Wednesday 22 July 2009

Lumps, bumps and fluffy flip flops

Oh, what a week! Rain, rain and even more rain!

Despite the rain we've been quite busy. We've spent time with friends, time messing and also learning lots.

Hermione has been doing lots of work on the visual representation of data (was known as graphs and charts when I was at school), she's writing a short play, and despite having said she was going to leave the Tudors and move on to a different period she has developed a new interest in the Spanish Armada this week.

I have just finished pre reading this book for her. I like to check there's nothing too gory before she gets her hands on them. That's the thing with history - it can be gruesome, and she is a very sensitive soul. This one isn't gruesome though, it's great and I'm looking forward to learning more about the Romans when we come to study them together.

We visited Durham Cathedral with a small group of other home educators yesterday. I had organised the visit and there was lots of interest - seventeen or eighteen children. On the day unfortunately there was only seven, in part due to an outbreak of swine flu. Never mind, it went well. It went exceptionally well to be honest.

I decided to arrange a visit when Hermione asked me, not for the first time, about this statue below. I knew it was something to do with either St Cuthbert or St Bede but I wasn't entirely certain *blush*. After an entirely unsatisfactory search of the Internet I decided the best thing to do would be to go to the Cathedral and have the education people explain to us.



The education officer who spent the day with us was amazing. I've encountered lots of education officers at various venues now but I think she comes top of my list without a doubt. We all learned so much and were given access to areas of the Cathedral which are not open access, or at least not without paying.



I love the atmosphere of the Cathedral. I wouldn't say it's calming. To the contrary it's quite busy being one of the top tourist attractions in England. It just sort of inspires me to grow in mind and spirit if that makes any sense.

We stayed home today. We have a busy weekend planned and I'm not feeling too great. I'm full of lethargy and lumps and bumps in places where they don't belong. I'm not even going to think about the dreaded swine flu though. No, no I refuse to go there. If nothing else I couldn't cope with Craig's numerous pork scratching jokes. Instead I've distracted myself with thoughts of fluffy flip flops. Did you know such a thing exists? I didn't till today and now I think I could be smitten.

While I mused on fluffy flip flops the children decided to have a Christmas party - yes, a Christmas party! They packed a picnic basket and trundled off to the spare bedroom. Soon the sounds of The Wiggles Christmas CD came blasting out and I went up to find them wiggling in tune. Hermione picked up the CD cover and looking at the front said, 'goodness, I didn't know Dad's mate Jase and Simon Cowell are in the Wiggles'. Aww bless, the age of innocence!
I'm off to make my Ovaltine and crash out. Nu nite.
Edited to add, over an hour later, that the M&S summer sale has started early on line and includes, amongst other things, age spot reduction cream and those all encompassing wonder pants that I've seen on Gok Wans show. Way hey, they must have known I'd be calling by *grin*.

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