We've just got back from a weekend at Rob's parents. We had a lot of cake.
Betsy wanted to decorate a cake so she and Rob bought provisions, and Granny helped her to do it.
Later, Rob's mum and I escaped by ourselves. I wanted to go to Dunelm Mill to be a cushion for the cover I crocheted, and she wanted to take me to the Emma Bridgewater factory shop. It's one of the very few potteries left in Stoke On Trent. It's in a beautiful old industrial building.
The shop was crammed full of bright and cheery things. Mugs, plates, tea towels, bowls, tea pots, fabric. Spots, hearts, dogs, birds. This was the seconds shop, so it sells the things that aren't entirely perfect. Good enough for me though!
There is a cafe at the shop too. All the cups and plates and teapots are - unsurprisingly - Emma Bridgewater. The cake was excellent. I had red velvet, aka beetroot. It was the most beautiful shade of red. Mave had carrot cake, which looked equally as good.
We admired a huge aga that was in the cafe, near our table. It was three times the size of a normal aga, and painted white with the trademark Emma Bridgewater spots. While we were chatting, a man came over and opened one of the doors and to our surprise there was a cake baking inside. We had both assumed it was just decorative, but it is a working oven making cakes for the cafe! Amazing.
I really liked two posters on the wall. I'm not sure if they are vintage or vintage-stylee, and I hope they're up in the working bit of the factory.
We had even more cake in the evening, a little smarties one for Betsy's birthday.
It's all go now for the next few days - a morning at a hawk centre, visit to the doctors for Meg, Betsy's birthday, a party, pony riding. I'm exhausted thinking about it....
The weather has been so changeable. Blue skies on Wednesday, pouring down on Thursday, dry but occasionally threatening today.
Yesterday (Thursday, wet) we went on an Autumn treasure hunt with some of the families in our home ed co-op. It had been raining most of the morning, but had stopped when we set off. We found a sweet chestnut tree, and some interesting looking flat fungi on a log.
Inside the woods it was gloomy and felt a bit like a fairy tale forest with hazards hidden amongst the trees. Did we catch a glimpse of the big bad wolf? Or was that a dinosaur hiding behind a tree?
After a little while - and some spotting of animal footprints, more fungi and interesting fallen trees - the heavens opened. We all got drenched! Shoes and boots were at risk of being sucked into the mud. Rain dripped off noses.
My phone got wet and gave up at this point! It was fun, though Betsy got too wet for comfort and felt miserable for the last few minutes.
Today was dry, so we headed off to our local woods this afternoon. Freddie spotted more fungi. I'd really like a field guide so we can identify what we find.
We spent some time in the playground before going to the cafe for a cuppa and some Smarties.
Freddie likes to sort his into colours.
Then off for a walk. We were dinosaurs - first iguanadons, then raptors. The kids collected leaves to eat, and then hunted for prey.
And because it's International Baby Wearing Week, here's a photo of Meg and me after she asked for a 'carry-you' on my front (unusual as she normally goes on my back).
No time to write about numbers now so this is a reminder to come back to it next week - the kids are number crazy at the moment and we talk about them in the car especially. Now we're off to Rob's folks, time to get shoes on and hit the road!
It looks lovely, lit up in the dark.
Thanks to pinterest we've been enjoying some leafy activities. Everyone did a bit of something when we made some stained glass leaves. Betsy helped grate the crayons, and scatter them onto wax paper. Meg scattered the grated crayons too.
Freddie ironed the wax paper to, to melt the colours onto the wax paper.
I cut out the black card frames and stuck the pieces together. We all love how they look in the window!
We collected some more leaves today, and stuck them on the front door inspired by The Artful Parent.
The house is filled with lovely leafy pictures and decorations. Betsy helped me to make a leaf lantern and we can't wait for it to be dark so we can light it. I also have the materials to make dyed leaves from coffee filter paper.
We popped to the playground on the way back from Hobbycraft today. It was a beautiful afternoon, chilly in the shade but so warm in the sunshine.
Meg has a chest infection again, and is on antibiotics and steroids. She is not enjoying the medicine, so it's not much fun. I'm hoping the treatment will knock it on the head this time.
Freddie and Betsy had their first riding lesson today. They had both been looking forward to it, but when we got there they both said they didn't want to do it unless I went in with them. The riding instructor said this was fine thank goodness! Mum was there too and said she'd sit with Meg. Meg was unhappy with the offer (ie she cried until I put her in the ring sling), so she and I walked around next to the ponies.
Once we were in the paddock, the kids relaxed almost straight away. The ponies were small, and seemed steady and relaxed. Freddie used a box to climb on his pony (called Dee Dee), and Laura the instructor lifted Betsy onto her pony Hector.
They walked around the paddock, and practiced using the reins to change direction and stop the ponies. They used their feet to get the ponies to walk again. They also had a go at trotting, and they really enjoyed it!
As they liked it so much, we'll try regular lessons and go every other week.
In the afternoon Betsy, Meg and I went leaf collecting. The colours are beautiful at the moment.
Some of the leaves went into the flower press, and some were dipped in melted beeswax. I put them on the wooden tree on our nature table.
I made a toadstool gnome and an autumn fairy the other day, to stand under the tree. Here's a close up!
Oh I do love autumn..
We ran a dinosaur session at the home ed group this week. Freddie and I thought about some different activities we could take. He was very keen to show the other kids how a pack of raptors might hunt down a plant eater. I was happy to be his prey! He made up a game with plant eaters and meat eaters, and the kids took it in turns to hunt each other.
We brought his 'Walking with Giants' dvds to watch.
I printed off some colouring sheets, a model triceratops to colour in and stick together, and a fossil/pasta glue craft.
We grabbed the box of dinosaurs, and the dinoland car track thing.
I made dinosaur bingo too, as I couldn't find a free printable dino bingo anywhere online. Everyone got bingo at the same time though, whoops! I need to add some more pictures to make it play better.
Later we went onto the common to measure out long a diplodocus was from head to tail. It's 40m, all the way to the where the red arrow is pointing!
The kids played on the common after that, as it was such a gorgeous autumn afternoon.
