Worldwide Culture Swap

We are very excited to be taking part in a world wide culture swap, where we assigned to a group of 5 families from all over the world and we can swap parcels with each other that contain interesting and fun things to do with the country and culture where we live.  I think it is a great and very real way to learn about other people, as well as encouraging the children to think about what we might like to share about how and where we live. I'm sure that we'll learn lots of things that we didn't know in the process.

We have been matched with families from Quebec, St Thomas (which took some finding on the map!), India (but now living in California) and Switzerland.

Our first step was to find them on our map and we've labelled it so that the children can see at a glance where everyone is from. 


The blur facility on my paint package is my new favourite thing

Today was cold and drizzly so we decided to forego our usual outdoor home ed get together and set off looking for treasures that we could put in our parcel.  First stop was our town's museum.  We thought that we might find some fun things in the gift shop there and were hoping for some postcards too.

My favourite part of the museum, which I'm afraid the children think is rather dull, is this picture painted in 1859.  Alongside it is a photo taken recently of the same busy area of the town so that we can compare how it once was to how it is now.  The dirt track and horses having been replaced by concrete and cars, the many masts of the working boats, to the left of the picture now being reduced to just one  - of a boat restored in the town and now open to the public to look around.  The buildings are mostly still there, but many have been extended and more crammed in to fill in the gaps. 
The children never let me look long enough at this picture, mainly because they know  that this gruesome little guy is around the corner.  He is supposed to be a mermaid, but it really is quite horrid and we make every effort to make sure we don't pass it as we make our way around the museum - as much because it makes me shudder too!   

We ate lunch on board the 1934 steam ferry that was built in the town and admired the views from the high windows. 



Whilst the surroundings are lovely, the food on offer is quite basic so we don't tend to eat here, but it was fun to do. 



View from the steamer is, I think, the square patch of water at the left of the museum picture, looking down in the same direction

Back in the museum the children played in their favourite bit, the fishing coble.  They played at being Marvel super heroes and were joined by a small boy who was being a pirate.  So funny watching the children playing together at two different games!



A final look around the gift shop and we selected some pencils to go in our parcels and took away some leaflets that we may use later on.  We were rather disappointed with the array of postcards and felt that they didn't represent the town very well, so our postcard hunt is still on, though I suspect that we'll end up taking photos instead. 

Jubilee Party

On Saturday we got our red, white and blue on for a jubilee party at a home ed friend's house.  I was so proud of us all as we all set off smart and co-ordinating for the party.
Our hostess had put so much effort into decorating both house and garden and it looked beautiful.  By happy coincidence my mum had spent a year sewing bunting for her 60th birthday party which just happened to be red, white (with coloured polka dots) and blue, so we were able to make good contribution to the decorations and my mum was so excited that it was being used. 

  

The food was also fantastic, I meant to get a picture of it before the hungry hoards dived in but didn't manage it.  I did get this huge plate of cakes that Toby somehow thought that he was going to manage to polish off all by himself! He has always felt that he needed to have lots in order to have enough and today seemed like a good day to indulge that  - as there was plenty of cake since mum had gone to Iceland (just had to get that in).  He made a valiant attempt at the cake but I think in the end he admitted defeat and asked for some help with his cake mountain. 

   

Stories were read, music was played and memories of fun and togetherness were made.

Three red, white and blue children playing pass the parcel





We needed to go out of town today for some craft supplies so that we could make some freezer stencil T-Shirts , because in a fit of ruthlessness whilst decluttering last month, I had thrown out our fabric paints.  At least I think I must have done as we've searched high and low and cannot find them.
It is a few years since I did anything with freezer stencils and I must have figured that we could do without the paints as it would probably be a few more before we got into that craze again.  I'd completely forgotten about the approaching jubilee party and that I wanted to get a little bit festive without having to splash out and buy new clothes.   

The children were very giddy today and they just would not calm down, not even after brain freezes and babyccinos.  Really, a shopping complex was not the best place for them today, but we needed to get some things and so I tried to make it as fun as I could. 

- which involved cheesy photo booth sessions.....

...monkeying around

...and lots of spinning

one very strong baby girl

In the end though, we had to get back to our shopping.  I shopped, while the boys tussled around the place and Mathilda was snugged up on my back.  I resorted to pretending they weren't with me (who are these children and why are they calling me mummy?!), while attempting to appear serene.  Somehow I don't think that I fooled anyone on the serenity front.   

After saying goodbye to our friends, we finished moving out of our weekend home in the scorching heat and decamped to the river to cool off, stopping first in the town to equip everyone with fishing nets.

 

 All was going well.....

Until a tiny fish swam a little too close for comfort

So Mathilda decided that she would prefer to watch from the river bank



But that soon became boring, so she found another way to cast her net in the river, while keeping her toes away from harm



Weekend of Marvellousness

After frenzied packing, we loaded our car up with clothes, air beds and bedding, camping stoves, utensils, paddling pools, bats, balls, pots and pans, in fact everything that one needs for camping, except the tent - as we were staying in one of these fab things for the weekend.

Then, when it looked like we couldn't possibly stuff any more in, we loaded the car up even more with lots of cold and wet weather gear just in case the weather took an unexpected turn.  After all of that we managed to squeeze in the children (but only just) and off we went to the lake district, to meet up with friends. 

Within seconds of getting there, the children were running about in the hot hot sun with their friends, filling water bombs and water guns and getting soaked to the skin...and this was pretty much how they spent the whole weekend.   

and what a marvellous weekend it was, relaxed and easy, with no where to go and nothing to do apart from take in the beautiful scenery, with playmates on tap for the children and lots of adults to keep a collective eye out. 

So lucky...

We are so very lucky to be able to visit this beautiful place.  Its possibly my favourite spot, such an easy place to visit with children.  Almost on our doorstep, we go practically weekly, including right through winter and it is always different each time we go. 

This week, we spent a lot of time up by the pond in the full heat of the sun with lots of other families.

The sudden sun after such a chilly spring was a bit much for lots of the children and they soon started to droop in it.  Everyone quickly drifted off home to retreat to paddling pools and shade.  We decided to stick around and take a walk.  We usually are with people here and the children play with each other, while the grown ups grab snippets of fragmented conversation which is interspersed with interruptions by needy toddlers.  Its nice every once in a while to spend time, just us and see it with new eyes  and explore the bits that we don't go to so much.   

Off on an adventure...

Bird Watching 

 

Sunny Pathways

Leading to woodland which is cool and shady in summer and sheltered and nurturing in winter

Where we found a ready built den

and lingered for a while, enjoying how much cooler and more comfortable we felt out of the heat.

Eventually seeking out the sun once more. 

Very, very lucky.

Cafe Kids

After three glorious days of sunshine we needed a little respite from the heat.  All that sun had made me long for iced coffee, so we headed to a cafe for iced mocha and 'brain freezes'.  We feel suitably recharged now for a sunny weekend (fingers crossed for sun!)