Mystery Mice

The front facing camera on my phone is fairly ropey quality but it has the unique ability to create superb tension in a frame, so every now and again I like to just pop one in for fun. Last night it was the Mystery Mice, and tonight we have been reading Winnie the Witch. I shall miss my bedtime story when Popsie is too old to have one read with her.

I'm forever blowing bubbles

In an attempt to inject spontaneity i am posting Miranda blowing bubbles in the bath, live as it happens!.

Guess what tune that was?

Bend it

Link for Lewis' Chemistry classwork here It relates to the passing of Stanford Ovshinsky, the man best known for inventing the nickel-metal hybrid (Ni-MH) battery has passed away on october 17, 2012 at the age of 89.

Fifty shades of Green

Living in the New Forest I never cease to be amazed by the inventiveness of the landscape as it goes through the cycles of life. Summer follows Spring, although it,s my least fav season, then autumn.....

I love the colours now, the way it separates the wood from the trees, so to speak. Took this photo pn Saturday morning cycling through Ivy Wood.

Next in line

Greg has just finished his Introductory Stage Classical Guitar, and keeping up the standard set by Lewis he's got GOLD!

Well done Greg...

Refugee

Greg's been studying the Second World War and the effect it had on people's lives. They went into school dressed for their evacuation to some distant location.

Southampton, and Dibden in particular took the first wartime damage in the conflict - our local church was almost destroyed in the blaze that followed the bombs that landed on it.

I would have made him wear his gas mask, but he was running to catch a lift to his fencing lessons!

Beaulieu River

Heading back after a day on the water, and the knowledge that it's nearly all over for another week. Reminds me of a line from a Kipper book that I read with Miranda in the week.... What is better; Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day? Presents or the thought of presents to come...!

Christmas Eve thought Miranda, and I'd be inclined to agree.

Table turner

A collaboration between Lewis and myself to make a tasty lunch for Caroline (and us all naturally) when she got home from work.

Garden Sketch

The kids had an inset day today, so as Caroline was out at work I had their pleasure. We chose art, starting off with impressionism and applying this sketching and colouring. Miranda has been talking about Van Gogh in school, and knew a fair bit about his paintings, so we had an interesting time. This was Mipp's sketch out of our front window of the garden.

A great sailing trip with Terry on his cruiser from Gins on the Beaulieu River down to Portsmouth in fab sunshine most of the way. The cold of autumn though was our companion and we even had some rain. We had a chance to look around the harbour at the boats including HMS Bristol which Lewis has visited a few times for Sea Scout camp.

On the way back the winds picked up and we had quite an atmospheric ride. Lewis stayed on the helm most of the day, and really loved it.

 

Trying hard enough...

Lewis came home from school rather exiced as he's been selected for the New Forest RFU Rugby Development Squad. It's a game that he likes, and although we've warned him of the dangers of injury affecting his sailing, he remains undaunted. I wish I had the energy to run around a pitch for an hour or two, but in reality it's not a choice I'd be able to make any more.

Fungus the bogey man

I am knee deep in the grassy meadows of Rans Wood trying to be creative, the kids are playing war games.

"Is this one of those poisonous mushrooms you were telling us about Dad?" Eeeer yes it might be, but didn't I say don't touch any of them just in case. You might as well tell them to have a little nibble and tell you if any of them taste poisonous, for all the notice they actually take of what you say.

Had a similar chat with Greg this evening who had just experienced a tortured nightmare - the perils of letting him of reading stories of war and mutilation at bedtime. Is it just me, or is it blindingly obvious!!!

I'm listening to More Physical by Mike DiRubbo on Chronos (Positone label). Just superb, and so good at getting me off to sleep...

Heading for the first mark

Occasionally when you look at the skyline from Calshot you see a whole sea full of boats. We tend to get a little blasé about it, but it really is a top location which lots of people spend small fortunes muscling in on. The reality of course is it's easy to get involved and a great way of staying fit, and in tune with nature. Not too many people playing on X Boxes at our sailing club for sure...!

“Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows 

Partners in crime

Miranda and her friend Niamh from the Sailing Club. They strut around getting up to all sorts of mischief and move so fast that it's almost impossible to keep track of them. I was taking photos of the boats, and they would come back every so often to ask if it was time to picking blackberries yet...?

Every so often I would hear them, turn around and grab a photo, and this is one such moment.

I took Greg to Noadswood today as there was an open morning for children 'going up' next year. He really enjoyed the trip and was keen to see all the stuff going on. It was interesting to see Lewis in one classroom, he sheepishly looked away when we came in, and pretended to carry on with his work. Wasn't sure if he was keen to give me the impression he was working, or was avoiding giving the impression that he might know us!

Spitfire

Greg has been busy model making over the last week or so, and at last the task is complete save for the playing with it. I would have included his face but for the awkward jib he was pulling - Horselips will learn...!

It's been a lovely day here today; cold to start but I soon warmed up as I rode across the forest. Gazilions of bike out so I must remember to keep my rides to Saturday morning to avoid the pongos. By the end of the day we were walking at Rans Wood, and thankfully it was so quiet that you could hear the mice skipping through thye grasses. As ever it was looking lovely in the autumn colours....

Setting sail

The boys heading off for the first race together. The wind was a reasonable 10-12 knots and Greg and Lewis and the boys were on good form. Miranda and I helped with getting the boats on the water then we went blackberry picking, fortunately we came back with enough to make a pie.

Percy Jackson

We're trying to get Miranda writing more (voluntarily) so this morning Caroline's wheeze was to get her to wear some fancy dress over her school clothes and write a Percy Jackson story whilst the porridge was cooking. She managed almost a whole page without much coaxing so maybe this is a technique to repeat.

Looking not a little like my mother when she was younger in this picture.

I'm listening to Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard - Hub-Tones from the Double Take album

Avid reader

Miranda reading a Sunday Telegraph Magazine, engrossed. Just something about the visual repetition makes it for me.

Head in the Clouds

Windblown and standing on a rocky outcrop somewhere near Zennor, this one was on my desktop from a few weeks ago. I've just been looking for a website that Miranda wanted to show me, although we couldn't find. It can be very frustrating for kids when they have accessed something in school, but it remains elusive at home! We moved onto a new blog post instead!

Tonight we are listening to Ravi Shakar playing his sitar as she's doing the Indian subcontinent at school and wanted to listen to a sitar - Live at Monterey Pop Festival in 1967