Episode 33 - The Orangery - Tea anyone?

[mistlethrush]

The tearoom has traveled back to the Orangery for another visit. There are bluebells in the nearby woods, and Mellors has Earl Grey and Lady Grey ready for some excursions. Mellors has, indeed, been overwintering away from Canada for some reason - I think he's been helping Maud out in the garden. There are tulips out in urns outside, and there are a few tables out in the sunny courtyard for use between showers.

Whether you have one child or several, pull up a chair and share a or a . The only rules remains no fisticuffs.

At boys school, free reader means, you have finished reading colour banded books( after white/ grey /lime) . For the rest of this year at least his books will still be chosen by the Class TA, next year ( Y2) he may have a bit more choice from a range in the classroom.

stone bugs sounds like a neat idea.

butterfly how to vid.

Parties
YD 1 - family
YD 2 - family, and a few friends from the postnatal group who all had children the same age.
YD 3 - A few friends from toddlers.
YD 4 - This was when people started inviting the whole class, usually to soft play... I stubbornly stuck to our house, but as the YD's birthday is v. close to Christmas, we invited everyone and only had about 8 people come, so 'twas manageable. Party-bags. We made a christmas decoration each. Plus food.
YD 5 - I think was still at our house. Everyone was still inviting the whole class - but as previous year, we only ended up with a few because of the date.
YD 6 - gave in and went to soft play - but there were only about 10 kids
YD 7 - Film, then games/tea at our house. (A few friends)
YD 8 - Crazy golf/soft play for a few friends
YD 9 - Games at our house (the YD's request) for a few friends.

Well done! to Uniboy!

Survived school fair today - we had moved everything into the gym, but it ended up being mostly dry, if windy. I think it was much pleasanter inside with the wind and the grey skies. I had to use my very rusty BSL today as two coach loads of old pupils came (they had organised a reunion). Most of them were signing away at a rate of knots. Made me think.... we are an oral school, and the staff and students do not sign in school, and much time and effort is put into developing the listening and speaking skills of students. Although no-one is silly enough to stop them signing at lunch or in the evenings....

Joke for the older geeks amongst us...

After Noah's voyage on The Ark was over, he told all the animals to "go forth and multiply".

They all scooted off, except for two snakes. He looked at them and said "I told you to go forth and multiply".

They said "we can't - we're adders.".

Noah scratched his head for a bit, and then ran off and collected some driftwood, came back, grabbed his tools, worked for a while, and then said to the snakes, "here, have this".

They said "what for?".

Noah said, "it's a log table. Now you adders can go forth and multiply!".

I think Toddler has caught my cold. At least (and please excuse my grossness) his nose is flowing. Mine never did/still isn't which means, at least for me, it went straight to a sinus infection. Unfortunately I haven't had it long enough for the doctors to do anything (I was always told 7-10 days after the start of the cold).

I did not sleep well MrScout kept stealing the covers and Toddler was not in bed until going on 9:30 (thought he'd sleep in the car but didn't) and was still up at 6:00 so I see mid/late morning naps for the two of us.

Morning!

Bad day. Got woken at silly o'clock this morning by police, telling us that bastards had stolen our car, hit a telegraph pole, and it had caught fire and burnt out. Not DH's company car, oh no, our own family car. With the car seat in it. Joy.
So today has been a race to find a new car, and to buy a new seat for MiniThumb - we had to borrow the one that MIL has to take him with us. What fun - not!

The police told us that witnesses saw one of the perps dragging another from the car before it caught fire - we're hoping it's serious. Pics of car on my FB if anyone wants to look.

Hope TS doesn't get bunged sinuses, that wouldn't be any fun at all.

Like the "old" joke, Donki!

at Donki's joke.

[old gimmer emoticon]

Thumb, for back of a better phrase, that sucks rocks big time. Have seen the pictures (before I saw your post here).

Fingers crossed Toddler's colds usually last a few days and just flow and flow until they suddenly stop. He doesn't sound full of cold but he is. Me, I sound full of cold.

After a trip to Sainbury's and MrScout buying some Lego (free-building brick, not a kit), my boys have just built a windmill. Toddler is over-the-moon.

lol at adder joke. thank you.

I'm wading through old CDs I've not listened to for ages. currently on the blade runner score CD- most mellow and yet spine tingling in places.

BUM about teh car Thumb, how vexing.

Wriggle had a temperature yesterday and was lovely - so calm and cuddly, not jumping about yelling singing, leaping off cupboards and, if all other activity palls, just spinning round in circles. We did colouring together; the sort of thing I had imagined doing with my child. Would I be a very bad mother if I tried to keep her just a little bit ill?

Only you can answer that, LaBelleDame. How long until the butterflies and beetles party?

Middle of July. Need to start actually planning, not vaguely thinking.

sorry to miss flurry of posts, but cosy here in the Priest hole, non?
Parties:
Oxboy 1 - family
Oxboy 2 - all local toddler friends
Oxboy 3 - local friends and nursery added a couple
Oxboy 4 - same
Oxboy 5 - whole reception class and some old local friends

all have been at home and numbered in kids about 18 - 20 for last couple of years

This year at home but children bigger and not all parents to stay so just invited whole class and other friends from school - local friends not at school I didn't invite - that's only about 4 but I felt a bit mean

anyway, party coming up soon and have 14 possibly 16 children.
party bags made from yellow moon
I do prizes for some games that go into party bag so bag has sticker book only to start with
wild party games
probably all the kids and parents think its lame but Oxboy and I are excited!

Thumb that's really bad about car, poor you but I hope the guy wasn't hurt in the accident

LBD - I would do for party: yellow moon do great craft things - scratch off bookmarks/ shapes I think there are bug/ butterfly ones work out about 30p each and really good fun

also love paint the stone/ go on a bug hunt - give kids cheapo magnifying glasses and send them out with nets or pad and pen to draw - no killing allowed

or give them big sheets of paper and two teams and they must draw a collective thing?

then just theme games - pin the antennae on the butterfly/ blind butterfly catch (blind man's buff) musical bumps running to stand on a butterfly picture/ make butterfly wings - draw them on cardboard first and then just paint in?/ decorate butterfly biscuits/ do a butterfly hunt/ treasure hunt in the garden/ ooo lots of things... I like a party me

unis that is great. I haven't heard of a free reader so although year 1 Oxboy can't be there yet, he's still working through the number readers

scout, toddler sounds lovely at the mo, hope his cold goes soon

Toddler is a leaking mess. Poor thing.

oxeye - you're too kind. We're rather hoping they were badly enough hurt that they need hospital treatment - that gives the police a better chance of catching them. We know one had to be dragged from the car by the other after the crash, don't know why.

Anyway - we have a new car in the offing. 2 days of narrow searching (we knew what we wanted and only 4 were worth looking at) and DH put in an offer on the best one today, and it was accepted tonight. A few issues with it - it only comes with one key, so we need to spend out $400-500 dollars for a new one (just not worth trying to cope with one) and it is due a service but apart from that, a good car. Picking it up tomorrow afternoon - hurrah!

Scout - poor toddler. :(

That was an early start! We went to see the Olympic Torch outside Leeds Town Hall this morning as it set off for today. We had tickets for Temple Newsam, which by all accounts was excellent, but the YD wanted to get close to the torch - so we thought that this morning was a better bet. He was really chuffed - right at the front, and it was spectacular as they launched golden ribbons into the air as the first runner set off, after a concert by the Leeds Youth Orchestra.

The YD then wanted pictures printed in time for school - but I couldn't get the printer to work at first - had forgotten to switch over the usb cables so that it was plugged into the router...

'twas touch and go, but we got to school in time.

(I suppose it makes a change from forgetting to switch it on...)

Sorry to hear about your car Thumb - that's a real pain - but glad you've found one to buy.

Scout - hope he's better soon.

Busy weekend - School fun day - including choir singing - mc sang beautifully (he had a solo verse to sing) and full of confidence. Picked up lots of 2nd hand uniform too as I don't want to spend £45 on a new rugby shirt for him to grow out of (and have had 2 recommended too so that would have been £90). Then down to London to make journey to Suffolk for DH's grandmother's 90th celebrations. MC was fantastic when there - could not have asked for better behaviour, and he played wonderfully with his little 2nd cousin. Long journey home though as there was a road closure so an hour long diversion.

That sounds like a memorable weekend - for good reasons!

I'm glad that you have found a new car so quickly MT.

Good morning!

Sorry to hear about your car TW - just the sort of thing you can do without.

Donki/MT - sounds like good weekends had by all. We are going to see the torch tomorrow so I'm looking forward to a 'cheeky day off' with Small Bean. We had a chance to see the torch yesterday - have put a photo on my profile for a short while of Small Bean who was just so proud to hold it!

Scout - hope that poor TS is feeling better soon.

Thanks Oxeye. I think DS's school make a bit of fuss about them becoming free readers so its something teh kids aspire to. one or two were free readers B4 end of year R but most will get there in year 2 or 3, so boy is one of the first boys in his class. he's very chuffed.

At his school it means they have gone beyond ORT level 11 or 12 . Other schools may do things differently. He will remain in a guided reading group and will still have a "school book" sent home for rest of teh year.

Busy day today, but survived it. jus ta meeting about the fire show script to go to now.

That's really good UniS!

I'm not really very sure what level Ds is reading at - because he reads much more difficult books to himself than he gets given at school...