I love the family picture above, drawn by Dancing Toes. The respective heights of the boys dates it; Rhythm Dude is our gentle giant and towers over us all, closely followed by Lanky Dude and both HWH and myself now look up to our boys. However, they are boys no longer. They are young men… Continue reading Summer Sundae 4 – August 2022
Tag: Seasons
Summer Sundae – 3 August 2022
I seem to have missed a couple of Sundays. We were away last week end and had lovely guests to stay plus a youth camp the week before. It’s also a busy time for any gardener; watering, successional sowing, harvesting and preserving. The book launch activities continue, including some podcast opportunities. A couple of weeks… Continue reading Summer Sundae – 3 August 2022
Towards self sufficiency – March 2022
I’ve always had a yearning to be self sufficient; I grew vegetables in pots when living in rented city homes, I read books describing the challenges and adventures of those who lived off the land and the 1970’s iconic series “The Good Life” is still a favourite of mine. When we finally moved out to… Continue reading Towards self sufficiency – March 2022
Advent and Christmas – December 2021
Advent is nearly ended and the celebrations of Christmas are just around the corner. This month of December can be like a helter-skelter, landing us in a exhausted, yet hopefully happy heap on the eve of Christmas. Our ideal is that it’s filled with delicious smelling foods, much loved traditions, twinkly lights, and sparkly-eyed children.… Continue reading Advent and Christmas – December 2021
Golden days and grey skies – November 2021
In this strange new way of living where uncertainty abounds, fear not love seems to be a motivating force, and language, ideologies and algorithms bring division, it can be hard, even for the sunniest and most optimistic of us to remain upbeat. Maybe this is appropriate. We are living, I believe, in dark times, and… Continue reading Golden days and grey skies – November 2021
Glimpses of our home ed days – Poetry teatime – November 2021
I know very little about poetry. I remember learning poems at school, most of which didn’t make much sense to me. I remember having to learn one as homework the week end my much anticipated baby sister was born. I remember nothing of the poem, but it was part and parcel of a week end… Continue reading Glimpses of our home ed days – Poetry teatime – November 2021
Autumnal Outings and Activities
This half of term has flown by and I wonder if I’m the only one who’s been feeling that life has seemed a little out of control? After eighteen months of constant fluctuation and uncertainty, I’ve found it hard to settle back into our home ed rhythm. We now have the freedom to go on… Continue reading Autumnal Outings and Activities
A Summer Whirl – August 2021
I’m sitting in one off my all time favourite places, The Bishops Palace in Wells, Somerset. I’ve bribed the girls with ice cream and am hoping for a few minutes of peace. Despite the trees being in full, mature green leaf, and the flower beds an abundant display of reds, golds and purples, it feels… Continue reading A Summer Whirl – August 2021
Glimpses of our home ed days – Ending term well – July 2021
I always remember my Mum, who is a counsellor, stressing the importance of beginnings and endings. I’ve taken this piece of down to earth advice into my adult life and have often been the beneficiary of it. In our home ed days, we implement it not only in marking the beginning and endings of term,… Continue reading Glimpses of our home ed days – Ending term well – July 2021
Glimpses of our home ed days – Time outside – May 2021
Spending time in the great outdoors is a cornerstone of most home education philosophies and practice, from John Holt through to Charlotte Mason. For me, embarking upon our home ed journey with virtually no reading and research, it seemed a common sense approach. I remember a friend of mine telling me that small boys are… Continue reading Glimpses of our home ed days – Time outside – May 2021
Mothering through the seasons 