This week

This week, I have started making a list of garden/allotment jobs that need to be done and thinking about a planting plan. Need to decide if the green house is repairable or not, I have no idea how old it is, it was second hand when we first got it and wasn't in a brilliant state then and it has been taken down and put together a couple of times too. But it has done us well for over 10 years but have reached the stage last year were the metal door was refusing to close and a couple of roof panes have slipped again and the seals are going or have gone, as well as few other problems. Jobs so far are

1. Order new seeds and buy seed potatoes, decided to try growing aubergines and peppers, we did peppers a few years ago and they were ok but need to start them of early.
2. Plan allotment planting
3. Sort green house, clean pots
4. Prune apple and pear trees
5. Prune grape vines
6. Plant onions, aubergine and early broccoli

Think that will do for starters!

Our second story from A Year Full of Stories was from Germany (have realised that 2 of the next 3 stories are also from Germany, had hoped for more country hopping, should of looked more closely first but enjoying the stories). Thought we would look at the work of the artist Franz Marc, he was born in Munich in 1880 and a key figure in the German expressionist movement. Now my girls love horses so his many varies paintings of horses went down well with them, they chose the Blue Horse to try and copy, create their own version of.

L loved all the colours, so decided to paint a multi coloured horse, she realised after she had finished painting she had got carried away with how many legs she had painted, luckily she found it rather amusing.

M went for a more literal interpretation but got rather stuck trying to recreate the horses legs.

One painted by one of my minded children.

L then decided to paint a caterpillar with hairy horns.

We spent yesterday exploring the woods.

L spotted some fungi growing on a fallen branch, really do wish I could identify at least some of the mushrooms and toadstools we find on our walks.

I have been sorting through my wool basket, or maybe that should be baskets and found I had enough pretty pink cotton to make a friends Granddaughter to be a cardigan and the left over ball into some dishcloths. Have been told they look to pretty to use for washing up dishes but sometimes I think it is nice to have something pretty to do a routine job.

Also enjoying reading Braiding Sweetgrass, just read a lovely chapter called The Gift of Strawberries, she talks about how the nature of an object changes depending on how it comes into our hands, a pair of socks bought in a store do not have the same feeling as a pair of socks knitted by your Nan, that sort of gift creates an ongoing relationship. The same goes for our food they are a gift from the earth and therefore create a relationship with it, when you grow your own food you have a different relationship to it than the food you buy in a store. You can see this in the faces of the children when we go and harvest our fruit and vegetables. It is so far proving to be wonderful book, full of interesting stories that are very thought provoking.

The other book is Self-Reg, I have an interest in sensory processing disorder and anxiety in children, so far he has talked about how easily babies and small children can be over stimulated, how for some children the classroom is just too much sensory stimulation for them. How the constant daily triggers, sensory input can lead quickly to full blown melt downs and how a quieter, calmer environment is better for them. I don't think I have learnt anything new yet but enjoying the way it is written and always good to go back over subject even if you think you know it well.

Tonight we had snow, was amazed it settled at all, as it had been raining steadily all afternoon but it did the girls spent a mad hour playing outside, don't think L can really remember the last time we had snow, they enjoyed a snowball fight. It has stopped snowing now and looks like it might be all gone by tomorrow much to their disappointment.

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