It's been a while...

I've got out of the swing of blogging lately, partly because it's been fairly quiet round these parts recently, so it doesn't feel as though I've got that much to say.  In addition to that though, M has some concerns about becoming famous, even though I have the settings such that you need the link to find this blog and I only refer to the people by their initial!  I have reassured her that she really doesn't need to worry about this and she has agreed that I can put things 'on blog' again.

Last week was Fun Club, which was the traditional Christmas show, where anybody can perform.  There were quite a few musical numbers and also a little nativity play by one family.  K has never been up to take part, although M has played the piano for the past few years.  A couple of months ago she had decided that she would play the French horn this year, but changed her mind a few weeks later and didn't change it back again.  They enjoyed the show though and joined in with the carol singing afterwards, which I accompanied on the piano.

On Wednesday, immediately after M's French horn lesson, we headed into town.  Ages ago the girls had been given cinema vouchers for taking part in research at Nottingham university, which needed to be used by the end of the year, so I suggested that we go and see Paddington.  K & M were a bit sceptical, but agreed to give it a go and we met Z & R at the cinema and R came in with us.  In the 11 o'clock showing on a mid-week morning there were a surprising number of people there, most of whom were over 60.  We all really enjoyed it and would thoroughly recommend the film and thought Paddington's hard stare was particularly good.  Z met us afterwards and we had lunch together before we had a wander around the Christmas market and then parting company to do a bit more shopping before heading home in time for the girls' swimming lesson.

On Friday we had visitors, Uncle S & Aunty P came for lunch.  It was lovely to see them albeit fairly briefly and we agreed that we must go and visit them again in Oxford early next year.

Monday was Asfordby, with a Christmas crafty theme, although the older children, including K & M, spent most of their time playing outside.  Afterwards we went back to friends' house and after some disagreement, it seems that there is a plan afoot to put on a short nativity play at the next Asfordby which is the Monday before Christmas.

In other news K has been experimenting with her art supplies today.  She has been using watercolour pencils and pastel crayons in her pictures, which I think are rather good.  I'll ask her permission to take photos to add here later.  Both girls have been continuing to read quite a lot, at the moment as well as the How To Train Your Dragon books, they have two books by Chris Riddell out of the library at the moment including Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse, which they have both enjoyed. 

Following our completion of the Usborne History of Britain, we've started on a timeline on lining wallpaper.  So far I've put on the monarchs of England (Britain from 1603) back as far as Alfred the Great and will be adding on things that we read about.  At the moment I have been doing most of it, but I'm hoping that the girls will join in some more as we add more on and the plan is to expand to other parts of the world too.

The timeline.