Mud. Sand. Water.

Plant science took a back seat on Wednesday as instead we headed off to a local nature reserve with two other families. Trudging through the rain and equipped with fishing net, catapult, saw, hammer, and crazed spaniel, I guess, we must have looked a strange bunch.

The very small pink thing on the ridge of the tall sandy cliff? Yep, it's dd, the child that tells me she's scared of heights!

It's at times like this I remember all that I learnt about soil erosion and mudslides at university.
Yep, that tree looks darn precarious to me. That's it child, just terrify your mother by standing next to it.

Water, sand and mud. The best combination of playthings.

Catapult boy.

Don't try that 'I'm not up to anything' look with me!

Those crazy home educating families head home.

If you've ever read Puss in Boots then you'll know that Dick Wittington always carries his lunchbox in a pink fishing net.

It was Bertholt Brecht in the Bathroom with the Golf Balls on Wednesday

But first...let us start at the beginning.

A trip to the woods, via the water. Quite literally.

Nearly a 'You've Been Framed' qualifier:

Sawing wood for the fire

Cooking...

Marshmallows

Popcorn (in 2 sieves, wired together):

Home-made onion bhajis:

Baked potatoes (wrapped in thick foil trays):

Improvised fishing:
'I don't think you'll be much in the water in January.'

'I know. It doesn't matter. I just like to fish.'

Fungi...in all their variations:

The discovery of spores and their release (using pointy stick)

'Aren't some fungal spores toxic?'

'Hmm...shall we move on?'

A new path

Leading to a fab climbing tree:

And the golf balls? Well. It's amazing what you can find on a nature reserve:

Just one or two...bags full.

Later I share a gritty bath with some freshly-washed-with-nail-brush golf balls while I get to grips with Bertholt Brecht. Bless him.

I am brain of Britain (but shhh it's a secret)

Last night I answered 8 questions right on University Challenge. Perhaps they were particularly easy...or maybe I have a few more brain cells than usually displayed while cleaning the toilet or washing up. Don't worry, I'm not going to make a habit of being brainy. I know my place (somewhere between the kitchen sink and the chocolate display at the corner shop).




Yesterday we spent a wonderful day with friends, walking by the canal. Ds1 went off fishing with one of their sons (well ds1 dangled the rod optimistically over the edge of the bridge into the water, which is closer to fishing than he usually gets). My friend and I wandered along the tow path with small people leaning precariously over the water, not-quite-so-small people waving swords and disappearing into woodland, and two dogs (one of whom needs some lessons in gender identification) doing what dogs do. We talked about living on a barge, chickens, knitting, jam, decluttering, life, the universe and everything important. It was one of those days.




I abandoned our very noisy cockeral in their garden (these are the people who have already adopted our secondhand rabbit) and dd chased their teeny puppy around the house like a demented terrier (her, not the dog). And then after prising ds2 off the life-support-machine (computer) i took them all home.

(Has anyone seen the littuns - you know, the non-swimmers?

Oh yeah, there they are, disappearing into the distance)

Tonight I am doing a performance with other writers in one of my writing groups. I'm not quite sure how I said yes, but obviously somewhere along this unrehearsed, slow-motion train crash that started way back in October I thought it would be a good idea to hop on. Are we doing it somewhere quiet and secret - no! We are doing it in a restaurant. A restaurant! Now whose big idea was that?! (not mine). And people - public, non-writing human beings - are actually coming and paying to see us do...er...not very much, very poorly. And if anyone mentions positive thinking to me I will smack them. Not even chocolate can fix this.

Very quick catch up...more later

Ok, very very quick catch up. I started this post several days ago (hence the date - today is 1st March, not 27 Feb). Weather is gorgioso today so should really be outside, not hovering on internet. Here are some recent photos...

ds1 visited huge warhammer games workshop place...


ds1 helped make flags then tried out some semaphore at the sailing club. It's harder than you think!

Ds1 tried out the crayfish trap that he bought himself. We left it over night but no success. I think it's probably still a bit cold for them to be active.

The kids tidied up their den, repairing some of the holes and adding an extension (plus a whole load more moss)

Our first visit to the allotment since, well, too long. I tidied up the compost bins and laid down some weed suppressant to try and deter those spring weeds from beating me into submission. Still loads more to do, but at least at the moment it doesn't look so bad.

We joined up with friends to make ice cream Ancient Greek boats (and then ate them!):

Dd making a dalmation picture:

The Knex workshop I (yes I) organised! A real success. Perhaps more about this another time...

And the ongoing saga with the cardboard construction of a telescope...

A whole new meaning to the phrase, 'Losing Your Marbles'!

It's amazing what kids can create, given some junk and a hands-off approach by adults.

Yesterday, at the home ed group, we brought some 'junk' along for the kids to make marble runs. The results (and the processes involved) were very impressive. Apart from a bit of help with the cutting and sticking, the kids came up with some wonderful designs, limited only by their imagination (and the stickiness of the tape). Ds2 even had an idea to create a crane mechanism which would lift the marble up in a flowerpot and then deposit it through a hole in a tube to continue on its way. Although not all of the plan was feasible in the time frame, but with a bit of help he made a start. The others ran marbles through tubes and boxes taped to the wall, periodically re-engineering them to improve results. The teamwork involved would have put most adults to shame!

Working as a team (with a bit of help from the dog)

So, where's it going to come out?

Hmm...think I might need a hand here...

Fixing the glitches in the marble run

"The marbles are MINE, ALL MINE!"

The home ed group was running an 'India Day' for charity, so the kids entered some colouring competitions (ds1 and dd1 were chuffed when they won something). The chocolate mints won in the raffle will also be much appreciated while we're camping this weekend.

After the home ed group we rushed back, unloaded some of the car and reloaded with bbq stuff and swim kit to go to the sailing club. It was a beautiful evening, still warm even at 9pm as we left. We took a couple of boats out, but mostly the kids were happy, fishing and paddling. This is going to be a great way to spend the Summer.

The children managed to catch one of the many small fish swimming in the shallows. Dh reckoned it was a Dacebut looking at the picture above and reading the info on http://www.maggotdrowning.com/fish/gudgeon.htm I'm rather more convinced that it's a Gudgeon (see picture below), because of the spots. The British record for Gudgeon was 5oz which doesn't sound particularly large, enough for a fish finger or two I guess.

The fish the children caught (a gudgeon?)

Dd1, enjoying the sunshine

Fishing off the jetty