Guess we are having half term after all..

Hadn't planned on having a half term this week, we were going to take our break when C comes in march but somehow we have managed to be busy all week with non normals. Monday we spent working on our Iditarod binder, we all now have mushers (including miko), our maps are set up and we have done some work on the history and the rules of the race. Sam has emailed his musher and much to his delight received a reply. Sam chose his musher based on the name of his lead dog-Pork Chop. The musher is called Matt Anderson and is 26. This is his first time doing the race and sam is very excited about following his progress. I have more activites planned around the race and will fit them in in the next few weeks.

Tuesday we met up with my friend Mel and her childlren. We went to a fantastic NT property called Charlecote Park. It is a fantastic tudor house right on the banks of the river. The house was closed but we a great time playing in the grounds and admiring the gardens. Miko was a bit miffed as she was not allowed in the grounds-the NT seem to think that she would chase their lovely sheep. They are probably right and she had to make do with a walk around the village instead.

Yesterday we took miko for a long walk round watermead which wasn't the best idea as it was flooded and my wellies have holes in them! My feet were soaking wet by the time we got home and mikos paws were covered in smelly black mud. Sam's coat was even dirtier than it had been and his wellies were black with mud. We went along to the library in the afternoon for a bird event sponsored by the RSPB. We had expected a short talk followed by make and do activities, instead it was a long talk followed by a hunt round the library for bird pictures. The talk was interesting for the grown ups but most of the children were bored-in fact one girl who looked about 10 announced that she was bored! The speaker didn't quite know what to say but certainly did not take the hint that his talk was not lively enough for the audience. Sam made me laugh, the speaker asked a question about birds and Sam shouted out the answer, the man looked shocked that sam was corrected and then asked if he was a RSPB member to which my son replied "No, I have the box set of david attenborough at home". Only Sam...

Today we sent back to peterborough for S's bday party. It was so good to see all the boys and their moms. We both miss them all so much. R was very kind and let miko in the house and she was very well behaved-possibly better than the monster! Sam just gets so excited to be around his friends that all common sense flies out the window. He needs more friends here in leicester and hopefully setting up this home ed group will be a positive set in the right direction. He also has his name down for boy scouts which is another good place for making friends.

The text book for the latin class that I am going to take arrived this week so I have been eagerly dipping into it . I can't wait to get going properly The stories in the text are the ones that I first had when I took latin at school when I lived here in the early 80s. It was a nice surprise to see the familiar faces of the characters and it brought back lots of happy memories of school. I was a strange child, I loved school and hated to miss it for any reason. I especially loved the school I went to when I lived here and would love to go back for a look around. Mel is going back there next week with a mutual friend to have tea with our old headmisstress, Sister G who must be at least 100! Why is it that nuns seem to live forever?