This Week.............

We have had multiple friends over and a sleepover (at our house - Hannah doesn't sleepover at friends houses yet), we've had photography group, a Not Back To School picnic (NBTSP)  and some playtime at another friend F's house.

A Film and popcorn for the sleepover.

Learning about lighting at photography group.

Hannah at the NBTSP in Pulborough

Fun with friends - NBTSP

Group picture - NBTSP

Ostheimer play at a friends house

 Hannah loves Ostheimer and Waldorf style toys and was really excited to be able to play with her friend F's toys at her house yesterday. The girls set up forest, farm and family scenes all across the living room and had a lovely relaxed afternoon. Just what was needed at the end of a busy week.

We've Been Camping In Dorset!

We have just come home from a lovely camping trip with friends on a farm near Weymouth.

The footpath from the camp site led down to a beautiful little inlet,

 where the girls used various methods to protect their heads from the midges!

We enjoyed the camp site playground, and the girls made friends with some of the other children camping around us so they had lots of play and loom-banding!

We went to Weymouth beach,

surfer girls

 where Hannah really enjoyed swimming - she said she felt like a mermaid under the water with all the shells glistening!

 Hannah and her friend rode the beach donkeys, played crazy golf, built sandcastles and rode the fairground carousel.

  We also had some lovely walks around the fields and shoreline. Hannah loved watching the straw bales being gathered in and both girls had fun with our friends dog in the fields!

It was such a peaceful area to camp in, we had wild rabbits hopping around our tent at night , bats flying overhead at dusk, and we watched shooting stars across the milky way at night. 

Visiting Friends

We have had two really good days visiting friends this week. We have been on the train to Pulborough where Hannah had a lovely day playing with her friend - the girls did lots of pony related play and then rode Hannah's friends ponies and played with her other pets. Such a relaxed day, Hannah came home very reluctantly at the end of the day, so we have arranged to camp with them next week so that the girls can spend some more time together.

Fledgling swallows in the stables

Yesterday we caught another train to Southampton to visit different friends. Such a nice day! Hannah and her friends played ponies and minecraft, went to the paddling pool and playground and had hot chocolate and ice cream in the cafe. Even more importantly I had a chance to catch up with their mum, who is possibly my longest standing 'mum friend' (we met at La Leche when our children were really small and hit it off straight away). Sometimes as home educating parents it seems that we are so busy providing opportunities for our children that we forget to take care of ourselves and our own friendships - so yesterday was especially nice for me!

Oh, and in between visiting friends Hannah has also had her friend Sapphire over for the day. The girls were busy all day swimming, skating, biking and playing nerf gun combat! It's been a busy fun filled week!

Home Ed Sports Day

Yesterday we went to the annual home educators sports day run by one of the local home edding mums. Hannah joined in the three legged race, potato and spoon race, running, long jump, sack race and tug of war.

Warm Up

Running Race

Potato And Spoon

Three Legged Race

Sack Race

Vicki - Organiser Extraordinare And Headmistress For The Day

Wildflowers On Portsdown Hill

Yesterday we went for a walk around Fort Widley on Portsdown Hill. The sun was out, and so were the summer wild flowers. Beautiful swathes of them across the hill and around the fields with bees collecting pollen and swallow overhead. It was a perfect English summer scene.

This is the back of the old fort which now houses a riding stables, WW1 memorial centre and scuba diving school!

Learning Life Skills - Cookery

Hannah has always liked to help with the cooking,  but this week she has shown an interesting in learning how to cook dishes completely on her own.

She made pizza from scratch (with daddy's supervision) for dinner on Wednesday using Jamie Oliver's pizza dough recipe, and yesterday she made macaroni cheese for her lunch with only a little advice from me.

 Macaroni Cheese