Any Witches Here? Part 16

[speakout]

Or Wiccans. or Pagans? Or anyone who is interested in a magical path or feels some magical stirrings.

A place for support, learning, swapping ideas and magical inspiration.

Serendipity Hills I've been looking at Lakeland's fermenting jars, recipes and instructions.
blog.lakeland.co.uk/fermenting/

It looks easier for a beginner than the Kilner fermenting setup. I'll get a couple of Lakeland 1 kilo jars and take the plunge. Trouble with Lakeland is the temptation to add so much to the basket, I can't resist their Black Garlic Pickle and many other goodies let alone so many useful things. They suggest a ramekin filled with baking beans and wrapped in cling film for weight, know I have both, but where??? Is it easier to buy new ones so I can crack on with all the right gear to hand, or dismantle the house trying and likely failing to find mine. Then if i get new ones, I'll go to put them away and my existing ones will have reappeared in that place at that moment

It is just don't milton it if your fermenting/sour dough start goes wrong and gets up under the seal. you will never grow anything in it again. don't ask me how i know

I have the pickling weights and some mason jars. I can;t remember if i picked up the tops but if you don't have the right top some muslin or burping the jar regularly works. I find the weights for the jars easier because you can make smaller amounts.

not quite the weights i have but similar

fermation tops

Obviously if you don't have mason jars already it makes no sense set up cost wise and I have one of the lakeland jars. It has worked well in the past. I just like the ability to make a little of many varieties, and have a butt ton of the mason jars as i use them for other preservation methods/storage of dried herbs as air tight as possible. So it does work well for me.

If you want lots of recipes and safe fermentation practice there are some really good channels on youtube (also some really bad ones) but it is wise to consult American safety standards for safely fermenting foods I know that there are some interesting practises food wise in the US, but they have also done a lot of research into thing and I have had questions answered by extension offices in the past when i have needed further information. I would recommend cross referencing youtube advice (and possibly some books) with this resource. But there are a whole heap of free resources etc that can be accessed if you feel the need to divide into this world.

Lakeland ime is always dangerous...

You can never have too few baking beans if that helps.

Also that spice pickled pears from your link looks good

Loving all this practical talk of self care, especially to help those of us that are overburdened, have health issues, or finding life hard for any reason.
I am a complete advocate of looking at practical, medical resolutions as a first step, but once these have been addressed then magical healing certainly has its place.
When we are overwhelmed then magical practice can feel like an extra burden or task, but even just a few seconds or a whispered incantation can yield huge results.
This video popped up in youtube for me today- about everyday easy witch practice- I know many of us will have seen this before, but a great reminder to me of how easy it is to incorporate magical practice into everyday life- very soul nourishing!

Just catching up. School is back and I’m busy. It seems there’s yet another new way to teach multiplying fractions so I’ve had to teach myself that (it’s still not quicker than the way everyone probably does it).
@TotoAnnihiliation I’m glad you’re looking after yourself. I’m so pleased you’re making your well-being a priority.
Thought the vagaries of social media I’ve fallen into a group with lots of out “witches” but the energy is very different to here so I stay firmly in the broom closet! It makes me very grateful for this calm and thoughtful space.
A dream last night told me to do the PhD in creative writing I wanted to do twenty years ago. I looked up the fees. They’re still the reason I won’t. However, my word this year is prosper and I have just sent a book to an agent so let’s see what response my first submission of 2022 gets! Maybe I will get a chance to do it after all.
Have a peaceful night all.

@Trenzalor oh Lordy, a new way to teach multiplying fractions? I've just about understand the "old" way. Glad I'm missing next week as i we should be teaching fractions then. I hope you do follow your dream of doing the PHD course, dream big my friend!

As part of my recovery, I've booked a session with my yoga teacher tomorrow that will focus on healing and meditation. It will be a 1:1 session and I am really looking forward to it!

How much attention is given to scence in the primary curriculum? I knw teachers have a great deal to pack in, but was a cconcern to me when my kids were young that science wasn't given much attention. Have things changed?

Another freezing cold day here, trying t summon courage to take off my nice warm pjs to get in the shower. I sometimes like a hot bath in the morning, but OH has to get ready for work soon, and I don't want to hog the room. I will lay out my clothes before I get in the shower so I can dress as quickly as possible. It's a pity this washing thing became so fashionable!

speakout I can't say what it's like in state schools here as my son is in a Private primary but their science provision is excellent. Which is just as well, it is in my DS top three things to learn about!

Blessed Monday to you all. I gingerly step into this week as I'm finding I'm dodging life's missiles at the moment but here is to the optimisim that it will be a good one!

I must admit i am looking forwards to the clocks going forwards. Right now mornings are feeling hard. Insomnia last night probably hasn't helped.
I hear you on the cold this morning, i need to go wake ds but it is cold outside of bed. And i am comfy.,,

@speakout we teach our classes science once every week. Unfortunately, I don't feel that we have very long for our science lessons in my current school - an hour a week. Schools that I went to on placement had 2 hour sessions which allowed more time to do experiments.

@moregarlic, re the window cleaning, I've tried all sorts, including vinegar and newspaper, and the best I've tried is this www.mrmuscleclean.com/en-gb/products/wholehouse/mr-muscle-advanced-power-window-and-glass it does have some vinegar in it, but because it has some nasties, I use very sparingly. I'll spray the glass/mirrors lightly and give them a little rub with a dry cloth, then go around them all again with another dry cloth, giving them a good buffing, usually deosil whilst I visualise the cleaning motion bringing in clearer, cleaner energy to the house.

Another grey day here, but I am assured it will clear up, so have opened my windows in anticipation. Musing on this thread earlier, I don't think I have ever known of a time when so many people were going through such difficulties at once. Seemingly everyone I speak to has had a pounding, myself included, and it makes sense that we should all be pulling together, yet there is so much tension amongst us as a species, it is saddening. I shall be lighting a candle this evening (not quite at 8 because I have yoga), and will be willing light to enter all of our hearts to lighten our load a little - I am sure things must improve soon

I would be interested in hearing about the science topics that are taught in primary.

Re glass cleaning, my tried and trusted method is a wash with warm water with the tiniest little squirt of wash up liquid, use a clean cotton cloth. That removes the grime and grease. Then a second bowl of warm water with a few tablespoons of vinegar- use a second cotton cloth, the first will still have soap in it. Wipe over rhe windows a second time to rinse off the soap with the vnegar water.
Don't allow to dry, do small sections at a time, then dry and buff with newspaper. Crystal clear, no smears.

Hi everyone hope you’re all having a good day.
Just quickly screeching in on the broomstick to say @moregarlic I echo what everyone else has said with regards the blood tests.

Please do make sure to ask specifically that they include vitamin D.

I was feeling dreadful earlier this year and had some blood tests that all came back fine. I couldn’t believe that I could feel so awful and be told I was fine.
When I checked it out a bit more it turned out that vitamin D wasn’t included in the tests and the nhs still don’t really highlight it’s importance enough. So , I ordered my own test from forthwithlife and it came back with ridiculously low levels of vitamin D.

I then phoned the doctor and she advised me on how much I should take to put it right. I had been taking vitamin D up until a few months before that but obviously it wasn’t enough!
Although I have other health problems going on at the moment I can tell that the vitamin. D is making a difference.

Not enough time today so I’ll have to zoom off again but I’ll try to catch up with you all later.

Early last year I meant doh !

@speakout Science is a core subject so has to be taught once a week. I’m in year six so we’ve done electricity and light and are about to start classifications. In my experience the science is as good as the coordinator and we’ve got a good one so science works well. The main thing is to make sure children do hands on experiments which doesn’t happen everywhere. My daughter said she watched the teacher do one!!!

@speakout, I teach year 5. Last term we did living things including humans, then animals and their habitats.

This term, we are doing forces.

My school is in a deprived area, it's has very little money. When we did an experiment last term, I funded the equipment out of my own pocket. Not just for my class, but for the whole year group. It's one of the many reasons I ended up feeling so stressed last term. I was giving and giving but still being made to feel that what I face wasn't enough.

Science was taught badly at my chidren;s school. I taught them science at home. All of the lessons were taught at home without any special equipment.
Phases of matter, electromagnetic spectrum, biology,even basic atomic theory can be easily understood at primary level- sorry just a little bugbear of mine.
A lot of science can be learned though cooking, growing, simple observation.
I remember asking my teacher if clouds had skin and was laughed at. To me they should be blown apart by wind- what holds them together was what I was asking- she thought my question silly.

Speakout i have lost count of the number of people who have said to me "if they taught science like this in school it would have been more interesting" even at high school the syllabus is dry and not relatable. Which is a shame because it is possible to pull actual applied reasons for learning things which can help people see the point of learning what seem to be from the curriculum pointless stuff.

My son did digestion last term which included making a rudimentary model of the digestive system from mouth to bottom. It was completely hands on, outdoors with their wet weather gear on as they got messy!
They also have access to farm animals fortnightly and all of this science is explored through practical experience there.
This term they are doing fossils, geological classification etc. My dinosaur obsessed child already has a pretty good knowledge of this.

Speakout one of the wonderful things about his school is that your cloud/skin question would be fully explored and answered. They are very child led in their approach and being private they have more fluidity to go off piste a little. They understand the value in following the child's thought processes to explore, and encourage classroom discussion and debate.

It's very encouraging to hear that some schools teach science well. I think young children can grasp scientific concepts easily.
Waiting until 12 or 13 is too late, and then taught in a very dry meaningless way.
A child can become very excited in basic science principles- how water can freeze, melt, turn to gas, condense, back to frozen again. All still water, but showing how the same substance can exist in different forms.The phases and the processes involving temperature. This isn't usually taught until secondary school, but well within the understanding of a 6 year old.

@speakout

Science was taught badly at my chidren;s school. I taught them science at home. All of the lessons were taught at home without any special equipment. Phases of matter, electromagnetic spectrum, biology,even basic atomic theory can be easily understood at primary level- sorry just a little bugbear of mine. A lot of science can be learned though cooking, growing, simple observation. I remember asking my teacher if clouds had skin and was laughed at. To me they should be blown apart by wind- what holds them together was what I was asking- she thought my question silly.

I agree with you @speakout. Science is all around us and easy to access. The experiment I did at school was children growing their own seeds. The school had no seeds, no compost or containers to grow the seeds in. Even if I had done it on a paper towel, I would have had to purchase the paper towel. The whole thing is a shambles.

I have enjoyed "free" science, getting the children to lie on the playground and watching the clouds be blown along by the wind. Up until this point the children believed the Earth turning caused the clouds to move.

TotoAnnihiliation
When I was 20 I started a BEd in primary school teaching- dropped out after a year- and subsequently went on to study chemistry.

What appalled me then that no science subjects were required for entrance not even at GCSE level. As the college ( now part of the university was still controlled by the church to some extent being a Sunday school teacher seemed more important than having an A level physics. No science was taught during the course, and qualified primary teachers being churned out who didnt know the difference between an atom and a molecule. Hard to teach science with that level of personal education.

Sorry for deraiing- just sitting down to a plate of sesame tofu with garlic braised pak choi. I love how tofu changes texture once it has been frozen, turns spongey and soaks up flavour so much better.
It's yummy anyway!