10 Day Round Up

Starting with M's Birthday, where he turned 42, catching up with me!

We went out for a meal at the The Highway Mans Haunt in Chudleigh,  a 13th Century Country Inn.

We also  made a visit to a nearby Church in Trusham to look at a photo of my late ancestors, as I have been researching my family tree.

The Stokes

Later back for a Birthday Cake, his favourite, Mississippi Mud Pie, made by B.

The children had a week off of studying, but normal activities still resumed, athletics and fitness training

100 Metre Sprint



As well as making the most of the sunshine when it did make an appearance

 In the Pool

Playing Rugby in the Park



We went to the HE Group this week, and there was a performance in Park during our Group time from The Metta Theatre  - telling the tale of The Monkey and The Crocodile - an old Indian fable of friendship and betrayal, featuring  aerial circus, acrobatics, juggling, skateboarding, live music and over one hundred apples, one of which J got to eat. 

He really loved watching it, and is still singing the songs that they taught the children in the workshop afterwards.  (Video of their performance in another park here.

Studying for the older two has resumed again, looking at Trigonometry, Algebra, Poetry and Plays. On the better days they were able to study over at the park while J went for a swim

J has been looking at the Alphabet and rhyming words and beginning sounds, as well as lots of art and craft, lego and cooking

Looking at doing some more baking today - if the weather doesnt improve it looks like it maybe soups rather than salads!

The Week gone by and of course, Happy Fathers Day

This week has flown by. despite the crappy weather. Needless to say we have not been out and about much, but did manage to make it to our local group and the Food Festival being held in our local town.


Gretchen Oldland from Woolsgrove Cookery School was first up in the Demo Kitchen, and she made Summer Canapes - which was made up of pea puree with lots of herbs and spices, which were then blended and piped out onto mini poppadoms and topped with creme freche and I think Mango Chutney - they were delish - and J went up to help

We did manage to get  out in the week for a short walk in the sun, but by the time we got to the library it was piddling down again

Making the most of the Sun for the little time it was out.

Athletics still went ahead for both boys, J is still loving his sessions, and D is doing extremely well in his event.

The older two have been studying away - this week for English they added Poetry to their studies - both had a Poem each to study, B When Earth's Last Picture is Painted and and D If both by Rudyard Kipling.

For Science they both looked at Ecosystems, using the BBC Bitesize website and their Biology workbooks.

Didn't get around to trying out the experiment, but hoping to do that next week - it involves a plastic bottle, seeds, water, and soil.

Found a great buy in one of our local Charity Shops - 100 different shape cutters - so J and M put them to good use and made a batch of cookies, different shapes of course

Looking onto next week - M's birthday tomorrow, so a day off for all, hoping for better weather.

Back to today

Happy Fathers Day

x

Open Farm Sunday

We headed off to our nearest farm for Open Farm Sunday, which happens to be a Cheese Farm.

We started with a  bit of Cheese tasting, followed by a Cheese Tour


First - some of the ingredients they use for the Cheese

                                                      Yoghurt - which J got to taste

                                                               Curd

How it is stored

Then J got a chance to roll some butter

Then we had a look around the farm at the other activities

                                                             Sheep Shearing

                                                Milking the fake cows plastic udders

                                                   Throwing the polystyrene cheese

                                                   and of course the farm machinery

J did lots of other little activities to do with soil, seeds and a bit of art and craft, and also planted sunflower seeds in an egg box that he bought home with him.

Finally we paid a visit to the farm shop to buy some butter and cheese.

Athletics, HE Groups and still more Sun!

In the last few days J has had a go at Archery, learnt to ride his bike without stabilisers and started at an Athletics club where he did the High Jump, Hurdles, 100metres and then finished off with a lap around the track - which is 400 metres!

D also started back at Athletics this week, with throws of up to 30 metres in the practise

Also paid a visit to our local Home Education Group

The boys played a lot of football.

It has been extremely hot again and this evening I decided it would be the best time to give the house a good clean, having spent quite a bit of time outside enjoying the sunshine, the house is a bit of a tip.

The older two are continuing to study outside, and J is quite happy playing with his toys in the garden too.

Weather forecast looks good for the next few days too - could get used to this country having a proper summer  :-)

Learning in the sun

Loving the continual sunshine this part of the Country has been getting at the moment.

We have been making the most of it and getting out into the garden quite early, as the sun does a disappearing act around 2pm from our back garden. Both the older two have been taking their study books out onto the decking, while J has been quite happily playing with his toys alongside them.

On Monday, M's day off, he had to shoot into our nearest city to get D some new tee shirts and short as he has grown again in the last few weeks, a good couple of inches, and all of his tops are now too short. He was around 5ft 8 at the beginning of the year, he was 5ft 11 last month, and I am pretty sure he is almost 6ft now - very tall for a 12 year old lad.

Anyway, in the meantime it was a trip to the dentist for J, then back home for a quick drink before heading out to the reclamation centre to see if we could get him another bike, as his current one seems a bit heavy for him to ride.

Bargain found, got him a great bike for a fiver, and its blue.  Had quite a bit of rust, and needed a puncture repair, which M sorted out, then it was straight over the park to see if he could ride it without any stabilisers

Success!

Then of course, onto the little pool for a splash around.

Back home then to chill out in the garden.

Really loving this hot weather.

Festivals

This weekend saw the start of our Towns Summer Festival.  It was also the weekend of The Respect Festival, held in our nearest City.

This year is was absolutely packed out, with tons of stuff to do for all ages - and the sun was shining!

Lots of activities for the little ones to do

First stop for J the Police Section to have his fingerprints done

Also had our photo taken as "cops and robbers"

Then onto the footie tent

Then lots of Art and Craft stalls

J had the most fun sliding down a hill on a plastic sheet

B and D came along too and wandered around with their friend, bumping into other HE friends and listening to the bands.

On Sunday we took advantage of our local Summer Festival, where they had Archery in the park.

J did extremely well, he had 5 arrows and 4 of them hit the target



Then all three of my children went into the pool, two of them fully dressed, to play "pool rugby"

Before M had to go off to work, we had another go at trying his bike out, this time without the stabilisers.  The bike is now officially knackered, but he did manage to pedal a few yards which was a great achievement for him

M is off tomorrow, boring dentist appointment for J and food shopping to do, but after that a day enjoying more sunshine.