these past few days

We've been trying to get out every day, even in the back garden for twenty minutes running around, or a quick trek to the nearby play park (can you call a fenced off area with three workable bits of kit a play park?)


We also went to Weston Super Mare for New Years Eve daytime. It was a great way to spend the day, as every one got to run around like a crazy on the beach with the dogs, and we ate chips on the fancy new pier, and even all got a go on the dodgems. I was VERY brave and went on with Eb, with him in the driving seat. He took the whole bumper bit very seriously, and I think we crashed in to every other car, as well as the side barriers.

The weather took a soggy turn for the worst after New Years, so we cracked open some of the presents and got creating monsters:
and the new (bargain - £5) pottery wheel got it's first spin. For it's price it is actually pretty good, but we found that one person needed to operate the pedal whilst the other concentrated on their pot. I see lots of fun with this, as it can be used for salt dough as well as clay:


We started work on a new project whilst watching the Cbeebies Panto. We are still (just) inside Panto season.

The project...can you work out what it is?


At the moment I am taking my mid morning break, as all four children are playing a game with one of our old texts: Working With Monsters - A Course in Monsterology. Most people crack open the maths and literacy books, but not us. We've also spent the morning matching the figures from this to the descriptions in the book. There is a whole range of Groovy Tube books found here. I've ordered the Gone Extinct! Set for Eb's birthday.

That's right.

I have not one but TWO birthdays this week, which will see Od go from single to double figures for ever more, and Eb reach the milestone of eight years old.