. it was a great film, made me laugh and alyhough not as good as the original it did have some nice touches. here we are with friends in the cinema

ok, it is tood ark to see much but there are 9 excited kids there, aand then 4 parents sat a bit away. the row behind was all home educated kids too. we all enjoyed it and then came back to eat and play at mine. i had thought we might do ‘something’ but instead the kids played games – board and minecraft – and the adults chatted, played piano, planned.

oh, and i nearly forgot, we celebrated a birthday with cake and song, as you should

here is my fav

I had planned to go out and do an autumn walk, or go to a national trust place, but actually, BB and I mostly chilled. I really needed a low key weekend, and feel much better for it tho do actually wish we had gone out to the national trust. will take the cousins there next weekend perhaps.

SO saturday I made chutney with my helper BB who actually was pretty useful . We did some home ed together – the things she saves for me French and collins grammar book. They went pretty easily TBH. She then did some glass bottle painting whilst I was stirring and more stirring. Good use of diet coke bottles.

And we both felt that we were in need of lots of cuddles and snuggles, and had a ticklefest and rootiepooties and generally v happy Sunday was also a snuggly day we did some piano and had a bit of a waily moment over nets in maths, but having used our polydrons it was magically easy again always fab to have just the right resource at the right moment!! We read our letters from SB, and wrote a card to her. Played a few games – sata and biberbande.

Alfie the tortoise and a good wash and scrub – much as he hates it – and he looks nice and shiny. It also perked him up as he has been racing around since then. we found a length / weight chart for tortoises – see below – and had some fun getting friends to weigh and length their torties too. A bit of legoing – mostly me wthing and finding and not allowed to actually do anything

Day finished snuggling some more watching atlantis and then david attenborough in africa. He is getting to look preciously old, the kind of age where you take a deep breath knowing your time with a loved one is short. I have never met him, but he has had such an effect on me and mine.

lovely chilled weekend DH and I finished the day with star trek movie

Well, there isn’t really an update because it is going to be 2 more weeks before we speak to SB. A whole 3 weeks in total . That is a long time. En famille is tough on families left behind. Had a letter from SB though lovely lovely. I love reading it, hearing her words, making me smile. Deep breath! Hope she enjoys her 2 weeks out of school on holiday. Hoping her French family do send us some pics ( please)

I love charts and graphs and sb was a victim of this in her first year and I did loads of heights and weights! I have found a new outlet for this a height and weight chart for tortoises. So after Alfie had his bath – which he hates – he then had a weight and line up. He is lighter than average for his length but away from the 2sd mark. Not being Gove I understand averages tho will make sure growing along curve now we have started measuring.

Our new bathroom has not only involved updating and replumbing a lot of the hot and cold water system, but also a relook at the central heating controls. When we moved in, we were surprised that whatever we did to the thermostat heating was an all or nothing affair. Surprised that is until Dh took the controls apart and realised it hadn’t been wired into the system! The heating controls tho are old fashioned and pretty inaccessible so Dh has moved and upgraded them

Oh and here is what the plumbing to the loft looks like – shiny

It is going to be hidden by a stud wall, and the shower is going to go in front. Also a stud wall on the other side of the bathroom as easier apparently than making good. will loose perhaps 10cm from room by these 2 combined, but should be OK. I was hoping for the bathroom to be finished before christmas camp, but a bit concerned now, as all the preliminary work has taken so long. But it is definitely best to build our bathroom on a solid footing

I have done my best to not stink the house out making chutney by keeping all the doors closed and the kitchen windows open. It is a labour of love making chutney, but yummy scrummy . SOme of our last courgettes have become marrows, the perfect thing to use in marrow and ginger chutney other ingredients being carrots, onions – so easy to grow, and the spices, sugar and vinegar.

my recipe is from oded schwarz book The Preserving Book which i have had for many years

so here are the ingredients, and a photoblog devoted to chutney

and done

I did make a mistake and used pepper rather than mustard seeds, but it tastes delish