Round, round, get around we get around

Off to Chichester this morning for another filmeducation showing, this time of The Prince of Eygpt which I had no idea was such an old film (made in 1998). I suppose not being a parent back then I wouldn’t have had any radar for Disney or animated films, I wasn’t someone who bothered with them at all before I had children. The cinema is a fairly new one in a complex of ‘entertainment’ with various food places (McDs, KFC etc.) and had free parking which was a bonus. We got there about 945am and there was a big group of schoolchildren with hi-vis vested up adults arranging themselves in queue formations outside. We went straight in and confused the poor cinema guy who couldn’t quite work us out not being part of a school. I explained we were Home Educators and he said ‘oh right, so you were invited too then’. I’ve no idea if the haphazardness of the whole thing is down to filmeducation or the cinema’s various ineptness but we have had such varied experiences over the 3 years worth of filmweeks we’ve been to. The big cinemas in Brighton have always been really well set up for the events and check us off on their printed out list as we arrive, in Burgess Hill we went to a small cinema last year and had our wonderful tour of the projection room, in Horsham there weren’t enough seats, in Reading it seemed to be a free for all and today in Chichester they clearly had no real idea of who might be coming along. From reading Brightkite posts it has been equally varied for others around the country and possibly far more educational value has been gained from the travelling to different cinemas, comparing the attitudes of the staff and other cinema-goers and what sort of experience we’ve had than from actually watching the films! 😆

We had front row seats this time and the rows behind us filled up but we had the front row to ourselves. Both the children said they really enjoyed the film and actually I thought it was pretty good – plenty to chat about afterwards. They both stiffened at the line from the pharoah about people being ‘just slaves’ and were affected by the passover stuff and death of first borns so we talked about that a bit. I was quite surprised how much I’d remembered from GCSE religious studies actually!

We left there and headed to the stables to meet Julie, Jack, Maisie and Lorna. They were already there but still eating their lunch as purchased from the farmers market in the small village where the stables are so we drove back down to the village hall and got some cakes to eat too. Suitably refreshed we went to the stables and collected Honey. Julie had some general horse-faffing (technical term ;)) to do and fed Lorna too while the children all played and then it was time to take Honey to the field and let them ride. We’ve been talking about doing it for ages but have instead only ever taken the kids out riding on a walk on a lead but this time Julie wanted them to have a go on a lunge lead so they would steer and stop and start Honey and also let them have a bit of a go off lead altogether.

Maisie, to Julie’s disappointment isn’t really that interested and was shouting to get off the ‘stupid pony!’ within a few minutes. Jack refused to ride at all so Davies went next. Davies likes the idea of pony riding and is good at it in a slow and steady sort of fashion. He listens to whatever Julie tells him and does it perfectly but doesn’t seem to have any natural flair for it. He did really well though and had a good go at riding her round the field and controlling where she was going and her stopping and starting. It all sounded and looked a bit like learning to drive with loads of things to be remembering and doing all at once so I was impressed :).

Next it was Scarlett’s go. Scarlett openly admits what she really wants to do is bareback riding circus tricks or gallop across the downs, without a riding hat with her hair streaming behind her and mud splashing up from the horses hooves. She is therefore being very patient with the baby steps it is necessary to do first before reaching that sort of stunt riding 😆

Julie did get her to do an ‘around the world’ saddle trick though which involved sitting normally, then side saddle, then backwards, then side saddle and finally back to front facing again. Scarlett enjoyed that lots :). She then had a go at steering Honey around the field and great excitement came about when she broke into a fast trot towards the gate. Scarlett held on, sat up and far from being fazed was utterly delighted and wanted to do it again! She had some more off-lead time and then did some riding round Julie in a circle on the lunge lead. Both Julie and Scarlett had the biggest smiles for the whole time. Julie was really fired up and said how much she’d loved teaching them and how fab it was to have Scarlett to be so enthusiastic with a flair and passion for it -she clearly shares Scarlett’s riding along the top of the downs vision and aims to be out there doing it with her in a few years. I’ll aim to wave from my allotment as they go past I think 😆

The children headed off into the farm to play again while Julie fed Honey and then her and I filled a sack each with manure to bring home. It was a very comical sight, two women, one with a baby in a sling, precariously balanced on the 10 foot high muck heap in high wind wielding pitchforks and sacks trying to get poo into bags :lol:.

We finished with half an hour at the park which backs onto the stables and we only discovered a few weeks ago despite Julie having had Honey for over a year. We spent ages discussing whether it is possible to swing all the way 360 degrees and go over the bars (youtube proves it is and many other interesting uses for playpark equiptment ;)), breastfeeding and wet nursing, relactating and how home ed is a bit of a lark really that we should keep quieter about incase everyone starts to do it :lol:.

We left as it was starting to get cold and dropped the manure off at the allotment where more shoots are poking through, had a brief stop in Lancing for a couple of things and then came home. The children were famished so had an early tea and watched Waterbabies which I’d picked up from work. Very much of the Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Mary Poppins ilk with chimney sweeps, underwater worlds, animation mixed with real actors and plenty of tunes. Davies was amused to have Bernard Cribbins pointed out to him from 30 years ago as the actor who played Donna’s grandad in Doctor Who. I drank tea.

They are both exhausted and were quickly in pjs and snuggled up with me to read a pile of books before bed. Davies has done more reading of odd words and bits and pieces, today in the cinema he read on the screen ‘cineworld cinemas welcome’ fairly effortlessly. They are both a bit delicate but have both been comforting each other when upset today which is rather lovely to witness :).

And now, as they aren’t the only exhausted ones, I’ll be off to bed myself!