Is it only Wednesday! Mum and Cousin John got off OK today, and I think we can say the visit was good. Mum is proceeding with the house buying, it's a massive step for her. She's lived in Essex all her life. She's spent time in various other places, but she has never sold up and shipped out. Actually, it's monumental. I envisage melt down in the coming weeks before things get clearer in her mind. I am really looking forward to a new start for her. You only get one life, and whatever has passed, is past. The future can be better and brighter for everyone if we all want it, and we all make it happen.
I have spent the rest of the day researching more age appropriate material to help my son with his reading and spelling. I am starting to see him as a hugely bright and intelligent human being, and I'm trying to find less condescending and belittling ways of tackling his difficulties. Do you know, he is so clever, he could pass an entrance exam for grammar school if he had someone to read and write for him. If he were physically disabled he would have that allowance, but because his disability is invisible, he is already being denied opportunities that are rightfully his!
On a really positive note, I had a call today from a university friend who is a photographer. He invited us to a celebration of his upcoming marriage which is lovely, and he also said he would be delighted to spend a day with my son in his studio, showing him all the cameras and processes etc. My son will love that!!!!
It's a trip to the beach on the schedule tomorrow, with my daughters class. If the weather is the same tomorrow as it was today, I envisage the trip cancelled. It's not June weather. It's not even February weather at the moment. She has been to the police station tonight with Rainbows to have a look around. She had a great time. My son has been gardening at Scouts, he too had a great time and is feeling like he fits in there a bit better which is good news. He had a lovely shower tonight and declared that he would like to shower every morning from now on. Yippee! No more dragging him to the bathroom kicking and screaming. Well that's the theory, what actually happens in practice remains to be seen lol! Hope you are all OK. I wonder whats new in your lives lately? I feel like I've been out of touch for a while. Lots of love and night night for now x

Twenty past midnight on a school night is no time to be blogging! Mum's visit has been a success and no-one has fallen out (so far)! I am delighted. I am also shattered. I'm off to bed, I feel like I could sleep for a whole day and night........

One visitor departed on the train, the other two en route to arrive. It's all go here! Just feeding the troops before I get cracking. Got to change beds and tidy up. Don't even know where to start. It looks like we've been burgled. Good job in this instance that my Mum is blind, although she is likely to break her neck tripping over stuff if I don't get this place a bit ship shape.
Jut burnt the roof of my mouth on  jacket spud, it's really throbbing. My son is permanently on the sofa with a controller in his hands, even more so since his auntie treated him to a new game. I keep asking him to help tidy up, but the children need step by step instructions when it comes to tidying up. You have to say 'pick that pen up and put it in the pen drawer' etc or it ends up in the lego. Seeing as I'm in a hurry, it's just easier and quicker to do it myself! I've sat down to write this, it was a fatal move. I could quite easily snuggle up and have a doze. No, I must prize my backside off the sofa........

I'm just destined to have shit hair! I had my hair cut last week and it looked really nice, now it looks awful, god knows why, and I can't do anything with it! Sister in law has arrived. I have made a felt hand puppet of a cheetah this morning at school, cleaned and tidied the house as best I could in the time left over, and cooked veggie lasagne and have now been left downstairs alone with the wine.... not to mention having the kids friends for tea and managing to serve up a jar of pasta sauce in an unpleasing way... think the sauce pasta ratio was not right! Even though it was the jar of preferred carbonara, and I usually make my own!
Anyway, this is midsummers eve and it feels more like midwinter. Sis in law has a stinking cold so I imagine it has my name on it for next week. School summer fete on Saturday, which will undoubtedly be rainy. Can you tell, I'm feeling really positive at the moment!

Sorry I haven't blogged for a wee while..... it's been hectic. I was back with year 2 at school on Tuesday and there are some sad issues affecting some of the class members which made the morning a real challenge. One child in particular is having a really bad time, and the resulting behaviour is rubbing off on another. It really affects the whole class dynamics.
My son was canoeing all day today on the axe estuary. He had a fantastic time. Then we went to the doctors for my daughters crop of verrucas that have been with us for a good few months, which apparently we just need to keep treating with good old bazuka. She was very upset not to have had them cut out with a scalpel resulting, in the need for crutches! Then it was Rainbows and Scouts. In between that I have made some curtains out of a charity shop sheet, painted some furniture, selected some lovely nick nacks for the spare room(also from charity shops), shopped several times for various random items in an array of other shops including shells and marshmallows, entertained a plumber for a quote to move our boiler, and numerous other things that I have started to forget thankfully now. My sister-in-law arrives tomorrow. She is with us till Sunday, then my Mum and her cousin arrive about an hour after her departure, to view the house that I viewed for her, and that she has made an offer on that has been accepted. They leave on Wednesday. I am helping tomorrow morning at a year 2 parent involvement morning, and my daughter has a friend for tea. I have a filling on Friday and soon, I am sure, I will deserve a holiday! 24 hours in A&E was on and I missed most of it, I am rather upset coz I love that. I haven't opened a book all week, I hate that!

I love music. I don't play an instrument, and I don't even play music as much as I'd like any more. Partly because when I listen to music these days, I get very easily overwhelmed by it, and end up with a tear in my eye. I don't know if I was just born loving music, or if I've been surrounded by it from an early age, and that's what's formed my passions and taste. My Dad is a sound engineer and he's always been involved in the music industry. Some of my earliest memories of my Mum are of her loving a record so much, that she played it over and over and over. She did that with BA Robertson and Maggie Bell's Hold Me. Also, From a Jack to a King by Ned Miller, that one really crackled. She played Pink Floyd The Wall, Bob Marley Legend, Pat Benetar, Blondie Parallel Lines, REO Speedwagon, Lou Reed and so many more. My love of music throughout my life has meant that there are songs that have accompanied each period. If I think back to events, they are always characterised by certain songs. When I was 6 yrs old, I went to my first big concert at the Hammersmith Odeon. It was Manfred Mann's Earthband Chance tour.



















I had the night of my life and was thrilled to get back stage and see my Dad working. The atmosphere was amazing and the music was so loud. He is still touring now, he is in America at the moment, with Roger Waters from Pink Floyd. He has been on this tour for over a year. I love The Wall, but listening to it in concert almost every night for a year must be detrimental to your health! My Dad being away meant I couldn't send him a Fathers Day card yesterday. I sent him an email and I attached my favourite song at the moment. It's a lighthearted, uplifting catchy tune. I hoped it would make him think of me and be a good contrast to "Mamma Do You Think They'll Drop The Bomb".
The song I sent was this.......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv6dMFF_yts
I love it!

Have you heard Ed Sheeran's new tune....

"Small Bump"

[Verse 1:]
You're just a small bump unborn, in four months you're brought to life,
You might be left with my hair, but you'll have your mother's eyes,
I'll hold your body in my hands, be as gentle as I can, but for now your scan of my unmade plans,
A small bump in four months, you're brought to life
[another version:] A small bump in four months, you'll open your eyes

[Pre-Chorus:]
I'll whisper quietly, I'll give you nothing but truth,
[another version:] I'll hold you tightly, I'll give you nothing but truth,
If you're not inside me, I'll put my future in you

[Chorus:]
You are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
Oh, you are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
And you'll be alright.

[Verse 2:]
You're just a small bump unknown, you'll grow into your skin.
With a smile like hers and a dimple beneath your chin.
Finger nails the size of a half grain of rice,
And eyelids closed to be soon opened wide
A small bump, in four months you'll open your eyes.

[Pre-Chorus:]
And I'll hold you tightly, I'll give you nothing but truth,
[another version:] And I'll hold you tightly, I'll tell you nothing but truth,
If you're not inside me, I'll put my future in you

[Chorus:]
You are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
Oh, you are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
And you'll be alright.

[Bridge:]
You can lie with me,
With your tiny feet
When you're half asleep,
I'll leave you be.
Right in front of me
For a couple weeks
So I can keep you safe.

[Chorus:]
'Cause you are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
You are my one and only.
You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight.
And you'll be alright.

[Verse 4:]
You were just a small bump unborn for four months then torn from life.
Maybe you were needed up there but we're still unaware as why.

Today I finally had a really good haircut and have found someone that I like and trust to cut my hair well, which is truly fantastic. The day then disintegrated.... I couldn't find my car in the car park, after much searching and retracing steps we concluded that it must have been stolen! We were gobsmacked and quite upset. We contacted the police, the community officer visited, we informed the insurance company etc and then about 3 hours later I thought again about the train of events, and in a eureka moment, I realised I had left the car in Tesco's car park since Wednesday morning! I think I am losing my mind. I have given everyone a good laugh as I announced the crime immediately on facebook. I shan't be so hasty next time.
Has this type of thing happened to you?

I'm sitting here smugly because I've been working hard again all day. I've been learning about phonics today and how to teach children to sound talk and blend. I'm now fully proficient in graphemes, phonemes, digraphs, split digraphs and trigraphs! Well, I say I've been working all day, it's only 2.30pm, but I have to pack up now to head off to school for the kiddywinkies. I had a pretty good idea of what it was all about because I am in school so much, and I've sat in on phonics stuff and taught one session myself. I've found a lot more examples today of activities to do that practice the different phonemes. Once you have the relevant word lists, and are clear on the phases and order in which to attack them, then it's really just a case of making it snappy, accessible and fun. Then also providing usable examples and applications. There is quite a big comprehension gap between recognising and reading the different phonemes, and choosing the right graphemes to use in writing. By that, I mean for example it's relatively easy to recognise a sound in a word when you sound it out, like tube, chew or Tuesday. It's much harder when you are writing, to choose the right grapheme or way of writing the sound. So a child might write tube, tewb or tueb or Chewsday even. There are sometimes rules that govern which spelling to use like the ai,ay, a_e sound. The spelling AY is often at the end of the word, like day, pay, way etc but the English language has so many exceptions (like crayon) and often we just learn through repetition that something looks right. That's why reading is so important. I wish my son found reading easier. I really must keep motivating him and reading with him, it's so important. I've found a load of stuff to do with him today. I really want to give it my best shot between now and the end of the summer, to try and help him make some significant advances and feel more confident in his abilities. Talking of reading, what reading scheme do your children follow if you have children? The books my children have to plough through at school are so outdated and boring! It's no wonder they aren't inspired. They are the Oxford Reading Tree books, and there are a few other types of books thrown in like Ginn ones, but they are all so DULL! Do you agree? What alternatives are there? Please comment with suggestions or your views if you have even the tiniest thing to say. I love a bit of feedback. Thanks you.

I have just been reading a report about The Primary Education Review, and the proposed revision of the primary curriculum. (feeling good as have done some course related reading, got smug grin). However, it was all worded in a quite complicated way, so I have spent the first half hour working out what it says in normal language, which I think I have just about done, and now I can't really remember what I thought about the points raised, and need to read it again! I can see this is going to be a long and difficult process with my aging brain.
The changes to the curriculum seemed to have been called for because other countries are doing better than us, ie Finland. However, Finland is not a very comparable country (not entirely sure why, but could re-read or research Finland later.) The government apparently want to roll out in schools, what Finland do in their schools, but there is opposition to following their model in schools, because there are conflicting opinions as to the actual reasons why Finland performs better than the UK. It would appear that the their whole ethos is different to ours. They have invested time and money over many years, in equality. In trying to bridge the gap between the country's rich and poor, and research shows that it is this improvement in society as a whole which has had the greatest impact on raising the outcomes for children in education. Our government is reluctant to acknowledge this. Employing their education model alone, to a system where the standards of schools varies greatly as it does in the UK, where we have introduced academies and variation to provide parents with 'choice', will not necessarily improve outcomes for our children, or raise standards for every child. Does that make sense? Now I must formulate in my mind what I personally think they should do. I do have an answer, but I don't think I could construct it sensibly yet! I would really welcome some comments and views about what is good about the primary education in the UK, and what is wrong with it. There are lots of parents amongst you who must have a view. Please raise some points, either by sending me comments or sending me a PM. Thanks xxx

After reading some more......

Michael Gove seems to interpret the findings of research in a very strange way. As politicians tend to do, he has cherry picked certain ideas that 'please' him, or suit current political agendas, and disregarded key aspects of what has been put forward in a truly fundamental way. I've just read his letter to Tim Oates, the chair of the expert committee, which contains his proposals for the primary curriculum. I have also read his preliminary outline for English, Maths and Science. The content of what should be taught, (which was supposed to be slimmed down considerably, leaving much to the integrity of individual schools and teachers), is by and large acceptable, I am not a teacher yet so I can't really comment competently on how it differs from the previous curriculum content. However, as I understand it, he proposes doing away with assessing development in stages, in favour of stating explicitly what MUST be learned by certain ages, and at the end of specific school class years, not by the majority of children, but by ALL class members. He also states that the teacher and class may not 'move on' with learning, until EVERY child has acquired specific skills and knowledge. Well even I, with limited classroom experience, can say that this is totally flawed and unachievable. Children are all individuals. They do not learn at the same pace. They do not all develop at the same rate, or in a linear way. That is not to say that a child, who at any particular stage, who develops more slowly than another, will achieve less in the long term. There is no mention of what extra measures or resources will be in place, to ensure this happens. None, no doubt.

Gloomy morning today. Weather is shocking, AGAIN. My poor boy says he isn't looking forward to anything at school except seeing his friends, and even that was an after thought. Daughter is as excited as could be. It's all about the teacher, they are so important. It's not that his teacher isn't good or nice, she just isn't right for him. Her approach is too shouty and instructional. She teaches and they learn, rather than them being given clues and finding out for themselves. Also, he is now old enough to reflect on his experiences in France and he is viewing them very negatively, he is also starting to reflect more on his own short comings and compare himself with others. The sense of self awareness shows development and maturity, but it's also the bearer of bad news, as it is for us grown ups!
I just need to persevere with all the extra phonics work because he really seems to be getting stuff at the moment. Maybe if he can see progress, he will feel a sense of achievement and be motivated to stick with it.
Anyway, we had a lovely day with my Dad's ex girlfriend yesterday. They took us to Lyme and bought us fish and chips. The children played in the sand and they even bought them buckets and spades. The sun shone for a short while and the afternoon was finished off with ice creams. Then my son set off on his bike for rangers club, where he met a bat. He thinks they are cute.
I am viewing a house just around the corner this afternoon, for my Mum. I have everything crossed that this is 'The ONE'. It's really near, but you can't see if from my house. It has three bedrooms, a bathroom and an en-suite. There is a downstairs loo and a new and practical kitchen. The garden is decked for easy maintenance which is perfect, and it has a garage too. It's on the market for £220,000 which is quite steep. It's very central for town, it's newish so a survey shouldn't frighten her off this time. Lets just hope it ticks all the boxes.

Daughters second tooth came out yesterday, so the fairies have been with us again. She wrote them a note this time and got one back. She says the note and fairy dust are way more exciting than the pound. Shame there was no fairy dust in Hertfordshire for my sons tooth, I think it's because they only need fairy dust, if you wake up and see them. The dust is magic and makes you forget that you saw them.
Pants weather. Sitting in my dressing gown listening to Cerys Matthews on Six Music, and browsing ebay is the perfect Sunday morning. Except my husband is at work and son is at camp. My little girl has watched the Julia Roberts Snow White film three times this weekend, she has watched it this morning, but is now playing schools in the play room. She is practicing a joined up Y.
 We watched Mike Leigh's Naked last night. It started off quite good, but went on and on and on, and the characters were all quite horrible. I am looking forward to seeing Ill Manners, or whatever the plan B film is called. I heard a review on radio 1 whilst stuck in traffic on the M25, and it sounds really intense but well worth a look.
We went to the garden centre yesterday and bought some new plants for our little garden. I love our little garden. We planted up two new hanging baskets and got some everlasting sweet peas that will come back every year. I love sweet peas, they are so pretty. We got another foxglove, neither have flowered yet but it's practically the only thing the snails and slugs won't eat, on account of it being poisonous. I do love them too. They remind me of Beatrix Potter books, if I remember correctly, they feature in lots of the illustrations. We saw a gardening programme that showed us how to take cuttings, so we got a couple of spare pots and we are going to give it a go. It's a definite sign that I am getting on a bit!
Think it's time I got dressed, there are lots of jobs to do as usual, and tomorrow I am looking forward to seeing my Dad's girlfriend from my childhood. They are no longer together and she will be visiting with her new boyfriend. She is lovely, she taught me to horse ride and we had lots of fun and laughs together. She visited us a few years ago in France but she didn't meet my son or husband because they were both away at the time. I think son was on a school holiday and husband was in the UK looking for houses to rent and places to live. Anyway, I hope it doesn't rain all day when they come.

Just to be going on with today.
Thank goodness there is a little bit of sunshine in our lives today! And for the scouts and cubs too.

Devon is incredibly windy, it has been quite wet and is now just grey and miserable. I am nevertheless, happy to be home. We had a really lovely time in Croxley Green with my Uncle. The children love family and really enjoyed spending time with everyone. Uncle has a 3D tv which was brilliant. The children watched Happy Feet 2 and tried to catch the bubbles at the end. Marvin, my cousins Staffy was a real hit with the little ones. They loved him. I am always wary of those muscly dogs, but I have to agree that he is a nice natured, very lovable fellow. I wasn't quite so keen on him the night he slept on my side of the bed with my son! I couldn't get him to budge over, no matter how hard I tried.
We spent most of today unpacking, and then re-packing for scout camp. My son has set off for Taunton now, on the minibus with the other scouts and some of his old cub mates. I really hope the weather improves. Every camp he's been on so far has been torrential rain. At least this time there is no school on Monday, so he has time to recover.
My daughter, who has spent most of the week being contrary mary, and saying the opposite of whatever he says, and generally tormenting him and making his life hell, sobbed as he drove off in the bus. "I want to go to camp" she wailed, missing him before he had even pulled out of the car park! Typical. As compensation, we treated her (and us) to a chinese takeaway tonight. We really pushed the boat out and went for half a crispy duck with pancakes. She liked the prawn crackers and the egg fried rice. Can't really call that a success. She loved the Mars ice cream for afters though.
We stopped off at the beach on the way home and collected some driftwood. It was lovely to get blasted by the sea salty wind. The smell of the sea air is lovely. There is no better place than the beach when it's windy. Generally, I hate wind. It is bothersome in all circumstances, other than just standing in it and appreciating it for what it is.

We are home!

Terribly upset not to have blogged for what now appears to be 2 days! It's 1.20am so I have therefore technically missed 2 days. Gutted! The children and I are in Croxley Green for London half term outings, and the traveling and entertaining of children and being out of familiar surroundings without the right power cables etc has caused a lack of blog! So sorry. Today we visited the science museum and had a great time. Tomorrow we are back up to London for the Natural History!

I'm all jubileed out! This is what always happens. I could do with a duvet day so I am actually requesting more rain please. Sorry to all you folks who have your fingers crossed that it holds out tomorrow. No, maybe that's a bit hasty. I feel mean now. I'll probably feel more celebratory again tomorrow. I started reading through some of the revision and test books for literacy and science yesterday and realised just how much work I have to do. Who remembers all this?

This is really basic stuff and I knew it all, a long long time ago! The Literacy stuff was a bit easier and I haven't dared look at the maths yet. It's exciting really because with the benefit of hindsight, all these natural wonders seem so much more impressive and magnificent than they did when I was young and everything was new and incredible. Somehow, as a child, you learn stuff and you accept things that are quite awe inspiring, as if they are matter of fact. Because they are. It's only now with age and more of an overview that I can begin to appreciate the intricacy and cleverness of how things occur and how things interconnect. I think that will be hard to convey to a child. It's like telling a child or teenager to enjoy their youth! I really hope my own sense of rediscovered wonder will rub off.

I always used to think that school shows and events in France went on for hours and hours which was really tedious. They never started on time, and were usually held way past bed time. That is one thing that is much better in England. However, now I want to complain because the jubilee singing was so good, and such a lovely occasion, and I wanted it to last much longer! The same cannot be said of Sturstrom. The choral performance in the quarry caves was very 'arty'. The pebble orchestra, which was the children banging and scraping stones in the style of Stomp or Blueman Group, well they were brilliant, but as for the noise making of the rest of them, it was a hideous din in my uncultured view, it was such a shame as the quarry caves were beautifully lined with hundreds of tea-light candles. and the atmosphere and acoustics were amazing. Never mind, it was an experience.
Today, my lovely husband has finally managed to put a new roof on the shed. Just in time before it rained as well. He's done a really good job. Talking of rain, it has set in, and I fear it is going to rain for most of tomorrow as well. I'm really not looking forward to the picnic. If it's bad weather it will be a real chore, and I am in the mood to wear pyjamas and potter at home. Sadly, the children won't see it my way.

This table is testament to my day. It was tidy this morning, and now, apart from blowing out the candles, I am going to bed, and leaving it looking like that. Tomorrow is another day, as they say.