Sarah's Blog

In which I grapple with a naughty horse!

Today, Rosie and I went horse riding together - she's been wanting me to go with her for ages and I finally relented! Although she and I went on a "walk out" while on holiday last year, I haven't ridden properly for YEARS!

Anyway, I started off on Manny (Rosie, as is usual for her now, was on Sparkie). Manny started off beautifully and we were having a nice time - it's amazing how quick the rising trot comes back to you! We had one funny moment where he reached out and grabbed at a tree as we went past and then insisted on walking along with this huge branch he'd broken off - it stuck out both sides of his mouth! Then, unfortunately, it went a bit pear shaped. I'm not sure if he got spooked by a group of rather noisy people that went past (who were idiot enough not to move their toddlers out the way which is SO dangerous) or whether he decided he just wanted to charge past everyone else, I don't know. However, suddenly, he shot forward which was fine because I can canter but he COULDN'T because it was a single file path and there were other horses ahead. So, I pulled him up which he obviously took an exception to because he then tried to buck me off TWICE! He failed because I know how to stay on a bucking horse but from that moment on he was, well, a bit mental to say the least. In the end, about 20 minutes from the stables, I refused to ride him anymore and swapped with someone else and ended up on Star who's very sweet (apart from wanting to eat ALL the time!) That was how Tim found us when he and April met us at the end - me on Star!

Here are some piccies - poor Star, I'm a little big for him - my feet were below his belly!

Here's Jester, one of the other ponies from the stable. He's TINY and so cute! Tim got this and a little bit of video of him too :) Look how short his legs are!

Me (and my dangling feet) on Star. To someone who doesn't know my feet might not look too bad but compare them with the pic of Rosie next ..... her heel is right up by his ribs, you can see mine sticking below the girth strap!

Next a little vid .... goodness, Jester is cute!

I'm still here :)

Yes, I did go a little absent there! Thing is, we've been enjoying the fab weather and getting on with gardening (got all the new fence up!) and planting out my seeds (potatoes, carrots, spinach, spring onions and lettuce). The seeds have all been planted in a quite bewildering array of "pots" - carrier bags with potatoes in to name one! I've been recycling big time :)

The nice weather also took us (today) to Linford Bottom - a very, very, very lovely place in the New Forest which Tim went to a lot as a small boy. Oh how beautiful! We even paddled in the little stream it was that warm!

The other reason for my absence has been work. Yes, work. I've decided that I'm going to contribute to the household funds (have plans .....) but I can't "go out" to work because of homeschool committments so it has to be something I can do from home.

So, I'm tapping into my skills.

1. Curriculum. This is something I've dabbled in before but never quite got off the ground but now it's all kind of fallen into place. Seasonal, hands on, Montessori inspired, bi-monthly curriculum books focusing on science/nature and "the world". There is a certain amount of reading/writing involved but I envisage that folks will use the free maths and English stuff I've provided to go with the purchased curriculum. The first book (April/May) is due out (fingers crossed!) on or around the 1st April. You can take a look on my home education pages (link now in sidebar!)
2. Consulting. For many years I've been assisting new (and sometimes not so new!) homeschoolers with getting set up, general Montessori questions etc. I've decided to do that on a more formal basis and offer more in-depth help so I'm offering a consultancy service. Three very reasonably priced packages are available so if you're reading this and are a new homeschooler, a new Montessori homeschooler or just plain in a muddle (been there!), drop me a line - make use of my experience :) Again, there is a link to the consultancy page in the sidebar.

That's all for now - got new work pics to upload soon but that will wait until another day :)

"here comes the sun ..."

We've had 2 gloriously lovely, sunny days and, today, we made the most of it and went up Hengistbury Head for a walk. I know I mention this place a lot in my blog but we haven't actually been up there for quite a while so it was nice to get back :)

The "head" itself

Some hazy-sunshine cows .... don't like cows actually ... scare me - but they did look very relaxed and happy :)

A path leading up through the woods

Tim squinting at me!

Rosie in the woods

Me and the kids - not a bad pic but I HAVE got my hair up which is not my best look but I was having a bad hair day and it looked even worse down!

I'm rather proud of this - I managed to get this fab picture of a heron strutting it's stuff :)

Finally, Rosie found a small, muddy boot ... not sure what that was all about, perhaps the Borrowers had been up there for a walk *laughs*

Sunny Sunday

Yesterday the weather was so lovely! Tim took Rosie for her horse riding (and took April along with him just for a drive!) which gave me a while of peace and quiet. I took a stroll round the garden with Floyd trotting along beside me (he really is so sweet sometimes!) and noticed a lot of springtime things popping up.

There were crocuses all over the lawn and leafbuds appearing on the trees and the birds were going crazy! It was so warm - especially in the direct sunshine and I sat on the bench for a bit and soaked it all in - heaven!

Later on I went with Tim to pick Rosie up and we had a bit of a walk in the forest while we waited for her. I took my camera and got a picture of her on Lizzie (the pony they pretty much always give her) - Lizzie is still wearing her winter coat, really shaggy!

Today, by contrast, was a bit gloomy weather-wise but we still had a nice sort of day :) I got up and did something I haven't done for AGES which was make bread - bread rolls to be specific:

After lunch we went up the local shops and to the library - we haven't been to the library since before Christmas! Then home so that Tim could start his Monday evening run backwards and forwards to the local Guide hall - April has Brownies first and then, half an hour after she finishes, Rosie has Guides!

A New Year

So here we are, Christmas done and dusted, New Years Eve done and dusted and we've come tumbling out into 2012 :)

Normally by now I've done my new year post, in fact, I've normally done it just before new year. I looked back into my archives and realised that I always did a post about stuff I wasn't happy with and wanted to change, things I was desperate to do or achieve, homeschool work I wasn't happy with and wanted to change. All change.

It occured to me today that I hadn't done it this (last!) year and I wondered why. When I really thought about it, I realised that it was because all the things I wanted to change or do away with I actually did do last year - there was nothing left. I am, in fact, perfectly happy with the way my life is - I don't want to change anything. The homeschool work is fab, the house is nice, we as a family are happy ... I am content :)

Now, of course, that's not to say that I don't have things that I am aiming for - I'm practicing my new recorder (oh! the alto sounds soooo much better than the descant!) with Tim accompanying me on the piano most times, I'm increasing my crochet skills (just completed a little shrug - my first clothing done in crochet!) and I'm perfecting my baking skills. It's just there is nothing I feel I MUST change or get rid of - the things I want to do are just little, "pottering" things that increase my happiness even more.

It's quite refreshing really! :)

So now the Christmas decs are away and I've hoovered through and the house is back to normal. I'm sorting out the homeschool stuff ready for back to work and Tim also goes back to work on Thursday (he was very lucky and got the time off between Christmas and New Year).

Today we got out for our first walk of the year and went to Avon Heath. It was gloriously sunny and all blue sky (we timed our walk perfectly because just as we finished it got dark and started raining). Where we have had a lot of rain over the last few days it was incredibly boggy and muddy and the stream was very swollen - we had one great bit where we had to make our way across the water by climbing over some wobbly logs - a bit scary!

All aboard the Santa Express!

Today we took the kids to Swanage for our trip on the Santa train :) If you are ever in the area I can hugely recommend it - it's really, really good fun.

We opted for the park and ride at Norden Station (a few stops away from Swanage) to save parking hassles and rode the Heritage Diesel into Swanage (fantastic views of Corfe Castle on the way!). We had to wait a bit for the train but there is a really nice (stationary) buffet car where we went and had a cup of tea.

The atmosphere at Swanage station was lovely - really festive with Christmas music blaring out, some guy dressed as an elf who was juggling and spinning plates and stuff and all the staff in Christmas hats :)

The round trip itself lasted for an hour and was such good fun. As soon as the train was underway, someone came round with juice and bikkies for the kids and then someone else with warm mince pies and sherry for the grown ups (had to laugh at the little plastic containers the sherry was in - looked like something you'd have Night Nurse in!) Someone came round with lottery tickets (we didn't win a prize - boo-hoo!) and someone else doing balloon modelling. Then, of course, there was Santa! He chatted to the kids and gave out pressies.

Then it was back to Swanage and onto the diesel for the ride back to Norden - very fab trip :)

Here are a few piccies - sorry for the blurred quality of some of them - it was bumpy!

Corfe Station from the diesel train

Corfe Castle

The Santa Express!

Well, I don't know what to say really .... Tim looks massively impressed

Balloon dino ....

... and balloon sword (and Rosie trying to look menacing!)

Tim enjoying his Night Nurse .......

Santa!

April and her present from Santa - which, although you can't tell is a fluffy hippo

Quick Round Up

Well, on Halloween day we finally got to Hengistbury Head (after wanting to go there for days and not managing it) and fabulous it was too. Very windy when we were walking up the actual "head" but once we got down into the woods it was very sheltered and lovely. We saw gazillions of starlings (PERHAPS a slight exaggeration there but MANY, MANY!) which I think may have not long arrived, a strange little reddy-brown creature that we couldn't identify that shot across the path in front of us at high speed and then disappeared into the bank by the water and a huge furry caterpillar (very late in the season I thought!) ambling along the path. It was a wonderful walk and certainly blew the cobwebs away.

Also been busy doing little things to get ready for the festive season - apart from the obvious of planning pressies/food. We're going to do up the lounge/diner a bit (as I've mentioned before) and reorganise the homeschool area (I'm terribly into minimalist "looks" and can't BEAR clutter!) - so it's new shelving and storage alround (we've found the most GORGEOUS set from Next). Of course, all this is also so that Tim can get his new piano in - he's chosen one he likes and is hoping to get out on Monday/Tuesday next week when he's off work again to buy said instrument :)

I've still got to book a gardener and get the garden cleared up a bit before the really cold weather kicks in. The problem with our garden is that it is LOVELY in the sense that it is big and rambling and woody and full of wildlife BUT it's big and rambling and woody ..... you get the point?! It's really hard to look after so we're getting someone to come in and top trees, smaller shrubs, tidy away dead stuff and generally tidy it right up (whilst still retaining all the bits that the birds/animals like to live in) so that we can manage it more easily next spring.

Homeschool - as I said above, we're going to sort out the homeschool area a bit and provide a nicer working environment with better storage. I've also been looking at the kids curriculum a little. This year hasn't been bad in terms of work achieved so far - April has done stuff on the water cycle, vertebrates/invertebrates and nocturnal animals. She's also started serious grammar work and been doing stuff on nouns (about to do work on noun types - person, place thing). In maths she's been continuing to work on adding/take away/multiplication/division and can now easily identify and read numbers up into the hundreds. English wise, she's reading fluently and is now on to chapter books (we recently had to buy her a set of The Dragons of Wayward Crescent that she fell in love with) - not bad for a 6 year old and with no pressure whatsoever! Rosie's been spending the first half term doing stuff on space (exoplanets, black holes, gravity etc). She's continuing to write manically and has started a new series (finished writing about Sir Sticky now!) which I know nothing about as it's a secret at present. In maths, she's using a Galore Park book and speeding her way through a load of review (JUST to make sure ....) before moving on to pre-algebra.

It's mainly the maths that I'm having thoughts about - particularly April as Rosie is doing ok with Galore Park. I'm seriously thinking of putting April on Math U See - I think it would really suit her and I've looked at it over and over and read reviews and it seems that it could be right for her. We'll see. I also want to get more in the way of science stuff for both of them - you know, kits for working with electronics that sort of thing.

I'm not overly stressed about all this though because, as I said, homeschool is going pretty good at the moment (if it ain't broke don't fix it ... TOO much!) The advantage of having slightly older kids (even a 6 year old) is that they are much more independent in their work - they know what they have to do and they just get on with it. Nice :)

Lovely walk :)

This Friday just gone, with Tim feeling his foot had healed sufficiently to walk a reasonable distance, we decided to go to Moors Valley for the afternoon. I can honestly say I haven't enjoyed a walk as much as that for a LONG time - it was utter bliss. The weather was perfect - warm (just the right sort of warm, not too hot or cold) with a gentle breeze. We walked in the woods and enjoyed pure peace - just the occasional rustling sounds of forest animals and the birds singing. Our peace was temporarily ruined by a huge group of noisy school kids who had obviously been "released" for the afternoon and were making the most of it - we headed in the other direction though and quiet was restored! We walked in the woods for AGES and played on the fabulous wooden play structures and just breathed it all in .......

Eventually, we found our way back to the visitor centre and grabbed some tea from the restaurant and took it outside to a table to eat (too nice to sit indoors!) We'd just finished when a woman turned up with 3 dogs - 2 beautiful Whippets and an absolutely GORGEOUS Chihuahua. Now, I have to say, I'm not generally a dog lover but even I fell in love with it! We stayed chatting to the woman for a while and petting her lovely doggies and she happily answered the kids (especially April's!) questions. April was particularly keen to know how big the Chihuahua's puppies would be (tiny!)

After that, we wandered over to one of the other play areas for a bit and the kids went on the big wibbly-wobbly slides and tyre swings. By that time though it was getting late and Tim's foot was aching again so we headed on home.

Such an enjoyable, peaceful afternoon :)

In other news (and bringing us up to date today!), Floyd's Halloween collar is on it's way! Tim is not happy *laughs* but I think Floyd will look VERY cute and suitably attired for Halloween. YES, I know I'm sad!

Candlelight on a dark day

It's dark, chilly, pouring with rain AND we've got lightening and thunder so, we've warmed up the place with candlelight. Really, what could be nicer than a pure beeswax candle burning in the little gnome house of the season table?

I do feel for Tim in this sort of weather - he's at work and, no doubt, drenched by now. On days like this I feel enormous gratitude that he goes out to work so that I can stay tucked up at home with the kids ..... he's such a good, kind, wonderful man :)

Star the greedy pony

Rosie went riding today and, as usual, she got to ride Star who she loves rather a lot now! He is very sweet but a bit naughty AND greedy - he keeps stopping to eat the grass and is quite determined and hard to pull up again (as you can see from the little video clip - Rosie needed a hand!) Rosie's in the pink t-shirt and boots ....

Bye bye broccoli!

My lovely broccoli plants were doing brilliantly but we noticed that cabbage white butterlies LOVED them! They were, in fact, laying their eggs on them! Now those eggs have hatched into caterpillars and I'm afraid they're munching their way through my broccoli at a great rate of knots. Of course, although very sad that we won't get to munch my delicious vegetables, we are having fun watching this life cycle open up right in front of our kitchen window! :)

What else has been happening?

Well, I'll have some very exciting Rosie-related news in a couple of days (fingers crossed!) My clever, talented girl! Apart from the news-soon-to-be-revealed, she's also been continuing to enjoy her riding lessons. She went yesterday and, as usual, came home caked in mud and horse-poo but did she care? No! Every week, she gets to ride a little black pony called Star and she absolutely loves him. I can see riding boots/hat/gloves being on birthday/Christmas present lists this year! :)

Last night there was the most dramatic thunder/lightening storm! There were some huge lightening bolts coming down and, I've got to confess, I was scared. I find them dramatic and thrilling but I do worry ..... "ooo! maybe we should put the telly/computer off?!" We didn't put the telly off as we were in the middle of watching The Proms and it was Bolero .....

New Forest

Yesterday, when it was still hot and sunny, we went into the New Forest for a walk. We played on big, slippery sandy banks, paddled in the stream (until we got fed up with the little sods who were throwing stones at passing cars, ponies and each other), hugged trees and stroked ponies. Yes, we stroked wild New Forest ponies - I was a little cautious at first (as you can tell from my face in the pic below!) because you don't know how wild animals are going to react. In the end they were very lovely and friendly - they kept going round trying to steal peoples food from their picnics!

The sandy bank I mention is HUGE - it's looks very odd - just a massive hill of sand in the middle of the forest. We took a pic of the kids and it looked for all the world like they were stranded in the desert!

Anyhow, here are some piccies :)