Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Just a quick post to say that I am without computer for a while. It is not running properly and I don't know how to fix it! I am typing this at my Mum's where I have come for an hour to check my e-mails. I miss my computer .... it is a lifeline in our house.
I plan on doing research here and playing around to see how I can fix it! I shall keep you posted ... or start blogging again in which case you will know it's sorted.

For those with computer know how it takes about 10 minutes to get a page up each time. It has always taken 15 minutes to load all the stuff up when first switched on but it is now rebelling. So if you know anything that may help, please let me know!! Thanks xxxxx

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Well what a beautiful day it was today and I managed to spend quite a lot of it outside.

I decided to make nettle soup for lunch so I went for a stroll through our local cemetery. The sun was shining on me, there was hardly any breeze and there is just a riot of beautiful birdsong at this time of year that just lifts me.
I collected the nettles from a wild area then headed home to make lunch. Of course only I ate the soup. A won't eat any green soup, D just looked at it but it was very yummy and I have some left for tomorrow. I took a (blurred) photo of it before it was cooked and blended - you get a smoother end product than what you see in this photo lol.

After lunch we headed to the allotment which was really busy. I think the kids were disappointed as they are used to it just having a couple of people there but there was a tree pruning course happening and both the plots either side off mine are now being worked and their owners were there along with many others.

I met one of my new "neighbours" called Mike. He has had the plot for a month and already all his beds are professionally built from scaffolding planks and ready to plant. It put my scrap wood, un-level ones to shame but as long as I get to grow some stuff I'll be happy. I dug in a square bed and managed to nearly finish my longer one. I say finish as it is quite un-level so I will adjust that when I next go back. I'm not too fussed about it being level really though. Nature isn't level and immaculately tidy. I'd like to keep that theme going with my plot.

I managed about an hour and a half there and the girls planted 12 potato plants so it is a start. The kids then got bored so we headed home. Next time I might go alone and with a flask and maybe my wind up radio.

There is some really good stuff on Radio 4 isn't there! I want to listen to this about Dyscalculia tonight!

Monday, March 17, 2008

We have now added home-ed French to our weekly routine. We love it. It is run by a Mum who is French and she mixes all ages and has us repeating things in French, singing songs, and doing a run around warm up with instructions in French. It is an hour long on Thursdays and I find it is helping me brush up on my school French.
Consequently with swimming, lunch, French, then me taking D to dance then out to Yoga, I have to be very organised on a Thursday. Last week I had a bad migraine by 9pm as I had just not had enough to eat. I am getting bored with food as I end up cooking what the kids want and eating a bit but it is not really what I want. I plan to resolve this by writing a menu for me from my cookbooks today.

On Friday I clocked up about 3 hours driving as I dropped a group of 6 kids at a pool 40 minutes from here for their friend's birthday. I then drove back to Manchester and repeated the whole thing an hour later. The girls both had fun and the friend's Dad presented me with a big piece of cream cake when I arrived to collect them. That fuelled me for the drive home lol!

Spring is definitely in the air now, hurrah!
Yesterday the girls helped me make lots of little paper pots with this (borrowed from a friend and now on my wishlist lol). Today we plan on sowing the beans and peas and I await my other seed order from the organic gardening catalogue. I hope to get some potatoes in on the allotment but have not discussed borrowing the car from R so fingers crossed on that. I have also been building more sides for beds for the allotment so I hope to bed those in ('scuse the pun!). I ran out of one nail though so am off to the shops in a moment as I don't like unfinished jobs.

Other than that the girls are planning their summer holidays. Well we did see the sun briefly yesterday so that must have set the whole thing off rofl!!!

Monday, March 3, 2008

Okay, so it's official I am now 35!!!! I had a nice quiet birthday and love my new radio. I invited 2 local friends over and they came with their kids and we sat at a table of nibbles for most of the afternoon chatting. I have photos but will upload them later as they are still on my Mum's camera. I made a nice vegan chocolate cake and sang to myself lol - well why change the habit of a lifetime.

D had a bad knee injury last week when she fell over outside. She has had to miss dancing again. The poor girl is rather accident prone as her drama teacher pointed out. She has been using a crutch but after nearly a week can bend her leg a bit and walk again. She wants to go ice skating tomorrow but I'm not sure that is a good idea.
In fact now we have stopped doing the home-ed trampolining we are going to the home-ed ice skating tomorrow instead. The beauty is we won't do it weekly it will be dependant on the finances.

The girls all had a go at making vegan sushi last Tuesday. They were running the Brownies' thinking day and were doing Japan and USA as their countries. So my kitchen appeared to have sushi rice all over and boy is it sticky. I still keep finding bits. It turned out rather well and I tried some. I loved the nori sheets but then I love seaweed - fab stuff. We are definitely going to make some again.

Friday was extra busy as we had drama in the morning and animation in the afternoon at a different venue. It went well. The young ones were making short animations and the bigger kids were mixing plasticine to make models they are going to animate. That is a slow process, slower then the animation as it takes so long to even get the stuff slightly warm.

I saw a great show at the Lowry on Saturday night by these guys. It was all about global warming. It certainly drew an interesting crowd as well which always makes for a fun night.

Other than all that we have been having sleepovers, guests, singing, quick draw art workshops etc. This week looks set to be as jam packed. I think I should just accept we now have a very hectic lifestyle and run with it!!!