One word? When seven would do…

After trying to be all sensible and go to bed early last night to be ready for work this morning all of my best laid plans were foiled. Scarlett was still listening to an audiobook and Davies was still listening to his radio. I got into bed beside Ady, who was watching the TV and commented that I didn’t expect to be going to sleep before our children when they were still only 7 and 9! And then Scarlett came upstairs to say actually she didn’t like being all alone downstairs so could she sleep with me?

We did try and transfer her back to her own bed when she fell asleep within minutes but she woke up and protested so she stayed with us. Well me actually, as Ady gave up after about half an hour and went off to sleep in her bed with all the stuffed toys.

I made sure everyone was up with me this morning though as I think the late nights and late mornings are getting a little out of hand even by our standards. For the children only of course I have to state as I sit here at gone 230am still typing away…. 😳

Work was uneventful – I took down my Cosy Classics display and my 12 days of Christmas display. I’ve brought home the pictures for the 12 days of Christmas as the kids and I made them together and we’re planning to stick them up in the hall alongside the stairs next year – we have 12 stairs. I also made a start on the next display in Junior which is Arts and Crafts. I’ve got loads of books in for it and decided to make letters spelling out Arts and Crafts in all different arty and crafty ways. So far A is some felt-tips and crayons bluetacked to a cut out letter A and the first T is knitted using string as yarn and two pencils as knitting needles.

Back home again Davies had declared it a pyjama day, while Ady and Scarlett had been chopping wood. We had lunch, I rang my Mum who had rung Ady earlier to ask what I wanted for my birthday but then pooh-poohed all his suggestions (which had come directly from me). Worried that I was to expect yet more money spent on things I don’t want and will clutter up the house along with making me feel bad about being ungrateful for being given things I don’t like I rang her and said I’d really rather have money to spend in the Lush shop than anything else and stopped her from being reduced to clear gift items in the M&S sale (which was where she was at the time). Phew.

I had planned to take down Christmas tomorrow but after a spot of reorganising in the kitchen to try and fit a breadbin on the worktop (which we might well not even own anymore so may have to buy a replacement) I had a taste for it and decided to take everything down today after all.

Scarlett helped, while Ady and Davies did something on the computer to do with DS games, then the kids wandered off to play while Ady and I finished off and hoovered all the pine needles up. The tree is now being enjoyed by the chickens, who actually still have last years which didn’t go brown until about August. We’ve rejigged the lounge a little and now have a sofa at each end and the table in the middle under the other window. I like it and think it feels bigger (the lounge, not the table) and I get to sit in the window on my sofa too which is good :). We’ll see how we all feel about it after a week or so though and decide whether to keep it like this or move it back again. The playroom needs tackling at some stage soon too, maybe tomorrow.

Lounge all sorted and all traces of Christmas removed I nipped to the supermarket for some soup for Scarlett and some veg for dinner tomorrow. I managed to be over an hour as I bumped into a friend and my mum in there so spend ages chatting. I also filled up my car which I’d been playing petrol chicken with since well before Christmas so we’re all ready to face next week with Ady back at work and the kids and I getting back into the rhythm of our usual weekdays again.

Ady and the kids watched Total Wipeout, I went and had a bath and then Ady cooked dinner. I’m not sure where the last 3 hours have gone but I do seem to have managed a very long post below about 2010 so I guess I better go and get some sleep so I’m ready for such busyness ahead.

to be including around this time next year in our Round Up of 2010.

In the closest we ever get to planning anything in advance here is what we want to do, see, learn, experience, visit and make happen.

I have mentioned to several people IRL that we do this rather vague list every year and I’ve already been asked 3 times if I’ve done it yet and if so what does it contain. I suspect they are clinging to the idea that we do have some sort of curriculum after all but it remains as random as we are despite me having fantasties that Scarlett will ask to learn calligraphy and Davies will want to know about converting fractions into percentages 😆

First up, regular stuff:

Wildlife ExplorersBoth Davies and Scarlett want to carry on with this. They get loads out of it and have both settled well into being in seperate groups now. I think Scarlett moves up when she is 8 so this whole year will be in different groups for them. We’ll also do at least the monthly Home Ed meet up at Pulborough Brooks, carry on with the Wildlife Action Awards (silver is complete and just needs printing off and posting, gold is probably already underway if I look at what they’ve already done for it). I’ve been looking at Pulborough Brooks events site and already earmarked several events coming up in the first quarter of the year to book.

Swimming Scarlett has specifically mentioned improving her swimming as something she wants to achieve this year. They are both making steady progress and I’d hope they had both reached the big pool by the end of 2010. I have also done well with swimming this year going from a gasping to reach double figures at the beginning to managing my goal of 50 lengths in an hour by the end of the year. My aim is to continue swimming for an hour most weeks and just see how many more lengths are achieveable for me in that time slot.

Badgers This will be Davies’ last year in Badgers, infact he could even finish in the Summer and become a cadet in September. He will have done the full five years in Badgers by the time he finishes, been awarded SuperBadger and has already achieved his gold paw and become a Follow Me Badger. He intends attending Badger camp again this summer.

Scarlett has her silver paw and will have achieved her gold by the end of the year. She will still have two full years ahead of her even by the end of this year but will certainly be well on track for completing all the badges and getting her Super Badger status.

I have also joined the ranks of SJA as an Assistant Badger Leader, which I hope the trade off of poking my nose into something that had previously been Davies and Scarlett’s domain and forgoing my hour alone or with Ady each Wednesday evening will pay off with securing the future of the Worthing Badger sett along with giving me something else interesting to add to my CV.

Brownies and Sea Scouts which I’ll lump together because they rather conveniently run at almost the same time on a Tuesday evening and mark the fact the children are in the middle set of the guiding and scouting movement now rather than the first one (Brownie and Cub rather than Rainbow and Beaver). Davies has enjoyed his first term at Sea Scouts despite facing some tension over his Home Ed status. I am both proud of him for choosing to stick with it and hopeful it will work out ok for him. This coming term and the Summer term should prove to be the more enjoyable ones with them getting out and about more and doing outdoor activities which I think Davies will love. Brownies for Scarlett will be very experimental and I reserve judgement on how she will find it – and indeed on how they will find her – until after she’s been a couple of times.

Young Archaeolgists Club Davies intends signing up for a second year of the local branch so should start attending their monthly meetings again in February when they restart.

Reading Groups Along with the Home Ed reading group Davies and Scarlett have started going to monthly I have also volunteered to run a six week long trial of Chatterbooks at the library. They are normally run as a monthly meeting book group but the powers that be have dictated we do it for six consecutive weeks to see how it works out. It’s on the condition that Davies and Scarlett attend as it’s in my own time and has a strict 7-9 year olds age range. I’m still at planning stage with regards to how it will actually work each week but anticipate it including illstrations, storytelling, talking about books and authors and sharing what we enjoy about reading and books.

Having asked everyone what they’d like to do, see, learn about in 2010 I got a fairly reticent response from all three of them but I suspect this was to do with timing (day after a very late night and long car journey) than general apathy about their lives ;).

Ady wants to learn about butchery. He thinks it might be something he’d like to do as a career one day but he’d like to learn more about it recreationally at first at least. We will look out for courses or other opportunities to learn for him. He’d like to visit the Isle of Wight – we’ve not been for years and he has a yen to go over on the hovercraft for the day.

Davies wants to learn to ride a bike. I’m hoping he will crack this at Centerparcs actually as we’re intending taking his bike, he’ll have nice flat roads with no cars to practise on and plenty of able friends to cheer him on / show him how it’s done. He wants to continue improving his reading. I think he’s cracked it this year but needs to practise now. He surprises both me and himself with how well he can read when he actually tries but still has a bit of a mental block about trying in the first place as he’s spent so long not being able to read he seems to forget he can. More bushcraft type activities would be good and he’s very keen to try out his own little tent for the first time. He wants to go to Badger camp again and would like to learn some more stuff about animation. He did ask if there was an animation museum and I’ve found various possibilities including The Cartoon Museum, The National Media Museum (which has the annual Bradford Animation Festival each November and we may consider visiting).

Scarlettwould still quite like to see a dolphin actually! She also wants to see an elephant although she is not being so particular as to demand to see one in the wild. She did say she’d quite like to ‘go to a jungle’ but she knows this might be one of her dreams she needs to make happen one day in the future rather than asking me to facilitate. Visiting either Port ympne or Chester Zoo will tick the elephant box for her at least. I’m hoping a planned visit to Scotland in the summer may prove successful for the dolphins.
She doesn’t want to read or write although does at least concede these days that she may have to learn if she really does want to work with animals. I overheard Davies putting forward a very convincing argument for literacy and numeracy based on her zoo vet DS game the other day :lol:. She wants to improve her swimming and would also quite like to learn to ride a bike now. She’d like to hatch ducklings which we have got planned for the spring as soon as the timing is right for them to be okay outside when they are fully downed.

Both Davies and Scarlett still want to learn to do backflips. After toying with gymnastics for a term and concluding it wasn’t for them I have put feelers out for circus skills and tumbling / acrobatics coaching instead. They have their names down for Whippersnapper Circus and we’ll keep an eye out for one off courses with them. I also have a fire juggling friend with contacts in the right places seeing what she can find out for me too.

I have had an initial chat with a friend and fellow HomeEdder about art classes for them both as I think they’d benefit from someone giving them advice and training on how to use various materials and some ideas. I’ve also got their names down at a local art gallery for art classes there too if the tentatively planned skills swap (I do something with my friends’ daughters while she gives Davies and Scarlett some art lessons) doesn’t pan out.

A woman I met on my WPA course has offered music lessons and has a folk harp, piano and various percussion instruments. We agreed to get Christmas out of the way first and then come back to it but that could become a regular thing if she and they get on and enjoy working together.

Julie is keen to progress with the pony riding this year too although Honey is getting very old and tired and she doesn’t expect to still have her by the end of the year. Jack and Maisie are not interested but Julie thinks Lorna might be and wants to carry on with Davies and Scarlett who she feels show potential and enjoy it.

I am looking forward to doing some real live shepherding, finishing my WPA training (I have an interview, assignment, H&S training course and CRB checking to undergo still yet along with more training along the way) and actually doing some volunteering. I am reserved about the Badger thing but know I will learn new skills from it and be doing something community spirited. I’m looking forward to the various things I have proposed at work and the further training I have been put forward for too.

I want the allotment to be even more successful this year. I want to increase our ‘livestock’ to include ducks and maybe even make some money from breeding chickens.

I want to shop seasonally and locally and try and avoid supermarkets wherever possible. I am planning on batch cooking, using our own produce, PYO and doing lots of freezing, preserving and other such muffiny pursuits.

I want to carry on with my swimming weekly, cycling as soon as the evenings are light again (which tidily brings me to 30 minutes three times a week during the summer months) and think about something feasible for the winter months but at least include a couple of daytime walks a week to get the blood pumping. I want to spend more time on the beach.

I’d like to learn to crochet and try and make one thing every month craft-wise that I am proud of enough to sell / give away as a gift or just keep and hug to myself every time I see it (a bit like my blanket 🙂 ).
Places to go
Which also includes planned or half planned holidays.

January
Centerparcs from 18th -22nd with a visit to friends on the way up and a visit to more friends on the way back again.

February
There has been a request from the kids to visit Cadburyworld. We have been before but Davies only just remembers it and Scarlett doesn’t at all. As it’s indoors February would seem a sensible time to take a visit there. Having checked prices I don’t think the group discount price is worth the headache of trying to organise a group visit there, but if sufficient people are interested then I might be persuaded to think again…

March Planning the Isle of Wight day trip on a hovercraft for March.

April
I want to visit the Thames Barrier and as part of the trip would include a riverside walk we stand more chance of decent weather in April than any earlier in the year. Again, would consider organising a group trip if enough people are interested, but equally happy to visit alone. The minimum group size is only ten so possibly worth trying to drum up numbers.
Am also keen to visit Wildwood at some point in the Spring and again would like to try and get enough people in for a group visit so we can take advantage of prices and an educational talk. Another place probably better visited late March / April for hopefully warmer weather.
Groombridge Place opens at the end of March – end of November and is somewhere else I definitely want to visit in 2010.

May
We’ll definitely do the Green Fair at Sustainability Centre, although I notice they are doing a Skills Fayre for the whole week with all sorts of interesting looking things happening which I will wait to hear more about and maybe considering doing. I think we’d love it.

Also up for the Victorian Farm camping trip if that happens although it would likely be just me and the kids.

Hoping for a repeat of fabulous time at Jan and Jonathan’s.

If we’re not already booked up there is the Food and Farming Fair at Weald and Downland on 2nd and 3rd May,

June
Nothing specific planned yet, but there’ll be heavy horse show at Weald and Downland on 5th and 6th, Open Farm Sunday
on June 13th, the South of England Show on 10th, 11th or 12th June depending on my work rota
July
A camping trip to Scotland is in the planning stages with Marcus, Michelle and Chloe. The quest for spotting dolphins continues…

Dates already released for the Festival of History as 17th and 18th of July so will be doing that again, along with Wicksteed Park for coastertastic fun.

August
Davies tells me he’s going to Badger camp, no idea on dates for that yet.
It’s the Steam Festival at Weald and Downland on 14th and 15th

September
We’ll be doing our traditional camping at Sustainability Centre with day trip to Butser again. I’m hoping to pre-arrange something a bit different at Butser and see if we can get one of their regular workshop tutors to run something for us like flint knapping or Roman or Celtic cooking. DATE SET for Sunday 5th – Saturday 11th September.

October
Just noting a few events if we are free at the time: Autumn Fair and Game Show at Ardingly 2nd and 3rd October.
Autumn Countryside show at Weald and Downland on 9th and 10th.
If we’ve not already managed it earlier in the year I want to visit Port Lympne.

November

December
Already planned Christmas camp for Okehampton along with provsionally booking Pennywell for the nativity. Come and join the celebration! 🙂

The year already looks pretty full when I see it like that!

New Years Eve I had to work from 11-2 so I was up, dressed in Nicola-clothes and had gathered up all the books and dvds that were due back by about 930am. I left the others still in pjs playing with lego and playmobil – I think other than chopping some wood ready for getting home on New Years Day and getting the sleeping bags and camping mats out of the wardrobe they were pretty much in the same spot when I came home again.

I gave myself an hour to wander round the charity shops to see if people had started their grand post Christmas clear out and give to charity yet – they haven’t. And to visit the newly opened pound shop. I got some nylon shopping bags which will be perfect for shoving in my bag / pocket so I always have a bag around as I’m great for having cloth bags in my car at all times but less good at having them on me when I actually am out and about. Also got some plastic tubs for storing and freezing food (have been reading Economy Gastronomy: Eat Better and Spend Less and am planning lots of menu planning, local shopping and batch cooking), some very cheap but pretty and twinkly hairslides for me (decided to keep my hair long for the time being but make more of an effort to do stuff to it so I don’t get bored and take to it with the scissors) and some glowsticks to take to Bob and Katy’s for the children. They turned out to be a false economy from a pound shop it has to be said although seeing glowing patches on Scarlett’s sleeve and cuddly toy amused me a bottle of cava in ;).

Then to work. I caught up with colleagues about their Christmasses, put some books away, manned the counter and said ‘Happy New Year’ to about 60 borrowers and then left.

Back at home again we gathered up overnight stuff, I made some sandwiches to take with me and we set off. For some reason I’d not thought through getting food and drink supplies to take properly and had in my head we’d go to the supermarket near Bob and Katy. Til Ady reminded me there was every chance they’d be closed by the time we got there! By which time we were already on the M23 so we had to detour into Crawley and find an Asda which appeared to be also being visited by most of the south east and was heaving. Fizz, cheese, crackers, grapes and olives (I felt like *such* a grown up!) purchased we were off properly again. Sat Nav had said ETA of 1830 and we’d anticipated a big snarl up around Dartford but it was a really clear run and we actually arrived by about 1815.

Lovely Em and The Babs were already there; Davies and Scarlett disappeared straight into the throng and we settled in for eating, drinking, chatting, laughing and dealing with visits from various children, balloons, leaky glowsticks and other such needs. We watched the countdown on Bob and Katy’s fab retro black and white tv set which had both a lot of charm (we had a colour tv by the time I was born but we still had a portable black and white in my parents’ bedroom which we sometimes watched some things on. As an aside I’ve just realised how very laughable calling those great lumps of electronics ‘portable’ :lol:) and nostalgia as well as heaps of irony seeing fireworks explode into ‘2010’ in black and white.

There were glowing balloons, lots of port consumed (some spilled on Babs’ trousers :lol:), we realised that none of the children had been born a decade ago (although Beth and Jonathan had been on the way and Davies was concieved sometime between Christmas and New Year 1999). We talked about how we’d seen 2000 in and what a big change all of us have lived through in the last decade.

LovelyEm and Matt headed off somewhere between 12 and 1am, Ady and Chris went off sometime around 1ish and took lingering children with them leaving Bob, Katy, Babs and I. Bob went off not much later having regaled us with genuine Bob facts (and we will be expecting BobFact to be maintained 😉 good to see a start made 🙂 ) about fathom and Godmanchester, we’d talked about proposals and weddings (and giant elephants, or actually pygmy elephants) and finished by looking at some photos of a very young Katy and her baby sister and seeing the likeness of all four of Katy’s children in them. I think it was about 3am when we finally went off to bed too.

Consequently this morning was a slower start, which was nice. I like the morning after the night before with friends. We left about midday as I was conscious of wanting to get back in daylight and have a quiet afternoon to recoup as I’m working again in the morning. We had a very uneventful journey home, a late lunch and baths all round.

We watched bits of a couple of films; Dragonheart and Willy Wonka and then the warm up intro show to a Dance show that’s starting on Sky one on Sunday with Davina. Then it was Doctor Who. Scarlett and Ady went to her bedroom and listened to some audio books (she’s working her way through a load of alliterative Lucy Daniels stuff ‘ cub in the couboard, hedgehogs in havoc, puppies in the pantry, lambs in the laundry…. I reckon I could write those :lol:) and she lost her front tooth.

Davies and I enjoyed Doctor Who although it did seem to drag on a bit. Not at all sure about the new doctor, I thought he did a good David Tennant rather than a good doctor in the few minutes he had to win me over so far.

The kids went to bed, althought it’s nearly 11pm and neither of them are actually asleep yet. One is still listening to Koalas in crisis or something similar, the other keeps reappearing back downstairs with flimsy exuses. Pesky non-sleeping children!

January
The year started, as all good ones should, surrounded by people we love at LovelyEm’s Lovely Parent’s lovely house..
We got a table – yes this is worthy of a place in the roundup and yes it is still a clear horizontal surface at the end of every day. And yes, I still hate tables.

We had a lovely weekend staying at the Old Manor.

I became middle-aged and had my 35th birthday which was extendedly celebrated by Ali’s fab birthday trail. The table exerted it’s influence early on as Davies and Scarlett began the Wildlife Action Awards which had them taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch and doing various written activties about birdwatching, compost making and so on. Ady and I used it to entertain our Not Swinger friends for a dinner party.
My Mum took the kids and I to the Ice Show and Davies and Scarlett watched Chang at Magic Lantern film club. We had a very chilly visit with other Home Educators to Tilgate Park.

February
Kicked off with a visit from The Beans , here is my only photographic evidence though – Davies and Elinor in a field!

We had snow which is so rare it is always worthy of mention, Davies and I were both crafty and creative with him making his own Ewok (cut out, sewed and everything)

and me getting really into my knitting and making a hat and gloves for myself and a cat shaped backpack for Scarlett
Davies and Scarlett got their Bronze WAA certificates and made a start on their silver. Actually a start is all that has happened as we still need to write up the last activties they’ve done and send off for the Silver awards :oops:. The children and I had a very wet visit to Pulborough Brooks, where I thoroughly tested my fab new wellies

Our boiler stopped working for over a week and I didn’t deal with it very well at all, Davies, Scarlett and I tried ice skating at the temporary rink in Worthing.. Scarlett had a whole day on her own at a Rainbows Art Day during half term which she adored and Davies started at Young Archaeologists Club where he learnt about footwear through the ages and had a go a sewing a shoe

March kicked off with a party at The Salmons
, Davies and Scarlett had a joint display at the library about litter made up from photos they’d taken, pictures they’d drawn and a combination of the two .
Marcus, Michelle and Chloe came down to stay for the weekend and we introduced them to Pulborough Brooks, more fields with cows, chips on the beach and chicken midwifery. We got a geology loan box from Littlehampton museum which nicely fitted in with Davies’ request to learn more about rocks and fossils and spent some time identifying them, drawing pictures and generally getting our heads round rocks, fossils, minerals and different types and how they are formed. We spent plenty of time at the allotment. Davies, Scarlett and I had our now annual trip to Coombes Farm for the lambing.
I went on a First Aid training course and spent the next six weeks desperate for someone to require first aid so I could practise my new found knowledge. No one did, probably for the best ;).
We discovered Mr Gum / Andy Stanton who rapidly became our new favourite fictional character / author. (In 2010 we are hopeful of either seeing him in a literary festival somewhere or indeed getting him to visit our library, although I had an email forwarded to me this week to say he is in America for most of the early part of 2010.)

We had a run of spending time at museums when we did Paradise Park (not a museum as such but certainly educational and covering history), the RI and a bit of the Natural History Museum in one day with various friends, Littlehampton museum and the Look and Sea museum with Julie and the cousins, and Amberley Working Museum.

We had a lovely Family Spring Walk with the other Goddards and rowed a boat around the lake at Arundel.and we finished the month with a fab trip to the British Wildlife Centre and an overnight stay from Michelle, Kirsty and respective children.

April Began with Mich and Kirsty still with us. We met up with Ali for a trip to Paradise Park. There was lots of allotmenteering.
I’m making a link to the night we read Iron Man as Davies amazed me by going upstairs to bed after having had it read to him once and recreated the entire book in drawings spanning about 35 pages in a book retelling the whole story. It’s a story I’ve told to other people to illustrate how home ed works for us and I suspect one they have gone and told to others.
Kirsty and Helen celebrated a joint 70th birthday and we had a lovely sunny weekend in the company of friends 🙂 We also had a fab early Easter with Marcus, Michelle and Chloe, Kirsty, James, Marcus and Alex
Unfortunately after that we all went down with The Bug Of Doom – which I still half suspect to have been swine flu which laid us all low for quite some while – Davies and Scarlett were both having daytime naps for the best part of a week 🙁 Actually I think that wrote of most of April reading back over my blog posts for the month 🙁
We had some chicks hatch but it was our worst ever hatching with lots of deformities. I think it was down to inbreeding of the stock they came from (Tom’s bantams,not ours) and I did some proper practically-a-vet type work splinting legs together with tape. Ady did some rather less pleasant culling but the chicks who’s legs I fixed are still going strong as adults now 🙂

We had a nice bluebell walk at Woods Mill
and a visit to Salvington Windmill which was ace – will definitely be going there again. We all learnt loads 🙂 and the tea and cakes were cheap and delicious! and finally Davies and Scarlett started Forest School – a ten week, 3 hours a time out in the woods experience led by rangers from Sussex Wildlife Trust. At the time I thought it was expensive and not particularly productive or well run. With hindsight I still think if was all of that but can see the benefits it brought too in terms of learning new skills, getting used to being with people they wouldn’t necessarily choose the company of and making some new friends.

May We visited the Pulborough Brooks Nightingale Festival and heard them singing , attended Tony and Adam’s birthday party (which was ace, as their parties always are)
Davies and Scarlett carried on with Forest School and Tasha and I went to a Craft Fair and toted our wares.

We had our now regular first camping trip of the season and went to the Green Fair with the very welcome addition of Chris and Helen 🙂 attended Eve and Rei’s Cavemen Birthday Party more pictures here another visit to Amberley Working Museumand an utterly fabulous weekend camping at SotP more pictures here
which included watching the sun rise, sitting around chatting with friends, watching the sun set again, a long walk, Pimms, and seeing my favourite house in glorious sunshine.
The kids had a Pulborough Brooks event which they enjoyed and we finished the month with a Summer Walk at Truleigh Hill – cows included 😉

JuneBegan in a musical fashion with a visit to the LSO at The Barbican followed by a visit to the Museum of London with various friends
– and a splash in the fountains outside The Barbican inbetween :), Forest School continued weekly, we had several visits to PYO and things hotted up at the allotment including me as I rode my bike there and back a couple of times a week.

Badgers and Swimming also carried on weekly for Davies and Scarlett who continued to progress through the ranks at swimming and did various things at Badgers including having a visit from The Police where they learnt about fingerprints and types of road crossings

I ran a ‘mixed up fairytales’ event at work, the kids went to what turned out to be their last Magic Lantern session (it’s shut down 🙁 ) and we had a flying visit to Sompting Festival
We had trips to not one but two farms for Open Farm Sunday

and bought some fertilized bantam eggs at one which we hatched (but only ended up with a cockerel from – he is pretty though).

Usual monthly trips to Pulborough Brooks (Home Ed and Wildlife Explorers), we joined the Weald and Downland Museum for the year and had a visit there with my Mum
We had our annual trip to the South of England Show, which we followed with an overnight camping stay in Ros’ garden for Ellie’s birthday
(and got to meet Nell :)) photos of SoEs here

Davies, Scarlett and I saw a fab puppet show as part of the Adur Festival, Ady and I celebrated 16 years together, Scarlett had a day at Drusillas with Rainbows (at which I snivelled soppily when I dropped her off) and we took Davies to see Coraline after YACs. Davies and Scarlett attended an animation workshop at Hove library, and a drumming and rhythm workshop at Lancing library where Davies made a real impression on the guy running it and Davies and Scarlett did their litter collection walk as part of their WAA and appeared in the local paper and also had another display up at the library.

We went to an end of season party at Ady’s work and the theatre to see Little Leap Forward.

July saw us considering a curriculum
. It didn’t last long as Tarly was rather resistant to it but we may come back to it later.


We had a week’s holiday camping at Shell Island. Not much of a view and it was a bit sandy, but otherwise good ;). Along with camping with friends we also had days out to CAT, , Llanfair Slate Caverns , an ill fated dolphin watching trip (good boat trip though no dolphins)and Great Orme Copper Mines – full set of photos are here .
Davies and Scarlett had their first night away from home, at Ali’s for Freya’s birthday sleepover. Davies, Scarlett and I finally managed to visit Lancing College Chapel which we’d been meaning to get to for ages and was every bit as breathtaking as I remembered it being. We went to the Rare Breeds Show at Weald and Downland museum which was good – we mostly learnt that we don’t want call ducks after all! we do still want ducklings though 🙂
We had a visit from The Raines, who are always very welcome houseguests, even more so than usual as they offered childcare this time too :).
We had a fab long weekend camping at Wicksteed Park from Thursday to Sunday including a day at Wicksteed Park itself going coaster-crazy and two days at English Heritage Festival of History which included spending time with various friends.
Davies and I went to RhythmFest Joyce came to visit!

August was when life got very political – we took part in the Bubble Blowing flash mob in Brighton and I ended up on the radio and TV aswell as quoted in the local papers – so much for staying under the radar! 😆 There was a period when my whole facebook page was filled with a rather unflattering screen grab of myself as everyone of my friends seemed to have linked to it.

We all went to a fab evening event at Pulborough Brooks called Night Time Wings and Other Things where we saw moths, bats, snakes, deer, various birds and allegedly a badger 😉

We had a fab overnight stay Microcamping in Weymouth, where we chucked minimal stuff in the car and drove until we found a campsite, stayed overnight and came home the next day. An evening walk round Weymouth, a lengthy drive home through the New Forest and a night under the stars. . We had our annual visit to Fishbourne Roman Villa
I guess one of the biggest things of the year, let alone the month was Davies going to Badger camp. which was hugely testing for all of us (mostly me ;)) but also a Very Positive Thing for lots of reasons too. . He had some excellent days out including kayaking, Chessington and swimming, along with camp activities such as cooking, talent shows and team sports events.

Scarlett and I had a good week of mother-daughterliness too including an overnight stay at Marwell with Ali and Freya and a day where Scarlett was totally in charge which meant a walk to the beach, ice cream on the way, paddling in the sea, then ice cream on the way back home again.
We got together with schooled friends a couple of times and finished the month with a visit from The Barts.

In September Ady and I didn’t meet Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, celebrated ten years of marriage and nine years of being parents.
We had our usual wonderful camping experience at Sustainability Centre, sharing it with more friends.
” alt=”” />and another good trip to Butser

Davies had his ninth birthday (celebrated with a cake cooked in a field and served in a teepee

and a giant chocolate eclair, what a childhood!)” alt=”” />
There was the Not Back to School Picnic , we went to the Wood Fayre (which Davies spent the morning being a YAC at), a wonderful Monday morning on the beach with our much missed friends Caz, Bid, Archie and Elliot, making the most of their company before they moved halfway around the world. . We had a trip to London with Ady joining us for a lecture at the RI followed by a picnic in the park with friends and then the Science Museum with Marcus, Michelle and Chloe for the Wallace and Gromit exhibition.. I got name-checked by my mate Dayve when he was on the plinth, we went to a really good local Apple Day and I started my evening course to become a Waste Prevention Advisor. The kids and I finished the month (which on reading back seems to have been a kerazily busy one) with another trip to London for another lecture at the RI and a visit to the Cocoon at the NHM.

October started with the departure of Caz and Bid who left with a splash of a swimming party for Archie and Bid’s birthdays. I had a Day Of Doubt which are always good for cementing why we do what we do ;). Swimming, Sea Scout, Badgers, Rainbows, Gymnastics, my course and the regimented week day evenings this routine brought about were sort of settled into but with small doses of resentment for being timetabled. We had another swimming pool party experience with a weekend away at Michelle, Marcus and Chloe’s which is always good.I think they are the very best hosts we know :).

We participated in the Mass Lobby of Parliament which was at once interesting, slightly disappointing at the size of the turn out and heartening that there were a couple of hundred people who cared enough to come along.

Ady and I went for a Very Posh Meal Indeed with his ex-boss and we had a trip to Longleat. . We only managed one film for FilmEducation week. We had a mad night away at The Babs’ collecting various Salmon children along the way and arriving at midnight to cook our own dinner at the table! 😉 . I had a visit to the local recycling sorting plant as part of my course and brought the kids along with me.

I’d got tickets for This Is It (Michael Jackson film) and Up which we enjoyed, along with Worthing Astronomy Club setting up their telepscopes on the seafront for people to come along and see the moon and Jupiter.

November had Davies and Ady going to YACs for a WW2 recreation event. Davies and Scarlett participated in the Remembrance Day parade and Davies laid a wreath with the SJA cadets.

We went to the Christmas Market at the Weald and Downland museum and enjoyed a horse and cart ride around a field.
Davies and Scarlett started at a Home Ed Book Club for 6-12 year olds. It’ll be held monthly and include talking about a book the group has read and craft and art activities based around it. The first book was Little Nose which we’d enjoyed about a cave-boy.
Scarlett went missing while being ‘looked after’ by a friend which was rather more excitement than any of us needed on a Wednesday afternoon. I think we both learnt something from the experience although even I fail to put too much of a positive spin on it and still feel faint and shaking typing about it now.
My car had a non-opening bonnet saga which was eventually cheaply and easily fixed much to my great relief. Ady and I had a fab evening with an old friend who was in the UK for the weekend and came over to spend some time with us. We all forgot our ages, drank far too much and were very silly til the early hours – good for the soul!
There was the vegetarian Japanese evening complete with breaking down car, slobbering dog, lentils, tofu, pouring rain and sake. Let’s not retell that story again, funny though it has become in retrospect ;).
We had two days running in London – visiting The Rainbow Warrior while it was docked in London for the weekend, followed by a full day at the RI in the morning and the NHM in the afternoon for another visit to The Cocoon..
Davies and Scarlett both got badges and certificates and were moved up into the next groups up for next term at swimming, Davies was invested at Sea Scouts and Scarlett ‘graduated’ from Rainbows and took part in the end of term Christmas singing. (yes it was as shambolic as it looks in the photo 😆 )

December kicked off with Christmas Camp which was a lovely time with friends. Already looking forward to next year at Okehampton :). I loved being with friends and celebrating early Christmas and highlights were definitely seeing all the children love being together, the cabaret, the carols, the secret santa and the walk on the downs. and of course the dumpling tossing, now I had my chief dumpling tosser with me ;).

I attended a Lookering course which I really enjoyed – am looking forward to actually using some of what I learnt in 2010.
Scarlett turned seven
and celebrated on the actual day with a trip to the Sealife Centre in Brighton aswell as lunch and dinner out with family.

We had a nice walk with Julie and the cousins in the woods and on Badger presentation night along with getting their Healthy Badger badges and certificates Scarlett also got her silver paw, Davies was made a Follow Me Badger and it was announced I’d be becomming an Assistant Badger Leader.

We had a nice meal at the Not-Swingers that didn’t include pulses but did include a hangover the following day. We all went to see Them With Frozen Tails a kids winter show with plenty of audience participation and some very good improvisation.
The kids had Book Club again and I returned to my Reading Group after a couple of months off as it clashed with my WPA course.
We had SNOW! ( a big deal south of the south downs, not even an annual occurance) which was much enjoyed while it lasted, sadly not long enough for a white Christmas like so many of our friends have enjoyed.
We do have the sea though eh?
There has of course been Christmas, kids have had a ball, got everything they wanted – and more! Davies’s presents have been very Star Wars themed along with plenty of art and craft bits, a video camera and a weather station all of which pretty much sum up who is is at the moment
and Scarlett got loads of crafty bits, several books about animals, perfume making stuff and art things which also pretty much sums her up at the moment.

The strange last week of the year is being spent mostly indoors as although we don’t have snow we do have plenty of cold, grey rain, along with plenty of nice food and drink and things to watch and do indoors.

We saw 2009 out in pretty much the same way as we saw it in, with friends :).

It’s been a year with plenty of firsts, Davies and Scarlett are really growing up and at 7 and 9 are very much people rather than little kids now. We’ve had plenty of striking out independantly this year, which is good and right, if scary at the time.
I’ve personally had a good year with lots of time spent following new interests, learning new skills and developing myself further. I’ve done courses in Waste Prevention, Shepherding and health eating and nutrition. I’ve met new people, mixed in circles I’d not previously been involved in and whilst the shepherding and the WPA have yet to lead to any active volunteering which is the purpose behind them I am looking forward into throwing myself into that in 2010. I’ve developed my (admittedly fairly small) role at the library and by volunteering to run events and putting myself forward for more training I am hoping to continue that more in 2010 too.
Ady has had a changable year career-wise and I personally hope he is employed elsewhere this time next year but he is spending time considering and researching both new career options and ideas for other pursuits that he would enjoy and be fulfilled by so hopefully he will be able to find some new opportunities for himself this year.
Davies is scarily grown up with his week away from home, mature outlook on so many things and I feel him moving away and enjoying being his own person. He makes me very proud, very often.
Scarlett is discovering the joy of finding her own passions and remains very clear on her interests in animals and nature. She has changed loads this year, I fully expect loads more big changes in the coming year.
Whole family-wise it’s been another good year; plenty of camping, trips with friends, great day trips, sunshine, snowfalls, group holidays and parties and get togethers. Once again, we’ve ended the year with less debt than we started it, with exciting plans for the coming year, we’re all happy, healthy and ready for 2010.