Holidays

It's now officially holidays for all three children. I have some teachers in my Bible study, and they didn't seem to find it a short term, like I did. They were definitely limping to the finish line. I wouldn't be a teacher for quids - the people you work with have such power over how you enjoy your work, power that children and teenagers cannot be trusted with - but I come close to envying them when I think of how my four weeks annual leave is totally dwarfed by the number of weeks my children have off (but then I remember all the work teachers have to do in the holidays). It is hard to work out what to do with kids when you are at work and they are not.

Bethany started doing speech and drama this term. Her whole life is speech and drama, so we may as well go with it! On Thursday night, her teacher brought all of her primary school students together for a night of theatre sports. It wasn't exactly Whose Line is it Anyway, but it was a lot of fun. Bethany came away with a new experience and a sleepover planned for the holidays.

Soccer was still on yesterday and the rain stayed away until it had finished. Toby played well in his two games and the parents of Bethany's team had plenty of excitement. The team gets, well, soundly defeated each week. They have scored two goals across the whole season, but they really are getting so much better. Our excitement comes whenever our goalie makes a save, and, in the last two weeks, we have had three goal chances, two of them Bethany's, and we went wild! If Bethany ever does get a goal, sorry, WHEN she gets a goal, I really cannot imagine how our celebrations will be contained.

Rainy Saturday afternoons are perfect for papercraft with friends . We made a burlap and blooms wreath and I like it very much. Now I am off to put my thyme and parmesan sourdough in the oven.

France

There is snow in the mountains and it is cold and wet here. Brilliant timing to get Milo shorn, but he couldn't see. He seems to like his new coat.

Today was the last day of the term for Joss and Tobes. Activities Week had mixed success. Toby enjoyed donning a sumo suit, jumping in a room of trampolines, putt-putt golf, movies and bowling. Joss was less than enthralled with her program of learning the French national anthem, reciting a poem and doing a craft based on said poem and watching 'the most boring movie ever'. She fell asleep in the movie but remembered enough for me to work out that it was Cyrano de Bergerac, and she didn't even mention the nose! Joss was pleasantly surprised by liking the quiche and crepes she made, so it wasn't all bad.

We have a rough itinerary for the school trip to France and it looks very exciting. We start by making our own way to Sydney. The teacher told us she flies down the day before, which really annoys me because Sydney is most definitely UP! If you want to go down, go to Melbourne.

Where was I? Oh yes, we spend four nights in Paris, one in Armentieres, from which we visit Ypres, two in Amiens, two in Reims, three in Lyon, one more in Paris and then home. Only, I would love to catch the train to London to spend a day or two before going home as it seems a pity to be so close and not go to England. It's all a bit of a dream at the moment, a golden (read very expensive) dream.

Yellow Submarine

It's the weekend again, I'm so glad, and though I have books to read, I really can't ignore the blog any longer. 

I drove to Holbrook this week, to move a display from their library to Coolamon's , and was lucky enough to catch the submarine, which lives there permanently, in its yarnbombed state. Goodness, that's a lot of knitting.

Bethany has one full week of school left before three weeks off and Joss and Tobes have three days of Activities Week , which is not very schoolish, and then the following two weeks off. Toby is bowling, trampolining and going to the movies, Joss is playing games in French and making quiche at the Artisan Baker's. She doesn't like quiche, but we have decided to go, Joss and I, on the school trip to France next year (gulp, start serious saving now) and so she is putting in an effort. 

Bethany's birthday is in the holidays and my youngest will be ten years old. She likes to do just what I do on Saturday mornings; read and drink tea. I don't have my onesie on, though.

Joss also has a birthday coming up and she is going to get her nose pierced. I think I was sixteen when I got my ears pierced, though I wasn't allowed to until I was eighteen, I just did it after school one day. We weren't allowed to wear earrings at school so everyone wore bandaids over them. Oh yes, I'm sure that fooled everyone and looked awesome. A subtle stud in the nose can be very attractive as long as it isn't infected, or the wearer has a cold, and doesn't cause paralysis like an eyebrow or damage to the teeth like a tongue piercing. 

Back to my books, now, before I take Bethany to soccer. It's not raining this week, I won't need to wear my gumboots!