On the make

Nana has crochet this beautiful bracelet with copper wire and glass beads.

 

The children have made bath crayons by dissolving a bar of soap in a small ammount of water, adding food colourings then dehydrating it again in ice cube trays.

 

The hens made a right old mess in the greenhouse. I carried them across as the snow is so deep. I decided to let them in because they look so down and I'm sure it's because they miss digging and scratting while the snow is here.

 

Frosted panes in the greenhouse.

 

Life skills

With weather like we're having it's worth knowing how to make a pan of soup. Here's a delicious bowl of vegetable soup accompanied with fresh bread rolls - both made from scratch by Hermione, with a little bit of assistance from Miles and myself (Miles washed veg and I blended the soup once it was done). Delish.

 

It feels wonderful to be cooked for. I wonder if this is to be a one off or perhaps the tide is beginning to turn *grin*.

Made me smile...

Ice encrusted branches.

 

Muffin tops.

 

Hide and seek the icicle.

 

Look - no legs!

 

Holed up in the snow

Unable to move our cars from the drive, (or at least not confident in the knowledge we would get them back in), we have found plenty to do indoors to stop the regular snow flurries from driving us crazy.

We think it must be twenty years or more since we have seen snow like this. Nana made me laugh today when she said in all seriousness that she thinks she is beginning to suffer from snow blindness - despite having not been outside for days!

 

Another thing she said today which made me chuckle was, 'Where do I call for advice as to whether or not I should allow the rabbit to sleep with the hens?' I wasn't sure how to answer that one. In the end she decided to chance it as I don't think there was anyway we could have successfully dragged him out of the hen house in the blizzard. I hope all's well in there and we don't wake to a right old rumpus in the morning!

So, what have we been up to? We have read lots about China. We sort of naturally progressed from Animal Farm (only one chapter to go and the excitement is rising), to modern day communism, to China, to the Yangtze river, to junks and house boats, to the Great Wall of China (as compared and contrasted with the Roman Wall), to silk worms and so much more.

Much of the above has been done with us all holed up in the living room, being sure not to stray too far from the hearth, recounted time and time over in story form, discussed at length and re enacted in a lively fashion with the help of a huge basket of lego. It's fun - so much so that I'd be quite happy for the snow to stay a wee bit longer. It's great to feel under no pressure to go anywhere or do any thing in particular.

We have also set up a cloud monitoring station which basically entails pictures and details of the three main cloud formations - cumulus, cirrus and stratus - stuck to the playroom window with a chart to record the predominant cloud type each day. Hermione is going to graph the results in a few weeks.

Got to fly - the hearth is calling.

Thumbs up for Lidl

In case it's not reason enough to call along to Lidl to pick up large wall maps (Europe and world) for only £1.99, or jotters full of squared paper for graph work for less than £1, you may also get to grab some grub for free!

I feel very strongly about the level of food waste direct from the retailer, so I was delighted to see Lidl giving food away for free at the end of the day yesterday. Isn't that amazing - a major retailer rejecting waste and embracing freeganism! I'm not sure if it just happened because it was the holiday period and things were slack, whether it's a local thing or whether it's national policy.

I don't profess to have the answers to reconciling commerce and waste, but surely there must be some way forward. I'm not a regular shopper at Lidl but will certainly go back now. They have won my favour - not because I saved the cost of the two packs of scones and two sponge cakes I got for free (which incidentally I put in the freezer and didn't scoff all in one go *grin*), but because they have shown a glimmer of social and environmental conscience. Here's hoping this is a company policy and not a one off member of staff utilising common sense.

Snow science and patchwork hyacinths

Yesterday we filled a jug with snow - we seem to have a surplus of the stuff here right now! We filled it to the top and made sure it was level. We placed it near the fire and went back to it half an hour later. It had melted and changed into three quarters of a jug of water.

So, why did a full jug of snow not turn into a full glass of water? The snow and water have different densities because the snow traps lots of air within it. Simple eh?

Personally I'm growing a little bored with this snow excess now. I went food shopping today and then couldn't get my car back up the drive when I arrived home. Whinge, whinge,whinge...I know, we're weather wimps in the UK.

There seems to be an understanding among the animals right now. Pringles usually chases the crows from his bowl but he's been happy to share the past few days. He's also started to share with the wild rabbits that have taken to passing by too. I hope the wild rabbits don't hang around once the snow has gone though - they could cause a big problem in my veg patch and I'm also worried in case they have myxomatosis which they could pass on to our bunny.

 

Do you like my new quilt? It was a gift from Craig. I love it. It's not huge, it just fits nicely on the back of a snug armchair.

 

I love hyacinths too. These ones match my quilt. Their scent reminds me of my dad.

 

Craig is back to work tomorrow. It's been wonderful having him around over the festive period. I think this is the most time we have ever spent together as a whole family. It's been really positive and illuminating. Of course he's still around when he's working, but more like a ship passing in the night as opposed to an active family member. We're becoming much more insync with our family beliefs. It feels good.

No more nursing

Have I told you that my baby has stopped nursing? I no longer have a nursling.

When I was pregnant I told myself that I would be really happy if I fed my baby for six weeks. Yes, that would be a long time in comparison to how long I fed Hermione! Who would have thought that he would self wean when he was four?

Friends have asked how I feel. I have told them I’m fine. They have asked how I really feel. I really do feel fine. I’m not sad, nor am I pleased. We shared something which by its very nature must come to an end – and the end has come right on time – as most things do when left to run a natural course. I feel content, no doubt in part because as every day passes I see new ways in which I can nourish him.

I feel blessed that I had the necessary support and information which helped us to get on the right path. So many women out there beat themselves up about not breastfeeding, feel that they have let their baby down, when really it is them who has been let down by a system which in my humble opinion pays lip service to supporting breast feeding mothers.

When I gave birth to Hermione I asked for breast feeding support. You know what I got? Diddly squat - that’s right – nothing! The only person who did try to talk to me about breast feeding was a guy handing out leaflets at the doorway of Woolworths. Goodness, I can still recall him shouting about the evils of formula. Every time I think of him I feel sick to the pit of my stomach. How many babies had he breast fed? How many hours had he paced the floor with a screaming baby who could not or would not feed? How many times had he sat night after night on a crappy orange plastic chair by his baby’s hospital bed when they were hospitalised with digestive difficulties? How many times did he remove his underwear to find more of his nipple stuck to it than what was left on his body? How on earth did I not drop my shopping bags on the spot and take a running leap and pull his skanky looking dreadlocks right out of his head?

Here’s hoping that the lottery nature of breastfeeding support will end soon and all women will be offered advice, help and guidance. Actually, I’m hoping for even more than that - I’m hoping that people will wake up to the benefits of mothering new mothers.